The noise was deafening as Hermione Malfoy sat at a noisy bar, sipping her fire whisky. She looked around and sighed. They were late. For the second time that evening she thought why did she agree to meet them here of all the places. 'Because I love them' she thought.
As she waited patiently, she looked around hoping to see someone or anyone rather than sitting alone. As she was looking around, she caught someone's eye. Hermione blinked again and looked away. After a few minutes she looked back out of curiosity and found the stranger still looking at her. Hermione quickly looked down and started to fidget with her bag and tried to take out her mobile.
'Hi, is this seat taken?'
Hermione looked back at the stranger and nodded her head. "Yes, I am waiting for someone".
"Well in that case I'll wait until they arrive." As he was saying this, he sat on the vacated seat in front of Hermione. Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration and said nothing. Of what seemed like an awkward few minutes, the man spoke again.
"Have I seen you before?"
Hermione felt like rolling her eyes and tell the stranger exactly who she was. 'Was this guy thick?' Who in the wizarding world hasn't heard of Hermione Granger, also known as the better half of Draco Malfoy? "Probably". There keep it short and simple; maybe he will get the hint.
"I'm Castian Golding."
'Or maybe not'. Hermione glanced at the man standing in front of her and thought he was good looking if you went for sweet guys. The man was broad shouldered with black hair spilling messily across his face, his eyes were sparkling green and he had a bit of a tan. He reminded Hermione of Harry.
"That's nice." Hermione felt she was being a bit harsh when she saw the frown on his face.
"What's your name?" Before she could reply, she heard her name across the bar.
"Mione we're really sorry. I know we're late but you can thank James for it."
Hermione turned around and gave her two best friends glares for being late, but smiled at their panicked face. 'You're not allowed to use James as an excuse you know."
"I do not", at this Hermione raised her eyebrow. "Well there was that one time..."
"Never mind about that Hermione, who's your friend?" Hermione turned to her other best friend as frowned. "This is Castian," nodding her head towards his direction as he was still sitting and watching them with an amused expression.
"Well Castian, I'm Pansy Parkinson and my blubbering friend over there is Ginny Potter."
"Nice to meet you ladies, please take a seat." Castian stood up and let the ladies pass by him to take the remaining seats.
"So Castian, never seen you before. How do you know Mione?"
"Actually I don't. I was just introducing myself to your beautiful friend." Pansy and Ginny snicked at such a cheap pick-up line. Hermione glared at her friends and turned her attention back to Castian.
"Um... I'm flattered that you think that way, but I'm married."
"Oh..." Castian looked down disappointing that even Hermione felt sorry for him. "Well I made a right fool out of myself."
"Not at all." Hermione replied quickly and felt a little embarrassed herself. "I think you will make someone very happy, you just need to find her. Like they say, there is plenty of fish in the sea." As Hermione finished her sentence, Castian looked hopefully at Pansy, who winked in return. "She's married as well." Pansy glared at Hermione and Hermione smirked back. "Did we forget a certain Blaise Zabini?"
"Don't do that, it's really creepy of how you can imitate Draco so well." Pansy huffed, 'anyway Blaise knows what I'm like."
"Well he'll be proud of me." Hermione smirked again, ignoring Pansy's statement as Ginny and Pansy rolled their eyes.
"Wait, Draco? As in Draco Malfoy?" Stammered Castian.
"The one and only. Do you know him?"
"Dear lord your Hermione Malfoy." Castian ignored her question
"That is me." Hermione wanted to laugh at his reaction and he clumsily stood up and spilled his drink across the floor.
"I'm so sorry, if I had known you were Mr. Malfoy's wife, I would have come here. I'm sorry." Castian begged Hermione. "Please don't tell him, I'm new and I don't want to get sacked. Please!!!!"
Hermione sat perplexed at the scene in front of her and found she was speechless. She looked at her friends who were barely hiding their smiles. She turned back to the tall black haired man and shook her head at the surreal scene. Finally when she found herself able to talk, she spoke to him soothingly. "Don't worry I won't. You can calm down. You spilled you drink, let me get you another?"
"NO!!!!" Shrieked Castian as he ran from the bar as though the dementers were chasing him.
For a few minutes, no one said anything until Ginny and Pansy shrieked in laughter. "Oh my god. I cannot believe I just saw that." Ginny cried, wiping her tears at the back of her hand.
