Author's note: I kinda figured out where I'm going with this. It's just a matter of having the time to write. I realize this chapter is a bit long... but I couldn't find a way to shorten it without ruining the flow. I also wanted to end this chapter on a fairly good note, considering what I did with the last one.
Falling Into Place
Chapter Two: First Dance
"Engaged." Hermione says. It's a statement, not a question. As if stating it will somehow make her believe it. Her mouth feels like it's filled with cotton.
"A month before Harry proposed to Ginny." Draco explains. He wonders what his face looks like right now because he imagines it looks like he's in pain. Either that or like he's incredibly constipated.
"Wow. That's… Wow." Her heart is pounding so hard that she can feel it in her ears. "Congratulations." She smiles in an attempt to regain some composure. The smile doesn't reach her eyes and it doesn't go unnoticed by him.
"Alright everyone, let's take our seats. Food will be served shortly and Harry would like to say a few words." Arthur announces loudly. Hermione turns to leave without even excusing herself from their conversation.
"Hermione." Draco reaches out and almost grabs her wrist but decides against it. He'd rather not make a spectacle of their conversation. Besides, he has no idea what he expects her to say. He would, however, like a chance to explain himself.
"We need to sit. Harry's going to make a toast." She dismisses him politely and leaves, knowing full well that she can't exactly escape him- they'll end up sitting at the same table anyway.
He stares after her, feeling nothing but contempt for himself. Once he arrives at their table, the only seat available is the one directly across from her. Of course.
"Good evening," Harry stands and begins. "Before we eat, I'd like to thank each and every one of you here. We've been through hell and back together- supporting each other through it all. At least, for the most part." He looks amusedly at Draco. Draco shrugs and everyone laughs, including Hermione. "Ginny and I are so glad that you'll be a part of this next chapter in our lives. I'd also like to give special thanks to Arthur and Molly for not only organizing this wonderful celebration, but also for being my adoptive parents all these years. You always made me feel like I'm part of the family. By this time next year, I actually will be. So again, many thanks. Here's to all of us, most especially to my beautiful fiancee. Cheers." He raises his glass.
"Cheers." Everyone repeats. The sound of champagne flutes clinking against each other fills the tent. As soon as Harry retakes his seat, food appears on every table.
Throughout the meal, Hermione refuses to make eye contact with Draco. She's honestly just so embarrassed, which is a first for her. She was never one to feel insecure around Draco Malfoy, of all people. How could she be so stupid to think that he would have waited for her? It's a good thing he interrupted her when he did because she would have made a huge arse of herself- propositioning an engaged man… Well, 'propositioning' is a bit of an overstatement. She was going to tell him that she wants to get to know him more outside of work- it would help her feel comfortable with the idea of moving their relationship forward.
People slowly fill the dance floor as light, airy music starts to play. As to be expected, Harry and Ginny are the first ones out there- shortly followed by Arthur and Molly, Bill and Fleur, and dozens of other couples. The moment Ron takes Lavender's hand and leads her into the growing crowd, Hermione begins to formulate an escape route. She and Draco are the only ones left at the table and she's not mentally prepared to speak to him. Spotting Dean across the way, she stands.
"Hermione." Draco says sharply. He's trying to be patient but that doesn't mean he tolerates her blatant avoidance of him.
"Forgive me." She responds and makes eye contact with him for the first time in two hours. "But I need more time to process. I'm sure you're growing tired of hearing that from me, but you know how I get." She says the last part lightly, adding an eye roll for good measure. He picks up on that so he offers her a ghost of a smile and nods. Giving him one last apologetic look, she takes her leave.
Draco is left alone at the table, which is just fine with him because he can't afford being preoccupied with a dance partner- not that he really has anyone else to dance with. As soon as he finds a window of opportunity, he's going to steal a dance- or several- from her so they can talk.
That window of opportunity takes entirely too long to appear.
First, she has her dance with Dean, which she found perfectly nice. Dean has taken lessons before, so he's wonderful on the dance floor. Then, Kingsley gets a hold of her- Draco knows he couldn't possibly interrupt their boss. After Kingsley comes Arthur, who might as well be her second father. And after Arthur, Ron is personally delivered to her by Lavender. Ron is still as awkward a dancer as ever, but she enjoys it fully because he always knows how to make her laugh. Once they've finished their dance, she calls to Lavender, who smiles gratefully as she takes Ron's hand.
The couple leaves her alone, which is absolutely distasteful, in Draco's opinion. Who leaves a woman by herself on the dance floor? His parents may have been bigoted, Pureblood supremacists but at least they taught him proper social etiquette. This just won't do, so he stands and begins to make his way through the crowd. She waits for him, her eyes unyielding while he takes the final few strides toward her. But as timing would have it, Harry appears out of nowhere.
