"Ron's going on a date," Ginny announced as she handed Hermione a glass of wine. They had kicked Harry out of Grimmauld place with James, declaring that they would have some 'Girl Time' over wine and some lunch, which was exactly what they were doing, sitting in the blazing sunshine of the back porch. "You'll never guess who it's with, though."
Hermione raised her eyebrows as she sipped at the dry white wine, turning over possible names in her head. Lavender Brown was the first name that popped up, but she dismissed it at once. Susan Bones, Tracey Davis, Luna, Hannah Abbot. Each name seemed less likely than the one before it. After a few moments of silence had elapsed in which no potential dates for her ex-husband popped into her mind, she frowned. "Who?"
"Pansy Parkinson," the redhead smirked, her smile widening when Hermione's jaw dropped. Ginny nodded smugly. "They got along so well at Narcissa's lunch, and by the end of it they were acting as though they were old friends. Not that you were there for the end of it."
Hermione's cheeks coloured quickly and she looked away from her friend who was chuckling. She had managed to avoid the topic of her not-so subtle exit for the entire week, but now that Saturday had rolled around and she had no excuse to avoid her friends, she was cornered. She had ignored the owls which had been sent her way by Ginny and Harry, as well as a particularly snide owl from Pansy asking how Draco was in bed. Hermione had promptly blushed and burnt the last. "Shut it, Gin."
"You never told me how it was," Ginny reminded her, not wavering under the scathing glare Hermione dealt out. "I mean, I've seen him topless, and he's absolutely gorgeous, but does the Hogwarts gossip do his performance justice."
Though she had pretended to be the innocent little Gryffindor at Hogwarts, it had been hard to avoid the rumours of Draco's sexuality. They floated around each corner when he strutted by, groups of girls giggling whenever he passed. There had been plenty of rumours about his size, his sexual prowess, and his stamina. Hermione could clearly recall one story where he had five different girls in the one night, each one twice. Each rumour seemed to boost his confident, his swagger growing more and more pronounced as the school years passed.
"I never kiss and tell," Hermione said, eager to change the topic. She was always embarrassed to talk about her sexual exploits aloud, even if it was with her best girlfriend. All Ginny needed to know in Hermione's mind was that she had gotten intimate with Draco.
"But you did more than kiss," Ginny countered. "C'mon, Hermione. You guys were gone for ages, and your noise kind of carried."
Absolutely mortified, Hermione covered her face with her hands. "Thanks for the reminder, Gin," she groaned. "Yes, I shagged Draco, and it was incredible. That enough for you?"
"As if," Ginny rolled her brown eyes in an exaggerated gesture. "I want details."
"You want a blow by blow account of how I shagged Draco Malfoy?" Hermione's eyebrows shot up in incredulity when Ginny nodded, her face entirely truthful. Hermione had heard Lavender and Pavarti whispering in their dorms late at night about how they had snuck around with various boys, but Hermione was not one to repeat such incidences. "Gin, we're not fifteen. You're married and you have a son. I'm sure you know all about the mechanics of sex."
"True," Ginny acknowledged, "but you two were really going at it. How big is he?"
"Oh, shit, I forgot to pull my ruler out in the middle of sex and measure him," Hermione slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Sorry."
"Oh, ha-ha," Ginny glowered. "Fine. No more talk about you and Draco doing the hanky-panky. But just so you know, if I was having hot sex with somebody, I would tell you everything about it. Whether you liked it or not. Where do you think Ron's taking Pansy?"
The remainder of the conversation turned to speculation over the possible blooming relationship between Ron and Pansy. Hermione insisted that nothing would come of it, and that it may just be a quick shag for both of them at best, but Ginny held more faith in her brother, saying that she had really seen something between Pansy and Ron.
"You must have incredibly good vision," Hermione sighed, standing up and placing her now empty glass on the table. "I should go. I'm meant to be going to see Narcissa for dinner, and Draco wants to see me beforehand."
"Stay safe," Ginny warned with a playful smile and a warm hug before Hermione stepped inside and into the fireplace, reappearing in a cloud of green smoke in her own lounge room. She noticed Draco was already there, lounging on her couch with a cup of tea.
"Come in," he said charmingly, standing up to greet her with a soft kiss on the lips that could have turned into so much more had she not pulled away. She rolled her eyes and stepped further into her lounge room, Draco thrusting a cup of tea into her hands. "How're you?"
"Peachy, why are you appearing in my lounge with cups of tea when I'm not home?" she curled into his side on the sofa, their usual position with his arm draped around her. She found it incredibly relaxing just to sit here with him, even if they were not talking. She would lean her head against his chest, her feet tucked to the side, and occasionally he would press kisses to her hair or she would tilt her head up to brush her lips along is jaw, an action which never failed to make him shiver.
"I told you I'd be here at half past three, and it's now four," Draco pointed out and she could hear the impatience in his voice. "Besides, you haven't changed your wards to keep me out when you're not here. I like it this way. I might surprise you one day with the image of me lying on your bed, entirely nude and covered in whipped cream."
"Yum," she licked her lips unconsciously at the image and he laughed, kissing her hair. She always found the gesture beautifully intimate. "Why did you want to see me before dinner with your mother?"
"I wouldn't mind a quick fuck," he said and she slapped his chest indignantly, "but my real reason is to warn you. Mum's fairly keen to have grandkids. Since my father died, she's been a little...eager. And seeing Potter's kid on Sunday kind of sealed the deal for her. I almost thought she'd steal the baby."
