Disclaimer: As Always, I own nothing. It all belongs to someone far smarter than me. JK Rowling
A/N: Hello again, this is a short fluffy piece for a friend of mine. We were talking within our Harry Potter group on Facebook about Happy Birthday One Shots so today, being her birthday, this one is for her. I hope you enjoy it. It has not be beta'd because she only gave us 2 days to work with (*insert 'Hermione'esque eye roll) and this idea only came to me yesterday. I don't think I've ever worked so hard to write something up almost ever. I hope you all enjoy it and leave her a Happy Birthday in the comments!
As always,
Love and Slyther,
Gimi aka Jess
Happy Birthday Letta! Wandlore Love!
OoOoOoO
"This is ridiculous!" The brunette screamed on the sidelines of the Falmouth Falcon's quidditch pitch at the two men glaring at each other, brooms in hand. She looked over at her redheaded friend who was just grinning and laughing hysterically. "Ginny, you are not helping! Harry, make them stop!"
The raven haired, bespectacled man just grinned. "Hell no, I've wanted to see this since last autumn when Malfoy declared he wasn't giving up during the end of season gala. This is your own fault, you had to fall for two seekers, you've bewitched them Hermione Granger, with your wanton ways."
Hermione stared at her best friends as they all starting laughing madly at the look of anger on her face. George Weasley came waltzing up to the group of friends and the two seekers giving each other the evil eye. "Oi! You lot! Have you seen the crowd? This is bloody amazing! All this to see who gets our little 'Mione's heart huh? 'Mione, you little vixen! Two the the country's most eligible tryin to lay claim."
"They've already done that." Ron piped in and Ginny burst into another round of giggles. "I don't know why they don't just share her, it's not like she's going to let this decide for her."
Both seekers turned to face Ron and sneered, Ron smirked right back at both of them. Harry laughed. "Ron, you know Malfoy doesn't share. He doesn't even share a bottle of firewhiskey when we go out, what makes you think he'll share Hermione?"
"Do you all realise, I'm STANDING RIGHT HERE?" Hermione was starting to get really mad. How dare they try and decide her life for her!
"Oh, that reminds me!" George bellowed over the crowd that had been forming in the stands. When the media had found out of the feuding seekers, the quidditch association jumped at the idea of a race off to promote the game to more women. Who doesn't love a good romance between two of the Country's most eligible and sexy seekers and one of the Golden Trio?
The two teams, Puddlemere United, which Viktor Krum was traded to last year, and Draco's team, The Falmouth Falcons each promoted the race and all the young witches came out to see the race between the two best seekers of the day. It was very romantic, so they say, but Hermione Granger, was less than impressed.
George pulled out his wand and emptied his pocket, enlarging the box he brought out, he pulled out muggle t-shirts and they went flying into the stands to the far side of fans. Each witch and wizard put the shirt on without question and he pulled five more and handed them to his siblings, Harry and Hermione. He pulled it over his head and said, "Well get it on then. They are bloody brilliant, I do say so myself. They will glow with the wizard you are supporting." Instantly George's shirt glowed Team Krum! In Puddlemere navy blue with their logo emblazoned on the back. Harry's shirt began to glow the same as George and Krum smirked at Draco as the blonde began to scowl.
Ginny's white shirt began to change to black as she put it on, it began to glow Team Malfoy! On the back, the Falcon motto began to glow silver Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads! Draco smirked back at Viktor. Everyone watched as Ron put on his shirt and surprisingly it turned black as well and Team Malfoy! Shown brightly in silver. On the back of his shirt though, instead of the motto like Ginny, the shirt blazed with I Heart Draco Malfoy, which Harry and George began to howl with laughter over. Ginny couldn't hold it back and fell to her knees in mirth and even Hermione was trying hard to suppress a chuckle that was threatening to leave her mouth.
"Oh shut it, George what the bloody hell is this shit?" Ron yelled as his brother. George couldn't speak, he was too busy laughing his ass off as Ron couldn't take the shirt off either. The charm on the shirt made the wearer unable to shed it until the end of the race. Ron was as red as his hair and even Viktor and Draco were unable to continue to glare as Ron's shirt began to blink like a muggle neon sign and both men snickered in amusement. George had really outdone himself.
Trying to not laugh at her friend, Hermione began to look all around the stadium, almost everyone was wearing either a black shirt with silver writing or a white shirt with navy writing. She gulped as she saw reporters in the stands, when did this all happen, what the fuck was she going to do?
