A/N: Once again, thank you all for the lovely feedback! Fun note about this chapter. Did you know Tom Felton writes and performs music as well? The song in this chapter is a modified version of his song, "Everlast." You can find info on it on his Official Feltbeats website if you want to hear it!
In the following weeks and months, Draco was absolutely charming. He allowed me to choose the pace and we were growing closer by the day. Most of our time was eaten up by long hours at work with the Burke investigation. We did, in fact, find further evidence that supported the murder of his wife and were working diligently to get a conviction.
In order to provide the most protection for Bryson, we moved forward with two separate trials. Two weeks after Mr. Burkes arrest, he was sentenced to a lifetime stay at Azkaban for his crimes. This would have to do for now, because the time it would take to convict him of murder was lengthy. At least this first step allowed the approval of the change of guardianship and it would be difficult to undo that at a later date.
I was exhausted from the stress of it all and I could tell it was taking a toll on Draco as well. When the weekend hit, we decided a nice night in was just what we needed.
That's how I find myself walking to Draco's house on a Saturday evening. I knocked and he opened the door quickly.
"Hey, Hermione." He wrapped an arm around me in a hug.
The physical aspect of our relationship was going slowly. We had officially been together for two months but were keeping as professional as possible at work. This was only our seventh official date and I hadn't been in a hurry to rush into anything. We were taking our time to get to know each other without the pressure of the physical aspect. I wasn't sure how much longer that would last, but it had been great so far to bond with Draco on a deeper level.
"Hi Draco." I returned the hug. "It smells great in here."
He released me and, after taking my coat, gestured towards the kitchen. "Thank you. I made Italian."
And that he did. There was a wonderful spread laid out on his dining room table complete with salad, appetizers and the main dish. The candles and wine further set the mood for a nice, romantic evening in.
He held out my chair and I sat. When he joined me, we began to dish up.
"This really does look fantastic. Have you always cooked?"
He nearly choked on his sip of wine. "Absolutely not! Can you honestly see a little Draco Malfoy in the kitchen? Mother would have had kittens."
I laughed at the mental image. "I suppose you're right. So what made you start now?"
"I grew up." He said it as though it was the obvious answer. "I wanted to take care of myself and it seems that food being one of the basic human needs was a good place to start. Do you cook much?"
"Yeah, I do some. I find it quite relaxing actually. Baking is really what I enjoy though. Something about following the steps and having this creation turn out so beautiful is rewarding."
He smiled widely. "Well, I will make the dinners, you can make the desserts. Sounds like we make a good team."
I imagined what it would be like to live with Draco, us cooking and baking together and I found I rather liked the thought. It was still quite early to be thinking such things, but the thoughts made me realize I was opening myself up and hoping for a future rather than assuming doom.
"So, tell me Draco, what other things about you would surprise me?"
"I rather enjoy music and was raised to value the piano."
"Oh, come on. A rich pureblood like you? That hardly seems like something that should surprise me." I teased.
"Ok, well, after the war ended, I taught myself to play guitar. It's even more enjoyable than the piano to me and I've taken up writing my own songs."
I sat there stunned. "That one I didn't expect. Will you play one for me?"
There was a shyness when he mentioned his music and it left me curious.
"I've never played them for anyone before."
"First time for everything. Right?"
He pushed around a few pieces of pasta on his plate. "Alright. For you, anything. I'll do it after dinner. But no laughing!" He pointed his fork at me as if he could sense that was my plan.
"I would never. I'm sure it's lovely."
Our conversation turned to other benign topics as we continued to learn about each other on a more personal level.
After dinner we enjoyed some coffee and tiramisu, (purchased, not homemade as I learned his own baking skills left something to be desired), before making our way to the sitting room.
"Hold tight, I'll be right back."
I was curious as to where he could have gone off to, but I didn't have to wait long. A quick minute later, he reappeared with an acoustic guitar in hand.
"I can't wait!" I nearly squealed.
"Don't get your hopes up too high. I don't claim to be a professional in the least, but a promise is a promise."
We sat together on the couch, our knees touching, as he began to strum. The notes that filled the air were sweet and soft. I could feel the vibrations from the guitar and they gave me goosebumps. Little did I know the real treat would be his voice.
