Draco took a gulp from his glass. The scotch helped settle his nerves as he wondered if Hermione was spooked enough to cut the evening short. From her words she

seemed to be fine if a little disturbed but not so much that she would leave before the evening was over. The thought occurred to him that he should have locked his

mother in her suite of rooms but almost immediately he knew that wouldn't work. She would have been furious with him for even thinking about it. Maybe he was lucky

she had interrupted things so briefly. Hopefully she would remain silent for the rest of the evening.

He cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair, almost close enough to touch Hermione's hands if he reached out a little. The amber liquid in his glass glinted in

the light from the fireplace. He started when Hermione's hand touched his own, as if she was trying to reassure him.

"So where were we? I'm rather impressed that you have so many muggle drinks here. I don't know what I was expecting really but it certainly wasn't schnapps of any

kind."

Her gentle teasing brought a smile to his face.

"I just wanted to make you feel comfortable. I know you love the world of magic but the muggle world is your home too."

He absentmindedly stroked her fingers as random thoughts ran through his head. Snippets of his childhood memories tried to take over his mind but he tamped them

down. It was always the bad experiences that came to the front and he would rather not re-live them right now.

A house elf appeared in front of the fire.

"Dinner is ready to be served master. If you and the young lady would like to go to the dining room we will serve in a couple of moments."

He disappeared before Hermione had a chance to comment on his attire. To her surprise the house elf had been wearing a nice set of pants and a long sleeved t-shirt. It

was the first time she had seen one of them wearing proper clothes and not a sack or some other awful item that was never intended to clothe anyone.

She had heard that house elves were treated better now and that regulations had been set in place for their working conditions but she hadn't witnessed it as no one she

knew had any of the creatures working for them. It still seemed to be the pure bloods that used them but anyone was able to employ them now.

The memory of Dobby was still fresh in her mind, as if she had seen him only yesterday. A sad look flittered over her face briefly but not before Draco had seen it. Before

he could ask what was wrong she said," Seeing the house elf reminded me of Dobby. He would have been overjoyed to see how his fellow workers can live now. It was

all he ever wanted. To be free and happy. And to have friends."

Draco stood and gently tugged Hermione up so he could hug her close. He felt guilty even though he hadn't been the one to kill the little elf. His guilt stemmed from all of

the bad choices his family had made and all of the cruelty they had inflicted on others over the generations. He couldn't change the past. He had already accepted that

fact but it didn't stop him from feeling the way he did sometimes.

Hermione snuggled into Draco's arms, enjoying his warmth. Her head fit comfortable into the space just below his chin and she inhaled his scent. She wanted to stay

right where she was all night but a growling sound from her stomach decided otherwise. Draco chuckled and kissed her on the forehead before moving away from

Hermione.

"I think it's time for some food. I think the last time I ate today was breakfast so it's only a matter of time before my stomach joins in the chorus."

Hermione felt her cheeks grow warm but laughed of her slight embarrassment.

"It's been a long time since lunch and I skipped my usual afternoon snack. I was too busy reading and then before I knew it, it was time to leave."

She shrugged her shoulders and followed as Draco led her from the study. They entered the foyer again and headed towards a set of doors that were to the left of the

staircase, near to the corridor that Hermione had thought led to the kitchen. He placed a hand on the handle and pushed the doors in. They stood on the threshold as

Draco waited for Hermione to take in the room before her. He could tell she was impressed again by the size and decorations. He could admit that his home was rather

grand and even he stood in awe of it sometimes. It was one of the reasons he had chosen to stay and refurbish the building instead of selling it.

The dining room was enormous, like the study, perhaps even bigger as it seemed to accommodate the largest table Hermione had ever seen. It was made of a dark

wood that looked like the same the desk was made of. She guessed that it could seat at least twenty people comfortably, maybe even more. It took her a moment to

realise the table was clear of any plates or cutlery which made her wonder what they were doing there if it wasn't where they were going to eat. She looked at Draco

questioningly and he smiled and gestured to the far end of the room. She moved around the table and what she saw made her grin.

The far wall was made up of large windows, again like the study, but what made it different to the other room was an alcove interrupted the straight lines of the wall.

Hermione imagined it usually had cushioned benches inside it so you could sit and read in the sun like being in a small sun room or parlour. But for the moment it had a

small table and two chairs in it and candles situated all around. She walked over and touched the white roses that adorned the middle of the table. The crystal vase was

almost more beautiful than the flowers. Faint classical music played in the background, making Hermione think of concerts she had been to in muggle London. Draco

touched her arm and motioned to the chair he had pulled out for her. She smiled and sat down gracefully, smoothing her dress out. She continued to look around as

Draco settled himself in the chair across from her. It really was beautiful. The atmosphere was lovely. She sighed happily and leaned forward.