The two seekers sniggered at the shirt and then with one last glare at each other, both men got on their brooms, both meteor X1 models, official brooms of the league, and sped off to the starting line. The race was simple, four laps around the pitch, dodging bludgers the opposing teams were aiming at them and then meet Hermione at the finish line for the winning kiss.
As the seekers began the race, Hermione and her friends made their way over to the top box, the official end of the race. Hermione began to think about what started this all. She had ran into Draco while he was in Italy playing quidditch. She and Ron had been dating for a few years after the war and Hogwarts, but even though he had proposed, they never seemed to fit right so they both decided that marriage was not their end and to stay friends. She had gone to Italy on vacation with Ginny and Luna and they had run into Draco and a few of his team mates at a club. Hermione had hit it off that night with one of the chasers, but after one date, she knew they would not work, they had no chemistry, no spark. After a few more run ins with the team, she and Draco began to reconnect and with him, there was definitely a spark there.
More than a spark, fire, passion. Passion was a part of their lives together. Even when they argued, they were just had this fire about them. It was always just hot between them. And then they weren't.
They had already been dating for four years and Hermione was beginning to do the unthinkable. She had began to think about their future, marriage and kids. She had never seen that future with Ron and he had proposed to her. But she could see it with Draco. He kept up with her, he loved her, he knew she would keep working, she wasn't with him for his name or his money. Hell, she barely let him pay for dinner, let alone take care of her. But she could see that future and she had wanted it.
Draco, on the other hand, was just getting started with his quidditch career. He had finally began to make a name for himself. Not the Malfoy name, but his name. He was finally seen for something other than that Death Eater's son or The Malfoy Heir or even recently Hermione Granger's wizard, that one really killed his pride. He had made his first quidditch team right out of Hogwarts in Italy and had spent two years working his way back to England, this was home, this was where he wanted to play. He had become tied for the most snitches caught two years in a row with Krum and even earned the record for fastest snitch capture, finding it in less than two minutes during a match against the Wimbourne Wasps, taking that title away from the Krum. While he would never be the youngest seeker in the world, he was definitely one of the best and there was no way he would lose to the Bulgarian baboon. He had to work harder, he would beat Krum.
When Hermione began to talk about moving in together and settling down, Draco shot her down quickly. He couldn't have a family now, he'd worked too hard to get where he was. A wife and kids, that would slow him down. No, no matter how much he loved Hermione, he was not ready to have a family, to be responsible for anyone else yet.
That had been the end of their relationship, four years down the drain in Hermione's head. With wet eyes and a heavy heart, she removed all the jewelry he had given her and left his home while he was in the loo. She floo'd home, magic'd all his belongings and every gift he had given her in the four years together into a small box, and sent it to his home through the floo connection before warding the floo and her flat so he couldn't gain access. Draco hadn't even realised what had happened until the green flames erupted and a box of his things spun into the grate.
He had tried that whole night and into the next day to get a hold of Hermione, but she didn't go to work, didn't answer owls, he couldn't get to her flat anymore. Even her friends weren't sure exactly what happened, Harry had been sporting antlers for a week after he tried to get Hermione to talk to Draco. Did not help his career as head Auror when he couldn't find the counter spell to get rid of them. The Aurors called him Rudolph for weeks, Rudy for short. Ron, though did not grow antlers, he did develop a mysterious rash and a few pustules that burst in unmentionable places .
When she began to date Viktor, she never thought it would be anything that could be serious. She and he were just old, comfortable friends, they enjoyed spending time together. They weren't the fiery passionate couple that Draco and she had been, or even the comfortable old couple that she and Ron had been, whom she had dated before Draco. Viktor and she were more like she and Harry. Comfortable friends, no real romance to between them, but ever since Draco had made that proclamation back in August, Viktor had stepped up his courting to become more serious.
Draco was at a loss and missing her terribly when he spotted the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly both running articles of her new romance with Krum. His heart dropped through the floor, they had not been broken up for long before Viktor took her out. At first it looked innocent, muggle movies, lunches, nights out in groups. Then dinners and evening events at the ministry as well as quidditch balls and galas, the same ones she use to go to with him. He couldn't be seen alone at these events, not if she was there with him so he would take some of the Slytherin women they went to school with, Parkinson, Astoria and Daphne Greengrass, and Tracie Davis. Not to make her jealous, he was really over that, but because he couldn't be the one seen pining. Even though, that was exactly what he was doing. Pining, missing her and her books, even missing that damned cat of her's that hated him. So last year, at the end-of-season gala, he announced to her that he was going to win her back. He was determined and if there was one thing a Malfoy was, that was stubborn, they always got what they wanted.
