Hi : )
Okay I know I should be updating my story 'Three's Company' right now but I'm having fun writing Hermione/Draco.
P.S. I apologise if the French is bad I'm a little rusty since I left school
xx
It started off as an average summer. The war was over and I had returned home for a relaxing few weeks before I went back to Hogwarts to finish my education. I should have completed it last year but the war put things on hold. It was for this reason that myself and everyone else in my year had been given the opportunity to return to Hogwarts to redo, or in my case do for the first time, our 7th year.
I had therefore planned to work through the 7th year reading list over the summer so I would be prepared for when I returned in September.
On this particular morning I paid a visit to Diagon Alley to stock up on books and supplies for the summer. I was shocked when I returned to find an envelope addressed to me on the table. I know this doesn't sound that shocking but there was no owl to be seen and it didn't have a postage stamp so someone must've put it there.
I reached for the envelope and began to open it up. I pulled out a letter and as I did so a plane ticket fell onto the table. I put down the letter and looked at the ticket. It was for a trip to Paris. I got confused by this so opened up the letter.
Dear Hermione,
Your father and I have been dragged to Scotland for the summer on a work conference. We felt terrible for just leaving you on your own so we thought you might enjoy spending your summer in Paris. We found you a job in one of the best wizarding hotels in Paris, Le Flamboyant Phoenix, which of course you won't be forced to accept but it's there if you want it.
Once again we are truly sorry for leaving you like this but please know we had no choice in the matter.
With all our love,
Mum and Dad
xxx
As I read a smile grew on my face. Of course I'd miss my parents but I'd spent much of my time over the past few years learning French and was now almost fluent. My parents knew I had wanted to spend time in Paris for years and now I finally had the chance. It had been such a long time since my last visit. I picked up the ticket again and noticed the plane was due to leave tomorrow. My heart pounded with excitement. I was going to Paris!
I sent owls to Harry and Ron to let them know where I was going then went straight upstairs to pack. After a few hours packing clothes and books I went back downstairs to find Hedwig tapping at the kitchen window. I opened the window to let her in and give her a treat. I read Harry's letter.
Hermione that sounds amazing! I hope you have a great time and make the most of it. And don't forget to owl me to let me know how it's going!
Harry
I smiled at his reply. I didn't really expect to get a reply from Ron as he wasn't really one to express feelings but I took his silence as a good thing. At least he wasn't angry.
I was restless for most of the night as I thought about what a good time I would have in Paris and all the new people I would meet and sitting in the park reading my books. My heart began to race at the thought. I needed to calm down or I wouldn't get any sleep.
After what felt like the longest night of my life I got up and ready for Paris. After getting dressed I grabbed my bags and made my way outside to wait for my taxi to take me to the airport.
After an hour or so I was on the plane on my way to Paris. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Paris by noon so I got comfortable and tried to get some sleep.
I woke to the air hostess shaking my shoulder about an hour and a half later.
"Miss we'll be descending shortly, please put your chair in the upright position," she smiled at me.
"Oh right sorry," I replied drowsily.
We landed in Paris and I was initially shocked at how warm the weather was here compared to England. I knew it was warmer here but I'd forgotten how different the climates could be.
After leaving the airport I made my way to the hotel I would be working at over the summer. The hotel was called Le Flamboyant Phoenix and was situated in the same place as the Hôtel Ritz. As it was a magical hotel it was invisible to non-wizarding folk. To get to it you simply muttered the name of the hotel as you walked through the doors of the Hôtel Ritz. Couldn't be more simple really.
My breath was taken away as I entered Le Flamboyant Phoenix. The whole room seemed to be made of marble. But there was no way you could mistake it for being any other hotel as the architecture of the building screamed Paris. Eventually I managed to draw my eyes away from the beautiful building and made my way to the reception where I was greeted by a young woman. She had a pretty face which looked kind and welcoming, long wavy brown hair and a petite figure.
"Bienvenue vers Le Flamboyant Phoenix. Je m'appelle Adrienne, comment puis-je vous aider?" She welcomed me to the hotel, told me her name was Adrienne and asked if she could be of any help to me.
