A/N: This would be the last chapter, unless I manage to think of a better ending or whip up a pretty good epilogue. Thank you to all the people who reviewed!
Chapter Seven: The Road to Getting Together
Draco Malfoy is annoyed.
Fighting with the Light during the war doesn't change who he is. An arrogant, pureblood snob who's used to getting what he wants when he wants it.
But Hermione Granger won't give him that.
For Merlin's sake, they've already shagged but the bloody woman won't even look him in the eye. She even had the gall to go out and have lunch with Nott earlier this week. And now, in Pansy's wedding rehearsal, the tension between them is not only unavoidable but it has also become unbearable.
Draco wonders if he did anything wrong that night that sent her scurrying off to the opposite direction. He was rudely interrupted from his musings by a familiar hellish screech. How Potter puts up with this, Draco has no idea.
"Stop screaming like a banshee, Pansy! I'm trying to think here."
"Think?" She said shrilly, "think? If you tried doing that more often, then perhaps we wouldn't be in this predicament, Draco!"
"What in Circe's name are you talking about, woman?" He replied exasperatedly.
"What did you do to mess it up with Granger?" She said lethally.
Draco was taken aback. How did she know about the situation between him and Granger? Granted, the atmosphere seemed worse than usual but the way Pansy said it suggests that she knows more than she's letting on. And since when did Pansy meddle with his love affairs?
"I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You shagged her and left, Draco!"
"Where did you even get that idea? I didn't!"
"Then care to explain this tense atmosphere after the two of you went home together last week?"
"I don't want to. Stop bossing me around, Pansy!"
"I will if you stop ruining my wedding!"
Draco stilled. "What?" He asked, genuinely confused. "I'm not doing anything, Pans." He said gently.
"Only a little bit more and you and Granger would be hexing each other as you walk down the altar." Pansy said bitterly. "It's supposed to be a happy occasion, Draco. How can we enjoy with that aura the two of you are giving off?"
"It's not exactly something we can fix, Pansy." Draco muttered.
"Don't give me that." The girl said vehemently. "You make this right, Draco Malfoy. I won't have two overgrown teenagers who can't admit their feelings to themselves deny me my perfect wedding!"
Pansy Parkinson is a petite yet formidable young woman and soon, Draco found himself thinking of ways to make things better with Hermione, convincing himself that he was doing this as a favor to his childhood friend, but really, everyone knows he's doing it to save his own hide.
He found Hermione in the manor's kitchen, staring solemnly at the steaming mug of ginger tea in front of her.
"Granger." He stated as-a-matter-of-factly.
The brunette witch looked up from her mug and replied in an equally toneless voice. "Malfoy."
"Pansy has this weird idea that we're fighting. She wants it to stop." He said.
"Oh, and we aren't?"
Draco furrowed his brow. "Don't we normally treat each other contemptuously anyway?"
"In case you haven't noticed, Malfoy, the way we're around each other have gone from bad to worse. At least before, I could stand to be in the same area as you provided you keep your big fat mouth shut. Now, the mere sight of you makes my hand itching for my wand. I really have to talk to Harry about switching partners at work."
Hermione mumbled the last part under her breath but Draco caught it. "Switching partners?" He sneered. "How professional of you, Granger. Who would you want to switch to? Nott? I can't believe how petty you are!"
Hermione's temper rose, which always seemed to happen with Draco. "Petty?" She shrieked. "How dare you call me petty! You're the one who didn't want to talk to me after what happened last Saturday night!"
"You're blaming me?" Draco replied, equally incensed, "I'm the one who woke up alone only to find out in the office that you were traipsing with Nott!"
"Excuse me? I left you a note saying that I had to finish the report from the Poisoned Apple mission with my partner, Theodore! If only you cleaned your flat more often, you would have seen my message and found that out directly from me!"
