A/N: Ah, I am too happy for words. Thank you very much for the response: I've had a lot of alerts, favorites etc. If you have put this story on alert, thank you again, but I would love it even more if you reviewed, as I like to know people's thoughts.

There were some lovely people who took the time to review. Thank you to:

ebm56- Thank you- Yes I like that aspect of their relationship, it's strange and it's definetely fun for me to write and explore! I'm glad you can: I also see Hermione being so busy all the time, bless her. Thank you for your review, I'd love to keep hearing from you.

love-them-all10 Thank you. I will, please keep up your reviews (I know, that's cheeky of me)

mydirt09 - I hadn't intended on a flashback yet, more to show it through dialogue, as you'll see. But thank you for your review and be assured, Draco will be explored a lot in this story.

nature love 95 - Thank you! And ah yes, that line, what a classic!

Lissie1994 - Thank you: here is the update you've been waiting for. I hope you like it!

Epixie - Thank you! I hope you continue to do so

Summer rayne- Yay! I like excited readers! I'm rather excited myself! Here's the next chapter so you can see what happens

Amusant- Merci beaucoup! And you'll see who he married- I'm afraid I'm extremely predictable. And their relationship will be developing, in a way I hope you like.

sarah - Last, but not least! Ironically enough, you were my first reviewer, so a very big thank you.

To everyone: Enjoy!

Chapter Two

'Granger,

We aren't the best of friends, but I know you well enough to guess that you're probably debating whether or not to send me that owl. So I thought I'd make your mind up for you: I'll pick you up at eight tonight. Don't back out and tell me you're working a nightshift. I checked with that woman- Hilda, I think her name was- and she confirmed what time you finish today.

A Malfoy always has his ways.

Draco Malfoy.

PS: Wear something nice, Granger. I'm taking you to the best of restaurants.'

Hermione was torn between laughing and swearing after she finished reading the letter. She put it down on her desk and leaned back in her chair, narrowing her eyes as she looked upon it; She could practically see his smug little face as he had written this.

Sighing, she looked at the owl sitting beside her, whose wide tangy orange eyes blinked at her, waiting. Hermione reached for a quill, paused for a moment, before pulling a piece of parchment towards her, opening the lid of the ink bottle and beginning to write.

'Malfoy,

I don't need you to make my mind up for me. I am perfectly capable of making up my own. But fine-eight sounds reasonable. I wouldn't go too far when you gloat of being a Malfoy and having 'your ways'. You've missed a vital point: where to pick me up. I'm afraid without knowing where my home is, we can't go on this date together. What a shame.

Hermione Granger.

PS: Are you suggesting I don't wear nice things?'

Malfoy chuckled quietly to himself as he examined the piece of parchment in his calloused hands. Hermione Granger never failed to amuse him, even when he did dislike her at Hogwarts. He always admired her strength: she was fiery, not satisfied to just do as anybody else wished. It fascinated him, right from the moment he had met her. His father had always been quick to point out she never deserved to be there, but Malfoy was only confused. Being the smartest girl in his year- or probably the entire school- surely meant that she had every right to be there, had every right to be equally treated.

Yet his father was persistent. And Malfoy never refused his father's wishes.

He turned his head to look out of the window, enjoying the warmth the sun provided as it seeped through, lighting up his silver eyes before they fell upon a woman with short black hair. She turned her head to look up at him, causing his smile to vanish and his head to swiftly turn back to his letter.

Hermione was surprised by how quickly the owl returned. She couldn't help but smile, stroking its wings gently before unwinding the scroll from its delicate feet.

'Granger,

Very clever. I underestimated you. You could just help me out and give me your address instead of being purposely irritating. Some people never change.

Draco M.

PS: Of course not. I just want to make sure you'll make an effort for me.'

'Malfoy,

I don't know. Giving you my address would just take the fun away. Use your brain and figure it out.

Hermione G.

