Chapter 15: The Dinner Guest
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Draco woke up early the next Saturday morning, the clock on his dresser telling him it was half-past five and he rolled back to where he'd been prior, arm wrapped tightly around the girl next to him. They'd been together for a few weeks now, with one week under their belt of keeping their relationship quiet in front of everyone else. He kissed her shoulder, pushing her hair back so he could reach her neck. He felt her stir and grinned against her skin as she sighed sleepily, turning onto her back. His lips found her cheek and she smiled, opening one eye and closing it again. He leaned in for another and she laughed, opening her eye at him once more and reaching around for his arm to push him away playfully.
He kissed her again and her hand found his face, patting his cheek gently with another sigh.
He grabbed her hand and kissed that too and she finally blinked both eyes open, "What time is it?" She yawned.
"Very early," he replied, "But I'm awake and you looked ravishing."
She wrapped her arm over his shoulder and pulled him down to her, planting one more kiss on his lips and rolling back over, "You're a lot," she mumbled. He chuckled at her and settled himself back in close, rubbing her arm as he buried his face in the crook of her neck to try and sleep some more.
They had plans for a date that evening, intricate plans that included leaving the castle at different times with different stories before meeting outside the Hogwarts gates to apparate to a small spot in London that Draco had made reservations at. Hermione covered her thigh-length black dress with her cloak and hoped the clip-clop of her boots would be less noticeable to anyone milling about than it was in her own head. She'd used her Sleekeazy hair potion to soften her curls into waves and accompanied her outfit with a respectably sized ruby necklace that hung down to her chest atop the fabric of her dress.
She left her room with a peek out into the hall. She tried to walk softly against the stone floor and could feel her heart beating fast in her chest, which felt wholly unnecessary. She rounded the corner to see Ginny walking up the staircase with her broom in hand.
"Hey Hermione!" She called as she skipped up the last of the stairs.
"Hi Ginny," she paused, "Have a good fly around?"
"Yeah just needed to get out for a little bit," she threw the broom over her shoulder, "Where are you headed?"
"Oh just going into town to pick up some supplies for the Dueling Club and some classes next week," she said nonchalantly, hoping Ginny had plans already that evening.
"Well I'd love to come keep you company," Ginny started and Hermione felt her heart pound again, "But Harry and I are going out for dinner tomorrow so we agreed to do some cleaning and work tonight."
"That's totally alright," Hermione smiled at her, "We'll go out and do some shopping another day. Have a nice relaxing night."
"See you, Hermione," Ginny waved as she started off down the hall towards her room.
Hermione took a deep breath as she descended the staircase to slow her heart rate again and left the castle without any other run-ins. She walked past the gates of the Hogwarts grounds where Draco was leaning against a tree waiting for her. He held his hand out silently and she took it as he apparated them away from the school.
They landed hard on their feet on a side street in London and Draco immediately pulled her close and kissed her soundly, "Evening, Granger."
"Very suave," she commented, kissing him once more before they shed their cloaks, muggle jackets underneath to traverse muggle London. They stowed their cloaks in her expandable purse and he took her hand to lead her down the sidewalk. They turned onto the main street and walked a couple of blocks until they reached an alleyway with one flickering light above a door down the alley.
"This way," he grinned and she looked down the street with amused skepticism.
"Is this where you tell me you are actually evil and you're taking me to your dark lair?"
"Took you long enough to realize it," he raised his eyebrows at her as they walked down the alley and he tapped on the door with his wand. A series of clicks could be heard inside and the door swung open, revealing a dimly lit restaurant inside with sleek tables and waiters in silky cloaks. They shrugged their jackets off and Draco walked up to the host.
"Reservation for Malfoy," he said and the wizard looked up, nodding quickly and flipping through some pages.
"Wonderful, Mr. Malfoy, right this way," he said in a thick French accent.
He led them to a private table near the back of the restaurant and took their coats for them to hang on the wall before pulling out the chair for Hermione.
