I bet you're wondering what happened. Because all of a sudden there were three parts, and now there's twelve. Truth is - I'm an impatient person. SURPRISE. It's already up on AO3, and it didn't make much sense to me to not just get it all up for everyone.

"I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self respect. And it's these things I believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be.

I love her and that is the beginning of everything."

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Chapter Eleven

Given that Mykonos was also friendly towards Muggles, it shouldn't have been a surprise when she took him by the hand and dragged him down the boardwalk. "Stop resisting," Hermione tugged on his hand. "That's a fireworks stand, I've read about them."

"What the fuck is a firework?"

She didn't tell him, assuming that if she did, he would actually not come. She bought sparklers, shaking her head when the Muggle woman told her that they should really buy these others as well. She'd only used sparklers once in the United States as a child when her parents had taken a holiday there.

At the beginning of August, dread had begun to coil in her stomach all too tightly. He was returning to Hogwarts, she reminded herself as she peeked up at him while they sat on the edge of a dock. It was well past midnight now, and the package of sparklers sat beside her.

"I can hear you thinking from here, Granger. Spit it out." He told her, pulling a stick from the cardboard packaging and eyeing it warily.

"It's silly fears,"

"Quite possibly, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear it." He replied, turning to face her. "You've got that look on your face."

She scowled, "What look?"

"The same one you had when you were worried I didn't want any kind of commitment, so it's likely safe to assume this is about summer ending."

"...No." Her nose crinkled and he just shook his head, laughing under his breath. "Don't laugh at me."

He pushed his hair back. "You're such an idiot, Hermione."

Her heart warmed at the use of her first name, but calling her an idiot was mildly irritating. "That's rude of you to say."

Draco reached for her across the dock, tugging her closer to his. His hand reached up to cup her face, and he brushed his lips against hers softly - softer than he ever had. "I am not going to break off our relationship off just because we're returning to a dusty, old castle. Do you understand? What has you so worried about that?"

She shrugged. "My crippling self doubt, I suppose. It's hard not to wonder what your friends would say. We're vastly different. I'm afraid that I stop being Hermione and start being a -"

His eyes flashed. "A Mudblood to me again?" He finished, swallowing hard. Grabbing her hand, and lacing his fingers through hers, he wore the most remorseful expression she thought she'd ever seen. "I'll make it up to you, every day that you'll have me. Can you accept that promise?"

Her hair slipped from behind her ears. "If you break that promise, you'll break my heart. Do you sincerely want to make that kind of promise to me?" Hermione's voice was soft.

"Of course I do," he murmured over the waves meeting the dock below them. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do."

"Okay then," she nodded, squeezing his hand. "Hold the sparkler, and don't freak out."

His eyes widened. "Why does this suddenly feel like an awful idea?" Draco muttered, but held it up anyway.

"No, hold the other end, or else you'll set yourself on fi -" Hermione's mouth snapped shut. "There you are, perfect!" She pulled her wand from her bag, tracing the pattern of the charm and murmuring "Incendio."

He did look a bit fearful when she held the flame to the end of the sparkler; though he hid it well enough. "Bloody fuck," he jumped when it crackled, the sparks jetting out in bright hues of green. "What is that? It looks like an Avada ."

"It's just colored lights," she told him, scooting closer and taking it from his hand, waving it through the air. "It's pretty, isn't it?

"Pretty," he agreed, resting his chin on the top of her head. "not as pretty as you."

She snorted. "There's a line that took you minimal effort." The light died out, and she set it halfway off the dock so it wouldn't leave burn marks. "What are you - Draco!" She scolded just as he yanked her off the edge alongside him.

His mouth met hers as they resurfaced, and he hooked her legs around his waist. "Serves you right for not telling me what the damned stick would do," he muttered.

She giggled. "You use a wand everyday, Draco. A tiny firework is nothing compared to that." Her arms slid around his neck, and she just hugged him tightly.

August 31, 2018

Malfoy Manor

Hermione Malfoy stood around the corner from the door leading into their attic, listening to the soft, but sure voice of her husband, and father of her children. She had originally climbed the stairs to help Lyra find the album. After their daughter hadn't returned to the study, Hermione thought she must have given up on finding it since the wards hadn't come down.

But they they had nearly immediately after Draco flooed home.

"You were scared of a sparkler?" Lyra giggled, and she sat with her legs crossed in the floor. "Mum!" The younger version of herself waved Hermione in. "I can't you still married him after he was afraid of a tiny sparkler."

Draco spluttered. "Keep in mind, you, that I'd never seen one, or heard of firecrackers." He brushed the hair that had fallen into his eyes back. "And don't bring up those blasted firecrackers either. Potter and Weasley nearly killed us in, when was it, love?"

Pushing the sleeves of her jumper up to her elbows, she sat beside him, lacing her fingers through hers. "It was the summer of 2003, when they were visiting MACUSA, and you went along due to your funding for the Auror Department." She said the last bit accusingly, giving him a look.

"Don't be offended for them; those twits would have spent several of my galleons on those firecrackers if I wasn't there."

She rolled her eyes. "Where were the two of you at in the story?"