"The look on his face when he found out who you were, now that was priceless!" Pansy laughed, her shoulders still shaking.
"It wasn't funny." Hermione replied, hardly stopping the grin coming across her face.
"Oh please!" Ginny exclaimed, finally getting some control of herself, whereas Pansy was still laughing loudly. "If you had said that Voldermort was your dad, it would still not be as funny as that."
"Mmmph." Hermione replied and stayed silent until Pansy had calmed down. "He was a bit creepy though." Pansy shook her head and looked at Ginny who smirked in return
"Sweetheart, you say that all the time whenever some bloke flirts with you."
"That's not true. Just the other day, I was talking to Ernie and I thought he was nice."
Ginny looked at Hermione and laughed. "Ernie is Draco's P.A."
"Still, he wasn't creepy and we had a lot in common.
"Exactly, because Ernie knows not to look at you that way or he will Draco on his case."
"Still," Hermione frowned. Why was everyone so afraid of Draco? 'He's sweet and caring and love me lots.'
"I don't get it thought, why is everyone so scared of Draco?" Hermione voiced her earlier thoughts. "He's changed and he isn't like what he used to be at Hogwarts."
"Are you serious? He hasn't changed a bit." Pansy cried out. "The only difference now is that he doesn't pick on you."
"That's not true. He still calls me Granger even though I told him hundreds of times not to.
"Mione, he still hates Ron and most of the population."
"Yes, well Ron deserves it most of the time, no offence." Hermione looked at Ginny who just shrugged.
"Ron is a different case; he shouldn't have hurt you like that." Hermione shook her head to clear the memories of Ron Weasley and his betrayal.
"So what took you two so long to come? We had agreed to meet up to 7, and you came at 8." Hermione asked, changing the topic.
"Well, we were going to be here on time, but James woke up," Ginny realised that Hermione didn't want to discuss Ron anytime soon.
"I thought Harry was looking after him?" Hermione asked curiously.
"He is," Ginny answered, "He started panicking about being left in the house with a crying baby. Pansy was no help."
"Hey, babies and I don't go together."
Ginny rolled her eyes at her friends' statement. "I had to wait until he was asleep."
"I guess that is a valid reason," Hermione smiled at her friend, who grinned back.
"I don't know about you ladies, but I have been sitting her for half an hour and I am gasping." Pansy sighed loudly. "I'm going to get a drink, coming Ginny?"
"Sure," exclaimed the red head a left his the blacked her girl to get the drinks.
Hermione watched them as they clumsily went to the bar to order up. 'If someone had told me at Hogwarts that I be best friends with Pansy, I would have called them crazy.' Things had changed so drastically over the four years, which even Hermione found it hard to believe. Life was so much simpler for Hermione back in Hogwarts; there were two types of people: The good and evil. People like Harry represented the good whereas Draco Malfoy represented evil. Nothing really had changed that much. Harry was still the famous wizarding hero whereas Draco could still be obnoxious when he needs to be. But not evil. However not everyone believes that. There were some claims that he is recruiting future death eaters and replaces Voldermort as the next Dark Lord.
Hermione laughed at the stupidest of that happening. But if someone had told her that in her back in Hogwarts, she would have believed them. Back then, she would have told Harry and they would have stopped him in any way that they could.
Funny how things don't work out as expected. Hermione would never have thought that the muggle-hater Draco Malfoy could love her unconditionally. It wasn't like he declared his love when he saw her after Hogwarts. No, there was a lot anger, frustration and bitterness in the beginning. Hermione never realised when that had changed to acceptance, understanding and eventually love. There was plenty of denial on both sides, but it still surprise Hermione when she made the first move
As the rain poured heavily, Hermione contemplated whether she was doing the right thing. 'Harry will be so bad at me'. Hermione thought as she was having second thoughts. She shook her head at the negative thought in her head. 'You are a Gryffindor; you can do this' At her determined thought, she pulled herself together and walked with the confidence she didn't think she had.
Eventually she found herself in front of his doorstep. She inhaled deeply and knocked on the door twice. For a few minutes, no noise came as Hermione turned around dejected. Finally the door opened only to reveal a small house elf. "Yes miss?"
