Told ya it would be up quick. Enjoy
xx
On Tuesday, Hermione dropped the children off and got ready at Harry and Ginny's place.
"I'm so nervous" she said, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She wore tight fitting casual jeans and a nice top that accentuated her bust and her small waist.
"Don't be, you look great. Just be yourself" Ginny said, smoothing her hair down.
"I feel like a teenager" she said.
"How could you possibly feel like a teenager? When you were a teenager, romance was the last thing you were thinking of, you were out saving the world" Ginny said.
"Oh trust me, there was romance involved. It was all on the sly" Hermione said, remembering back to the times she and Ron fell asleep holding hands or when they purposely stood beside each other to disapparate, just so they could touch. The lingering stares, the longing to be close… but also, the loss, the fear, the doubt. It was all things associated with Ron, who had since betrayed her, not once or even twice but multiple times.
"Besides, this isn't romance. It's just two adults having lunch together. Besides, we're sort of work colleagues in a way. So it's a work lunch. Hmm, yes, that's right. A work lunch" she said, having regretted the slight flirting she had done with him the other day via text.
So far, Hermione had lost count of how many times she had changed her mind as to whether or not she actually wanted to flirt with him or if she preferred to take this as a casual lunch. Right at this moment, with her nerves and anxiety in full bloom, she wasn't setting herself up for failure, regret and humiliation, she was certain that this would end with a handshake and that was it.
"Just keep telling yourself that Hermione! But just remember, I'm happy to keep the kids here for the night" Ginny said, getting excited on Hermione's behalf.
"It's definitely not going to come to that" Hermione said.
"You never know" Ginny said.
"It's a casual lunch between ex colleagues, there's no way it will be anything more" Hermione said.
"Well, I doubt that but whatever. Its eleven thirty so you better get going" Ginny said.
At this, Hermione called the kids down from the playroom, said goodbye and left via the front door. The wards of the house meant that neighbours saw only an empty verandah, so Hermione cleared her mind of all the worries and concerns she had about how this lunch might eventuate, thought of the place she had to apparate to out of muggle view, and turned on the spot.
Hermione arrived in what appeared to be the back of a store. It had been disguised so, so that witches and wizards could apparate in and out without being seen by muggles.
"Good afternoon ma'am, you in London for business or pleasure?" came the voice of an elderly wizard.
"Both" she said, thinking that this could in fact go either way.
"Ah, very well, very well. That will be three sickles" he said.
Hermione just looked at him curiously. She had never had to pay before.
"Rent prices are not what they used to be madam, we can't operate on just sales alone" he said, indicating to the second-hand goods in the front room.
"Certainly" Hermione said, handing over four sickles. "Keep the change" she said.
She exited the store through the back, which was customary as to avoid muggle detection. Afterall, it was a second-hand goods store and it would seem a little odd if loads of people came in and out all day long, especially without buying anything.
Hermione walked down the alley, her boots clicking on the pavement. She regretted wearing them immediately, but they were comfortable and looked good, so that regret was quickly overcome.
It was about a ten-minute walk to the café that Malfoy had told her about via text, and in the looming summer, it was a nice walk. As usual, she was early, so she took a seat and ordered herself a glass of water.
As she waited, her heart rate was increasing, and her palms were becoming sweaty. She was scolding herself for feeling this way, particularly when she had convinced herself that this was purely business and not at all a 'date'.
She had drank half the glass of water in front of her when she noticed him walk in. As soon as she saw him, she knew that there was no way this was going to be purely business. He looked hott as hell. He wore designer jeans that fit him just right and a white shirt that had three buttons at the top undone. The shirt revealed a toned body underneath and muscles that Hermione didn't know he had hidden beneath the clothing she had seen him in previously.
As he approached the table, she felt herself blush at the thoughts that were now entering her mind. Thoughts Ginny would be proud of.
Hermione stood as he got nearer to the table. Unexpectedly, he kissed her on the cheek, something that threw her completely. She had the briefest moment to inhale his scent which was subtle but incredible. She was in a daze.
