Hermione woke slowly the next morning, blinking her eyes as they struggled to adjust to the bright light. She frowned a little as she tried to stretch and found she couldn't, and then she abruptly froze when she realized just what was keeping her from doing so. The events of the night before came flooding back – Bonfire Night with her friends, Posey's unexpected arrival, her talk with Draco, and…oh, Godric, Salazar, and Rowena. He'd asked her to stay…they'd fallen asleep on the couch, hadn't they? She couldn't move because she was still on Draco's couch with Draco's arm draped over her waist…
"I was wondering when you were going to wake up." Hermione groaned.
"How long have you been awake?" she asked, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer. Behind her, she felt Draco shrug.
"Awake? Half an hour, at most. Coherent? That's another story. I have a wicked headache." Hermione nodded – the half-empty bottle of Firewhiskey was still sitting on the coffee table.
"How did you know I was awake?" she asked next.
"Granger, you're stiff as a board…"
"Oh…right." People didn't normally sleep like that. Hermione couldn't relax, though. How Draco was acting like this was just another normal occurrence was a mystery. It probably had to do with that whole 'Slytherins-keep-their-emotions-in-check' thing.
"What do Muggles do for hangovers, Granger?" In spite of the awkward situation, Hermione chuckled.
"Aspirin and water," she told him, "but it doesn't kick in right away like a hangover tonic would. You had a rough enough night without the headache; if you want to take the tonic, please do." There was a moment's pause – Hermione suspected Draco was mulling over her suggestion – and then Draco finally pushed himself up off the couch and headed for the kitchen. Since he hadn't asked her for aspirin (or even asked her what it was), she assumed he was taking her advice, and indeed, as she sat up he came back with a small bottle filled with bright blue liquid. Draco popped off the lid and took a sip, his expression relaxing noticeably as the tonic took effect, then offered the vial to Hermione.
"Need any?" Hermione shook her head.
"No, thank you – I only really drank with dinner last night; it was worn off by the time I came here." She inwardly cringed. Damn it – she hadn't meant to bring up the elephant in the room already…
"About that…" Draco began, but Hermione cut him off.
"It's fine, Draco, really. You don't need to apologize or anything."
"I wasn't going to – I was going to thank you, actually." Well, that threw Hermione for a loop.
"You…oh," she said quietly.
"Yeah." Draco sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward. "Listen, Granger. I…" He cleared his throat and spoke more clearly, more firmly. "I really did mean what I said last night – and just because I'd had a bit to drink doesn't mean I don't remember what I said. I'm sorry about being a jerk to you after the shopping trip, and-"
"Draco, stop," Hermione cut him off. "If you remember what you said, then you should also remember I told you that you needn't apologize – I didn't know about your fears, I had no reason to, and you reacted instinctually. I probably would've done something similar if I'd been in that sort of situation."
"I was still rude," Draco insisted. "But regardless, my thanks are sincere. I…I'd never told anyone what I told you last night. I never really had any intention to, but I guess Posey had other plans."
"She was worried about you," Hermione said softly. "She was almost in tears when she found me last night – she only did it because she cares."
"I know she does." Draco paused. "And while I had no intention of saying anything, I can't say I regret it. It actually felt rather…"
"Good?" Hermione suggested, a small smile gracing her features. Even though speaking of her own predicament didn't necessarily assuage the guilt, she'd still felt better when she'd told Harry, and again last night after talking to Draco. The guilt was still there, but it felt much better knowing she wasn't alone.
"Yeah – cathartic, in a way. I…thank you, Granger, really."
"In that case, you're welcome." Hermione paused. "About what you said – about people not understanding. I really don't know what to say to that, to be honest. We've both been through so many things that even most of our fellow wizards can't understand. And I suppose that's what makes it really difficult, because we have to be able to put our trust in our partners, and trusting new people like that is so hard. The right person will be the one you can trust with not only the secret that you're a wizard, but also with the knowledge that you've gone through some horrible things and have been greatly affected as a result. That person will be the one who accepts you for everything you are – 'warts and all', as my dad would tell me."
"Warts?" Draco questioned.
"It's an expression. Your warts are your flaws, and the people you want in your life are those who accept everything about you, including those flaws. People like that aren't easy to find, but when you do, it's well worth it."
"Yeah, it is." Draco thought of his little friend group – Theo, Adrian and Daphne, Astoria. He thanked his good fortune every day that he had them in his life. Could he possibly be so lucky as to love someone like them?
