"Father, when are you going to marry Hermione?"

It was like Draco was standing in a snow globe and someone had given it a great big shake.

He had been talking with Dean and Blaise, but the world stops turning for a question like that. Dean couldn't suppress a smile as he picked up his godson and asked,

"Yeah, Draco, when are you going to marry Hermione?"

Scorp was clutching one of those Muggle books Hermione read to him. Such a ridiculous set of fairytales, hell, the pictures don't even move! But Scorp had taken to them and Draco had put up such a fight it was the one time he thought Hermione would actually leave.

"Magic doesn't even work like that!" Draco shouted at her. "Life sure as hell doesn't, either!"

"Just because we lost our chances at happy endings the first time around, doesn't mean you get to take that idea away from him!"

"I never wanted him to believe it was a possibility!" Draco shouted back. The look on Hermione's face made him want to grab the words out of the air and stuff them back down his throat.

"Do I not make you happy enough?!" Hermione had asked. Shouted at him, more like, grabbing her wand and threatening to Apparate to the nearest hotel. "Is that what this is about? You lost your first chance and you don't think you can have it again."

…

Scorpius kept the books. Not that Draco was particularly thrilled with them, but he wasn't going to lose Hermione over something so trivial. That night with his godfathers, Scorp had chosen Cinderella. (Draco referred to it as, "The One with the Shoe.")

"That's the best one," Dean said as they walked to his room. Blaise sighed after him and admitted to Draco,

"I'm dying not telling him."

Draco nodded.

"It never seems to be the right time, though. She's busy right now with Healer training and I do not want to be a distraction."

"Excuses, excuses," Blaise scolded.

Truth be told, Draco was nervous as hell. He convinced Hermione to move into the manor because, "It'd be easier on both of us." Getting married was an entirely different sort of commitment. One he wanted so badly. Once he turned thirty, Draco felt far enough away from the shameful seventeen-year-old version of himself that he could ask her. Maybe.

But why would Hermione say yes? Her Healer training would end in December and she could begin her research early in the new year. Draco would raid his Gringotts vault and dump a thousand Galleons on Kerry Shacklebolt's desk if that's what it took to fund it. He told Minister Shacklebolt as much at Hermione's birthday celebration, when a tipsy Romilda remarked, "Better save enough so you can get this girl the engagement ring she deserves!"

Ah, yes, that small circle in his breast pocket, the weight of which could drag him down to the floor.

Draco had taken Blaise shopping with strict orders not to tell his husband because, "I don't want Hermione to know before I've even purchased the damn thing." He found the perfect ring, shaking off Blaise's constant "bigger is better" lecture. Hermione wouldn't want a ring that might interfere with work. He chose a round ruby, encircled by two layers of small diamonds, nineteen in total. (Chosen because Hermione was born on September 19th and Draco Malfoy was a complete sap.)

"It was different with Astoria, you know. We were so excited and being first love it was obvious when the time was right. With Hermione everything is a little more difficult. It hasn't felt right yet."

Blaise glared at him.

"But you are going to ask."

"Of course, of course," Draco shook him off. "There's just something else I have to do."

.oOo.

He visited Weasley in early September, thinking he might surprise Hermione on her birthday. (He didn't.) Potter gave Weasley the heads-up. Thank Merlin for that because, "I'm going to ask your ex-wife to marry me," is a strange thing to say to a person.

"You're serious?" had been Weasley's initial reaction. "You're really going to ask Hermione to marry you? Hermione's going to become a Malfoy?"

"Oh, God, no!" Draco insisted. "I'd never insist she take the name unless she wants to. Hermione Malfoy …" Both of them cringed a little bit. "Yeah, it sounds a bit wrong off the tongue, doesn't it?"

"Why are you doing this?" Ron asked. "After everything you did to us, to her, how could you possibly want to spend the rest of your life with her?"

"I might ask you why you didn't," Draco shot back. Before Ron could open his stupid mouth again, Draco's temper got the best of him.

"Why the hell does it always come back around to this?! I love her. I am in love with Hermione and we're a real fucked-up family, Weasley, but we have become a family. You know as well as anyone that I am a very selfish person and yes, I want to make sure Hermione is mine for as long as I live. That is why I am going to ask her to marry me."

"She might say no," Ron insisted, and Draco agreed.

"I just …" Draco clenched his jaw because God knows he hated supplicating himself to Ron Weasley like this. "I want to make sure you are alright with this. If you are not, I am going to ask her anyway because fuck you, but man-to-man I thought it'd be appropriate for me to tell you before I did it."

"Weirdly enough, I appreciate that," Weasley said.

"Good."

"You're still a prick."

"I've been called worse," Draco said.

"I've called you worse," Ron replied, but offered his hand.

.oOo.

