Hey Guys! Here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it.
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Take Care!
January 1, 1999
As he woke on the first day of the year, Draco had a sense of complete happiness. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of Hermione sound asleep, curled into his side. It was the best possible start to a new year.
He watched her sleep for a bit until he began to hear a bit of commotion coming from the corridor outside their bed chamber. He carefully slid out of the bed, grabbing his wand before stepping out of the room.
"You're a bloody bastard!" Theo shouted at his brother while Tobias stood at the other end of the corridor. Luna stood between the brothers, clearly attempting to calm the situation.
"Why? Because your girlfriend would rather talk to me than you?" Tobias smirked.
Luna rolled her eyes, evidently having lost her patience with the older Nott brother. "Tobias, I was simply trying to be kind to you. You are taking this way too far. You should not have tried to kiss me." She said, anger beginning to peek through in her tone.
None of them had noticed Draco yet.
"I ought to curse you. I should have known better than to trust you around Luna." Theo shouted, reaching for his wand.
"And I should have known better than to go after Luna when that other bint is here." Tobias said.
Theo furrowed his brow, confused, "Who?"
"He means Hermione." Luna said, "He kept talking about her. That's when he attempted to kiss me."
Draco clenched his jaw, about to step forward when Theo glared at Tobias and spoke in a deep, angry voice that was nothing like his usual voice.
"If you go anywhere near Hermione Granger, not only will I not help you, but I will help Draco."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tobias asked.
"It means that Draco Malfoy will kill you slowly and painfully if you attempt to do anything to his girlfriend." Luna said in a clear, matter-of-fact tone.
Tobais rolled his eyes, "Like Malfoy would do anything…"
"Think again." Draco said, stepping out of the shadows, "Theo and Luna are correct. I'll kill you. And I'd hate to kill my best friend's brother, but I will. That is, if Hermione doesn't do it first."
Tobais clenched his jaw, evidently unsure of how to respond to the threat.
"Go back to your bed chamber, Tobias." Theo said. "Stay there until they all leave."
Tobais sneered at his brother but stormed off to another part of the castle.
Theo apologized to Draco, but the blond wizard simply waved it off and told his friends he'd see them at the late breakfast they had all planned during the previous night.
Draco went back to bed where Hermione was still sound asleep, having slept through it all. He smiled and slid into bed, wrapping his arms around her as he fell back to sleep, hoping to restart the new year.
His hope came true and hour later when Hermione woke him up with a kiss on the lips.
He smiled and pulled her deeper into the kiss, causing her to moan and straddle his waist.
As they snogged, Hermione reached over, grabbing her wand, and performing a Contraception Charm on herself before reaching down and lowering Draco's pajama pants.
Draco groaned at the feeling of her hand wrapped around him as she pumped him to full hardness before guiding him into her.
Hermione moaning his name into his ear caused him to nearly lose himself, but he quickly gathered himself and flipped them over.
He took his time, thrusting his hips slowly but deeply. He could feel just how worked up she was and much more she became with each thrust.
"Oh Draco…fuck…Draco!" She moaned, her nails digging into his shoulders. When she was at the brink of her climax, her right hand shot down to his arse, guiding him to move a bit faster. "That's it, Love!"
He groaned, listening to her and when he felt her squeezing him as she moaned deeply into his ear, he came deep within her.
They slowly snogged while still connected, refusing to separate.
When they did finally separate, they laid under the covers together, bodies still bare from making love.
Hermione pressed a lingering kiss to the side of Draco's neck, "I love you." She whispered into the nearly silent room.
He pulled her even closer, turning his head to meet her eyes with his calm, grey ones. "And I, you." He whispered before kissing her lips softly.
It was sometime later that they met the others in the Dining Hall for a late breakfast.
It was a lovely breakfast and both Hermione and Draco thoroughly enjoyed it, but they both knew the time was coming where they would have to part ways.
"As it is already nearly noon…" Theo said, "you lot should probably pack up your things. I truly do not want to be on Narcissa's bad side."
"No, you don't. I've witnessed that shite." Blaise shook his head and shuttered, making the others chuckle.
Draco and Hermione made their way back to their bed chamber while the others did the same.
"Are you alright, Love?" He asked her, noticing her silence.
She nodded, "I am. I forgot to speak with Pansy about something. I'll be right back. I'll meet you in the room, yea?"
He nodded, confused.
Hermione rushed down the corridor and turned down the next. She knocked on Ron's and Pansy's bed chamber door and Pansy opened the door, confused.