So here they were, six months later and he had kept his word, he had began to pursue her again. It was not at all the way of the purebloods. You never pursued a woman who was already being publicly courted by another. That was just unheard of, but Draco did not care. He loved her, she belonged with him, to him. Her heart was his as was his to her. He knew it, he knew that she still loved him. He could see it in her eyes when he would catch her watching him play. Ron was keeper on his team so she still came to a lot of games in support of her friend, but he knew she watched him too.
The Krum/Malfoy feud, as it was dubbed by the media was in full swing and for those six months, reporters would hound outside her flat, the manor and Krum's home as well. These people knew everything about their lives, down to what kind of toothpaste Hermione used.
Finally, Hermione said enough, they would have to figure something out, she could not live like this anymore, which is why Draco had decided that a wizard's duel was in order. Hermione was appalled, knowing that death was a usual end of a duel, but Draco had meant more like an obstacle course and race, they were wizards, not barbarians after all and funny enough, Viktor agreed.
The two seekers were weaving in and out, dodging bludgers and following the charmed track that was made for them, the surprisingly large crowd in the stands, cheering for their favorite man to win while Hermione and her four friends made up to the top box. She still hadn't put on the shirt that George gave her, she wasn't rooting for anyone, this was the stupidest idea ever, but once Draco got his mind on something, there was little anyone could do to stop him.
When the men were on their final laps, the crowd got deafening, they were cheering as loud as possible, both team's beaters were aiming fiercely at the other seeker, the Puddlemere beaters hitting both bludgers at Draco and he had to roll his broom and fly upside down for a moment while they both zoomed past him, missing him by mere millimeters. In retaliation, a Falcon beater smacked a bludger so hard at Viktor, he cracked his bat and the bludger collided with Krum's ribs.
Hermione could hear the crack from the other side of the pitch and she winced in sympathy as tears sprung to her eyes. Ginny put an arm around her, cooing that it would be fine, Krum was used to being hit with bludgers, he would be ok. Being as all her friends were experts at quidditch, she believed them. She had seen the all play injured at one time or another, but the sounds still made her cringe.
The two seekers were neck and neck, once they got a quarter of the way from here, the top box began to float to the middle of the pitch. Hermione was not expecting this and when she turned to look at her friends, she realised, they were not in the moving box with her. She was left alone in this floating box, waiting for the winner to claim their prize.
Viktor and Draco had been close the entire race, they dodged, weaved and barrelled past all obstacles with one focus on both their minds, get to Hermione. The crowd around them was going completely wild at this race and as the end neared, the excitement of the crowd began to feed Hermione's nerves.
Viktor had pulled ahead of Draco, not by much, maybe only a few inches, they were feet away from her. Hermione could tell, Viktor could win. Draco had locked eyes with the woman of his dreams, the last person he ever wanted to be with in his life and he pulled tighter to his broom and urged himself faster when all of a sudden Viktor dived for the ground with only inches left to the finish line and Draco crossed the line with a grin.
To say Hermione was stunned was an understatement. Viktor had thrown the race, he had cracked ribs during this and right before he won, he stopped. Draco landed in the box with Hermione and kissed her soundly and the crowd went crazy once again.
Savoring the kiss, he had missed those soft lips, the taste of vanilla and honey on his tongue, the smell of lavender of her hair. He had missed the silky skin of her neck under his fingers as he held her face, afraid to let go, afraid she would slip through his fingers like smoke. He could feel her, rather than hear, sigh into his mouth and he couldn't help but grin in happiness. He kissed her a moment longer and then pulled away slightly and smiled at her again. She couldn't help but be grinning ear to ear. She had missed him with every fiber of her being, her entire body was on fire at that very moment and she knew, she knew she had always wanted Draco to win. There was no one else for her, Draco was her everything.
