Nine
After brainstorming for days on what to do for her date with Draco, the answer came to Hermione thanks to Muggle technology.
After the war, The Daily Prophet had been trying to appeal to younger witches and wizards who were starting to shed the prejudices towards Muggle customs, and therefore, they decided to set up a website with the help of muggleborns. Hermione's parents got her a mobile, and she had found the extremely well-made website to be much easier to read than physical version of the newspaper. While she browsed the Culture section, something caught her eye.
"This Wednesday the L.I.M.A (London's Institute of Magical Astronomy) will offer free entrance to their grounds for everyone interested in spending a night under the stars. The event takes place to celebrate the clearest night in 250 years, the perfect moment to study, enjoy, and share the constellations with the magical world. The most renowned astronomers Britain's got to offer will be leading talks and conferences throughout the night, and the facilities are prepared to accommodate up to 500 people, providing space to camp, eat, and learn about the wonderful unknown above us."
The article continued, but Hermione had made up her mind. Wednesday was only two days away, and in the middle of the week with both her and Draco working the next day, but this seemed like an opportunity that wouldn't come again. At least, not for another 250 years.
She favorited the article on her mobile and tapped the Home button. Her screen background was a picture of Harry, Draco, and herself from yesterday. Draco was in the middle, towering over her and Harry and barely smiling. Harry had his arm over Draco's shoulder and she had hers around his middle, since he decided not to touch any of them for the picture. They had walked all over Muggle London, until the sun went down and their feet threatened to give up on them, but she hadn't felt so content and fulfilled in a while. And it was nice walking around without getting recognized; she expected Draco and Harry felt the same way. She was even able to ask a Muggle stranger to take their picture, with extreme nagging until the boys agreed, of course.
Hermione summoned a memo from her bottom drawer and proceeded to write Draco an invitation, to make sure he was available that Wednesday.
She remembered Draco had some affinity to astronomy at Hogwarts, at least not looking completely miserable in that class and having good grades. If anything, at least it would be a nice way to spend some time close to him, at night, and under the clearest night sky they will ever witness.
She only wished Harry could come along, but he'd be significantly less interested in it than Draco.
Hermione continued to work, waiting until almost the end of the day before she heard back from Draco.
"Sorry for the late response, got a lot in my plate today. I'm yours any day you want, just know that I expect you to pick me up. See you soon,
Draco."
She smiled at the memo and fold it up, keeping it inside her pocket.
.
"I like how you look in those," Harry told Hermione, half paying attention and half reading his Quidditch magazine.
"They're too tight, though. I don't think they're practical enough," she sighed and went back to her closet to pick something else.
Harry continued to read while Hermione mumbled something about needing to go shopping. It is not that Harry didn't care, but he knew Hermione had only asked him to come to her place as an excuse to see him before her date with Draco. She knew he didn't care enough about clothes to be useful in any way.
"How about a skirt?" he called from his place at her bed, trying to be somewhat helpful and calm her down.
Hermione shook her head as she pulled out another pair of trousers. "The Institute of Magical Astronomy is in the outskirts of the city, where there is less light pollution, and it's supposed to be a cold night."
Harry nodded as he put down the magazine and considered her. She was pulling out items of clothing with one hand as she waved her wand and magically folded the one she discarded. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.
"Hermione, why are you so stressed?" He tried to keep his tone cool so she wouldn't bite his head off, but she still turned to look at him a bit manically. Her hair was all over the place and she looked too close to lying and saying nothing was wrong.
Harry tilted his head to the side and gave her a meaningful look, letting her know that he would not fall for any excuse. She bit her lip and took a deep breath.
"I just had to choose the worst night for this date. The ministry is up to the brim with legal demands this week after the broom factory recalled its newest model all too late and hundreds of people got injured, plus, my supervisor is increasingly more dependent on me and handing me all these responsibilities, which is supposed to be a good thing," she gulped and rubbed the bridge of her nose before continuing.
"But now I'm even further away from doing what I actually want to do and helping who I want to help, I just try to keep everything from getting out of control which apparently, I'm great at doing but this is not why I took this path, and I can't believe I do not have one simple, yet practical, yet lovely pair of trousers that will make me feel like less of a slob next to Draco."
