"Just-describe your date to us, Draco. Or, you know, tell us why you picked Hermione. Just give us something that we can use in between different moments of the show. That's how the interview process works, the editing will make all of the difference."
"You want to know about Hermione?" A snicker. "I mean, you all know her. She's great. She's amazing. She told me the fuck off, obviously, and rightfully so. She's just...she's Hermione Granger, you know? What better way to describe how amazing she is other than her name?"
"You sound...besotted, Draco." Laughter from the interviewers.
A large moment of silence, and then, a defeated sigh. "I've been in love with this woman since our fourth bloody year."
Things, presumably, were going well.
?
"Oh, I don't know," Hermione sighed, a grin making its way to the corners of her lips, "I think they're rather cute, don't you?" Draco groaned and picked a stray rose petal out of his drink, wincing as he laid it on the countertop and Theo glared down at the small mess he had made.
"I think they're rather annoying," Draco answered, glancing back towards his best mate, Blaise, and bloody Lovegood, cuddled together on the couch in front of the fireplace, reading some Muggle book together. "And I'm still not certain how that happened."
"I've told you, mate," Theo interjected with a tired sigh, plucking the rose petal off of the table and setting it gently on Draco's head while his back was turned. Draco, of course, noticed anyway and plucked the damn thing out before offering it to Hermione absentmindedly, who secretly pocketed it very unslyly. "Lovegood got a date card shortly after the two of you left, they went on some short, Muggle rock climbing excavation, and Blaise has been head over heels ever since."
"She's good for him," Hermione interjected.
"You bloody barely know him," Draco reminded her, turning his full attention to the woman beside him and tousling her freshly done hair. "That means that you don't get an opinion, miss."
"Oh, please," Hermione growled, shoving his hand away as the boys laughed at her. She smoothed her hair down, shooting Draco a sharp glare as she attempted to fix the mess he had made. "I always have an opinion."
"We know," this time, the boys were joined by a third voice, and Ginny Weasley took a seat on the other side of Draco, her hair utterly messed.
"Ginny," Hermione greeted cautiously, her eyes sliding over to Draco's as both stared at her in amusement. "Your hair looks like-well, it looks like-"
"You have sex hair, Weaslette," Theo chimed in, popping a stray cherry from the bar into his mouth as he leaned over on his elbows with a wink towards her direction. Ginny blushed furiously, and Hermione winced empathetically, but nodded all the same.
"Dear Merlin, please for the love of all things magic don't tell me you had sex with Oliver Wood," Hermione hissed, hiding her face in her hands at the mere thought.
"I echo that sentiment," Draco agreed, turning his nose up in disgust. "Potter and I are friends, and I'll be forced to hate you if you do this to him, Weaslette."
"Godric Gryffindor!" Ginny shrieked, "The lot of you are too damn dramatic. I didn't have sex with anybody. We just...messed around a little bit."
"Friends with Potter?!" Theo exclaimed, spilling Hermione's drink and shattering a glass. "What the fuck do you mean friends with Potter?" Ginny and Hermione shared an awkward glance as they laughed and Draco winced.
"Look mate," he whispered, "First off, keep your voice down, and secondly, it's sort of a long story-"
"Look, I can get on board with the Granger thing," Theo interrupted, eyes steaming and crossed arms over his chest. "Secretly, I'm hoping the two of you will turn your friendship into bedroom fun and have tiny bushy-haired, silver-eyed babies. But Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are two people that should not exist in the same circle-"
"Theo!" Hermione squealed in protest to his sentence, and Draco noticed that her cheeks were beet red. Ginny winked at him while Hermione's back was turned and he shot her down with a glare and turned back to Hermione. "Stop it-I mean, don't say things like that-Draco and I are just friends, alright? And we're barely that so, keep your opinions about us to yourself. And stop wishing for us to-to procreate."
Draco snorted; she was always such a swot when she spoke. It only endeared her to him even more than it used to, now that they were actually on good speaking terms.