"Everything okay?" She asked the brunette.
Hermione nodded, "Could I speak with you for a moment?"
Pansy nodded, and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"What's going on?" Pansy asked, concerned.
Hermione inhaled, "Draco and I are going to be apart for a while…" She began.
Pansy nodded, beginning to understand.
"I'm concerned about him, and I was hoping that you would keep an eye on him for me. You two have a past but you also are extremely close and he's able to talk to you in a way that he can't talk to Theo or Blaise." Hermione said.
Pansy nodded, "I understand. I'll keep an eye on him."
"Thank you, Pansy." Hermione smiled, feeling grateful. "I'll see you later."
Hermione made her way down the corridor as Pansy went back into her bed chamber. She went back to her and Draco's room where the two of them finished packing before meeting the others.
They all bid Theo and Luna a temporary farewell before heading back to the Malfoy Manor.
When they arrived back at the Manor, Draco and Hermione went up to his room to grab Hermione's things.
He swallowed, watching as she gathered her belongings, knowing they were about to part ways for a week. He hated being apart from her. It was some sort of torture he had never experienced and in some ways, he'd rather go through the Cruciatus Curse again than be away from Hermione, though he knew that was bonkers.
She finished packing and inhaled deeply, looking around as if to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, but they both knew that she was only stalling the inevitable.
He walked up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist while saying, "We'll be back together soon."
Sighing, she replied quietly, "Not soon enough."
Draco leaned down and pressed a long kiss to her cheek.
Suddenly her speckled eyes widened at a thought. The brunette spun around in his arms, "Would you still be willing to come to Diagon Alley with me and my family?"
He nodded, "Of course. Are you all still going today?"
"No, we're going tomorrow morning." She said with a hopeful expression.
Nodding again, Draco replied, "What time should I be at your parents' house?"
After making the plans, Draco pulled her close, kissing her deeply. They snogged for a few minutes until Hermione's cellular phone began to buzz in her pocket.
"That'll likely be Dad." She sighed.
Draco nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
She smiled, "I'll see you in the morning."
He watched as she used his bedroom fireplace to floo to her parents' house.
January 2, 1999
"So, this is The Leaky Cauldron." Hermione told her family as she and Draco gave the large group a tour of Diagon Alley.
They had all just arrived at the Pub, via floo, from her parent's house. As they stepped out of the Pub, her family members all looked around in amazement.
"Come on." Hermione said, nodding to the tall building at the end of the Alley. "We'll go to Gringotts first and get some money so that we can purchase your wands."
The group made their way to the Wizarding Bank, multiple pairs of speckled eyes bouncing everywhere in hopes of not missing a thing.
Once they were directly in front of the Bank, Hermione turned to Draco, "I'll go get the money. Could you stay here with them?"
He nodded, "Sure. Just be careful, yea?"
She smiled, leaning up on her toes as she kissed his lips. "I will, Love."
While she headed inside, Draco turned back to the group and began answering their multitude of questions.
"So, is magical money the same as Muggle money?" Benjamin, Hermione's 15-year-old cousin asked.
Draco shook his head, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out one of each of the three coins that wizarding currency consisted of.
"This is a Knut." He said. "This is a Sickle, and this is a Galleon."
As he explained, they all listened intently.
"That's rather complicated." Hermione's Uncle Chris said as Draco passed the coins around for them to examine.
"Once you get the hang of it, it'll be just like spending Muggle money. It took me some time to learn about Muggle currency but now I've got it down." Draco replied. "And should you ever need to, you can exchange Muggle currency for Wizarding currency, or the other way around, here at Gringott's."
"That's useful." Marissa, Chris's Muggle wife remarked with a nod.
Hermione stepped out of the Bank and over to them, "Alright, we're set."
Her relative's looked slightly confused.
"Where's the money?" Benjamin asked quietly.
"I've placed a small portion from the vault in my bag. It'll be fine." She replied. "First stop is Ollivander's." She said added, looking at Draco.
He nodded, "Let's go get you lot some wands, yea?" He smiled.
The group made their way down the cobblestone path and went straight to Ollivander's Wand Shop.
Garrick Ollivander stepped out from the back upon hearing the bell when the door opened and closed.
"Ah, Miss Granger, how are you this morning?"
"I'm well. Thank you. It's a bit of a long story but my family is in need of wands."
He nodded with a knowing smile, "Yes, I've spoken with Cato Morales. He informed me of the some of the things going on. I'm happy to help." He said, "Who should we begin with?"
