A/N: This was written for jayabear over at LJ for the "Divine the Future with Draco and Hermione" exchange. For more entries, check out the community dmhgficexchange at the LJ site!
Why I No Longer Hate Barley The Crup
Crups bear an uncanny resemblance to a common Muggle animal called The Jack Russell terrier. In appearance, it is almost an exact mirror image. The only difference (physically) is the Crup's forked tail, often used as defense around other animals. If this type of creature comes in contact with a Muggle, be aware that Crups do not take to them kindly. Wizards, on the other hand, are just the opposite. A Crup will immediately bond with and befriend any wizard. The only instance where this is not true if the wizard betrays or hurts the Crup.
Hermione Granger's head hit the desk with a light thud. "Bugger," she murmured before feeling around the table to slam the book shut. "What have I done to myself?"
The young witch stood up grudgingly, grumbling and grunting before snatching the book and carrying it back to its correct shelf. She ran her fingers along the spines of the books before finding the book's original spot and sliding it back in.
She mulled it over in her mind: She was in charge of watching Harry and Ginny's Crup, Barley, for two weeks. A week and a half where she would surely be torn to pieces by the wretched thing. A week and a half where she would probably go completely mad from hearing the thing howl and whine at her. A week and a half where she might not feel so horribly lonely or bored, even if the distraction wasn't a good one.
Huffing softly, Hermione grabbed her wand and exited the shop. Without looking back she murmured a few locking spells and left Diagon Alley, preparing for her last night of peaceful sleep for the next two weeks.
MONDAY
Hermione woke up with a jolt. She blinked her eyes rapidly before murmuring "shit" and jumping out of bed. Today was the day that marked her inevitable doom. The day that Barley the Crup would arrive at her house to destroy her.
It had been different with Crookshanks. At first, Hermione had been skeptical about whether or not she could handle a pet, especially a part kneazle, part cat. But Crookshanks had taken to her quickly and enthusiastically. Barley the Crup, however, would probably be a different story. It wasn't common for animals to like her all that much so she decided to prepare for the very worst scenario.
She marched down the stairs, ready to face the impending doom, when she heard a small thud from the fireplace.
"Ugh!" A brief spitting noise was heard before her visitor continued. "Hermione! Do you ever use this thing? Do you even clean it out?" Ginny Weasley stood brushing the soot off of herself and Barley.
"No." Hermione replied primly. "I find that it's a most efficient way of letting people know I do not want them in my house and they find that they do not want to come into my house."
"Clever." Came the dry reply from the red head. She dropped a bag at her feet and bent down to talk to Barley at eye level. "Now, Barles, you have to be a good boy for Auntie Hermie." Hermione cringed at the nickname. "She's not used to having anything as cute in the house as you! So behave and be a sweetie like mommy knows you are!"
"I don't even want to think about what you're going to be like when you pop that thing out...and out of wedlock!" Hermione motioned to Ginny's very round, very pregnant belly. It was a given that Harry and Ginny would get married, they just happened to do things a little backwards. Pregnancy and then marriage.
"Whatever." Ginny thrust a paper in Hermione's direction before continuing. "I listed everything that you'll need to do for Barley while I'm away."
"What if he acts up to the point where I can't do a thing? Don't you have a cage or something?" At this notion, Ginny clapped her hands over Barley's ears.
"Don't say that word in front of him! Of course I don't put him in a cage. What do you think I am, some kind of sick animal hater?"
"No, but I did think that you were reasonable. Apparently, though, you're a Hermione hater." She grumbled and stomped off to the kitchen to fix herself a pot of tea.
"All right Granger, I really have to get going. Harry and I will be back on the 25th. If there are any serious problems - as in, you're not just annoyed with Barley - Floo."
"Thank you, I'll pass. I'd rather suffer a death from anger than risk seeing the two of you...going at it." Hermione shuddered and took the kettle off of the stove once it whistled. "Now, get out before I change my mind and throw you and the Crup out!"
"I'm gone." She bent down once more to Barley and spoke in baby voice. "Now you be good for Auntie Hermie. And you," she stood and turned back toward Hermione, "be good to Mister Barley." With that she stepped back in to the fireplace, muttered a quick 'disgusting' and Floo'd back to the flat she shared with Harry.
Hermione's cup remained at her lips as she stared at Barley who was doing just the same. She peered at him carefully, weighing the odds of her actually making it through ten days with the animal. Finally she broke the silence (not that Barley could have done so.)
"Looks like it's just you and me, bud."
Her words were met with a low, angry growl.
She was in for a long night.
TUESDAY
The night had dragged on for Hermione. Barley had clearly marked his territory (thankfully not with animal fluid) as the entire living room. The living room where Hermione's television set was, where her favorite blanket could be found, the area of the house with the best lighting to read by.
So she figured that if she could just stay out of the living room for ten days that everything would go by relatively smoothly. Only when she exited her room to enter the kitchen did she realize there was a slight problem in that logic.
Hermione awoke ready to face the day and hopefully befriend her new flatmate. She flung her door open, already deciding that she would have Belgian waffles for breakfast.
Once her sockless foot met a cool wood surface she realized she'd made a horrible mistake.
She would have to cross the living room to get to the kitchen.
Hermione boldly continued, assuming that Barley wouldn't move. She was, after all, just passing through. Right?
Wrong. The Crup rose with amazing speed and its forked tail stuck straight out.
"Oh, hell..." Hermione took off as soon as the Crup did. She had the advantage of having bare feet while Barley was having trouble maintaining his balance on the wood floor.
She threw herself into the kitchen just before "Mister Barley" could gnaw her foot off. Hermione caught her breath and turned back toward the beast.
"Weren't expecting that, were you?" She stuck her nose in the air with pride and was shocked when the Crup stood on its hind legs and emitted the most awful, menacing noise she had ever heard, effectively causing Hermione to cup her hands over her ears and cringe.