"Granger, I can't help it," Theo grinned, "I mean just think about how dreadfully pratty and smart those little brats would be-"
"You're right," Ginny hissed, and then turning to Hermione, said, "Maybe you two shouldn't ever procreate; I'm not certain that the world could handle a mixture of the two of you-"
"Godric Gryffindor, not you too," Hermione groaned, laying her head on the table in protest. "I'm serious, both of you stop acting like a couple of idiots and let us be friends. Barely friends. New friends, who are on a trial basis and still learning to tolerate each other-"
"She's lying," Draco piped in, having had too much angst watching Granger get bent out of shape at the mere thought of something more between them. "We're best friends. Better than you, Weaslette; at night we have sleepovers and we braid each other's hair and talk about Cormac McLaggen's delicious-"
"DRACO!" Hermione squealed, lifting her head off of the table and using all of her force to (unsuccessfully) shove Draco off of the barstool. "The lot of you are sodding ridiculous."
So, yes, things were going well; and it was only Wednesday, two days after their first date.
Three days before the rose ceremony.
?
On Thursday, George planned a large group date again and thankfully, Granger didn't have to be in this spotlight this time. Although I would have loved to hear her sing again, Draco had mused to himself as they all gathered outside in the large courtyard. The date ended up being a large outdoor barbecue, which after too much explanation from Hermione, Draco gathered was a largely American Muggle activity.
Of course, he'd spent the entire summer in America so he already knew this, but he quite liked to hear Hermione exhaust herself simply by talking too much.
Hermione spent most of her time on the group date mingling with Longbottom and his girlfriend Hannah Abbott, Ginny, Wood, Katie, Dean Thomas, and Cormac McLaggen, much to Draco's dismay. Even bloody Blaise got to see her more, seeing as he and Lovegood were apparently, now an item.
So, naturally, Draco sulked in a corner with Daphne and Millicent, both of whom complained the entire time about how they weren't making connections with any of the men and feared that they would be the two women going home.
"Even Romilda Vane is trying to sink her little claws into Weasley," Millie rolled her eyes, sipping on a mojito and stuffing a cherry into her mouth. "You know, when he isn't with Helga what's-her-last-name."
"Draco, perhaps you could give your rose to one of us?" Daphne suggested evenly, although Draco knew she was attempting some form of manipulation. "I know you took Granger on some sort of redemption date, but you're not really interested in that, are you? You know, now that the two of you are on good terms she can clear your name-"
"It wasn't ever about that, Daphne," Draco replied through gritted teeth, watching apprehensively as McLaggen sat way too close to Hermione. "And I might be interested in furthering that relationship-what's it to you, anyway?"
"I just want to stay on the show, Drake," Daphne hissed back, slamming her drink on the counter. "Besides, what would you want with her, anyway? Weren't you previously in the talks of an engagement with my sister, Astoria?" Daphne was getting more frustrated the longer she spoke, Draco noticed, and he tried his hardest not to just walk away from her. "Look, she was heartbroken when you chose to stop seeing her, and then when it was announced to our family that you'd be joining the cast of the show, she understood why. You just needed to clear your name here first, spend a couple of weeks, and then you'd go back to her. We get it, Drake, but it seems to me that you've accomplished your task, so you can stop fooling around with Granger and go back home and marry my sister. I'm sure society will welcome you back now-"
"First of all, I have no intentions of marrying Astoria nor have I ever had any intentions of marrying your little sister. We dated, sure, and I'm sorry if I led her on but there were no talks of engagement between the two of us. I can't say for certain what may have gone on in her head, but rest assured, there is no talk of engagement between me and Astoria," Draco growled, inwardly shuddering at the mere thought of marrying the gold-digging blonde. He hardly even counted what they had as a relationship, seeing as his mother hated her and all she had cared about was her future inheriting the Manor.
All she had had on her side was his father in Azkaban, and that didn't mean shit to him anymore.
"Secondly, when my mother announced my appearance on the show to your family, it was only as common courtesy to say that I would not be dating Astoria any longer, not as an explanation for our permanent break-up," Draco rounded on Daphne, who was becoming more agitated by the second. He could see that she wanted to interject, to argue with him, but she didn't dare interrupt him.
At least that hadn't changed.
"And lastly, I like Hermione." Draco shrugged, popping a cherry into his own mouth with a wink and deciding once and for all to stop being sad and go talk to the girl for Merlin's sakes.
"He likes her?" He heard Daphne hiss as he walked away, smirk firmly planted on his lips. "Did you know that?"
