Chapter 20
"Somewhere. Muggle." Hermione's jaw dropped and he chuckled at her reaction. Draco Malfoy wanted to go somewhere Muggle. "It's really late."
"Muggles don't do anything at night?" He raised an eyebrow in challenge. He wanted her to show him something about Muggle life. What could she show him that he would enjoy? Maybe that he would even be impressed by?
"Of course they do, it's just…"
What was available at this hour? Restaurants? She doubted he would want to eat the food she could pay for. His family probably had a battalion of house elves dedicated just for cooking. A pub? Again. Alcohol. Drinking. Malfoy's tongue licking his lips. Malfoy's grey eyes when they discussed pure-bloods having sex with Muggle-borns. Bad idea. Dancing? Malfoy's abdominal muscles when he checked for a scar on his stomach. Malfoy's arms. Which she was looking at now.
Definitely not.
Oh!
He noticed her excitement and his expression brightened.
"Alright, Malfoy, I'll take you someplace Muggle."
She eyed him. He was still in his pajamas.
"I'll have to transfigure your clothes, stand up."
"Muggle clothes?" he asked, with a curious half smile.
Hermione stood up off the floor and twirled her wand in her fingers. This was going to be fun. Not at all how she expected their meetings to go.
She smiled in return. "Muggle clothes." She walked closer to him on the bed, sizing him up.
Malfoy pushed himself to a standing position. He absolutely towered over her when they were this close – by at least a foot. She forced herself to concentrate on his clothes – not the body inside them – waved her wand and transfigured his pajama bottoms into a stylish pair of button-fly Levi 501's. His T-shirt would have been acceptable if not for the large 'Holyhead Harpies' lettering emblazoned across the front of his chest. She changed the T-shirt logo to read 'Manchester United' and turned his loafers into sneakers.
Hermione eyed her work, looking him up and down. He was fit, it was hard not to notice. Really hard. The jeans were too baggy though, having been made from pajamas. She waved her wand and brought in the fabric to hug his frame more.
Malfoy winced and tried to reach his hand inside his pants but couldn't, and opened the top button to adjust himself. "That's too tight. These trousers are really uncomfortable."
Her cheeks reddened and she abruptly turned around. "Sorry, Malfoy. Um, take your wand and fix it yourself."
She could hear him reach over for his wand on the book shelf. She was taking a chance that he wouldn't attack or Obliviate her. At least, for tonight. Considering the prior conversation and his request, it seemed a safe bet.
"Why isn't there a zipper here?" Her blush deepened at his question, and she was glad she had her back to him so he couldn't see. "Who wants to open buttons every time they go to the loo?"
"It's called a button-fly. It's um… Really popular with the blokes now."
She couldn't believe she was having this conversation with him.
"Seems unnecessarily complicated. My cock needs more room than this, Granger."
She flushed even more. It was easier to talk about genitalia when they were trying to one-up each other on the Galleon. This was… He was right behind her. In her bedroom.
"I really don't need to know how much room your penis requires, Malfoy."
While he adjusted the fit of the jeans with his wand, she opened the drawers to her desk and took out some British pounds that were left from before she Obliviated her parents.
"We've already established Gryffindor cock is much smaller," he quipped.
"For the love of–"
He laughed at her discomfort. "You can turn around, Granger. I'm done."
She turned around, he was less awkward. Muggle clothes suited him. So did his Quidditch uniform. So did his pajamas. The jeans fit him. Fit him well. Malfoy in jeans. His T-shirt was snug across his chest.
Lean, muscular, defined.
Turn away now, Hermione.
She swiveled around to face the door and called back, "It's too cold outside for that, I'll get you one of my dad's jackets."
Feeling slightly embarrassed at having so blatantly ogled Malfoy, she quickly left her room and ran downstairs to retrieve one of her dad's coats out of the closet. She took a stylish brown leather jacket from her mum in case she got cold as well. Walking back up, she saw Malfoy at the top of the stairs already, heading down. His frame was a dark silhouette and she couldn't see his face with the hallway light shining behind him.
