November 2003
One of the best things about the American holiday, Thanksgiving, was that there weren't large crowds clogging up the sidewalks. Most everyone was home, enjoying the American football match, sleeping off a turkey overdose, or preparing for their big day of Black Friday shopping that would commence at dawn.
The other best thing about Thanksgiving is that there weren't many people that wanted to work, so those that volunteered to work got a nice bonus at the end of the year. For this reason, Hermione had happily worked the holiday for the past three years, despite Lizzie extending an invitation to spend the day with her and her family.
This year, though, Hermione found that there was a downfall to working Thanksgiving with her new position. There weren't many people pleased to see a MACUSA agent at their door as they were trying to celebrate. Most would nod and say they would take care of it the following week, then slam the door in their faces. Of course, there were always those exceptional few that took the chance to show Hermione and Brian exactly how they felt about being disturbed.
"The bastard tried to hex my hair off!" Hermione cried into her mobile, while Lizzie laughed on the other end of the line. Her teeth chattered as she made her way up the last block before her apartment. "Fuck, it's cold," she hissed, stomping her feet to try and bring some feeling back to her toes. "I hope your sister's new nose doesn't freeze off."
"Ugh, don't get me started on that damn thing again," Lizzie growled. "I hope it does freeze off. That would teach her to mess with mother nature. I think I'm gonna go tell her that."
"No! Put down the wine and leave your poor sister alone!" Hermione laughed, picking up her pace as when she spotted her building. "I'm gonna go. I'm just about home and I want to change before my food arrives. I'll talk to you-" She stopped walking and talking when she saw a figure sitting on the stoop of her building. "Someone's in front of our door," she whispered to Lizzie, backing up several paces.
"Go mace 'em and tell 'em to fuck off! Unless it's Joe. Be nice to Joe."
"Who the hell is Joe?"
"The handsome homeless guy that hangs around our block."
"Lizzie, please tell me you didn't-"
"How depraved do you think I am, Hermione Granger?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Hermione sighed and pulled her keys from her pocket, gripping the small, keychain canister of mace tightly. "Just stay on the line until I make sure he's gone, please?"
"You've got it. Get out of Marissa! I'll be down in a minute," Lizzie yelled.
Hermione flinched and pulled the phone away from her ear. Slowly, she started approaching the front door, calling, "Excuse me. Sir, excuse me."
She assumed it was a man, though she couldn't see a face. All that was visible was a mass covered in a thick black cloak and cap.
"Sir, you can't stay here," Hermione called louder. The coat started to move. Hermione stopped at the bottom of the cement steps and held her mace canister up.
The head of the figure finally lifted and a familiar set of grey eyes met hers.
"Good god," Hermione sighed, dropping her hand. "All good, Liz. I'll talk to you later."
"Was it Joe?"
"No, not Joe. We'll talk tomorrow. Be nice to your sisters," Hermione said quickly before pushing the end button and stuffing the phone into her pocket. "Jesus, Draco! I almost maced you!"
Draco Malfoy slowly stood, stretching his arms over his head. "Sounds kinky. Who's Joe?"
"Apparently some good looking drifter. What the hell are you doing here?" Hermione asked, climbing the steps.
"Nice to see you too, Granger."
Hermione sighed and pushed the door open. She didn't really want to acknowledge how nice it actually was to see him so she motioned him inside, saying, "Get your arse inside. You've got to be freezing, sitting on the cold ground like that."
As they walked up the steps to Hermione's second-floor apartment, Draco said, "I was in town and thought I'd stop by to say hello."
"Is that so?" She unlocked her door and ushered him in, tossing her keys and purse on the small table by her door. "Make yourself at home. I need to go change into something warmer."
Draco nodded and Hermione scurried down her short hallway, shutting herself in her bedroom.
"What is he doing here?" she whispered to herself. She slipped out of her jeans and button up shirt, replacing them with fuzzy, light blue, cloud printed lounge pants and an old Oxford University sweater of her father's. Sitting down on her bed, Hermione tried to pull her thoughts together before she went back out to face him.
She was finding it difficult to wrap her head around the fact that Draco Malfoy was standing in her living room. He was here, specifically for her. Well, not fully just for her. There had to be another reason for him to be in New York City, but that didn't change the fact that he had sought her out and waited for her outside her home.
The intercom buzzer jogged her from her speculations. Shoving her feet into slippers, Hermione dashed back to the door. Draco was standing in the spot she had left him but was now giving her intercom a dirty look.
She pushed the TALK button and said, "Hello?"
"Food delivery for Granger," a voice replied over the static of the ancient intercom.
"Be right down." She grabbed her keys, and some cash from her purse, before heading back down to the main door to retrieve her Chinese takeaway. "Hungry?" she asked Draco when she returned.
"Um, yeah, if you have enough," Draco said, eyeing the bag of food that was bursting at the seams. "It feels like ages ago since I had lunch."
"There is more than enough to share and still have leftovers," Hermione assured. She summoned plates and cutlery to her kitchen table and started unpacking the food. "There's egg rolls, beef and broccoli, fried rice, shrimp lo mein, garlic chicken, wontons, and crab rangoon." She looked up to find Draco shooting her a look of surprise. "Help yourself."
Draco slowly took a seat, gazing at all the food Hermione had set out. "You got all of this food just for yourself?"
"I didn't eat lunch," she said, plucking an egg roll from the carton and taking a bite.
"Fair enough." He scooped some lo mein onto his plate, along with some broccoli and an egg roll.
"So," Hermione started, not knowing what she should say. "Um, how are things back home?"
