A/N: 50,000 words reached only six days late. I'll take it!

Draco sat propped up in his bed, still naked as he watched Hermione hurry around the room, trying to find her clothes and dress as quickly as possible.

"You're sure you have to leave?" he asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I told you about my dinner reservations with my family days ago."

"Is he going, too?" Draco sneered.

"Yes," she answered without looking up. "Rose asked if she could invite her father and I wasn't about to say no."

"Still trying to play matchmaker, is she?"

Hermione sighed. It had been three weeks since she had told Ron she did not want to force their relationship anymore, words that she was fully aware she had stolen from Draco. It had not gone well. He kept arguing that she promised she would try, but she knew she could not try with him and sleep with Draco at the same time. It would have felt too much like a betrayal, even if there were no commitments. She knew what she needed and it was not to work on her relationship with Ron. She was not ready. Maybe she would be willing to give it a shot in the future but not now. Not yet.

Ron had not spoken to her since.

"Actually, I think she plans on sneaking your son into family time and forcing Ron to get to know him. The restaurant called me earlier to confirm my reservation for five when I am positive I made it for four. Her cousin Lily has been teaching her some Slytherin tricks."

Hermione turned towards Draco and smirked before pulling her dress over her head. She had located this and the bra all right, but her knickers were still nowhere to be found.

"Come zip me, will you?"

Draco slowly climbed off of the bed and walked over to her. He zipped her dress in the opposite direction from which he was accustomed, and quite unhappily.

"Thanks," said Hermione.

She walked over to the mirror above his dresser and began fixing her hair and makeup, trying hard to ignore Draco's naked figure standing just a few feet behind her. While they had been sleeping together as often as they could for the past three weeks, it still was not as often as they wanted.

Hugo was still living with her for the summer, so she could not get away at night. The only time they really had was just after work on nights where her son already had dinner plans, or on weekends when she would lie and say she was going into work, which was really what she should have been doing. But she could not stop herself. Even after three weeks, their passion had not died down, not in the slightest. Sex had been just as good today as it was that first night. Possibly even better.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and find my knickers?" she said, finally glancing at him in the mirror as she reapplied her lipstick.

Hermione brought her attention back to her own reflection, vaguely aware of the moving figure in the background. Less than a minute later, Draco was standing next to her, dangling her knickers from his finger. She tried to grab them, but he pulled them away and kneeled down, lifting one of her feet and then the other before slowly pulling them up her legs, following the trail with his lips.

"Malfoy, what are you doing?" she asked, still focusing on the mirror as he ran his hands along the insides of her thighs.

"Just having a taste," he said, pulling her freshly placed knickers aside and giving her folds a lick.

Hermione shuddered. "Stop that."

She tried to move her leg but he held on tight, moving his mouth to her clit and trailing his right hand up a little higher, inserting two fingers inside of her. She slammed her hand holding her lipstick down on the dresser. Luckily, it was already applied but her mascara had run during their earlier encounter and, while she had fixed it, she still needed a fresh coat. She grabbed it out of her purse and tried her best to stay composed.

"I told you before that I had to leave. You can't be doing this now."

"Why not?" he asked, stopping his licking but keeping his mouth close by. "I am not an idiot, Granger, I am well aware that you plan on arriving fifteen minutes early, same as everywhere. You don't need to be early for a bloody reservation. As far as I'm concerned, we have at least fifteen more minutes to enjoy ourselves."

Draco inserted a third finger and Hermione dropped her mascara. She gripped the sides of the dresser and braced herself, biting her lip in a pathetic attempt to stifle her moans so he would not be quite so aware of how much she was enjoying this. But, like he said, he was not an idiot.

Removing his fingers, Draco moved so he was behind her, lifting her dress to reveal her arse. He gave each cheek a soft bite on his way up.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your arse?"

He pulled back her hips and thrust into her, reaching his hand around her front to rub her clit, making sure she would come long before their fifteen minutes was up.

Hermione kept her head down as he shagged her from behind, not wanting to look in the mirror and see what she was really doing. But, seeing the movement from the tops of her eyes, she could not help herself. She looked up, only staring at her reflection for a second before focusing on Draco, his lids heavy and mouth open as he watched his cock slide in and out of her. He glanced up and caught her eye in the mirror, smiling before leaning forward and moving her hair aside. He kissed her neck, still keeping his eyes focused on hers.

Hermione could not stop looking at him. Even as she came, her eyes were locked. He pulled out and turned her, sitting her on the dresser before thrusting back in. His hands lifted to her hair, holding it out of her face as he continued to look at her. When he seemed like he was going to kiss her, Hermione turned her head. His thrusts slowed for a moment, then she heard him grunt and go for her neck, biting it roughly as he began moving even quicker than before. She wrapped her arms around his back and rolled her hips to meet each thrust, screaming loud as their movements became wild.

It was not long before she completely forgot that time was a factor.

Forty-five minutes later, Hermione arrived almost twenty minutes late for her reservation. Luckily, her children took after her and were already sitting at the table. She was not surprised to find that Scorpius was with them.

"Mom, I've been calling, where have you been?" asked Rose, looking worried. "You've never been late a day in your -"

"I know, I know," said Hermione, giving her and Hugo each a kiss on the cheek before taking her seat. "I was down in the Ministry's archives without my phone and completely lost track of time. I hurried here as soon as I realized." She looked around. "I see I still beat your father."