After eating and cleaning up the kitchen, the young witch scuttled across the living room floor once more, and remained in her bedroom for the rest of the day.
WEDNESDAY
"Dogs like going for walks." Hermione said aloud as she made her bed. "They love them! Why wouldn't a Crup like them?" She was debating with herself about whether or not a walk with Barley would be a good idea.
In the end, she snatched Crookshanks leash and cautiously entered the living room. Standing extremely still, Barley's ears perked up and he narrowed his eyes at her.
"Hey bud. Do you want to go for a walk with me?" She swung the leash gently back and forth and raised her voice an octave or two. "We can go to the park and play with all of the other Crups!" She wasn't entirely sure if other people even had Crups.
Apparently, Barley was thrilled about this idea. He loped over to her, with an animal grin on his face, and spun in circles. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and attached the leash to Barley before opening the door and exiting the flat for a nice stroll with a nice Crup...she hoped.
The walk was going great. Barley was prancing, the sun was shining, and Hermione was pleased with herself for getting on Barley's good side.
'I guess he was just a little uneasy without Ginny being around. Just needed some time to get used to me.' Hermione thought, practically dancing alongside her new friend. They were entering the park, getting ready to explore the dewy green grass, when Barley decided to show his true colors.
Eyes wide and body at attention, Barley began tugging. Tugging with the force of an actual person playing a heated match of tug-of-war. Hermione could feel herself getting, well, she supposed the correct name for it would be leash burn, all over her hands.
"Barley! Barley quit! I swear if you get away from me -" but before she could fully threaten him, Barley had broken away from his temporary owner and set off in a sprint. Hermione took off after him, yelling his name and hollering that she had lost her Crup.
Finally, she heard a Crup like sound (they were quite easily identifiable as Hermione had unfortunately come to find out) just over a hill. Taking a deep breath, she trekked up to the top and stomped back down, ready to admonish the animal and haul him back home.
"And who are you?" She heard a male voice speaking, presumably to Barley. She saw the man squatting down to pet the Crup.
Immediately, Hermione spoke to the man, hoping to do a good deed and save him. "I would back away from that Crup immediately. It's made of pure evil and it has no soul."
The man turned to reveal lovely, high cheek bones, pink lips, grey eyes, and white-blonde hair.
Her mouth opened in a slight 'O' shape but promptly shut it and glared at the wizard in front of her who stood smirking. "On second thought, you two would probably get along fantastically. You already have so much in common."
"Hermione Granger." The man murmured her name before snatching the dog up into his arms and walking toward her.
"Draco Malfoy. What an unpleasant surprise."
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Hermione lay in bed that night replaying the day's events in her mind. After all of these years he was still just an arrogant, little-minded, despicably attractive prick.
"And to think, I thought it was just
men that were always running away from you." He snickered
to himself and she could already feel her temper rising.
"You
know, I heard a rumor that Crups often flock to only the most
revolting things."She could have slapped herself. Where had all
of her witty insults disappeared to?
"I heard a rumor that you're getting married." He said it like it was the most unbelievable thing he'd ever heard. Like he was saying, "I heard a rumor that you're a three-toed sloth!"
"Yes, well some men actually have taste. Nothing you'd know about." She placed her hands on her hips and glared.
He threw his head back and laughed. Her eyes fell onto his Adam's apple, moving with his soft chuckles.
"The only taste Ron Weasel will ever have is the taste for dirt." She could feel herself flushing. It was one thing to insult her, but her fiancée was another. "That's all he ever has been and all he ever will be."
"You are still so incredibly childish. Now," she held out her hand as if waiting for a Knut to be placed in it, "would you please hand over Barley?"
Rather than giving her the Crup, he turned it to look him in the eye. "Barley. Is that your name, little man?" His eyes flicked up to meet hers for a moment before he bent his head to whisper in Barley's ear. "Be careful of this one. Her grating voice might make your head explode."
With that, he handed the Crup back to her and it promptly began squirming and nipping at her hands.
"Barley. Barley, quit!" She held the demon pet out away from her body, for fear of it getting a hold of something important on her face. "I don't know why it's acting like this. I didn't do anything to it."
"It's because you're not a Pureblood." He answered nonchalantly, as if this answer was the most obvious.
Immediately, Hermione stiffened with rage. "You are just as awful as you were in school!" She screamed at him. "Just because I don't come from a long line of murderers,"she spat the word at him as though trying to inflict a tangible wound, "does not make me any less of a person or witch than you. So you can take your bigotry and your pride and shove them up your ass!" She concluded, gasping to catch her breath. She shuddered and attempted to calm Barley.
His response was soft and reluctant. "I wasn't saying that to be a bastard, Granger. I was saying it because it's a fact. Crups - which is the exact type of animal you've got in your hands there - are naturally more attracted to people with magic in them. Considering the fact that I am a Pureblooded wizard, he like me better than you. You, however, being a Muggleborn, haven't earned automatic trust as I have." Draco's response was coated with anger, embarassment, and a bit of hurt.
Her mouth fell open as she grasped for the right words. "I'm...I'm...I'm sorry." She had read that. She had read that that's just how Crups were.
She had felt so awful at that moment. She'd assumed that he was being an ass to her. She had assumed that he was still hung up on the Pureblood/Mudblood thing. She'd forgotten all normal, coherent thought and lashed out at him, calling his family murderers (not that it was a lie, but it wasn't entirely necessary.)
"Yeah, well, I probably deserved it." She blanched at his words. Was Draco Malfoy...sort of apologizing about his demeanor toward her all the years they'd known one another? "I have to get going." She nodded, not sure of what to say at this point. He turned to leave but stopped and turned back to face her. "Perform more magic around him and feed him raw meat. They really enjoy that." And with that he was stalking off away from her.
