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You could say them falling in love in their 8th year was his second chance. However, Draco did not see it that way. That was just his second chance at being decent and his first chance at finding love with her. There was passion, their love burned bright and fast. When they saw Hogsmeade getting smaller and smaller on the train back to London, they both knew, this was the end. Their bubble of the head’s dorms had burst and now they both had to start living in separate parts of the real world.
“I need to do this right,” He had said.
And she had answered, “once you’re ready, I’ll be there.”
And that hand been his anchor, do what he needed to do as quickly as possible and come back to her.
That had changed fast. Only months after their final train ride an engagement announcement in the prophet caught his eyes. She was to be Hermione Granger-Weasley. He, however, always knew that was where he wanted to be in her bubble, no matter if it was friendship or romance. And he had a vague idea of what he needed to do to be in the right place to enter her life again. He needed to purge every legal document of both the Malfoy and Black estate of any prejudiced paragraphs. He needed to rid all the properties now belonging to him of any dark objects or cursed rooms. He needed to be clean.
He had but one goal, and seven years to the day after that final train journey from Hogsmeade he made his way to her door and knocked.
When she opened the door with the toddler hoisted to her waist, he was speechless.
“Malfoy?” the surprise was clear on her face. And it did sting, he had worked so hard for her to call him by his given name that first time and now he was back to this.
“Hermione,” her name sounded weird on his tongue, he had said it in his head many times over the last 7 years, thinking he might never say it out loud again, “I did it.”
That’s when her face fell, the realisation of their conversation on the Hogwarts Express hitting her.
“Oh God, I’m so sorry Draco.” She said his name like no one else.
“It’s okay, you couldn’t have known,” he dismissed her.
“Do you want to come in for a cuppa?” She asked making room so he could see the kitchen door open at the end of the small hall.
“Sure,” He said, and he followed her. This was his chance, his second chance to be in her life, and that was more than enough. He was sure as hell not going to mess it up this time.