"I uh… I just sat here to wait for you, we can get another table if you like? Closer to the back?" she asked.
"Sure" he said, flashing a grin. He had sensed her fluster. Hermione continued to admonish herself.
A waitress approached the couple and Malfoy went into full charm mode.
"Hello, we'd like a quiet booth somewhere in the back if possible" he said, smiling at the girl, who didn't stand a chance.
"Have you always been so… charming?" Hermione asked him quietly as the woman led them to a booth away from the rest of the crowd.
"Absolutely" he said.
They took their place in the booth and ordered drinks as the woman gave them their menus.
"I'm not that hungry" Hermione said, filling the silence as she looked over the menu.
"You're nervous" Malfoy said, causing Hermione to look up and see that he hadn't picked up his menu at all, just looked at her.
"I'm not, I just had a big breakfast" she said, lying. She was freaking out.
"Just breathe Granger. This doesn't have to be a date, we're just having lunch" he said.
"Of course its not a date, I agreed to go out for lunch so you'd shut up" she said, feeling embarrassed that he had declared within the first 5 minutes that this was not a date. She wanted him to think she had the upper hand. That she was in control. As much as she felt completely otherwise.
"Well, I'd like it to be a date, but you're surely convinced that its not, so its not" he said, picking up his menu and gazing over it.
Hermione held hers up higher to suppress her grin. He wanted a date. This could go either way.
"I might have the caesar salad, with chicken" she said, putting her menu down.
"Hmm, good choice. I'll go with the salmon" he said, causing Hermione to supress a chuckle.
"What?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing" she said.
"You're almost bursting, trying to hide your amusement. What is it?" he asked, smiling.
"I expected you to order the steak or surf and turf or something. Its strange to eat with someone who likes to eat different food" she said.
"You really have lived a sheltered life, haven't you?" he asked.
"Sheltered?"
"I'm guessing Weasley is a meat and three veg kind of guy?" he asked.
"Something like that. Or he would have ordered four mains and three desserts" she said, remembering her embarrassment at him doing so while they went out to celebrate their wedding anniversary one year.
"That's barbaric" he said.
"That's what I told him. But of course I was just being 'up myself' and had to loosen up a little" she said.
"I must say, so far… Still not a fan of Weasley" he said.
"You know what, neither am I" she said, "Not anymore" she added.
"So how did that all come about?" he asked.
"Me and Ron?"
He nodded.
"Merlin, it was just… I don't actually know. We always had this sort of messed up chemistry. It was love hate for so long and with everything that happened with the war, the time we spent on the run, the battle, it just sort of happened" she said.
"So there was no grand gesture, it was like, one minute you're friends, next minute you're bed hopping?"
"Well, no, it wasn't exactly like that" she began.
They were interrupted by the waitress who took their orders swiftly and left as quickly as she had arrived.
"What was it like then?" he asked.
"Why are you so interested?" she asked.
"Like I said, I want to get to know you" he said.
"Well, Ron and I had a moment, within the battle. It was a live or die type of moment where we thought that we ought to stop fighting our feelings and just be together. From that moment on, we were a couple" she said, shrugging.
"So there was no passion, no expression of "I need you in my life'?" he asked, animatedly, causing Hermione to almost spit out her drink.
"Merlin, with Ron? No. We both knew what we had and that was enough for us" she said, wondering if that was true.
"Sounds like a romantic guy" Malfoy said sarcastically.
"Yeah, about as romantic as this glass" she said indicating to the glass she held in her hand.
"See, that's where you're wrong. The glass is very romantic, well, very trustworthy at least, but the two go hand in hand. It holds onto whatever you put into it and won't let it go until you tell it to. Till you pour it out. Its completely clear so you can see straight through it. No lies, no bullshit" he said, touching the side of her glass as she held it, brushing her fingers slightly. He looked through the glass into her eyes and continued. "This glass, wont break unless you drop it, it wont falter unless you spill it. This glass, it's not just a glass" he said.
"Wow, you're smooth" she said, feeling a little affected by his words. "And I'm guessing you're like the glass?" she asked.
