A/N: Your response to this story makes my heart swell! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, has been following, has favorited and to all you anonymous readers out there! I have the next three chapters written and plan to finish this story as quickly as inspiration allows. That said, the updates may be less frequent after Chapter 12. This has been a fun story to write and I hope you will stay with me to the end!

Regards,

Jen215

Disclaimer: Draco, Hermione and all other names you recognize, are fictional characters created by J.K. Rowling herself. I do not own them.

Chapter 10

It was Saturday evening and they had just finished a very public dinner in Diagon Alley when he told her they had an appointment to attend down the street. He refused to give any details as they emerged from the restaurant and into waiting crowd of reporters and cameras. He pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her shoulders in an effort to shield her from the press as he led her to the closest apperation point before turning on his heel. Seconds later they arrived in a small room at the back of a shop. As they made their way into the store Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she looked around at all the beautiful jewelry surrounding them.

"Mr. Malfoy, so good to see you again."

"Good evening, Mr. Birk." Draco shook hands with the store owner and introduced Hermione before indulging in polite conversation.

"As you know we have some beautiful pieces and I am certain we can find or have one made to suit your liking." The owner offered. Draco grabbed her hand and the couple made their way over to a case holding wedding ring sets.

"I will give you a few minutes." Mr. Birk told the couple before retreating.

"Draco, what are we doing here?" she hissed in panic.

He smirked at her discomfort before offering an explanation. "I thought you might like to pick a ring that you like, since you'll be the one wearing it."

She could feel the pink warm her cheeks as she just stared at him. It was a thoughtful and unexpected gesture that seemed too modern for him somehow. "I assumed there would be some kind of family ring that I would have to wear." She admitted quietly.

"No such ring exists." He smiled. "Come look and when Mr. Brik comes back you can try on a few." He offered.

She was hesitant at first but with Draco's assistance picked a few that she thought were beautiful. Hermione slid a band onto the ring finger of her left hand and laid her palm atop a black fabric covered board while the owner set a large square stone in the prongs of the ring. She tried on several settings but fell in love with an intricate design with a dozen smaller diamonds channel-set on each side of the band surrounding the center stone.

"I would like to see this setting," Draco motioned with his hand toward the band on Hermione's finger, "with a three carat diamond."

The brunette turned to look at the tall wizard beside her but he simply watched her hand as the old jeweler set a new stone within the prongs. "That's much better." Draco appraised.

"I don't know, isn't it a bit too much?" Hermione asked Mr. Birk.

"That, my Dear, is simply a matter of taste. I would say one could put as large as a four carat stone into this setting and it would look beautiful." The owner smiled warmly. A smile was all Hermione could manage before she gently removed the band from her finger.

"Please set this aside for me, I will be in to select a diamond in a few days." Draco told Mr. Birk as he handed over the daedal band.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy, I look forward to it."

Hermione had questions sitting at the tip of her tongue but held them in until they were alone at her flat.

"I didn't even know jewelers were open this late in the evening." She mentioned casually as she slipped off her shoes.

"Depends on the customer. The Birks have been the Black family jewelers for a few hundred years. They were one of the only designers that used Welch gold, back when it was considered elite, but as you saw, gold jewelry is not popular at the moment."

"That's interesting and yes, I did notice the lack of gold." She admitted, folding her feet under her and settling into the settee in her front room. "I can't believe we are almost at the engagement part of this arrangement already." She mused aloud.

"Not quite, but soon." He removed his suit jacket and set it across the back of the chair near her fireplace. She watched him closely as he walked over to the couch and sat down near her. "I still have to a few loose ends to tie up before we make anything official." He mentioned casually as he leant his head back on the settee and closed his eyes. She seldom stared at him, at least not outright, but in his relaxed state she felt safe taking a slow perusal of the tall wizard next to her. His shoulders were broad but his build was lean, his face handsome and is hair properly disheveled. A few moments later she watched as he loosened his tie yet didn't bother to open his eyes. "How much longer are you going to stare at me Granger?"

