"Welcome to Le Bellaruaie!" an excited host exclaimed as Hermione and Draco entered the lavish restaurant.

"Malfoy, 9 p.m.," Draco said.

"Ahhh, of course! Young Master Malfoy!" The smiling host said with a thick French accent, "And who is the lovely Madame Sir?"

"Ms. Hermione Granger," Draco replied with a small nod.

"Excellent," the host said as he led them toward their table. It was set apart from the main of the restaurant; a small table for two by a far window that overlooked what seemed like the whole of Venice. She looked out at the many historic places, such as the ancient gaming arenas and temples from Ancient Rome. Hermione smiled, funny how they are seeing this place, when it is actually all underwater now because of the polar ice caps melting. A spell was probably keeping the entire wizard community in Italy believing they were above water and not inside an enchanted bubble.

Hermione sat elegantly as Draco pushed her chair in for her. He turned and took his seat.

"Your waiter will be with you immediately," the host said with a smile, winking at Hermione as he left. Hermione chuckled at this.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked.

Hermione shook her head and said softly, "He winked at me."

Draco laughed, "Well, you can't blame him, he probably doesn't see many beautiful young women like you. I bet he usually just sees important men's fat wives or their trashy mistresses."

"You know, you can actually say some really nice things when you want to," Hermione said in response to Draco's compliment.

"It's true you know, you are the most beautiful woman in the room," Draco said, looking into her eyes. Hermione looked away and smiled.

"Ahhhh, two young lovers for me tonight I see?" said a brisk young waiter who seemed to have appeared at their table. Hermione's eyes grew wide at this comment and Draco just smirked as he flipped through a menu. "And to drink for the young lovers?" the waiter asked.

"Uh, we're not lov," Hermione began, but Draco cut her off, "One full bottle of Chez Gragueuaur."

"We," the waiter said and left quickly.

"So, what do you want to eat?" Draco asked, opening his menu.

"Lovers?" Hermione asked, slightly angered.

Draco smirked, "Let them assume, what do we care?"

Hermione scoffed, she knew what he was doing. If he "loved" her, of course he'd be happy for someone to think they were lovers.

"The waiter was just kidding, he knows we're not lovers, we're only 17," Draco said, reading the menu. Hermione looked at it nervously, the entire thing was in French.

"I'm only 16," she said.

"When's your birthday?" Draco asked.

"December 20th," Hermione said easily, "Yours?"

"March 20th," He answered. Hermione nodded and continued to stare at her menu, hoping she would magically understand French if she stared at it long enough. She failed to notice Draco staring at her, counting the months on his fingers underneath the table. "Know what you want?" He asked, interrupting her confused gaze.

"No clue actually, I can't understand a word," Hermione answered. Draco chuckled.

"What are you in the mood for?" He asked.

"I don't know, what exactly do French people eat?" she asked.

"Well, the menu has duck, steak, chicken, and salmon. They also have salads and pastas," he answered.

"Order for me please," Hermione said, exasperated.

He smiled, "Sure." The waiter returned and set a bottle of lightly chilled red wine on the table, whose name Hermione wouldn't for the life of her be able to pronounce. The waiter popped the cork and poured both of them a full glass of wine. Hermione smiled to herself, this was her second glass of wine today, "I'm turning into a regular alcoholic," she thought to herself.

"And what will we be having for dinner tonight?" the waiter asked. Draco responded by ordering entirely in French with a quick and flawless accent. The waiter nodded and quickly walked away. Hermione watched him as he left and glanced around at a few of the other guests of the evening. All were exquisitely dressed, men in dress robes and wizard's suits, the women in evening gowns and glittering from all angles with diamonds and finishing school poise. This wasn't Hermione's world. She'd be much more comfortable sitting in a plastic booth at Dairy Queen eating a cheeseburger with a strawberry milkshake, not sitting in a stuffy 5 star restaurant that probably cost a fortune.

"Cheers," she heard Draco say far away. She glanced away from the couple she had been observing, a fat man wearing a suit with several medals hanging off it and a woman with a horribly crooked nose. Draco was holding up his glass of wine, smiling at her. His smile was strange, unlike anything she'd ever seen in his face. She picked up her glass and held it close to his. "To us," he said, and clinking the crystal against hers and taking a long draught. She followed suit, remaining silent. She felt herself tap into him as she sipped her wine. He wanted to get out of here too. He was nervous. Not the place though, her. He knew she was uneasy and wanted to leave so she wouldn't be stressed. He just wanted her to be happy.