"I can be if you allow me to be. Of course, you can smash me on the floor and I'll break into a thousand pieces, or you can hold onto me and I'll be solid, reliable and trustworthy" he said.
"So, what I get out of a friendship with you will depend on what I put in. That's what you're saying?" she asked.
"Not at all. What I'm saying is that as long as you hold onto me, I'll be there for you. Not just you, that goes for anyone. I'm just as fragile as the next person, but I can also be very strong" he said, shocking Hermione with his openness.
"That's very deep, Malfoy" she said.
"I'm just trying to impress you" he said.
"Well, I'll let you know when it starts to work" she said, smiling, before taking a sip out of her glass of water.
Malfoy just smiled to himself.
It got Hermione wondering... Was Ron a glass too? Had she poured all of herself into him and had he been strong until she let go? Had she let go? Was that why he cheated on her?
"I've lost you" Malfoy said.
"Just thinking of your glass analogy" she said.
"And?"
"Well, it can work either way can't it? Someone can be so full of another person's stuff that they can start to spill out. Maybe the other person doesn't realise when they drop the glass and can't see the glass shatter beneath their feet because they're so caught up in their life? Maybe it's the holder's responsibility to make sure that the glass stays firmly in their hand?" she asked.
"You trying to take responsibility for Weasley cheating on you?" he asked.
"Maybe" she said, feeling sullen.
"No. Definitely not. Dot you dare" he said.
"You don't know what our relationship was like. I was a shrew" she said.
"Nothing gives someone the right to do that. He had you in his life, he could have kept hold of you, but he dropped you. Then picked up another glass" he said.
"This whole glass thing is not working for me, I must say" she said.
"Me too, but it's all I had at the time. It sort of made sense though, didn't it?" he asked.
"It actually did. We do all hold each other in a very precarious position. Whether it be friends, partners or anything else. We make the choice to let people in or out of our lives, or to drop them, sometimes shattering them into a million pieces. I guess that's what happened to me" Hermione said, wondering why she was being so honest with him so so soon.
"But look at you now. You're thriving" he said.
"I'd hardly call it that" she said.
"What would you call it?" he asked.
"Surviving? Barely" she said.
"Why barely?" he asked.
"I don't know. People need human company, don't they? I have that, I have two wonderful little people who provide me with company, but I guess there's something missing" she said.
She sensed him hesitate and realised her mistake.
"Oh, merlin I'm such an insensitive idiot" she said.
"No, its fine" he said.
"No, its completely not. Here I am, whinging and complaining about my marriage, about Ron's cheating asshole ways and you're dealing with an actual loss. Two in fact. I'm such an idiot" she said.
"You're not an idiot" he said. "Besides, it makes sense. Humans are designed to be social creatures. To thrive on the company of a partner. We both probably know how this feels as much as the other" he said.
Hermione's reply was interrupted by the arrival of their meal. It looked and smelled delicious.
As she began to eat, she thought about how he must be feeling. He was dealing with the death of his wife and baby, which was only a few years ago, and sitting here, trying to flirt with her.
"I really am sorry... About your wife" Hermione said.
"Its ok. Its been a few years now and I know that things happen for a reason" he said.
"But you must feel sort of ripped off?" she asked.
"I do. To have my wife and my child taken from me in a matter of minutes. It felt like the world was having a laugh at me. But I know why it happened and I'm not angry" he said.
"Why? What do you mean?" she asked.
"Karma" he said plainly.
"No way. Don't say that. No one deserves that" she said. Maybe once upon a time she may have thought he deserved it, but now she was much older and had lost a child of her own and she knew that pain. No one deserved that. No one. Not even Malfoy.
"Sometimes I wonder if I do. I mean, I did some horrible things" he said.
"I of all people know that, but I have forgiven you. The universe forgives you. Losing your wife and your baby was not a punishment for anything. Just one of those things that happens. If it were a punishment, I would have done something wrong also, because I too lost a baby" she said.
"You lost a baby?" he asked.
