Chapter 10

Draco breathed in the cool crisp morning air, it was just past dawn as he stood on the empty Quidditch pitch, he had agreed to come to the weekly game that Blaise and Theo played with. There weren't many things that Draco missed while he was traveling, but flying and playing Quidditch had been one of the few things he did miss. He closed his eyes and soaked up the morning rays, listening to the birds chirping in the distance, he took and deep breath and mounted his broom and pushed off, cool air rushing past his ears. He hovered high in the air, eyes still closed as he rolled his head back and outstretched his arms. It had been so long since he had been on a broom and almost twice as long since he had played Quidditch, he wondered how rusty his seeker skills would be. He opened his eyes to greet a slowly rising sun and he wrapped his hands around his broom, he wanted to put his new Nimbus 3000 through its paces. It was the newest of the nimbus line and the shop keeper promised unbelievable speed. He leaned only slightly forward and the broom surged forward at a breakneck pace, and before he realized what happened he had zoomed past the hoops on the far side of the pitch. Draco let up and the broom reacted, quickly yielding. Draco smiled. Bloody brilliant. He then took the broom in to some deep dives and fast turns, thoroughly impressed with the its sensitivity to his slightest movements. He would need practice before he adjusted to the new broom, but that's also why he showed up extra early for the match. Draco spent an extra hour on the broom adjusting to the sensitivity. It wasn't until he heard his name called that he realized he had an audience, he flew down to greet who he assumed was Blaise and Theo.

"Draco!" Called Theo as Draco landed down on the ground, walking over and grasping Draco's hand slamming it into his chest and taking his other hand slapping Draco's back.

Draco returned the greeting. "Theo, been a long a time."

Theo laughed. "Well, that happens to be because one of us took off after graduation."

Draco scoffed and nodded. "I needed to get the hell out of doge."

"Hey, I'm not saying I don't get it, but it's been three years, man. Though from what Blaise told me, it sounded like a tour de women, and I don't think any self respecting man would begrudge you for that." Theo laughed loudly.

Draco gave Blaise a side eye. "Well I promise that was neither the intention nor the only activity I did."

"Eh, I don't think it matters if it was the intention, mate." Theo smirked. "No, but really it good to see you, after the war it seemed like all of our classmates disappeared." He sighed a serious tone taking over.

Draco nodded. "Well, I'm sticking around this time, so I hope you got plenty of women while I was gone." Draco smirked and cocked his head. "Cause they'll be too busy with me for now on."

Theo threw his head back laughing, and Blaise chuckled. "Ah, it seems everyone is starting to show up," Blaise chimed in, looking at the center of the field where people were starting to aparate in. Blaise started introducing Draco to the other players. Some of them worked with either Blaise or Theo, others were from other prominent pure-blood lines, most had graduated after Draco, but all of them were Slytherin.

The game went on for several hours and it was intense, unlike playing with other houses at Hogwarts, playing with Slytherins was a game of cunning not just speed and talent. Other houses played with rules and morals and complained when Slytherins broke them, however here on this field playing dirty was half the fun, people were knocked off brooms run into blugders; anything to get the upper hand. Yet, everyone walked away laughing, cheering and jeering each other on. Draco decided this was one of the best games he ever played.

Half way through the match a nagging feeling came over Draco, like someone else was there watching them play, though he looked several times for by standers he never found any. The burrowing feeling of someones eyes in him lingered, Draco tried to shrug off the feeling, it could have just been one of the other players watching him. He had just come back to London after disappearing for a few years, people were bound to be curious about his return.

Draco was sweaty, muddy and beat to all hell when he apparated back to the mansion, once through the door he started stripping off his Quidditch gear. "Mother, I'm back!" He called through the manor, he was he was about to pull off sweat soaked under shirt, when he strode in to the sitting room where he found his mother giving him a reproachful look at his state of undress, and Granger with a blush reaching up her cheeks. Draco scowled "I wasn't aware we were having guests, Mother." He pulled back down his shirt which he had about half way up and re-buttoned his pants as looked at Granger.

"Draco, this does happen to be my resicdence and I may have guests without your express permission." His mother's voice taught.

Draco ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair. "You don't need my permission mother, it would be nice to have a heads up though." His voice terse, yet he had noticed that Grangers eyes had not moved off him since he entered the room. When her eyes finally traced up to meet his, Draco gave her a mischievous look, Granger turned a darker shade of red and whipped around to look the other direction. "I'm sorry to interrupt your tea time, I'm off to shower, please don't stop because of me." Draco walked over to his mother and kissed her on the cheek catching Granger's eyes. Draco was sure she was going to have whiplash before she left with how fast she kept looking away from him.

