Disclaimer: I won NOTHINg but the plotless story...
Betaed by my frien (and actually an FFBetaReader) Rieska Verriert, She did great and if there are still errors on the story, it's all my fault~
Hermione sat, laid back, on the comfy rattan arm chair at the café patio in the Diagon Alley. Her dark wavy tresses flown as the wind blows on that mid-summer night. A book in her lap—of course—and her full concentration was solely drawn to the letters, her eyes scanning through the pages and her lip curled into a small smile. It was definitely a good book.
A dry cough startled her, thus she raised her nose from the book and saw who were interfering her favorite time-killer activity. There stand two men, both in black uniform robes and exhausted face plastered on. She sighed and checked her wrist watch, it was 9.00 pm.
Without any words, those two men took their seats across her. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes towards their rude behavior on being so late, she had waited there for almost two and half hours, if it wasn't because the good book she'd been reading, she'd left 30 minutes after got there and waited aimlessly, thus tomorrow she'll barge into Auror's HQ and rant there, for she was not fond of loitering; instead she took her tea cup and sipped on, trying to calm her nerves.
"Did you know how late you are, guys?" she mumbled, sat her cup down and closed the book to set it on the chair next to her.
"I'm sorry Mione, but the job got us." Harry smiled bitterly and waved to the waiter for drinks. Hermione only nodded and smiled knowingly; being Aurors means you've got to be prepared for 'surprise' missions that lack sense of timing and was a total opposite from her job as deputy Minister of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures—an 'organized' and more laid back than Auror's.
The drinks for the two men were served while they shared their story around their office and so. The stories soon turned into 'gossips' as the trio rant like hens. Started from the scandal-luscious affair between Ronald Weasley-Lavender Brown (which they cheated on each other like they were trying to win the cheat-on-your-lover with how-much-one-night-stands-did-you-manage-to-get sort of game), or the Zabini-Nott massive snogging sessions under the daylights betweens corridors in the ministry building (that was just gross, even if they both were hot hunks).
"So, I heard you've broken up with that German-guy, what happened?" Hermione's attention shot to the drawl comes from blonde sat right across her, Draco Malfoy. Harry rose from his slouching position to set his elbows on the top of the table and looking back and forth from Draco to Hermione as if he knew some extremely important fact Draco or Hermione did not know but he did not wanted to say them.
"Why are you suddenly interested in my love life, Malfoy?" she snapped at Draco who were slouching on the chair with raised pale eye brows, mocking her for the umpteenth times in their life. Even if they finally called a truce and acted civilly after Draco seek refuge to the Orders and become spy alongside Snape, they still spat and snapped to each other like they never knew what was truce is. Well, old habits die hard. The good thing is, Draco never spilled that 'm' word to her, or their 'truce' would be nothing than the third war trigger.
"Oh, please, you two!" Harry rubbed his temple, it seemed that bring Draco along with him for break after mission thing was bad with Hermione plus her love life in the calculation. Hermione only gave her 12 years best friend side glance and then stare at Draco's grey eyes.
She sighed, frowned then muttering some swears under her breathes, and she answered Draco's question.
"He's bi," Hermione mumbled. Both Harry and Draco's eyes went wide; nearly plugged-off from their skull.
"What?" Harry screeched like rat, and gritted his teeth. Draco slumped and gulped.
"Well, it was gross when your date seeing guy while holding your hand." She shivered at her memory. This German guy she was dating until last Wednesday was a hottie, but yes, he's bi. The day she discovered the fact was last Wednesday as they went for dinner in a nice muggle restaurant in London. Actually they had dated for almost a month, but they only see each other only twice a week. Both of them were busy with their jobs. The dinner went well, exquisite even –if she wanted to say so after the food, wine, music, and all. And he walked –literally because he's a muggle and the restaurant were not as far as 5 blocks from her apartment- her home.
They were hand to hand and they look pretty good item together. But then she realized something was wrong, as they went there was a photo shoots for a male fashion magazine with male models posed on the pedestrian across them. Yes, male models, hot to the boot and well, sexy. She knew the magazine were not solely for men for reading, most of women read them too as she found a copy at Ginny's before she was married to Neville a year ago. Ginny said that most of the witches at St. Mungo read them too as entertainment –the models were hottie to the boot, what can a 'girl' help? She said-. Back to the crime scene, Klaus—the bi ex-boyfriend—were still holding her hand, sweating, and she found it strange. It was summer, yes, but it wasn't that hot, it's London after all. She looked in to Klaus's face and she saw the 'drooling' expression plastered over his handsome face.