"Yeah, well, if you hadn't I would have been really worried," said Rose.

"Hello, Scorpius," said Hermione, looking over at him and smiling. "What a surprise."

"You don't look surprised," said Hugo.

"That's because I always know when your sister is up to something." She reached over and gave Rose's head a rub.

Rose pushed her off and fixed her hair. "Dad already didn't want to come. When he agreed, I wasn't about to give him a reason to back out of it."

Hermione noticed the way Scorpius winced when she said this. She reached across the table and put her hand on his. When he looked at her, she smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's not you. It's your father."

Scorpius chuckled. "I do know that. I am trying to get my dad to invite him to sit in his box for the World Cup but he's being stubborn."

"The Aurors all pitch in and get their own box every year, so the point is moot," she said, removing her hand and leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah, that's what Rose said." He paused. "But my dad's box is better."

"Oh, I have no doubt that it is," said Hermione. "But Ronald can be a bit stubborn."

Rose furrowed her brow.

"I'm not stubborn," said Hugo. "What about me, mate? Where's my invite?"

Scorpius smirked. "Parker's going to be there. Sure you're up for it?"

Hugo turned red. "So you're saying it's the cup or my face? Tough call."

"Invite Lily," suggested Hermione. "She'll keep him distracted so he doesn't hurt your pretty face." She clutched his chin and kissed at it.

" Mom ," he said, pushing her away and turning even brighter red than before.

"Why did you call Dad that?" Rose asked suddenly.

Everyone looked at her.

"Call him what?" asked Hermione.

" Ronald ," she said with disdain. "You never call him that. You always say 'your father' or 'my husband'. You never refer to him by name. Unless it's to his face."

Hermione pursed her lips. "I don't think that's true."

"Is this your subtle way of telling us you're just giving the fuck up?" snapped Rose. "Because, if it is, don't bother. Dad already told us you're not even going to bother to try anymore."

Hermione's face went tense as she stared back at her daughter.

"That's not exactly what he said," Hugo said quietly as he stared uncomfortably down at the table.

"Sorry I'm late." Ron walked up to them and put a hand on Hugo's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

Hugo looked up at him, letting out a breath of relief. "Dad, thank Merlin."

"Everything all right?" asked Ron, noticing the way Hermione and Rose were staring at each other.

Hermione sighed and looked up at him, plastering on a fake smile. "Why, yes, everything is fine. Forgive my rudeness but I just found out I've been made in to the bad guy." Her smile dropped. "Again."

Ron's ears turned red.

"Are you saying Dad's a liar?" asked Rose, crossing her arms defiantly.

"No, he's not," Hermione said honestly. "I need some time to myself right now and your father respects that."

Ron slowly sat down, looking very uncomfortable.

"But you've had six months to yourself," complained Rose. "I don't like this … this feeling, this bloody air that surrounds us every time the two of you are together." She motioned to the space around them.

"The only air I feel is coming from this conversation," said Hermione. She glanced sideways at Ron, who met her eyes for a split second before staring down at the table like Hugo. She sighed. "Rose, this really is not the time or place to have this conversation. Let's just put it aside for now and we'll continue it later."

"When?" asked Rose.

" Later ," Hermione said sternly. She grabbed the wine list from the center of the table and began looking it over. "I believe this is the perfect night for a bottle or two for the table. How about a nice cabernet?" She looked at Ron.

"Sounds good," he said, only now seeming to really notice Scorpius sitting at the table.

Scorpius smiled. "Hi, Mr. Weasley. I hope you don't mind me crashing your dinner."

"Maybe if I actually had a say in the matter -"

"Dad!" spat Rose as she narrowed her eyes at her father. "This is a family dinner and pretty soon Scorpius is going to be just that. That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "The date?"

"Yes." Rose smiled and took Scorpius' hand. "We were thinking we would have it in April, during Easter weekend. While we would like to have it sooner, half of our wedding party is still in school and we really want to have one of those weeklong affairs."

Hermione counted in her head. It was nine months until April. More than enough time to get this … this … whatever the hell it was with Draco Malfoy out of her system. "Sounds lovely," she said.

"Sounds expensive," Ron added.

Rose's smile immediately dropped.

"We know it's traditional for the bride's family to pay for the wedding," said Scorpius, "but my dad has offered to help any way that he -"

Ron chuckled derisively. "No."

"Why not?" asked Rose with a pout.

"I don't want that bastard paying for anything."

Hermione's hands clenched under the table while both of her children stared at their father with wide eyes. Scorpius' face tensed. She could tell he wanted to say something but he was biting his tongue.

"You know, I could really use some fresh air," she said, standing up. "Ron, maybe you should come outside with me."

"I don't need any -"

She grabbed his arm, leaned in and sternly whispered, "I said outside ."

Ron stood up and stiffly marched towards the door.

"Order the wine for us, will you, Rose?" she asked.

Once Rose nodded, she quickly followed him out.

Hermione stepped ahead of Ron and led him around the corner. Once they were alone, she crossed her arms and said, "What in Merlin's name were you thinking?"