"Hello, I'm here to see Draco Malfoy," Hermione crouched slightly and smiled slightly. The house elf eyes grew big and quickly replied. "Come in, Dimpy will get master." With a pop the house elf disappeared. Hermione shook her head and entered the massive mansion. As she looked around, she noticed that it roughly the same size as the Malfoy manor. 'Why move if you're only going to move into the same kind of place?" Hermione shook her head. She walked into the living room and saw that Draco had actually done a good job in decorating the place. The walls were creamy with marble floor. On the ceiling was a massive chandelier which complimented the black furniture. As Hermione moved around and observed some of the photographs on the wall. Most of them were of Draco and his parents. Some were of Blaise and Pansy. Hermione smiled as they turned around waved at her.
"Granger?"
Hermione turned and almost fell on the polished floor, but caught herself before she embarrassed herself.
"Draco?"
Standing in front of her was the infamous Draco Malfoy. She stood leaning on the door with perplexed look in his eyes. He wore casual button up shirt, unsurprisingly in green with black trousers. Even with this casual look he looked hot
"In the flesh, what are you doing here?"
"Oh I came to check on you. It's been a while since we last spoke and I wanted to say Hi. So Hi," stammered Hermione, blushing slightly.
"Granger, we just saw each other two day ago St. Mungos."
"I know," Hermione blushed deeper, "But we didn't talk for long."
"Aaww, missed me," Malfoy smirked. Hermione stared at him and said nothing. Oh how she loved that smirk of his, she wished she could kiss those lovely lips and make that smirk go as he moans...
"Granger!!" Hermione blinked twice and saw that Draco was looking at her, confusingly.
"Sorry, zoned out," Hermione fidgeted.
"So, what are you doing here really?"
"I told you..." Draco raised his eyebrow and looked at her as if saying he was not stupid. "How's your mom?"
"Recovering," Draco, stated, not understanding Hermione's behaviour.
"That's good," Hermione replied, taking a small step towards Draco. "She needs plenty of rest; it's going to be a long road for recovering."
"Well, father has taking her to his holiday home in Venice."
"Well, that's good; change of scenery would do some good."
Draco watched as she slowly closed the gap between them until she was until few centimetres away from him. He didn't understand why she had come to visit him and why she was acting nervous and fidgety. Slowly Hermione lifted her brown eyes and looked at his confused grey eyes. 'Here's goes nothing' was the last thought she thought before she planted her lips on his.
"Well, if it isn't the know-it-all mudlood," Hermione shook her head of the memory she was thinking of and looked at the person who was talking to her. 'What did she say?" Hermione looked confused and looked closely at the person and frowned. In front of her was a strikingly beautiful woman with long blonde hair coming to her waist. The woman wore a short mini dress in blue, which contrasted well her blue eyes.
"What can I do for you, Daphne?"
"Still acting all high and mighty, I see?" Daphne Greengrass glared at Hermione. "You may have gotten his last name, but it won't last."
"I don't see how Draco and I are any of your concern," Hermione glared back, "but don't you think where a little grown up for calling names?"
"I call as what I see," she sneered. "A gold-digging slut who doesn't know here place yet!"
"Oh, and you're going to put me in my place I suppose," Hermione replied, getting bored of the conversation. "And if anyone is a slut, then I guess you and your sister fill that gap well."
"What did you call me?" Daphne screeched, banging her fist on the table, causing everyone to look at their direction again, "Astoria is ten times the person you are, you're not fit enough to even clean her shoes.
"I would be very careful of what you say next," Daphne turned around and saw two angry women pointing their wands at her. She backed away slowly, and turned her attention back to Hermione, "this isn't over, not by a long shot," she spit out and strutted to the other side of the bar.
"You ok?" Ginny asked, looking at her childhood friend, "She didn't say anything too bad, because I can always get her reacquainted with my famous bat-and-bogey hex.
"No, I'm Ok," Ginny and Pansy looked her, unsure if she was being honest. "Really guys I fine. You know she's all bark and no bite?"
"Still," Pansy glared at the blonde who was talking to some guy, "don't under-estimate her, I lived with her for seven year."
"Come on you two!" Hermione laughed, "I thought we are her to celebrate!"
"Now that you mention it, happy birthday in advance, "Ginny smiled back, handing a small package to Hermione, "Promise me, Mione you won't open until tomorrow."