"But my friends know and understand my past, because they were a part of it," he continued. "How do you explain that to someone who didn't live it? You went to Muggle university, Granger – how did you explain things to your friends there?"
"Well, there's only so much I could say, thanks to the Statute of Secrecy," Hermione said. "I got special permission from the Ministry to use Silencing Charms on my rooms at school, and then at my flat afterwards – normally, we're not supposed to use magic around Muggles, but putting up the charms is better than having to come up with an explanation for my nightmares. I don't scream much anymore, but the worst ones still have me thrashing around and talking in my sleep." Draco nodded in understanding. Nightmares plagued all of the survivors, and Hermione's would be worse than most.
"As for school itself, I can tell people I went to a boarding school in Scotland for seven years, and the Ministry can convert your N.E.W.T. marks into comparable A-levels. It's hard not being able to say much more than that, but you manage. Besides, it's nice to have that clean slate and be able to have people know you as just another person instead of a war veteran." Draco nodded again, thinking immediately of the café owner in town, the man who'd asked him what he wanted without a sneer in sight.
"Of course, you'll still have to expect your life story to end up in the papers," Hermione went on with a disdainful little sniff. With the endless amount of ridiculous headlines in circulation pertaining to her and her friends, Draco didn't need to ask why she'd scoffed. "No matter what you do in the Muggle world, you're a top name in the Wizarding world whether you want to be or not – you just have to decide what you're going to do about it."
"Fair enough. You arranged some sort of contract, didn't you?"
"I did. The only reporters who are allowed to interview me are Luna Lovegood, Padma Patil, and Rita Skeeter – no Quick-Quotes quills or recording devices, and I get to read everything before it goes to print."
"Rita Skeeter?" Draco raised his eyebrows.
"Like you weren't feeding her everything you could get on us in fourth year," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "It's a long story and not really an important one, but it's much better to have Rita on your side than not."
"That I'll agree with." Yes, Draco had – gleefully, he was now ashamed to admit – fed Skeeter all sorts of information on Potter and his friends, and he knew from the aftermath that the woman could be downright vicious on a good day. Hermione's choice suddenly didn't seem so odd after all.
"So…what do we do now?" Draco asked after a moment. "Now that we've spilled all our deepest, darkest secrets, I mean." Hermione looked at him.
"Well…do you still want to continue with your lessons?" she asked.
"Yes, of course," Draco said at once. "I know you won't accept it, Granger, but I'm still sorry, and I do want to keep going if that's alright with you. I want to do this."
"I still say you were only acting on instinct, but if it means that much to you, I accept your apology," Hermione said. "And I'm glad you want to keep going – planning this whole thing from scratch is much easier when you have someone to plan it for. Besides" – she paused and grinned cheekily – "you still owe me for that new wardrobe of yours."
"That I do," Draco said, laughing a little himself. "But rest assured I would've paid you back even if I'd discontinued the lessons."
"But you haven't, so we don't even have to think about that," Hermione said. "So, a trip to the bank is in order, and then what?" Her expression turned thoughtful. "You know, a couple of my friends and I are going to the British Museum two weekends from now – I'll understand if you're not ready to spend lots of time around Muggles, but if you'd like to come, you're welcome to."
"The British Museum?" Draco asked.
"Yes, it's in London – my roommate has a rare day off and wants to go, and…" She trailed off, seeing the quizzical expression on Draco's face. "Erm…this may seem like an odd question, but do you know what a museum is?"
"Vaguely," Draco answered. "I understand the concept, but I've never been to one."
"You've never…" Hermione's eyes were wide. "Oh, there are so many wonderful museums, Draco! And the British Museum's collection is especially impressive – over a million items, I believe, although of course they're not all on display." She paused again. "Are there any museums in the Wizarding world? I don't know that I've heard of any."
"A few," Draco replied. "The one I know best is the Museum of Quidditch, which is in London also – I always wanted to go when I was younger, but I never did."
"Why not?" Hermione questioned. "You loved Quidditch at school."
"Lucius thought such things as museums beneath him – crowded and full of common folk." Draco made a disgusted face. "Mother only did things against his wishes in private – and even if she had taken me, I never would've been able to keep my mouth shut about something involving Quidditch."
"Well, then, we'll just have to visit that museum too," Hermione said firmly.
"But that's not a Muggle thing," Draco protested.
