"You look tense."
"What?"
"I said," Harry repeated. "You look tense."
Hermione frowned. She took a deep breath and realized just how limited her movements really were and regrettably had to agree with her friend.
"It's Quintin's fault." She grumbled. "The man riled me up this afternoon and I just...argh! Why did Kingsley make him Auror Head again?"
"Aside from my refusal?" Harry shrugged. "He was qualified. Is qualified. He was a better fit than me anyway since he'd already been an Auror when the war broke out. For me to take it would've been-"
"Pure favoritism and you didn't want to get the job that way." Hermione smiled. "I know. Ron and I were there when you turned it down."
Harry grinned sheepishly as he took a sip of his Butterbeer. "So, what did he do exactly other than being, well, him?"
"He seemed to be having quite the hard time being a professional." She scowled, then paused before speaking as she knew very well Harry wasn't yet privy to this information. "Malfoy had filled out an Auror application. It was just sitting, gathering dust on Quintin's desk while all the other applications had already been looked at."
Harry sat frozen.
Hermione had the decency to stare into her own glass just to avoid her best friend's gaze.
"Malfoy wants to be an Auror?"
She looked up. "He does."
"Wow, that's...wow."
Quiet fell. They both continued drinking without speaking for a while and Hermione wasn't sure if she wanted to know what inner thoughts were behind the furrowing of Harry's brow, the finger tap on his chin, or the biting of his inner jaw.
"You don't think he was right, do you?" Hermione suddenly asked. "To not look at Malfoy's application?"
Harry sighed. "I want to say yes, but the professional in me won't do it. All personal feelings aside, by law he's not a criminal, and so he has every right to apply for any Ministry position he wants."
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh Harry, I'm so glad to hear you say that-"
"How were his NEWTs?"
"Impeccable,"
"His written exam?"
"Flawless,"
"Which Division does he want?"
Hermione fidgeted in her seat. "Dark Arts,"
"What?"
"He'd be useful there, and you know it." She argued politely. "No one knows as much as he does in that area and, like he told me, he could put it to good use. And you can't forget that once he passes the training then-"
"The Department can't stop him," Harry ended. "Yes. I guess the only thing that can really put on a damper on things is if his Auror trainer is a complete madman."
Hermione's heart sank. "Oh no… Please, please tell me that Quintin isn't the trainer this time. Please, Harry."
Harry laughed a little. "It's not."
"Thank Merlin,"
"It's me."
"You?" Hermione couldn't fight her enthusiasm. "They handed the training off to you?"
"My name came up in the rotation." Harry replied humbly. "So, there it is."
"That's fantastic! I'm so happy for you! You'll make an excellent trainer. Everyone benefited from Dumbledore's Army, so I'm sure-"
"I won't take it easy on Malfoy just because you guys are seeing each other."
Hermione's face fell. "I… I wasn't going to ask you to. It wouldn't be fair to the other trainees."
"Good," Harry said, a bit of guilt easing in at having to say that. "But I won't go crazy on him just because of who he is either. It'd make me no better than Quintin if I did."
"That and I'd never forgive you." Hermione added.
"Very true," he nodded. "It'll be fine, Hermione. As much as it pains me to say, we both know he's talented. He'll make it through. The only person you should be worried about right now is me."
"You? But why-?"
"This has nothing to do with Malfoy or the training or anything, but…" Harry nervously twiddled his thumbs. "There's something that I want to do and I'm absolutely terrified about doing it."
Hermione stared at him in concern. "What is it?"
Harry didn't answer right away. Instead he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it, showing off a ring inside.
"Do you think she'll say yes?"
Hermione squealed with delight. "Why Harry Potter!" She got up from her seat and hugged him tightly. "Don't you dare worry. Ginny will say yes, Harry. I promise you she will."
Draco had never rode in a taxi before, so what could he say of his first experience?
He hated the damn thing.
