February 2004
"So, Draco, any Valentine's Day plans?" Ginny asked as she cleared the dirty plates from the table and sent them flying into the sink.
Draco looked up and shook his head at her wiggling eyebrows. "Is this your subtle way of asking me to babysit? If so, it's a poor approach and the answer is no."
"Merlin, no. You've only just graduated to holding him without supervision."
Draco flicked a rogue pea at Harry when he started chuckling and was pleasantly surprised when it flew in a perfect arc and bounced off Potter's nose, resulting in an affronted, "Hey!" His victory was short-lived as Harry stood and plopped James into Draco's arms so he could help with the washing up.
"I only ask because I thought you may have made plans with Hermione for the weekend," Ginny explained, tucking a bib around Jame's neck, dropping a cloth on Draco's shoulder, and then handing him a bottle.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Draco asked, holding the bottle at arm's length and giving it a wary look.
"Shove it up your arse, Malfoy. What do you think?"
"This is not what I signed up for when we became friends," Draco muttered, slowly lowering the nipple of the bottle to the baby's mouth. As soon as it hit his lips, James started drinking like he hadn't been fed all day.
Helping with the new baby wasn't the total nightmare Draco liked to make it out to be. Complaining was second nature to him and he never could pass up a chance to wind up either one of the Potters. Of the few babies Draco had encountered in his life, James was certainly the cutest. And he'd never publicly admit it, but cradling James and watching him drop off to sleep was actually comforting and relaxing. There was a time or two he caught himself starting to nod off with James before jerking awake and transferring the little one to his cot.
"We never discussed any plans for the commercialized holiday," Draco said, finally answering Ginny's question. "Hermione doesn't seem like the kind of woman that puts stock in Valentine's Day. Does she?" Draco shot a worried look at Harry.
"I don't think she cares too much about it. I know she never went out of her way to make plans when she and Ron were together," Harry answered, drying the clean plates as Ginny handed them to him. "I only know of her ever sending one valentine and that was to Lockhart in second year."
Ginny snorted and Draco couldn't help but grin. "She didn't?"
"Fuck, she's going to kill me," Harry hissed.
"I think it would be really sweet if you went to New York and surprised her," Ginny said, raising her voice so they'd hear her over Draco's laughter.
With a deep, settling breath, Draco cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, maybe."
"Aren't you missing her? It's been almost a month," Ginny commented.
"Of course. I'm not a complete shithead," Draco said defensively. He set the empty bottle on the table and quirked his lips in amusement as he watched James' mouth still sleepily suck on a now imaginary bottle. Slowly, he lifted the baby to his shoulder and gently patted his back. "I feel like I've already played my 'surprise, I'm here!' card and I shouldn't keep showing up on her doorstep unannounced."
"Trust me, you can never play that card too much," Ginny said with a reassuring smile. "She gave you a key to her flat, right?" Draco nodded and she shrugged her shoulders. "Then go use it. Personally, I'm surprised you two aren't traveling back and forth every weekend."
"Because we'd be living in a permanent haze of, what the hell did she call it?" In Draco's brief pause for thought, James let out a belch and woke himself up for a brief second. "Yes, that's it, James. Jetlag."
"Fair enough. Still, you should go surprise Hermione. She'd love it."
"Yeah, maybe," Draco said once more, handing a slumbering James over to her.
Draco got to Hermione's flat around four o'clock and was surprised to hear shouts and cheers on the other side of the door. Hermione wasn't due home for another three hours and if she was there it was going to put a bit of a kink in his plans. Turning the key, Draco stepped in and froze at the sight of Ron Weasley spread out on the couch.
"Hey, Liiiii…" Ron started but then trailed off when he turned around and saw Draco. "Oh. You're not Lizzie."
"Nope. And you're not Hermione." Draco dropped his suitcase and hung up his coat. "What are you doing here Weasley?"
"Visiting Lizzie for the weekend. Her cable is out though, so she gave me Hermione's key so I could hang out here until she was done for the day."
"Is Hermione aware of this?"
"Yeah-" Ron started but then was cut off by a thud and muffled swearing. "She's home, trying to fix a sink." Draco started to head in the direction of the swearing but Ron called after him, "I wouldn't. She's pissed off and armed with heavy tools."
