Hermione set about cooking them a fancy dinner - not because she was being nice - just because it gave her something to do. Both she and Draco were supremely bored. Draco had opened a bottle of wine and Hermione had happily joined him in having a glass because it had been a weird couple of days.
When the dinner was almost ready, Draco hung around trying to help but just getting in the way. Eventually they sat down to eat and Hermione watched as Draco took his first mouthful.
"Well?"
"It's okay, surprisingly."
"Draco!"
"It's lovely."
"Good."
Hermione started eating but something about sitting and eating as if this was what they did on a regular basis made her feel emotional. She did this with Harry and her other friends and it increased her sense of everything being abnormal to be sitting here with Draco instead. They'd become much more comfortable with each other but it wasn't the same. She suddenly lost her appetite as the reality of their situation hit her. Her life was under threat, she was trapped here with Draco Malfoy and they had no idea how long for.
"What's the matter?" Draco asked and Hermione made a show of trying to eat again.
"Nothing, I'm just tired."
Draco didn't look convinced but he went back to his meal.
"So, Harriet are we going to accept our invitation to Callum's? Will you be able to keep the act up?"
Hermione looked up. "Yes, of course I will!" She felt annoyed at his constant doubting of her. "I can deal with this you know! I wish you'd have some confidence in me." She felt tears threatening and looked back down at her dinner.
"I have every confidence in you - you're better at all this than I am!" Draco said. "I'm just making sure you're okay with it."
Hermione kept her head down and moved the food around her plate. "Okay - sorry," she muttered. She felt tears stick in her throat and she took a deep breath trying to fight them off. She really could not sit here and cry into her dinner in front of Draco. She didn't hear him move and the first she knew was when she felt him bend down beside her.
"What's the matter?" he asked, gently and the concerned tone in his voice tipped her over the edge as the tears started to stream down her face.
"I'm sorry - it's just all this!" she waved her arm around the room almost knocking her glass of wine over. Draco grabbed it just in time to stop it pouring all over him. "I wasn't meant to be here! I was meant to be back at home resolving the case for you!" Hermione wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and Draco stood up without a word and walked away. She stared after him, thinking she'd upset him or he thought she was being pathetic. Instead he returned with a tissue and handed it to her before bending down beside her again. "I'm sorry," Hermione said, again.
"Stop saying you're sorry! What exactly do you have to be sorry for?" Draco asked.
"I'm being pathetic."
"I'm glad you can't just cope with everything that's thrown at you. You always seem to able to deal with anything but this just proves you're just like the rest of us," Draco said these words kindly and Hermione gave a sniff before wiping her eyes again.
"I know you're probably finding this easy because you're used to dealing with things on your own but I've always had people to rely on and friends around me," Hermione stopped speaking at the look on Draco's face.
"You can rely on me, Hermione."
"I know I can when it really matters. If someone attacked us tomorrow then I wouldn't even consider you not sticking by me. It's not that," she stopped again, unsure how to say the next few words.
"You mean I make your life an utter misery on an hourly basis but if someone threatened us you know I'd join you in hexing them?" Draco put his head to one side, his words teasing.
"Not hourly...daily but not hourly," Hermione managed a weak smile. "Thanks for understanding what I meant. I'll be fine now - I was just having a moment."
It wasn't until Draco was half way towards her that Hermione realised what he intended to do. She felt her heart begin to thump wildly in her chest, not quite believing what was about to happen. She got one final look at his face, his eyes intense before she felt him pull her into a hug. For a moment she held herself completely stiff, totally unsure how to respond as Draco placed one arm around her waist. Her mind was racing, almost as much as her heart which she thought he might be able to hear it sounded so loud in her own ears. She didn't have time to think for long because her brain swiftly ceased to function properly when Draco reached up with his other hand to move her arms around his neck.
Hermione felt like she'd been touched by electricity as every nerve ending seemed to leap to life. The familiar, wonderful scent of him filled her senses and this was now accompanied by the feel of him pressed against her. Their bodies were touching from shoulder to hip and it felt extremely intimate and utterly wonderful.
