April 2012

Draco stood in front of his ceiling-to-floor mirror as he slipped on an expensive deep navy blue jacket over his black button up shirt. Quite frankly all of his clothing was on the hefty side, so when he determined that something was expensive it really had to be outside the comfort limits of his wallet. Draco smiled though because he looked pretty damn good in it. He had bought it solely because the woman in his life had seen it in a shoppe window and said that she liked it. No, she hadn't a single clue what it would cost him and no, he hadn't intended on buying it. It was only after passing the same shoppe two days later that Draco caved.

A pop resonated in his bedroom and Draco looked down to find Avery at his side. "Miss Hermione Granger is here to see you, Master Malfoy."

"Great," He smiled. "I'll retrieve her myself."

Avery nodded and disappeared just as Draco calmly, yet eagerly left his bedroom. He and Hermione weren't dating per se, but their relationship was still quite hard to place. Shortly after she had saved his life Draco had invited her out for a thank you dinner. It had been purely platonic seeing as she already had a boyfriend (not to mention any kind of romance between them they had banned against several years prior).

In December, Draco had been out Christmas shopping and bumped into Hermione again. She had looked a frazzled mess and it wasn't because she was trying to beat out other shoppers for the same gifts. Draco had taken it upon himself to buy her a drink and it was after she had thrown back two in a row that she told him she had broken up with her boyfriend recently. She apologized for crying and said that she knew he didn't want to hear her sob stories, but Draco waved her off. He had sat with her at the Leaky Cauldron for what seemed like hours and then took her home. Since that night they'd been out once a week, sometimes twice. They were innocent "dates," if Draco had dared to call them that. Lunches, dinners, tours around foreign cities, and cinema films that Hermione had eventually talked Draco into. Despite spending so much time together they had only kissed once and that had been the week before. Perhaps now that was why Draco had been anxious for tonight and why his heart was erratic when he finally laid eyes on her.

"You bought the jacket." Hermione smiled as she stared at his form at the top of the stairs. Draco felt his cheeks flush as he casually walked down the stairs.

"I couldn't resist." He replied as his feet touched the ground. He walked over and stood directly in front of her. She looked beautiful, really. It was in that instant that his mind began running ragged.

What should he do? Last week they had been standing by her front door and discussing the film they had just seen. He had said something that made her laugh and once she had finished that had done it. Hermione's laugh had resolved into a short fit of giggles. And when she had calmed down her lips had pursed themselves in such a way that Draco couldn't help himself. He had leaned forward and kissed her. It had been quick, yet meaningful. He wondered if he should do it again. Would it be appropriate to do it now? Or maybe wait until after dinner?

"So where's this special dinner you have planned?" Hermione suddenly asked. That snapped Draco out of his thoughts completely and then he grinned as he presented his arm to her.

"If you'll please follow me."

Hermione slipped her arm over his and followed him down the hall to their left. She had stepped foot inside Malfoy Manor many times in the recent months, but had yet to go down this particular hall. When they reached the end of the corridor she found that it led to a wonderful patio that spanned the entire west side of the Manor. It was incredible. A night gala could be held on that patio and hold up to a hundred people, easy. The entire patio wasn't meant for them though. Draco had secluded themselves to the extreme left of it that overlooked a manmade stream and several beds of flowers. There was a table set with candles and food and a charmed orchestra playing music in the air.

"It's official." Hermione said as she took in everything. "You're officially the most romantic man I've ever met."

Draco chuckled as he pulled out Hermione's chair. "You know, you think that's a compliment, but it's not."

"How so?"

"Because now that means I have to top the next date."

"Well, you've always liked challenges." Hermione commented. Draco could do nothing but agree. He could see it now, how he would spend this week preparing for the next. It would plague him. He'd run down a list of the things that she liked and try to figure out how many of them he could pile into one evening. Each time he spent with her he had wanted it to be extraordinary. Money was no objection. He would give her the world if she asked. It was funny. He'd do all of this for someone he'd only kissed once.

"Dinner was lovely, Draco. Thank you." Hermione said happily once they had finished eating.

"I'm glad. And now you have to do one thing for me." Draco smiled mischievously. Hermione furrowed her brows at him as the light music of the orchestra grew louder and he rose out of his seat. He gave a gentlemanly bow and presented an open hand to her.

"You, Miss Granger, owe me a dance."