THURSDAY
She had tried everything. Entertaining Barley with silly parlor tricks, giving him a nice slab of meat she'd picked up at the market, cooing at him, and still he was acting like she was the most awful sitter ever.
"What?" She said aloud, frowning at Barley. "If you're bitter because of my yelling at Draco Malfoy, he deserved it. I had every right to be angry. He was terrible to me when we were at Hogwarts and now you expect me to be nice to him? Well, Barley, old friend, you're out of your mind if you think for one second that I'll be nice to him." She was pacing in the living room - he'd at least allowed her to do that. But as soon as she neared him to attempt to pet him, he snarled and bared his teeth.
On instinct, Hermione
pulled the necklace around her neck out from under her shirt. On the
chain was her engagement ring; she had never been much of a ring
person.
She finally decided that if she wanted Barley
to warm up to her even more, she would require a lot more meat. She
looked at Barley sternly. "You behave. I'll be back in
just a little bit." In response, Barley laid his head down and
shut his eyes.
Hermione walked the half mile to the market closest to her flat. She already had a mental list prepared for what supplies she would need: wine, cheap steak, bread, peanut butter, jelly, and ice cream. Tonight was going to be fabulous.
Upon entering the small grocery store, she snatched a cart, hunched over the handle bar, and began pushing. Despite having a mental list all planned out, she managed to grab a quarter of a cart of items she didn't need.
"Are you forcing Barley into having an all-night cry fest with you and a girl movie?" The voice startled her so much she dropped the bag of Milano cookies she had been inspecting.
"Holy hell..." she murmured, resting her hand on her chest to slow down her rapidly beating heart, "do you always sneak up on people like that?"
"Just the ones I despise." He sent a fake grin her way before looking at the shelf in front of them. "I'd go for the chocolate mints. All of the other kinds are much too dry but the chocolate mints are just moist enough."
She peered at him carefully. "Draco Malfoy recommending cookies to me. Next thing I know, you'll be offering your services as a bridesmaid."
His hands fluttered to the sides of his face and a shocked look came over his face. "Do you mean it? Oh, Granger," he'd raised his voice to create the impression of a girly voice, "I would be so honored."
Before she could help herself, a burst of laughter escaped her and she was holding her sides. She stayed like that for a minute, laughing and clutching her waist before she was able to stand and look at him. Once she could do that, she studied him, smiling to herself and thinking. She had never pegged him to have any real sense of humor. The only jokes he knew - or at least seemed to have known - were insulting and degrading to others. And here he was, making a real joke that actually made her laugh.
"What?" He finally said, spinning to look at her.
"Nothing it's just..." she trailed off, not sure if this was a sentence she had any desire to finish, "you're funny."
"I know."
She shut her eyes hard and opened them, trying to calm herself. She was attempting to pay him a compliment, perhaps as an amends for what had happened yesterday and he replies with "I know."
"You're insufferable." She muttered before snatching the chocolate mints from the shelf and pushing her cart away from him. For a brief moment she thought he had decided to leave her alone, but then she heard his heavy footsteps behind her.
"Malfoy. What are you doing?" Hermione kept her eyes either focused on the aisle in front of her or to the right, where he wasn't.
"Grocery shopping. Isn't it obvious?" Quickly, she turned her head to look at him.
"No. You don't have any groceries. Saying that you are grocery shopping would imply that you are picking out food you'd like to eat, placing it into a cart, and then purchasing it. You are doing..." she trailed off, pretending to think, "none of those."
"Well," he sniffed, "I like to consider my options thoroughly. I don't want to fall into impulse buying. It's a real problem."
"Tell me about it." She replied, snatching a box of Special K Chocolate Delight cereal from the shelf they were passing.
They turned the corner to enter the checkout. "You haven't bought anything." Hermione noticed as she began placing her items on the checkout counter.
"I don't really need anything. Malfoy Manor is fully stocked year round." He grinned at her cheekily. After all of his years of being an ass, he'd managed mature, less prejudiced ass.
"Of course it is." Hermione took note of the young girl bagging groceries currently eyeing Malfoy with adolescent lust in her eyes. "Hey!" She read the nametag. "Mallory. I believe you're getting paid to bag groceries, not ogle men who are old enough to be..." she thought about it, "old enough for it to be illegal!"
She heard him laughing behind her as the girl packed her groceries into bags and handed them to her, sneering at her all the while.
Upon receiving her final bag, she turned back to Mallory. "I'd tip you but you weren't very pleasant. Work on that."
Malfoy continued to follow her out of the market and walk right along side her toward her house. "So, tell me Malfoy, why were you at the market if you are in no need of groceries?"
"The grocery store is the perfect place to pick up women."
Hermione snorted but sobered when a bag began slipping from her grip. Smoothly, he leaned over and grabbed the bag along with two others.
"Uh...thank you." She smiled sheepishly and continued walking. "So picking up women at the grocery store. That's very...classy of you, Malfoy." Again she snorted.
"Hey. You're with me, aren't you?" That statement immediately shut her up.
"I am not with you Malfoy. You are followingme. If you think that I am here with you, you are completely delusional."
"You can't really deny that I picked you up. I mean, I met you at a grocery store, you were jealous of the cashier girl -"
"I am not jealous of Mallory. She wasn't paying any attention to her job and it was disturbing the way she was looking at you! Plus, I was trying to save her from any interaction with you. It would have scarred her for life!"
He continued despite her adamant protest. "I'm carrying your groceries and I'm walking toward your flat. Plus, you're not exactly telling me to leave."
She stopped and turned to him, a stunned look on her face. "Fine!" She was half entertained, half enraged. "Leave!"
They stood there for a moment, looking at one another, Hermione angry, Draco entertained.
