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Three Years Have Passed Since The War Ended	By : cpetnm Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 16830 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
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- 13
A.N.- Thank you for your review, Anon! Your observation that sensations are more potent when you're newly in love is so true. I'm glad you think it's coming across in this story.
This is the last chapter before the epilogue. Thank you for reading.

“Minister Shacklebolt will see you Miss Granger.”

Hermione took a deep breath and walked into Kingsley Shacklebolt’s formal office.

“Hermione! It was lovely to see your name on my schedule this morning. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Kingsley motioned for Hermione to sit at a chair in front of his massive walnut desk.

“Thank you for seeing me, sir.”

The two chatted about minutia for a few moments before the minister asked why Hermione needed to see him. He and Arthur Weasley spoke on a regular basis and he knew Hermione was heavily involved with Draco Malfoy. He suspected it had something to do with Malfoy, since Hermione didn’t advocate for herself as often as she did for other people.

She calmed her jittery hands and looked at Kingsley. “I wanted to talk to you about Draco Malfoy. We’re romantically involved and I’ve gotten to know him well. I understand his job was a part of his reparations for his actions during the war, but I think he could be of more use to the Ministry. He’s quite brilliant, sir. I think his intelligence is wasted fixing broken objects all day.”

“Does he know you’re talking to me about his Ministry work?”

“Merlin, no! He’s not exactly enthusiastic about his work, but he does it well and I think it gives him some satisfaction.”

“And you, Hermione? I didn’t think you’d be in the same job for as long as you have been. Your talents far outweigh the work you do.”

Hermione ducked her head, abashed. “I know. It has taken me longer than I thought it would to begin to heal from the war.”

Kingsley felt a pang of regret at the suffering of this younger generation. He had always felt that it was unfair, but it was fated that those adolescents would help the Light win the war. Nonetheless, he would help Hermione now. She deserved his assistance and more. The wizarding world owed this woman its gratitude.

“I’ll talk to the director of the Department of Mysteries. He’s admired Mr. Malfoy’s work, but didn’t want to be vocal about it. He’ll help me find a better position for your beau.”

Hermione beamed at Kingsley. “Thank you so much, sir. I know Draco will excel.”

“How can he not with that type of support?” Kingsley observed. Draco Malfoy was a lucky man to have Hermione’s love. He only hoped that support went both ways.

“Now, let’s talk about you, Hermione...”



Draco flooed to the house he now shared with Hermione. They had been living together for several weeks and it was the happiest, most content he’d ever felt. He understood how important it was for Hermione to feel that the house was hers, too, so her familiar touch was now seen throughout the home.

He found Hermione in the bedroom she had made into her personal study. His painting of Hermione graced the fireplace mantle in the room. Two linen covered wingback chairs faced the fireplace. Bookshelves lined the walls. She had removed the bed, but had added a large desk facing the window. A large rug they had found in the attic warmed the stone floor and added hues of blue, teal and tan to the neutral room. Her desk view showcased the lavender fields in the distance. The smells of parchment, ink and Hermione filled his nose as he approached her.

He could see she had been writing all day. Ink stained her fingers and her messy top knot was pierced with two quills. Books and notes littered her desk.

“Hi,” he said, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. She nuzzled into his body, trying not to stain his clothing with her inky hands.

“I missed seeing you during the day, but I got so much written!”

After speaking with Kingsley and divulging that she was writing new texts for possible use at Hogwarts, he asked to see a draft of her work. He read her DADA chapters, impressed with what she had done so far. The Ministry offered her the opportunity to take a leave of absence from her post as the Dark Arts librarian to focus on her writing.

“How was your day?” she asked.

Draco had taken over the Dark Arts Division after his elderly superior had decided to retire. Hermione had warned Draco that she had talked to Kingsley Shacklebolt about his job. He honestly didn’t think anything would come of her conversation with the minister, but lo and behold, a few weeks later he was asked to take over when Mr. Raleigh retired. The Department of Mysteries was not as political as the rest of the Ministry, so the backlash Draco had been anticipating was minor. Once it became common knowledge that Draco and Hermione were a cohabitating couple, people were more curious about him than wary.

