This is the sequel to Loving You ; if you haven't read that yet, I highly recommend turning around and reading that! :) 

January 2000

Hermione laced up her trainers, stifling a yawn. She was starting to regret agreeing to run with Ginny in the mornings, but she couldn't deny that it certainly helped her get energized for the day.

After she stretched a little bit, she sighed and made her way to the front doors of the manor. Draco had surprised her with the finished manor for Christmas, revealing that he and Blaise had both commissioned matching manors to be built near each other in the middle of the Savernake Forest. Hermione and Ginny were both ecstatic, as it was basically in the middle of everything; Ginny could easily travel to Wales for her quidditch practices, and Hermione was able to quickly make it to London for her job in the Ministry. It was also close to the Malfoy Manor and the Burrow, which not only made the girls happy, but also the rest of the Weasley family and the Malfoys.

She smiled when she saw that Ginny was waiting for her just outside of the gate, bouncing up and down in the freezing air. Hermione jogged out to meet her, happy that she had the foresight to cast a warming charm on her clothes before leaving the house.

"Still can't believe I let you talk me into this," Hermione grumbled, stifling another yawn.

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, I totally had to twist your arm. It's only been a few weeks, you're not used to it yet?"

"I'm getting there," Hermione said with a wave of her hand and looking up at the sky. "Let's go before it starts snowing."

The two girls took off with a light jog down the path that they had worn down in the few weeks they had spent together in the mornings. It only took them a couple of days to find a trail that was easy enough for them to navigate and took them between both manors. The manors were not exactly next to each other, but were both in clearings separated by about four miles of forest which the girls used as their running trail. They would switch off on the manor they started at, and would end at the other manor.

Hermione noticed after the first mile that Ginny was starting to pick up her pace with a grin on her face. Ginny liked to turn their runs into races, which Hermione didn't necessarily mind. It gave her a thrill and it helped both girls stretch their newfound speed given the Veela traits running through their veins.

Ginny sped up again and Hermione picked up her pace to match Ginny's, grinning. The cold air nipped at their cheeks and Hermione could feel it burning her lungs with every breath. It didn't bother her though, and they carried the same pace for the next mile.

There was one particular tree that Hermione knew Ginny always would start sprinting at after they had passed it. She decided to get the upper hand this time and once the tree was in sight, she took off, catching her friend off guard. Ginny let out a playful yell and quickened her pace to catch up to Hermione, who was laughing triumphantly. The girls were both laughing as they tried hard to get in front of each other, and soon Hermione had to slow down before she fell over, stopping to take some deep breaths as she grinned.

Ginny slowed down as well, leaning against a tree with her hands on her knees. She looked at Hermione and between breaths was able to get out, "You've gotten faster!"

"Have I?" Hermione said between breaths as she put her hands on the back of her head and tried to slow her breathing. "I haven't noticed."

"You made me work for that one," Ginny huffed. Then she pushed herself off the tree and walked around a bit. "I'm going to be sore tomorrow."

"We can do yoga instead tomorrow morning," Hermione offered. "To stretch you out."

"I just might take you up on that," Ginny said before taking a deep breath and sighing it out. Then she nodded behind her and said, "Come on, we're almost done."

They finished the rest of their run with a jog, ending at the gates of Ginny and Blaise's manor. After a quick hug and plans made to have dinner that night, Hermione apparated back to her own manor while Ginny walked through the gates, looking up at the large building in front of her.

She still couldn't believe that Blaise had built this just for her, and that he and Draco planned for the two of them to be able to see each other all the time. It put a smile on her face knowing that the boys wanted to make sure that she and Hermione weren't too far away from each other.

Blaise was awake by the time she made it up to their room, getting dressed for the day. He looked up as he heard her come in and smiled at her as he asked, "Have a good run?"

She smiled back and gave him a quick kiss before making her way towards the bathroom. "It was really good! Really cold though."

"Did you beat Hermione?" He called out after she disappeared through the doorway.