He smirked and leaned back from her. "No."
Hermione let out an irritated noise before walking away from him. They walked in silence until they reached Hermione's flat.
"I can't believe this is happening." She whispered to herself as she unlocked the door the Muggle way.
"I can!" Came his sing-song voice from behind her.
She reached over and switched on the light and both bags of groceries in her arms fell to the ground. Malfoy, letting himself in, pushed past her and surveyed the living room.
"Jesus Granger, what did you do, create a magic cyclone to entertain Barley?"
She breathed heavily, taking in her living room that was currently in shambles. He was right. The living room looked as though a tornado had torn through it and destroyed everything.
She gathered one large breath of air and unleashed her wrath.
"BARLEY!"
THURSDAY NIGHTDraco Malfoy cast one more final spell to get Hermione Granger's room back into an at least semi-orderly fashion. She was currently sitting on her sofa, head in her hands, moaning.
"I can't believe it. I leave him for an hour on his own and he does this. I asked him nicely to please be good for me. He even acted like he understood. I mean, of course I know he didn't really understand what I was saying but I thought maybe he got the idea that he wasn't supposed to DESTROY MY LIVING ROOM!" she screamed the last four words, hoping to scare the Crup to death...wherever he was hiding.
"Relax, Granger. The room looks fine. There are a few things that are out of place but it won't take you long to situate everything how you like it. Now, would you please calm down before I have to come over there and do something drastic."
She looked at him and tilted her head to the side, clearly not amused. "You're still here."
"Yes, Granger, you are welcome for cleaning up your entire living room. It really was my pleasure. No, no! Of course I didn't have anywhere to be tonight!"
Immediately, Hermione looked horrified. "Oh my God, Malfoy, did you have plans tonight? God, I'll bet you had a date and I completely ruined it. Who is she? I'll call her and tell her that it's all my fault."
"Relax. I didn't have plans tonight." She set the phone down back on it's receiver after she had been ready to call some girl for him.
"You're an ass. But really, you're still here." He looked at her. "Why?"
He smiled - actually smiled at her. "Because I'm really not that much of an ass. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am absolutely a total ass, but not so much that I wouldn't recognize the heart attack you were about to have."
"I was not about to have a heart attack! I was just...surprised." She let her body slide to the side so her feet were on the ground but she was half-laying down.
"Your brain was going to explode all over! I've never seen you so angry and shocked at the same time. And really, my parents have already given me a bad enough name. I couldn't exactly have your death attached to it as well."
"My brain would not have exploded." She huffed before grinning at him. "But it definitely might have hemorrhaged." He smiled back at her, recalling her face upon entering the flat.
"Well, I really do have to be going. I had a lovely time...cleaning your living room." He stood and walked toward the door.
Before he could leave, she stood up and ran to the door. "Look, I feel really bad about making you do all of this." She gestured at the room.
"You didn't make me do it. I just felt like it was the right thing to do." She looked up at him. He was tall. Taller than she remembered; at least 6'3" if not an inch or two more. And his lips looked soft, definitely kissable.
She took a breath, acting as though she hadn't thought such things. "Either way, I feel terrible. Let me take you out." Her mind was racing. "To breakfast!"
"Breakfast." He looked at her suspiciously.
"Breakfast."
"Is breakfast a normal first date for you?" He gave her a crooked smile and opened the door, getting ready to leave.
"It won't be a date. It's not a date. Breakfast, tomorrow. The place right by the market. 10 'o' clock?"
He nodded at her, a smile breaking out across his face, before he leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "It's a date."
His breath on her neck and the sound of his voice practically made her melt. He stood up straight and exited her house.
Regaining her senses and registering what he'd said, she leaned out the door. "It's not a date!"
He didn't bother to turn around but she heard him yell, "You say that now!"
Just as she had started to calm down, the anger flowed through her all over again and she slammed the door shut.
Barley stayed in his hiding place the rest of the night.
FRIDAY
Hermione woke up at 8:45 on Friday morning and remained in bed until 9:20 when she realized she had scheduled a...casual get together with Draco Malfoy.
At this thought, Hermione stopped. Had she really done that? Or had the last five days actually been some awful, awful nightmare? But she knew. She knew that she hadn't dreamed all of it up. This was real.
Racing to get to the café by 10, Hermione washed her hair quickly, dried it, put on some light makeup, and slipped into a casual day dress. She stood in front of the mirror, carefully studying herself and how she looked.
"Fabulous!" Her mirror chimed in with its opinion. "Hot date?" She could practically see the man's eyebrows waggling at her.
"No! Just a friendly breakfast. Plus, I'm engaged. To a lovely man that I love very much."
The mirror gave a quick laugh before putting in its final word. "Engaged isn't married." Hermione simply grumbled and exited her room, slamming the door behind her.
Her step fell short when she noticed that Barley was standing in front of her, forked tail between his legs and those sad eyes she'd seen on every dog at some point or another.
"Barley." She whispered before bending down to look at him eye level. "I think you learned your lesson, didn't you?" The fact that he was allowing her to be this close to him, in "his" territory" was a surprise to her. What surprised her even more was when he waddled over to her, sat down, and leaned against her leg. She smiled down at him and scratched him behind the ears. "Yeah, you're not so bad, either."
Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was 9:49, a minute past departure time. She gave Barley a quick kiss on the top of the head and he gave her a lick in return.
After a brisk walk, she finally arrived for breakfast. Malfoy was already there.
"10 on the dot." He stood as she approached the table and sat after she did. "You look...frazzled."
"A little." She admitted. "I woke up late and thought that I had dreamed all of this. And then!" She was smiling wildly at this part. "Barley finally warmed up to me. He looked all sad this morning like he knew he was a bad Crup and he gave me a kiss!"
She sipped her orange juice and ordered crépes from the waiter and looked at Malfoy. "I'm glad you came."
