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Chapter Eight: Eight o'clock and it's Time for the Banquet

Hermione and Draco walked together into the lobby of museum, which had been transformed into a banquet hall, if only for tonight, from the main Floo on the top floor. The entire place seemed to sparkle and shine. Hermione smiled. Draco stole a glance her way. Her whole countenance seemed to sparkle and shine as brightly as the room before them. He felt, dare he think it, slightly proud and happy at the fete she had accomplished and was about to tell her so when she left Draco's arm and ran into Michael's embrace.

"Oh, Michael, it all looks so much better than we planned!" she shrieked excitedly.

"I'm glad you like it, since it was all due to you, seeing that we followed your plans exactly," he teased. He looked down at her foot. She was wearing black, ballerina flats. "Your dress is beautiful, but your foot must still hurt, since you don't have sexy shoes on your feet. I instructed you to wear sexy shoes tonight!"

She made a strange face, held up her previously hurt foot, and said, "I know you did, but I didn't have time to shop, so I had to transfigure a dress I already had, and I didn't think to transfigure my shoes. Should I change them?"

"No," he waned, "you're still the most beautiful woman in the room."

Draco walked up behind them and said, "I concur." He placed his hand possessively on Hermione's back. She blushed a bit and shrugged it off, but he placed it back. Michael gave them both odd looks.

"Oh, didn't see you there, boss," Michael said, putting extra emphasis on the word 'boss'. "You arrived just in time. Hermione just got here, too."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know. We came together." He placed his arm around her shoulders, still possessively and somewhat over protectively. "She's my date."

"Seriously?" Michael asked, astonished. He looked back at Hermione. "Seriously?" he repeated to her.

"What? Why is that surprising?" she asked, her feelings a bit hurt. Draco looked from the man to the woman and he felt his anger come to a boil.

"Well, wasn't it just a few hours ago that you were bellowing at him and full of misery because he was here in the first place…in YOUR museum? Likewise, didn't he beat you up, break your toe, and almost poison you?" Michael asked, chagrined. "I mean, seriously, now you're on a date together? What do you want me to say to that? This is beyond unbelievable."

Hermione gasped and said, "You have some gall, Michael Corner, and I want you to mind your own business, if you can't be supportive."

"Supportive?" he almost shouted. People turned to look at them. He lowered his voice and said, "I should know better than anyone that you often pick the wrong men most of the time. And on that note, you have terrible timing when you do pick men, but I thought you were going to take a break from all this nonsense. Take some time for Hermione. I thought that was the plan…to work on yourself, and the museum? I thought you said you didn't have time for romance."

He pulled her away from Malfoy, though Draco still heard every word, and said, "Don't you think someone like Malfoy would take away all your time, Hermione? Perhaps that's his plan. Perhaps he wants to take you completely away from the museum. I don't know, but I don't like it."

"Oh, he's just jealous," Draco laboured. He stepped closer to the other two, placed a hand on Hermione's arm, and turned her slightly to face him. "He only wishes he had a date as good looking and posh."

Michael threw back his head and laughed and said, "I'm not jealous that you're dating Hermione. I'm happy for you! You have the smartest and best looking girl in the world on your arm."

"I was talking about you being jealous that she's dating me," Draco said, actually sincerely. He leaned over to Hermione and stage whispered, "I thought you said he was a ponce."

Michael stormed away. Hermione called after him and said, "Well that was uncalled for. The thing is, I don't know if I'm angry with him or with you right now." She sighed loudly, decided to apologize for Michael, but then took Draco's hand to lead him away from the crowd. "I'm sorry for the way he acted, but I do have a request, Malfoy."

"Yes, I'll have sex with you tonight," he said seriously. "And you don't even have to beg."

She merely stared at him for a full five seconds before she smiled. "You're a nutter." She couldn't help but laugh. "No, I was going to ask that you not act as if this is anything more than what it is. You see how Michael reacted. That's how everyone's going to be. Everyone knows how I've given up on all my relationships, and how I've claimed not to have time for romance. They also are going to question your motives, as much as I have, so please, don't act as if this is a big deal, or as if it's more than it is. It's one little date, that's all."