Hermione backed down the stairs to the front door while he descended. Her heartbeat thudded against her chest with each stair as he got closer. Malfoy didn't know where they were going, but she did. It felt like a date. She knew it was important in his role as spy that he confront his bigotry but all of a sudden she had the acute feeling that she was betraying Ron again.
A date with Draco Malfoy.
It was a betrayal. But it was too late now. They had to go.
Malfoy hit the bottom stair and she held out her father's black leather jacket to him. Wordlessly, he took it from her and tried to get his arms through the sleeves. It was too small and she enlarged it slightly. He donned the jacket and looked down at her. It was dark and he was too close. She could feel the heat emanating off of his chest. She glanced up at his lips and tried to remember what kissing Ron felt like.
She couldn't. She couldn't remember at all what kissing Ron felt like. Not while looking at Malfoy's mouth.
A slow flush creeped up from her neck. Malfoy's eyes glittered down at her. She looked at his lips again.
They had to leave now.
"Okay," Hermione held out her hand. "We'll Side-Along so we can make a midnight showing."
He glanced down at her hand and slid his fingers into hers. His palm was warm. It had just been down his trousers, less a minute ago, adjusting himself. His touch tingled and she looked up into his grey eyes shining in the dark. They were playful. Hermione tried to push away the mental image of him with his hand down his pants – down those jeans in particular – far away.
She swallowed. How did she get herself into this situation?
Crack!
They appeared in the alleyway behind the Cineplex in the neighboring town. Thankfully, no one was around. Hermione abruptly let go of his hand, put a good two feet of space between them and fought the urge to wipe her sweaty palm on her jeans.
"Trash dumpsters," Malfoy observed dryly. "Excellent choice to disprove the notion that Muggles are dirty heathens."
"Obviously, we're not here for the trash dumpsters," she said primly. "Follow me."
They walked around the building towards the front. She wondered what films were showing this late at night, and what would peak his interest. Hermione had been completely disconnected from Muggle life and culture since she Obliviated her parents at the end of sixth year. There was a long line coming out the door and she saw a few people wearing masks from the characters of Star Wars. A mock light saber fight ensued on the sidewalk while a few drunken onlookers cheered them on.
She grinned.
Perfect.
She remembered being excited for the digitally remastered trilogy to be released into theaters and had completely forgotten about it. The midnight crowd brought out the fan boys.
Hermione turned back to see Malfoy watching the light saber fight with interest. He leaned down towards her while someone in a Darth Vader mask pretended to lose his hand and fell to the ground with an agonized yell.
"I'm not even going to ask, Granger."
She couldn't keep the smile off her face and wished she had her own lightsaber to wave around.
"I promise you'll understand in two hours." She could barely contain her excitement and he watched her, amused by the tone of her voice. "Ooooh! This is going to be so much fun. Come on!"
Forgetting how awkward it was to touch him, Hermione grabbed his hand and he allowed her to pull him inside the theater and past the line of Muggles waiting for tickets. Undoing Draco Malfoy's brainwashing was a high priority and she felt no guilt at Confounding the couple standing towards the front of the line to ensure they got tickets.
"Thank you for holding our spot while we went to the loo!" she said, her gratitude sincere. "We really appreciate it."
The woman blinked at her, confused. "Right! May the force be with you!"
Hermione smiled and turned to the cashier to pay for two tickets.
Malfoy smirked down at her as they joined the line at the concession stand. "What's this Granger? Jumping ahead in lines? Confounding Muggles? I thought you were a stickler for rules."
She shot him a withering glance. "I am. Obviously circumstances require breaking them at times."
He shoved his hands in the pockets of her father's black leather jacket. Malfoy in leather. She should have picked her father's ski jacket instead.
"And you decide which circumstances require breaking them?"