He stared at her as if memorizing her face. "So am I."
They chatted while they waited for their food. Actually, they bickered for the most part. Once their food arrived, they were relatively quiet. Hermione ate her crépes in silence before she felt his eyes on her. When she looked up, he was simply staring at her with a slight smile on his face.
"What? What?" She grabbed her napkin. "Do I have raspberry sauce all over my face?" She wiped frantically before he spoke.
"No. It's just..." he shook his head softly before continuing. "You eat the outside of your crépes first and then the middle."
She blinked at him. Then she looked down at her plate and sure enough, the middle of the crépe sat there without the outer edges.
"I, um, I just like the inside part the best." She was embarrassed. Could she be any weirder? She couldn't believe that no one else had ever noticed that.
"No. It's cute." She looked up quickly at this admission but his eyes were already focused on the pancakes in front of him. Gazing back down at her plate, Hermione allowed a slow smile to spread across her face.
The finished their meal and talked some more. A surprise for both of them was how easy it was for them to talk to one another. As easy as it was for them to disagree and argue, they felt comfortable around one another.
They fought for 20 minutes about who would pick up the bill. Hermione insisted because she had made him clean her living room and this was her way of thanking him. Draco insisted because he was a gentleman and would not have any lady paying for his food. Finally, they split the bill and Hermione supplied the tip.
He walked her back to her flat and thankfully didn't ask to come in.
"Thank you for agreeing to go to breakfast. I had a really nice time." She unlocked the door and began to push it open.
"Me too. We should do it again sometime." He stepped up on the next stair so he was eye level with her. "I would have to say..." he leaned forward, his right hand reaching up to touch her shoulder and his lips just barely brushing over her earlobe. "This was a high successful first date. One for the books."
Her knees were shaking as he pulled away and sauntered off. Weakly, she called out to him. "It wasn't a date."
"You won't be saying that five years from now!" He hollered back.
Again, she slammed the door shut but this time, she had Barley to comfort her.
SATURDAY
Saturday was mostly uneventful. Barley had completely warmed up to her, followed her around the house, and often curled up with her whenever she laid down.
She'd never admit that the real reason Saturday was so boring and dull was because Draco Malfoy hadn't been there to keep her company.
SUNDAY
Barley lay on the fluffy white rug in the bathroom while Hermione soaked in the bathtub. The scent of vanilla and chamomile relaxed her while she let her thoughts drift.
She was well aware of what would be happening in three short weeks. She would no longer be Hermione Jane Granger. She would be Hermione Jane Weasley. Ginny's sister-in-law. Molly's daughter-in-law. Ron's wife.
It's not as though she was oblivious to the fact that Ron may not be her soulmate. In fact, she highly doubted that he was. But she knew that he loved her and that, with the Weasley's increased income, he could provide. She knew that he would do everything in his power to make her happy.
But was she settling? Was she settling for familiarity? For the comfort of knowing how her entire would unfold? Never having to worry about surprises or something going horribly wrong? With Ron, she would be set. Sure they would bicker like always - they were the closest of friends. Sure she'd feel like he was a lost cause when it came to important matters. But she could deal with it; she liked having her life laid out so that she knew what to expect.
Didn't she?
MONDAY
A full week had passed since she had temporarily inherited Barley the Crup and it had gotten easier as the days wore on. In fact, Hermione had come to like Barley once he opened up to her and started to trust her.
Hermione had just finished wrapping her hair in a towel and applying a facial mask to her face when a knock sounded at the door. She threw on her robe and padded over to the front door and opened it.
"Hi." Draco Malfoy stood in front of her, clad in jeans and a loose buttoned shirt.
"Hi." Hermione assumed that she looked calm from the outside when internally she was having a slight anxiety attack. Draco Malfoy had shown up unannounced and found her with green goo all over her face.
"You know, I had a feeling you'd been using glamour charms all these years I've known you." He stood back and let his eyes roam over her. "At last, the real Hermione Granger." He let himself in and took in her flat.
"Ha ha. How very funny of you." She shut and locked the door before trudging back to the bathroom. "So what is it that you're doing here?"
"I was actually hoping I could take Barley for a walk." Hermione stopped flossing her teeth and turned to look at him. "That is, of course, if it's all right with you."
"Well, you two did seem to hit it off last week." She sighed softly before continuing. "Just...don't you dare lose him. Ginny will kill me if she finds out that Barley has run away – especially with you. Plus," she looked at him with such intensity, he wasn't sure if she was saying what he thought she was saying, "he's kind of growing on me."
He nodded once before calling out to Barley, hooking him up, and leaving the house.
Shaking off the fluttery feeling in her stomach, she scrubbed off the mask, pulled the towel off her hair, and changed into her undergarments.
No sooner had she exited the bathroom and was entering the living room when the front door flew open.
"Sorry! I forgot to grab -" Draco Malfoy stopped everything all together; walking, talking, thinking, breathing. Hermione Granger was standing in front of him in lacey black panties and a matching bra. Her hair was still damp from her shower but it was starting to curl. His throat seemed to have closed off upon first sight of her.
They stood frozen for what felt like years, staring at each other, ogling each other, before she finally moved. She snatched a blanket from off of her couch and wrapped it around herself.
"You forgot..." she spoke softly as a blush crept onto her cheeks.
"I forgot..." was he really speaking? He had no idea. Some sort of noise was coming out of his mouth. "Yeah, yeah I forgot to grab Barley's frisbee." He leaned over and snatched it off of the small table in the foyer. "I'll just be going." And with that, he shut the door and left for a second time.
Hermione let out an aggravated yell and bolted to her room.
On the other side of the door, however, was Draco Malfoy only able to picture one thing.