Hermione finished her rambling and Harry felt the giant urge to go and hug her. He didn't say anything, he just got up and embraced her from behind as she stared helplessly at the inside of her closet.
Hermione relaxed considerably at his touch and he knew there was nothing he could say that would make any of her problems better, they seemed like they were a long time coming, but he could make her calm down at least for today. He looked past her head, into her closet and reached around her to pick up a pair of black tights. He dangled them in front of her eyes and she huffed a laugh.
"I don't know what to say that can help you with your job. But I do know who can, and that is Draco. I would just tell you to relax because tomorrow you'll figure it out, like you always do. And meanwhile, you need to enjoy your date tonight, even if that means you don't sleep and go straight to work tomorrow, because Merlin knows you'll never call in sick." With one final squeeze he let her go and she turned around with big eyes and a soft smile.
"You're right. Thank you."
He nodded. "You should get dressed, he will never let it go if you're late."
She glanced at the clock and cursed under her breath, taking a skirt and heading to the bathroom. She didn't close the door completely and Harry could see part of her legs as she rolled the tights on. He wondered when he got the desire to see more of her, to notice all of the things he had already seen a million times, but in a different light. At first he wasn't sure it would work, thinking of Hermione in a romantic and sexual way. But the more he started to really pay attention, it was like rediscovering your favorite food when you were a child, now as an adult.
He suddenly felt like a creep and turned around, waiting for her to come out.
She walked out, wearing the simple long sleeved top she had before and the black tights under a short black skirt, she looked lovely, even when her brow was furrowed in worry.
"Do you think Draco will like it?" She asked tentatively.
Harry did something he usually never did; he smirked.
"I don't know much about Draco, yet. But if there's something I'm sure of, is that he's gonna have a hard time stopping himself from ripping those tights right off you by the end of the night."
He could literally see her pupils getting bigger and the blood rush to her face. Her lip trembled before stretching into a shy smile and Harry felt his chest expand.
He had never been so blunt with her, but he figured she could use it to help ease off her nerves, so he gathered up the courage to just say it. What was being a Gryffindor good for if not this?
"Thank you," she said in a small voice and looked down at her shoes, avoiding his gaze. to put on her shoes.
She finished getting ready and Harry was glad that at least he was useful to her in some way. They walked over to the door.
"Are you going home?" she asked and he nodded.
"Yeah. Might stop by Ron's on the way though."
"Good. Well, I'll write to you soon. Have you got your mobile with you?"
"Oh, shit. I left it at home. But you can still write to me there, I'll see it when I get home. Have fun, yeah?" He stepped in and hugged her.
"You too. Thank you again."
When he made to let go, she held on tighter. He had wanted to kiss her since he got there, but he didn't know if it was appropriate because she was going on a date with Draco. He guessed that there was still some part of him who couldn't let go of the monogamous mentality yet, but right then he couldn't help it and just cupped her face with both hands and crashed their lips together. He swallowed her gasp of surprise and flushed his body up against hers, suddenly wishing she didn't have to go anywhere. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with more strength than ever, while his own arms snaked down to her hips, hands keeping her in place so he could push them even closer together.
Harry didn't know he had this eagerness repressed within him, but now that it was out in the open, it was hard to tone it down. He felt an urgent need to explore things with her, to find out if everything was going to be as amazing as this.
Out of nowhere, Draco's face popped into his head, and he remembered all they did a few nights ago, right in this same living room. His hands acted on their own accord, dropping lower and firmly grasping Hermione's backside without so much as a warning. Mortified, he realized what he did and stepped away instantly, not even having time to gauge her reaction.
Hermione was flustered, hair even wilder, lips swollen and parted, and she looked like the prettiest confused mess he had ever seen. He cursed himself for not being patient enough.
Harry started speaking before she had time to say anything. "I'm so so-"
"Don't," she interrupted him. "Don't apologize. There's no need." She smiled with insistent red cheeks and he couldn't help but grin too.
"Bye, Harry." She took his hand and held onto it as she walked away, eventually dropping it and disapparating in a flash.
.Hermione had never been to Draco's flat and she wondered if it had the same style and ambiance as his office. It most likely did.
She climbed the few steps and knocked softly, thrown off when he opened almost immediately.
