The Promise
Hermione sat on the bench outside the restaurant in Hogsmeade where she was supposed to be meeting Blaise. Tucking her feet underneath her bottom, she leaned over and rummaged around in her purse until she had found her Muggle watch. It was currently 9pm, half an hour past Blaise's promised time of arrival. She was inordinately thankful she had been to the new restaurant before, and was familiar with it enough to know that her chosen nice pants and a jumper were acceptable instead of a trendy date dress. It was a chilly night, and she felt ridiculous enough sitting outside waiting for him to show without looking like a matchstick girl who had raided Whistles.
So far the clientele of this cafe seemed to consist of mostly former Hogwarts students and people Hermione knew through either work or socially. She had survived by acting as thought here was nothing at all unusual about her post on the bench and chatted pleasantly with those she knew well enough to make small talk with and giving small smiles to the rest. She couldn't understand where he was. If he had been so adamant about wanting to date her, why would he stand her up when given the opportunity?
"Stood up, Granger?" she heard Draco's voice from behind her. She was rather pleased to know he was there until she realized that this meant he was seeing her in all her dateless glory. She had been uncomfortable enough with the "Make Malfoy Mad" plan to begin with, but to have it backfire and have Hermione be the one alone was not about to make anyone jealous or unhappy, just herself.
"Actually, Malfoy, it appears I have been," she answered truthfully, knowing that there was no way to attempt to trick Draco. Even if she had said that they were to meet at 9:30, he would either have known the truth from Harry and Ron, or would have been able to see from her expression that she was lying. Her eyes narrowed as she reflected on that thought. Didn't he know she was supposed to be here right now. Had he come to spy?
She spun around to glare at him and was about to ask him what he thought he was doing there, when she saw the beautiful girl standing next to him. She looked a few years younger than Draco and herself, perhaps 20 or 21 years old, and she was one of the most striking persons Hermione had seen before. She was tall, with pale skin, dark blue eyes, and straight black hair, reminding her of a mix between a female version of Blaise and Harry. Her heart sank into her stomach as she saw the familiar way they were standing next to one another, and she immediately went on the defensive.
"Baby-sitting, Draco?" she asked, taken aback by her own daring. Even as she spoke, she felt guilty about her remark, knowing that any jealousy she was feeling was not the girl's fault. She knew, of course, that the remorse she was felt was evident on her face, taking away, perhaps, some of the sting of what she said.
"No, Granger," Draco answered, sending her a glare, "This is a cousin of Pansy's, I've known her for years."
"Ah," she thought. "An old friend, he's known her for years." She was tired, unhappy, and now incredibly jealous, and that comment translated in her addled brain to, "No, not baby-sitting, this is the amazingly attractive and young woman who exudes Veela-like qualities while being also intelligent, charming, well-read, and graceful, that I have been shagging for many years, and will continue to shag for many more, while you spend your days waiting for men outside of restaurants, in the cold, on your own."
Not exactly warm and fuzzy thoughts.
"So, yes. You're right, it appears I have been stood up. Why are you here anyway?" she asked. "Didn't Harry and Ron tell you I was going to be here with Blaise tonight? I would have thought you'd be miles away, since you've been avoiding me like mad." She paused, taking in the slight flush on Draco's face as she asked him why he was there. It occurred to her that this was the most she and he had spoken since her bet.
"No," he answered, "I haven't spoken to them about your date at all actually. Believe it or not I don't usually take an active role in your social life."
Hermione gave him a sour smile. She turned to Draco's dining companion, thus far nameless to her and offered her a hand.
"Hi, I'm Hermione, in case you've been led to believe that my name is really "Granger". That's my last name, and you are encouraged to call me Hermione," she said. She smiled as the woman took her hand and shook it firmly, knowing she was taking a risk offering her hand to a relative of Pansy's. Draco may have been "reformed", but it didn't mean that he was free of elitist Pureblood fanatics. But this girl seemed nice enough as she smiled back at Hermione.
"I am Elsa," she offered Hermione. "I've heard a lot about you over the years, so it's a delight to meet you finally." Judging from the impish grin on Elsa's lips coupled with Draco's face which had turned unnaturally pale, Hermione guessed that this was not something Elsa was supposed to reveal. Hermione was momentarily floored, but quickly eased over the awkwardness of the situation by laughing slightly and brushing it off.
