Chapter 11
"Why am I doing this?" Draco muttered to himself as he reattempted to tie his bow tie for the fourth time.
"Because you want to see what color knickers I'm wearing tonight," Hermione quipped. She lay across his bed in nothing but a towel, silently laughing with each frustrating attempt Draco made.
With a groan he threw the tie down and climbed onto the bed. His body covered hers before his lips devoured her mouth. His hand slipped into the towel, touching the softness of her abdomen. "Let's stay here tonight," he suggested, moving his lips to her neck.
Hermione moaned, closing her eyes as his hand moved up to her breast. "Can't," she murmured breathily. "I'm the maid of honor. I have to be there."
The movement of his hand ceased and his head rested against her shoulder. "And why do I have to go?" he asked for the tenth time that day. Hermione laughed at the whine in his voice. "I'm not even friends with Longbottom."
Pushing his lithe frame off of herself, Hermione giggled and pressed a kiss to his lips as she sat up. "I already told you why," she replied, pulling the towel around herself more tightly. "Now, I'm going to get dressed. You finish with that tie. And then we're leaving," she instructed, making her way to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, Hermione was ready. Draco, however, was not.
"I'm not wearing it," he said defiantly as she scowled at him. She didn't scare him, Draco told himself, until he was staring at the tip of her wand. In a mere three flicks of the wand, the bow tie was safely secured around his neck. Smiling satisfactorily, Hermione took him by the arm and led them to the foyer. All the while, Draco pulled at the tie that was too tight.
Leave it alone," she admonished, searching through her clutch for the invitation. It would act as a portkey, set to go off in under a minute. When it was in her hand, Draco grabbed a corner and they were soon spinning through a whirl of space. They landed with ease in front of a large, white tent.
Draco let go of the envelope once his feet were firmly on the ground. Beside him, Hermione held onto his arm for support while her eyes were closed. She breathed deeply as if she were going to be sick. "You're looking a bit green, Granger," he joked. "Are you alright?"
Hermione nodded but said nothing else. Seconds later, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "I'll see you after the ceremony," she said, kissing his cheek before turning away from him. He entered the tent. There were only a few rows of chairs set up for the guests, and in the front row sat Harry and Ginny Potter. Draco groaned at the sight of The Boy Who Lived and his very pregnant wife. He took a seat in the last row, as far from the couple as possible.
The ceremony began fifteen minutes later. Neville stood at the altar, shaking nervously despite the growing smile on his face. Hermione was the first one down the aisle, dressed in a knee-length, strapless, lilac dress. Hannah was next in flowing white robes. The smile plastered on her face as she approached her husband-to-be erased any doubts that this union was a bad idea.
The ceremony began and ended quickly. The vows, written by the couple, were shared and rings were exchanged before the minister declared them "Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom." The small orchestra played a joyous melody as Neville and Hannah walked up the aisle and out of the wedding tent. Hermione and Adrian followed behind, their arms linked. There was something about the sight of the former couple together that stirred something inside of Draco Malfoy.
Jealousy.
He shook his head as he exited the tent. There was no reason to be jealous of Pucey, he decided. Hermione had made it clear that his philandering ways had led to their break up, and she had no desire to revisit that part of her past. They were friends, much like she and Longbottom. But the romantic history, albeit brief, still weighed heavily on Draco's mind.
"You're still tugging at it," Hermione chided, interrupting his thoughts. He hadn't even realized his hand had been playing with his bow tie. Immediately, he let his arm fall to his side and smiled stiffly at her. Her brow furrowed as she looped her arm through his and led him to the reception. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," Draco mumbled. Once they were inside the reception tent, he let go of her and made his way to the bar. The scowl he wore deepened when he spotted Pucey ordering two drinks. Draco slapped two sickles down on the bar and ordered a firewhiskey.
Adrian turned and shot him a smile. "Oh, hey, Malfoy. Wasn't expecting to see you here," he said.
"Hermione dragged me along as her date," he muttered, grabbing his drink. "Who's that for?" he asked, pointing to the flute of champagne in Adrian's left hand.
"Hermione," Adrian replied simply.
Draco seethed as Adrian walked away from the bar. The glass in his hand was empty, and Draco was desperately in need of a refill. After ordering his second drink, he turned to watch Hermione. Adrian handed her the glass of champagne, but she didn't drink it. She smiled gratefully and set it down on the nearest table when Adrian walked away.
Hermione stood beside Ginny, a worried look marring her soft features. "He's drinking again," she confided in her friend.
"Hasn't he been doing this for awhile?" Ginny asked, resting her hand behind her back for support.
Hermione shook her head. She had noticed that in the month that they had been together, Draco's drinking had seemed to lessen. He would have a glass of wine with dinner and then a nightcap before bed, but the days of spending his afternoons drunk had disappeared. As Hermione watched Draco down his third drink, she told Ginny all of this. "What I don't understand is why start up again now?" Hermione wondered.
Ginny shook her head and laughed. "For someone as smart as you are, you're really dim sometimes, Hermione," she commented. The confused expression on Hermione's face forced Ginny to expound. "He loves you, but you won't commit."
Hermione scoffed. "He doesn't love me," she countered. "He loves shagging me, sure, but he doesn't love me. If you asked me, the only thing Draco Malfoy loves is a bottle of Ogden's Finest."
Ginny shook her head. Hermione was smart but stubborn. Until she wanted to see it, there was no way Ginny could convince her of Draco's feelings. The redhead noticed as Hermione's eyes settled on Draco, a look of longing flashing momentarily through her brown orbs, before she turned back.
"Gin, there's something I need your help with," Hermione whispered.
