Disclaimer: Even though I'd very much like a piece of Draco, I don't own him. Or anything else. Except maybe the plot of this particular fanfic. If I did own the characters, I'd be J.K. Rowling. And am I J.K. Rowling? Nope.
A/N… I'm so freaking sorry this took so freaking long! I feel really bad. More groveling at the bottom For now, I give you what you've been waiting for…
Chapter 3: The Beginning Of It AllHermione's mind was numb. After asking her on the date, Draco winked at her and left the office. Sooner than she realized, Draco popped his head past the door, and said, "It's a little past noon… you ready for lunch?"
"Yeah, of course. I'm famished. Gimme ten minutes to finish up?"
"Okay," he replied, and he walked in and plopped down on one of the couches (A/N: the couches that visitors use when they're waiting for Draco).
Hermione squeaked. "You're waiting… in here? That's a bit distracting."
Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, one, I'm your boss, so I shouldn't be a distraction to you," he winked, "and two, this can wait. You yourself said that you were famished, and I am too. The work will be here when we get back. Now, Miss Granger, shall we?" He stood and held his arm out for her to take.
"We shall," she answered, linking her arm with his.
Ten minutes later, the two found themselves seated in a booth in a small café in downtown London.
"So…" Draco started.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "So…" she mocked.
"How has life been for the past… how many years has it been?"
"Three."
"Ah yes. How has life been for you, for the past three years?"
"Not bad. Nothing much has happened. After the war, I moved into a four-bedroom flat with Ginny Weasley, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Lisa Turpin, do you remember them?"
"Let's see… Weasley was a Gryffindor, o'course. Wasn't she a year younger than us?"
"She still is a year younger than us. But yes, she was a year below us in school."
"Right. And Brocklehurst… sounds familiar. I don't seem to remember her… is she our age?"
"Yeah, she wasn't in Gryffindor, but she was our age. She was a Ravenclaw. She's, let's see…"
"Oh, I think I remember her now. Brunette, a little shorter than you, freakishly smart, but didn't flaunt it like you did?"
Hermione looked stonily (A/N I love that word) at her pale-haired companion. "Was I really that bad?"
Draco smirked, "Yeah. You seem to have gotten over it, though. You're fiery and passionate as ever, but you don't just lay down the facts like you used to. You're more outgoing. It's attractive, if you ask me."
Hermione blushed. "Do you know how long it's been since I've seen you smirk? Wow, that is making me feel all nostalgic."
Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "So, your fieryness is attractive to me, and… my smirk is attractive to you?"
"No, no, no," Hermione denied, "it's just making me miss Hogwarts, and is making me remember how much of an ass you were back then. You've changed. That's what's attractive about you." As soon as the words escaped her mouth, her eyes widened in horror. "I did not just say that out loud, did I?" she asked.
Draco smirked once again. "That you did, Hermione. So, my less assholic ways are attractive, eh? So are you telling me that, had I not been an ass back at Hogwarts, you woulda been one of the Malfoy groupies?"
"Oh, hell no, Draco," Hermione said, feeling more confidant every second, "I'm too good to be a Malfoy groupie. Plus, if you hadn't been an ass, you wouldn't have had the bad boy thing goin' on, and most of the Malfoy groupies wouldn't have given a shit about you. You may have been good-looking, but most girls were attracted to your cocky 'I'm better than you' attitude. Therefore, if you didn't have the 'I'm better than you' attitude, you woulda been groupie-less. Therefore, I couldn't have been a Malfoy groupie even if I wanted to be."
Draco chuckled, and opened his mouth to retort, but at that moment, the waitress came back with their drinks. Once the waitress left, Draco turned back to Hermione. "But you know where you're wrong, Hermione? I don't have the 'I'm better than you' attitude anymore, and yet the ladies still throw themselves at me."
"They're just living in the past," Hermione said, winking at him.
"What about the ones that I met after Hogwarts?"
"Rumors and reputations," Hermione said simply.
"So my reputation precedes me?"
"Precisely."
"I see."
The waitress returned to take their order. After ordering, the duo were told that, due to the crowd, it may be a bit longer of a wait for the food. They thanked her, and she left.
"So, where were we? We got off on a tangent," said Hermione.
"That we did. You were telling me about your flat-mates," replied Draco.
"Ah, yes. Well, did you know Lisa Turpin?"
"I don't believe so."
"Well, she was a lot like Mandy. She still is. They've been best friends since, gosh, before I knew them."