It was small and it made him claustrophobic. It had a funny odor that wasn't masked in the slightest by this Christmas tree-like thing Hermione told him was an air freshener. There was this glass that separated them from the driver which made him feel even more trapped. And to think, turns of that circle and whatever the man upfront was pushing with his feet was what kept them all between life and death.
He nearly kissed the ground when they got out. "Please tell me that we can apparate to go back home?"
They were going back to Hermione's apartment after having dinner with her parents. The fact that Draco had called it "home" sent such a delight through her that was even better than when he showered her with affection.
"Yes, we're apparating to get back. And I should have you know that statistics show more accidents happen with magical modes of transportation than muggle ones."
Draco snorted. "Where did you hear that tripe?"
"Muggle Studies Department at the Ministry."
"Ah yes, of course."
Draco observed her bright smile as she linked her arm with his. If she was nervous about this dinner, then he wouldn't have known it. As for him, on the other hand, his stomach was in awful knots. He knew that her parents were willing to give him a try, but he couldn't help but think that this would be a disaster. What if he said something wrong? What if he did something wrong? What if they ended up telling him, "Well, we're glad to see that you're a changed man, but still, it would be better if you never saw our daughter again." What would he do then?
And then there was the fact that her parents were muggles. Not that he had a problem with them -anymore. Perhaps he would be a little less nerve-wrecked if they were magical. Certainly, if they were pureblooded. Even if he had never formally met a woman's parents before, at least he would know how to act around them (the pureblood-bred brat that he was). He'd know the proper topics to broach, how to formally address her parents, trinkets to bring to appease them, and to simply be an all-around gentleman. He had none of that going for him here except knowing how to be polite. And despite Hermione telling him that he didn't have to bring anything to give to her parents, he felt horribly awkward walking up the garden path empty-handed.
"Relax," Hermione gently urged as she knocked. Draco took a deep breath and held it for much longer than necessary. He only let it out when the front door began to open.
"Hermione!" Her mother greeted. She pulled the younger version of herself into her arms and Draco immediately felt naked without her. "You're right on time. I was just about to start mincing vegetables."
"Mum," Hermione groaned. "You know I hate doing that."
"Which is why it's precisely the right punishment for keeping this dashing young man a secret all this time." Mrs. Granger said as she turned her eyes onto Draco. Luckily his widened eyes at her statement had returned to normal before she got a good look at him. "Sweetheart, won't you introduce us?"
"Uh, right, yes, well... Draco, this is my mother Jean Granger. Mum, this is…" Hermione stalled. It was short. A quick little thing that anyone would've missed had not Draco been so observant. But he caught it, and held onto it, but let it all go when she continued to say, "My boyfriend, Draco Malfoy."
Boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
Boy-friend.
She had never called him that before. Not once. Not in their entire six months of their dating, their relationship, their...whatever. His heart pounded in his chest at that, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He had robotically held out his hand to her and smiled as charmingly as he could, feeling his insides squirm. Interestingly, not at the term Hermione had just used. Rather, it was the fact that he was shaking a woman's hand. Malfoys, purebloods period, never did this. It was always a brief, chaste kiss on the back of her hand. He had resisted strongly the urge to do just that or else he was sure he'd make the woman fluster at his formality and think him odd.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Granger."
"Likewise, Draco." She smiled broadly. "And please, call me Jean. Well, let's get inside!"
Mrs. Granger ushered the pair into the house where the smell of food instantly hit Draco's nose. He found it impressive, honestly, that human hands could make something just as good as an elf. He'd been at the mercy of Hermione's food for breakfast every day since they returned from Chamonix and he'd yet to be disappointed.
"Dad, what on earth are you doing?!" Hermione admonished. Her father was sitting in an armchair and reading a muggle newspaper. Draco could only assume that what she was objecting to was the pipe that he had between his lips.
Well, not anymore. He had promptly yanked it from his mouth and outed it.
"Jean! You couldn't have warned me?"
Mrs. Granger rolled her eyes. It was so reminiscent of Draco's brunette that he tried to hold back his laugh.
"I thought you heard the doorbell and would know to put it out."
