Like always, thanks for your continued support. :)
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, still not mine.
Hermione sat in her desk and thought about the last couple of days before smiling. Sure, taking care of a convalescing Draco Malfoy hadn't been a picnic by any means, but it helped Hermione understand him better and grow closer to him. He'd been petulant and oftentimes childish, but he always made sure to thank Hermione no matter what, letting her know that it wasn't her but rather the way he'd been taught.
"It was always the house-elves who used to care for me when I was sick," he'd told her after having finished his dinner.
That certainly explained a lot, Hermione thought wryly.
She looked down at the parchment in her hands and smiled exasperatedly.
"This is what happens when I promise one Draco Malfoy not to berate him," she said with a shake of her head but feeling pleased all the same.
A date on Saturday, of course. I wonder where he's taking me this time… I wonder… after coming back home, would that be the right time to take our relationship to the next level?
She blushed at the direction her thoughts had taken and sighed.
"I'm an adult woman, for crying out loud, and definitely not lacking any feminine wiles," she murmured encouragingly to herself. "But in order for anything to work, I must first dress the part…"
She leaned back into her chair and pressed the tip of the quill against her lower lip in thought.
There's that white dress I've yet to wear… but white's too fussy to deal with. Even so, it did look amazing on me. Hmm… maybe it's time to dust off ol' white. I'll definitely need Ginny's help this time. I've run out of ideas of how to style my hair.
She quickly penned a response to Draco, who'd been given the rest of the week off with pay in order to make up for Ron's misbehavior toward him. He, on the other hand, got suspended without pay for three weeks. Hermione stood and told her secretary to owl her response as soon as possible.
Hermione would have gone to Draco's flat and answered him herself, but he'd uncharacteristically stammered out an excuse about his place being a mess that Hermione didn't bother to question him further.
What could he be up to? Draco's far too meticulous and fussy to let anything get out of order. But there must be a good reason… so I'll respect that. For now, anyway. Oh! I have to meet him at his place on Saturday, anyway. Looks like I'll find out then.
Once Hermione got home, she made a call via Floo for the Potter's and requested Ginny's assistance. Her friend squealed with happiness and didn't even complain when Hermione requested she be there at ten in the morning.
"Do you know where you're going?" she asked curiously.
"Not a clue. But I did promise him that I wouldn't protest so I'm pretty sure he's going to take advantage of that and take me somewhere ridiculously expensive," Hermione heaved a sigh and rubbed her temple.
"Life's so tough, isn't it?" Ginny teased, brown eyes sparkling.
"I know how it sounds but—"
"Look, he obviously adores you, Hermione! So why don't you just let him spoil you rotten? You're only complicating things by kicking up a fuss. Besides, what if he takes you seriously and just stopped? How would you feel then?" she asked her wisely.
Hermione scowled at the thought.
"I… wouldn't like it," she admitted, blushing. "I suppose I have gotten used to him doting upon me."
Ginny grinned and winked at her friend.
"Atta girl. I'll see you ten sharp."
"Thanks, Gin. I can't begin to tell you—"
"You can thank me by telling me all the juicy deets," she interrupted, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. "You're still going through with your plan, right?"
Hermione swallowed thickly and nodded.
"Let's hope that he'll fall for it!"
"Oh, come on, Hermione," she scoffed. "He's a man. He'll fall for it."
"I wish I had your nerve and confidence," Hermione sighed wistfully.
"You do! You're a Gryffindor, for crying out loud! There's nothing that you can't get through, remember that."
"Thanks, Ginny. I truly appreciate it," Hermione told her, giving her a warm smile.
Ginny nodded and waved before disappearing. Hermione was thankful that the redhead didn't mention her brother because she might not have been able to hold back her ranting and raving. She shook herself and inhaled deeply before releasing a cleansing breath.
It's not worth getting upset anymore, what happened, happened. Still, I can't believe Ronald would resort to such low tactics… bah! Stop thinking about it and focus on the weekend. Yes, it's going to be a good one…
Hermione grinned and rubbed her hands together, eager for the coming weekend.