Draco watched as Hermione's face positively drained of color but he could only smile broader at it. A promise was a promise. They had gone out to a nightclub two months ago and Draco had whined terribly because she had clearly objected to dancing. "I don't dance in public and I certainly don't dance to that" had been her reply. The "that" in that scenario had been a salsa rhythm she later admitted she wouldn't have known what parts of her body to start moving if she tried. But now Hermione couldn't object. There was no salsa. There were no other people. It was just him and her and it was for that reason that she eventually slipped her hand into his.

Draco wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close. He held her other hand tightly yet with great care. He closed his eyes when Hermione laid her head on his chest and her vanilla scent wafted under his nose. The music would never end. Draco had charmed it so it played continuously. He wondered then how long it last, their dance. He didn't count the seconds nor the ensuing minutes. When Hermione raised her head to look at him Draco didn't hesitate this time around. He leaned down and kissed her. It was delicate much like the last time, but it didn't stay that way for long. Passion filled it. Their tongues danced. Hermione's arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers played with the edges of his hair. Draco's arms were fully around her waist, gripping her body tightly. He had completely forgotten where they were and had tuned out the music that was still going on in the background.

His lips slowly moved away from hers and he smiled briefly at the whine she emitted because he had done so. The whine was replaced with a complacent moan when he resumed his kiss just under her chin. He kissed alongside her throat and across her collarbone. He was seconds away from disapparating with her to the East Wing of the Manor when Hermione placed a finger under his chin and made him look at her.

"We shouldn't…" She said softly. The excitement in Draco's eyes died slowly. She frowned because she knew what he felt, felt what he felt, and wanted what he wanted. But she simply couldn't bring herself to do it. "The future still scares me."

"Time isn't the same." Draco argued. "If it was then Alex-"

"Better safe than sorry."

Draco felt their perfect night shattering all around him. He wanted nothing more than to continue what she had stopped. He could imagine it; what they would do and how it would sound. But despite his urges he could not and would not force her to do what she didn't want to. Draco sighed and nodded.

"I'll take you home."

Draco disenchanted the orchestra and took Hermione's hand in order to lead her away from the patio. They walked out of the Manor together and once beyond the gates they disapparated. As many other nights they stood outside of Hermione's front door. Neither spoke. It was taking Hermione endless minutes to find her keys and so she grabbed her wand instead in order to open her door. Upon hearing the click she gave a sigh of relief and then looked at Draco. He was taking a great interest in her bushes and she smiled at him.

"The door's open."

Draco brought his gaze back to her and then nodded. "Oh, good, good… I guess I'll owl you and we can figure out what to do next week."

"That sounds great."

"Okay,"

Draco gave Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek and prepared to disapparate. He was a second away from doing so when she frantically told him to wait. He turned suddenly, thinking that something was wrong, but she merely stood there, nervously twiddling her thumbs.

"If you want and only if you want… C-could you stay? Just…if you do no…no accidents, okay?"

Hermione didn't wait for an answer. She went inside and left the door slightly ajar. Draco stared at it and soon walked in after her. After closing the door he looked up and saw her standing in the archway that lead down the hall. He'd been down that hall more than once, but it was only to use the restroom. He took the journey past that room for the first time and followed Hermione to last room on the right.

"I'd like you to turn around, if you don't mind."

Draco agreed and did as she asked. He felt ashamed of the thoughts running through his mind at the scene he was missing out on. To stop he started counting dragons. He had imagined twenty-five of them until a tap came on his shoulder. When he faced her again she was in her nightwear and it was just as he had imagined: simple. A silk stripped pajama top and silk bottoms to match. She stood modestly with her hands cupped in front of her. Draco thought she looked innocent. He slipped off his jacket and placed it behind a chair. His shoes came next and he placed them by the door. Hermione had already crawled into bed by the time he was finished and Draco joined her. He lay behind her and placed an arm around her. There were no words to describe how good it felt just to be there. It felt even better when Hermione's hand slipped over his and their fingers locked.

It was decided. This was better than what he had originally wanted.

Draco woke up to the smell of breakfast. He kept his eyes closed and just sniffed the air trying to decipher the different things Hermione was putting together. When he did open his eyes and saw what time it was he nearly cursed. Damn she's an early riser… He thought to himself as the clock on her night table read seven-thirty. He wondered if should stay in bed. He could wait for her. She would finish breakfast, walk into the bedroom, and do one of two things. Either she'd stand by the doorway and watch him or she'd creep up to the bed and whisper in his ear that breakfast was ready. Draco had imagined both scenarios in his mind several times for the morning and debated which one he preferred. Instead he sat up. He'd go to her and surprise her in the kitchen so long as she wasn't holding a scolding frying pan.