"Good," Draco replied, nodding as he chewed. "Aside from the new Potter on the horizon, things have been-what the-"
A blur of orange had launched onto Draco's lap and snagged a shrimp dangling from his plate before taking off down the hallway.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Crookshanks."
"What's a Crookshanks?"
"He's my cat," Hermione laughed.
"Bugger stole my shrimp," Draco grumbled, pushing his plate away from the table edge.
"It's his favorite."
Crookshanks' dine and dash incident helped dissolve the tension Hermione was feeling and she was able to relax and carry on a steady conversation with Draco as they worked their way through the plethora of food.
"You know the right way to read a fortune cookie, don't you?" Hermione asked as they unwrapped the post-dinner treats.
"Are New York City fortunes not written in English?"
Hermione laughed and shook her head. "To get an accurate fortune you have to add 'in bed' to the end."
Draco arched an eyebrow and cracked his cookie in half. He popped a piece in his mouth as he pulled out the small slip of paper. As he chewed, he said thickly, "Trust your intuition. The universe is guiding your life." He looked up at Hermione and added, "In bed. Who gave Trelawney a job writing fortunes?"
"I personally prefer the universe to stay out of my bedroom." Hermione broke her cookie and read the fortune first. "It takes less time to do a thing right than it does to explain why you did it wrong...in bed."
"That's not a fortune. That's just good advice," Draco said, finishing the last half of his cookie while Hermione nibbled on hers.
"Can I add yours to our wall of fortunes?"
"Wall of fortunes?" Draco asked, handing her his fortune
"Lizzie and I started keeping our fortunes to see which ones eventually come true." Hermione taped the two new fortunes on the side of her refrigerator, writing an H on hers and a D on Draco's.
"Any luck so far?"
"Lizzie got one that said she'd be eating leftovers the following day. It wasn't wrong so we counted it, though she felt a bit cheated." Hermione started floating their leftovers and dirty dishes to the sink. "So, are you going to tell me what you're doing here?"
"I was in the city and thought I would drop by to say hi."
"How'd you find out where I live?"
"Potter."
"Why were you asleep on my stoop?"
"What's with the twenty questions, Granger? If I'm not welcome here, I'll leave," Draco growled.
"Yes, I invite you into my home and feed you dinner only to tell you that you're not welcomed." Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's just-" She was interrupted by a thump and hysterical laughing outside her door. "Now what?" she sighed, tossing an empty carton into the trash bin.
Draco got to the door first and opened it to reveal Lizzie, laying on her back and giggling uncontrollably. When she looked up and spotted Draco, her laughter paused and she said, "Hey, I know you."
"No, you don't," Hermione said quickly, running into the hall. If she didn't get her drunk friend into her own apartment, there's no telling what information might leak through her mental filter and out her mouth. "How on earth did you get up the stairs without killing yourself?"
"Magic!" Lizzie cried, thrusting her wand into the air. "I made those tricky bastards turn into an escalator!"
Hermione glanced back. Sure enough, the stairs were revolving upwards. "Son of a bitch, she did. Draco, can you stop the stairs before we have to obliviate the whole building?"
"My sister's a bitch," Lizzie mumbled, still holding her wand in the air.
"Which one?" Hermione asked, gently prying the wand from Lizzie's hand.
"Take your pick. Marissa's whiny. Kristy is a stuck up princess who thinks everyone should kiss her ass cause she lives in Manhattan," Lizzie said in an annoying sing-song voice. "And she thought no one would notice that stupid nose!"
"You need to let her nose go," Hermione muttered, digging the keys from Lizzie's purse.
"Well, now Anita is gonna need a new nose because Alice decked her. Pow!" Lizzie swung her fist for emphasis and Hermione had to quickly duck to avoid her own nose getting broken.
"Let's get her inside." Hermione opened Lizzie's apartment and moved to lift her friend's legs. "Can you get her arms?"
"I want to meet this family," Draco said, hooking his arms under Lizzie's armpits.
"No, you don't," Hermione and Lizzie said in unison.
"They're horrible," Lizzie moaned as the pair carried her to her bed. "I love them so much, but they're all horrible." She let out an annoyed "oof" as they dropped her onto the bed. She rolled over onto her back, caught sight of Draco and said, "Hey, I know you."
"No, you don't," Hermione sighed, slipping her friend's shoes off. "Come on, you know the drill. Under the covers and on your side." Lizzie lifted her legs up over her head so Hermione could pull her blankets down. "I'm gonna go get you something to puke in."
Once it was clear that Lizzie was asleep and wasn't in danger of choking on her own vomit, Hermione locked up the apartment and returned to hers with Draco.
"That's who you set Weasley up with?"
"Sorry that that's your first impression of her. She's usually not like that, but holidays with her family tend to lean towards the dramatic." Hermione went back to the sink to finish putting away the leftovers.
"Why did she think she knew me?" Draco asked, taking the containers from Hermione and putting them into the refrigerator.
"Oh, thank you." She quickly washed her hands and wiped them on a tea towel. "When Harry and Ron visited, Harry brought wedding pictures along."
"I see. And you kept telling her she didn't because…?"
Hermione felt a flush creeping up her body and turned to the stove to busy herself with heating up the tea kettle as she thought up a quick, half-arsed excuse.
"Drunk Lizzie doesn't let anything go. If I had told her that she did know you, she would've started rattling off the long list of every man she knew. Thought I'd save you from that debacle." She turned around and held up a mug. "Tea? I promise it's not chamomile."
Draco nodded and said, "Thanks."
