"Drake…" She almost trembled as his name rolled off of her lips. "We, um… there's something I need to talk to you about."
Those nine words were very common in the English language and were fairly innocuous on their own, but when they were combined just so, it sent Draco's mind reeling and every negative possibility imaginable. When a person says that "there's something I need to talk to you about" it's almost never a good something, especially when the phrase is said by a woman who looks horribly nervous and that was exactly how Hermione looked as she sat on his sofa.
Draco gave her hand a squeeze though whether it was to calm her nerves or his own, he wasn't sure. "You know you can talk to me about anything." He said, forcing himself to remain calm so the mild flutter of panic that had settled in his chest wouldn't outwardly show. He wasn't entirely sure what she was about to say, but a dozen possibilities rattled through his mind.
She couldn't be pregnant, at least not by him. They hadn't taken that step yet and he didn't take her for the cheating type given how happy they'd been since January. On that same note, she probably was not ending their relationship. She avoided the topic of her family, so maybe it had something to do with that? Of course, it could be related to work since he knew she had applied for an administrative position, but that didn't warrant the use of those nine pesky words. Potter saying something upsetting was another possibility, but when he had left them alone together the other day they were chatting rather amicably. It simply didn't matter that Draco had sworn off most magic for the past ten years, if Potter did something to hurt his girlfriend he would find himself at the end of a particularly nasty hex.
Potter. Hexes. Magic. The Statute of Secrecy.
Shit.
There it was. She didn't know he knew about her use of an alias…
If she was about the break the Statute, it must mean she had deeper feelings for him. There was no way she would risk him possibly being obliviated if she felt otherwise. After all, she did still think he was a muggle.
"Drake, there's something I need to tell you… about me. Please promise you won't interrupt until I've had a chance to say everything. After that, I'll answer any questions you have."
"I promise." He said, giving her hand another reassuring squeeze, desperately wishing he could calm any fears she might have.
She took a deep breath, but continued to avoid his eye contact, preferring to keep her eyes on their joined hands.
"On the day I turned eleven years old, I received a letter that confirmed that I was a witch and that magic is real." She withdrew one of her hands from underneath his and reached next to her, drawing her wand. Given that a normal muggle would've been thoroughly shocked as the prospect of magic being a reality, a demonstration was in order.
"Avis." She said with an elaborate flourish of her wand. A small flock of canaries appeared above their heads twittering away causing Draco to smile as he watched them flit around his living room. Granger had always been more than proficient in transfiguration and this feat was no small bit of magic. He'd half expected something simple like a Lumos or a Wingardium Leviosa… but of course Granger had outdone herself.
"Finite." She murmured, causing the canaries to disappear, their chirps fading into silence.
"I attended a special school in Scotland and was trained in magic. There was a war in my world and I played a big part in the defeat of the person who started the war. After the war finished, people in our world became…" she paused, "well, I guess obsessed is the right word… became obsessed with me and my friends who were also involved. We were constantly followed by the press and it ultimately led to my decision to leave a world I loved and forsake my own gifts."
Draco could see how difficult this confession was for her, but had promised not to interrupt so he simply wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. The information he had gleaned from Pansy was proving to be correct and he was thankful for the confirmation.
"So, I ran away from everything. I changed my name, went to university for my teaching degree, and have been living in this world for the past ten years. Everything was going swimmingly until Harry showed up and reminded me of how much I missed my friends… and even my magic." She smiled a bit as she turned her wand over in her hands.
It didn't last very long because Draco could feel her tense against his chest as he stroked her hair. "I know this is… a lot… and it's probably an awful shock, and I understand you might be angry with me. But I needed to tell you because I … I think we could have a future together."
Those seven words were also fairly common the English language and there were even a few commonalities between the previous nine words, but when they were combined just so they managed to have the exact opposite effect on Draco than the previous nine words that had begun this conversation.
A future. She wanted a future with him which meant she was thinking towards something more permanent and they had only been together for about four months. It had been a completely blissful four months, but was that really enough time to know that you wanted to have a future with someone?
