Easter break found Hermione and Draco at the Langham. Truth be told, it found Draco at the Langham, and Hermione rolling her eyes at him.
"Honestly, Draco," she was saying, as he went about selecting clothes. "Why did you get an entire suite, and one with two bedrooms, at that? There's only one of you." She lounged on the bed while he shuffled about in the dressing room.
He pulled a shirt off a hanger and walked back out to hold it up in front of a mirror. "I don't know," he said, finally. "I suppose I like the space." He shot her a quick grin. "Anyway, I'd think you'd be glad. It means I'm not assuming you'll want to share with me."
"Why would I stay here if I didn't want to share with you?" she asked, watching him try the shirt on.
"Well, you haven't yet," he said, studying himself in the mirror. "Despite all my best efforts."
"I like that one," Hermione said, appreciating the way the shirt fit across his shoulders.
He glanced back at her. "You just like it when I don't wear black."
She smiled. "I do, yes," she said, wandering over to the tray of food on the nearby desk. "But I like the blue. It looks nice on you." She picked up a bit of cheese and bread off the plate and nibbled on it. "I still can't believe you think 300 pounds is a reasonable price for a shirt, but . . ."
"We all have our crosses to bear," he said in a dry voice. "Do I look appropriate?" he asked, finally, gesturing to himself.
She raised both eyebrows. "You look lovely, but I think you've forgotten we're just going over to Luna's house for a bit of a chat with her and Dean."
He glanced back at the mirror. "Do you think I should wear robes?"
Hermione laughed. "I had no idea you spent so much time primping," she said. "You don't at school."
He shrugged. "Our attire is required at school. There's nothing to choose between. It's very clear what's appropriate."
Hermione didn't really have a response for that, so she merely continued her snacking.
"Anyway," he said. "You look quite nice."
Hermione glanced down at her dress. Never having been a fan of Easter colors, she had gone with white instead. She wore a simple sleeveless dress with a hemline a handful of inches above her knees. She was very pleased that Draco liked it. His taste in fashion was much keener than her own.
"Thank you," she said. "And I think you can wear whatever you like." She walked over and gave him a quick kiss. "I think it's sweet you're so excited about your muggle clothes."
He nodded. "I'm rather pleased with this Armani bloke," he said, examining his shirt. "He knows what he's about."
Hermione just smiled and shook her head. She supposed she couldn't fault him for being exactly who he was. She wandered around the bedroom a bit, returning to her earlier point. "Really, Draco. This suite is the size of a house. What were you thinking?"
He shrugged again, electing not to respond. Then he reconsidered. "Is that why you haven't stayed the night? Because you think it's too much? Because I'll gladly go take out the shoddiest room I can find, preferably next to whatever the muggle equivalent of Knockturn Alley is, if you'd prefer."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "No you wouldn't," she said. "And you know perfectly well I haven't stayed because my parents would be upset about it."
"They let you stay at Weasley's, didn't they?" he asked. He didn't sound particularly upset about the concept, just baffled at the distinction.
"They let me stay at the Weasley Family's house, before Ron and I were dating. That's very different from letting me stay in a hotel with my boyfriend," she explained.
He grinned at the term boyfriend, and seemed entirely mollified by the word alone.
"Are you ready, then?" she asked, when he pulled on a jacket.
He nodded once. "I think so."
"Good," Hermione said. "I'm looking forward to this. A quiet dinner with Luna and Dean will be a nice change from the constant tension my parents have been."
He put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead, as they both apparated to the appointed spot outside Luna's house. As soon as the world righted itself, they spotted something they didn't expect: Neville Longbottom not ten feet away, chatting to Hannah Abbot.
"Hermione," he called, sounding truly happy to see her.
Hermione shared one quick, surprised glance with Draco, and then started forward to meet her old housemate.
"I haven't seen you in ages," Neville said, as he pulled her into a hug. "And who's your-" he began, but broke off the moment he recognized Draco.
"Longbottom," Draco said, inclining his head politely.
Hermione closed her eyes, acknowledging to herself the hell she was in for over the next few hours.
When she opened them, she found both Neville and Hannah staring at them in shock.
"So, how have you two been?" Hermione asked, in a falsely bright voice.
Neville blinked several times, and then finally managed to refocus on her. "Uh. Yeah. Good. Yeah," he stammered.
Hannah nodded. "Yes," she said.
"What have you been up to?" Hermione persevered, in an overly cheery voice. Draco placed a hand at the small of her back, and though she could see her old friends focus on it, she found it oddly calming.
"Umm . . . Ministry," Neville managed, with a sharp nod.
"Oh, yes," Hermione said, beginning to sound almost normal. "I remember. You've been helping with the reconstruction efforts."
He nodded.
"And rounding up Death Eaters," Hannah put in, and then – upon glancing at Draco – turned several shades of scarlet.
"Yes, of course," Hermione said. "I know they wanted all hands on deck."
"How is," Neville paused to clear his throat after his voice had attained untold heights. "How is it, being back at Hogwarts?" he managed in a more level tone.
"Good," Hermione said, automatically glancing at Draco, who favored her with the slightest of amused looks. "Good. I'm quite glad I made the decision to go back."
"Good," Neville nodded. "Good."
"Good," Hannah agreed.
"Well," Hermione said, gesturing vaguely toward Luna's house. "We should probably go say hello to Luna and Dean."
"Of course," Hannah said, looking extremely relieved to be shot of them.
Neville nodded his agreement. "Perhaps we can catch up sometime," he added, sounding genuine, if not entirely comfortable.
Hermione smiled. "I'd like that," she said. Then she and Draco turned and started up toward the house.
"Well," Draco said, with a sigh. "So," he continued, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Not a four person affair after all."
"No," Hermione agreed. "Apparently not."
"We could always go," he offered. "I'm sure you could persuade Longbottom to keep his mouth shut."
She looked over at him. "No," she said. "What was the point of easing people into it if we were never going to tell them? I just wish I hadn't had it all sprung on me quite so suddenly."
"And Luna didn't mention anything about this being a large gathering?" he asked, sounding more curious than annoyed.
Hermione shook her head. "Though, on reflection, I think I just assumed it was only us, since she specifically said she wanted both of us to come. It didn't occur to me she'd be setting us up."
"She might not have been," Draco said, being fair. "This is Luna, we're talking about. She might not have even realized it could be a problem."
"Dean should have warned us, at the very least," Hermione muttered.
Draco gave one short laugh. "As much as it entertains me to see your very respectable temper turned on others," he said, hands still in his pockets, "I think it's far more likely that Luna never mentioned she had invited me. He may have made the same assumption you did, that she'd be aware of our particular . . . situation. And she may have not thought of it at all." He shrugged. "At any rate, I don't see Thomas hanging you out to dry."
"We'll see," Hermione cautioned, darkly.