Chapter 4
It had been hours since the sun had gone down, but Hermione hadn't noticed. The day had been spent behind her desk, researching, drafting proposals, and submitting them to the Minister of Magic. She wasn't even aware of the time until her door opened.
"Merlin, Granger, it's half past ten," Draco said, waltzing in.
She looked up, eyes wide and red. "Are you sure?" she asked, searching for the clock that was covered with a cardigan. Rolling his eyes, he pulled the sweater down and nodded. "I was supposed to meet Ginny for dinner four hours ago."
"Why do you think I'm here," he retorted. "She told me that if you weren't home by ten, I needed to find you. This seemed like the most logical place to start."
Hermione closed her eyes and yawned. "And yet you waited half an hour to start?" she inquired as her stomach rumbled.
He set a bag down on her desk. "I had to make a stop first," he replied, unpacking two takeout containers of the greasiest fish and chips he could find. "Call it a hunch, but I assumed you hadn't eaten."
Opening her container, Hermione dug in. "You, Draco Malfoy, are a god amongst men," she said, her mouth full. Draco laughed, knowing the compliment came from her empty stomach. She swallowed quickly, nearly choking on her dinner. "Sorry, I didn't mean to act like Ron. This is the first thing I've eaten today that doesn't come in a single serve, silver packaging. I really do appreciate this."
Draco grinned as he began to eat. "I'll make you deal," he said. "If you're not home by eight, I'm coming by your office with dinner. Harry's worried about you, and I know the two of you have that strange sibling relationship. He's also a bit overbearing at times, and I'm sure you'd rather not deal with that after a long day."
It was a fair point, but she wouldn't tell him that. "This isn't some long con, I hope," she said, taking a bite of a chip. "You know, see how long it takes me to gain three hundred pounds."
"Fine, I'll bring a salad once a week," he offered. "Just say yes, Granger. This is what friends do."
"I thought Harry was your only friend. Do you bring him dinner often?" she asked.
Balling up his napkin, Draco tossed it at her. "No, but he's a normal human being who understands that he needs to leave the office at the end of the day," he replied cheekily. "Have you always worked like this?"
Closing the container, Hermione pushed away her half eaten dinner. "Yep," she replied as she picked up her quill and opened the nearest folder. "Thanks for dinner, Malfoy. I'll probably see you tomorrow night."
"Do you really want me to leave?" he wondered. "I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I was just curious. If I recall correctly, student Hermione was like this as well. Um, I used to...uh, watch you in the library from time to time. I've never in my life seen someone read so intently. Theo Nott once broke Blaise Zabini's nose by accidentally slamming a book into his face. And there you were, just sitting there reading as if nothing was happening."
A blush darkened her cheeks. "These are the things that have always been important to me," she said defensively. "Ron always thought it was crazy. Being a woman, not just in the wizarding world, but the muggle world as well, means I've had to work ten times harder than my male counterparts just to get five percent of what they have. It's frustrating, but it's been worth it most of the time. Ron never quite got that though."
"I understand," Draco replied, getting to his feet. "Um, I'm sorry I barged in the way I did. I promise to owl next time. Thanks for letting me feed you."
He had just made it to the door when she stopped him. "How about dessert?" she asked. "My treat."
Nodding, he draped her cardigan around her shoulders and shut off the lights. They left the Ministry of Magic and strolled through the empty streets of Diagon Alley. "Other than the Leaky, what's open at this hour?" he wondered. With a grin, she shrugged as she led him to the pub. Stepping into the fireplace, she pulled him in with her and called out their destination. Hermione stepped into her living room and walked away. "Are you sure you want me in your flat?"
Minutes later, she returned with brownies and a pint of ice cream. "I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't want you here," she replied, making herself comfortable. "I baked these myself. They're a mix, but I can preheat an oven like...well, like anyone else who can preheat an oven. I hadn't realized that nothing would be open, but these were going to be dinner if you hadn't brought it. Thought the least I could do was offer them up as dessert."
"This was going to be dinner?" he asked incredulously. "How do you not weigh three hundred pounds already?"
She shrugged as she started on her second brownie. "I'm a paradox," she said simply. "As a kid, I always wanted to have brownies for dinner, but my parents were dentists. I didn't have candy until I started Hogwarts. Got my first cavity that year."
Draco tsked as he picked up a spoon and picked at the chocolate chip ice cream. "I've finally bested you," he said proudly. "I've never had one."
"Not everything is a competition, Malfoy," she replied, spooning the ice cream onto her brownie. He continued to grin in a boastful way that annoyed her. Studying her dessert and his smile, she pressed her dessert to his cheek. Draco gasped before reciprocating until he tackled her to the couch. She laughed loudly as he covered her chin and mouth with ice cream. "Draco, get off!"
"Not until you apologize," he demanded playfully, pinning her wrists above her head. "There are children in third world countries who would kill for brownies."
Breathing heavily, she said she was sorry. "Now get off of me," she said. Draco relented and helped her sit up.
He watched as she caught her breath, and his actions dawned on him. His face still a mess, he stood. "I should go," he mumbled nervously. "I'll, uh, see you soon."
Hermione stared disbelievingly as he stepped into her fireplace and floo'd home. His behavior had been strange since their reunion, but tonight's topped them all. Fun, playful, laughing Draco Malfoy was a man she didn't know, and it frightened her that she might like him. It was nothing more than a platonic feeling, but it was leaps and bounds above the abject hatred she had felt for seven years. The connection she felt with him was foreign and frightening, but it was a connection she wanted to explore.
That scared her even more.