"Was he drooled over me?" she thought smugly until she seemed to found out that he WAS NOT LOOKING TOWARDS HER, but the MALE MODELS! Especially ones with a fair blonde hair and well build pale complexion body. Damn, he looked like Draco Malfoy, except that the body wasn't as lean as Draco's, it was MUCH muscular and less agile. "Probably a gym freak." She thought.
"Are you okay, Klaus?" she asked Klaus out of his reverie, ogling the blonde model. He croaked instead answering, probably his throat and mouth went dry as the saliva were spilled to the pavements –not literally, though.
"Yes…yes." He answered, reluctantly diverted his eyes from the photo shoot site to the lovely young lady stand next to him, hand to hand. Hermione frowned, sensed something was not right.
"Were you ogling him?" she pointed blatantly towards the model he had been ogling for minutes they passed the site.
He stammered." Yes...No!No!no!" he denied with his German accented English. Hermione huffed and shot a dagger glare at him.
"You're bi?" the second time the bluntly asked the poor German with cool tone. His shoulder slumped and nodded.
"You like him?" one eyebrow rose high, questioning with a cool –icy voice that almost can kill.
"Yes"
"And do you know him?" he simply nodded. She rolled her eyes. Then he explained that the blonde model that was still posing sensually was his lover, they broke up after he found out that Klaus were bi. Poor Klaus.
"…gosh." She was simply take a mental note about how to deal with bi next time she date one according to this uneventful experience, the last kind she wanted to date with other than Draco Malfoy. Gosh, I must be that desperate to date a bi.
They did not fight before they said goodbyes in front of Hermione's front door; they did not even spill a word on the say. There was nothing but a 'sayonara', an unlimited farewell. She did not want to face him, not even in a random occasion on the street.
End of the story was she was now single again and seeing a simply straight man she love and loved her back. Talk is always damn cheap.
Back to the 'now', she rested her arm on the arm rest, closed her eyes and muttered, "I just want to date a simply straight man under my personal references of my type." Then she sighed. A chuckle came from Draco, "well, it's not simple, at all, Hermione."
Harry rose his eyebrow questioning and then remembered something; his brain wasn't as overactive as Hermione's so it took a while to catch things up.
"Why so?" she looked very tired of the discussion but did not want to quit it yet.
"Your type… well, you're quiet demanding on the lists." Harry answered. She now turned to Harry.
"You wanted your date to be pretty much in the same level of intelligence as yours, he must be working in a respectable position, not to mention most of them were actually work-a-holic like you, then…." Harry trailed off as he explained what he got from Hermione's previous rant about her love life months and years ago.
"Good looking and wizard were bonuses." Draco added with mock in his voice. He certainly wanted to mock her out of her heart break state, just like what he has done umpteenth times before when she was in this miserable condition. He is a Malfoy and Malfoys did not cuddle or talk heart to heart sweetly to heal a heart break. They were just too cliché and Malfoys surely don't do cliché.
Hermione harrumphed. She was in pain and Malfoy, yes he was just being a Malfoy. Forget the sweet words.
"Most of them cannot get into your intelligence level, Mione. It's hard to find one that suits." Accidentally, Harry accused her brain because of its overwhelmingly intimidating brightness.
"I do not date fools." Hermione spat.
"You're just too smart for you own good, Granger." Draco sneered at her. She wanted to replay what happened in their third year at Hogwarts; slap him hard on the face, but she refrained to do so. He wasn't entirely wrong.
"Back to last name basis, aren't we Malfoy?"
"You started first, Granger."
"Shut up you two!"
Harry was sick of this referee game he had to play between them before hexes and curses either wand or wandless, verbal or non-verbal shot through towards the 'passionate' couple.
Suddenly Harry jumped from the chair as his cell phone in his slacks pocket roared, yes it was literary roaring.
Lion roars for ringtones, such Gryffindor to the root.
He moved to the quiet corner inside the café and talked animatedly to whoever is it at the other end of the line. Hermione saw his expression and said only one name "Pansy."
Draco nodded, he knew his ex were with Harry (he called him 'Harry' and not names like pothead or the-boy-who-lived in sarcasm like they were back in Hogwarts after they got in to the Auror training and paired to train together). They were happy together, so he did not mind at all, because Pansy was most likely to be Draco's sister rather than his lover.
Draco watched Hermione contemplate something, getting a new suspect for dating maybe. He did not know if she ever thought of him but surely he do fall for her, sort of.
