all characters belong to JKR
Chapter 17, Dinner and a Dance:
Several weeks had past since Hermione's rescue. She had not contacted Draco in the least. He hadn't tried to contact her either. His pride wouldn't let him. The least she could have done was to stop by and see if he had healed from being hexed, but she hadn't even done that. He had started back to work, and started living his same old lonely, desperate, despicable life.
One night when he got home from work later than usual, he decided to go to his favourite restaurant. He hadn't been there since that night. He decided to walk there. Walking was nice sometimes. It helped him clear his head. The evening air was chilly. Winter would soon burden the world with its cold and snow. He pulled his collar up higher, and he picked up his pace. He finally reached the little restaurant. When he entered, the owner told him he was happy to see him. He acknowledged that Draco hadn't been there for a while. He told Draco he was also happy to see that he wasn't permanent scarred by his kidnapping ordeal, oh, and by the way, congratulations on Draco's marriage. Draco just said 'Thank you' and asked to be shown to his table.
Draco sat at his usual little table, in his usual dark and depressing corner of the restaurant, and he had a revelation. He didn't want his life to go back to the way it was. He didn't want the desolate, restless distress that he constantly felt before he found love. He wanted to be happy. He wanted Hermione back. He would have to bury his pride deep inside, be the bigger person, and make the first move. He stood to leave the restaurant, before he even ordered, but when he stood, he saw something that cut him to the bone. He saw her. He saw Hermione.
She was alone, and she appeared to be looking around at all the tables, searching for someone or something. He stood by his chair, and he let the smallest flicker of hope pop into his chest; perhaps she was searching for him. At last, they made eye contact. She didn't look away, and he couldn't look away. She started walking toward him. He suddenly felt lightheaded. Fireworks were bursting off in his heart. As she walked closer, he actually had to hold on to the back of the chair, to keep from falling over.
When she was less than an arms length from him, she said, "Hello, Draco." Hello, Draco. She said, 'Hello Draco'. She spoke to him, and said his name.
"Hello, Hermione," he whispered back. He would have spoken louder, but he had a hitch in his throat. It must have been his heart.
"Could we sit and talk a moment?" she asked.
He pulled out a chair for her, as a reply. She sat down and he sat down in the chair next to her. Her hands were on her lap. Without asking permission, he picked one up and held it in both of his. She was silent. He thought she wanted to talk. He was silent as well. He had so much he wanted to say to her, but he wanted to hear what she had to say first.
"How have you been?" she asked him.
He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe he had forgotten how to speak. He cleared his throat. Sound came out, so apparently he could still talk. He asked her, "How about you?"
"I've been good. I've been working hard. Did you see my article on the Mud Ones?" She seemed proud. He was proud of her. He shook his head yes and smiled. She continued, "I gave up my flat. I'm currently staying with my mum and dad, in case you would need to get a hold of me, or anything."
She wanted him to get a hold of her. That was a good sign.
"What are we doing, Hermione?" he asked her as he let go of her hand. Damn, that wasn't what he meant to ask. He finally found his voice, and he had to say something confrontational.
"I don't know, Malfoy," she said back.
"What did you want to discuss?" He tried to make that sentence sound less rude than he wanted it to sound.
"I just thought we needed to talk about us. I went to your flat tonight, and you weren't there, so I thought I would find you here," she started. Before she could say more, the waiter came.
"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Draco asked her.
"No, I think I'll just go." She got up to leave. He thought she wanted to talk. "You enjoy your meal. We can speak another time. I'll see you around." She bent over and kissed him on the cheek, and practically ran out of the restaurant. He knew he should follow, but he didn't. Why did women have to be so complicated? He ordered some food and stayed and finished his dinner, and then went home and went to bed.
He had a terrible night. He dreamt of her all night. He woke very early, and he decided to find her and make her talk to him. He wasn't even sure if she was still angry with him. If she was, she had no reason. In his mind, he really didn't do anything wrong.
It was Saturday, so he decided she must be at home. He apparated to her parents' house, and rang the front doorbell. A very attractive older woman came to the door. She smiled and asked, "May I help you?"
"Mrs. Granger?" Draco asked.
