Work from home. So many work from home. Work is up to date, so guess what comes next in line to be up to date? My WIPs.

Jokes and jest aside, I hope everyone one of you is safe. Whatever you do, don't panic. Keep calm and wash your hands and don't go out unless it's absolutely necessary.

Thought this fun chapter can lighten the moods a bit.

So here you go.

If there are my incubus story readers here, sorry, I am still writing that story. It takes a lot out of my muse for that story but we're getting there. I promise.

Draco didn't remember much of what happened after Hermione put those ointment on his hide and hugged him to console him from the confrontation he just faced.

He was dizzy when she left and he couldn't, for the life in him, think straight. It was like he was instantly drunk the moment Hermione walked away from him.

After assuming it was the curse acting out again, he swayed his way towards the tree line and flattened quite some trees and sat there, riding the dizzy spell out.

He woke up to the feeling of something soft, oh so soft , cuddling next to him.

"You didn't lie. You're fur-less, claw-less, scale-less and fang-less like Hermione. You could be a good match with her."

Draco opened his eyes to find a Siberian lion's pride sleeping with him. The lion showed him a fang-full smile and licked him from chin to hairline.

"Go to the cottage. She's there resting for the night. I would have loved to have you around but the little one could bite bits off you. Young ones," the lion snorted, laughing, "I'm Clint."

Draco nodded his head jerkily. He stood up, naked as the day he was born and walked towards the cottage- he could see the light in the cottage through the window.

He remembers walking towards the cottage, a focused intent to go there...why? He'll think about that later.

He wobbled like a newborn foal. Somehow, he managed to sway-walk and reached the cottage. He tried not to feel self conscious about being naked- he was cursed after all- when Steve poked his head out of the water- the moonlight shining on his wet snout- and shouted, "You have a wrinkly penis!" and went back in the water, bubbles rising as a result of his underwater laughter.

"I am a human, you fucktard!"

The hyenas laughed too.

Oh, will the mortification ever end?

He didn't remember if he knocked or not. The door opened and seeing her was all the relief. He smiled a toothy smile and took a step towards her, falling right into her arms.

He was home.

"You're so nice," Draco mumbled as Hermione helped him sit on the couch. "You're so soft. And nice. Why are you so nice...I've never been so nice to you."

"I forgave you ages ago. Those were different times and different circumstances," Hermione answered as Draco just flopped on the couch. But he hadn't let go of her so she stumbled into him, falling right on top of Draco.

It took Hermione just a moment to realise his state of clothing. She was over his firm, bare chest and she didn't dare think beyond that. She quickly grabbed the Afghan throw on the back of the couch and tried to place it on him.

Draco taking advantage of her turned face took a deep sniff of her hair. "Your hair is so nice. It smells like sunshine and roses. And chocolate. I want to eat chocolate. Do you have chocolate?"

Hermione didn't answer. She was busy trying to put the afghan on him to...protect his modesty.

"This cottage is very pretty. Is it yours? It's very pretty. But live with me. I have a prettier house."

Hermione looked at him, it was easier now since he was decent-ish now, and tried to find why he was acting like a drunk.

He didn't act like this when he was...a dragon. He was a dragon. Wait, was he just an animagus pulling her leg?

He has been living with her for the past three days. A day of being a full time dragon was enough time for him to do a lot of things. But he didn't.

Was he cursed? She scoffed in her head. Why didn't he ever try to tell- Oh! Those scratches and gouges on the ground. He was trying to write! If he was just pranking her, then he wouldn't have tried to write to her. She was still having a hard time believing that.

Draco moaned in pain as he settled in for comfortablely. "Everything is spinning. Why is your cottage spinning? Did you make a spinny cottage? It's nice. We could live here. You and me. And our little ones. In this little cottage. With the perverts outside."

Hermione froze. She tried to stamp out the sudden rush of overwhelming emotions over what he said and focused on getting a feel of his emotions. Humans are creatures too at the end of the day.

. . .

Drunk. He was drunk out of his mind! But where did he get any intoxicant? More importantly, how did he change?

Crooks jumped up on the sofa at that moment and took a deep sniff of the strange man in his territory.

Hermione knew she was being silly but the concept of Swan Lake wasn't leaving her mind. It was nagging her like a song whose name she couldn't remember.

"Draco, did you get cursed?" Hermione asked, not paying attention to his chuckling.

"Hmm?" Draco said distractedly. Crooks slapped Draco on his shoulders and he turned to look at the furry menace.

"Why are you here?" Crooks meowed at him.

Draco laughed, "Felt a pull to this place."

Hermione looked at Draco, "Are you talking to Crooks?"

"What?" Draco faced Hermione, "Yes. Weird but yes."

"Answer my lady now." Crooks maowed.

Draco blew a raspberry at Crooks making the half Kneazle hiss at him.

Hermione went up to him and grabbed his face, placing her palms on either side of his face.

"Did you get cursed, Draco?"

Draco turned his attention to the woman before him, trying to focus his sights on her. His rock during those months of eighth year. His attention was soon caught by that errant lock of her hair that never gave up its rebellion phase. He tucked it behind her ear and it sprung out of there almost immediately. He laughed at that.

"Let me get some water for you," Hermione said, trying to get up from there.

He snagged her arm, not wanting her to go. "Don't go. You always go. You always leave me behind."

"I'm just getting you some water," Hermione said, looking a bit out of her element.

"No water. I want you."

Hermione went bright red on hearing that. He sure did not have any filter on today. She remained there looking at Draco, trying to find her emotional footing when he abruptly pulled her down and kissed her cheek. "So soft. More than I imagined."

Hermione looked shocked for a moment and then she shook his head in dismay, "Draco, you're gonna wake up tomorrow and feel really stupid."

Hermione got off the couch with a sigh. As she fumbled in the kitchen trying to deal with her old feeling bubbling for the blond in the living room, the said person in question tumbled out of the couch.

The floor by the window was illuminated by moonlight. He needed to feel that on his skin. He shed the Afghan on his person and opened the door and walked out.

Hermione returned a few minutes later with the glass of water in her hand but Draco was nowhere to be seen. She heard the roar of a dragon and ran out of her cottage to see Draco flap his powerful wings, almost creating a strong gush of gale. Into the moonlit night he went.

She needed to talk to McGonagall. It doesn't seem like Draco turned into a dragon voluntarily. What the hell was going on? She needed answers.

She waited for him the whole night. He didn't come back. Crooks tried to assure her but… all the meld of all those old feelings and the new ones… she sighed. This is exactly why she chose this life. Heck the boredom, she wants that old boredom back.

She certainly has lost her patience for anything more complicated than a creature trying to scratch their wound.

The next morning, Draco woke up next to the lake back in his Opaleye form. Steve was there to help him get oriented while he tried to understand what Draco did in the one night as a scaleless one.

Draco narrated his side of the story, ending with a grumble, "I feel stupid for not kissing her properly."

"If you've already managed to get that close to her, then tenderly rub her snouts and backs, or blow bubbles," Steve suggested. "Maria loved it when I blew bubbles for a long time."

Draco smiled, "that is not how humans work."

"Well, you're not human."

Draco sighed as he tried to spy on Hermione who was busy feeding the stray dogs. Not human anymore. He had a chance yesterday but he was so out of his mind.

Steve thumped his tail on his, "Don't worry, everything will solve itself out. That's the rule of nature. Everything solves itself. You just watch."

Draco hoped it was true.