A/N: Literally posting this before running out the door. It's short but you get a chapter at least! I wasn't expecting to be able to post this weekend so yay!

Alexandra hurried into the busy restaurant, immediately veering left for the bar and searching the many heads until she spotted the one she was looking for. She pushed through the crowd and joined Owen on a barstool he had somehow managed to save for her.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "There was a last minute emergency at the office."

"Not a problem," he said.

Without making a move, the bartender put a martini down in front of Alexandra, extra olives. She glanced at Owen, who smiled.

"Let me guess, your father's company owns this place, too?"

"Good guess," said Owen, taking a sip of his scotch. No doubt a good two-hundred Galleon drink, if not more.

"Is there anything you don't own?" she asked with a smile, picking up her drink and taking her own sip.

"Malfoy Enterprises," he answered. "And the Ministry."

"Yet you have your hands in both. Smart business."

"Yeah, that's what my father says."

"It looks like I've lost my seat."

Alexandra's heart picked up a little as she heard the familiar voice behind her. She turned and looked over her shoulder, her eyes growing cold the moment they landed on the smirking Blaise Zabini.

"Sorry about that," said Owen. "Alex, this is Blaise Zabini. His date was also running late and we were keeping each other company."

Blaise winked at her. "Actually, Alex and I know each other. What a small world," he said.

"Yes, quite small," said Alexandra, turning back around to face Owen.

Blaise moved so he remained in her view.

"Has your lady arrived?" asked Owen.

"Yes, and she's actually sitting right over there." Blaise pointed to a model-esque woman, smiling and waving to him from one of the booths. "We're just going to have a couple drinks and head out." This time he winked at Owen.

"You know, Owen, I'm actually starving. Do you think we could grab a table?" asked Alexandra.

"Yes, of course. I'll just go let them know." He stood from his barstool and shook Blaise's hand. "Nice to meet you, mate. I'll definitely pass your card along."

"Nice to meet you, too," said Blaise as Owen walked away. The moment he was gone, his smile dropped. "Most boring bloke I've ever had the misfortune of talking to."

Alexandra rolled her eyes. "Then why did you bother?"

"Curiosity."

She smiled and took her olives out of her martini, sensually eating one off of the stick before putting the remaining one back in her drink. "I see you're still having me followed."

"Yes, and I've discovered you did the same."

Alexandra shrugged. "Just beating the player at his own bloody game." She looked up to see Owen waving her over. "Excuse me, Blaise. My date is calling for me." She stood, smiled and said, "Have a good evening."

Once Alexandra reached Owen, they were led promptly to their table, much to the grief of the many patrons who had been waiting well over an hour. Of course, Alexandra would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the special privileges that came with working for Draco Malfoy, as well as dating Owen Sharrow, but, once upon a time, she had been a nobody and she felt slight sympathy for them. Still, she wasn't giving up her table.

They were seated, Owen pulling out her chair, of course, not even giving her the opportunity to choose the one not facing the bar. Blaise could be seen poking slightly out of his booth, the women pulled close and kissing his neck, but his eyes were trained right on Alex. He winked.

Alexandra took a deep breath and finished off her martini.

"Would you like to order wine?" asked Owen.

"Yes," she answered quickly.

"Your finest Burgundy," he told the hostess, who was more than happy to scurry off and get that for him.

When the wine came, Alexandra was quick to pick up her glass and start drinking. While she was more than happy to play this game with Blaise, the problem from the beginning was that he had fooled around with another woman while they were sleeping together. She and Owen had done nothing more than kiss a few times and she wasn't planning on going much farther than that anytime soon. Though she might as well. If Blaise took that woman home he was definitely never sharing a bed with her again. She was not a doormat and she would not let him get to her.

As the dinner went on and Owen spoke, Alexandra found her mind straying. Perhaps he was boring. He never really talked about anything but work and didn't seem to have any hobbies. While she never had time for hobbies she at least had them. Painting was a passion of hers. Blaise even complimented her work once, which actually meant something to her considering he was a bit of an art collector. Only the most renowned wizarding artists made it onto his walls.