With a yawn Draco stretched and mistakenly knocked over the alarm clock. He bent over to pick it up when he noticed other things on the ground. They were bits of parchment of various sizes clearly ripped off their appropriate rolls in haste. He wasn't nosy nor was he curious, but it was some of the words that caught his eye that made him read through a few. The more he read the more panicked and angry he became. Draco threw himself out of the bedroom and stormed his way down the hall until he found Hermione in the kitchen dabbling with various pots and pans.

"You're awake!" Hermione said gladly. "Honestly I thought you'd be asleep for at least another hour, but I'm glad you're up. Maybe you could force me to stop with the cooking. I know I've made too much, but I just-"

"What the hell is this?" Draco asked as he held up the pieces of parchment from her bedroom. Hermione paused. She stared at his hand more than at him and swallowed.

"Notes on some parchment. That's all."

"Yeah, they're notes alright. Notes on Dark Arts spells. Where did you get this?"

Hermione swallowed yet again and approached him slowly. "Draco, I-"

"Where!" Draco demanded. The shout jumped her and she gasped in fright, but he wasn't letting up. Her next set of words came out at a stammer.

"Y-your l-library,"

"My library?" He repeated with a perplexed tone. It changed quickly however and he immediately went on the offensive. "Is that why you started going out with me? To gain access to my library? How the hell did you even find it?!"

"No, no, that's not what it was!" Hermione pleaded. "Welford showed me the library. I went there for the first time when you got hurt."

Draco's eyes grew wide. "…Is…Is that how you healed me? You used Dark Magic on me?"

"Dark Magic doesn't heal it only destroys, you know that. I'm…I'm not the clever witch that everyone thinks I am." She said suddenly. She had taken up her nervous habit of twiddling her thumbs again and was doing it viciously. "The answer isn't always there, Draco, in my head. Sometimes I have to look where I don't want to and your library happened to be one of those places. I found out what was used against you and the antidote for it in one of your books. Please don't be upset with me because I looked into unsavory material to save your life."

"I could never be upset over that." Draco replied quietly. "I would be dead were it not for you, but that's not what I'm upset about." He drew closer to her and held up the handful of parchment pieces in front of her face. "This is more than what was needed to cure me. It must've taken hours, days… And while you were there you took notes. These are said notes. Why do you have them?"

"I'm a Healer, that's why. I see and I hear a lot. Most of what comes through St. Mungo's I can fix on my own, but some of it I can't. The notes gave me insight! I haven't put any of what I read into practice I swear!"

"Not yet!" He yelled at her. "One book, one spell, Hermione. That's what my future self said. You already have more than one book. Can't you see that you're playing into the future's hands?"

Hermione frowned. "Just last night you were saying that time isn't the same. What, were you just saying that so I would feel comfortable enough to sleep with you?"

Draco was taken aback. He raised a quivering finger to her and shook his head with the utmost sadness in his voice. "That's not true and you know it. And now I have to stop this."

Hermione looked frightened. "What do you mean? Draco?"

Draco took in the terrified expression on her face. He wondered how it could happen. How could this sweet, caring woman transform into a monster? He could burn the notes in his hand, hoping that it would be enough, but he knew it wouldn't. He couldn't stop seeing Hermione, not now. He liked her too much, daresay even loved. She would come to the Manor. She would go to the library behind his back with Welford's help. It would accelerate from there and then it would be too late.

"Draco?" Hermione called again. "Draco, don't do this. What are you thinking?"

He stared at her blindly. With a grim expression on his face he leaned forward to give Hermione a kiss on the lips and then place a delicate one on her forehead. "Don't worry about it. You won't remember anyway."

His words didn't soothe Hermione, he knew. They weren't meant to. They were meant to be an explanation for the things that would soon come to pass and what she didn't know had happened. Draco left the notes that were in his hands on the kitchen counter, soon after fleeing into her bedroom to retrieve his shoes and his jacket. When he came back out he didn't even say goodbye. He simply walked over to her fireplace and quietly whispered his destination so Hermione wouldn't hear.

He needed to see Harry. He had to get his hands on a time-turner.

Author's note: So, some good things between our favorite pair and then…some bad. I felt really bad for the both of them, especially Draco since he's literally about to try to change an aspect of their lives to keep Hermione out of his library. And they were so sweet with each other!

Oh well…

BIG shout-outs to the crazy amount of support. I feel compelled to thank you with each chapter because, let's face it, a story needs followers, reviewers, those who favorite, and guests alike :)

Until next time!

-WP