At 4pm, she changed in the bathroom out of her work clothes and into a nice top and shiny low heels. Leaving her work trousers on, she freshened up her make-up, adding a bit of colour to her cheeks and smoothing her hair down a little. She left the bathroom with her coat in her hand and her small bag on her wrist. Everything she might need was contained in there, hidden by an undetectable extension charm, of course.
"Ready?" she asked him, stepping out into the hallway. Malfoy, who had been leaning against the wall, stood up straight, raising an eyebrow when she left the bathroom.
"You changed" he said.
"Just my shirt and my shoes" she said with a shrug.
"I should have brought a shirt too" he said.
"You can floo home and get one if you like?" she said.
"No! I mean, that's not necessary" he said, aiming his wand at himself and changing his shirt from white to black, removing his tie and undoing the top button. "Done" he said.
"Wow, that is some skill there Malfoy" she said.
He shrugged as he motioned for the lift. "Shall we?" he asked.
Hermione was regretting it as she felt Malfoy's icy mood take over the entire lift. The air was now screaming with the drawn-out silence. She agreed to drinks, thinking that they'd have loads to discuss and an opportunity to get to know each other, as, potentially, new friends, rather than colleagues.
"Ahem…" she cleared her throat, "Well, Malfoy, at least now I'm not your boss" she said, as they exited the lift at the lobby. She was trying to draw out some kind of conversation but was obviously lacking in that department. She never really did have social skills, which became apparent when he didn't answer. All the confidence she had thought she held, was now deflated.
"You'll have to side along with me" he said, motioning towards the apparition portals.
"Fantastic" she moaned, as she took his arm. She had no time to register the look on his face when their skin met before the tug began at her navel and pulled her whole body with it. It was so much worse with side along, but somehow, when they arrived at an enclosed bus shelter on an unfamiliar street, she remained standing on her feet. She let go of his arm and felt her body relax.
He led the way out into the street and began the walk.
"You were never my boss Granger" he said, warmth returning to his voice as they made their way down the cobblestone street that was lined with small shops.
"Well… I was your trainer. Close enough" she said.
"I could have figured out the role" he said coolly.
"Oh, like hell" she said, causing a raised eyebrow from him as they arrived at the front of a small corner pub.
"Like hell?" he asked, opening the door with a smile.
"You were almost about to turn and walk out when you saw all those papers on the desk on the first day" she said as he approached the bar.
"A bottle of your finest mead, on ice, and two glasses" he said.
"Come into some money, Malfoy?" she asked him.
"Yes, it appears that when you work for a living, money just appears in your Gringotts account. Who knew?" he said.
She smiled at this before making her way to a comfortable looking booth near the window.
"This is my spot" he said.
"You come here often?" she asked.
"Only when I want to be alone" he said.
"So, why have you brought me then?" she asked.
He looked at her and frowned, seemingly trying to work that out for himself.
"I didn't want to be seen" he said.
"With me" she finished his sentence.
"You're the golden girl, Granger, I can't imagine what Rita Skeeter would have to say if she saw you having a drink and happily conversing with the likes of me" he said. "Not to mention, what your fiancé may say, as well as my wife, I might add" he finished.
"So this is a secret meeting then?" she asked with a sly grin as she sipped her drink. "My Godric this is delicious" she said.
"This is just two work colleagues, having a drink in a location where they wont be bothered and no one will assume they're up to something" he said.
"Well, if someone saw us here, which, by the way, I have no idea where here is, they would assume that we are in fact up to something, wouldn't they?" she asked.
"Possibly" he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
She watched as he brought his glass to his lips and sipped on his mead. His tongue danced across his bottom lip capturing a drop that had been left behind. She mentally chastised herself for allowing her mind to occupy such places. As though it hadn't before. Merlin, all she could thing about lately was Malfoy. It was throwing her completely. He had become quite attractive and was, as always, very intelligent. All things considered, Draco Malfoy was a pleasure to be around.
"Granger?" he asked, prompting her thoughts to run out of her head.