Draco grimaced and turned around. He let himself fall into the armchair beside Ron and turned his attention to the television. Uniformed Muggles were playing a game that resembled Cricket. "What are you watching?" he asked.
"An American sport called baseball. I think I've almost got the basic rules figured out," Ron said and then launched into his amateur explanation of the game. Draco tried his best to pay attention while keeping an ear tuned to Hermione's ranting. At one point she must have been talking on her mobile because he heard her call someone a jerk and colorfully informed the unnamed person that she'd be calling in a professional and it'd be coming out of the rent.
"Does she have any idea of what she's doing in there?" Draco asked, twisting to look down the hallway.
"She insisted that she did," Ron answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "She had a stack of papers full of instructions."
A sudden, shrill scream had both men bolting from their chairs and racing to the main bathroom. Hermione was in the process of standing up, whimpering, and wildly shaking her hands at her side. Draco and Ron stood in the doorway, wincing as thick, black sludge dripped from her face. When she looked up and saw Draco her eyes widened.
Wiping the sleeve of her now-ruined sweater over her mouth, Hermione asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Happy Valentine's Day," Draco said, gingerly pulling a clump of gunk from her hair. When he saw what the gunk was comprised of, he quickly threw it to the floor with a cry of, "Fucking hell!"
"What was that?" she asked through gritted teeth, arms rigid at her side.
"Gross."
"Draco, what did you just pull out of my hair?"
Draco chewed on his bottom lip before answering, "A dead cockroach."
Hermione threw herself over the side of the tub and retched. Ron promptly turned and exited the scene as Draco placed a tentative hand on Hermione's back. When her retching stopped, he helped her back to her feet.
"Are you ever going to want to wear this sweater again?" he asked. When Hermione shook her head, Draco performed a careful severing charm, cutting the garnet down the middle.
Hermione quickly shucked it off with a sigh of, "Thank you." Looking back up, she smiled and ran her fingers over the top of his hand. "I really want to hug you right now but you're so clean and I'm so...blech."
"What the hell are you doing trying to fix a sink with this mess?" Draco asked, gesturing to the tools scattered on the floor. "Have you forgotten that you're a very clever witch?"
Hermione laughed and shook her head. "No, smartarse. This building is old and non-magical. If I use magic on the pipes, they're liable to burst and that is not a fight I want to have with Nate."
"Is Nate the one you called a jerk earlier?"
"Yeah, he's my landlord. He's been saying he'd hire a plumber for weeks now and hasn't. He's completely useless." Hermione sighed and bent down to gingerly pick up her shirt. I'm going to go shower."
"I'll bin that for you," Draco said, taking the sweater. "I'm going to wash the cockroach guts off my hands in the kitchen."
"Oh, god, you're going to make me vomit again," Hermione cried, rushing past him and into her bedroom.
After chucking the sweater and scrubbing his hands raw, Draco made his way to her bedroom. While Hermione showered, he opened her closet and started rifling through her wardrobe. Pushing aside all her MACUSA shirts and collection of Weasley sweaters, he was left with a handful of bland blouses, lovely but out-of-season sundresses, and a truly awful navy blue and mustard yellow striped turtle neck.
"What are you doing in my closet?"
Draco glanced back to see Hermione wearing a fluffy pink robe and running a comb through her damp curls. He grabbed the hanger with the turtleneck and held it out.
"Please tell me you don't actually wear this outside of your flat?"
"No," she huffed, grabbing the shirt and reaching around him to shove it back in the closet. "Not anymore after numerous death threats from Lizzie."
"You need to let her revamp your wardrobe." He shut the closet and turned to leave the room.
"Where are you going?"
"To get Weasley to let me into Elizabeth's flat so I can raid her closet." Draco opened the bedroom door but Hermione's hand quickly shot out and slammed it shut. "Hermione, I-"
Before he could continue, her other hand was wrapped around his neck and pulling him in for a heated kiss as she backed him up against the door. His hands came to rest on her hips as she snogged him for a solid minute before slowly pulling away.
"Sorry, been wanting to do that since I saw you," she whispered, running her tongue over her swollen lips.