PS: Looks aren't everything, Malfoy. But fine.'

'Hermione,

Just give me your bloody address. I don't have time to make enquiries. Aren't you working anyhow? How do you even have time to flirt with me when you have two jobs?

Draco.

PS: Good to know.'

'Draco,

Fine. My address is enclosed. I'll see you at eight.

Hermione.

PS: And I am not flirting!'

"Pansy, what are you doing here?"

"This is my home too."

"Not anymore," He looked at her coldly, but stepped to the side to let her in. "Get in, then. What do you want?"

She looked around, moving towards the chair in front of his desk and sitting in it. He sat opposite her, impatiently waiting.

She swallowed a little before attempting a smile. "Can't I come to see my husband?"

"Sure. Hang on though," He grabbed the empty glass next to him and slammed it before her. "You'll probably need your little prop whilst you're at it."

"Look, Drake, I'm sorry-

"-Bit too late now." He replied pointedly, indicating towards his head where some dried blood still remained. "The damage is done. I thought we could at least try to sort it out in a mature way-

"-How can we ever sort out our divorce?" She whispered, leaning forwards to look into his eyes, only to find he was staring at her coldly, no warmth evident in his expression. "Drake, I love you-

"-No you don't," He interrupted in a bored voice, his grey eyes darkening. "You just don't want to miss out on all my precious money."

There was a pause. She stopped looking apologetic and narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't pretend that's not why you didn't marry me too, Draco."

He only shrugged. "I know that. I made a mistake, listening to my father. I don't need you to remind me."

"Give us another chance," She pleaded, getting up to walk around the desk and over to him, seizing his face with her hands, ignoring how he instantly cringed. "I love you, I'll do anything-

"-Get off me," He pushed her away, jumping up to walk away from her, his hand raking through his fine blonde hair before he seized a fistful, trying to control his anger. "Just get off me, Pansy. And get out."

Another pause. He turned to look at her, only to feel his stomach shudder a little as he saw that she had picked up the letters on his desk and was reading them, her eyes narrowing as she did so. He felt anger soar through him immediately and stalked over to her, snatching them out of her hands.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked quietly, in a menacing tone. She backed away a little, opening her mouth to speak, but he wouldn't let her. "Those are my letters."

"You're cheating on me!" She cried out, pointing shakily towards the letters. "With that mud-

"-DON'T USE THAT WORD." He whipped out his wand, not hesitating to point it to her. "And when are you going to get it through your thick little head that we're not together? I'm not cheating on you- I'm moving on. And don't be the little hypocrite you are, as if you remember, you cheated on me a number of times in our marriage. More to the point, Granger is nothing more than an acquaintance. Now get out, Pansy, before I throw you out."

She grabbed her bag before storming out, slamming the door behind her, leaving him breathing heavily, his stormy grey eyes on the letters in his hand.

' Fine. My address is enclosed. I'll see you at eight.'

Malfoy didn't fail to notice the change of her signature from 'Hermione Granger' to just 'Hermione.'

"You're going on a date with Malfoy?"

"Potter, those are my letters. Hand them over."

"Fine, fine… but Malfoy?"

Hermione stored away the letters, sighing. "Yes, Malfoy. What's the big deal?"

Harry stared at her. "Oh, I don't know. You're right. It's not like we didn't positively hate him when we are at Hogwarts. Or that he was a Death Eater. Or that-

"-He's changed." She told him shortly, moving to her whiteboard to write some reminders. "And you know he was forced to become a Death Eater. He turned out good in the end. And it's just to say thank you: it's no big deal."

"Does Ron know?" Harry demanded, knowing that if Ron Weasley did know, he certainly would've had a lot to say on the subject.

Hermione rolled her eyes: She turned to look pointedly at Harry. "No and he's not going to."

He groaned. "This sounds a really bad idea."

"Merlin above, it's a harmless date!"

"Isn't he married?"

"He's getting a divorce. Besides, I told you- it's just to say thank you."