"Oh, hey mate. Sorry, I didn't notice you coming this way." Harry says, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I thought I might have a dance with 'Mione but I'll just come back later." Hermione smiles, feeling at a loss for words. A dance with Harry would ease her mind a little more before talking to Draco...
"It's alright." Draco answers for both of them. "You're the celebrant. I don't mind waiting, as long as Hermione doesn't mind. I trust you won't step on her toes, Chosen One." He chides.
"Oh shuttup. Not all of us were bred to glide through social events with ease." Harry rolls his eyes then says, "Ginny's been waiting for a dance with you, by the way. She's actually sort of miffed that you haven't asked her yet. She's over there." Harry nods his head toward Ginny, who is dancing with Ron. "Shouldn't be too hard interrupting them. Ginny will be glad to have you in place of that clumsy oaf."
"How did that even happen? Those two never dance together." Hermione asks while stifling a laugh.
"Molly insisted she have a dance with each of her brothers…" The three of them snicker amongst themselves.
"Alright, alright. I'll go." Draco says.
"I'll make sure to keep 'Mione occupied until you get back- in repayment for stealing her from you." Harry says as he takes Hermione's hand. Draco nods and gives Hermione one last look before heading over to Ginny.
"May I?" Draco asks Ron as he offers Ginny his hand. Ron looks at him, then at his sister to make sure she approves. She smiles and nods.
"Yeah, sure." Ron responds. "You're a better dancer than me anyway." Ron places Ginny's hand in Draco's and returns to his girlfriend.
"About damn time." Ginny chides as Draco begins to lead her.
"I'm sorry." Draco apologizes, feeling perfectly amused.
"You've looked awfully lonely tonight. Not in the mood to dance with anyone?"
"You and Hermione are the only women I'm close with and neither of you have been free to dance all night."
"Never stopped you before. I recall you dancing with a different woman at every Ministry event."
"Yeah well, things are different now."
"Now, you're engaged."
"Now, I'm engaged."
"And you have feelings for 'Mione." She adds. He abruptly stops in the middle of their dance and stares at her.
"W-what?" Draco Malfoy never stuttered. He was always overflowing with confidence.
"You're engaged but now she's back and you still have feelings for her."
"Why the hell would you think that?"
"Oh come on, Draco. Harry and I aren't idiots- as much as you'd like to think we are. You're one of our best friends, do you really think we wouldn't notice?"
"There's nothing to notice." He hopes his nonchalance will brush off this conversation.
"Is that right?" She challenges.
"Yeah." He shrugs and resumes their dance.
"So.. 'nothing' as in.. The way you made a beeline for her as soon as you laid eyes on each other?"
"I did no such thing."
"We were in the middle of a conversation, Draco. You hadn't even answered my question when you excused yourself." She rolls her eyes. Two of a kind, they are. Both so incredibly stubborn and unwilling to be wrong.
"Forgive me for being excited to see my work partner." Even he knows that was a terrible excuse.
"Mhm, sure. Harry might buy into your denial, but I won't. I've seen the way you look at her."
He pauses for a beat before asking quietly, "How long have you known?"
"I started noticing a few things the month before she left. Harry told me that you walked into that Ministry event together, which we found peculiar because you usually loved making a grand entrance with your date. And I saw that you would pull her chair out for her every Friday night at dinner…"
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I didn't think you were even aware of your feelings for her."
"I wasn't. Not yet, at least."
"Exactly. I couldn't be placing ideas in your head. That was something you needed to figure out on your own. It all became very clear to me the last time she was home. Do you remember Christmas Eve?"
He nods because he does. Vividly. Because, after months of silent deliberation, that was the night he finally made up his mind about her.
The five friends were spending Christmas Eve at 12 Grimmauld Place as they usually did.
'So we're sure she's coming?' Ron asked before shoving a biscuit in his mouth when he thought his sister wasn't looking.
'I saw that, Ron.' Ginny called from the behind the tree. She was rearranging presents. Draco and Harry snickered.
'We're sure.' Harry responded.
'Didn't you get her owl?' Draco asked.
'Of course I did.' Ron looked over at Draco, who was levitating a few logs into the fireplace. 'She went out of her way to owl everyone?'
The question was mostly directed at Harry, but Draco answered without missing a beat. 'Yeah. She doesn't like word-of-mouth. Says it's an 'unreliable form of communication' or whatever.' He took inexplicable pride in the fact that he answered like it was second nature. At the time, he didn't think anyone noticed. Clearly he was wrong.
'But she also said she'd visit every weekend. We're lucky if she's even able to visit once a month.' Ron said and then ate another biscuit.
'Oh come on, Ron. You should have figured out that 'every weekend' would be a stretch, even for 'Mione.' Ginny answered.
'She wouldn't miss Christmas.' Harry added defensively.
'No, I would not.' Hermione's voice suddenly came from the doorway.
'You're early!' Ginny exclaimed.