Hermione dropped two sugar cubes into each cup and handed a mug to Draco, before adding a splash of milk to hers. When she turned back to head to the living room, she found Draco staring into his cup.
"Something wrong? I didn't poison it."
"You remembered I don't put milk in my tea," Draco murmured.
"Or your coffee." Hermione smiled and moved to the living room. She sat down on the couch and Draco slowly moved to sit down on the other end. As soon as his bottom touched the cushion, Crookshanks leaped up and settled down between them, fixing his yellow eyes on Hermione's new guest.
Draco clutched his mug in his right hand and held out his left to the fluffy ginger cat. Crookshanks gave the proffered hand a sniff and twitched his tail before moving to curl up in Draco's lap.
"I guess this means he likes me?" Draco said, scratching Crookshanks behind his ears.
"He's a good judge of character." Hermione tucked her feet up under her and sipped at her tea. "Harry told me you started dating someone," she said, hoping the observation came out sounding casual.
"Huh...I hope he's planning on telling me who that is."
Hermione peered over her cup, mid-sip, and furrowed her brows in confusion. "You're not seeing a woman named Marie?"
"Seeing, yes. Dating, no."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
August 2003
"First time?"
Draco ceased his tapping and looked up at the young receptionist. "Sorry?"
"Is this your first time?" the receptionist asked again. Draco nodded and she gave him a warm smile. "Doctor Philips is wonderful. No need to be nervous."
"I'm not nervous," Draco quickly replied as his fingers resumed tapping the arm of the waiting room chair. The receptionist just smiled and returned to her typing.
Several minutes later, the door to Doctor Marie Philips' private office opened and a woman, who appeared to be in her mid-thirties, with a short, blonde pixie cut called his name. Draco stood and followed her into the office.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy," Marie said, reaching out to shake his hand. Draco returned the handshake and sat down on the couch she motioned to as she took a seat in a brown, leather chair. Picking up a clipboard and slipping on a pair of glasses, she crossed her legs and looked at Draco expectantly. "Now, what brings you here today?"
"I can't have sex like I usually do and I need you to fix me so I can get back to normal," Draco blurted.
"I love patients who are upfront about their issues." Marie scribbled down some notes. "Let's start with the basics. When was the last time you had sex?"
"June seventh."
Marie smiled and nodded. "Was this with a woman or a man?"
"Woman."
"And were you, or are you, in a relationship with that woman?"
"No, she's just a…"
"Friend?" Marie suggested.
"Close acquaintance."
"Right." More scribbling and then, "What about masturbation?"
"What about it?"
"When was the last time you pleasured yourself?"
"Today, in the shower, before coming here," Draco answered.
"I apologize if these questions are awkward, but they are helpful." She set the clipboard on her lap. "It appears that your sex drive is still healthy. You aren't unable to become aroused. Can you tell me a bit about your usual intimate encounters."
Draco let out a dry laugh. "Where should I start?"
Marie leaned back and smiled, picking up her clipboard once more. "Wherever you like, but I find the beginning is usually best."
With a deep breath, Draco delved into his debauched affairs, starting with his relationship with Astoria. Marie let him talk for nearly three-quarters of an hour, stopping only once or twice for details or explanations. As the end of the appointment drew near, she set the clipboard on her desk and clasp her hands in her lap.
"I really appreciate your honesty, Draco," she said gently. "A lot of people, especially men, are very slow to open up as you have. I'm sorry our time is almost up for today, though."
Draco shot the therapist a look of confusion. "But, I'm not fixed yet. You're supposed to fix me."
Marie bit her lower lip and Draco could see that she was trying to suppress a laugh. He didn't know what was so funny. He really needed to sort this problem out before it drove him insane.
After a silent moment, Marie cleared her throat and regained her professionalism.
"My job isn't to fix you, Mr. Malfoy. I'm here to help you fix yourself and that's going to take more than one session. But there's good news," she said standing up.
"What's that?" Draco asked, skeptically, as he pushed himself up from the sofa.
"You've already gotten past the hardest part," she said, holding out her hand for a farewell shake.
"Which is?"
"Admitting that you're broken," she said with a smile. "I look forward to seeing you again, Draco."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Why couldn't you just tell Harry you were seeing a therapist instead of letting him believe you were frequenting a sex worker?" Hermione asked, setting her empty mug to the side.
"I didn't think the daft git would take me seriously," Draco muttered. "His face when he jumped to that conclusion was priceless, though, so I don't regret it."
Hermione shook her head but gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm glad you found a therapist you like and are sticking with it. It's really life-changing when you find one you click with." She stood and picked up her mug. "Would you like more?"
"Yes, please."
Hermione took his cup and went to reheat the kettle. "So, what are you in the city for?" she asked, placing a tea bag in each mug.
"You."
Hermione's breath caught in her throat and she turned to find Draco standing right behind her. His silver eyes locked on hers and she felt paralyzed by his gaze. Without averting his stare, he took a small step forward until his body was practically flushed with hers.
"Me?" she squeaked, surprising herself by with her high pitched voice. She swallowed and tried again. "Me? Why?"
"I'm trusting my intuition," he whispered, leaning down and lightly brushing his lips against hers.
It wasn't much, a ghost of a kiss really. But it sent a tingle through every nerve in her body and made Hermione yearn for another. She was left wanting, though, as he drew back and gazed down at her once more.
"We accept the love we think we deserve. I've been told that I'm allowed to want more in my life, so I'm raising my bar." He reached out and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "After everything we've been through together, over the last decade, you're still able to forgive and see something good in me. While I didn't see it at the time, you actually got me to take off some of my own armor and see what I want in my life and…" Draco took a deep breath before finishing, "You. I want you in my life."