"Bonjour, mon nom est Hermione Granger. Je suis censé pour travailler ici au cours de l'été," I replied. I told her my name and that I had been offered a job for the summer. She recognised immediately who I was, I could tell by the way her face lit up, but she didn't ask about my friendship with Harry Potter as most people did.
"Ah oui, la jeune fille Anglaise. Nous avons été attendent que vous. Suivez-moi," She said they'd been expecting me and that I should follow her. I smiled when she referred to me as 'the English girl' rather than one of 'The Golden Trio'. I could tell I was going to like this girl.
I picked up my bag and followed her to my room. For an employee's room it was beautiful. There was a double bed which I wasn't expecting, a desk, a chaise longue, an ensuite bathroom and a small kitchenette. I put my bag down on my bed and turned to Adrienne.
"Quand fais je commencent le travail?" I asked her when I was due to start work.
"Je suis censé pour vous montrer ce qu'il faut faire cet après-midi," She explained that she was supposed to show me how things worked this afternoon.
"Dans cette affaire, que nous devrions probablement aller de l'avant," I smiled and told her we should probably get going.
"You know I do speak some English if that's easier for you," Adrienne smiled at me.
"Yes it would be a little easier," I smiled at her.
She led me back towards the lobby and began to show me how things worked. She showed me how to book someone in, how to make a phone call and how to work the computer system.
"You've picked this up quickly," Adrienne smiled at me after a few hours.
"Merci beaucoup," I smiled back.
"You can go and have a rest and get cleaned up if you like. You're first shift starts at seven o'clock."
I looked down at my watch and noticed that it was five o'clock already. I smiled at Adrienne and made my way back to my room to find my uniform had been laid out on my bed. I took a closer look at it and found it consisted of a light grey pencil skirt with a matching waistcoat, a white shirt with an open neck collar and a light purple scarf. I couldn't help thinking I would look like an air hostess. Though I suppose it could be a lot worse.
I noticed underneath my uniform was a list of my shifts. It looked like the only shift I would be working was 7pm-12pm four nights a week. With my finishing time in mind I decided to try to get a bit of sleep before my shift.
Seven o'clock arrived sooner than I had hoped and I made my way back to the reception. Adrienne was still there and I smiled at her, hoping she would be working the same shift as me.
"Welcome back, you look good in your uniform," Adrienne smiled at me.
"Thanks, what time are you working to?"
"I'm finishing now, but this is Luca. He will be working the same shifts as you," Adrienne introduced us, "And he speaks English," She smiled.
I waved goodbye to Adrienne and turned to Luca. He didn't look too bad. He had a tanned complexion with blue eyes and blonde hair. He had a strong bone structure which gave him a handsome face. Maybe having the same shifts as Luca wouldn't be such a bad thing. However I soon realised I was wrong. After a few minutes of conversation he became bored and pulled out a book which he sat and read in the office.
After two hours on the desk I was starting to get bored. I'd only dealt with three customers all night and I was starting to understand why they'd given me the late night shifts. It would be difficult for me to make too many mistakes.
By eleven o'clock I was extremely bored and started to make a chain out of paper clips. I was just adding the final paper clip to my chain when I heard footsteps approaching the desk.
"Bonjour. Que je peux vous aider?" I asked if I could be of help as I looked up at the man in front of me.
To my surprise it was Draco Malfoy.
"Granger?"
"Malfoy?"
"What are you doing here?" We asked at the same time.
"I got a job here over the summer. You?"
"I'm on holiday with my parents. But I'd rather not spend much time with them."
"Hmm I guess I can understand that what with the war and everything."
"My point exactly. When did you learn to speak French?"
"I've been learning it for years. It's always been a dream of mine to be fluent in a language."
"Well it's not a bad thing to be able to speak another language," Malfoy smiled.
"It certainly isn't. Anyway what are you doing up at this time?"
