Draco awoke to Granger's wide eyes close, not quite panicked, but not exactly warm either. "Hi," she whispered.
His head throbbed and pulsed as though it might simply explode―and perhaps that would be preferable to the nauseating pain. "Hello." As he took stock of the situation, uneasiness crept in.
One of his arms hung loosely across her waist, the other tucked beneath her neck; Granger's legs were entwined with his, her face only inches away.
"I thought you said you weren't a traveller," she breathed.
"I'm not," he scoffed. "I'm still on my side―this is on you."
Colour flooded her cheeks as she glanced behind her, but turned back towards him with a wince. "My bloody skull feels atrocious. Please tell me Theo's allowing us hangover draughts."
"If he doesn't I'm never forgiving him." Cautiously, Draco extracted his arm from her waist, but she didn't shift to oblige his efforts to reclaim the other arm. When he looked up, she laid with her eyes pressed shut, drawing shallow breaths. "If you're going to toss, please don't do it on me."
"I'm not―I don't think."
They were more compromised than Draco had anticipated, and Granger seemed preoccupied enough with being hungover, so it could have been worse. Still, he couldn't help the way his body flared with awareness of her, the thrill of it coursing thick in his veins. One of her feet was tangled around his calf, her knee jumbled with both of his own, and the warmth from her smaller form played havoc with his senses.
Her eyes darted towards his.
As though just realising the position they were in, she swallowed, eyeing him carefully. "Perhaps we ought to get up. Get some breakfast and some coffee."
"Coffee."
But she didn't make a move to get up, her eyelids drifting shut once more, and if he wasn't mistaken she settled in a little closer, facing him again. "Maybe just a bit longer."
If it were up to him, and they hadn't agreed upon this ridiculous scenario―if Draco had actually gathered the bollocks to legitimately ask her out―they would simply stay in bed. He didn't care about the rest of the group, or what inane plans Theo and Potter had for the day. All he cared about in that moment was the soft, receptive woman curled partially around him.
Idly, Draco stroked a curl back from her forehead, his fingers gentle as they brushed her temple.
A soft groan slipped her lips. "That feels nice."
Cautiously, he drifted his fingertips along the line of her hair, tucking her loose curls beneath her head, and eventually her breathing evened out a little. Draco brushed his lips against her temple, and a soft breath fell from her lips against his collarbone.
"Are you alright?" he murmured.
Granger hummed for a moment, then nodded. "You can do that again if you like." He could hear the amusement in her voice. "Practice and all."
A smirk tugged at his own lips and he planted another soft, lingering kiss to her forehead. Then another against her temple, making a featherlight trail down her cheekbone towards the soft curve of her jaw. A breath hitched in her throat, her eyes sliding open to land on his.
He grazed her jaw gently with his teeth. "You can tell me if we're done practicing."
Some internal part of him needed her to tell him not to kiss her, because it would have been so easy―
But her fingers slid into the hair at the back of his head, and instead of pushing him away, she dragged his face closer. Draco swallowed, feeling the enticing warmth of her breath mingle with his own. Her lips were so close they could brush against his just from an erroneous movement.
"Granger," he breathed, curling his fingers around the back of her head. "I don't―"
A loud, aggressive knock sounded on the door, startling Draco back. The loud noise seared through his pounding head and he dropped back into his pillow.
"Get up, fucking lovebirds!" someone shouted from the corridor beyond. In the muddled haze that was his brain, he couldn't tell if it was Blaise or Theo, but he was going to kill them.
Granger's eyes lingered on the ceiling above, her body stiff with tension.
"Sorry," Draco muttered, sweeping a hand through his hair. "I need a shower."
"Right," she whispered, pressing her eyes tightly shut for a moment before blinking them open. "I'm just going to get some coffee and something to eat, I think."
He managed a short nod. "Fine. I'll meet you down there."
Without meeting her gaze―he feared all too much what he might find there―he dragged himself from his side of the bed and made for the loo. He could feel her eyes on him the whole way.
By the time Draco arrived in the kitchen, he was one of the last. Much to his dismay―and everyone else's, apparently―Theo hadn't allowed for hangover relief potions after all. Draco helped himself to a mug of coffee and sank into the empty seat beside Granger where she fiddled with a half-eaten slice of toast, her gaze fixed resolutely on the mug in front of her.
Most likely, she'd been unnerved by the fact that he'd nearly kissed her when they had both agreed that such a thing wouldn't be happening. Taking a sip of his scalding coffee, he gave her hand what he could only hope was a brief, friendly squeeze below the table. But before he could release her, Granger's fingers slipped between his.
