Cherry Stem Knots, a harry potter fanfic

Supposed fact: If you can tie a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue, it means you're a very good kisser.

"Granger, what on earth are you doing?" came the voice of a much aggravated Draco Malfoy.

Hermione didn't answer, she was too riveted in operating her tongue in her mouth, trying to tie that blasted – almost there – blasted cherry stem into a knot.

"Granger," Malfoy pressed impatiently.

Hermione groaned and gave up, feeling the stem revert to its original state.

"Ilmtyindodyanorwifmthung," she answered.
"Excuse me?" Blond head tilted and silver eyes narrowed in confusion.

Hermione plucked the stem from her tongue and watched it crossly, gripped firmly between her thumb and index finger.

"I am trying to tie a knot with my tongue," she said with a defeated sigh.
"Now why would you do that?" Malfoy asked, sipping his tea.

"Well, it is believed that if you can tie a cherry stem into a knot with your tongue, you're a very good kisser," she said briskly as she brought the stem back to her mouth, watching as Malfoy's face shifted from curiosity, to surprise and to disbelief.

"That's preposterous", he threw his head back and laughed. And if Hermione wasn't so absorbed with her cherry-stem-knotting then she would have actually admired how much more attractive Malfoy looked when he laughed.

After working with Malfoy for almost a year at the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement, they had somehow formed a tentative friendship and their heated arguments had flowed into witty banter, the name-calling turned into almost-pet names and the nervous lunches had somehow become part of their daily ritual.

"And pray tell, where did you get this nugget of information from?" he asked, eyes still dancing with amusement.

"I overheard Lavender and her colleague talk about it in the loo the other day," Hermione admitted abashedly, "It's a Muggle thing."

"I see, and a cherry stem would be the best way to somehow prove that you're a fantastic kisser? Why, Granger? Have you sent all the boys whom you have kissed running after the first kiss?"

Hermione gasped, affronted.

"I'm not that terrible at kissing you know!" she shot back. Granted, Ron and Viktor were the only two boys she had ever kissed, and back then she didn't feel the need to force questions like 'so how was it?', 'was it good, am I good kisser?' on them.

"Plus it's just for fun, it is rather challenging you know."

"Give me one," Malfoy grabbed a cherry from Hermione's box (she had decided to buy a whole box of cherries to practice with) and in one graceful, swift movement, bit down on the cherry while pulling on the stem.

Watching him masticate the cherry, Hermione stuffed another stem into her mouth and began her conquest anew.

Malfoy's cherry stem disappeared into his mouth and Hermione waited. She needn't have waited long, as within a few seconds, he picked the stem from his mouth and presented it to her.

It was a perfect, tight knot.

"Wha - that - that's unfair!" Hermione sputtered, noting that Malfoy was sporting an expression that clearly showed how very pleased with himself he was – much like a well-fed cat.

"It was really very easy, Granger."

She blushed furiously at the knowledge that Malfoy's perfect knot translated into him being a very good kisser and she made a valiant effort of not letting images of Draco Malfoy kissing get to her.

Hermione would have asked him to teach her but the process, she imagined, would be very, very complicated.