Chapter Two: Feelings and Flowers.
Last time:
"It's none of Ron's business" Hermione said standing up.
"Hermione I'm sorry" Ginny stood up too. "I'm happy for you."
There was a knock on the door. "What is this? It's been knocking all day."
Hermione went out into the living room. Neville had already got the door.
There stood Draco and Ron.
Chapter 2:
Ginny had followed Hermione out of the kitchen. Draco, Neville, Ginny, and Harry looked from Ron to Hermione and back again. Ron stared into Hermione's eyes. She stared back, anger rose inside her.
How dare he come back here. Hermione looked at Draco, fury stricken across her face. Draco looked away. Hermione let her eyes bore into his skin until finally he spoke.
"Hey" he said to the others, doing his best to not catch Hermione's eye. Hermione could feel that he had encouraged Ron to come.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione spat. Ron's head snapped back to her, he was angry too.
"What I can't visit by own sister?" He spat back.
"No."
"Hermione?" Ginny stepped in.
Angry tears fell from Hermione's eyes; she tried to blink them back. "Hermione?" Ginny repeated, she felt a hand settle on her shoulder.
She looked up, Harry was behind her. Ron's gaze moved up to Harry and turned itself into a scowl.
"You" He said.
Harry tightened his grip around Hermione. "Me" Harry said.
Ron scowled at them both, then walked inside and went to Ginny's room. Ginny followed him. Harry took Hermione's had and led her to the sofa. Draco followed and sat on her other side, followed by Neville.
"So-" Draco started.
"Why did you bring him here?" Hermione said turning to him, all her fury back in place.
"I just - Well I don't know, he wanted to talk to you."
Hermione met his eyes. "What?"
"He wanted to talk to you, look come in here" Draco stood up and pulled her to her feet. Harry stood too. Draco looked at him. "Alone."
Hermione nodded and pulled on Harry's arm so that he had to sit. Draco led her into her room and sat on the bed.
Hermione stood by the door. Draco ushered her to him, she didn't move. She had remembered the last time she had seen, not talked, to Draco.
***FLASH BACK***
"Hey Hermione" Draco said. Hermione had just walked into Auror Headquarters. She took a seat on the opposite side of the desk they shared.
"Hey Draco."
Draco smiled at her in an odd fashion. "Draco are you ok?" Hermione asked.
Draco's smile grew. "Yeah, anyway I have some reports. Minister wants them back in a week."
Hermione sighed. "Fudge is beginning to push me over the edge, how many reports do we have to fill out, cranky old b-."
Draco coughed to cut her off.
"Sorry" she took the reports Draco was trying to pass her. "What are they about?"
"Wouldn't have a clue, I thought we could look over them together" Hermione noticed a strange tone in his voice.
"Um, ok" she said in a croaky voice.
Draco pulled his chair around to her side of the desk and looked over her shoulder as she opened the reports. They began to read in silence.
After about 10 minutes of silent reading Hermione could feel a hand softly graze the side of her back. She turned her head and gave Draco a weird look.
"Sorry, hand slipped" Draco said. Hermione shrugged this off and went back to reading.
***END FLASH BACK***
"Hermione?" Draco was saying. Hermione snapped back to reality. She blinked hard and turned to face Draco.
"Huh?"
"You were looking at the wall with some sort of dreamy expression, are you ok?"
Hermione nodded. "I'm fine."
"So are you going to sit down?" Draco padded the space next to him. Hermione walked forward and took a seat on the soft quilt.
"So why did you bring Ron here?" she snapped, her angry expression back in place.
Draco didn't seem taken aback at all by her sudden change of mood. "I thought, well, I don't know. He and that chick, oh what's her name? They broke up and he really wanted to talk to Ginny."
Hermione relaxed a bit. "So he's not here to talk to me?"
"No, I'm here to talk to you."
Hermione raised her thin eyebrows. "You are?"
"Yeah. I've been thinking."
"That's never a good thing" Hermione interrupted.
"Hey be nice," Draco said holding up a finger. Hermione giggled. "Well as I said, I've been thinking about you and I."
Hermione froze. 'No he can't be thinking that. Oh and look at what I've just done with Harry.'
