When Hermione finally woke again, it was half-past ten. Bright sunlight was peeking through the curtains and she buried her face back into the pillow. If it wasn't for her aching bladder, she would have pulled the covers over her head and slept away the rest of the morning. Her need for the toilet was greater, though, and Hermione forced herself out of bed and into the bathroom.

After a quick shower, she made her way to the kitchen and found a note from Draco letting her know he had some errands to run and a therapy session afterward. She made some toast and coffee and then settled on the couch, taking in her way too bare surroundings. It wasn't really a surprise, but there wasn't a single thing in Draco's flat that signaled Christmas was only two days away. Despite knowing exactly what look she would be on the receiving end of that afternoon by going through with her sudden inspiration, Hermione finished her breakfast and grabbed her coat.

Outside the air was crisp and cold. The Muggle street Draco lived on was full of small shops and cafes, making it a prime destination for last-minute holiday shopping. Hermione leisurely made her way down the footpath, happily dodging frazzled parents, hand-holding couples, and a woman walking five dogs while talking on her mobile.

It didn't take long for Hermione to find what she was looking for. After a few blocks, she came upon a small Christmas tree lot, still full of pine trees in varying sizes. After a brief period of self debate about sizes, she chose one that was about half a foot taller than her. The salesman bound it up in netting and was left speechless when Hermione declined delivery service and carried it off the lot. She figured a wandless feather-light charm wouldn't ping the Ministry's radar.

Ignoring the bemused looks of passersby, Hermione hauled the tree further down the street, finally stopping in front of a restaurant that had been closed up for renovations. As casual as was possible with a six-foot pine tree, Hermione slipped down the side of the building to the loading dock. Once out of sight from the main street, she hugged her tree and quickly spun.

When her feet hit solid ground again, she was in her parents' back garden. It was a stark contrast to how she had last seen it. The washline was bare, as were the branches of the large oak tree. The dry grass crunched under her trainers as she walked to the door and stood the tree up against the house. Digging her keys from her purse, Hermione toed her trainers off and then let herself into the warm kitchen.

"Mum? Dad?" she called, hanging up her coat and moving into the living room. The sharp sound of a dentist drill sounded from the office addition. Hermione slowly opened the door and peeked her head in. Her father hovered over a patient while her mother was sat at the receptionist's desk, flipping through a magazine.

"Hey, Mum," Hermione called.

Katherine quickly looked back, a smile spreading across her face.

"This is a nice surprise!" she cried, jumping up and rushing to hug Hermione. "What are you doing here?"

"Ginny had the baby early this morning."

Her mom gasped and let out a squeal. "Michael," she shouted. The drilling paused and her father glanced back, the crinkle of his eyes hinting at the grin behind his medical mask. "We'll be in the kitchen," Katherine said, gesturing towards the door.

Hermione followed her mother to the kitchen and let out an excited, "Ooh!" when Katherine set a tray of cookies on the table. Hermione snagged a gingerbread man and bit off the top half.

"Do you have a picture?" Katherine asked eagerly, pouring two glasses of milk and setting one in front of Hermione. Hermione nodded, her mouth too full to talk, and pulled out her mobile. She pulled up a picture she took of Harry holding his son and passed it across the table. "Aww, what a handsome little guy! What's his name?"

Hermione took a gulp of her milk and said, "James Sirius."

"That's a name you don't hear every day."

"It's after Harry's dad and godfather."

"How sweet." Katherine passed the phone back to Hermione and asked, "How were you able to make it back here in time? I thought you said it takes forever to get an international portkey?"

"Oh, yeah, it does. I actually had the portkey scheduled for a few weeks. I came early so I could go to the Ministry's holiday party...with Draco…" Hermione said, biting her bottom lip and ducking her head to try and hide her blush from her mum.

"Oooooh, is that so? Is this the same Draco you were 'hooking up with' over the summer?"

"How many Draco's do you think I know?" Hermione laughed.

"I never know with your wizard friends. So, don't leave me in the dark. Tell me about the boy." Katharine folded her hands and leaned in expectantly.

Hermione shook her head. She had a suspicion that Ginny had been stopping by and turned her mother into an even bigger gossip. For the second time, in less than twenty-four hours, she told the story about Draco's surprise visit to New York.