-x-
She surveyed herself in the mirror, very pleased by what she saw reflected. Hermione had indeed chosen her white dress and smiled. It had a wide neck, long sleeves with a hemline that fell to her knees. It sounded boring but there were a couple of details that made the dress anything but; it had a slit that would make sitting an interesting ordeal and the back of the dress had a scalloped trim, showing off her shoulder blades, dipping just above the middle of her back.
After trying out different hairstyles, Ginny had magicked Hermione's hair into a short, wavy bob. It managed to simultaneously show off the back of the dress and compliment the neckline. She parted it on the side and pinned it down with a small but sparkling clip. Ginny had also taken it upon herself to do her makeup (subtly, per Hermione's request); classic winged liner and fluttery lashes paired with lush scarlet lips.
Needless to say, Hermione was impressed.
She finally slipped her feet into a pair of strappy heels, carefully locking the gold cuff around her ankle and walked around her flat in order to get used to the added height.
Ginny squealed at Hermione's finished look, clapping her hands animatedly.
"There is no way he's going to resist you, Hermione! You are wearing those naughty bits of lace underneath, right?"
Hermione blushed but nodded.
"Well, it's almost time for you to head over. I'd wish you good luck but I know you're going to get lucky anyway," she winked salaciously, causing Hermione to blush deeper. "Remember, I want all the details!"
Before Hermione could tell her otherwise, Ginny kissed her on the cheek and activated her Floo to head back home. She was left standing in the middle of her living room, heart pounding as she thought of what the date was going to bring. She glanced at the clock and nearly jumped out of her skin; it was ten 'til noon.
"I know how Draco gets when I'm barely on time…" she murmured, hurrying to her room to gather her wand and clutch.
She tossed the lipstick into her clutch and gave herself a spritz of perfume before taking a deep breath and focused on Draco's flat. With a pop! she Apparated but instead of coming face to face with his door she realized she was standing in the middle of his living room. For a wild moment she wondered if she was in the right place but chided herself that she must be because there's no way she didn't focus on her three D's.
"Hermione, that you?" called Draco's melodious voice.
Her heart started and she smiled unwittingly, gently scolding herself for becoming excited at the sound of his voice.
"Who else would it be? How many people are you letting in here?" she joked, trying to ignore the nervous fluttering in her chest.
Hermione heard him chuckle and grinned, wanting nothing more than to run to his bedroom (where she assumed he was, undoubtedly finishing getting primped) and snog him silly. But she stayed where she was, grasping her clutch tightly as she waited for him.
His footsteps started again and she allowed herself to take a quick breath, heart racing as he came out of his bedroom, fussing with his vest. Draco came to a stop and looked up at her, silver eyes widening as he took the sight of her in. His mouth hung open as he stared at her, starting at the top of her head and ending with her feet. Hermione saw his Adam's apple quiver as he eyed her slowly, closing his mouth as his eyes met hers once more.
"Have I rendered the Draco Malfoy speechless?" she teased, tilting her head to the side.
He opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out; he gaped at her and then closed it, clearing his throat and giving himself a little shake.
"You… Hermione… you look divine," he told her in a quiet, reverent voice.
She flushed, thrilled, and smiled at him. He still looked awestruck until she started walking to him, doing a little turn before him and feeling her pulse race when she heard him groan at the sight of the back of her dress. She finally came to a stop before him and was fascinated to see his eyes shift to a dark slate hue.
"Hi," she told him quietly.
"Hey."
He sounded strangely out of breath and Hermione was about to inquire whether he felt alright when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her ardently, pressing her close to his body. Hermione could have sworn she felt his rapid heartbeat against her own chest but she shook those thoughts away and focused on his wonderful mouth. He kissed her with such desire and need that it sent warm jolts to her belly, turning her knees to jelly.
Oh, Merlin…
"Draco… Draco… don't we need to be going somewhere?" she murmured against his lips, unable nor willing to extricate herself completely from his arms.
He growled softly, biting her lip with a little more force than usual and Hermione released a shaky breath at the sensation. Draco gave her a lingering kiss but pulled himself from her body before finally dragging his mouth away. He was out of breath, eyes stormy as ever as he surveyed her.