"Well, to be fair, I thought it was quite obvious," Millie answered and Draco's smirk slightly faltered as he approached Hermione's table, McLaggen turning to face him with a mighty glare. Simmer down Gryffindork, I'm not here to fight you. Not like Hermione likes you anyways, tosser.
"Malfoy," Cormac greeted coldly, to which Draco only offered an insincere smile. Draco had never seen Hermione whip around so fast in her life, her eyes full of unspoken pleas for help.
"McLaggen, I hope you don't mind if I steal Hermione for a second," Draco replied sarcastically, not even sparing the bloke a second glance. He could sense his annoyance, but he couldn't bloody care if McLaggen minded what he did. Prick could go f-
"I certainly don't mind, as my mother did teach me how to be a gentleman," Cormac responded and Hermione snorted loudly, spilling some of her pink drink. Draco smirked at her and winked, causing her blush to reach her neck. "However, I can't speak for the lady." Draco chuckled aloud at this and eyed Hermione, who stared him down intensely.
"No," she agreed, her look conveying she was quite enjoying this, "Cormac certainly does not speak for me. How would you like to plead your case, Draco?" There was a teasing glint in her eye, and Draco would be lying if he said it didn't turn him on. He quite liked the idea of her...toying with him.
"Hermione, I may be forced into a life of depression if you refuse me," Draco sighed, watching Cromac's jaw drop and grinning when Hermione giggled.
"So dramatic," she hiccuped, Draco rolled his eyes, and Cormac continued squirming uncomfortably. "Well, as much as I truly do hate you, Malfoy, I suppose a life of depression seems a little harsh." Draco smiled; her joking about hating him was surely a good sign, if the knowing wink she sent him were any indication. He wondered if she was a bit tipsy, to be flirting so openly with him here, not that he minded it at all. "Cormac, if you'll excuse me?"
Hermione didn't wait for a response as she clung to Draco's arm and he led her away from her friends and over to the door leading inside, hoping for a few minutes alone to just be with her.
"Thank you," Hermione sighed, and Draco noticed her body drew a bit closer to him. "I fear if I stayed too much longer, he was going to propose we go back to my room." Draco stopped walking, pausing just short of the door handle.
"Were you...intending on giving him the impression that you wanted that?" He questioned, cocking his head at her as he stared into her honey eyes.
I could do this all day, he thought, a few of her stray curls blowing in the wind over her face. Hermione struggled to pull them back, although Draco suspected she was doing it subconsciously because her hand kept automatically falling in front of her face before the curls even blew there, anticipating their sure return.
"Merlin, no," she hiccuped again, touching her hand gently to her lips in embarrassment. Draco smiled softly at her and she looked away from his gaze, awkwardly shuffling her feet and staring down at her hands, occasionally bringing the one up to move her hair. "He always wants to sleep with me; a girl gets desperate one time and all of a sudden he thinks we're shagging buddies, or something. I should have never slept with him."
"Well you won't hear any arguments here," Draco replied, watching, mesmerized by the hair that kept falling in front of her face. "Anyway, Hermione, you know you don't have to talk to him, don't you? You're not obligated to do anything that you don't want to do."
"I know," Hermione grumbled, wincing at the awkward turn of the conversation. "It's just that-I mean, he's disgusting and sexist but he isn't mean to me, at least. And he seems to be the only one here with any romantic sort of interest in me, and-"
The stupid bint, I swear on Merlin's grave.
"Don't do that," Draco hissed, startling Hermione to meet his gaze again. Her jaw dropped, and he suspected she was about to question him but he quickly continued. "Don't sell yourself short for just any old bloke who clearly isn't good enough for you just because you've temporarily forgotten how amazing you are."
Hermione's jaw was agape and her eyes were wide with her shock registering on every one of her features. She stuttered, lost for words, her head shaking her denial.
"Promise me at least that." Draco quieted his voice, moving just an inch or two closer to her. "You do deserve something real, Hermione." She hadn't moved a muscle since he'd last spoken, but now she nodded her head, and Draco noted that she, at least, looked pleasantly surprised, if nothing else.
"I promise," she submitted, letting go of a small smile-but Draco's brain decided he wasn't quite done.
"And, besides, are you truly certain that that tosser is the only person here with a romantic interest in you?"
