Hermione and Draco had agreed to meet in a quiet little pub for lunch on Thursday. Draco wasn't quite ready to venture into the muggle world, mostly because he had no clothes. No muggle clothes at least.
"You ready?" she asked.
"About as ready as you are I expect."
Oddly enough, even though Hermione could feel her heart pounding, she was ready. She couldn't quite explain it. Somehow, she felt tied to Malfoy already. And they hadn't even begun what would probably be counted as their first date.
"I guess we should go in then," Hermione said. She fiddled with the strap of her handbag.
Draco held the door open for her. They ordered food and sat down. The pub wasn't crowded, but they spoke in soft tones so as not to be overheard.
"So, what are you planning on doing?" Draco asked. "I know the ministry's offered auror positions to you, Potter, and Weasley."
"Turned that down," Hermione said. "It feels too much like the war's still going on. Before this I was actually planning on seeing if I could go back and take my N.E.W.T.s. Guess that's not happening now."
Draco noticed that she sounded slightly remorseful. Not in any way that suggested that she blamed him, or even anyone. But just that she couldn't get the schooling that she obviously longed for.
"Hermione, we can pay for someone to tutor you and have you take the exams," he offered.
Hermione looked up at Draco. He looked at her earnestly, without the slightest hint that he might want something in return. She couldn't believe it.
"Will you need that?" she asked.
It was the only thing that she could think of that would make Draco offer such a gift to her.
"I already took my exams," Draco said. "The ministry might have been corrupt, but the testing sector was left fairly intact. Mostly because no one wanted to say that exam scores counted for anything less under the dark lord."
Hermione frowned.
"I'm sorry," Draco said. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"Why offer?" Hermione said. She was still puzzling over that.
Draco looked down at the glass of water he held in his hands. "Because, I know it means a lot to you. And I might not have been a fan of the idea of being married to you, but worse things could have happened. And I would hate it if you resented me from keeping opportunities from you."
They spent the rest of lunch in relative silence. There were a few comments, mostly relating to the food before Draco paid the bill and they left.
"So," Draco started.
"So?" Hermione answered.
"Do you want the tutor?" Draco said. He was still nervous to bring it up.
Hermione nodded. She didn't trust herself to say even the one word answer she would give without her voice shaking. And she wasn't quite ready for that sort of vulnerability just yet.
"Then I'll arrange the interviews this week. What days would you be available to meet?"
"Any day really," Hermione said. "But what do you need me there for?"
Draco raised an eyebrow. "You're the one going to be learning from them. I'd rather you have a tutor you like than one you want to throw out on his ear after the first week."
Hermione smiled and let out a small chuckle. She wasn't sure that she would throw a tutor out on their ear, even if she hated them. But she appreciated the concern. Draco was different than she expected. More caring. Less, something. She couldn't find the right word.
"Monday?" she asked.
"I'll see what I can do," Draco said.
They stood awkwardly, neither sure of exactly how to proceed. It was technically a date, in the strictest definition. And both of them were thinking of it in that way, though they were unsure of what to expect from the reaction of the other.
Were they supposed to hug? Shake hands? A kiss would definitely be improper. After all, they were only now becoming civil with each other.
"Oh blast," Draco said. He pulled Hermione into a hug.
She smiled into his embrace, glad that it hadn't been her to make the first move. As much as she wanted it, it was comforting to know that Draco wanted it just as much as she did.
A/N: so this chapter is a little shorter. I'm slightly sorry for that. But not that sorry. I've been a little busy. I'm working on an original fiction piece. I'm only three pages into it and it's hard. But I love these characters. (Half of my problem is that I want to write out of order. So I have, sort of. But it's not been in great detail.) And, I'm getting married! In June! AHHHHH!