"Let's go in order of age." She advised, looking at her great-grandmum first.
Stella stepped forward, "Hello." She said.
"Hello, Mrs. Granger, do you recall the wand you used to have?" The shop owner asked.
She shook her head, "There are a few memories that still seem to be a bit out of reach for me."
"That's perfectly fine. Let's begin with this one."
Stella's wand was quickly found, and they moved onto Leo, Hermione's grandad and then Andrea, his wife.
When Hayden's turn came, Hermione beamed, watching her father, who had lived as a Muggle his entire life step forward, anxiety evident.
It took three attempts for them to locate the proper wand, but in the end, Hayden's wand was made of Rowan wood with a Dragon Heartstring core.
His brother went next, and his turn was quickly over. Chris's wand, Larch with a Dragon Heartstring core was the first one he picked up.
Next came Anna's turn, Ollivander smiled when her wand, after four attempts, took him by surprise.
"Dogwood with a Unicorn Hair core." He admired, "I'm rarely surprised, young lady. That one, however, I would not have predicted." He smiled.
She smiled nervously and nodded as her brother stepped forward.
Ollivander nodded, knowingly, "You're going to be quite powerful, young man." He said as he grabbed a wand from the aisle to his left. "Try this one."
Benjamin picked up the wand, yet nothing happened. Ollivander nodded and grabbed another option from a different aisle. When Benjamin took this wand in his hand however, a bright light erupted from the end and his eyes brightened a bit.
Ollivander nodded, "I should have known. Walnut with a Phoenix Feather core."
Hermione smiled. Only Benjamin and Stella had Phoenix Feather Cores in their wands.
Hermione paid for the wands before thanking Ollivander and leading the group out of the shop.
"Where to now?" Leo asked his granddaughter.
"Well, I thought you all might want to go look at some books before we go to lunch in a bit." She replied. "There are two books shops I thought we'd take a look at. One is called Flourish and Blotts and it is rather popular. The other is called Timeless Tomes which is owned by Cato and is in Knockturn Alley."
The group went to Flourish and Blotts and looked around, picking out some books which Hermoine paid for before they made their way to Knockturn Alley. When they walked into Timeless Tomes, the Grangers all appeared to be slightly surprised and reluctant.
Cato noticed the group and walked over to them with a wide smile, "Hello you all. How is everyone today?"
"We're splendid." Hayden smiled, "We've just gotten our wands."
Cato beamed, "Brillant! I do suggest that you wait to use them until you've been trained a bit, however."
"Yea, that's what Hermione and Draco said too." Benjamin said, disappointment obvious in his tone but with a clear understanding that it was a serious suggestion by his cousin.
"Well, you are all welcome to look around. You'll all get the family discount on anything you want." Cato nodded to them.
Draco smiled, appreciating the fact that the man in front of him loved his mother and clearly cared for him as well.
They all split up to explore the shop. Benjamin and Anna ended up in the same aisle as Draco, looking at books about brewing potions.
The sound of the door chimed, but Draco paid no attention as he was busy explaining a few details about Polyjuice Potion to Hermione's cousins.
"Bloody hell…they must let anyone in here." He heard and immediately clenched his jaw. He hadn't heard that voice since the Summer and he had hoped to never hear it again.
Draco inhaled deeply and turned around, coming face to face with Cormac McLaggen.
"What do you want, McLaggen?" Draco said through clenched teeth while subconsciously stepping in front of Benjamin and Anna to protect them as they couldn't do it themselves just yet.
Cormac glared at the blond wizard, "I'm guessing Hermione wised up and dumped your Death Eater arse before the Summer ended."
Having sensed something was wrong via Cor Nexum, Hermione rushed over and found them.
"Well, that would be an incorrect assumption on your part, Cormac." She said angrily, remembering how he had gotten Draco locked up in the Ministry holding cell for a night after Cormac 'accidently' smacked her across the face and Draco had naturally reacted.
"Hermione, I thought you had better sense than that." Cormac said, his eyes meeting hers.
Hayden and Chris made their way over to the scene followed by their wives and Hermione's grandparents, all concerned about what was going on.
"Would you just leave us alone?" Hermione glared at him.
He stepped closer to her, and Draco took a step forward, "Back off, McLaggen. You know I won't hesitate."
Cormac, noticing the crowd without the knowledge of who they were, grinned, "Well, Death Eater, I'm sure you wouldn't. And seeing as I'm no longer an Auror, I have no regulations on not kicking your arse." He smirked, shoving Draco back.