"You have" Hermione swallowed hard.
"Yeah, Hermione I know I've never told you this but I want you to know. Hermione Granger, I love you" Draco said softly as he looked deep into Hermione's dark brown eyes.
Hermione was speechless, she gapped at him. Finally words became possible. "Draco, I - um, well - Draco" she stopped, she couldn't think of anything to say.
"Hermione you don't have to say anything" He leaned in and kissed her. Hermione didn't protest, she just melted into the kiss. She enjoyed every minute of it. Then suddenly the door opened.
"What the hell are you doing?" someone yelled.
Hermione and Draco split apart. Hermione's head snapped quickly towards the door. It was Harry.
"Harry, look I can explain" she tried.
"Save it Hermione, I know exactly what's going on" his glare bored into her scull. She turned away.
"Stop it Harry, just stop it" she burst out.
Ginny, Neville, and Ron appeared at the door.
"What's going on?" Neville said stepping passed Harry and into the room. He eyed Hermione and Draco suspiciously then turned to Harry.
"Ask them" Harry spat pointing at Draco and Hermione and then he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.
"Harry wait" Hermione called. Ginny went after him and Draco grabbed Hermione by the hand.
"Let him go" he said.
Hermione sighed and sat back down on the bed. "Yeah, whatever."
Hermione didn't speak for the rest of the night. She kept throwing hasty glances in Harry's direction. After about 2 hours of sitting in the lounge talking Ginny called Hermione into the kitchen.
"Mione, can you help me in here."
Hermione left the comfort of Draco's arms to go and see what Ginny needed.
"What?" she asked, as soon as she entered the kitchen.
"Well?"
"Well what? You're gunna have to be a little more specific."
"Well what's the deal with you and Draco, I mean weren't you with Harry, just tonight?"
"Yeah so."
"Yeah well, what are you gunna do?" Ginny had the look of an extremely concerned friend in her eyes.
"I don't know" Hermione flopped into a chair at the wooden kitchen table.
"Well who is it Draco or Harry?" Ginny sat too and waited in anticipation.
"I don't know. I like them both. I mean I've always like Harry but I've like Draco too."
Ginny's mouth fell open. "You never told me you liked Draco."
"Yeah well I didn't want to make it look like I was a two-timer or anything" Hermione realised how lame that had just sounded. "Please Gin, I'm not in the mood for this right now."
"Yeah you're right. It's really late, you've had a stressful day, go get some sleep."
Hermione nodded in appreciation and walked off to her room.
Harry, Ron, and Draco all left the next morning and Hermione, fortunately, didn't have to see them, as she was still asleep at the time of their departure.
The nest day Hermione apparated to work. She took the lift up and left the peacock blue entrance hall.
She waited at the back of the lift as one by one ministry members got off at their levels. All of a sudden someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up.
Draco's smiling face peered down at her. "Hey Mione" he said cheerfully.
"Hey Draco" Hermione trying not to strike up a conversation.
"Did you get those reports done?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, I had to baby sit last night."
"For who" Draco still had his cheerful expression on.
"Seamus. Parvati was supposed to be walking Matt and Lucy for him but her and Lavender had to go out."
Draco nodded. "So I think we need to talk."
Hermione looked around at the remaining 5 people in the lift. "No here Draco."
"Fine, We'll talk in the office" Hermione felt his hand clasp around hers.
A million thoughts rushed through her head. Should she go with Draco? She had spent most of her life liking him. But what about Harry? What was he going to do? She did like Harry too.
She sighed as they reached their stop. Draco led her out of the lift and down their usual corridor that led them to Auror Headquarters.
They stopped outside the cubicle they shared and Hermione turned to Draco. "What's going on?"
"I have a surprise for you" his voice was hushed and almost romantic.
A smile grew across Hermione's face. "A surprise?"
"Yeah, come on" he led her into the office and she was met by bunches upon bunches of deep red and bright pink roses. Her heart lifted and her eyes bulged.
"Oh Draco, this is so romantic" she put her hand to her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.
She turned and hugged him.
"That's not it," he said. Hermione stepped back.
"There's more?"