Hermione's heart was pounding in her chest and she had to remind herself to breathe. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't imagined this six months ago. Well, not this exact situation, but one in that Draco might actually want more from their relationship than quick shags. Now that he was in her apartment, saying those things, she was at a loss as to how to respond.
Overwhelmed by the silence, Hermione blurted out, "Are you saying you have a crush on me?"
Stunned for a moment, Draco's eyebrows furrowed before his mouth broke into a smile that she had never seen on his face before. It was genuine and beautiful and Hermione never wanted to see it fade.
"If you want to break it down that way, yes, I have a crush on you, Hermione Granger," he laughed.
"Good, cause I kind of have a crush on you, too," Hermione said, a silly grin spreading across her face.
"Kind of?" he teased, leaning towards her again.
"Okay, definitely," she whispered.
And then his lips were on hers and his hands were in her hair and her kitchen was melting away. Her arms slipped up and entwined around his neck, pulling him closer as he coaxed her lips to part. She hummed contentedly into the kiss, enjoying the moment she had been longing for.
All too soon, Draco pulled away and rested his forehead against her.
"What's wrong?" she breathed.
"Trust me when I say, I've been wanting to do that for quite some time now," Draco insisted, bringing his hand to cup her face and stroke a thumb over her cheek. "But-"
Hermione's frowned and her stomach dropped. "Can we skip over the 'buts'?" she softly plead.
Draco shook his head and pressed on. "But, I feel like I should come with a warning label. I've never been in a healthy relationship. I never really saw what one looked like until I befriended Harry and Ginny. I'm not going to be a perfect boyfriend. I'm going to say stupid shit that I'll immediately regret. I'm not going to notice every little thing that I should. I'm not going to be some hopeless romantic that recites poetry and serenades you. I do come with a guarantee, though."
"What's that?"
"I'm going to try, and that's something I've never been able to promise anyone before."
"I can accept those risks," Hermione said, pulling him close for another kiss. "Serenades are overrated anyway," she murmured against his lips.
"My thoughts exactly." His arms snaked around her waist and she once again lost herself in him, only to be dragged back out by an alert from her mobile. "What's that?"
"My mobile phone," Hermione sighed, letting her hands drop on his chest. "Someone left me a message. I just need to make sure it's not urgent."
Draco let go of her waist and she hurried to dig the phone from her bag. She'd forgotten that it had been left on vibrate and the screen displayed a missed call from a number she didn't recognize. She punched in her passcode to retrieve the voicemail and was greeted by a strange voice.
"Hello, Hermione. It's Owen. I wanted to get in touch and make sure we were still on for our date tomorrow night. Can't wait to meet you. Have a great night!"
"Oh, bloody fucking hell," Hermione groaned, smacking the phone against her forehead.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, striding over to her side with a look of concern on his face.
"I forgot that I have a date tomorrow night," Hermione mumbled.
"I'm sorry. You have a what?"
"A date," Hermione repeated in exasperation. "He called to make sure we were still on for tomorrow night." She scrolled through the phone menu to bring up the most recent call list.
"Well, are you?" Draco asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"You remember that thing you said thirty-seconds ago, about saying stupid shit?"
"You just let me pour my heart out and told me you wanted the same thing as me while you're dating someone else!" Draco argued.
"I'm not dating someone else, you git. It's a blind date that Lizzie set me up on." She placed a hand on his cheek and gave it a reassuring pat. "Give me two minutes and I'll take care of it."
She hit the callback button and Owen picked up after just one ring. Hermione explained that she would have to cancel their date due to a friend from overseas paying her a surprise visit. He was very understanding and expressed hope that they could reschedule before wishing her goodnight and hanging up.
"Easy peasy," Hermione said, smiling and holding up her phone.
"What's a peasy?"
"It's a silly Muggle saying."
"Can I see that thing?" Draco asked, pointing to her phone. Hermione handed it to him and he held it up close to his face, turning it over in his hands. "What does it do?"
"It's like when you use the floo to communicate with people, except it uses satellite technology and you don't get a mouthful of soot when you want to talk to someone."
"You look odd standing there, talking to yourself."
"First, I wasn't talking to myself. I was talking to another person that also has a phone. Second, you don't think it looks odd when wizards get down on all fours and stick their head in a fireplace?"
"Touche," Draco conceded. "It makes weird beeps though. Does it always make this sound? I imagine that gets annoying."
"What did you do?" Hermione asked, grabbing her phone back when her ears caught the sound of a call being placed and then a faraway voice saying, "Hermione? What's wrong? Hermione?"
Hermione groaned and put the mobile to her ear. "Hey, Mum. Everything is fine."
"Why are you calling so late? You about gave your father a heart attack," her mother's voice worried on the other end.
"I didn't mean to. I butt-dialed you as I was changing clothes," Hermione lied, slapping at Draco as he walked around her, trying to inspect the phone. "Sorry I worried you. I'll give you a proper ring this weekend, okay?"
"I have so many questions," Draco said after Hermione hung up and placed the phone back in her purse. "Most of them revolve around a butt-dial."
"I'm not surprised." Hermione tried to stifle a yawn, but failed, and rubbed at her eyes. "Do you need help getting back to your hotel?"
"I, um, didn't book a hotel room," Draco admitted, rubbing the back of his neck and looking slightly sheepish.
"Out of curiosity, what would you have done if I had sent you away?"