"Well, it's actually Dr. Granger, but, you can call me Jane, Draco," she laughed, as she opened the door wide enough for him to enter.
"How do you know my name?" he asked as he came in and took off his coat.
She took the coat from him and said, "Hermione told us all about you."
That was strange. He wondered what she told them. Did he come out looking like a bastard in her story? Apparently not, since her mum was being polite.
"Is Hermione home?" he asked her.
"No, she's not, but come in anyway; we would like to get to know you. Let me go get my husband, George." She told him to have a seat. He sat on the familiar couch, on which he had sat with Hermione. An older man came in and offered Draco his hand. Draco stood and shook hands with Hermione's father. He seemed as nice as her mother did. How did Hermione turn out to be such a bitch with such nice parents? Draco thought. He had to smile to himself at his little observation. He didn't think Hermione was always a bitch, just sometimes.
"So, what has Hermione said about me?" Draco asked, a little bit worried.
"She told us about the trouble you both had while we were away," Hermione's father said. "We read her article. Nasty business."
"Did she tell you that we got married?" Draco asked, getting to the point.
Apparently, she didn't. Both of her parents looked like someone had knocked the wind out of their sails. They looked at Draco, and then at each other, and then her mother said, "She must have left that part out, so why don't you tell us your version of the story, and we'll see what else our dear daughter forgot to tell us."
Draco started at the beginning. He told them about the restaurant and the attack by the Death Eater. He even told them about Hermione and him being cursed. He didn't tell them she killed someone. He told them about the note, and Hermione being hurt by the Mud Ones, and again, he left out the gorier details. He told them how they came here first, and then went into hiding. He told them somewhere along the way they fell in love with each other. He told them that they got married, and about his kidnapping and Hermione's rescue. When he was done, an hour had passed. Her parents looked to be in shock. They asked an occasional question, here and there, but for the most part, they just let Draco talk.
When he was finished, he told them that he still loved her, and he wasn't sure why Hermione couldn't forgive him, but he asked for their help.
"Hermione always had the need to hide parts of her life from us," Jane Granger stated. "She thinks we can't handle things. She's wrong, of course. I do think she loves you. Just from the way she would mention your name, I thought she had deep feeling toward you."
"Will you help me? Will you help me win her back?" Draco pleaded.
"What's your plan, son?" Hermione's father asked Draco.
Draco actually did have a plan, and it definitely involved her parents, but they needed to act quickly. He told them what he wanted to do, and they thought it was a splendid idea, and they said they would be happy to help. Draco told them he would return tomorrow, to put the plan in motion.
He got up to leave, and hugged them both goodbye. He was going to shake her father's hand, but the older man caught him off guard by pulling Draco into an embrace, so Draco hugged back. He stood from the couch, walked out the front door, and came face to face with Mrs. Draco Malfoy herself.
Hermione looked beyond shocked. "What were you doing in there, Malfoy?" she asked.
"Talking to Mum and Dad," he said flippantly.
"Mum and Dad?" she asked incredulously.
"That's what they told me to call them," he answered back with a smug look on his face.
"Seriously, what did you talk about with my parents?" she asked, putting one of her hands on his arm, and pulling him away from the front door, as if the front door had ears and might hear his answer.
He stood for a moment, and gave her a lopsided grin. She was smart. She would conclude what they discussed any moment now…he would give her a minute…maybe a little more…and then she would figure it out, he hoped.
"Wait a minute! Mum and Dad? Did you tell them we were married?" she gasped. See, dammit, he knew his wife was smart.
"We are; so yes I did," he told her.
She actually smacked his arm and said, "Tell me you didn't."
"Okay, I didn't," he mocked.
She sighed, a sigh of relief, and said, "Oh good, I thought you were serious for a moment."
"Oh, I am serious. I did tell them," he said again.
"But you just said you didn't! Which is it?" she almost screamed.
"You asked me, and I quote, 'tell me you didn't' so, to accommodate my lovely wife, I said what you wanted to hear, and told you that I didn't, but I did," he said to her, and then he smirked again.
She hit him again and said, "WHAT? Are you nuts?"
"I am quite sane, Granger, and please, stop hitting me. That's a crime known as spousal abuse, and the law takes that very serious these days," he told her. Then he put his arm around her and said, "Come, Granger, let us walk and talk."