Hermione looked up after she snapped out of it. Draco wanted her to have a good time and be happy. He was trying to make up for the fact it had taken CLAW so long to rescue her. "It's not his fault," Hermione thought, "Poor guy, he's been worrying himself sick trying to make sure I'm happy and he keeps messing up and making me angry." She smiled at this; Draco did seem so upset whenever she got mad at him. She looked up and into Draco's eyes; he had seen her smile and a wave of ease spread over him when he saw she didn't hate this.

Hermione decided to break the ice; after all, this wasn't the dark ages. "So, tell me a little bit about yourself," she said half-sarcastically.

"What?" Draco asked, surprised.

"Well," Hermione began, "We're living under the same roof and have been spending every waking moment together, as well as have gone to the same school together for the past six years, yet I know almost nothing about you."

"About me?" he asked, a small smirk on his face.

"Tell me about Draco," Hermione said, resting her chin on her hands. Draco chuckled a little bit.

"Well, I'm 5'9, have blonde hair, my favorite color is red, my favorite band is Fighting Jacks, I'm a Taurus, and I enjoy long walks on the beach," he said calmly as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Hermione laughed. "No seriously," she said.

Draco nodded and said, "Let's see, I'm an only child."

"Go on," Hermione said jokingly, "What are your hobbies?"

"I love art," Draco said, "I visit a lot of galleries and study art."

"Really?" Hermione asked. "Do you paint?"

"Yes, I paint," Draco said with a smile, "Watercolor, Acrylics, and Collage."

"That's what was in your room wasn't it?" Hermione asked with a grin, "Behind the curtain, that's where you paint."

"Yeah," Draco said, "And what about you?"

"Well, I'm a Sagittarius, and the youngest of 5, my parents were dentists," Hermione began.

"I didn't know you had siblings," Draco interrupted.

"Yep, 4 older brothers," Hermione said with a laugh.

"Whoa," Draco said.

"I know," Hermione said with a chuckle, "My hobbies include reading and studying. I have my cat, Crookshanks, and my favorite color is robin's egg blue."

"You've got to do more than just read and study," Draco said shaking his head.

"Well...," Hermione whispered.

"Well...," Draco teased.

"I do dance," Hermione said, letting one of her few secrets she kept about herself and her muggle life while in the wizard world.

"Like what?" Draco asked, refilling his and Hermione's wine glasses.

"Most everything. I began taking ballet when I was five. I later took on tap, jazz, hip-hop, ballroom, salsa, and interpretive dance as the years went on," Hermione said, "I took it over the summers when I was home from Hogwart's and practiced on my own when I was at school."

"Seriously?" Draco asked, "Where?"

"There's a dance studio on the fourth floor in one of the back corridors. Professor Flitwick told me about it. He's actually quite the tap dancer," Hermione answered.

Draco started laughing, "Flitwick?" Hermione nodded and laughed as well.

The waiter arrived with their food and carefully placed it in front of them. Hermione looked down at the meal Draco had chosen for her. It was a pasta dish with big round noodles. She looked over at Draco's. He had ordered what looked like a grilled vegetable platter on a bed of rice.

"So what is this anyways?" Hermione asked him.

"Sicilian Rigatoni," Draco responded, "It's excellent. White wine sauce with oregano and mixed with mushrooms, grapes, and peppers." Hermione nodded her head in satisfaction and took a bite. It was amazing. She watched Draco slice up a few vegetables and dip an artichoke in a white sauce. She had forgotten he was a vegetarian, and probably for good reason.

When they had finished their meals the waiter came back and retrieved their plates. "And any dessert for the young lovers tonight," he said politely.

Draco opened his mouth but Hermione cut him off, "No thank you." He nodded and left to calculate the check.

Draco looked at her, "No sweet tooth?" he asked.

"Oh, I definitely have one, but I'm sure we can find somewhere else in the hotel to grab something," Hermione said.

"I agree," Draco said.

Hermione played with her dress and fingernails as Draco paid the check and tipped the waiter. She didn't want to see the cost. They stood up to leave and headed slowly for the elevator. They entered the doors, but were quickly stopped by the eager host.

"You forgot your wine sir," he said, handing Draco the unpronounceable corked bottle. Draco thanked the host and the elevator attendant closed the doors.