"Oh I can't sleep. I've had trouble sleeping since Voldemort took over my home during the war. I keep having nightmares that he won the war and ... well you don't want to know about that."
I was shocked at how open Malfoy was being considering we were sworn enemies during the war.
"Malfoy I had no idea you were so hurt by everything that's happened."
"Not many people do. I usually keep myself to myself but something about you makes it easy to talk about. It must be the lack of sleep."
This conversation was so surreal. I mean I was talking to Draco Malfoy and we weren't arguing or being forced to talk to each other or anything! What was probably weirder was that I was actually enjoying talking to him. I must just have been missing my friends.
"You poor thing. I hate nightmares."
"Yeah it's not nice. When do you finish?"
"Midnight, why?"
He looked down at his watch.
"That's half an hour. Do you fancy meeting me in the cafe? You don't have to if you don't want to but I get very bored when there's no one to talk to."
Wow this was definitely a new side to Draco Malfoy. And I must say it was a side I wouldn't mind seeing more often.
"That sounds nice but the cafe closes at midnight. You could always come back to my room if you'd like?" Did I just invite Draco Malfoy back to my room? Ah hell. I should really learn to control my mouth.
"If you're sure then yeah okay, I'll see you soon," Malfoy smiled at me and walked over to the cafe.
"Qui est qui?" Luca's voice shocked me as I thought he was still in the office. He asked me who I had been talking to.
"C'était Draco Malfoy," I replied. I'd learnt that though Luca could speak English he much preferred to speak French.
"Le Death Eater?" Luca looked confused and moved away from me slightly.
"Oui, mais il n'est plus une Death Eater. Il changea de camp pendant la guerre," I told him he was a Death Eater but isn't anymore and that he changed sides during the war.
"Vous été une Death Eater?" He asked me if I was a Death Eater. I couldn't believe it! I was shocked he hadn't figured out who I was yet.
"Non, je suis Hermione Granger. Je suis un ami de Harry Potter," I told him I was Harry Potter's friend.
"Ah oui, je me souviens vous maintenant," Luca smiled, saying he remembered who I was now and went back to his book.
I mumbled under my breath and turned away from him, counting down the minutes to the end of my shift.
Eventually midnight arrived, along with Draco Malfoy.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked.
"Yeah come on," I smiled and led him to my room. I didn't even bother saying goodbye to Luca.
When we entered I went straight to the bed and took off my shoes. I collapsed back onto the pillows.
"If you're tired I can leave," Malfoy said, though I could tell by his voice he didn't want to go. I wonder if that meant anything.
"No don't be daft," I scooted over and patted the bed next to me. Malfoy propped up some pillows and sat on the bed with his back resting against the headboard.
"This room's actually quite nice for an employee's room."
"That's what I thought. Though it is the best wizarding hotel in Paris," I replied.
"True."
We sat in silence for a few minutes and I could tell I was going to fall asleep if we didn't keep talking.
"Are you going back to school in September?" I asked in an effort to stay awake.
"Yes I think I have to, I need to get my NEWTs. I'm guessing you're going back."
"And what would make you think that?" I chuckled sarcastically.
"No I don't mean ... I mean ... what I was getting at ...," Malfoy fumbled for the right words.
"Don't worry, I know what you mean," I smiled, "Malfoy do you mind if I turn off the light? My eyes are sore."
"Not at all. You can call me Draco you know," Draco smiled as I reached over to turn off the lamp. As I lay back down my arm brushed against Draco's hand.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"It's okay," Draco replied.
We lay there for a few more minutes before I felt Draco's hand brush my arm again and I felt shivers down my spine.
"Sorry," Draco muttered but didn't move his hand away from my arm.
"It's okay," I smiled into the dark.
I felt Draco slide down the bed so he was lying down next to me, his hand now in mine. I felt his thumb tracing circles on my palm. I smiled and felt my heart speed a little. Did I have feelings for Draco Malfoy? Surely not.