"Oh, I'm sure you have. My parents are absolutely sick to death of the name Malfoy. We're quite the banes of each other's existence, aren't we, Draco? But, you know, they say every good character has a foil, so why not people, too?" she finished, positive that no one really said that, but it sounded good enough for her right then.
"Yes, foils do help one be complete," Elsa agreed, and smiled warmly at Hermione. "If you are waiting for someone to come, would you like to join us? You look very cold."
Hermione paused. The offer to come inside was quite tempting, and she did like this Elsa woman more now than she had at first sight. Going inside now would definitely show all the people she had seen in the past half hour that she really was meeting someone, which would make her feel less like a fool. Not that she cared really, she reassured herself, but she did feel very silly. But wouldn't walking in with Malfoy and a foreign cousin of Pansy Parkinson's push the rumor mill into overtime? She wasn't sure, but she thought that she had seen Lavender Brown walk in with a group of people, and if Hermione knew Lavender like she thought she did (after six years of living with her) it would be all over the Wizarding world by the next morning.
She was still weighing the pros and cons of going inside with the two when Draco cleared his throat, forcefully. She looked up at him, startled, and waited for him to speak.
"Granger, are you coming in or not? It's not that difficult. You can come in with us, have a drink, and see if that prat ever shows up, or you can stay out here in the cold. And if you're really that worried about your sodding reputation, just remember that we do work together. If people see us out, they aren't going to think we're together, they'll think it's work related. Or that we're waiting for Harry and Ron."
He was right of course, though she flushed guiltily as she heard his bitter tones when speaking of her reputation. And it was really ridiculous for her to think for even a moment that anyone would see their trio and immediately connect Draco and herself. Of course they would look to the beautiful girl to pair with the beautiful boy. She rolled her eyes at her own train of thought and forced her spirits to lift. It wasn't so bad really. She was only being stood up by someone whom she didn't want to date anyway, and was now making three's a crowd with a man she could love and his date for the evening. So, her life was just a French farce. An extremely dry French farce. That wasn't so bad, was it?
The thought made her laugh, luckily, rather than dragging her down into depression. She earned strange looks from Elsa and Draco, but she ignored them as she gave them her assent, and walked into the restaurant softly behind them.
**********
She had been having a surprisingly lovely time talking with Draco and Elsa. Elsa was sweet beyond belief and Hermione was very fond of her. Of course, her fondness of Elsa tripled when she stated that she was engaged to a wizard in her hometown in Austria. She was just on holiday in England and was meeting up with Draco for a catching-up session and drinks. This bit of news made Hermione feel that Elsa was the nicest woman she had ever met, and she could kiss her for how happy she made her.
She was also very happy because Draco had switched moods entirely, it seemed. He had been sullen with her for another whole week before her date with Blaise, and spoken to her only about four or five times since that dinner the week before, and all of those times it was completely necessary for him to talk to her. But inside they seemed completely at ease with each other. The sweetness of Elsa's manner had tempered their usual barbs down to gentle banter, and they were finally, actually, really talking to one another for the first time in weeks. Hermione was talking to him with her guard fully let down for the first time in years!
It happened that at that moment of awareness, when Hermione realized what a genuine, worry-free, good time she was having that she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned in her seat and met the apologetic eyes of Blaise.
"Hello, Hermione. Draco. I'm terribly sorry I'm late!" he said. He motioned for Hermione to step away from the table with him, and with a last look and a feeling of regret, she followed him.
"Hermione, I'm sorry, I ran into trouble at work and had to stay behind," Blaise explained.
Hermione fingered the cuff of a cloak that was hanging on the coat rack next to her. "But I thought you worked at Hogwarts, Blaise, as a flying coach. There was really an emergency at 9pm on a Friday night?"
Blaise's face colored and he gave her a rueful smile. "You're too smart, Hermione. You're right- there wasn't a work emergency. I was just really nervous. I almost didn't show, but I made myself in the end, and I wasn't sure if you would still be here."