"So, when do we get to meet him?" Katherine asked, clearing away the empty milk glasses and cookie tray. "You should bring him around tomorrow night, for Christmas Eve."

"I'll call you later tonight and let you know. I haven't seen him yet today and I don't know what his Christmas traditions are. If you judged by the state of his flat, you'd think the man doesn't even recognize the holiday."

"The invitation is open. You know there will be more than enough food. I just need to know if I need to set an extra place."

Hermione relaxed back in her seat and gave her mother a sneaky grin. "I went out and got a tree before I came here. Do you happen to have any spare decorations I could take along for it?"

"Oh, yes, plenty! We kept our tree small this year. Let me go grab the box from the spare room."

Hermione watched her mother hurry up the stairs just as her father came in from the office.

"Hey, sweetheart," Michael greeted, kissing the top of Hermione's head. "We finally get to have you back for Christmas this year?"

Hermione gave her dad the shortened version of why she was back in England while he heated up leftover meatloaf and roast potatoes. When her mother returned, she was practically hidden behind a gigantic cardboard box, marked 'X-Mas Decorations'.

"Mum, I'm not decorating the entire flat. I just need tree ornaments."

"And you'll find them in here somewhere," Katherine said, blowing a wisp of hair from her face.

"Brilliant," Hermione sighed. She pulled out her wand and shrunk the box down so it would fit in her purse. "Right. I am off to get the tree sorted, hopefully before Draco gets back home. I will let you know about tomorrow night."

"It was wonderful to see you, darling," Katherine said as Hermione kissed her cheek. "We'll talk soon."

"Love you!" Hermione kissed her father and then went out to the back garden. Gathering up her tree in her arms, she spun and was back in Draco's flat.

With some creative transfiguration on an empty cereal box, Hermione created a stand and put the tree up in the corner of the living room. She found a string of white lights tangled up in the bottom of the box and had to resort to undoing the massive knot the Muggle way, fearing magic might burst the delicate bulbs. When she finally got them undone and wrapped into the tree, her face was a sweaty, scratched up mess and her hair was a frizzy nest full of pine needles.

She took a step back to admire her work and decided to put a coating of enchanted snow on the branches before adding the ornaments. As she slowly moved her wand up and down the tree's length, fine flakes of never-melting snow nestled onto the green needles. She was so caught up in her wand work that she didn't notice she wasn't alone until-

"I see Draco has finally come to his senses."

Hermione's head whirled around to see Narcissa Malfoy, perfectly poised in front of the fireplace. Half of her bright blonde hair was pulled back in an ornate sapphire clip, with the other half elegantly falling down the back of her pristine, pale blue robes. Hermione thought for a brief moment she looked a bit like an angel that should be sitting on the top of her Christmas tree. She was suddenly extremely self-conscious of her worn-out jeans and baggy sweater.

"You're building up a bit of a snowbank, Miss Granger," Narcissa said, nodding her head towards the tree.

Hermione turned back to her task to find a small pile of snow and the bough bending dangerously low.

"Shit!" Hermione cried, terminating the spell and vanishing the mound of snow. Then it hit her that she just swore in front of her boyfriend's very prim and proper mother. "Bugger," she groaned before slapping her hand over her mouth before any more words could tumble out.

She let out a little whimper before slowly turning and meeting Narcissa's gaze. To her surprise, Narcissa was smiling, and not in a condescending fashion. It appeared warm and genuine.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Hermione," Narcissa said, reaching out her slender fingers and plucking a pine needle from Hermione's hair. "And please, don't worry about the language. I'm sure you know my son well enough to know that I'm used to much worse."

"Yes, but just because one's used to it doesn't make it right," Hermione replied. She held out her hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Please, call me Narcissa." She reached out and grasped Hermione's hand, covering it with her other.

"Of course." Hermione gave her a tentative smile, knowing it was going to take her a bit of time to work up to that level of familiarity. "I'm sorry but Draco is-"

The floo suddenly roared to life and Draco stepped out, brushing soot off the shoulders of his black button-up. When he looked up and took in the scene before him, his eyes narrowed as he glanced from Hermione to his mother, to the tree, and then back to Hermione.