Draco clenched his jaw, nearly forgetting who all was there, "Back the fuck off, McLaggen…now!"
"You know, Malfoy…" He said, clearly not taking the hint. "I was with Hermione first…way before you ever even considered talking to her. Well, you talked to her but only with derogatory terms. It amazes me that she ended up shagging you now, but I guess her standards lowered significantly after the war." He huffed, "For her to date one of Voldemort's bloody Death Eaters?" Cormac shook his head, "She must have gotten some sort of brain damage during that final Battle, yea?"
Draco reached for his wand, but Hermione grabbed his hand, "Don't." She said, before turning to look up at McLaggen. "You need to leave us alone. I get that you haven't matured any since the age of ten, but life goes on."
Cato stepped over to the group, "Draco, are to you all right, son?" he asked, his hand discreetly gripping his wand in case of a need to use it.
Draco nodded, "I'm fine. He's about to leave."
Cormac chuckled, "I guess Death Eater boy got himself a new daddy. Well, no matter, you'll still end up just like Lucius. I mean, you've got the same bloody Dark Mark on your arm, haven't you? You're one in the same." He said with a shrug.
Draco's fury nearly boiled over, but before he could react Cato stepped over with his wand aimed directly at Cormac's face and rage evident on his eyes.
"Leave my shop now and do not ever return." Cato said through clenched teeth. "If you ever speak to him like that again, I swear to you, you'll regret it for the rest of your days."
Cormac swallowed and glared at Draco but didn't test the statement made by the shop owner. He left without another word, kicking a shelf on the way out.
Draco cleared his throat, unable to look at anyone, feeling pure shame.
Hermione ignored her family and stepped closer to her boyfriend, cupping his jaw as she made him meet her eyes. "Draco, Love, he's completely wrong. You are absolutely nothing like Lucius. Do you hear me?"
He didn't respond, so she asked again, "Do you hear me, Draco?"
Draco nodded and finally met her eyes before whispering in the quietest voice possible, "I've got to find a way to remove this bloody mark."
Hermione nodded, "Okay. I'll help."
"What was he talking about?" Benjamin asked quietly. "I don't mean to start anything but what is a Death Eater and a Voldemort?"
Draco swallowed, hating that the rest of her family was finally going to know the truth.
Hayden spoke up rather than Hermione, "We've all got a past, and we've all done things that we aren't proud of. Draco here is the same but that doesn't mean we ought to judge him. He's a good man who loves Minnie, I'm sure you can all see that clear as day."
Jean nodded, "So, let's not think about what that boy said. Let's just focus on having a fun day together."
Chris considered it all for a moment before nodding, "What's our next stop?"
Hermione smiled and slid her hand into Draco's, "We're going to The Leaky Caudron for lunch."
The group paid for their books and bid Cato farewell. Draco thanked the shop owner and said that he'd see him that evening at the Manor.
They left and made their way to the Pub where Tom put two tables together for them. They enjoyed a leisurely lunch, chatting and discussing everything about the Wizarding World, Hogwarts, and so on.
After lunch Hermione thought they could all use a laugh and led the way to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
They immediately split up, all eager to explore the unique shop.
"Malfoy! Hermione!" The couple heard as they admired some new items one of the walls.
They turned and saw Fred walking over to them.
"Hi Fred!" Hermione said, hugging the twin.
He smiled and shook Draco's hand, "Hi! How are you two?"
"Brilliant! We're showing Hermione's family around Diagon Alley." Draco replied.
Hermione smiled, "They all got their wands today."
Fred beamed, "Mum told us about everything that happened. I'm thrilled for you Hermione."
"Thank you."
After introducing the rest of the Grangers to both twins and paying for a few items, they left and went across to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Draco showed them the different balls that were used in Quidditch, which thoroughly intrigued Benjamin, Anna, and Chris.
Once they finished looking around, Hermione asked them if they'd like to purchase an owl so that they could communicate.
"Yes!" Anna said quickly.
"I suppose we ought to get one as well. Narcissa been lending us one, but I'd like to have our own." Jean said to her husband who agreed with a nod.
They walked to Eeylops Owl Emporium and began looking around. While there, Draco purchased some more Owl Treats for Athena.
Afterwards, as they made their way back to The Leaky Cauldron, Hayden and his brother both told their new owls where to go before letting them fly off.
Hermione turned to Draco once they got inside the Pub and sighed, "I suppose this is where we part ways."
He nodded, "I'll see you on Sunday on the Platform. Alright, Love?" He replied, doing everything he could to not show the extent of his disappointment.