"No apology necessary," Draco replied, kissing her once more before she backed away.
"Why are you suddenly so concerned with my clothing?" she asked.
"I have made a reservation at a very nice restaurant which requires something between the dress you wore on Ginevra's hen night and the one you wore to the Christmas party. I have a feeling Elizabeth's wardrobe will have exactly that."
"What restaurant?" Hermione asked as Draco opened the door again.
"Masa," he answered, striding up the hall.
"What?!"
He reached the living room and found Lizzie sitting on the couch with Ron, trying to explain to the confused Weasley that the sports game he was watching wasn't actually live but had been played over a year ago because the season didn't start for another two months.
"Ahh, just the woman I needed to see."
"Draco, wait!" Hermione called as she ran into the room. "How the hell did you get a reservation at one of the most upscale restaurants in the city on such short notice?"
"You should know better than anyone how charming I can be," he said, flashing her a smile before turning back to Lizzie. "Could I have a peek at some of your clothing? We're in need of a nice cocktail dress."
"Finally got to peek in her closet, huh?" Lizzie laughed.
"You know she still has that horrid turtleneck?"
Lizzie's face scrunched up in disgust and Hermione muttered, "Snitches get stitches, Malfoy"
"Worth it if it gets rid of that thing you call a shirt."
"I'll burn it after you leave," Lizzie assured, opening the front door.
Draco followed her across the hall to her flat and waited in the living room while Lizzie went to her bedroom. As he surveyed her framed family pictures and artwork, the intercom by the door buzzed.
"That's the cable guy. Can you buzz him in, please?" Lizzie called.
Draco hit the red button and there was a knock at the door just as Lizzie emerged with five dresses. As she let in the repairman and directed him to the television, Draco selected three dresses and took them back to Hermione's.
"Cable guy arrived," Draco said as he passed by Ron.
"Oh, thanks." Ron clicked off the television and stood up. He looked at Draco and his lips quirked in what appeared to be irritation.
"Something wrong, Weasley?"
"No, not really. Just...don't you think this is weird?"
"The cable repairman?"
Ron chuckled. "No-well, yes, I still don't quite grasp how that Muggle concept works. But I mean, don't you find our situation a little weird? I used to hate you with every fiber of my body and now I find you surprisingly tolerable, bordering on actually liking you."
"Let's not push it."
Ron laughed and Draco actually found himself cracking a smile. It was very weird, but Draco had noticed the shift in his and Ron's relationship since Christmas. He wasn't the worst company in the world and on the few occasions they had been at Harry's at the same time, Draco didn't feel the usual urge to flee the room.
Ron nodded towards Hermione's bedroom and said, "She has a way of bringing out the best in people if they let her." He looked down at the dresses hanging on Draco's arm. "Bet you ten galleons she chooses the silver one."
"I was actually hedging my bets on the red."
"Have a good weekend, Malfoy."
"You too, Weasley."
Draco took the dresses to Hermione's bedroom and found her in front of the mirror, applying her makeup. He set the dresses on the bed and said, "Elizabeth and Ronald left. Our reservation isn't until six, so you can take your time."
Hermione turned back to him and smiled. "What else have you sneakily planned for the weekend?"
"I booked us a room at The Bowery for the next two nights, so if you want to pack an overnight bag we can drop it off on the way to dinner."
"Mmm," she hummed, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking up at him. "What should I pack?
"Theoretically, once we get there I don't plan on leaving the bed so I want to say nothing more than a toothbrush." Draco traced his finger over the bit of exposed skin peeking out of her robe. "Realistically, we will have to answer the door for room service so I suppose you may want a clean shirt."
With a grin, Hermione gave him a quick kiss on the lips and turned to the dresses. "All of these are Lizzie approved?"
Draco nodded. "I'll let you get ready."
In the living room, he idly walked around and took in the changes since he had been there in November. Hermione had framed a few of the pictures of them together from the wedding and had them displayed on the bookshelf. The blanket his mother had given her for Christmas was hung over the back of the couch and playing host to a snoozing Crookshanks. As he perused the various book titles, the cat stretched, stood, and jumped from the back of the couch to the arm and meowed at Draco.
