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They were two weeks away from the Charity Match and had still not told anyone that they were a couple. Some of their friends made assumptions but never out loud, and only they knew anything for certain.
When Hermione woke up in Draco's bed, alone, she furrowed her brow. She slipped out of bed, still naked from the previous night's activities and pulled on his shirt that had been left on the floor.
She walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway, towards the staircase. She was about to go downstairs when she heard voices coming from down there.
"You know, lover…" A woman's voice said, "I like what you've done with the place."
"First of all…" Hermione heard Draco say in a stern but kind tone, "I am not your lover. Second, I haven't changed anything. Third, you need to leave. I don't even know why you're here."
The woman huffed, "Calm down, Draco. Tori is meeting me here soon. She needed to see you before we go shopping today. And I know we aren't lovers. Merlin! Besides, if the love bites on your neck and shoulders or the scratches down your back mean anything, I'd say you already have a lover." She said, humor obvious in her tone.
Hermione considered going down there but changed her mind based on her current clothing.
Draco surprised her, because he went on to say, "Actually the marks and scratches are from my girlfriend."
"Hold the Howler!" The woman exclaimed, "You actually have a girlfriend? You have a girlfriend, and you didn't tell me?"
"I've had girlfriends before, Daphne." Draco droned before adding in a much happier tone, "But this one beats them all."
Hermione heard the fireplace roar and someone step into the kitchen.
"Hey Tori." Draco said in a kind voice.
"Hi, Dear." The new arrival said, "Could we talk?"
"Sure. Can you give me just a moment?"
Hermione's eyes widened and she rushed back to the bedroom. She went to his ensuite and began brushing her teeth.
Draco entered the room wearing a pair of jogging trousers but no top of any kind. He walked over to the ensuite where he heard water running and grinned upon seeing his girlfriend in his shirt and nothing else.
"Morning, Darling." He said with a wide smile.
She rinsed her out and smiled back, "Morning, Love."
"I've got some company downstairs. They shouldn't be here too long. Would you care to join us? It's Daphne and Astoria Greengrass." He explained.
Hermione nodded, feeling nervous,
He stepped closer and pulled her into his embrace, "They've known about me loving you since day one." He said quietly. "They'd love to get to know you and they won't tell a soul about us."
She smiled, relief filling her chest as she nodded.
He grinned and kissed her lips before saying, "Though, you may want to put some more clothes on…even if I do prefer this look." He smirked.
She laughed and nodded, "I'll make you a deal. I promise that you'll see this again later, so long as you put on a tee before you go back downstairs."
He blushed and nodded, "I hadn't been expecting anyone to come over. We're lucky I was wearing trousers."
She nodded, "You mean that you're lucky you were wearing trousers." She smirked.
He chuckled and nodded as he leaned in, kissing her lips softly.
When they separated, he grabbed a tee and said, "I'll see you down there." As he pulled it over his head.
She loved the ruffled look it gave his hair and nodded, "I'll be down momentarily."
He winked and left. Draco walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, finding that Daphne and Astoria were making themselves completely at home.
Daphne was sitting on the countertop, eating grapes while she read the Daily Prophet.
Meanwhile, her younger sister was standing in front of the stovetop, wand in hand, magically cooking omelets for everyone.
"All right, you two." He said, sternly. "Listen up."
Astoria looked over at him while Daphne continued to read the Daily Prophet.
He rolled his eyes and exhaled before saying, "I'm in a relationship with Hermione Granger."
Daphne suddenly began to choke on a grape after hearing the news. Draco aimed his wand at her and magically cleared her throat.
"Are you really?" Astoria asked, completely stunned.
He nodded, "Yes, I am." He replied.
Daphne shook her head, "No way Granger is responsible for those marks on your back."
He smirked and looked at her pointedly but didn't speak.
"Bloody hell." She breathed as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
Draco glanced over as Astoria, who smiled as him as the footsteps grew closer.
Hermione came around the corner and stepped into Draco's rather large and lavish kitchen. She had changed into a pair of blue jean trousers, and one of Draco's plain black tees that was too big for her. She had pulled her hair up into a cute, messy bun but hadn't bothered with any makeup.
Upon entering the kitchen, she was immediately greeted by three pair of eyes focused directly on her. One pair of eyes, a hazel pair, was examining her with cautious skepticism. A lovely green pair was looking at her with bouncing excitement. The last pair of eyes watching her were her favorite. A cool shade of grey that looked at her with absolute adoration.
Draco smiled and walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her as he said, "Darling, I'd like to introduce you to Astoria and Daphne Greengrass." He said before turning to look at the sisters, "Tori, Daph, this is my girlfriend, Hermione Granger." He said with a thrilled grin on his face.
Astoria was quick to speak up, "Hi Hermione! It is just so lovely to meet you. I am making some omelets and hadn't realized you were here. Do you like ham and cheese omelets?"