"So how did you three ladies find each other after the war?"
"Honestly? Me and Ginny were always planning to room together after we finished school."
"So you two moved in together right after the war?"
"Well, not quite. For a while, we couldn't afford anywhere to live."
"You couldn't afford anything? So you're telling me that you didn't get any money from being such a valuable asset to the light side of the war?"
The brunette girl blushed. "Well, I got money. Just… it wasn't enough for the house I wanted. And I didn't wanna take out a loan, and I didn't wanna buy a different house, 'cause I'd lose some of my money… so me and Gin lived at the Burrow for about three months."
Draco raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Interesting. So how'd you get outta THAT one?"
"I wasn't done with my story," she snapped, "Anyway, Gin and I were at the market one day for Molly-- you know, Mrs. Weasley— and we ran into Lisa. So after a little reunion, at Lisa's apartment, where Mandy was also staying, we decided to pool our funds together… and we were able to afford my house! But now, Gin's engaged to Harry, 'cause he finally got back with her after the war, and he recently proposed, so Gin'll be moving out. Lisa and Mandy both had boyfriends since before we re-met them, and they're pretty serious, so they were thinking they might move in with their boyfriends sometime, so I'd be left in my dream house, with a house bill that I can't afford on my own, even with getting those 'war veteran' checks every other week. So I needed to get a job, so I applied for the position as the secretary for a department that was open, and I happened to notice it was the one that I found ironic since I was so anti-slavery back at Hogwarts, so I thought I might want to try something and see it from a different perspective, and low-and-behold, you were there, and here we are."
"…So you haven't had a job… ever? Before this one, of course."
"Nope!"
"And I hired you… why?"
"Because I 'got spunk,' as you put it in the interview," she grinned.
"Well. Is it possible for me to reconsider?"
"Nope!"
He laughed. "Okay. I'll live with it."
"So, Mister Draco, what's been going on in your life for the past three years?"
He groaned. "Lots, and lots, of business. I had so much shit to deal with that my oh-so-wonderful father left me."
She shrunk back into the booth. The topic had had to come up in the conversation sooner or later.
"Oh don't worry about it. I'm glad to have killed him. And saved you. It was you, or him, and lemme tell you, I'd choose you over him in a heartbeat. Like I did. Believe me, you're so much better than him. Also, rape is not a good thing. And I was, in a word, mortified that my father would consider doing something like that to someone my age. All the more reason, you know?" After saying this, he laughed hollowly.
"I, I'm sorry, Draco… I didn't mean to put you in that position. I'm just… I can't thank you enough for helping me. I, I'm sorry you had to kill your own fat-"
"Hermione," Draco said sharply, tilting her chin so she would look him in the eye, "Like I said just a second ago, I would have chosen you over him in a heartbeat. I could have acted like nothing was happening, and ignored your screams and pleads for help, and continued my fight with Avery, but did I? No. I made a choice. And I don't regret it one bit. Don't feel bad. You were the one about to get raped. And my father was the scum of the earth. I'm glad it was me that killed him. If it was anyone else, I would have thanked them, but been mad that I couldn't do the deed myself. And Lucius about to rape you… that just gave me yet another reason. So don't you regret it. I sure as hell don't."
Hermione stayed silent, and averted her eyes from his.
"Hermione. Look at me." She raised her eyes to meet his. His eyes were filled with compassion, anxiety, and determination. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to find any trace of dishonesty lying within his eyes. "It wasn't a mistake, me coming to save you. I saw you in trouble. Sure, I was in a brawl. You were more important. I sidestepped Avery, who was confused by this sudden change in my tactics, and killed him so I could get to you faster."
"Why was I more important?" she questioned softly, "Winning the war was the most important thing, how could you have not cared about the war, and more for me? You hated me. And you were so awkward after saving me. Like it was a mistake." It wasn't an accusation. It was a genuine question, asked out of confusion.
"You're a bit daft sometimes, aren't you? Hm, let's see. It was awkward after I saved you… well let's see, my father was about to rape you. And you were a quite valuable asset to winning the war, so if I had left you for rape and death, we would have been quite weakened," he chuckled.
Hermione hung her head. Should have expected something like that and not gotten my hopes up, she thought.
"Also," he continued, lifting her chin again, "you were vulnerable. And, hell, if the person whom you'd desired for, but could never have, on account of the fact that your father is a jackass, and she hates you, was vulnerable, and you saved her… maybe she would stop hating you, she'd forgive you for your asshole father, and maybe she'd come to agree with your feelings."