"Thank you," she said a little awkwardly, not entirely used to the protocol at these types of places.
"Your waiter will be right with you. We do hope you enjoy."
He left and Draco leaned towards her across the table, grabbing her hand, "You look stunning."
She blushed, but smiled at him, "You clean up alright too."
"I know," he said smugly before he let his eyes wander the restaurant for a moment, "This gem was always my mother's favorite restaurant," he told her, "We came here often when I was young and it's one of the few my mother and I would come out to after our trials, when we needed to get out of the Manor."
"It's lovely. I'm surprised this place is in the muggle part of town."
"It added to the allure that most people don't know where it is, especially being right under the nose of muggle society. Kind of an invitation-only restaurant. Once you know it's here, you're always welcome back."
"Sounds right up your alley," Hermione mused.
The waiter walked up to their table, his hands behind his back and paper and quill hovering next to him, "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," he said as Draco and Hermione exchanged amused looks, "Tonight our chef has prepared a six course meal that we will be bringing out one course at a time. In the meantime, what can I bring you to drink?"
"We'd like a bottle of the Merlin's Merlot, please," Draco said in an authoritative, but respectful voice.
The quill wrote down the selection and the waiter nodded, "Very fine choice sir, I will return with your glasses momentarily." He nodded at them and turned towards the bar area.
"He must be new," Draco quipped as he turned his attention back to Hermione, who was smiling sweetly at him.
"You seem in your element tonight," she commented.
"They treat me with respect here," he said seriously, "They know my name of course, but the owners knew my mother and I personally and they were always welcoming. I feel much more comfortable here than I do in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade where the eyes follow me. Plus, witches and wizards from around the world dine here all the time so the chances that others recognize me are much lower. Not impossible of course, our family friends enjoyed this place as well. But at least lower chances of an uncomfortable run in."
She nodded, "I didn't notice anyone staring when we were at the Three Broomsticks over the holiday break."
"That's because you weren't looking for it," he gave her a half smile, "A few people stared as we walked in and lingered on us for a bit. You were just too lost in my eyes to give it attention."
"I was not lost in your eyes," she laughed although he was highly correct.
"Either way, I like coming here," he grinned.
The waiter returned and the glasses hovered as he presented the bottle, "Merlin's Merlot, Mr. Malfoy." Draco nodded his approval and the waiter poured the wine into each glass and cast it in front of them, "Your first course shall be out shortly."
Draco grabbed his glass and held it up as Hermione clinked her glass against his, "To new beginnings," he said sincerely.
"To new beginnings," she echoed.
They settled in to their evening as they sipped their wine, delicious courses coming out slowly through their conversation, Draco telling her the more pleasant and funny stories from his childhood; about his mother parading him around in a full suit and tie at the age of six during one of their parties; about his father scolding him after learning he was only second in the class at Hogwarts, not to mention his repeated Quidditch losses against Harry; his mother playing piano for him for hours on end because she was determined to hone his appreciation for classical music.
Hermione loved this side of him; the carefree, story-riddled side. His face was bright and there was a certain joy about him when he thought back to a time in life that was easier; a time that made more sense. She understood the feeling, talking about her childhood was easy. Times were light then.
He'd asked her about having muggle friends growing up and she'd told him about the neighborhood kids she grew up with and how her parents had to keep up a story of her attending a boarding school while she was away at Hogwarts. She'd told him how difficult it had gotten after a while to keep up the friendships when she couldn't tell them what she really was and how eventually, her life in the wizarding world had taken over and she was needed here and lost touch. But she recalled the games they would play in the street until it got dark out and the call of her mother from the front porch when it was dinner time. Always the same sing-song call.
"You kind of just become friends with the people you live by where I'm from," she shrugged with a laugh, "We were a mismatched group of kids, different ages, different backgrounds, but we would all go out and play together because that's just what you did in the neighborhood. It was wonderful."
"That is one thing I never got to experience, growing up at the manor. A blessing and a curse to not have any other houses close by."