He did a quick rundown of her from head to toes, his eyes lingering for a second before speaking. "You're late."
She frowned. "How am I late? You didn't even know at what time I was coming,"
"Well, nine thirty seems a little late for a date to me," he complained almost casually, like he didn't know what else to complain about.
"And you'll see why in a second. Let's go." She offered him her arm like a gentleman and he took it, suppressing a smile.
"By the way," she asked as they descended onto the street. "How did you know we were going to a wizarding place?" She looked at his dark grey robes that looked like they outpriced her entire wardrobe.
He smirked. "Just a hunch."
She snorted. "Alright. This place is a bit far away and I haven't been there in in a while so hold on to your precious bits," she warned him, trying to see if she could get a rise out of him.
He either didn't believe her, or didn't care. "All my bits are precious, Hermione." Draco's words echoed into the night before she disapparated them.
They landed on soft ground and the overwhelming scent of grass. Looking around, Hermione wondered why she didn't come here more often.
"The LIMA," Draco read at the entrance of a minimalistic but very modern building. It was almost entirely made of glass, so clear and clean that she was only half sure that it was there at all.
"Been reading the Daily Prophet's newsletter have we?" he questioned her with a smile and she noticed that he hadn't let go of her arm. They both looked up at the same time and as promised, everything dotted with millions of brilliant stars and planets against the darkest sky she had ever witnessed, making it all stand out splendidly.
She was literally breathless and could not look away, even when she noticed form the corner of her eye that Draco as staring at her.
"Is this how you're going to be all night? Because it'll be hard to talk to you if you're drooling up at the sky," he observed casually and she realized how much her jaw had dropped. She closed her mouth and turned her head to look at him.
"Have you no heart?" Hermione asked him, not really expecting an answer.
He shrugged. "My mother used to bring me here every summer when I was a kid. Though, I'd never seen it so bright before." He paused when she smiled. And then his expression changed. "Please tell me you didn't bring me here to show me the Draco constellation, if I have to see it one more time I'm going to scream into the night for the entire date."
"Too bad, that's all we're doing tonight. Prepare your vocal chords." Hermione started pulling him towards a hill right behind the building while Draco seemed to be deciding if she was kidding or not.
The place was buzzing with people and Hermione started to get worried that they wouldn't have anywhere to sit, but after a couple of minutes of stepping between seated groups, she found a nice patch of grass near the top of the hill. She let go of Draco's touch for the first time since they arrived and it bothered her how much she wanted to be close to him, but she needed to set up their spot nicely.
Draco watched as she pulled out a large blanket from her tiny bag, using her wand to lay it on the ground, wrinkle free. Then she fluffed a couple of small cushions, filled two glasses of wine that floated next to them and finally, a big bag of Chinese takeaway. Draco raised one eyebrow but couldn't help the smile.
"I see you get it delivered all the time at your office, but I'm betting is not half as good as the one I brought today. It's the best in Muggle London," Hermione said proudly and placed a heating charm on the food before seating down. She looked up at Draco and honestly wondered if someone like him could truly like someone like her. She didn't mean to be self-deprecating, but the way he looked right then under a sea of starts that didn't seem to be outshining him at all, made him seem otherworldly. And she had never felt otherworldly before.
"So why did you choose this particular spot? There must be a thousand conferences you're dying to get into," he commented as he sat down next to her and immediately picked up a container and a pair of chopsticks.
"Well, see." She pointed at the sky and Draco looked up. Everything was even brighter and bigger than before, if that was even possible and Hermione paused briefly at the look on his eyes. "There's an enchantment on the air above us here, we can't feel it or see it directly, but it's sort of a magical magnifying glass that allows us to look at the stars better. I thought we couldn't miss it."
Now Draco was the one practically drooling up at the sky and she felt so proud about her date idea. They ate silently for a while, only a few words when one of them noticed something and pointed it out to the other, their necks craned and eyes glassy form so much staring. Draco knew so much about astrology and she wondered if he ever studied it more after Hogwarts.
"Draco," she started, preparing herself for a conversation she had wanted to have for a long time now. "Why did you start working in Muggle Relations?"
He stopped looking at the sky and winced when his head turned to look at her, a hand rubbing his neck. He looked like he knew this was coming and was ready for it.