Draco's eyes lingered on Longbottom across the room, who was casting Pansy furtive glances, but he couldn't be bothered to decipher the exchange when his head felt as though it might explode.
His gaze drifted towards the floor. "What the fuck are you wearing?"
Longbottom's gaze snapped up. "Slippers."
"Why," Draco drawled, rolling his eyes, "are your slippers shaped like fluffy bunny rabbits."
Granger giggled at his side, but Longbottom only flashed an unapologetic grin. "They're comfortable, mate. You should wear some."
Draco released a sound of irritation in the back of his throat. "You could not pay me."
To his surprise, Pansy folded her arms and fixed him with a scowl. "Not everything's about you, Draco." Her eyes drifted towards Longbottom. "I think they're nice."
His mouth fell open and Draco lifted a brow. "Okay?" Pansy was the biggest snob about fashion he had ever met; there was no way she actually liked Longbottom's ridiculous, massive slippers.
At his side, Granger's lips twitched with amusement.
But before Draco could say anything more, Theo cleared his throat and grinned at the whole room. He was the only one who didn't look tremendously hungover, but Draco had a vivid recollection of him being unable to walk in a straight line the night before.
"I hope everyone enjoyed the wine and cheese reception," he announced, brandishing his hands.
"Forgot there was cheese," Draco muttered, rubbing at his eyes.
Granger blew out a breath. "We should have had more cheese."
"Today," Theo went on, ignoring them, "we're going to have a scavenger hunt!"
If he had been expecting a joyous reaction, he didn't receive one by the way a dozen people stared blankly at him. Undeterred, Theo pressed on. "You'll be working in teams of two, and you'll have a list of things to find. But to make things interesting, each team will receive one vial of Felix Felicis and one niffler!"
Draco ground his jaw. "He brings Felix and nifflers but no hangover draughts," he muttered under his breath. Granger offered him a thin smile, warmth glimmering in her eyes. Lifting his voice, he said, "I thought this was a Muggle weekend."
"It is," Potter interjected, "but we thought that would make the scavenger hunt a little more interesting. Now―pair up and we'll explain the rules."
Draco could see Blaise eyeing Granger from across the room, and before his friend could encroach, he turned towards her. "Partner?"
"Of course." Her brows flickered, as though surprised he had asked. Whether she had wanted to pair up with one of her friends, or if she simply expected they would partner, he couldn't tell.
Folding his arms, he sank back into his seat, fixing Blaise with a hard stare. The other man's lips only curved with a challenging smirk that left Draco remarkably unsettled. It wouldn't be the first time Blaise had disregarded such a thing as propriety, and his lack of respect for boundaries was largely the reason Draco kept him at arm's length.
Curious despite himself, Draco glanced up. While he had expected Pansy and Daphne to pair up, Pansy lingered beside Longbottom; Daphne had joined with Tracey.
Following his gaze, Granger snickered as she tore a piece of crust from her toast. "Wonder what happened between Pansy and Neville last night."
Draco's eyes bulged at the thought.
But Granger's lips tugged downwards. "Maybe your problem for the weekend is solved."
If he was honest, his real problem was going to be in keeping it in his pants around Granger until the following afternoon. "You don't get to back out of our arrangement," he breathed, "unless you really want to, of course."
Her face softened a little. "Not a chance. You're as competitive as I am and we need to win this scavenger hunt."
When Theo returned with a basket of Nifflers, Draco turned towards her with a grin. "You've got yourself a fucking deal."
Three cups of coffee later, Draco found himself in the woods, a niffler wearing an orange ribbon tied like a bow tie around its neck snuffling the ground ahead of them. The morning air was cool and he'd donned a jumper, but the sun had begun to creep higher in the sky, the thick clouds overhead breaking apart.
So far he and Granger had marked three of the ten items from their list, and if it was up to Draco he would have given up on the damn thing and taken her up on her offer of swimming from the night before―with or without suits. He wasn't particular.
The vial of Felix Felicis they'd been given only had enough for two small sips, and while most of their friends had drank theirs right away, Draco knew it was only enough to last roughly an hour.
They would have to be selective and drink it when they most needed it. But so far their Niffler had found most of their items, including a buried coin and a silver chain. Draco wondered how much effort Theo and Potter had put into preparing for the hunt.
"A dead tree," Granger hissed, cross-referencing their list. "We need a branch from a dead tree."