He placed his hands on his hips and said, "I have news for you, Granger. It's more than a date. You won't dismiss me so easily. And all that crap about not having time for dating and romance is a bunch of bollocks! I've never heard such crap. That's the type of crap that crap talks about when it's talking crap!"

"What? You are a nut. I just meant that this is just what it is, that's all, and nothing more, and I'm asking that you don't try to portray it as more," she said, ineloquently.

That one little request angered Draco for some reason. "What is 'this', Granger?" He spread his arms wide. "I told that ponce, Corner that we were on a date, because THAT is what THIS is! I didn't make it out to be more than it was. We ARE on a date. I kissed you senseless earlier, and I enjoyed it and so did you. Calm down, and try to have a bit of fun. If you can't loosen up a bit, I might rethink my dating options for tonight."

He picked up two champagne flutes from a passing waiter. He tried to hand one to her, but she glowered at him, arms crossed.

"I don't drink champagne," she mumbled.

"Fine," he said. He downed one glass, and when Theo, with little Gretchen on his arm, approached, he handed the other glass toward them. Theo shook his head no to the bubbly drink. Gretchen reached up for it immediately.

Neither man seemed taken aback when the little girl started to take a drink. Hermione took it from the girl quickly, called Draco an 'evil man' and Theo a 'questionable father' and she gave the champagne back to a waiter. Then she took Gretchen's hand, promised to show her one of their new exhibits, and they walked away without saying goodbye.

"What's up her arse?" Theo asked, leaning toward Draco. "I'm not a bad father. I wouldn't have let Gretchen drink the whole thing. I was just going to let her have a taste. She would have seen how bad it tasted."

"Oh, she's angry at me, because we're on a date, apparently," Draco said mockingly. Theo glared at him. Draco shrugged and said, "It doesn't make sense to me, either."

"What do you mean you're on a date, apparently? Either you're on a date or not," Theo pointed out.

"We are, but she doesn't want people to think that we are," Draco said, knowing full well that he was adding salt to his own wound by making it more than it was. That was not exactly her point. She didn't say that they weren't on a date. She said it wasn't MORE than a date.

"Granger always was a strange bird. Beautiful beyond the pale, but a bit daft and straight lace," Theo continued. "So, have you shagged her yet?"

"Hey!" Draco said, punching Theo hard on the shoulder. Theo held his arm and winced. "That's the future mother of my future children you're maligning there, Nott. I plan to marry her someday."

Theo looked at Draco incredulously and then laughed a loud, boisterous laugh. "Wait…let me get this straight…she doesn't even want people to know you're on a date, yet you plan to marry her someday. Oh, priceless, priceless. Will she let people know you're married, or what? Oh, and you do know that Astoria and Adrian are slated to be here tonight, don't you? As soon as I see them come in, I plan to whisk Gretchen out of here. She doesn't want to see her mum, nor do I, and Adrian was Granger's last fiancée, you know."

Draco frowned. "No effing way are they coming here. This is my night and my museum. This moment belongs to me! I'll bar the door so they can't come in! Who invited that knob-head and that stupid slag, anyway?"

"Apparently Adrian endowed a large amount of money to the museum before you bought it, so his was an automatic invite. The money came along to the museum before you bought it, but long after Granger broke their engagement. Apparently she remains 'friends' with all her ex-boy toys. Astoria is joined at his hip, so they're a match set." Theo picked up a glass of white wine from a tray and took a large gulp.

Draco looked at his oldest friend with disgust. How was he privy to these things when Draco wasn't? "How do you know all of this? How do you even know Adrian and Granger were once engaged?" Draco asked. "I only found out she had been engaged to him this afternoon."

Theo became quiet, and then said, "That's for Granger to tell you. I really need to find my daughter." He turned and walked away.

Draco didn't like lies and deceit unless he was the one doing the lying and deceiving. If Theo knew something concerning Adrian, Astoria and Hermione, he needed to know, too. Hermione claimed she didn't know Adrian and Astoria were a couple, or was that a lie as well? He also wanted to know why Hermione was so reluctant to date again. It couldn't be as simplistic as the mundane…'I don't have time to date'. That was a load of hogwash! There had to be something more to it, and he was going to find out what it was.