Ignoring his mind which was still protesting about the length of time, Draco spoke from his heart. "I want a future with you, Hermione." He said quietly as she issued a silent prayer that the use of her given name, without her revealing it, wasn't going to backfire horribly.
He thought he felt one of his ribs crack as she pushed off of him and scrambled into the opposite corner of the couch staring at him with wide eyes. Whatever reaction she had been expecting from him, it wasn't that one.
"Fuck, Granger." He moaned, falling into old habits as he rubbed the sore spot along his abdomen from her rapid departure.
"I never told you my name." She said cautiously. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she was staring at him as if he had just kicked her cat. Not to mention, she either was ignoring the fact he had accidentally called her by her surname or she hadn't noticed. Draco wasn't quite sure which one it was but he kind of hoped she hadn't noticed his slip.
"No, you didn't." He said, still rubbing the tender spot, a sense of doubt starting to creep in to his thoughts once more. "And absolutely nothing you've said changes how I feel about you." He continued as he shifted closer to her, taking her hands in his once more.
"But, your feelings may change once you learn my story, Hermione." He said quietly. Having only ever referred to her by her surname or her alias, the taste and feel of her given name upon his lips felt odd, but not necessarily bad.
In an act that completely caught him by surprised, his witch leaned against him and settled herself against her chest as she had done so many times before. Her features softened and her voice carried an air of sincerity as she spoke, though a thread of emotional exhaustion was also present throughout her words.
"I apologize for my reaction, but you must understand how surprised I was. Between Harry showing up and making the decision to tell you everything… I tried to anticipate your reaction, but I don't think I ever could have anticipated… this… you knowing, I mean."
"Tell me about it", he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head, almost certain her reaction would be ten times worse by the time he finished.
"I know you'll have a thousand questions, you always do…" He smiled against her hair. "But can you give me the same courtesy I gave you?"
Hermione nuzzled her head against his chest, using the steady thrum of his heartbeat to anchor herself as she leveled her breathing. His use of her given name had thoroughly startled her and she felt that sharp pang of fear until she looked into his eyes and saw nothing but his regard for her. How could she be fearful of someone she cared so deeply for, who she knew cared for her?
She was nearly certain that whatever he told her wouldn't change her mind in the slightest. It didn't matter that he knew her real name, what mattered is that he knew her and she knew him.
She nearly stopped him before he started to tell him that, but the curiosity over needing to know whatever his story was practically eating her alive. If there was a chance to learn something, she was absolutely going to take it. Her thirst for knowledge had always proved to be insatiable, after all.
"I won't interrupt, I promise."
Draco shifted them so he was leaning against one of the arm rests on the sofa and pulled his wand from his pocket. With a murmured incantation, he dropped the charms that altered his appearance and concealed his very faded, but still visible, Dark Mark.
To Hermione's credit, she kept her head firmly on his chest and didn't look at him, though she was fully aware of the whispered incantation and what it meant. A glamour, several in fact. The moment his wand dropped into view she knew exactly who she had been dating for the past four months. With her promise to allow him to finish his tale without interruption, she simply listened to the sound of his voice with one ear while she heard and felt his heartbeat with the other.
"You and I… we… have a very tenuous history, to put it lightly. We fought on opposite sides during the war, though my involvement was not exactly by choice, but it doesn't change the fact that we were… enemies."
He flinched at the word and pulled his arms around her just a bit tighter as if she would immediately pry herself from his grasp when she realized exactly what he was saying.
"After the war, I just… I couldn't stay. There was no future for me in our world given my family's involvement in the war and their connection to the Dark Lord. I made the decision to disappear and I was doing a great job of it until Parkinson spotted me last week in our coffee shop. You already know the rest of the story – my time at university, my residency, my profession… and the rest of it."
Hermione realized they never really talked about anything before the years they attended university and the reason why suddenly made perfect sense. The before wouldn't have been appropriate to have shared with someone who you thought was a muggle.
"Then, just a few days after I ran into Parkinson, you introduced me to Potter and that's when I made the connection between who you are… and who you were. I felt a little stupid because it really took me longer than it should have, but I knew before I left for work that day." He sighed, fully expecting her rejection to come at any moment.