"Got it." Draco scaled a few feet up, the blackened bark rough on his hands, and he snapped a thin outreaching branch. He stowed it in his pack, the end of it brushing against the back of his head, and Granger smiled as she crossed the item from her list.
"This one's going to be tricky." She gnawed her bottom lip as she scanned the list again. "The ribbon from another team's niffler. I thought I saw Blaise not that long ago."
Clenching his jaw shut, he shook his head as she scanned the woods; the last thing he wanted was to run into Blaise and his partner, petty though it might have been. "They went the opposite direction. We'll just have to find another team." He plastered a smile onto his face. "Not entirely keen on having the orange niffler anyway."
"What's wrong with orange?" Granger stopped in the woods, folding her arms as she stared at him. "It isn't that bad."
Draco's lip curled with distaste. "Orange is a terrible colour for my skin tone."
Her lips thinned, amusement dancing in her eyes as she took a step closer. "You're awfully interested in how you appear to others, aren't you?"
His mouth went dry. "Not everyone. Only some."
Granger's expression shifted, her tongue dipping out to moisten her lips. A breath caught in his throat as he watched the movement, overwhelmingly aware of the fact that they were alone in the middle of nowhere.
"Sorry," she whispered, "about earlier."
"You don't have to apologise." Shaking his head, he glanced away. "I shouldn't have..."
"It's fine."
"Right." Draco cleared his throat, heart racing in his chest. Adrenaline rushed through him, throbbing dully behind his ears. "It's just we aren't actually dating."
Her face remained carefully blank, and he might not have noticed anything but for the slightest flicker of disappointment. "Of course."
It would have been the moment, if he had the courage. As though something in her stare implored him, he opened his mouth to speak―to say something, he wasn't even sure. To ask her out properly, or tell her that he wished they were dating.
The words caught in a jumble on his tongue, backing up in his throat on the way to his lips. He blew out a breath, feeling the chance slip away from him through every fault of his own cowardice.
Finally she glanced away, her face faltering. "We should carry on, then."
Draco's heart clenched, trapped in a vise of his own making, and before she could walk away he grabbed her hand. Tugging her back towards him, he ducked his head through the voracious beat of his heart, and caught her lips with his own.
For a splinter of time, Draco's heart froze, stuttered, and leapt into a sprint.
Granger's lips were soft, pliant, and for a split second she simply stood, unresponsive. But then she kissed him in return, her free hand snaking up into his hair and sliding around to the back of his head.
Although his pulse clamoured in his veins, urging him onwards, Draco drew back, blinking his eyes open to find hers on him, warm melted chocolate with flecks of gold. She stared at him, her brows pulling up in a semblance of confusion, and he couldn't manage a smile.
When she still didn't say anything, his heart sank.
"I apologise," he muttered, "that was inappropriate."
A hint of amusement curled her lips. "Was it?"
"I don't know." Dropping his chin to stare at her, Draco focused on his shallow breaths. "Yes. Maybe." He reached up, tucking a loose curl behind her ear, and allowed his fingertips to linger along her jaw. "It was inappropriate since I told you we weren't going to kiss."
"Was someone watching us I didn't see?" The words were innocuous, but her eyes glinted with mischief. "I don't think it was inappropriate."
His mouth was impossibly dry when he attempted a swallow. "Okay."
Granger's fingers curled in the collar of his jumper, leaning back against a tree. "Are we done discussing this?"
"Yes," he breathed, "unless you―"
The words fell, muffled, against her lips when she dragged him back in again. Her kisses were soft but assertive, tongue darting out to tease his, and Draco deepened the kiss as he planted a hand to the tree bark beside her head. His heart felt as though it might explode as he delved between her lips, shifting flush against her as his other hand curled around her hip.
When a soft groan fell from her lips, Draco slipped a hand beneath her arse, hitching her up so her face was level with his. Her legs coiled around his waist as he pressed her back against the tree, lips never breaking from hers.
Awareness of her coursed through his body, hot and steady, in response to the feel of her soft curves pressed against him. She ground against him and he groaned into her mouth, dragging a trail of open-mouthed kisses along her jaw.
"Granger," he huffed against her skin.
"Yeah?" The word fell breathy against his ear as she snagged the lobe between her teeth. A fresh wave of arousal chased through him.
He sucked on the soft skin of her neck, just below her jaw, and a sinful whimper fell from her lips. "Is this a bad idea?" he asked, giving her arse cheek a squeeze.