Ron put his hands in his pockets and looked off to the side. "I don't want that prick -"

"Yes, I understand that. You and Draco Malfoy will never be friends, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out, but Scorpius is not his father." She paused and took a deep breath. "But he loves him and respects him, and you will not speak ill of him in his presence. No matter how much you loathe him. Your relationship with Rose depends on it. Do you understand?"

Ron bit his cheek and took several deep breaths. He slowly turned to look at her. Once they locked eyes, he nodded.

"Good."

Hermione started to walk back inside, but Ron grabbed her hand and held her in place.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Hugo told me you went into work again today so I went to meet you there, thinking maybe we could walk here together. You weren't there."

"I was down in the archives," she lied. "I lost track of time and came straight here."

Ron released her and stared down at the ground. "You would tell me if you were seeing someone, wouldn't you?" He looked back up at her, his blue eyes almost watery.

Hermione sighed. "I don't know," she said honestly. "Probably not right away. Not until it was something worth mentioning."

"So that means you could be seeing someone."

She was not, of course. Whatever she and Draco were doing, it was definitely not that, but it still felt like a lie to say no. There was a part of her that wondered if what she was actually doing was worse. It probably was, at least in Ron's eyes.

"If you think the reason I told you I do not want to force things between us is because of someone else then you would be wrong. I need to figure out what it is I want without you right there swaying me." It was the truth. Everything she was doing was for her. For once in her life she just wanted to be selfish.

While she had not exactly answered the question, Ron seemed satisfied enough. He nodded and said, "Just let me know when you do, all right?"

Hermione sighed again. "Of course."

Without another word, another touch, they went back inside. The wine was already waiting for them at the table and Ron gave a feeble apology before they all finally picked up their menus.

Dinner went better than Hermione expected. While they waited for their food to arrive, Rose and Scorpius talked about their wedding plans. Well … her wedding plans was probably more accurate. Scorpius actually contributed very little to the conversation, but he seemed fine with that.

"Do you have any venues in mind?" Hermione asked at one point.

"No, not yet," answered Rose. "But we were thinking about having an outdoor wedding." She bit her lip and looked at her mom for reassurance.

Hermione smiled. "I think an outdoor wedding sounds absolutely perfect."

"I actually have an idea for a venue," said Scorpius.

Rose looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "You do?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Where is it?" she asked.

Scorpius smirked. "I'm not telling you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Why not?"

"Because if I do then you'll research it like mad until you're absolutely sick of the place," he said. "I want you to just see it. Without knowing facts and history."

Everyone at the table, with the exception of Rose, laughed. Even Ron.

"She gets that horrible habit from her mother," he said. "Every vacation we have ever taken has been corrupted with a boring history lesson."

Hermione's jaw dropped. " Boring . Says who?"

"Me," said Ron.

"And me," added Hugo.

"Personally, I loved hearing about the salmon run when we visited the River Tweed, even if we did not get to see it," said Rose. She was not joking.

"And that is why you're my favorite," said Hermione. She looked over at Hugo and winked.

"Ow, Mom. Just, ow," he said with a laugh.

When their dinners came, Scorpius was completely thrown for a loop when they all started eating off of each other's plates, including his.

"Mom, you have to try his catfish," said Rose, taking a piece with her fork right off of Scorpius' plate and handing it across the table to Hermione.

"Mmm, very good," said Hermione, handing the fork back to her with a bit of her chicken on it. Hugo was already helping himself to a bite. Then he went for the catfish.

"Baby, you have to try my pasta," said Rose.

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow. "Uhh …"

Before he had a chance to answer, she had twirled a bite around her fork and stuffed it in his mouth. He had no choice but to chew.

"Was sharing taboo in the Malfoy household or something?" asked Hermione as she stole a bite of Ron's side salad.

Scorpius swallowed his bite and said, "Not exactly. When my parents ate out I rarely went with them and at home our table was really big so sharing wasn't really an option." He paused. "Though I doubt we would have done it, anyway."

"If you think this is bad just wait until we go out to dinner with all of our aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents," said Hugo, stealing another bite of Scorpius' catfish. "There was one time when we all just ended up passing our plates on to the next person every couple of minutes."

"Do you have a big family, too?" asked Scorpius, looking at Hermione.

She laughed and shook her head. "No. I was the only child of two only children. But neither of my parents are around anymore," she added with a soft sigh.

"Granddad died in a car accident seven years back and we lost Grandma to ovarian cancer just under two years ago," explained Rose.

Ron rubbed Hermione's knee under the table. She looked at him and gave a weak smile.

"Ron!"

Her smile immediately faded.

Everyone at the table looked up to find Colette standing by Ron's chair. Hermione pushed his hand off of her knee.

"Colette, what are you doing here?" he asked, turning dead white.

"You won't return any of my owls," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Why would he? He told you it was bloody over!" spat Rose, looking just about ready to rise from the table and smack Colette across the face.

"But why?" cried Colette. "What did I do?"

Hermione crossed her arms in front of her chest and glanced uncomfortably around the restaurant. Most eyes were already on them. She could only hope that no one had a camera here. And then one flashed.

"I told you a million times! I want to be with my family!" he spat. "How did you even know we were here?"

