…..
A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter done, but I just couldn't figure out where Mione and Draco could go without someone realizing he was a Malfoy. I wanted them to have a nice date before the war. For their sake.-L
….
"Come with me. I want to go somewhere. Where no one knows our names." He whispers, looking at me through the books in the library. "I want to take you out on a date Hermione." I sigh. I had never really been one for dates, but it did sound nice to be able to just go somewhere with him.
"Yea, but how realistic is that? Where can we go that someone doesn't recognize that you're a Malfoy?" And then it hits me. The one place no one would realize he was a pure-blood. "Wait! I've got it! I have a place, but you can't laugh."
"I can't laugh, first place I made you meet up with me was the lavatory." He smirks. "What should I wear, my lady?"
"Let's see…" I have to think, what wouldn't stand out? Any boy who looks like Draco don't need help standing out in a crowd, he would do it well enough on his own. "Just wear slacks, and your school uniform, minus the gown and vest of course."
"See you at midnight. The courtyard." Winking at me, Draco grabs a book from the shelf, and walks away. How does that boy do it? How does he give me butterflies and then just casually walk away? How was he going to respond to our date? What was I going to wear?
….
"Does this look bad?" I ask Ginny, looking at myself in the mirror. The red spaghetti strap dress, sleek and tightfitting, and went down to about my knees.
"No." She replied, admiring the dress. Looking me up and down, she looks like she's about to cry. She can't afford things like my dress, the youngest of seven, she could barely afford her books.
"Please don't cry, Gin." I sit down on the bed next to her, wrapping my arm around her. "You can wear it anytime you like, I promise. I wasn't even going to wear it here at the school." I wasn't lying. "I was going to wear it….out. So, if you wear it, and Harry saw you.." I hinted.
"Really? You would do that for me?" She asked, looking up at me.
"Of course. You're my best female friend." I hug her, wishing I could tell her what was going on. She always told me about all of her boyfriends, all of her crushes. One day. "I love you like you were my own sister, you practically are. We need to get going to bed though, mornings going to get here soon." So is midnight.
"Ok, Goodnight." She says, getting up and grabbing her bed clothes to change. After we change, I lay down, resting my head on my pillow, and wait, staring at my dress hanging up in the closet.
Three hours later, after sneaking out of bed, going to the lavatory to change into my new red dress and a pair of heels, I go out to the courtyard. There he is. I sit back, in the shadows for a minute, watching him. He looks amazing, staring up at the moon, wearing his white button down shirt, a pair of slacks, and that hideous green and black striped tie. I can't believe how lucky I am to get to go on a date with him tonight. I sigh, putting one foot in front of the other, until I am finally in view, hoping the moonlight gives my dress some justice. Draco's eyes get big, his mouth drops open, and all he can do is stare.
"Oh Hermione." He sighs out, bowing down. "You put the moon and stars to shame tonight. Merlin has blessed me with your beauty." I feel my cheeks redden and look down, glad that it is dark so that he can't see me blush. "We need to go, at least in our pajamas, we have a poor excuse for why we are out." I nod.
Minutes later, we arrive at our destination, Draco can't help but stare.
"Draco. Stop staring." I mumble under my breath. "It is simple. Muggle. You will never be recognized here."
"I would say. It's disgusting, dirty." He replies, and I know he is right. I don't even try to argue with him. The first time I left for Hogwarts, the culture shock scared me. It was clean, it was spotless. There was no dirt, no trash, no homeless.
"It has restaraunts that are open all night, fancy restaraunts. Let's go." I say, taking his hand. We walk down the street, and although Draco can't help but stare at well, practically everything, it's nice to be away with him. "This one looks good, I suppose." We are now standing in front of the brick building. It has two windows, with bars over them, and flower pots as window sills. Quickly, Draco walks in front of me, bowing as he opens the door.
"You don't have to believe me, but my father has never let my mother open her own door when he's around." I was shocked. I didn't see Lucius being that type.
The resteraunt is even more beautiful on the inside, a red velvet runner leading the way from the door to the attendant booth. Along the sides of the runner, you can see rock flooring showing through, the light gray contrasting perfectly with the red. There are benches in the hallway as well, for people to sit while waiting for a table, and a man in a black suit at the end, waiting to seat us.
"How many sir?" The attendant asks Draco, bowing slightly, his hair the same slicked back look Draco had when we first met. Draco just looks at me.
"Two, non-smoking please." I butt in kindly. As the attendant grabs two menus and leads us to our seats, I smile sleekly at my date, walking in front of him. As we go to sit down, the attendant pulls out my chair for me. "Oh, Thank you sir." I answer, sitting down. Draco just glares at him, like the man offered to kiss me or something.