"My twins were supposed to be triplets. One of the babies had stopped growing and they missed it" she said.
"Well, look at this. We're bonding over mutual loss" he said.
"Morbid, isn't it?" she said.
"Perhaps" he said.
"I'm really glad I came out to lunch with you" she said, trying ever so daintily to eat her meal.
"Me too" he said.
"Maybe we can be the thing to curb each other's loneliness" she said.
He just looked at her, when she said this. She sensed that he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Instead, they ate the rest of their meals in silence.
"Did you want to order dessert?" Malfoy asked, when they had both finished eating.
"Ohh, I do have a sweet tooth. What's on the menu?" she asked.
"Chocolate mud cake with ice cream or bread and butter pudding" he said.
"Oh we have to try the mud cake. But I'll share with you. I couldn't possibly have one to myself" she said.
This topic of discussion led them into an interesting conversation about food, all the things they liked and didn't like, the foods they had tried and those they wouldn't. Malfoy had tried many exotic foods from all the places he visited across Europe and Hermione had eaten things in Australia that he had never heard of.
Hermione found herself relaxing into easy banter with Malfoy. It was so simple. There was no trying with him. The conversation flowed so naturally and easily. Before they knew it, dessert had arrived.
"It looks amazing" Hermione said after the waitress had put it down in the middle of the table and walked away.
"She only left one spoon" Hermione said, handing the spoon to Malfoy.
He took a small bit of the cake, as well as some of the ice cream and held it out for Hermione. She had never been fed like this. It was quite intimate. The dessert was delicious.
"Oh my…" she said as she closed her eyes, taking in the flavour of the food.
"Oh, this is amazing isn't it?" said Malfoy taking a bit of his own.
They continued like this, with Malfoy eventually giving Hermione the spoon to finish the plate off for herself.
When they were done, Hermione was hesitant to leave.
"I've had a really good time" she said.
"Me too" he said, standing up and putting on his jacket that had been slung over the seat.
"I really didn't expect to" she said.
"I knew that, the moment I walked in" he said.
"How did you know?" she asked, taking her purse off the table and following him towards the front of the restaurant.
"You were so tense" he said, taking the paper bill from the cashier. "You were nervous, mixing up your words and your palms were sweaty" he said, as he tapped his muggle bank card on the eftpos machine before walking out the door into the street. "Plus, when I kissed you on the cheek, you were breathing really quickly" he said.
"Well, I was nervous" she said, as they stood out on the pavement.
"Why?" he asked.
"Well, I kept telling myself that this wasn't a date. That we were just two ex-work colleagues having a casual lunch" she said.
"And now?" he asked.
"That felt like a date to me. Although I haven't really ever been on one, so I don't know" she admitted.
"How about I take you on another one? This time, it will be a date for real and we'll both know that it's a date?" he asked.
"That sounds like a plan" she said.
"What are you doing tonight?" he asked, a cheeky grin on his face.
"I…" she tried to think of some lie. Something to get her out of a follow-up date so soon, but she couldn't think of anything. She certainly didn't want to leave right now; she was having a good time.
"I just have to check on my children, but as long as they're ok, I'm free. What did you have in mind?" she asked, beginning to walk down the street.
"Way to put a man on the spot" he said.
"Movie?" she asked.
"And dinner" he said.
"I couldn't eat a thing. How about movie and popcorn" she said.
"Sounds like a plan" he said.
Hermione reached into her purse and pulled out a small piece of paper. She looked around and when she saw that no muggles were watching, she tapped it with her wand, making her address appear on it. She hesitated before handing it to Malfoy, old habits relating to trust popping to the surface of her mind.
"Pick me up at 7?" she said, as they reached the alley where she would disapparate to Harry and Ginny's place.
"I'll see you then" he said, kissing her hand, making her tingle, before walking off in the direction they came from.
Hermione felt like a giddy teenager as she entered the store. She handed over three sickles and disapparated to the doorstep of Harry and Ginny's place.
xx
I have the next 3 chapters written and the next 3 planned out. Stay tuned. Its going to be a good weekend.