This time, Hermione reared back in her shock and Draco had to grasp her arm so she wouldn't slip off of the step. She gasped a tiny little gasp and scrunched her nose, seemingly scrutinizing him.
"Are you trying to tell me something, Malfoy?" She questioned, her voice barely a whisper amongst the blaring wind. Of course I bloody am, except for I'm absolutely not because there is no way in hell that you can ever know-
"Hermione, I-" That piece of bloody hair for the love of Merlin-
Draco's hand seemingly took on a mind of his own as he stepped closer to Hermione once again and brushed her stubborn piece of hair behind her ear, his palm brushing against her cheek ever so gently and his thumb swiping a brave line under her eye as he did so. Hermione let her eyes close for only the briefest of seconds before they fluttered open again and she hastily stepped back.
"Thanks," she mumbled, turning away from him and awkwardly clearing her throat. "I, um, I better get back to Ginny. Godric knows what she'll do with Oliver if I don't-well, you know-"
And then she rushed away.
And that, was Thursday.
?
Friday was uneventful. Hermione seemed to be avoiding him after Thursday's slip-up and spent the entirety of the day either making disgusted faces at Ginny and Oliver, or getting to know Blaise and Luna.
On Saturday, Draco confronted Blaise, guns ablazing.
"She was getting to know me-with Luna-as a couple," Blaise had explained when he noticed Draco sulking, quite obviously for his attention, in the corner. "She just wants to get to know her friend's new boyfriend."
He had said that last part with a blush and a grin, lovingly looking back over to where Lovegood was showing something to Hermione that she and Blaise had apparently found earlier.
"Blaise," Draco had interrupted then, watching with envy as Lovegood met his mate's gaze and smiled back at him. "Why her? I mean-nothing directly against Lovegood, but I think that I speak for everyone here when I say that literally nobody saw that coming."
Blaise only shrugged, leaning back against the bar counter and watching as Luna whispered something excitedly to Hermione.
"I can't say that I saw it coming either, mate, but she brings something out in me," Blaise sighed dreamily and Draco had half a mind to make fun of him-and he would have, too, if he didn't know he was just as smitten with a woman who didn't feel the same way about him. "She may be odd, but in a funny way, she gets me. And I sort of get her too. Besides, she was willing to look past all of the Blood Purist shit that I used to believe in and see me as who I am now; and that, my friend, is priceless."
Blaise's words struck a chord with Draco and he watched, hurt, as Hermione continued to engage in a lengthy conversion with Lovegood, her face animated and bright. He didn't think-no, he was certain-that Hermione could never look at him that way. Would she ever truly trust him? Was he just kidding himself here with her? Sure, she'd given him a chance as friends, but that's likely just who she was as a person. She was better than him in every way, and he knew that, and she likely knew that as well. He didn't think that she could ever get to where he was with her, and yes, it's true that he had quite the headstart in his feelings for her, but if she would truly never love him back-
Then what was he still doing here?
Blaise seemed to sense his inner turmoil.
"Mate," he spoke gently, soft eyes searching his friend's for some sort of semblance of being 'okay.' "I don't know what's going through your head right now, but I can tell you that Hermione's had nothing but good things to say about you for the past two days. I think that you've really left an impression on her."
"It doesn't matter," Draco grumbled, summoning Theo from the other side of the bar who, upon realizing that sulky Draco was back, gave a heaving sigh and began to prepare a stronger drink. "She'll never see me the way that- that I see her." He said that last part quietly, as if he were confessing a sin in a confessional.
He never had told any of his friends his true feelings for Hermione-aside from yesterday, when he'd rashly admitted it to Daphne. He'd been harboring his secret crush on her for years without letting anybody but his mother in on the secret, and her only because she'd seen the way he'd looked at her that day when-when-
He didn't want to think about that day at the Manor right now. It already tortured his dreams at night, at least being awake could offer some respite.
"I can't say whether she will or she won't," Blaise answered honestly, "But I can tell you that, right now, you're the only thing the girl can talk about."
"He's not lying you know, it's bloody adorable and annoying," Theo chimed in, offering Draco his drink slowly. "And then he knew how to swing dance! And he was such a gentleman. Has he always been a gentleman, Theo? His mother must have raised him that way. She's quite lovely, too. Oh-and did I tell you he really listens to me when I talk? And he's trying so hard to have us on good terms, it's really-"
"Alright!" Draco laughed, having been put in a much better mood. "I hear you."