He heard a laugh and then the answer, "We always tie, though I admit she nearly got me today. She's gotten faster."

Blaise shook his head and stood up, walking to the door and leaning against the frame as he watched her turning the shower on. "You have too, love."

She turned around and pulled her shirt off, groaning. "I know. We're doing yoga tomorrow instead of running."

"Probably for the best," He shrugged. "You've been running a lot and need to stretch more often."

"I stretch during practice," She said with a roll of her eyes before waving him off. "Now out, I need to shower!"

He grinned, trying to fake pout. "You didn't mind yesterday."

She grinned as well while saying, "That was yesterday. I can't give in to you all the time."

"I suppose not," He sighed. "I guess the view of you in a sports bra and leggings will have to hold me over."

"You're so dramatic," Ginny laughed, giving him a quick kiss before pushing him out of the bathroom.

Draco was sitting in the kitchen, reading the paper and having a mug of coffee while Salazar, the black cat he had given Hermione for her birthday, sat on the table next to him. Hermione had gotten him hooked on coffee since they moved into the manor, and he already had a mug prepared for her, knowing that she would want it while she was getting ready.

He heard the doors open and smiled as he felt her adrenaline from the run. Her energy was contagious in the mornings, and it was almost better than the coffee.

She gave him a warm smile as she walked into the kitchen, which filled him with happiness. She looked adorable after the wintery morning runs; her cheeks and nose were always a bright red, and he wondered how she was able to stand running out in the cold.

"Good morning!" She greeted him happily.

He smiled as he stood up and pulled her in for a kiss. "Good morning, beautiful."

He didn't think her cheeks could get any more red, but they did as she blushed. He chuckled at her and pressed another kiss to her lips. "How was your run?"

"Good, but cold," She said. "I managed to convince her to do yoga instead tomorrow morning so that I get a break from running in the cold."

He laughed. "Well, I have a hot mug of coffee waiting for you, and I'm sure a hot shower will help warm you up."

She smiled and looked into his warm grey eyes. How could she have gotten so lucky to be his mate?

"What?" He asked, unable to hold back a smile at the loving emotions she was giving off.

"Nothing," She said quietly, nuzzling his nose. "Just thinking about how much I love you."

She gave him a quick peck before pulling away and grabbing her mug. "I'm going to go shower. What time do you have to leave?"

He looked at the large clock on the back wall of the kitchen and said, "Probably not for another hour and a half. Why?"

The mischievous grin on her face as she left the kitchen gave him the answer and he grinned in return as he followed her.

After an enjoyably long shower with her fiancé, Hermione finished getting ready and gave him a quick kiss before flooing to the Ministry. As she stepped out of the fireplace and joined the rest of the crowd, she felt a hand on her shoulder and whirled around to see Harry standing behind her.

"Harry!" She exclaimed, giving him an excited hug. "Merlin, it feels like it's been forever since I've seen you!"

He squeezed her tightly before letting go and gesturing towards the elevators. "I know, I've been off on missions since November."

"How's that going?" She asked, smiling at him.

He ran a hair through his ruffled hair and sighed, his smile turning into a grimace. "It's been tough. There are still many Death Eaters that escaped from the battle and the entire Auror department is going around trying to round them up."

A chill went down Hermione's spine as they got onto an elevator and had to pause their conversation due to others being in the lift with them. She gave him an odd look when he didn't get off on the second floor, which was where the Auror Office was, but he simply smiled at her.

He stepped off on the fourth floor with her and they walked in silence to her office, refusing to speak out loud until she shut her door behind them and cast a silencing charm.

"How many Death Eaters are still out there?" She asked quietly, setting her bag down on her desk.

"There's a lot, Hermione," He answered. There was a hardened look in his eyes that she hadn't seen since before the fall of Voldemort. "We still haven't caught the Carrow and Lestrange siblings. Not to mention others like Dolohov and Macnair."

"How did they escape the battle?" Hermione asked in a nervous tone. "I thought we captured them?"

