"Do you think I'm childish?" Hermione asked quietly, face blushing despite the fact that her eyes were closed. Even asking the question annoyed her.
Draco hummed before answering, fingers only stilling for a moment in her hair.
"Childish? No. Sweet? Yes. Idealistic? Yes. Innocent? Yes."
"Why does no one describe boys as innocent or childish?"
"Because we're raised not to be," Draco replied, slightly uncomfortable with the turn this conversation was taken. The pair was blissfully alone at Malfoy Manor, curled up on matching sofas in the library. They'd leave for Hogwarts again tomorrow, but were taking the peace and quiet while it was still available to them.
"What are girls raised to be then, Draco? I have the best grades in our year!" Hermione reminded him, letting out a huffed breath. Her eyes were still closed.
"Hermione… I feel like you're going to be cross with me no matter what I say."
"Then just say it!"
"Witches and wizards are raised to fulfill different roles… men sit on the Wizengamot and maintain the vaults, while women mind the house and raise the children. Equally important roles, just… different."
Hermione's eyes bulged open. "That's ridiculous! Did you not hear what you just said, Draco?"
He shrugged. "That's just the way it's always been. Mother and father are happy, aren't they?"
"Respectfully, Draco, Aunt Cissa didn't have the highest marks in Hogwarts history!"
"No one's saying you're not smart, Hermione. What would you want to do?"
"I don't know, but I feel like my future is being cut off before I can even plan it!"
Draco kissed her hair without thinking, lips awkwardly bumping her forehead.
"We can do whatever we want, Hermione." Draco promised. "I can never say no to you."
Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat, sitting up turning away from Draco's concerned expression. "You won't, but it seems like everyone else already wants to."
xxxxxxxxx
"He just shoved his tongue in!" Pansy crowed, drawing gasps from her friends. "I liked it, though. I just wish someone would've told me!"
"Who could tell you?" Daphne asked, eyes wider than wide. "None of us have ever kissed someone!"
"We're in the last week of fifth year, fourth for you two, why don't you just go kiss someone?" Pansy asked.
"Don't pressure us, Pansy!" Hermione scolded, shaking her head at her friend. "I'm happy you have Neville, we all are, but… we don't have to always do the same thing."
"I'm happy for you Pansy," Luna smiled. "Neville's quite handsome and has a dexterous tongue."
The girls all laughed.
"What's that even mean?" Pansy asked, her shoulder length hair splayed over the blanket they were on.
"He sticks it out sometimes when he's concentrating… just looks like a well-used muscle."
"Ew," Daphne replied, receiving a sympathetic nod from Hermione.
"Ew what, ladies?" Blaise Zabini asked as he walked up and plopped himself down on the large blanket next to Luna. The blonde handed him an apple slice, receiving a grateful smile from the attractive man.
Hermione smiled at Draco, patting the empty space next to her.
"Seemed a bit heated," Draco mused, clearly trying to get information.
"You don't even want to know," Hermione replied.
"What would you say about skiving off dinner?" Draco asked.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Will you feed me?"
"What kind of question is that?" Draco scoffed, reaching a long-fingered hand up to move his hair from his eyes. "Would I ever let you go hungry?"
"Hmm, if quidditch is involved, maybe."
"No quidditch is involved, I swear. Just a night out with my darling."
xxx
Hermione didn't know what to expect when Draco promised a night out, but she got dressed up regardless. She made her way down to the Slytherin common room with her soft waves framing her face and a breezy sky blue dress on.
"Hello beautiful," Draco greeted, pressing a kiss to Hermione's hand in a way that had her blushing.
"Can I know where we're going?" Hermione replied, ever the hater of secrets.
"Absolutely not," Draco replied, shaking his head. "We can leave now, though."
Hermione was surprised to find that Draco was leading her to Uncle Sev's room and not out the front doors towards Hogsmeade.
"If you're not back by 11 as promised and I have to deal with Rodolphus, it's your head, Draco," Severus warned, not moving from where he was grading papers. His red-inked quill was slashing through the paper, and she sincerely hoped it wasn't one of hers.
"Of course, sir," Draco replied seriously, causing Hermione to shake her head. The propriety that overtook Draco sometimes was forever amusing to her. For such a slick guy, he could be a real dork sometimes. And for some reason, she was endeared by it.
"Britannia International Hotel!" Draco called out after stepping into the fireplace with Hermione.
She let herself be pulled out by Draco when they arrived in an elegant Floo foyer, .
"Where are we?" Hermione whispered, clinging tightly to Draco's hand after making sure no dust stuck to her dress.
"Just wait," Draco said. "You'll see in a moment."
"Your honor," a man in an upscale hotel uniform said as he walked up to the pair, bowing low. "It's my truest pleasure to serve you and your betrothed tonight."
"Thank you for having us," Draco replied, tone regal as Hermione only ever heard it in public social situations.
"Of course, are you in need of refreshing before I show you to your seats?"
"No, our seats will be fine," Draco replied.
Hermione had to bite her gloss covered lip to not ask Draco what was going on. They headed through a rather busy hotel lobby, though unlike the wizarding accommodations she stayed in, this one was powered by electricity. She wondered why they were there. Though the hotel was fine, it wasn't as beautiful as anywhere they'd stayed in the past. Perhaps there was a world-class restaurant?
The employee walked the pair to a seemingly set of double doors that he hefted open, waving a hand inside.
"You'll be at table three, directly in the center of the stage."
The room was buzzing with well-dressed individuals; Hermione realized that she recognized none of them and that no wands were out. Was this a muggle gathering?