It wasn't just the intimacy or the fact that Draco felt warm, toned and incredibly sexy against her - it was the way he was holding her, as if he really cared. She felt the tension that she'd been carrying around weeks start to seep from her and she sank into him as she let his closeness sooth her. Unthinkingly, she moved her arms further around him and felt his own arms tighten in response. There were tears on her cheeks again now but for a totally different reason because this shockingly, affectionate gesture of Draco's was exactly what she had needed. She didn't care that this was Draco Malfoy because she just needed this human touch, this communication with someone.
Hermione had no intention of ending this yet because it felt too wonderful but as Draco moved a little she feared he was about to move away. She was wrong because all he did was just pull her even closer and she was touched by another tingle as their embrace lengthened, making it mean even more. She couldn't keep the sigh that escaped her lips in and she felt Draco move his head so that it was resting against her shoulder. She could feel him breathing against her, his skin against her neck, his breath warm on her and time began to stand still as she was rapidly becoming completely immersed in the feelings that were running through her.
As Hermione finally let her brain switch off, suddenly, quickly but somehow smoothly their embrace became something else. No-one could deny that Draco Malfoy was incredibly sexy - Hermione had already admitted it to herself and being this close to him for this long was beginning to affect her. She felt butterflies in her stomach, the tingling increasing, her breath slightly more rapid.
She felt his hand move, just slightly lower into her back and he applied a little more pressure so that she was being pulled right up against him. She felt his lips near to her ear and she closed her eyes as a wave of pure sensation washed over her. Merlin he felt good. Her senses were beginning to sing and it shocked Hermione because Draco hadn't actually done anything sexual. This was all very platonic - it was just a hug - a very intimate one but just a hug. He hadn't touched her or tried to kiss her but the air felt more charged than if he had.
A small corner of her brain was wondering how could she possibly be so attracted to someone who was, at best, barely friends with her and at worst someone who was her worst nightmare? But the fact was that he was a very sexy, very charming and very handsome man who was now sending little bolts of lightning through her.
There was a loud popping noise and they jumped apart, Hermione rushing over to the stove. She fumbled with the controls and then waved her wand over the pans on the top.
"I forgot to check dessert," she explained, holding up a blackened pan. "I'm sorry but it's totally ruined."
Draco was watching her intently and he now gave a small shrug. "I don't care," he said. "It was worth it."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
It was Friday evening and they were now inside the beautiful, large cottage that belonged to Callum Smith and his girlfriend, Helena. Helena was a petite woman with gorgeous, chestnut hair and a wide smile that she used frequently. Hermione liked her instantly. She and Callum made good hosts and although Hermione had felt ridiculously nervous beforehand she was starting to relax. She looked down at the large glass of wine in her hand and made a note to not have too many of them or she would definitely say something she shouldn't.
"It's lovely to have another young couple living so close," Helena said after she'd been to the kitchen to check their meal. "We've missed that since living here. It's a lovely place but not exactly a nightlife hot spot. I think we shocked them all when we moved in and they saw Callum on his motorbike!"
Draco asked Callum which model his bike was and the boys slipped into a conversation that ended with Callum taking Draco outside to show him the bike. Hermione had to marvel at Draco's easy ability to take such a seemingly keen interest in something he obviously knew absolutely nothing about. He probably didn't even know how you sat on it but she didn't worry that he would be able to pull off a convincing show of interest.
Helena invited Hermione into the kitchen while she served the meal.
"So how long have you and Drew been married?" she asked.
"Oh...err...just over five weeks," Hermione remembered Draco's answer a few days ago.
"We hope to get married next year but after we bought the cottage we couldn't afford it," Helena explained. "This place is my dream home but it came at a price."
"It's beautiful. We admired it the other day on the way into the village."
"Do you both work?" Helena asked. "What do you do?"
"I'm a lawyer." At least this wasn't a lie. The evil side of Hermione seriously considered saying - and Draco's my client - just to see the look on Helena's face but her good side won. "Drew had his own business, his Father used to own it."
