Allo, sorry for the long time between updates! Read, review, and enjoy! (But mostly review.)

Chapter 12 It's Just what I Always Wanted

"Rough night?" Hermione asked at breakfast, handing Draco a cup of coffee.

"You could say that," Draco looked drop dead tired.

"Didn't sleep too well myself," Hermione yawned.

"Why not?"

Hermione shifted in her seat. "I guess I wasn't tired."

Draco changed the subject. "I'm going to be working today, unfortunately. I guess the drawback of being on a business trip is that one must actually do business. What do you plan to do?"

She shrugged. "It's Paris, I'm sure I'll find something fun to do. I've heard of fascinating wizarding exhibits here and if all else fails, I could stand to visit the Lourve again."

Draco hid his smile behind his mug. Trust Hermione to consider learning about dusty old wizards or visiting a quiet museum fun. "That sounds like tons of fun," he lied.

Hermione looked at him disdainfully. "Just because you spit on knowledge and culture, doesn't mean everyone else does."

"Well, you certainly aren't like everyone else," Draco put in before he realized how that sounded to Hermione. Oh well, he thought. It was true, Hermione was unlike practically any other woman he'd ever met. Besides Elizabeth.

Not like he wanted to think about her now, but now more than ever, Hermione reminded him of her.

The same toffee eyes and brown hair, though Elizabeth's had been cut short, unlike Hermione's thick, long mane. The same sense of humor. Yet, Hermione was indescribably different. Strong, where Elizabeth had been soft. Elizabeth had been fragile whereas Hermione was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Despite what my father may think.

And Elizabeth was gone and Hermione was not.

"Are you going to eat at all?" Hermione's voice pierced Draco's reverie.

"Yes," he said as he shook his head to clear his mind of past memories. He took a bite of toast and ran out the door.

What's up with him? Hermione asked herself. It seemed that he was constantly trying to keep something from her and she didn't like it. But what could she do? It wasn't as if they had a full disclosure relationship, far from it. There were probably things that she wasn't sharing with Draco though she was hard pressed to think of one at the moment. The point was, she had to trust Draco, that whatever he was hiding was none of her business.

Hermione decided to go to the Lourve after all and got her wallet and everything else she'd need. She was determined to enjoy this reprieve from the Headquarters if it was the last thing she did.

For some odd reason, after a long day of pretending he was loyal to Voldemort, Draco felt guilty. It was rather annoying actually since he'd just recently gotten over the guilt part of Elizabeth's death. But this guilt was tied to Hermione rather than Beth.

Here she was, risking her neck for him, day after day when she didn't really especially like him. And moreover, though she didn't know it, she had to deal with the sick 'affection' Lucius had for her. It had to be rough. And now, for the first time in a long time, Draco wanted to do something nice for someone.

But what?

What did Hermione like anyway? He had been living with her for awhile and he still didn't know what she liked other than her wardrobe, to read and for reasons beyond him, Harry and Ron.

That was it.

As much as he hated the two dunderheads, he knew that what Hermione wanted more than anything was to contact them. Draco started to make calls.

Hermione didn't come back to the hotel until five. She was all set to collapse into bed after a long day of site seeing but apparently, fate had other plans.

Tacked onto her door was a note in Draco's hand.

Meet me at the corner of La Rue de la Ville and La Rue d'Entelle ASAP. I have a surprise for you.

Hermione was flummoxed. The note was vague, cryptic at best. And yet, she was intrigued in spite of herself. Cursing under her breath, she tore the note from door and went to go hail a taxi.

Hermione was puzzled at the location that the cabbie dropped her off at. It was an intimate café. What does Draco have up his sleeve?

She entered the small establishment and saw Draco sitting at a table set for three. When he spotted her, he stood up.

"I've brought you a present," he explained. "I know the past couple of weeks haven't been a picnic for you and I want to show you how much I appreciated it."

"I don't understand…" Hermione trailed off as she saw two men heading towards the table.

"Harry, Ron!" Hermione couldn't contain her excitement.

"I'll leave you three alone," Draco slipped into the shadows and was gone before any one noticed.

Hope you liked it, as always, I aim to please. I promise to update asap!
Catchya later!