Title: Prediction
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Others
Summary: New Year's Eve; a time for reflection, and a time for new beginnings.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1 798
Spoilers: AU
Warnings: None.
Author's Note: Thanks to my beta shag_me_draco.
Distribution: Link only please.
Written: December 2012 – For d_vivace at the dramione_duet's (at LiveJournal) Third Duet Challenge's Reviewer Award. She wanted a happy story, set at New Years.
Prediction (1/1)
Hermione stood on the balcony, gazing up at the dark sky and sipping from her champagne flute. Behind her, she could hear merriment and music, and Hermione could easily imagine her friends and colleagues twirling around on the dance floor, not a care in the world – if only for one night. Tomorrow was a new year, with new challenges and then it was back to work for most of them.
The flute empty, Hermione placed it on the wide balustrade. Soon it would be midnight and the dark sky would light up with colour; courtesy of the ever-popular Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
But for now it was dark, and Hermione could enjoy the moment to reflect in solitude of the year gone.
The door opened behind her; if not for the noise from inside rising in volume for just a moment, Hermione wouldn't have noticed anyone escaping, it'd been so silent.
"I thought I'd find you here," Draco said as he came up beside her. In his hands he held a champagne flute and a bottle. "Top you off?" he asked, nodding to her empty glass.
Hermione nodded, holding it out to him to pour.
After filling his own glass, Draco put the bottle down. They clinked in a silent cheers and drank.
"It's a nice night," Draco commented after a while, looking out at the view as Hermione had done before he interrupted her.
"It is," Hermione agreed, leaning forward against the balustrade next to him. Her glass empty once more, she put it down again. She shook her head when Draco offered her more from the bottle; she was a lightweight and knew her limits well.
"Any resolutions for next year?" she asked him instead, watching his throat move as he tipped his glass back.
Draco paused to think for a moment, before shaking his head. "None that I can think of. You?"
"I'm not sure," Hermione admitted. "The usual resolutions-"
"Boring ones you mean," Draco interjected.
"-don't apply to me this year, I think." She frowned. "Or, I don't want them to. If they've not come true thus far, what makes me think it's going to happen this next year?"
"I suppose that depends on what kind of resolution it is, and how much power you have yourself over making it come true. It's harder if it depends on other people."
Hermione looked at Draco, a small smirk forming. "Why, Malfoy, are you going deep on me? Thought about this a lot have you?"
Draco scoffed. "Don't be silly, Granger." But he didn't look entirely convincing.
"Maybe it'd be much more fun to make predictions," Hermione suggested. "Not of things that we really hope would happen, but of silly things; like..."
"Longbottom winning an award for his vegetables," Draco suggested. "Especially against those monstrous cucumbers Hagrid grows."
Hermione laughed. "Yes, exactly. Or Harry finally getting the guts to tell Ginny she is starting to remind him of her mother!"
"I'd love to see that conversation!" Draco laughed. "I bet she'll hex him silly."
"And he'd get no sympathy from Ron either, I'm sure," Hermione continued, enjoying the imagined scene.
"Speaking of Weasley; he'd fumble at a match and accidentally score for the other team," Draco said. "That would just about make my year."
Hermione slapped him gently on his arm, but agreed that it was a fun prediction. So long as Ron didn't get fired from his beloved team, she wouldn't mind it happening.
"Now you're just being cruel," she said, smiling to show she didn't really mean it.
Draco just smiled in reply.
"So how about Zabini finally asking Luna out?"
"No, I think it's more likely that Luna will ask him out, because she'll get tired of waiting," Hermione argued; she knew Luna much better than he did. For such a laidback woman, she could be surprisingly impatient.
"All right," Draco held up a finger in warning, "but no helping her along with suggesting she should go for it herself."
"Agreed," Hermione said, holding out her hand to shake. "So long as you don't push Zabini."
"Fine," Draco agreed, reluctantly.
They shook hands. Inside the music suddenly stopped, and the magically magnified voice of the Minister called everyone to attention; it was nearing midnight and he was telling them to go out onto the balcony for the countdown and fireworks display.
"How about for you?" Hermione asked. "What silly thing should we predict for you?"
Draco seemed to think about it for a moment, looking at her rather intently as he thought; then he shrugged and turned back to the bottle to pour himself another drink. "I don't need any predictions to know my life is either going to change for the worse or for the better."
"Oh?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm intrigued."
She didn't stop him when he refilled her glass; as other couples began joining them on the balcony with their own champagne glasses.
"In just one move, I can change my future completely."
"Well, now you're going to have to tell me," Hermione said.
"I'll show you, just wait until next year," Draco said with a smirk and a wink. He drank down his glass, looking almost nervous as he refilled it. "Right at midnight, if you want," he added.
