For us
Staring at the sky, all Hermione could see were shades of grey.
Not grey like his eyes, but grey like an incoming storm, or perhaps one that had recently passed. No sun peered through with heat to soak into her bones. At first glance, the sky appeared inhospitable and cold as if marking the end of summer.
Rather than feel depressed at the idea of increasing darkness, Hermione took comfort from the clouds. She honestly thought summer to be the worst month, vastly inferior to fall with its array of reds, browns, and golds. Crookshanks used to love diving into piles of leaves, often emerging clutching a mouse in his teeth. One saving grace for the hottest time of year was that two of her favorite people were born during those summer months.
One of those favorites just happened to wrap his arms around her from behind, pulling her tight into his frame. Looking up, she gazed into her favorite grey eyes, irises that seemed to change with his moods from steel when obliviating, to almost black when enraged, to the current pale silver when looking at her in adoration.
“Welcome home,” she managed to whisper before Draco’s lips pressed her into silence for the next several minutes. No matter the time or place, he always made it a priority to greet her with a kiss.
He pulled her into the cushioned seat overlooking the garden, continuing to hold her close in his embrace. Long fingers rubbed patterns into the skin of her arm, raising goosebumps in their wake.
“I got a little something for you,” he murmured, still wholly absorbed in teasing touches and head bent to breathe her in.
“For me?” Hermione couldn’t think of any particular reason for a gift. It wasn’t a holiday, and her birthday was still a couple of months away.
“Well, for us.”
Her brow furrowed as she absorbed his correction. Now she was even more perplexed. It’s not as if they were in need of anything—everything they could ever want, Draco usually purchased immediately. He had terrible self-control and tended to satisfy any desire the instant one came to mind. Hermione still struggled to get used to the ease with which he handled money.
“Close your eyes.”
She obeyed immediately, and the resulting chuckle he gave stirred something needy within her. Maybe she was a little too quick to act on command outside of the bedroom. They had certainly practiced enough for it to now be instinct.
Something heavy and warm settled into her lap, and it was only his grounding presence around her that prevented her from bolting up in surprise. It felt as if he’d placed a blanket across her, but the weight kept shifting.
“Go ahead and open them now.”
Hermione’s eyes focused immediately on the large cat lying in her lap looking as if there was nowhere else it would rather be. Long fur she could already imagine herself brushing draped away from the body in greyscale, ranging from soft black to a black so deep it almost looked blue to a light silver that matched Draco’s eyes she loved so much.
“Oh, Draco, he’s beautiful! Or is it a she?” Her hand hovered in uncertainty.
“You can go ahead and touch her. She’s far cuddlier than I expected.”
Hermione snorted in remembrance of the numerous scratches and bites he’d endured from Crookshanks. Their time together had been short, given that her familiar was already ancient by the time she and Draco had started dating. At the end, Hermione had almost been jealous by how often she’d find the two of them curled up reading together in front of the fireplace or napping in the library.
“Does she have a name?” Her fingers carded through the luxurious fur that was just as soft as it looked even if her face had a similar squashed look to her predecessor.
“Not yet. I thought we could name her together. She’s half-kneazle, too.”
Hermione’s breath caught in a half sob even as she laughed at the similarities. Strong hands kneaded her shoulders in understanding.
“We should pick something celestial in the Black family style.”
The squeeze of his hands conveyed his appreciation. They weren’t sure they’d be able to have children together given Hermione’s past physical trauma. They hadn’t given up hope yet, but it could still be tiring.
As she continued to stroke the half-kneazle’s coat and admired the swirling pattern, an idea came to her.
“What do you think of the name ‘Maia’?”
Even without looking at him, Hermione knew he’d adopted that pensive look she adored—head tilted at an angle, eyes closed in consideration, perfectly tousled hair falling over his forehead.
“One of the seven Pleiades, mother of Hermes, and known for her nurturing nature.” As Hermione hummed in approval, he continued, “I like it.”
“Then it’s settled. What do you think, Maia?”
The familiar purred, as if already recognizing the name as her own. Her eyes remained firmly shut, even as she nuzzled her head more firmly against Hermione’s hand.
“I think she likes it.” His kisses along her neck resumed.
“Draco, if you keep doing that we’re both going to anger Maia.”
“Why do you say that?”
One of his hands came up to delve into her curls, firmly gripping the base and tilting her head to the side so he could bite softly into the crook of her neck. She moaned softly at the sharp sensation that spread warmth across her chest. His other hand moved down her side to grip her outer thigh.
“Because I’m this close to knocking her from my lap to take you on this chair.” It took all of her willpower to keep her lap still.
She could feel his grin against her shoulder. “Fair enough. Mivvy!”
With a pop, their head house elf appeared wearing a frilly apron over her emerald muslin frock.
“Master Draco called?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt your dinner preparations, Mivvy, but would you take Maia here with you and make sure she has something to eat? She hasn’t been fed since this morning.”
“Of course!” Mivvy stepped forward to replace Hermione’s hand on the kneazle’s back and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.
The instant Hermione’s lap was cleared, two hands gripped both thighs and massaged inward. Draco resumed his exploration of the bare skin above her neckline. Hermione could finally press back against his delicious length as she had wanted to do the moment he wrapped himself around her.
“Now, where were we?”