At first, he began to hum a bit, and then he began to sing the lyrics that were clearly written from his heart.
I've been here,
14 days and counting.
And it seems,
I've got 22 more to come.
I've seen fear,
Strangers all around me.
I would run,
But last time I did they found me.
Do I really belong at all?
Should I,
Run away from it all?
'Cause after all…
Do I,
Seem a little disenfranchised, darling?
Do I,
Really need you at all?
Does my mind,
Seem a little far-fetched?
Slanted?
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
And to you.
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
And to you.
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
And to you.
I've been here,
22 days and counting.
And it seems,
I've got 14 more to come.
I've seen fear,
Strangers all around me.
I would run,
But last time I did they found me.
Should I,
Really be here at all?
Should I,
Run away from it all?
'Cause after all…
Do I,
Seem a little disenfranchised, darling?
Do I,
Really need you at all?
Does my mind,
Seem a little far-fetched?
Slanted?
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
And to you.
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
And to you.
So shake me,
Wake me,
When I'm born again.
Real me,
Take me,
I wanna fall again.
Wake me,
Shake me,
When I'm born again.
Teach me how,
I need you now,
I wanna fall again.
Do I,
Seem a little disenfranchised, darling?
Well, hold me, now,
'Cause I really need you around.
Does my mind,
Seem a little far-fetched?
Slanted?
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
but not to you.
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
but not to you.
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
but not to you.
Everlast,
I'll kiss bye to the past,
but not to you.
Tears pooled in my eyes as I listened to the poetic words Draco had crafted. His fingers caressed the last note from the guitar and looked at me with eyes intense with emotion.
No words were said as we slowly leaned in towards each other and pressed our lips together for the first time. The kiss was tentative, light and sweet. And despite the briefness of it, it sent shivers all the way to my toes.
Our eyes locked as we broke apart and for several heartbeats, we said nothing.
"Draco, that was beautiful." The words felt inadequate as they left my throat in a breathy whisper.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Not nearly as beautiful as you."
My face flushed in response to his compliment and I tried to divert the conversation away from me. "I meant the song of course."
He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes, that. Thank you. I wrote part of it when I was trapped at the manor. It had never felt complete though and I've added onto it recently."
I could only guess that he had included the ending after I agreed to see him.
"I'm honored that you felt comfortable to share it with you."
"Don't you know by now, Hermione? I want to share everything with you."
His sincerity was clear. Without thinking, I grabbed the guitar from him and placed it on the table in front of us. Then, I grabbed his face in both my hands and kissed him properly.
Once he got over the shock, he kissed me back in kind. Kissing Draco Malfoy was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I couldn't get enough of the soft, pillowy feel of his lips moving hard against mine. When his tongue traced my bottom lip, I gasped and he took advantage of the opening allowing his tongue to dance with mine.
It was several minutes before we came up for air. When we did so, Draco continued to pepper soft kisses to my cheeks and temple while we waited for our breathing to return to normal.
When I was finally feeling like I could think straight, I noticed that at some point we had moved positions. Draco was hovering above me on the couch and despite how much I was enjoying myself, the wetness quickly pooling between my legs told me that if we didn't stop, things would be moving much quicker than I was comfortable with.
"Draco."
"Hmmm." He hummed as he kissed a particularly sensitive spot beneath my ear.
A breathy moan escapes my lips and, despite my words, my voice was needy. "Too fast."
As he registered what I said, he quickly sat up and smoothed his clothes. "Right. Please forgive me. That wasn't very gentlemanly."
He offered me his hand to help me up and I giggled. "If I didn't like it, I would have told you to stop a lot sooner. This is just all so new and we are still getting to know each other. I want to make sure our relationship is about more than sex."
"Completely agree love."
Looking at my watch, I noticed it was already nearly midnight.
"Goodness, is that the time? I should really get going."
Draco nodded and helped me off the couch. "Why don't you take the floo? While I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, it would make your boyfriend feel a lot better if you weren't walking the streets at this hour."
I stood on tip toes to give him another, much quicker, kiss. "I appreciate your concern. And you're right. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but I'm also tired so I'll take you up on your offer."
"Goodnight, Hermione."
"Goodnight, Draco." I smiled at him and waved before allowing the green flames to swallow me up.