She was still in a state of shock, so she followed him down her street. He still had his arm around her shoulder.
"Do you still want to be married to me?' he asked her lightly.
"Yes," she said hesitantly. He thought she was going to say no. He had the perfect comeback if her answer had been no. Now, he didn't know what to say.
She looked up at him, waiting for him to speak. Finally, he dropped his arm from her shoulder and took her hand. "Do you want to come home with me?" he inquired.
"Not particularly," she answered honestly. "Why don't we just date a while, and get to know each other, under normal circumstances, and then we can have a proper wedding in my parents' garden, like I always wanted," she told him earnestly.
"How long are we talking?" he asked her, with his head cocked to one side.
She stopped walking, which forced him to stop. She said, "I was thinking sometime in the spring."
"Bloody hell, Granger, I thought you might say a few weeks. I'm not waiting until the spring," he demanded.
"Well, it's not totally up to you, is it?" she pouted.
She had a point there. "Granger, can we apparate up to your bedroom for a moment?" he asked her.
She eyed him suspiciously, and said, "Sex won't change my mind. Anyway, I can't have sex with you while my parents are home."
"You're a pervert," he told her. "What makes you think I want to have sex with you? Can we please just go to your bedroom for a moment?" She nodded yes, and she disapparated from the spot, with him close behind.
The both appeared in her bedroom. She removed her coat. He removed his. She eyed him wearily, and said, "Don't take off anything else." He gave her a sarcastic laugh.
"Come here, Granger," he told her.
"No, just tell me why we're up here," she pleaded.
"I want to dance with you." He smiled widely.
"You're crazy. Anyway, there's no music," she said, while folding her arms across her chest. "Now tell me why are we really up here?"
"We are about to have sex," he said with a serious tone.
"You said we weren't coming up here to have sex," she said steadily.
"Yes, and we already know about my long history of lying, so I really don't know why you believe a thing I say," he said, pulling her close.
"Malfoy, my parents are downstairs!" Hermione reminded him.
"Live dangerously, Granger," he told her with a purr. He pointed his wand at her door, and did a silencing charm, and a locking charm. He threw his wand down on the floor, and started to remove his shirt. Her eyes became wide.
"Draco, you can't force me to have sex, you know." She put her hands on her hips.
"There will be no force needed," he whispered. He was bare from the waist up. She admired his finely sculptured chest and abdominal muscles. He could tell she was appreciative of his shoulders and chest. He pulled her to him and pushed her hair behind her ear. He put his hands on her shoulders, and rubbed them up and down her arms several times. She appeared cold. Perhaps she was anxious instead.
He kissed her right ear, while wrapping both arms tight around her waist. He pulled at the earlobe. He nibbled down her jaw line. He sucked on her neck. He moved his head the other direction, and repeated the action on the other side. His right hand had traveled farther up her back, and was stroking her with small circles. His left hand had traveled farther down her back, and was resting on her round bum.
He looked at her lips. He loved those lips. He kissed her, with a small but forceful kiss. He licked her bottom lip, and kissed again. Then his tongue darted back out and he licked her top lip, and then he kissed her again. He kissed her for what felt like an eternity, and he could feel her defenses weakening.
"Do you love me?" she suddenly asked. What an inane question. Did he love her?
"Don't be an idiot. Of course I love you," he said with a smile. He kissed her forehead. He returned to her mouth. He sank his tongue deep in her mouth, and he felt her tongue come alive from the touch of his. They kissed each other as if they had never kissed before. He felt so hard for her. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted her before, and that was saying a lot.
She pushed him away, suddenly, and with force. 'No, Hermione. Please don't make me stop,' he thought. Instead, she pulled her jumper over her head, and then removed her t-shirt. He came up to her and unzipped her jeans for her. He pulled her close and started kissing her again. His hand traveled down the back of her jeans, and with them being unzipped, he had room to put his hand inside the back of the jeans and cup her buttocks. He reached up the other hand and removed her bra.