"What can I get for drinks?" The man asks us, looking at Draco first and then me.
"Tea please." I answer, "for both of us"
"Your waitress shall return with your drinks." As the attendant walks away, Draco stares at me.
"This is defiantly different than any pub I have ever been in." Draco tells me. "The muggles do things so strange."
"Yes. Yes, I suppose they do, don't they? But, you will not find a single Malfoy here, a single Weasley. Nobody will recognize us. Our secret is safe here. We are just a muggle boy and a muggle girl eating at a fancy resteraunt." I giggle. "I'm really not even hungry, you know?"
"Really, I'm not either. I guess I probably shouldn't have eaten dinner in the hall this evening, but I had no idea that we were going to be coming here. Let's just get our teas and talk." He replies, and I'm thankful.
"Here are your drinks, what can I get the two of you to eat?" The waitress asks, setting our teas on the table. She is a blonde, wearing a white button down shirt, and a sleek black skirt. Staring at Malfoy, she loses focus of her job, staring at his white hair, and then his tie, focusing on the colors.
"We are fine actually" I answer, breaking her concentration "I think we are just going to enjoy our tea and rest a while. You see, my friend here" I raise my hand, referencing to Draco, "Is from out of town, and hasn't had a chance to see a night out in London yet."
"Oh yes, I'm sure. London is a very beautiful city." The blonde answers, looking at me for a second, then walks away.
"Thank you Mione. I was scared for a second that she recognized me." Draco says, taking a sip of his tea. "But how would a muggle recognize me?"
"I don't think she's a muggle." I whisper, barely audible for even his ears, much less anyone hearing bits of the conversation. "The way that she looked at your tie, I think she went to Hogwarts, or had a sibling who did."
"Waste of magic if she did. To come and work here afterwards?" Draco snarls.
"Some do" I reply, hoping that she isn't a Death Eater herself, but that would be silly to work amongst muggles if you hate them that much.
"I want to tell you, Hermione, that I enjoy your company. When I am with you, it isn't dark and light, good and evil. It's just you and me. There is no war, I can be me." He looks down at his tea, as if he is holding the conversation with it instead of me. "I don't even get that privilege at home."
"I understand" I say, looking into his gray eyes, thinking about that kiss we had shared in the courtyard, how everything had disappeared when his lips pressed against mine.
"You don't. You get to be you whenever you leave my presence. Don't think that I don't see you at lunch. That I don't watch you laugh with Potter and Weasley. That I don't hear you talk with Ginny and Luna about your magazines. You get to be a normal teenager while I am sitting here trying to figure out everything."
"Listen to me, when this bloody war is over, you will get to be normal too. Our lives will be normal." I exclaim. "All will be fine." I whisper, looking down at the table.
"Tell me about your life, Hermione, your life at home. Your parents." Draco says, "I've never had a chance to actually ask someone about muggles."
"My parents are dentists, they clean peoples teeth. It's not a dangerous or a wild job, just a job. They have always been very supportive of me. Mom was thrilled when I got accepted to Hogwarts. She made cookies for a week" I laugh, remembering how I would come home from my muggle school and she would be in the kitchen singing away 'Bubble and brew and monkey stew' like she knew what she was even talking about. "My father, he was excited too. I remember him telling me 'I always told you that one day you would fly with the eagles, that you were smart enough to do anything'. I still tell myself that whenever I am having problems with my O.W.L exams, or" I pause, looking down, embarrassed.
"Or what?" He asks, looking at me concerned. A tear streams down my face.
"Or whenever you would pick on me." I whisper. "I told myself that you would see. That I would fly with the eagles and you would be sorry you ever picked on Hermione Jean. That's what my dad always called me." I laugh again, half-heartedly "Like Hermione wasn't long enough, he had to add in my middle name too."
"That's great. You're lucky to have parents like yours." He answers.
"Thanks." I blush. "Are you..ready?"
"Yes" He answers, "I think I am." Silently we go up to pay our bill. "Don't worry about it, Draco. Your money isn't going to work." I take out my wallet and pay with muggle money. He looks at me, shocked. I think he felt average. I could tell it was a feeling he wasn't used to.
Next thing we knew we were back in the courtyard. "Thank you, Hermione. I had a wonderful time." Gently, he kisses me, running his fingers through my tangled hair. "I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."
"Ok" Is all I can get out, shocked from the kiss. He laughs, kissing me again.