Not the way her legs seemed to go on forever despite her short stature. Not the way her hair was perfectly messed up like she'd just had shower sex. Not the way she had missed a big glob of green on her chin and still looked sexy. But the silver ring dangling from her neck, claiming ownership over Hermione Granger.
TUESDAYWhen Draco returned from Barley's walk on Monday, he said a brief goodbye and see you soon. In return, Hermione said thank you and 'okay.'
At 11 AM on Tuesday morning, Hermione jumped at the sound of a quick rapping at her door. She set her book down and made her way over to the door, a wave of both excitement and dread washed over her as she realized it was probably Malfoy.
She opened the door only to find him with his hands covering his eyes.
"Are you decent?" He practically yelled at her when he heard the door swing open. Hermione couldn't hold back a laugh and managed to choke out 'Yes, I'm decent' before he uncovered his eyes and entered.
"I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about yesterday. If I had known -" she held up a hand to stop his lengthy apology.
"Really. No need to worry. I can handle a little embarrassment here and there." She smiled softly at him before he continued.
"Right, well, I was wondering if you'd like to spend a full day with," he paused dramatically for effect before pointing at himself, "yours truly!"
Hermione screwed her face up to appear repulsed at the idea. In return, he put a huge frown on his face and gave her sad eyes.
"How can I resist that face?" She laughed and turned toward her door. "Don't follow me in here." She looked over her shoulder and smirked. "I'm going to get naked."
As if that made him want to stay out.
Five minutes later she appeared in a pair of jeans, a tee shirt, and a vest over top of that. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be." He breathed deeply, attempting to rid himself of thoughts of her in less clothing than he had seen her in yesterday. Still though, despite that magnificent image, the image of her engagement ring around her neck haunted him.
TUESDAY NIGHTHermione and Draco didn't get home until 11:30 Tuesday night. They had done everything that day; lunch, dinner, ice cream, a movie, shopping, simply walking, arguing, laughing, discussing, and most importantly learning about one another.
His sense of humor was growing on her. He still had that cocky bastard characteristic about him but she realized that that kind of confidence wasn't as unappealing as she had initially thought.
At one point in the evening, they had been strolling down a main road when a group of what looked like college freshmen leered at her, catcalling and all. As if on instinct, Malfoy had grabbed her around the waist, pulled her close, and his facial expression practically read "Fuck off."
As soon as that happened, Hermione found herself comparing this situation to what would have happened had Ron been there. She could see it so clearly: at first, Ron would try to be comforting. "Aw, don't worry Mione. They're just a bunch of prats who haven't got any women." And then, when they continued, he'd try to start a fight.
Draco had been a gentleman all evening - though not proper enough that she felt like she was out with a humorless butler to the Queen. But he held doors opened, took her coat, offered to carry any shopping bags she had acquired, and offered to pay for ice cream (which she had allowed.)
When they reached her doorway at the end of the night, she realized the perfect word for what he was doing. He was courting her.
And then she realized the problem with the situation. He was courting an engaged woman. She was allowing him to take her out on dates (though they were never given that official name), to flirt with her, to walk her dog. He'd practically seen her naked!
"Today was a lot of fun." She looked up into the midnight sky. A full moon hung over them and she breathed in the night air.
"It was." She could feel his eyes on her, burning into her. Burning into her, not with hate like she had gotten used to during their years at Hogwarts but with...she couldn't even place the feeling. Whatever it was, it was strong.
"Well, I'll see you..." she trailed off, hoping he would complete the sentence with the word 'tomorrow.'
"Soon." He replied, smiling serenely at her. She nodded an okay at him and pushed open her door.
"Hermione." He had called her the name before. She had even called him Draco. But the sound of her name on his lips gave her chills.
"Yes?" She turned slowly to look at him, hoping he would do something drastic and at the same time silently begging him to just leave.
He studied her as if trying to figure out which one she really wanted more.
"Nothing." He shook his head and walked away from her, hands in pockets and head bowed.
WEDNESDAYHermione had just two more days with Barley the Crup before Harry and Ginny returned home to reclaim him. For Hermione, it would be a sad departure. She had grown to enjoy her time spent with him. She liked the way he kept her toes warm when she slept. She looked forward to seeing his forked tail wagging so fast it was like a blur. She appreciated the way she could talk to him about anything and the way he listened to her so intently.
Draco was coming over today for a day full of movies and then they were cooking a fancy dinner.
She'd spent the entire morning cleaning the flat until it was squeaky clean. She also spent a majority of that time chastising herself for her terrible behavior. Just because Ron was away for a meeting did not give her the right to flirt with other men - namely one of his worst enemies. It wasn't okay that she got all hot and bothered around Draco Malfoy, that he could make her squirm with excitement when Ron Weasley was lucky to muster a smile from her.
Nothing was right.
He arrived promptly at noon and they sat down to watch the first movie: Night of the Living Dead.
"So, little Granger. Do you think you can handle total darkness or will you be too scared?" He grinned at her, challenging her. She met him head on.
"Just make sure you keep a pillow over your mouth so that when you're screaming like a little girl I wont have to risk my ability to hear." They laughed together as he pulled the blinds shut, popped in the movie, and turned out the lamp.
Her mind was immediately filled with the way she felt whenever she and Viktor had watched a movie. When she watched a movie with him, they never watched it. She was too busy being kissed to death and trying to keep him in check with where his hands were.
In her mind, she could see it. Draco turning to her 10 minutes into the movie and just laying one on her. His mouth slanting perfectly over hers, his hands splayed across her back, her hands running through his hair.
But that didn't happen. Draco plopped himself down next to her and focused all attention on the movie.
However, when the opening credits began rolling, his voice broke out in a soft whisper. "No funny business. Hands to yourself, Miss Granger." She tried to laugh and play it off as though it was a given. But the fact was that deep down she had been anticipating some funny business.