She cupped his jaw, and leaned up on her toes, kissing his lips softly before quietly saying, "I'll phone you tonight."
He nodded, grateful that she had not only explained the phone but had also written out instructions.
"I love you, Darling." He said, pressing one last kiss to her lips.
"I love you, Draco," She replied, a tear slipping from her eyes as she turned to her waiting family.
He watched as they all took turns flooing to her parents' house. Once the others were gone, leaving only Hermione, she ran over to Draco and kissed him with much more passion.
"I love you." She said once more before rushing after her family.
Draco sighed, having no time to reply before she disappeared within green flames.
He inhaled deeply and stepped forward before flooing to the Manor.
When he arrived back at the Manor, Draco went to find the others. Everyone had returned to stay at the Manor except Theo and Luna.
He wasn't surprised to find them all in Blaise's room, chatting.
"Hey!" Pansy smiled. "How's Hermione?"
"She's well. We all had a good day." He replied, "What are you lot up to?" He asked as he leaned back against the wall.
"We're making plans for the rest of the week." Harry replied from his spot on the window seat with Ginny.
Draco nodded with a thoughtful expression. "Mother's birthday is the eighteenth, so we'll all be back at Hogwarts. Why don't we throw a bash for her?"
Cordelia, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, next to Blaise, nodded, "We've got to do that!"
"We ought to talk to Andromeda and Cato." Ginny suggested.
Draco nodded and quickly sent both Cato and Andromeda each a Patronus. Neither took long to reply, agreeing to meet with them that evening to discuss the plans.
"We'll need a diversion for you Mother though." Pansy spoke up.
Draco nodded, considering his options.
"Pippy." He said suddenly.
The House Elf immediately appeared, "Yes, Mister Draco?"
"We're going to need your help." He grinned.
That evening, after dinner, Pippy was able to keep Narcissa distracted in the Tea Room while the rest of them gathered in Draco's bedroom. Andromeda floo'd straight there, with Teddy in her arms.
They all immediately began planning a surprise bash for Narcissa.
Once they all knew what they were going to do and when it was going to occur, Draco kissed Teddy on the head and watched as Andromeda left with the baby.
"I'll speak with Mum about the cake." Ginny said as she and Harry began to leave the room.
Draco nodded and thanked her.
Almost everyone left, bidding Draco goodnight, except for Cato.
Draco furrowed his brow and turned to the man, "Is everything alright?"
Cato nodded and cleared his throat, "I wanted to speak with you for a moment."
With a nod, Draco sat on one of the sofas by the fireplace.
Cato sat on the sofa across from him and inhaled deeply. "Draco…" He said, "This isn't typical but not much about this family is typical." He smirked, making Draco chuckle. "I erm…" Cato continued, "I would like to ask your mother to marry me. I was going to do it on her birthday but seeing as we are having this big bash for her, I thought that perhaps it might be more ideal to do it then, when she's surrounded by her loved ones."
Draco smiled and nodded.
Cato grinned, "I'd like your blessing. You're the Head of the household and I care deeply that you approve. But more than that, you're her son…her heart and soul, and she loves you more than anything else in this world. I want nothing more than to be part of this family, but like I said, I'd like you're blessing."
Draco nodded, "Cato, I couldn't imagine a better match for my mother. She has been happier with you than I've ever seen her. I'd be honored to call you, my Stepfather. Of course, you have my blessing, my approval, my support, and my love." He said as he stood up.
Cato inhaled shakily while beaming as he also stood up and pulled the younger wizard into a hug. "I am thrilled that you will be my stepson." He said.
Draco smiled as they separated.
Once Cato left, Draco began to get ready for bed. As he did so, the cellular phone began to buzz on his bedside table.
He remembered how Hermione taught him to answer the call and pressed the button before putting the phone against his ear, "Hello?" He said.
"Hey you." Hermione replied, a smile evident in her voice.
"I miss you." He sighed, lying down on the bed.
She swallowed, "I know. I miss you too, Love. How are you?"
"I'm well. I was just getting ready for bed. I was going to read a bit while I waited for your phone call. How about you? What have you been doing since this afternoon?"
"We've all been playing games and talking for the most part. What about you? I just got a rush of happiness and thought I should ask?"
Draco grinned and told her about Cato's request.
"Draco that' marvelous!" She said, "I'm so happy for you and your mother."
They continued to talk, discussing the surprise bash and their plans on meeting up on the Platform.
"I suppose I ought to go to bed. Mum and I are making a big breakfast for everyone in the morning." Hermione said with a quiet sigh.