Draco grinned. “Good, but better now that I’m home.”

“Give me a moment to clean up and we can have supper.”

As a girl at Hogwarts, Hermione had scoffed at the idea of an elf willingly binding him or herself to a family in order to serve them, but she was starting to understand the mutual benefit of house elves and their wizarding family. Every time she encountered Celli or Aman in the house, they were singing and dancing while they worked. She found out they were an older couple and had been together for over one hundred years. Draco’s Grand-mère had made sure they could read and that their living quarters were comfortable. She also left them with access to an account for household expenses and their personal needs, which were minimal.

That said, Hermione was now able to accept the elves’ work as part of living at the chateau. They took care of most chores, although Hermione insisted on some cooking and tasks such as making the bed and putting away her belongings.

Elves took care of the well being of the witches and wizards in their household as well. The elves’ magic allowed them to see changes in the magical auras of their masters. Celli had asked Hermione about Draco and Hermione’s bond a few days before. Hermione hadn’t understood.

“I love him, Celli, if that’s what you mean?” Hermione asked unsurely.

“Celli noticed during Christmas your auras began to merge. Now they are a similar color and hum when you are near each other.”

“I can’t see or hear auras, Celli. I felt closer to Draco after spending Christmas here with him.”

Hermione didn’t just feel closer to Draco after their week together, she felt that their feelings for each other had solidified. When they decided to live at the chateau, it had taken some coordination, but neither fretted about living together after the decision was made.

On this Friday night, Celli had prepared a fragrant dinner of beef and vegetables. Draco pulled out Hermione’s chair and sat across from her.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something to Draco, then abruptly closed it. She took a bit of her beef and considered how she might broach the subject with him.

“Draco, do you know anything about magical bonding?”

“I know it’s somewhat rare. There are several compatibility factors that aid in couples becoming bonded. But it’s not just about attraction and common interests, there’s an element of fate. We spent some time on it in Divination sixth year.”

“Do you think we have any texts on bonding in the house?”

“I’m sure we do, but what’s this about?” Draco noticed Hermione’s struggle to say what was on her mind.

She thought for a few moments.

“Well, Celli has noticed our auras shifting colors and…a…humming when we’re near each other. She thinks we may have magically bonded.”

Draco suspected they had bonded during their week together at Christmas. He began to hear an extremely faint whistle whenever Hermione was near. It was a comforting sound, like a light wind blowing through tall grass.

Although Hermione was an expert witch she still lacked some practical experience with wizarding culture and phenomena. His parents had been magically bonded. They had known each other as housemates in Slytherin and had become inseparable over the five years they were in school together. Lucius was able to persuade his father to petition for Narcissa’s hand in marriage. Her parents agreed she could marry when she finished her education. Bonded couples could be apart for small amounts of time, but needed the connection with their partner to ensure their well-being. It was a blessing in Draco’s eyes, but he couldn’t tell if Hermione felt the same.

“How do you feel about it?” he asked her.

She looked at her handsome lover, warmth and acceptance radiating through their bond. Months of feeling positive, almost corporeal, emotions around Draco suddenly made sense.

“I knew I loved you fairly early into our relationship. This feeling that I could trust you and grow with you was so clear to me. There are other people I love in the world, but I could be here, at the chateau, with you forever and I would be happy.”

“I feel the same way about you, Hermione. When I thought I had fucked up everything with you, I felt worse than I did when my parents went to Azkaban.”

Hermione stood and walked over to Draco, sitting sideways on his lap.

“Does this mean we’re, um, magically married?”

He tipped her face to look him in the eyes.

“Sort of. Magical bonding is…more. Once you started to understand that we’d bonded, could you feel my affection for you through the bond?” Draco asked.

