1This is really just a prologue to the story to give everyone a background before plunging into the real story this is my first Hermione and Draco Story so be kind.

Prologue:

Hermione Granger walked into her small two bedroom apartment in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her normal bushy brown hair was pulled up into a tight bun. She set her keys on the counter and called as she looked around. Everything was in surprisingly good order she smiled slightly.

"Mrs. Thompson?" She said trying not to be too loud. The chubby rosy-cheeked woman popped her head around the corner with a strange smile.

"I just finally got the little tike to sleep." She explained. "It's been a fairly quiet day though. He did accidently turn your cat blue, I'd have set him right but you know I'm a practically a squib myself and I wouldn't want to make it worse."

"Thank you for watching him." Hermione smiled. Mrs. Emily Thompson had been her savior. She was a retired former school nurse who was, luckily for Hermione, a squib. She had been looking for a job to earn just a few extra dollars a week. She had been exactly the person Hermione was looking for. "I know he can be interesting sometimes."

"He's a good boy though, give him a kiss for me when he wakes up." Emily smiled. "Have a goodnight Hermione."

"I will." She assured Emily. The older woman gave her a hug.

"I'm sure you're night would be much better if you had someone to share it with." Emily said a half smile crept across her face.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not interested in dating right now. I have everything I want." Hermione said. She wasn't lying really. She wasn't interested in dating, she just didn't have everything she wanted.

"That boy needs a father, Hermione." She said

"He and I are just fine on our own." Hermione managed, she had always been an independent girl. She didn't rely on others for anything, and that's how it had to be now. It didn't matter what she wanted. She had to make sacrifices for the greater good. She had told Emily that Alexander's father was dead, that's what she wanted everyone to think. "I'm not ready to start dating again."

"Ok dear, I only want what best for both of you, you know that right?" She grinned.

"I know." Hermione reassured.

"I'll see tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. then." Emily said.

"See you then." Hermione said. At this Emily was out the door. Hermione did get angry with her sometimes. She was the closest thing Hermione had to mother in America and she never exactly let her forget that.

Hermione had been living in the United States for nearly three years now. She had pretty much cut off ties with all of her former friends, it had been a hard three years, but she knew that in order to keep her secret she could never go back. She was working full time as a desk clerk at the prestigious Broadmoor hotel in Colorado Springs and she was making a lot of money. She spent most of her time amongst muggles who had no idea that witches and wizards even existed. If she wasn't with the muggles, she was in the company of the one person she cared about more then life itself.

She poured herself a small glass of wine and walked into his bedroom and stared down at him with a fulfilling smile. Hermione was looking down at the most beautiful 2-year-old she had ever seen. Her son Alexander Draco Malfoy, though still very young, was the spitting image of his father. He had pale white-blonde hair and a pointed chin, the only thing he had in common with Hermione was his eyes. Like it had always been said about Harry Potter, Alexander had his mother's eyes. He was her pride and joy. He sat sleeping peacefully a kind of strange dreamy smile on his tiny face.

It did kill Hermione to be away from Draco. It killed her to not be able to tell him that she had given birth to his son. She turned on the baby monitor next to her son and grabbed the other one walked back into the living room and sat down with a book.

In their years together at Hogwarts, there had been no one Hermione hated more then Draco. Draco Malfoy had been a cold, prejudice git whom she loathed. Then after they had graduated, Draco's leads had helped the order of the Phoenix, and Harry, hunt down Voldemort and his followers. Draco had seen the error of his ways. He had made his share of horrible choices, even been the cause of the death of the great Albus Dumbledor, but in the end he had saved everyone. Hermione remembered the first time he told her he loved her as if it were yesterday.

Hermione had always thought she was in love with her best friend Ron Weasley, but in the end she realized that, they were better off as friends. Both of them were better for that. Ron met and fell in love with a beautiful American witch named Riley, whom he eventually married and Hermione fell deeply in love with Draco. At first she thought Draco would never love her, after all she was a muggleborn and he had spent the majority of his life believing that muggleborns were inferior to him. Somehow he had changed though, he had become caring and considerate. Sure, the familiar edge of arrogance was still there, but Hermione suspected she wouldn't be so fond of him if he'd changed completely. She was completely unsure how he felt about her, he had never said that he no longer hated muggleborns and for all she knew, he was only being nice to her because she was a member of the order and he wanted to help the order. Then one day in the hall of number 12 Grimmauld Place, he made his feelings known.