"All we're saying is," Blaise chuckled too, nodding his head at where Hermione was now approaching, "don't give up hope on her just yet."
"I'll keep that in mind." Draco smiled as Hermione approached, taking the seat next to him.
"Can I get you anything, darling?" Theo cooed affectionately, and despite his earlier jibes, it was easy to see that he was quite taken with her as well. Draco counted his lucky stars that the bloke was gay.
"Not tonight, Theo, I'm afraid I've been told that I speak far too much when I drink," Hermione answered with a blush before she turned to Draco. "So, I'm sorry about that; you must all be quite annoyed with me lately."
"Nonsense," Blaise interjected, just as Draco shook his head vigorously.
"I quite like hearing you blabber on about anything and everything anyway." He shrugged and Theo rolled his eyes. "Besides, who in their right mind told you that? Was it Weasley? Because-don't punch me for saying this because you've got a bloody mean right hook, Granger, and my perfect nose can only take so much damage-but the bloke's hardly in his right mind." Hermione laughed and Draco pursed his lips as he thought further on the Weasel. "Also, that means my threat didn't take and I must go repeat it." Draco stood up playfully, pretending to look for Ron, and Hermione laughed and pulled him back down.
"Sit down, it wasn't Ron," she giggled, and the thought fleetingly crossed Draco's mind that he wished to make her laugh every day for the rest of their lives. "You were close, though; it was actually Ginny. Though I suspect she's intoxicated herself, and feeling a bit guilty about starting a relationship with Oliver."
"I can't say I'm on her side with that one," Draco admitted, "it's going to break Potter's heart when he sees it; if he hasn't already, that is."
"Since when do you care about Potter's heart?" Blaise questioned, incredulous, though his eyes were still on Lovegood who was picking a song to play on their little television.
"Oh, do you not know?" Theo jibed, dropping his towel on the counter instantly, eyes ablaze.
Hermione grinned. Draco groaned.
"Apparently Draco and Potter are friends," Theo emphasized, just as Blaise's eyes went as wide as Draco's mother's fancy dinner plates that she had graciously donated to George Weasley's Most Eligible.
"Draco Sodding Malfoy!" Blaise gasped, clearly offended, just as Lovegood approached the group and Blaise eagerly gave up his barstool for her to sit.
"My middle name is Lucius," Draco reminded him, repressing a smile at the sight of Lovegood's loony eyes staring adoringly at his best mate.
"No, not anymore," Blaise insisted, clearly taken aback by this new revelation. "I've changed it. To 'Sodding'. Next week, it may be bloody. And the week after that it might be f-"
"Dear, I don't believe that it works that way," Lovegood interjected, reaching out her hand to Blaise who took it softly with a smile on his face. He didn't answer her at all; he only beamed down at the blonde girl and pressed a kiss to her hand so lovingly that Draco had to look away.
Hermione sighed dreamily, and he wondered if she would be embarrassed to know that he heard it.
He turned to her then, hopping off of his barstool and offering his hand. "Do you fancy a walk, Granger?" He asked, anticipation bubbling up in his chest when she startled at being addressed. Nevertheless, when she grinned at him and he was certain that she was going to accept his offer, he couldn't help the teenage girlish butterflies running around rampantly inside his chest, crashing into his ribcage and causing his heart to stutter. Just a little bit though, he liked to think he still held some shred of dignity.
"A walk sounds refreshing," Hermione replied simply, her dainty hand sheepishly intertwining with his as he helped her off her barstool. She flushed when he replaced his hand in hers and guided her with it on her back, tossing a nod towards his mates as he led Hermione towards the back exit that only the two of them—and Ginny, apparently—knew about.
"That boy is absolutely smitten," Blaise chuckled.
"Enamored," Theo agreed, and Draco could hear the smile in his voice. Draco's hand tensed, and he whispered incantations in his head to convince himself Hermione hadn't heard his idiotic friends. Seriously, could they not have the decency until they left the sodding room before they attempted to speculate on his true feelings towards her?
Bastards. The both of them.
