Draco had been sat for the last thirty minutes listening to this blonde bimbo chatter on and on about her favourite food, her exercise routine and where she got her hair done. This had to be the worst date his Mother had ever set up for him, at least some of the others could hold a decent conversation. Draco continued to feign interest in what the girl was saying whilst looking around at the decor of the club they were in, it was awful. It looked as though someone had thrown up glitter and mirrors, every surface was covered including the rickety table he was resting his drink on. Draco saw the miserable look on his face and sought to correct it before she noticed, he didn't want to insult the poor girl when she so obviously thought the date was going well.
Ever since Granger had broken up with him his Mother had sought to find him the perfect wife, trawling through the short list of purebloods who weren't already married or being courted followed by the high society pages. He had only gone along with it to keep her quiet, he knew he wasn't ready to see anyone else, let alone court them with the intention of marriage. Although Draco understood Hermione's decision to end their relationship he still couldn't believe she had done it, Draco had it all planned out for them. He knew he would propose in Paris and they'd be married in a small intimate venue with only their nearest and dearest with them to celebrate, it would have been perfect. Then Lucius was released from Azkaban.
Draco had been sat at his desk in the Ministry like any normal day when Blaise had burst into his office with the news, Draco had not taken it well. After throwing Blaise bodily from the room he turned to his cabinet and pulled out his bottle of Firewhiskey, tearing the seal off and taking a hearty chug before slouching into the armchair by the fire. By the time Hermione had turned up, no doubt sent by Blaise, he had finished the bottle and was an incoherent mess. She had to levitate him out of his chair and Floo him back to their apartment, once home she chucked him into their bed and stormed out. The days that followed were still a blur for Draco, he knew he had been a selfish prick and had pushed Hermione to breaking point yet she stayed and tried to help him. The worst day was when Lucius decided to turn up on their doorstep, he had hurled insults at Hermione until she left the room in tears and then turned his attention to Draco. Obviously Draco had thrown him out and set up wards straight away to keep Lucius from even approaching their home but that hadn't been enough.
In true Lucius Malfoy Death Eater style he didn't give up. The following day Draco's old Death Eater robes and mask showed up in their wardrobe, the sight alone caused Hermione to have a panic attack and filled Draco with enough rage to flatten a city. The next few weeks were hell and Lucius got more creative, Hermione had been barely able to sleep in their own home and Draco had refused to deal with what was happening. He recalled locking himself in his study with a pack of cigarettes and a bottle or two of Firewhiskey and waking up in the morning to find a note slid under the door telling him Hermione had gone to Ginny's. Draco knew he had pushed her away during those hellish weeks and she had done everything to pull him through. They had seen councillors, got stronger wards to keep Lucius out, gone away to try and reconnect but Draco couldn't get past his Father being free. He recalled the old feelings of inadequacy creeping up on him and the fear of being controlled by his Father again.
Six months after Lucius' first appearance Draco had come home drunk to find Hermione packing up her possessions, every time he thought of that night he felt a wave of shame and humiliation roll over him. He had pushed the only woman he had ever loved out of their home with his own selfishness and he hadn't even noticed, he had been too busy wallowing in self pity. Shaking his head Draco pulled his attention back to the present and looked again at his date, she hadn't even noticed he hadn't been paying attention for the last ten minutes. With a sigh Draco took another sip of his drink and wondered how much longer he would have to endure her company, deciding to give himself a break he stood and excused himself to go to the bathroom. Instead Draco snuck out the front door and came to rest against the wall, pulling from his pocket a packet of cigarettes and igniting one. Feeling the smoke fill his lungs and the nicotine fuel his cells, Draco felt he could endure another hour of his date before making up some excuse about going to work early before leaving.
Upon his return to their table his date immediately started gushing about all of the amazing places Draco had visited and how she was so envious, she evidently had always wanted to travel. Draco snidely though it was more likely she had always wanted access to the Malfoy vault to fuel shopping trips and lavish vacations. He made a flippant comment about how lucky he was to have been able to do so much before asking her another question to keep her talking, the less effort he had to put in the better. As she started jabbering on again Draco glanced around the room noticing the club had got busier and he found himself absently staring at the faces of the people dancing. It was almost entertaining watching their faces change colour under the strobe lights.
One face in particular took Draco's breath away and he felt his heart skip a beat, it was Hermione, she was here in this god awful club. Draco stared at her greedily, he hadn't seen her for months and now Draco couldn't pull his gaze away from her. In that moment Draco felt whole again, he hadn't realised how much he had missed her until that moment. Suddenly unsure of himself Draco turned away and focused on his date, she was still chattering. He drew in a deep unsteady breath as his mind raced, what was the correct protocol for this situation? Should he go over to her and say hello or pretend he hadn't seen her and leave now? Draco knew in his heart he could never ignore her, so he compromised, he would say hello to her when she noticed him.