'My flight was shorter than expected.' Hermione said as Harry pulled her into an embrace.
'Flight? I thought you hated brooms.' Ron asked, waiting for his turn to be hugged.
'No, Ron. I took a plane, remember?' She hugged him.
'Oh, right. Why exactly did you take a plane, when you could just apparate or floo?' Ron looked at her incredulously.
'I enjoy plane rides. I still like doing certain things the muggle way.' Harry chuckled in response, being the only person who understood what she meant- he enjoyed washing dishes by hand, for example. 'Hello, Draco.' She then said. He remained standing by the fireplace because Hermione and Draco didn't hug. In fact, they never intentionally made physical contact. Eye contact, on the other hand, was fair game. They were very good at that.
'Welcome back.' Draco greeted, looking right at her. She maintained eye contact and even though he wasn't looking at her mouth, he saw a smile reach her eyes. So he smiled back.
It wasn't until Ginny started pulling her toward the couch that he finally allowed himself to give her a subtle once-over. He made a bad habit of doing this every time she entered a room. The woman was incredibly easy on the eyes so, really, what sane man could blame him for his ogling? That night she wore a light grey jumper and form-fitting black pants tucked into a pair of black knee-high heeled boots. Her hair was fashioned into a knot atop her head. She must have come straight from work… He couldn't help the pang of jealousy he felt when he thought of whoever got to work with her all day.
'So how is everything?' Ginny asked excitedly. She patted the empty space next to her so Harry could sit down. Ron settled into the armchair adjacent to the couch. Draco simply moved over a few feet so he could lean against the wall facing them.
'It's great! I'm really enjoying it. I miss you all, though. Everyday.' Hermione replied, her eyes shifting to each of their faces. Draco could have sworn she looked at him for a second longer than everyone else. He was probably just imagining things.
'So Switzerland, huh? Must be cold right now.' Ron asked, leaning forward, resting his forearms on his knees.
'Very.' Hermione went on to explain her last two weeks with the Swiss Minister for Magic, who took her on tours of their Ministry and wizarding school. She even had some time to go muggle sightseeing, which she was really happy about. She promptly dug around her purse to retrieve a few photos and several packages of Swiss chocolate for everyone to try. Ron was overjoyed about the chocolate, of course. As Hermione opened up one of the packages, Draco meandered over to the couch and sat on the armrest next to Harry so he could get a look at the photos. Photos of the school, a photo with the Swiss Minister and a Headmaster-looking old bloke, some muggle photos of the Swiss Alps…
'Who took this one?' Ginny held up a photo.
'Merlin, I forgot that was in there.' Hermione said and grabbed it. 'Kingsley caught me off guard at our weekly meeting.'
'It's nice!' Ginny encouraged while taking the photo back so she could show Harry and Ron.
Hermione began to protest but Harry interrupted her, 'You look really pretty here, 'Mione.' Ron smiled and nodded in agreement then passed the photo back to Ginny, who then handed it to Draco.
Upon first glance, he knew he had to make some sort of comment, otherwise they'd wonder why he hadn't said anything. 'Yeah, this is a nice photo of you.' And it was.
Once the four turned their attention away from him to talk about the Alps, he narrowed all of his focus on the photo. The word 'nice' didn't do it any justice, honestly. He watched as she turned the page of a book then as she smiled up at a waitress who placed a cup of coffee in front of her. She brought the cup to her lips and then noticed she was being photographed. Her doe-like eyes widened in surprise and she laughed. The setting sun cast a warm glow all around her and made the brown of her eyes and hair shine like amber. She looked stunning.
He looked at her then, as if seeing her in that moment would help remind him that she actually exists. She was watching her three friends excitedly indulge in a few pieces of chocolate but she soon felt his gaze, so she turned to look at him. And she smiled a smile so soft that it could have only been meant for him. Any reservations he had about pursuing her were immediately thrown out the window.
"I saw that little exchange between you two." Ginny's voice pulls his mind from the past and into the present. "And I saw the way your expression shifted when she smiled at you. You look at her the same way I look at Harry- like life is better just knowing she's around."
"You're too observant." He mumbles. "And too much of a romantic."
"Maybe." She shrugs. "Have you told her yet? About being engaged?"
"Yeah. But not the whole story. I was just about to, but then your damned fiancé stepped in, asking for a dance."
"You could have asked him to go away."
"And risk being interrupted later? No, I didn't want that."
"True… I guess it's a good thing that she doesn't know how you feel about her. Makes things a little less complicated."
"She knows."
"What the bloody hell, since when?"
"Since our last New Year's together. She said she needed time to figure out if she wanted the same thing. And I understood completely. But after she left, she didn't send any owls, and she didn't even come back to visit. So I assumed the worst- that she probably didn't feel the same way."
"But I think she does feel the same way."
"Whether or not that's true, I'm engaged now. All I can do is explain how it happened and why I couldn't wait for her answer."