Hermione digested this excuse, it seemed much more acceptable than the first, and she believed him. This made her feel even more guilty about the plan. Though Blaise had not alluded to thinking she had anything more than friendly feelings toward him, she was worried about what Harry might have said to him. To have Blaise be this nervous about meeting her forced her to realize that he did have real feelings for her, none of which she returned.
"It's alright, Blaise. I didn't mind waiting I suppose, I saw many people I knew so it was nice, I guess." She glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearly 10 by that point. "It's late, but would like you to get drinks at least?"
Blaise nodded and they returned to the dining room. They found a seat at the bar far enough away from Draco and Elsa that she couldn't hear their conversation, which was a blessing. She was having a hard enough time paying attention to Blaise as it was, due to her feelings for Draco and her guilt about the situation. She didn't need to have Draco in her field of vision to distract her further.
Over the next hour, Hermione became much more comfortable with Blaise, and was enjoying the conversation well enough. He was clever and amusing, and she was happy to be getting to know this new side of Blaise. When she got up from the bar to use the lavatory, however, she ran in to Draco once again.
"Having a nice time?" he asked her.
She nodded in agreement. "Yes, actually, I'm rather surprised by how nice a time I am having. I didn't know much about him at all, but he's a nice person." She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a little smile. "I suppose I need to remember not to judge people."
Draco was looking at her with a curious expression on his face, and she wrinkled her brow at him.
"What? Do I have something on me?" she asked, wiping the front of her sweater down quickly with one hand.
"No, that's not it. I was just...surprised. You were speaking just then like you didn't really know much of Blaise," he answered.
Hermione nodded. "I didn't, how could I have? I've heard for years from Harry about him having a crush of sorts on me, but like I said last week, I've barely spoken to him before. I didn't really have any image of him in my mind past what dealings I had with him in school." She looked at Draco, not understanding why he appeared confused.
"Right, I remember you saying that. But I also remember you saying something that alluded to you having some sort of feelings for him. Something about sorting out your feelings for him, and how he ought to able to sort out his for you also." Draco gave her a satisfied, if slightly off gaze, like one who realizes that they have just made a point, even if they are not quite sure what the point is.
Hermione blushed, caught off guard, having forgotten that stupid remark once again. She stuttered for a moment, before working out a coherent sentence.
"Yes, that was Blaise. That was about Blaise, I mean. Blaise," she ended decisively. She excused herself and rushed into the bathroom, groaning at her red face in the mirror. She washed off her face with a little cool water before returning to Blaise. It was getting late by that point, and Blaise suggested a walk around the grounds of Hogwarts before she returned back to her flat.
"It's so strange to be here right now,"Hermione remarked as they walked along the shore of the lake. "I feel like it's been decades since I've been here as a student. And things are so different now, you know? I mean, I'm here with you for one thing, and you aren't trying to kill me for being Muggle-born." She laughed a little at this, breaking the seriousness of the remark. "And Harry and Ron are friends with Malfoy! Who would have ever thought that would happen?"
This earned her a grin from Blaise. "I suspect he would have tried a little if you had asked him too during seventh year," he said.
Hermione looked at him sideways. "What? I don't know what you mean,"she answered, her eyebrows raised in confusion.
"I mean, Malfoy was always a bit off around you, we could tell. For a long time I thought it was just that he hated you more than even Harry, because you were Muggle-born. But during sixth and seventh year it was a little different. He still argued with you, but it seemed less personal." He stopped her with a hand on her arm. "For someone in his circle since first year, it was easy to see that his insults towards you were half-hearted at least. Like he didn't want to say it. I understood, of course, as soon as I joined the DA, and found that he had changed sides as well. I just meant that you seemed to be something different for him. Whether he hated you the most, or liked you the most it's hard to say. But you are definitely held in some extreme with him."
Hermione didn't have a reply for that. She tried to refrain from turning introspective and analyzing what Blaise had just said to death. Reminding herself that was still, technically, on a date, she decided to ignore it for the time being.
They finished their walk around the lake, and Blaise led her to the gates so she could apparate away. As she said goodbye, Blaise leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She stiffened, and Blaise chuckled.
"Hermione, thank you for meeting me tonight. I don't expect another date, but I want to thank you for this one. I would enjoy meeting you again, with only platonic expectations," he assured her.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and grinned up at him. "I would love that," she answered genuinely. "And for the record, I'm glad I came tonight, and I'm happy you finally showed." She gave him one last smile before she disappeared.