"I imagine you mean besides the fact that they made me?"
Hermione did mean that. Everybody knew that after the war every pure blood family had to take mandatory courses on Muggles and their culture, and depending on their involvement on the war some families even had to do different forms of community service. The Malfoys got the Muggles Relations Department, donating a big chunk of their fortune as well as their time. After their 'sentence' was up, Draco has stuck around and that's all everybody knew.
She nodded and Draco sighed. "Don't think me pretentious but, I'm good at it.
Some people think muggle relations means dealing directly with Muggles, but there's always magic involved, otherwise we wouldn't be there. I won't lie to you, if it meant all muggles and no magic, there's no way I'd be doing it. I love magic, and I work with it more than anyone I know." Hermione cocked her head to the side, eager to know more about something that Draco seemed to be so passionate about.
"I spend my days creating security spells with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement so Muggles don't harm us or themselves when they encounter magic. I travel with the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes every time something related to Muggles happens. The Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures meets up with me when they need to pass through Muggle territory. I get to work with the Department of Magical Education to tell little children with Muggle parents that they're magical. I'm always in close proximity with every department in the Ministry and even with other ministries." He wasn't looking at her while he spoke, but the way his voice carried out made Hermione hold her breath as she listened.
"I know I myself may not have believed it at first, but I'd dare any pureblood to tell me this isn't the most magical job in the world."
Needless to say, Hermione had never thought about it like that, but she could see that Draco had given it years of thought. She felt strangely proud of him.
"Sounds like you work a lot," was all that she could come up with. Draco smiled.
"It's basically all I do these days. I've become the Hermione Granger of my department."
It was the perfect opportunity to bring up her own work, she knew that Harry was right, and Draco could help her immensely if she asked.
Out of nowhere, he put his hand over hers and all words failed her.
"I don't mean it in a bad way," he said, looking at her strangely. Only then she realized she was frowning. He must have thought he had upset her, but really, she just couldn't understand why she couldn't feel about her job the same way Draco felt about his.
"I know, I know. You must do something else besides work, what about the pure blood socialites?" She wanted to talk about her work, but not then, not there. This was their date.
"Not much left of that, to be honest. They disbanded most of them, and rightfully so. They were excuses for pureblood extremists to get together and nothing good ever came off that."
He looked slightly ashamed as he continued. "I get together with Pansy, Blaise, and Theo every other day and some other Slytherins more rarely. You'd think someone from other houses would have tried to make peace, like you and Potter. Harry. Is not like I haven't tried making the first move."
She felt oddly bad for him then, but he didn't seem hurt at all, only a bit confused.
"To be fair, Harry was the only one who experienced actual proof of regret, by you and your mother. Others didn't," Hermione tried to explain.
He shrugged. "You didn't. And you're still here."
"Harry's words and you treating me decently was enough for me."
He gave her a half smile and then continued to look up at the stars, his hand still over hers, warm and comforting.
"Also, there's Ron too," she added as an afterthought.
"Don't remind me," he joked. "Do you want to go to some of the other spaces they've set up, take a look around?" he offered, changing the subject.
"Sure," she nodded and got to his feet, helping him stand up and pack everything.
They walked by many interesting activities, including star-chart making, astrology readings (which thankfully Draco also found to be absolute bogus), and night photography lessons.
Draco had kept their hands linked together all the time, and she was surprised at how affectionate and comfortable he was being, especially around so many people.
Hermione spotted a familiar face in the distance and instantly gasped, pulling Draco along behind a tree to hide from view.
"If you wanted to go somewhere more private, you could have just said so," he exclaimed, brushing off leaves from his robes.
"Sorry, that was my boss. I don't think it's a good idea that she sees me here at this time when there's work tomorrow," she explained, trying to rationalize her actions.
Draco quirked an eyebrow. "She's here as well, we're not in school anymore, and you don't have to be Miss Perfect Behavior all the time."
"But what if she sees us together? Isn't there a rule against inter-ministry relationships?"
He looked at her in disbelief. "What? You know as well as I do that doesn't exist. Are you ashamed of being seen with me?"