"And hello to you too," Draco said, scratching the cat's head. When he went to pull his hand away, Crookshanks hooked his paw around Draco's wrist and pull it back. "Oh, okay," he laughed, scratching Crookshanks behind his ears before stroking his hand over his back. "Are we good now?" Another smack to his hand told him no so he moved to sit on the sofa and let the cat jump into his lap. "You're really demanding," Draco muttered as he ran his hand down Crookshanks' back. The cat simply arched into Draco's palm and twisted around, making sure each side got equal attention.
"Oh, Crooks," Hermione's voice groaned several minutes later.
Draco looked up and bit the inside of his cheek to keep his jaw from dropping. Hermione had chosen the silver, off the shoulder dress. With a simple pair of black flats and her long curls flowing over her bare shoulders, she looked absolutely stunning beyond words.
"I can't believe you let him cover you in cat fur," Hermione sighed, striding over and stopping just in front of Draco. "Shoo, you silly bugger," she laughed, gently nudging Crookshanks off of Draco's lap.
"He's a very persistent feline," Draco said, his voice involuntarily breathy as he slowly got to his feet.
"Let me help." She aimed her wand at him and swept it over his body, vanishing all the long orange hairs. When she stepped back to inspect his appearance, she looked up and caught his unblinking stare. "What's wrong? Is this dress not okay?"
Hermione twisted around to inspect the back of his dress. Draco grabbed her hand, pulled her close, and kissed her soundly, smiling at her surprised squeak. When he pulled back, she stared up at him, her eyes wide and sparkling.
"You're perfect," Draco answered.
That evening, when they fell into a plush king-sized bed, he wasted no time showing her exactly how perfect she was. He quickly divested her of the dress and then took his time savoring every inch of her body as it writhed and moaned beneath him. He sang her praises as she melted under his touch, time and time again, until the early morning hours when they finally fell into each other, sweaty and sated.
"Tell me again why we thought this was a good idea?" Draco asked as he arranged fancy china and silver cutlery on his enlarged kitchen table.
Hermione sighed. It was at least the hundredth time he had asked the same question since his eyes opened that morning. She shook her head and set the potatoes to peel. Tucking her wand into her apron pocket, she summoned the wine goblets and sent them to the table.
"Because we kinda like each other and our parents should meet," she answered, setting bottles of red and white wine on the table.
"You kinda like me?" Draco asked, arching an eyebrow.
Hermione shrugged and said, "I guess I mostly like you."
Draco chuckled and nodded. "Okay, I see how it is, Granger," as he placed the final knife. "Can't we just show them pictures of each other? Lucius comes across so much better when he can't speak."
"After what happened at Christmas I'm betting your father will be able to better hold his tongue."
"I get to hex him if he doesn't."
"Draco-"
"Hermione, you promised."
"That doesn't count! We were naked at the time. There wasn't much I wouldn't have promised at that moment."
"I thought I'd keep with the holiday theme and transfigure him into a rabbit."
Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to the potatoes. She was back in England for the Easter holidays and, for the weeks leading up to her arrival, her parents had been very adamant about meeting Draco's parents. Draco mentioned it to Narcissa in passing, sparking her need to get to know Hermione's.
Draco had not been thrilled with the thought but finally conceded as long as Narcissa agreed to Easter dinner at his flat and kept Lucius on a tight leash. Hermione threw in her own condition that she got to cook the dinner, without the aid of house-elves.
As she was checking the temperature on the spring lamb there was a knock on the door. Hermione glanced back and suppressed a smile as she watched Draco take a few seconds to prepare himself before striding to the door.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," he greeted as her mum and dad stepped in and he closed the door behind them.
"Kathy and Mike, dear," her mum said, patting Draco's arm.
"Hello, sweetheart," her dad called as Hermione came out of the kitchen. He sniffed the air as he hugged her. "Are you cooking lamb?"
"I am. It'll still be about thirty minutes but if you're hungry now Draco made a batch of hot cross buns that actually turned out well."
Draco scowled. "Don't say it like that."
"I said it normal," Hermione said, kissing him quickly and then leading the way back to the kitchen.
"Cheeky," he muttered, tugging at her braid as he passed by to get the plate of buns.