I felt so comfortable with Draco that I must've fallen asleep as when I next opened my eyes it was light outside. I looked down at my watch and found it was almost nine o'clock in the morning. I realised Draco was still lying next to me and my hand was still in his. Hearing him breathing evenly, I decided to let him get some rest and relaxed back into my pillow.
Today was my day off and I spent some time deciding what to do with it. I mean I was going to go to the park and have a picnic but I didn't know if Draco wanted to do anything together. I mean that's assuming Draco does actually care for me. He might not. I might be getting completely carried away. Nothing had actually happened between us! I mean we'd slept in the same room, hand in hand but we didn't actually do anything! But maybe there was something there. Maybe I did have feelings for Draco, and maybe, just maybe, he had feelings for me. I guess only time would tell.
After an hour lost in my thoughts I felt Draco begin to stir. I watched as his eyes opened and he was at first confused by his surroundings. He then moved his hand and looked baffled by my hand still in his. He looked up at me.
"Good morning," I smiled.
"Good morning," he mumbled.
"How did you sleep? Did you have any nightmares?"
"Actually no I didn't. That's the best sleep I've had in months. Must be down to you," Draco smiled, giving my hand a squeeze.
"You're making me blush," I smiled and hid my face under my hair.
"Don't hide, it's cute when you blush," Draco brushed my hair from my face. I felt my heart lurch at his touch and my breath quicken. He must've noticed as he started to lean in closer to me. I moved towards him at the same time and our lips met in the middle in a gentle kiss.
We both pulled away and looked into each other's eyes, shocked at what had just happened. However the shock didn't last long as Draco pounced on me and the kiss became more urgent. Draco's tongue traced my lips, begging for entrance which I granted happily. Our tongues fought for dominance as our hands roamed everywhere.
We jumped apart as there was a knock on the door. I motioned for Draco to hide in the bathroom and as soon as he was hidden I made my way to the door wondering who on earth could be visiting me in Paris!
I opened the door and found it was Adrienne.
"Bonjour," Adrienne smiled.
"Bonjour Adrienne. Comment êtes-vous ce matin?" I asked her how she was feeling this morning.
"Je suis bien merci, et toi?"
"Oui, ça va très bien merci."
"Bien. Are you doing anything today?"
"Well I was thinking of visiting the park. Why do you ask?"
"I was going to offer you a tour of Paris but maybe another day. After all we have all summer."
"Yes we do, thank you for the offer," I smiled.
"Not a problem. Give me a call when you want that tour. Au revoir," Adrienne smiled and waved as she danced down the hall. She was a very happy person indeed.
I walked back into my room as Draco emerged from the bathroom.
"Hi," I smiled at him.
"Hi," he smiled back and we both burst out laughing. This situation was just so surreal. I mean I was in a hotel in Paris, hitting it off with my sworn enemy.
"So, you were thinking of visiting the park?" Draco asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Would you like some company?"
"Won't your parents wonder where you are?"
"Nah, they don't really care what I do," Draco shrugged.
"In that case company would be lovely," I smiled.
"So I'll meet you in the lobby in about an hour?"
"Indeed you will," I gave him a peck on the lips and he smiled as he left the room.
I got showered and dressed and met Draco in the lobby. When I got there he was already waiting for me. There was no mistaking his pale complexion and platinum blonde hair.
"Shall we?" Draco held out his arm for me.
"We shall," I said linking my arm in his.
We left the hotel and made our way through the streets of Paris to the Jardin de Tuileries. It was only a couple of minutes away from the hotel by foot but the walk was beautiful. The streets were lined with incredible buildings and with stunning archways in every direction. The whole city took my breath away. When we arrived at the Jardin de Tuileries we found a French market where we were able to buy baguettes, cheese, meats and fruit. After buying our food we sat on the grass, side by side and enjoyed lunch in the sunshine. We'd finished our baguettes and I was picking on some grapes when Draco said something I wasn't expecting.
"You look absolutely beautiful like this Hermione," Draco smiled. I was completely shocked.
"Like what? I'm not sure I follow."
"I mean you're completely relaxed and care free. You look stunning."