Well, that was hypocritical. "Don't you?"
"Of course," he answered, nonplussed. "But I never pegged you to be the type."
"Well I guess you don't know me very well, do you?" she retorted saucily.
His eyes raked her up and down with an appreciation that had her whole body tingling and replied softly, "I guess not."
Hermione wasn't sure what to make of the expression on Malfoy's face, and was grateful it was their turn to purchase sweets. She grinned as his eyes widened with obvious delight at the display of unfamiliar Muggle candy and felt a surge of affection towards him at his boyish demeanor.
She was surprised at how much she was enjoying herself and it looked like he was too. Just as he admitted he didn't know her very well, she didn't really know him. Did she? She watched him scan the different offerings and the popcorn machine on the side.
"Would you like to sully yourself with some dirty Muggle sweets?"
He turned to her with a gleam in his eye that was far too enticing. "I would love to sully myself."
She swallowed.
Terrible. This was a terrible idea.
Hermione turned back to the candy. Remembering that he had ordered chocolate and strawberry ice cream at Fortescue's, she bought a Flake chocolate bar, a Cadbury chocolate bar with almonds, a small popcorn, a coke, a root beer and a pack of Twizzlers. She supposed the amount was excessive but Malfoy plainly had a sweet tooth.
Priorities. Undoing Malfoy's brainwashing with the help of Muggle junk food.
He helped her carry the food into the theater and followed her to their seats, climbing over the legs of a few rowdy movie-goers waving light sabers. They sank into their chairs and he turned to her. His face was only a few inches away and she felt a blush creep into her neck for what must be the fifth time tonight. Hermione hadn't thought ahead to this part; how close they would be sitting next to each other. His features really were attractive, and the sparse lighting in the theater created shadows across his face. Just like when he was learning to cast the Patronus charm.
"So I imagine we are watching a play of sorts? I don't see the stage."
"It's called a movie. Or a film. Similar to a play in that a story is acted out in front of you. But the people will be on that large rectangle in front of us. The screen. It's kind of like how photographs move? Here." She gave him the popcorn.
He looked confused. "Wouldn't it be better to have the people here in front of us instead of on that… screen?" He munched on the popcorn, giving an appreciative nod at the salty buttery flavor.
Muggle popcorn was just as tasty as wizard popcorn. But there was no chance of getting caught off guard by an errant exploding kernel while eating.
Hermione shook her head. Obviously wizard photos wouldn't be that impressive to him. "Not necessarily. Just like in the wizarding world, there are different mediums to tell a story. Sometimes through books, sometimes through plays, sometimes through operas, or graphic novels, maybe a poem or a song can tell a story. Each medium has its own advantages and disadvantages and will change your experience of the same story."
Malfoy watched her, keenly interested as he waited for her to continue. She followed the line of his jaw until it disappeared under his hair, which was a bit longer than how he wore it in the summer when she first captured him. His fringe had grown just down past his ears. It flopped around on occasion, uncontrollable. She liked it floppy. Much better from when it was short.
Too close. He was simply too close. And she shouldn't have an opinion on his hair.
She cleared her throat and continued, "A movie is simply a different medium of telling a story. They don't exist in the wizarding world, which is why I thought this was a good choice for tonight."
He licked the salt and butter off of his fingers with relish. Her eyes travelled down to the tip of his thumb in his mouth and then she forced herself to turn back towards the screen, feeling a slow heat spread between her legs. Looking at his mouth was bad. So was looking into his eyes. They were always intense, no matter what emotion he was experiencing.
Hermione could see he was still watching her thoughtfully out of the corner of her eye and digging into the bag of popcorn. She hoped the movie would start soon. She felt a nervous thrill sitting next to him like this and took a sip of her root beer which did absolutely nothing to calm her nerves. She heard him munching on the popcorn and kept her eyes straight ahead, trying not to notice his jean clad thigh brushing against hers occasionally. She crossed her legs, making the space she took up small enough that she wouldn't have to worry about chance touches with his leg.