"For a couple of stitches?"

She glared at him. "I don't know where you're going with this, but I have work to do."

"Can you please just check out my neck first? It's really hurting."

Hermione paused to look at him in amusement, her brown eyes twinkling. "Your neck is hurting?"

He almost pouted. "Yes."

"Fine," She sighed, walking over to him with her wand out. "Where abouts?"

"Here." He pointed to the side of her neck. She raised an eyebrow.

"It looks fine."

"It hurts!"

"Alright, goodness me! Look, it's fine." She moved away to gather the rest of her things. "If it carries on hurting, just come and find me."

Harry watched as she stored away her wand. "Okay. Hermione?" He called as she moved towards the door. She groaned, turning.

"What, Harry? I'm late."

"Thanks for checking my injury."

"It's not an injury. But your welcome." She made to move towards the door.

"Want to go on a date with me seeing as you looked over it?" He yelled, a cheeky grin rising on his lips.

There was a small thud due to the fact that Hermione's shoe had hurtled towards and (successfully) hit him.

"Bye Sister Hilda."

"Bye Healer Granger," Hilda smiled at her cheekily, a glint in her eye. "Have fun."

Hermione groaned, picking up her handbag. "Everyone is blowing this way out of proportion."

"Oh I don't know. He's pretty handsome."

"Do you think so?" Hermione hadn't thought of that. He was, she supposed. His pale, flawless skin complimented his silvery grey eyes beautifully. Hermione couldn't help but remember how firm his chest looked; his top button was lazily undone when she examined him, allowing her to catch a glimpse. And he had smelled so good... Of a musky cologne mixed with a soft mint soap.

Hilda raised an eyebrow and waved her hand in front of Hermione's face, causing the girl to blink rapidly, before blushing. Hilda only winked at her.

"Have fun," She repeated, trying not to laugh. Hermione's blush only deepened; she mouthed her 'thanks' before walking off, wondering what on earth was wrong with her.

Malfoy tapped on the door again, starting to get impatient. Granger better not have stood him up.

"Granger!" He knocked on the door again as he called loudly, rolling his eyes. "Open this damn door!"

The door swung open. Malfoy's eyes widened just as his mouth fell open a little at the sight. Hermione was standing there, clutching a pair of heels in a tiny hand, her beautiful dark hair flowing over her shoulder, wearing a simple, short peach dress. It clung in just the right places, the hem resting gently above her knee: one of the thin straps slipping off of her smooth shoulder. He blinked several times before recovering, clearing his throat.

"Did you think I was ignoring you?" Hermione raised an eyebrow, stepping to the side to allow him to come in. He nodded his head in thanks before entering, looking around. As expected, her apartment was spotless. There was something very inviting about it; yet he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Perhaps it was the warm vanilla scent that drifted through her rooms, or how the late summer sun was radiating through her windows, allowing her cream painted living room to glow. He turned to look at her again. She had a couple of grips in her mouth as she tried desperately to gather her hair in able to pin it back. Draco took the time to notice how simple yet effective her make up was; she had outlined her bright brown eyes in a soft chocolate coloured kohl pencil and highlighted her lids with a pale pink eyeshadow. Her full, plump lips were smooth and her glossy cheekbones delicately swept with a rose pink blush. He drunk her in, feeling something growl in the pit of his stomach.

Hermione looked up to spot him staring at her and immediately felt flustered. She removed the pins from her mouth in order to start to put them in her hair, before he spoke up.

"No," He shook his head, stepping forwards to take the pins from her hand. "It looks... nice... down."

She was taken aback by his compliment, but obliged him, setting the pins down on the cabinet beside her and easily slipping into her high heels. She reached for her purse before turning to him. "I'm ready to go."

He cleared his throat a little, nodding. "Let's go then."