Draco found that Hermione is attractive: beautiful in her own way with her petite body and mass of curl he used to called bush, bright brain, and had a pure heart made of sincerity and care towards others. He could not find other girl to compare to her, nor did he want to do so. Hermione is Hermione, the only Hermione; the girl he had crush on ever since he joined the light side. Yet he was just too reluctant to admit it.
Harry was back with loony-glee grin on his face. Good news on the line, of course but both Hermione and Draco had no desire to ask. From his expression, it surely such good news that he could told them over and over again with his fool-glee face until he's tired and satisfied. They did not bother to ask either to hear the story because they know it would be a total sap; it came from Harry's side.
"Got to get home now. Pans is waiting for me. Sorry guys. Bye!" Harry retrieved all of his belongings and then waved then he disapparated home. Hermione only cracked a small smile and waved back while Draco waved his hand shushing him off.
"I'll walk you home"
"Or rather along-side apparate me home." She smiled and Draco laughed. She rose and gathered her things; she saw Draco rose too and ready to take her home.
"I'm sorry I spat on you. I'm such a bloody emotional bitch today." She said with wry smile towards Draco in front of her apartment door.
"Be a bitch and release your anger. I like that better then when you kept it for yourself and send electric waves to anyone around you when you're so mad that you cannot control your massive magical powers. Well, I'm used to it because I'm powerful too and I can protect myself perfectly. But who knows who you might hurt."
"Your ego is inflating again."
"Never mind. Get some rest." She thought he would simply turn back and disapparated, but he did not. He stayed, rigid in front of her. Her eyes scanned his face, no expression slipped from the heavy iron-like mask he wore every day except for disdain and hatred. Most were neutral and distant but never so human.
Draco was contemplating. It's now or almost never. He must ask her 'out'. He did not want to hear her rant about another guy that she dated and failed to attempt a long time relationships when she was working like crazy and barely spent time for others outside her works-related liaisons and her friends, including him. He was jealous over the guys she dated before that he kept being an arse for while when she dated some other guy.
Is he her friends? They are civil and set up a truce, yes, but friends? That's kind of weird since Draco only showed up when he was invited by Harry, or Pansy—which surprisingly became her best friend—, or Ginny or others of her 'friends' list.
The fact is, whatever he was for her, he was smitten—no, not only smitten—but now he was fall for her, in his own way. And now is the perfect moment to ask her out since she was broken hearted and seeing for someone.
Taking advantage of her misery, well, he's a Slytherin prince, you know. And for goodness sake of Merlin Beard, it's for her good too, he thought slyly.
"Hermione." He startled Hermione from her observation over Draco's face expression. She managed to found one thing event she had no avail in finding another expression mask other than explained before, he is handsome.
"Yes?"
"Do you want to go out with me?" he asked blatantly. Her jaw immediately hit the floor un-lady-like in shock.
"Umh…." She was naturally shocked. Well, for her, before Draco being such a polite person which is rare and apparated her along side with him home and listening to her rant on the café before—even they still spat—, going out with the bouncing ferret, so-called prince of Slytherin, the one and only, Draco Malfoy was the last option she had other than dating a bi. This is hopeless.
She stammered, thinking hard. Was she hearing right or her heart break just took over her senses? She blinked twice, third and fourth times.
"Were you?"
"Asking you for a date, of course. Do you want to or not?" surely she read a disappointed expression started to cloud over his face. The mask is off, she assumed.
She was still in an internal jaw slack state and he could read it. He smiled, genuine ones—not a smirk—, and kissed her chastely on her lips.
"You could answer that tomorrow or the other day after tomorrow, but don't kept me waiting." He smirked at her blank expression. Then he kissed her in her cheek and then bye, he disapparated to the manor.
The next morning, she woke up like she had been in a long restless sleep with amusingly annoying Draco Malfoy asking her out for a date.
It was just dream.
But they're so much realistic.
The kiss was…
NO WAY! They're real!
NOOOO! She slumped back to her pillow and snuggled under the cover and tried to sleep again and woke up assuming the last night event were all part of her wild imagination-dream.
But it's not like he was proposed her hand into marriage out of the blue or she was having sex with him last night, but she was deeply blushed. The crimsons were flaming hotly on her cheeks.
Come to think about it, Draco Malfoy was almost the most eligible bachelor wizard throughout the wizarding world if Harry wasn't with Pansy or Blaise Zabini was not gay. Though, she must rid of the 'almost' word from the line even if Harry wasn't with Pansy or Blaise Zabini was not gay because he is the most wanted bachelor wizard by most of witches according to Witch Weekly and CosmoWitch.