They chatted for several minutes while Katherine helped Hermione with the final food preparations and Draco captured Mike's attention with talk about the various potions and charms that wizards used to protect their teeth. Hermione knew Draco really didn't have any interest in the subject but it was nice to see him finding a way to connect with her father.
The sound of the floo caused Draco to pause mid-sentence and Hermione saw the muscles in his jaw clench. Hermione gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before going into the sitting room to greet Lucius and Narcissa.
"Happy Easter," Hermione greeted.
Narcissa beamed at her and quickly stepped forward to wrap her in a hug. "Happy Easter, Hermione, darling," she said, kissing Hermione's cheek. "Lovely to see you again.
"Miss Granger," Lucius said simply, giving her an acknowledging head nod that she returned with a smile.
Hermione turned and found her parents standing just off to the side, patiently waiting for their long-awaited introduction, with Draco hanging back, a wary look on his face.
"Narcissa, Lucius, these are my parents, Katherine and Michael Granger," Hermione introduced, moving to stand beside Draco and link her arm with his.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Lucius said, extending his hand to shake her father's and kiss the top of her mother's, just as he had done with Hermione at Christmas.
"It's wonderful to have the chance to meet the people that gave us the strong young woman that was able to knock sense into our son," Narcissa gushed, clasping Katherine's hands and kissing her cheek.
"Well, thank you," Katherine laughed. "We want you to know that Michael and I adore Draco. You have raised a very kind and caring gentleman."
She felt Draco bristle at her side so Hermione looked up at him and grinned. "Kind and caring gentleman? You never told me you have a brother."
Draco looked at her, slightly taken aback, before pursing his lips and holding back a laugh. "I swear to Merlin, Granger. You're lucky I kinda like you."
"Dinner is almost ready," Hermione laughed, trying to squirm out of Draco's hold as his fingers attacked her sides.
Their meal turned out to be a pleasant and civil event. Katherine and Narcissa happily chatted away, bonding over their mutual love of gardening. Lucius stuck to neutral conversation topics, asking questions about what a 'career in teeth care entailed'. It appeared as though they were going to get through the whole encounter without any tension or anxiety.
That was until Lucius asked, "So, Hermione, when do you plan on moving back to England?"
The question caught Hermione off guard and all she could say was, "Sorry, what?"
"It appears that things between you and Draco are getting serious. I assume you're not planning on carrying on with this long-distance nonsense forever." He looked at her expectantly as he sipped his coffee.
"Oh, yes, well there's no plan for any big moves, for either of us, at the moment." She stood up and started clearing the plates from the table.
"We've been hoping she'd move back for two years now," Katherine commented, finishing the last bite of her jam tart. "We were surprised when she stayed in America longer than a year."
"I do have a job and a life there," Hermione reminded.
"Yes, but isn't a big part of your life still here?" her mum countered, glancing at Draco, who was now very intently stirring his coffee.
"Can we not have this conversation right now?"
"Is it so wrong for a mother to want to have her daughter in the same country?"
"No, but it's a bit rude to try and make her feel guilty about it on Easter," Hermione answered through gritted teeth. Where the hell was all of this coming from? She looked to Draco but no matter how much she stared, he refused to look up. The only one looking at her was Narcissa and at least her smile was sympathetic.
"Drop it, Kath," her father muttered. He looked over at Hermione and smiled. "Thank you for a wonderful dinner, sweetheart. Everything was delicious."
"You're welcome," Hermione muttered, turning back to the sink to fill it with hot water.
Chairs scraped against the tile and her father said, "We should get going. We're packed with appointments for tomorrow and lots of prep to take care of." He placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "We'll see you before you leave, right?"
"Of course," Hermione said, blinking back tears and plunging her hands into the soapy scalding water.
"Love you," he said with one last kiss. "And it was great meeting you, Lucius and Narcissa. We'll have to get together again soon."
After an awkward goodbye with her mother, Draco walked her parents to the door and Narcissa brought the last of the plates and silverware to the sink.
"I'm sorry things went sour," she whispered, placing her hand on Hermione's arm. "It really was a lovely meal." All Hermione could do was nod in response. "Come along, Lucius."
She heard Lucius push his chair back and quietly say, "I didn't mean to make her cry. It was a reasonable question."