"But she doesn't love you like I do!" shouted Colette, completely ignoring the question as she pointed an accusatory finger at Hermione. "She told me! She said she didn't think she loved you anymore and she didn't know how much longer she could pretend to -"

"That's it," said Hermione, standing up and grabbing her purse. "Sorry, children, but I can't sit here and listen to this a moment longer." She headed for the door.

"Hermione!" Ron jumped up and hurried after her.

"Ron!"

Colette tried to run after him but Rose grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Oh, no you don't!"

"Haven't you done enough damage, you bloody homewrecker?" spat Hugo.

"Hermione, please wait!" shouted Ron, running to catch up with her as she turned the corner. He was able to grab her hand and whipped her around. "I swear, I don't know how she found out we were here. I haven't spoken to her since I broke it off. I -"

"Ron, just stop, all right? Just stop !" she shouted, pulling her hand away. "She wasn't lying just now. I did say that. Before we separated I told her -"

"I already know," he said, moving closer to her. "She told me a long time ago." He grabbed her hand again, this time gentle and interlacing their fingers. "But that was before, when I was a stupid git and I took you for granted. I don't want to be that person anymore, Hermione. I want to be better. I still love you. I will always love you. Please," he pleaded with tears in his eyes. "Please, I'm not ready for it to be over."

Hermione looked down at their hands and whimpered softly. She slowly began to shake her head. "But it already is over."

She pulled her hand away and turned quickly, walking down the block as the cool air pierced her wet cheeks.

"I am going to be better!" Ron shouted after her. "You'll see! I am going to prove myself to you, Hermione, and we're going to be a family again!"

Hermione wiped her eyes as she walked, reaching the corner and turning as fast as she could so she would not have to hear him any longer. She should have Apparated home right then and there but, instead, she found herself walking many blocks to the nearest wizarding pub where she knew a Floo would be located. Luckily, she had some powder in her purse and used it before stepping into the green flames.

"Malfoy Manor."

Hermione was sucked away from London and quickly sent to the large mansion in Wiltshire. The drawing room was dark, other than the fire she had created, and she immediately Apparated to Draco's bedroom.

When she got there, it took her a moment to find him. He was sitting on the balcony with his back to her, reading a book by the faint light shining out from his bedroom. He turned when he heard the ' pop ', looking over the back of his chair, his eyebrows rising when he found her.

"Back so soon?" he said.

Hermione threw her purse off to the side and began unzipping her dress. "Take off your clothes," she ordered.

Draco closed his book and placed it on the table next to his glass of firewhiskey. He slowly stood and walked so he was standing in the doorway. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she said, pulling her successfully unzipped dress over her head and discarding it next to her purse. Then she undid her bra, kicked off her shoes and began pulling down her knickers. "Am I going to be alone in this?" she asked, putting her hands on her naked hips and tapping her foot impatiently.

Without even a glance down at her body, Draco looked into her eyes and asked, "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine!" she snapped. "Now, are you going to take off your bloody clothes or should I just bloody leave?"

Draco's eyebrows rose once more. His mouth was straight and tense, but he still began to slowly step towards her, unbuttoning his shirt.

Obviously unsatisfied with his speed, Hermione hurried forward and grabbed at his trousers, undoing the zipper and pulling both them and his boxers down to his ankles. She stayed on her knees and began sucking him off.

Draco was not quite sure what to make of this, but he let her pleasure him until he was hard. The moment he was, she stood back up and pushed him towards the bed until the backs of his knees hit it, forcing him to fall backwards. She straddled him and gave him no time to regroup before she was riding him.

"Merlin, Granger, what's gotten into you?" he asked, his fists clenching in the sheets as she bounced on top of him.

Hermione tried to keep her eyes up, but then his right hand left the sheets and trailed up her arm, not stopping until it reached her cheek. She finally looked down at him, her eyes instantly tearing as she found unfamiliar eyes looking back at her. Silver, not blue, and nowhere near as soft as she was used to.

Her bouncing soon slowed into nothing, and she found herself leaning forward and crying on top of him.

"Granger … what's wrong?" Draco asked uncomfortably.

She shook her head and used her hands to cover her eyes.

"What happened?"

"N-nothing!" She hiccupped.

"Well, that is obviously a lie," he said, wrapping his arms around her back and pulling her down until her chest was pressed against his. "Tell me."

She said nothing. Just continued to cry.

"Do you need me to put a hit out on your husband? Because I do have connections."

Hermione laughed through her tears. "Merlin, I hope you're joking."

He removed one hand from her back and waved it side-to-side.

She laughed again. But it quickly faded. "In your office that day … you mentioned the defining moment where you look at someone and realize you feel nothing for them anymore. I told you I didn't have one and you called me a liar."

"Yes, I recall," he said.

"Well, you were right. I was a liar," she admitted with a sigh. "It was our anniversary last year. I left work early for what might possibly have been the first time in my life and went home to make us a special dinner. All of his favorite, artery clogging, carb infested foods. He called me to tell me he was running late. He took a mission at the last minute because Harry's second in command is planning to retire at the end of this year and he is working hard to get the job, which is fine," she added quickly. "But … all I was asking for was one night."

Hermione closed her eyes and gentle tears dripped down both of her cheeks.