"Private floor," Draco said. Hermione looked down. She could feel the buzz from the aged and potent wine. It wasn't bad, she was just very content. They went back to their room.

"So what now?" Hermione asked as she quickly removed her painful shoes.

"Anything good on the 62nd floor?" Draco asked. Hermione had almost forgotten about her earlier swim and encounter with Haishaw maid.

"Yeah, plenty to do," she answered. She turned around from her dresser where she had taken off her earrings and saw Draco had begun to change right there. He had taken off his shirt and was struggling with his shoes. When he was triumphant he looked up and caught Hermione staring at him.

"Just can't keep your clothes on around me can you Draco?" Hermione joked. He smirked and brushed back his blonde hair.

"Like what you see?" he asked sarcastically as he pulled a shirt out of his drawers.

Hermione avoided the subject and teased, hinting at a previous encounter, "I've never seen a man shirtless before."

"You brat!" he said and charged after her. Hermione squealed and escaped into the bathroom with her change of clothes. She locked the door quickly and changed. She tied back her hair and put on her favorite ripped jeans and put on a plain black yoga spaghetti strap. She slowly opened the door and peeked out. She slipped on a pair of flip-flops and leaned against the wall. Draco was staring out the window. He seemed a little more buzzed than her; he had had a little more wine than her.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Huh?" he said as he came back to earth and looked at her. "Yeah, let's go," he said. She headed towards the door and he followed. She saw him slip something into his drawer. It was the note from his father she had discovered while he had been in the shower before dinner. They took the elevator to the 62nd floor and walked past several doors, looking for one that would strike their interest. The floor seemed pretty abandoned because it was 11:30 at night. They finally settled on private billiards and went in.

The room was moderately lit. Thick red carpet was underfoot and large red couches were off to one corner. A pool table was in the center with a rack of pool sticks hanging on a wall next to a complimentary bar.

"Do you play pool?" Draco asked Hermione.

"A little. We had a pool table in our basement. How about you?" Hermione said.

"Not much, just play it here and there. There's a table in the Slytherin common room," he responded. They chose their sticks and began a game of solids vs. stripes.

"So what is Slytherin house like anyways?" I've always wondered," Hermione asked.

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Draco joked as he broke the set.

"Nothing at all?" Hermione asked sweetly. Draco chuckled behind her.

"Well, it's dark, kind of like a dungeon. Big couches are in the center around the fireplace, with desks on the edges to do homework. We've also got a pool table in one corner and an open corner with covered with rugs that people hang out on when they play games," he said as he shot in a ball.

"What kind of games?" Hermione asked.

"Not Gryffindor games. You're probably too innocent to hear about them," Draco teased. Hermione just shook if off and shot in one of her balls.

"Okay, games like Spin the Bottle, Dice Toss, and Ten Fingers," Draco said. Hermione hadn't heard of Ten Fingers, but she knew what the other two were, and he was right, they certainly weren't her type of games. "Ten Fingers is a game where everyone holds up all ten fingers, then each person says something they've never done and if someone has done that, then they have to put down a finger. Last one out wins," Draco explained, "So, someone would say something like, "I've never French kissed, and whoever has would put down a finger." Hermione agreed with herself that she would easily keep up most of her fingers for most of the game.

"How often do you win?" Hermione asked, wondering what exactly Draco had done. He smiled, knowing what she was hinting at.

"You win some you lose some," he said, "I'm usually one of the last few though. Most of the other Slytherins are quite... erm... experienced compared to me."

"I see," Hermione said.

"How about this, for every ball you get in, the other has to say something they've done," Draco proposed devilishly.

Hermione considered it for a few seconds, "Okay," she answered.

"And," Draco added, "has to take a shot." He pulled down a bottle of vodka and set it on the table's edge with a shot glass.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "No no no, absolutely not, I'm not going to get drunk."

"Well, are you confidant you've never done very much? They you won't get drunk if you're as pure as you say you are," Draco explained with a glint in his eye. Hermione was up to the challenge.

"Fine, you're on!" she said as she racked the balls. Draco poured a shot.

Hermione broke the rack. Draco missed.

Hermione shot at a ball and made it. Solids. Draco shrugged and looked down.

"Okay," Hermione began, "I've never.... Kissed a girl."

Draco took a shot.

He then aimed at a striped ball and made it.