"Mum!" Hermione rounded on her. "You let him smoke that thing? Knowing precisely what it would do to his teeth?"
Huh. Teeth. Draco did remember her saying something about her parents' career having to do with teeth. It made him shiver. Going into people's mouths. Their mouths. He hoped they got paid well for it.
"He's going to do it anyway." Mrs. Granger shrugged in her daughter's direction. Hermione groaned and slapped the palm of her hand on her forehead.
Holding in that laugh was an utter impossibility now. He stopped when he felt her hand slap his.
"Come now, darling." Mr. Granger grinned as he stood. "Don't be rude to him. It's nice to meet you, son. I'm David."
"Draco. It's a pleasure." He said as he shook his hand. Now this, although not exactly how males of the social elite greeted one another, he could deal with comfortably.
"Come Hermione, dear." Mrs. Granger addressed as she took her by the hand. "Let's get started on those vegetables."
"But-?"
"The sooner we work on them, the sooner they'll be done."
Hermione locked eyes with Draco before her mother calmly pulled her out of the living room and through a door that must have led to the kitchen. With the way that she was looking at him, he knew that she didn't want to leave just because she had an odd opposition to chopping legumes. He knew it was because he'd be left alone.
Draco took a deep breath, doing his best to keep up a calm facade all the while his insides were crumbling.
"They shouldn't be long." Mr. Granger reassured. "Sit?"
Draco nodded and sat down in an identical chair to Hermione's father. Sitting should have calmed his nerves. On the contrary he became even more on edge.
"So, do you love my daughter?"
"What?" Draco asked with wide eyes. Was he serious? Did he really want an answer? What answer would he give?
Mr. Granger laughed. He laughed deeply, even going so far as to slap his knee and wipe a tear from his eye. "It's alright, you don't have to answer that. You looked a little tense and I couldn't resisting poking at you. Forgive me."
"Oh," Draco swallowed. "No, no, it's fine. Both you and your daughter seem to have a knack for giving me heart attacks."
Mr. Granger grinned. "Yes, that's my little girl. On a serious note though, I really do hope that you care for her. In the past she used to mention you and...it wasn't very good what she would say."
"I'm aware." Draco frowned. "But I promise that I'm nothing like I used to be. Gr- Hermione, wouldn't be with me otherwise."
"My and my wife's thoughts exactly." Mr. Granger nodded. "Make sure you stay good to her."
"I will. You have my word on that."
Dinner went well.
Hermione's parents were much more tolerant of him than Draco expected which allowed him to become at ease. Mr. Granger, so it seemed, had a voracious appetite for the magical world much like Weasley's father had of everything muggle. Much to the annoyance of Hermione and her mother, Draco had captured Mr. Granger's rapt attention on the topic of Quidditch. In turn, the blond became equally interested in how Quidditch was similar to a variety of muggle sports.
"Wait, wait, so you have to run towards the hoop?" Draco was asking him. "While drobbling?"
"Dribbling," Mr. Granger corrected. "Yes."
"I don't understand how you find that easier than flying with a ball in your hand."
"On a broom you have to balance, don't you? A hand on the handle, the other holding a ball, and you're dodging all sorts of things."
"If you have to dodge then you've got a lousy set of Beaters on your team." Draco pointed out. "While in that basket...whatever you could trip over your feet or someone else in a millisecond."
"Huh," Mr. Granger smiled. "Well, if basketball bothers you, let me tell you about American Football…"
Hermione, to say the least, was pleased. She and her mother left the men to continue their talk of sports while they went into the kitchen to clean up.
"They tackle each other?!" She heard Draco say and outright laughed at the sink. Mrs. Granger also shook her head at the comment.
"Men and sports," Mrs. Granger sighed happily. "A bridge across cultures, magical and muggle alike."
"You said it." Hermione agreed.
"He really is a lovely young man, Hermione."
"I know."
"Do you…? Do you see it going somewhere?"
Hermione momentarily stopped her movements. "Going somewhere?"