"I'm not sure which confuses me more- having my mother or a tree in my sitting room?" Draco drawled, letting out an exaggerated sigh.

"I think the tree looks lovely," Narcissa said. "Your place could do with a bit more color."

"There are better ways to do that without bringing in a forest."

"It's Christmas," Hermione countered.

"I'm going to be finding pine needles for months," Draco said, frowning and brushing his hand over Hermione's shoulder. Pine needles cascaded to the floor.

"Stop being so dramatic," Hermione sighed, flicking a needle into his hair.

"Take away my flair for the dramatic and what else am I left with?" Draco chucked her under the chin and turned to his mother. "What brings you around this afternoon, Mother?"

"I wanted to stop by and finalize our Christmas plans but it seems your plans may have changed," Narcissa answered. She gave Hermione another warm smile and added, "And I am thrilled that they have. I've been telling Draco for months now-"

"Thank you, Mother," Draco cut in. "Hermione only just arrived last night. We haven't gotten to talk about holiday details yet."

"Yes, I imagine you had other things to catch up on," Narcissa said with a smirk. Huh, so that's where Draco gets it… "Hermione, dear, you are more than welcome to join us at the Manor for lunch on Christmas day. Lottie will be cooking up a storm, as per usual, so there will be more than enough."

Hermione gulped and nodded. At the mention of Malfoy Manor, her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest and she went dizzy. She subtly grasped around for Draco's hand and held on for dear life when she found it. She caught his side-eye and gave the slightest shake of her head.

Draco gave a nod and looked back at Narcissa. "We'll talk it over and I'll send you an owl later this evening."

"Wonderful." Narcissa stepped forward to kiss Draco's cheek, then gently placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "It was lovely to meet you, Hermione." With one last smile and a wave, Narcissa disappeared back through the floo.

Hermione let out a small whimper and Draco guided her back to the sofa. Closing her eyes, she took a minute to slowly breathe in and out. As Draco's hand stroked her back, her mind gradually stopped spinning and she was able to open her eyes without feeling like she was going to vomit.

With a steadying breath, Hermione said, "I cannot go to your parent's house."

"Okay, then we won't go," Draco said simply as he began the task of picking pine needles from her hair.

"I don't want to stop you from enjoying Christmas with your family, though. And I don't want you to think I don't want to spend time with your parents either," Hermione said quickly, her brain struggling to come up with the right words but she kept getting bogged down with memories of the last time she had been at Malfoy Manor. She rubbed at an invisible scar on her neck.

"Hermione?"

She looked up at Draco's concerned face and fought back the prickle of tears. "I don't have good memories of that place. Your mother is lovely and I'm sure your father is...tolerable?" She couldn't help but smile when Draco shook his head. "I'm happy to spend time with them, but not there."

"Then they can come here." Draco took her hand and kissed the spot on her neck she had been absentmindedly stroking. "What was here?" he whispered against her skin, causing goose pimples to spread over the rest of her body.

"I had a scar from...her...knife." All these years later and Hermione still hated saying the name. "I couldn't stand the sight of it, though, and had it fixed shortly after the war."

Draco kissed the spot once more. "I'll invite my parents over for a Christmas day brunch. I imagine you'll be heading to the Weasley's at some point that day."

"You're invited, too, you know?"

"Harry may have said something to me last week," Draco sighed. Hermione gave his arm a tug and put on a pout. "Oh, Merlin, you don't have to resort to pouting. Of course, I'll be there." She grinned as he sighed and vanished the pile of needles he had pulled from her hair. "So, what else is going on this monstrosity you've dragged in here?"

"Have a look in the box and I'll finish putting snow on the tree."

Christmas Eve was a lowkey affair, spent with Hermione's parents, her mother's sister, Mabel, and Mabel's husband, Richard, and daughter, Holly. Hermione was happy to reconnect with her cousin and her parents were beyond excited to meet Draco. When he found out Draco had never seen a dentist's office, Michael insisted on giving him a tour of their office. After a half-hour, Draco returned with a look of horror.

"Muggles actually pay your parents to use those instruments of torture on their mouths?" he hissed with a shudder.

Hermione laughed and nodded. "Remember, there are no magical pastes or potions in the Muggle world."

"Yes, but there is such a thing as good hygiene, right?"

