~Chapter Thirty-Six~ Breath

Much as Hermione might have been loathe to admit it, Draco had had a point. Even just being out in the cool night air was refreshing after the stuffy fug from brewing potions, and through the haze of her tiredness the streetlamps twinkled like Christmas lights, conjuring the comfort of the festive season in her exhausted mind and body.

The restaurant he had chosen was a wonderful experience – a Michelin starred location serving an extravagant degustation menu – and was mostly wasted on Hermione in such a state, but she managed to appreciate the excellence of the food, even though she let Draco do the work of ordering. The soft and luxurious ambiance was also a relief to sink into, a charmed bubble, and much as she didn't want to admit it, she needed the break, and the normalcy of the restaurant filled with Muggles out to dinner for a Friday evening felt like a welcome haven.

Draco ordered a light white wine, and soon enough the stream of tiny dishes began to manifest. Delicately presented appetizers of beef carpaccio and capers with edible flowers floated before her, followed by a trio of vol-au-vents filled with creamy mushroom, chicken, and asparagus, a miniature deconstructed beef wellington with horseradish cream, and smoked trout paste with fresh dill. Then had come a clear consommé with a duck mousse quenelle alongside, a chilled plate of salmon and tuna sashimi accompanied by tobiko studded nigiri to follow, and then the mains section of the menu began with butter seared lobster tail.

She knew Draco was making her eat properly, and she appreciated the intention and the effort. Although she had not felt hungry when they first came out, the moment they entered the restaurant, the smell of the cooking had made her stomach rumble audibly enough for Draco to send her a smirk.

"Enjoying the food, my dear?" Draco asked over his seared fillet of sea bream. The lobster tails had been taken away empty, and the next dish presented.

"Very much so." Hermione tried not to blush, the affectionate epithet having more effect on her than usual. She took a sip of wine to cover the blush, then smiled. "It was very thoughtful to come here."

Draco smiled, a genuine light in his eyes through the performance. "I must admit to having to look up exactly what a degustation menu was when I first saw it. Dilly helped."

Hermione chuckled. "Well I'm glad she did. We should come here again…when things are less busy."

Draco nodded, his eyes twinkling. "My thoughts exactly."

Hermione blinked for a moment, unable to help but wonder whether he was simply playing along for the ruse or if he was truly responding to the subtextual wish she had accidentally expressed. For one of the first times since they had established their unique legilimency link she had a fierce desire to slip into his mind to find out.

She shook her head at the audacity of the thought, flushing again, and quickly took another sip of her wine, sinking into the faint whirling rush of the alcohol.

"You like that vintage?" Draco asked, grey eyes watching her.

Hermione glanced at her glass, then nodded, latching onto the comment gratefully. "Yes. It goes very well with all the seafood."

"Mm, I agree. I think I'll have to order some crates from the vineyard after we go home." Draco was examining the label of the bottle with idle interest.

Hermione stared, then laughed. It felt like an age since she had last done so. "You know I'm not sure I'll ever get used to you casually saying things like that."

Draco glanced sideways at her, still holding the bottle, and chuckled. "Well we can always keep on trying. I won't be disappointed if you don't get used to it." He smiled.

Hermione grinned despite herself, surrendering the last crumbs of her tired self-control and simply allowing herself to enjoy the moment. It was what they were meant to be doing after all.


The rest of the menu passed by in a whirl of delectable tiny dishes which ranged from aged venison served with a red wine jus, to portobello mushroom steaks dark with flavour, to seared scallops served in their own shells and drowning in a delicious thyme, lemon, and butter sauce.

By the time the desserts began arriving, both of them were feeling full, but the food was too good to resist, and neither truly wanted the evening to end. Beautiful finger-sized opera cakes and in-house ice cream were presented one after the other, each additional dish pushing the limits of their appetites. Eventually, the menu did come to a close, however, and after finishing their matcha and white chocolate filled profiteroles and coffee, they rose to leave.

Draco paused as he helped Hermione on with her coat. "I don't suppose you'd fancy a drink before we head home?"

Hermione followed his gaze towards the bar. It was a glittering display of art deco gold, green, and mirrors. She thought guiltily of the work waiting for her in the laboratory, of the notes she had fallen asleep making and the knowledge that she might be terribly close to nailing the methods, and of the fact that after tomorrow, everything might change all over again. She nodded. "One would be nice, yes."

"I'll settle the bill and meet you over there." He smiled, his warm hands lingering on her shoulders for a moment before he departed.

Hermione forced herself to head over to the bar, to not simply stand and stare at him as he strode away, by far the most handsome man in the restaurant. There were a few others seated at the small tables and comfortable chairs in the area, and not for the first time she felt relaxed by the knowledge that those around her were Muggles. Just ordinary people.

She waved to the bartender. "Could I have a sidecar and a bramble, please."

The bartender nodded, and immediately set about constructing the drinks.

"I'm guessing the sidecar is for Draco?"

Hermione did her best not to jump, but couldn't help a small start of surprise as Pansy suddenly appeared by her side. She was holding an empty martini glass and still sucking on the cherry.

"Pansy? What are you doing here?"

"Having dinner, of course."

Hermione sent a glance towards the bartender, who had moved further away to gather items, and quickly hissed under her breath. "You know what I mean. Why are you in a Muggle restaurant?"