"Draco, I'm sure if you talked to your parents, they'd understand…"
"I'm not sure they would."
"Don't you think you deserve to be happy?"
"Ginny, stop." He says definitively. "This isn't easy for me. Regardless of how I feel, I can't go and make her- or my- life any more difficult. And we work together, for Merlin's sake. I'm not about to make our professional relationship uncomfortable."
Ginny says nothing and looks over at her best friend dancing with her fiancé. Hermione has spent her whole life putting others' happiness before her own… She deserves to be happy too.
The song ends and the next one starts, but the two friends continue to dance in silence.
"You're a good man, Draco. I hope you know that."
"I like to think that I am. I've busted my arse all these years, trying to be better and to make a good name for myself." He doesn't mean to sound arrogant, but he really has been busting his arse. "Hell, I've gotten so much better that the legendary Golden Trio actually tolerates me.
"You'd make her happy." Ginny's gaze lingers on Hermione for a moment longer then she shifts her eyes to Draco. He looks at her incredulously. "You would." She urges.
"We'll never truly know, I guess." He sways them in a circle so that he can be the one looking in Hermione's direction.
"I guess not." Ginny resigns with a sigh. The song comes to its conclusion so Draco leads Ginny into a series of twirls that make her laugh. "Thanks for the dance."
"Thanks for the talk."
"The years have softened your hard interior, my friend." She pats his arm and smirks.
"Funny, Hermione said the same thing. Though, she blamed it on all three of you. Personally, I'm more convinced that it was all your fiance's doing. Saint Potter." He jokingly spits out that old nickname. "Hanging around him all the time makes you want to sing to birds or some rubbish like that."
"He tends to have that effect on people."
"Who does?" The man in question appears beside them with Hermione in tow.
"You do." Ginny responds simply without revealing anything she and Draco were talking about. She kisses Harry chastely on the lips.
"I hope you didn't step on her toes." Draco looks over at his friend.
"I didn't. She is uninjured and ready to dance with you." Harry chuckles.
"Are you?" Draco asks Hermione seriously.
"I'm ready." She says confidently. His news threw her for a huge loop, but now she's feeling mentally prepared to hear more about it. "Thank you for the dance, Harry. You've come a long way since the Yule Ball. Ginny's doing, I'm assuming."
Ginny smirks proudly then glances at Draco. Time to go. "Alright, sweetheart." She links arms with Harry. "I haven't danced with you in more than an hour." She starts to pull her fiancé away. "See you two later." Harry offers a smile before they hurry off toward Neville and Hannah Abbott.
Another song begins to play, but it's slower than the last few have been. Draco fearlessly closes the space between them and places a hand on Hermione's waist. He takes her right hand in his left and immediately realizes that this is the first time he's ever danced with her. Her hand is petite. Petite but not fragile- he can feel the calluses and small scars left from the war.
By the look on his face, she knows he can feel all the little imperfections on her hand. They spell she uses only hides her scars from sight. She quickly glances at his left forearm, which is covered by his sleeve, and wonders if his dark mark has faded completely. "This is the first time we've danced together, isn't it." She points out, somehow having read his mind.
"Yeah, it is." He looks down at her. Even in her high heels, she's still a little bit shorter than him.
"Even though we've gone to so many Ministry events." She arches an eyebrow.
"We even showed up together one time."
"But you had a date waiting for you." She adds.
"Would you expect otherwise?" He jokes lightly.
"Absolutely not. Draco Malfoy does not show up to Ministry events alone."
"I should have just taken you. We already walked into the damned thing together. It would have made sense."
"You couldn't have. I was Ginny's proxy that night, remember? She got sick and couldn't go so I was Harry's only Ginny-approved date." She laughs.
"Right, I remember that." He chuckles along with her.
"Who did you even go with?"
"I… Don't know. Someone from our department, probably?" Somehow, he remembers the dress she had been wearing, but can't even remember who he was dancing with all night. Victoria? Isabel? Absolutely ridiculous.
"Hm." She leaves it at that, sending them into a bout of silence. She allows herself to focus on the unfamiliar feeling of being led by him- swaying and turning together. Dean is a wonderful dancer, but Draco is so poised. He leads her with such grace and such ease. He really was bred to glide through social events like Harry said.
"I…" He begins to say, but has no idea how or where to start. She looks up at him and her anxiety grows when he meets her eyes. "I'm engaged."
"Yes, you already told me that." She says quietly. He scrunches eyebrows because what kind of idiot is he? Repeating himself doesn't explain a damn thing.
"To Astoria Greengrass." He says next, which makes her eyes widen a fraction.
"Greengrass." She repeats. She doesn't remember if Astoria is the older or younger sister, but she does remember that they're both beautiful Pureblood witches.
"Yes, she was two years below us." He explains, taking note of the thoughtful expression on her face. "Her parents are close friends of my parents."