****************
She apparated into the alley next to her flat, not wanting to deal with Crookshanks, whom after years of life and experiences with apparating, still felt the need to enter attack mode when he heard the crack of apparition. She walked to the front of her building and started to open the door when she was stopped by the sight of a familiar blonde head leaning against the lamp post on the sidewalk.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, afraid she was hallucinating.
"I just took Elsa to her hotel," he shrugged. "It's not too far from this neighborhood, and I decided I needed a walk, and ended up here."
"Oh." It was amazing what a brilliant conversationalist she had become recently around Malfoy. She dragged her toe into the ground for a moment, eyes watching the trail it made in the dirt, before turning back to him. "Well, do you want to come up for a cuppa?"
He agreed, and Hermione led the way into her living space, feeling completely out of odds with the situation. It was only yesterday that they were still operating in an "Ignore her/him, he/she isn't there" mode, and now she was having him over for tea.
"So..." she started, once they had sat down around the island in her tiny kitchen. At a loss for something to say, she looked to him expectantly.
"Enjoy your date with Blaise?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Like I told you earlier, it was surprising. He's nice, I'll see him again. As friends," she quickly added.
He was quiet for a minute before speaking again. "You weren't talking about Blaise last Thursday, were you?"
For probably the millionth time in her life, she cursed his intelligence as well as his ability to read her. She sighed and answered, "No, it wasn't," hoping he would leave the subject alone.
He eyed her carefully. "Ginny sure knows how to read people. I'd say it was incredibly accurate."
Hermione's heart started hammering at this statement. They were dancing around the topic in an almost ridiculous way, but things were being said, beneath the surface at least, that she didn't ever expect to hear.
"I was really angry with you, you know?" he blurted out.
Hermione was a bit surprised, but recovered well. "I know, and you had a right to be. It was a stupid, immature thing to do. I shouldn't have agreed."
Draco sighed, and met her eyes. He looked very tired, and a bit unhappy. "It was, but I know why you did it. I've never been easy on you, we talked about this before. It's...it's hard to change, really. At least with you it is. I'm comfortable where we are, even if I want it to change, part of me doesn't want it to. I don't want to be nice and polite with you. I like arguing with you, I just don't want to hurt you."
She understood what he was saying, he was right- they had talked about it before,. at the New Year's party. "It's not just you, though, it's me too. I've overreacted before, taken offense where I could have just laughed. It's hard, though, because I don't know if you really hate me or not, so I can't tell where I should be offended, or where I can laugh. It would be different if it was with Harry or Ron, I know how much they love me. Teasing with them, even if it gets a little rough, is still always teasing. When we're fighting, I know we're fighting. When it's a joke, I know it's a joke." She sighed, "With you, it's always up in the air."
"So, what do we do about then?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" she replied, earning an irritated sigh and a rather exaggerated eyeroll from him.
"I mean, do you want your bet to be reality. Do you never want to speak with me again unless necessary? Do you want things to stay the way they were before the bet? What? I told you before, I'm not Harry. I'm not going to suddenly turn into him, I don't do group hugs and affirmations. But...we could try, together, to be different. I want to try."
Hermione met his gray eyes and read the sincerity within them. She thought about what he was saying, really saying. He wasn't going to change his personality, that was good, she didn't want that anyway. But he wanted an alteration of their relationship, a friendship where there wouldn't be hurt feelings, but mutual respect and lots of verbal sparring.
"I would really, really like that Malfoy," she answered, and matched his brilliant smile with one of her own.
****************
A/N: Whew, that was a long one! Don't fret because this ending seems week and "let's be friends". There's an epilogue coming up in the next two days which will give the story a concrete ending.
I'd like to say think you to all the reviewers!!! You've been lovely and encouraging and I really appreciate all your comments. I want to add that I'm so flattered that Campy Capybara reviewed, one of my favorite D/Hr writers!
Special Thanks to Dazed Panda for your many reviews(!) and to the others who have reviewed continuously throughout the story, starting with laughhard72, also my first reviewer!....thanks to shedraconis, Nataku19, ghypscee, jenie, mesmer, and scholz03!