At the end of the night, Hermione pulled him out the front door, promising her parents there would be more visits before she returned to the states. Linking her arm through his, they wandered through the neighborhood, looking at Christmas lights until their faces were frozen before apparating back to Draco's flat.

Christmas morning, Hermione was woken by the whoosh of the floo and clinking metal. With a heavy sigh and yawn, she slipped into her robe and went to inspect. What she found was Draco sipping coffee at the table while three house elves moved between the kitchen and floo, heaping platters and bowls of food onto the limited counter space.

"What in the hell?" she asked, watching as an elf, clad in a festive sweater and red tutu, slipped a tray of juice pitchers into the refrigerator.

"My mother," Draco said as if that explained everything.

Hermione poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from him. "I thought we were just having brunch? I was going to make crepes and mimosas. What is all this? It is just your mum and dad coming, right?"

"Yep, just the four of us." Draco aimed his wand at a teetering stack of scones and croissants, bringing balance to the trays once more. "When we switched lunch to brunch, my mother and the elves completely revamped their holiday menu. This is the result."

"Right. So I need to prepare…?"

"Yourself. My father will be here in two hours," Draco answered, drawing his lips into a thin line.

Hermione pulled her feet up under her and sipped at her coffee. Feeling as though a healthy dose of caffeine wasn't going to be enough, she asked, "How exactly do I do that? What should I expect?"

Draco sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "Passive-aggressive digs at anything and everything about me. He hates that I've 'lowered' myself to actually working at the Ministry instead of throwing galleons at influential people. He also wasn't pleased when the banshee and I split up. Azkaban could only shake so much bigotry from the bastard and he still clings to the belief that only a pureblood witch should marry a Malfoy heir. So, as you can imagine, he was fond of Astoria."

"Great," she breathed as another elf, donning a mini Father Christmas hat, wobbled past her with two large bottles of champagne. "How fancy do I have to dress for this?"

"Hermione," Draco said, grabbing her free hand and giving it a squeeze. "We're still in my boring old flat. You get as dressed up or dressed down as you want. Look at me, please." Hermione glanced up, her lower lip clenched between her teeth. "I'm sorry. I've got a lot of issues with Lucius and I shouldn't be projecting them onto you like this."

Hermione couldn't help but grin and shake her head in disbelief. "You really have been properly therapized." She leaned across the table and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I know exactly what kind of man Lucius Malfoy is. I've had my share of run-ins with him. The idea of actually having a meal with him is still a bit unsettling, though." She set her cup down and stood up, careful not to step on the elf carrying in an apple crumble. "I'm going to go psyche myself up while I shower and get dressed."

"Can I help?" Draco asked, grinning up at her.

"Don't you have to supervise operations here?"

"I've already been informed by Lottie that I would only get in their way."

"Quite right, Master Draco," squeaked the elf in the red tutu as she scurried from the kitchen and back to the floo.

"I take it that was Lottie?" Hermione said, shaking her head.

"Yes." Draco stood and placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her from the kitchen. "Now, what were you saying about needing my assistance with a shower?"

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Hermione gave her appearance one last appraisal. She wasn't sure there was much else to add or fix.

"Everything okay?" Draco asked, popping his head into the bathroom.

"Yes, I'll be out in a moment."

"You look beautiful," he reassured her with a smile before ducking back out.

Her outfit wasn't completely casual. It was a knitted red sweater dress over grey stockings and black flats, and she had plaited her hair. She still feared it wasn't going to measure up to the Malfoy's standards. She was battling within herself over staying calm and confident and not letting herself be intimidated. She was already mentally exhausted and the Malfoys hadn't even arrived yet.

'It'll be fine,' she told herself. 'Lucius Malfoy should be working to impress you, not the other way around.' As she smoothed a few hairs back into place, the floo sounded. With one last half-smile, half-grimace at her reflection, Hermione pushed away from the counter. When she got to the living room, Narcissa was embracing Draco and kissing his cheek. Lucius stood behind his wife, looking indifferent.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione," Narcissa greeted, placing her hands on Hermione's shoulders and a light kiss on her cheek.

"Happy Christmas," Hermione replied, trying to keep the anxiety out of her smile. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy."

