Chapter 3 – The Second Meeting
Draco paced and paced around his living room. He kept on glancing on his wall clock then paced some more. He couldn't stay still. He glanced again at the clock. It read 11:15PM. 15 minutes. She'll be here in 15 minutes. That is, if she is punctual enough. But – Damn! Why did I ever agree to her!
At the other side of the city, Hermione was busy preparing the things that she ought to bring for her excursion with Malfoy. "Black wig, check! Dark sunglasses, check! Big scarf, check! All right. I think that's all," she said to herself, stuffing everything into her bag. She quickly glanced at her watch and saw that it was already 11:25PM. She smiled. She had enough time to Floo over Draco's flat.
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Draco was sitting down on his couch, eyes closed when his doorbell rang. He asked Marco that if that same girl arrived tonight, that he sent her up. He doesn't need another scene like that of this morning.
His doorbell rang on and on. He didn't immediately get up to open it. He opened his eyes and took a glance once more at his wall clock. 11:30PM, it read. In spite of himself, Draco was impressed. She's punctual all right.
Sighing, he got up and walked towards his door. He took a deep breath before opening it revealing Hermione, with a big smile on her face.
"Hi!" she said cheerfully then stepped inside Draco's flat even without invitation. "Wow," she breathed as she took a look around.
Draco groaned inwardly but closed the door behind him once Hermione was inside. He took in her appearance. She was wearing one of her gypsy skirts once more and a pair of black leather boots. She had on a coat that was unbuttoned with a white-fitting shirt inside revealing a bit of cleavage and a nice figure despite her skirt. She had a big mailman's bag slung over her shoulder. She could be really hot, come to think of it. Whoa, Draco! Where did that come from!
Hermione, on the other hand, continued to observe Draco's flat. She examined the fine European furniture and exquisite paintings of famous Muggle and Wizard alike painters that hung around his walls. His carpeted floor was soft to walk on. I wonder how it feels if I walk on here barefoot. She giggled at the thought.
Draco cleared his throat and looked expectantly at Hermione when she turned around to face him. Hermione blinked twice then smiled brightly at him. "Shall we go now then?" she asked as she sauntered over to him and hooked her arm around his.
Draco breathed in deeply. "Where to?" he asked resignedly. Hermione gave him the address of the place and with a quiet pop, both were gone.
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They appeared almost instantaneously in front of a 4-storey building in the middle of a Muggle street in Muggle London. Draco looked around apprehensively and breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was around when they Apparated.
Hermione, on the other hand, quickly dislodged herself from Draco and gave a quiet squeal of delight. She opened her mailman's bag and pulled out her black wig, dark sunglasses and big scarf. She quickly put this on to Draco's disbelief. Then she gave him a piece of parchment before running towards the building. She told him, "That's my address. Wait for me here. We're to Apparate to my flat once I'm out of this building ok?"
Without preamble, she swiftly broke in the building. Draco was left outside to wait. He stood there, not really knowing what to do. He thought of just Disapparating and leaving the woman behind but he also thought that if he did that, then she would again come after him to make another scene like that of this morning. He shuddered at the thought. He definitely didn't want a repeat of that.
After a couple of minutes though, Draco heard a crashing sound inside the building and saw Hermione hastily running out with a big sack over her shoulders aside from her mailman's bag. When she reached Draco, she immediately hooked her free arm over his and shouted, "Go!" In an instant, they Disapparated to Hermione's flat.
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Hermione sighed with relief when they arrived in front of her flat. "That was close, didn't you think so?" she asked Draco. "I was glad we got out in good time. Thanks by the way, Draco," she added smilingly.
Draco didn't reply but was surprised when Hermione spoke his name. He didn't know that she knew him when he didn't know who she was. Then he remembered that he gave her his calling card.
"And oh yeah, I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger," said Hermione while trying to look into the sack she was carrying. "You want to take a look inside?" she asked as she started to pull out whatever it was in the sack.
"Don't," started Draco, "even think about it. I don't want to know what you just stole from that building," he concluded because apparently, that's what he believed she just did.