Hermione sat on the bench outside the restaurant in Hogsmeade where she was supposed to be meeting Blaise. Tucking her feet underneath her bottom, she leaned over and rummaged around in her purse until she had found her Muggle watch. It was currently 9pm, half an hour past Blaise's promised time of arrival. She was inordinately thankful she had been to the new restaurant before, and was familiar with it enough to know that her chosen nice pants and a jumper were acceptable instead of a trendy date dress. It was a chilly night, and she felt ridiculous enough sitting outside waiting for him to show without looking like a matchstick girl who had raided Whistles.
So far the clientele of this cafe seemed to consist of mostly former Hogwarts students and people Hermione knew through either work or socially. She had survived by acting as thought here was nothing at all unusual about her post on the bench and chatted pleasantly with those she knew well enough to make small talk with and giving small smiles to the rest. She couldn't understand where he was. If he had been so adamant about wanting to date her, why would he stand her up when given the opportunity?
"Stood up, Granger?" she heard Draco's voice from behind her. She was rather pleased to know he was there until she realized that this meant he was seeing her in all her dateless glory. She had been uncomfortable enough with the "Make Malfoy Mad" plan to begin with, but to have it backfire and have Hermione be the one alone was not about to make anyone jealous or unhappy, just herself.
"Actually, Malfoy, it appears I have been," she answered truthfully, knowing that there was no way to attempt to trick Draco. Even if she had said that they were to meet at 9:30, he would either have known the truth from Harry and Ron, or would have been able to see from her expression that she was lying. Her eyes narrowed as she reflected on that thought. Didn't he know she was supposed to be here right now. Had he come to spy?
She spun around to glare at him and was about to ask him what he thought he was doing there, when she saw the beautiful girl standing next to him. She looked a few years younger than Draco and herself, perhaps 20 or 21 years old, and she was one of the most striking persons Hermione had seen before. She was tall, with pale skin, dark blue eyes, and straight black hair, reminding her of a mix between a female version of Blaise and Harry. Her heart sank into her stomach as she saw the familiar way they were standing next to one another, and she immediately went on the defensive.
"Baby-sitting, Draco?" she asked, taken aback by her own daring. Even as she spoke, she felt guilty about her remark, knowing that any jealousy she was feeling was not the girl's fault. She knew, of course, that the remorse she was felt was evident on her face, taking away, perhaps, some of the sting of what she said.
"No, Granger," Draco answered, sending her a glare, "This is a cousin of Pansy's, I've known her for years."
"Ah," she thought. "An old friend, he's known her for years." She was tired, unhappy, and now incredibly jealous, and that comment translated in her addled brain to, "No, not baby-sitting, this is the amazingly attractive and young woman who exudes Veela-like qualities while being also intelligent, charming, well-read, and graceful, that I have been shagging for many years, and will continue to shag for many more, while you spend your days waiting for men outside of restaurants, in the cold, on your own."
Not exactly warm and fuzzy thoughts.
"So, yes. You're right, it appears I have been stood up. Why are you here anyway?" she asked. "Didn't Harry and Ron tell you I was going to be here with Blaise tonight? I would have thought you'd be miles away, since you've been avoiding me like mad." She paused, taking in the slight flush on Draco's face as she asked him why he was there. It occurred to her that this was the most she and he had spoken since her bet.
"No," he answered, "I haven't spoken to them about your date at all actually. Believe it or not I don't usually take an active role in your social life."
Hermione gave him a sour smile. She turned to Draco's dining companion, thus far nameless to her and offered her a hand.
"Hi, I'm Hermione, in case you've been led to believe that my name is really "Granger". That's my last name, and you are encouraged to call me Hermione," she said. She smiled as the woman took her hand and shook it firmly, knowing she was taking a risk offering her hand to a relative of Pansy's. Draco may have been "reformed", but it didn't mean that he was free of elitist Pureblood fanatics. But this girl seemed nice enough as she smiled back at Hermione.
"I am Elsa," she offered Hermione. "I've heard a lot about you over the years, so it's a delight to meet you finally." Judging from the impish grin on Elsa's lips coupled with Draco's face which had turned unnaturally pale, Hermione guessed that this was not something Elsa was supposed to reveal. Hermione was momentarily floored, but quickly eased over the awkwardness of the situation by laughing slightly and brushing it off.