"I know you, sweetheart." Mrs. Granger said gently. "Your mind is always months ahead. More than that even. You've never thought about the future?"
"Mum, it's only been six months." Hermione said hesitantly. "But...to be honest? Yes, I suppose I have. And yet at the same time, Mal- Draco, is the first thing I've ever had to make me live in the moment. To not worry and to shrug off consequences and...I really like that."
Mrs. Granger put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I'm glad, Hermione. I'm really glad."
Author's note: So, I've had this chapter written for weeks and I was so happy to finally post it. My favorite line: They tackle each other?! I know I'm the one who wrote it, but I swear I nearly rolled over in hysterics as I did haha. Hope you found it as amusing as I did. Quick thanks to trinka belle for pointing out that yes, Draco was raised as a pureblood traditionalist. Of course, he's not off torturing muggleborns or anything, but it's kind of hard shaking off etiquette. That's why I added in a few moments of his discomfort. I could've added more, but also didn't want that to be the primary feel of the chapter. I loved adding in those tidbits though! :)
Also, Hermione called Draco her boyfriend... Labels! Labels! Not conventional, but more chapters to follow of course.
AND! One annoying thing: I got all of your reviews for chapter 18, BUT they're not showing up here :(. Thanks to facebook rec groups, I found out there was problem with the site. Luckily I get them emailed to me! So, if you don't mind, I'll reply to them here. Feel free to find your penname below for my response :). If I missed you by accident, sorry! I had to sort through my email to get to these lol. And still review, will you? I think the site is fine now, and at the very least I'll still be able to read them. Thanks!
pgoodrichboggs: Oh, wouldn't it be great if Harry was Auror Head? Auror Warren just made me utterly furious. He should be ashamed of himself, honestly. But GO, HERMIONE, GO!
Beetle126: Thanks! I'm glad that you like the way I portray Hermione. I really do work hard on my characterizations, so that means a lot :)
VitaAiur: Hahahaha! Yes! I agree! I think we all need to just get on the sidelines and cheer Hermione on. Sending the love right back at ya!
Grovek26: *Shakes pom-poms* Go, Hermione! Glad that you liked the chapter :D
Dolphin02: Haha, I'd love to hang Warren by his ankles myself... He's just a downright terrible person.
LeahLupin: Thank you! I'm really glad that you like it! Hope that you continue reading :D
hoshiakari7: Cheers! Cheers! Hermione definitely gets my support with this one!
SereniteRose: I wouldn't put it past Warren to be like that in the slightest! I feel like Hermione's the kind of person to fight for anyone in the wrong (S.P.E.W. case and point). The fact that it was Draco being shunned? Well, hell hath no fury... as the saying goes ;)
tmtcltb: Hermione cares for Draco. Definitley. For him to be so unfairly mistreated was more than enough to ruffle her feathers. That Warren should be ashamed, truly. And as for Draco, well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him. I'll just leave that there and zip my lip...
Giminia Wow: Hahaha! Yes! I love when readers start yelling at their screens. That means I'm doing something right! :D. And nope, not weird to want to harm a fictional character. One word: Umbridge.
Sachiko Heiwajima: Nope, not right at all! Good thing Hermione managed to spot that file, honestly. And then she emotionally and verbally hexed the crap out of Warren. Such pleasure :)
jperks: I love a good feisty Hermione myself :). Another chapter soon as always!
Myrddin Emrys The Third: Yey! Glad you thought so!
LightofEvolution: Oh yeah, that line lol. Warren crossed the threshold with that one, but Hermione definitely let him know that that was not okay and took him down a peg or two. Yes! And you're right. Now we've got to figure out if Draco actually gets into the program! Just because Hermione snapped at Warren doesn't necessarily means that the war is won!
trinka belle: Nope, nope, never make Hermione mad. Obviously Warren doesn't know any better! If Draco could've been there to see that, he probably would've exploded on the spot in disbelief. To have someone fight THAT strongly for him? Crazy.