Hey, everybody. This is just a little one-shot I found on my computer and spruced up a bit. I promise I'll be back to write more after the semester is over. Enjoy!
Forever
"Great party, Hermione. Everyone's enjoying themselves." Kingsley said, raising his glass of champagne.
"Thanks, Kingsley." I answered with a smile. He patted my arm and moved on, probably to find a head of some department to bother. Being the Minister of Magic meant he could do that.
"It really is, you know." Blaise said, his eyes moving across the crowd of people mingling and dancing. "You know how to throw a bash, my dear girl."
"Well, thank you, kind sir." I said, smiling flirtatiously. He winked, making me laugh.
"Hey! That's my fiancé!" Luna mock yelled, appearing behind him.
"Oh, yes. I forgot about you." Blaise said cheekily as he kissed her temple.
"Then let me help you remember." She pulled him towards the dance floor and I waved away his look of apology. I didn't expect them to spend much time with me tonight. I'd gotten used to it.
In the eight years since the war ended nearly every one of my friends had gotten married or were seriously dating someone. Harry and Ginny, Ron and Lavender, Luna and Blaise, Pansy and Theodore… the list goes on. Even my few muggle friends were paired off. While I never seemed to be able to keep a permanent relationship. It wasn't from lack of trying, but I had to go and fall in love with someone that would never love me back: Draco Malfoy. For a while there I went on dates with people I knew it would never work out with just to say I was doing something other than pine after Draco. But it never worked.
He was the head of the potions department at St. Mungos and, as the head healer of spell damages, we were thrown together quite often. In the beginning, we'd simply ignored each other, but then I had to go make the stupid decision of befriending him. When I realized I fancied him I tried to make something happen, but he either didn't notice or didn't feel the same. Probably the latter.
Eventually I just had to give up. On all of it. The dead end dates I used to try to forget about Draco were only making me more miserable. So I made the decision to stop dating just for the sake of dating. I was Hermione Granger, smartest witch of the age. I didn't need a man to function, no matter how much I wanted one. I didn't need someone to spend forever with, especially not Draco Malfoy. And in the year since I hadn't been on a single date. I was nowhere closer to being over Draco, but at least I didn't have to deal with slimy jerks.
"Gin and tonic." I said as I approached the bar.
"Make that two." a voice said behind me. A very familiar voice. I turned to find Draco giving me his trademark Slytherin smirk. He looked gorgeous in his muggle tuxedo. He looked so at ease, like formal wear was something he lounged around in every night. His platinum hair was cropped on the sides, but was longer on top, giving him bangs that almost hung in his eyes. Each part of his body was perfectly placed and effortlessly poised. He was perfection. And he was the last thing I wanted to see. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning.
"Sure thing." the barman said as he moved to make our drinks.
"You hate gin." I pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"Good point. Make mine a whiskey." I shook my head as I sat on one of the stools. Draco joined me, still smirking. The barman set our drinks in front of us.
"So, I think our party is going splendidly."
"Yes, I do believe it is." He lifted his glass, his eyes smiling into mine.
"To St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. May this occasion make her quite a lot of money."
"It better." I said, clinking my glass against his. We each took a sip.
"That didn't sound bitter at all." I stuck my tongue out at him, making him chuckle.
"I'm not bitter. I enjoyed putting this all together. And I got a load of help from people, yourself included. It wasn't all that stressful of an experience."
"So why the dark tone?" My eyes found Harry and a pregnant Ginny dancing slowly on the other side of the room. They were about to have their second child. I felt a pang of jealousy. I shook the sad thoughts away.
"No reason. I just really hope that since so many people put an effort into this that it makes enough money." Draco studied me carefully for a moment. He knew I wasn't telling the complete truth. The man had an uncanny ability to read between the lines where I was concerned. Most likely due to the amount of time we'd spent together. He rarely left me alone, and I still didn't have the courage to tell him to get lost. It didn't help that I couldn't spend much time with my older friends. It wasn't Harry and Ron's fault. They were just so busy with their growing families and crazy jobs.
And, yes, there was a part of me that wished Draco and I would still end up together. In fact, pretty much all of me wished for it. But the man was a serial dater that usually preferred to skip dinner and go straight to bed. I was of the monogamous sort. That never mixed well. And he'd never expressed any interest in me. Well, besides the one time he kissed me. But he'd been incredibly drunk and he didn't even remember it the next morning. So I ignored all the things I felt and never mentioned it. Actually, I tried very hard not to even think about it. Though admittedly I did a rather poor job at that.
