Draco slowly opened Lyra's bedroom door to find both his daughter and Hermione fast asleep in the twin-size bed.
The sight of them together, so comfortable with one another, brought up feelings Draco wasn't sure he was ready for.
He walked into the room and gently shook Hermione's shoulder. She opened her eyes and smiled as she caught his gaze.
"You fell asleep," he whispered.
"So I did," she said with a yawn. She held out her hand and he helped her out of the bed, careful not to jostle the sleeping child.
They exited the room and Draco shut the door before he turned to the witch beside him.
"Care for some wine?"
"Yes, please."
Downstairs, with a glass in hand, Hermione curled up into him on the couch. He slung an arm around her shoulder and his fingers found their way into her curls, playing with the ends absently.
"Did your trip go well?"
"It did. I had a shipment I needed to pick up personally from Dirigo Square. The contents were fragile and not advisable to be delivered by owl." He took a sip of his wine. "How was Lyra for you?"
"She was wonderful, as always. She did her homework without complaint then offered to help with dinner. She did tell me to tell you that she really, really wants a puppy for her birthday," Hermione batted her eyes, just as Lyra had.
Draco chuckled. "I know she does. I might just break down and get her one this year."
"Really?" Hermione asked, surprised. "What changed your mind?"
He shrugged. "She's getting older so she can handle some of the responsibility of having a dog. I'm still unsure what to do with a puppy while I'm at work all day though."
"You can always bring him or her to work with you. They can be like the shop's mascot."
Draco pondered that suggestion. "Perhaps." He turned his head to look at her and smiled. "Would you want to come with me to pick one out? It won't be for another few months, but I was thinking we could take a drive to one of the bigger cities where there are more options, just the two of us."
Her smile widened. "It's a date."
"Speaking of dates," he segued, pulling her closer. "I do believe it is my turn to ask you out."
"I was wondering when you'd get around to that," she teased.
"How about Saturday? We can be like a couple of teenagers and go snog at the cinema." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.
She smacked his chest playfully. "Or, now hear me out, we can just go out to dinner and then head back to one of our places to snog properly…Among other things."
Draco's grin widened. "Other things you say?" He set down his glass and lifted her chin so he could slant his lips over hers. "What might that be?"
"I guess you'll have to wait and see," she said, slipping onto his lap and snogging him breathless.
This was his favorite time of day; when it was just the two of them alone in the dark living room, with nothing but either the fireplace or the telly for light.
His hand slipped up her shirt where he undid the clasp of her bra with a simple twist of his fingers before cupping her breast.
She moaned softly against his mouth and he used the opportunity to kiss along her neck.
"Fuck," she muttered as he nipped and licked up and down her throat. She ground her hips into him, and he nearly came in his pants at the friction.
"Fuck," he echoed, placing his hands on her hips to still her movements. "If you keep doing that I'm going to do something really embarrassing really soon."
The grin she gave him was wicked and sinful. Her hands dragged slowly down his chest until they reached the waistband of his jeans.
"You know," she said, popping open the button. "Our first date took place over two days, two different years actually, if you think about it." She unzipped his trousers slowly, ungodly so. "So, technically, Saturday will be our third date." She cupped his bulge and applied gentle pressure. "And, what was it you said you waited to do until the third date?" she asked, stroking him through the cotton fabric.
Draco's eyes rolled back as he closed them and rested his head against the couch. "I'm starting to think you were placed in the wrong house." He opened one eye and peered at her. "You most definitely have Slytherin qualities."
She smiled and she slipped her hand inside his boxers and pulled him out. It took everything not to come right then there, with her hand wrapped around cock as she sat on his lap with swollen lips and bite marks he'd made.
"You know, the Sorting Hat did say I'd do well in any of the houses. That's why it took so long to choose."
She gave him a wicked grin and slipped off his lap before kneeling in front of him.
"What are you–" His voice caught in his throat as he took him in her mouth. Warm and wet, she glided him in and out all while stroking him.
"Fuck," he groaned. "Fair warning, I'm not gonna last long."
In answer, she picked up the pace and before he could utter a warning, he exploded in her mouth.
She swallowed, which was one of the hottest thing he'd ever encountered, then licked him clean before placing his cock back into his pants.
He looked at her, stunned, as she simply sat back down on the couch and snuggled into him.
"Don't worry," she said, patting his leg, as if she hadn't just blown more than his mind. "You can return the favor this weekend."
He flipped her onto her back and hovered over her. "Cheeky witch. Or I can return it now."
He kissed her again, this time tasting himself on her tongue. Her hands slipped into his hair and tugged softly at the ends, something he never knew he liked until just that moment.
His hand fumbled with her jeans and she smiled against his mouth. "If you get me naked on your couch, I don't think we'll make it until Saturday."
She moved his hand back to her chest and he took the hint as he slipped it up her shirt once more and tweaked and pulled on her nipple.
Their fevered kisses turned soft until he stopped to rest his head against hers.
"I'm going to tell Lyra that I'm going to take you out on a date," he said. "Are you okay with that?"
"Yes. More than okay."
Draco sat up and helped her up as well.
"I also wanted to ask about earlier—about what happened in the kitchen," he said cautiously as he grabbed both of their wine glasses and handed her hers. He wanted to understand why she'd reacted the way she did in the kitchen.
Hermione swirled the contents of her wine glass as she looked down when she finally spoke. "Do you remember when we were brought to Malfoy Manor?"
All of the veins in Draco's body suddenly felt like ice flowed through them. They had, up until this point, not discussed that particular event from the war. He knew it was bound to come up, but he had hoped, perhaps selfishly, that it wouldn't.
"Yes," he said in a hoarse whisper. "That was a constant nightmare for me for years after."