"Alex, are you alright?"

Alexandra blinked her eyes back to focus and stared at Owen, who looked concerned. "Yes," she said. "Sorry. It's just been a very long week."

At that moment, she noticed Blaise stand from his booth behind Owen's shoulder. He helped the woman he was with up and wrapped his arm around her waist. She giggled as they headed out the door. Alexandra frowned. Well, that was that.

Owen glanced over his shoulder. "What are you looking at?" he asked, just missing Blaise as he exited.

"Nothing," she answered, putting her wine glass down. "I think the wine is making me sleepy, so enough of that. You have my full attention."

And he did, going back to talking about work, of course. When there was a break in the conversation she finally got the chance to ask him about his hobbies. He was a hunter, with Muggle guns. Alexandra was an animal rights activist. The topic ended quickly.

Just then, she got the familiar ding of a text message on her phone. She took it out by the chance that it might be work. It was not. It was Blaise. Without reading the message, she put her phone down.

"So tell me about -"

It dinged again.

"You said you ride horses once, didn't you?"

"Oh yes, I -"

Ding.

"- often ride on the -"

Ding.

"- weekends and -"

Alexandra tried to keep her attention on Owen but his had already been drawn to her phone.

"Sounds like someone -"

"- really wants to get a hold of you."

"Excuse me," said Alexandra, finally giving in and checking her phone.

' Come meet me outside.'

'I saw you check my message just now.'

'Don't ignore me.'

'Alex.'

'I.'

'Can.'

'See.'

'You.'

'Ignoring.'

'Me.'

'Through.'

'The.'

'Window.'

'Come.'

'Outside.'

Ding.

' Please come out.'

Alexandra looked up at Owen. "Actually, I should really call this person back. Work crisis. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," said Owen. "I'll be here."

"Thank you."

Alexandra stood and hurried towards the door, not even bothering to grab her coat as she stepped out into the cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked about, finally catching a faint glimpse of Blaise in an alley beside the restaurant. She walked over.

"What the hell, Zabini?" she shouted as soon as she turned the corner. "Can't you see that I'm on a date?" She paused and looked around. "Speaking of which, where's yours?"

"I don't know," he said. "I lost her somewhere."

Alexandra raised her eyebrows. "You lost her?"

"Yeah," said Blaise with a shrug. "It's not like it matters. I was never going to take her home anyway." He grabbed Alexandra's waist and pressed her against the wall. "Now, can we quit with these bloody games and go back to my place?"

He began kissing her neck but she quickly shoved him off. " No , Blaise. I'm on a date ."

Blaise pulled back and grunted. "Look, I admit I messed around with that Auror, alright? But I didn't sleep with her and it was just the once. I get it, you're not one of those girls who are with more than one person at a time, and I'm fine with that. So how about …" He leaned in and kissed her neck again, "… you go back inside …" Then her jaw, "… finish your date with that bloody potato then come end your night with dessert at my place." He ended on her lips, giving her one of those soft, sensual kisses that made her body yearn for more.

When he pulled away, Alexandra said, "I actually have every intention of ordering the cheesecake, so dessert is covered. But fine. If sex is what you want then I'll meet you at your place when I'm finished."

Alexandra wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him back in, giving him a harder, wetter kiss with a little nip on his lip while her other hand stroked him through his trousers. When she was finished, she winked at him before hurrying back around the corner and heading inside. While her body may have been burning on the inside, the outside was still pretty damn cold.

Blaise stepped out of the alley, grinning as he watched her return to her table through the window, feeling a great sense of victory over the git inside. As he took a few steps without looking where he was going, he accidentally ran into someone.

"Watch it!" he shouted, taking a look at the sour looking man as he turned around.

" Me ? I'm the one just bloody standing here."

Blaise looked the man up and down. He looked vaguely familiar, but not half as familiar as the lady standing beside him. "You. I know you," Blaise said to her.

Both she and the man seemed to lose a significant amount of color.

"You're the wife of that bloke who works for Draco. Quidditch player, right?"