"Following the lovebirds, why else?" Pansy replied with a laugh. She was wearing a cocktail dress covered in glittering green and black sequins, shimmering eyeshadow in the same colours over her lids.

Hermione frowned. "Seems like extreme lengths to go for not much of a story."

Pansy shrugged, and indicated to the bartender that she would like a refill as he returned, passing over her empty glass with the cherry stem inside. "I like to verify things with my own eyes."

The bartender provided Hermione with her drinks, and received her twenty-pound note, handing over the coins that were her change, then setting to mixing Pansy's drink.

Hermione took her time, putting away the coins and taking a first sip of her bramble, her mind working double time to compensate for its sluggishness. She did her best to look unconcerned. "Is there something else you're going to say, or is that it?"

"A little bird told me not all is well between you and Draco." Pansy purred, taking her new drink, and sipping from it. "A little bird told me that Draco is straying. I'm curious to hear your thoughts."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You'll have to do better than that Pansy if you want to put a wedge between us."

Pansy tilted her head to one side, her dark eyes glittering with interest. She licked a drop of the cocktail from her lower lip. "Interesting. And would you say that you and Draco have a strong relationship?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. We do." Hermione felt real annoyance and pride coming out as she spoke, but couldn't do anything to stop herself. "We've worked hard, and had a lot of very open and honest communication to reach the point we have, and no rumour is going to undo that overnight. If we do encounter problems in the future, you can bet your last knut we'll be handling them like mature adults – with each other. Not by gossiping behind each other's backs to the papers. The wizarding public are just going to have to get used to the idea that growth and development is normal, and that we are fine together, or else find another couple to pick on. OK?"

Pansy had listened, her expression never changing, but as Hermione finished she nodded, and some of the sharpness in her gaze softened. "I see Draco has chosen well." She raised her glass, draining it. "Good luck to you." The words, although spoken in her usual clipped tones, were genuine. She turned and left.

Hermione stood, eyes wide, still not entirely sure what had just happened, drinks forgotten.

It wasn't until Draco returned that she came to herself.

"Sorry I was so long. Had to pop to the loo." Draco paused. "Everything all right?"

Hermione turned to him slowly, still frowning. "Yes. Pansy was here."

Draco's expression transformed. "What?"

"Yes." Hermione nodded faintly. "I think…I think she was testing me."

Draco's brows raised, the worry in his face replaced with confusion. "Odd."

"Very." Hermione shrugged, then took another sip from her drink. "She seemed to approve?"

Draco snorted into his cup as he took his first sip, almost spilling the drink over himself and the carpet. "She what?"

"I know." Hermione was nodding, just as wide eyed as him. "She said you'd chosen well, and wished us luck."

"Wow." Draco shook his head, still gobsmacked. "I never thought I'd see the day." He blinked rapidly.

"Me neither." Hermione lifted her cup to his. "Cheers to us, I suppose?"

Draco met her gaze, and the confusion and surprise cleared from his expression as he did so, replaced with warmth. "Agreed. Cheers, to us."

Hermione smiled, and they clinked glasses, drinking. Their eyes remained linked over the rims of their glasses, questions and answers flying between them, lights like stars reflected back and forth.

Draco was the first to blink and glanced around, spotting a table that had no other patrons seated nearby, and led them over to it, sinking into the deep velour of the cushions.

"There's one other benefit of this you know." Hermione said thoughtfully as they settled down, wilfully ignoring the racing in her throat and stomach.

"Oh?"

"I think she won't be hounding us anymore."

Draco nodded. "True. It could be a good thing to have an ally in the press."

Hermione frowned quizzically.

Draco caught the glance, and an unreadable but gentle smile crossed his expression. "Never mind. Just…other thoughts." He took a quick sip of his drink. "What is this by the way?"

"A sidecar. Cognac, Cointreau, and lemon juice."

Draco nodded, impressed. "I think I'll need to learn how to make it." He lowered his voice slightly. "If there's one things Muggles really have excelled in beyond wizards, it's alcohol."

Hermione laughed, rolling her eyes. "Why do I hear Blaise in that sentence?"

Draco laughed. "Because you know my friends well."


Hello dear readers! I hope you are all safe and well. In my corner of the world, we are heading towards coming out of our 6th lockdown. Case numbers are higher than they have been, but we'll be at 70% fully vaccinated by the time things relax. Even though things opening up is a cause for relief and celebration for many, I'm certainly in the camp that feels some degree of concern and anxiety about mingling with people again. So this is just a sweet little comfort chapter, well timed for anyone in a similar position who may be feeling worried, and well timed for Draco and Hermione. Let's all take a breath together. 3

Can you tell I was hungry when I was writing this? XD This chapter kind of gave me Christmas rom-com vibes, but I quite like that feeling. Although they've had growing intimacy in their feelings and trust, it does feel like it's been a while since they've been out in an environment that is plush and an opportunity for both of them to forget about the case, even just for an hour or two.

I really enjoyed bringing Pansy in at the end. She's there as a professional, and as Draco's friend. I'm a huge fan of all the headcanons of Pansy as an acerbic but ultimately kind person when there's sufficient growth to bear that out. She's absolutely there to sound out their relationship for a mixture of reasons, but her intentions aren't unkind.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little bubble of normalcy. I promise that the action is about to kick up a notch soon!

Please do review and/or favourite :) Tell me what you like or don't like :) Questions and speculations are always welcome :D As is incomprehensible flailing if that's what you go in for :)

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