Hermione nodded. "Same." She took a large drink of her wine and continued. "When Bellatrix was torturing me with the Cruciatus Curse, it was so powerful that some of the damage was long-lasting. One of which is infertility." She took another sip. "The healers don't understand why it affected me that way; they've never encountered infertility as a side effect of the curse. But, a year or so after the war, I realized that my cycles were few and far between. When I was examined, they found a lot of scarring in my uterus."
A tear slipped down her cheek and Draco used the pad of his thumb to wipe it away as guilt wracked through him. He knew he should have done something—anything—to stop his deranged Aunt that day, but all he had cared about was his own self-preservation.
Hermione leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. "I'm telling you this because now that we're in a relationship, you need to know." She looked up at him as more tears threatened to spill over. "I can't have children. And I don't want to be presumptuous in where our relationship is going, but this is something I feel you should know."
She was infertile because of his family—the thought made him sick to his stomach—yet here she was, worried about him. Draco pulled her close. "I understand and appreciate you telling me. It doesn't change anything between us, unless….it changes things for you." He felt his throat tighten at the thought.
She glanced up at him, her brows knit in confusion. "Why would it change things for me?"
"Because it was someone from my family that did this to you and I didn't do anything—"
Her gaze hardened slightly. "I've told you before, don't apologize for things that you weren't in control over. I don't blame you for what happened. If I did, I wouldn't be here, right now, with you. Alright?"
A wave of relief passed through him as he tightened his hold on her.
She sunk into him. "When you and Lyra were in the kitchen, talking and playing around, I was just overcome with so much emotion. You're so amazing with her and I just know that if you ever have any more children, that you'd be an amazing father to them as well. I just…. I can't give you that."
Draco cupped her face. "Hermione, look at me. I'm okay with having just Lyra."
"You don't know that. One day you might want to have another child, a son perhaps, to carry on the Malfoy name, or—"
He kissed her—her lips, her cheek, and the tears that fell from her lashes. "I don't want you to worry about that right now. I'm completely content with having only Lyra. If that changes while we're together, we can talk about it when the time comes." He kissed her forehead. "Besides, there's more than one way to have children."
Hermione sniffed. "I know. Ginny said something similar."
"The youngest of the Weasley clan was always the smartest," he said and he was happy to hear her watery chuckle.
She burrowed into his side. "Can we just sit here for a bit? I need to head home soon, but I just…. I want to be with you for a little longer."
Draco kissed the top of her head as he tugged her closer. "For you? Always."
Draco called Natalie in hopes she would be available to watch Lyra on Saturday and sighed in relief when she said could. He knew Emma's parents would watch her if he asked, but he felt bad asking them to watch her again since they just had her over for New Year's Eve and he hadn't had a chance to return the favor yet.
Now that he had a sitter, he needed to tell his daughter of his plans. He wasn't worried about Lyra taking the news badly, but he felt he should still make sure she was okay with it.
He picked Lyra up from school as usual but stopped by the ice cream parlor on the way home for a treat.
"How would you like it if Miss Natalie came over and watched you Saturday night?" Draco asked once they started on their cones. It was no Fortescue's, but it would do.
Lyra's smile was covered in chocolate ice cream. "That would be awesome! I haven't seen Miss Natalie in forever!" She took another lick of her cone and he could see the wheels in her head begin to turn. "How come she's watching me? Where will you be?"
"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'll be taking Miss Hermione out on a date."
Lyra stopped mid-lick to stare wide-eyed at her father. "You're taking Miss Hermione on a date?"
"I am. Are you okay with that?"
Lyra nodded vigorously and her smile widened in the process. "Yeah! Where are you going to take her? Are you going to hold her hand? Are you going to kiss her? Are you—"
Draco chuckled. "Slow down there, Princess. We're just going out on a date. If it goes well, we'll probably go on more." His daughter didn't need to know that they'd already been testing the waters—quite successfully, he thought.
Lyra bounced in her seat. "This is so exciting!"
Draco picked up a napkin. "I think all that chocolate you just consumed is making you a little hyper." He wiped her mouth until it was clean. "There, better."
"How come it took you so long to ask her out?" she asked after eating more of her ice cream.
"Well, I wasn't planning on it, honestly, but we've become friends. Over time I realized that I wanted to ask her out on a date. After talking to her, I learned she felt the same, so I suggested we go to dinner, just the two of us."
"And she said yes!" Lyra exclaimed with a bright smile on her face. "Will you kiss her?"
Draco sighed and pretended to be annoyed as he poked her side. "Why are you so obsessed with me kissing her?"
"Because that's what all the princesses do in the movies! They kiss their true love and then they live happily ever after!" Her eyes widened again and she leaned forward, her face suddenly serious. "Do you love Miss Hermione?"
Draco chuckled, amused. "Well, I do like her, quite a bit, and… I think I can see myself loving her, when the time is right."
"How will you know when it's the right time?"
"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. "I think I'll just know."
"Do you think you'll marry her?" she asked. He could hear the hope in her voice, but everything was still so new for all of them. He didn't want to make promises he wasn't sure would happen, even though part him could see spending the rest of their lives together.
Draco sighed and pulled Lyra into his lap. "You're asking a lot of questions I don't know the answers to yet, but, I promise, I won't make any big, life-changing decisions without discussing with you first, okay?"
"Okay."
"We should probably head home," he said while setting her down. "I need to make something for dinner, even though you probably won't eat it because you've had your fill of ice cream."
His daughter simply grinned up at him.
A/N: A lot happened in this chapter! A steamy scene (finally!)... an important conversation...a third date lined up (again, finally!)...Lyra asking the important questions. What are all your thoughts?
See you all next week for date number 3!
xoxoHufflepuffMommy