Draco scoffed at her side, squeezing her hand. "Don't pretend you haven't been standing in the corridor this whole time."

"Guilty as charged,"

He leaned down to kiss her cheek, followed by Scorpius's loud "Gross, don't kiss my mum in front of me."

Lyra laughed, bumping her shoulder against his. "Quit it, they're cute together."

Scorpius gagged. "Dad was going to tell us about when the two of you went to a restaurant called Thioni before you returned to England for Hogwarts."

"Oh, was he?" Hermione laughed, glancing at her husband. "Which version?"

Draco smirked, "The fairy tale version."

Both of their children looked horrified at the mischievous tone, and the innuendo in his voice.

August 19 , 1998. 7:34 P.M.

Mykonos Bay Hotel

Mykonos

Hermione felt as if she'd blinked and lost the summer. Standing in her shower, the dress she'd pulled from her closet still laying on her bed, her heart felt heavy. They were going to another restaurant tonight, and all she could think about was how they had short eleven days left. It was just mere days before they returned to England, and to Diagon Alley for her next school year.

After the appearance of her friends in Mykonos, she'd expected a Howler at the least, but all she had received was a copy of the Daily Prophet. Seeing their names in the headline, Draco set it on fire before pressing her to the bed and making her forget all about it.

There was a crack as he apparated into her hotel room. The bathroom door opened quietly, just as she was stepping out of the shower in her rush to get ready. He froze, he'd been buttoning his suit, as he looked her up and down. "Oh, fuck."

Hermione's cheeks felt hot. "Hello," she muttered, finally able to move and she walked over to the counter in front of the mirror. She refused to be so shy, especially when he looked at her as if she was all he'd ever wanted. "Sorry I'm not ready yet." Hermione picked her wand up from the counter, casting a quick drying spell and tying her hair up.

"Wear it down," he choked, stepping behind her her, and pulling the pin from her hair. It clattered against the marble. Draco stared at her, his eyes cast downwards. "I don't even want to go to the fucking restaurant now."

Her eyebrow quirked up. "Oh? What would you rather do then?" She asked him, casting beauty charms on herself while he kneaded her hips. "Draco?" His head snapped up at her voice. "I asked you what you would rather do."

"I'd rather keep you like this," he muttered, hissing between his teeth when she rubbed her arse against him. "Granger," he warned.

"I'll be just a moment. Let me go put my dress on," Hermione told him, completely disregarding what he'd said. If he wanted her that badly he'd have to work for it. She pulled a pair of earrings from the dresser in her hotel room, swaying her hips ever so slightly as she put them on. "What restaurant are we going to?"

"Thioni," he rasped, coming behind her to in her against the edge of the dresser. "Though I'm rethinking that now with you prancing around naked."

She smirked just as he gripped her hips, before his hands slid up her stomach. "As lovely as that sounds, I'm famished."Hermione whimpered when the soft pads of his fingers brushed against her nipples.

"Are you?" He asked, nipping her earlobe. "Because I think you're just playing hard to get."

"That's not all," she muttered, slumping against him. "I want to tease you just because I can, but I'm not, ah," she broke off when his hand slipped lower once more, and he rubbed her clit. "Experienced."

"I couldn't give a fuck." He growled. "Tell me whether you want to go to that restaurant, Granger. I'll give you what you want, whether it's,"

"Bed," Hermione blurted, mortified, but he didn't notice how she worried was when he picked her up. Draco wrapped her legs around his waist, his hand flat against the small of her back. 'You're wearing too many clothes." She gasped.

His clothes, bloody all of them, vanished with little more than a wave of her hand. "Merlin, wandless and nonverbal?"

"I'm in a hurry." She bit out, twining her fingers into his hair. "And it's hardly fair that I'm naked and you're not."

He grinned, ducking his head down to slide his tongue against her nipple. The bed dipped beneath his weight as he laid her down, working his way down her body. Listening to her breathy whimpers, he licked the sensitive bundle of nerves with the tip of his tongue, making her cry out in frustration.

"Draco, I don't," she gasped. "I want you, just you, and now. "

He peeked up at her, the doubt all too clear in his eyes. "Granger,"

She shook her head, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him close. "What do I have to do to prove to you that all I want is to feel you?" She murmured, reaching between them to grasp his throbbing cock, her thumb swiping across the head. "I want you inside of me,"

"Fuck," he growled, parting her legs with his knee and settling in between them. "I don't know what I did to get so fucking lucky -"

"It's astonishing what can happen if you're not a massive prick all of the time," Hermione laughed, sliding her palms over his chest, her index finger tracing his scar, and then wrapping her arms around his neck.

He rolled his eyes. "I think you like that I'm only nice to you," his fingers slid against her clit. "Merlin, you're soaking for me, Hermione." Color flooded her face, and she tried to hide her reddening cheeks. "Don't hide from me."

Tilting her head back, Draco kissed her, stealing her moans for himself when he slowly pushed inside of her.