They awkwardly moved towards the door together, before he stopped and gestured that she should go first. She gave him a small smile before stepping outside, waiting for him to follow before locking it with a simple flick of her wand. They walked along in a strangely comfortable silence, until Draco thought he ought to say something.

"Hope you're hungry."

"I could eat anything," She answered truthfully, turning to smile at him: which he returned. "Which restaurant are you taking me to then?"

"You'll see," He chuckled, tugging his cloak closer a little. "It's a surprise."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Hmm... I'll be able to guess."

He was intrigued. "Go on then."

"Well, we're walking to it-

"-Oh great start. I really was not aware of that."

"Shut up. Like I was saying, we're walking, which means it won't be far."

"What if I like walking and wouldn't care for the distance?"

She snorted. Malfoy laughed. "Alright," He said, smiling. "Carry on."

"Well, you told me it was expensive. But seeing as you've said this, it must be the most expensive restaurant in this area... So I'm guessing that you're talking me to Zabini's."

He turned to her, surprised. "I'm impressed, Granger. How did you know that Zabini opened a restaurant?"

"It was in the Prophet, he's doing very well... Didn't you read it?"

"I didn't need to. He's my friend."

There was a small phase of silence as they walked slowly along the Thames, unable to ignore the beautiful shimmer it projected and the radiant Chinese lanterns that were hovering above their heads. Draco stopped suddenly, causing Hermione to do as well, turning and looking at him curiously. He only held his arm out to her, which slowly, she accepted, sliding hers through the crook in his elbow effortlessly. They continued to walk until they reached the doors of the restaurant.

"I love Italian food." Hermione commented, her eyes lighting up when they approached the waiter outside.

"Glad to hear it." Malfoy turned to the waiter, who was perfectly poised as he waited. "Good evening. I made a reservation under Malfoy."

"Very good, Sir. If you'd both care to follow me."

"Classy," Hermione murmured as they did so, blushing a little when Draco laughed. When they reached their table in a secluded little corner, the waiter moved to pull out the chair for Hermione, but stopped when Draco told him to.

"Allow me," Draco walked behind Hermione, his arm brushing hers as he pulled it out gently. Hermione thanked him, picking up her menu as he sat opposite her, looking up at the waiter. "A bottle of elf-made wine, please. Unless you prefer any different?" He added, looking towards Hermione, who shook her head. The waiter smiled and bowed before departing.

Hermione lay down her menu, gazing at Draco with curiosity, which he didn't fail to notice. "What?" He asked, a smile sauntering into his lips, hardly looking at the waiter who had swiftly come back with the required bottle, now pouring their wine.

"I was just thinking of how much you've changed."

"Interesting," He picked up his wine glass and took a sip from it, his eyes still upon her. "Do expand."

"You seem..." Hermione wanted to be careful with her choice of words, not wanting to offend him. "Nicer."

He couldn't help but chortle and she smiled as he did so. He really did have a beautiful smile; something she hadn't noticed.

Perhaps because he had hardly smiled before.

"That's good to hear," He smirked at her, putting down his glass. "That I'm nicer."

"You know what I mean," She blushed and suddenly the back of his neck tingled sensationally as he noticed how well it suited her. "You... Well-

"-I'm not the little prat I was at Hogwarts? Yes, I know what you mean."

"Good to see you admit it."

"Oh, I know." He picked up his menu and started to examine it, even though he already knew what he wanted. "You've changed as well." He informed her casually as he turned the menu over. Hermione looked up, frowning.

"I have?"

"Oh, not in a bad way. Don't worry."

"In what way?"

He looked up and met her gaze, the corners of his lips lifting again. "I meant physically, Granger."

Her blush deepened considerably and Draco had to stop himself from laughing at how uncomfortable the poor woman was. He swiftly changed the subject, enquiring politely of her new jobs, and slowly, they found themselves enjoying their conversation, not failing to stop talking engagingly as they ate through their meals. Hermione was enthusiastic with her stories of her job as a Healer and Draco was as equally eager to tell her about his new business in the Quidditch industry.