"Well, we didn't capture Macnair; he was knocked unconscious by Hagrid during the battle and must have escaped in the chaos." Harry took a seat in one of her chairs and leaned to the side. "We think the Lestranges were able to apparate themselves out of their bonds when they were caught after the battle ended, and then they came back for the Carrows."

"Do you think they are working together?" She asked, sitting on her desk. The thought of the two pairs of siblings working together terrified her, and she could only imagine what would happen if they decided to form a group and try to take over again with the rest of the uncaptured Death Eaters.

Harry shrugged. "We really have no leads on them or their connection, to be honest. I was hoping that maybe..."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You were hoping to recruit me into helping you and the rest of the Aurors?"

"Hermione, you've always been able to figure things out," He said earnestly. "We could really use your brains in our department and you could help bring them in."

"Harry," She started hesitantly, "I didn't want to continue chasing dark magic after the war ended. I want to leave all of that behind me. And I'm planning a wedding right now; I can't just put myself in danger like that, especially given who the Carrows are."

Harry's shoulders sagged. "I know, but it's just not the same without you. You were always able to see things from a different view."

She sat there silently for a few moments, struggling with her thoughts. On the one hand, she did want to help them, and it would be nice working with Harry and Ron again. But on the other hand, she enjoyed where she was and what she was doing. Not to mention that Draco would not be happy if she decided to go chasing Death Eaters. He might just follow her on all of her missions.

The thought made her giggle slightly and Harry gave her an odd look before she sighed and finally said, "Look, Harry, I can't join the Auror department; it's not for me. However, if you come up with something and really think I am the only person that can help, I will be happy to assist. But other than that, I can't get involved in Auror matters. I have no training and it would be overstepping my boundaries."

He nodded. "I understand. I promise you will be a last resort for us. Also, please let me know if you happen to come across anything yourself."

She smiled. "You know I will."

He shifted slightly and returned the smile. "How is the wedding planning going, by the way?"

"It's going surprisingly smooth," She answered, standing up and walking around her desk to sit in her chair. "We've got a lot planned out already. No date yet though."

"Isn't that the first thing most couples pick out?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, but we can't decide on one," She sighed. "He wants to get married in the summer and I want to get married in the fall. It doesn't help that Ginny and Blaise haven't decided either so we can't plan around their date."

She noticed that he grew oddly quiet at the mention of Ginny, and she immediately changed the subject. "So how are you and Kelly doing?"

He shrugged while shifting in his chair and looking away. "It's been a little difficult lately. We've been arguing a lot, and it's not helping the stress from these Death Eater missions. She's mad that I'm gone a lot."

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry to hear that, Harry. I really liked her when I met her, she seemed nice."

"She is really nice, and I don't want to end things with her." He rubbed his hands over his face with a groan. "I don't know what to do. I don't like fighting with her."

"Maybe she's just worried that something is going to happen to you," Hermione offered, gesturing towards him. "You can't really blame her for thinking that, you do seem to attract trouble."

He grinned slightly. "Yeah, but you and Ron were always there to help out."

She laughed. "It's not like I won't come looking for you if you disappear. Things haven't changed that much, Harry."

"I know, but you can't deny that things are definitely different now," He said sadly.

"I'm not saying they're not different," She said. "But I haven't changed. I only look like I have."

He smiled slightly. "It is still odd, seeing you like this. I know it's been over a year but still."

"I'm still me, Harry," She said, returning his smile. "The insufferable know-it-all is still in here."

He laughed at that. "You know I will never ever call you that. I just miss you, that's all."

She shook her head, still smiling. "I'm not going anywhere. How about we get lunch later this week and catch up?"

"Sounds good to me, want me to bring Ron?" He asked, standing up.

"Sure,  why  not?"  She  grinned.  "It'll  be  good  to  have  the  gang  back  together."    

A/N: Hello my loves!!! So I've been dying to start posting this sequel and couldn't wait any longer, even though I'm not done with it yet! I hope you all love this one as much as you did the first, because so far I'm having just as much fun writing it. Love you all! <3