"I've given our current circumstances as well as our past a considerable amount of thought over the past few days, Hermione. I love you and I understand if this changes everything, but I –"
"You love me?" she interrupted, pushing off of his chest again, though not quite as hard as before so her honeyed eyes could meet his silver orbs.
Nothing else seemed to matter after he uttered those three words. In truth, it was somewhat disconcerting to see her brown haired, blue eyed doctor suddenly with a shock of blonde hair and piecing gray eyes, but the man inside was what truly mattered. His endless compassion, his wit, warmth and temerity, as well as his affectionate nature made him who he was, not the color of his eyes or the shade of his hair.
What truly mattered was the man he had become and the fact that he just confessed his love for her.
Draco had expected an interruption saying absolutely anything other than those three words. It threw him off balance that he stumbled of his words, "I… um… I…" but when he looked into her eyes and saw nothing but the depths of her affection, it instantly grounded him and he found his confidence.
"Yes, Hermione. I love you."
Without breaking his gaze, Hermione straddled his lap and took his face into her hands, both witch and wizard breathing scattered, anticipatory breaths. Her eyes fluttered closed the moment she brought her face to his in a frenzied, frantic, desperate kiss. His tongue probed the seam of her lips and she opened readily, even as his hand caressed the curve of her neck. The joining of this lips was laced with raw emotion; it was desperate, apologetic, affectionate, passionate, and perfect.
When it ended, with lazy, slow kisses and gentle nips and nibbles, both witch and wizard were left breathless as her forehead dropped against his.
"I love you too, Draco."
….
As they lay together tangled in the satin sheets of Draco's bed, Draco traced protective runes along the curve of Hermione's hip to the dip of her abdomen, as he lazily peppered kisses across her shoulder blade.
Brushing her hair off of her neck, Draco nuzzled the sensitive skin along the curve of her neck. "What happened to your curls?"
"A good stylist, a spell or two, and quite a bit of money," Hermione replied with a snicker, as she stretched languidly, much like a cat in a patch of sunshine. "I miss them some days, but this is much more manageable."
Draco nipped at the point where her neck met her shoulders. "I wouldn't mind it if they made a comeback." He said, wondering if after so many years they would still be frizzy and wild or if they would fall into perfect corkscrews down the length of her back, should she choose to grow her hair out again.
After turning over to face him, Hermione ran her fingers through Draco's silky, blonde locks, causing the wizard to nearly purr like a kitten as her nails lightly scratched at his scalp.
"This will take some getting used to," she teased as she nuzzled her nose against his, "but you still look like you, and for that, I'm very grateful."
A great bubbling feeling of contentment welled up in his chest as he wrapped his arms around his witch and kissed her lips simply because he could. His younger self would've balked at the prospect of taking the girl with frizzy curls and large teeth into his bed, but he couldn't imagine anyone else he would want to be wrapped around, protecting and loving.
"I think I'll keep the glamor on in public for a while and slowly transition it over to my natural colors. Sanderson will absolutely hate it." He muttered, dropping his head against the curve of Hermione's chest, pinning her to the bed.
With a giggle, Hermione donned to best impression of the older and exceedingly conservative doctor whom she had previously met. "Now, now Dr. Moore. I've put up with many things in my years, like you dating that hussy who shows entirely too much skin, but what in the devil possessed you to change your hair to such an unnatural shade, son? I think it best you come to church with me and the missus on Sunday next and pray on your life choices."
Draco firmly wrapped his arms around Hermione as she carded the tips of her fingers through his hair, laughing exuberantly. "Spot on, love. Every single time I mention we're going out or I get that smile on my face from getting one of your texts, he has to bring it back around on your apparent loose morals."
"You get a smile on your face when I text you?" Hermione beamed with a teasing smile.
Draco, whose ears began turn a soft shade of pink even as his neck and cheeks grew warm, couldn't help but gently take Hermione's face in his hands before pressing a kiss to her lips. "Of course, I do."
She playfully nipped at his bottom lip before suddenly jerking back with a look of horror on her face. A hand flew up to cover her mouth as she shifted into a sitting position. "Oh, shit," she cursed.
