Chapter 1:

Hermione could not believe that he was here again, every Wednesday for the past three months like clock work. No matter how unwelcome she made him feel, he still shows up. Practically daring her to say something, DO something. Every week he comes into Flourish and Blotts, browses for 20 minutes, finds something "interesting" and will proceed to sit down in a quiet corner for the next 6 hours of her shift.

"It not like he's studying something specific, or even looking at a certain author! He just comes in to read!" Hermione whispers to Ginny as they look over the stacks at the offending patron.

"How would you know that the books he reads every week don't pertain to anything?" Ginny asks with a small smile on her face.

Hermione stops for a moment, it's not like it was a bad thing to comb through every book he touches, for any sign of tampering, damage, or… any….dark…thing… right?

"I…err..well its simple, really Ginerva, how can you not notice? He goes to a different section every time, and he always puts them back in the right space. Its like he's saying: 'GRANGER! These are the books that I'm reading! They don't have anything to do with my life, and I'm just doing this to annoy you!'" She angrily whispers back.

"All I am pointing out, is that you have never had a problem with any other customers coming in to simply read, Hermione." Ginny says while winking at her.

Hermione decided that she was done being interrogated and turns to go down the stairs to the front of the bookstore. They had both been working at F&B for the past year, after deciding with Harry, and Ron, to take their NEWTs by owl and not go back to Hogwarts. They had all decided that going back to the school they had all loved, was too much too handle.

As she rounds the bottom of the stairs she starts to think about the customer upstairs, He really isn't hurting anyone…he's just reading, so why is it offending her so much? Is it because of all those years he treated her like the scum on the bottom of his shoe? Why does he have to come to HER place? Why cant he find a different bookstore to haunt with his unorganized reading?

She's made it to the front counter by now still muttering to herself when the bell above the door sounds. She looks up to find her best friend walk in, with a huge grin on his face.

"Hiya 'Mione, don't you look radiant today!" Harry says smiling at her.

"Hiya Harry," she smiles, its been just twenty-four hours since she last saw him, but he still greets her as if they haven't seen each other in years, "Looking for your better half?"

"Yeh! Got a nice, romantic, date planned for tonight," he says, a glint of something mischievous in his eyes, "Where can I find her?"

"Gin is up stairs stacking some of the new Quidditch series, I can walk you up if you want?"

She starts to head around the counter when Harry grabs her arm, she looks up at him curiously, and notice he's got that wicked grin again. "Whats going on harry?"

"Im doing it tonight, Min, Im going to ask her to marry me." Her heart stops as she looks at him, and then just as she is about to screech, he covers her mouth with his hand. "DON'T! I swear to Merlin himself, if you ruin this surprise I will lock away all of your books for the rest of eternity!"

She scowls at him under his hand and sticks out her tongue to lick his palm. She starts to giggle as he yelps and starts to Scourgify his hand of her saliva. "Gross Hermione! You know I hate that!"

She laughs a little more at him before calming down, "If you and Ron would learn, you wouldn't get licked," she says while winking at him, "now, am I allowed to express congratulations? Or shall I just go upstairs and tell Ginny that you have something for her?"

Harry sighs and is about to tell her to just get her congratulations out of the way when that pesky customer from upstairs comes up to them.

"Potter, I believe a congratulations is in order? Although, I would have expected this to happen the night the war ended…" Draco Malfoy says with his signature sneer plastered across his face.

"Malfoy?" Harry says startled, "What in the world are you doing at Flourish and Blotts?"

"I do believe that its called reading, Potter, you might have heard of it. Im told your best friend does a lot of that…" He looks over to Hermione and winks, and smiles when he sees her blush.

'Did Draco Malfoy just wink at me?' Hermione thinks, 'Did Draco Malfoy just SMILE at me? WHY AM I BLUSHING?!'

Harry looks at Hermione, questions in his gaze, "How long have you guys been friendly?"

Hermione is about to answer when Malfoy cuts her off-

"Oh not long, Hermione"-HERMIONE?!- "and I have been bonding over our love of all things bookish for that last few months. If you would excuse us? I have a book to buy." He finishes with a not so polite sneer.

She clears her throat after a few moments of silence, with Malfoy just looking at her, and tells Harry where he will find Ginny. He looks at her and Malfoy for another second, then turns and swiftly walks up the stairs.

—

Draco loves making her uncomfortable. Ever since the war ended a year ago Draco has been finding less and less pleasure in life. After being acquitted by the Ministry of all crimes he had committed during the war, with the testimony of the better part of the Golden Trio no less, he had finished school by owl and successfully cut ties with all of his past. He only kept in touch with Blaise Zabini now, but they didn't hang out often.

Although he felt liberated, he had no one to pass the time with, until Her. He doesn't remember what drew him in that day. He was walking by Flourish and Blotts alone (per usual) and saw her through the window with a gaggle of young, Hogwarts bound, students. She looked so in her element as she directed them where they needed to go, patted them on the back as they found the correct books, and proceeded to give them all the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.

It had become a bit of an obsession of his to come to the shop every week, he told himself that it was just to be out and about, but really? Hermione Granger had become his saving grace. Sure, the first few weeks, she would glare at him trying to make him leave, but as time went on she would just nod at him and continue with her work. It was when he had overheard her conversation with the she-weasel today that he decided to approach her.

"Malfoy? Can..I..erm..help you with something?" Her question made his mind come back to the present. He looked down into her big brown doe eyes, that he never knew had flecks of gold in them, and smiled at her. She looked a little terrified at the fact that he knew how to smile, but covered that fear in half a second.

