They spent the next week and a half testing out various combinations and by the 20th, they had developed the recipes for their top three candidates. They both agreed that the top candidate had to be the right one, but thought to brew the other two just in case. After all, it would be another year before they could try another batch. Thankfully, the next time they would need to do some serious additions was at the equinox, which fell between the Lent and Easter terms. Hermione even consented to going to another restaurant dinner on the 23rd. She flued back as planned on the 24th to spend Christmas with Harry and the Weasleys at the Burrow.
Stepping out of the flue in the London flat, she was immediately greeted by Harry. He pulled her into a big hug. "Was it successful?"
"More than I could have imagined. But there's no way I'm telling this story more than once, and it really needs to be heard with firewhiskey, but, well, I'm hungry, so it'll have to be beer with fish and chips. Where are the other two?"
"Brilliant! Ron got off thirty minutes ago so he should be home soon. Ginny and Eugenie are in the showers. They did some drills this afternoon."
Thirty minutes later, the five of them were sitting down at a muggle pub as Hermione had demanded a place where no one would recognize them.
"Now will you tell me about this mystery man," Ginny whined. "Did you go on many dates? Did you wear those dresses I made you buy?"
"I'm not dating him," Hermione replied with certainty. "Ever. It's Draco Malfoy."
"WHAT?!" Harry and Ron roared.
"Calm down. It's okay. He was okay. Ugh. Too okay. Look, he apologized for everything he did at Hogwarts and was way too deferential and he pulled his weight for the project. He has actually been studying at a muggle university for the last three and a half years and is surprisingly completely at home in muggle Paris. Draco even has a credit card!"
"Draco?" Ron asked.
Hermione downed her beer and ordered another one. "As I said, he was being overly deferential. He kept calling me 'Miss Granger' and when I asked him why he kept calling me 'Miss Granger' he said it was because it showed respect and honor that using only my last name wouldn't. So, I told him to call me Hermione and he said I could call him Draco, but that I didn't have to. So I am, since we're lab partners and I'm trying to maintain a colleague-like relationship. It's hard to believe, but he's actually pretty decent now."
Eugenie looked around the table. "So I take it none of you like this Draco Malfoy."
"Well, I don't know," said Ginny. "Does he still have that nice seeker build?"
Hermione threw a napkin at her.
There was a bouquet waiting at the door when they got home from dinner. Eugenie picked it up. "Ooo! Dark pink roses for thankfulness. Angelica for inspiration. And statice for success. Looks like these are for you," she said turning to Hermione.
"Oh. They mean something? He sent flowers when I first got there too." She brought up a picture taken with her computer. "Do you know what these are?"
"The purple hyacinth means I'm sorry. The heather is admiration, and look! Banksia! Oh, he must have gotten these from La Fleur Exotique et Formidable. It's a high-end wizard florist. Banksia is an Australian wildflower symbolizing new beginnings."
"Leave it to Malfoy to pick out flowers that mean something," Harry muttered. Ron shared a look with Ginny realizing with growing horror that he needed to be picking out flowers for Eugenie with certain meanings behind them. A dozen roses just weren't going to cut it. Ginny smirked at him.
Draco and Hermione finished up their muggle drug preparation over the Lent term and she flued back to Paris during the break, this time staying in a guest room at Draco's large apartment, where the potions lab they were using was located.
They sat down to curry after their final task on the equinox. "So, I know you don't like quidditch, but Holyhead is playing Paris on Saturday and I wondered if you wanted to go, you know, to see Miss Weasley play."
She still couldn't get over his calling her friends Mr. or Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter. "Actually, Draco, I would like to go. You know, Ron's girlfriend plays beater for Holyhead. How many tickets do you have?"
Draco sighed. He knew when he had been out-maneuvered. "I have a box reserved this season that seats twelve. You are more than welcome to invite ten friends."
Hermione smirked.
Saturday morning, Ron, Harry, Luna, Neville and Hannah flued into Draco's flat. Draco greeted them. "I'm glad you could make it Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, Miss Abbott and Miss …" He stopped dead when he got to Luna.
"Lovegood," Luna offered. "But you should call me Luna. After all those meals we shared in your dungeon, we should probably be on a first name basis."
The color had fled from Draco's face. "Um, yes, Miss Lovegood. Luna. Please call me Draco. And I am truly sorry about the conditions under which we shared those meals."
"Yes, it was rather musty and dark down there. Thank you for heating them though. The hot tea we shared was rather nice. None of the Death Eaters heated anything up, so we only had tea that one week you were home for Easter."
Draco turned to face the group at large. "Um, well, the portkey leaves in thirty minutes. There's refreshments in the breakfast room. Bathrooms are down the hallway if you would like to freshen up. I have a bit of business to see to, so I'll meet you in twenty-five." Draco ran off as fast as he could without it seeming as if he were running away.
"Uh, Luna, Malfoy was a Death Eater too, you know," Ron mentioned.
"Not a real one. He was really a prisoner as much as I was. Better sleep accommodations though."
"Um, right. Well, how about breakfast?"
Over croissants, Hermione again requested that they be at least cordial to Draco as after all, this was his box and he was trying hard to make amends. Thirty minutes later, they portkeyed directly into the stadium.