"Which part?" she gasped, tilting her head to oblige him. "You and I in general, or this right now in the forest?"
"Both."
Granger dragged his face to hers, meeting his lips with another searing kiss before drawing back. She held his eye for a moment, her breaths falling a little heavy, before untangling herself and dropping to the ground.
"The second part might merit deeper consideration," she whispered, a smile curling her lips, "but I am in favour of the first."
Almost unwittingly, a grin stretched across his face and he ducked in to kiss her again, hands curling around to the small of her back.
"Oh for fuck's sake," an irritated voice huffed, and Draco drew back, lazily turning his head sidelong to see Potter frowning at the pair of them, his arms folded. "I thought if anyone was taking this seriously it would be you two."
A pretty flush covered Granger's face and she ducked free of Draco's hold. "We have been"―her mischievous gaze caught Draco's―"mostly."
Potter scowled at Draco for a long moment; he stared in return, unwilling to back down. Finally Potter released a long, aggravated sigh and threw his hands up. "At any rate, if you two can take your hands off one another for a minute, I need your help. I lost Theo."
"You lost him," Draco drawled, cocking a brow. "Don't you know by now to keep an eye on him? He has a tendency to wander off."
Defeat weighed on Potter's shoulders. "I know. But I haven't been able to track him down and I can't Apparate back to the cabin without my wand."
"So this defeats the idea of keeping our wands stowed away for an emergency if no one can reach them," Granger mused.
Potter blinked at her several times. Draco lifted his brows.
At last Potter dragged an uneasy hand across the back of his neck. "Right. That's a fair point. Anyway―I'm sure he's just gone off somewhere and it isn't an actual emergency but we're quite far out and I don't know if he'll know the way back. He's brilliant but he isn't exactly built for the wilderness. Will you help me?"
Granger scooped their Niffler from the ground into her arms with a smile. "Of course, Harry. Let's go rescue Theo."
The way her eyes lingered for another moment on him before she ventured into the bush with Potter caused Draco's stomach to twist up into knots. Blowing out a breath, he tugged at his collar and followed after her.
Although it took the better part of an hour traipsing through the brush, they eventually located Theo around the far side of the lake. He regarded the three of them with pleasant surprise, as though he hadn't anticipated company.
"Where have you been?" Potter asked, dismay pulling at his brows. "We've been looking for you."
Theo shrugged, gazing out over the lake, arms propped on his bent knees. The sun had grown hot and Draco had removed his jumper during the walk, so he placed it on the ground beside Theo and sat down.
"I lost track of where we were at," Theo mused, "but then I found the lake and just decided to stay here for a while."
Potter sank down on Theo's other side. "Everything alright?"
"Of course, love." Propping his chin on one arm, he took Potter's hand into his. "Everything's perfect."
Despite his words, Draco could hear the introspective, almost wistful tone in Theo's voice. Stretching his legs out before him and propping his palms back, Draco squinted into the sun. "Reckon we ought to have a chat?"
"Yeah." Theo ducked in to press a kiss on Potter's mouth. "Draco and I will meet you back at the cabin in a while if that's alright?"
Draco glanced up at Granger and she offered a soft, secretive smile. "Of course. Harry and I can make our way back from here." Her eyes brightened. "Someone needs to finish our scavenger hunt."
Warmth fluttered in Draco's chest. "I'm trusting you not to let orange team down, Granger."
She brandished the niffler, waving with its paw, and Draco grinned. Leaping to his feet, Potter clapped a hand to Theo's shoulder and the pair of them ventured back into the woods.
Draco turned towards his oldest friend. "I know you better than this, Theo. What's wrong? Don't tell me you've got cold feet over the wedding."
Theo's brows fluttered with surprise. "No, not at all. In fact, the opposite. I'm getting married in two weeks." He jabbed an elbow into Draco's ribs. "Nothing's wrong. I suppose it's just all hitting me at once."
"That's fair." They both fell silent, staring out upon the lake for a long moment. The clouds had drifted past but for a few wisps here and there, the sun glistening across the surface of the water in a bright blue sky. "For what it's worth, Potter's completely gone for you. Smitten. Twitterpated, even."
"Twitterpated," Theo echoed with a snicker. "That's an awfully big word for you."
Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm a published author, you realise. Just because I'm not a fancy lawyer doesn't mean―"
"Always thought it was funny," Theo interrupted his rant with a chuckle. "The last thing Lucius would have wanted you to do was become a novelist."
