Chapter Twenty-Three

Hogsmeade

Rays of sunlight illuminated the pastel walls of her room when she opened her eyes. Hermione blinked, turning her head to the right.

She was in her bed. Alone.

She covered her eyes with her arm and let out a sigh. She didn't know why, but the nights Draco was beside her she slept better and woke up with much more energy.

A slight blush coloured her cheeks as she thought that having him so close and feeling his warmth was really nice, too.

Hermione grunted, punching the pillow with her other hand.

He was the last thing she thought about before she fell asleep every night and the first thing that popped into her mind as soon as she opened her eyes. And she knew what that meant.

Harry had told her more than once that the same thing had happened to him with Ginny since he'd first noticed her during their sixth year at Hogwarts.

Hermione sat up on the mattress, sniffling and looking around.

After waking up in Draco's room the day before, and having him spend the afternoon at Grimmauld Place helping them prepare dinner... there was no longer any doubt in her mind.

She was in love. Deeply.

How could she not be? Draco was a gentleman, and he looked at her in a way that made her feel like the centre of the universe.

He was so different from the boy she had met seven years earlier that she still found it hard to accept what was happening between the two of them. Hermione knew that her past self would die if she knew how she felt about him now.

She would never have imagined that she would end up falling in love with Draco Malfoy.

Hermione sighed again, getting out of bed and opening her wardrobe.

It was Saturday, and they planned to spend the day in Hogsmeade.

Ginny would be waiting for them there in a couple of hours to have lunch together, and she and Draco had arranged to meet his friends at the Hog's Head later.

Hermione left her room, took a shower and got dressed in the red jumper and jeans she'd picked out. She put her wand in a pocket and went downstairs, thinking about the breakfast she could make for her and Harry.

The door to his room was closed when she passed the first floor. Her friend was still asleep.

Hermione walked down the ground floor hall to the end and entered the kitchen, stopping abruptly.

Harry's favourite teapot was on the counter with two steaming mugs beside it. Draco was crouched in front of the stove, pulling a tray from inside with black gloves on both hands.

He stood up and wrinkled his nose, snorting in annoyance.

"Shit."

"What's wrong?"

Draco set the tray full of pastries down on the table, growling under his breath.

"You just ruined my surprise, Granger."

The buttery scent in the air made her mouth water. She furrowed her brow as she noticed a flour-stained apron on the counter and several freshly washed cooking utensils by the sink.

"How long have you been here?"

"A couple of hours. I was just about to go up and bring this to you," he murmured, pointing to the tray he'd just taken out of the oven.

Hermione blinked, trying to take in what she was hearing. His lips curved upwards and he took a couple of steps towards her, holding out a mug of tea.

"It's not every day someone asks me to be their boyfriend, Granger."

Just as when she woke up, Hermione felt her cheeks burn. She sat down in the first chair she could find and sipped the tea before speaking.

Black, with a hint of vanilla.

"Were you going to bring me breakfast in bed?"

"My mother likes it when I do it," Draco commented quietly, shrugging.

"Do you bring Narcissa breakfast?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked away.

"Sometimes, when... when she's depressed and finds it hard to get up."

Her mug almost fell to the floor, but she managed to catch it in time.

"Narcissa is depressed?"

Imagining his mother having a hard time gave her a knot in her stomach. That woman had slowly worked her way into her heart and she didn't like her being sad.

Neither she nor her son deserved to suffer any longer.

Draco sighed, crossing his arms and leaning his back against the edge of the counter.

"Being so far away from Lucius is difficult for her."

"Oh," Hermione sighed, chewing on her bottom lip. "And how is your father?"

His face darkened, becoming impassive in a few seconds.

"Fine."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I'm glad."

Draco let out a snort of disbelief.

"I'm serious, Draco. I'd hate for something bad to happen to your father and for Narcissa to lose him forever. Just the thought of you still being there..." she murmured, shaking her head as she sighed.

His face softened and he took a seat beside her, placing a hand on her knee and squeezing gently.

"I'm out of Azkaban because of you, Granger. I owe you my life."

"And I owe you mine," she replied, looking up at him with a small smile. "I thought I'd have a hard time forgetting what happened that night, but I can hardly remember it now. After all Harry, Ron and I have been through... I guess that was nothing."

Draco grimaced and reached out, taking a sip of his tea. She cleared her throat.

"Besides, you're quite distracting."

That managed to surprise him.

"Am I distracting you, Granger?" he asked teasingly, looking back at her and wiggling his eyebrows.