"Honestly, I never let myself think about that scenario. Marie has been telling me I have to stop thinking so negatively about everything." He let his hands drop to his side and grinned. "I'm an idiot, right?"
"Yes, but it worked out in your favor this time."
"So…" Draco started, running a hand through his hair. "Where do we go from here?"
"To bed?"
"I meant-"
"I know what you meant," Hermione giggled. "Let's just take things slow and start with a date. How does that sound?"
"A date," Draco echoed like he was testing out a brand new word. "What does one of those entail?"
"I'm going to throw caution to the wind and let you plan it," Hermione smirked, then let out another yawn. "I do need to get to bed though. I still have to work tomorrow. Hopefully, no one tries to hex my hair off."
"Ahh, I was wondering why you only have one eyebrow."
"What?!"
Hermione darted to her bedroom and inspected her reflection in the mirror. Sure enough, one of her eyebrows was missing. She turned around to find Draco in the doorway, silently laughing.
"You've been here for how long and only thought to tell me now that I've been going around with one eyebrow?"
"I thought it was some trendy New York City thing. Was going to ask if I should vanish one of mine for the weekend." He pulled his wand out and before Hermione could stop him, he gave it a flick and she could feel the hair regrowing above her eye.
"Oh, Draco," she whined, wincing as she compared her one painstakingly groomed eyebrow to the new bushy monstrosity that loomed over the right eye. "My bedtime routine just got longer."
"What's wrong?" When she turned back to him, he grimaced and said, "Sorry. I'm not the greatest at beauty spells."
Hermione sighed and patted his shoulder as she slumped off to the bathroom. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she started on the task of plucking and shaping. By the time she returned to her bedroom, Draco had stripped down to his boxers and put on a t-shirt. An opened suitcase sat on the rocking chair in the corner. She wondered where he'd had that stashed, but was too tired to ask.
With one last yawn, Hermione pulled back the covers and burrowed under them. She watched as Draco stood by the bed, hesitant to climb in beside her.
"There's a guest bedroom across the hall if you'd be more comfortable there," she offered.
Draco rolled his eyes before finally crawling into bed beside her. He laid his head on the pillow and just stared at her, his lips quirked in a half smile.
"You sure you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked, running a finger over her freshly plucked eyebrow.
"You sure you want to be my boyfriend?" she asked, arching the eyebrow and making him chuckle.
"This is either going to be amazing or a complete disaster. Pretty sure there's no in-between with us."
"Goodnight, Draco."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
The following morning, Draco woke slowly to the sounds of traffic, the shower running, and a soft purring. Cracking his eyes, he spotted Hermione's orange furball curled up on his chest. His relationship with the squash-faced beast had started off well, so Draco fought his instinct to shove the cat away. Peeking at the bedside table, bright red numbers assaulted his eyes with six-twenty five a.m. He closed his eyes and reached a hand up to lazily pet Crookshanks, the events of the previous evening rushing to the front of his mind.
Draco had sat on Hermione's front stoop for several hours after arriving in the city. His original plan had been to find her at the MACUSA offices, but when he finally found her department, the woman at the front desk informed him that Agent Granger was only in the office on Mondays.
So he procured a map and was able to find his way to Hermione's apartment. For the first hour or so, he roamed around the blocks surrounding her building. He didn't want to look like a stalker. Eventually, he had to stop off at a small shop and buy a coffee so that he could use the loo. As he walked and sipped at the watered down swill, he wondered just how crazy he was for coming here.
The previous week, Marie had told him she was giving him an assignment- Take a risk. He had internally rolled his eyes but said no problem. The following week, she wasted no time calling him out.
"What sort of risk am I supposed to take?" Draco asked in exasperation. "Isn't waking up and walking out the door a risk?"
"No, because you do that every day," Marie said calmly. "A risk is something out of the norm, beyond your comfort level. Something that scares you."
"After everything I've been through, not much scares me anymore."
"What about a civil conversation with your father?" Maries suggested, arching a challenging eyebrow.
"I'd rather bathe in a barrel of starving piranhas," Draco muttered.
"I'm just throwing out a possibility. I'm not picky about what the risk is, just take one."
After some excruciating mental debating, Draco decided his risk would be Hermione. He couldn't seem to shake her from his mind, no matter what he did, and her name had come up more than once in his therapy sessions. The next morning, he cashed in two vacation days and caught a portkey to New York City.
He figured one of two things would happen. One, he would see Hermione, find he had been over-exaggerating his feelings and they'd just remain friends, with her none the wiser to his true intentions for the trip.
Or two, he'd see her and find out that he truly wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on hers. The thought of that scared and thrilled him at the same time, making him wonder if her possible rejection was worth the risk. As soon as Draco heard her speak his name, he knew it was.
Hermione's singing brought him out of his dozing thoughts. He slowly reopened his eyes as she entered the bedroom wrapped in a purple towel. Her freshly washed curls were already dried and pulled up into a clip. Draco let her continue to sing a few more chords before letting her know he was awake.
"And if you want love, we'll make it. Swim in a deep sea of blankets," she softly sang, pulling undergarments from a drawer before moving to her closet. "Take all your big plans and break them. This is bound to take a while."
"Sounds promising," Draco mumbled sleepily, sitting up and earning a dirty look from Crookshanks. The cat yawned and jumped off the bed, swatting Draco with his tail in the process.
"Morning," Hermione said, smiling at him as she placed a red, button-up shirt and denim trousers at the foot of the bed. "Sleep okay?"