"Oh, I'm sure you have. My parents are absolutely sick to death of the name Malfoy. We're quite the banes of each other's existence, aren't we, Draco? But, you know, they say every good character has a foil, so why not people, too?" she finished, positive that no one really said that, but it sounded good enough for her right then.
"Yes, foils do help one be complete," Elsa agreed, and smiled warmly at Hermione. "If you are waiting for someone to come, would you like to join us? You look very cold."
Hermione paused. The offer to come inside was quite tempting, and she did like this Elsa woman more now than she had at first sight. Going inside now would definitely show all the people she had seen in the past half hour that she really was meeting someone, which would make her feel less like a fool. Not that she cared really, she reassured herself, but she did feel very silly. But wouldn't walking in with Malfoy and a foreign cousin of Pansy Parkinson's push the rumor mill into overtime? She wasn't sure, but she thought that she had seen Lavender Brown walk in with a group of people, and if Hermione knew Lavender like she thought she did (after six years of living with her) it would be all over the Wizarding world by the next morning.
She was still weighing the pros and cons of going inside with the two when Draco cleared his throat, forcefully. She looked up at him, startled, and waited for him to speak.
"Granger, are you coming in or not? It's not that difficult. You can come in with us, have a drink, and see if that prat ever shows up, or you can stay out here in the cold. And if you're really that worried about your sodding reputation, just remember that we do work together. If people see us out, they aren't going to think we're together, they'll think it's work related. Or that we're waiting for Harry and Ron."
He was right of course, though she flushed guiltily as she heard his bitter tones when speaking of her reputation. And it was really ridiculous for her to think for even a moment that anyone would see their trio and immediately connect Draco and herself. Of course they would look to the beautiful girl to pair with the beautiful boy. She rolled her eyes at her own train of thought and forced her spirits to lift. It wasn't so bad really. She was only being stood up by someone whom she didn't want to date anyway, and was now making three's a crowd with a man she could love and his date for the evening. So, her life was just a French farce. An extremely dry French farce. That wasn't so bad, was it?
The thought made her laugh, luckily, rather than dragging her down into depression. She earned strange looks from Elsa and Draco, but she ignored them as she gave them her assent, and walked into the restaurant softly behind them.
**********
She had been having a surprisingly lovely time talking with Draco and Elsa. Elsa was sweet beyond belief and Hermione was very fond of her. Of course, her fondness of Elsa tripled when she stated that she was engaged to a wizard in her hometown in Austria. She was just on holiday in England and was meeting up with Draco for a catching-up session and drinks. This bit of news made Hermione feel that Elsa was the nicest woman she had ever met, and she could kiss her for how happy she made her.
She was also very happy because Draco had switched moods entirely, it seemed. He had been sullen with her for another whole week before her date with Blaise, and spoken to her only about four or five times since that dinner the week before, and all of those times it was completely necessary for him to talk to her. But inside they seemed completely at ease with each other. The sweetness of Elsa's manner had tempered their usual barbs down to gentle banter, and they were finally, actually, really talking to one another for the first time in weeks. Hermione was talking to him with her guard fully let down for the first time in years!
It happened that at that moment of awareness, when Hermione realized what a genuine, worry-free, good time she was having that she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned in her seat and met the apologetic eyes of Blaise.
"Hello, Hermione. Draco. I'm terribly sorry I'm late!" he said. He motioned for Hermione to step away from the table with him, and with a last look and a feeling of regret, she followed him.
"Hermione, I'm sorry, I ran into trouble at work and had to stay behind," Blaise explained.
Hermione fingered the cuff of a cloak that was hanging on the coat rack next to her. "But I thought you worked at Hogwarts, Blaise, as a flying coach. There was really an emergency at 9pm on a Friday night?"
Blaise's face colored and he gave her a rueful smile. "You're too smart, Hermione. You're right- there wasn't a work emergency. I was just really nervous. I almost didn't show, but I made myself in the end, and I wasn't sure if you would still be here."
