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Over the next few weeks, Draco found himself living in some kind of wonderful - albeit ignorant - blissful state.

And despite the lack of home comforts, he found himself loving it.

Because he had everything he needed in her.

He loved that it amused her at how adept he had become to living in the 'wild'. But, as he explained, with magic and knowing how to use it, it really wasn't difficult.

She brought him up to speed on Potter's quest to defeat Voldemort. And even though it all seemed batshit crazy to him ("He split his own soul into seven pieces?!"), it also sounded like something Voldemort would attempt to do given half the chance.

In the evenings they educated themselves by snuggling up together in the sleeping bag and reading the many books Hermione had packed in her beaded bag, eventually moving it out to the open when the nights got longer and warmer, with Draco building them a hammock between two trees which they would often drift off to sleep in once their eyes grew too heavy to read.

And, in the absence of anything else to do, they fucked. A lot.

Lacking contraceptives ("Well, I hardly thought to pack a jumbo sized pack of condoms on a mission to save the world with Ron and Harry!"), Draco had to master the art of 'pulling out'. The last thing they needed was for him to knock her up in the middle of a war.

The safest thing to have done was to abstain from sex altogether, of course. But they could choose to no longer touch one another in the same way that they could choose to no longer breathe.

In other words, it was impossible.

Draco craved to be inside her like he craved to eat food. Even when it was over he still wanted to just hold her and touch her. She was like an oasis in the middle of a dry desert.

But it wasn't just sex, they too talked a lot. He loved learning new things about her, discovering her quirks and understanding more about her background. She was definitely his favourite topic, and he loved that she showed an equal interest in him.

What fascinated him the most about her though was the fact that his wand seemed to consider her as an equal owner. And with it, she even managed to cast a fully-fledged Patronus, something Draco still struggled to do, and he would watch in awe as the shining white otter gambolled around, casting a warm glow over them.

"Harry taught us all," she explained when he expressed his amazement. "It's what that underground army was all about. A class for anyone who wanted to learn to defend themselves."

"Not very inclusive though," Draco had muttered bitterly. "I don't remember being invited."

"And knowing Harry was teaching it, you would have kept it quiet from Umbridge, would you?"

Draco didn't answer that, his eyes never leaving the glow of the otter, wondering what his animal would be if he ever managed to cast one.

She offered to teach him, but he struggled, the fear of what had become of his mother weighing too heavily on his heart.

And he tried to think about Hermione, about what kind of future they could have together. But again, the fear of that not being able to happen kept him from fully immersing himself in the joy of this thought.

"Maybe you're not using the right kind of happy thoughts?" Hermione had suggested. "Instead of looking into your hopes and dreams, try recalling a happy memory."

"What do you think about?" He asked, intrigued.

She smiled coyly at him, her eyes flashing wickedly. "Let's just say I like to relive particular moments when we've been somewhat... intimate."

Oh. So she thought about fucking. That he could do.

Taking his wand back, he smirked.

"Kiss me, Granger."

She obeyed without question, her sweet lips connecting with his, tongue gently darting against his own.

But as the kiss got going, so did he, the lesson quickly forgotten about as he began to lift her top up, hungry for a repeat performance of that very morning.

She halted him, pulling her mouth away from his.

"The Charm, Draco," she said breathlessly, "cast the Patronus Charm."

Cocking an eyebrow, he smirked, the blood already busily rushing southwards. "If you say so."

And, turning, he raised his wand, his mind back in the tent with a very naked and sweaty Hermione writhing around on top of him.

"Expecto Patronum!"

It wasn't quite clear, but a shape had definitely began to form.

"Well, you managed a semi form, at least," she offered, clearly trying to cheer him up.

"A semi won't do the job though," he gritted, feeling disappointed in himself.

All he wanted to do was protect the woman he loved, but how could he do that if he couldn't even manage a spell that a fifth year could evidently teach?

"Well, maybe we need to work on giving you more happy memories?" Hermione suggested seductively, grabbing his tie and leading him towards the hammock.

Yes, those days were indeed full of bliss.

But as the saying often goes, all good things must come to an end.

*****

It was three weeks into mine and Draco's 'camping trip' when I finally got the brainwave of where Harry and Ron could be.

I had been reading a book that mentioned crumbling up a particular kind of shell to place in a potion. The word 'shell' kept drawing my attention, and it flickered something in my memory.

"That's it!" I said, sitting up in the hammock so suddenly that the book fell off my lap. "I think I know where they might be!"

Draco looked up from the fire he was stoking outside the tent, his brow creased into a frown. "Where who might be?"

"Harry and Ron, remember?" I said eagerly, my heart racing at finally getting a lead.