In turn, Hermione pouted and gently pressed her fingers where he'd bitten her lip.
"Serves you right," he told her huskily, though she could see a glint of humor in his eyes.
Hermione gulped at his tone, suppressing a shiver.
"We're due to leave in a minute. Got everything you need?" he asked, clearing his throat.
"Yes."
"Good… come here. You really do look delectable, you know," he whispered into her ear. "I'm the luckiest wizard ever."
Hermione wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed herself close to him, anticipating the jerk of the Portkey and smirked.
"Well, you're in for a treat…"
He pulled away slightly and peered at her, his eyes glinting curiously.
"What do you mean?"
She gave him a slow smile, enjoying the way his cheeks flushed pink.
"Looks like you'll have to find out," she muttered throatily into his ear.
He groaned softly just as the Portkey activated.
They landed on a brightly lit street and Hermione heard voices speaking in a foreign tongue. She straightened herself and looked around, watching the fashionable witches and wizards walk by and glancing at them inquisitively.
"Draco… where are we?" she asked, turning to him.
"Wizarding Tokyo, of course," he answered smugly.
She stared at him, half of her ready to scold him while the other half of her grew fascinated. She settled for taking his hand and giving a squeeze. Draco looked immensely relieved and glanced at his watch.
"We better be on our way, then."
"Lead the way."
This was one of the times where Hermione wished she had eyes on the back of her head. There was so much to see and smell but they walked at a brisk pace, always getting stared at. She could hear murmurs and wondered if she was well-known here.
Before long, they finally reached their destination and Draco pulled her along gently, giving her hand a squeeze.
"Don't tell me… you speak Japanese."
He simply gave her a smirk which told her all she needed to know.
I'm very impressed. Who would have thought Draco Malfoy was multi-lingual? I wonder what other languages he's fluent in… looks like I'd severely underestimated his intelligence back in Hogwarts. I'd always thought he cheated off others but looks like it might have been the other way around. Of course, I'm sure he handed his answers over... for a price.
They were led to a small and private room with a low table for two along with a chef standing behind a counter. He bowed to them and the hostess left (but not before bowing as well) and were left alone.
"No chairs for me to pull out for you, sorry love," he grinned, flopping down elegantly.
She rolled her eyes but smiled, lowering herself to the floor as gracefully as possible. Hermione saw Draco eye the slit, silver eyes sparkling and hastily righted the dress.
"So… I'm guessing we're going to eat fresh sushi?" she asked, turning toward the chef, who started slicing fish so smoothly Hermione couldn't help but stare.
"Correct. Wait, do you like sushi?" he asked, blinking at her.
"I sure do. Ronald didn't, though. Always had to put up with his whinging whenever I was in the mood for any," she snickered.
He sighed with relief and gave her a smile.
"So, how's work?" he asked her pleasantly.
"Busy as always. Although…"
A beautiful Japanese witch appeared, clad in one of the most intricately beautiful kimono Hermione had ever set her eyes upon, holding a tea set on a tray and set it down between them. Draco thanked her and the witch bowed, leaving them alone once more.
"Although what?"
"I've been thinking about what you said. Or asked me, really."
"Which was…? I say a lot of things," he chuckled, serving them tea.
"About working at the Ministry, I mean. As much as I enjoy it, I don't love it," she sighed, biting her lip guiltily.
He handed her a cup of tea and gave her a look.
"What would you love to do?"
"Lots of things! I'd like to travel the world, learn more languages, advance my education…"
He frowned then, pausing.
"Advance your education?"
"Yes! I'd like to attend Muggle university," she smiled enthusiastically.
"Oh."
She frowned then and watched him.
"You don't sound too thrilled."
"Well, I suppose I was thinking in long term goals," he shrugged, drinking tea. "But those are all nice things."
"Nice things?" she raised her eyebrow, cocking her head slightly.
Something's not right.
"Sure."
Hermione licked her lips and watched Draco, who was studying the cup in his hands intently. He wore his trademark mask of impassivity and Hermione sighed inwardly.
He's hiding something from me.
"What is it, Draco?"
