Chapter Two
The One with the Ginger Cake
"So," Ginny Potter smiled at her best friend "any boy news?"
"Gin seriously I have nothing to tell I think someone likes me or is interested they might flirt or tell me I am pretty but when I discuss anything they say…"
"I don't look at you that way," Ginny finished for her "yes I know you've told me enough times."
"I am sick of boys who are friends I want a boyfriend I want someone to take notice of me. Oh why I am taking to you about this you've only been married a month what do you what to tell me I want everything."
"The sex is great," Ginny smiled enthusiastically.
"I lied," Hermione said in a shocked voice "I don't want to know everything in fact let's change the conversation topic. The weather has been rather nice." Ginny raised an eyebrow
"The weather?" she said "Hermione seriously anyway I thought that errr Peter Kain…Coomb…"
"Curn?"
"Yes that's it I thought he was coming in asking you about work a lot, flirting maybe there was something there."
"Yes he wanted information for the Department of mysteries,"
"Oh," Ginny said.
"Maybe I should give up," Hermione laughed, "become a nun or a mad cat woman." Ginny almost chocked on the biscuit she was eating as she began to laugh.
"Are you completely serious Hermione they are your options in life if you don't marry become a nun or a mad cat lady I thought you were more feminist than that. Besides you are only twenty three…"
"Twenty four next week," Hermione moaned.
"Of course," Ginny rolled her eyes "I forgot twenty four practically a pensioner." The two girls laughed but Hermione felt something cool slide into the pit of her stomach and she didn't like the feeling.
Later that evening she hummed along to a song on the radio as she was making up the spare room for one of her old muggle friends to visit in the following week. At one point she swore she could hear a noise but dismissed it the radio was on rather loud and she was in the next room. A few seconds later she heard a crash and rushing to the ground saw her cake tin that had been on the table on the floor the ginger cake inside splattered on the floor.
"Silencio," she whispered to the radio and the prattling of the presenter introducing the finical bulletin was cut short.
"I know your here," she said much more confidently than she felt. She pointed her wand in front of her as she was caught off guard by the sensation of cloth rubbing against her arm to her left. Despite of herself the sensation was unexpected and she let out a little shout of surprise.
"Are you sure?" said a voice, a voice that was not altogether unfamiliar but that despite that Hermione could not place it.
"Just get out of my house," she said her voice shaking a little as she almost frantically gestured around her to find the voice.
"Really?" It asked Hermione from behind her the man, she could recognize from the voice that it was a man, smelled of coffee. Coffee was normally a smell Hermione despised despite being a caffeine addict but for some reason she didn't dislike it on him.
"You?" she said wide-eyed "you came into my house a year ago you left a potion behind it was a love potion what are you trying to…" But she never finished the sentence because invisible lips smashed onto hers and he pulled her in with his hand on the small of her back. "And you did that," she smiled as they pulled apart. "But who are you?"
"I can't tell you," he said the voice low and as if he was disappointed in himself.
"Then you will have to leave," she said her heart plummeting "I cannot have an invisible man in my house who will not even tell me his name."
"Technically it's not a house it's a flat."
Hermione held out her hand to the man and felt his large hand encircle her smaller one as she walked with him to the door and then closed behind her. Her heart was beating heavily as she sat behind the door it had been so long since she had such a good kiss in fact she could still feel the impression of it on her lips. She tried after then to go to sleep but it took her hours and it was past 2 a.m. by the time sleep did claim her.
Draco sat on the outside of Flat C he could hear deep breathing on the other side of the door.
"Why?" he thought, "why did I go to her flat what did I think it would achieve?"
Hermione had occasionally occupied Draco's thoughts in the year they had not seen each other. Draco's family was disgraced after the downfall of the Dark Lord their property confiscated he worked in the apothecary in Diagon Alley making potions for sale never in the front room of the store. He had been hired purely on merit Draco was possibly the best potion master of his generation and when the owner of the apothecary had seen his skill he had been hired on the spot.
During his lunch break that day he had been crossing a busy Diagon Alley with a dark cloak over his shoulders and a hood to cover his face. Hermione was rushing down the street when he had spied her she was smiling to herself that was a rarity in itself most people walked down the street with a glum look on their face and head down. Hermione walked with her head up and a smile on her face. He glanced at her and his heart gave a little leap before he admonished himself. "I am an adult" he thought "I haven't seen her in a year how can she do that."
That evening in spite of himself he found himself standing outside her flat again and when she rushed past him he followed her in and stood in her kitchen camouflaged sat on the kitchen table as she hummed her way around the kitchen and bedrooms when she moved into a bedroom he went to follow her but kicked a chair which made a scuffed sound Hermione however seemed not to have noticed so he continued to follow her when he knocked a cake tin over.
"She'll definitely noticed that," he thought and so she had walking into he room with her wand pointed in front of her. Her face a picture of determination and fierceness touched with a little fear. Draco could not help but smile her face was so beautiful and stern in equal parts. Like a dragoness or a queen he almost laughed he really did but instead he held his tongue until the tension was too much.
"Are you sure?" He asked and cursed himself immediately the look on her face she had recognized his voice but she said nothing and he knew he had got away with it.
"Just get out of my house!" she cried fiercely but her voice wobbled a little in betrayal.
"Really?" he whispered in her ear and she looked so vulnerable in shock and surprise as the voice came from the area that she had doubtless not expected.
"You?" She said in surprise and Draco once again thought he was done for "she knows me" he thought, "she knows who I am."
"You came into my house years ago," and Draco's heart buoyed again as Hermione seemed to link him to the unknown person who had slunk into her room rather than the ruthless boy she had gone to school with. He took a chance as she again looking straight at him although she could not have known where he was and kissed her. It was like they were supposed to fit together and Draco ran his finger though her hair and pulled her into him and thought he felt her respond to him and she pushed her body against him. She did however seem to have more control than him and pushed him away stating without his name she would not let him stay.
So he was sat past midnight outside the door of flat C he hadn't heard any noises for about half an hour or so and pulling out a knife he slipped the lock and creeped back into the flat. Somewhere in his mind he knew it was a little strange but Hermione was like his drug he needed to be near her.
She sat half up in her bed with a little soft classical music playing from the radio beside her. She was not sleeping but faking it as she turned from side to side trying to sleep. He softly sat beside her and as she turned toward him she slipped her head into his lap without knowing it. He sat just watching her sleep until around 6am he crept away leaving her kissing her softly on the top of her head whispering softly in her ear.