"He did not arrive home until almost midnight, gave me cheap supermarket flowers and a card he had not even bothered to sign, he barely touched my dinner and then went to bed without saying so much as a 'happy anniversary' or 'I love you' or just a bloody 'thank you'. He didn't say anything and I knew. I knew right then and there that we couldn't go back, that we had gone too far in the wrong direction and the love we once had was just gone."

Hermione felt Draco's arms tighten around her, but he did not say anything, just placed one hand on the back of her head and pressed it into his chest.

"I still love him, I do," she said. "Just not in the same way. Not like that." Her tears dripped onto his chest and she did her best to wipe them. "I had no one to talk to about these feelings. My two closest friends are his best friend and his sister. I couldn't tell them about the emptiness I suddenly felt, because all they would ever tell me was to try harder, and I knew I was past that. So I confided in the only other person who was around. My assistant."

"That woman from the party," said Draco. It was not a question. She lifted her head and looked at him with pursed eyebrows. He shrugged. "The wizarding world is much smaller than we would all like to admit. Information like that is easy to come by."

"You asked around about her?"

"No. I asked around about you ."

Hermione was probably more surprised than she should have been. "Umm …" She did her best to shake that confession off. "Yes, her. I told her about the problems we were having and …" She stopped and took a deep breath. She was still looking down at Draco and that made this harder. Her eyes began to tear again. "One night, I left The Ministry early to attend a dinner meeting. I don't know exactly what happened but Ron said he went to my office looking for me. She cornered him there and … and …"

Her eyes clenched shut as she began to cry again, her hands scrunching the sheets on either side of him.

"He cheated on you," finished Draco.

Eyes still closed, Hermione slowly nodded. "It hurt more than I thought it would. He says it was just a kiss. That it meant nothing. He just didn't push her away as quickly as he should have. I don't know what is true and I don't care. I told him right then and there that I wanted a divorce. He somehow managed to talk me into a trial separation." She paused, then quietly said, "I just wish it was over."

Her eyes opened and she looked down at Draco again. He was staring up at her with genuine concern in his eyes.

"I've never told anyone that." Hermione blushed and rolled off of him. "Oh, Merlin." She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. "Why did I tell you that? And about the bloody divorce papers …"

"Because you need someone to confide in," said Draco, rolling onto his side and moving her hair off of her wet cheeks. "And I am highly unlikely to use this information to try and steal your husband."

Hermione laughed. Hard.

Draco waited until she was finished to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her close. "You know, there are other ways to get him to sign the divorce papers if he refuses to cooperate."

"I know," said Hermione. "But it's not that simple. We've been in each other's lives since we were eleven. We have two children together, we share all of the same friends, and I mean all ." She paused and sighed. "And his family is my family. If I lose him I lose them all."

"While I admittedly know very little about the Weasleys, but from what I do know I highly doubt they will dismiss you so easily. Especially if you tell them he cheated -"

"No!" snapped Hermione. "Ron made a mistake. A big one. But his family can never know about it. I won't have them hating him for me. You won't say anything -"

"Why would I say anything?" Draco interrupted. "It's not my business."

"So everything I've told you … it's between us, right?"

Draco smirked, leaned in and touched his lips to her cheek. "Yes, Granger. It's all between us." He moved his lips towards her ear. "But what happened tonight to bring this confession on?"

Hermione grunted. "That twat showed up at the restaurant."

Draco chuckled. "I must admit, I love the foul language on you. What did she want?"

"Ron back."

He scooted closer to her and she turned her body towards him, sliding her arm under his and wrapping it around his back.

"I would be happy for him if he found someone else. Anyone else." She sighed. "Just not her."

"Understandable."

Hermione lifted her hand and looked into his eyes. She had been wrong before. They were soft. Especially when he reached down and moved the hair out of her eyes before stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"Thanks for listening, Malfoy," she said. "I'm sorry I came here like this. I should have just gone home."

"It's fine," he said. "As long as you come here and immediately remove your clothes then I have no problem with this."

Hermione laughed again. Softly this time.

Suddenly, Draco's thumb stopped. His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips, and she did not stop him as he leaned forward, only gently brushing his lips against hers, refusing to go any further. Feeling the desperate need to connect with him in that moment, Hermione moved inward until their mouths were entangled. At first it was just lips, then tongues pushed through, moving softly against one another.

It was not long before Draco was hard again, moving on top of her and gently thrusting in. Their lips remained locked throughout and, for the first time, it did not just feel like 'fucking', as Draco so crudely called it. Not 'making love' by any means, but different. Almost comforting.

Draco tasted as sweet as Hermione expected. Like a peppermint version of that expensive firewhiskey she loved so much. In fact, she was positive that was what he had been drinking when she arrived.

When they were finished, Draco rolled off of her. For the first time since this all began, he pulled her into his chest and held her there, tilting up her chin so he could continue to kiss her. It was nice, this feeling of being wanted.

It was close to midnight when she finally decided it was time to leave. Draco did not move from the bed as she dressed herself. Just watched her.

"Can you come by tomorrow?" he asked.

"No," she answered, even though she probably could. "I need to go into the office and get some actual work done." A lie. She had been working longer hours on weekdays so she could see him on the weekends. All of her work was ahead of schedule.

As she picked up her purse, she was more than a little surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Draco turned her and gave her one last kiss before she Apparated to his drawing room.