"Fantastic!" Helena said.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The meal was delicious and the four of them got on well. Callum was as nice as he had seemed with an easy going nature and a very keen sense of humour. Hermione could tell that Draco wasn't having to fake enjoying himself very much. He was laughing as Helena told them a story about when she and Callum had just met and the laughter was real, reaching his eyes. It struck Hermione that she was beginning to know him quite well! After the incident in the kitchen, neither of them had mentioned it but things had been just a little different. Draco was still teasing her, they were still bickering but she saw him glance at her every now and again with concern in his eyes. His jokes were still cruel and blunt but they were now tinged with more than a touch of affection.
After they had eaten they went to sit in the large conservatory which was gently lit by hundreds of small strip lights. It looked amazing. Helena and Callum took one sofa, Callum putting his arm around Helena. As Hermione sat down she realized that Draco was mirroring Callum's action and his arm was around her waist. She tried to relax and not think about it.
"I know you've only just got here but there's a village fete next week. Just the usual thing with stalls, a fair and games. Then on the night they have a live band," Callum said. "No pressure but if you fancy going then maybe we could all go together. Have a think about it."
"We don't need to think about it - that sounds great," Draco answered and Hermione was tempted to remind him of his earlier caution to her about not getting too friendly with anyone.
"How did you meet then?" Helena asked, refilling their glasses.
"At school," Hermione answered and she felt Draco squeeze her. She wasn't sure if that meant good answer or bad answer but she'd said it now."
"Really?" Callum asked. "You've know each other that long then? Was there always an attraction?"
Hermione couldn't hold in a chuckle and both Callum and Helena stared at her. Before she could explain, Draco jumped in.
"Actually, Harriet hated me."
"Really?" Helena was grinning at them. "Ooh! I love stories like this. So you hated him and then what happened? Did you slowly realize what an amazing man he was or did he charm you into it?"
"They might not want to give us details," Callum said.
"I charmed her, of course!" Draco joked. "Actually I didn't like Harriet very much either."
Helena giggled, enjoying the story. "This is going to be romantic, I can tell. Why didn't you like each other? You seem so well suited."
"He was a bit annoying at school," Hermione said, her words such a watered down version of how things had really been that she could have cried. A bit annoying? Huh!
"She was a know it all," Draco said, ungallantly.
"He thought he ruled the school," Hermione said with a little sideways glare at Draco.
"And she was a bit of a bookworm," he said.
"So what changed then?" Callum asked and Hermione realized that she and Draco had been headed towards exchanging insults all evening. She wasn't sure how to answer his question and she desperately hoped that Draco would jump in, which he did.
"We didn't see each other for a while and then when we did meet I think we both realized that our perception of each other at school had been wrong," Draco paused before adding. "Harriet has every right to be a know it all because she's the wisest person I know." Hermione couldn't help but turn and look at him in astonishment and she couldn't turn away when he spoke again. "She's still a bookworm but one hell of a sexy one." Hermione gaped at him and then realising they had an audience she blushed deeply.
"Oh my god! That is so sweet," Helena gushed. "I knew it would be romantic. What about you, Harriet? How did you come around to liking Drew?"
Hermione didn't know what to say she was so totally in shock at Draco's comments. This was all for show, of course but she knew he'd meant them - she could tell. She cleared her throat and tried to engage her brain.
"I...err...I don't know exactly what changed," she stuttered. She realized this wasn't a good enough answer and continued. "Drew is all bravado and show. He acts all overconfident as if nothing is of any importance to him but underneath he's actually a really lovely, caring person." The words were alien to Hermione but as she said them she knew how true they were. In fact, they were a very good description of Draco.
"Lovely," Helena nodded her approval. "I love it!"
Hope you liked their little embrace - I thought it was time but I didn't want it to be a kiss or anything yet. They're are not at that point yet. Let me know what you thought. x Anyone who notice my 'deliberate' mistake - sorry - I got my Hermione's and Harriet's mixed up! Oops!
