A/N: Okay, so it's been a while since I decided to continue this story, and I must say I've probably rewritten this chapter quite a few times. Once you finish this chapter, it's obvious there can be at least one more. How will their journey continue? Let's find out, shall we?
"At the Stroke of Midnight"
Chapter Nine: "Time Isn't Healing"
Hermione Granger looked up at the large stack of files in front of her and sighed. When she had thought of the idea to make Harry a scrapbook for the second anniversary of Victory Day, she hadn't realized how much information the Ministry had actually kept on Harry. The file marked "Potter, Harry" contained over 100 Daily Prophet articles, beginning from his fourth year when he was a Tri-Wizard Champion, and dozens of copies of the awards he had received since Victory Day. That wasn't even counting the 50 some odd pictures Hermione had chosen from her own collection. Yes, this was going to be a very challenging project indeed. Hermione grabbed the folder labeled "1999" knowing that any previous articles were the discrediting works of Rita Skeeter.
"KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOT TO BE NEW MINISTER OF MAGIC – says "Big reform" is coming!
"NEW MINISTER APPOINTS POTTER, several other recent Hogwarts graduates, to be on AUROR TEAM!"
"Lucius Malfoy GETS THE KISS, thanks to BOY WHO LIVED!"
"Potter, Granger and Weasley – 'Shacklebot's Army'?"
"POTTER RECEIVES ORDER OF MERLIN - FIRST CLASS!"
"Death Eaters forced out of hiding by POTTER and team!"
"THE BOY WHO LIVED SURVIVES – AGAIN!!!! Potter has defeated Lord Voldemort - FOR GOOD!"
"Potter and Minister host "VICTORY DAY" dinner to honor fallen heroes"
"VICTORY DAY IS COMING! How will you celebrate?"
"GRANGER develops new Potion – Potter & Weasley bring big changes to ministry!"
Hermione jumped abruptly when she heard a loud "thud" on her desk. She looked up into Ron's smiling face.
"Thought this would be a great addition to your project," he said, pointing to the front page of the prophet, "I know you probably haven't read yours yet."
"2nd ANNUAL VICTORY DAY DINNER APPROACHING! Who will be there? Stay tuned for full coverage of the event in next week's edition!"
"Thanks, Ron" Hermione yawned in reply.
"Here," he said, handing her a cup of coffee, "you need this more than I do."
"I still need your note for Harry's book, Ron!"
"Come on Hermione, he already knows how I feel…" Ron began to argue, his cheeks turning a shade of pink.
"Ron, the point of a memory book is that someone can look at it years from now and have things to help them remember!"
"I don't think he's ever going to forget Victory Day, Hermione. Besides, can't you just write it for me?" Ron asked, his eyes larger and his lips forming a small out.
Hermione rolled her eyes in reply. Ron had known her long enough to understand that meant "no".
"Well, I'm calling it a night…"
"See you tomorrow, Ron,"
"Hermione, you will have gone home and slept before I see you tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yes," Hermione said, laughing, "I'm headed out soon myself."
"Good. I'll see you in the morning then!"
"Good night, Ron," Hermione said with a smile.
Hermione carefully tucked the clippings in the book; she would permanently place them with a sticking charm in the morning. She grabbed the new edition of the Daily Prophet Ron had brought her and flashing green letters caught her eye.
"MALFOY INTRODUCING NEW BROOM TO COINCIDE WITH VICTORY DAY! THE MOST PROFESSIONAL MODEL YET! DON'T BE LEFT IN THE DUST, THE STARDUST 360 COMES OUT ON TUESDAY!"
Hermione stuffed the article into her bag and sighed. Draco Malfoy was another man who had managed to land himself in the prophet quite a few times these past two years. She even remembered where she was when she had first read those articles…
"Heir to the fortune breaks engagement with fiancé. What's next for young Malfoy?"
"HOGWARTS ALUMNI opens broom shop! Malfoy, INC. now making custom made elite brooms for Aurors!"
Lucius Malfoy was dead, Draco had dumped Pansy Parkinson and she hadn't seen him since graduation. The two people that had been standing in the way of their love at Hogwarts were out of the picture, and he couldn't even drop her a bloody owl?! Hermione took deep breaths and made herself calm down, she hated that she still wasn't over the pain of his lies. What was worse, Hermione knew Harry had been secretly eyeing the Stardust 360, since it had been a joint project between the Ministry and Draco. It would be the perfect gift for Victory Day, but that meant she'd have to go to his shop to pick it up. But owner's are rarely at their shops, right? Hermione tried to convince herself. Tomorrow, she was going into Diagon Alley to buy a broom from Draco Malfoy, and she had been dreading the prospect of it for months. Harry had better appreciate this.