Hermione gasped as she was stretched to accommodate him; she buried her face in the crook of his neck, scratching at his back. "Stay there," she breathed. "Just for a minute,"

He was more tender than she'd ever seen him when he trailed kisses down her neck, his fingers massaging her hips. "You're incredible," he choked. "The way you feel around me is -"

"Move," she whispered weakly. "Please move."

The times she'd had sex hadn't been painful, and it hadn't been as all encompassing as this. With each thrust, his hands were everywhere: on her breasts, or rubbing her clit to drag moans from her, and it was all she could do grasp onto a shred of self control.

"Oh, my God," she keened, digging her ankles into the bottom of his back as his biceps slid under her, caging her against him. "Draco,"

"I should have bloody asked, but I'm a tosser," he groaned, bottoming out inside of her. "Are you on the contraceptive potion?" She nodded fervently, urging him to go faster. Draco reached between them once more, pulling his arm out from behind her. "I want to watch you come for me, love."

"Yes," She mewled, her back arching as his fingers moved against her. "It's really not fair that you're so good at that."

He grinned wickedly. "You won't be saying that tomorrow morning," he murmured, and his movements quickened, cutting off any coherent reply she could have attempted.

"I think," she gasped, her fingers threading through her tangled, frizzy hair as she arched off of the soft sheets once more.

"Let go," he demanded.

She thought it might have been the roughness in his voice that took her over the edge, but it was everything all at once. Hermione trembled beneath him, pride blooming in her chest at his loud groan as he came.

He was careful when got off of her, motioning for her to come closer. Pressing his lips to her hair, he wrapped his arm around her. "Why are you laughing? That's rude to do after,"

She swatted his chest. "I'm laughing at something you said earlier this summer - well, I'm laughing at two things actually. Do you remember when earlier this summer you told me that my 'trashy romance novels' set abnormally high expectations?"

"For Merlin's sake, do not compare me to Harper,"

She fell into a fit of giggles. "I am comparing you, but I think you're better."

He glanced down at her, a smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. "Of course you do. You're the brightest witch of our age, after all." He chuckled.

"Oh, sod off,"

"What was the other thing you were laughing about?" He asked quietly drawing circles over the skin of her back.

"Oh, I was just thinking of how I punched you in third year, and here we are."

"Here we are," he murmured, lacing his fingers through her hair once more and lowering his mouth to hers.

August 31, 2018

Malfoy Manor

With their children having left the manor for one last trip to Diagon Alley, and to meet with Harry, and Ron's children, Hermione sat in her husband's lap, flipping through the album of the summer of '98.

"I love you so much," she whispered, tracing her fingers over the first photo she'd ever taken on him, on the cobblestone streets of Little Venice.

"And I you," he kissed the spot beneath her ear. "As much as I love these photos, there's a set I happen to prefer."

She snorted. "Is that so? Well, they're sealed up in our bedroom where no one but us will ever find them."

Draco kissed down her neck, slipping the collar of her jumper down her shoulder. "Our children will be gone all night, bothering Potter, or Weasley. How do you feel about recreating those photos?"

Hermione shivered. "That sounds like an excellent idea." She sprung to her feet, placing the album back into the portrait. "You'll have to catch me though." She dashed from the room, leaving her husband to shake his head.

"Malfoy!" He yelled, and her laugh floated up the stairs.

"You just like the sound of your name being mine!" She called back.

September 1, 1998

Hogwarts Express

Hermione told herself that she was't a particularly violent person, but if Pansy Parkinson ever tried to snog her boyfriend again, she would certainly rectify that immediately.

Draco sat at her side in one of the cars while she laid her head on his shoulder. "I'll never forget the look on her face when you told her 'don't touch my boyfriend.'" Draco shook with laughter.

Hermione scowled, "Who tries to just song someone randomly? Sure, she's slept with you, but that's no excuse."

"Apparently her father was in the process of trying to draw up a marriage contract between us. Mother rejected it, so she was likely trying to change my mind."

Hermione looked at him, tilting her head to the side. "Your mother rejected it? I would have assumed.."

"Right, yes, she rejected it without hearing his entire monologue on how it would be beneficial to our families. She spoke with me last night, and told me that I was not to marry anyone that was not you."

Hermione's mouth fell open. "She didn't,"

Draco grinned, "She most certainly did. You made quite the impression on her at dinner last night."

"Well, you'll have to work for marriage." She clicked her tongue. "It's not as easy as offering me a large dowry to convince me to marry you."

He snorted, "Not to worry, Granger; whatever a Malfoy does, a Malfoy does well."

And that's all she wrote - until she sits down because she has an idea for future Draco and Hermione, who revisit Mykonos.

I truly, truly hoped you enjoyed this story. If you made it this far, thank you a million times for sticking with it because I know there must have been so many errors because I self beta'd. There's a story behind that, but I won't bore you with it. If you would leave me your thoughts, I would be so grateful. This was a labor of love for six weeks, and it's 50/50 when I love it, and when I want to rewrite it, which I know sounds so silly. I'm glad I uploaded it, and I'm so glad for everyone who followed, and favorited!

So until I upload the next chapters of Wanderlust, Unofficial Diary, Secrecy, AND Stripper Hermione (title in progress), I'll see you next time! - Mrs. Ren.