"Umm … yes," she said, glancing sideways at the man she was with.

"And you," said Blaise, also glancing at him, "are not her husband."

"No," he said. "Just two friends catching up."

"Right," said Blaise, eyeing them suspiciously. "Well, carry on. And make sure to watch where you're going next time."

As he walked off, the man started to yell, "But you're the one who -" But the woman put a hand on his arm and silenced him.

The moment Blaise turned the corner, he took out his phone and dialed Draco.

" What do you want, Zabini ?" answered a voice that was definitely not Draco's.

"Where's Draco, Granger?"

" He's right here, attempting to improve his chopping skills. You're on speaker. Get on with it. "

"Tell me who I'm describing," he said. "A man, my height, dark hair, darker eyes that are too close to-fucking-gether. Pale as shit with a mole above his right eyebrow."

" Sounds like Rimmer ," said Draco's voice.

"Who?"

" That photographer who's always following us . Why do you ask ?"

"I just saw him with that married woman you slept with who's still after your cock. Might want to look into that."

And with that, Blaise hung up his phone, deciding to walk to the closest Floo to kill some time before he would be meeting Alexandra for a night of fun.

Blaise laid there with Alexandra beside him, the two of them enjoying their post-coital bliss for a moment before he had every intention of having her again. He leaned over and wrapped an arm around her. She pushed it off. He did it again, this time leaning in and kissing his way up her neck.

"Blaise, don't," she said, shoving him away and rolling towards the edge of the bed.

Blaise pursed his brow. "Where are you going?" he asked, watching closely as she began searching the floor for her clothes.

"Home," she answered. "I need to be up early."

"That's never stopped you from staying here before," he said, reaching to grab her, but she moved and located her knickers, slipping them on before finding her bra. "Come on, Alex." He gave her a little pout. "Don't you want to celebrate your liberation from that potato?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, crinkling her brow. "I'm his date to his company Christmas party next weekend, and I suspect I'll see him a couple times before then."

Blaise went stiff. "What?"

"I'm dating him," she said. "But I'm not exclusive with him. I told him even before our first date that I was seeing someone else casually, and he's fine with that. For now. I'm not sleeping with Owen and I don't plan to for some time. So, until then, what you and I have is just fine."

"But … I thought …"

" What ?" she asked, finding her dress and pulling it on over her head. "What did you think?"

"I thought you wanted something exclusive."

Even though Alexandra could tell he had some trouble admitting that, she could not help but laugh. "Exclusive with you ? I admit, I don't want you sleeping around, but it was never my intention to tie you down, Blaise. By all means, date . Just don't bring any of them home after. Not if you want to continue what you have with me."

"I don't understand. What's the point of dating if you don't get to shag after?"

Alexandra rolled her eyes. The worst of it was that he was serious.

"Seriously -"

She called it.

"- what can this bloke offer you that I can't? I'm pretty sure he'll never make you scream the way I just did."

"Not everything's about sex," said Alexandra, finding her shoes and struggling to slip them on. Her tights were in shreds. They always were with him. "This may shock you, but I do want to get married someday."

Blaise cocked an eyebrow. "You do ?"

"Yes," she said. "I want to get married and have children. I'm thirty-four and I'd like to do all of that before I'm forty. And I can't do that with you."

Blaise smirked. "Well, technically -"

"This is not technical, Blaise, this is literal. You have your Zabini heir and have no interest in wife number four. And that's fine with me. It is what it is. But don't get in my way when you can't give me what I ultimately want."

Alexandra turned to leave but, before she could, Blaise stretched off of the bed, successfully grabbing her arm and pulling her back. "Alright, fine," he said. "You have me pegged. I'm a rich arse who wants what he wants and gives little beyond orgasms in return. I didn't know you wanted those things." He wrapped his arms around her waist and began kissing her bare skin just above her breast. "But you can do better than that git you went out with tonight." He unzipped her dress, she not putting up a fight as he slipped the sleeves off of her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. "And until you find whoever that is, I see no reason why you can't continue staying here, even when you have an early morning."