Draco Malfoy opened his daily register and sighed. He was backed up on his orders again and needed to catch up desperately. Why had he insisted to his buyers he could have the Stardust 360 ready for Victory Day? It served him right for trying to save on expenses by hiring a smaller staff than his advisors had recommended. On top of that, he had hired a few spouses known for their expertise, which meant duplicate requests off. This wasn't the first time his ambition had gotten him into hot water, yet he doubted it would be the last. Draco gulped down some more coffee and quickly flipped through the Daily Prophet. Potter was getting another dinner in his honor, lovely. Draco clenched his jaw and cursed to himself. He hated Potter now more than ever. He started a legitimate business, despite everyone else's opinions, and had finally gotten rid of Pansy for good. With his father gone and Snape dropped out of sight, there was no one to help her, since his mother hated her from he beginning. He finally had a chance to be with Hermione Granger, and when he went to tell her...she was on a date with Harry Potter. He couldn't blame her, of course, he had left her at graduation and she had always been close to Potter. He couldn't even blame Potter for moving in on her, she was beautiful, intelligent, and loyal, everything a man could ask for in a woman. He had no one to blame except for himself. His thoughts were interrupted with the ringing of a bell. Great, he thought to himself, another order I'll be behind filling.
Hermione took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. She heard a loud chime and cringed, now there was no turning back because someone already knew she was here. Despite all of her praying that Draco Malfoy wouldn't walk out from behind the counter, he did and he looked amazing. He had left his hair fall in a more natural way, leaving behind the slicked back style from Hogwarts. He wore reading glasses that seemed to make his blue eyes brighter, if that was possible. His skin was still pale, and his black suit did nothing to help his complexion. Still, he looked extremely handsome; the suit definitely accented his features. Hermione began to panic, realizing that several awkward moments of silence had already passed by.
"Don't you have a staff?" Hermione blurted out, not being able to think of anything else.
Draco's shoulders slouched back and he took a deep breath. That had definitely not been the question he was hoping for. Answer her, he told himself, but all he could do was stare at her. His memories of her had not done her any justice. She wasn't the same girl he had danced with at the ball over three years ago. She was a woman now, and far more beautiful then he could have imagined. She had let her hair grow out, and she had it tossed up in a messy bun. She wore a white collared blouse with a straight grey skirt and black heels. She looked very professional, just the way he would have pictured her. When he noticed her shift uncomfortably, he brought himself to speak.
"They're on holiday," he answered.
"They're on holiday just a few days before the new brooms are out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They all deserved a break. What can I say? I'm a good boss."
Hermione didn't reply, she just looked down at the catalog.
"You want a broom, then? A Stardust 360?"
"Yes, but it's not for me…It's for Harry, for Victory Day…"
"Oh. Right. Potter too lazy to come and get his own broom?" Draco asked, barely able to contain his sudden anger.
"Not that it's any of your business, but it's a surprise."
"Right, anything for your boyfriend…"
Hermione looked up at him, her eyes filled with surprise, "he's not my boyfriend, Draco."
"What do you mean? Of course he is, I saw you at a restaurant with him…"
"Are you following me or something?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No! I just…saw the two of you there and I assumed…"
"Well, you assumed wrong. Besides, so what If I had a boyfriend? You asked Pansy Parkinson to marry you!" Hermione screamed, Draco could tell from the tone of her voice that she had been waiting a long time to say that to him.
"Hermione, I…"
"No, Draco! I don't want to hear your ridiculous story that you chose Pansy Parkinson to protect me from your father, because you dropped her as soon as he was captured! Did you come find me? Or send me an owl?"
"No, I didn't, but…"
"I don't want to hear your excuses, can you have the broom ready or not?"
Draco looked down at his books, taking a minute to collect himself. The last thing he wanted to do was break down in front of Hermione.
"Yeah, you can come by the morning of the banquet."
"Good," Hermione replied, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Draco pleaded, coming out from behind the counter and grabbing Hermione's arm.
"I've been waiting two years to see you again. I thought you were with Potter, Hermione. I didn't want to disrupt your life again, I had already done that once before."
Hermione shifted her weight from one foot to the other and shook her head; she couldn't even look him in the face. Before she could protest, Draco was standing next to her.
