CHAPTER 40
October 20th 2001
Hermione Granger laid on the couch of Neville Longbottom's childhood home with a book cracked at the spine held in her hand. It had been two days since she and Harry had implemented the plan to return to the wizarding world. In between then and now, her and Draco had been soaking up as much alone time as they could.
Their days were filled with practicing spells, reading, and a spot of zealous sex. In their euphoria they had become convinced that time was on their side.
When she reached the seventh chapter of her book, Draco walked into the sitting room, levitating a tray of tea. Hermione beamed at the nostalgic sight of the wizard, feeling awfully sentimental towards their days at the ministry.
"Hi." She greeted.
"Hello." He returned.
"Is there a reason for our tea this morning, Mr Malfoy?" She teased. "It is unlike you to show up without an agenda brewing in your snake-like mind."
Draco smirked. "Can a gentleman not simply have tea with one of the women he loathes most in this world without having an evil objective?"
"You loathe me do you?"
"On the contrary, I'm afraid."
He lowered the tray onto the coffee table, tucking his wand back into his pant pocket. Hermione lifted her legs to allow him to sit down beside her, and rested them back onto his thighs. Draco dragged the table closer to them with one hand and started making the tea.
"Why did you always bring me tea?" She asked, playing with the binding of her book. "At the offices… Why did you do it?"
"Come now, Granger. You and I both know why."
"I truly don't. You are very mysterious, Draco. It is irretrievably hard to read what you are thinking."
He stole the book from her hands and replaced it with a chipped cup. The steam wafted essences of honey into her nose as he leaned back against the couch.
"To speak truthfully, I felt as if there was an invisible tether tied between us." He rolled his neck to look at her. "There are few people in this world that I can tolerate conversation with, and you always managed to keep me on my toes. It was very arousing."
"I must admit that you are the only person that remembers how I prefer my tea."
"That's it?" He squeezed her leg with a gaping mouth. "I remember how to make your tea? You didn't like our banter? No, desire to see me naked? You just appreciate my tea making skills?"
Hermione laughed into her cup, watching as Draco shook his head in horror.
"I am joking." She revealed. "The days that you walked into my office were the only days I looked forward to. My life was miserable the months that you went away. It was as if the world was in black and white, and you were the dash of colour I pined for."
Draco rolled his eyes, "Poetic."
"Plus, I don't remember a time where I didn't have a desire to know what you looked like naked."
"Ha! I knew it!" He clenched his fists in the air. "I knew that behind that snobbish attitude you were a saucy little minx."
"There is so much you don't know about me, Draco Malfoy."
"Perhaps. But I long to learn."
There was a new found spark in both of their eyes. A tinsel of hope hung by the shelter of a safe house. No enemies, no political foes, just two souls resting in the idea that there was a possible future for them to live in peace.
Finishing her tea, Hermione returned the cup to the tray it came from. Swiveling herself so that her head laid upon Draco's lap. He smiled looking down at her, brushing her curls that sprawled along his legs.
"I don't know how I am going to handle seeing you with Astoria tomorrow when the Prophet arrives to greet us." She confessed, saddened by the reality that was to hit them.
"Believe me, years worth of watching you with Weasley will be what keeps him alive."
"Will you snog her? At the ministry?"
"No." He ran his thumb over her eyebrow. "Will you snog him?"
"No."
An anxious silence fell upon the two. Neither looking at each other, but minds running with jealous thoughts that had been vastly suppressed over the last months, only now coming to the surface.
"Draco…"
"Mmm?"
"What will you do if your father comes back? Will you still want to be with me?"
He paused his hand over her head. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not going to pretend like your family doesn't change things between us. Your mother despises me, and without a curse over him Lucius is most likely to still disown you if you pursue whatever is going between us."
The hush in his reply indicated he was trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't offend her. Hermione looked up to see him pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I need you to listen to every word I am about to say." Draco kept his eyes closed. "Nothing my family says or does will stand in the way of how I feel about you."
"To feel is one thing but to live out a life without them is another. I cannot ask you to leave your mother and father behind based on the possibility of dating me."
"Dating you? Hermione…" He pulled his legs up so she had to sit and face him. "I am not living here in Longbottom's house, away from everyone I know, on the whim that I can date you. You are it for me."
Hermione clenched the back of her jaw, afraid that what he spoke now was true but his actions in future may behave differently. Her teeth ached with anxiety. She pressed her forehead against his to hide the tears welling in her eyes.
A drop that ran down her chin and onto Draco's shirt revealed the apprehension.
"Hey." He grabbed her face fiercely. "Whatever my family chooses, I am yours. Okay?"
She nodded numbly, not certain she actually agreed.
Draco's fingers played with the buttons of her shirt. Slowly opening the blouse one tug at a time until she was left bare chested. He pulled the sleeves off her arms, dropping the material to fall on the ground. Hermione tucked her fingers under his hem, raising it with ease as it joined her blouse.
Ever so gently, his mouth kissed her shoulder. Lips dragging along skin until they ceased at the forearm. One word, written with a wand to define Hermione's existence. Mudblood.