He walked around the large lobby, greeting people, thanking them for their well-wishes and congratulations, telling everyone that it was all due to Hermione's hard work, as he continued to look for her. He finally found her off the main lobby, in a room that housed rare artifacts from Hogwarts.

She was showing something to Gretchen, telling her a story of the school and the founders. Her eyes were bright; she was smiling, and animated. Theo stood to one side, listening as well, as enraptured and enthralled by the story as his daughter. Draco was enraptured as well, but by the storyteller.

She looked up once, noticed Draco, nodded her head slightly, but continued weaving her tale. She lifted the chalice and handed it to little Gretchen, pointed out some of the markings on it, and then placed it back in the glass case. Theo took Gretchen's hand and led her to another display case as Draco walked up to Hermione's side.

"You're very passionate about your work," Draco said sincerely.

Hermione could only smile in return. He looked around, saw that no one was watching, and asked, "May I take your hand? No one is watching."

Her smile vanished and she reached for Draco's hand. "Draco, that wasn't my intent, to make you think that I'm ashamed to be here with you. I don't even know what I meant earlier. I'm sorry. This is all so new to me. I haven't dated in a while. I haven't even cared to date, and I think I just want everything to go well, and I really don't want anyone to question my position here, with you being the new owner."

He pulled her close, his hand holding hers. "What position would you like them to question? The one where you're underneath me, or on top?" He wiggled his eyebrows. She slapped his chest lightly. "I know, I'll behave," he said, before she could say it. "Seriously, I didn't know you knew so much about this old nonsense."

She laughed. "Old nonsense? Antiquities from the founders era referred to as old nonsense…I swear. It's true that you don't know me well, though. We've known each other most of our lives, but we don't know anything about each other, not really."

He still had her hand. He began to pull her through the room, to another room, bobbing and weaving through the crowd. "We know the important things about each other. You're a woman, I'm a man."

"You mean we know the obvious, and that's not good enough. If this were truly a first date, we would spend a good deal of it getting to know each other. Let's go somewhere quiet and talk for a moment," she suggested. "We can get to know each other better, and become better acquainted."

"And snog," he added, happily.

She didn't dispute that, so he continued to smile. She led him to a stairwell and up and up they went. Finally, she pushed him through the door, and they were on the roof. It was a warm evening, with barely any wind, and the sky over Muggle London was just turning a hazy shade of grey. She pointed to an old crate and sat down. He joined her.

"First, ask me a question, something you really want to know about me, and no matter what, I'll answer," she requested. She placed her hands in her lap, clasped them together, and waited.

He looked her over, closely, and then leaned toward her. His finger touched her collarbone, right above the neckline of her dress, and he asked, "Has that freckle ever been kissed by a man?"

"What?" she asked. She shivered slightly when his finger grazed her skin. It remained on her, pulling back the neckline of her dress, on her skin, a few centimeters from the freckle he mentioned.

He nodded to the freckle, drew a small circle around it with the tip of his finger, and asked again, "That little freckle, the poor little lonely guy. He's the only one I see there on your collarbone, and I wanted to know if it's ever been kissed by a man."

She looked down at his finger. In fact, his finger mesmerized her. She felt as if his finger was holding her in place. If it wasn't there, she might float away. Was he talking? Did he ask a question? Was she supposed to answer? Finally, she squeaked out, "I don't know. Maybe?"

She thought that was an insane question. It wasn't the type of questions she meant when she suggested that they have a chat and get to know more about the other. It was also highly erotic. She couldn't do erotic. She didn't have time. There was a presentation soon, and a tour of the museum for the visiting luminaries, and goodness gracious, was he still touching her?

She moved his hand from her person with both of hers, placed it in his lap and said, "Good question. My turn. Have you dated anyone seriously? I mean, you claimed to have been engaged to Astoria, but you said that was arranged when you were young."

"No, you still hold the engagement record of us two," he said with a twinkle. "My turn to ask another question." He sat back on the crate, crossed his legs at his ankles, and reached over to place a hand on her arm, causing her to turn around to face him. "Let me think…what do I want to know? The burning question about the freckle was the life changing question."