Draco nodded, "I love you, Hermione, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with you and your family today."
She smiled into the phone, "Me too, Love. I'll phone you tomorrow, yea?"
"Yea, that'd be brilliant." He smiled, "Sleep well, my love."
"You too, Darling." She replied. "I love you, Draco. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." He said before hearing a *click*.
January 6, 1999
It was the last night of Christmas Break and the night of Narcissa's Surprise Birthday Bash.
Draco and Narcissa had gone out to lunch to spend the last day together while everyone else worked on decorating the Manor.
Molly brought over the cake she had made for the bash.
"It's absolutely lovely, Molly." Andromeda said with a wide smile as she admired the beautiful cake.
"Thank you. I do hope Narcissa likes it." The Weasley matriarch replied.
"When will she and Draco be back?" Arthur asked Cato.
Cato looked at his pocket watch and nodded, "In about half an hour. We've got plenty of time."
They finished setting up the food and were setting out the beverages when the fireplace burned green multiple times, revealing the entire Granger family. Hermione was the final one to arrive, looking around as she stepped out.
"They'll be here in about five minutes." Cato smirked, knowing Draco would be stunned to see the brunette at the bash, having thought she couldn't come.
"We ought to keep the Grangers behind everyone, so Draco is surprised too." Theo said, who had also come for the celebration.
The Grangers all moved to the back of the room.
Within five minutes, Draco floo'd into the room and grinned before Narcissa floo'd in as well.
"Surprise!" Everyone exclaimed, shocking the Malfoy matriarch.
She beamed, clapping her hand over her mouth in awe of the scene before her.
As Narcissa greeted each person, Draco felt an odd sense of elation in his chest before feeling someone smaller than him wrap their arms around his waist from behind.
"Hey you." He heard Hermione say and grinned before turning around.
"Hey!" He beamed, "When did you get here?" He asked, cupping her jaw, looking at her with loving eyes.
She smiled, "About seven minutes before you." She said before leaning up on her toes and kissing him.
As they separated, Narcissa came over to them.
"Hermione, dear! Thank you so much for coming!" She said happily.
"Of course!" The brunette smiled as the older witch pulled her into a hug, "I'm thrilled to be here to celebrate you and your birthday."
Narcissa smiled.
Everyone enjoyed themselves, eating and drinking as they chatted and danced.
Later on, after eating the delicious cake Molly had made, Narcissa was opening the gifts everyone had brought her. The last two gifts to open were from Draco and Cato.
Narcissa picked up the small box from her son and opened it to find a lovely, white gold bracelet that was adorned with several, deep red garnets.
"Oh Draco, it's lovely! Thank you so much, Dear!" She said as she fixed the bracelet around her wrist.
Draco smiled, "Happy Birthday, Mother."
She smiled and reached for the final gift, but Cato swallowed and grabbed it first. Her furrowed brow made the smile on Cato's face deepen as he looked into her eyes.
"My Darling Narcissa." He said as he got down on one knee, causing her to gasp along with most of the people in the room. "You came into my life at a time when I was certain I'd be alone the rest of my days. You've brought such light into my life, and I simply cannot imagine going on without asking you this question. I love you dearly and deeply and with a pure though scarred heart. Will you do me the honor of marrying me and letting me be your husband for the rest of my life?"
Narcissa swallowed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked over at Draco who was holding Hermione closely and nodded at her with a truly happy smile on his face.
Narcissa smiled back and looked back at Cato, "I will." She said in a shaky voice.
Everyone cheered as she and Cato stood up and kissed. Cato opened the box, revealing a beautifully elegant yet understated ring and slipped it on to her finger.
As the bash came to an end, Draco turned to Hermione with a small frown on his face, "I suppose that you have to go now?" He asked.
She smiled and shook her head, "No. I'm here for the night. Just let me say goodbye to my family."
He nodded, feeling excited while understanding that she was going to miss her family.
Hermione walked over to her parents and hugged her Mum tightly, "I love you." She said against Jean's shoulder.
"I love you too, Minnie." She replied with tears in her eyes, knowing it would be a while until she saw her daughter again.
Hermione hugged her dad tightly before turning to her Grandad, swallowing, "Will you all be at graduation in June?"
"We wouldn't miss it, Minnie." Leo replied with a smile as he pulled her into a hug.
Once all the guests had left, Hermione and Draco went up to Draco's bedroom.
It was nearing eleven as they got ready for bed.