She quirked a smile. "Still as arrogant as ever, huh, Malfoy?" she teased.

"I can feel your eyes on me." He deadpanned

"Don't flatter yourself." She admonished.

"Keep watching me like that and you're going to give me the wrong idea. My offer still stands, just say the word." That earned him a smack on the chest but he was anticipating her brutality and grabbed hold of her arm upon strike.

"You…" she breathed out in surprise. He lifted his head, opening his eyes and turning toward her, his hold firm.

"It's inevitable. Don't you think?" He smirked, teasing her.

"You are a total arse, Draco. Now, let go of me." She laughed.

"No." he told her simply before he pulled her closer and tucked her into his side. She wanted to resist and pull back, but she didn't. She found his actions strange but couldn't say it was entirely awful.

"What are you doing?" she questioned.

"Resting, which would be a lot easier if you were relaxed." He told her leaning his head back once again and closing his eyes.

"Why are you holding me?"

"Practicing." He mumbled.

"This can't be comfortable for you." She tried again.

"Soft… warm…" he mumbled wrapping his arm around her waist.

"You're not going to let me go, are you?" She asked defeated. When he didn't respond she finally gave up and laid her head on his chest. She would let him sleep for a few minutes but then he had to go home.

She woke with a start and her heart raced as she assessed her surroundings. She was in her front room stretched out on the sofa next to Draco. His arm was still wrapped around her waist and she was sure they would both be sore by morning if they remained on the settee. She called his name quietly but he didn't wake. She tried again and rubbed her hand across his chest. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes to see her perched over him.

"Hey." He spoke softly.

"I thought you might want to head home before you wake up sore tomorrow." She whispered.

"Yeah, probably should." He told her yet made no move other than to reach up and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She closed her eyes at his touch. "I don't know why you insist on making this more complicated." She breathed out.

"More fun." He corrected before attempting to sit up. He put his elbows on his knees for a moment before he stood. She stood too and made her way to retrieve his suit coat, meeting him in front of the fire.

"Thanks for tonight."

"You're welcome." He told her before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers in another chaste kiss. Moments later he disappeared in green flames.

He heard his fireplace roar to life and looked up curiously from the work spread across his desk. Hermione stepped out into his study and jumped in surprise when she found him staring at her. "You scared me! I didn't expect you to be sitting right there." She told him putting her hand to her chest to clam her beating heart.

He laughed, "Well, I could say the same for you, Granger. Can't get enough of me, I see?" He teased.

She shot him a glare but her cheeks became pink which only made him more curious about her unannounced visit. He stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain.

"Let's drink, Malfoy. I need a gin and tonic or maybe a fire whisky." She declared as she began to make her way across the room toward the door. She only paused in the doorway to take in his shocked expression for a moment before she disappeared from sight. He sat at his desk trying to decide if Hermione had actually just walked through his study or if he had just imagined her. He deserted his paperwork and walked swiftly down to the kitchen. The wall concealing his favorite narrow room was open and when he walked in Hermione was behind the bar pouring a drink.

"What can I get you?" she asked as he leaned on the wood of the bar. "Fire whisky would be great." He replied eyeing her suspiciously. Although she seemed determined she also appeared anxious and he wondered what topic could possibly require drinks in the middle of the day to discuss. He let her finish her first drink before he probed.

"I know this was not in the plan for today so it's time to come clean." He informed her. She didn't move from behind the bar but instead conjured a stool with the flick of her wrist and a mumbled spell.

"We need to talk but first I'm going to finish this." she motioned to her full glass. He watched curiously as she drained the drink in a few large gulps and began making another drink.

"Granger, you might want to slow down, if you're slurring your words it will completely defeat the purpose of your visit." A smirk graced his face and she narrowed her eyes in response.

"Although I hate to admit it, you have a point." She conceded. She pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly while he sat patiently. "We need to talk about last night."

"Ok. What about last night?"

"We fell asleep together on my sofa and… you kissed me."