She sat down on the bed and removed her jeans all the way off her legs. He removed the remainder of his clothing. He sat on the bed next to her, and pulled her to him, so she straddled his lap. He played with her breasts. He pulled on them, and pinched the nipples. She arched her back. He put his hands behind her, to steady her, so she wouldn't fall. He bent down and put one nipple in his mouth, and sucked on the tip. He licked and kissed her nipple, and then released it with a 'pop'. He turned his attention to the other breast. This one he languished with long licks from his tongue. Then he took the nipple in his mouth and gently bit the tip. She growled. She actually growled. She was rubbing up against his whole length. She still had on her knickers.
He fell back against the bed, with his feet still on the floor. She bent over him and started kissing his chest. She bit his nipple in return for him biting hers. She leaned to her side, and removed her knickers. She sat back on top of him, and from that position, her cleft was dangerously close to him. She must have realized this, because she pulled herself upright, and positioned herself at his tip, and came down hard on him. He grasped the bedspread. She was still sitting upright. Her back arched, and she steadied herself by putting her hands on his thighs.
She started moving side to side, and up and down. He usually didn't like the woman on top. He usually liked to be in complete control, but this was incredible. With her on top, he could go so much deeper than he had been able to penetrate her. Her climax was close, and so was his. He didn't think he could move to turn her over, so he decided to stay the hell where he was.
She started screaming; thank goodness, he put that silencing charm up. He started screaming as well. He had never screamed during sex. At the last moment he sat upright, and not wanting to lose their edge, he leaned back on his arms, but was still sitting. She leaned back as far as she could. She was in the middle of her climax, and he had to put his arms behind her to keep her from falling off the bed. He pulled her close; she convulsed in his arms. She had finished, but he hadn't.
He quickly turned them over and drove himself into her as deep into as he could. She put her legs around his back. He came just a second later. She unwrapped her legs, and he was still shaking. He went to roll off her and rolled off the bed.
She looked down at him and started to laugh. He was still breathing hard, coming down from his high, so he couldn't yet appreciate the humour of him falling off the bed. When his heartbeat came back to normal and his hard breathing started to subside, he reached up on the bed, grabbed her closest body part, which happened to be her leg, and pulled her down on top of him. She fell with a thud, and landed directly on his chest.
She stayed on top of him, and put her chin on his chest. She had an evil smile on her face, which prompted him to ask, "Did you mean to try to kill me?"
"Would I really inherit millions of I did?" she laughed.
"Yes," he said.
"No, I wasn't trying to kill you. Anyway, you fell off the bed, I didn't push you," she said as she sat up and started stroking his chest.
"I didn't mean the falling off the bed part. I meant the sex," he said, pushing her hand away from his chest, and forcing her on her back. He bent down and gave her another good, long kiss.
Then, suddenly, he got up, and he realized he could stay in her arms forever. The rest of his life, but he had things to do, to prepare for tomorrow. She looked confused as he started to look around for his clothes. As he started to dress, she stood up and started to dress as well.
She had already put on her jeans and bra, and was about to put her t-shirt over her head, when he pulled her over to him. "Do you have plans tomorrow?" he asked her as he stroked her face.
"No, it's Sunday. Why?" she asked.
"Just promise me you'll leave the house for a couple of hours tomorrow, say between 10 am and 2 pm," he said, and then he kissed her sweetly on the lips.
"Why do I have to leave my house?" she asked, as she put both hands on his chest.
"Because, it will just make things easier. Your parents are going to try to come up with some way to make you leave anyway, so just save us all the trouble, and make yourself scarce," he pleaded.
"I don't want any more secrets or lies," she said plaintively, removing her body from his grasp and putting on her jumper.
"It's not a secret or a lie. It's a surprise. Now, do what I say woman. You're my wife now, and you will obey me," he said, grabbing her again.
"You're such a funny little man Malfoy." She laughed at him, removing herself from his embrace again, and said, "You really think I'm going to obey you? How funny. I'll leave the house from 10 am to 2 pm tomorrow, all right? But because I want to, not because you told me to." He didn't care what she said, he was just happy she finally conceded.
He smiled and embraced her and then said, "Thanks for the sex. That should hold me over until tomorrow." She rolled her eyes, and hit his arm again. He grabbed his coat and apparated to his own flat. He had a lot to do.
(Coming up in Chapter 18: Hermione's surprise.)