Christmas at Hogwarts, Draco thought he would never see another one in his lifetime. He sipped on his hot chocolate and looked out the window that looked down to the courtyard from his classroom. A woman dressed in robes with curly brown hair caught his attention as she always did.
Hermione was speaking to a student and he smirked at how animated she was. He was finally seeing her for a person and for the past months he kept his distance other than their weekly dinner to make sure he was settling in fine. She waved the student goodbye as they left she went to walk back into the school. His stomach tied in knots at the thought of a dinner with her tonight.
Hermione sat at the table in Draco's quarters. It was his turn to cook and she waited till he delivered her plate from the small kitchen. He was dressed in black pants and a gray sweater. She decided that for the last day of students leaving to go back home for the holidays she would dress up. She was wearing a dark green velvet dress that hugs her curves but still landed mid thigh and long sleeves. Her ears had ruby earrings that her mother gifted her.
"I was having trouble with the sauce.." Draco admitted and Hermione giggled a little when her plate of pasta had almost whole chunks of tomatoes not fully broken down. He sighed. "I'm sorry I suck at this."
"No, it's okay. Just next time cut the tomato up in smaller chunks" Hermione informed and he sat down with his plate. "How was your last day of classes?"
"Everyone was ignoring me when I explained their over the holiday project." Draco groaned. "I hope I all get their Christmas card when they come back but I doubt it. "
"Christmas card?" Hermione questioned and Draco nodded.
"Yep, I assigned them all to create a Muggle Christmas card. Like no movement and with Santa hats and everything." Draco stated and for a second Hermione saw a smile in his eyes but it quickly disappeared.
"Sounds fun, hopefully they at least paid attention to that." Hermione ate her food and the conversation dropped to silence. This always happened, Draco would talk and mention something he was excited about and then get quiet. She knew he was still battling a lot and he was used to isolation.
Hermione shifted her feet slowly as she was eating and his foot hit hers. She jolted back and bit her lip.
"Sorry I wasn't anticipating you to move as well" Draco hurried "My foot slipped"
Hermione let it drop and tucked her feet behind the legs of her chair and the next words out of his mouth surprised her.
"You look beautiful tonight." He breathed and she looked up at him and was about to bite her lip again out of nerves but stopped because he would see her do it.
"Thank you, you look nice as well" She decided to settle on the easiest response and they finished their meal in silence.
Draco finished last and stood up to take her plate and his to the sink, he poured her a small glass of wine and then went to clean the plates slowly tonight. He was hoping by the time he was done Hermione would already be done with her wine and want to retire to her quarters because often wine made her tired.
Hermione sipped her wine and this one hit her head quickly. For some reason this wine ritual they had started was often a curse. Wine made her extremely hot and also very frustrated. She often finished the glass daydreaming about kissing Draco and she would have to retire to her bedroom to relieve some of the tension. She hadn't been with a man since Ron and her body knew what it craved once alcohol slowed her mind.
Draco filled his glass with water knowing very well it was still too soon to drink alcohol in his recovery. He turned to look at her and noticed her eyes were closed. She did that often when she was thinking. Draco often wondered what went on in her head when she wasn't talking.
They drank their drinks in silence before it came for Hermione to leave and she walked to the door before turning to Draco and he looked at her and subconsciously licked his bottom lip. Her eyes focused on that slight movement and she rubbed her thighs together as she shifted. "I should go." She stated, he reached to grab the door knob and as he pulled it open behind her and as his hand dropped it grazed her side.
That last touch, pushed Draco over the edge, he leaned in to place a chaste kiss on her lips. Which incited a low moan from Hermione and then all too soon she pulled away and pulled the door Wider before stepping out. She said goodbye sharply before walking and then darting off to her room.
Hermione was looking forward to their dinner, but she was also nervous. She has been doing her best to avoid Draco, reading books in the library and then retiring to her quarters early in the day. She was cooking her best variation of Orange Chicken and her heart was beating.
Looking at the clock she rushed to the bathroom quickly to throw on some tinted lip gloss and then wiped it off. What was she thinking? She then quickly replied it when there was a knock on the door.
Draco was standing there when she opened the door and he gave her a sheepish smile before walking in. He sat down and immediately reached for the wine bottle that sat on the table before he backed down from it.
"You can have some if you like. I mean it is the holidays" Hermione assured and Draco shook his head. "Still worried?"
"Yeah, I'll give it till whenever I don't think about the past. I'll be fine." Draco smiled when Hermione brought him a glass of water instead. She then went back over to the stove to stir the chicken and broccoli together and then start piling it on top of white rice before bringing the plates to the table.
"How was your week without students?" Draco looked up at the question and sighed.
"Honestly… I didn't realize how hard it would be. I got so used to having the kids distract me. I would be available well into the night for homework help except for the nights we have dinner of course. I often find myself drifting to an awful place with them." Hermione looked at him with kind eyes.
