Pickup Lines
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: The clock on the mantelpiece could tick till the end of time, but even then, Harry Potter and its characters still wouldn't belong to me.
Summary: Every Sunday morning at the Three Broomsticks, when Hermione drinks her hot chocolate and catches up on the latest issues, a persistent blond man would always interrupt her routine by doing embarrassing things. "Can I borrow a Sickle? I want to tell my mother I just met the girl of my dreams." A series of meetings/interruptions. Dramione.
Dedicated to: E. C Silence, Ethy-Riddle, Alli. Toxic, Zoe tabbycat, KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, and skinnerbox27
For giving me pickup lines, as well as reviewing in general :D
(Do I have to say this again? The orders of your names do not affect the amount of my gratitude)
*Pickup Lines*
I told my wife that a husband is like a fine wine; he gets better with age. The next day, she locked me in the cellar. ~Unknown.
It was so amazingly warm inside the Three Broomsticks that Hermione felt like staying there for eternity. Maybe if that wish came true, then she'd stop being harassed about her still single status by Ginny, who kept setting her up on blind dates with men she dubbed "eligible bachelors". Unfortunately, that dream would remain a fantasy, forever and always.
Reality sucked, and that was a fact.
"Thinking about my love life is depressing," Hermione thought, frowning. And then out of the blue, she thought of her New Year's resolution – to stop moaning over how her life was horrible. Draco would be happy to hear about that, she'd bet; he had become her confidant in the short space of two weeks; or rather, six hours, which they spent in the pub talking about every subject possible, ranging from the political aspect of the Wizarding World to trading verbal barbs.
Thinking back to the day they had officially became "acquaintances", Hermione shook her head in disbelief. Had it really been just two weeks since then? It felt more like two years; she and Draco got along so perfectly and smoothly (except for the frequent playful quarrels they had, for entertainment reasons), it was like they were made for each other. No! Of course, not the 'made for each other' in romantic issues. It was more of a… friendly 'made for each other'. Remember, not in romantic terms. No daydreaming about the 'what-if's. Got that, brain? Good.
Great, she was rambling again. She needed something to keep her brain occupied. Like… There's Draco! Sitting in the booth where they had first seen each other face-to-face in four, nearly five years. Her spirits lifted, as if the blonde had placed a Wingardium Leviosa on them. "Funny…" Hermione mused over the sudden change. "I only feel like this when I'm with him. Or maybe it's just the prospect of hot chocolate. That's it! I just want hot chocolate."
Hermione repeated this in her head like a mantra as she headed for the booth. "Hot chocolate, hot chocolate, hot chocolate…"
Squeals echoed around the pub as she reached her destination. Hermione looked around, half-curious and half-annoyed. What was wrong with these people? She decided to ignore them – the best technique in her book when she didn't understand something.
"Hello, Draco," she greeted warmly, remaining oblivious to her companion's panicked 'no's, looks, and hand gestures as she slid into her seat. "I know, it's a bit late for this, but Merry –" Hermione's sentence was cut off abruptly as she stared, open-mouthed, at the shimmering golden sheet of light that was surrounding her and Draco at a rapid speed, cutting off their vision of the outside world in a matter of seconds.
"Oh my God, what's happening?" Hermione demanded breathlessly, her hand diving into her purse for her trustworthy wand. She mentally thanked the warm golden glow that bathed the tiny enclosure for making her search easier. "Why are we trapped? What's this… light barrier thing?" She carefully extended her hand towards the 'light barrier thing', only to receive an electric shock that left her shaking at the knees.
"What in the name of Merlin is this?" Hermione gritted her teeth in frustration, shooting whatever curse she could think of at the light barrier. Much to her dismay, it only absorbed her spells and used them to reinforce its shield.
"It's a mistletoe barrier," Draco mumbled with a resigned air about him as Hermione despaired over their predicament. "Apparently Mister Radford purchased the latest version of Kissin' Mistletoe from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes because it was on sale and it would be more fun."
"Mistletoe barrier? Kissin' Mistletoe?" Hermione gave a slight whimper as she shut her eyes tightly, as if trying to convince herself that this was just a bad dream. A very, very, very bad dream. "Come on, girl… Wake up!"
"You mean I have to… Kiss you?" She managed to get out, her mind spinning as she tried to look for a way out of doing the deed. Not that she didn't want to kiss Draco, but… but… This kiss would mess up their whole relationship! It would be completely awkward, and they would gradually lose contact with each other, and she would never see him again. And that would be Bad. Very Bad. So Bad that the word 'Bad' had to be capitalized. Wait, was she even making sense?
"Yes, Hermione. You have to kiss me to get out. This is what Kissin' Mistletoe does," Draco explained slowly, as if talking to a toddler. Hermione felt her temper flaring up at his sarcastic tone. Before her anger could reach the 'Run-For-Your-Life' marker, she grabbed the collar of Draco's dress shirt, hauled him over, and crushed her lips against his.
What happened afterwards was definitely not what she expected.
The moment their lips touched, Hermione could have sworn that the Earth stopped turning on its axis. Sparks exploded and fireworks were let off, and choruses of angels sang in the background.
Okay… So the Earth didn't stop, there were no fireworks, and the angels were safe in Heaven or wherever they're supposed to be. But Hermione felt all these, and much more… Unfortunately, these other feelings of Hermione's would not be disclosed here lest they become blackmail material.
