[thirty two]

"Draco, wait!"

Before he could reach the gates of the manor, Draco was surprised to hear Hermione calling out to him

"Hermione," he turned around and found her shivering "where's your coat?"

"Were you really going to leave without good bye?" Hermione frowned as she walked over, struggling to ignore the freezing cold

"I'm sorry. I just knew I had to—" Hermione cut him off with a tight hug

"I don't like being left behind, you know." Hermione whispered, happy to be in his arms

"I'm sorry, baby." Draco whispered, pressing a kiss on her hair "You didn't have to follow me. I just had to leave before I could say anything I'd regret. I made progress today, you know?"

Hermione pulled away slightly to flash him a smile "You really did."

Draco grinned at her "Did I do well?"

Hermione nodded, standing on her toes to kiss him softly "There wasn't a second today that I didn't feel proud of you." she whispered, eyes shining as she looked at Draco

He didn't answer, he merely placed a kiss on her nose and grinned

"You look good when you show your heart, Draco." Hermione said "You made of people happy today."

"I'll keep that in mind for future occasions." He smirked, arms still tight around Hermione

"Molly and Arthur told me to thank you, Draco. They appreciated everything; from helping them cook to charming the tent and your kind words before dinner." Hermione said "I was watching you today, and every single second made my heart want to burst."

Draco raised a brow "Remind me to keep my healing magic at the ready." he teased lightly

Hermione shook her head and laughed lightly. She looked up at Draco, her eyes drinking in the sight of him "A few days ago you showed your heart when you agreed to come to the dinner, today you showed it when you bit back comments I knew you had about their house."

"You know me well." Draco smirked "Continue."

Hermione rolled her eyes "You showed your heart when you gave Andromeda that letter and introduced yourself politely, when you helped Molly cook even if it something you usually did." She said, cupping his cheek tenderly "You showed your heart when you apologized to them, even for things that weren't even your fault. , you showed your heart when you helped Harry make the proposal for Ginny, when you charmed the tent and even the lights to make tonight perfect. We saw who you really were when you shook Ron's hand and laughed with George, when you openly spoke to Bill and Charlie about dragons and when you picked Teddy up, rocking him to stop his tears."

Draco was no longer smirking, rather, he was looking at Hermione with such raw emotions he never thought were possible. He wasn't doing any of those to get into her good graces, but it felt good to be seen. Draco didn't know she was paying that much attention "You done?" He asked with a smile

She shook her head "Not quite." She bit her lip shyly "You showed your heart when you bought of them gifts, regardless of what they thought of you, and when you refused to fight Percy, who you knew was only grief-stricken. Draco, I you. Everything you've shown me since day one has been so raw, so perfect and so . I've seen every Draco there is, without masks or filters, and I love it. All of it. ." Hermione admitted quietly, she felt like her heart was going to explode, just like that night under the meteors

"Looks like I have to beat two people's cheesy lines now." Draco smirked

"Shut up and kiss me." Hermione laughed

", Hermione Granger." Draco said sincerely "You're the reason why I can so confidently be who I truly am. Thank you for loving me."

"Always and forever." Hermione smiled

Draco didn't waste another second and softly pressed his lips against hers. The air suddenly didn't feel as cold as it did before, with the sparks running up and down their bodies in the heat of their passion. Hermione would never get used to this. The feeling of security and the erratic beating of her heart when she was in his arms were all too much. She can never get enough of Draco.

The feel of her lips on his was electric. Draco pulled her closer, if that were even still possible, entangling his hand with her hair as his tongue danced with hers. Their bodies were warm pressed against each other. Each kiss felt more magical than the last.

"We should get inside, you're going to get sick." Draco breathed against her lips, his mouth missing the feel of hers

"As much as I don't want to stop, you're right." Hermione whispered. Draco pressed a kiss on her nose and tugged at her hand "Come on, let's get you home." he said quietly

Hermione looked up at the large house in wonder, this was one her homes now. The Manor's vast gardens were covered with snow, but the string of lights that lined the frozen bushes and other ornaments made it look beautiful at night. Draco held Hermione's hand tightly as they walked towards the front door, where an elf was waiting.

He didn't have to look at her to know that she was frowning "Good evening, Holly."

"Good evening, master Draco." The elf bowed "Master Theodore arrived just before master Draco." she informed

"Perfect, do you mind getting the pool house ready?"

"Holly and the other elves have already done that upon master Blaise's orders, sir." Holly bowed

"Brilliant. You should go get some rest then. Thank you, Holly." Draco smiled kindly at the elf before she popped out of the room

"Other elves." Hermione echoed and sighed "I hope they're getting better treatment than Dobby did."

Draco flinched "Of course they are." he answered, hoping she would drop the topic. A house as big as this will not survive without house elves. If Hermione insisted they go...

Draco led Hermione through several doors before they got to the pool house, where their friends were already starting to have a good time.

"Hey you two." Celine grinned "I was wondering when you'd get here."

"You didn't tell us Granger was coming." Blaise smirked "Missed us too much to stay away, huh?"

"Actually, I just came to make sure you weren't sobbing over Ginny's engagement." Hermione smirked back, earning her a glare from Blaise

"Granger, you're lucky I love you." Blaise muttered "Theodore, why don't you pour us some of that wine you brought in from France."

"These two arrived in a carriage." Pansy whistled, gesturing to Theo and Celine

"Can't expect less from uncle Stefan." Blaise shrugged

"Are all of you staying here?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to Pansy

"We're celebrating the New Year together." Celine nodded "Goyle can't make it because Millicent's parents are fussing over their wedding already."

Theo was about to hand them their glasses when Hermione got an idea "Why don't we all celebrate New Year's together? We can have a party like we did back in the common room."