"Very much."

He leaned closer until Hermione felt his breath on her face.

"Really? And why is that?"

She felt the heat build on her face and looked away, clutching a napkin in her hands and wringing it.

"You make me nervous."

Draco chuckled and lowered his head, kissing her cheek. He sat back up and took a pastry from the tray, taking a bite.

"I know."

Hermione narrowed her eyes, giving him a dark look.

"You know? Then why do you do it?"

"It's fun," he admitted, arching an eyebrow in her direction and grinning.

She rolled her eyes.

"Bloody Slytherins..."

"I like it when you blush and your heartbeat races because of me. Is that so wrong?"

Hermione hid a smile, raising her mug.

"I guess not."

The kitchen door opened and they both turned their heads, startled.

"Oh, you two are up already," Harry said, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite them and grabbing one of the pastries as if finding them both there was the most normal thing in the world.

Draco narrowed his eyes in his direction.

"That wasn't for you, Potter."

"Hermione's not going to eat them all," he replied, taking a bite and opening his eyes wide. "This is really good, Malfoy. Where did you get it?"

He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"I made them myself. It's a typical recipe from northern Italy."

"And what are they called?" Harry asked, looking curiously at the flower-shaped pastries.

"Canestrelli."

Harry snorted, picking up another.

"I'm never going to remember that name."

"I don't expect you to, Potter," Draco grunted, pushing the tray closer to Hermione.

Harry levitated the teapot and a mug onto the table with his wand.

"And how did you manage to make these biscuits without magic?"

"They're pastries," Draco snarled, twisting his lips. "And... maybe Minsy came with me and taught me how to make them the Muggle way," he added in a whisper.

Hermione smiled as his cheeks turned red and held one of his hands over the table.

"Thank you so much, Draco. They're delicious."

He smiled back, lacing their fingers together.

"You're welcome, Granger."

Hermione averted her gaze again and saw that Harry was watching them with a crooked grin on his face.

"What time are we meeting Ginny in Hogsmeade?" she asked to distract him, letting go of Draco's hand.

And it worked. Harry leaned back in his chair, sighing through his nose and staring blankly.

"Twelve o'clock. Ron will go straight there."

Hermione took another of the pastries, nodding.

"Have you ever tried side-along apparition, Draco?" she looked sideways at him.

"Yes, but I'm not going to hold onto Potter's arm."

Harry smirked again.

"Relax, Malfoy. Hermione will take care of you."

"I don't understand how I could agree to this."

Hermione grinned and walked through the door after him, standing beside him and buttoning her jacket as she stepped back into the autumn chill of Hogsmeade.

"Because it was a good idea, Malfoy," Ginny replied, laughing at his other side. "No one recognised you."

Draco sneered as he glanced at her. His hair was curly and caramel-coloured, and his eyes were just as dark as Ginny's.

"Fix it," he snarled, stopping by one of the Honeydukes' windows and folding his arms.

Ginny rolled her eyes, pulling out her wand. She waved it in his face, just as she had done the moment she saw him arrive. The curls disappeared and his hair lightened, as did his eyes.

"Madam Rosmerta wouldn't have let you in and you know it."

"We could have gone somewhere else to eat," Draco replied in a husky voice, looking at one of the panes of glass to check that everything was back to normal.

Ron snorted.

"The Three Broomsticks has the best food in Hogsmeade. And we were all looking forward to eating there again."

Draco narrowed his eyes, biting his tongue. He relaxed as he felt Hermione's fingers intertwine with his.

"What do we do now?" she asked, looking at her three friends.

Ginny winked and turned to Harry.

"We could go there for tea," she said, pointing to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop.

Harry blanched.

"No, please," he asked in a whisper.

Draco looked at Hermione with wide eyes and swallowed. She and Ginny burst out laughing.

"It's a joke, Draco. We don't like that place either," she said, patting his arm.

He let out a sigh of relief and Ron hid his laughter with a cough.

"I'm going to go now. George has asked me to help him in the shop this afternoon."

His friends nodded and he raised his wand, disappearing with a crack.

"We're meeting Draco's friends later," Hermione commented as they walked through the small town.

"Who?" Harry asked, looking around.

"Parkinson, Nott and Zabini."

Harry wrinkled his nose and Draco gave him a hateful look.

"Any problem, Potter?"

"No, but Ginny and I have other plans."

"No one invited you," Draco muttered under his breath.

The four of them went into one of the shops, where Ginny and Hermione approached the section selling all sorts of quills.

