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One Thousand Ways to Fall in Love

Chapter 20: Epilogue

Notes:

That's a wrap everybody <3 Thank you for the continuous love and support. Your comments and kudos and just plain support for this fic overwhelmed me with joy!!

XO

Chapter Text

A Year and A Half Later: 

 

Looking back on the past year, it’s crazy to believe that things have happened the way that they did. Never in a million years did Hermione think that she would find herself being friends with Draco Malfoy, let alone being in love with him. As soon as their feelings for each other were out in the open, things didn’t take long to escalate between them. Hermione moved into Draco’s flat just before Thanksgiving, and Theo moved into her old bedroom in Pansy’s flat. After the passing of Lupin’s Law, Hermione was given a promotion within the Ministry, making her the head of her department. Everything was finally falling into place. 

Draco was the perfect boyfriend. He was loyal, loving, attentive. He made sure that she didn’t work too much and that she ate if she had to stay late in the office. He rocked her world every single night, delivering orgasm after orgasm until her legs were shaking uncontrollably. He was everything she’d ever wanted and more. He made sure that she knew how loved she was every single day. 

The new year was quickly approaching. The Christmas holidays were over, having passed last week, and while Hermione adored Christmas, she was glad for some time to relax without the worries of gift shopping and treat baking. Christmas had been a blast. Hermione had spent Christmas at the Manor with Draco, Theo, Pansy, and Narcissa. The house elves had cooked up a delicious meal, and by the end of the night everyone was stuffed to the brim with mashed potatoes and pumpkin pastries. Draco had played the piano at his mother’s request while Hermione sat beside him with her head resting on his shoulder. 

Narcissa was Hermione’s biggest supporter, much to her surprise. She grinned to herself as she reflected on how nervous she was to formally meet her as Draco’s girlfriend for the first time. She’d spent ages harassing Pansy for the perfect outfit and days researching the best flower shops in London. The two women hit it off right away, diving immediately into their love for literature; Draco could barely get a word in all night. 

The day after Christmas, all of their friends met up at Draco’s flat to exchange gifts and have dinner. It was an evening full of laughter and storytelling, and it brought so much joy to Hermione’s heart to see all of her friends together in one place. When it was time to exchange gifts, Pansy insisted that she be saved for last. Hermione had to hide the flush in her cheeks, knowing exactly what Pansy had gotten for Draco. His reaction was priceless. 

Pansy had printed the boudoir photoshoot photos of Hermione onto large canvases, meant to be hung up. Being the bright witch that she is, she enchanted the canvases so that only Hermione and Draco could see the prints of Hermione’s body. To everybody else, the canvases looked like simple line drawings; classy and elegant, perfect to be hung up in Draco’s flat. Draco’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he unwrapped the canvases one by one, staring at Hermione with his jaw dropped as he looked between her and the photos. 

“Am I missing something? It looks like lines to me. A child could have drawn something better.” Theo furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the canvases for a long time, trying to decipher what was so special about them. 

Draco hung them up above the fireplace in his bedroom. Hermione still blushed every time she looked at them, but she secretly loved the way that they had all come out. She also loved the way that Draco developed a raging hard-on the second that he peeked up at the photos. Her cravings for him had only grown since things had become more serious between the two of them, and she’d found herself tangled up with him whenever she had a second of free time. Pansy would not stop teasing her about the fact that her contraceptive potions were working overtime. 

Overall, it had been a perfect year, and now it was coming to an end. It was New Year’s Eve, and Hermione was getting ready for Pansy and Theo’s epic final party of the year. She knew that it was going to be a long night, and she was already exhausted from the work that she’d done earlier in the day for a new case that she’d been working on. 

Draco came up behind her while she was switching her earrings, and he placed a soft kiss to her cheek as she smiled at him through the mirror. He looked as handsome as ever with his fitted trousers and crisp black button down shirt. Hermione licked her bottom lip instinctively as she eyed him up and down, and he chuckled as she stood from her seat at the vanity. She bent down to grab her heels, and he grabbed her hips, taking advantage of the position that she was in. She gasped as he pushed her arse against his crotch, pressing his hips into her to reveal his erection. 

“I will never get over these photos of you.” He groaned as Hermione straightened herself out, her face stern as she turned to look at him. They could not be late to another function because they were too busy having sex to show up on time. They’d gotten into a bad habit of that recently. 

“We have to be at Pansy’s at nine o’clock. Sharp.” Hermione reminded him. Draco chuckled, sneaking a glance at his watch. He smirked as he looked back up at Hermione, his eyes sparkling with temptation. 

“It’s only a quarter to nine. If we subtract two minutes for us to grab our things and find our coats, one minute to walk downstairs, and let’s be generous and say another minute to Floo over, that leaves me with..” He pretended to think about it real hard. “A little over ten minutes to make you cum. I can do plenty in ten minutes, Granger.” 

