Come Fly With Me
A/N: What could I possibly tell you about this song that you don't already know? It's the name of this entire fanfic, it's sung by Michael Bublé and others, and it's a very sweet sounding proposal :)
Come Fly with Me: Let's Fly, Let's Fly Away
Chapter 25
They stood there in a staring match, neither moving an inch.
"What did you just say?" Hermione asked after moments passed.
"No." He repeated, this time a little louder, his voice steady. "I'm not letting you go."
"Draco." She breathed, in warning. She was utterly confused, but would not be commanded by him.
He reached for her again, grabbing her arm with an iron grip and pulling her out of the kitchen.
His behaviour was abhorrent. She should apparate right now, she told herself. Except of course she'd pull him with her, and she doubted her innkeeper would appreciate an unhinged Malfoy.
He brought them into the darkened den, and dropped her arm when they reached the couches.
"Sit." He said.
Now would be the time to apparate away, she told herself. But she didn't.
Instead she stood in front of the couches defiantly, arms at her hips, and narrowed her eyes. "What the hell are you thinking?"
The room was dark and his face was in shadow, but she could see the silver gleam in his eyes. "It's time we had that talk."
Her arms fell limp at her sides. That talk? What—? No, he couldn't…
"Malfoy…you are not referring to the talk? The one we never had?"
He looked at her, arms crossed, waiting.
She sighed out of frustration. "That was six months ago. I left the flat because I never intended on having that talk. It's over now, anyway."
"It's not over."
Her heart skipped a beat. If she weren't so affronted by his boorish behaviour, she would have rejoiced at his words. Instead she took a step towards him, holding her hands out. "A lot has happened since then. You've cleared your name with the Daily Prophet, and now the whole wizarding world adores you. No one thinks you're mental anymore. What's the point of talking about it?"
"What about you?" He pushed.
"What about me? Do I think you're mad, you mean? No, I don't think you're mad. Except of course, when you suddenly grab and drag me into dark rooms, then yes."
"Not that Granger. About what you supposedly did wrong. About feeling guilty over our relationship."
She closed her eyes and slipped down to the couch behind her. He wanted to know if she still felt culpable for her conduct towards him, her ex-patient.
"St. Mungo's gave me a four day suspension for that."
He laughed bitterly. "And then the Daily Prophet printed a retraction citing your innocence and complete justification to date me even as my former healer."
"You want to know if I personally still feel it was wrong to date you?"
"Yes Hermione."
The room filled with silence, but he was determined to wait out her answer.
She rubbed her eyes and sank further back into the couch.
"I'll always feel a little at fault for dating you so close to your treatment. I should have waited another two or three months, just to be sure."
"You had diagnosed me as well enough to function in wizarding society; that included functioning in healthy relationships. Since when does know-it-all-Granger ever make mistakes?"
"I don't," She said, getting up from the couch, her fists clenched and voice fiery. "When it comes to being a healer, I do not make such grave mistakes with my patients. For Merlin's sake, my assessment of your health had been correct. And the board knew it. They punished me anyway."
His smile was hidden in the darkness, but she could hear it in his voice. "Damn it Granger. Thank you, but you should have admitted that to yourself months ago."
"It doesn't matter," she shook her head. "I still should have waited. I should have allowed for social etiquette. I should have given it a few months more just to be sure our relationship wouldn't turn into a front-page sandal."
"Sweetheart, I'm one of the richest single wizards in England. We would have made front page no matter how long you insisted we wait." He sighed. "And who gives a flying hippogriff what society thinks? This is about us. You left me when we should have talked it out."
She let out a frustrated groan, turning away from him. "Because I hadn't considered all the facts. I had grossly neglected to consider the emotion-inducing potion you took, even if it's effects have now been proven again, thanks to Ron, to last only a day. My unprofessionalism in that regard was monstrous. And it was unscrupulous of me to become your healer in the first place, knowing the history we had at Hogwarts."
Draco laughed bitterly. "So you aren't perfect. That had nothing to do with our relationship after I finished treatment. Why did you leave me?"
"That night is forever ruined, no point in revisiting it." She walked over to the windows, placing as much distance as she could between them. Hermione had longed for months to repair their relationship, but hashing out their problems now in person was opening barely healed wounds. She needed to take a step back. "I really should go back to Nimes. What time is it?"
