Hermione sat at her desk for half an hour after arriving at work and then decided enough was enough. She'd had a miserable night but she'd managed to get her thoughts straight. She felt upset about Jack but not devastated. She actually wondered if it was just her pride that was hurting?
As for Draco, she couldn't allow them to fall out over this. She wasn't sure why this felt important, but it did. So, if she had to go and swallow her pride and apologize, then she would. She headed for the lifts again, pressed the button for the Penthouse and then buzzed the bell. After waiting several minutes she buzzed again but still nothing happened. She frowned. Was he ignoring her on purpose? She banged the door and shouted his name but still nothing.
She knew that she should now go back to her office and try again later, but she couldn't. How was she expected to concentrate? She took out her wand and then stared at it. Could she use it to enter the Penthouse? If Draco was in there it would just make him even more annoyed at her.
Despite her misgivings, the next moment, she had used it to open the doors and was staring into an apparently empty room. Empty, except she could now hear the sound of the piano being played. She listened for a moment, surprised. The music was a classical piece, complicated and intricate. It was being played with gusto, the music flowing towards her. Did Draco have a visitor? She looked towards the wall that the piano was behind. Was it Draco playing?
She walked slowly towards the sound. The music was beautiful, flowing and tuneful with plenty of emotion. She rounded the corner slowly and found Draco, sitting at the piano, his fingers moving across the keys. She stared at him, mesmerized. He was concentrating on the music but not looking at his fingers. His hands were splayed across the keys, his fingers moving swiftly and delicately, producing the wonderful, fluid sound that was washing around her.
The music came to a natural end and Draco looked up, seeing her standing there for the first time. He stared at her in shock and she felt her heart beating nervously.
"I'm sorry to intrude - I let myself in," she said.
"I can see that."
"I buzzed several times and then banged the doors but you didn't hear me."
"So, you let yourself in? Into my suite?" Draco sounded accusing.
"Yes - sorry. I couldn't leave it between us as it was last night..." Hermione stepped towards him. "The music sounded wonderful - I had no idea you could play."
"What do you want, Hermione?" Draco asked, ignoring her comments about his playing.
She hated his tone - it made her feel cold. She wanted them to be friends again - she really wanted them to be friends again. "I'm glad you decided to stay," she answered. "I really wanted you to stay."
Draco's expression changed, his face loosened, his lips opening slightly. "Well, at least we agree on that then, because I didn't want to go," he said, very quietly.
Hermione continued, encouraged. "We're both at fault. You could have just told me who those women were but I did jump to conclusions. I wouldn't have done that with any other guest..." she hesitated, afraid to say more. "I did it with you because I hated the thought of you being up here with those other women..."
Draco's eyes met hers and she found not hostility. "Yeh, I should have just told you."
She carried on speaking, stumbling over her words a little. "Last night, well, I know you were trying to sort it out but I couldn't face everyone..."
"I know."
"And if you wanted me to come to the little celebration you were hosting, then you should have just asked me!" Hermione said, accusingly.
"You would have said no," Draco pointed out. Draco was still seated at the piano and he stared over at her. "Come and sit down, " he said, very quietly and indicated the piano stool. Hermione hesitated for a moment, unsure if he was being friendly or not. He patted the seat. "Come on."
She walked over slowly and he shuffled over, making room for her. They had to sit close, their shoulders touching and Hermione had a waft of his cologne. He smelt of fresh air and summer and it was lovely. She turned just her head and looked at him. He was looking down at his hands on the piano keys, his face in profile.
"I learnt to play when I was a child then stopped. I started again five years ago - Georgia Long of Wizarding International Music School - W.I.M.S. - she was here to give me a piano lesson." He abruptly changed the subject of their conversation, answering her earlier question. She didn't mind. She was just relieved that he was being friendly.
"The infamous Ms. Long of W.I.M.S.?" Hermione said. "She must be a very good teacher because you play wonderfully - it sounded incredible." She didn't want to gush over him but it was the truth. He did play it wonderfully.
"I don't think I deserve praise like that," he said. He turned to look at her now. "But thank you."