"And? In case you've forgotten, my course is going to cover both cultures," Hermione reminded him. "I need my education too." It was a bit of a rubbish response and they both knew it – Hermione knew plenty about Quidditch thanks to her friends' enthusiasm for the sport. Draco suspected Hermione was volunteering to go just because it was something he wanted to do, because she was just that type of person – the thought made him feel strangely happy.
"Alright, then," he conceded, trying his best not to sound too excited. "But tell me more about this British Museum."
"Oh, it's wonderful," Hermione said. "I haven't been in a few years, but I've been a number of times with my mum and dad – the place is so big that you can't possibly see everything at once. They have exhibits from all around the world – Britain, to be sure, but also Asia, the Americas, Egypt, Greece…something for everyone, really."
"And you're going with friends?" Draco asked.
"Yes – my roommate Heather, and our friends Cat and Dave. There are two other people who usually hang out with us as well, but they're busy that weekend, so it'll just be the four of us."
Draco thought about it. He'd already spent plenty of time in the village, plus he'd survived all day at the shopping center – which, if Hermione was to be believed, was an ordeal worse than most. Three new people might not be so bad.
"Give me a day or two to think about it, but put me down as a tentative yes," he finally said. He felt that little thrill again when Hermione smiled – yes, she was eager to please, but he suspected it was more than that. Hermione was slowly but surely becoming one of those people he could trust, someone like Theo or Astoria, and Draco found he actually quite liked that idea.
"Alright, then," Hermione said. "Possible trip to the British Museum it is. We'll work in a Tube ride, and maybe some fish and chips." Draco laughed at that, remembering how shocked Hermione had been when he'd said he'd never even heard of the dish.
"Alright, Granger," he said, still chuckling a little. "I'll try your fish and chips…but how about some breakfast first, yeah? After all, it'd be rude of me not to feed you after you spent the night on my couch…"
Ultimately, Draco did decide to accompany Hermione and her friends to the British Museum. He wanted to learn more about the cultural side of things and was curious as to what sort of exhibits the museum would have – while he'd traveled a fair bit as a child, his family had always kept exclusively to Wizarding districts, and so Draco really was just about as in the dark as he could possibly be. A week before the outing, he and Hermione took a trip to Gringotts – the goblins there were well versed in all aspects of banking, and with the help of their human liaisons, Draco soon had his own Muggle bank account, complete with card, which he stowed safely in his new wallet alongside the photo ID Hermione had helped him get. Hermione went over the bank procedures with Draco until he was sure he could withdraw, deposit, and transfer money in his sleep, and of course he finally paid her back for his new clothes. When they left the bank for the first time, Draco stopped to activate his card at the ATM and withdraw a small amount of cash to have on hand, and though he'd never admit it to Hermione aloud, he was quite proud of the colorful notes and what they meant for his changing life.
Draco met Hermione midmorning on the day of their museum trip at the Leaky Cauldron in London. Their plan was to take the Tube to the museum and meet Hermione's friends there. Hermione had suggested that Draco wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and so he'd dressed in jeans and a navy jumper over a white Oxford shirt, with a coat to ward off the November chill. Hermione nodded approvingly at his attire – Draco was satisfied he'd chosen well when he saw that Hermione was also wearing jeans – and the two prepared to leave the pub for Muggle London.
"Ready?" Hermione asked as she made to push open the door.
"As I'll ever be," Draco replied. "Let's go."
Draco didn't know which way to look first. Charing Cross Road was a busy place, filled with all kinds of shops in many sizes and colors, and people hurried past, both in cars and on foot. The Leaky Cauldron sat between a bookshop and some sort of music shop, and Draco noted with interest that the Muggles' eyes glanced over it as if they couldn't see the pub at all. He quickly followed Hermione down the street, taking in as much as he could without gawking, and they soon arrived at the Charing Cross Tube station. Hermione walked him through how to purchase a ticket, and not long after that, they were on the platform and boarding their train.
Their train car was full, but not so much that its occupants didn't have room to move comfortably, and Draco examined the advertisements as the train glided along. Two stops later, he and Hermione disembarked at Tottenham Court Road. From there, it was just a short walk to their destination, but it offered Draco plenty more opportunities to examine the many sights, sounds, and smells around him. He now understood why Hermione had insisted on starting small – though he'd been to Wizarding London plenty of times before, he'd never seen the Muggle side of the city, and it was much, much bigger than he'd ever imagined.
Just like the city it called home, the British Museum itself was big – enormous, in fact. The columned façade stretched impressively in both directions, with wide steps leading up to the entrance, and people milled about in the courtyard. Hermione began scanning the crowd as soon as they were through the gate, and she soon grinned broadly and motioned for Draco to follow her over to a girl at the base of the steps.