However, there was one thing she can say: this was officially the Number 1 Kiss on her list. The reasons are listed below:
His lips were warm, soft, and tasted faintly of chocolate.
His body was muscular and radiated heat like a mini-radiator – a good thing in this weather.
His arms – her favourite part on a man's body – were strong, and his biceps were prominent. In her book, that meant he was capable of making her feel safe – an automatic 100 marks.
His hair was silky smooth, perfect for threading her fingers through them.
His stormy grey eyes – mysterious, enchanting, passionate… And they held her spellbound.
Yep, this was definitely Kiss Number 1. Hermione wouldn't mind staying in this position till the end of the world; heck, she wanted to stay like this forever. And what Hermione wanted, Hermione got.
That is, until…
"Could you two stop kissing so we don't barf? That's disgusting!"
Hermione finally pulled away from Draco, gasping for air, to look down at the little boy who must be around the age of five – still young enough to believe the myth that all girls have cooties. Before she could reply – though she wasn't sure what exactly she would say – a middle-aged woman popped up next to the boy, beaming all over her face.
"Great Merlin! You're Hermione Granger, aren't you?" The woman gushed, eyes wide at her good fortune. After all, she had just been treated to a good show featuring two famous war heroes making out. It was a stroke of luck when they didn't notice the mistletoe barrier melting away.
"Can I have your signature?" A man with dark brown hair asked both of them. "Please, sign here!" He thrust a copy of the Three Broomsticks' menu at them, grinning toothily. He did not notice the glare Draco directed at him.
At the man's outspoken request, almost all the pub's customers came rushing over to the booth, and the cozy café became the chaos café in the blink of an eye. If it wasn't for Mister Radford, both of them would have died of suffocation that day.
After the more persistent fans have been ushered out, Hermione and Draco sat in a tense silence. This seemed to have become a trademark kind of thing between them.
To past the time, both of them played 'Let's-Not-Catch-Each-Other's-Eye', while desperately hoping that the other would be the one to say something – anything. Surprisingly, it was not the Gryffindor who took the first step; it was the Slytherin.
"So," Draco started, only to find he had a sore throat from yelling at the crowd. He gave a small cough, and tried again. "So, Hermione, how heavy does a polar bear weight?" He leaned back in his seat gingerly, hoping the brunette wouldn't explode at another of his 'cheesy, lame lines', as she had called them.
"I don't know. How heavy does a polar bear weight?" Hermione humored him. Besides, she hadn't heard this one before.
"Enough to break the ice," Draco revealed, and he was rewarded by the smile that tugged at Hermione's lips. He stared at her full, rosy lips, thought back to the kiss, and decided he wasn't going to wash his face that night.
"Well? Aren't you going to use a pickup line on me now?" She interrupted his rather dirty thoughts teasingly, crossing her arms.
"As a matter of fact, no. But I do have a secret to tell you…" He beckoned Hermione closer. As she leaned over, Draco felt the slight tickle of her hair on his hand, and goosebumps spread across his skin at the contact. He took a minute to get his bearings.
"Anyway, for my secret…" He paused dramatically to draw out the painful suspense. "I'm invisible."
Hermione shoot him a skeptical look, then drawled sarcastically, "Yeah, right."
"No, really, I am! Look, I'll prove it to you. Can you see me?" Draco looked at her hopefully; this time, he remembered to avoid the puppy dog eyes which had caused fits of laughter.
"Of course I –" Her answer faded away as she realized the double meaning of his question – "Can you see me?" Too late, she recalled the fact that Draco had in fact came a close second to her first during their days at Hogwarts. Seeing no way out of this, she surrendered to her fate.
"Yes, I can see you," she sighed, and her hand reached automatically for her mug of hot chocolate, only to discover that in all the bedlam, she had forgot to place her order. "Can this day get any worse?" Hermione groaned mentally.
"Great! How about the coming Friday, eight in the evening? I'll pick you up at your place," Draco suggested, grinning triumphantly. He was practically bouncing in his seat as he ranted on about their newly-arranged date.
Hermione just nodded weakly, and rested her forehead against the palm of her hand. What exactly had she gotten herself into?
A/N: I am soooooooo sorry! I know I had said in the last chapter that it would be a very busy week, but I'm sure you didn't think you would have to wait that long for an update… And so to make up for my absence, you can enjoy this extra long chapter and the kiss. Anyway, for those nosy readers out there who are determined to hear my explanations/excuses, here they are:
Remember the dance competition I told you guys I'd be having? Well, on the second last practice before the Big Day, two members on our dance team quit – a disastrous thing. Our dance teachers had to re-plan EVERYTHING. And that ate up most of my free time.
I had tried to get a start on this chapter last Monday, but then I had this enormous writer's block. By the time my inspiration had struck, I had truckloads of homework again.
My dad decided I have to plan the way I spend my time better, 'cause I was spending way too much time on writing. He wanted me to study more, so now I have just 45 minutes on the computer. As a result, I had to sacrifice my lunch time at school to produce this chappie.
Yeah… I had an awful week. But on the good side: MY DANCE TEAM WON THE COMPETETION! Well, there were just two other entries in our category, so we would have gotten a prize either way… But that's not the point.
Another piece of good news is that my Chinese New Year holidays starts on Saturday! So expect quicker updates from now on.
Bianca tabbycat
P.S. REVIEW, PEOPLE! I update at a quicker rate if I have motivation. ;)