It was the divide that lingered between them. Tearing her skin and tearing his heart. A sob broke through the quiet. Draco's cries dripped onto the brokenness his family caused. Praying the kisses of his mouth would heal the selfishness of his past.
Hermione swallowed her sorrow, running a hand through his fringe.
"Forgive me." He wept. "Forgive me for all of it. Please."
"It is not your fault." She whispered.
"I never stopped her."
"I never asked you to."
Draco collapsed into her lap, wrapping his arms around her waist as soft cries escaped his lips. Hermione held the back of his neck trying to hold back her own tears. Years worth of apologies boiling over at last.
The two sat in each other's arms until the sun began to set and the room dimmed to a dark grey. Both half naked but neither embarrassed. It wasn't until the chime of a timey clock struck 6 o'clock that they decided to get dressed.
"I want to go to dinner." Hermione stated, letting Draco dress her. "In London."
He closed her blouse one button at a time. "You know we cannot do that."
"Neither of us know if we will ever get a chance to be together after tomorrow. Please… I want to have one normal night with you before everything changes."
She watched the dangerous possibilities run through his mind as he pulled his shirt back on. His brow creased with defeat.
"Disguises." He pointed at her. "And no more than two hours."
"Deal." Herrmione smirked, having no doubt that she was going to get her own way.
Thirty minutes later, she stood staring at herself in the full length mirror of the guest bedroom. Earlier in the day she learnt that Draco had been sleeping in Neville's grandmother's bed prior to her arrival. But it was when she saw the numerous framed photographs of Longbottom relatives that she was grateful he chose another room for their reunion.
The only appropriate dining attire Hermione had brought with her was the pale blue dress. Seeing it in the mirror made her feel nice, but not nice enough. She pointed her wand at the soft material and whispered 'Multicorfors', admiring as the summer frock twirled into a pink halterneck gown like outfit. Tight in all the right places and yet not too fancy for a simple night out.
Luckily, it held a high back to cover all the scars.
Configuring herself to have long straight blond hair and green eyes once more, Hermione walked down stairs giddy to see Draco's reaction. He stood by the front door, toying with the cufflinks to his dress shirt. Lucky for him, basically all of his clothing was appropriate for a night out in London.
Piercing silver eyes scanned her new appearance. Her stomach twisted with nerves for reasons she could not pinpoint. His stare just made her want to please him.
Hermione twirled on the spot, "What do you think?"
Draco picked a hand up to pull her closer. Their chests pressing against one another so tightly she could smell his cinnamon and vanilla body wash.
"Never take that dress off." He grinned, tucking a hair behind her ear. "But change your eyes back. I love them too much to see them wasted on the colour green."
Hermione chuckled, nibbling at the nape of his neck. "Yes, sir."
"Don't even think about it."
"What? All I did was agree?"
"You know what you are doing."
It was true, she longed to tease him. There was a part of herself that Hermione didn't know existed until the past few days. Her most faithful self finally being put on display.
With a flick of his wand, Draco changed his hair to brown and added curls for the fun. As per her request, he too kept his original eye colour. Then with the risk of not hurting her, Draco apparated them to a London corner, away from the muggle-eye.
Feeling the cold breeze, and hearing the chaos that was city night-life nearly brought Hermione to tears. She missed people. She missed living a life that wasn't so hidden.
Draco held her hand tightly as they wandered the streets aimlessly. She loved the way the bright lights reflected against his pale skin, shimmering in a way that felt like a dream. If a lifetime by his side required heartbreak and judgement, Hermione was prepared to fight for it.
"Where do you want to go?" He asked, almost yelling over the traffic noises.
"Your favourite restaurant."
"How do you know what my favourite restaurant is?"
"I don't." She smirked. "Show me."
A flash of white teeth peaked through his smile. They wove through crowds of people, cautious not to bring too much attention to themselves. His arm hung at the corner of her stomach, fingers rubbing against the hipbone that poked through her silk dress.
Hermione took extra long strides in order to keep his pace. Relief washing over her the second they arrived at a building that looked far too rich for her taste.
"Do we have enough money for this place?" She asked as he pulled a seat out for her.
"You know you're a witch, right?"
"Trust, I strain to forget."
"Do not worry about it." He reassured, sitting at his own seat. "I will take care of it."
By her second glass of wine, Hermione had forgotten why she was worried about anything. Her fingers laced with his across the table as they laughed over some ridiculous story from their days at school. The dishes Draco chose for them to share were quite possibly the nicest food she had ever known. His smug ego was boosted with every bite she devoured.
He pulled her chair by the base to sit closer to him. Long fingers, frisky with the silk material of her dress under the table. Hermione almost yelped as he tugged the edgings up to her thigh, leaving his palm to sit just before her underwear.
A waiter delicately placed a pudding between them, ignorant to the sinful things happening out of sight. Draco thanked him with an assertive nod.
"Is this what you do with most girls?" Hermione asked, playful with the spoon in her mouth.
"Wine them and dine them?"
"Yes."
"No, Granger. I do not take girls out on dates."