She almost jumped back at the low growl emitted from his throat.
"I'm not letting you go again." He hissed, advancing on her until there was no space between them.
She closed her eyes before he could touch her, imagining the white walls of the Nimes inn and waited. And waited. Nothing happened.
When she opened her eyes she could see his smirk in the dark. He was that close.
"Only Malfoys can apparate in and out of the villa. A special ward set up by my grandfather."
She had never heard of limited apparition among wizards. House elfs, sure, but how had Malfoy's forefather managed to grant only family members the ability while restricting others?
"Impressed by that tricky bit of spellwork?" He laughed, reading her thoughts. "Tell you what; let's work out our differences tonight and then eventually you'll be able to apparate from within these walls too."
"You can't keep me hostage here." She argued, ignoring his words. "I told you I needed to go back tonight."
He reached up for her cheek for the second time that evening, stroking her face and looking deep into her eyes. "Do you really want to go backt?"
She gulped. Of course she didn't. She had missed him for months and had wanted to get back together with him the second she saw him in Nimes. The problem was that after dinner he had turned into a complete selfish git, much like his old self of Hogwarts days, restraining her and dragging her into his sitting room, commanding her to sit, and then smugly informing her she couldn't apparate away, making her his prisoner. This was not the way to make up. She didn't want to make up with an asshole.
"Can you stop being such a prat for one moment?" She scoffed, turning her cheek away from his hand.
He stepped back from her, his hands raised. "Alright, you're angry with me. I get it."
She raised a brow, crossing her arms. "You get it?"
"I should have swept you off your feet. I shouldn't have forced you here to have the talk we were supposed to have six months ago. I should have gotten down on my knees—" to prove a point, he kneeled down, "and begged your forgiveness for having a relationship with you before society was ready to accept it. I should have convinced you of my sanity and undying love for you." He put his hands together as if to beg. "That's how you wanted it, was it Granger?"
"You're being ridiculous." She rolled her eyes.
"And you're being unreasonable." He huffed, standing back up. "We were victims. They tore us apart and left us distrusting each other. They took six months away from us, so yes I am angry and frustrated, not cool, calm and collected. I have the right to be, and so do you."
Suddenly her eyes were stinging and her heart ached. He was right; he had suffered these past months just as she had. "It's true. They took away the one thing that made me the happiest I've ever felt."
He took hold of her waist, pulling her flush against him. "Aren't you just as furious as I am?"
"I am," she admitted, grabbing the front of his shirt. Furious with herself, with St. Mungo's, and especially with the nameless reporter who had painted her as a deceitful bewitcher.
"Can we heal from this now? Can we get that bitterness, that resentment out of our systems tonight, and tomorrow just be happy…and together?"
She was tired of fighting him. She still had inner turmoil that she needed to address, but she had long regretted taking out her guilt on Draco. None of this was his fault, and she had hurt him so badly over it. He deserved to be healed.
Reaching up and planting a soft open kiss on his mouth, she reveled in the old comforting feeling of his lips between hers.
"Yes." She breathed.
And that was Draco Malfoy's cunning plan all along; to convince her to admit she was right in dating him, even if others didn't see it that way; to make her angry so that she would acknowledge her anger over their breakup brought on unfairly by the Daily Prophet, and work through that anger; hopefully ending in some sort of anger therapy sex, if he was lucky enough. So far, so good.
"Granger…" He moaned, lifting her off the ground and nipping her neck.
She wrapped her legs around him, her mouth at his ear, and she felt an uncontrollable heat already pooling in the base of her stomach. Too soon there was no turning back.
He backed her out of the den and out into the foyer, heading for the stairs. Her hands were already under his shirt, feeling the bare lines of his back. He ran his hands down the length of her thighs, and then settled on her bottom, pulling her pelvis against his stomach. The friction left them breathless for more.
They somehow made it to the second floor without tumbling, and he had her pressed up against his closed bedroom door.
"I don't think we're going to make it in there." She moaned into his ear, unwrapping her legs and sliding to the floor, then reaching down with her hands to undo his trousers.