"Oh, so Nott's your partner now, is he, Granger? Got comfy with him the other week, didn't you? Did you shag him too, Granger? I wouldn't be surprised, after all what you're wearing that night is not too big a jump from being naked."
Hermione's eyes flashed from anger to mirth in a second. "Were you stalking me, Malfoy? I didn't know you cared."
"Shut up, Granger." Draco said coloring a little. "I just happened to be around the neighborhood."
"Oh, honestly! As if bars at Knockturn Alley are places you frequent! You know what, Malfoy, if only you behaved yourself at Zabini's ball, then maybe Harry wouldn't feel the need to find me a different partner, then you wouldn't have to lurk in seedy Knockturn Alley bars just to know what happened!"
"Don't flatter yourself, Granger." Draco snorted. "And what are you going on about Zabini's ball? You were the one who pushed me away like I'm some savage you wouldn't want to be seen with."
"Because you keep on bringing up that thing that happened when we were working on the Department of Mysteries break-in!"
Draco smirked as Hermione got more flustered. "I see you still got difficulties over bringing up that one. I wonder why. You don't seem to find it hard to bring up that we've shagged."
"I don't want to be reminded of that night! That was obviously a mistake!"
Draco looked at her incredulously. "Care to enlighten me, Granger, why you think shagging is okay but consider snogging a mistake?"
"Will you shut up?" Hermione yelled exasperatedly, coloring slightly at the memory of the Department of Mysteries mission.
They had kissed that night. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, Hermione would say to herself, and this was partly true as Draco later claimed that he kissed her to shut her up during one of their arguments. However, Hermione couldn't help but wonder at the softer, less urgent, and almost sweet turn their lips had taken as time passed. She couldn't help but wonder what other things that particular kiss might have brought if only the culprit hadn't made itself known at that exact moment, causing them to break apart and to focus on Auror duties once more.
Hermione didn't like to admit it, but she hated remembering that kiss because as opposed to the way they had shagged, the kiss was evidence that the need between them went beyond physical.
It was a reminder of the feelings that she so desperately wishes to deny.
"This is stupid, Granger." Draco said finally, after a long silence.
"Yes, well, don't worry. I'm going to request a formal and final change in partners first thing on Monday." Hermione said, slightly hurt at what she thought he was insinuating.
"I wasn't talking about that!" Draco replied fiercely. "And don't you dare run to Nott. I forbid it."
"Well, you weren't actually clear on what you were talking about, weren't you?" Hermione bit back. "And how dare you tell me what I could and couldn't do! I wasn't even talking about Theodore but now that you mention it, I think that's a splendid idea! I'm going to bring it up with Harry."
In two strides, Draco was right in front of Hermione, gripping her forearms tightly, his eyes livid. "You are mine, Granger." And then his lips were on hers.
Hermione did not find it in herself to resist.
The kiss was like what it was the first time. Angry and forceful at the beginning and soft and passionate at the end. Hermione's emotions went on a rampage as her mind quarreled with her heart whether she was truly doing the right thing. The night she spent with him flashed through her mind making her moan into his mouth. She fought valiantly, struggling to remind herself why she thought a relationship with him was wrong, pretending that she didn't feel that they were two puzzle pieces that perfectly fit. Pretending that she still hated the man Draco Malfoy had become. Pretending she wasn't already in love with him. She pretended until she could pretend no more. It was she who broke the kiss as Draco whined at the loss of contact.
"Go out with me, Malfoy." She said breathlessly right after they broke apart, willing the high from the kiss to give her the boldness she needs.
Draco looked at her like she had grown a second head. Hermione bit her lip, her fears kicking her in the gut and when she was about to retract what she had just said, Draco spoke. "Why do you always have to be the one who says things first?"
Hermione grinned, relief washing over her. "Is that a yes, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Only if you stop gallivanting with Nott." Draco made a face.
Hermione made a show of pondering upon this idea. "I'll consider it." She smirked. "Now kiss me again, Draco."
He gladly acquiesced.