"It was a veritable who's who of Britain today as the country celebrated yet another anniversary of the end of the Great Wizarding War that has so changed our world and our culture. Not since the rise of the information age has something so profound shaped the way we live."
The image on the telly changes scenes to the same reporter, now off camera, thrusting a mic into the face of an elegantly dressed Maggie Smith. "And did you choose to invest in magical charms for the festivities?"
Dame Maggie smiles and nods, "Of course. It wouldn't feel right not to indulge a little today of all days." She twists her neck to show off her hair style and laughs, "you think all of this is naturally mine? Bless my Magitician but she is a wonder!"
The scene changes again to first the reporter and then to a line of disgruntled looking citizens standing along a bustling street with various badly made signs and yelling toward the camera. "The only damper to the festive spirit is an increased activity amongst the anti-Magic crowd. As you can see on the streets behind me, the protestors have come out in some of the largest numbers we've seen and they are not happy."
"It's a disgrace it is. Normal people encouraging these heathens and devils... it's an affront to decent people I tell you."
The scene has changed once again to the reporter holding an interview with a middle aged man wearing a faded plaid shirt and holding a sign that, barely legibly, reads "You shall not permit a sorceress to live - Exodus 22:18".
"Charming."
Hermione is startled when she hears Draco's drawl from behind her and quickly changes the television to something she hopes is less hateful.
"I don't know why you do that," he comments as he walks around her to plop down on her other side. "It's not like you can hide the world from me now that I live in it."
"I'm sorry. It's just a really ugly side of people. I want you to be comfortable, and this type of thing...," she gestures vaguely to the screen and trails off, "it just doesn't help anything."
"I'll say at least I know how it must have felt to be you when Umbridge was denouncing muggleborns."
She looks thoughtful a moment and then nods in agreement. "Yes I suppose so."
She turns back to the screen and they watch in silence to see what she has landed on when it becomes obvious she has jumped from one political commentary to another.
An American is hosting a panel of commentators and they are also discussing the topic at hand.
"The Supreme Court announced today," the smarmy host reads from his prompt, "that all magical citizens will be granted the same marriage rights as any other American. They go on in a statement that quote 'there is no discernible difference between magic and non-magic individuals in the case of biology or the human condition'."
An incredibly thin blond woman with harsh features scoffs and jumps in. "Well of course they did. There is a general liberal lean to the court and they are too afraid to do what needs to be done to keep our country safe."
"Safe? Safe from what precisely," a heavy-set man with dark framed glasses and a northern American accent bites back at her. "From men and women falling in love and wanting to be married and have children-"
"Children," she interrupts, "with potentially dangerous and uncontrolled power. Do we really want this genetic anomaly to go unchecked? To continue to permeate the general populace?"
"Wait, wait, wait... genetic anomaly?" The host asks her. "They're people, Ann."
"So was Hitler but I'm pretty happy he didn't have children," she quips.
The crowd boos and the third panel individual talks over it, "I can't believe you are going to draw a Hitler parallel with people who just happen to be born a little different from us. That's dangerous territory." She is a dark skinned woman with short hair and a thoughtful expression.
The blond "Ann" rolls her eyes and looks back to the host. "Let's just look at this for what it is. Honestly. You can say these are average people but the reality is these so called people are capable of doing a lot of damage."
"So called people?" the host responds with what seems to be his trademark incredulity.
Simultaneously, the heavy set gentleman loudly says, "I'm capable of doing a lot of damage in the right circumstances. Anyone is."
"And how do you recommend we would even enforce something to 'keep them in check'?" the host goes on, using his fingers to create air quotes and leaning forward in his chair. "A registration? Hospital genetic tests turned into skin brands? Tattoo a number on their arm?."
"Of course not. But I don't think it's too much to expect citizens to look out for one another. To report abnormal activity-"
"McCarthyism?! That's your answer? Why stop there? Let's just go one hundred percent 'Big Brother' and install cameras in their homes. See if we can go all the way 1984 on ourselves." The crowd laughs at the sarcasm of the host and even the thoughtful dark skinned woman chuckles at the blonde's expense.
"You're drawing a false slippery slope and you know it, Bill. There's nothing wrong with asking for a little personal responsibility-"
"Personal- what's wrong with you?" The host continues in a mocking tone, drawing out words for comedic affect and holding a hand to his ear to mimic using a telephone. "Yes I'd like to report my cousin's neighbor has blue hair... is it dyed?... Well I can't be sure but it could certainly be magic. What if he fireballs my cousin's house?!..."
The dark skinned woman cuts in, seeming to want to distract before the banter devolves into childish quips, "There is a question here of equal treatment under the law. Once we start making divisions it becomes too easy to never stop."
The host nods, "I agree, that seems the obvious concern. How can we, as a nation, draw these lines in the sand and not learn from our own history. It will be like Jim Crow but... with some other magical bird metaphor that currently escapes me. A… phoenix or something. David Phoenix laws." He chuckles and the audience titters in response. "David like David Copperfield," he mutters to the audience to clarify what he must think was a clever turn of phrase.