"Uh, what?" she asked, shaking her thoughts away.
"I was having an entire conversation with you" he said.
"Yeah, I tend to do that. My… uh, my mind has a sort of mind of its own" she said.
"Clearly" he said.
"So, what were you saying?" she asked.
"The report you compiled, the handover and the summaries. Quite detailed" he said.
"Should we not talk about work now?" she asked.
"Are we not here because of work?" he asked.
"No, we're here to get to know each other" she said.
"Funny. I thought we were celebrating an end to my training" he said.
She shrugged before she took a long drink, draining her glass of mead. Malfoy eagerly refilled both glasses, ensuring he was keeping pace.
"So tell me, how is everything in that dreaded fortress you call a manor?" she asked.
"Malfoy Manor? Horrible. I don't go there much anymore. Mother encourages me to visit, but it holds too many memories. I'd rather visit Nurmengard" he said.
"So you and your wife…" she began.
"We live in our own home" he began.
"She settled for something other than a manor?" Hermione asked.
"Well, it is smaller than the Manor, but not by much" he said. "Are you familiar with Riber Castle?" he asked.
"Smedley's Folly?" she asked.
"Well, yes" he answered.
"You live there? Was it not a zoo recently?" she asked.
"Ahh yes, my dear wife thought it would be fitting to buy it, sell the animals and turn it in to the very next Malfoy Manor" he said.
"What a cow" he said.
"No, she sold all the cows" he replied.
She laughed at that as she sipped more of her drink.
"You realise this is our second drink?" she asked, indicating to her almost empty glass.
"I do" he replied.
"But you have plans tonight?" she asked.
"I think I'll see how it goes" he answered with a smile.
"So Astoria, tell me about her" she said.
"My wife? She's quite the fitting pure blood wife. Highly ambitious, loves to shop but hates earning any money of her own" he said.
"I suppose she's kicking herself now you're broke, isn't she?" Hermione asked.
"Well, I'm not broke. I'm still one of the wealthiest men in wizarding Britain, I just can't access my money" he said.
"What's holding it up?" she asked.
"My father" he answered plainly.
"What does he have to do with it?" she asked.
"As you'd be aware, my father was sentenced to life in Azkaban and fined half a million galleons" he began.
"Of course, I was one of the people whose testimony put him there" she said.
"And one of the ones who kept me out" he said.
"You're welcome" she replied.
He just looked at her hesitating with words on his tongue to several moments before moving on.
"He has refused to sign over his accounts to me and no one can access the vaults" he said.
"What about your mother?" she asked.
"Please, Granger, pure blood wives don't have that sort of authority. They take what their husbands give them and are happy for it" he said with a subtle laugh.
She looked at him stunned for a moment before he went on.
"So, because technically my father is still alive, he has control over the accounts. The Goblins will not release them to me till he dies" he said.
"Well, I can't help you there, the Goblins still hate me after what I did there" she said.
"What? Impersonated someone, confounded a goblin, raided a vault, released a dragon and crashed through the floor? I can't imagine why they'd not fall at your feet and kiss your toes" he said with a laugh.
"It was all for good reason. Unfortunately, Goblins don't see the world in good and evil" she said.
"Silver and gold" he answered.
"Right you are"
"So you are back on track with Weasley then?" he asked not so subtly.
"Well, yes, I suppose I am. He promised to change and I'm just holding onto hope, for the sake of our daughter" she said, earning a scoff from Malfoy.
"What?" she asked.
"This is Weasley you're talking about, I'm sure he's the least likely person to change" he said.
"Well, he promised he'd try" she said.
"I will bet you anything Granger, that he will do all the right things, maybe for a month, before reverting back to his old ways" he said.
"Well, here's hoping" she said, raising her glass and emptying it between her lips.
"So, do you think Sarah and Kenny will get together?" he asked.
"In the office? No, I doubt it" she said.
"I don't know, there was some pretty hard-core flirting going on between them two" he said with a smile.
He had dimples. How did she never notice that he had dimples? And when he smiled this way, his eyes were blue. Just faintly, but they were. All talk of castles, manors, imprisoned fathers and suspicious fiancés was forgotten.