"Did you enjoy spending time with your family?" Draco asked as they changed.
Hermione nodded, "I did. It was nice getting to know my Great Grandmum. She's rather witty." She smirked.
Draco smiled as they slid into bed and curled up together.
"I've missed you." Draco muttered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
She smiled and lifted her head, "I've missed you too, Love." She whispered before kissing his lips with more passion than a usual kiss.
Draco tilted his head, deepening the snog as his hands roamed her body, pulling her body against his.
Hermione reached down, sliding her hand underneath his pajama trousers, and wrapping her hand around his cock.
Draco groaned and grabbed his wand before placing a Silencing Charm on the room and a Contraceptive Charm on Hermione. He cupped her jaw, deepening the snog even more which caused her to moan.
He moved his lips down her neck, causing Hermione's hand to pause its movements inside his trousers.
"I love you." He muttered against her skin before meeting her eyes.
"Gods I love you too, Draco." She moaned as his hand ghosted along her inner thigh.
"Love…" he said, "you are the most beautiful woman in the world."
She cupped his jaw, looking into his eyes, in awe of the man before her. Unable to speak the words she wanted to, she leaned in and kissed him.
Draco understood and quickly waved his wand, causing their clothes to disappear which made her moan as they snogged. His hand had moved between her thighs, softly circling her clit with the tip of his middle finger.
"Oh…" She moaned against his lips. "Draco…" She whimpered as his slowly slipped his finger into her soaked core. She could feel his cock hardening against her thigh and reached down but he stopped her.
"Just wait." He said with a smirk as he lowered himself down her body, her thighs naturally spreading for him.
He groaned and took his time devouring her core as he lifted her left leg over his shoulder. She reached her right hand down, and threaded her fingers through his blond hair, gripping it as her hips moved with his tongue.
"Ohh…yes! Fuck, Dra…Drac…Draco, pl…please!" She whimpered.
He groaned, never ceasing his work as his hands gripped her arse and pulled her harder against his mouth.
She moaned loudly, grateful there was a Silencing Charm in place as his mouth was flooded with her essence.
Draco groaned and kissed his way up her body before kissing her lips as he pushed into her, giving her very little time to recover.
Hermione moaned and begged him to move deeper within her.
He did as she requested and soon, they were both moaning into each other's mouths as they rode out their climaxes.
They fell asleep rather quickly afterwards, worn out and sated while lying, bare in one another's arms.
January 7, 1999
On Sunday morning, Draco woke up around five. He showered and got dressed before going down to the Dining Room, letting Hermione sleep a bit longer.
When he entered the Dining Room, he found his mother sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea. He noticed how she appeared to be terribly sad, and it concerned him.
"Mother?" He said, stepping closer.
Narcissa looked over and smiled, "Good morning, Dear. Why are you awake so early?"
He walked over and sat down next to her, "In truth, I was hoping to see you before the others woke up. Mother, you don't look so happy. I thought Cato asking you to marry him would make you…"
"Oh, it's not that, Darling." She said quickly.
He furrowed his brow "Then what is it?"
She met her son's grey eyes, "Well, this is the last morning I'll have you here. You are a grown man now and after graduation, I assume you'll move somewhere else with Hermione. Please don't misunderstand me. I love and adore her. It's only that you're my son and I'll miss you terribly."
Draco shook his head, "Hermione and I have discussed this. After graduation, she wants to spend time with her family, and I want to spend time with you."
Narcissa's eyes lit up, "Are you certain?"
He nodded, "I am. She and I will still see each other often, of course, but we both want to spend as much time with our families as we can before we decide to do anything else."
Narcissa nodded, smiling, "I'm incredibly please to hear that." She said.
They talked for a while longer before Draco went back up to his room.
Hermione was still asleep, so Draco simply got to work, making certain that he had everything, he'd need, packed in his school trunk.
When it was nearly ten o'clock, the group gathered in the library, preparing to Apparate to the platform, wanting to be there early.
Draco hugged his mother tightly before kissing her cheek, "I'll write you tomorrow."
She smiled and nodded, "I love you, Draco." She said, cupping his cheek with Motherly tenderness.
"I love you, Mother." He said.
They arrived on Platform Nine and Three Quarters and met up with Theo, Luna, Neville, and Hannah before finding an empty cabin on the train. It wasn't difficult, as they had arrived extremely early.
The group sat down and began to catch up with Neville and Hannah who were stunned to hear of everything that had happened over Christmas Break.
"Bloody hell, you lot!" Neville said, looking at each of them with a stunned expression. "We could have helped."