Hermione reached out and Lucius lightly took her hand in his and bowed his head, placing a kiss on the top. "Pleasure to see you again, Miss Granger."

Draco's arm slipped around her waist as she pulled her hand back to her side. When Lucius looked away, she rubbed the back of her hand on the side of her dress.

"Mother, as much as I appreciate the work put into brunch, this was honestly too much," Draco said as he led them to the kitchen, where every inch of counter and table space was occupied. The only spot bare of food were the four spots set for them with plates and cutlery. "You do know we are never going to eat all of this."

"I know, darling, but I didn't know Hermione's likes and dislikes and wanted to be sure there was something for everyone," Narcissa explained.

Draco shook his head as he pulled out a chair for Hermione. Once they were all seated, dishes and platters were floated around as they piled their plates with a little bit of everything. Hermione tried to pace herself, knowing that a similar spread awaited them at The Burrow. As she spread clotted cream and jam onto a scone, Narcissa made small talk about how lovely the tree looked and what Draco was working on at the Ministry. Unfortunately, there was a lull in the conversation as Narcissa fixed a second cup of tea and Lucius decided he would fill the silence.

"So, Miss Granger, what are your intentions with my son?" Lucius asked as he sliced up a melon wedge.

Taken aback by the question, Hermione started choking on her orange juice as Draco and Narcissa both hissed, "Lucius!"

"No, it's fine," Hermione wheezed, dabbing her mouth and wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm happy to answer the question but I'm not quite sure what Mr. Malfoy means by it."

"It's just curious to me that you have been gone for several years. Now you've suddenly reappeared and my son is completely infatuated with you. It leads one to think you may have ulterior motives. Or perhaps," Lucius let his gaze drop to her middle, "he's put you in a 'delicate' situation."

Hermione's voice caught in her throat and Draco growled as he jumped to his feet. "Completely out of order, Lucius!"

"Sit down, Draco," Hermione whispered, pulling at his arm. She looked back at Lucius and took a deep steadying breath.

"Mr. Malfoy, this may come as a surprise to you but most people don't see others as a way to leverage their position in this world. I am with your son because I genuinely like him and enjoy his company. I couldn't care less what his last name is or what's in his bank account. I happen to like my own last name and possess my own bank account, with my own money. As for what kind of 'situation' I'm in, that's none of your fucking business." She let out a shaky breath and looked at Narcissa. "Could you pass the sugar, please, Narcissa?"

Narcissa was beaming as she said, "Of course, dear," and as Hermione sprinkled sugar on her strawberries, Draco's hand came to rest on her thigh. Lucius said nothing for the rest of the meal.

When they could eat no more, Hermione started on the task of clearing the table, despite Narcissa's insistence that the house-elves would be there shortly to take everything back to the Manor. She had just gotten everything ready to go when Lottie and her crew arrived, taking the platters away and promising to return with leftovers for her and Draco.

"I'm surprised you held your tongue all morning about house-elf labor," Draco softly laughed, kissing Hermione on the head as Lottie disappeared through the floo.

"Revamping house-elf rights was at the top of my to-do list when I started at the Ministry all those years ago." Hermione looked up at him and grinned. "I can tell your family's elves are treated well these days." She frowned when she saw Draco's eyes drift to the left and his mouth tighten. Glancing over, she saw Lucius duck back into the kitchen. "Draco…"

"Can you go help Mother sort her gifts? I'll just be a moment." He gave her another kiss and then followed after his father.

"They're fine," Narcissa reassured as Hermione sat down on the couch, her eyes still glued to the kitchen. "They only ever exchange words, never hexes."

"That doesn't exactly ease my worries." Hermione kept one eye on the kitchen as she helped Narcissa unpack her Christmas gifts. It was only a few minutes later that Lucius came to the living room and took his spot beside his wife. It took another minute for Draco to return. When she looked up at him expectantly, he gave a small shake of his head and sat down beside her.

The exchanging of gifts was pleasant, though it was impossible not to feel the tension between Draco and Lucius hanging in the air. Narcissa, obviously used to her husband's penchant toward haughtiness, made sure to keep the conversation light and focused on the holiday. Lucius' only contribution to the discussion was a thank-you to Draco for his bottle of a limited batch, single-malt Firewhisky. Narcissa surprised Hermione with a beautiful purple velvet throw blanket."