"I wasn't aware that you still kept in touch with any of your old friends."
"I don't. Not really. Well, that's not entirely true. I sometimes meet with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott… I don't know if you remember them."
"I do. A little."
"Yeah. They're alright. Fairly decent blokes." He begins to digress, which he catches immediately. "But that's not important right now." He quickly blurts out. She gives him a small smile.
"You're nervous." She points out.
"Is it that obvious?" He laughs.
"Only because you're hardly ever nervous." She looks right into his eyes then says, "Don't be. It's just me anyway. Insufferable know-it-all, muggle-born Hermione Granger. Your partner that regularly gets in screaming matches with you."
He smirks at her. She's also the person who knows exactly how he takes his coffee. His partner that challenges him every single day. The only woman who has ever truly piqued his interest for more than a few weeks.
"You are all those things and more." He says. She laughs in response- she knows she can be a real pain in the arse. If only she knew that he means something much different. He breathes deeply and warns, "You're about to get quite an earful. This might be a whole night's worth of dancing."
"I'll manage. Besides, I hear you're quite the dancer." They both smile, but those smiles disappear quickly.
He starts off. "My father is very sick. It's no secret that his health deteriorated as soon as he was put into Azkaban. But it got worse after he came home because he stopped taking care of himself. He would drink a lot, skip meals, sleep all day and stay up all night… This went on for years. Late one night last winter, my mother flooed me. She was completely distraught because she had no idea where my father was. I apparated right over to help her look. We eventually found him wandering outside the manor in the cold, without a jacket. He got a bad case of pneumonia as a result. Fortunately, he was able to recover… But then it became this terrible cycle of getting better then getting sick. Over and over again for months. He got sick again in the spring and our healer informed us that his immune system had deteriorated to almost nothing and that he might not recover this time… He's been taking potions to help treat symptoms and they've been helping him so far, but our healer also said that they can only help him for so long. Eventually, his body will get too used to the potions and they won't be as therapeutic. We were told that he has about a year left."
"I'm so sorry…." She interrupts and squeezes his hand. The gesture is borderline intimate so she thinks she might have made a mistake by doing it. But he holds onto her hand a little tighter in response.
He glances at their hands for a moment- why is the first time he's dancing with her under these circumstances? He sighs inwardly then loosens his grip and continues, "As the weeks passed, my mother and I grew increasingly worried. A year really isn't a long time... The three of us had a family meeting to discuss what needed to be done with the time he had left- completing his last will and testament, for example. At the end of that morbid conversation, my parents shared a very long, peculiar look. My mother then turned to me and said that they wished me to be married before he died." He pauses- he's not even sure if he's doing it for her so that she can absorb everything, or for himself because he's not looking forward to explaining the rest of it.
"An arranged marriage." The realization dawns on her quickly. She wasn't sure what his father's illness had to do with being engaged but now it all makes sense. He's unsurprised that she came to the conclusion on her own.
"Essentially."
"What do you mean, 'essentially'? Is it or is it not?"
"Well, Astoria and I were not originally meant for each other. It had been decided when I was very young that Daphne, her older sister, and me would wed… But she and Gregory Goyle developed feelings for one another during school. The fall of Voldemort made it easier for Purebloods to stray away from tradition, so they stayed together and my parents no longer had the intention of arranging my marriage. They did, however, have a clear idea of who they wanted me to end up with."
"That would be Astoria, I'm guessing."
"No, actually. They wanted me to end up with a woman of my own choosing." Who would have thought Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy actually had hearts? Though they had a strange way of showing it, they cared about their son. "My parents had an arranged marriage and they were lucky enough to have fallen in love with each other. My mother admitted that she always wanted the same for me- loving my spouse- but that was a very tall order to fill, considering I had no prospects. Or well…" His voice trails off.
"I…" She begins, but nothing she could possibly say would help. So she shuts up.
"Anyway, his illness and her desperation gave them an unfair advantage. I felt like a teenager again- backed into a corner by my father, filled with fear of disappointing both my parents… After taking some time to think, I decided to give them what they wanted and Astoria Greengrass came to mind. I already knew my parents approved of her and, as far as I could tell, she was a nice person- a fair bit nicer than her sister. All that mattered was that my parents liked her and that I didn't hate her. She was my only sane option. So I owled her, asking to meet. I told her the truth about my situation, which I knew was very risky… But she agreed. She told me her parents had been badgering her for months, telling her to find a husband within the next year, otherwise they would cut her off. I didn't feel comfortable treating our engagement like a business transaction, so I took her out on several dates to get us comfortable around each other. I made a formal proposal in May." Her eyes shift to every feature of his face.
"It sounds like an extremely complicated situation…" She finally says.
"Yeah, unfortunately."
"Are you sure that you're making the right decision…?" She doesn't mean to get all lecture-y, but as complicated as the situation is, he should really think about what it means for him.