"Do you know anything more about the escaped Death Eaters?" Draco asked quietly, taking a step closer to Harry.

He nodded.

"One of the Aurors found the two who attacked Hermione. They weren't officially Death Eaters, but they supported Voldemort's ideas. Now they don't even remember who they are."

Draco's lips curved into a wicked grin.

"That sounds great."

"They know someone has wiped their memories but they have no idea who did it," Harry muttered, glancing sideways at him.

Draco nodded.

"It's better that way."

"We've tracked down a group hiding out in a small village in Wales. We'll be making a raid in a couple of days."

"Good luck, Potter. I hope you catch them," Draco replied, patting his shoulder and moving towards the two girls.

Harry blinked.

"Thank you," he whispered, following in his footsteps.

"It's about time," Pansy complained as she saw them enter, clicking her tongue in irritation.

She, Blaise and Theo were sitting at the furthest table, their backs straight and their hands avoiding touching the furniture.

"I'm going to say hello to Aberforth. I'll be right there," Hermione murmured, pointing to the man behind the bar.

Draco frowned.

"Is that Dumbledore's brother?"

"Yes."

"Then he'll throw us out of here as soon as he sees me," he replied, snorting and lowering his gaze.

Hermione put a hand on his back and gave him a little shove.

"He won't. Go sit with your friends before Parkinson kills me with her gaze."

Draco turned his head and saw his friend glaring at them. He walked over to the corner where they were and sat down next to Blaise.

"Haven't you ordered yet?"

"This place is disgusting. Now I understand why we never came here while we were at Hogwarts," she said in greeting, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Theo rolled his eyes, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Stop complaining, Pansy. We're here to have a good time."

The four of them looked up as Hermione stopped by their table.

"You need to get up. Aberforth says he has a better table for us," she explained, waving for them to follow her.

Hermione led them to the door at the end of a hall. Behind it was a small room with three tables, all lit by candles. Oil lamps hung on the wooden walls and the fireplace was lit, creating a nice and warm atmosphere. On one of the walls was a large painting where a blonde girl gazed curiously at them.

They saw a large mug of butterbeer and five glasses on one table.

"I guess that's ours," said Hermione, moving one of the chairs.

The four Slytherins sat down next to her, looking around in disbelief.

"What is this place?" Blaise asked, surprised.

"I was here once, when... never mind," Hermione muttered, shaking her head.

She tapped the mug with her wand and it rose into the air, pouring its contents into the five glasses.

"When what?" Draco asked, staring at her.

Hermione sighed, glancing sideways at the painting.

"It was the day of the Battle of Hogwarts. Aberforth helped us get into the castle."

Pansy's brow furrowed.

"Did that crazy old man help you?" she said, pushing the glasses towards each of them.

Draco shot her a warning glance.

"He's Dumbledore's brother, Pansy."

"What?"

The door opened again and Aberforth entered with a tray in his hands. He walked over to them, standing by the table and fixing his blue eyes on Draco.

He met his gaze unblinkingly and his left hand moved unconsciously to his empty jacket pocket.

The man set the tray down on the table, sweeping his gaze over everyone's face.

Pansy swallowed and averted her gaze.

"Enjoy your meal," he muttered, walking away again and closing the door that connected the room to the bar.

Blaise stared open-mouthed at the three bowls of food and Pansy raised both eyebrows.

"I take it back. The service here is excellent," she commented, moving two chicken legs onto her plate.

An hour later, with their stomachs full, the four Slytherins had ordered a bottle of firewhisky that was now half-empty on the table.

Only Hermione continued to drink butterbeer, and she was glad she did.

None of Draco's friends was in any condition to apparate at the moment. She was the only one who was still sober.

"Do you remember the look on their faces when I told them?" Pansy asked, tilting her head to look at her boyfriend.

Theo laughed, taking another sip of whisky.

"It's not funny," Draco grunted, clenching his fist on the table.

"You would have laughed too, Draco. I don't know which one of them was more shocked, Daphne or Astoria," she added with a giggle.

Blaise snorted, shaking his head.

"It had to be shocking to find out that the guy they were both in love with had Veela blood, and that Hermione Granger was his mate."

Hermione gasped, setting her glass down on the table.

"Were the two of them in love with him?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Draco snorted, folding his arms.

"Don't listen to them, Granger. They're exaggerating."

"To hell with that. Daphne was willing to marry you, for fuck's sake. She and her sister had a huge fight when you started dating Daphne, and they haven't been getting along since," Theo added, picking up the bottle and tilting it to fill his glass.