He nodded. He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a long golden box. Hermione stared at him.
What could it be? She stared half in shock, half in curiosity.
"Well open it" he handed her the box.
Hermione's eyes grew wider. "Oh Draco" she snapped it open and almost dropped it.
Inside lay a beautiful bright golden charm bracelet. Tiny charms hung from little locks in the bracelet.
A tiny teddy bear with two red rubies as eyes and a dragonfly with diamonds down the tail hung from the opposite side. Hermione lifted her head and her deep brown eyes settled on Draco's ice blue ones.
He stepped forwards and embraced her. "As I've already said, I love you."
Tears fell from Hermione's eyes. "Oh Draco, it's beautiful."
"I know" he smiled.
Hermione smiled back. "Help me put it on?"
Draco gently lifted the bracelet and gracefully placed it onto her tanned wrist.
It sparkled in the light and Hermione giggled. "I love it" she shut the door and placed her hands around Draco's neck.
Draco smiled down on her. "I love it too."
They again kissed. This time more passionate than the last. And again and again. Until finally Hermione broke the last kiss. She looked down at her watch.
"Oh Merlin, look at the time. We better get cracking on these reports."
Draco sighed and turned to the reports she had just lifted from her bag. "Do we have to?" He said in a child-like voice.
"Yes sweetikins" she squeezed his cheeks and giggled.
At this moment a paper airplane flew over the top of the cubicle. Hermione grabbed it and began to read. Draco was doing the same over her shoulder.
Dinner tonight, my favourite restaurant. Love Ginny.
Hermione looked up. "Why are we having dinner?"
Draco shrugged. "Beats me."
Hermione turned the parchment over. Why? Who's coming? She wrote.
She re-folded it and cast it over the wall into Ginny and Neville's cubicle.
A reply soon came back:
Because we've been planning this for ages but never got around to it. Neville, Harry, Ron, Draco, you, Parvati, Seamus, Dean and Lavender.
Hermione looked up at Draco. "I'm not going" was all she said.
Draco shook his head. "We're going, we promised, remember?"
Hermione shook her head. What on earth is he going on about?
Last time:
"It's none of Ron's business" Hermione said standing up.
"Hermione I'm sorry" Ginny stood up too. "I'm happy for you."
There was a knock on the door. "What is this? It's been knocking all day."
Hermione went out into the living room. Neville had already got the door.
There stood Draco and Ron.
Chapter 2:
Ginny had followed Hermione out of the kitchen. Draco, Neville, Ginny, and Harry looked from Ron to Hermione and back again. Ron stared into Hermione's eyes. She stared back, anger rose inside her.
How dare he come back here. Hermione looked at Draco, fury stricken across her face. Draco looked away. Hermione let her eyes bore into his skin until finally he spoke.
"Hey" he said to the others, doing his best to not catch Hermione's eye. Hermione could feel that he had encouraged Ron to come.
"What are you doing here?" Hermione spat. Ron's head snapped back to her, he was angry too.
"What I can't visit by own sister?" He spat back.
"No."
"Hermione?" Ginny stepped in.
Angry tears fell from Hermione's eyes; she tried to blink them back. "Hermione?" Ginny repeated, she felt a hand settle on her shoulder.
She looked up, Harry was behind her. Ron's gaze moved up to Harry and turned itself into a scowl.
"You" He said.
Harry tightened his grip around Hermione. "Me" Harry said.
Ron scowled at them both, then walked inside and went to Ginny's room. Ginny followed him. Harry took Hermione's had and led her to the sofa. Draco followed and sat on her other side, followed by Neville.
"So-" Draco started.
"Why did you bring him here?" Hermione said turning to him, all her fury back in place.
"I just - Well I don't know, he wanted to talk to you."
Hermione met his eyes. "What?"
"He wanted to talk to you, look come in here" Draco stood up and pulled her to her feet. Harry stood too. Draco looked at him. "Alone."
Hermione nodded and pulled on Harry's arm so that he had to sit. Draco led her into her room and sat on the bed.
Hermione stood by the door. Draco ushered her to him, she didn't move. She had remembered the last time she had seen, not talked, to Draco.