"I feel like I need to do this for my father. If not for him, then for my mother."
"You can't be doing this just for them."
"Why can't I be selfless and do this for my family?" He asks defensively. His temper is rising. Even so, he doesn't want to snap because it's not her fault- he's just projecting his frustration.
"You don't need me to tell you that marriage is a huge commitment."
"I'm well aware of that." He tries to say as calmly as possible. She knows that she's pushing boundaries by doing this, but…
"Do you really believe that this is the right thing to do?"
"Yes." He says through gritted teeth. Half because he's growing impatient with the questions and half because he knows that he's lying. Because he doesn't feel like he's doing the right thing. Not the right thing for him, at least.
"Alright…" She concedes. More easily than either of them are used to. But she knows better than to argue this time. This is his personal life they're talking about, not work.
"I wanted you to know the whole story, so you'd understand that I couldn't wait around for your answer." He knows he worded that last part wrong…
But it's too late to take it back because she responds quickly, "Of course. I understand completely." She offers another forced smile and they fall into a mildly uncomfortable silence- only partially focused on dancing because they're lost in their own thoughts.
He wishes that he didn't care so much about what his parents wanted, which is terrible, given the circumstances.
She's not sure what to make of all this. The one thing she is sure of, though, is that telling him how she feels would be selfish. His situation is already complicated enough. She has to lock her feelings away, which is unpleasant, but there's nothing else she can do…
"I know that was a lot to hear all at once…" He breaks the silence after several minutes.
She laughs nervously. "I definitely had no idea that I'd be returning to a life much different from the one I left… But everyone is right where they need to be." Everyone but her, it seems.
The music gradually transitions into something a little more upbeat, so more people start to fill the dance floor.
"Aunt Hermione?" Teddy Lupin appears next to Hermione and Draco, who are still swaying slowly back and forth despite the change in tempo.
"Hi Teddy." Hermione looks down and smiles at the child.
"Grandmum said I could ask you to dance. I wanted to earlier but she said not to interrupt you and Mister Draco…"
"I'd be honored, Teddy. But to be polite, why don't you ask Mister Draco permission first?" The child widens his eyes a bit. Draco isn't an unfamiliar face but the two hardly see-and therefore, hardly interact with- each other. Teddy sill seems to be intimidated by him. "Go on, Teddy. He won't bite." She encourages.
Draco releases his hold on Hermione- albeit a little unwillingly- and squats down to the child's eye level. "Hello, Theodore." Draco greets him kindly.
"Hello, Mister Draco."
"Teddy, did you know that Mister Draco is your mummy's cousin?" Hermione offers. Draco peers up at her questioningly so she shrugs. Neither of them are sure if Teddy will understand, but it's worth a shot.
"Really?!" Teddy looks excitedly at both of them.
"Yeah, your Grandmother Andromeda is my aunt. You and I are relatives." Draco explains.
"Woah. I don't think I've ever had a relative before." Teddy's eyes are now wide with wonder. Hermione and Draco both stifle a laugh.
"Well, now you have me." Draco states simply, pressing his palms into his knees as he stands back up.
"Can I call you Uncle Draco, then?"
"Uh." Draco is a bit taken aback by the thought of it. "Sure you can, Theodore."
"But I'll only call you Uncle Draco if you call me Teddy." Teddy says brazenly, which makes Draco smirk. This kid's got spunk. "Only Grandmum calls me Theodore. And she only says it when she's really upset with me."
"You've got yourself a deal, Teddy." Draco nods and falls back in line with Hermione.
"I had no idea you were good with kids." Hermione says quietly to Draco without looking at him.
"Neither did I." He confesses just as quietly. The sound of her soft laughter satisfies his ears.
"So, Teddy, what are you going to say to Uncle Draco?" Hermione asks.
"Uncle Draco, is it okay if I dance with Aunt Hermione?" Teddy bravely makes eye contact with his uncle.
"Yes, you may." Draco gently retakes a hold of Hermione's hand, which makes her heart jump up into her throat. Such a casual gesture, too casual for what either of them are used to. He offers her hand to his nephew, who takes it happily.
"Thanks, Uncle Draco! You can dance with Aunt Hermione again later, okay? Maybe during one of those slow, boring songs because I don't like those."
"Alright." Draco chuckles. "As long as she doesn't mind."
"Thank you for the dance." Hermione says, reestablishing eye contact before Teddy can pull her away. "You really are a terrific dancer and I almost hate you for it."
"Almost." He repeats.
"We can add it to the very short list of things you can do better than me." She jokes.
"Consider it listed." He jokes back. Their eyes linger on each other for another moment, both almost forgetting about their damn near morbid conversation. "Take care of your Aunt Hermione, alright Teddy?"
"Got it!" Teddy salutes him then tugs on Hermione's hand. She's reluctant to leave, feeling as if she's leaving their conversation unfinished.