"This is all so lovely Draco. You've gone to so much trouble, just for me. Thankyou."

Draco poured them some water from the jug on the table.

"It's nothing you don't deserve Hermione. I wanted everything to be perfect for our first date."

He grimaced as he glanced at the ceiling.

"I know it's not ideal with my mother being here but I think her interruption earlier will be the last we hear from her, for tonight at least. Now, what would you like for dinner?

You can have anything you like."

Hermione thought about it for a moment and then said," Roast beef, gravy and vegetables."

Draco said," Hm, that sounds good. I'll have the same."

The house elf from before popped into view beside the table, making Hermione jump. He held two large plates and placed one before each of them. A savoury fragrance

wafted up to tease her nose and she inhaled deeply. It had been a while since she had eaten good roast beef. She had yet to master the simple skill of being able to

roast different meats. Oh she had tried but failed miserably. Her last attempt had filled the house with smoke. And forget Yorkshire pudding. She hadn't even thought

about trying to make it. It was one of her favourite things to eat with a roast and to her delight a nice crisp piece sat on the side of her plate.

Both Hermione and Draco looked at each other and without another word they began to eat. Small amounts of conversation drifted between them as they thoroughly

cleaned their plates. It felt natural for them to be eating together and both felt at ease with the other.

Once the last pea had been scooped up and the final streak of gravy had been taken care of, they sat back and enjoyed the feeling of having had a good meal.

"This food reminds me of being at school during the feasts."

Draco laughed.

"Yeah. I always looked forward to meal times. It was nice to be upstairs with everyone. The hum of conversation helped to alleviate the loneliness."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow, prompting him to explain.

"Well, yeah. I had Pansy and Blaise to keep me company but it wasn't the same relationship you had with Potter and the Weasel. The major reason they hung around me

was because I'm a Malfoy. To be honest I couldn't stand Blaise back then. He was just so conceited and cared about nothing more than being popular. He's a bit better

now that he had to take over the family business but he still cares a lot about being 'in' with the beautiful people."

He leant back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head.

"And Pansy. She's still a bitch really. There's no curing that trait. She just hides it better than she used to."

Hermione chuckled at his frank assessment of two people she hadn't seen for a long time. She had bumped into Pansy once at the Ministry when she had to take some

records over to the auror's office. They had paused to nod briefly but that had been it. She had casually asked the secretary she had dropped the papers off to about the

woman and had been told that Pansy was dating one of the lawyers that worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Hermione had left it at that. She was only mildly interested in the former Slytherin. She had disappeared shortly after the war ended and Hermione had always wondered

what had happened to her.

"Huh. I guess it doesn't surprise me too much that they've turned out the way they have. Blaise was always heavily influenced by his mother who thrived on being a pure

blood celebrity and Pansy was always ignored by her parents and the rest of her family so she was always a bit angry and just couldn't hold it in all the time."

Draco nodded and turned the conversation in the direction of coffee and dessert. Hermione opted for jam steamed pudding with custard and Draco chose dark chocolate

mud cake.

After they had finished eating they moved back into the study to finish drinking their coffee if front of the fire.

After a little while Draco jumped up and said,"Oh I almost forgot! I got a special little book today. It really is one of a kind."

He strode over to his desk and grabbed a small, thin item out of a drawer. He handed it to Hermione as he sat down and picked his coffee cup up. He smiled over the rim

of the cup as he watched the expressions that moved over her face. He, and everyone else, knew of Hermione's opinion of Luna's expeditions and the creatures she

supposedly found.

As she flipped through the booklet, Hermione couldn't help but cringe at some of the illustrations. They were really quite detailed and rather ridiculous, at least to her

mind. It still amazed her after all these years that Luna still believed in the crazy idea that all of these creatures existed. Hermione enjoyed having Luna as a friend and

liked to see her on occasion but sometimes it was hard for her to hold her tongue when her friend began telling everyone about the long-snouted gnarple she saw the

other day. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was misinformation. It drove her crazy that Luna believed in these fantastical creatures but she could also

appreciate the funny side to it. Sometimes anyway.