Draco propped himself up on one of his elbows and looked up at the witch who was now worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, a look of concern crossing his features. "Granger?"
"Dinner. With Harry… Tomorrow!" The witch was clearly flustered that she couldn't form a coherent sentence as she rifled her fingers through her hair, clutching and the mahogany locks close to her scalp.
Draco let himself fall back into the bed and scrubbed his hands over his face. While the dinner he was having with Hermione's friends had been on his mind earlier in the evening while he was meeting with Pansy, it had completely slipped his mind after Hermione had shown up on his couch to tell him she was in fact a witch.
"Damnit." Draco swore with a groan as several possible ways out of the dinner flitted through his mind. The only one that seemed reasonable was the one he presented to his witch.
"I can pretend that I was called in for an emergency survey – that's really not out of the realm of possibility. I'm nearly certain I know how your friends will react when we show up with you on my arm instead of with your brown-hair, blue-eyed boyfriend."
The fact that he used to work "when" rather than "if" was not lost on Hermione. It was inevitable that would have to spend time with her friends and a rather devious idea suddenly barreled its way through all of the other thoughts currently swirling through her subconscious.
"Draco, what if we have a bit of fun with them?"
"Come again?" With the impish grin she was currently sporting, Hermione reminded him entirely too much of his mother and he suddenly wondered if she had been wrongly sorted at age eleven.
He would have to deal with his mother soon enough. It was best to push that thought from his mind at the moment.
Her eyes darted delight as she revealed her plan. "What if… we continue to pretend to be muggles?"
Draco stared at her incredulously.
"Of course, since they're my friends, they'll all know that I'm not but they will still think that you are simply Dr. Moore, muggle general surgeon. I didn't tell Harry that I intended to break the Statute so they'll really be none the wiser. I've already told him to ensure they use my alias since that's who you know me as."
Was this beautiful, brilliant witch really offering him the chance to have a bit of fun with Potter and Weasley before revealing the ruse? He certainly wasn't above a bit of petty revenge on them for stalking his girlfriend for several weeks and the fact that she was suggesting it made him love her all the more.
"Are you certain you weren't meant to be sorted into Slytherin?"
"No, love. I'm a Gryffindor through and through. We highly value loyalty." She laughed, high and clear. "It was weeks before Harry worked up the courage to even speak to me, despite spying on my every day."
"What do you propose, my lovely lioness?" Draco pulled her down into his arms and nipped playfully along the curve of her shoulder.
"We assume the roles we do every day, simply being Drake and Maya and once they're as thoroughly smitten with you as I am, you can nonchalantly grab a broom and invite everyone outside for a game of Quidditch."
Hermione turned around in his arms and Draco pressed his lips to the bridge of her nose. "Have I ever told you how entirely perfect you are?"
"No, but I'll happily accept a well-researched thesis on the subject."
"Cheeky witch," Draco chided as he playfully slapped her on the behind.
….
Having finished her dinner with Draco, Pansy immediately apparated to Number 12 Grimmauld Place where she had expected to find Harry. Instead, she found herself sitting across from her future sister in law with a half-full glass of white wine in her hand.
"How did your dinner with Malfoy go?" Ginny asked, swirling the Reisling around the bell of the glass.
"I felt like it went well in general, but I can't quite shake the feeling that that there's something I'm missing… something he was intentionally avoiding." Pansy said with a pensive frown. "It'll come to me, I'm sure."
She shrugged her shoulders and took a drink of the sweet wine before continuing. "He was completely miserable for years and to see him so content now, living as a muggle of all things, it makes me happy that he's finally found some peace." Pansy wasn't certain if Ginny would take her words at face value, especially Draco's involvement in the war, though she was certain the other witch knew it was a reluctant involvement at best. Good riddance to the beliefs of the previous generation.
"Harry said that the pair of you were close. I don't remember much about him from school, but Ron always had his… opinions." Ginny said with a bit of a smirk. "Though he was entirely too vocal about them, if you ask me."