"Well what about your friends - Blaise and Pansy, you said? How did you become close with them?"
"Our families were friends," he said with the hint of a smile on his face, "We all grew up together in the means of social gatherings. The parties I was paraded around, they were paraded as well, along with Crabbe and Goyle."
"You're not as close with Goyle anymore?" She asked.
He shook his head with a heavy sigh, "No, we watched Crabbe die together, I think we needed some space from each other after that. He didn't get why I walked away. I'm sure he still blames me for Crabbe's death. We tried to talk once or twice after that but we just didn't have anything to say."
"Sorry, I know this is supposed to be a nice night," Hermione said, realizing the depth of that conversation.
"That's alright, this is life now. The good times will always be shrouded in some form of darkness, or at least fog, of the war."
She nodded at the crushing reality of the statement, "So I actually wanted to ask you a little about your friendship with —."
"Pansy?" Draco's voice held more surprise than the question warranted and she tilted her head at him, realizing he was looking past her.
"Draco Malfoy, my long lost love!" Came the silky voice of Pansy Parkinson and the clicking of heels against the floor.
Draco stood and Hermione turned in her chair as Draco pulled Pansy into a tight hug before pulling back and smiling at the girl, "Well I never would have believed it, but I've missed you after all," he said wryly.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, her hand still on his shoulder as he took a step back. Hermione couldn't help but notice that the girl was still beautiful; long black hair, a revealing green dress just long enough to be considered sophisticated, her eyes lit with excitement to see Draco.
"I'm here on a date with my girlfriend," he said matter-of-factly, holding his hand out for Hermione, who took it and stood with her head high to face Pansy, unsure what kind of greeting to expect. She knew they were trying to keep things quiet to her friends, but she didn't mind being introduced proudly to Pansy as his girlfriend.
"Your — Draco — girlfriend?" She looked back and forth between the two for a second and Hermione glanced over at Draco before looking back at her, waiting for the reaction, "Oh this is just too precious. Draco Malfoy is dating Hermione Granger." She laughed, but it didn't hold animosity, she just seemed… sincerely amused. She shook her head after a moment, her hair glistening in the dim lighting above, "You've got to forgive me," she looked at Hermione, "This just threw me for a good one. How are you, Granger? It's nice to meet you as Draco's girlfriend."
"Well, thank you," Hermione responded politely, "It's nice to see you, Pansy."
"I doubt that's true," the girl placed a hand on her arm with a laugh, "We were quite wicked at Hogwarts. I promise we've grown up. This is just too funny."
"What are you doing here?" Draco asked her with a genuine smile.
"Also on a date," she wiggled her eyebrows inconspicuously, "He's a Chaser for the Wimbourne Wasps."
Draco grinned, "Well you best get back to him before he thinks you've ran out."
"It was great to see you," she hugged him again before turning to Hermione and pulling her into an unexpected hug, "I guess this means we'll have to do lunch sometime, Granger. Girl talk," she winked at Draco before waving to them both and heading back through the tables to a tall, dark, attractive man waiting patiently for her.
They took their seats again and Draco sighed, "Haven't seen her since the beginning of last summer, sorry, I hope that wasn't uncomfortable."
"It was only uncomfortable because it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be," Hermione said honestly, "I thought she'd be upset to see you dating me."
"Not these days. As she said, we were just not nice school kids. Her and I had a lot of talks over the last few years trying to reconcile it all and make changes for the better. Her more than me, actually. I just sat in the manor and tried to keep myself out of it all, she actually went back for the 7th year re-do with everyone else and tried to stay under the radar. She works part-time for the Ministry now in the Department of International Magical Co-operation. She speaks a few different languages so it kind of just worked out. Like me, she doesn't really need to work, financially, she just wanted to do something positive with her life after supporting the Death Eaters. Well—," he paused, "Supporting me really. She never cared for the Death Eaters themselves, but I was one of them and she cared for me."
This seemed like a perfect segway and Hermione took it, "So did you two date, then?"