Draco cast him a sidelong glance, his lips twitching. They shared a grin.
"At any rate," Theo went on, "it's quite obvious you're the twitterpated one here. I can't believe I didn't see it before last night―the way you look at Granger."
The words caught him off guard and Draco shifted in his seat, pursing his lips. He hadn't even realised he'd been so overt. "I suppose I quite like her."
"I'm certainly no expert, of course." Theo waved an idle hand, resting his chin on his knees again. "Definitely not when it comes to women. But as far as I can tell, it's pretty fucking mutual. Harry thinks so, too, and he knows Hermione better than anyone."
Draco's heart clenched in his chest at the thought. "Maybe. I don't know, Theo. It's so new." Even newer than he was willing to admit in the moment. "I suppose we'll have to see if it goes anywhere."
"You need to stop being afraid of a good thing," Theo said, nudging Draco's shoulder with his. "Ever since things with Pansy went shite up you haven't opened yourself up to anyone. Do me a favour: if this thing with Granger is real―and it sure as hell looks it―don't be the one to ruin it, yeah?"
He released a tight breath, letting some of the tension fall from his shoulders. "Yeah. Can't imagine what she sees in me."
The more he thought about it, the more Draco couldn't quite wrap his head around any of it. The way Granger had kissed him back in the forest―and even the way she had looked at him that morning.
"I can." Theo squinted into the beaming sunlight again. "I know exactly what she sees in you. And if you'd stop putting yourself down all the time, you'd see it, too."
Draco's stomach roiled at Theo's admonition. Ever since the war, he hadn't quite been able to find his place in society, despite his best efforts. No matter what he did, he couldn't escape the stares from people who had belonged to either side of the war. "Thanks, Theo."
"And I, for one," Theo went on, "will be honoured to have you stand beside me at my wedding."
A slow grin pulled at his lips. "Thanks, mate. Merlin. You're getting married in two weeks."
Theo threw up his hands in supplication. "I know! See?"
Chuckling, Draco shook his head. "Can't believe you're marrying Harry Potter."
"Yeah." When Theo's face softened with a gentle smile, as though deep in thought, Draco glanced away towards the lake again. "Let's get back―plenty of shenanigans for the evening."
"Great," Draco grumbled, though he flashed Theo a smirk. "That's just what this weekend needs. Shenanigans."
Draco wasn't even certain how she'd done it―though he imagined she'd roped Potter into helping―but Granger had managed to complete their scavenger hunt list by the time he and Theo returned to the cabin.
It seemed as though no one else had really tried, however, and simply spent the day out in the wilderness. Pansy and Longbottom were conspicuously absent as the group gathered around the fire to prepare dinner, and despite himself, Draco snickered at the thought.
Maybe Longbottom was the type to temper Pansy's wiles and impulses.
And not least of all, take her attention off of Draco.
Whose mind had been wholly fixed on Granger, certainly since last night, but if he was honest, much longer than that.
She dropped onto the seat beside him, holding plastic cutlery and a paper plate filled with Muggle campground food. Not that Draco was overly familiar with much of that.
"Best eat," she said quietly, "in case we end up in a repeat of last night."
Draco released a breath with a slow shake of the head. "No repeats of last night. I am not keen on suffering through another hangover tomorrow." He caught her eye, dropping his voice. "Besides―I'd like to spend the evening with you, if you're amenable."
Granger's expression faltered, something soft within her stare that he wished he could bottle and keep with him forever. "I'd like that. But I thought this weekend was about spending time with Theo before his wedding."
"It is." Draco snagged a crisp from her plate, biting it in half. He ducked in, brushing a kiss against her temple. "But I want to spend time with you as well."
Briefly, a stirring of emotion fluttered across her face before she schooled it into a smile. "That sounds perfect." When Draco snatched another crisp, she swatted his hand. But she cast a furtive look around at their friends, none of whom were paying them any attention, before lowering her voice. "So when you asked me to pretend to be your date for the weekend..."
Draco swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. "Legitimate. But... I'm happy not to pretend."
"Okay." She leaned in, brushing a soft kiss across his lips, and breathed, "I am more than happy if we can do away with pretense."
Draco couldn't remember the last time he'd felt such a genuine surge of elation.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading everyone! I'm so thrilled you're all enjoying the story as I had a lot of fun writing it - I'll share a list of the prompts at the end. One chapter to go!
Reminder/plug: my Dramionott treasure hunters WIP is being posted exclusively on AO3 - details on my profile if you're interested in that!