Hermione stood next to the fireplace for a moment, a horrible pit forming in her stomach. She could not quite pinpoint it, but it had definitely felt like a line had been crossed that night. Their sex was never meant to become intimate, that was what she had promised herself. Yet, somehow, it had.

When she arrived home, she was not surprised to find Hugo sitting on the sofa waiting for her. He sighed in relief, immediately calling Rose, who had just gone home to check on Perdita.

"I was just out walking," she told him when Rose was on the phone.

"Are you all right?" she heard Rose shout.

She took the phone from him. "Yes, fine. Just a little tired after all that walking."

"And drama?" asked Hugo, smiling slightly as he rolled his eyes.

Hermione chuckled. "Yes, that too. That woman." She handed the phone back to him and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, you two. Don't stay up too late."

She went into her bedroom and changed quickly, not doing any of her nighttime routine before climbing into bed. Looking over at the cold, untouched side where Ron used to lie, she found that for once she was not thinking of him, but of Draco and how nice it would have felt to sleep in his arms that night. He had been so warm, so gentle, so … everything she did not need right now.

Pushing all thoughts of Draco to the back of her mind, Hermione rolled so she was lying in the center of the bed, ruining the perfectly tucked covers on the other side and sprawling out. While it may not have been the same feeling of being in someone's arms, it still felt pretty damn good.

The next morning, Hermione woke up and decided it was time for a change. Nothing too extravagant, she figured she would start small and see how it felt. Which was why she walked into her office on Monday with a new haircut. All of her life she had kept it long, but now it was just above her shoulders with its natural wave and slightly A-lined. Rose and Hugo had both given her their seal of approval. Even Scorpius said she looked very pretty. He really was sweet, and sometimes it was hard to believe that he was in any way related to Draco.

A few people made comments as she walked through the Ministry, which was nice. It had been a long time since anyone had complimented her like this and, she had to admit, she liked it.

When she walked by Teddy's desk, he looked up and smiled. She handed him the coffee she had picked up for him.

"Thanks," he said. "Did you cut your hair?"

"I did," she said, smiling back before entering her office.

Hermione had barely put her stuff down when Cormac let himself in with his nose in a copy of Witch Weekly .

"Looks like you had an interesting weekend," he said, sitting on her desk and putting the magazine down in front of her.

She looked closely at it, her brows furrowing as she stared down at a photo of Colette confronting Ron. She looked pretty pissed in it and who could blame her?

Trouble in Paradise. Ron Weasley's Former Mistress Out to Destroy His Marriage , read the headline.

"Lovely," said Hermione, skimming over the article. All rubbish. And then her eyes drifted to the opposite page, drawn by the photo of a man with familiar platinum-blond hair. Draco was leaning towards a beautiful, raven-haired woman, only to have both of their heads whip when they noticed the flash of the camera. And then the photo started over, him leaning towards the woman again. And again …

"Looks like our wizard has found himself another lover," joked Cormac.

"Mmhmm." Hermione picked up the magazine and pretended to read the article about her, but really she was looking at the one about him. It said he was spotted with the unidentified witch on Friday night. She was supposed to go to his place Friday night since Hugo had dinner plans with friends, but he had to cancel last minute. Now she knew why.

"Did you change your hair?"

"No," she said, unable to tear her eyes away from that photo.

There was a knock on her door and she and Cormac both looked over. Ron was standing just outside of her office.

"Guess that's my cue," said Cormac, grabbing the magazine back from her and heading towards the door. "Nice photo, Weasley."

He stepped out and Ron stepped in, shutting the door behind him. "I see he showed you the article."

"We all saw the camera flash," said Hermione. "We knew it would be there. The wizarding community just loves hearing about the impending divorce of Harry Potter's closest friends."

"Impending?" he repeated solemnly. "Hermione, please give me another chance."

Hermione sighed. "No," she said. "Not now. I need this time on my own, Ron. I just threw myself into my work before and I never really had the chance to see what life was like without you. I need to do that."

Ron nodded. He still had not said anything about her hair. She was not sure why that bothered her.

"Then I'll wait until you're -"

"No, Ron. No waiting," she said. "If you meet someone you like then I want you to take them out."

He blinked.

"This is not a test, I promise," she said. "Despite what Ginny might say. I want us to try this separation for real."

"Until when?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. The wedding?"

Ron went white. "Nine months from now?"

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

"We don't do this."

She frowned. "Ron …"

"Fine, Christmas," he said. "No longer than that."

"All right," she said with a nod. "Around Christmas, we will make a decision."

"I've already made mine."

"You might feel differently in five months."

He shook his head. "I won't. I made a mistake once and I will never make it again. I love you."

Hermione sighed and looked away. He stared down at the floor, opened the door and walked out of her office, looking solemn. He still had not said anything about her hair. She knew it was nothing to get upset over but, for some reason, she just was.

The day went on and Hermione found that she was having a hard time concentrating. She sent an owl to Draco to confirm a meeting they had with the Minister the following week, to finally come up with some sort of working arrangement. He owled her back to say he would be there, then asked if she could come over that night. Hermione's mind was instantly drawn back to that photo of him leaning towards the beautiful woman. Far more beautiful than she was and without the baggage of being his son's future mother-in-law. Not to mention the bloody crying in the middle of sex. She had never known anyone to do that before, though she highly doubted she was the first. She hoped.