"Wow. That's some complement. Thank you Draco," I blushed and leant over and gave him a quick kiss.
"You're quite welcome," Draco smiled.
We finished our food in the Jardin de Tuileries before we went for a walk around Paris. We spent hours visiting the sights of Paris and wandered the streets until our feet were sore. To rest our feet we went for dinner in Le Grand Véfour where we'd made a reservation earlier in the day. The food was delicious but really expensive and Draco wouldn't let me spend a penny.
After a long day we ended up back at the hotel by nine o'clock that evening. Draco walked me to my room and gave me a passionate kiss as he left for his room.
I lay down on my bed after the most beautiful day and immediately began to drift off, having pleasant thoughts about the possibilities if the summer ahead of me.
I woke a few hours later to a knock on my door. I shuffled out of bed and went to answer the door.
To my surprise it was Draco.
"Hey," I smiled at him.
"Did I wake you?"
"No," I yawned.
Draco raised his eyebrow at me.
"Okay yes, but it doesn't matter."
"Well I'm sorry for waking you," Draco smiled.
"Was there a reason you came down here?" I asked.
"Well, I can't sleep. I've been having nightmares again. So I was wondering ... and you can say no if you want ... if I could sleep with you again. Wait that came out wrong. I mean sleep next to you. Nothing has to happen it's just for some reason I don't get nightmares when I'm with you. I guess I just feel comfortable with you," Draco smiled.
"Aww Draco you're so sweet. Yes you can stay here," I chuckled at his ramblings, opened the door wider and motioned for him to enter the room.
"Thanks," Draco mumbled as he moved to the bed.
We both lay down on the bed as we had the night before and our hands soon became tangled. I felt so comfortable with Draco that I fell asleep next to him for the second night in a row.
I woke the next morning to a weight around my waist. I noticed that during the night I had turned so that my back was facing Draco. His arm was draped around my waist and our hands were still together. I smiled to myself.
I felt Draco's breath on my neck becoming less even as he began to wake up. I could tell he was initially confused as to how we'd got into this position but soon got over it and began to kiss my neck.
"Good morning," he whispered into my neck.
"Good morning," I mumbled.
Draco continued to kiss my neck and his hands massaged mine. He started to twist us round so I was underneath him and he kissed my lips. My hands moved to his hair and his roamed my body. The kiss got more heated as Draco began to lift my shirt over my head and I helped him get it off before taking off his shirt. At first I was taken aback by Draco's body. He was extremely toned but not overly muscular which gave him an amazing figure. Draco smiled at my reaction and started to kiss me again as my fingers traced his body. I felt Draco's hands moving further down my body and towards my shorts. I pressed my hips against him slightly to give him permission to continue. His hands worked their way under the waistband of my shorts and onto my bum. I started to work my hands down his back when there was a knock at the door.
"Every time," Draco mumbled, rolling off me and into the bathroom. I chuckled at his reaction and went to answer the door, putting my shirt back on as I went. It was Adrienne.
"Hermione I thought you may want to see this," Adrienne thrust a magazine into my hand.
"Shit," I mumbled, "Do you mind if I keep hold of this for now?"
"Not at all," Adrienne smiled.
"Thanks, I'll give it a proper read and see you later?"
"Oui, of course. Au revoir," Adrienne skipped down the hall.
I took a closer look at the magazine. It was a magical magazine and the front cover had a moving photograph of me and Draco in the Jardin de Tuileries yesterday. It showed him feeding me a grape and then kissing me. The headline read 'L'héroine et le méchant?' which translates to 'the heroine and the villain?' I was shocked. I mean I knew people were more interested in my life after the war but I didn't realise they cared enough to make my private life headline news. But what annoyed me the most was the way they referred to Draco as a villain. Draco was the opposite of a villain. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when all of this begun and now he was finally getting his life in order.
Draco came up behind me, placing his hands on my waist and kissing my neck. When I didn't respond he looked over my shoulder.
"What does it say?" He asked quietly.
"It says 'the heroine and the villain?'" I turned to look at his face and was upset to see the hurt there. I began to cry.