Draco's strong hand in the crook of her elbow was the only thing grounding her and keeping her from asking a million questions. Didn't he know how impatient she was? She needed to know what was going on… now.
"Almost there," Draco murmured, causing Hermione to shiver at the warmth of his breath in her ear. How did he manage to bend down to her height without looking like a grotesque hunchback? The wonders of Draco Malfoy never ceased. "I'm going to introduce you to some very powerful muggles, just follow my lead."
"Ah, Lord Malfoy! I'm so pleased you could join us," an old, yet stately, man said with a smile. He stood up from the table, holding a hand out towards Hermione. "This must be your Hermione… it's a pleasure to meet you, dear."
"You as well, sir," Hermione smiled, accepting a kiss on the back of her hand as dictated by etiquette.
"Love, this is Sir Denis and his wife, the Honourable Margaret Thatcher."
Hermione saw the guards stationed behind the couple, and it didn't take much for her to piece together that the woman was the important one of the pair.
"It's a true honour to meet you both," Hermione greeted. "Thank you for having us."
"It's our pleasure, my girl," the put-together woman greeted. "My Denis hasn't stopped talking about the young man he met at what should've been a boring business dinner, and we simply had to have you here."
"Draco has an incredible gift of making even the most droll moments fun," Hermione agreed, receiving twin laughs for her efforts.
"Why don't we take a seat? Dinner should be served soon," the older woman suggested, waiting for her husband to pull her seat out. Hermione was a bit guilty at the surprise she felt over muggles being so refined; her Uncles Sev and Sirius would be disappointed.
"Sounds lovely," Hermione replied honestly, not knowing what the night had in store, but trusting Draco's planning skills implicitly.
xxxxxxxxx
Hermione had never drank before, so the pretty pink wine she'd been sipping on all night had left her feeling floaty and giggly.
"Dragon, you just… stalked the former Prime Minister's husband to try and get an invite somewhere?" Hermione gasped with a giggle, holding onto his arm as they took a walk outside of the hotel.
"You make it sound so sinister! Can't a wizard have some fun once in a while?"
Hermione wrapped her free arm around Draco, nuzzling her head into his shoulder like a cat.
"I had so much fun tonight," Hermione sighed. "Why do I feel like we never just have fun together?"
"We're always being watched," Draco replied honestly, far less intoxicated than Hermione. He hated to treat her like a dog, but hoped that a short walk would clear her head a bit. "When we're married, we can do more like this."
"Tonight was the muggle Prime Minister, what's going to happen when we're married? Jesus Christ?"
"I don't think he's real, Hermione," Draco replied patiently, already knowing the pushback he'd receive from his Bible-reading, non-Christian betrothed. "I don't know, though; whatever we want. We can travel, meet new people, eat whatever we want and learn more about magic… the world is our oyster."
"What was the point of tonight then, Dragon? Show me a powerful woman and then tell me too bad, you can never have that?"
Draco stopped walking and pulled Hermione in front of him.
"No, Hermione," Draco replied seriously, swallowing a sigh. "I brought you here so you could see that women defy societal expectations daily; what did she say? Breaking the glass ceiling? You can do that too. I'll be here for you, whatever you want to do."
Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco, finding comfort in hugging the much larger man.
"I wish it was easier," she replied honestly. "With Tom, with muggleborns, with all of it… a fresh start would be nice."
"Anything you want, princess, just say the word. I'll do anything to keep you safe and happy."
"I know," Hermione replied earnestly, pulling back and smiling softly up at Draco. In a moment fueled by liquid courage, she tugged on his shirt collar to bring his lips down to her own. Their kiss wasn't one full of electricity that made her curls stand on edge, but it was full of a tender, comfortable warmth that had her stomach curling up like the cat that got the canary. It was sweet, it was full of promise, and it was full of intention. Kissing Draco was nice, and she couldn't help but think of how nice it'd be kissing only him for the rest of her days. Adventure was certainly nice in many aspects of life, but in romance? She'd stick to the confident, steady love of her Dragon.
"Hermione," Draco murmured after they pulled away, tentative tongues meeting in between sealed lips before the Malfoy man realized that they'd gone far enough for one night.
"I liked it," she whispered, cheeks a rosy red.
"Me too, love," Draco replied honestly, pressing a kiss on her forehead. "You're perfect."
Hermione rolled her eyes, softly pushing against Draco's chest. "No one's perfect, but based on what I've Seen… we're perfect for each other. I think that may be all that matters."
"Cheers to that," Draco replied, smacking another kiss on her hair before standing up. "We need to get back before Sev kills us."
Hermione let out a giggling groan, "I just can't wait for him to meet his wife! He looks so much happier with a family."
"Have you changed your mind on giving me details? Can I at least know how many kids he has?"
"Not a chance, Draco! You can be just as surprised as everyone else. Be grateful you don't have to live with the knowledge that so many things are going to happen, but having no idea when. It's too much to bear sometimes," Hermione said honestly, huffing after her tangent was finished.
"You're stronger than anyone I know," the blond said honestly. "I just wish I could see Uncle Sev happy, it might make his classes more palatable."
"Maybe if you and Theo stopped talking, he'd treat you better in class! Do you know how to get back?"
"Of course I know how to get back," Draco scoffed, hiding his internal panic over whether they'd taken a right or a left after exiting the hotel.
"Sure you do," Hermione smirked, snuggling back into Draco's side. For now, she was content to blister her feet up in unforgiving heels and enjoy an unexpected night out with Draco.