"Yes, I would love your advice on something, if you don't mind Hermione?" Godrick, look at her, who knew that she had freckles dotting her nose? Who knew that Hermione Granger would have such an affect on him!

—

He called her by her name. Draco Malfoy, just called her Hermione. She looks him over, as soon as Harry walks up the stairs she notices that his face becomes a lot softer, he turns to look at her and she stops breathing for a moment. He's got a small smile on his face, and a soft expression in his eyes, why is he looking at her like that? Were his eyes always that soft gray? 'Get a grip Hermione, its Malfoy, not a potential mate.' Wait, mate?! Did I just put Malfoy and 'mate' in the same thought?!

"Malfoy? Can..I..erm..help you with something?" Lets just get him to buy his books and get out, yeah, then my head can clear up.

"Yes, I would love your advice on something, if you don't mind Hermione?" He says smiling a little wider.

Advice? She looks up at him in confusion, She's never noticed how tall he is, compared to her 5'4 most people are, but Draco? He's got to be at least 6'3. And BUILT, all those years of quidditch really did him good. Oh, STOP IT brain!

"Advice? What can I give you advice on?" she asks him before he notices her appraisal.

He chuckles a little bit, he cant read her mind, can he? She feels the blush start to creep back up her face, and looks away from him.

"Well, I'm buying a Christmas gift for someone really special, and since you know books really well, I wonder if maybe you could help me decide between my two choices?"

He takes two books out from behind his back and puts them on the counter for her to inspect.

Someone special? I wasn't aware that he was seeing anyone…Oh merlin, stop it Hermione, before you blush again!

She takes a look at the books, the one on her left side catches her eye first: Small, dark brown leather, no more than a few hundred pages long, and by the looks of it, it has been well loved. They have a used book section, but she doesn't remember seeing Malfoy there. It looks like its a novel, which can be rare in the Wizarding world, so that picks her interest right away. She looks a little closer to read the script on the front, "The Creature inside".

"I read it a week ago in your used books section," he starts to explain, "the main character reminds me of someone I have had the pleasure of knowing most of my life. Filled with some amazing fighting, different creatures that even I have not heard of, and a bit of a love story.. Its not a long book, but the author really creates a world that one can escape." She looks up at him and he smiles again, will he ever stop doing that? "What are books if not a tool used to escape ones life?"

She did agree with him on that, and why wouldn't he want to escape? The past year has been hard on everyone, why wouldn't he want to get away from it? She wonders for a moment who it is that this main character reminds him of, and that look on his face makes her wonder if its her…But why would it be? Its not like he finds knowing her a pleasure.

She shakes herself a bit to clear her head, and peers over at the other book. This one is a bit larger, in length and width, a dark green leather on the front, and it looks to be another novel. This one, she remembers seeing him read, she looked at it after he left the shop thinking that it was a most strange choice. "The House Elves Time Turner", not something you would picture Draco Malfoy reading.

He chuckles again, seriously can he read my mind? "Blaise told me about that one, and I have to admit I wasn't keen to read it, but its surprisingly good. About an elf who's master dies and leaves him with a sock to set him free and a note that says to do something great with the rest of his life. He decides to go back in time and be with his master again, making friends along the way… even finding himself a wife.."

He stops retelling the story, and she looks up at him, he looks quite taken with both books. Thats a look she'd never thought she would see on his face, a look of pure adoration. Concerning books too!

"So what would you like my help with?" she asks him, once she can talk again.

"If you had to choose, based on the information I just gave you, which one would you choose?" He looks serious for a second, but his eyes tell her he really values her opinion, why she will never know.

'Well, if he is taking this serious, then so should I." she tells herself, giving herself a firm shake she take a look at the books again. She reaches over and picks up the Green book, its got a nice weight to it, and its not a used book, she has to admit the story sounds very interesting…

She puts it back down, and goes to the other book. This one seems to fit right into her hands, the leather is torn a bit from many hands, and the pages have yellowed a bit over time.

—

He watches as she evaluates the books, feeling each one in her hands. If he hadn't already been completely taken by her, he would be now. Her nose scrunches up a little while she thinks it over, he had to take control of his hand before it shot out and touched her cheek.

He shakes himself and commands his breathing to slow down as she finally looks back up at him. He can see that she's made up her mind, but that she would rather buy the book herself, than sell it to him.

"I would buy this one." She states, holding out to him "The Creature Inside". He smiles at her in a way he hopes would be comforting, and reaches out to take the book from her. She blushes a bit when his fingers brush against hers.

"Thank you, Hermione, I'll take it.." He notices her look at the other book with longing and knows that it wont be here anymore when he comes back in later. He hands her the correct change, and turns to leave. Before he makes it to the door, he turns back to her, catching her as she is watching him go. She blushes again and looks down at her hands, resting on the counter.

"Hermione?" he asks

She looks up at him, "yes?"

He takes a deep breath, Just get it out man, you've wanted to do this for months! "Would you like to meet with me sometime and talk about some other books?"

She looks startled a bit, but as soon as she starts to blush, he knows she won't say no. Well he hopes anyway…

—

Hermione looks at him for a moment.. He just asked her out… Draco Malfoy just asked her out. before she can shout at him, and tell him she would rather go out with a Dementor, she hears a very soft "Yes" come out of her own mouth.

—

He lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding in and smiles at her wide, "Great, how about tomorrow night? I can pick you up here, after your shift?"

She looks like she's going to scream at something for half a second and she looks at him again, he wonders if she is going to back out, but she surprises him.

"Okay…my shift ends at 8:00…"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hermione." He says, he turns to open the door and he hears her say:

"See you tomorrow…Draco…"

He smiles too himself as he walks down the street.

"I just knew today was going to be a great day."

—