She couldn’t help the smile that pulled on her lips as he laid her down on the bed, hiked her dress up to her hips and groaned at the sight of her bare mound. She had anticipated that he’d be itching to fool around at some point tonight, so she figured she’d make it easy for him and ditch the knickers. They were redundant anyway; she always ended the night with them off. 

He ate her out as though she was his last meal on earth, the room filling with her moans and pleads until he sucked hard on her clit and she came undone on his tongue, her legs shaking beside his head. When he was finished lapping up her juices, he smiled cheekily at her. 

“And I still had two minutes to spare.” 

She rolled her eyes as she pulled her dress back down into place and brushed her hand over his hard-on. She would pay him back for this later tonight, probably in Pansy’s bathroom. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. Draco pulled her into a kiss, and she hummed in appreciation as his warm lips covered hers. 

“I love you.” He mumbled, planting a wet kiss on her forehead as she sighed in content. She grabbed her purse and coat before joining him on the stairs. 

“I love you too.” She beamed, taking the steps two at a time. They floo’d to Pansy’s, showing up right on time. 

They were greeted by Neville at first, Pansy’s official boyfriend now. The two couldn’t get enough of each other, and while they were polar opposites; they were perfect for each other. Pansy brought out the wild side in Neville, and Neville was able to tame part of Pansy’s crazy; only part of it though. Pansy Parkinson was still as wild as ever. Her line of evening wear had taken off quickly, and the wizarding world was loving everything she put out. Hermione still modeled for her from time to time, but the company was getting so much recognition that Pansy was no longer having any issues staffing her shoots. 

“Damn it. You two had to be on time tonight of all nights?” Pansy groaned as she pulled a few galleons out of her back pocket and placed them in Theo’s palm. He was grinning wickedly, shooting Draco and Hermione a wink as he stuffed the wrinkled bills into his own pockets. 

Hermione rolled her eyes as she went to help Pansy in the kitchen. Ginny and Luna were already standing there, sipping their wine casually and debating about the best sweets in the wizarding world. Ginny was currently pleading her case for the exploding bon-bons. Hermione instantly shook her head. 

“It’s definitely the fizzing whizzbys.” Hermione threw in her contender, earning a groan from Ginny. Hermione laughed, loving how carefree her life was turning out to be. After all of the stress that she endured at work, she was glad to finally be able to come home to a stress free environment. Her friends all got along, she had the perfect boyfriend, and she was happy; so unbelievably happy. 

After listening to Luna’s endorsement of the classic chocolate frog, Hermione made her way back to Draco who was listening to Neville’s never-ending stories about his students. He seemed eager to be pulled away, so Hermione gently tugged on his arm and pulled him over to the couch. The two sunk down into the cushions, Draco’s arm resting around her shoulders and pulling her into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder as he absentmindedly stroked her bare arm. 

“Do you ever wonder how life turned out to be so perfect?” Hermione sighed, looking up at him through her thick eyelashes. He flashed her that brilliant smile of his before pecking her lips. 

“Every morning when I wake up next to you.” He admitted. Hermione flushed, snuggling deeper into his side. There was no doubt that he loved her. He had proven time and time again that he adored her and that no matter what was going on with either of them, he’d never leave her side. 

She couldn’t count the amount of times that he’d spent sitting on the couch in her office, watching her work all hours of the night when she refused to go home. He would bring her dinner and extra coffee if she was adamant about staying late. He never complained when all she talked about were her big cases, and he practiced with her when it was time for her to present. There had been loads of nights when he had literally had to carry her home because she was far too tired to walk by herself, and he never muttered a single complaint; instead, he brought her home, tucked her into bed and then held her all night. 

Thankfully, the party didn’t get too out of hand. There was a game of strip poker being played by the end of the night, but Hermione was convinced that Theo would have petitioned for that regardless of how much he’d had to drink. Hermione kept her drinking to a minimum, thinking there would be nothing worse than starting the new year with a hangover. Draco too had only finished one glass of firewhiskey. He and Hermione retired home shortly after midnight, being the first ones to leave. 

While Ginny and Pansy had a field day brainstorming all the things that Draco and Hermione were going to do upon coming home, the truth was that Hermione was exhausted, and she’d gotten roped into reviewing case files on New Year’s Day with a coworker of hers who was significantly behind. She just wanted to go to sleep, hoping to catch a few restful hours before she had to be at the ministry. 

“I still don’t understand why you agreed to this. How is it your problem that she isn’t able to keep up with the workload?” Draco groaned, slipping into bed beside Hermione and pulling her into his chest. 

Hermione let out a deep sigh. They had been getting into arguments over Hermione’s ability to be roped into things too easily all week. It was a holiday, and she had no business working tomorrow; in fact, Hermione was ahead on her own caseload due to the amount of overtime that she’d been working, but she couldn’t say no to the new girl who had asked for help. She would have to be stricter with her staff eventually, but she couldn’t find it in herself to say no. 