In the end, both had been terrified and screamed a lot, though they both vowed to never tell anyone.
"What's up next?" Draco stood and grabbed a handful of movies. "We've got...Top Gun, The Jacket, 300, and...is this The Notebook? Hermione. I can handle the emotional stuff from time to time, but The Notebook? Really?"
"I'm sure you secretly love The Notebook. Which is fine because it's a fantastic movie." She guffawed at his face. "Maybe you should borrow it. You could learn a thing or two."
"Me? Learn a thing or two? Granger, in case you haven't noticed, I've got no problem with the ladies." He flexed his muscles and put on a macho face before she threw a pillow at him, breaking his pose.
"Just put in The Jacket."
Hermione found it troublesome keeping her eyes open during the movie. She loved it and had seen it dozens of times, but her eyes were heavy and eventually fell shut not 20 minutes in.
When she did wake up, the very last credits were rolling and she was leaning against Draco. Her head was against his arm and her arm was flung over his stomach. And for a second, she thought that perhaps they had both fallen asleep. Totally innocent.
But then she realized he was awake. She didn't have to look up to know that he was staring at her. And the biggest giveaway was his fingers running through her hair. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment at the feeling but she remained awake.
She made a big show of "waking up" and apologized to Draco for using him as her personal pillow to which he said "No big deal. I was honored to be used in such a way."
Hermione stood up and stretched before turning on the lamp and opening the blinds to reveal a just barely darkening sky. "Mmm...dinner."
They worked well in the kitchen together, dancing to the radio, grabbing ingredients for one another, giving each other tips.
By 6:30 they sat down at Hermione's little two-person table and shoveled the food in their mouths. The first bite was a wonderful flavor and they decided a high five was in order for a job well done.
"We should be chefs. We should open a little restaurant in London and cook tasty food for people. Wouldn't that be great?" He grinned at her and chewed another piece of chicken.
"Absolutely. But what would we call it?" She took a sip of wine and gazed at him.
He thought for a moment before responding. He moved his hands like people do when they're referring to billboards or signs. "Draco and Hermione: Delicious."
She chuckled at the notion of such a restaurant name. "But why does your name have to come first?"
"Because I'm the man!" He responded with a deep baritone voice, sipping at his wine and smirking.
"Very funny."
"Really, I don't know. It sounds good, though, don't you think?" He paused for a moment, making direct eye contact with her. "Draco and Hermione."
It did. Oh God, it really did. In that moment she knew that that's what she wanted. She wanted to be a person in a relationship where their names sound good together. Where when one name is said, the other can't be far behind. Where they're practically the same person, it's impossible to differ from each one. Two things that just go together. Peanut butter and jelly.
"Draco and Hermione." He repeated. "Hermione and Draco." He was frozen looking at her and she was just as still as he. His voice had dropped to a husky murmur as he continued. "God, we sound good no matter which way you say our names. Just so long as they're side by side..."
And then it was like her body had a mind of it's own, she was standing up and grabbing something from the table and flailing about which sent a wine glass spilling all over Draco's white shirt.
"Bugger!" She cried out, running into the kitchen to snatch a damp towel. "Draco I'm so sorry. My body was not cooperating with me at all. I'm such a spaz." She was tugging at his shirt, trying to get the red out. "I think I'm just making it worse. This is terrible. I'm terrible. I'm sorry. Let me just -"
His firm hands on her shoulders stopped her. "Hermione. Stop." He grabbed his wand and murmured a quick cleansing spell and the stain was instantly gone.
"Once again," she pointed to herself, "total spaz." She sat down on the chair and slumped down, still shaking from...she wasn't sure what. Either the wine she had spilled or what he had been saying about them.
Side by side...side by side.Trying to keep her mind off the way his voice had sounded and the way his chest had felt under her hands as she'd tried to blot away the wine, she snatched dishes off of the table and began carrying them to the kitchen.
This was too much for her to handle. There was no point in denying it anymore. She had a major thing for Draco Malfoy. She wanted him in a way she had never wanted anyone else before. She needed him in a way she knew she would never need Ron. She wanted to spend every moment of her entire life with Draco Malfoy and she was freaking out.
"Hermione." His voice was rough but quiet as he held her in place.
"Hang on. I need to clean up the table." She tried to get past him but he held her there.
"Hermione."
"Draco. Seriously, I'll just be a minute." Oh God, she could feel her entire body shaking and her legs were turning to jelly.
"Hermione." She stopped that time. The way he said it with such desperation and want and need. She slowly lifted her head to look him in the eye.
And then, he was lowering his mouth to hers. So close she could feel his breath on her mouth. If she stood on her tip toes just a fraction of an inch, they would be kissing.
"Don't." The word sounded foreign on her lips and she couldn't be sure if she had actually said it.
He stilled at the word floating between them now. Don't.
"Hermione." His mouth was still dangerously close to hers.
"Please, Draco, I...I can't do this." She shut her eyes, not sure of the words that were pouring out of her mouth.
Her brain was dominating her heart. Her whole body was in pain at the loss of contact as he pulled away.
"You...can't?"
"I'm getting married. I can't just act like I'm not engaged to Ron. I can't hurt him like this."
"Hurt him? Hermione, you can't go through settle for a comfortable life that's worry and hassle free. You shouldn't go through life's motions without a single thought to what else is out there. Life isn't supposed to be worry free. It's supposed to be hard and scary and beautiful and imperfect. If this is how you're going to spend your life – staying at home cleaning, dealing with his stupidity, never feeling alive – you're only hurting youself."
She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before speaking. "I think you should go."
He paused and she could tell his fists were clenched at his sides. "I think so too." His voice broke and the tears started spilling from her eyes as he stepped away from her.
"Draco I -" she cried out but the door was already slamming shut.