After a particularly rough day of training in November, her first overnight, Hermione returned to the manor in a terrible mood. Draco hoped there would be a particular brand of celebration, as it was November 24th. He sent Scorpius to his godparents' home for a couple days to allow for as much celebrating as they wanted on their anniversary. Hermione had other intentions. She blew by Draco when he tried to greet her, threw her lime green robes on the floor, and flung herself onto their bed. He leaned against the doorframe and asked,

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

Which meant yes, so Draco waited a couple seconds before—

"I'm no good at this. Healing people, making things better … It feels like I am only of use once things have already fallen apart."

"Isn't that what healing people is about?" Draco asked. Hermione flipped him off without lifting her face from the pillows.

"Go fuck yourself, Draco Malfoy," Hermione shot back. She would do that sometimes, and Draco was alright during most of them. But he wasn't just then, patience be damned.

"Do you want me to tell you to quit, Hermione?" Draco asked, irate. "Are you fishing for that? I won't be your excuse. You want me to tell you that you're no good at dealing with people who disagree with you? You know that already. You are shit at a lot of things, Hermione, but no perfect person could do the things you've done."

"The things I've done?" Hermione laughed. "I left my husband alone so often that he cheated on me. I got divorced. I worked my staff into the ground at the IMC, and now … I am so out of my depth here, Draco, I really am. And you are the only good thing in my life and if we're being honest I conned you into that, too. You're right—no perfect person would do that."

Draco ran a hand over his face and groaned.

"Don't ever say you conned me into this, Hermione. We both know better. In less than a month you'll be a Healer!"

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, as though her frustration had evaporated and all that was left was a sort of sadness.

"They hate me, Draco," she admitted. "The other Healers don't like me at all. It's like I'm not welcome there, and they yell at me for the stupidest—whatever.

"'Healer' is just another label. I have so many. 'Golden Girl,' 'Mudblood,' 'Brightest witch of her age,' 'Director of the Department of International Magical—'"

"Malfoy?" Draco asked.

Hermione looked at him, confused and tired. Draco thought he would be scared or that his heart might start racing, but really he saw everything with stark clarity. It was time. Astoria would always weigh on Draco's heart, making it a bit heavier than it used to be. However, Hermione was an indispensable part of his family and there was only one way he knew to make that clear.

"Malfoy," Draco repeated. "If you'll have it, I want to add my name to the list."

Hermione blinked twice and yawned. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she made the ends of her sleeves into sweater paws.

"What's happening?"

Draco walked over to the edge of the bed, dropped down to a knee, and watched as Hermione processed what was happening.

"Marry me?" he asked. The more Draco thought about it, the more he felt like his insides were righting themselves. The snow globe had stopped shaking, the snow had settled, and the world was steady again. Hermione's mouth moved but she couldn't seem to find words for a few moments.

"Are you serious?!"

Draco smiled and nodded as Hermione covered her mouth with both hands. She curled in on herself, uncertain.

"Will you do me the honour of becoming Hermione Jean Granger-Malfoy, Order of Merlin Second Class, Healer, and mother to the best Malfoy the world has ever known?" Draco pulled out the ring from his pocket and shrugged. "Or Hermione Jean Granger, no Malfoy. Or Hermione Jean Malfoy-Granger. Or hell, I'll take your name if you want, just say you'll marry me and—"

"Yes," Hermione nodded.

"—I'll do whatever you damn well please. Wait, sorry, what?"

"I said yes."

"Oh my God," he replied, stunned. "OhmyGodyes, Merlin on high," Draco slid the ring onto Hermione's finger. He kissed her, both hands on either side of her face, and accidentally toppled them backward onto the bed in his enthusiasm. No worries though, since that was exactly where he wanted to be.

Draco tossed his jacket on the floor and started undoing the buttons on his shirt. He kissed her again, on the lips, the cheek, her neck …

"I thought you were never going to ask!" Hermione admitted, a little out of breath.

"I didn't think you would say yes!" Draco said. He huffed once he got his shirt buttons undone, realizing he wasn't quite finished. He held out his wrists to Hermione so she could undo his cufflinks.

"But I love you, Draco Malfoy, my trophy fiancée," she teased back, ruffling his hair.

"Marry me soon so I can be your trophy husband," he insisted. She playfully pushed him backward, placed his cufflinks on the bedside table, and said,

"You know, when I ran into you I was running away from so many things, so many problems, and somehow you of all people were the answer. You helped me figure out what I want to do with this part of my life, then gave me the courage to pursue it. Most importantly, you gave me a family. So I'm saying yes."

Draco kissed her cheek.

"Hermione Jean Granger-Malfoy," he smiled. "Merlin help us all. You've given me so much happiness, I'll spend the rest of my life doing the same for you. I promise." He pressed a delicate kiss to her knuckles.

"You've done one better," Hermione said, smiling.

"Hmm? How's that?"

"You gave me a home."