Blaise picked her up by the arse and brought her back onto the bed, Alexandra kicking her heels off and moaning as he began to harden as he grinded between her legs. Blaise kissed her, both of their lips still raw from earlier but neither minding the pain.

"I want to stick my cock in that sweet arse of yours tonight," he said between kisses and moans.

Alexandra stopped, put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. "You know the rules," she said. "You get what you want after I get what I want. Now, use your teeth to take off my knickers and make me come or your cock is going nowhere near my arse tonight."

Blaise smirked. "A win, win for everyone," he said, happily lowering his head so it was between her legs, putting all of his focus on getting to that arse now, and coming up with a way to get rid of that prick she was dating and anyone else who might come into the picture later.

Hermione sat on Draco's lap in his office on her lunch break, enjoying the taste of his lips while they waited for their food to arrive. There was no time for shagging. The wedding was only ten days away and there was little time to breathe, let alone have sex. Even kissing was stretching it a bit but they both just needed this moment. To relax.

"Oh gods, I want to shag you right now," said Hermione, stopping their kissing and squeezing him tight.

"Well, we can -"

"No, Draco, we can't," she said. "I have to find a new caterer for the wedding. The last one we had pulled out due to a personal emergency and I haven't been able to find anyone capable of taking on the task at the last minute and with such a large guest list."

"Have you used my name? Or yours? Or Potter's?"

"No."

Draco grunted. He picked up his phone and dialed Alexandra.

"Yes, boss?"

"Do me a favor and contact that caterer from our New Year's party last year. Offer him and any members of his family Christmas at a castle in France if he caters a wedding the day after. As I recall, he had two children and there will be many extra presents under the tree for them come Christmas morning courtesy of Malfoy Enterprises."

"I'm on it," she said, hanging up the phone.

"Done," said Draco with a smile. "I promise, his food is topnotch."

Hermione nodded.

"So Rose is talking to you just long enough to bark out orders?"

"No, my phone rang once before she hung up and then she emailed me," said Hermione. "I think she forgot she was mad at me for a moment."

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's been five bloody days. Maybe if we didn't have a wedding happening next week there would be time to hold grudges, but she needs to let it go."

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, I know. She isn't talking to her father either."

Draco nodded, then moved his gaze to his desk. He stared blankly for a moment before clearing his throat. "The flower castle called me. They need to know how many rooms we need for everyone and I have the count, but I need to know about you." He looked back at her.

"Me?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes," he said. "Will you need your own room? Or …"

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh! I … I don't know."

"It's a simple yes or no -"

"I know," she interrupted. "But …" She bit her lip. "I don't know if Ron's family knows … about you and me. They've made it pretty obvious that they know we're divorced, but I don't know if he told them the whole story."

Draco blinked. "Then why don't you tell them?"

"Yes, because that wouldn't be a terribly awkward conversation now, would it?"

He grunted and leaned back in his chair, she leaning in the other direction. "I thought the whole point of our relationship being a secret was to spare our children's' feelings. But they know now, Hermione. They both know and you and I are still hiding in the fucking shadows. When can we quit this?"

"I don't know," said Hermione with a shrug. "You seem to be forgetting that the public doesn't even know that I'm divorced yet. I need to wait for that to happen before I can go out flaunting my new relationship."

"Why? Weasel didn't."

"Yes, but he's not running for Minister for Magic next year. I am?"

"What am I, an embarrassment?"

Hermione pursed her brow. "No, of course not. But even Zabini said I need to be very careful about this."

"Did he?" asked Draco, already making a mental note to find Blaise and kick his arse.

"Yes, and he's right. I promise, Draco, you and I will be out of the shadows very soon," she said, wrapping her arms around him once again and kissing his cheek. "I love you, I just … I need to figure out the best way to do this first."

Draco let out a frustrated breath but still nodded. "But you do realize that every time we decide to wait shit happens and someone finds out. All that's really left is the press."

"I know," she said. "But we won't be waiting long."

Sounded like a bloody jinx if Draco had ever heard one.