After laying aside the book and laughing over it with Draco, Hermione found herself stifling a yawn. She didn't know how late it was but after eating and drinking and

relaxing in front of the fire she was beginning to feel drowsy. She thought it would be so nice to just lay down in front fo the fire and go to sleep. It would be so nice to go to

sleep in Draco's arms and to feel his warmth surrounding her like a blanket. The thought of full body contact snapped her out of her dream like state and she could feel

her body react to her thoughts. She felt Draco's gaze on her and she looked at him. The look in his eyes made her wonder if he knew what she was thinking. A blush

began to rise up her neck, threatening to spill over her face. She stood up suddenly, breaking the connection their eyes had made.

"I should get going. It's getting late and I've got work tomorrow and..." I'm so tempted to stay the night that I might just throw myself at you without thinking and I need to

leave before that happens, she added in her head.

Draco rose from his chair slowly as if he was trying not to spook her by any sudden movements.

"It's okay Hermione. You don't have to feel weird about needing to leave. I get it. Neither of us wants to rush into anything. I'm fine with taking things slow."

Hermione realised she was clasping her hands in front of her awkwardly. She pried her fingers apart and let her arms relax by her sides. She hadn't realised she was so

nervous about the whole subject. Yes, she desired Draco and wanted to be with him completely but there was also a part of her that needed to take it slow and ease into

things. She knew they had both been out of the dating game for sometime and going too fast could damage things.

She smiled coyly at Draco and moved toward him slowly.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. I just need to get used to being with someone before I can take that step. But", she stood in front of him and placed her hands on his chest,"

that doesn't mean we can't still do this at least."

She raised herself on the balls of her feet slightly and kissed him softly on the lips. Draco stood still for a moment but as soon as Hermione's tongue touched his he snaked

his arms around her and held her close. She could feel the heat radiating off of him, even through the thick layers of his suit. As they kissed and touched one another she

could feel his erection pressing against her through his pants. She moaned and pressed against him. A throbbing started between her legs and heat began to coil in her

core. Draco placed a hand on her rear and ground against her body. She felt so soft and female. He wanted nothing more than to take that alluring dress off of her and

look at her nude body in the firelight. He was so close to laying her down in front of the flames but Hermione broke the kiss before he could act upon his desire. They

were breathing hard, just like the kiss earlier but this one had been a bit more intense. Draco knew that if they kept on acting like this they would end up in bed together in

no time and 'going slow' would be a figment of their imagination. Hermione was thinking the exact same thing.

"Wow. I'd, um, better go. Before we get too carried away."

Draco managed to nod and they stepped away from each other but still held hands as they made their way to the front door and the coat rack. He helped her into her coat

and opened the front door. The cold air hit them like a wall of ice. Hermione wished she had brought her gloves and scarf. Luckily the trip back to her home would be

quick. Magic was wonderful sometimes.

They walked slowly to the spot where they could apparate. A moment later they were outside Hermione's gate. Draco held it open for her and walked her to her door, as

any gentleman would. They tunred to each other and both seemed to hesitate. Hermione was the first to speak.

"Thank you for a wonderful night Draco. It really was a perfect first date."

She stopped before saying she hoped they would have many more dates and that she couldn't wait to see him again.

Draco kissed her hand and said,"It was my pleasure Hermione. I really enjoyed our time together. I hope you'll agree to seeing me again?"

She looked radiant as she smiled and nodded. It was exactly what she had wanted to hear.

"Good night Draco."

She leaned forward and kissed his lightly on the cheek. She lingered for a moment, loving the way his skin felt against hers. She stepped back and placed her hand on

the door knob.

"Good night Hermione."

He watched as she opened her door and locked it behind her. Satisfied that she was safe he turned and almost skipped down the pathway. He was so happy as he

apparated home. Nothing and no one, not even his mother would take this feeling away from him. He would make sure of it.

Hermione leant against the door as she breathed in deeply, trying to keep her excitement from overwhelming her. She had the most wonderful feeling of euphoria filling

her up. The date had gone so well! Her nerves had melted away as soon as she saw him holding those blue orchids out for her. She twirled across the room to her

bedroom. Her coat and handbag fell to the floor along with her hair clip and dress. The shoes came off next and for once Hermione didn't feel the urge to put everything

away neatly before she went to bed. It could wait till morning. She shook her hair out and unhooked her bra to drop it alongside the other garments. Slipping between the

flannelette sheets and sinking into her bed was such a perfect to end to the perfect evening. Well, almost perfect. She smiled to herself as she drifted off to sleep with

images of Draco floating through her mind. Her dreams would keep her warm tonight.