Draco gently pulled her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. He lowered his head slightly and pressed his lips against hers. Hermione gave a small protest but when his tongue pushed his way through her lips and met with hers, she leaned her body into his. Draco drug his hands down the small of her back, up her shoulders and down to her hips. He wanted to feel every inch of her. He hadn't realized how much he had been yearning for her until he had her again. He finally pulled away from her lips and drug his lips down her neck, her perfume was absolutely intoxicating.
"Draco," Hermione said with a small moan, he didn't know if it was in pleasure or out of protest, but he didn't really care at this point.
"Please, Hermione," he begged, "I love you. I know I never said it to you before, but I've loved you since the first night we danced together and I haven't stopped. I opened this shop for you…I mean, I'm doing Hermione…living my own life, and you gave me the courage to do that."
"Draco, I can't just pretend the past few years didn't happen…"
"You have met someone else, then.." Draco said, lowering his head in defeat.
"No," she said, caressing his cheek with her hand, "there's never been anyone but you. I thought you had lied to me at Hogwarts. Everything was so confusing, one minute I hated you for the jerk you were being, and the next you were Prince Charming sweeping me off my feet!"
"I know! I'm so sorry, Hermione. I was trying to protect you, but you were so damn hard to resist!"
Hermione laughed at Draco's frustration and he looked into her eyes, his cheeks flushed.
"Let me take you to dinner tonight," he said, "I can have the shop closed down in just a few minutes."
"Don't you have business to take care of?"
"Hermione, I've been waiting to see you again for two years, to have you in my arms…I'd give up anything for you."
"Let's start with dinner," Hermione said, kissing him again.
Draco checked his pocket watch again. It was 2 minutes past 8 o'clock. Relax, Draco, she's not standing you up…girls are always late, aren't they? But Hermione's not just any girl, he told himself; she was always very prompt in everything she did. Before Draco had more time to dwell on whether or not he'd be spending the evening alone, he heard a small pop from around the corner.
As Hermione approached him, he took a moment to take in the sight of her. She was wearing a blue dress that barely hit her knees, and shoes that were silver, though the heels appeared to be glass. Draco had to suppress a gasp. The gown had been the one she wore the night at the ball three years ago, she had obviously altered it, and the heels of her shoes…were they from her glass slippers?
"You look stunning," he said, opening the door for her. She had worn her hair down, and the curls bounced off her bare shoulders with every step. Draco got a small whiff of her perfume, she smelt like roses.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy," said the maître d', "how lovely to see you again."
Hermione flashed Draco a half accusing smile, and Draco merely grinned.
Hermione barely waited until their were seated to question Draco, "so, perhaps I should have you order for me, considering this must be a regular place for you."
"I come here a lot on business with high end clients," Draco said dryly, "besides, I would never dream of ordering for you, Hermione."
"Your server will be with you shortly, Mr. Malfoy. In the mean time, I'll have one of my staff bring out your favorite wine."
Draco nodded in reply, knowing that the fact he had a favorite wine here wasn't helping his case with Hermione.
"So," Hermione began, "should we dispense with the pleasantries or should I ask you what you've been up to these past few years?"
"Well, I don't know," said Draco, "I rather enjoy pleasantries. Besides, you know what I've been up to, running a broom shop. I'd much rather talk about you, or…us."
"Funny, I thought you made it perfectly clear in our seventh year that there should never be an "us".
Draco took a moment to think before responding with something he'd regret. After all, Hermione had agreed to dinner with good intentions, hadn't she? If she'd dragged him here just to get her emotional revenge on him, he was going to feel like a complete git. He couldn't think of anything else but the truth, so he might as well concede defeat.
"I was being a complete git. My father told me that if I chose you, he'd kill you. I was a coward, I couldn't stand up to him…"
Hermione sat in silence, which was definitely something Draco wasn't expecting.
"Here you are, Mr. Malfoy," said the waiter as he filled their wine glasses, "do you need a few more minutes to decide?"
"Yes, please," said Draco with one of his plastic smiles. The waiter nodded and went to check another table.
"Lucius died over a year ago…" Hermione said in a small voice.
"I know that..."
"I'm sorry, I'm being insensitive. He was still your father."
"I've come to grips with the kind of man my father was, and that he's gone now. As soon as I could rid myself of Pansy, I thought that I would run to you and we'd pick up right where we left off, that I'd be happy again. When I saw you in that restaurant, laughing and smiling with Potter, I realized that it was foolish of me to believe that you'd been waiting around for me all this time."