Around lunchtime, she opened one of her drawers to pull out her menus. It was definitely an order-in sort of day. Then she noticed something small in the drawer. A business card. She took it out and stared at Draco Malfoy's name written in beautiful cursive letters.

Leaning back in her chair, Hermione stared at the card, biting her thumbnail before running a hand through her hair. She ran out of it sooner than expected, reminding her of her pathetic first attempt to make changes in her life. One Ron did not even notice even though he swore he wanted her back. Instead of always saying the words 'I love you' like a bloody robot, why did he not show her? Tell her she looked pretty, or the haircut was nice. Anything . Hell, even Cormac had noticed.

Feeling a bit angry and definitely determined, Hermione stood up, grabbed her purse and headed towards the door with the card in hand.

"I'm going out for lunch," she said vaguely as she passed Teddy's desk.

"All right," he said without looking up from his computer's monitor. "Take your time, will you? You need a break."

Hermione smirked. He was absolutely right. She hurried out of the Ministry and down to the atrium. Finding an available fireplace, she threw in some Floo powder, stepped inside and held tightly onto the card as she said, "Draco Malfoy's office, Malfoy Enterprises."

She was quickly sucked away and landed moments later in Draco's lavish fireplace. She stepped out and looked around, a little disappointed to find the office was empty. Going over to his desk, she located his appointment book and sat down in his chair as she flipped to today's date.

"Oh my …" she said as her entire body sank perfectly into that chair. It was bloody amazing. Her neck was supported, her back arched just right, and she could not even begin to describe how great her arse felt.

While she was swiveling around in the comfortable chair, the door opened and Draco walked in. His head was down and looking at some parchment, but he glanced up quickly, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw her.

Catching his eye, she smirked. He was quick to smirk back.

"Mrs. Lupin, how long until my next appointment arrives?" Draco called out the door.

"Fifteen minutes, Mr. Malfoy!" Victoire's voice called back.

"Do me a favor and make sure I am not disturbed until then." He shut the door and took out his wand, putting both Silencing and Locking Charms on the room. "Looks like we'll have to make this quick."

"This chair is so comfortable," said Hermione, not moving from it, even as he approached her.

When Draco was finally within touching distance, she stood, grabbed his arm and pushed him down into the chair.

"We're shagging in this," she said, hiking up her skirt a bit and climbing on top of him.

He tried to kiss her but she quickly dodged and went for his neck, using her hands to undo his trousers and then slipping one inside. She was about to fall down to her knees when Draco wrapped his arms around her and held her in place.

"No time for foreplay, Granger. I actually can't be late for this meeting."

He put his hand on hers and made her stroke him faster. As soon as he was hard, he pulled her skirt up even farther. She grabbed his cock with one hand and pulled her knickers aside with the other, guiding him inside of her before putting her hands on his shoulders, using them to help her bounce.

Draco roughly grabbed her hips and moved her faster. That meeting must have really been important since he normally did not try and rush things so much. Then he ripped her shirt open, pulled her breasts out of her bra and sucked on one while his hand moved down to her clit.

Hermione ran her hands into his hair and clutched on tightly, fighting the urge to yank it out as her release approached. With Draco, it never took much effort to get her to that first one. It was when he demanded she have multiple that he actually had to work at it.

Just as she was getting close, feeling her body heat rising as his hand really started to move fast, Draco released her breast, lifted his head and went in for her lips. Hermione turned and he hit the side of her chin instead. Suddenly, his hand was off of her clit, back on her hip and gripping her so tight that she was forced to stay dead still.

"Granger," he snapped. "What gives?"

Hermione looked at him with wide doe eyes and shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"It took me nearly a bloody month to get you to kiss me and now, not even two days later, we're back to this shit again."

She raised her eyebrows. "I didn't realize it was that important to you."

"It's not," said Draco, his face tense as he glanced away from her. "But why won't you?"

"I don't know," she said, shrugging again. "It just seems sort of intimate."

"Intimate?" he repeated, crinkling his forehead as he looked down to where they were connected. "You are aware that my cock is in you right now, aren't you?"

Hermione chuckled. "Yes, and I am fairly impressed that just sitting here isn't softening you at all."

"Deep concentration. I do plan on finishing this." He winked. "But not until I get a snog."

Hermione grunted. She stared over his shoulder and out the window. Nothing but clear sky. It was not long before a pair of lips was kissing up her neck.

"What's wrong, Granger? Afraid if we get too intimate you're going to fall for me?"

Hermione sighed. "Yes," she said honestly.

Draco's lips stopped. He pulled back and looked at her curiously.

"Look, Malfoy … I'm not used to this sort of thing, all right? Other than my husband, you're the only person I've ever been with and, when I was upset the other night, I ran away from him and straight to you. We crossed a line and I don't want to do that again. Not when this is only temporary. I'm not like you, I can't detach myself so easily."

"Am I detached?" asked Draco, raising his eyebrows. "Last I checked I've been spending every spare moment for the past three weeks with you."

Hermione looked away and blushed. "For sex."

"True," he said. "But I'd be less likely to keep you around if I didn't enjoy your company. Just because this is temporary doesn't mean it has to be meaningless, Granger. With a girl like you I already figured it wouldn't be."

Her blush turned brighter.

"Now kiss me."