As Malfoy walked out of the room Hermione took another sip of tea. "Anyways, as I was saying. Narcissa, I'm so sorry for leaving the ball so early, I was not feeling well." She continued as she placed her tea on the table in front of her.

"I appreciate you taking time out of you busy schedule to speak to me about it." Narcissa smiled. "You are such a kind woman."

Hermione nodded, "Well thank you. However it was terribly rude that I left so abruptly and without explanation, I can't tell you how ashamed I am."

"The fact that you came to apologize in person speaks volumes, Hermione." Narcissa assured her. "Now do tell me how are things at work? I keep hearing so many things."

Hermione smiled and held the conversation, her mind however kept wandering back to the sweaty muddy Malfoy that interrupted them. Cursing herself for letting her eyes linger on him long enough that he noticed. Watching his finger slip under the fabric of his shirt and glide over ab muscles that Hermione had imagined before, noticing the deep V shape the plunged below his unbuttoned trousers. Hermione shook the tantalizing thoughts from her head and focused her attention on Narcissa. Feeling the blush raise in her cheeks again.

"Darling, are you sure everything is okay?" Naricassa softly asked. "You keep flushing, are you unwell?"

Hermione violently shook her head, "No, I'm fine I assure you." She swallowed.

Naricissa eyed her carefully, "Perhaps you need some fresh air. Ah, Draco perfect, would you please escort Hermione outside? I think she needs some fresh air, show her the gardens, they are very lovely."

Hermione's eyes were the size of dinner plates. She had not even heard Malfoy come back in to the room.

"Of course, mother." Malfoy walked over to where Hermione was and offered her and hand to stand up.

Hermione just stared at him, he smelled of fresh soap, and now he was wearing simple white button up shirt with the first few buttons undone,(this seemed to be how he preferred to wear his shirts) and black trousers again. This is probably how Malfoy dresses casually. Draco cleared his throat still holding a hand out for her, Hermione took his hand suddenly very grateful she wore a nice sun dress for tea with Narcissa.

"Follow me." Malfoy instructed her as he walked out of the room, Hermione nodded at Narcissa as she left with Malfoy.

She followed Malfoy through a few other rooms until they came to a sun room on the back of the Manor that opened up into the garden. Malfoy opened the door for her, then followed her out to the garden. The air was thick of floral scents, Narcissa had been right, Hermione's head did feel clearer in the fresh air. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, just taking in the warmth on her skin and the smell of the garden. She heard Malfoy's steps come to a halt next to her, clearly he was waiting for her to move before proceeding.

Draco looked over Granger, she was wearing a knee length white dress with a watercolor floral pattern on the hem of the skirt that stretched half way up the skirt itself. The bodice was a plain white with another boat neck cut and sleeveless. It was a simple but beautiful dress. Her hair was pulled back in to a simple ponytail, wild curls still everywhere but more contained than when she let her locks loose. Draco ached to touch her again, but refrained with all his might, instead he just watched her absorbing the sun, the soft breeze playing delicately with her curls.

Hermione opened her eyes surprised to see him looking intently at her, she locked eyes with him. She wanted to ask him everything, she wanted to ask him about that night, why he had left so abruptly the other day, why he was staring at her now. No words came, however, she just stood there looking at him waiting for one of them to break eye contact, but they didn't they just stared at each other for what felt like forever.

Finally Draco broke the silence though he felt he could stare in to her eyes for hours, anyone in passing would see this staring contest extremely odd. "This way." He held his arm out gesturing ahead of them Breaking eye contact to bow his head slightly.

Hermione looked over him skeptically, if you had told her even a month ago she would be taking a garden tour with Draco Malfoy she would have been in stitches, but here she was. Hermione nodded and stepped forward and they walked side by side in silence for a long time. Finally she conjured some of her Gryffindor bravery. "So you left our meeting very quickly the other day." She didn't make eye contact with him.

Draco looked down at his feet, he knew she'd ask him eventually. "Sometimes the heighten senses become overwhelming." He paused. "I had to leave and collect myself."

Hermione nodded, she had figured that was the reason for him leaving so quickly but usually the overwhelming senses were accompanied by an influx of adrenaline or hormones, a need to fight or mate. Hermione breath hitched "Were you in danger?"

Draco looked up at her with a look of confusion. "What?"

"Our research shows that heighten senses in werewolves happens when they are in danger, or aroused." She said simply.

Draco stopped in his tracks, damn her and her brain. He had been hoping to avoid the subject since she had so clearly denied him last time. "I told you, Granger." He gritted through his teeth sacrificing some his pride by admitting his rejection.