His eyes flickered up to hers and she caught some hurt in them before they became oddly blank.
"Nothing," he told her simply, shrugging again.
"It's not nothing. Please tell me? Or else I'll start to worry and think it's something much worse than it really is," she told him earnestly, leaning forward.
He eyed her shrewdly for a moment before sighing.
"I was just wondering… where that would leave me in your plans," he admitted softly.
Hermione stared at him for a long moment.
"It's okay if you don't want me. I mean, it's your life and you're free to do whatever you want—" he warbled, breaking eye contact.
Hermione frowned, watching as he worked himself into a tizzy.
"Draco."
He stopped and glanced at her, sinking his teeth into his lower lip.
"Do you really think I'd leave you behind?" she asked him gently. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to have you by my side."
He blinked and his mask vanished, leaving behind a relief so tangible that Hermione could almost feel it herself.
"I think, though… I'd like to do something that involves two of those things."
"What is it?"
Hermione swallowed nervously and looked down, clenching her jaw together.
"Hermione?" he asked when she hadn't answered.
"I'd like to go fetch my parents," she told him quietly.
"That's great, Hermione. I bet they'll be pleased—"
"But it's not that easy, Draco," she told him in an even quieter voice.
"Why not?"
She steeled herself and looked up, meeting his gaze.
"Before erasing their memories, I researched. I wanted to make sure that the spell wouldn't be fallible... that even if they were found by Death Eaters, they wouldn't be able to reverse it; only I could. But even then… it's so strong… it's so strong that even if I made an attempt to remove it…" she trailed off, eyes pricking with tears.
"Yes?"
"They might not even remember me in the end. Even if they did… their mind wouldn't be the same."
Draco looked stricken and reached his hand out to take hers.
"Hermione."
"I wasn't sure of whether I'd be alive at the end…" she whispered, fighting back tears. "If I wasn't, I wanted them to have a chance to live an undisturbed and happy life."
He sighed heavily and squeezed her hand, speechless.
The chef brought down their fresh sushi and bowed to them, leaving them be as another woman brought them what Hermione could guess was sake.
"It looks so good," she murmured, lightly dabbing beneath her eyes with her free hand.
"Hermione."
"Let's get started, shall we?" she ignored him, gently pulling her hand away.
"Hermione."
She sighed softly and looked up at him.
"It's… a lot to risk. Are you sure you want to look for them?" he asked her softly.
"They're my parents, Draco. I'm their only chance at remembering. What would you do?"
He looked stumped and Hermione smiled grimly.
"Okay, I see your point now," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Still…"
"If I don't try I know I'll probably wonder for the rest of my life what if," she muttered, closing her eyes.
"So that's what you were hiding," he told her keenly.
"What do you mean?" she asked, snapping her eyes open.
"That day when we visit my mother and you spoke about this, you looked so fidgety that it made me wonder what you were withholding from us."
"You're good," she told him wryly.
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't," he told her seriously.
"Look, why don't we just eat now and talk about this later? Everything looks so good and my stomach's growling," she lied, wanting to change the subject.
"As you wish," he nodded, gesturing for her to serve herself.
"But going back to long term goals… maybe I'll give teaching a try."
"Teaching? As a professor at Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I'm sure Minerva wouldn't mind occupying me," she grinned. "I always was her favorite pupil, after all."
Draco rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
"If it's something you'd like to try, then you should do it," he encouraged her.
Hermione smiled widely at him, thankful to have such a supportive boyfriend.
"Still, I'd miss you…" he told her quietly.
Hermione stilled and frowned.
"You're right, we wouldn't get to see each other much," she sighed yet again.
"Hermione."
"Yes, Draco?"
"I was serious, you know… about having a future with you," he reminded her, eyes never leaving her face. "I mean, I know our relationship is barely commencing…"
"But it's never too early to think about the future," she finished for him. "I… would like to be with you, Draco. You're everything I have ever wished for in a partner."
"But?" he grimaced, looking a little pale.
"I don't know if you've thought this far, but it's still too early for me to think about marriage. I just got out of entering one not to mention that you yourself were engaged, too. Like I said, I'm sorry if I'm jumping the gun but that seems like the most ideal long term goal for us."