“I can. You accept me and are genuinely interested in what I’m saying. You think I’m virtuous and moral, but pragmatic, too. And the passion you feel for me is stronger because of love.” She placed her palm over Draco’s heart. “Is that right?”

He nodded.

“What do you feel from me?” Hermione asked. She knew it was hard for Draco to articulate his feelings, but she hoped he could read what she felt for him, as well.

Draco lightly traced the lines along Hermione’s palm with his finger. “You see me as a friend, a lover, a partner. You’re proud of me for overcoming my upbringing and dealing with adversity.”

Hermione kissed his temple.

“You see me in every part of your life and it’s better for you because I’m in it.” Draco finished.

“That’s how I feel about you,” she agreed. Draco was humbled by her feelings for him.

“Is the bond enough for you or do you see us traditionally married?” Draco wanted to marry Hermione in a wizarding ceremony, but didn’t want to push his luck. Everything was so much better with Hermione in his life.

Hermione felt that Draco’s question was somewhat unfair to her. She didn’t want him to feel pressured if she said she did want a white dress and marriage vows. Before answering, she decided to listen to the bond. What Draco felt for her was permanent. He was sure about his feelings for her.

Realizing his blunder because of Hermione’s silence, Draco hugged her to him. “Let me try that again. I want whatever you want, but I want to marry you. I’m willing to be patient and wait if you think it’s too soon.”

“Are you asking me to marry you?”

He grinned. “Sort of. I thought we could decide together.”

“I love that idea. I want to marry you. I want everything with you, Draco.” Two hearts beat quickly in excitement and passion.

“You don’t have to take my name,” he said softly. “We can forever more be Malfoy and Granger.”

“You can call me Granger, but I want us to be united as a family. I’ll be proud to be a Malfoy because you’re a Malfoy.” Hermione pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Are we going to do this, Granger? When?”

“This weekend?” she joked.

“I know you’re kidding, but I would do it now if you wanted to.”

They looked at each other for a few seconds. Hermione nodded her head, her eyes tearing up.

Draco Summoned a small, black velvet box. Inside were a pair of thick platinum bands. Hermione saw that the bands were engraved. Draco handed her the smaller of the two rings.

“I’ve engraved the bands with our story. If you want something else, we can look—“

Fat tears rolled down Hermione’s cheeks. “No, Draco, I think this is perfect. Tell me about the rings.”

Draco went on to tell her about the engravings: a book, which represented their initial meeting at Flourish & Blotts and her writing, a paint brush and palette for Hermione’s interest in art and Draco’s painting, an outline of France for the home they were making together, and a heart held in two hands. Every picture was connected to the next with a shimmery string.

“I left room on the rings so we can add more engravings over time, like when we have children.” Draco kissed Hermione’s cheeks, tasting the salt of her tears.

“You never cease to amaze me, Draco Malfoy.” She shook her head in astonishment.

“Do you want to invite your friends or your parents?” Draco didn’t want her to have any regrets.

She had considered owling Harry and Ginny, but her parents had ignored her letters for the past year. No, marrying Draco in an intimate ceremony was what she wanted.

“Let’s focus on each other. I don’t need anyone else there.”

Draco stroked Hermione’s back. “Do you want to get a dress? I think you could probably find something tomorrow morning.”

“You won’t believe this, but I actually have the perfect dress. I bought it a few months ago when I was shopping with Ginny. It’s not a wedding dress, but it’s beautiful and it’s crème.”

Hermione remembered Ginny telling her that she would find a special occasion to wear such a gorgeous dress. Not for the first time she wondered if Ginny had a touch of Seer in her blood.

“Tomorrow,” Draco said softly, gazing into Hermione’s eyes.

“Tomorrow,” Hermione affirmed, fingering the wedding band Draco had lovingly created for her.
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Three Years Have Passed Since The War Ended