"How have you felt, Draco, these past two years without me?" Hermione asked softly, Draco could see her eyes begin to water.
"Hollow," he said simply.
"I know what you mean," was all she could say before the waiter returned.
Draco kept to his promise, and allowed Hermione to order for herself. Hermione gave Draco a soft smile, and both agreed this conversation was better left for later.
"Mother is thinking of remarrying," Draco said, which he instantly regretted. His attempt at making light conversation was probably going to stir up more trouble than he'd like.
"Really? Anyone I've heard of?" Hermione asked, knowing this was probably a sensitive subject since his father hadn't been dead for very long.
"Severus Snape," Draco said and then took a sip of water, as if saying his name created a fowl taste in his mouth.
"Snape? You can't be serious?!"
"I can't say for sure why mother chose him. Perhaps he offered? I understand she needs someone to support her, but Snape's one man who shows less compassion that my father did."
"Hopefully your mother will come to her senses."
"Hermione…"
"I'm sorry, but you know how I feel about him. He's always been on the fence, hasn't he? You think your mother would go for someone … safer."
"Perhaps this conversation is better left for private as well," Draco suggested.
"Is there anything we can talk about in public?" Hermione asked, to which neither of them had an answer. Hermione laughed and earned a small smile from Draco, and they finished the rest of their dinner in silence.
Hermione stepped out from the restaurant and was met with a pleasant breeze. Draco placed her cloak over her shoulders and she felt instant warmth. He allowed his hands to linger on her shoulders as he inhaled deeply. Draco slowly dragged his hands down her arms and to her hands. When he gripped her hand he literally felt a spark between them, but he didn't let go. Within seconds they were standing in the doorway of his manor.
Hermione stood speechless in the doorway. Malfoy Manor was nothing like how she expected to be. She has always pictured a large castle with the doom and gloom feeling of the House of Black. She imagined she would feel a dark presence and the manor would be filled with all sorts of dark items. On the contrary, the interior of the manor was quite warm. Draco removed her cloak and placed it in a small closet in the entrance hall. A dark oak staircase led upstairs to the right side of the room. To the left was a small drawing room with soft chairs, a sofa and inn table. It reminded her of a common room. Red flames danced in the fireplace below a mantel filled with pictures of Draco at various ages. There wasn't a single picture of Lucius Malfoy in this room, and Hermione thought perhaps that was why this manor was much more inviting than she had expected.
"Can I get you a drink?" he asked, gesturing for her to take a seat on the large leather sofa.
"Wine, please, thank you," Hermione said, remembering all the time she had spent with Ron and Harry in the Three Broomsticks sipping butterbeer.
She saw Draco open a large cabinet and hesitate there for a moment, "Ah," he said, making a selection and removed it from the cabinet, "this is an excellent year."
Draco pulled two glasses from the cabinets above the bar and poured them each a glass. Hermione took the glass from him and smiled. Draco took a seat on the chair that was caddy corner to the sofa, and Hermione forced another smile to hide her shock. He can't even sit by me? She thought to herself.
Draco was sitting on the edge of his chair, leaning in towards Hermione. A few moments passed and Draco did nothing but stare into her eyes. It wasn't until that Hermione blushed and took a sip of wine that he spoke.
"I'm sorry," he said, clearing his throat and straightening his back, "that was terribly impolite, I had just forgotten what it was like to look into your eyes…"
"I think we both made a lot of mistakes, Draco, we tried to deny our feelings, and look what its done to us? We're not in rival houses anymore, the war is over!"
"Hermione…I was a coward before. I wanted to protect you from my father, but deep down I knew I wasn't good enough for you."
"Draco, how can you say that?"
"Hermione, you're brave and smart and beautiful. You've stood by Potter since your were eleven, even helped him defeat the Dark Lord. I don't deserve that sort of loyalty."
"Draco, just because no one has ever shown you love or affection doesn't mean you don't deserve them!" Hermione said, placing her hand gently on his.
"I love you, Hermione," he said, gripping her hand tightly, "I should have said it then, but I couldn't. I love you."
"I love you too, Draco." Hermione said, taking a deep breath to keep her from crying.
Draco rose from his chair and sat beside Hermione on the coach.
"Kiss me," he whispered into her ear, sending chills down her spine.
"You can't control me, you know," she whispered playfully in reply.
"I know," he said crushing his lips against her own.