"Dance with me." I blinked, looking back at him.
"What?" He stood and held his hand out to me.
"Dance with me." My hand slipped into his of its own accord. He guided me onto the dance floor, straight to the center of the dancing couples. He pulled me close, closer than I'd let myself be in a while, and started leading me in a relatively fast dance.
"So how's your mother?" I asked in an attempt to keep the conversation going so I wouldn't focus on how good it felt to be close to him again. Narcissa was always safe ground between Draco and I. About five years ago, I'd healed Narcissa of a curse she'd gotten cleaning out her husband's old office. Ever since the Malfoy matron had been a near constant in my life. She was always inviting me to things and coming to my own things. The only reason she wasn't here tonight was because she was helping Andromeda with a sick Teddy. She was actually quite the amazing woman.
"She's well. I believe she's throwing some sort of gathering in a couple of weeks. You'll be on the list, I think." I nodded.
"I already got the invite. I'm excited. I haven't been to the Manor since she finished the latest bit of redecorating."
"Neither have I. I suppose we'll both have to see what she did this time." Narcissa had been redecorating the entire place since the war ended, and it was taking quite a long time. I didn't blame her. I'd want the feel of Voldemort gone, too. The only reason I survived the parties there was because the room I was tortured in looked nothing like the room I was tortured in.
"I'm sure whatever it is, it's lovely. Narcissa can do no wrong."
"I thought that was me." I rolled my eyes.
"It's a Malfoy trait." His lips lifted in a smirk.
"My mother's a Black." I waved my hand.
"She took the name." I dismissed, "The magic came along with it." Draco chuckled and spun me as the music slowed. He moved half a step closer as he changed to a slow waltz. I felt his chin graze my hair as he turned us. My heartbeat quickened.
"Did I happen to comment on how you look tonight?" he murmured.
"Not that I can recall." I answered just as quietly. His head tilted, his lips nearly touching my ear.
"You are stunning, Hermione Granger." I shivered as his breath caressed my skin. My brain took a moment to function correctly again.
"You're not so bad yourself." I said, but it came out a lot breathier than I'd planned. He pulled back, his lips grazing my temple. Another shiver shot down my spine. He gave me a little half smile.
"I'm not joking, Hermione. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks.
"Thank you." I met his eyes and felt myself drowning in their molten depths. No. I had to stop this. "Draco, I—"
"You know, I was thinking, about my mother's party coming up, and I had the thought that we should go together." He said it in a rush. Like he was worried some of it wouldn't come out.
"Oh?" I pressed, wondering why he'd interrupted me for that.
"What do you think?"
"I don't know. I hadn't really thought about that yet." He spun me and by the time I got back his face was captivatingly earnest.
"Please say you'll come with me." I looked up into the eyes and knew I couldn't say no.
"Okay. Yes. I'll go." A smile, an honest smile, slowly lifted his lips. And I forgot how to breathe. That man was the most gorgeous being on this earth when he smiled.
"It's a date." He reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his hand lingering against my skin. Merlin, but that felt nice.
"Can I cut in?" a sharp voice interrupted. I nearly jumped. Margaret, a healer under Malfoy, was standing beside us with an expectant look on her pretty face and sharp dose of reality. I couldn't have Malfoy. No matter how good it felt to be around him. He was interested in the Margarets of the world. Not the Hermiones. I needed to end this before it really had a chance to start. Before it could break my heart.
"No—"
"Sure." I said over him, letting go and stepping away. I refused to look at him. I had no idea what would be there and I was even more unsure of what I would want to be there. "Have fun." I turned and walked away, making a beeline for the exit. I couldn't stay and watch him flirt with other people after he'd flirted so heavily with me. After I'd felt much more than I should have.
I grabbed my coat and apparated straight home. I could give apologies for not saying goodbye later. It wasn't like any of them would really notice anyway. The moment I landed I pulled off my black chiffon dress, throwing it on the couch as I walked back to my bedroom. I quickly changed into an old shirt of Ron's I'd stolen a long time ago and a pair of incredibly short pajama shorts; my usual sleeping attire. I pulled my hair out of its loose up-do and washed the makeup off my face. I was just patting my face dry when a loud banging sound interrupted me. It took me a moment to realize that it was someone knocking on my door.
"Hermione!" I paused in front of the door.