"Heather!" Hermione said, giving the girl a hug. "I'm not surprised you're here first."
"Dave and Cat are on their way – Cat, as usual, forgot something and had to go back. I see your friend decided to come?"
"Yes. Heather, this is Draco Malfoy – we went to boarding school together. Draco, Heather Brooks, my roommate and good friend from uni."
"Pleased to meet you," Heather said, offering her hand for Draco to shake. Her voice was strong but quiet, the type to instantly put you at ease.
"Likewise," Draco replied. Heather was almost as tall as he was, with straight brown hair pulled into a neat ponytail, and a slender but athletic build. Draco didn't know anything about Muggle sports yet but suspected Heather did something like that.
"Oh, there they are!" Hermione cried, calling Draco's attention to the two people now hurrying across the courtyard. One was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with glasses that reminded Draco of Theo; the other was a petite, curvy girl with dark wavy hair running halfway down her back.
"Hey, Hermione!" the young man called as he swept her into a fierce hug, lifting Hermione right off her feet. Hermione laughed merrily, her eyes twinkling as she returned the embrace.
"Dave, you're ridiculous!" she said once she was back on solid ground.
"Ah, but you love me for it," he replied cheekily. Hermione shook her head in fond exasperation and introduced Draco to the newcomers – the man was obviously Dave, and the short girl was called Cat.
"It's short for Catherine, but the only person who calls me that is my mother when I'm in trouble," she said mischievously. Draco quickly agreed that the nickname suited her much better – she didn't much look like a Catherine, but she definitely had the spunky personality of a Cat.
"Shall we go in?" Hermione suggested once her friends had stopped talking. They agreed, and the group of five made their way up the steps and into the museum.
The inside of the museum was just as grand as the outside. The main pavilion was a vast open space, with polished floors underfoot and what appeared to be a glass ceiling up above. A wide, sweeping staircase led to the upper floors, and the ground floor galleries beckoned to them from the left and right. Hermione grabbed a map from the information desk, and the group examined it closely before deciding on a course of action and setting off.
They spent several hours wandering through the exhibits, and Draco was hard-pressed to decide what was the most incredible. He nodded appreciatively at the Rosetta Stone – Professor Babbling had mentioned the groundbreaking tablet in Ancient Runes class – and he'd heard of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as well, as several of them were at least partially constructed by wizards. They saw ancient statues and temples, samurai swords and wedding kimonos, Egyptian sarcophagi and Greek coins, shards of pottery and scrolls of calligraphy, ivory chessmen and gold clocks…it was an endless parade of art, treasures from all corners of the globe and spanning thousands of years of history. If Draco's beliefs about Muggles and their world hadn't already shifted, they would've shattered to pieces that afternoon. How could he even claim their society to be inferior when they were capable of producing such amazing pieces? Perhaps Muggles weren't entirely ignorant of magic after all – they just used it in a different way.
On top of the exhibits, there were Hermione's friends, who'd accepted Draco into their fold and treated him as if he'd been there all along. Draco wasn't quite sure what to make of this – in Slytherin, even acquaintanceships took time to cultivate – but perhaps the difference here was that he didn't have to wonder whether or not the Muggles were trustworthy. For one, except for perhaps Cat, they were about as un-Slytherin-like as it was possible to be, and for another, Draco already trusted Hermione – if her friends were good enough for her, they were good enough for him. And they certainly were – they made him feel welcome, they included him in their jokes and stories, they asked his opinion on the exhibits (including a fiercely amusing debate between Cat and Dave on whether the Easter Island statue or the Parthenon friezes was more impressive). They all had afternoon tea at the museum, still chatting excitedly about everything they'd seen, and they were discussing plans to do something similar in the future. That Draco was invited as well went unspoken but implied, and Draco couldn't deny that it felt good. In fact, once the day was over and he was back home telling Posey all about his favorite exhibits, Draco had to admit to himself that it was the best day he'd had in a very long while, and he was very much looking forward to having many more just like it.
A/N: I'll admit it - when I was in London last year, I definitely looked for a bookstore next to a music shop on Charing Cross Road...there are lots of bookshops on that street though, haha. I'll have to try again next time. Hope you all enjoyed their museum excursion & meeting Hermione's friends! They'll be back again for sure.
Thank you, as always, for your lovely reviews, & for reading/following/favoriting/etc.
JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)