Hermione smiled, "Absolutely! That sounds delicious! Thank you." She leaned up on her bare toes and kissed his cheek before walking over and asking what she could do to help.
Relief filled his chest as he watched Hermione and Astoria chat while cooking together.
Daphne hopped off the counter and walked over to him.
"You actually look happy, lover." She said quietly as she handed him a grape.
He looked at her pointedly and she rolled her eyes before nodding. He popped the grape into his mouth and nodded in approval of her confirmation of the new rule.
"I am. She makes me extremely happy." He said, watching the woman he loved nodding as Astoria spoke. "I'm happier than I've ever been."
Daphne smiled, hearing that contentment in his voice. She popped another grape into her mouth as they stood, waiting for breakfast.
It didn't take Hermione and Astoria long to make the food. Once it was ready, the four of them sat down at his kitchen table and chatted as they enjoyed the meal.
The sisters got to know Hermione some and by the time they all finished eating, both women were truly fond of the brunette.
After breakfast, Astoria needed to speak with Draco, so Daphne unenthusiastically agreed to clean up. Hermione helped and they finished quickly before going to sit in the lounge.
While the two of them were in the lounge, Draco and Astoria were in his home office.
Where they entered, Draco felt Astoria shove him playfully in the back. He chuckled and turned to look at her with a raised brow.
"How long have you been seeing each other?" She asked, grinning.
He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck, "Well…erm…we sort of started dating April thirtieth." He replied.
Astoria shoved his chest, "Draco!" She huffed, "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"
"I have now!"
"No! I came over and she was in your bed. That's not telling me. That's getting caught." She smirked.
He huffed, "Yeah, well…you two really ought to ask before just barging in."
"Draco, I have never had to ask before coming over before."
"I'm in a relationship now and I want her to be able to be comfortable over here." He explained.
"Okay. Good point. I'll do my best."
"What did you need to talk to me about?" he asked.
She sighed, "Okay so…Claire and I broke up."
"What?" He asked, "What happened? I'm so sorry, Tori."
The witch shook her head, "It's for the best. She's always been a bit too…materialistic for my taste." She explained. "I was wondering…a bit desperately, if you could introduce me to Cho Chang."
Raising his brow, the tall, blond wizard sat on the edge of his desk, "Really? Chang?"
"Yes. Why are you acting like that?"
"Like what?" He shrugged and crossed his arms.
"All protective." She said pointedly.
He exhaled through his nose, "Tori, she's a bit of a…"
"Of a what?" Astoria asked tilting her head.
Sighing he licked his lips and looked down, thinking of the proper term. When he couldn't come up with anything better, he simply said, "She's a bit of a bitch…no offense intended of course. She just…"
Astoria laughed, "Draco, I love you. I really do, but I get the feeling that she's not such a bitch when she's dating someone."
He sighed, "Fine. I'll help you, but I'll throttle her if she harms you or…"
"Draco, dear…thank you, but it'll be fine." Astoria said, pulling his arms apart and hugging him.
He huffed and nodded as they separated and made their way toward the door. "You know, I'm playing against her in the Charity Match."
Astoria laughed, opening the door, "Well, if you must play against her, at least you know her vulnerabilities." she said.
"Vulnerabilities?" He replied. "What vulnerabilities? When it comes to Quidditch, Chang has none." He said with a huff as they made their way into the lounge where the other two witches were chatting.
Astoria laughed, "Well, that should make the game more interesting. Who are the other players?"
Draco smirked, "I suppose you ought to just make sure to be there."
"Oh, I will be." Astoria said with a nod.
"Me too." Daphne nodded.
Astoria smiled and looked over at Hermione, "What the two of you are doing with this Charity Quidditch Match…it's remarkable. No one ever does anything for those in need in the wizarding world. In fact, Daphne and I were over, visiting our parents and we told them all about it."
Daphne nodded, "Yeah. They aren't much interested in Quidditch, but they'll be making a massive donation."
Hermione smiled, "That's very generous of them. Thank you." She said kindly.
Draco nodded, "Yeah. That is." He said, sitting on the arm of the chair Hermione was in.
"When do the tickets go on sale?" Astoria asked.
"Today." Draco responded. "People will be sending owls to the address on the posters, but the owls will actually come here. We're picking up the printed tickets and programs in a bit."
The sisters nodded as Draco reached down and rested his hand on Hermione's thigh.
"You two make a lovely couple." Astoria said with a thrilled smile.
Hermoine smiled, placing her hand on Draco's knee, "Thank you."
He nodded and smiled at the sisters.
"What are you two doing for the rest of the day?" Astoria asked.
"Well, we have some errands to run so that we can finish up the preparations for the Match." Hermione replied.
Draco nodded, "We've got to go to at least three places."