She squinted her eyes, trying to figure out if he was lying or not. "Astoria told me that you took her on a date."
"Astoria…" He curled his finger around the elastic of her knickers. "Lead the entirety of England to believe we went for a romantic dinner. In truth, all we talked about was her family's downfall and how she aspires to redeem them."
"How touching."
"Indeed."
A curl of Draco's dark hair fell to hover over his eyes. Hermione pushed it back, leaning closer to whisper in his ear. "I love you, Draco."
Softly. Casually. Tenderly. It was the words that she had been so desperate to tell him for so long. If there was any chance that the next few days ripped them apart, Hermione wasn't willing to live a life of regret for not telling him.
People filtered the restaurant around them, oblivious to the outpouring of souls beside them. Draco bumped his cheek against hers, gradually pulling away so that their lips could touch. He didn't let them kiss, but rather just chose to sit in the moment as long as they could.
Foreheads leaning as eyelashes batted against each other. "You have ruined me." He breathed.
His hand stood still at the edge of her underwear. Hermione lowered her own to touch him under the table, pulling it free from within the dress.
Shivers were sent down her spine the moment he finally kissed her. Not forcefully, not rushed, simply two people scared of what their future awaits. Savouring the stolen minutes.
"Can I ask you something?" Draco said, observing every detail of her face.
"Always."
"If by chance, I make it out of this week alive… Will you spend the rest of your life with me?"
Hermione drew back. "Are you asking me to marry you?"
"No." He replied sternly. "I don't care for marriage. All I know is that the only future I see for myself has you at the centre. I want you to have the most boring life imaginable, Hermione. A life where you don't have to battle for what you deserve. A life where we grow old in your grandmother's cottage, eating fish and chips on the floor, and reading until we're blind."
"And you wouldn't care that I can't have children? You'd be content knowing that the Malfoy line ended with you?"
Draco brought her hand to his mouth, a feather-like kiss left along her knuckles. "I love you unconditionally, remember?"
This was a future that Hermione could only dream of. A future that she tussled for daily, and it wasn't so out of reach. Draco made it seem so easy. She knew of the struggles they would endure if they chose to spend forever with one another, but Merlin, Draco made it seem so easy.
"If by chance, you and I make it out of this week alive, I promise to spend the rest of my life with you."
Draco looked like he was struggling not to embrace her with his entire being. Instead, he sighed, bowing his head in relief at her answer to his radical question. Hermione couldn't help the smile that spread from cheek to cheek. She had cemented their lives for better or for worse. But for just this moment, it was for the better.
The witch and wizard finished their desert in delirious glee. Sneaking away from the restaurant with the use of charmed euros to walk hand in hand back through town square. In true pureblooded gentleman style, Draco had given her his jacket to ensure she kept warm.
A night of normalcy entangled with incoherent hope.
Their serenity followed all the way home. Kissing along the hallway with striped disguises and pausing to remove clothes at every step of the staircase.
"Keep the dress on." He instructed firmly. She giggled at the ridiculousness.
They made love for hours until they couldn't breathe, drowning each other in fiery affection. Hermione felt worshipped by the man who used to despise her. Unsure of when everything changed so quickly, but glad that it did.
She had never grown up feeling like she was worthy to be desired, but laying on Draco's chest as he drew lines along her arms, warranted that she could be. He made her feel beautiful in a way that no one else had before.
"Tell me again about our life in the cottage." Hermione asked, tracing the bumps on his firm torso.
Draco hummed, "I imagine we fight over decor, arguing over how much leather should be in the living room. On weekends you garden and I paint. We wrestle over the idea about getting a cat, but eventually I cave in exchange for green wallpaper in the main bedroom. Most days I cook and you clean, but on Sundays we invite our friends over for roasts. Out of all the Weasley siblings, I am surprisingly seen as the favourite Uncle to Potter's prodigies. And we will live happily alone, but, surrounded by people we love."
"That sounds atrociously boring."
"My own crafted hell and your personal heaven."
Her hand curled around his jaw, nails lightly scratching the stubble. "Promise me something?" She asked quietly.
"Anything." He frowned.
"Do not do the heroic thing and risk your life for the sake of mine. My happiness is better off restored knowing that you and I will live our disgustingly blissful life until we die of old age."
The irony in quoting his letter back to him was almost laughable. Hermione could hear his heart beating through his chest, refusing to give into the agreement. Despite being a Slytherin, Hermione knew when the time came to it, Draco would do whatever it would take to keep her alive. Even if it meant leaving her alone in this torn world.
"Swear to it, Draco." She asked again with more aggression in her voice.
He kissed her forehead, surrendering to her request. "I swear."
"Thank you."
Several promises had been exchanged over their stay at the safehouse. Hermione was skeptical in her confidence over whether any would stay in place. But ignorance was bliss, right?
To distract their wary thoughts she casted a charm that expelled butterflies from the tip of her wand. Purple and yellow glowing wings danced around the room as they laid in each other's arms, serenading them until they fell asleep. A final night's slumber before they could be torn apart forever. Could be.