He spent the next hour covertly watching her from his table, noticing the way she moved to the music and how young and carefree she looked. She was out with a group of girl. He recognised Ginny and Luna easily but couldn't place the other two. He had to secretly admit he was happy she was on a girl's night and not a date. Not that stopped other men in the club eyeing her up, Draco felt his blood boil every time he noticed another man look at her. Draco became aware of his date staring at him, pulling back his attention he turned to her and she beamed and made some motion with her hands before tottering off on her high heels towards the toilets. Relief washed over him as he allowed his head to fall into his hands, it was so draining sitting here doing nothing when all he wanted was Hermione.
As he lifted his head he felt someone watching him and his eyes snapped immediately to where he had last seen Hermione. She was stood still staring at him, her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open in shock. It felt like a lifetime to Draco before his limbs were in action and he was walking towards her with a determined purpose, he didn't even notice the crowd part around him as he made his way forward. When he came to a stop in front of her he felt the air around them crackle with energy and he watched as her pupils dilated as she took him in. He drank her in, noting every detail as if his life depended on it. The way her hair had grown slightly, the warmth of her eyes, the perfect shade of red on her lips, the curve of her chest and waist that had vanished under the stress of their last few months together, every little detail.
Breaking the silence Hermione let out a small giggle before saying "Hi Draco." Each word sent shiver down his spine. He longed to wrap her into his arms and never let go. Instead he settled with a simple,
"Hermione," as he watched her chest rise, Draco took pleasure in knowing that he was having the same affect on her as she was in him "I've missed you."
Hermione shifted uncomfortably at his words and glanced over to Ginny who had been hovering protectively nearby. She gave a small smile signalling she was ok talking with Draco. Ginny took the hint and stepped away to join the other girls and continue dancing. "Draco, I've missed you too. You're looking well, what bought you here tonight?" she questioned, studying his face.
"I'm on a date," Draco replied, noticing the brief flash of hurt in Hermione's eyes he quickly continued "Mother's doing, not mine. I am better, half the man I was before without you, but better yes."
Hermione scoffed slightly "Your Mother's doing? Is that where all your dates have come from? They're hard to miss in the papers."
"You know I only agree to stupid things like this to keep her happy. I do not enjoy the company of airheads." Draco replied coldly, how could she think he enjoyed these things, Hermione knew him better than anyone else, she should have been able to see through everything that had been published.
"Well I think your latest airhead is watching us, you had better run along." Hermione said starting to turn away from him, Draco reached out in a panic and held Hermione's wrist. She turned back to face him with a look of surprise and just stood waiting for him to speak.
"Hermione, please," he begged, he hated the way he sounded but she had to know "I am the loneliest I've ever been tonight. I am nothing without you." Draco felt her hand relax slightly in his and he stole his opportunity to keep talking "Every day I remember every mistake I made and how I pushed you away. I will never do that again. You have my solemn vow. I have worked every day since you left to get myself back in shape."
"Draco," Hermione replied softly "I don't know what to-"
"Don't say anything," Draco replied, pulling on her wrist lightly to draw her closer into his arms, he couldn't feel any resistance but he could see the hesitation in her eyes. "Don't think Hermione, just feel. Trust yourself, you know the real me better than anyone."
They were now only an inch apart paying no attention to the noise surrounding them or the harsh strobe lights and throbbing bodies, as they stared into each other's eyes everything else fell away. Draco could feel the heat radiating from her body and he could see the desire leaping in her eyes, he kept his focus only on her as he ran his hands up her soft arms coming to rest on her shoulders whispering quietly "I love you Hermione Granger, I always will. Come home with me?"
Hermione didn't move and Draco knew her mind was racing, trying to decide what to do. He closed the distance between them so their noses touched and breathed in her beautiful perfume, feeling as she exhaled in surprise at his proximity. Unable to take the tension any longer Draco moved one hand up and scrunched it into her hair moving his lips to meet hers. His senses exploded, he had missed her taste, her feel, her scent and it all over whelmed him. She melted into him and wrapped her hands around his neck, tugging on his hair trying to pull him closer as his hand slid down and grasped her hip, squeezing it hungrily. Draco relished the feel of her body against his and savoured the taste of her in his mouth as she delicately explored his mouth with her tongue.
Feeling his body react to her in more ways than one Draco drew away from her with a sigh of content. As they broke apart Draco placed a swift kiss against the corner of her lips before looking again into her eyes. They were swimming with emotion and the smile on her face was one of pure bliss. Draco knew he would be wearing the exact same smile and snaked his hand into hers before pulling her through the crowd towards the exit, trying to avoid the curious glances as they passed. As they exited the club Draco shielded them from the flashes of paparazzi and tucked Hermione in under his arm. Nuzzling into her neck as they reached the apparition point and holding her close, he knew he would never lose her again.