IT HAD TO BE YOU

By Kate Dessi

Chapter 7

As it was, to avoid further embarrassment, Draco went after Katerina who ran away in a huff, giving Hermione a look of contempt before leaving the party. He had enough decency to see the girl home. He had tried to make amends with Katerina but she merely slammed the door in his face.

Surely there wasn't some truth to what she said?

Yes. No. Maybe.

Draco shook his head as he apparated back to his flat and decided to get drunk.

Alright, so maybe getting drunk these days was out of his league. He didn't get drunk but had a few or rather half a dozen shots of firewhiskey. He was too old for that sort of thing. He was, apparently, a little drunk because he decided to apparate to Granger's flat a little before midnight. He was sober enough not to splinch himself doing so.

He pounded his fists on her front door. "Granger, open up. We need to talk."

He heard a slamming of the door inside, a mutter of curses before the door opened before him. "Malfoy, do you have any idea what time it is?" Hermione Granger demanded, an annoyed expression on her face. In the dim light, he saw that her face was free of makeup, her hair was a wild mess of curls, but he couldn't see what she was wearing. His eyes narrowed at her.

"Is he here?" He demanded, facing her squarely.

"Wh-who?"

"Krum."

"Why—" Hermione stopped talking as she came forward, smelling something peculiar. "Malfoy, are you drunk?"

"Of course not!" He denied hotly.

"You are," she accused. "You came here—drunk—demanding to see if I have a man spending the night with me? You have some nerve. And besides you haven't spoken to me in weeks! Now you come here in this condition!"

"That's why I said we needed to talk. Let me in. Please," he amended.

Slowly, Hermione opened the door to let him in. She walked inside and cast wandless magic to flick open the lights. He followed, closing the door behind him. He caught a glimpse of Hermione in a skimpy nightie before she disappeared inside a room—presumably her bedroom. She came back a moment later, wearing a thick terry cloth robe and it was tightly secured around her waist.

Maybe he was drunker than he thought because when she turned to face him, an annoyed expression on her face, hands on her hips, his hand reached out to clutch her chin, tilting her head back and before they both realized what was happening, their lips met in a tentative kiss. Testing, Draco's mouth feathered across hers, his breath misting over her sensitized flesh in a gentle caress. He nibbled. He nipped.

And then he staked his claim.

Hermione's lungs emptied in a rushing sigh, her lashes fluttered down and her arms came up and circled Draco's neck. He angled his face, seeking more intimate access. His tongue teased against the corners of her lips then flirted along the center seam, asking permission. She granted it tentatively, and he groaned as he deepened their kiss.

She shifted restlessly, whimpered against his conquering mouth.

She wanted him. She had never dreamed of such a possibility that she would ever want Draco Malfoy! And he wanted her. She could feel it in the hunger of his kiss and the hardness of his body.

But—mother of Merlin!

A few moments later, she pushed away from his chest a bit.

"H-Hermione?" He asked when he finally released her, his voice raspy and almost harsh. "Hermione, I didn't mean—I mean, I never—"

"Neither did I," she responded, accompanied by short, sharp pants.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you?"

"Yes," he hissed.

Silence.

While Hermione was waiting for her heart rate to return to a normal, steady pace, she'd been pondering what just happened between the two of them. Once minute she was pissed at him—she had been ten seconds from going into bed when he started banging on the front door of her flat—and the next minute, he was kissing her and then she was kissing him! Not to mention that he finally called her Hermione!

She looked at Draco. He was staring at her, his grey eyes wide, his mouth parted in shock, as if she had just sprouted two new heads.

Finally, but thoughtlessly, she took a step back from him… and another, and another. "What just—did we just—how—"

"I don't know," he replied, finally composed. "I don't know what came over me… but I'm not sorry. Not even a bit."

She glared at him but didn't say anything. She really had no idea what made her kiss him back. Although if she was honest to herself, the scene between Draco and her gorgeous date earlier that evening had a little something to do with it. The other woman had said he had been 'panting over her like a lapdog' which Hermione and Draco both knew that wasn't true—because they were friends. Good friends, if they were ever being honest. Maybe the eight glasses of champagne during the party had a little something to do with her actions as well.

Although, it had been a good kiss. No—it was wonderful, to be honest. She felt the kiss from the top of her head all the way down to her toes. And much to her dismay, she wasn't sorry about the kiss either.

She told him so. "Me too."