Half of the contents spilt onto the table and Draco hissed, jumping away.

Pansy rolled her eyes and waved her wand, wiping up the spilt liquid. After another wave, the bottle rose above their heads and filled all four glasses with great precision.

"You're starting to get drunk," she muttered, leaning towards Theo.

He sighed, shaking his head.

"You're right. I won't drink anymore."

"Duh, a day is a day," she said, waving a hand. "We already know all about Draco's conquests..."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"...But we don't know much about you, Granger. Did you and Weasley ever get together?"

Hermione's face reddened.

"No."

"But you liked him, didn't you?" she insisted, leaning both elbows on the table and staring at her with interest.

After a sigh, Hermione nodded.

"I knew it!" Pansy grinned. "And I bet you changed your mind when he started snogging that Brown girl."

"Sort of," Hermione admitted in a whisper.

"What about Potter?" Theo asked curiously.

Hermione snorted and glanced sideways at Draco, who was smirking.

"You can see I'm not the only one who thought so," he commented, arching one of his eyebrows. "She and Potter have always been just good friends, like me and Pansy," he explained, pointing between the two of them.

Blaise nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, we thought you two were together in fifth year," Hermione said, holding her glass in both hands.

Pansy glanced at Draco and they both grimaced at the same time.

"Over my dead body," he snarled.

"That's a bit extreme, but yes," Pansy added, downing the last of her whisky in one gulp. "Draco is like a brother to me."

"It's the same with me and Harry," Hermione replied with a smile.

"This is all very nice, but I want to ask more questions," Blaise commented, turning to Hermione. "When did you stop hating him?" he added, pointing at Draco with his chin.

She leaned back in her chair, letting out the air slowly.

"I guess it was in sixth year. And you?" she asked, looking at Draco.

He twisted his lips to the side.

"That year I realised that none of that mattered. I was a pureblood from one of the most important families in England, but he was willing to kill me anyway. He gave me a mission he knew I couldn't do."

"Do you think Voldemort wanted Dumbledore to kill you?" Hermione whispered.

The other three occupants of the table jumped at the name. Draco nodded once.

"It was a punishment. He wanted me to pay for my father's failures."

Theo put a hand to his face, rubbing his temple.

"We're not our fathers."

"Of course not," Draco said, giving him a small smile.

Hermione took his hand and Draco moved it into his lap, squeezing it.

"What changed your mind, Granger?" Blaise insisted.

"I remember how bad he looked that year, and his frightened face when the snatchers took us to Malfoy Manor..." Hermione shook her head. "I knew Draco wasn't as horrible as we thought, and he proved it to all three of us that day. By not turning us in he gave us more time to try and escape."

"I was just a coward," he commented quietly.

"Say what you want, but we'd be dead if it wasn't for you. Besides... I don't think I ever really hated you. I just thought you were a prick."

Blaise choked on his whisky, coughing with tears in his eyes. Theo and Pansy watched them with identical grins on their faces.

"You had him figured out, Granger," she commented in a mocking voice.

Draco shot her a glare.

"Shut the fuck up."

The four of them laughed and Draco furrowed his brow more, folding his arms. Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder with a smile.

"I don't think that of you anymore," she whispered.

His face softened and he turned his head, kissing her forehead.

"I know."

Pansy raised her glass.

"To the new world with no Dark Lord."

They all raised their glasses like her and drank.

The next morning, Draco stopped pacing on the pavement. Potter did the same beside him and folded his arms, twisting his lips to the side.

"Are you sure about this, Malfoy?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Completely."

"But it's almost destroyed. Wouldn't it be better to buy a new one?"

Draco sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Stop worrying, Potter. I've got it all planned out, and remember this is a secret. I hope you won't betray me this time."

He nodded, pulling something rectangular out of his jacket pocket and adjusting his glasses as he read the numbers written on the sign on the lawn.

"That's a Muggle phone, isn't it?"

Potter looked up from the screen for a moment and arched an eyebrow in his direction, giving him a smirk.

"Yes," he replied, pressing the last number and holding it to his ear.

"Granger has one just like it."

"I know, Malfoy."

He turned away, walking slowly down the pavement as he spoke to the person on the other end of the line.

That form of Muggle communication was both unsettling and fascinating.

Draco put his hands in his trouser pockets and cocked his head to the side, looking at the ruined house in front of him with interest.

He was sure he could rebuild it in a few days with the help of his mother and the elves from Malfoy Manor.