Chapter 8

"What does he want?" Ginny asked.

Wide brown eyes stared back at her. "I think he wants to date," Hermione replied, skeptical that Draco Malfoy would want her. "That's crazy though, isn't it? I'll admit that I enjoy our time together, but dating?"

"Plus, Draco shouldn't be your rebound," the redhead added, sipping her margarita. "I'm sure he's good for a shag, but I see him as relationship material. Well, for you, at least. Anyhow, I think you should go for it."

Hermione had never been so happy to hear the voices of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter. Leaving as quickly as she could, she greeted the pair in the entryway. "Kill me," she muttered in Harry's ear as they hugged.

Understanding her desperate plea for help, Harry announced that he and Ginny had dinner plans they needed to make soon. Draco chuckled at her audible sigh of relief. Any humor he saw in the situation disappeared with a singular glare from the frazzled witch. "Come on, Granger," he said. "I'll buy you dinner."

"I can see the headline now - Golden Girl and Unwashed Slytherin Prince Dine Out," she replied.

Just back from their weekly Quidditch game, Draco admitted he could use a shower. He was about to make his way upstairs when Harry grabbed him by the back of the sweater. "Use your own shower," he said exasperatedly.

Though he rolled his eyes, Draco grinned. "Some friend you are," he joked before turning to Hermione. "Come back with me? We'll leave from my flat."

Nodding, Hermione said goodbye to her friends and stepped into the floo with Draco. "This had better not be some pathetic attempt to seduce me. I will hex off the body part you love the most," she warned. Gasping, he touched his silky blond hair. "Yes, the hair. I'll hex it right off. Imagine how you'd look bald."

"You're a cruel, cruel witch, Hermione," he replied. Turning on his heel, he entered the bathroom and shut the door. When the water ran and the shower curtain rings slid across the rod, Hermione let herself into the bathroom and sat on the vanity. "Are you attempting to seduce me?" he asked when she came in.

"Hardly," she said with a laugh. They fell silent as Draco bathed and Hermione thought. For days, both pretended that his desire to further their relationship wasn't real. The ball was in her court, and he wouldn't push her. "So, what do you do here? You live alone, and Harry said he rarely comes over here. Is there a secret dungeon you don't want him to discover?"

Draco chuckled, but assured her there was nothing nefarious. "I like my space," he told her. "I'm used to space. My parents were never affectionate or involved, so I'm used to being alone." The water turned off and Draco reached for his towel before pushing back the shower curtain. What he saw when he stepped out of the shower were the red, embarrassed cheeks of Hermione Granger.

"I'll leave you alone," she mumbled as she hightailed it out of the bathroom.

Minutes later, dry and dressed, he found her in the living room. "Was it my dashingly intimidating physique?" he inquired. Looking away, she shook her head. "Was it...was it the scars?"

Turning to face him, her eyes widened. "No, Draco. God, no," she told him. "They're nothing to be embarrassed of."

Standing before him, her hand covered one of the long scars hidden by his button down shirt. "Then what?" he wondered. "Because when I said I like being alone, that didn't include you. I like having you around. I like spending time with you. I'm not interested in losing you."

"You won't," she promised, her voice soft and honest. "I don't want to lose you either, Draco."

Looking down, he watched her fiddle with his shirt's buttons. She flicked one open and gingerly traced the pale, thick scar on his sternum. "Um, so dinner?" he asked, clearing his throat.

As if being snapped out of a daze, Hermione blinked and pulled away. "Right, dinner, yeah," she agreed. "Did you have something in mind? Perhaps something in this country?"

Draco laughed as he fixed his shirt. Holding out his hand, he pulled her into the floo and called for the Leaky Cauldron. "Hope this suffices," he said, leading her to a table for two. Initially, he had planned to spend the night at home with takeaway for two, but he feared their encounter had made things awkward between them. They studied the menu in silence, though both had been there often enough to have it memorized. It was a distraction that wouldn't last long though, and the silence continued.

"Listen, um, I'm sorry for what happened," she said, staring into her water glass. "I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable."

"You didn't," he assured her as she held his hand. "Honestly, I was worried that I'd done something wrong. I didn't want you to think I was trying to take advantage of the situation."

Hermione grinned. "Were you?" she wondered. "I know we haven't talked about our feelings since Paris, but maybe we should."

A contemplative look crossed his face, considering what she meant. It was he who wanted more from their friendship, but he feared that Ron would always be in their way. "What feelings are those?" he asked.

Her cheeks reddened, but she refused to look away from him. "I like you," she admitted. "You've been such a good friend to me, and you make me happy. I know you said you want more, and I do too."

Slowly, he exhaled. "I don't want you to feel pressured," he began. "Being friends - I'm okay with that if you aren't ready for more. I'm not going anywhere, Hermione, not until you tell me to. We've overcome a lot, and being friends is enough if that's what you want."

"It's not," she insisted, tightening her hold on his hand. "I don't know how to explain it. Being your friend is great, but I want to know what it would be like to be...more. Please believe me that this is what I want. Unless...unless, have you changed your mind?"

Their dinners arrived, but food was the last thing on their minds. "I haven't," he swore, reaching for her other hand. "I want this. I want you."

"Okay, so then, we're going to do this," she said confidently. "We're dating now."

Draco smiled, letting go of one hand so they could eat. "Scared?" he wondered.

Hermione scoffed. "Of you? Hardly," she replied, stealing a chip from his plate. The look he flashed let her know he was serious. "Draco, you're not Ron. Yes, we started out as friends before dating. The difference is he and I didn't have much in common when we no longer had to help Harry. We didn't know how to be friends without that. You and I have proven that we can be friends. That's why I'm not scared."

"We're keeping this to ourselves for now, though, right?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she agreed. "Ginny gets a little too smug when she's right."