Draco brought his hand up and at mid knock, he stopped again.

Oh Merlin how was he supposed to ask Hermione to go to lunch with him tomorrow with his mum?

It wasn't as if she owed him and even he had to admit his mum could be frightening. She was actually one of the most frightening women he had ever met. But Hermione was frightening in her own way. Oh hell, those two in the same room. Either things were going to explode or they would gang up against him. Neither sounded pleasant. Merlin he was not looking forward to tomorrow at all.

He took a breath before knocking on the door, finally.

!

Hermione was filling the bath for Teddy so she missed the knock on the door however Teddy who was sitting on the couch watching the television, heard it.

"Aunty Mione can I answer the door?"

"Yes?" Hermione asked, only hearing Teddy say her name, not his actual question.

Teddy hopped off the couch and made his way to the door. He had to stand a bit on tippy toes to reach he knob but he reached it none the less.

Draco watched as the door open. But then he didn't see anything in the door way. "Hello?" He called out.

"Hi."

Draco looked down to where the sound came from and found himself looking at a midget. "Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Teddy retorted back.

Draco raised both his eyebrows at the insolent tone of the boy. "Draco, Draco Malfoy."

"You have a funny name. Draco is that short for something?"

"No."

"Well… I'm Teddy, Teddy Lupin. It's short for Theodore."

With those words Draco's eyes almost bugged out.

"Teddy your bath's ready. Teddy Lupin I thought I told you not to ever answer the door without me… Draco?"

"This midget isn't yours is he?"

"I'm not a midget!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Sorry. I meant little person." Draco joked.

Teddy huffed then crossed his chest. "Well then you're just a," He couldn't finish.

"Freakish Giant?" Hermione offered.

"Yes, a freakish giant."

"Granger really?" Draco said dryly.

"Malfoy you're the one that's picking a fight with a toddler." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'm not a toddler either!" Teddy humphed then walked away. "I'm taking a bath." He announced.

"Sorry love, you know I didn't mean it that way." Hermione bent down to be level with him.

"You can give me a kiss and it'll be all better." Teddy grinned.

Draco's brows rose. While Hermione gave him a big sloppy kiss on his right cheek.

While she did so, Teddy couldn't help but stick out his tongue at Draco.

Draco's jaw went agape.

Hermione had somehow missed it.

"Now get into that bath and you better scrub yourself clean young man."

"I know." Teddy waved before ambling away.

Draco watched him leave with somewhat of a bewildered look on his face. "Well he's a spitfire."

"You don't know the half of it." Hermione sighed.

"He's my cousin's son." He half asked, half stated.

Hermione nodded.

"Did you know that other than my Mum, he's my only other living relative? And this is my first time meeting him. Sad eh?" Draco said in a somber tone as he sat down on her couch.

Hermione really didn't know what to say about that. "Draco… what about your dad?"

Draco looked up at her with a sharp look.

The question left her before she could take it back. Hermione quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry."

"The day he left my Mum and me for his mistress, he died to me." Draco said swiftly.

Hermione gasped. She didn't know that.

Draco looked up at her straight into her eyes as he clasped his fingers together in front of him,  resting them on his thighs. "There's nothing in the world I hate more in the world than a cheater. I despise them to the depths of my soul. At least the one thing I can say that I'm proud of myself is that I've never once cheated on the woman I dated. I might have dated many but I've never been unfaithful to any one of them." He closed his eyes and rested his chin in his hands.

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat. No wonder he wanted revenge against Sadie and Ron. It wasn't just because they had embarrassed him. It went deeper than that. Back to his home life, possibly his childhood.

"Oh god Draco, I'm so sorry." Hermione bit her lip as she sat beside him. She brushed a loose bang to the side.

"I found out the first time that my mother wasn't the only woman in his life was when I was ten. It was the summer before I was supposed to go to Hogwarts. Mother had gone to Diagon Alley to buy me the rest of the school supplies I needed because I wasn't feeling well."

Hermione sucked in her breath. She could almost predict what would happen next. But she didn't want  to be right.

"He brought her to the Manor. I hadn't known at the time though. I heard a noise coming from our dining hall."

Hermione held her breath.

"I never got my talk. I didn't need it. I saw it with my own two eyes."

Without thinking Hermione wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Oh god, Draco. That's awful."

"I'm over it Granger. I know my father's a bastard." Draco tried to laugh it off but it didn't work.

Hermione nestled in the junction where his neck was while he laid his head against hers.

They stayed so for a period of time, neither saying a word.

Words were unnecessary. What they wanted to say was expressed though their body language.

I need you. I care for you. I'm here for you.

!

Ron apparated to his luxurious flat in his quidditch robes still, sweaty and sticky from practice but smiling. However his smile left him when he looked around. No one was there to greet him.

The walls were a pristine coral and the couches, the best brown leather money had to offer. The flat was gorgeous. One of Sadie's friends had designed it and furnished it. But it felt like a show room, more so than a home. He didn't even want to sit on the couch, afraid he might ruin it.

