"I— I mean to say, I'm glad that we…" She gestured helplessly to their bodies, currently pressed up against each other. "But maybe we shouldn't… That's not to say, 'not ever,' but—"

Draco smiled. And the sight of it took her breath away. He pulled his lip between his teeth, and she felt his fingers shift on her waist. He leaned into her ear and whispered, "Stop your babbling, Granger."

He left a kiss there that made her eyes flutter, just before stepping back.

"Don't you have a book to read?"

Her eyelids shot open to find him smirking at her. "I shouldn't," she muttered. "We have research to do…"

He gave a lazy shrug. "Did you read the title?"

Her eyes widened, and her fingers itched. "I did."

"Hmm."

She cleared her throat. "Do you think it will be anything like the Undesirable series? Did he say if there would be seven books again?" She pulled away from the shelves and moved back through the stacks. "The Hall of Prophecies. I wonder whether it's going to be focused on the Ministry. Or if we'll see any of the Undesirable characters again—"

"Granger, just read the bloody book."

She spun to him. He lifted a brow, grinning at her as he followed her down the steps from the landing. She blushed and picked up the manuscript with gentle fingers. Her eyes caught on the books spread across the table.

"Later. We should work. You mentioned that you'd found something on Tolbrette's journal?"

"Not later. Now," he said. Her eyes slid to him. "You can miss a day of research. It's your birthday."

Her mouth opened and closed before she settled on a smile. "It is. Thank you."

He jerked his head toward the exit. "Go read. I'll have Mippy bring lunch to your room. She made pumpkin soup for you."

Reaching up on her toes, she kissed his cheek before he could stop her. She raced to her room with the memory of the blush on his cheek where her lips had been.

Chapter End Notes

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Chapter 24

Chapter Notes

We're back! Thanks everyone for allowing that break.

I know the world turned into a scary place since the last time I posted, but as you devour more and more content while you're stuck at home, please remember to be kind to your creators. You never know what's going on in the author's life, and asking for updates while someone is in crisis is ridiculous. Be kind. Leave reviews.

Huge thanks to raven_maiden's husband. I monopolized her. ;)

CW: A brief discussion of fertility, pregnancy, and abortion (not Hermione) in this chapter. Mind your triggers.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Draco's lips dropped kisses against her neck, his hand tracing circles on her knee as her eyes read the same sentence for the sixth time.