"This will be perfect when the heat goes out in our apartment building, which is always," Hermione joked as she ran her fingers over the soft fabric and tried not to imagine the inevitable orange cat hair that would end up covering it.

Narcissa and Lucius left shortly after, with Narcissa hopeful that she'd get to see Hermione again before she returned to the states. When the flames died down, Hermione and Draco stood and stared at the lingering ashes.

"I said 'fuck' in front of your parents," Hermione whispered, still gazing at the fireplace.

"It had to be done."

"I'm not really sorry about it, just a bit shocked that I let it slip like that." Hermione let out a slow breath and asked, "What happened in the kitchen between you two?"

"He gave me his approval," Draco murmured.

"Approval of what?"

"You."

"Me?" Hermione's face twisted in disgust. "I don't need nor want that man's approval."

"I told him that," Draco laughed, lacing his fingers with hers. "He said he knows I don't care about what he thinks but, for what it was worth, he thinks I will do well with a strong woman in my life that isn't afraid to speak her mind and keep me in line."

"Oh, well, I've been doing that since third-year," Hermione laughed.

"You have, haven't you?" Draco grinned as he rubbed his cheek. He pulled her over and they collapsed onto the couch. Hermione unfolded her new blanket and laid her head on Draco's lap. He stroked his hand over her hair as she yawned and let her eyes fall shut. "Rest up. I have a feeling we're gonna need some energy to get through Christmas with the Weasleys."

"You have no idea."

Draco honestly had no idea what to expect from Christmas at The Burrow. Harry spoke fondly of the day and had told him tales over the years. It all sounded loud, crowded, and all over chaotic where Draco had never experienced anything but revered holiday silence.

The chaos hit him like a brick when he and Hermione stepped out of the Weasley's floo. Victoire immediately latched on to Hermione's legs, squealing about how she got to hold baby James for the first time. Draco followed along as Hermione forged a path through redheads and over toys, stopping every few seconds to say hello and give hugs, while Draco gave a polite nod and "Happy Christmas".

An arm suddenly slung around his shoulder had Draco jumping. Lizzie's laugh eased his nerves and he turned to see her grinning face. "Merry Christmas, Draco! Thank you for the wine. It was lovely."

"You're very welcome. It was the least I could do after you helped get Hermione here a week early."

"I've got quite the line up of people at the office that owe me favors. I'm more than happy to call a few in for my friends." Then she kissed his cheek and moved on to say hello to Hermione.

As Hermione and Lizzie caught up, Draco moved to the kitchen where he, thankfully, found Harry talking to Arthur and Charlie.

"Congratulations, Potter," Draco said, reaching out to shake Harry's hand.

"Thanks, mate." Harry held onto his hand and pulled Draco in for a hug. "I'll introduce you when Ginny brings him back from his nappy change."

"Draco," Charlie greeted, reaching out for a handshake. "I'm glad I get to see you again. I've got a few days off after the new year. How'd you like to come and take that tour I promised you?" Draco was confused for a moment before Charlie elaborated, "The dragon reserve. I told you all the way back in June that I'd give you a tour and then never got a chance to get back in touch with you."

"Oh, right, the reserve," Draco said, the memory coming back to him. "That would be great. Owl me with the details and I'll set up a portkey."

After that, he fell into a comfortable chat with the three men. Talk mainly revolved around current events happening at the Ministry and how Harry was adjusting to his first few days of fatherhood.

"I think I just saw Gin disappear into the sitting room. Come on," Harry said, giving Draco's shoulder a slap. As they passed the fridge, Harry grabbed two beers and passed one to Draco. When they reached the sitting room, Hermione was already by her friend's side, beaming as the new baby was placed in her arms. Hanging back, along the wall, Draco sipped his beer and watched as Hermione cooed over James. Her eyes were shining and he could tell she was holding back a mixture of joyous and sad tears.

"Does not being pregnant mean I lose my Tuesday dinners?"

Draco was so caught up watching Hermione with the baby, he hadn't noticed Ginny sidle up to him. "Of course not," he answered, bumping his shoulder against hers. "I have a feeling you're going to be even busier and more worn out now that the little tike has arrived."