Hermione stopped and turned around to look at him critically. Does he remember that night? "Told me what?"

Draco clenched his jaw frustration rising in his composure. "Playing dumb, Granger, is not a good look on you."

Hermione crossed her arms defensively "I'm not playing dumb, Malfoy. I'm just trying figure out if we're talking about the same thing."

Draco glared at her, how much more did she want from him? He'd already confessed his unnatural, unyielding attraction for her did she expect him to grovel for her graces, he may have been hopelessly attracted to her but there was somethings he was not willing to do sacrificing all of his dignity was one of them. Then a thought dawned on him. "How drunk were you?"

Hermione eyebrows knitted together. "How drunk were you?"

"So you do remember." He stepped closer to her.

"I thought it was just a drunken confession and conquest." She watched him carefully.

Draco considered her for a long moment, deciding he was going to have to sacrifice more pride. "I meant every word, and you rejected me." He said slowly.

He wasn't wrong, she had run out on him, thus rejecting him, she hadn't meant it as rejection though. Maybe at the time she did, but now she just wanted more information. "You caught me very off guard. Last time I checked you hated me for my blood and then you come out of no where with that?" She paused. "Forgive my panic, but I had no idea if you were being honest."

Draco stepped closer again he felt that electric buzz he had felt between them the night of the ball. "Do you believe me now?"

Hermione realized how close he was when she could feel the fabric of his shirt brush against her folded arms, she didn't move away from him. "I can't just believe you. You spent years, years Malfoy, belittling me. Fought on the side of the war that wanted me killed for being muggleborn. You called me reprehensible names, said you hoped that I would be killed by the basilisk."

"I know!" Draco growled at her and stepped away from her, his temper now boiling. "I know, Granger. I was horrible, I was a prat. I get it! You have no reason whatsoever to trust me, or to believe anything I say. But I told you I had to say that shit because I needed to stay alive. And all that Basilisk shit, I knew what my dad was doing, I knew his plot, how else do you think that page on the basilisk page randomly showed up in your bag? I was trying warn you, I had been trying to warn and scare you all year to leave. I didn't want you to die, Granger. And then you went off and got yourself petrified, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee hovered over your bed all the damn time. I crashed my broom so I could come and see you, make sure you were okay, and apologize."

Hermione felt her breath leave her. "How did you know about the page? Only Harry, Ron, and I knew that."

Draco threw his hands up in the air and stomped away from her, turning to face her after a few paces. "I literally just told you, Granger, I ripped it out of a book at Flourish and Blots and kept it all year waiting for the right time to slip it to you. Then Potter got that stupid cupid-gram and in the commotion of everyone laughing themselves to tears I slipped it in to your bag."

Hermione jaw dropped. No one except the her, Harry, and Ron had known about the page and when Harry and Ron asked her where she got it, she told them the library, but the truth was she had found it at the very bottom of her bag and she had no idea where it came from. "Thank you."

This caught Draco off guard, he was expecting her to through it back in his face call him a liar. "Well, I didn't want to see you hurt. I hated it when I hurt you, I couldn't let my father hurt you too."

Hermione closed the distance this time. "Well without you, I don't know if I would have figured it out before someone died." She looked down at her feet. "There are just so many things I need to know, Malfoy"

"I know. I wasn't expecting this to be easy." Draco chuckled softly. "I was actually surprised you didn't Avada me when I kissed you."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Three years ago I would have in a heartbeat"

"What changed?" he asked daringly, softly playing with her hand.

"I don't know." She smiled at him. "Maturity? Time?" Dropping her hand so he could hold it.

Draco smiled and nodded. "Look, I'm sorry for how terrible I was to you."

Hermione looked at him seriously her hand in his. "Thank you, but I still need time, I have so many questions."

Draco looked at her warily, he wanted to answer her questions, he really did, but he just didn't know how much pride he'd have to give up to convince her he wasn't completely evil. "Let me take you out."

Hermione was taken aback, it wasn't a question but more of a demand. "Do I get a choice?"

Draco chuckled and looked at her softly. "Do you really want one? Let me take you out, and you can ask me whatever you want."

Hermione considered him for a long long moment, did she want a choice? The feminist in her screamed that she always had choice that she was proud, strong and that no man was ever aloud to demand anything from her. A smaller quieter side of her, however, found the demand sexy, his forceful masculine power teased the instinctual side of her. "Fine." She conceded. "Some place low key, I don't want the tabloids pasting our faces everywhere."

"Done." Draco agreed, he had never expected her to accept, he wanted her to, but he was sure her pride wouldn't allow for such things. Draco smiled to himself as a seed of hope sprouted in his chest, a feeling that he had long since forgot.