It was nothing like the pale blue walls and the burnt red, worn out couches at … their apartment. Ron closed his eyes.

Their apartment. The smell of that muggle addiction of hers, coffee. That was home not this brand new leather smell. Having someone you love, home to greet you with a kiss and a 'how was your day'. Now that was home.

Hermione was home.

Hermione. Merlin, he never meant to hurt her. He really hadn't but their relationship had started to wear him down. She still dressed like she had when they were at Hogwarts and worked late so many nights. They never went anywhere, except to Quidditch parties and those really boring office parties of hers. They never did anything it seemed remotely exciting and all Hermione wanted to do on nights was talk... He felt trapped, like as if he was going to be imprisoned when he said those words 'I do'.

Now all he felt at the thought of saying those words was regret. He missed having her home for him. Having dinner with her and just talking and laughing. He missed how she understood him and how she could just smile at him, then all would be okay for a while. And bloody hell she'd become beautiful. More than that, she was breathtaking. Why couldn't she have dressed and gone out like she does now with bloody Malfoy? Everything about her now was exciting, her mere presence in a room was magnificent it seemed.  She was someone else now, yet still her. 

And of all blokes in the world she chose Malfoy.

At first he figured that they'd still end up together when all was over. She would be his again, she had always been his. And she would be again when the fire with Sadie burned out. But then the ferret had to step in. Now he didn't know for sure what was going to happen.

All along the woman he wanted was her and all it took to open his eyes was to truly lose her.

A dull pain settled in the pit of his stomach.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

Well Ginny was right. Hermione hadn't physically done anything to him like he had been expected but she'd done worse. Her being with Malfoy. Being so beautiful and so in love. It was more than he could bear. That was the worst revenge she could come with and the foul taste in his mouth came about because he didn't think she had a bad enough bone in her to think up an idea like that.

But Draco Malfoy certainly did.

!

"You're not gonna kiss like Mommy and Daddy are you?"

The two of them looked up to see Teddy standing there in a robe with his face in a grossed out expression kids were prone to displaying.

"Well not anymore." Draco said.

"Good. I remember you now." Teddy settled into the seat between them.

Draco shared a look with Hermione.

"Do you really?"

Teddy nodded. "I remember you in the picture with Aunty Mione. Uncle Ron got really mad when he found out it was you two and my other uncles all spit pumpkin juice. That was gross." He scrunched his nose remembering the brunch. "Are you going to Marry Aunty Mione?"

The question shocked both the adults.

"Well. Um." Draco looked at Hermione.

"Please tell me you're wearing clothes under that robe." Hermione suddenly changed the subject.

Teddy slinked down on the couch as he shook his head no.

"Honey, where are your clothes that I laid out for you?"

"Crookshanks is sleeping on them. I couldn't move him. He's too heavy!"

Hermione blinked. And Draco, well it was the most entertaining thing he'd heard all day so he couldn't help but laugh. He laughed so hard he nearly fell off the couch. Teddy and Hermione just stared at him.

Draco had finally calmed down after they came back with Teddy dressed in his pajamas.

"You feeling better?" Hermione asked highly amused after seeing Draco make a spectacle of himself.

"Very."

Hermione gave a small smile as she shook her head at him.

"Hermione."

"Yes Draco?"

"Are you free tomorrow?"

Hermione looked at him but Draco had a straight face on, his expression revealing nothing.

"Well I have to take care of Teddy."

"Do you have any plans though?"

"No I don't think so, why?"

"I need you to have lunch with me and my mum. You can bring Teddy. Heck it would be great if you could."

"What!"

!

In the end Hermione agreed, well no, Teddy agreed for her. His eyes lighting up at the mention of juice, cookies, and sandwiches. Even ice cream. As much as he wanted. Of all the above.

!

Draco came home and landed on his love seat. He closed his eyes and took a big breath.

Dear Merlin, Granger was born to be a mother. The way she handled the rascal, Teddy. His jaw locked. She would make a perfect mother. He'd never thought about having a family. He felt like as if he was still young and that he had ample time left. And he never really wanted one to tell the truth, but seeing Hermione handling Teddy like a mother would. Dear lord he started to imagine what it would be like if Teddy was a small blonde haired boy with Hermione's sweet doe eyes. Or a girl with unruly hair and an irresistible smile, as smart as a whip too. It was a really bad sign. He was falling. He was imagining Hermione Granger as a mother of his children! That thought alone should be sending him for the hills, but he dared not, in case he missed anything, in case his time with Hermione was running out. 

Draco closed his eyes as he laid his forehead in the palms if his forehead. How much longer could he use revenge as the excuse?

Damn it to hell, he was falling for her. again. Even worse this time.

Now he knew what it was to hold her and kiss her with true passion. To talk and hang out, without having to sneak around. To be with her and be happier than he thought was possible. What was he going to do when it was finished?