"Draco?" I opened the door to reveal a rather frazzled looking Draco Malfoy. His tie was undone and his shirt rumpled. Even his hair was in disarray. What had happened in the last ten minutes to do that? "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? You are!" I raised an eyebrow as he pushed passed me, "How could you just leave me with that awful woman like that? And then disappear!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd want me to stick around." He looked at me like I was a mental patient.
"Why in the name of Merlin would I want you to leave?" I shrugged, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. I suddenly remembered that I wasn't wearing a bra. Or real trousers. "I thought we were having a good time."
"We were." I was having a better time than I should have.
"I mean, I finally got up the courage to—" he stopped cold, eyes flicking down to the floor. I waited, but he didn't finish the sentence.
"To what?" He swallowed loudly.
"To talk to you." His voice was hoarse.
"We talk all the time."
"About something specific." I frowned, confused. We hadn't talked about anything but his mother.
"Oh."
"Yeah." There was an incredibly awkward pause.
"Why did you let her cut in?"
"Uh, what?" I hadn't expected that.
"Why did you let her cut in? I was about to tell her no." I shrugged again. How was I supposed to tell him the truth? That I had feelings for him that I was pretty certain he would never return?
"I just figured you'd want to dance with her. I know she likes you and she's quite beautiful so I thought you might want to give it a shot." He just stared at me in confusion. Then, like a bolt of lightening, his eyes lit up.
"You didn't get what I was trying to do." He took a step toward me, face filled with something like hope.
"You were trying to do something?" I asked. He chuckled, shaking his head.
"For the smartest witch of the age, you sure have no idea when someone's asking you on a date." I blinked.
"You mean to your mother's party?" He nodded, eyes twinkling with amusement. "That was you asking me on a date?"
"Yes." Now he was trying not to laugh at me. I blinked. He couldn't be serious. I forced down the optimistic elation trying to break through.
"Draco, I'm not a one-night stand kind of girl. You know that." He shook his head, stepping closer.
"Hermione, I want to date you. Try this." I shook my head, physically forcing my heart to stop flying.
"This what?"
"This! Hermione, I'm asking you to give me a chance to make you happy."
"What happened to being too bossy?" He frowned.
"When did I ever say that?" I paced away, unable to look at him.
"When you kissed me. That night you got drunk and knocked on my door and kissed me." He sighed, obviously remembering what happened, but I kept going, "And then you told me that I'm too bossy for you to really like me."
"I didn't mean—"
"But you were right. Painfully so. I mean have you seen my dating record? I am too bossy. And opinionated and boring and—" I was cut off by his lips. His kissed me hard, holding my face to his. I felt a jolt of electricity curl my toes before he pulled away.
"And beautiful and witty and intelligent and creative and funny and perfect in every single way." I blinked at him, unable to think a single word. "Hermione, I've watched you for years. Watched your kindness and generosity. Watched you worry over Potter and laugh with Weasley. Watched you create a new wizarding society with a grace and poise rivaled by no one. I never thought you would want to have me in your life, but then suddenly you were going out of your way to talk to me and smiling at me everyday. And with every smile I fell more and more in love with you." I inhaled sharply. He took my hands in his, squeezing them gently. "I didn't think you felt the same way. I didn't know how to ask if you did. But I saw you in that dress and I couldn't keep it in any more. I had to try.
"And now I need to know for certain." He took a deep breath, staring straight into my eyes. "Do you feel even remotely similar? An inkling of feeling toward me? If you don't I'll leave you alone." He paused. I could see pain in his eyes. "But if you do – if you do then I'm yours, Hermione. Forever."
"Well, then." I murmured, taking a step closer. He watched me with wary but hopeful eyes. I pulled a hand from his and lightly stroked his cheek with the pad of my thumb. His eyes closed as he sighed and leaned into my hand. I leaned up on my tiptoes and slowly touched my lips to his. He responded immediately.
His arms went around me and molded my body firmly to his. I threw my arms around his neck, loosing myself in the sensation. I moaned as our tongues met. This, right here, was heaven. When we were both out of oxygen we pulled away just enough to breathe again.
"I'm going to take that as a yes." he whispered breathily. I smiled.
"Sounds good to me." He kissed me again, more languidly this time. I felt it down to my toes.
"I'm in love with you, Hermione Granger."
"And I with you, Draco Malfoy." I squealed as he picked me up and spun me around. I was so full of love and joy I thought I would burst. He loved me. And we had forever.