Pansy laughed, knowing full well the extent of Ron's opinions of her best friend. "If your brother loves me like he says he does, he'll shove those opinions right up his own arse. I'm going to see to it that Draco doesn't disappear on me ever again, even if it means a few more trips into muggle London."
"You can invite him to dinner tomorrow, if you'd like." Ginny offered with a sincere smile. While Pansy had been the only snake fully ingratiated into in their pride of lions for several years now, she had brought around a few of her friends from time to time. Ginny even had a standing spa date with the Greengrass sisters a few times per year, thanks to Pansy's introductions. If Pansy thought Draco was a good person, who was she to judge?
Pansy shook her head. "Thank you, but I'm not certain he would be ready to meet the family, so to speak. We did speak a bit about Harry, but I managed to not divulge my relationship with Ron to him. I think I'll need a bit of rum in my system before I spring Ron on Draco." Pansy was dreading that conversation given how much vitriol both Ron and Draco had spewed about each other in the past. How many hours had she sat with Draco in the common room while he was idly berating the majority of the Golden Trio?
Ginny grinned widely at her future sister-in-law and poured her another glass of wine. "I completely understand. Whenever you do decide to invite him over, I'll make sure the liquor cabinet is fully stocked." Ginny winked.
"I appreciate it." Pansy said with a nod. "Are my nephews asleep?" She asked, realizing the house was quiet.
"I sure hope so." Ginny rolled her eyes and took a large drink of the wine before topping off her own glass. It had apparently not been a one glass of wine kind of a day. "They absolutely ran me ragged today. With Albus teething and James asking a million questions every two minutes, I'm absolutely spent. At least one of them can pee in the toilet, so I'm not complete buried in nappies. Thank goodness they'll be with mum and dad tomorrow while we're having dinner."
"Oh, that reminds me," Pansy said with a wave of her hand. "I will be a little late to dinner."
"Wanting to make a grand entrance, are you?" Ginny teased.
Pansy practically snorted a laugh, though she shook her head. "Unfortunately, no, though I do love a good fashionably late entrance as does every pureblood witch," She teased right back, knowing full well Ginny's family were pureblooded, not that the majority of the old guard acknowledged the Weasleys. Just a few years ago they had cast off as blood traitors. "No, Davenport and Steele are working are working a really tough case and I'm helping them question one of the witnesses tomorrow."
"Not a problem." Ginny shrugged. "Harry told me that he and Hermione discussed you and your relationship with Ron the other day."
"Oh good." Pansy felt thankful that Harry had thought ahead, having been nervous about simply showing up to dinner on Ron's arm. She could only imagine what kind of reaction the witch might have had no one thought to inform her.
"I haven't been able to talk to Harry about it, yet. Do you know how it went with Granger?" Pansy asked hoping that her future sister-in-law would be able to satisfy her curiosity.
Ginny briefly recounted what Harry had told her about the meeting he had had with Hermione as she sipped her wine. "He said it went well overall. He managed to meet her boyfriend, that muggle doctor I told you about, and they made small talk after he invited both of the to dinner. After the muggle left, Hermione exploded just like he expected and then they spent the rest of the afternoon catching up like they hadn't been apart for the last ten years."
"That's great news." Pansy said, giving the redhead a devious smile. "Since she's bringing her boyfriend to dinner, I can finally see that handsome muggle doctor you mentioned. I was a little sad that I missed seeing them that day we attempted to trail her, but I still managed to run into Draco so it wasn't all bad."
"You make it sound like I'm pining after the man!" Ginny exclaimed with a giggle and a roll of her eyes. "This dinner is going to be interesting though. Harry said we can't use magic since he's a muggle."
"Granger didn't break the Statute?" Pansy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Nope." Ginny confirmed. "So, we get to pretend to be muggles tomorrow. I could almost throttle my husband for inviting the both of them. How on earth do you pretend to be a muggle, especially over a dinner that requires conversation? What in Merlin's name will we talk about?"
"Well… I guess there is a use for that Muggle Studies class after all." Pansy quipped with a little laugh. While she was looking forward to finally meeting Hermione properly, the thought of acting like a muggle for several hours turned her stomach a bit.
She thought about owling Draco for some tips but decided against it. How hard could it really be?