The spell that weaved between them during the kiss was gone now, replaced by an uncomfortable feeling knowing that things between them will never be the same again.


"No, I'm quite certain that there are exactly one hundred forty-two staircases in Hogwarts!"

Hermione groaned irritably. "There are one hundred forty-five!"

Draco glowered at her, because he knew that he was right. There had been only one time he opened Hogwarts: A History in his whole life and he stumbled upon that particular page. "Do you want to bet on that, Granger?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Honestly, why are even fighting about this?"

"We are not fighting," he contradicted. "We are merely having a rather debacle discussion on the number of staircases in Hogwarts which is your fault, by the way. You were the one who started yapping about them."

It was true, because she had tried to steer clear away from the topic of THE KISS the other night because he kept bringing it up. She wasn't ready to talk about THE KISS yet, due to the fact that she hadn't analyzed the situation. She needed to discuss this with her friend, Ginny. She needed her advice.

It was Monday afternoon and Draco dropped by St. Mungo's to take her to lunch—to compensate for his atrocious drunken stupor the other night of course, excluding THE KISS—on which Hermione had cut him off, determined to forget about it if it were possible. But there was too much history between the two of them to make her forget about something as a kiss. Ginny would probably have a laugh though, remembering her teasing one night while having dinner with them.

"Let's just forget about it then." She sighed, taking a sip from her third cup of coffee that day. She hadn't been getting enough sleep since THE KISS. She seriously needed to stop thinking about that.

"So how's Krum?" Draco spat out the bloke's name as if it were vermin.

Hermione pretended not to notice. "He's doing fine, he was in town last week for their game against Appleby Arrows."

Draco scoffed. "Bulgaria won by a hundred points. Cabbageman"—referring to Appleby Arrows' seeker, Gregory Cotton whose head had been transfigured into a cabbage by Pride of Portree's seeker, Dougal McBride, during a game—"didn't stand a chance against Krum."

She shrugged, not caring much for ranks in Quidditch. "Viktor is one of the best seekers in the world. I'm pretty sure not a lot of people can hold a candle to that."

He sneered at that. "Not Aidan Lynch," he grumbled, referring to Irish National Quidditch team's seeker.

Hermione had to agree, remembering the only Quidditch World Cup she had attended the summer of 1994 before their fourth year in Hogwarts. Glancing at her watch, it read thirty minutes passed one in the afternoon. She still had an hour of break yet, plenty of time for Draco to find an opportunity to bring up THE KISS.

As if reading her mind, Draco drawled out, "We need to talk about it at some point, you know."

"I know," she said dejectedly. "Leave it alone, for now."

He raised an eyebrow but accepted her decision with a resigned nod. He glanced at his watch. "Well, we still have plenty of time left. What do you say we stroll around and find a good place to eat dessert?"

Hermione perked up. "There's a new place down in the Piazza in Covent Garden Market…" She told him as they walked outside of the restaurant. She took him to a homey little bistro, knowing he was a sweet-tooth. She ordered two orders of a dish called Rumble in the Crumble, an apple crumble pie, and two orders of strawberry cheesecake.

"Blown up any potions lately?" Hermione teased good-naturedly, having forgotten about THE KISS.

"Very funny, Granger," he said wryly. "Bullied any healers lately?"

"Touché. But no," she laughed, dropping her fork. "They didn't assign me a trainee for the rest of the year."

"Gee, Granger, I wonder why," he muttered sarcastically. "I always knew you're bossy and dominating and all, but I never pegged you for a terror teacher, or in your case, healer."

"What a way to put it, Malfoy," she gasped in astonishment. "Bossy and dominating! Really!"

"Half the staff is scared if not intimidated by you."

"How would you know?"

His eyes widened with innocence. "I heard a few talks during my stay in St. Mungo's…" He trailed off as she started glowering at him. "Of course, the imp of a healer under Fairfax didn't think so. You're a goddess to her." He snorted.

"I assume you were referring to Deirdre," she responded wryly. "You make me laugh, Malfoy. She just wants to be a good healer. Like me." She grinned. "But speaking of co-workers, how's er—your date?" Hermione refused to talk about THE KISS but they discuss what went on with the party and ended up laughing at his date. They avoided the 'panting after her like a lapdog' subject though.

His eyes narrowed at her. "I don't want to talk about it."

"What was her name—Katherine, or something the other?"