Hermione digested this excuse, it seemed much more acceptable than the first, and she believed him. This made her feel even more guilty about the plan. Though Blaise had not alluded to thinking she had anything more than friendly feelings toward him, she was worried about what Harry might have said to him. To have Blaise be this nervous about meeting her forced her to realize that he did have real feelings for her, none of which she returned.
"It's alright, Blaise. I didn't mind waiting I suppose, I saw many people I knew so it was nice, I guess." She glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearly 10 by that point. "It's late, but would like you to get drinks at least?"
Blaise nodded and they returned to the dining room. They found a seat at the bar far enough away from Draco and Elsa that she couldn't hear their conversation, which was a blessing. She was having a hard enough time paying attention to Blaise as it was, due to her feelings for Draco and her guilt about the situation. She didn't need to have Draco in her field of vision to distract her further.
Over the next hour, Hermione became much more comfortable with Blaise, and was enjoying the conversation well enough. He was clever and amusing, and she was happy to be getting to know this new side of Blaise. When she got up from the bar to use the lavatory, however, she ran in to Draco once again.
"Having a nice time?" he asked her.
She nodded in agreement. "Yes, actually, I'm rather surprised by how nice a time I am having. I didn't know much about him at all, but he's a nice person." She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a little smile. "I suppose I need to remember not to judge people."
Draco was looking at her with a curious expression on his face, and she wrinkled her brow at him.
"What? Do I have something on me?" she asked, wiping the front of her sweater down quickly with one hand.
"No, that's not it. I was just...surprised. You were speaking just then like you didn't really know much of Blaise," he answered.
Hermione nodded. "I didn't, how could I have? I've heard for years from Harry about him having a crush of sorts on me, but like I said last week, I've barely spoken to him before. I didn't really have any image of him in my mind past what dealings I had with him in school." She looked at Draco, not understanding why he appeared confused.
"Right, I remember you saying that. But I also remember you saying something that alluded to you having some sort of feelings for him. Something about sorting out your feelings for him, and how he ought to able to sort out his for you also." Draco gave her a satisfied, if slightly off gaze, like one who realizes that they have just made a point, even if they are not quite sure what the point is.
Hermione blushed, caught off guard, having forgotten that stupid remark once again. She stuttered for a moment, before working out a coherent sentence.
"Yes, that was Blaise. That was about Blaise, I mean. Blaise," she ended decisively. She excused herself and rushed into the bathroom, groaning at her red face in the mirror. She washed off her face with a little cool water before returning to Blaise. It was getting late by that point, and Blaise suggested a walk around the grounds of Hogwarts before she returned back to her flat.
"It's so strange to be here right now,"Hermione remarked as they walked along the shore of the lake. "I feel like it's been decades since I've been here as a student. And things are so different now, you know? I mean, I'm here with you for one thing, and you aren't trying to kill me for being Muggle-born." She laughed a little at this, breaking the seriousness of the remark. "And Harry and Ron are friends with Malfoy! Who would have ever thought that would happen?"
This earned her a grin from Blaise. "I suspect he would have tried a little if you had asked him too during seventh year," he said.
Hermione looked at him sideways. "What? I don't know what you mean,"she answered, her eyebrows raised in confusion.
"I mean, Malfoy was always a bit off around you, we could tell. For a long time I thought it was just that he hated you more than even Harry, because you were Muggle-born. But during sixth and seventh year it was a little different. He still argued with you, but it seemed less personal." He stopped her with a hand on her arm. "For someone in his circle since first year, it was easy to see that his insults towards you were half-hearted at least. Like he didn't want to say it. I understood, of course, as soon as I joined the DA, and found that he had changed sides as well. I just meant that you seemed to be something different for him. Whether he hated you the most, or liked you the most it's hard to say. But you are definitely held in some extreme with him."
Hermione didn't have a reply for that. She tried to refrain from turning introspective and analyzing what Blaise had just said to death. Reminding herself that was still, technically, on a date, she decided to ignore it for the time being.
They finished their walk around the lake, and Blaise led her to the gates so she could apparate away. As she said goodbye, Blaise leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She stiffened, and Blaise chuckled.
"Hermione, thank you for meeting me tonight. I don't expect another date, but I want to thank you for this one. I would enjoy meeting you again, with only platonic expectations," he assured her.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and grinned up at him. "I would love that," she answered genuinely. "And for the record, I'm glad I came tonight, and I'm happy you finally showed." She gave him one last smile before she disappeared.