She looked at him again.

"We have about five minutes to finish this so I suggest you give in or leave now unsatisfied."

Still looking into his eyes, Hermione sighed. She leaned in slowly and pressed her lips against his. While she kissed Draco softly, he loosened his grip on her hips and she started moving again. It was not long before she was bouncing fast and hard, their lips and tongues entangled in a brutal battle that both seemed to be winning.

Draco stood and brought Hermione with him. Turning, he put her down in the chair and used the back of it to brace himself while he took charge. Not once did their lips part.

Both of their mouths fell open as they neared their orgasms, and soon they were just breathing heavily with their mouths barely touching. Draco took her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down hard as she came, feeling the vibrations of her erratic screams against his lips. He let her finish before finally letting go.

Draco only took a moment to catch his breath before he was moving off of her. He used his wand to clean both of them off, redid his trousers and went over to his mirror on the wall to fix his hair.

Hermione stayed where she was for a moment, frowning a little as she felt the rawness of her lips. Then she noticed something on Draco's desk. She fixed her skirt and knickers, and leaned forward in the chair, grabbing his copy of Witch Weekly with a photo of Ron and her in happier times on the cover.

"I thought you didn't read this rubbish?" she asked.

Draco turned to see what she was looking at. "I don't," he said. "But there was an article about me in there and Victoire thought I should see it. Adjacent to one about you, I believe." He smirked.

Hermione stood up as she flipped through the pages of the magazine until she reached the two articles in question. "If we're going to keep doing this then I have one more ground rule."

"Of course you do," said Draco, straightening his tie in the mirror. Once that was done, he turned again and strutted towards her. "Let's hear it."

"I don't know what this is," she said, holding out the page so he could see and pointing at the photo of him and the raven-haired woman, "but the moment this becomes something more than dinner, something physical, you tell me and we end this. I refuse to be just one of many. If we're going to sleep with each other then we only sleep with each other. Is that clear?"

Draco continued to strut, a smirk growing on his face as he raised his eyebrows. He stopped in front of her, his eyes fixed on hers as he slowly took the magazine. "This woman is a client of mine," he said. "The photographer waited until her husband went to the loo to snap the photo. If you look closely you can see the third chair and wine glass." He lifted the magazine and pointed. Hermione looked and, sure enough, there they were. "Victoire thought I should see the article so I could warn them of the rumors that will be circulating." He shut the magazine and tossed it back onto his desk. "I told you that first night I hadn't dated or shagged anyone in six months. Why would I change that now when I have just stumbled into the perfect arrangement?"

Draco lifted his hands and cupped her face, leaning in to give her a soft kiss. When he pulled away, he looked into her eyes and ran his hands through her hair. "I like this," he said, continuing to stroke the ends of it. "Short hair suits you."

Hermione blinked. "You noticed."

"Of course I did. It was halfway down your back before." He paused. "Don't tell me you bloody came here because Weasel didn't notice your haircut?"

Hermione bit her lip and turned away.

Draco removed his hands. "I have to be honest, I feel a bit cheap every time you come to see me because you're angry at your husband."

She looked back up at him, unable to hide her smile. Draco smiled back.

" Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Berry has arrived ," said Victoire's voice through the orb with the green light.

Draco went over and pressed the orb. "Thank you, Mrs. Lupin. Escort him to the conference room and tell him I'll be with him shortly."

" Yes, Mr. Malfoy ."

He looked back at Hermione. "I'm afraid I must be off."

She frowned a little and glanced at his chair. She ran her hand across its arm. "I really do love this chair. Perhaps we can shag in it again sometime?"

"With pleasure," said Draco, grabbing her hips and pulling her close. "You never answered my owl about tonight."

"I can't tonight," she said.

"Working again, like yesterday?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Hermione went white.

"It's a funny story. My son came by my office this morning to have coffee with me before going to that joke of a job of his, and imagine my surprise when he said he spent the majority of his day yesterday with Rose at your place. He really just loves your cooking."

Hermione sighed and looked away.

Draco nudged her chin back towards him and forced her to look into his eyes. "If you don't want to come over, Granger, that's fine, but do not lie to me."

"I'm supposed to have dinner at the Leaky Cauldron with Hannah and Neville tonight," she said honestly. "Yesterday was just an odd day for me."

"Then that was all you had to say." Still holding her chin, he leaned in and kissed her one last time. "I am sure I will see you soon."

Draco headed for the door and shut it behind him. Hermione stood there for a moment, not ready to go back to her office and possibly see Ron. She walked over to the mirror and took a good look at herself, fixing her makeup before primping her hair. Suddenly, she stopped and smiled, happier than she thought she would be that Draco had noticed the change. It may have been minor, but it was just her start.

The next morning, Hermione arrived in her office to a surprise. Her old chair was gone and a large, familiar looking one was in its place. She walked over and found a small notecard on the seat. She picked it up and read:

Next time your office.

Hermione laughed and slipped the note into her desk. She was just about to ask Teddy to send the gift back when she made the mistake of sitting down in it. It smelled of new leather and molded to her body perfectly.

There was certainly no harm in keeping one gift … That was when she noticed the to-go cup from her favorite coffee shop on her desk. She lifted it and took a sip.

French roast. Black. Still scorching hot.

Perfect.