It took Draco an embarrassing amount of time before he realized he'd gone nearly ten minutes without speaking to his companion and they'd already circled the same hallway twice. Once he came to this embarrassing realization, he scrambled for the right thing to say, or the right thing to do in this unprecedented situation.
You look lovely today, Granger.
How was your dinner with Blaise and Luna?
Are you enjoying your Friday?
Do you like flowers? We have a magnificent garden, would you like me to show you to it?
All wonderful options, except what actually came out, was:
"You've been avoiding me."
Merlin, where was a ledge to jump off of when he needed it?
Hermione stalled and, instead of getting defensive and upset like he may have thought she would, she only gave him a small smile and stopped in front of a portrait.
"This one is lovely," she commented, lifting a hand and stepping away from Draco to really examine it. "It's Rowena Ravenclaw, isn't it?"
"Yes," Draco admitted, stepping closer himself and eyeing the diadem that always seemed to catch his eye. "Rumor has it that her diadem belongs to my mother's line and it's locked away somewhere in a family vault-possibly with a dragon guarding it or some petty shite."
Hermione laughed-honest to Merlin laughed, like he had amused her-and Salazar, it sounded like bloody Christmas Bells in his soul.
She turned to him with a brilliant smile and his breath hitched in his throat. "I hate to be the person to break it to you, but that rumor's just a rumor. Bloody thing was destroyed during the Battle of Hogwarts."
Draco was shocked, but said nothing as he stood back and watched the brilliant girl trace a light finger over the portrait. His father would have had a complete mental breakdown had he known somebody with her-well, somebody like-like her, was touching their things.
It satisfied Draco immensely to see her do it.
"I was mostly with your mother," Hermione confessed quietly, dropping her hand and braving a glance back up at Draco's face. He felt himself go pale. His mother/? Bloody hell, was the girl trying to off him? "Yesterday, I mean. It may seem odd, but she makes me feel...normal in this obscenely strange environment. She gives amazing advice, too. She's confusingly kind. It makes me wonder how you-I mean-" She stopped immediately, her face burning as red as her Gryffindor soul as she suddenly dropped her gaze to her pale orange heels.
"It makes you wonder how I turned out the way that I did," Draco finished for her, an empty sadness swirling inside of his chest. "At school. Back in our Hogwarts days, and the way that I treated you." Hermione looked up then, her brilliant caramel eyes burning holes into his, blazing brightly with unanswered questions and buried emotions.
"I'm sorry," she offered timidly, shame flushing over her face and clouding her once bright eyes. She began to downcast her eyes again but Draco had decided that he had had enough of that and he grasped her arm, shocking her enough that she met his fiery silver orbs that were currently gazing at her determinedly.
"Never," he emphasized with a hiss, his hand slackening its grip and subconsciously cradling her wrist. "Never apologize for things that you are entitled to feel, Granger."
She went still, then, and Draco briefly wondered if he had broken her when suddenly he noticed that there were tears in her eyes. He made to apologize when she abruptly threw her tiny arms around his waist, her face disappearing into his suit coat and covered by her outrageously enticing curls.
"Thank you." He felt, more than heard, her mumble into his chest and his breath hitched once again, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously as he prayed she didn't notice how she affected him. Prayed that she never realized how she always tended to affect him.
Bloody hell. There was no recovering from this.
"We should get back," he whispered into her hair, stealing a kiss she would never feel through her thick tresses. He cursed himself even as he said it, and wished he had let himself live in this moment for as long as Hermione Granger would have let him. I guess now we'll never know how long that might have been.
Hermione pulled away quickly, evidently embarrassed, and nodded, using her curls to hide the fact that she was wiping tears away from her face. And although Draco clearly saw it, there was no way in hell he was going to embarrass her for showing some of her old self again. Salazar knows she's been missing for far too long.
They walked back in silence, only this time, the silence felt welcome and peaceful instead of awkward and reaching. Draco knew what they were walking back to and, although they had just had what he would consider to be a meaningful encounter, he still doubted that Hermione was actually going to accept his rose.
He was going to have a hole the size of his parent's vault if he kept biting his lip like that.
"There you two are," Blaise greeted as they walked back in, stealing Hermione with a hand on her back and a wink thrown Draco's way. "We're all just getting lined up for the Rose Ceremony now; the girls are all waiting out on the veranda for the boys to enter with the Roses. You should go and join them before they start placing bets on the month your child will be born."