"Yea." Hannah nodded. "We wouldn't have minded at all."
"Thank you." Hermione said. "We just didn't want to intrude on your first Christmas with your parents, Neville."
The wizard smiled, "That was awfully thoughtful of you all, but if anything had happened to you and we could have been there to prevent it…" He shook his head. "We're all best friends and best friends help each other out. Next time something big happens and you need help…please, let us know."
Hannah nodded, "We want to help you all in any way we can."
"Thank you both." Draco said with a grateful smile.
The train left the station at exactly eleven o'clock and arrived at Hogwarts nearly ten hours later.
They had the returning feast in The Great Hall before everyone made their way to their dormitories, except for Blaise and Cordelia who went to the Hospital Wing so that she could drink her nightly tea.
As Draco and Hermione made their way to the Eighth Year Dormitories with the group, they were stopped by Deputy Headmaster O'Connor.
"The Headmistress would like to speak the two of you in her office." O'Connor told them.
They both nodded and turned to the others.
"We'll meet you lot later on." Draco said to them.
The others nodded as the couple turned and headed to McGonagall's office.
When they arrived, they found McGonagall sitting behind her desk, waiting for them.
"I know that you both had a difficult Christmas Break, but I do hope that it ended well."
"It did. Thank you." Hermione said before asking, "Is everything okay?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I have wonderful news. I have worked with the Minister of Magic on a plan for your family's magical education, Miss Granger." McGonagall said, handing Hermione a piece of parchment that had all the information on it.
"Beginning the first of February, they will commute to the Ministry of Magic for daily courses. Every day, they will be at the Ministry from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon. These courses will last until the fourth of June." She explained. "Now, after that, they'll need much more in-depth training, just like any other witch or wizard. For that, they will come to Hogwarts on June twenty-fifth and live here until August thirtieth. They'll have classes just like any other Hogwarts student. We'll even sort them into houses."
Hermione's heart dropped slightly, realizing that this arrangement meant that she wouldn't get to spend the Summer with her family.
"Would my mother and Aunt be able to stay at Hogwarts as well?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. While we do not usually allow Muggles to stay on the grounds, the Minister and I both know that this is a unique situation and have agreed to let them live here for the Summer as well."
Hermione nodded, "That's wonderful, Headmistress. Thank you." She smiled.
Headmistress McGonagall nodded and said, "I will be speaking with your family tonight. I sent them a letter this morning and they responded this afternoon. I'll be informing them of all of this, so I am certain you'll be receiving a letter soon as well."
Hermione nodded but didn't speak.
"I'm sure you are both exhausted. I'll let you go to your dormitories now." McGonagall said. "Have a good night. I'll speak with you tomorrow."
As the couple made their way out of the office and down the quiet corridors.
Draco looked over at Hermione, curious as to why she was so quiet.
She sensed his concern and met his eyes, "It's nothing."
He furrowed his brow, "Hermione…it's something. I can feel it. What's going on?"
"I…" The brunette sighed and shook her head, going silent.
Draco looked around and gently pulled her into a classroom, placing a Silencing Charm on it before nodding to one of the tables. They both sat down, and he turned to her, holding her hands, lovingly, between both of his.
"What is it, Love?" He asked in a calm tone.
She shook her head and Draco thought over everything before realizing what he thought it could be, "Hermione…"
"Yea…"
"Maybe you could stay here during the Summer as well so that you could spend time with them."
She looked at him, surprised that he had realized what she was struggling with.
"Darling, I know you. I also feel much of what you feel." He said with a small smirk.
She smiled, "Well…would you stay too?" She asked.
Draco's smirk faded, "Love…erm…" He licked his lips, hating that he couldn't reply with her desired answer.
She nodded, disappointment evident on her beautiful face.
"Love…it's not that I don't want to. Bloody hell!" He groaned, "All I want is to spend time with you…but I've already promised Mother that I'd be staying at the Manor after graduation. Mother was dreadfully sad, thinking that I would never stay another night there. And because of what you and I had discussed, I promised her that I would stay there this Summer. I…I don't know what to do." He sighed.
She shook her head, "It's okay, Love. You need to stay with your mother."
"I'll visit you often, I promise." He said.
She nodded and leaned over, kissing him.
As they separated, she quietly said, "We've still got plenty of time until then. Let's enjoy the rest of the term, yea?"
He nodded, "Yea. Now all we've got to do is prepare for the NEWTs and take them as well as apply for jobs and training programs." He smirked. "No big deal."