The orb on Draco's desk buzzed. " Mr. Malfoy, I'm back with the food, but would you mind coming out here? There's something wrong with Paul ."

Draco tensed. Hermione climbed off of his lap and he stood, hurrying towards the doors and throwing them open. When he got out there, Edward's fiancée was holding Paul in her hands, looking panicked as the small owl wasn't breathing.

"Do we give it CPR or something?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

"No," said Draco, taking Paul from her and laying him down on the desk. "He's old." He checked the heartbeat. Nothing. He sighed. "Shit."

Scorpius sat on a bench, holding a small shoebox on his lap that Hermione had decorated with flower designs and Paul's name for him. A small plot had already been dug amidst some flowers. They were just waiting for Rose to get off work and arrive.

Tears were streaming down Scorpius' face as he clutched tightly onto the box. Hermione was sitting next to him, hugging herself to keep warm while Draco shooed the surrounding albino peacocks away.

"Bloody birds. I should really get rid of them," he said, turning back and looking at Hermione. He noticed her shivering. "Do you need me to go inside and get you a blanket?"

"N-no," she said, teeth chattering.

Draco walked over to her and touched her cold cheeks. He frowned. "I'll be right back with that blanket," he said, walking towards the manor.

Hermione stood up and began jumping around to keep warm. "Are you not cold at all?" she asked Scorpius.

He shook his head, his eyes unblinking as he continued to stare vacantly in front of him.

Hermione stopped jumping, looking at his sad expression and frozen tears. She sighed and walked back over to him. "You alright?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Are you lying to me?"

Another nod.

Hermione sat back down and stared at the box in his hands. "Scorpius, I know you loved Paul but …" She took a breath and thought about how best to word this. "You just seem really upset, and I can't help feeling that there's something more going on here." She touched his hand with hers. Cold as ice.

Scorpius turned his head slowly and looked at her. He blinked, several more tears dripping down his cheeks. "I loved Paul," he said. "He was my first owl and, when I was young, I took him everywhere. But my mum didn't let me take him to school and I only ever saw him after that when he brought me letters. And when Rose and I moved in together I didn't even think, 'oh, maybe Paul should move in with us'. Instead I accepted a new owl as a gift. But …" He paused and took a breath. "I'm really upset. Over a pet I rarely ever saw and really didn't think about very much. I don't get it," he said, more tears falling from his eyes. " Why do I feel like I've been punched in the bloody gut or something?"

"Because you loved him," Hermione reminded him. "Just because you didn't see him very often doesn't mean the love wasn't there."

"But … I'm this upset. Over a bloody owl. But my gran …" He gulped. "My grannie is dying and I don't know how I'm going to keep it together. I …" Scorpius leaned forward onto the box, his tears falling onto it as he began to cry hysterically.

Hermione quickly wrapped her arms around him, pulling him back up and hugging him tight. "Scorpius, no one expects you to keep it together, and you definitely don't have to. Someone you love is sick and she's dying and it's going to hurt. And I'm not going to lie to you, the hurt never fully goes away." She paused and sighed. "But it does get better. Because, as much as you hurt, other people you love are there and hurting right along with you and you will help each other get through it. Alright?"

Scorpius nodded but continued crying against her.

"You are allowed to be as sad as you want," she said, stroking his hair. "Whether it's because of Paul or your grandmother."

Following the voices, Astoria turned the corner of the maze in Malfoy Manor's gardens. She froze when she saw Scorpius there, weeping uncontrollably while Hermione hugged and rocked him, looking very motherly as she did so.

Astoria felt a lump build in her throat as she watched them, her greatest fear since her son announced his engagement coming to life. That the flawless Hermione Granger would prove to be a better mother to Scorpius than she ever was. But she tried as best she could. It was not like her mother was especially nurturing so she didn't have a lot to go on. But the moment she had heard about Scorpius' owl she had come running here, only to find this .

Feeling a slight pang in her heart, Astoria went back around the corner and turned into a small nook in the maze where she knew a bench would be. She sat down and took deep, steady breaths, telling herself not to overthink this. Her son was upset and Hermione was comforting him. She was not trying to be his mother.