"Katerina and she's been avoiding me like plague, if you're positively dying to know."

Hermione threw her head back and laughed, delighting in his pained expression. Draco categorized this moment where she causes premature ventricular contractions in his heart, quite similar to when her little pink tongue darted out to lick at a non-existent mess on the corner of her lip.

He shook his head at her.


Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Draco stared at her fingers that were playing with the always present pendant of her necklace. She was saying something but he wasn't hearing any of it. He supposed she was saying something about how they lost a patient earlier that day and she was really, really sad. His eyes drifted towards the hint of cleavage her cream-colored blouse was portraying. His mouth felt dry. Focus, Draco. His eyes snapped back towards her face, which were downcast, particularly on her lap.

It was a week after THE KISS incident. Draco convinced her on a Sunday afternoon to accompany him to a secluded lake to fish—more likely, relax under the sun and indeed, there was really no fishing going on, rather he sleeps or reads, not even bothering to hook bait fish. He thought she'd appreciate a change of scenery from the crowded London.

It was a little rowing boat, only big enough for two. He was seated facing her at the other end of the boat, cradling a bottle of butterbeer. She was reclined against a couple of pillows she conjured.

He decided to say something before she notices. "Granger, don't beat yourself up about it," he consoled, not even sure what he was saying.

"You're right," she sighed. "It was expected though. Having to fight a mental illness all his life due to the results of—" she shuddered. "incest."

Draco gaped at her when her hands dropped from the necklace only to wrap her arms around her torso, unintentionally squeezing her breasts together. He cannot do this. He cannot do this. He just cannot do this!

He couldn't deny it any longer. He wanted her. He wanted Hermione Granger. He'd been fighting tooth and nail to deny his feelings for her. He tried to act nonchalance as she did. Indifferent even. But damn it, he was bewitched.

"I can't do this," he said to himself, but Hermione heard it.

"Can't do what?"

"This—" He gestured towards the two of them, dropping the bottle of butterbeer but he didn't notice as it made a mess on the floor of the boat. "We can't be friends, Granger."

"What?" She looked crestfallen.

"We can't be friends," he repeated, leaning forward. "When all I want to do is this." He suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling him to her, smothering her cry of surprise with his lips. Just like the last time, Hermione didn't fight him. Helplessly, as her eyes closed, her hands came to crawl up his chest as his hands trailed around her to bring her flush against him, making the boat waver.

Draco felt her willingness, lifting her slightly to settle her on his lap. He groaned, when he felt her mouth open against his tentatively. Merlin. Her tongue darted out to lick tentatively at his bottom lip. Draco didn't need to be asked twice. He opened his mouth, angled his head and deepened their kiss, his tongue meeting hers in a dance.

For the first time in Hermione's life, she couldn't produce a coherent thought. She could only feel. His hands that were resting at the small of her back, her hands that were playing with the hairs on his nape, his chest that flattened her breasts, and his mouth that were doing wonders on her mouth—oh… she moaned out loud, shifting so she was comfortable on Draco's lap, wrapping his legs around his waist.

That was when she felt it.

Draco groaned, when she started moving her groin against his. He pulled away from their kiss but kept his arms around her and she, him. "This is crazy," he gasped.

"Very," she agreed, staring into his eyes, her own very wide with wonder. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"We shouldn't," he echoed.

"Because we're friends," she all but whined.

"Not really."

"Excuse me?" She pulled back from him.

"Well, then, explain to me how we can be friends when we're snogging the hell out of each other."

"Hmm."

She couldn't say anything further than that because Draco decided to bury his face in her neck and trailed kisses all the way up to her lips and thus, the snogging the hell out of each other began again. However, when things got a little too hot and a little too heavy, Hermione eased away from Draco, emitting a protest from the latter. She ignored it and stayed on her side of the boat.

"What are you doing over there, Hermione?"

She held up a hand. "Be rational, Draco. We can't just be friends one second and this the next."

"Meaning you haven't analyzed the situation yet."

Oh, he knew her all too well and she wasn't quite sure why that annoyed her. He was absolutely right. "It's getting dark, Draco. Let's go back to the city."

Draco was angry and he didn't hide it. Frustration was evident in his strokes when he was rowing them back to shore, he stole glances at her who was looking out to the water, lost in thought and she was avoiding his gaze. However, he'll be around the second she finally came to the conclusion that this thing between them was inevitable. He just needed to be a little patient.