They continued to look at one another, their eyes locked, their proximity to one another, and their disagreement, electrifying the air between them. It was Hermione who broke the gaze first. "See, I think you do deserve that praise and there is a reason I know that..." She looked down at the piano, placing her fingers on the keys and then she started to play. She was no-where near as good as Draco, her fingers didn't flow with the same ease but she was a competent player and she continued playing until the end of the simple tune, knowing that Draco was gazing at her in surprise. When she finished and turned to look at him, his grin was back.
"You can play!" he said, enthusiastically.
"Sort of," she said with a shrug.
"You were good."
"No-where near as good as you..."
"How about a duet?"
Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so - that will make my playing seem even worse."
Draco grabbed her left hand. "This sort of duet..." He kept hold of her left hand, holding it with his right one and keeping them away from the keys, resting on his leg. He then placed his left hand on the keys and nodded for her to put her right hand on them. "You play the top line - I play the bottom."
Hermione gave a little laugh. "This is silly!"
"It's fun. My piano teacher used to make me play the bass line with one hand when I was first learning - come on give it a try."
He flicked the pages of the music book he had been playing out of and stopped at a page. He counted down from five and they began to play. Hermione felt nervous, worried she wouldn't be able to keep up with him but as she was playing the tune, rather than the bass, it was easier than she thought it might be. She giggled a few times and missed a couple of notes, which made her giggle again, but they played all the way through.
When they had played the last note, Draco turned to look at her and grinned. She couldn't help but find playing this way amusing, so she laughed again.
"Silly but fun," she admitted.
Draco hadn't let go of her hand and he flicked to the next page. "Another one?" he asked.
Hermione nodded and they began the second piece. It was slightly more difficult but only having to play with the one hand made it easier. Draco was obviously finding it incredibly easy - he didn't even seem to be concentrating that hard.
"So - how come you can play?" Draco asked.
"I took it up as a hobby not long after I started this job - a bit of stress relief but I don't have much time to practise and I don't have a piano at home - hence why I'm not very good."
"I could give you some lessons," Draco offered.
"I'm sure you have other things you could be doing with your time," Hermione answered him quickly.
"Hermione?" Draco said her name very quietly.
She turned to face him and replied, equally quietly."Yes?"
"I'm sorry if I caused you trouble by making all that noise," he said. "And I will make sure all my guests sign in and out from now on."
"Okay."
"I'm not very good at being considerate," Draco continued. "I think about now and let tomorrow take care of itself."
"Like a child, you mean?" Hermione answered him. Their eyes met again but this time she gave him a small smile.
"Thanks for that," Draco answered her. "I did upset me how low your opinion of me is."
"I don't have a low opinion of you," Hermione shook her head.
"Five women? In one night?" Draco sounded disbelieving. "Exactly what sort of a person do you think I am?"
Hermione bit her lip. "It does sound ridiculous, even for you." She put her head to one side. "I promise to try and not leap to conclusions again." She paused, frowning. "I'm supposed to be working..."
"You should be taking it easy," Draco said. "Think of this as therapy."
Hermione sighed, knowing her was referring to Jack. "No-one's died, despite my over reaction last night."
"Why was it an over reaction?" Draco asked. "Do you think you'll get back together?"
"No."
"I suppose I should say I'm sorry, but I'm not."
"Thanks!"
"People like us, who have to work so hard, deserve to have a bit of fun. I don't think Jake did that for you."
"Jack," Hermione corrected him again. "And how do you know? You never even met him."
"I know the type."
"Well, it's over , so whether he was right for me or not, is irrelevant."
Draco pointed at the music book. "So, what do you think - can you play this one?"
"I think so," Hermione said, examining it. She put her fingers on the keys and started to play. Several times she had to pause to check her finger positions because the bass line had quite complicated chords. She was slow and it didn't flow very well at all but she managed to play it. She looked over at Draco who was watching her intently. "It was slow..."
"Yes but you played it all," Draco stood up. "You're treble line is spot on but the chords on the bass line seem to slow you down."
"I have trouble reading three notes at once."
"Yeh, it's hard," Draco agreed. "Sometimes, I don't actually read the notes like that. It's hard to explain but as you play, it can sometimes be easier to 'guess' the chord. They usually follow a familiar pattern and once you've played the tune a few times, it's just a case of memory."
"I don't think I'm quite advanced enough for that yet."