"Of course not! I... I just..." she didn't know what to say and Draco's eyes were now cold and harsh, because it had become clear that she was at least somewhat embarrassed about the situation and she had honestly no good reason to be. Lots of strangers had already seen her with him today, people they didn't know but probably knew them, and the news would come out eventually. She just wasn't ready for everybody to find out yet.
"Prove it," he challenged her, stepping from behind the tree and waiting for her to do the same.
Hermione knew he was right, she was being silly. She took one step towards him, feeling relief at the way his shoulders untensed and his expression lightened.
As soon as they started to walk back though, Draco stopped in his tracks and then proceeded to pull her back behind the tree.
"What?" she almost shrieked. Genuinely scared because Draco was peeking from behind the tree and acting as irrationally as she had been.
"Nothing, nothing." He dismissed her with one hand. "Why don't we go this way, instead?" He signaled to the opposite path they had taken before and Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before looking around the tree and seeing Daphne Greengrass walking past with some man she didn't know. Her jaw dropped in indignation and when her eyes found Draco's again, he looked absolutely prepared for what he knew was coming.
"You big, fat, hypocrite!" she barked and Draco winced at the volume of her voice.
"This is different!" he defended himself.
"How?" She folded her arms and waited for an answer.
He hesitated for a moment. "Daphne is the queen of gossip, if she finds out, you can be absolutely certain that the whole wizarding world will know before the sun rises!"
"I don't care, you were doing to me the exact same thing you thought was so horrible on my part. But when you do-"
He interrupted her "I know it looks bad but I can assure you this would be much worse and-"
"You are so arrogant, why are your reasons more believable than mine?" Hermione snapped, angrier now.
"That's not what I'm saying! Plus, you're the one who took us out on a date at the busiest nighttime event since The Weird Musical Festival!"
"So now I made a terrible date choice just because some of your snobbish friends might see us together? Let me tell you some-"
Hermione had to swallow the rest of the sentence when Draco pushed her back against the tree and pressed their mouths together with such speed that her brain was still reeling with anger and confusion when she felt him coax her lips open and his tongue dart across hers. After that, everything seemed to be a blur of emotions that rendered her temporarily useless, only able to focus on everything Draco was doing to her. His hands had trapped both her wrists under his grip, keeping her arms to her sides while his body pressed her against the rough surface of the tree trunk, and now he had stopped exploring the inside of her mouth to pull her bottom lip between his teeth and bite it so murderously slow that she was afraid she'd implode before he was done.
In the back of her mind, the thought that he had done this just to shut her up made her want to laugh, but he had made sure that wasn't a possibility when he shoved a leg between hers and let go of her wrists. She hadn't even noticed she had been struggling until she felt the release and her hands latched onto his neck.
Draco placed one last soft kiss on her sensitive lips before joining their foreheads together and opening his eyes. She was afraid to open hers, because he would see how much he had succeeded in affecting her. But she had no other choice.
Hermione met peaceful grey and was glad that his expression didn't seem to be mocking her, instead he was waiting for her to say something. Out of all the things she could say, she decided it was best to just follow his methods.
She kissed him again, and feeling his smirk against her lips. So she kissed him harder, her hands sliding from his neck to the front of his robes and using them to pull him against her as she sucked on his bottom lip, erasing that bloody smirk off his face. He reacted just as she expected, hungrily kissing her back, wanting to keep up with her.
This was far more aggressive of a kiss that she had ever shared with Harry, but not less nice or exciting, and although she had thought she was ready for this, nothing could have prepared her for the feeling of yearning that intensified every time he flicked his tongue against hers.
Draco's hands curled around her waist and she inhaled sharply into his mouth, giving him the perfect opportunity to let go of her lips and attack her neck, which made her arc her back off the tree and into him.
She opened her eyes briefly to witness the infinite amount of light shining down at them from between tree branches and Draco's ragged breathing was all she could hear.
"What are you thinking about?" he whispered against her skin and she felt her stomach drop because this was exactly the kind of situations she wasn't good at. Her mind searched for some appropriate answer that didn't make her look stupid and wouldn't ruin the mood.
"Umm... "She pretended she was far too distracted by his actions to be able to speak, but then he took his mouth off of her and straightened himself to look at her.
"Me?" he suggested and she nodded, relieved that he provided the answer.