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She apparated into the alley next to her flat, not wanting to deal with Crookshanks, whom after years of life and experiences with apparating, still felt the need to enter attack mode when he heard the crack of apparition. She walked to the front of her building and started to open the door when she was stopped by the sight of a familiar blonde head leaning against the lamp post on the sidewalk.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, afraid she was hallucinating.
"I just took Elsa to her hotel," he shrugged. "It's not too far from this neighborhood, and I decided I needed a walk, and ended up here."
"Oh." It was amazing what a brilliant conversationalist she had become recently around Malfoy. She dragged her toe into the ground for a moment, eyes watching the trail it made in the dirt, before turning back to him. "Well, do you want to come up for a cuppa?"
He agreed, and Hermione led the way into her living space, feeling completely out of odds with the situation. It was only yesterday that they were still operating in an "Ignore her/him, he/she isn't there" mode, and now she was having him over for tea.
"So..." she started, once they had sat down around the island in her tiny kitchen. At a loss for something to say, she looked to him expectantly.
"Enjoy your date with Blaise?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Like I told you earlier, it was surprising. He's nice, I'll see him again. As friends," she quickly added.
He was quiet for a minute before speaking again. "You weren't talking about Blaise last Thursday, were you?"
For probably the millionth time in her life, she cursed his intelligence as well as his ability to read her. She sighed and answered, "No, it wasn't," hoping he would leave the subject alone.
He eyed her carefully. "Ginny sure knows how to read people. I'd say it was incredibly accurate."
Hermione's heart started hammering at this statement. They were dancing around the topic in an almost ridiculous way, but things were being said, beneath the surface at least, that she didn't ever expect to hear.
"I was really angry with you, you know?" he blurted out.
Hermione was a bit surprised, but recovered well. "I know, and you had a right to be. It was a stupid, immature thing to do. I shouldn't have agreed."
Draco sighed, and met her eyes. He looked very tired, and a bit unhappy. "It was, but I know why you did it. I've never been easy on you, we talked about this before. It's...it's hard to change, really. At least with you it is. I'm comfortable where we are, even if I want it to change, part of me doesn't want it to. I don't want to be nice and polite with you. I like arguing with you, I just don't want to hurt you."
She understood what he was saying, he was right- they had talked about it before,. at the New Year's party. "It's not just you, though, it's me too. I've overreacted before, taken offense where I could have just laughed. It's hard, though, because I don't know if you really hate me or not, so I can't tell where I should be offended, or where I can laugh. It would be different if it was with Harry or Ron, I know how much they love me. Teasing with them, even if it gets a little rough, is still always teasing. When we're fighting, I know we're fighting. When it's a joke, I know it's a joke." She sighed, "With you, it's always up in the air."
"So, what do we do about then?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" she replied, earning an irritated sigh and a rather exaggerated eyeroll from him.
"I mean, do you want your bet to be reality. Do you never want to speak with me again unless necessary? Do you want things to stay the way they were before the bet? What? I told you before, I'm not Harry. I'm not going to suddenly turn into him, I don't do group hugs and affirmations. But...we could try, together, to be different. I want to try."
Hermione met his gray eyes and read the sincerity within them. She thought about what he was saying, really saying. He wasn't going to change his personality, that was good, she didn't want that anyway. But he wanted an alteration of their relationship, a friendship where there wouldn't be hurt feelings, but mutual respect and lots of verbal sparring.
"I would really, really like that Malfoy," she answered, and matched his brilliant smile with one of her own.
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A/N: Whew, that was a long one! Don't fret because this ending seems week and "let's be friends". There's an epilogue coming up in the next two days which will give the story a concrete ending.
I'd like to say think you to all the reviewers!!! You've been lovely and encouraging and I really appreciate all your comments. I want to add that I'm so flattered that Campy Capybara reviewed, one of my favorite D/Hr writers!
Special Thanks to Dazed Panda for your many reviews(!) and to the others who have reviewed continuously throughout the story, starting with laughhard72, also my first reviewer!....thanks to shedraconis, Nataku19, ghypscee, jenie, mesmer, and scholz03!