While still hugging Scorpius, Hermione's phone began to ring. He pulled back so she could take it out, her heart skipping a beat when she saw the name of the person calling. Rose .

"Hi, Rosie," she said, answering it.

" Scorpius isn't picking up his phone ," said Rose, her voice cold and distant. " I'm here but I don't know where in the gardens you are. "

"Oh," said Hermione, standing up and walking towards the direction she had come from to gather her bearings. "When you walk out the front door, go through the entrance directly to your right. Walk straight until you can't anymore, turn left and eventually you'll hit a fountain."

Hearing Hermione's voice getting closer, Astoria looked up, just able to catch sight of the other witch through a small hole in the hedge. She was speaking into her Muggle device, giving pretty good directions for someone who had never been in these gardens before.

And then someone walked up behind her, Astoria recognizing that white-blond hair and bulkier stature than her son's immediately. Draco carried a blanket, which he wrapped around Hermione's shoulders while she spoke. And then … he wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his chin on her shoulder. Astoria's mouth fell open.

"Yes, and then you'll see us," said Hermione, still talking into her Muggle thing. "Alright, see you in a minute." She hung it up and slipped it away.

"Is your little flower finally here?" asked Draco.

"Yes," said Hermione, turning in his arms. "Once she finds her way through this place." She leaned in and pressed her lips against his.

Astoria's hands clenched around the edge of the stone bench.

"And then we can finally bury the bloody thing?"

"No," said Hermione. "I sent Astoria an owl when I saw how upset Scorpius was. I think we should give her some time to get here."

Draco grunted. "Why?"

"Because she's his mother, and I'm sure she'll want to be here for him."

He grunted again. "Fine, but if she isn't here by now I doubt she's coming. She gets five minutes." He pulled out his pocket watch and checked it. "Starting now."

Hermione rolled her eyes, took his hand and let him pull her back to where Scorpius was waiting.

Astoria sat there motionless, realizing that in twenty years of marriage not once had Draco ever held her from behind like that. There was something so loving about it, and that look in his eyes …

Just then, Astoria noticed movement through the hole in the hedges. Her eyes focused and she saw Rose, stopping to take a deep breath before walking forward to meet the others. Astoria stood up and left her little nook, walking over to the corner everyone was around.

"Sorry I took so long," she heard Rose say. "Figures, the one day they have me work overtime."

"It's alright," said Scorpius, sounding much more composed than he did only a few minutes earlier. "Paul's favorite time to fly was late at night so this is appropriate. Actually, Hermione, could you turn down the lights?"

Astoria looked up and watched as tiny little lights floating over the hedges faded to a dim glow. She hadn't given them much notice before. The gardens had never been very well lit, except for the small area just around the manor.

"Should we say a few words?" asked Rose.

"Hold on a minute," said Hermione. "I sent your mother an owl about this about thirty minutes ago and I think we should give her some time to get here."

"My mother?" said Scorpius. "She won't come to this. She didn't even like Paul."

Astoria felt like she had just been stung in the heart. While she may not have cared for that pesky little bird she still loved her son, and she wanted to be there for him.

"I doubt she took more than a glance at your owl, Hermione," said Draco. "It's freezing out here. The last thing we need is the bride or groom getting sick one bloody week before their wedding."

"I just know that if it was Rose or Hugo's childhood pet that died I would want to be there for them."

"She did throw a very elaborate service for Hugo's fish that died," said Rose. "She decorated the bathroom with flowers and candles and let Hugo read a bad poem he wrote before we flushed Mr. Bubbles wearing a little bowtie she had made for him."

"Yeah, but my mum's not like your mum," said Scorpius. "She'd think something like this was silly. She's not coming."

Astoria frowned. It was silly, but that didn't mean she cared any less. She had just started to turn the corner, ready to prove all of them wrong when she froze. The lights above them were more plentiful than the other lights in the garden, making them all visible. Rose had her arm linked with Scorpius while he sat on the same bench, his eyes bloodshot and cheeks shining from his tears. Hermione stood to the side, the blanket draped over her shoulders and one of her hands falling free. Draco was holding onto it, playing with her fingers while gazing at her with eyes Astoria had never seen before. They all looked quite the little family, Scorpius even holding a beautifully decorated box that could have only been the work of Hermione Granger.