"Well, some might say you've been flirting with me, Malfoy" she said, causing him to choke on his drink.
"Granger, if I was flirting with you, you'd know it" he said in a husky voice.
"How?" she asked, leaning forward. The mead was strong, and she was already feeling a full body buzz from her two drinks.
"Well, Granger, if I was flirting with you, you wouldn't be able to sit without crossing your legs and your whole body would be tingling" he said, reaching over and touching her arm, sending a shiver through to her toes.
"Well, that's… That's good to know then. I'll keep an eye out for the signs" she said, crossing her legs under the table with a smile.
Malfoy looked to the bartender and signalled for another bottle, which was quickly brought over.
"I thought you said two drinks?" she asked.
"I thought you said this was a drink between two colleagues to celebrate?" he asked.
"It is" she responded.
"It absolutely is not" he replied.
"What is it then?" she asked.
"Why did you cross your legs like that?" he teased, moving around the booth to sit closer to her.
"I was proving a point" she said.
"Which is?" he asked.
"You're flirting with me" she muttered, leaning closer to him. They were almost touching; she could feel his breath on her face.
"You're flirting right back" he whispered.
She looked to his face, his eyes like pools of grey-blue metallic liquid, drawing her in. She wanted to fall into them, to immerse herself in what looked to be an incredibly warm comfortable place to rest. She leant closer, realising now that her face was only inches away from his.
Was she about to kiss him? How had she ended up here? With her lips ghosting against his. Is this why she agreed to drinks? Had she anticipated this? Did she want to?
He had the answers to all her questions, as he closed the infinitesimal gap between their lips, pressing them together. She didn't pull away, as she assumed her natural reaction would be, instead, she pressed herself against him, opening her mouth and testing the boundaries of his lips. Her tongue was met with his as he eagerly seized the moment to place his hands on her hip, brushing his hot skin against her cold flesh. It sent tingles raging through her body, driving her deeper into his mouth, her tongue wrestling with his as their unrealised passion burst forth. Their lust fuelled tryst continued and his hand moved up her shirt, resting on the warm flesh beneath her breast. She was both eager for it to continue and desperate for it to stop. Her body was in fire, in all the best ways possible. As his mouth slowed and his hands retreated, she pulled away, desperate to know if this was real.
He collected his glass from the table and downed the rest of his drink in one.
"You're quite good at that" she said, drinking from her own glass.
"I wasn't even trying" he said, causing her to almost choke on her drink as she tried to swallow.
"Well, cheers to the ego boost for you then" she said, raising her glass.
"You weren't so bad yourself, Granger" he said, causing her to blush. He looked at her quizzically.
"What?" she asked.
"Its almost like you've never heard anyone say something like that to you before" he said.
"Like what?" she asked.
"That your tongue tastes like sweets" he said. Again, she blushed. Damn it. She cursed her bashfulness.
"No, Malfoy, no one has ever taken the effort to comment on my snogging prowess. Its usually more like, 'Nudge nudge, yank yank…" she imitated the way Ron tugs at her pyjama pants on herself, "…roll over… one two three done… ahhhh" she finished, in an imitation of Ron's voice. She feigned a laugh but Malfoy wasn't laughing.
"No snogging?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
"That's the extent of my sex life. No snogging, no lead up, just that. Nudge, tug, roll over, one two three done" she said shrugging.
"I thought Astoria was rubbish in the bedroom, but Weasel takes the cake" he said with a grin.
"No… He isn't bad, I mean, it's all I know. Besides, he was better in the beginning, I suppose" she said, this time causing Malfoy to almost spit his drink out.
"Granger, if I laid you down in my bed, there would be no nudging, the only tugging would be my mouth on your pink flesh and it wouldn't be one two three, it'd take more like, three thousand… and I'd have you screaming my name into the ceiling" he said softly, close to her ear.
"Well then…" she said, coughing a little. "It's a good thing you aren't doing that then isn't it?" she asked.