"Blaise!" Draco hissed as Hermione blanched, mumbling a small, "excuse me," and scurrying off to the veranda. Draco shoved his friend into the bar and Theo jumped, rolling his eyes when he realized who the altercation was between. "Was that honestly absolutely necessary, you bloody tosser?! Look, I don't need your help making an absolute idiot of myself, alright? I've got that part covered so stop with all of the bloody teasing!" Draco hissed, feeling a little bad when Blaise winced in response, rubbing his ribs tenderly.
"He's right, you know-"
"And that goes for you too, bloody bastard," Draco interrupted Theo with a sharp glare.
"And to think the two of you call yourselves my friends."
"Oh sod off, mate, and open your eyes," Blaise groaned, shoving his friend forward. "If you paid any attention, you'd see that Granger actually sort of likes all of the attention and the teasing. I don't think she's felt a camaraderie like ours welcoming her in a long time, mate. You've seen how Weasley treats her; and Ginny's nice enough, but she's so wrapped up in her situation with Potter that the both of them have bloody ignored her feelings for long enough. She enjoys our company, and our brotherly teasing, and I have it on good authority that she finds you attractive so you can no longer be upset with me because that was classified information, damn it!" Blaise finished with a harrumph, commandeering Draco towards the line of men gathering their Roses and beginning their walk to the veranda.
"Shut it, you liar," Draco accused, although he did so with a smile on his face as George handed him the rose he intended for Hermione. So, she found him attractive, eh? He could work with that. He damn well could work with that.
He smirked.
"Don't go on and get a bloody big head, now, she isn't as whipped as you," Blaise chuckled and Draco was in such a good mood after what he'd heard that he was happy enough to ignore his jibe. Even if it was quite true.
It wasn't until George welcomed them all to their first Rose Ceremony that Draco even noticed his feet had carried him all the way out onto the veranda, right next to Blaise, in the back and on the end.
Hermione was staring at him.
She smiled.
"Good evening," George greeted with a large, excited smile on his face. Draco wondered how much he knew of who would be receiving and who would be accepting what rose, and just how much he saw go on with his magical little cameras. "And welcome to the very first ever Rose Ceremony of George Weasley's Most Eligible." There were cheers and squeals and yips of glee at his pronouncement, and even Draco felt excitement bubble up-just a little, he was still a Malfoy, Merlin-in his chest. "It's been a wonderful first week; and as you know, there are two more women than there are men-which makes tonight that much tougher," George reminded them, looking over all of the men and then gracing the women with an awkward, sympathetically sad smile.
"Gentlemen, you're handing out the roses tonight," George segwayed, straightening his tie and crossing his arms over his waist. "That means, ladies, two of you will be heading back home tonight. I wish you all the best; it's time that we get started. Dean, why don't you start us off?"
Dean Thomas sauntered over to the wooden table in the middle of the room, pulled his rose out of his lapel, and smiled brightly over at one Katie Bell.
"Katie," he announced his pick, surprising absolutely nobody. Katie Bell practically skipped over towards him, her lips spreading in one of the widest smiles that Draco had ever seen on her. "Katie, will you accept this rose?"
"Of course," she responded graciously, taking his rose from him and circling him in a tight hug, the both of them returning back to their respective spots with the men and the women.
George called up Neville next who, predictably, chose Hannah Abbott. Blaise chose Luna after him, earning them both a few curious glances and Oliver chose Ginny which garnered more than its share of whispers and judgmental stares.
"Ron," George called next, his cheeky brother throwing at the ladies before pulling his rose and landing his gaze on the most atrociously, fake blonde/breasts/arse woman in the entire company.
"Helga," Ron called and Draco groaned, watching as Hermione's face fell in betrayal.
"Sodding idiot," Blaise murmured, "That woman couldn't give two shites about him."
Draco grunted his agreement, but Helga accepted Ron's rose anyway, flashing Hermione a malicious smile and a wink as she took a place behind her. Draco watched as she immediately tensed, as if she were afraid that the older witch was going to wandlessly hex her while her back was turned and she needed to be aware of every move that she intended to make.
Draco had half a mind to ask George to separate them, or walk over there himself and wedge himself in between them just so Hermione wouldn't feel so uncomfortable anymore.
