The Weasley clan loved doing most things together but there was one thing they enjoyed doing above all: setting two people up who were into each other but refused to toughen up and do something about it.

Thus, at a weekend at Shell Cottage, all of them grouped together on the beach late in the afternoon, along with a bespectacled Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini to create an elaborate plan to get Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger to kiss. Or rather, move beyond the 'PG-13 shit', like Ginny called it.

"I can feel the sexual tension every time they grin and flirt with each other," Ginny said plopping down on the beach.

"Me too!" Blaise chimed in. "Every drinking night with Draco becomes a long ramble about Hermione. You can ask Ron."

"Please don't remind me, Zabini. If I ever have to hear the words 'genius' and 'Hermione', I will hex the bastard," Ron complained of one of his closest friends. Ron liked, even loved, being Draco's friend but of late, it had been a task. "Harry, how many times have you heard of Hermione's research from Draco?"

"In the past three days, maybe five or six times."

Percy, who had been with them only since this morning, added, "Mate, I have heard it three times in the past eight hours. As interesting as it it, just make that bloke stop."

"Should we add one of our testing products to his drinks tonight, Freddy?" George smirked at his twin.

"Why did you bring your testing products to my house? I thought we talked about it last time after what happened with Fleur's father!" Bill glared at the twins.

Charlie Weasley, who was usually the most patient of the lot, was losing his patience with his siblings. Merlin, they got distracted with such ease.

"Can we please focus?" he asked his siblings in a tone louder than everyone else's.

"Relax, Charlie," Ginny complained, already halfway through the drink she had carried to the beach. Another problem with his siblings: they always had drinks at the ready.

"You are losing focus."

"Oh, yeah, probably," Bill ruffled his hair.

"What is our action plan?" he asked of them.

"We could lock them in a room together!" Ron clapped his hands together.

"They would never shut up about each other's research papers and how something from 15th fucking century could help them understand it better," Harry complained.

"Very likely."

"What about sending them away on a trip next month?" Charlie asked. For a man like him, the key to romance was always travel. And dragons, but that wasn't practical for most people. But this was Draco and Hermione after all, they were curious about everything in this universe.

"With their schedules? Nope," Zabini ruled that out.

"How about a Love Potion from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes? We have been brewing something stronger," Fred asked.

"Aka hornier!" George grinned, high-fiving Fred.

"You have access to that right now?" Percy asked with curiosity.

"Percy, you, of all people, do not need that potion!" Harry shuddered. He had been in the room next to Percy's last night and it was horrifying and surprising at once.

"I was asking for Charlie!" he defended himself.

"I can assure you I do not need a love potion that my idiot brothers are making for teens."

"Hey!" the twins yelled and hit Charlie on the head at the same time.

"I meant that I am not a teen!"

"You will come begging for it. It's the sweeeeeet stuff!" George grinned. "Ask Ginny, she's tried it on someone."

"What! Lies, no!" Ginny said, blushing head to toe. While she never shied away from talking about boys with her brothers, she did not want all of them (well, except the twins) to know she had been testing potions on boys and sleeping with them.

"Don't disgust us," Bill, the most protective of her, shuddered. "You two keep it to yourself."

"Can we, for fuck's sake, discuss what we are here for? Those two will be back from the market with Fleur and we do not want to look like we are plotting something," Charlie shot an angry look at his siblings. "Please, I just want to go back inside, hang out with my nieces and nephews, have a nice drink. Just fucking please get back to the topic of discussion!"

Meanwhile, at a house not far away from Shell Cottage:

"Hermione, do you think we should tell them? This is unfair," Draco whispered as he lay next to Granger in a bed that was now quite familiar to him.

"I will let them have this weekend," Hermione grinned. "And I know they are plotting something now. I heard Ginny and Harry discussing something in the kitchen after lunch. Why do you think they sent us off?"

"Thank god for Fleur," he smiled. "Should you be calling her now?"

"You worry too much, darling," she laid a soft kiss on the mouth.

Hermione could get used to this. She and Draco had started dating a couple of months ago and decided to keep it a secret. It was Draco's suggestion since he was still trying to 'correct certain things' (insert the trademark Granger eye roll). Hermione wanted someone from the Weasley family to know and Molly, Arthur, and Fleur were the ones she decided to inform of this development. The three were in on her plan of not telling the Weasley children because she knew they were up to something. It was her turn to play the Weasleys.

"Please, Hermione. I think I have the right to worry," Draco grimaced. "Those Weasleys are going to kill me when they find out."

"They won't, they love you," she said crawling close to him. "The same way I do."

"Have you seen the way they hover around you at parties? A bloke can't get a word with you!"

"Oh, babe, you are not hung up about Ron's birthday party, are you?"