"Shut your mouth, dear," Narcissa said curtly.
Hermione attempted to dry her eyes on her shoulder as she scrubbed the dishes. Draco's voice drifted in as he said goodbye to his parents but it took another minute or two after they left for him to return to the kitchen. When he did, he stood beside her but didn't say anything right away.
"You're upset with me," he finally said.
"Yes," Hermione answered without looking at him. "It would have been nice to have a little support."
"It felt a bit hypocritical because I agree with them." Hermione's head whipped around to finally look at him and Draco defended, "What? It would be nice not having to book a portkey every time I want to see you."
"Then that's a conversation we have! You and me, together. Not in the middle of a holiday meal with our parents." She dropped a plate onto the drying rack and wiped away a stray lock of hair with her wrist. "Instead you sat there and said nothing."
"Would you rather me argue with your mother?"
"I'm not saying you had to argue with her but it would have been nice to feel like I had someone on my side."
"Well, it's just you and me now. Let's have the conversation. When do you plan on moving back here?" Draco asked, crossing his arms.
"When are you planning on moving to New York?"
"I never said anything about moving to New York."
"And I never said anything about moving back to England."
"But why? All your friends live here. I live here. You can move in with me and you know you can get any job you want at the Ministry."
"I don't want any job at the Ministry! Why can't we just be happy with how things are right now?" Hermione cried, grabbing the tea towel and drying her hands.
"The first conversation you ever had with me you said you don't feel like you live there but merely exist. You don't just exist here."
Hermione took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was surprised he had remembered that detail from that night.
"That was nine months ago. A lot has changed since then."
"Elizabeth is already talking about moving here."
"Then maybe you should date her," Hermione said, throwing the towel at him as she stalked past.
"Hermi-"
She cut him off with the slamming of the door and apparated away.
"Fuck!" Draco shouted, flinging the tea towel onto the table.
That hadn't gone at all how he had hoped it would. Why the hell did Lucius have to open his fucking mouth? Draco had been trying to figure out a way the whole week to bring up that exact topic. He was hopeful that after six months of dating that it was something Hermione had been thinking about also. He didn't think she'd move in with him the very next day but that maybe they could talk about a tentative timetable for what he thought was the next logical step in their relationship.
Moving to the living room, Draco collapsed onto the armchair and dropped his head into his hands. He desperately tried to shut up Astoria's taunting voice in his head, telling him he was indeed incapable of carrying on a relationship but it got louder with every minute that Hermione didn't return. After a half-hour, he summoned his wand and apparated to Godric's Hollow.
Ginny answered the door with a confused look. "Hi. Where's Hermione?" she asked as she motioned for him to come inside.
"I was hoping she might be here," Draco sighed.
"Oh," she said, her face falling a bit with understanding. "I just put the kettle on. Come have a cuppa."
Draco followed her to the kitchen where Harry and Lizzie sat chatting.
"What's wrong? Where's Hermione?" Harry asked as Draco fell into the chair next to him.
"We had an argument and she walked out. Thanks," Draco said, looking up as Ginny placed a mug of tea in front of him. He wrapped his hands around the warm cup but didn't drink.
"First fight?" Lizzie asked.
Draco nodded. Ron walked in, holding James, as Draco started describing the disastrous end to their Easter dinner. At the end of it, he took a gulp of his tea and let his head fall back.
"I can't believe I screwed this up already," he groaned, carding a hand through his hair.
"You didn't screw anything up," Ginny reassured,
"Well, it isn't exactly a positive when your girlfriend runs away after you piss her off."
"Actually, it is," Ron said.
"Weasley, please-"
"Trust me, if Hermione walks out during an argument it's a good sign," Ron insisted. He took the bottle that Ginny handed him and James' chubby little hands instantly shot up and tried to grab it. "Alright mate, it's coming," Ron chuckled. As the baby started drinking, he turned back to Draco and said, "If Hermione walks out it means she needs space to think before she says or does something she regrets. It was something I noticed when things between us got really bad towards the end. She'd stay and fight, not caring about what we said to each other."
"She won't stay pissed off forever," Harry said, clapping a hand on Draco's shoulder.