"One hand lain on her, one vicious word, and I'm not responsible for the things I do next," Draco warned Blaise lowly, his fingers clenching as George turned his eyes on him.
"Draco," he called and his feet couldn't move him quickly enough towards the wooden podium. He gracefully fingered his rose, looking upwards through his bangs as he smirked at Hermione Granger.
A grin broke out over her face when she realized that he intended to keep his word, and he couldn't quite contain his smile himself.
"Granger," he declared, as if there was any question as to where his intentions lie. Hermione gingerly made her way forward, a blush staining her cheeks, and Draco watched the women in the background for a brief moment. Luna and Katie wore smiles, and Ginny rolled her eyes playfully, having known about his crush on Hermione for quite some time now, thanks to Harry Bloody Potter, his poor selection of a friend.
Daphne and Millie looked uncomfortable, the former looking less than pleased. But Helga, sodding Helga, looked bloody hateful. The mere satisfaction Draco gained from that was enough to keep him smiling for weeks on end.
Although, nothing could compare to the sight of Granger looking up at him eagerly, a bloody smile on her face.
"Granger, will you accept this rose?" He asked quietly, sincerely, hoping to convey that while he meant it to get her out of a messy situation, he also meant it for her. There was nobody else he wanted to give it to, and not just out of convenience and definitely not for his sodding image. But just because, bloody hell, the woman was brilliant. He'd truly never known a more stubborn, outrageous, beautiful woman and-
"Yes," she answered, carefully plucking the rose from his fingers and pulling him into another hug. "I really will." Draco barely registered McLaggen's pissed face as he pondered her previous three words and what she might have meant by them. He barely noticed Cormac offering his rose to Daphne, barely registered Millie and Romilda Vane being dismissed home, barely saw everybody beginning to gather with those that had offered them a rose. All he truly wanted to do was go towards Hermione and make her tell him what she meant, and if she meant what he thought she did.
If he even had a snowball's chance with her, even the slightest of maybe's, he would promise to never give up that chance.
"Don't get too comfortable," George suddenly announced, a wicked smile gleaning over his face. "As you all know, this next week the ladies hold the roses-so, it's about time we make the men at a disadvantage, don't you think? Come on out, you two!"
Draco's stomach turned; he didn't consider the possibility of new men coming in, of somebody else potentially stealing Hermione's heart before he could even convince her to give him a chance. No, in his dreamlike trance he'd been living in for the majority of the week, he'd forgotten all about this twist in the show, and now he felt as though a lead weight had lodged itself deep inside his stomach.
The first man to appear was a finely dressed Terry Boot, and Draco felt vaguely threatened by him. He was, after all, a Ravenclaw and the entire Wizarding World knew Hermione was quite attracted to intelligence. Barring Weasley, obviously.
But all Granger did was offer him a cordial nod and inch closer to Draco, shifting so that their arms barely brushed as they both watched and waited for the next man to arrive.
A very familiar figure appeared next with a cocky smirk printed all over his face. Green eyes searched the venue, a redheaded woman went pale, and Granger gasped beside Draco.
"Harry!" She squealed, rushing over and greeting her oldest friend with a hug. Draco clicked his tongue cheekily and shook his head at the man, unsurprised by his sudden appearance. Bloke was in love with Weaslette, after all, it was only a matter of time before he decided to stop being a right tosser about it.
Harry greeted Ron next and Ginny slyly excused herself from the room, Oliver Wood shrinking slightly into a corner. Everybody stopped to greet Harry Potter, excitement humming over the room at the prospect of having a chance with The Boy Who Lived.
Harry finally spotted him and grinned, whispering something to his friends and making his way over.
"Looking sharp, mate," he teased, clapping his hand against Draco's in a friendly shake. "But what else is new, right?"
"Potter," Draco responded cautiously, eyeing all of the jaw drops and bugged-out eyes happening across the room. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, come on now, don't you think it's about time we outed our friendship?" Harry grinned, clasping a hand on his shoulder. Somebody gasped. "Besides, mate, I'm in desperate need of your help."
"My help? With what, exactly?"
Harry offered him his signature pratty grin.
"Let's just say I've got a ring in my pocket and a fiery Gryffindor to find, mate."