"I did inherit one, of course." He told her, slicing a bit of his baguette before buttering it. "But I always wanted to start one up myself, not just be that person who inherited Daddy's business and that's it. And when the War was over, I guess I wanted to be as distant from the Malfoy enterprise as ever."

Hermione nodded a little in agreement, sipping some wine. "I think it's a great idea. Then you feel a sense of achievement. And from what you've said, it seems to be doing wonderfully."

He smiled- almost shyly- at her in gratitude, bending his head a little. "Thank you. Not as good as half the things you've done of course, although I swear you were going to be an Auror."

She chuckled lightly. "Oh, a lot of people wanted that. But there's not as many demands for Aurors because of Voldemort's defeat, and a Healer, from my perspective, is more worthwhile. Hospitals need as much help as they can get."

He only smiled at her again, before wiping his napkin around his mouth. "Indeed. I'm sorry, excuse me: need a tissue."

"Great to hear, Malfoy."

He chuckled before leaving, causing Hermione to watch him go, thinking how strange it was to be smiling so much in one evening: and with Draco Malfoy, of all people.

"Well, well, well. Hermione Granger."

Her head snapped up and she was amazed when she saw who it was. "Blaise Zabini? What-" She broke off, however, not wishing to seem rude.

He grinned sheepishly at her, before taking Malfoy's seat. "You're looking rather dashing. What's Malfoy thinking, leaving you here by yourself? Any man in here would be willing to snatch you up."

"How did you know-

"-That you were on a date with Malfoy? We're friends, Granger."

She rolled her eyes at this repeated statement. "Yes, I know. He's just gone to get something, he'll be right back."

"All the better for me," He looked her over appreciatively, smirking when she rolled her eyes again. "I'm winding you up, Granger. Not that you're not very seductive material right now. If I had my way, I would throw you down and ravish you."

"Zabini, that's my chair. And if you talk to her like that again, I'll throw you down: but to kill you."

Both Hermione and Blaise looked up to see Malfoy, who was glaring at Blaise. Blaise smirked before rising up from his chair. "Alright, alright. Although it's my restaurant, Malfoy, and therefore my chair. You're the one that left the beautiful woman all alone."

Malfoy rolled his eyes, before sitting back down in his chair, shooting Hermione an apologetic look. She was laughing quietly behind her napkin, watching as Blaise winked at her before walking away.

"Sorry about him," Malfoy picked up his fork, twirling his spaghetti around. "He always was a flirt."

"Just like his friend," Hermione replied cheekily. Malfoy looked up before slowly he smirked.

"Yes. Like his friend."

"I'm astonished at how much he's changed too."

"Changed? He's still the same old git." He scoffed, sprinkling some more cheese over his meal. "But I suppose you're implying he's nicer too?" He added teasingly, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

She glared at him. "Yes, that's precisely what I meant."

"The War changed a lot of people," Malfoy commented quietly.

There was a brief moment of quiet before Hermione spoke up. "Yes, I suppose experiencing such things do show you who you truly are. Like marriage, for example."

He didn't fail to miss her implication. Sighing, he put down his fork. "Yes, perhaps. I take it you haven't married?" He asked her, barely registering that their plates had been taken away.

Hermione didn't quite meet his gaze, faltering. "I was engaged, actually."

"Oh?" He was intrigued. His instant thought was Ronald Weasley, but he didn't want to make assumptions. "To who?"

"Ron."

Bingo. "Ah, yes. I thought so."

Her head snapped up. "You thought so?"

He was a little shocked at her change of tone and tried to recover himself. "Well, yes. I only meant that-

"-What is it with people assuming I had to marry Ron?" Her eyes were alive and for once, Draco Malfoy was silent, only wanting to listen to her. "Why do I always have to do things by the book? Why can't I just do things as I want to do them?"