"The difference though," the blonde goes on, undeterred despite obviously holding an unpopular view with this audience, "is that these are people who are not just different in an abstract way. They are literally dangerous-"
"No," the host interrupts, "they are potentially dangerous. As the Cogressman just pointed out, all people are potentially dangerous."
"Yes but not inherently," she bites back.
"Why is magic inherently anything? Why isn't it just a talent? Like really good hand eye coordination. That could make you a sharp shooting assassin as easily as really good at basketball."
"It seems like you were right."
Hermione hits the mute button on her remote and looks at Draco in question. "About?"
"Things are better. Even muggles," he gestures to the screen, "even wealthy, famous muggles like that are on our side."
Hermione chews her lip and says carefully, "Well that particular program shows a certain point of view. I want you to feel secure but never doubt there are forces against us too. That woman on there," she gestures to the blonde who is muted but still obviously talking passionately on the topic, "there are people that agree with her too."
He thinks for a moment and then mutters with a small grin, "constant vigilance?"
She is tricked into a laugh and she swats his arm playfully. "Something like that."
Hermione starts to turn the sound back on the television but then Draco surprises her by asking very seriously, "you don't think they would really do anything though right? Like change the laws so we can't marry or something?"
A little niggling feeling of guilt wells up and Hermione is reminded she has not mentioned the Greengrass petition, knowing it is most likely the family's first attempts at a betrothal. But to mention it now? Well that just seems too obvious, or so she tells herself. She doesn't want to give the impression he should be concerned after all.
Instead she shakes her head and says, "I don't believe so. At least not in Britain or the majority of progressive countries. There are places in this world I wouldn't want to live. But then again, I probably wouldn't want to live there as a woman as much as because I'm a witch."
Hermione turns the volume back up but the panel seems to have moved on to a discussion about an earthquake in Pakistan and UN efforts to help rebuild. Inevitably the panel begins to argue about using wizards and witches to assist in the efforts but Hermione is a little lost in thought and misses the majority of it, wondering instead if she is being unfair, not telling Draco about the petition.
Of course there is every possibility the request will be denied. The Greengrass patriarch is already having difficulty proving unequivocally that he had no ties to Death Eaters. Any family with war loyalty in question is denied the position of host. But if he is able to shake off the doubts from her department? Well, she supposes she will cross that bridge when and if that happens.
"Potter phoned earlier."
She looks at him in question and he continues, "Wondered if we wanted to have dinner Sunday night. I told him it was up to you."
"Well, we don't have any other plans. Is it… do you mind going?" She asks hesitantly, knowing Harry has never been Draco's favorite person. Though their last dinner with Harry and Ginny had gone swimmingly.
He shrugs and says, "It's fine." Then he smirks at her in that adorable way he has and finishes, "You'll just have to owe me one."
Rolling her eyes, she allows her own answering smile. "I already owe you for dinner Monday night. Looks like I'm amassing quite a debt."
His grin broadens and he looks as though he might say something but stops. He schools his expression a little but the mirth is still present in his voice when he settles on, "I'll hold you to that."
Draco rises from the sofa. "Well then, I'm headed to bed. What if tomorrow we go out for breakfast? No work, no class…"
She nods. "I suppose if you're feeling too lazy to cook…," she teases.
He heads down the hallway and says loudly over his shoulder, "Since you owe me, you can treat. I'll take it off your tab."
Hermione smiles at his retreating back and stifles a girlish giggle at his flirtatious tone. It's easy, far too easy, to fall for someone like Draco Malfoy.
XXXXXXXXXX
Draco wakes slowly on Saturday morning and glances to the clock by his bedside. Seven in the morning is early for a weekend but he's finding his early class schedule is creating new sleeping habits. He stretches then swings his legs over to hit the floor, the carpet sinking between his toes. The everyday luxuries of life are still a welcome change from the way he was living only weeks before.
After a quick visit to the loo and brushing his teeth, Draco ventures into the hallway and then approaches Hermione's bedroom door. He knocks softly as not to startle her. "Hermione?"
Her answer comes from behind him in the direction of the kitchen. "You're up early."
He turns to find her peering from around the corner and notices she has an apron tied around her waist. It's a bit adorable but leaves him confused. "I thought you were taking me out for breakfast."
She blushes and grins. "I felt a little bad. You cook all the time and I never do. Thought this would be a nice surprise."
He grins back and makes his way down the hall. "You cheap witch. You didn't want to buy me breakfast," he accuses.
"Some of us aren't made of money you know. We have to give gifts from the heart." She flutters her lashes mockingly and then laughs, not knowing how close to his own hopes she's hitting.
Draco drops down at the breakfast table and watches as his host turns bacon over in a skillet while flipping her wand toward a carton of orange juice so that it pours itself into two matching glasses.
"I called Harry. Told him yes for tomorrow night."
He rolls his eyes in response and quips, "Can't wait," resting his chin on his hand.
Hermione giggles a little a she pulls the bacon from the pan and onto plates that are already half full of scrambled eggs. She carries the plates over and sits down next to Draco. Flicking her wand to the juice, it levitates and settles in front of each of them.