"Draco I'm so sorry," I sobbed into his chest.
"Hey now, don't cry. You have no reason to be sorry," he soothed as he stroked my back.
"But if I hadn't taken you out yesterday they wouldn't have taken the photographs."
"Don't blame yourself. I never planned to keep whatever it is we have a secret. They were going to find out soon enough."
"I guess but they didn't have to call you a villain! You're the polar opposite of a villain."
"That's lovely of you to say but many people don't think that way," Draco spoke into my hair.
"Well I'm going to prove them wrong this summer. That is if you want to spend time with me?"
"Hermione do you even have to ask? I've had feelings towards you for a while now and I would love to spend more time with you," Draco smiled, looking directly into my eyes.
I gave him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek before he left to get washed and dressed.
I was on my way to meet Draco in the lobby when Adrienne shouted me from the reception.
"Hermione! You have letters," Adrienne smiled at me. I made my way to the desk and took the letters from her. One was from Harry, I recognised the scruffy handwriting, and the other was from Ron. I took a closer look at the letter from Ron as there was something slightly unusual yet familiar about it. After a short inspection I realised it was a howler.
"Shit," I muttered, realising it could go off at any minute, "Thanks Adrienne," I shouted over my shoulder as I ran back to my room before the howler opened up.
Thankfully I'd just closed my bedroom door behind me when Ron's voice burst from the parchment.
"Hermione how the fuck could you do such a thing! And yes I'm talking about ferret boy! Do you have no morals? I'm disgusted in you. Don't even bother replying to this. I want nothing more to do with you."
I started to cry as the letter tore itself to pieces. I collapsed onto the chaise longue and sobbed my heart out.
After about ten minutes there was a knock on the door. I answered it to find Draco smiling but his expression quickly changed when he saw I'd been crying.
"What's the matter?" He said as he cradled me in his arms.
"I got a howler from Ron. He said he wants nothing more to do with me," I cried. Draco hugged me closer and led me to the chaise longue, sitting me on his lap and rubbing my back.
"Now you listen to me. That weasel isn't worth your time. I know he may have been a good friend to you over the years but if this is the way he treats his friends you're better off rid of him."
"But I don't want to lose him! As stupid as that sounds."
"It doesn't sound stupid at all and you won't lose him for good. He'll come round eventually; you just need to give him time. But don't you dare go begging for his forgiveness. He's not worth it. You just wait, he'll come grovelling in no time," Draco smiled.
"Thanks Draco you really know how to cheer me up," I smiled at him.
"Anytime. Anyway you still have Potter," Draco looked like he struggled to say the name but I knew that he was grateful of everything Harry had done to get rid of Voldemort.
"Oh that reminds me," I said pulling out Harry's letter.
I've just seen the news. I can't say I'm thrilled but I'm not going to desert you as I'm guessing Ron will if he hasn't already. I am sorry about him by the way. But anyway, as long as you're happy, which I'm guessing you are from that picture, I'm happy. Just be careful.
Hope you're enjoying Paris,
Harry
"Good news?" Draco asked.
"As good as I could hope for," I smiled.
"Well I'm glad. Now what do you say to enjoying the rest of our time in Paris?"
"I'd say that is a brilliant idea," I smiled and gave Draco a gentle kiss.
We spent the rest of the summer in each other's company exploring the sights, sounds and smells of Paris. It was the best summer of my life so far and in September we returned to Hogwarts as a couple. The papers began to leave us alone when we got to Hogwarts and they had started to understand the true story behind Draco Malfoy long before then, thanks to an interview we did with the media over the summer. Eventually Ron started to come round to the idea of Draco and me but we were never as close as we once were. Thankfully most people were accepting of our relationship but even if they weren't we didn't really care. We were in love and planned to spend the rest of our lives together. And it was all thanks to that summer in Paris.
Well I hope you enjoyed it : )
Once again I'd like to apologise if the French is bad, it's been a few years since I've used it
Please review and let me know what you think and don't forget to read my other stories : )
xx