"I don't know where to go from here, though. This isn't a petty issue and I feel like we've hit an impasse." Draco scrubbed a hand over his face. "How do I unfuck this situation?"
"Can I make an observation?" Ron asked.
"It would seem like you're the one with the best insight," Draco sighed, gesturing for Ron to continue.
"You're trying to rush things with Hermione-"
"It's been six months. I hardly think-"
"Shut up and let me finish, Malfloy," Ron said. Draco bit his lip and let Ron continue. "You both were in relationships that crashed and burned, leaving you both hurt. You took your time with Astoria and it failed. Now you have this good thing going with Hermione and feel like if you wait too long you'll lose it. But she's coming from the exact opposite point of view. She and I rushed into our marriage and it failed. She doesn't want the same to happen with you. When you started pressuring her to move in with you it more than likely freaked her out a bit because she doesn't want to rush things and lose you."
"Damn it, Weasley," Draco said, falling back against the chair.
"What?"
"Sorry, it just doesn't feel right when you say things that make perfect sense."
Ron grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "I have my moments." He sat the empty bottle on the table and maneuvered James up to his shoulder. He glanced down as he patted James back and took a deep breath. "I never thought I would say this but...you're a good guy Draco and you're good for her. Better than I think I ever was, even in our good moments. You just have to stop doubting yourself, mate. Enjoy the moment and trust that everything will come together when it's supposed to."
Draco swallowed the traitorous lump forming in his throat and nodded. "Thanks, Ron. That...that means a lot."
Ron extended his hand and Draco reached across the table and shook it.
"That said, you hurt her and I will kill you."
"Nice to see things between us haven't completely changed."
"What are you going to do now?" Harry asked.
"I guess go home and wait for her to come back," Draco said with a shrug. "I have no clue where…" A thought popped into his mind. He suddenly felt like he knew exactly where Hermione went and he jumped to his feet. "I think I know where she is."
"Good luck," Ginny said, kissing his cheek and patting his arm.
"Don't think I need it but thanks."
Draco hurried outside and apparated away. When he landed, he was in a familiar alley of Ottery St. Catchpool. The little town center looked exactly like it had the last time he had been there- all of the shops were closed and dark, save for the lights coming from the one village pub. He slipped inside and spotted Hermione right away, in the same back booth as last time.
"Bourbon, on the rocks, and a shot of tequila please," Draco said to the bartender.
When he slid into the booth beside Hermione and set the shot glass in front of her, she shot him a sideways glance and said, "How'd you find me? Put a tracking spell on my sweater?"
"I had a hunch," Draco answered, sipping his drink. "There's only so many places open on Easter Sunday."
Hermione stared at the shot for a moment before picking it up and knocking it back. Setting the glass to the side, she started, "Draco-"
"I'm sorry," he said, cutting her off. "I was being an unreasonable arse and that wasn't fair to you. I'm so bloody paranoid about messing things up between us that I tried to push you into something you're clearly not ready for."
Hermione sat up straighter and turned towards him. "You don't hate me for not being ready?"
"Is that what you thought?"
"I felt like you were getting to the point where you were going to give me some kind of ultimatum if I didn't move back here and I couldn't handle that. There's a big part of me in New York that I'm not ready to leave behind yet."
Her eyes glistened as a few tears snuck out of the corners and down her cheeks. Draco's heart broke and he glanced down at her gold locket, cursing himself for being such an insensitive fool.
"I don't hate you," he whispered, bringing his hand up to caress her neck and swipe his thumb over her tears. Staring into her eyes he finally felt the courage to say what he had been feeling for so long. "I love you."
Hermione let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob before sniffling and saying, "I love you, too."
Draco pulled her close and covered her lips with his, noting how different this kiss was from the very first kiss they had shared in that exact spot. The memories of that first kiss still sent a certain thrill through his body but this one consumed him in a way nothing else ever had. He was giving up control for the first time in his life and it felt like the most natural thing in the world because in the end that was what love was all about- letting your heart take over.
When they finally pulled apart, Draco smiled and picked up his drink, smiling as he said, "Don't be surprised when you see a winged skrewt heading for the moon."
Hermione stared at him bemusedly for a few moments before the words finally sunk in and she threw her head back against the booth, laughing loudly.