Suddenly feeling sick, Astoria stepped back around the corner and pressed her back to the hedges. She wanted to prove them wrong for saying such things about her but, at the same time, she couldn't be here right now, standing next to Draco and pretending not to have seen what she did. By the way they were touching right now, it was obvious their children knew, but they were still being modest about it.

The longer she stood there, the more Astoria could feel herself being overcome with anger. Scorpius and Draco had no faith in her. She had spent years trying so hard to make her husband happy yet he still thought so little of her. And her son … Maybe she hadn't been a perfect mother, and she had made him get rid of that silly little owl but that didn't mean she didn't care. Her parents had never even let her have a pet, was his very existence in their lives not a gift in its own? And Hermione … That bloody perfect little twat had been acting so nice to her, and now she knew why. It was because she was moving in on her family, pretending to defend Astoria but really just amplifying how perfect she actually was in comparison.

Astoria scowled as her fists began to clench. No, they were right about her, because she couldn't go out there and prove them wrong right now. She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Soon, she was hurrying out of there, trying hard to drown out the voices as her son officially gave up on her and asked if they could now bury the owl that his mother didn't let him have.

Hermione was woken up a couple of mornings later by the feeling of Draco's head between her legs. She was still completely exhausted, having only gone to bed maybe four hours earlier but, dammit, she needed this release.

Biting her lip, Hermione fought back her moans as Draco began sucking on her clit, inserting two fingers into her and pumping vigorously. Soon, she had no choice but to release her lips, letting her moans flow free as her arms flew back and she clutched onto her pillow, beginning to scream as she fell victim to his expert tongue.

Without a word, Draco crawled up her body, kissing her once before wrapping his arms under her armpits and around her shoulders, his way of holding her still so she'd have no choice but to let him have control.

Both of them moaned as he entered her, his lower body moving slow at first but his speed rapidly growing as he continued to hold her upper body still. His head fell to the crook of her neck, breathing hot breath onto it while her nails dug into his back.

Hermione was dripping with sweat as she spread her legs a little farther apart, readjusting her hips slightly so her already sensitive clit was rubbed against with each thrust of his cock. Merlin, she wanted to make him to come, even more than she wanted to come herself. But not like this. She got the feeling he was thinking the same about her. He wanted her orgasm to solely be his doing, and it was. Only a few short minutes later, Hermione was screaming his name, her head falling back and mouth falling open as he continued to fuck her, his movements growing wild until she felt his seed burst inside of her, another quick feeling of perfect heat running through her veins before he collapsed on top of her.

It was a few minutes before either of them were able to catch their breath and Draco's grip on her loosened. As soon as it did, Hermione flipped them over, pulling his upper body up, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him hard.

When she pulled away, she grabbed his hand and said, "Come on. I want to suck that cock of yours before having you again in the shower."

With one last, wet kiss, Hermione pulled him off of the bed, barely letting the water in the shower get warm before she was shoving him inside and falling to her knees, eager to get as many releases as possible before another long and stressful day.

A couple of hours later, Hermione was finally dressed and ready for work, but Draco was still running a few minutes behind. Shortly after their shower, Hermione had shoved him onto the bed and sucked his cock again, and it had taken him a little longer than usual to come back from that one.

"You're coming to the Ministry this morning, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered. "I'll message Alex and have her bring us coffee."

"Alright," said Hermione, walking over to him and giving him a kiss. "Maybe we can have lunch in my office?" She raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Fine by me," he said, giving her one last kiss before she Apparated down to his drawing room.

Just as Hermione threw in some Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace, she heard her mobile phone ding. "Ministry of Magic."

She quickly arrived at the Ministry, stepping out of the fireplace and grabbing her phone out of her pocket. It was a message from Cormac. She opened it.

Do NOT come to work.