"Jumping the gun?" he asked perplexedly.
"Oh, it's a Muggle expression. It means to get ahead of oneself," she explained patiently.
"Oh. I'm not even sure what a 'gun' is. I'm guessing it's something Muggle then?"
"Yes, but that's irrelevant at the moment. You understand what I'm saying, right?"
He watched her for a long moment before nodding slowly.
"I do."
Draco cringed at his poor choice of words but Hermione grinned.
"That day when I met Ron for dinner he told me that had we married, he would have expected me to quit my job to have children and to be a housewife. He eventually relented that he would have agreed to let me have a job until I'd gotten pregnant and it made me realize that I value myself too much to do that," she sighed, putting her chopsticks down. "I mean, I want children but there is no way I would ever quit my job in the long-run to be a mother or to be a housewife."
"Hermione, that was completely selfish of Weasley," he shook his head as if thinking what an idiot Ron was. "But I hope you know that should we ever reach that point, I would never force you to do anything you wouldn't want to do. Your life... and your body is your own, Hermione and I wouldn't dare dictate what you do with it. In fact, I love how you refuse to settle down to be a housewife because you deserve so much more than that."
Hermione smiled, feeling immense liberation at his words. His words stirred something warm in her and she could feel her love for him—
I… what? My love for Draco?
She shook herself internally and made herself focus on the subject.
"I appreciate that, Draco. Really I do. It made me so unhappy to think that Ron…" she heaved a sigh. "No matter, I'm with you now."
He gave her a wistful smile.
"I know we said we'd worry about this when it happens, but I would like to get married and have children someday," he told her quietly, cheeks coloring. "So if that's something you don't want at some point…"
Her heart ached at the thought of not being with Draco and she glared at him.
"Trying to get rid of me already, are you?"
His smile grew a fraction as he reached for his chopsticks again.
"Not in that dress," he whispered silkily.
Oh, right... the dress. The lingerie. My plan of seduction.
"Don't worry, Draco, I'm not going anywhere," she purred, popping a piece of salmon sashimi into her mouth.
His lips parted slightly and his silver gaze turned heated.
"Good because you're mine now. Good luck getting rid of me," he smirked, winking at her.
Oh, thank Merlin.
Thankfully their conversation became less serious and more flirtatious, both of them delighting in the pleasant banter that was unique between the two of them.
"So where are we headed now?" Hermione asked, serving herself more tea.
"Well," Draco said, glancing at his watch. "It's barely three back home…"
Damn, it's still too early.
"Why don't we continue our date elsewhere?" she suggested.
"Oh?" he asked, interested.
"Why don't we head to Rome? Didn't you promise to take me back someday?" she asked, batting her lashes coquettishly.
Draco seemed to freeze on the spot, watching her. He finally snapped out of it when Hermione shifted, showing off a sliver of her creamy inner thigh.
"You'd let me?" he questioned skeptically, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Of course! Didn't I promise I wouldn't be difficult?" she smiled sweetly.
He watched her warily for a moment before nodding.
"Alright, but we'll probably need to Floo there since I don't have a Portkey ready for that. I'd suggest Apparation but…" he trailed off, giving her a little smile.
"I understand," she told him quickly, grateful for his thoughtfulness. "Are you ready?"
He chuckled and stood up.
"My, aren't you eager?" he teased, extending his hand out to her.
She took it and grasped it, rising to her feet and smoothing her skirt down. Draco eyed her but kept quiet, clearly enjoying the view.
"Merlin, Granger… you look absolutely luscious," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair.
"I could say the same about you," she smiled seductively, gently tugging on the crisply ironed collar of his oxford.
He groaned and took her hand in his.
"Let's go before we do something I regret," he uttered, leading her out of the restaurant.
Oh, if only you knew what I have planned for later, Draco.
She smiled innocently and followed him, ready to butter him up for the evening's main event.
Do excuse my poor imagination of how Wizarding Tokyo would be like. I'm sure it'd be much more wondrous than I painted it. Thanks for taking the time to read, review and favorite!