Draco stood behind her and pointed at the music. "Play that part again." Hermione did as he instructed, playing a short section. "I think you're restricting your movements by using your thumb as first place each time, sometimes it's okay to use your forefinger if it feels more natural."
"Then I get confused what note I'm playing."
"Play it again and I'll guide your fingers," Draco said. He stood up, walked behind her and then leant over her and Hermione played the section again. As her fingers moved to the higher scale, Draco placed his hand over hers and moved her forefinger into place, rather than her thumb. He then did it again as she moved down an octave. At the end, she nodded.
"Yes, that worked. I see what you mean about the placement," she said.
Draco moved round the stool and slid back onto it with her, Hermione shuffling up to accommodate him. He changed books, placing one behind the other and turned to a page about half way through.
"Let's play this as a duet - the proper way, with two hands each," he grinned. "When you get to this section," he pointed at the book, "use your forefinger to play C."
They started playing, Hermione taking the easier part. She used her forefinger as she moved up the keys and found it easier to reach the top notes. They had to sit close together, their shoulders and legs touching and their fingers dancing around each other on the keys. At one point, Hermione lost her place and played the wrong notes and she giggled. Draco continued until she caught up, also smiling.
"Sorry!" she said, when they'd finished. "I lost my place."
"Was it better, until then?"
"Definitely."
"Good."
"You're better at this than my piano teacher! He never told me anything like this," Hermione said. She saw Draco grin and sighed. "That doesn't mean you can gloat."
"Let's play chopsticks," Draco said and Hermione giggled again.
"That's basic stuff."
"I know - let's do it the one handed method," he answered. He took hold of Hermione's one hand, as he had done earlier and they began to play the simple piece with one hand each. It was a silly tune, made up of repeating chords but it was fun to play and sounded effective. Hermione was chuckling before they got half way through, this way of playing amusing her again.
Draco began messing around. He leant too far over towards her on purpose, so that she had to lean as well, stretching her arms to reach the notes.
"Stop it!" she giggled but he ignored her and then began hitting extra notes. They were perfectly in key and it sounded great but they made Hermione chuckle.
His fingers moved quickly and Hermione found herself watching him play as much as concentrating on her own section. They repeated the tune again without a pause and half way through, Draco reached around her, placing his arms either side of her so that she was encased in them. He had to stretch to meet the top notes, leaning right against her - he was now playing top and bottom of the piano, Hermione playing the middle notes. She giggled again, enjoying his silliness and recognizing that it also required a certain amount of skill. It wasn't easy to mess around like this and still have it sound right.
Draco leant forward, trying to see the top keys and suddenly Hermione was acutely aware of him pressing against her, his muscled arms around her. She could feel his breath on her neck and feel the heat of his body against her own. Suddenly, her fingers began hitting completely the wrong notes as her concentration slipped. Her heart was pounding because this handsome, fun and utterly charming man was making her forget everything and relax. He was making her giggle like a child and really enjoy something so silly and light hearted.
The song had finished and Draco had removed his one arm from around her. He was watching her, his eyes questioning and she gave a little cough.
"What happened? You lost it," he asked.
"You were putting me off," Hermione said. "How am I supposed to concentrate when you're messing around?"
"Are you complaining?" Draco asked.
"No - it was hilarious," Hermione smiled at him. "Thank you - I'm not thinking about anything that has happened now."
"You're welcome," Draco answered her. "So, would you like more lessons?"
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know - I'm not intending to join an orchestra or anything..."
"Well, the Hermione Granger I remember would never be satisfied with doing something to just a mediocre level," Draco pointed out.
"The Hermione Granger you remember wasn't trying to run a busy hotel."
"You know what they say about all work and no play," Draco grinned at her. "Wouldn't want to be dull, would you?"
"Stop being annoying," Hermione answered him. How strange that he was the second person to say that to her.
"Come back when you finish - I need to talk to you about something anyway," Draco said.
"What do you need to talk to me about?"
"I have a proposition for you," Draco grinned. "So, you'll come back later?"
Hermione gave a shrug of defeat. Why was she pretending she didn't want to? Of course she wanted to come back here! "It might be late - but yes, I'll come back later."
Hope they didn't make up too easily - neither of them wanted to be fighting anyway. Thanks for the lovely reviews - I read everyone of them and I love them. Always helpful and they guide me. x