Hermione pursed her brow. That was weird. She was just about to call him when she heard someone shout, "There she is!"

Hermione looked up, her eyes widening as a sea of reporters was suddenly rushing toward her, cameras flashing and quills at the ready.

"Mrs. Weasley, how long have you been in a relationship with Mr. Malfoy?" one reporter asked right off the bat.

"What?" said Hermione, her heart beating fast.

"Does your daughter know?"

"Is she angry with you?"

"Tell us, is Draco Malfoy as amazing in bed as the rumors say?"

Hermione tried to push through but the crowd was too thick and the questions kept on coming. She answered nothing.

Feeling a hand grab hers, Hermione felt a gust of relief as someone shoved the reporters and photographers away, creating a path for them. She looked up to see Cormac, spitting venomous words at them before finally managing to maneuver Hermione and him out of the atrium, which was where anyone who did not work at the Ministry or have special permission to enter had to stop. Still, they shouted questions at her, their voices not weakening in the slightest until Hermione and Cormac were in the lift and the doors were closed.

"What's happening?" asked Hermione once they were alone.

Cormac reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out. A copy of Witch Weekly . He handed it to her. "Looks like the cat's out of the bag," he said.

Hermione took the magazine, her hands clenching around it as she gasped. There, on the cover, clear as day, was a photo of her and Draco kissing. It was obviously taken through a window but their faces, their entangled arms, everything was perfectly visible. "Who took this?" she asked in a demanding voice.

"Dunno," said Cormac. "Probably that bloody photographer who's been after you."

"No," said Hermione shaking her head. "No, you don't understand. This photo was taken in Draco's office."

Cormac shrugged. "So someone got into the building next to his and -"

" No ! He has fucking charms around his building, Cormac! You can't see inside, let alone take a bloody picture!"

His eyes widened. "Oh. Then I'd say someone has it out for you."

Only then did Hermione realize Cormac had not pressed the button for their floor. "Why are we going to see the Minister?" she asked.

Cormac laughed without humor. "One guess," he answered. "As far as any of those reporters are concerned, you're still a married woman, and that along with who he is and who his son is marrying makes this a scandal. Not very good press for our future Minister for Magic."

Hermione groaned. "I know. I … I was still trying to figure out how to best announce everything, but this … Cormac. This could ruin me." She brought her hands up to her face and whimpered, though no tears had fallen yet. She was still in too much shock. It had started out as such a great morning.

Cormac sighed. "No it won't, Hermione. The Minister has already called in Blaise Zabini, and together we're all going to figure this out."

The lift stopped and the doors opened. Suddenly, Hermione remembered something. She froze. "Shit," she said at the exact moment Kingsley came into view. His brows pursed for a moment until he realized her eyes were glazed over. "Draco's working here today." She blinked back to reality. "Cormac, did you call him?"

"No," he said. "I wasn't really thinking about that."

Stepping out of the lift, Hermione took out her phone and dialed. It rang a few times then went to voicemail. "Draco, don't come to the Ministry! I'll explain later." She hung up and texted him the same thing. Then she tried calling Alexandra. Nothing.

Hermione stared down at the magazine in her hands, her face falling into a scowl as she crumpled it and banged it once against the wall she was standing next to.

"I'm sorry, Minister," she said, tears finally falling from her eyes.

"No apologies," he said. "I don't think there's anyone here who hadn't already guessed about this. But we cannot let this affect your campaign."

Hermione nodded, but then they all heard a ruckus coming from Kingsley's office. Hermione headed inside first, walking over to Kingsley's bewitched window so that it looked like he was staring down at the atrium instead of underground. Amidst the chaos, Hermione could just make out a white-blond head.

"Draco."

Kingsley turned to Cormac and silently gave him an order.

"Yeah, I'm on it," said Cormac, grunting before heading back towards the lift.

As they waited for Draco to arrive, Hermione took a seat, staring down at the magazine cover in her hands and wondering who could ever be so angry with them that they did this. The worst part was, she could come up with quite a few names.

Extra A/N: Who dunnit? Take your guesses. ;o)