"Yeah. Your bed is quite comfortable." He watched as she unwrapped the towel from her body, hung it up on the closet door, and started pulling on her panties. "I'm not used to being stuck in a look but can't touch position." She shook her head but flashed him a smile as he stretched his arms over his head. "What's for breakfast?"
Hermione glanced at her clock and said, "If you hurry and get ready, you can grab a greasy bodega sandwich with me and Brian."
Draco's eyes narrowed and he was unable to affect a casual tone when he asked, "Who's Brian?"
"My partner. No one goes into the field alone." She fastened her final button and smoothed her shirt down over her hips. "And if you're going to get jealous every time I mention another man's name, this is definitely not going to work."
Hermione moved to leave the bedroom but Draco jumped up quick and caught her by the arm.
"I'm not jealous, I'm-" Hermione looked up at him and he caved. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to such intense feelings and it's hard navigating them all."
"It's okay," she said gently, placing her hand on his that was still holding on to her. "There's a lot for us to learn about each other, besides just the fact that we're amazing in bed together." She winked and kissed his cheek.
After a hurried shower, Draco threw on a pair of denim trousers and a dark green cashmere sweater. When he got to the living room he was greeted with a grinning Hermione. He glanced down and twisted around, trying to see if something about his clothing was out of place.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, deeming his appearance fine. He slipped into his long black coat and loosely looped his scarf around his neck.
"I'm just adding you in casual clothes to my list of favorite sights." She held out her hand and asked, "Ready?"
The pair apparated to a small, dim alcove in a narrow alleyway. It took a bit of contorting for them to extract themselves from the alcove, with Hermione apologizing about never having side-apparated there before. When they were finally free, Draco followed her out of the alley, unable to walk two abreast.
"You're late, Granger," a gruff voice called as Hermione stepped out of the alley. When Draco emerged a second later, Hermione was rolling her eyes at a tall, dark-haired man. He had on jeans and a puffy, grey jacket. The half-done zipper revealed a red shirt, similar to Hermione's. When his blue eyes landed on Draco, his joking smile morphed into a knowing grin. "Oh, I see you have a reason for being late."
"Brian, this is Draco," Hermione introduced, ignoring her partners wiggling eyebrows of insinuation. "Draco, this is my partner, Brian, the man who let me walk around Manhatten with only half my eyebrows." She nudged Draco to the right and they made their way up the walk to a small shop on the corner. A soft chime played three times as the group entered.
"How long did it take you to notice?" Brian laughed, pouring himself a cup of coffee from one of several steaming pots. When Hermione refused to answer, he looked at Draco.
"I don't have much sense, but I have enough to know not to answer that one." He walked over to the counter and looked at the sandwich menu. As he was debating between a bacon, egg and cheese croissant and a sausage biscuit, a streak of black and white shot up from behind the counter and landed on his shoulder. "What the-Merlin, what is it with cats flinging themselves at me?"
The small feline simply gazed at Draco for a moment before licking his ear. With a defeated sigh, he let the cat stay perched on his shoulder and went to find Hermione. She came around the corner with two coffees and a small bottle of orange juice.
"Hi, Cookie," she cooed, reaching up to pet the cat.
"Why would you name a cat Cookie?"
"Because she looks like an Oreo cookie," Hermione said as if that was enough of an explanation. When she saw Draco's bemused face, she sighed and shoved a blue package into his hands. "They're an American biscuit. You'll like them."
Back out on the street, Hermione held out her hand to Brian and he passed her a rolled up piece of paper. When she unrolled it, Draco watched her eyes quickly scroll down the list of names on the MACUSA stationary. With a satisfied smile, she rolled it back up and tucked it into her pocket.
"I don't see your name on my list so I assume you registered your wand." She drained the last of her coffee and pitched the empty cup into a nearby bin.
"I'm wise enough to stay off your lists," Draco said with a smirk. "You know, she's got a mean right hook," he warned Brian, pointing at Hermione.
She batted his finger away and sighed. "You okay getting back to the apartment on your own?" She dug a set of keys from her coat pocket and handed them to Draco.
"I'll manage. Got my map," he said, patting his own coat pocket. "Think I'm going to wander a bit and explore the city." His mind was buzzing with strong coffee and the knowledge that he had a date to plan.
'Well, be careful. It's Black Friday and the No-Majs are crazy." Hermione gazed at him for a moment before sneaking a look at her partner and then quickly kissing his cheek. "I'll see you later tonight."
Draco had so many questions about what the hell Black Friday entailed, but he knew Hermione had to leave so he said goodbye and watched her follow Brian back down the alleyway. When he heard two pops of Apparition, he turned and started walking down the street, in search of a place he could sit and study his map.
Hermione hadn't been lying when she said that people were crazy that day. Everywhere he went there were throngs of people trying to shove their way into stores and lines for restaurants winding out the doors and down the footpaths. Draco finally found a coffee shop where he was able to snag the last lonely table in the corner.
He opted for tea instead of coffee, settled himself into the chair and spread the map out on the table. Barely a minute later, someone sat down in the empty chair across from him. Draco glanced up and nodded a hello to the woman now occupying the seat. She seemed to take his courtesy as a sign of wanting to make small talk.
"It's crazy out there today," she breathed, sweeping her dark blonde hair over her shoulder.
"So it would seem," Draco said, looking back down at the map. He realized that the map wasn't going to help him much if he didn't figure out exactly where he was. Resignedly, he looked back up at the woman and asked, "This is going to sound off, but could you tell me where I am?"
With a grin that showed off unnaturally white teeth, she leaned over the map and placed a long, red fingernail towards the bottom. "
"Soho," she said. "Specifically, the corner of Broadway and Canal."