"You are," He interrupted, leaning forwards, almost entranced by her and their conversation. His fingers gently moved his wine glass out of the way until the tips of them were nearly touching hers. His eyes scanned her as he continued. "You're doing what you want, aren't you? You're here, when I bet all your little friends warned you not to meet me."

There was a moment of silence, confirming Malfoy's bold statement. "I know how it feels," He informed her in a low tone as he carried on. "I know how it feels when you're expected to do things. That's why I married Pansy, even though I didn't love her. That's why I joined him, even though I hated myself every single day for doing so. That's why I hated you and your little gang so much, even though I couldn't help but admire you at the same time. But I'm here now. Just like you."

Hermione felt herself gravitating towards him slowly. If they were any closer, their foreheads would have bumped gently together. "You're here now?" She repeated with a murmur, slightly puzzled. Her side of her middle finger unconsciously stroked his, her touch as light as a feather. He closed his eyes briefly before looking at her sharply.

"Yes. I'm here now: it's what I want. To be here. Like you."

"How do you know I want to be here?"

"Granger," He pulled back a little, a smirk rising on his lips. "Anybody would be begging to take your place if it meant being on a date with me."

"Let me pay."

"Granger, will you please just stop being so bloody infruiating and let me pay. This was to thank you, remember?"

"It's expensive."

"I get a discount," He winked at her, making her spine tingle and her breath to catch a little in her throat when she tried to speak. He watched her a little, as if content to see how he had an effect on her, but took pity and turned to the waiter. "Is that enough?"

The waiter bowed, tucking the small bag of heavy coins in his pocket neatly. "Yes, Mr Malfoy, thank you." He smiled at Hermione, handing her her purse as she stood up. "Your boyfriend is a lucky guy."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence at his words, before Malfoy spoke up. "We're not dating. But thank you for your services. I left a tip, I believe."

The waiter bowed again, apologetic at his mistake, but Malfoy smiled at him in assurance before gesturing to Hermione to walk ahead. When they stepped outside, Hermione shuddered as the cold wind bit into her cheeks, rubbing her arms in an effort to keep warm. Malfoy silently offered her his travelling cloak, reaching for the ties to do it up for her. She looked up at him as he did so, noting his skills to never fail to be the perfect gentleman. He finished tying his cloak and smiled at her a little, before his arms dropped to his sides abruptly and he started to walk.

They walked alongside each other, at times brushing one another with their shoulders. Their hands would sometimes kiss gently, causing one or the other to jump a little and mumble a 'sorry'. Hermione hadn't walked home at this hour before. Drunkards were knotted together in little groups, yelling obscurities at random people; She felt eyes upon her as she walked and didn't realise how she edged towards Malfoy a little more, feeling a little more secure beside him. He glanced down, noticing, and entwined their hands together before squeezing hers gently, concealed by her thick cloak .

Hermione turned her head to look at him in gratitude, not wanting to admit she was a little frightened at how the men leered at her and wolf-whistled when she passed them. What surprised her was Malfoy growling in retaliation whenever they did so, or shooting them a glare, his other hand clutched tightly around the handle of his wand.

When they reached her home, he stopped, his hand pulling out of hers. She instantly felt the loss; the warmth almost drained from her, replacing goosebumps along her soft skin. Yet he stood close and they waited for the other to say something.

She took it as her cue to go first. "I had a good time."

"So did I." He admitted quietly, deliberately standing still. They stood there, simply looking at each other, with only the sounds of the crickets chirps ringing in the peaceful air around them. He gave her a small smile. "Goodnight, Granger."

That was it. One date. Just like Hermione had known. So why did she feel so cold, why did her body feel numb and why was she standing there, hesitating: looking up at him as if she wished for more.

"Goodnight, Malfoy."

A/N: I love reviews. Did I mention I loved reviews? Because I love reviews.

I also just want to mention that the more reviews I get, the quicker an update follows. That's right, I am weaving in a little form of bribery there for you all... Shame on me.