"Draco, I can't," Hermione said, stiffening noticeably in his arms. She hadn't given much thought to having kids, other than the thought after the miscarriages which consumed her, and that had been telling her that she would never have a child. She could hardly stand the thought that she might try and get pregnant again, only for it to fail. "It won't happen. I'm sorry."
"I know, and that's okay. I don't mind," he said quietly, rubbing his hand up and down her arm to soothe her. "We've only been together for a little while. She's just being her usual melodramatic self. She'll probably still pester you, though, so I'm going to go to dinner with you. My mother can get quite...aggressive."
The momentary shock having passed, Hermione relaxed slightly but pulled away from him. "Draco, I'll be fine," she insisted but he shook his head. "We're just talking business."
"I'm coming," he said, his tone clear that his words were the final that would be spoken on the topic. "She's expecting me to be there anyway."
"I don't need babysitting, Draco," Hermione said sharply, pulling away from him entirely and getting to her feet. She crossed her arms angrily against her chest. "I'm a big girl. I'll be fine without you there. I don't want you to come."
"Granger, just calm down," Draco sighed wearily but Hermione just glared at him. "I'm not trying to baby you. I just want to go with you to dinner with my mother."
"And I said that I don't want you there. Narcissa and I planned it strictly so we can talk business," she snapped. "You'll distract me, and I don't need it."
"You are so fucking painful," he said scathingly, rolling his arctic eyes towards the ceiling. She huffed.
"And you're a pigheaded asshole," came her retort half a second later.
They both stood in complete silence, staring at each other, daring the other to make the next move. When neither spoke, Draco let out an irritated snort and stalked over to the fireplace, returning home in a flash of green. Hermione remained in her place, staring at the spot where he had been standing for a moment longer before angrily turning from the room and heading to her bedroom. She pulled out her clothes for the evening and stripped down, showering quickly in steaming hot water before pulling on the new clothes. She had hoped vainly that the hot shower would calm her down and make her think rationally about things, but upon exiting into the steamy bathroom, all she felt was irrational irritation.
Six thirty came and Hermione apparated to Malfoy Manor, Narcissa greeting her at the front door.
"What's my son done now?" the older witch asked, noting Hermione's emotions.
"Nothing," Hermione grumbled, following Narcissa to one of the informal dining rooms.
"Look, Hermione, I can't read your mind, but I know that Draco did or said something to make you act like this. I don't know what it was, and you don't have to tell me, but I need you to know that Draco cares for you more than he's ever cared for anyone," Narcissa said, her voice entirely sincere. "He doesn't want to hurt you. He doesn't want to lose you. He's close to loving you, even if he doesn't say or express it."
"I'm not so sure," Hermione disagreed. "Should we talk about business?"
Over the next few hours, in between a glass of wine and a delicious plate of roast pork and roasted vegetables, Narcissa and Hermione planned. By eleven o'clock they were both mentally exhausted having finished drafting various appeals, discussing possible donators, planning advertising and sorting out potential events that the charity could hold. Narcissa had already been working on some sketches for a new logo and had been privately planning the public launch of the charity in the form of a ball. Hermione nodded along with all of Narcissa's plans, glad that at least one of them had been organizing.
"I think if we hosted the ball in early summer before the weather got too warm we would get more guests," Narcissa suggested. "We could hold it outside on the grounds."
"That sounds good," Hermione agreed, her mind elsewhere. She kept rethinking what Narcissa had said about Draco when she had first arrived, and then her mind would drift to the row they had shared earlier. By midnight, Hermione was entirely absorbed in her thoughts of Draco. "Narcissa, I'm sorry, my mind is elsewhere tonight. Your plans are all wonderful, though. I think I should probably head home and get some rest."
"Of course," Narcissa said graciously, standing up to walk Hermione to the front doors. "I completely lost track of time. I'll send you an owl with further details and information."
After a brief hug and a thankful smile for Narcissa's kind hospitality, Hermione apparated back to her house, landing with a slight stumble in the lounge room. The house was silent as she kicked off her heels in the lounge before padding softly to the bathroom. She washed her makeup off quickly, stripped out of her black dress and headed to the bedroom.
What greeted her was a shock.
Draco had obviously let himself into her house again, and had fallen asleep on the bed waiting for her return. He was sprawled across the dark blue bedcovers, fully clothed, with a can of whipped cream beside him. In sleep, he looked perfect. The creases smoothed and his smirk faded. His hair, soft and silky beneath her fingers, was hanging into his face in a mess. She couldn't help but smile when she looked at him, and the anger she had felt earlier in the evening evaporated at the sight. Her heart felt lighter just looking at him, and she chose to join him on the bed after slipping into her oversized nightshirt and flicking off the lights.
With slow movements she pulled off his shoes, keen not to disturb him, tossing them gently into a pile at the foot of the bed. She moved back up to his head, kissing his lips gently.
"I think I'm falling in love with you," she whispered against them, pulling back when he replied.
"I'm think I'm already there."
In the moonlight which drifted in through the part in the curtains, Hermione hovered over Draco, her knees on either side of his body. His silky hair was fanned out around his head on the pillow he lay on and she trailed her fingers through it mindlessly. He let out a contented sigh at the sensation and she smiled, continuing her actions. His hands move from his sides to cup her face gently, moving her head down and capturing her lips in a soft, sweet kiss. This kiss spoke hundreds of words. It was full of emotion and unspoken apologies, and as they kissed, Hermione realized how perfect everything was becoming.
A/N: Tiny chapter, but I have to focus on school at the moment. Please, please, please review! This story is very nearly at its end. I'm quite sad.