But Hermione didn't listen to him. Draco was determined not to look at what she pulling out of the sack but turned around nonetheless when he heard her crooning to whatever it was.
Hermione was cuddling a couple of cute little Labrador puppies. "Hey there," she said. "They were very bad locking you in that pound, weren't they? Of course, I wouldn't let them; you are too cute and too lovable to be locked in there."
She turned to look at a stunned Draco and asked, "Aren't they cute?" Then she went back to the puppies. "Lookie here, Ernie," she told one of the puppies then looked back at Draco. "That man helped you escape. Isn't he sweet?"
When Draco didn't reply once more, she started to walk towards her door. Then she turned to gaze at Draco and asked him, "Would you like to come in for some hot chocolate? It's awfully cold."
"No," replied Draco. "I'll be going now. I've done your request." With that, he turned and readied himself to Disapparate.
"Wait!" said Hermione rushing towards Draco, Ernie still in her arms. "Come on," she said while pulling on Draco's arm. "Have just one hot chocolate with me and I'll never bother you again, I promise."
Reluctantly, Draco followed Hermione into her flat. Once inside, he stopped just right inside her door and took a good look. Hermione's flat was homey and cozy. All her furniture and things were obviously well used. Some of her furniture was not even matching. Her carpet was worn, there were teeth-bites and scratches on most of her tables and chairs. Probably from some stray dog or cat she adopted. Draco mused.
"Make yourself at home," Hermione gestured towards the living room as she dropped Ernie and the other puppy on the floor. She went to the kitchen, got out two mugs and conjured some hot chocolate to be placed in the mugs.
She went back towards the living room with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate only to find Draco standing in the middle. She tutted and shook her head. "Come on, Draco. Don't be so stiff. Sit down." Then she plopped down on one of her couches, handing one mug to Draco.
Draco, however, remained standing, holding his mug. "So, what do you do – er – Hermione?" he asked, an attempt to start a conversation.
Hermione shrugged and didn't reply this time. She sipped her hot chocolate and observed Draco. She noticed how prim and proper he seem to be although he's not really comfortable with the situation he was in. He's so uptight. No wonder he was pretty rude to me this morning. She thought.
"You know, you need to loosen up," she said aloud.
"Excuse me?"
"You need to loosen up. You're so uptight. You seem to be always tense like you're not really living a life. You need to loosen up, live a little. Enjoy what life has to offer you," said Hermione staring at Draco.
Draco was suddenly enraged. "Who are you to tell me that? You don't even know a thing about me," he said indignantly.
"True," replied Hermione. "But I know enough to say that you are not happy with what you are right now." She stood up and walked closer to Draco until she was face-to-face with him. "Tell you what. I have a proposition with you."
"And what is that?"
"I'll teach you how to live the right way," whispered Hermione in Draco's ear. She walked back and turned to drop off her mug in the kitchen. She took her wand out, pointed it at the sink and the mug started cleaning itself. "November is fast approaching. It's already the 26th of October." She went back to the living room and stood in front of Draco. "A month. Live with me for the whole month of November. No commitment whatsoever. But I'll be yours entirely to do, to ask of me what you please. There are some certain rules you have to abide though." She crossed her arms about her chest and smiled at Draco.
Draco, on the other hand, looked at Hermione like she was crazy. Did he just hear her right? She's proposing that I live with her here for a month? What the bloody hell does she mean?
"And what if I don't agree?"
Hermione shrugged. "You need it Draco, I can feel it. See it even."
"I have a girlfriend," he stated.
"I don't care. You are my priority in this."
"You're crazy," said Draco, shaking his head in disbelief. He placed his untouched hot chocolate on the coffee table on Hermione's living room and started for the front door. "Don't ever bother me again, do you hear me?" He opened the door and let himself out. "I never want to see you again." And with that, he slammed the door shut and Hermione heard a distinct soft pop signaling Draco Disapparating.
She smiled to herself. "He'll come around."
(A/N - Sorry this took so long. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. More to come! Review! ;p)