Draco, however, didn't look as enthusiastic as I did. If anything, I noted as his face fell, he looked disappointed.

"Oh." He turned back to continue stoking the fire. "Where's that then?"

"When Ron went off on one of his sulks, he mentioned that he'd stayed with his brother, Bill. I've never visited the place, so I have no clue as to where it is. But I do remember now that he had said it was called Shell Cottage."

His head shot up again, relief twinkling in his silver eyes. "If Potter is indeed hiding out there, then they surely would have placed a Fidelius Charm on it. It would therefore be impossible to locate."

"But it would be worth a try, though?" I asked, knowing I was clutching at straws, but needing to try something... anything.

When Draco failed to respond, I released a heavy sigh.

"Look, Draco, I know it would be so easy to stay here and sit the war out. But if we don't find Harry then he has no hope in hell of defeating You-Know-Who."

He remained silent for a second, concentrating on the fire before he spoke again, his voice slow and deliberate as though he'd been thinking carefully about his words.

"I'm a Slytherin, Hermione. Self-preservation is one of our main traits. I want to protect us both, to keep us safe and out of harm's way. Never again could I endure seeing you go through being tortured again. I thought my aunt was going to kill you, I thought she had killed you-"

He shuddered as his voice broke on the last word, choking back a sob.

My heart squeezing, I hopped down from the hammock and moved towards him, crouching down by his side to wrap an arm around his waist.

"You don't have to come with me, Draco." I assured him, my own voice fierce and passionate. "You may be a Slytherin but I'm a Gryffindor, and it's in my interest to fight. Especially when people like Harry are fighting for people like me."

Finally giving up on the fire, he pocketed his wand and twisted round to face me, his expression pained as he cupped my face in his hands and rested his forehead down on mine.

"I know you must think I'm a coward," he murmured ardently, "but I'm not. I just want to protect you, and I don't see how I can do that if you put yourself in the firing line."

"The best way you can protect me is by helping Harry to win this, something you've already been doing by not handing him over when you had the chance. But we need to do this, we need to find the rest of the Horcruxes or else we'll not have a future worth living."

"I need to know, Hermione," Draco asked, letting go of my face to take both my hands in his. "Do you see a future... for us, I mean?"

He looked at me expectantly, his breaths suddenly shallow... apprehensive.

"If we win the war, then of course I do." I answered, feeling the beginnings of butterflies take flight in my stomach. "But we can't live like this forever. It's lovely now, but it's not sustainable. You know that. We need freedom, Draco, freedom to marry and have kids and-"

"You see all that with me?" A look of surprise flitted over his face as though my words had startled him, although not in a bad way... but I couldn't be sure.

"Do you?"

His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. "Yes, I do, Hermione. Maybe not straight away because I want to have you all to myself first and eat continental breakfasts on the streets of Paris. But eventually, when we're ready to settle down... then yes. I want Mini-Mes and Mini-Yous."

"Plurals?" I kept my voice light, with a hint of amusement. "That sounds like a lot of children."

"I don't care how many we have," he said, shaking his head as his lips pulled into a helpless smile, "wherever we have none or an entire Quidditch team - just as long as whatever we choose to do, we choose to do it together."

"So you agree we need to help Harry fight this fight?"

Sighing, he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If it means I can have that future with you, then yes, I agree."

I threw my arms around his neck, laughing as I kissed his face, causing us to lose our balance from where we were crouched in front of each other.

We fell to the ground, breathless with laughter as he manoeuvred himself over me pinning my wrists above my head.

"You know we just low key got engaged?" I murmured, grinning up at him coyly as he looked down at me adoringly, love swirling in his eyes.

"No, we didn't," he murmured, letting go a hand to brush my hair behind my ear, "we are not engaged until I propose to you properly. And I will not call you my fiancΓ©e until you have a ring worthy of a future Malfoy on your finger."

"Oh, is that so?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "And who says I even want to be a Malfoy?"

A frown flickered over his features. "But you just said-"

"I meant I might want to keep my name. I'm a modern woman, Draco, not a kept woman."

He exhaled a long drawn out breath, bowing his head. "I really walked into something when I fell for you, didn't I?"

"You did, but I promise you, you won't regret it."

His face broke into a smile that caused his eyes to crinkle at the corners, and he dipped his head to kiss the tip of my nose. "I love you, Hermione Granger. I love you very much."

"And I love you too, Draco Malfoy." I responded, tilting my face up to connect my lips to his.

That night, he cast his first ever corporeal Patronus.

It was an otter. A shimmering, white otter.

*****

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the update. I got tested positive for COVID today (pretty sure I have the holiday to thank for that!) but it meant I kept flinching when writing the physical contact parts! I can't even go near my own family at the moment, and I love my cuddles 😒

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