"I've never kissed a guy," he said back. Hermione was disappointed and picked up a shot glass. She'd never had vodka before. "So much alcohol in one day," she thought, "What would my mother think?" She took the shot.

She went for another solid ball and missed. Draco missed too. She made her next ball though.

"I've never done any drugs," she said to Draco. He smiled.

"I'm clean there," he said, picking out his next ball, which he made.

"I've never had sex," he said.

"What do you take me for!?" Hermione exclaimed not taking a shot. She quickly made her next ball angrily. Draco just shrugged.

"I've never skipped a class," she said victoriously. Draco downed his second shot.

He made his next ball, "I've never shoplifted," he said. Hermione hid a grin and looked at the floor. Draco laughed and handed her a shot. She took it, this time it burned a little going down.

"I was 10 and it was only a little bottle of nail polish," she explained. He just laughed.

Her next shot went in, "I've never been in a fight or wizard duel," she said. Draco took a shot.

They both missed their next few shots when the alcohol began to take its effects. When they did make one though they both couldn't stop laughing at the other one. After three shots, the vodka really began to burn. They weren't able to finish the game because by the time Draco got to his sixth shot and Hermione got to her fourth neither could stand properly. Instead, they retired on the red couches with a bottle of Peppermint Schnapps'.

"I remember, when I was going out with Cho, we were kissing one time in the DADA classroom during lunch and Professor Snape walked in on us," Draco said, his speech slurred.

Hermione laughed. "What did he do?" she asked as she took a swig.

"He said.......," Draco had to stop because he was guwaffing, "He said... get a room you two. I told him, we've got one, get out."

They both laughed for a few seconds then it was Hermione's turn. She stretched where she was laying. They had both crashed on the couch, Hermione's legs over Draco's lap, but she really couldn't feel her legs anyways.

"When Seamus and I were together, we were making out one time after hours, and he tried to reach up and unstrap my bra, but couldn't. He didn't know how to undo it, then he cut himself on one of the clasps," Hermione said.

Draco swallowed a gulp of liquor. "What did you do?"

"Well, he was trying to take off my bra!" She exclaimed, "Remember during 5th year when he had that black eye?"

"That was you!!??" Draco shouted, not knowing how loud he was. Hermione nodded and they both cracked up.

"Whoa," Hermione said, falling back a little.

"Whasamata?" Draco asked, slowly sitting up.

"Roomspinnin," Hermione mumbled.

"We need to go," Draco said as he looked at his watch "It's... uh... it's 2 a.m.," he said after he remembered how to read a watch. After a minute of struggling to stand up, they both swayed out of the room into the hallway and into the elevator, Draco holding Hermione up. Luckily, no elevator assistant was on duty that late and they made it to their room without seeing anybody. Once in the room, they both changed into their nightclothes. Hermione ran to the bathroom once and puked, but Draco didn't hear because he was fighting with the alarm clock, which had begun to scream at him while he attempted to program it. She washed up and went back into the main room. Draco handed her a glass.

"No, I can't take any more," she said as she pushed it back at him.

"No, it's water," he said, "Take this potion and then drink the water, then you won't have a hangover."

"Oooohhhh," Hermione slurred. She quickly drank the potion and water; her taste buds were already burnt and couldn't taste the potion. "Let's go to bed, I'm tired," she said. She crawled under the thick warm covers. Draco crawled in too because neither of them really cared about one having to sleep on the couch. Hermione felt the potion take effect. Her vision cleared and she could think plainly, she just felt really buzzed. She rolled over and faced Draco next to her. He smiled and stroked her cheek.

"You are beautiful," he said.

"You're drunk," she replied.

"Yeah, but you are beautiful. I've always thought so. I've liked you for years," he confessed.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"You didn't care what anyone thought. You knew what you loved and who you loved and didn't let anyone and their viewpoints affect you. Especially mine," he answered. "Hermione, I'm sorry I said all those awful things to you over the years, I love you," he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Draco," Hermione began.

He looked into her eyes and smiled, "Yes?"

"I'm going to kiss you."

Draco smiled and ran his hand over her hair. Hermione smiled and leaned toward his lips. He ran his hand down her cheek and held her head. He softly kissed her on the forehead. Hermione blinked and looked at him confused. She leaned in again, trying to kiss him, but he stopped her again.

"Go to sleep Hermione," he said.