“She’s a good worker, she just hasn’t figured out how to manage her time well yet.” Hermione argued, a long yawn escaping her lips. Draco grumbled to himself about how unfair it all seemed, and Hermione smiled softly as she settled into his arms. Deep down, she knew that he was only trying to ensure that she wasn’t being taken advantage of. “I promise to only stay an hour or two.” She compromised before fading into sleep. 

When Hermione woke up the following morning she felt anything but well rested. The few measly hours of sleep that she’d managed were not enough to sustain her for the entire day. She decided immediately that she would be napping as soon as she came home. She looked towards Draco’s side of the bed, frowning when she found it empty. She wondered where he had run off to so early. 

Shrugging to herself, Hermione pushed the sheets off of herself and made her way into the bathroom. She took a quick shower before dressing in a casual outfit; it wasn’t as though anyone else was going to be in the office today. She tied her hair up into a messy bun, brushed her teeth, and then headed downstairs to find something to eat before she left. When she noticed the time on the clock in the kitchen, she realized that she was already running late. She had agreed to meet her coworker at nine o’clock, and it was already 8:55am. She groaned audibly, rushing around the kitchen searching for a piece of fruit when Draco came inside. 

“Good morning, love.” He grinned widely as she frantically rushed past him, searching for her work bag.

“Morning, sorry, running late!” She exclaimed, grabbing her bag from the couch. Draco stopped her before she could reach the floo. He pulled on her hand, pulling her back towards him and handing her a steaming cup of coffee. 

“I thought you might need this.” He smiled down at her as her heart fluttered in her chest. He truly was a dream come true. She pecked him on the cheek as a quick thank you before turning back towards the floo. He pulled her to him again. 

“And this.” He pulled a pumpkin scone from the bag he was holding. She smiled in appreciation, thanking him again before turning toward their fireplace. He stopped her again, and she groaned, tossing her head back. 

“Draco, I’m already late. What more could you possibly have?” She sighed, turning around to find him down on one knee. An audible gasp slipped from her lips as she looked down at him. 

“Just one more thing.” He smiled, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a tiny velvet box. Hermione dropped her bag on the floor, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth as tears brimmed her eyelids. He popped the top open to reveal a stunning diamond ring. 

“I don’t want to know what it means to have to live without you ever again, Hermione Jean Granger. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world this past year and a half, and I couldn’t imagine a life with anybody else. You are everything to me, and your love is the greatest gift I’ve ever gotten. Will you-” 

He didn’t even get to finish because Hermione was already on top of him, her arms wrapped around his neck as they both hit the living room rug with a soft ‘thud.’ 

“Yes, yes, yes!” She exclaimed, tears streaming down her cheeks as he chuckled, rolling them over so that he was on top of her. 

“You’re supposed to let me finish the question, Granger.” Draco teased as she pressed kisses all over his neck and jaw. 

“Alright, go ahead and ask.” She smiled up at him, the smile on her lips wider than its ever been. 

“Will you do me the honor of marrying me, Hermione Jean Granger?” He asked, actually able to finish his sentence this time. Hermione nodded eagerly, squealing with joy as he slipped the diamond onto her left ring finger. 

He leaned down to kiss her, their lips connecting in a heated, passionate battle. It wasn’t long before Hermione was beginning to peel away at his clothing. He broke the kiss, smirking down at her and her swollen lips. 

“Don’t you have work?” He raised a brow as she rolled her eyes, pulling him back down to her. 

“It can wait. We’re getting married!” She beamed, kissing him once more, sucking on his bottom lip until he was moaning into her mouth. He scrambled off the floor, hoisting her up with him before carrying her bridal style back to their bedroom. 

Hermione giggled as he tossed her down onto the bed, climbing on top of her. He kissed her all over, leaving wet trails of kisses all along her face, neck and chest before coming up to look at her. She loosely wrapped her arms around his neck as he cupped her cheek in his hand, smiling as she leaned into his touch. 

“I’m going to spend the rest of my life worshipping you, Granger.” He sighed, pressing a firm kiss to her lips. Her cheeks flushed as she played with the hair on the back of his neck. 

“Are you still going to call me that when I’m a Malfoy?” She teased, grinning at the thought of taking his last name. She was going to be his wife. She could hardly believe it. 

“I love you, soon-to-be Mrs. Malfoy.” He pulled her into him, watching as she examined the gigantic diamond sitting on her finger. It sparkled in the sunlight peeking in through the windows. 

“I love you too, Mr. Malfoy.” 

She craned her neck, leaning up to kiss him and pouring all of the love that she had for him into the kiss. He felt it, every single ounce of it, and returned it, his hands sliding up her sides, pulling her to him until their bodies were pressed up against each other; until she decided she would not be going into work today. 

If you’d told her a year ago that she would be marrying Draco Malfoy, Hermione would have laughed right in your face. Now, she couldn’t imagine herself in love with anybody else. 

 

THE END