Draco had pulled out his wand and cast Sonarus on himself and as if cued, the crowd quieted down. Holding Hermione's hand he had waited until the crowd was as quiet as they would get and began to speak.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, many of you know, I am Draco Malfoy. I grew up with this beautiful witch standing next to me, for five years, I despised her and her friends and I'm sure they could all say, they hated me as well. In fact, Miss Hermione Granger hated me so much that in third year, she slapped me across the face, not once but twice." Draco grinned at Hermione and she just smiled back at him. Harry and Ron could be heard at the other side of the top box, guffawing with laughter at the memory and Draco knew, they and she, would not have changed a thing about that day. "From that day on, that was the end of it for me. I still despised her and her friends, but I began to watch her, trying to find a weakness that I could exploit. I was fourteen and an ass, but what can I do now. This was the beginning of the end for me. The more I watched her, the more I admired her. Here she was, a Muggleborn witch and she was superior to me, a Malfoy. I was very confused, but then the war happened and I thought I would never see her again. She was best friends with the man who was a magnet for bad stuff to happen, I honestly thought they would not survive two weeks. Now I know, the only reason they survived, is because of this brilliant witch standing next to me. Because that is what she is: brilliant, beautiful, smart, and sexy. In truth, she is my perfect witch."
The crowd's unanimous Awe echoed to the couple and Draco grinned as Hermione blushed and rolled her eyes slightly with a smile plastered to her face. Draco Malfoy was a charmer, that was always obvious.
"She is everything I want or have ever needed in a partner but I took her for granted and she set me straight. She wanted something I wasn't ready to give her and it cost me dearly." Draco took both her hands in his and looked into her eyes. His grey ones full of love and hope. "Hermione Granger, as you undoubtedly figured out, this was a bit of a rouse and before you hit me!" Draco cringed slightly as he saw a flash of anger in her eyes, "I did this as a grand gesture because I knew you would be too smart to fall for any of my usual charms." She softened a little as he appeased her and he continued. "I love you Hermione Granger, I think I've loved you for as long as I can remember. You are beautiful, funny, smart, perfect. I was an idiot for letting you walk away from me, I didn't realise what I was losing until you were gone. I began to think more and more about what you were asking of me and it became clear. I wanted what you did. I want to see you every day, wake up with you next to me, laugh with you, have children with you, fight and dance in the rain. You are it for me and it took losing you to realise that; if you're a bird, I'm a bird." Tears sprung to Hermione's eyes as she took in his words, her favorite quote from the muggle movie he hated watching with her. "Hermione Granger, will you argue, laugh, hex, love and do me the great honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?"
Hermione gasped as he said the words she had been wanting to hear for a year now. He had dropped to one knee and over his shoulder she saw flashing in the crowd. The opposite side of the pitch stood fans with flashing shirts. There shirts read out Say Yes! Then she noticed at the end of the flashing four individuals who made up the period of the exclamation point who were flashing red instead of silver. Looking closely she gasped again. The four people were their parents. Narcissa Malfoy and her mother Jean were holding onto each other waiting to hear her answer while her father, Richard and Lucius Malfoy were standing there, a bit nervously. He had brought her muggle parents to meet his, once, muggle prejudice ones. Then she noticed standing above their parents were Mr and Missus Weasley, Kingsley, Bill, Fleur and the entire Weasley brood as well as some of their old professors from Hogwarts. He had proclaimed his love and devotion to her in front of everyone who mattered most to them… as well as hundreds of quidditch fans- but that was neither here nor there.
Hermione looked back into Draco's stormy grey eyes and realised exactly what he had done for her today. He, and all her friends as well as Viktor had planned this entire event, including quidditch teams, bludgers, reporters and fans, just as a grand gesture to openly propose what she wanted all those months ago. Anger began to rise until she thought of their mothers holding onto each other, so different, yet both wanting the same thing. He brought her muggle parents to watch a broom race, at a quidditch pitch with hundreds of witches and wizards. He got two quidditch teams to hold this farce, the Ministry of Magic to approval to allow muggles into a magical event and the approval of all the people who meant anything to her. He did this for her…
She began to cry and nodded her head emphatically smiling ear to ear. Her voice was lost at the moment, caught in her throat as she took in the enormity of the task he had set for her. It was elaborate and wasn't really necessary but he did it all for her.
Draco Malfoy would have moved mountains for her, this, she was sure of. He already had his ex Death Eater father conversing with her muggle dad. She was pretty sure that constituted a mountain in the wizarding world.
She hugged him tight as he brought his forehead down to rest on hers, the crowd was still going wild for the proposal. She looked into his eyes, hers still crying in happiness. "Say you're a bird." She whispered.
He grinned, "If you're a bird, I'm a bird." And he brought his lips down to hers.
The End