"I felt that way once I finished my last year after the war. Nothing really set in till I was free and in the real world. I believe it is a part of the path to healing too. Distractions are nice and remind you that you are able to live but being able to embrace the life without the distractions is honestly the best thing that I was able to accomplish." Hermione explained and Draco nodded, trying the chicken and he let out an appreciative groan.
"Dinner with your cooking is always the best." She smiled at his words and tried her food as well.
They were able to continue to make small talk throughout the rest of dinner and Hermione went over to her radio and turned it on before she went to wash dishes. Draco usually would say goodbye and slip out before she would finish. Hermione hummed along to the music and swayed her hips slightly and a few moments later she gasped in surprise when a hand rested on her hip.
"Draco.." Hermione breathed and he slowly turned her around towards him. His other hand went to rest on her other hip. They felt so close, but also miles apart. Draco's eyes were dark and she noticed him look down for a second. Her sheer top over her tank top never felt so revealing until that moment and her breathing quickened.
He stepped closer and with her next breath, her breasts grazed against his chest. Hermione closed her eyes and bit her lip at her sensitivity and before they opened again his mouth was on her.
Draco groaned into the kiss and his hands moved up to cup her face and neck. Hermione gasped and her tongue was slowly touched by his.
But Draco pulled away much too quickly and he smirked.
"Didn't want to waste your lip gloss tonight.. Goodnight 'mione" He breathed before turning around and leaving her breathing heavily and feeling less satisfied than ever.
Classes started back up soon as the students started to come back to campus. Draco and Hermione had their last dinner with no incidents and even exchanged simple gifts for Christmas. Draco gifted her a red silk scarf she could tie in her hair as well as wear around her neck. Hermione gifted him one of her favorite novels. He promised he would read it before the next dinner.
Hermione had just got back from talking with Harry and Ginny. When she was there she brought up Draco and Ginny was excited to hear gossip so she shooed Harry away.
"Is he a good kisser?" Ginny asked unashamed and Hermione turned red and gasped. "Ooh, he is! We just haven't hung out in so long that I just need some good news about your love life!"
"I just feel bad, I'm supposed to be helping him and now its just turning to be something different" Hermione confessed.
"Draco could help you out in return." Ginny winked and Hermione swatted her arm. "Come on, I know you haven't been with someone since Ron" She even grossed herself out at the mention of her brother.
"And it should stay that way. I'm focusing on my career and I don't need a man to pleasure myself. I just want to get him on the right path and not to be destructive. He'll have to go back home at the end of the year and he has quite the mess to clean up."
"You think what he is doing is destructive. Kissing you?" Ginny was a little more serious and Hermione nodded.
"Draco wants something to happen so he can stop the dinners. I sometimes feel they are the only thing keeping him from slipping." Hermione sighed, "Then again, there may a little something there that I may not even want to admit. I for the life of me can not get him out of my head. I look forward to our dinners and then even during the week I find myself… ahem." Hermione coughed and Ginny laughed.
"You have a crush on him. I promise you if you put a little number on the next dinner, he will be all over you like a cat in heat. Wear your black dress. You know the one with all the cleavage."
That is exactly what she did. It was dressed that hugged all of her curves and then stopped mid thigh with sheer sides. She could not wear underwear because of those sides.
Hermione even put on lipstick and some mascara and eyeliner. She put a shawl on to travel to his room since the plunging neckline made her self conscious. Technically, it was her time but he sent an owl to her earlier to inform her that he wanted to cook again.
He opened the door looking a little frazzled. And she frowned as he walked away without barely a glance. Maybe Ginny was wrong. Draco was pulling something out of the oven cursing.
"It's supposed to Lasagna.. I messed up again." Draco slammed his hand down on the counter. Hermione sat down and assure him it was okay and she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders.
He was silent as he began to plate the food and brought it over. Draco offered her wine and she denied because she was still upset he had not met her eyes yet. Finally, he looked at her and frowned.
"Are you going somewhere?" He questioned and she bit her lip before nodding.
"Some of the other girl teachers were planning on going to Hogsmeade tonight, I'm going to go after we are done." Hermione lied and Draco nodded sadly.
"We could have canceled. This isn't important." Ouch, that hurt and Hermione blinked twice cause she would have teared up otherwise.
"We never cancel." Hermione stated flatly and Draco shrugged. She then reached for the wine bottle and filled her glass all the way to the top. "I'll keep that in mind" She then took several long sips of the wine.
By the end of the meal she was finishing her second glass. Hermione was getting warm, so she pulled her shawl off. Draco immediately went still.
"I.." Draco started, but his eyes betrayed him and they went straight to her cleavage. It had been too long since he had sex and too long since they last kissed. He kept his distance because he knew how uncomfortable she was about that development. But here she was dressed in a dress that she was willing to wear out.
"What" Hermione hissed lowly and Draco looked at her and finally saw the hurt in her eyes. She was never going to Hogsmeade.
"You dressed like this for me?" Draco asked and Hermione went red and she stood up quickly and almost fell over so Draco tried to steady her but she yanked away.
"I don't do anything for anyone. I did this for.. NOTHING" She struggled out and Draco saw a tear slip out before she ran from the room.