"Harry?" he asked again and she nodded again.
"Tell me something about him," Draco prompted and she swallowed hard. He started to kiss up her jaw, tracing his way to her ear and by then she didn't have to pretend to be distracted anymore.
But Draco was getting impatient as he hummed encouragingly and kissed her temple.
An idea managed to work its way through the fog on her brain. "He and I..." she started but had to cut herself off when Draco tightened his grip on her waist.
"Yes?"
"Before I came here, he and I kissed. He kissed me and... And... "She couldn't get herself to continue to speak, even though she knew this was something that she had to get used to if she wanted to be in this relationship. Three people required a lot more communication.
Draco got to her level again, his face so close to her she could feel every panting breath bouncing against her skin.
"Show me," Hermione heard him say and she opened her eyes, feeling her cheeks flaming hot in embarrassment.
She guessed that was better than saying it.
Her hands slowly uncurled from their tight grip on his robes and she could feel the anticipation radiating from Draco's body. Deciding not to think so much anymore she caught his lips at the same time as she reached around to grab Draco's unsurprisingly perfect ass. He jerked slightly at the unexpected touch, but then the rather hard bite on her lip told her it had been the right call.
Feeling a surge of control over him, she pulled him closer and almost moaned when his erection pressed right above her hip. Draco let go of her lip and huffed a breathless laugh.
"Did he, uh?"
She gave a small nod and then abruptly Draco took a hold of her face with both hands, making her look up at him, meeting less intensity in his eyes than she had expected. Although visibly aroused, he was all softness and warmth, keeping a composure that she almost envied, as she currently felt like she might burst into the night if he stopped touching her.
His lips parted to speak and everything seemed to be in slow motion.
"What do you want to do, Granger?"
Draco sounded like he was savoring her last name after only saying her first for so long and her mind didn't stop to think, didn't hesitate at all when she answered.
"I want to go to your place."
His only reaction was to put one hand in his pocket and before she knew it, they were under the stars no more.
.
Her first thought upon seeing Draco's bed was how grateful she was for not being at her place which was currently covered in discarded clothing options.
Her second thought was how much it looked like the transfigured bed he and Harry had slept on at her flat. Big and simple. She suddenly missed Harry very much.
"Don't think that I don't like it," Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts and she turned her head to look up at him once again, realizing they were still very much in the same position.
"But I wouldn't have guessed you'd like it so much." he smirked.
And she was still very much grabbing his ass.
She let her hands drop to her sides, not really knowing what to do next. But Draco didn't let her wonder for too long, when he leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, then on the bridge of her nose, and then on her lips. Just with one small peck, she was hooked again, not being able to stop herself from touching him, hands all over his chest, mouth all over his neck, standing on her tiptoes to reach all the wonderful parts of him that she wanted to get to know personally. There was so much to do that it overwhelmed her, and she barely noticed that he was slowly walking them back to the edge of the mattress.
Hermione wasn't sure how far she wanted this to go, all she knew was that making love bites all around his neck was not enough. Lying down as he climbed over her was not enough. His hands all over her body was not enough. Struggling to unbutton his shirt was not enough. Draco groaning helplessly into her skin was not enough.
But when she reached down, her fingers sliding along the edge of his belt, Draco froze.
"Sorry, I…" she whispered as she retracted her hand and felt a sinking weight settling in her stomach.
He shook his head almost imperceptibly. "No. I want you to," he assured, his eyes staring purposefully into hers. "But tonight, let's just do this." He emphasized his meaning by taking her hand and pressing it against his hardness as she gasped. Swiftly, he let go of her hand and with his own started sliding up her thigh until he stopped between her legs and watched her bite her own lip to muffle a moan.
Hermione didn't know what to focus on, as each thing was more intense than the other; her hand cupping him with such eagerness like she had never felt up a boy in her life; his fingers starting to move slowly through the fine fabric of her tights; or the way he stared down at her, like he wanted nothing more than let her know that this was just the beginning of something she wasn't prepared for.
Perhaps this, was enough.
Author's notes: Long chapter today! If at any point you feel like one pairing is not showing up enough, fear not, I will always make up for it in the following chapters. Huge thanks to divergentofhogwarts for betaing this story.