"I guess I'm having a hard time understanding where the problem is." He said carefully.

"You don't see the problem?" she asked her voice rising at the end.

"No. I've kissed you before but it never warranted a talking to." he told her, his voice taking on a serious tone. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable last night but I think we need to get used to being physically close to one another."

"Funny, I was thinking the exact opposite. I don't think we can afford to complicate this… agreement with, well, that."

"I disagree."

"Of course you do! You're male!" She huffed.

"That's not fair. I may think about it a lot but that doesn't mean I would act on it. I don't sleep around, Granger." He ground out.

"Not even before we started this crazy agreement?"

"No, never have. I'm not as shallow as you think." He replied irritated.

She drained her second drink in an attempt to avoid looking at him. She was arguing with him because she was uncomfortable not because he was doing something inappropriate. If he was crossing some invisible line, she sure hadn't made an effort to stop it. Maybe she was the shallow one. Maybe she was the total arse instead of him. She focused on pouring gin over the remaining ice in her glass before she added a smidge of tonic and a wedge of lime. "I've been a complete jerk… and I'm sorry." She looked up to see his brows knitted together.

"We need to figure this out, and you need to take it easy on the gin. How will we solve anything once you're sloshed?"

She set the glass down after taking a quick pull. "Fine, let's figure this out."

"Here's my proposal… Let's act like the adults we are and determine ahead of time how we are going to manage through the physical stuff between us. It's going to continue happening, on one level or another so we might as well have a plan that we both agree on, for handling it."

"Ok, I'm with you so far but how do you propose we handle it?"

"I think we should just do what feels right when and if it feels right. Simple."

"What if you kiss me but that's not what I want?"

"Then just tell me to stop." He shrugged.

"That's it, just that easy?"

"Yep." He grinned proudly.

"Have you thought for one minute about that fact that a physical relationship is a terrible idea, not to mention that it never was part of this agreement, could totally expose us if things go badly, plus…" She was almost at a yell by this point, irate with his stupidity, "we don't even like each other." She finished, fuming.

He watched her for a long silent moment as her chest rose and fell with each breath. She was beautiful and he wondered why he had not noticed sooner, why they had not been friends in school when they were so well suited for one another. Right, because he was a pureblooded git. No matter how right she might be he couldn't overlook his attraction for the witch in front of him, nor could he ignore that she had not once refused his advances.

"I understand what you're saying,"

"But you don't agree." She cut in brashly.

"No, I don't agree that it's a terrible idea. Although you made valid points, they are outdated and don't apply any longer. Think about it Hermione, would we even be having this conversation if there wasn't something more between us then a vow?"

"I thought we could be friends, Draco. Friends." She whined.

"We are friends. Friends that have developed a physical attraction to one another." He reasoned.

"You may feel that way about me, but I'm not attracted to you." She replied adamantly.

"That's a lie and you know it."

"What would give you the impression that I find you attractive?"

"Do you want a list? I'm not an idiot, Hermione, I see the way you look at me and you never push me away. Never."

He was right but she would never admit that, at least not willingly. "I'm lonely Draco. I miss having someone hold me and kiss me and love me. You're a warm body."

It stung good and hard for a minute and he sat back in his chair to glare at her. She was embarrassed, that much was clear but the other obvious emotion was nervousness. She might be lonely but he knew in that moment that he wasn't just a warm body. She was anxious to see if he believed her lie and there was no way he was letting her off the hook, not now.

"Finish that and let's have another. We still haven't come to any solution."

She drank what was left in her glass and began pouring another round. "I think it's better if we keep our distance, no unnecessary displays of affection." She told him glancing his way briefly as she added a lime to her drink.

He downed some of the amber liquid before responding. There was no way he could keep his end of her proposal. "Fine, no unnecessary touching… but, if you ever admit to finding me attractive, we abandon your proposal and go with mine instead."

She didn't' answer for a while but scrutinized him with her eyes instead. His confidence made her suspicious, but she wasn't going to pass on his commitment to back off. "It's a deal."