"Thank you."
"No problem." She sat back in her chair and continued to grin at Draco. "I love your accent. Where are you from?"
"England," Draco answered, returning his gaze to the city map.
"Oooh, like where the Queen is from!"
"Yeah, sure." Draco never understood Muggles' obsession with the Monarchy.
"So you're here all alone?" She leaned forward and pursed her lips before wrapping them around a straw and sipping her iced drink.
"No, visiting someone. Trying to plan out our day for tomorrow."
"I could show you around," she offered, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Be your own personal tour guide?"
"No, but thank you for the offer."
When Draco said nothing else, her face went pouty and Draco went back to compiling his mental list of New York sights. After several minutes she stood, sighed, and stalked off.
Unfortunately, she would not be the last woman to flirt with him and offer to be his personal escort around the city. A half hour and four women later, Draco actually growled when the seat across from him was occupied once more and muttered, "I'm gonna vanish that blasted thing."
"I promise, I won't shamelessly throw myself at you."
Draco's head jerked up to find a man, roughly his age, now sitting across from him.
"Bloody women in this city are ruthless," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Even when you tell them you're already seeing someone, it doesn't deter them."
"Mmm," the man sympathized as he sipped a very sweet smelling drink. "Attractive and foreign brings them all out of the woodwork. I thought I'd fill this seat and give you some reprieve before the brunette at the pick-up counter took the liberty."
"Thanks," Draco said, throwing a side glance to said woman that was now shooting daggers at his new companion. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you're an attractive bloke. How do you navigate this city without getting random numbers thrown at you?" he asked, holding up a stack of napkins with various names and numbers scribbled on them.
"Oh, well, thank you," the man said, snorting a laugh and leaning back with his drink. He held up his left hand and wiggled his fingers, making the sunlight glint off a gold band. "Marriage makes you invisible to the female population. Most of them anyway. Drew, by the way," he said, setting down his cup and reaching across the table.
"Draco."
Drew leaned back and silently studied Draco, then asked, "What do you think about the word No-Maj?"
Draco smirked. "I think it's a silly way of saying Muggle."
Drew laughed and did a quick victory clap. "I had a feeling that might be the case. What brings you across the pond?"
Letting out a small sigh, Draco answered, "A girl."
"Ooh, a long distance relationship."
"Sort of, maybe? It's slightly complicated. We're...trying things out. Seeing if we have more than just physical chemistry."
"Got ya."
"Hey, can you show me some safe Apparition points?" Draco asked, pushing the map towards Drew. "Hermione mentioned them, but didn't say any specifics and I'm trying to plan a first date that won't make me look like a complete idiot."
"Hermione? Your girl has Shakespearean parents, too?"
"Yeah, I don't get it but I saw the collected works on her shelf and since I'm trying to impress her, I keep mum."
"My wife's name is Ophelia. She hates it though, so anyone with any sense calls her Phe." He tossed his empty cup over Draco's shoulder and it hit the rim of the can before dropping in. "I'll do you one better. Phe is shopping with her mom and I'm not due to meet them for another few hours. I'll give you a quick tour and date ideas, and I promise to keep my hands to myself. Or at least try." Drew winked and stood.
Draco tapped the map and it folded itself up. He dropped his cup into the garbage bin and pushed his way through the crowd. Drew spotted him and gave a nod of indication to follow along. They ended up in the same alleyway Hermione had originally apparated him to.
Drew pointed to a marking engraved above the alcove. Draco recognized it as the MACUSA seal. "If you see that, it means you're at a congress approved spot."
"Good to know," Draco acknowledged. Drew stepped into the alcove and waited for Draco to join him. Draco took a deep breath and stepped forward, placing his life in the hands of a man he had known for a whole half hour. He hopes Marie will be satisfied with all his risks…
In the end, the payoff was worth the risk. Drew was beyond helpful and Draco was able to plan what he hopes will be the perfect date. The activities he settled on Drew assured him "women love!".
After they returned to SoHo and Draco got to meet Phe and her mother, he and Drew parted ways. Draco stopped by a small grocery store before apparating back to Hermione's apartment and started preparing dinner.
He was just pulling a pan of chocolate cupcakes from the oven when a knock on the door forced him out of the kitchen. A check through the peephole showed a disheveled looking Lizzie on the other side. Upon opening the door, Lizzie looked up at him and grinned.
"So, I wasn't having drunken hallucinations last night," she smirked, making her way into the apartment without waiting for a formal invite. Draco closed the door and found her on tiptoe, rummaging through a cabinet full of flasks and vials. Reaching over her head, Draco pulled out a tiny vial of blue potion and handed it to Lizzie. "My hero," she gushed, wasting no time downing the hangover draught.
"Better?"
"Much." Lizzie let herself fall into a chair and watched as Draco went back to his cupcakes. "Whatcha makin'?"
"Chocolate cupcakes," Draco answered. He pointed his wand at a bowl, causing its contents to whip together, then started spooning the strawberry frosting into a piping bag.
"What's a gal gotta do to get one of those?"
"I've heard enough stories from Granger to know not to ask what you'll do for a cupcake." He piped some frosting onto a pastry and floated it over to Lizzie.
"That girl is gonna ruin my good reputation." She shoved half of the little cake into her mouth, smearing a blob of icing onto her nose in the process. "So, are you and Hermione a thing now?"
"A thing?"
"I take it you came here to confess your undying love for my best friend."
"We're...testing the waters," he said carefully, lowering the oven heat so that his chicken didn't dry out.