She laughed.

"I know. Do you close your eyes when the final moment comes?" He asked this softly. He leaned closer.

She looked utterly confused. "The final moment?"

He pulled on her arm, his hand holding her upper arm tightly. Pulling her ever closer, and making her feel slightly off balance and off kilter, not only by his nearness, but because she was almost in his lap, he whispered in her ear, "When you're in the final throes of passion, and you're about to come undone from the desire of it all, do you close your eyes, or leave them open?"

Hermione swallowed hard. She turned her head slowly to look at him. She didn't know what to say. It wasn't as if he asked the question in a crude manner, but still, she couldn't believe he would ask her such a thing, yet she found the fact that he wanted to know these things about her highly intoxicating.

Her mouth opened a fraction, and she ruminated an answer in her head. Words were about to come to the surface when the doors flew open. It was Theo. "Malfoy, Granger, do you two mind if I leave now? Astoria is looking for Gretchen, and I would rather there not be a scene, and if she tries to see our daughter, I'll hex her and there will definitely be a scene."

Hermione stood up to face him, as did Draco. "Are you afraid she'll say something to upset Gretchen?" Hermione asked.

Theo nodded. "She's a horrid mother, Granger. You've shown my daughter more kindness in the space of the last few hours than her mother has in ten years. Seriously, do you mind if we take off?"

"No, tell Gretchen that I loved meeting her today, and I'll take her on a private tour very soon. Draco will arrange a time for all three of us, won't you, Draco?" Hermione looked at him pleadingly.

Draco liked that Hermione included him in her plans. He liked that she was being so kind to his goddaughter, who meant the world to him. He also liked the fact that Hermione called Astoria a bitch. Wait, she didn't do that. He had merely thought that to himself.

Theo and Draco said goodbye before Theo left with his daughter. As Hermione and Draco made their way back down stairs, Hermione said, "I can't believe Adrian is dating a woman who would have nothing to do with her own daughter. That's the reason we broke up, because he wanted children right away, and I didn't think I had time for them, because I had just started here at the museum. Of course, we broke up years ago, so perhaps he's changed. Still, I wonder what he sees in Astoria."

"Who knows and who cares. I don't want to spend our first date talking about our ex's," Draco said sincerely.

Hermione huffed in anger at that statement and steered Draco toward a round table at the front of the lobby. "No, you'd rather talk about freckles."

"And coming. Don't forget that, and you still need to answer that burning question yet, Granger. Perhaps you can just show me later," he said with a grin.

She pinched his arm, hard, and he winced. "We should find our seat and have something to eat before the presentation," she said in return.

Draco pulled out a chair for her before he sat down. "What presentation?" He flipped his cloth napkin and placed it on his lap.

"You got my letter about tonight, didn't you? Granted, I didn't know I was sending it to you, I just thought I was sending it to the new owner. If I had known that was you, I might not have planned such an elaborate presentation for later, but still, it's all planned," she explained. She sighed when she realized that the buffet table was on the other side of the room, hence the food was also way over there. "Draco, will you go over to the buffet table and get us some food?" she asked.

"No," he said, pouting. "Tell me about this phantom letter you're pretending you sent me, and about this sodding presentation. If I had known you had planned more than just an open house, I wouldn't have come tonight." He folded his arms in front of him and frowned.

She turned on her chair. "Nice to know that you wouldn't have attended the banquet that was being held in your honour, Malfoy, if you had known about the presentation! Nice to know that you wouldn't have asked me out on this date, if you had known about the presentation! I sent a real letter, over a month ago. It outlined the fact that Michael was going to speak first, informing everyone about the new exhibitions, then I'm speaking second, and I'll thank several of the people who have helped us with monetary gifts over the years, and the people who have loaned us artwork and artifacts, and then I'll present you, and you'll give your speech. After your speech, Michael and I will break the crowd into two groups and we'll take everyone to the big new exhibition on the third floor."

"When do you and I get time together?" he complained. "This is a date, but it sounds like you have everything planned down to the minute! It sounds like work!"