"Why is that?" he asked.
"You'd be highly disappointed when your eager actions don't result in the desired effect" she said.
"My eager actions always have the desired effect" he said.
"Not with me they wouldn't" she said, almost sadly.
"Of course they would" he said, pulling back giving her a serious look.
She shook her head with her lips pursed together.
"You telling me you haven't ever orgasmed before?" he asked her, causing her to look around in horror in case someone heard him.
"I've never. And never will. I am just one of the small percent of women who can't" she said.
"That's bullshit. Anyone who hasn't come before, just isn't doing it with someone who is trying hard enough. I bet you, Granger, if I wanted to, I could make you cum right here right now" he said.
She looked, shocked, into his face and was taken aback by his seriousness.
"Good thing you don't want to then, isn't it?" she asked. "Excuse me, I have to go to the loo" she said, needing an excuse to take a break from his close proximity. As soon as she stood, she realised she was probably more intoxicated than she realised.
Looking into the mirror of the bathroom, she was surprised at how red and puffy her lips were. As if she had been stung by a bee. Her shirt was wrinkled and her hair was a mess. She looked like she had been up to no good. Something she didn't want. She fixed herself up, reeling from the physical reaction her body was having.
It had to stop. She collected her thoughts and reminded herself that this was Draco Malfoy, of all people, that she was outright snogging and openly discussing her sex life in a bar. And the fact that he had all but offered to give her her first orgasm in the booth was outrageous.
When she was satisfied that she was suitably ready to face him again, she left the bathroom and made her way back to the booth. She sat opposite him, a clear sign that this, whatever they were doing, was not a good idea.
"Its probably a good idea to get going" she said, looking around. The place had begun to fill up with, what appeared to be locals.
"If you wish" he said, eyeing her closely.
"Malfoy, I think… What happened here…" she began, but words eluded her.
"You going to tell me how it was a huge mistake and can never happen again?" he asked.
"Something like that" she said.
He shrugged.
"So, colleagues then?" she asked.
"Well, we'll be working together, so yes I suppose so" he said.
"And, I guess… friends?" she asked, causing him to laugh.
"We can be friends if you like Granger… here… my number" he said, sliding a folded piece of parchment over to her.
"You have a mobile phone?" she asked.
"And a TV, and a washing machine, microwave, toaster" he went on.
"I never would have guessed" she said, taking the paper from the table.
"I'm quite the scandal" he said, sliding out from his seat at the booth and motioning for her to lead the way out the doors. She stood and walked to the exit. He opened the door for her and she was shocked to see that it had become dark outside.
"Its dark" she said, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity.
"Evidently" he said.
"I mean, I didn't think we had been there that long" she said.
"A couple of hours" he said.
"Well, Malfoy, it was good catching up. Good luck with my old job" she said, putting her hand out for him to shake.
"And to you" he said as he took her hand and shook it gently.
The buzz between them lingered in the air, almost long enough for Hermione to step back into his space and press her lips against his. It was absolutely the last thing she knew she should so, so instead, she retreated her hand and took a step back.
"The bus shelter…?" she asked.
"Apparition location. Has a notice me not ward on it" he said as he pointed in the direction of the small three-and-a-half walled room at the edge of the road.
Hermione began walking the short distance down the road, side by side with Malfoy in silence. Her body, still on fire from a combination of the alcohol, his lips, his touch, his words and everything in between, was screaming at her, begging for her to have him show her. Prove he can do it. Prove her wrong. She had resolved herself, her whole adult life, to the fact that orgasms were an unachievable event for her. Yet, here he was, dead set certain that he could draw one out of her.
Inside the bus shelter, she looked to him, knowing in her head, in the most logical parts of herself, of who she was that she had to return to Ron, go back to her life, back to the 'nudge tug one two three'.
"Well, I'll see you around the office, Malfoy" she said.
"Till then" he said, leaning forward, making her catch her breath in her throat before gently kissing her on the cheek. He smiled as he stepped back and quickly turned on the spot, leaving her dazed.
AN - :-)