"Too true." Ginny followed his gaze and smiled. "We'll pick our dinner nights back up after she leaves. I don't want to intrude on your time together."

"As you can see, she is not here solely for me."

"Yes, but I remember the early, young love days. Can't keep your eyes or hands off each other. Actually wanting to spend every minute with each other." Ginny gave him a shoulder bump.

"We're adults, Ginevra, not horny teenagers sneaking off to broom closets."

"Right, that was just with Pansy."

Draco sighed and pushed himself away from the wall. "Why do I tell you things?" he muttered, making his way to sit beside Hermione as Ginny called after him, "Because you love me!"

"Isn't he gorgeous?" Hermione said as Draco sat down.

"That Potter hair gene is tenacious," Draco commented.

Hermione giggled as she ran her hand over the soft, unruly tuft of jet black hair. James stirred, eyes momentarily cracking open before he shoved his fingers in his mouth and drifted back to sleep. "Harry falls asleep the same way," she teased, looking up at her affronted friend.

"Only when I've had a few too many," Harry joked

"Would you like to hold him?" Hermione asked, turning to Draco.

"No, that's quite all right," Draco said, holding up a hand. "I have never held a child and I prefer not to be the one that ruins Christmas by dropping the new baby."

"I highly doubt you'll drop him," Hermione countered, but did press the subject any more.

As they sat and talked, Molly bustled in and out, plying them all with heaping plates of food and drink refills. After their small brunch buffet, it didn't take much to make Draco feel as though he was bursting at the seams. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten so much food in one day.

"You going to finish that?" Harry asked when Draco set aside his plate with a slice of uneaten treacle tart.

"Have at it, Potter," Draco said, waving away the thought of any more food.

When the sun began to set, the crowd of Weasleys began to thin out. People trickled out through the floo until he and Hermione were left in the sitting room with Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Lizzie. Draco was about to suggest they head home when Molly came back in and placed a gold and silver wrapped parcel on his lap and two similarly wrapped gifts on Hermione's lap.

"You really shouldn't have, Mrs. Weasley," Draco said, picking up the gift.

"Nonsense," Molly said, waving off his objection. "Go on, open them up."

Hermione watched as Draco carefully pulled off the wrappings and revealed a deep blue, knitted jumper. When he unfolded it and held it up, he noticed a dragon design was stitched at the bottom. Hermione's whispering in his ear made him choke up.

"She knitted you a sweater. That means you're family."

Not knowing what to say, Draco stood up and wrapped Molly in a hug. She gave him a squeeze and patted his back, saying, "Happy Christmas."

When he sat back down Hermione was opening the smaller of her two gifts. "Oh," she gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth and tears instantly streaming from her eyes. Draco wrapped an arm around her shoulder and glanced down. In the wrappings lay a small, pink jumper with an M on it. Draco rested his head against hers and rubbed a hand over her back.

"Every family member gets one," Molly said softly, sitting down on Hermione's other side. Letting out a sob, Hermione threw her arms around Molly and cried into her shoulder. Molly stroked her hair and let her cry.

"You're not making it easy on me, Mum," Ron said, approaching Hermione with a small package.

"Really, Ronald," Molly scolded, but Ron just smiled as he knelt down and placed his gift on top of the small sweater.

Draco fought his instinct to tell Weasley to 'fuck off'. Couldn't he see that Hermione was obviously in pain and didn't need any of his dickishness to compound it? Honestly...but he held his tongue and looked on as Hermione picked up the gift and pulled the wrappings off a small, velvet jewelry box.

When Hermione opened the box, she pulled out a gold, heart-shaped locket, hanging from a gold chain. She gently pried open the locket and Draco saw one side had the initials MKW engraved and the other held a picture of a small baby with red hair. It suddenly felt like all the air in his lungs had been sucked out.

Hermione let out another sob and flung herself at Ron. He caught her effortlessly and held her tight as her arms wrapped around his neck, the locket still clutched in her hand and now dangling down Ron's back. There were tears tracking down Ron's cheeks as he whispered soothing words into Hermione's curls.

Draco was pretty sure he had known it from the very beginning, but it was in that moment he finally acknowledged, without any twinge of anger or jealousy, that if Hermione Granger was going to be part of his life then Ron Weasley would be, too.