"Of course I am. I am Draco Malfoy, I don't forgive the Weasleys easily."

"Shush, you. Anyway, do you think we have time for another round?" she grinned up at him.

"Erm."

"What?"

"Do you want to talk?" he sat up but pulled her closer to him.

"Do you want to talk?" she asked settling on his lap and faced him.

"Yes, actually."

"What about?"

"I am scared about the Weasleys. This is not me joking about them being protective of you. This is me thinking how it affects everyone in the long run. I am a Black, after all, and they are the Weasleys. I am wondering if it places them in danger from any long-lost relative of mine or father's friends looking for vengeance."

"Draco."

"Hermione, I think about this quite a bit. After you go to sleep. After dinner at the Burrow. After you leave my apartment in the morning."

"Darling, you are not alone in fears of people from the past but if there's anything the war has taught us, it's that a life with fear is not one we want to live. I sent away my parents in fear and look where that landed me. I am happiest with the Weasleys but I miss my parents. I miss what my life was with them. I want both my families but here I am."

"I am sorry."

"I know. I don't want to live this life of fear, especially with you."

"Yes, I know but I cannot stop my thoughts leading to it, Hermione."

"Please come to me every time you feel these fears. But please promise to talk to Arthur or Remus? They are the ones I go to when my fears haunt me, they will help you get through this."

"Alright," he sighed.

"Draco?" Hermione stroked his face. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life," he gave her a small smile.

"Too trusting, you idiot!"

"I trust you, Granger."

"If you do, you also trust me to make the wisest decisions? I will always consider the safety of those redheads above everything else."

"I am aware."

"Good that you are. Take my hand," she held a hand in front of him. "Come on, a witch offers you a hand, you take it!"

"I will never refuse this witch's hand," he grinned and took her hand.

Hermione placed their hands on her chest and shut Draco's eyes with her free one.

"Feel it, Draco. Feel how it beats for the people I love, for you. I am lucky to have you in my life, at this moment and for the coming ones. For the long run," she said smiling at the last words. "I love you like I have not loved any other. I love having you in my found family, those loveable idiots I would give my life for. We will get through whatever comes our way together. I mean, we got through a lunch with Molly and Narcissa together. I bet there are very few things scarier than those two making a list of baby names."

"I agree," he shuddered but smiled at everything else. "But, Hermione, if we were to have a baby, we are naming it after a constellation."

"I love how our hypothetical future baby is an it," she swatted him.

"You know what I mean!"

"No, Malfoy, we are not talking babies!"

"Alright. Thank you, Hermione. I love you too, more than you'd ever know."

"Draco Malfoy, do not underestimate my research on Veela mating!"

"Do not overestimate your understanding of a creature you are not, Granger!" he smirked.

"Hm, why don't you make me understand, Malfoy?" she kissed him full on his mouth.

"I will, Granger, I will." He put her on the bed and hovering on top of her. "How would you like to understand?" he asked, kissing her wrists.

"Mmmm, start with that, yes," she sighed.

"And what about-" he asked moving up but was interrupted with a loud blaring from Hermione's phone.

"Oh fuck, that's Fleur's second alarm!" she growled. Draco got out of bed and tugged on his pants, throwing Hermione's clothes at her.

"Relax, we could always be late and tell them we went to the science centre."

"Babe, please? Just this once, for me, let's avoid fooling around with them?" he pleaded. "Please, Granger."

"Okay, alright," she dressed herself and both of them Apparated close to Shell Cottage and met with Fleur.

"How was your afternoon, you two?" Fleur smiled.

"It was lovely, thank you for covering for us, Fleur," Draco said politely. He looked up to her as an elder sister or aunt (strange) and treated her with utmost respect. "I am sorry we couldn't help."

"Oh, it's no problem. Come on, let's go back to those crazies."

The Weasleys were all gathered around the small table, most of them perched on surfaces not meant for sitting. Most of them had drinks in their hands and grins on their faces. Hermione threw a grin at Ginny, grabbing glasses of Butterbeer for the two of them.

"How was your evening, guys?" Draco asked, getting grunts or enthusiastic tales about swims in the ocean.

"So, I was thinking," Charlie started, "how would the two of you like to go on a study trip cum vacation?" There were some groans from some of the Weasleys but Charlie shot them a look. "A friend is doing some herbal studies in Peru for which I was invited but for now, it looks impossible for me to visit him."

"I will have to think about it," Draco replied. "It all depends on the schedule."

Hermione, who was standing close to him, looked at him and smiled. Merlin, he sensed trouble.

"Well, I am sure we can clear our schedules for a week for research, can't we, darling?" she smirked, pecking him on his mouth. Draco was shocked, of course, but kissed her back nonetheless.

The fears were worth every shocked and open-mouthed face of the plotting redheads.