Most of witches, she did not included into one, sure. She wasn't the 'orthodox' most witches, she was different. Order of Merlin First Class, Heroine of the War, Brightest Witch of Age, etc, etc, etc… she got list of names (good ones) and she earned it by her hard work and her unorthodox way to solve problems. She did not slack off or gossiping neither while working nor she taking day-off as she wishes. She got plenty works to deal and vacation is the last thing she ever thought about.
If she is fallen to Draco Malfoy, which is now her acquaintance or rather her friend, she would be damned as she was judged into the same level as 'most witches'. Her pride did not allow it. But her logical sides said that Draco Malfoy was the suitable one for her long list of 'simply straight man to date with'.
He's smart, only second after her at school. A Prefect; he's hard working even when he's rich with the never ending Malfoy fortune and all. He got a good sense of humor—wicked ones sometimes. He's a changed man (from her nightmare from school days into a 'friend'; from the villain bully papa-boy who meekly followed the dark side orders into the light side loyal spy and allegiance). He's a gentleman. He was not bi and the bonuses were he's total HOTTIE and a wizard.
The handsomely hot and wizard factors were only bonuses, mind you.
Then there is the yes-no question.
Under her blanket, she sighed. She must make decision today; making a Malfoy waits is not a wise choice. Hence, she would make up her mind and said what she wanted.
It's a Saturday and there's no work, so she rose from bed slowly like crookshanks would do, yawning and started her day with a nice shower in the morning.
Tipsy, the house elves, popped appeared in front of her master in his study.
"Master Draco, there's guest at the front hall."
"Who is it?" Draco looked up from his Daily Prophet and fold it down then put it atop of the table.
"Miss Granger, master-sir." Tipsy squacked, preparing for the deadly glare that was meant to kick her out of the room. She was afraid of his dagger glare. Tipsy acknowledge the inner annoyance and tantrum from his master lately. But instead of dagger glare, she received a genuine smile that scared her to the root of the hell. She prefer the glare than the smile, the smile was meant not good, as long as she reckon.
Draco rushed to the foyer to meet Hermione who's fidgeting. Oh no! It is not good!
A small frown set on her face, her fingers woven together, the hem of her blue sun dress were wrinkled because of her scrunch while waiting and judging.
"Good afternoon, Hermione." He greeted her politely. She only smiled and nodded, did not want to speak yet.
"We'd better talk in my study. Come on." He led her through the hall to his study.
"Please, sit down," she sat on the soft and fluffy armchair where he pointed at. He sat next to her, in front of the fireplace.
"I'm sorry if I interrupt your free Saturday." She said to him, without looking at his eyes.
"So, I expect the answer of my last night question would be delivered in person then." He chuckled. She nodded.
"I…" she shook her head lightly, not sure of the answer. He was worried, he was afraid of rejection after all. Actually, he would push her into answers, but he need to keep his patience, aiming for the 'yes' result.
After a pregnant silence for a while, she tried to speak again. Gaping her mouth for a while and she answered blatantly, just like the way she usually do.
"Yes. I'll go out with you."
Draco was gobsmacked. He did anticipated the 'yes' but not this blatant. He rose to his feet and pulled her into hug.
"Why are you so happy? It's not I'm marrying you or something." she asked him while Draco still crushed her bones in his tight hug.
"Well, I'm happy because you said yes. Simple." She rolled her eyes and hugged him back. She did not know why it felt so right but she decided not to think about it.
And maybe she would marry me in the end, maybe.
But for now, they just started dating and he hoped that it'll be a happy long-time relationships for both of them even if they spat with each other. He doesn't know why, but he wanted this to last forever.
They tried now and might succeed later on, whether it takes long or short time. Well, we hope so.
Months later
"Harry, did you know something about Draco that I don't know?" she asked in hurry tone over the line.
"Maybe…" Harry answered uncertainly.
"What?"
"I overheard his talk with Snape back in the Order. He had a crush on you ever since he …"
The line was cut and left Harry puzzled. Maybe he had to play referee again this time.
A/N:
Like it? Don't like it? Review me~ Bhuwhahahahah my first Dramione Fic. Read and Review. I know it seems like harry was useless and being such random passing character in this whole story. It seemed to have no plot, yes they don't..hahaha... and it it seemed like I bash the bi, no I don't, but in this story, I made Hermione 'allergic' to the bi.