***FLASH BACK***
"Hey Hermione" Draco said. Hermione had just walked into Auror Headquarters. She took a seat on the opposite side of the desk they shared.
"Hey Draco."
Draco smiled at her in an odd fashion. "Draco are you ok?" Hermione asked.
Draco's smile grew. "Yeah, anyway I have some reports. Minister wants them back in a week."
Hermione sighed. "Fudge is beginning to push me over the edge, how many reports do we have to fill out, cranky old b-."
Draco coughed to cut her off.
"Sorry" she took the reports Draco was trying to pass her. "What are they about?"
"Wouldn't have a clue, I thought we could look over them together" Hermione noticed a strange tone in his voice.
"Um, ok" she said in a croaky voice.
Draco pulled his chair around to her side of the desk and looked over her shoulder as she opened the reports. They began to read in silence.
After about 10 minutes of silent reading Hermione could feel a hand softly graze the side of her back. She turned her head and gave Draco a weird look.
"Sorry, hand slipped" Draco said. Hermione shrugged this off and went back to reading.
***END FLASH BACK***
"Hermione?" Draco was saying. Hermione snapped back to reality. She blinked hard and turned to face Draco.
"Huh?"
"You were looking at the wall with some sort of dreamy expression, are you ok?"
Hermione nodded. "I'm fine."
"So are you going to sit down?" Draco padded the space next to him. Hermione walked forward and took a seat on the soft quilt.
"So why did you bring Ron here?" she snapped, her angry expression back in place.
Draco didn't seem taken aback at all by her sudden change of mood. "I thought, well, I don't know. He and that chick, oh what's her name? They broke up and he really wanted to talk to Ginny."
Hermione relaxed a bit. "So he's not here to talk to me?"
"No, I'm here to talk to you."
Hermione raised her thin eyebrows. "You are?"
"Yeah. I've been thinking."
"That's never a good thing" Hermione interrupted.
"Hey be nice," Draco said holding up a finger. Hermione giggled. "Well as I said, I've been thinking about you and I."
Hermione froze. 'No he can't be thinking that. Oh and look at what I've just done with Harry.'
"You have" Hermione swallowed hard.
"Yeah, Hermione I know I've never told you this but I want you to know. Hermione Granger, I love you" Draco said softly as he looked deep into Hermione's dark brown eyes.
Hermione was speechless, she gapped at him. Finally words became possible. "Draco, I - um, well - Draco" she stopped, she couldn't think of anything to say.
"Hermione you don't have to say anything" He leaned in and kissed her. Hermione didn't protest, she just melted into the kiss. She enjoyed every minute of it. Then suddenly the door opened.
"What the hell are you doing?" someone yelled.
Hermione and Draco split apart. Hermione's head snapped quickly towards the door. It was Harry.
"Harry, look I can explain" she tried.
"Save it Hermione, I know exactly what's going on" his glare bored into her scull. She turned away.
"Stop it Harry, just stop it" she burst out.
Ginny, Neville, and Ron appeared at the door.
"What's going on?" Neville said stepping passed Harry and into the room. He eyed Hermione and Draco suspiciously then turned to Harry.
"Ask them" Harry spat pointing at Draco and Hermione and then he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.
"Harry wait" Hermione called. Ginny went after him and Draco grabbed Hermione by the hand.
"Let him go" he said.
Hermione sighed and sat back down on the bed. "Yeah, whatever."
Hermione didn't speak for the rest of the night. She kept throwing hasty glances in Harry's direction. After about 2 hours of sitting in the lounge talking Ginny called Hermione into the kitchen.
"Mione, can you help me in here."
Hermione left the comfort of Draco's arms to go and see what Ginny needed.
"What?" she asked, as soon as she entered the kitchen.
"Well?"
"Well what? You're gunna have to be a little more specific."
"Well what's the deal with you and Draco, I mean weren't you with Harry, just tonight?"
"Yeah so."
"Yeah well, what are you gunna do?" Ginny had the look of an extremely concerned friend in her eyes.
"I don't know" Hermione flopped into a chair at the wooden kitchen table.
"Well who is it Draco or Harry?" Ginny sat too and waited in anticipation.