"Well, Malfoy," she began, "it is work, for me and now for you. This is what it is. This wasn't supposed to be a date, remember. It's an open house, to show off the changes to the museum and to present you to the public as the new owner, and to thank the dignitaries who have helped us over the years. I've worked hard on this banquet, and on the new exhibitions, and the museum. I'm proud of it. I want to show it off, and I'm sorry if all of that ruins your date."

She placed her napkin on her plate and started to stand. He reached for her arm, keeping her in her seat. "You're right," she continued, "we may not have much time for an actual date tonight, but that wasn't the purpose of tonight."

"IT WAS FOR ME, and let me remind you that it's OUR date not just MY date, Granger!" he practically shouted. People turned to look at them. "I don't have plans to give a speech; I don't want you to give a presentation, present me, or any such rubbish. I want some time with you and that's all, or I'm leaving!" He turned away from her and suddenly said, "SOD IT ALL!" Harry Potter of all people was coming toward them. Potter was the last person Draco wanted to see on HIS date with HER!

Hermione looked toward Harry, then toward Draco. The problem was, Draco was gone, just like that.

"Malfoy?" she asked. Hermione felt something tickle her leg. Goodness, it was Draco Malfoy! He was under the table. She moved aside the long, white tablecloth and stuck her head under the table to look at him.

"What are you doing under there?" she demanded.

"Would you believe I'm hiding from someone?" he joked.

"NO!" she hissed in a loud whisper.

"Would you believe I dropped my wallet?" he asked. His hand went slowly up her leg. She kicked at him with her foot, but he took a hold of that with his other hand.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" she whispered louder. She sat up and looked around, then ducked back down. "Please!"

"Would you believe that I want to do this?" he asked.

She gasped loudly at the next thing he did. She was about to hex him with her wand when Harry Potter walked up to the front of her table and to say hello. She stared at him in horror, and then she moaned in a bit of pleasure and tried to cause Draco a lot of pain by kicking him with her foot.

His hand was on her knee, his fingers under her knee, this thumb rubbing the top. His lips were on the outside of her leg. HE WAS KISSING HER KNEE! Hermione looked at Harry and groaned slightly before she said, "Harry, nice to see you here, Harry, will you go get me something to eat at the buffet table, Harry? I hurt my foot earlier, you see, Harry." She held her plate up to him.

"Nice to see you, too, HERMIONE," he said her name exaggerated, since she repeated his name several times, before he left to get her food. She repeated Harry's name so Draco would know that Harry was standing before them, and perhaps he would stop whatever it was he was doing to her…wait, was he raining kisses on her calf now? Heaven help her.

Hermione pulled her leg from his grasp and scooted her chair against the wall. "Draco Malfoy, get out from under there!" she chastised.

Draco got up on his knees, and smiled. Then he frowned when he heard a man laugh before them say, "Yes, Draco Malfoy, get up from there." Hermione pivoted in her seat…Draco hurried to stand…both of them turned to face Adrian Pucey, and he wasn't alone. He was holding the hand of Astoria Greengrass.

"Do you have time for this shite, Granger?" Draco asked her with an air of disgust, pointing toward the unwelcome pair in front of them. He sat beside her, took a swig of champagne from someone else's glass, and then handed it to her, forgetting that she had said earlier that she hated champagne.

She swallowed the rest of it down in one swig.


Coming up:

"I thought I might find you up here," he said lightly.

"That's a beautiful painting," she answered, staring up at a painting on his wall. "I can't believe you have this hidden away in your office. This is a genuine article, Malfoy. It should be shared. We should have it on display somewhere where everyone can enjoy it."

He stood behind her, placed his chin on her shoulder, and said, "Are we talking about paintings now? Take it if you want it badly enough."

She looked at him. His eyes were so brilliant, so bright, and so silver. His face, so close. She said, "You'd let me put this where everyone can see it? Perhaps build a display around it, in the main room off the lobby?"

He reached around her, one hand on her stomach. "I meant you should take it. I'm giving it to you."

She turned in his arms."What?" She hit his chest. She started laughing and said, "You're so funny!"I want you to have it. I want you to have everything and anything. Nothing's too good for you. Do you understand?"

"I'm serious.