"I'll… See you in a little while, then." Hermione feels Teddy tug on her hand once more.
"Yeah. I'll be around." Draco offers a small smile before Teddy pulls her away.
Running a hand over his face, he groans to himself then begins making his way back to their empty table. That conversation took so much out of him. As expected, she was incredibly understanding- almost infuriatingly so… And it's not that he doesn't appreciate it, but a very small, very selfish part of him wishes he didn't interrupt her…
"Malfoy, you slimy git." George suddenly stops him in his tracks by clapping a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't been paying any attention to his surroundings, so the contact makes him jump in surprise. "50 galleons even."
"She might have grown up with you, Weasley, but she's my partner. I know what makes her tick." Draco smirks triumphantly at George and takes the small velvet pouch from him. He notices Ginny standing behind her brother, a look of mild concern on her face.
"Er, Gin, where's your fiancé?" Draco tries to ask as casually as possible.
"He's in the kitchen- said he needed to escape the crowd for a bit." Ginny responds just as casually, flashing a look of understanding
"Right." Draco nods once. "Anyway, pleasure doing business with you, George." He jingles the contents of the pouch in George's face.
"I'll win a bet one of these days, Malfoy. You'll see." George challenges.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, mate." Draco shakes his head amusedly then excuses himself to head toward the back door of the Burrow. He finds Harry leaning back against the kitchen counter, taking a rather large swig from a beer bottle. "Shouldn't you be outside with your guests?"
"There are so many people out there that they'll hardly notice if I'm gone." Harry laughs.
"You must be going barmy if you think people won't notice that the Boy Who Lived is missing." Draco grabs a beer from the fridge and pops the cap off.
"Yeah, well. I think they can survive without me for a few minutes. What are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be dancing with a certain best friend of mine?"
"Your godson requested a dance with her."
"I see. I'm surprised you conceded, you two were dancing for an awfully long time." Harry arches an eyebrow.
"We had a lot to catch up on." Draco responds lamely a takes a large swig of his beer.
"Hm." Is all that Harry says. If Draco wants to talk about it, he will. There's no point in trying to egg him on or pry it out of him.
"Ginny told me you know. About my feelings for your best friend." Draco mutters from behind the lip of his beer bottle. Harry figured he would cave and explain why they were dancing for so long, but he wasn't expecting this.
"Er…" Harry lengthens the syllable as he places his beer on the counter behind him. This conversation is too important to waste time on drinking alcohol. He and Ginny noticed Draco's interest in Hermione some time ago- it was subtle, but not subtle enough. They enjoyed the idea of their two friends getting together, but at the time, Draco didn't seem like he was planning to do anything. "Yeah… What about it?"
Almost in one breath, Draco answers, "To give you the abridged version: a year and a half ago, I kissed Hermione and told her how I felt. She told me she needed time to think things over, so I gladly gave her the space… But today is the first time we've spoken since then. I'm almost certain she was going to tell me that she feels the same way, but before she could even finish her sentence, I interrupted and dropped two bombs on her- that by father is sick and that I'm engaged. Now I have no clue what to do with myself because I still have feelings for her but I'm fucking engaged." He downs the rest of his beer then uses his wand to quickly retrieve another one. He pops the cap off and chugs almost half of it.
"Bloody hell, Draco…" Harry considers Draco to be one of his closest friends, maybe even closer than Ron, especially as of late… But in the time they've been friends, Draco has confided in him only once before this- when he told him about his engagement and the reason behind it.
"Bloody hell, indeed."
"I honestly don't even know what to say."
"I don't think there's much you can say. I fucked up by not waiting."
"You could have waited. You're only engaged because it's what your parents want, mate." Harry states matter-of-factly.
"I know, and I willingly made that decision for them. But did she have to look so fucking good tonight? That conversation could have been a hell of a lot easier if she didn't look like that." Draco frustratedly points in the general direction of the back door. The woman had to show up with a spectacular new haircut that makes her even more sophisticated than she already is, wearing a perfectly form-fitting burgundy dress that hugs her curves and stops just below the knee… He takes another large swig of beer.
"Alright, calm down. We both know you're not angry with her, you're angry with yourself." With a flick of his wand, Harry takes Draco's beer bottle from him. "Enough of that. You're above drinking away your feelings."
"I know. But I fucked up, Harry. Can you believe that that was the first time we've danced with each other? We've literally attended hundreds of Ministry events, and not once did I think, 'hey, maybe I should have a dance with the woman I see every single day'. The first time I remembered to be gentlemanly enough to dance with her and I soiled it with my pathetic personal problems." He rubs his forehead in frustration. "Your fiancee thinks I should talk to my parents- call off my engagement."
"Well, would you?"
"I don't know if I could bring myself to do it… I just feel so bad, you know? I feel bad for my parents. And I feel bad for Astoria. This engagement is helping her just as much as it's helping me."