It had been a dismal gray day outside and Hermione had decided to spend the night Grimmauld place, the entire order was working tirelessly to catch the last remaining members of the Death eaters. It had been nearly six months since Harry defeated Voldemort, but many of the death eaters were hiding out in fear of going back to Azkaban. She had been about to walk into the nearest bathroom when she heard someone call her name.

"'Mione." The voice said. She turned instantly knowing who it was, only Draco called her by that nickname she smiled.

"Good morning Draco." She said awkwardly trying desperately to avoid eye contact. He was already up and dressed in a causal black robe and jeans. She couldn't help but notice he looked amazing. She was suddenly very conscious of her pink pajamas and uncombed hair.

"I was just downstairs and they told me you'd stayed the night, I really wanted to talk to you about something." Draco explained.

"Ok, mmm, I was just about to hop into the shower, can it wait?" She managed.

"Sure, nothing urgent, come down and get me when you're done." He started. He began to walk out of sight and Hermione reached for the doorknob but she didn't even get it open before he was back.

"It's just that I feel like I have to tell you before I lose my nerve." Draco said she had never known him to be nervous but at that moment he was genuinely shaking.

"Ok, what's up?" Hermione said. He reached out and touched her hand. She flinched slightly. She still hadn't gotten used to the sparks his touch sent all the way to her toes. He lingered there for a moment his hand just touching hers before pulling it back.

"I know that we were enemies at school, and that I've done a lot of horrible things to you." He said "But we've been getting really close lately right?"

"Yeah, I think so." Hermione said masking her surprise. Draco had basically become the best friend she had, but she was surprised to hear him admit to that.

"I want you to know, that I don't believe that you are worth less then me anymore, I've grown to respect you and all muggleborns, I was wrong." Hermione felt tears of happiness welling up in her eyes now and through her arms around him.

"Thank you." Hermione said, lingering against him tears running down her cheeks. She had spent the last few months believing that Draco still saw her as less then him, and all the while loving him. He cradled her against him pulling her closer then ever before. She looked up and was surprised to see him more then a little choked up himself. She was about to pull away when she felt his arms lock on hers.

"Wait." He said making eye contact with her as their eyes met she saw something she had never seen before, a gentle fear, a fear of rejection and something else. She didn't know what it was but it was there, somewhere deep in his eyes she thought she could see his soul. He grabbed her chin with his right hand pulling it closer to his mouth and as their lips finally touched it was like nothing Hermione had ever experienced before. It was like fireworks were shooting off all around them, yet they were the only two people in the world. She felt his tongue slide into her mouth and teased it with her own in a fury of passion he pressed her against the wall begging for more of her. Then to her surprise he stopped and looked into her eyes again. His lips moved once but, nothing came out. Then he finally managed, in his gruff sexy voice, to say four simple words "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too." She said, pulling him back into the kiss. It was like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. All the months of loving him and not knowing how he felt were gone in a second and she had gotten what she wanted. Draco loved her too. He ran his hand through her uncombed hair.

"I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I figured you hated me I treated you so horribly, I wouldn't have been surprised if you'd slapped me in the face and told me to go eat slugs." Draco said.

"There was a time I would have, but I've seen everything you've done to prove yourself around here. I've seen how much you've changed. There was a part of me that was always intrigued by you, despite the fact that I loathed you . . . In the end I fell in love with you. I was just afraid of losing the friendship that we had finally built I knew that if I told you I could never go back."

"You never have to worry Hermione, because I'm never going to let you go." Draco promised and Hermione knew in that moment he never would.

Hermione woke on the couch about an hour later she could hear a faint crying in the background. She knew Alex hadn't been awake for long. She always woke at his slightest cry. She realized all at once she had tears in her own eyes and reached up to wipe them away. Draco had kept his promise he had never let Hermione go. In the end it had been she that let him slip away. As she walked into the nursery and lifted her tiny crying son, she remembered why she chose to leave Draco. She knew that she would suffer forever, but the most important thing the world was Alex, in order to keep him safe she had to keep him from Draco.