This was not what Draco had in mind when he asked Hermione to the table. The room was eerily quiet as their spoons clinked against the bowls.
Merlin's Beard! He could actually hear her chewing.
He took a gulp of wine. There had to be something they could discuss. He knew of one subject, at least, that would get her talking.
"So...have you read any good books lately?"
Hermione looked up from her soup bowl. "What?"
Draco fought a scowl. Apparently she was lost in her own little bubble. Probably still thinking on the damn deer. Doesn't she ever take a break?
He calmed himself and tried again. "Books. I was asking you about any books you may have read recently."
She took a bite of scone, pondering how to answer. "Well, no, not recently."
Draco was genuinely shocked. "What? The queen bookworm doesn't have anything to say about current literature?"
Hermione gave a small smile. "Honestly, I haven't had the time. Since the promotion, I've barely had a moment to myself." A dreamy look came over her. "I would love to spend hours browsing the libraries like I used to. To read just for the pleasure of it..."
She shrugged and the smile returned. "But it is what it is. I enjoy my job. And I really feel like I'm making a difference for those who can't."
Draco was not sure how to respond to that. He had not felt like he made much of a difference with anything in years, if ever.
"So you really enjoy cases like this?"
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Enjoyed this case?" She chuckled. "Not on your life. But it hasn't been completely horrid like I had imagined."
Draco laughed as well. "No, it hasn't been the best of times, has it?"
A naughty thought wandered into his mind.
"And I imagine your redheaded beau hasn't enjoyed it, either. You being trapped in a tent with another man. The hated Slytherin, at that. He is probably stomping around in a huff about it all." He smirked.
The smile slipped from her face and Draco knew he had touched a nerve. She went back to her meal.
"Actually, I have no 'beau', as you say." She said between bites. "Ron and I haven't been together for some years. Things just did not work out."
"I'm sorry. That was...insensitive of me. I hadn't realized things had ended badly for the two of you."
She shook her head, bushels of hair tumbling this way and that. "No...I guess I misspoke. Ron and I are still friends. We just were not compatible as...well, partners."
"Oh...that's good then, I suppose." Draco took a bite of soup to keep from saying anything else stupid.
"How about you?"
He dabbed his lips with his napkin.
"What about me?"
Hermione took a sip of wine. Her glass was almost empty. Draco looked to his own. It was almost gone as well.
He picked up the bottle and wordlessly offered some. She nodded. To her apparent surprise, he stood and walked to her end of the table instead of leaning over.
He knew how to be a gentleman when it counted.
As he poured her glass, she looked up. The candle light caught her eyes. A tinder of hair fell to the side of her face.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"Your welcome."
He went back to his side of the table.
"What I was saying is: how are you and Pansy doing? I had heard things were going well for the two of you."
He pulled his chair in with an awkward smile. "Then you heard wrong."
"Oh?" Hermione gave him a concerning glance.
"It was for the best, really. Like you and Weasley, we just did not match up." He laughed as he poured his own glass.
"Besides, her dancing was atrocious! I mean, you should have seen us at Mother's last Charity Ball. It was like dancing with an octopus!"
Hermione laughed. Not a fake high pitched squeal like Pansy always did. No, it was loud and heartfelt. It was real. He liked that. Her laugh ended with a warm smile.
"Ah, dancing," she said, wishfully swirling her wine in her glass. "You know, I haven't really danced since the Yule Ball."
"No. Really?"
Hermione nodded as she took a bite of soup, reminding Draco of his own food.
"No, seriously. Ron did not like that sort of thing. I mean there was a wedding here and there where he would half-heartedly." She began ticking off her fingers. "George and Angelina...Harry and Ginny...Percy and Harold..."
"Potter married the Weasette?"
Hermione threw him a look. He took a bite of soup and tried again. Old habits were hard to break.
"I mean, Potter married the Weasley girl?"
Hermione gave a small smile and nodded behind her wine glass. "Mm-hmm. Going on four years now. With their second child on the way...Little James is going to be a wonderful big brother."
Draco felt a stab of jealousy at this. Potter was already married with a devoting family. He wondered if he would ever find the same happiness. Somehow he doubted it.
He glanced over to Hermione, who had gone quiet.
"They really are quite happy," she added softly at his look. Her train of thought ended as she stared off into space.
He was not sure what to say. After a moment, she came back to herself. She did not look at him.
Instead, she stared down at her plate, though Draco doubted she was actually seeing it. She went back to eating. The subject was dropped.
Draco felt like he had, somehow, ruined the mood. Wanting to remedy it, he stood, leaving his plate behind.
He walked over to her and offered his hand. She gave him a skeptical look.
"What are you doing?"
"Offering a dance."
She did not take his hand.
"I figured it would compliment the meal and give us something fun to do. You've already admitted to missing it." He cocked an eyebrow at her, his hand still between them, open and inviting.
Hermione was not sure what to say. She felt a little curious about dancing with him but also weary. She had been more open tonight than she meant to, but it was becoming increasingly easier to talk to Draco.
She took a breath and his hand. He smiled, the tip of his lips pulling up just a bit.
She let him lead her to the open area between the table and couches. He turned on a radio she had not seen sitting in the corner and music poured into the air.
Draco placed a hand around her waist and pulled her closer. The other hand held hers lightly in the air.
Time seemed to blend together as they moved from one song to the next. She laughed as he twirled her in one tune and dipped her in the next.
As he pulled her up a little too fast, her head swam. She leaned against his shoulder to regain her balance.
His arm tightened slightly around her waist. She almost snuggled in closer.
Realizing what she was doing, Hermione pulled back a little. She looked up to him.
Had his eyes always been so clear and vibrant? His cheeks were a little red from the dancing. His face reflected the confusion she felt.
He bent down. She did not pull away.
Draco's lips were soft as silk and warmer than she would have expected.
She pressed into him, enjoying the feel. His hand trailed down her arm and pressed into the small of her back with the other.
Hermione's own hands snaked up the back of his neck to curl in his hair.
Music drifted around them and the candle light burned low. The deer walked through the mist, all but forgotten by its human companions.
Author's Note:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Harry Potter series. Those rights belong to JK Rowling. I am only borrowing her beautiful creations.
Just so you know, neither were tipsy or buzzed or drunk from the glass and a half of wine. Both Hermione & Draco were completely coherent for the kiss. I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter! I'm gonna do more with the deer in future bits but things are getting interesting with our couple now. 😉