"We've talked about this, mate. You know I don't think those are valid reasons to marry someone."
"I know. But I feel like I need to do this, alright?"
"Alright, I get it. We're not going to have this argument again. So I'll say the same thing I did last time- you do whatever you need to do."
"What am I to do about Hermione, then?"
"Like I said- whatever you need to do." Harry dumps the remainder of their beer into the sink then tosses the bottles into the recycling bin.
"'That's terrible advice." Draco groans. "You're the worst friend I've ever had." He summons the pitcher of water from the refrigerator and fills two glasses.
"I'm the only friend you've ever had." Harry corrects, taking a glass from Draco's outstretched arm.
"Shove off." They clink their glasses together then take a long, satisfying drink.
"About Hermione… You should try to go on about your life like nothing is different. She notices and feels everything. If you give even the slightest hint that you're uncomfortable around her, she will withdraw from you. And I don't think you want that…"
"No, I don't… But, question: Is she always so understanding? She was ready to go full-blown lecture mode, but then she didn't do it… It was strange because she never gives up that easily when she disagrees with something I've done." Draco laughs dryly.
"'Mione has always been the voice of reason for all of us. You know just as well as I do that she isn't afraid of speaking her mind… But if she thinks it's in your best interest, she will support your decision through hell and high water. "
"So what you're saying is that she thinks this engagement is in my best interest?"
"No, not necessarily. I have a feeling she thinks that not arguing with you is in your best interest."
"I... don't quite understand that…"
"Neither do I." Harry barks out a laugh. "She's my best friend and I still have yet to understand all her complexities. But she always has a good reason for everything she does."
"I believe that." Draco sighs loudly. "But there's still one small problem, I still-"
Harry cuts him off, "I know you 'still', but if you really intend to stay engaged to Astoria, you need to lock all those feelings away."
"This is the first time I've ever felt anything for someone… How am I supposed to know how to lock them away?" Draco asks incredulously.
"By reminding yourself that having feelings for another woman isn't fair to your fiancee or yourself." Harry states definitively.
"Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny is looking for you!" Victoire exclaims happily, effectively ending their conversation, as she runs into the kitchen. Upon her arrival, she notices Draco standing next to her Uncle Harry and her face flushes a light shade of pink.
"Is she now?" Harry questions teasingly. "Did she ask for Draco too?"
"Um… I-I don't remember..." Victoire stammers.
"Vickie, did you find them?!" Teddy suddenly runs into the kitchen, almost barreling down Victoire. "Oh you found them! Uncle Harry and Uncle Draco, Aunt Ginny is looking for you. She said you've been taking too long!" Teddy looks over at Victoire, whose eyes are nervously darting back and forth between the floor and Draco. "Vickie, are you okay? You're looking at Uncle Draco funny."
"I am not!" Victoire whines defensively.
"Are too!" Teddy argues at first, but then immediately switched gears. "Oh! Uncle Harry, did you know that Uncle Draco and I are relatives?! Aunt Hermione said he's my mummy's cousin."
"That's really cool, buddy!" Harry humors his godson.
"I know, right? Uncle Draco is nice, he let me dance with Aunt Hermione after him." Teddy grins up at Draco, who smirks down at the child and gives him a pat on the head. Now Victoire's eyes dart curiously between Teddy and Draco. "Stop looking at me funny, Vickie."
"I'm not!" She whines again and sticks her tongue out at him.
"You are! Isn't she?" He looks at Harry and Draco for confirmation.
Instead, Harry instructs, "Alright you two, go on. Cake will be served soon so you better get back to your seats. We'll be right out." At the mentioning of cake, the children's faces light up with excitement.
"Okay!" They say in unison and chase each other out the back door. Harry and Draco chuckle and slowly follow them out.
"Teddy went from plain scared to idolizing you in one day." Harry elbows Draco.
"He's a fiery one. And funny, as far as children go."
"He takes after his mother." Harry says respectfully. Draco never knew Nymphadora, so he's glad he has the chance to get to know her son.
"But, really, why was Bill's daughter looking at me like that? Is she scared of me too?"
"Quite the opposite actually." Harry stifles a laugh. "According to her father, she has a bit of a crush on you."
"You better be joking." Draco knits his eyebrows together.
"I'm not. She asks about you a lot. Fleur said she referred to you as the 'man with the pretty eyes and pretty hair'."
"Seriously? 'Pretty'? Of all the words in the world to use, she went with 'pretty'."
""In her defense, she an eight year old girl. Her vocabulary isn't all that extensive. Harry smirks at his friend. "You're the prettiest in all the land."
"I hate you." Draco rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, well... What else is knew." Harry chides, earning a hearty laugh from Draco, which in turn, makes him laugh too.
"Everything okay?" Ginny asks as soon as they reach her.
"I think so." Draco says, shrugging. "As okay as things can be, at least."