"Quick question." Daphne said, earning a warning look from Draco. "Are you two public yet?"
Hermione cleared her throat while Draco replied, "No. Not yet. We're waiting until after the Match. We don't want to take any attention away from the fundraiser." He explained calmly.
"So then, who all knows?" Astoria asked.
"Just the two of you." Draco answered.
The sisters both nodded respectively, "We won't say a word." Astoria said.
"We won't." Daphne nodded in agreement.
"Thank you both." Hermione said quietly.
After another half hour of chatting, the sisters left. Draco and Hermione got dressed before going to the Mates' Bistro in Diagon Alley to finalize the menu.
"Yes, we've got it all under control." Dean smiled, "The food options will be as follows, Honey-Mint Lamb Skewers, Shrimp Tartlets, Bruschetta, Chicken Pot Stickers, Stuffed Asiago-Basil Mushrooms, Green Olive Tapenade, and Herb-Cheese Palmiers. Then the desserts will be Chocolate-Glazed Raspberry Eclairs, Rum Raisin Crème Brulee, Tart and Tangy Lemon Tarts, Hazelnut Macarons, Burgundy Pears, and Chocolate Truffles." He read off the list in his hand.
"Bloody hell." Draco said, "That's marvelous!"
Hermione nodded, beaming, "That is a wonderful menu. What beverages will you be offering?"
"For the non-alcoholic beverages…" Seamus said, "We'll have Expresso, Langston Cream Soda, Pumpkin Juice, and Water. For the Alcoholic drinks, we'll have Firewhiskey, Gin, Rum, Nettle Win, Chardonnay, Elderflower Wine, Elf-made Wine, Champagne, and Superior Red Wine."
"Splendid!" Hermione said, "Could we have a copy of those?" She asked, nodding to the papers their hands.
Dean nodded and pulled out his wand, conjuring up a copy for her.
"Thank you." She said as she took it.
"Also, for the meal on the pitch with the players, we'll have a much more structured menu."
"We trust you." Hermione said and Draco nodded.
"So, we'll be at the Magpies Stadium at around 8 o'clock that morning." Dean said before adding, "The Match begin at 11 o'clock, correct?"
"Yes." Draco answered, "And the Portkeys will begin arriving at 9:30."
Seamus nodded, "Oh, we wanted to let you know that Dean and I have decided to not take a cut of the profits from the food at all. All profits made will go to the St. Mungo's Children's Ward for Orphaned Children."
"That is incredibly generous of you two! Thank you so much!" Hermione said smiling at them gratefully.
"Yes, truly. That's wonderful thing for the two of you to do. It will help tremendously."
When they left the Bistro, Draco looked over at Hermione and asked, "Do you think we ought to put a menu in the programs? Printed separately, but inside it."
She nodded, "That's an idea that I hadn't considered." She said thoughtfully before nodding again, "Yes. Draco, I think that's a brilliant idea. It'll make people more likely to know that there is food available."
He nodded, "Then we'll have Michael Corner print off a thousand menus."
They entered The Corner Print Shop and were greeted by the wizard himself.
They spoke with him about the menus before paying for the tickets and programs and taking them to Draco's townhouse.
Upon arriving in his lounge, they discovered hundreds of envelopes for ticket orders.
"Bloody hell." Draco breathed, grinning at the sight.
Hermione beamed, "I know what we'll be doing when we get back from the Clothing Shop."
He chuckled, nodding before saying, "We erm…we may need to recruit some helpers."
"Yeah. Why don't we ask Ginny and Blaise to come over, and maybe the Longbottoms as well?"
He nodded, "I'll buy everyone dinner."
They sent both couples letters before going back to Diagon Alley to get the Souvenir Jerseys and Jackets for the people to purchase. While there, the owner, Hannah Abbott, agreed to make the player's jerseys once they knew the teams' names and what designs they wanted.
When they arrived back at Draco's townhouse, they found Blaise and Ginny on his sofa, snogging.
"Alright! In my home, really?" Draco asked disapprovingly.
Blaise chuckled, "Sorry, mate. We haven't had much time together lately."
Draco waved it off, "I appreciate you two coming over here."
Hermione nodded, seeing that they had gotten even more ticket orders while they were gone.
When the Longbottoms arrived, along with Henry and Charlotte, they got started.
Hermione worked with Neville and Ginny on opening the letters and recording the orders before passing them on to the Blaise, Pansy, and Draco who put tickets in envelopes as well as Portkey locations and times. Meanwhile, Henry and Charlotte worked on organized the Jersey and Jacket sizes.
The 10-year-old and 5-year-old were both extremely well behaved but would occasionally walk over to investigate what the adults were up to.
"So, what are these tickets for?" Blaise asked, holding up the second kind of tickets.
"Those are for the special meal that people can join on the pitch after the Match with the players." Draco replied.