Hermione gaped at him. Did he just say what she thought he said?
Draco grinned at her. "I see you're speechless. Not what you expected?"
Still, she stared at him.
"Surprised?"
She nodded weakly.
"Disappointed?"
"NO!" she shouted, surprising both him and herself, "ah, I mean… um… I just…"
"Something I should be aware of here?" he asked, confused.
"I… you… desire… hating… not…" she babbled.
Draco looked genuinely concerned. "Are you okay? I… I probably shouldn't have brought it up. It'll probably look like I gave you the job due to favoritism. Not that I did. But-"
He was cut off by her abruptly standing up. "Are, are you leaving? I really shouldn't have-" he started, but trailed off when he saw her sit back down. "So, you're staying?"
She stared at him.
He stared back.
She leaned toward him.
He gulped.
Just as her lips touched his, there was a sound of someone clearing their throat, behind them. They sprang apart, both red in the face.
"Here's your food, kids. Just in case you were still hungry," the waitress chuckled. Hermione blushed a deep red.
"Thank you, miss. We're fine for now," Draco said curtly. The waitress left.
Draco watched as Hermione picked at her food. An amused grin spread across his face as he saw that she was still red.
"Y'know, you're not that bad of a kisser, if that's what you're so embarrassed about," he teased.
She looked up at him. "That wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered.
"But it did," he whispered back, "and why are we whispering?" Then, in a normal tone of voice, he added, "And besides. We both wanted it, so why worry about it? The attraction's out in the open now, don't bother hiding it now. It's too late for that."
She slumped against the booth. "I suppose you're right," she sighed. After a minute or two of silent eating, Hermione gazed at Draco.
"Wha?" he asked, his mouth full of food.
"Am… am I really…" She cut off, blushing.
He swallowed his food and raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you really… what?"
"Am I a bad kisser?" she blurted out.
He laughed. "That wasn't a kiss." Noticing her crestfallen face, he added, "That was more like a peck," and with that, he leaned over and kissed her on the mouth, hard. After some amount of time (A/N I don't really know how long kisses are supposed to last, so pardon me for my lack of specifics), they broke apart. Both were breathing rather heavily.
"That was a kiss. And no. You're not bad at it at all," he said softly.
"Thanks," Hermione said timidly.
The two resumed their eating in silence.
Once they finished and paid for the bill, the two left the café and walked to a nearby park.
Hermione sighed.
Draco looked over at her. "Something wrong?"
She sighed again. "No…"
Draco raised an eyebrow at her.
"It's just that… is everything gonna be awkward between us now? Should I start looking for a new job before things get… weird?" she asked shyly.
He chuckled. "Because I'm such a horrible person that I'd fire you just 'cause I'm gonna pursue a relationship with you."
She looked up at him. "But… wouldn't things at work get weird?"
He shook his head. "I wouldn't say things are going to get weird, Hermione. I'd just say… that things would get very… convenient."
Hermione smacked his arm, but failed to hide her smile. "Oh, you…"
He grabbed her hand and spun her into him. She looked up at him confusedly, and he just smirked. "I think I like where this is going," she giggled lightly.
"Damn straight," he said, before shushing her with a delicate kiss.
end chapter
A/N … okay, I have no excuse, everyone. I'm sorry sorry sorry sorry TIMES INFINITY for taking so long on this chapter… I actually hadn't started it 'til last Wednesday, and I had planned to have it up on Wed as well, but some things came up, and I couldn't get it up. Again, I'm really sorry.
I'll try to be timelier with the next chapter. At the latest, I'll have each chapter up every other week. If you're lucky, I'll get them up sooner, though.
And I've heard (from a… fantabulous buddy) that I'm not supposed to do personal replies to reviews… which I don't quite understand… I mean, I only have, what, 9 reviews? Ha. Oh well, you're all dedicated to me. Right? R-right? …Uh, right. Anyway, thank you ALL for the reviews, and the positive feedback, and all that jazz.
And if you've never reviewed before? Review! It gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling to see that people read and enjoy my story. Even if your review consists of "great job!" I'll still be warm and fuzzy. I'm here to entertain, people!
Again, I promise it won't take as long to get the next chapter out. I'm reaaaaaaaaally sorry about that, like I've said over and over and over.