He tugged her summer blouse over her head, then wasted no time in unhooking her bra. They had gone long enough without each other, and it seemed like the bed was too far away for their impatience.
Soon he was down to his boxer shorts, and she her knickers. He peppered her skin with kisses, reaching down to her collarbone and going south. She curved her pelvis into his, feeling his heat and desire press into her own throbbing.
"Draco!" She pleaded.
"Hermione." He groaned back.
"I need…!" She tried to say, out of breath.
He reached down to remove her remaining garment, and tried to ease her throbbing with his hand. It only made the throbbing worse. She grabbed onto the edge of his boxers, tugging them down, and then ran her hand down the length of him.
"Ma chérie, I love you so." He whispered to her, then gripped her body and they became one.
They didn't last long against his door, but afterwards in his bedroom they went late into the night, the promise of desserts from Hermione's innkeeper long forgotten.
oOo
Hermione stretched her limbs under the streaming morning light and realized she didn't have the freedom to move. A naked and pleased looking Draco had one arm snaked around her waist, a hand at her breast, and a leg tangled with hers. She closed her eyes and thought of the night before, blushing at how long they had stayed up doing what they did. She also remembered a climax so incredible she could hardly move afterwards, followed by another and another. She had been aching for him for months, judging by the explicit dreams that had tormented her regularly, and last night her body had finally overdosed on pleasure. And it looks like you're back together, she mused, so you can expect a lot more from now on.
She was ready to contently dose off when the responsible side of her kicked in, reminding her of one important detail.
You are scheduled to go back home this morning. The portkey in Nimes is waiting for you. A popular way of travelling between countries, she was supposed to report to the wizard-traveling centre in Nimes for her scheduled portkey use at eleven.
"Oh bugger," she cursed, sitting up in bed, causing Draco's arms to fall away.
She detangled her legs from his, causing the sleepy Slytherin to wake up.
"It's early," he yawned, turning over in bed. "Why…awake?"
"I'm scheduled to use a portkey in Nimes at eleven. I don't even know what time it is."
He opened his eyes, squinting at the alarm clock on his side. "It's almost nine in the morning."
She practically leapt out of bed, surprised at herself for sleeping in so late. Meanwhile Draco was groaning that it was far too early, considering how late they had stayed up.
"I've got to get back to the inn first." She said, going to his door and gathering her disposed garments.
"Granger, come back to bed." He said, sitting up.
"I don't have time for that Malfoy." She snapped, trying to strap her bra back on.
There was no point in showering until she got back to the inn and could put on fresh new clothing.
"Granger, just stop. You can miss that portkey. I have my own way back to London from here."
More old magic catered to his family, she mused.
"I've got to get all my clothes and things from the inn."
"I can apparate there myself and get it all for you."
"I can do that myself, if you would help me with the apparition part."
He smirked. "Sure, if you don't mind her seeing you with yesterday's clothes on."
She rolled her eyes but he had a point. The last thing she wanted to hear was more comments from the innkeeper. Why not let Draco go and receive the teasing instead?
"Why don't you use my shower, and by the time you're done I'll be back with your stuff." He offered.
It was a tempting offer, and one she eventually agreed to.
Just as he promised, he had her roll-on suitcase waiting for her at the foot of the bed when she got out of the bath. Draco himself was nowhere to be seen, though she heard him below in the kitchen.
"Clothing and breakfast," she laughed to herself. "Is he trying to win house points for good behaviour?"
Downstairs he treated her to a breakfast of fresh cut fruit and oven warm croissants. After his shower, he gave her a tour of the outdoor grounds, promising her repeated visits in the future.
By lunch she began to gently push for them to return to London. "I love it here, but you know I was supposed to return this morning."
They sat outside in the garden, shaded from the sun.
"I'd like to keep you for at least one more day." He said, kissing her fingers.
"I've got work tomorrow." She pressed.
"Marry me."
"What?"
"Come on, let's just leave it all behind. Let's take off. Come fly with me Granger."
oOo
It's so Perfect for a Flying Honeymoon They Say
Come Fly with Me
Let's Fly, Let's Fly Away
A/N: pssst. Soooo...this is technically where the story was supposed to end. But then I wrote more. Because.
updated 2016