Blaise nodded, slipping two in an envelope.
"Pans…" Henry muttered a while later, "Me and Charlotte are hungry."
Pansy nodded as Draco stood up, "I'll pop out and grab us some food." He said.
"I'll come with you." Pansy said, standing up.
"Me too. I need a break." Blaise mumbled tiredly.
"Darling, what would you like?" Pansy asked Neville while Blaise asked Ginny the same question.
Draco cleared his throat, "Granger…" He internally groaned at having to use that name again. "What would you like to eat?"
She smiled at him knowingly, "I'll take a Shepard's Pie. Thanks Draco."
He nodded but looked at her for a moment with a look that only she could tell was full of love.
The three Slytherins left via floo to grab some food from The Leaky Cauldron.
Neville walked over to the two children to check on them.
"So…" Ginny said when she was alone with Hermione.
Hermione chose to ignore it and focus on the next envelope of orders.
"So!" Ginny said louder.
"So?" Hermione repeated without looking up.
"How's it been…you know…working with Malfoy?" She asked.
The older witch nodded, "It's been nice. He really cares about the orphans which is wonderful. He's put a lot of effort into the Charity event."
Ginny nodded, remaining silent for a moment before finally saying, "I heard that you went on a date with Krum a while back."
Hermione's head shot up upon hearing that, "What about it?" She asked, "Viktor asked me out. I thought it'd be nice."
"Was it?" The redhead asked pointedly.
Hermione froze, realizing that she had walked directly into that. "Not really. He's not exactly the sort of man I'm looking for." She said, hoping that was enough.
The younger witch nodded, "What sort are you looking for?"
Hermione desperately wanted to just tell her friend that she was in a relationship with Draco and in love with him, but she knew she couldn't…not just yet.
She shrugged, "Not Viktor."
"So, then you wouldn't mind if I set you up with someone…" Ginny said quietly.
"I'm a bit busy at the moment, Gin." Hermione replied.
"True, but what if he were to come to the Charity Match?"
"That would likely be the worst possible time." Hermione said, "I'm completely preoccupied with this."
Ginny nodded, watching her friend closely.
"Well…the bloke I want to set you up with will already be at the Match."
Hermione groaned, "Ginny…"
"He fancies you and trust me, he's fit." Ginny said. "You don't have to commit to anything just yet, but maybe, after the Match is over, the two of you can get together."
Hermione huffed but didn't reply. She knew that she needed to talk with Draco about telling Ginny.
When the others got back, they all took a break and gathered at the kitchen table to eat.
Draco noticed how quiet Hermione had become and it concerned him.
"So, we'll need to get the kids back home and to bed soon." Pansy said, "How much longer do you need us here?"
"You all don't need to stay any longer. We'll just have to work on it some tomorrow as well so we can catch up." Draco said with a casual shrug.
Neville nodded, "We can come back over tomorrow and help. Hermione will you be back over here tomorrow as well?"
Hermione nodded, "Most likely. We've got so much to do." She replied, hoping that she sounded nonchalant about it.
Pansy nodded, "We'll come over as well. What time?"
"I'll be coming over in the morning. I hope to get it done as soon as possible but there will be more orders coming in, I'm sure." Hermione said.
"Why don't you lot come over around 10?" He asked, looking at Pansy and Neville, who both nodded.
"We'll come over as well." Ginny said causing Blaise to quietly groan but nod.
After they all bid Draco goodbye, Hermione stopped by her flat to grab a change of clothes before locking her floo and Apparating to Draco's place.
"Are you okay?" He asked the moment he saw her.
"We need to talk." She said with sigh.
Furrowing his brow, Draco nodded, "What is it?"
"Ginny is trying to set me up with someone that's going to be at the Match. I don't know why but I get the feeling it's one of the players."
He sighed, "We might should tell our mates."
"Draco, I want to. I do, and I love Ginny, but there's no way she could keep it from Ron. And Merlin knows Ron wouldn't keep it to himself."
He nodded, "That's true." He sighed and pulled her close, "Well…who do you think it is?"
She shook her head, "Knowing Ginny like I do…it's likely Cedric Diggory. She's talked about him in the past. And he's on your team for the Match."
Draco nodded, "Okay, well, tomorrow, why don't you tell her to mind her on own bloody business?" He asked, making her laugh.
"Darling, I don't know what to do." She sighed after laughing for a moment.
"Ask her who it is and then tell her that you're not interested in him." He suggested with a shrug.
She nodded, "That's simple enough."
"What do you say to laying in bed with me?" He asked, stepping even closer to her.
She smiled and nodded, "If you think you can contain yourself."
He huffed, "There's no possible way."
She laughed, and leaned up, kissing his lips.
Holding her closely, he Apparated them upstairs to slowly lose themselves in one another after a long day.