Here is the next chapter, hope you guys like it. Any ideas or improvements are welcome.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
"What time is the press conference?" Draco drawled making Hermione jump. She had been seated on the couch reading through some of her students papers and never heard him arrive.
"Uh, one." She answered getting up to make him a cup of coffee.
He followed her to the kitchen and remained silent until she placed the cup in front of him.
"Thank you. So what do we do until then?" Hermione stopped and eyed Draco suspicious. "What?"
"You just thanked me." She said disbelieving.
Draco smirked "We are engaged now aren't we?" All traces of his anger from yesterday were gone.
Hermione shook her head in helplessness. "Of course we are hun, how could I forget?"
Draco chuckled at her, feeling that it could be a lot worse if he didn't find her attractive.
"You don't have plans then dearest?"
Hermione shook her head while spreading marmalade on her toast. "No, I thought we had to spend the day together."
"You make it sound as though you don't like the idea." Draco smirked again over his coffee.
"I don't." Came the short reply, followed by a plate of toast being shoved roughly under his nose.
"You're anger is most unbecoming of a young lady." He got up and caught her in his arms as she came around the bench.
"What are you doing?" She cried in shock trying to pull away but his hold on her was firm.
"I'm playing the part, don't tell me you don't like it." He said feigning a look of hurt.
It was so out of character that Hermione could not stop herself from laughing. Draco laughed with her.
"If you try to enjoy it, it won't be so bad." He explained.
Hermione looked up and saw a changed man. He still had the smirk and the arrogance (sometimes anyway) but he wasn't evil, he had fought with them and killed his own father as a test of loyalty.
He was worth her time and friendship.
"Yeah, maybe it won't be so bad after all."
………………………………………………………………………………………….
After breakfast Hermione and Draco decided to walk the streets so people would see how happy they were together.
Inside, the long practiced reflex of revulsion had to be continually shoved down under the new tentative friendship that had formed.
"I think we need a plan." Hermione said quietly as they stopped to look at a shop window.
"I thought this was your plan." Draco replied raising an eyebrow in question.
"I mean for after, we need something to do."
Draco nodded in understanding but was otherwise silent as they strolled on.
"So you don't have any ideas?" She finally asked.
"Ah… No."
Silence stretched between them.
"Must we even do anything?" He said after a while.
"Yes, why?"
A crowd of people walked past them and a series of confused expressions were directed at them.
"We can't have other lives? Other things to do?" He continued unfazed. He almost sounded hopeful.
Hermione pretended to look at a gold bracelet in a jewellery shop window.
"No, we're supposed to be engaged, simply overjoyed at the notion of spending our entire lives together."
Draco grimaced as though he was in pain. "No need to get nasty, I think I'm going to have nightmares."
Hermione could not help but laugh. "It's not too bad is it?"
Draco placed a hand to his temple and began to massage it. "Yes, it is quite bad Granger."
Hermione suddenly took his arm and pulled him into the jewellery store, her mind reeling with possibilities.
"What are you doing?" He hissed in her ear as they stumbled through the door.
"It just occurred to me that you're a Malfoy." She said as though that just suddenly make everything clear.
"It just occurred to you? Did you think I was Weasley? Or Potter?" He stared at her as though she had just grown another head.
She smiled and led him over to a stand where everything seemed to glitter so much it hurt to look in that direction.
"Well no, but I realised that you are the only Malfoy left and you inherited all the money."
She paused looking intently at a diamond ring.
Draco blanched when he saw her point.
"If you think that just because I'm a Malfoy and I have money that I will buy you everything in this shop-"
She turned and placed a finger on his lips. "If you continue talking like that, hun" She smirked bearing an uncanny resemblance to a Slytherin "people might get the idea you're not happy with our engagement."
Slowly she took her fingers away and continued to browse through the expensive range of diamond encrusted jewellery.
Draco stood, mouth slightly agape as he came to terms with his predicament.
"You can buy one thing." He whispered into her ear as his arms encircled her waist.
She felt her chuckle. "One thing from this shop dearest."
Draco paused 'That sounded so much like an evil laugh' he thought bitterly.
………………………………………………………………………………………
When they returned to Hermione's apartment two hours later, Draco's account balance was considerably lower and between them, they could barely hold all the bags.
"I swear Granger, you will pay me back." Draco muttered, receiving only a laugh as a reply.
"You don't believe me?" He asked challengingly.
Hermione smiled brightly "No. And the name's Hermione."
Draco rolled his eyes and put the bags down.
"I'm going back to my apartment, to get ready."
Hermione nodded "Alright, I need to get ready myself."
Draco quickly left before she could ask him to buy her another outfit for the press conference.
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Upon their arrival, the camera began to flash like crazy and it felt as though every reporter in Europe had come to get a story.
Draco placed a protective arm around Hermione's waist as they struggled through the crowd.
Once inside Hermione suddenly turned around and buried her head into Draco's shoulder.
He was taken aback by her actions but could not fight the instinct to protect her so he wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be okay." Though he wasn't exactly sure what it was that was going to be okay.
She looked up her expression a mix of fear and apprehension. "There are so many people out there."