"Yeah, Happy birthday, sweetheart," Pansy giving her a green package as well.
"I told you not to get me anything," Hermione shook her head and lifted her hand to accept the package.
"Please, you think we would actually listen to you?" Pansy snorted.
"Still...wait, what the hell is that?" Hermione pointed to small glass filled with purple liquid, with steam coming out of it.
Pansy smirked and looked at Ginny, who was grinning as well. "That my darling is your drink."
"What is it?" Hermione asked perplexed. "You don't want to know," replied Ginny as she grabbed her drink and sniffed at it.
"I don't know how Harry and Blaise put up with you two," Hermione shook her head and lifted her glass as well.
"Happy birthday girl," replied Ginny and Pansy and toasted each other. What they didn't see was across the other side, someone had discreetly lifted their want and pointed it in their direction and whispered something under their breath.
Hermione clumsily apparated herself to her living room and collapsed on the green sofa. She felt dizzy and tired and couldn't apparate herself to her bedroom, where Draco was probably fast asleep. She glanced at the clock and groaned when she was it was nearly two in the morning. She didn't plan to stay out that late, but you try saying no to the two witches, who were throwing their shots back as if it was nothing. Looking back, Hermione really should have stopped after two drinks when she felt light headed. 'Come one, Hermione, it's not every day that you turn 26,' that was all it took for Hermione to take the third drink and before she knew she lost track of how many she actually drank.
Hermione would never normally drink so much, she still prefers drinking butter beer like old times, but, like Pansy said, it was a special occasion. Pansy and Ginny were not happy when they found out that they couldn't be with her on her birthday, but understood when Draco explained why. Hermione was and still is curious as to what he had planned and couldn't wait.
Speaking of Draco, she could hear him coming towards her down the stairs, making a lot of noise. "Shhh," whispered Hermione as she saw him. "You're making too much noise, and I have a headache."
"Well that what you get for drinking," Draco replied dryly, as he took a seat next to Hermione, who was sprawled across the sofa.
"Not that much," protested the drunken woman. "And how much is 'not that much'," Draco mimicked his wife.
"I lost count after 3," giggled the brunette while leaning on him. "I missed you."
"Really and what did you miss?" Draco smiled coyly.
"You eyes, your lips and the way you touch me," Hermione replied, her eyes shining with want.
"Well we can't have that then," Draco grabbed her and lifted her in a bridal way. "After all, whatever a malfoy wants, they shall receive."
Hermione laughed as he carried her to their bedroom. She felt dizzier than ever and tried to keep her eyes open as he placed her on their bed and climbed on top. Draco kissed her deeply until she moaned against his lips, finally parting when he needed to breathe. He slowly kissed her jaw and her collarbone and crawled down until he was fondling with her dress. 'Dammit," he thought as he struggled to take off her dress.
"Hermione, a little help here," when he didn't hear anything, he looked at pretty brunette and found her fast asleep. Draco shook his head in disbelief and shook her slightly, though it did no good and she was knocked out. Draco sighed and lied next to his wife and whispered, "Happy Birthday Mrs Malfoy."
Hermione roused slightly at hearing the birds chipping at the back and groaned slightly when the light hit her face. 'Stupid Malfoy forgot to shut the curtains' was her thought as she fell asleep again.
What must have been an hour when Hermione woke up again rather rudely. "Mione, wake up, your late for breakfast" followed by more banging.
"I'm up," she replied groggily and rubbed her eyes to wake herself up. Whoever was at the door seemed satisfied as there was no more noise. That was when she realised there were few things wrong. One, she was alone in her four poster bed, and secondly this was not her room. She looked around confusingly, trying to figure out where she was. The room was familiar, she recognised her belongings next the drawer. Then she realised where she was, 'was I really that drunk that I apparrated myself to Hogwarts?', but quickly shook her head at that thought as it was impossible to apparrate to Hogwarts She looked around and saw some of her photographs with Harry, Ginny and Ron. Hermione was still confused as she made her way to the bathroom. She looked around and saw it was still the same old bathroom she had used 8 years ago. 'What's going on here?' She looked at her confused reflection and gasped. Staring back at her was the same Hermione as now, but the only difference was she had bushy hair and was really young.
"I'm 18 again!"