"What are those?" He pointed to the Twizzlers on her lap and placed the bag of popcorn between his legs.
"Oh, they're-" Hermione's explanation was cut off by his fingers grazing the crease between her thighs as he removed them from her lap. She exhaled, taking a moment to compose herself from the shock of his hand having been right there between her legs. She was very warm now. Hot. Boiling. "Just another form of sugar. Strawberry flavoring. I got some chocolate bars and candy with strawberry flavoring because of the ice cream flavors you chose at Fortescue's. They're a bit-"
She watched Malfoy suck one into his mouth, bite into it gingerly and then pull on it with his teeth.
"Chewy."
She turned forward again. Watching Malfoy eat candy was a bad idea. Watching him do anything was a bad idea. She took another sip of her root beer and he drank from his coke. Suddenly the lights dimmed and the trailers started.
Finally.
He jumped at the sudden loud noise and some of the popcorn was propelled out of the bag and all over him.
Hermione laughed and he glared at her, playfully throwing a handful of popcorn at her face. She was having a good time, and he was too. She supposed that insofar that she was breaking down his bigotry and inspiring more loyalty to the Order, becoming friends was a positive development.
However, the sexual tension building between them was not. Aside from wanting to develop her relationship with Ron, being more than friends with Malfoy would seriously complicate her role as handler. She wasn't sure what to do about it, and hadn't discussed that possibility with Tonks back when Tonks was advising her. At the time, she hadn't even considered a developing sexual tension with Malfoy. It was too absurd.
Mata Hari, indeed.
"These are previews for movies that will be shown in the theater in a few months," she explained. He leaned in closer so that he could hear her over the noise. His hot breath fanned against her jaw and cheek and her stomach twisted into a pleasant, aching knot. "After the previews, our movie will start."
Hermione chanced a glance at Malfoy and he watched wide-eyed as the images played across the screen. After a few moments, the familiar theme music of Star Wars began and the audience cheered, waving glowing lightsabers in the dark. He held out the popcorn to her and she took it, exchanging it for the Flake and Cadbury bars so he wouldn't try taking them from her lap.
She didn't want his hands anywhere near her.
Especially there.
Malfoy was silent for the entire movie, completely entranced with the images, the music and the plot. Some stories simply had universal appeal. Hermione wondered what he was thinking. When she had first entered the wizarding world, there was an initial sense of awe and wonder. Magic was real. Fairy tales were real. Fantasy was real. Anything Hermione could have imagined was suddenly something that she could see, hear and touch.
The Muggle world seemed pretty mundane in comparison. So how to impress a wizard, where apparition and unicorns were a normal, everyday circumstance of life?
Science fiction of course.
The wizarding world didn't have spaceships. Satellites. Rockets. Aliens. Hyperdrive. The worlds had diverged before the onset of authors like Jules Verne, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells and Isaac Asimov. Science fiction simply didn't exist. Hermione peeked over at Malfoy, and smiled, feeling extremely satisfied with herself. He had the same sense of awe and wonder on his face that she had when she first set foot in Diagon Alley.
The movie wasn't real, but it was different. He had never seen anything like this before, and he was amazed.
There were a few awkward moments when his arm touched hers or his leg brushed against hers and she had to remember to keep her arms and legs crossed, tight to her body. Her inner thighs burned at the memory of where his fingers had grazed her, taking the Twizzlers. Occasionally he would offer her the candy but she refused, not wanting to chance touching his fingers, or have his fingers touch her.
No touching Draco Malfoy.
Other than that, watching the movie together was refreshing. Forgetting herself and her role in the Second Wizarding War, forgetting that her parents were in Australia and had no idea who she was, forgetting that Harry's time may be running out, forgetting the awkwardness with Ron and the growing rift between the trio, forgetting her responsibilities.
For a brief two hours, she was taken away to a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, where good always triumphed over evil.