Hermione nodded. "Sure," she said, even more intrigued now.
She sipped at her champagne as they were joined first by Harry and Ginny, and then Ron and Zabini, arguing over Quidditch again.
"Happy New Year!" Ginny cried, throwing her arms around Hermione and almost sending their glasses crashing to the ground with the move.
Hermione gave Harry a look over Ginny's shoulder; it was obvious the girl had had a little too much to drink. Harry just shrugged in reply, turning to ask Draco something.
The countdown began, and their group expanded with the arrival of Neville, Hannah, Luna and Lavender. Neville and Hannah were holding hands, and smiling at each other in the sickeningly sweet kind of way newly formed couples did.
Lavender wrapped herself around Ron; though Hermione had no romantic feelings for her best friend, she still turned away from the display. It seemed Lavender still believed she'd won, or stolen, Ron from right under Hermione's nose, and she was quite proud of that fact.
Instead, Hermione found herself face to face with Draco, who had come closer the more people who joined their circle.
"So," he started, quietly, bending down slightly, to prevent the others from hearing. "I guess we're the only ones here without a partner."
Hermione looked around; even Luna and Blaise were eying each other in a way that suggested they would be kissing at midnight, despite Blaises' lack of success at asking her out for going on a year. Ginny, drunk, was resting her head on Harry's shoulder and though she didn't look as though she would be out celebrating much longer, she looked awake enough to kiss her boyfriend.
"I suppose we are," Hermione agreed, turning back to him. "Are you suggesting that we kiss?"
Draco looked at her for a few moments, not speaking. Then he nodded, slowly but surely. "I am."
No one around them seemed to notice their interaction, and Hermione was glad for it; she was sure her cheeks were tinted red. The way Draco was looking at her made her feel warm inside; more so than it usually did, whenever she looked at him.
"Well, I suppose we could," Hermione agreed quietly. "I mean, it is New Years and all, so..."
"Right," Draco agreed. He drank down the last of his champagne before placing the glass on the balustrade next to Hermione's. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers.
Hermione had barely time to blink, or lean into his kiss, before he pulled back again. She blinked up at him; he looked nervous, but trying to hide it.
"It's not really midnight just yet," she said, her voice low.
Draco smirked. "Yes well, practice makes perfect?"
Hermione couldn't help but give a short nervous laugh. "I suppose."
"TEN, NINE, EIGHT."
The Minister's aid started the countdown, and soon everyone were following along, calling out the numbers and getting ready for the turn of the year.
"THREE, TWO- ONE; HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Overhead, the fireworks sparked to life, lighting the sky in a multitude of colours and shapes. Around them, couples kissed. Draco and Hermione smiled at each other; Hermione feeling suddenly nervous again as he leaned down to kiss her again.
She thought she was better prepared for the sensation of his lips on hers now, having felt them on hers once already; but she was wrong. Luckily, Draco didn't move back right away, and Hermione was able to reciprocate, as she had wanted to the first time.
"Er, you guys?"
Hermione blinked, pulling away from Draco. Without she'd even noticed it, her arms had wrapped around his neck, and his hands were caressing her back, bringing her flush against his body as their kiss had deepened.
"Yes?" Hermione pulled back from Draco's arms, looking at Harry who was staring at them.
Harry looked between the two of them for a moment, saying nothing, before Ginny distracted him.
Hermione turned to Draco. "So...?"
"I have probably gone about this the wrong way, but I don't suppose you would like to go out with me sometime?" he asked, dragging a hand through his carefully coifed hair, and mussing it up.
Hermione smiled. "I would love to, actually."
"Great." Draco smiled big down at her.
"We're heading back in," Blaise said.
When Hermione looked at him, he was holding hands with Luna. Neither Draco nor Hermione had seen who had made the first move, but Hermione didn't mind. They'd been busy.
The group left, several of them eying Draco and Hermione with curious, but happy, expressions. Once the balcony had emptied of most guests, some staying back to watch the still going fireworks display, Draco turned to Hermione again.
"Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" Hermione repeated, not following his train of thought.
"A date, tomorrow?" he clarified.
Hermione smiled. "You're going fast, aren't you?"
Draco frowned. "If you don't want to-"
"No, no, I want to," Hermione assured him, placing a hand on his arm. "I was just surprised."
"Well," Draco looked nervous again, pausing before he admitted; "I have been trying to work up the courage to ask you out for a long time."
"Oh yeah?" Hermione smiled gently. "I have too," she admitted.
They stood for a moment, smiling like loons at each other, as the fireworks died down above them, turning the balcony dark again.
"Want to practice some more?"
Hermione laughed, but nodded, allowing herself to be pulled back into Draco's arms, and met his lips.
It was a wonderful start to something completely new.
The End.