"Want to know what I think?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Nope," Lizzie said, hopping up and throwing her wrapper in the bin. "I think you're the reason she's been sabotaging all her dates." At Draco's raised eyebrows, Lizzie smiled and continued, "She always had an excuse for why there was never a second date. Plus, when I broke in here a few months ago searching for condoms, of which I found none, I found something interesting in her bedside table drawer."
"I don't think I should go looking through her stuff," Draco said, even though his insides were now burning with curiosity.
"Then allow me to assist you." Lizzie flounced off down the hall, into Hermione's bedroom. "If she notices and asks, you can blame it all on me."
The need to know took over and Draco hurried to the bedroom. Lizzie was pulling a small book from the drawer. It wasn't a very interesting looking book. Just a standard New York City guide book. But when Lizzie opened it, a small stack of photographs fell out.
"During my search, I noticed this book was a little thicker than it should have been and found these hiding inside." She passed the pictures to Draco.
There were a dozen photos, mostly all from Harry and Ginny's wedding. Each one was of him and Hermione. There were several of them dancing, a few where they were posed together with the wedding party, and one of her sneaking glances at him while they were eating. The last picture was the instant photograph that Harry had taken after shoving the gaudy souvenir hat on his head.
He raked a hand through his hair. 'I don't deserve this. I don't deserve her,' his mind screamed. 'You deserve to be happy. Does she make you happy?' Marie's voice called back
"I'm allowed to want more," Draco mumbled.
"What's that?"
"Um, thank you, for showing me these," Draco said, restacking the pictures and handing them back to Lizzie.
She just smirked and placed the pictures back in the book, then replaced the book inside the drawer. After leaving the room, she headed for the door, but then turned to Draco. The smirk was gone and the serious look she gave him stopped him dead in his tracks.
"Hermione has been through a lot of shit and she's finally settling into a good place with her life. If you hurt her and make her go back to the dark place, I will put such a curse on your dick that you will wish it had just fallen off. Are we clear?"
"Crystal," Draco assured.
"Good." She opened the door and glanced at the kitchen. "Send over any leftovers of whatever you're cooking because it smells delicious." And with that, she was gone.
"I like her," Draco said. An agreeing meow issued from his feet and he reached down to scratch Crookshanks' head.
As he was putting the finishing touches on dinner, several thumps on the door made him jump and draw his wand. A muffled voice swore and then banged on the door again. A look through the peephole showed Hermione shaking and trying to get her key in the lock. Draco hurriedly opened the door and pulled her inside. She was soaking wet and her teeth were violently chattering.
"What the hell happened?" he exclaimed, working to get Hermione's coat off of her. She was unable to answer though through her clacking teeth. "Let's get you thawed out."
Draco led her to the bathroom and turned the water on, letting it heat up while he helped Hermione out of the rest of her wet clothes. Once he was sure she was steady on her feet, under the warm spray, he went about collecting a towel and clean, warm clothes. He set them on the bathroom counter and went back to the kitchen to turn off everything off and plate the food.
When he heard the shower shut off, Draco placed a warming charm on the food and went back to wait outside the bathroom door. As soon as she emerged, Draco cupped her face in his hands and started inspecting for injuries.
"I'm fine," Hermione whispered, placing a hand over his. "Thank you for helping me."
"Of course. I left your wand in your bedroom." He took her hand and led her to the living room, pulling her down beside him on the couch. "What happened? I got so caught up in dinner, I didn't even notice it was raining."
"It actually was snowing first," Hermione sighed, brushing damp curls back, over her shoulder. "Then it turned into a lovely sleeting rain, filling the streets with slush. I hailed a cab to come home, but the driver misheard the address I gave him and dropped me off three blocks from here. When I informed him of the mistake, he none too kindly told me he had already turned the meter off and wasn't turning it back on for three blocks. I had to get out and walk the rest of the way and a garbage truck ended up speeding through a puddle and soaking me with Merlin knows what."
Draco jumped up and reached for his coat. "Where do I find this arsehole?"
"Probably not far from where he dropped me off. Coincidentally, after he drove off, two of his tires popped." She bit her bottom lip, but her eyes sparkled with glee. "I can't imagine he's going to get quick roadside service in this weather."
"I hope he catches pneumonia while he waits." He dropped his hand from his coat and raked a hand through his hair.
"Dinner smells good. Where did you order from?"
Draco grinned and reached for her hand again. "Nowhere. I cooked it."
Hermione stood and followed him to the kitchen. He pulled out a chair for her and relished the surprised look on her face when he placed a plate full of food.
"Honey lemon thyme chicken with roast potatoes and green beans."
"But, you can't cook. You specifically told me you can't cook."
Draco shrugged and said, "I considered what you said, about how cooking and alchemy are very much alike and picked up a few beginner cookbooks. Turns out, I'm a natural."
"Because you, of all people, needed their ego inflated." Hermione took a tentative bite of chicken and hummed. "The inflation is well-earned," she conceded, taking another bite.
"I also made chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting for dessert," he said, sitting down and throwing a napkin over his lap.
Hermione smiled at him, immediately understanding the significance of his choice. "Draco Malfoy, if I didn't know better I'd say you're becoming quite the sentimental sap."
"If you tell anyone, I will vehemently deny that accusation."
"Don't worry. I promise never to reveal your good side." She grinned and popped a green bean into her mouth.
Draco tried his best to give her his 'you better not' stare, but it didn't feel the same. Slowly, piece by piece, his armor was flaking off. Marie was going to have a field day with him on Wednesday...