Hermione wondered if Malfoy felt the same.
He probably did.
The movie ended to more cheering and enthusiastic waving of light sabers and she stood, turning to leave. He glanced up at her, but didn't stand.
"Can we wait until the music ends?"
Her lips parted. She'd heard John Williams' famous musical score more times than she could count. This would be his first. She sat back down.
"Of course."
They sat together as the movie goers slowly filed out. There were a few who, like them, stayed to the end of the credits, listening to the music. She wondered which of her CDs he had listened to back in her room, which music he had enjoyed. She sat with her arms and legs crossed, hugging her body and acutely aware of his presence next to her. Finally, the last of the credits rolled away and he turned to her.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"You're as subtle as a Bludger to the head, Granger."
She furrowed her brow in confusion as they stood up. "What do you mean?"
She was not looking at his jean clad arse as she followed him through their row and out the door. He turned to her in the lobby and raised an eyebrow.
"The Empire? Darth Vader? They don't remind you of anyone we know?"
She stared at him, still incredibly confused.
He rolled his eyes as if she should have known the answer already. "The Dark Lord? His Death Eaters?"
Hermione's mouth opened in shock. She hadn't even considered that, but of course he'd make a comparison to the war they were fighting. It seemed bloody obvious now that he pointed it out.
"Oh," was all she managed to say.
"So Saint Potter is supposed to be Luke Skywalker?" he continued with a hint of derision in his voice. "The Order is the Rebellion?"
She was gob-smacked that he so readily identified Voldemort and his followers as the evil empire that had to be overthrown. Hermione knew he felt threatened and wanted to get out, but if this was truly his attitude it marked a decisive shift in how he perceived the conflict.
"Who are you?" he asked teasingly, reaching out to extract a few pieces of popcorn that were still stuck in her hair. "Princess Leia?"
Malfoy pulled playfully on a curl and let it bounce back. She almost stumbled over as he touched her hair like that, so… affectionately?
Was he… Did he…She thought all his sexual innuendo was to make her uncomfortable. And it worked. But did he fancy her? He couldn't fancy her.
Could he?
No. That was ridiculous.
Draco Malfoy couldn't fancy Hermione Granger.
Aside from that, she was quite flattered that he would compare her to Carrie Fisher's iconic character. But truly, if comparisons were being made, Princess Leia would be a mixture of Remus and Tonks. Hermione would be… She didn't know who she would be.
She studied him. Was he being sarcastic? Maybe he was being sarcastic.
"I hadn't thought of it that way."
He looked at her in disbelief and crossed his arms in front of his chest. She tried to keep her eyes on his face. Not on the contours of his body through his shirt and jacket. Somehow, looking into his eyes was worse. "Really, Granger. You had no point to make tonight?"
"I had no idea this would be playing or that we would be going," she said, reminding him that it was his idea to go out and a spur of the moment decision. "It's a popular movie and I thought you'd enjoy it. Also because you seemed so interested in Muggle space exploration."
He scoffed.
"And besides," she sniffed. "You-Know-Who wouldn't be Darth Vader."
"No?" Malfoy sounded genuinely curious.
"No. Darth Vader's character is more complicated than that. You-Know-Who would be Emperor Palpatine."
"Who's Emperor Palpatine?"
Hermione turned to him with a sly smile. Her choice of film was turning out to be successful in more ways than one.
"His character is introduced in the next movie."
Chapter end notes:
This actually works (semi-works) timeline wise. The digitally remastered Star Wars films were released in early 1997 in the states. (I know, because I went to quite a few midnight showings back then!) I figure there's a few months' delay between when movies come out in the states and when they are released in other countries. And then you have artsy type theaters that carry movies past the time they first come out, with reduced price tickets. Or theaters that specifically do long runs of midnight showings of certain cult classics, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Long story short (too late!), it's entirely plausible that they could have seen a midnight showing of Star Wars.