THURSDAYHarry and Ginny returned on Thursday to reclaim Barley. Barley greeted them by bounding over and licking both of them all over their faces and jumping on them in glee. Hermione knew she would miss Barley; he was the only person (well, not really person) that knew about her predicament and the way she felt.
Ginny, perceptive as always, noticed her friend's depressed demeanor.
"Wow, Barley really did a number on you this past week and a half." Hermione forced a laugh and smiled sadly at her friend. It was nice to have her back to talk to, but she wasn't ready to unload the entire dreary tale quite yet. "What's wrong, Hermione? Did something happen while I was away? Oh God, Hermione you could have called or Floo'd if something was wrong!"
"No, no. Just the typical PMS mood swings. I'm sure I'll be fine after a couple chocolate bars and some ice cream."
Ginny knew that the line wasn't the truth at all but she let it slide, assuming that Hermione would tell her when she was ready.
THREE WEEKS LATER"Oh, Hermione, you look so beautiful." Someone cooed to her as Ginny curled her hair. Hermione peered at herself in the mirror in front of her. Whoever had said that was right. She did look beautiful. Her hair was perfect, her skin looked impeccable, the dress fit her just right.
But she felt terrible. Depressed. Empty.
She hadn't spoken to nor had she seen Draco Malfoy since their movie/dinner day. She had attempted (most unsuccessfully) to push him as far to the back of her mind as possible. But no matter what she did, no matter how many times she threw herself into different books, no matter how much sex she had with Ron, no matter how much she busied herself with the wedding, he was always there. The way he smelled, the way he called their casual get togethers dates, the way his hand felt when he stroked her hair, the way he made her laugh at the most ridiculous moments. It was all there, right at the surface ready to boil over. She had no idea how she'd managed to maintain it for so long.
The organ began and her bridesmaids filed out, squealing delightedly.
Ginny Weasley, her Maid of Honor, stood at the doors, ready to lead the way. At the very last second, she turned to Hermione.
"I want you to know that you should never have to do something you don't truly want to do. As much as I want this to happen, I don't want you to be miserable. I want you and my brother to have the chance to really find people. I know something has been going on with you and I think you've been second guessing yourself. If this wedding doesn't happen, I want you to know that you have my support and my blessing. I want what's best for you and for my brother."
Tears were gleaming in both women's eyes and they hugged quickly before Ginny lead Hermione out.
Before she knew it, she was at the altar and she was almost to "the moment" where she sealed the deal.
"I do." Ron said, staring into her eyes. She knew how badly he wanted this, how badly he wanted to get married. But she could see in his eyes that this - Ron and Hermione - was not what he wanted. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that this was the right thing to do, she knew it wasn't. And she knew that in the long run, he would find his special someone and he would thank her for this.
"Do you, Hermione Jane Granger, take Ronald Bilius Weasley, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The priest's voice rang out like a bell and Hermione gulped nervously.
"I -" she paused for a moment and glanced at Ginny. "I..." another pause as she looked around the chapel. Her eyes settled on Barley. If Barley could speak, she knew that he would be saying "You know what you have to do. You have to go get your man, the man you deserve to spend your life with." She took a deep breath and continued. "No."
Just like in the movies, there was an audible gasp and everyone began chattering.
"Ron." She continued softly, wishing as few people as possible to hear what she had to say. "You know that both of us don't really want this. For a long time I think we both wanted this to be what we truly wanted. But it's not. We both need to get out and find ourselves and the person we ought to be with."
Clearly shocked, Ron simply nodded and muttered, "'kay, yeah." And turned toward Harry with wide eyes.
Hermione turned to look at everyone. "Everyone I'm really sorry about this but...I've got to go!" And she took off running down the aisle to find the man she knew she would be marrying soon enough.
It had to have been the biggest hill Hermione had ever climbed but she knew, God she had this feeling in her bones that he would be just over the hill where they had first met...all over again.
Upon reaching the top, she looked down to see him standing there. It was quite a shock when the only thing down there was a sidewalk and some shrubbery. She nearly burst out crying before she caught sight of someone leaning against a tree trunk.
It was him. He was here.
She walked slowly down the hill, building up her courage. After what seemed like the longest walk ever, she stood before him.
He looked up with stony eyes. "Come to say goodbye before you and the Mister head off to whatever cliché country you'll be staying in for a week of bliss?" His words stung and she tried to keep calm.
"No. I came by to say hello."
"Well, hello Mrs. Weasley. Lovely seeing you, have a wonderful life, goodbye." He stood quickly to leave.
"Malfoy!" She yelled after him, planting her feet on the sidewalk. "Why don't you quit acting like an ass and at least call me by my proper name."
He stopped and turned to look at her. His face contorted in this awful way before he spoke. "Oh, my apologies, Hermione Weasley. How very dim of me."
"Actually," she stepped toward him, lowering her voice to a near whisper. "I've been trying out a few names. Let me get your opinion on some of them."He backed away as she advanced on him, clearly under the impression that she was here to torment him. "So far I have: Mrs. Draco Malfoy, which I like but it's much too proper and I like my first name." He stopped moving and she continued walking toward him. "Mrs. Hermione Granger-Malfoy, which is nice but a little pretentious if you ask me." She stopped two feet in front of him and continued her speech. "Or Mrs. Hermione Malfoy, which I think has a lovely ring to it, don't you?" She smiled up at him as he fully realized what she was saying.
"You mean...you and the Weasel...you're..."
"Free as a bird. Single. Flying solo." His face was serious now, not quite sure what she meant by this. "That is...unless you'll have me."
His answer was simple. His lips on hers, his hands crushing her to him, and her hands in his hair.
He pulled away and gazed at her before he whispered against her lips. "Always."
So, maybe they weren't quite Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy just yet, but for now Draco and Hermione sounded pretty good.
Just so long as they were side by side.