Draco glanced out to the mob of hungry vultures waiting for a piece of the Granger-Malfoy affair.
He tried to put on a calm façade for himself just as much as Hermione.
"It'll be okay, just stick to our story and everything will be alright."
She followed his gaze and shivered slightly. "You're right." She said straightening and taking his hand in her warm grasp. "Lets go."
The noise was deafening once they entered the room. Camera's flashing and reporters on cell phones having heated conversations There was a lot of parchment rustling and cameras rolling.
If Harry wanted to promote unity, he was getting what he wanted. Here a mixture of muggle and wizard reporters gathered eager to make their story the headliner.
Draco led Hermione to the table where two seats were placed for them. When they sat down the room quietened.
There was a moment when they sat, unsure of what to do, but their thoughts were soon interrupted when a young woman wearing dark red lipstick raised her hand.
When both pairs of eyes were on her she spoke out clearly to them. "Can you tell us how you met?"
A few heads nodded in agreement, quills and pens hovering over parchment they awaited the answer with the anticipation of animals in a zoo of feeding time.
Draco cleared his throat. "We ah, met during the war and worked together for a while."
Already quills were racing across parchment while others waited for more.
"Once the war was over" Hermione began "we spent a lot of time together."
They were interrupted by a middle aged muggle news reporter. "Is it true you both attended the same school?"
Both Draco and Hermione nodded unleashing a hoard of questions.
"Does your relationship effect your work?"
"How do you keep together when you were once enemies?"
"Do you both agree in Harry Potter's plan for muggle-wizard unity?"
"How much did your engagement ring cost Miss Granger?"
"When do you think your wedding will be?"
"Mr Malfoy, is it true you were a loyal servant of the dark lord?" The room was cast into silence and Draco looked slightly uncomfortable.
"He has proven his loyalty to us many times; Draco is dedicated to our cause." Hermione said quickly.
The news reporter spoke again "But he was once set to kill Harry Potter?" Once again, Draco looked lost for words.
"That is between Draco and other members of the government." She saved again, but someone else noticed Draco's discomfort.
"Why does Mr Malfoy not answer for himself?" There was a pause where Hermione decided that it was better not to answer this one.
"I ah…" Draco cleared his throat once more. "I have declared my allegiance to Harry Potter and accept that I have made many mistakes in the past."
The press went crazy and under the table Hermione grasped Draco's hand.
"But you were ordered by the Dark Lord to kill him?"
"I… yes I was."
"What encouraged you to join the resistance force?"
Draco paused, thinking. "There was a time when I realised the I was on the wrong side." He said ambiguously.
"What made you realise?" A prim young man asked rudely pointing his quill in Draco's direction as he spoke. "The killing of the torture?"
Draco turned a very unhealthy shade of green at this question.
"No comment." Came the uneven voice.
"Did you kill Dumbledore?" Another wizard reporter asked.
"No." He said firmly.
"Were you assigned to kill him?"
"Yes." He said, again the press shuffled.
"Were you ever assigned to kill Miss Granger?"
Draco could not understand the way the press was attacking him. "No, never." He said making sure he met as many eyes as possible.
"Miss Granger, do you ever think the Mr Malfoy is conspiring behind your back?"
Hermione shook her head firmly grasping Draco's hand tighter. "No of course not, if I did I would never have agreed to marry him."
Draco intertwined their fingers in a show of appreciation.
"How many people have you killed Mr Malfoy?" The question made ever reporter tremble in excitement.
"I have killed one while in service of the Dark Lord and twenty for the resistance." The crowd hushed.
"How do you feel about some people wanting you sent to Azkaban?"
"I… I" Draco faltered slightly "I have proven myself time and time again, my loyalties are completely dedicated to the resistance."
There was another pause as the press digested this information.
"Did you kill you father as a test of loyalty to Harry Potter?"
Hermione knew Harry had drilled Draco on how to answer this specific question but began to get very irritated with the way they were tearing Draco up.
"No. Harry told me that there was no test I could take to prove my loyalty other than fighting along-side him. About my father, what passed between us is confidential but it is true that I killed him." Draco answered carefully.
Quills continued to race while cameras continued to flash.
"Miss Granger, have you ever considered marry Harry Potter?" Hermione certainly had, wondering what the life would be like, but watching the press jump on Draco like starving animals, she decided that a life in the limelight wasn't for her.
"No, Harry is one of my best friends, we are close but not like that." She replied.
Draco chose then to turn and smile at her.
Camera's flashed and questions continued to fire at the couple.
…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Afterwards Draco hugged Hermione and tried to regain control over his madly beating heart.
"You did really well." She told him.
"Thank you." He said as they reached her apartment.
They stood looked at each other for a moment before Draco leaned down and kisser Hermione on the lips.
"Thank you for being there for me."
And then, without another word, Draco turned and was halfway down the corridor.
Hermione stood in shock, but soon came to her senses and went inside.
'He just kissed me.' She thought, stunned.
………………………………………………………………………………………………….
So how did you think it's coming along? I thought maybe some parts were a bit dragged out but I would really love to know what you think.
Thanks for reading! Please continue…!