"I don't know. I like them both. I mean I've always like Harry but I've like Draco too."
Ginny's mouth fell open. "You never told me you liked Draco."
"Yeah well I didn't want to make it look like I was a two-timer or anything" Hermione realised how lame that had just sounded. "Please Gin, I'm not in the mood for this right now."
"Yeah you're right. It's really late, you've had a stressful day, go get some sleep."
Hermione nodded in appreciation and walked off to her room.
Harry, Ron, and Draco all left the next morning and Hermione, fortunately, didn't have to see them, as she was still asleep at the time of their departure.
The nest day Hermione apparated to work. She took the lift up and left the peacock blue entrance hall.
She waited at the back of the lift as one by one ministry members got off at their levels. All of a sudden someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up.
Draco's smiling face peered down at her. "Hey Mione" he said cheerfully.
"Hey Draco" Hermione trying not to strike up a conversation.
"Did you get those reports done?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, I had to baby sit last night."
"For who" Draco still had his cheerful expression on.
"Seamus. Parvati was supposed to be walking Matt and Lucy for him but her and Lavender had to go out."
Draco nodded. "So I think we need to talk."
Hermione looked around at the remaining 5 people in the lift. "No here Draco."
"Fine, We'll talk in the office" Hermione felt his hand clasp around hers.
A million thoughts rushed through her head. Should she go with Draco? She had spent most of her life liking him. But what about Harry? What was he going to do? She did like Harry too.
She sighed as they reached their stop. Draco led her out of the lift and down their usual corridor that led them to Auror Headquarters.
They stopped outside the cubicle they shared and Hermione turned to Draco. "What's going on?"
"I have a surprise for you" his voice was hushed and almost romantic.
A smile grew across Hermione's face. "A surprise?"
"Yeah, come on" he led her into the office and she was met by bunches upon bunches of deep red and bright pink roses. Her heart lifted and her eyes bulged.
"Oh Draco, this is so romantic" she put her hand to her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.
She turned and hugged him.
"That's not it," he said. Hermione stepped back.
"There's more?"
He nodded. He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a long golden box. Hermione stared at him.
What could it be? She stared half in shock, half in curiosity.
"Well open it" he handed her the box.
Hermione's eyes grew wider. "Oh Draco" she snapped it open and almost dropped it.
Inside lay a beautiful bright golden charm bracelet. Tiny charms hung from little locks in the bracelet.
A tiny teddy bear with two red rubies as eyes and a dragonfly with diamonds down the tail hung from the opposite side. Hermione lifted her head and her deep brown eyes settled on Draco's ice blue ones.
He stepped forwards and embraced her. "As I've already said, I love you."
Tears fell from Hermione's eyes. "Oh Draco, it's beautiful."
"I know" he smiled.
Hermione smiled back. "Help me put it on?"
Draco gently lifted the bracelet and gracefully placed it onto her tanned wrist.
It sparkled in the light and Hermione giggled. "I love it" she shut the door and placed her hands around Draco's neck.
Draco smiled down on her. "I love it too."
They again kissed. This time more passionate than the last. And again and again. Until finally Hermione broke the last kiss. She looked down at her watch.
"Oh Merlin, look at the time. We better get cracking on these reports."
Draco sighed and turned to the reports she had just lifted from her bag. "Do we have to?" He said in a child-like voice.
"Yes sweetikins" she squeezed his cheeks and giggled.
At this moment a paper airplane flew over the top of the cubicle. Hermione grabbed it and began to read. Draco was doing the same over her shoulder.
Dinner tonight, my favourite restaurant. Love Ginny.
Hermione looked up. "Why are we having dinner?"
Draco shrugged. "Beats me."
Hermione turned the parchment over. Why? Who's coming? She wrote.
She re-folded it and cast it over the wall into Ginny and Neville's cubicle.
A reply soon came back:
Because we've been planning this for ages but never got around to it. Neville, Harry, Ron, Draco, you, Parvati, Seamus, Dean and Lavender.
Hermione looked up at Draco. "I'm not going" was all she said.
Draco shook his head. "We're going, we promised, remember?"
Hermione shook her head. What on earth is he going on about?