Draco looked at her curiously, "I see now what you were about to ask earlier. Yes, we did. A couple of times, actually. For about a year during Hogwarts - fifth year, and then again after Hogwarts for maybe half a year. She was there for me after the trial and it just sort of happened and then after a while we realized we were just best friends that needed someone to cling to after the trauma and we split quite amicably."
"That I understand," Hermione said dryly.
"She'll want to get to know you," he told her, "I'm sure she was serious about lunch. That's just how she is. She's always been pretty involved in my life."
"Something I'll have to get used to, I guess," she gave him a small smile and paused, trying to keep herself from the next sentence that spilled out of her mouth, "So did you sleep with her then?"
Draco chuckled, "Yes," he said simply, not feeling the need to give any more information than that, letting her do with it what she would.
Hermione nodded slowly, she didn't know what she wanted to do with it either, she'd just been compelled to ask. Pansy was beautiful and confident and they were obviously close. His answer didn't surprise her in the slightest, perhaps she'd just been hoping that the answer was no. But that wasn't fair, she'd obviously slept with Ron.
"She'll never be a threat to you," he leaned a little closer, "I hope you know that. No one really compares to you in my eyes."
His eyes were looking through her, like they always did, sensing her insecurity and dispelling it in one fell swoop, "That's just the kind of thing a gentleman would say."
He grabbed her hand lightly, "I don't know how I missed it back then, but not only are you beautiful, but you're smarter, braver, wittier, and stronger than any woman I've ever met. Not to mention that you're just a genuine person who sees the best in others. It didn't take me long to learn all of that once I opened my eyes to it."
"Well I was hoping for two or three more compliments, but I guess that will do," she gave him a crooked smile as the waiter levitated the dessert course over, placing each plate perfectly in front of them before excusing himself again.
"I feel very lucky to have gotten a second chance at meeting you," he said quietly with a glance, picking up his fork to slice through the smooth mousse.
She gave him an appreciative smile back before she dug into her own dessert, "You certainly made a better impression the second time around." And he certainly knew how to make her feel confident in what they had even when her instincts were to feel unsure. She felt special to him, different from whatever else he'd had in his life already. It was a refreshing feeling.
At the end of the meal, instead of bringing a check, the waiter brought over a piece of paper with the total and a signature line. Draco took the man's golden pen and signed his name before pulling his wand from an inside pocket in his blazer, tapping the paper with it and handing it back to the waiter.
"We hope to see you again soon, Mr. Malfoy," the waiter nodded at them with a slight bow before he walked over to the next table.
"What was that?" Hermione asked, "Do you not have to pay here for some reason? Some Malfoy thing?"
Draco grinned at her, "No, they just have a wonderful system here where they can authorize them to move money directly from your Gringott's account. The pen is charmed to detect the correct signature for the related account and then each patron has a unique identification password they authorize it with. They walk you through it on your first visit and you can either choose to link your Gringott's account, which they Floo in a goblin from the bank for, or you can just pay in galleons. We knew we'd come here often after our first visit so it's been linked for years."
"Almost like a debit card," Hermione commented and Draco tilted his head at her in confusion, "Sorry, it's a muggle item. A card you swipe that transfers money without having to carry cash… which is like galleons, only paper."
"Odd," Draco said, "But yes, sounds similar. But why paper? Paper is so easily destroyed."
"Well it's also much lighter than carrying around gold everywhere you go," she laughed.
"But gold has a wonderful jingle to it," Draco stood, holding out his hand, which she took with a roll of her eyes and he lead her away from the entrance towards a door at the back of the restaurant.
"Is the exit back here?" She asked.
"No, they have a lovely secondary business in the back," his lip curled up and his eyes were bright as he pushed the door open and ushered her through.
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A/N: Hi All, hope you enjoyed that chapter! Sorry it's a little delayed, it's not an issue of writing/editing, but more an issue I've been having uploading chapters to the site. Doing my best to get it figured out to avoid more delays! Hope you all had a great weekend! xx