"I also asked if it would be alright if we had some…extra guests."
"Oh?" He quirks his eyebrow in question.
"I hope you don't mind," she begins, "but I thought it would be nice to expand your social circle a little."
Draco feels his heart stop and his eyes go wide. "Please for the love of Merlin tell me you didn't invite the Weasel."
Hermione glowers a little. "Be nice. And no, not Ron. He's in America working on one of George's expansion locations. No I invited Luna and her boyfriend."
"Looney Lovegood? That's how you think I want to expand my circle?"
She frowns even deeper. "You should give her a chance. Anyway, I didn't tell you who her new boyfriend is."
"This should be good." Draco feels himself falling into his old sneer and is helpless to stop it. He doesn't actually have any animosity toward the Lovegood girl. What he has is guilt, and plenty of it. He can't imagine who else is about to be thrown in his face. Longbottom perhaps? There's someone he bullied mercilessly. "Let me guess, some other insufferable Gryffindor?"
"I'm sorry our company is so difficult to stomach." She shoves a forkful of egg in her mouth and very pointedly looks away from him.
Immediately he feels his stomach plummet at her expression but the guilt turned anger is a tempting mistress and he is seduced into lashing out further. "It's bad enough you drag me to deal with Potter and his ginger pet but now-"
"Enough!" She slams her fork down and pushes away from the table. "If it's so difficult for you to play nice for an evening, to be a human being in exchange for a support network when you otherwise have none, then I will happily decline on your behalf."
He watches her drop her plate by the sink.
"Great. Then we can just stay in and-"
"Oh no, no." She turns back around, her hair swinging about her face. "I'm still going. I won't put my life on hold for you if you won't even attempt to be a part of it."
She stalks across the room and is half out the door when she turns back with a sneer that could make him proud and announces. "By the way, if I cook, you clean."
"Well…" He looks around the room and notices her awful cat staring at him, sitting on his haunches by his food dish. "What are you looking at? Mangy little-"
A growl cuts him off and he watches the cat sashay out the door in his owner's footsteps. "Just great."
XXXXXXX
Hermione steadfastly ignores Draco for the day, much to his annoyance. He tries on more than one occasion to start a conversation only to be met with stony silence.
He corners her finally in her study, literally trapping her behind her desk by blocking her path.
"I'm sorry." He figures if he just cuts to the chase she has to hear him out. But if he thought this would be easy, well you know what they say about another think coming…
"You don't even know what you're apologizing for."
"I don't?… that's ridiculous. Of course I know. I'm apologizing for being an arse."
"You can't just- you know what nevermind. That's fine. Apology accepted." She goes to shoulder past him and he steps over to block her more thoroughly.
"Funny, that didn't sound like acceptance."
Hermione pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a deep breath. "I can't make you someone you're not and it's not my job to try. I can't make you let go of old prejudice. I thought maybe, since we were getting along so well you might give someone else a chance. Plus I thought you would be happy to see an old friend."
Draco stiffens. "Old friend? Is that your idea of a joke? You know, I acted like an arse but you're being incredibly insensitive."
"Insensitive? For trying to help you connect with people our age? For giving you a life outside of a jail cell and this flat?"
"For throwing Luna Lovegood at me without thinking how it might make me feel!"
There it is, spat out into the small room and leaving Draco heaving his breath and squinting his eyes closed.
"Are you… do you have history with Luna?"
"What the fuck, Granger, of course I do! She spent weeks in my family's fucking dungeon."
"Oh. Oh! Merlin, Draco, I'm so sorry I didn't even think... I thought maybe you had, you know, history… or something."
"History? What like I fucked her?"
Hermione winces and Draco redirects. "You think I was avoiding her because we had some kind of relationship? Come on, Granger, you're known to be clever. How could you forget?"
"It's just… I mean you didn't seem to have a problem being here with me. I know I wasn't kept in the dungeons but… I mean there was…"
"You think that wasn't hard for me? You think I didn't struggle to look you in the eyes when I got here?"
She shrugs and looks past his shoulder. "You just didn't seem to think about it much I guess."
Draco places his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Granger, I tried to tell you I was sorry. I know I didn't do a great job of it. You've just…"
He sighs and much to her surprise, not to mention his own, he leans his forehead against hers. "You make it easy not to think about. You're… you're fucking kind and I just don't think about who I was. Here, with you, I'm just Draco. Narcissa's son, wealthy wizard, and you're a pretty witch who's nice to me. It's not fair, I know. I shouldn't… I don't get to have it that simple."
"Draco…"
He opens his eyes when her hands cradle his cheeks. He's self-conscious of the stubble having not taken the time to groom properly during the day, instead spending the day trying to work up the courage for their current conversation.
"Draco it's not simple if it eats at you. It can be but not if you can't be in the same room as anyone else."
She drops her hands from his face and rests them against his chest lightly. Draco feels his breath quicken. But the resolve he sees on her face isn't full of lust and affection as much as determination and it squeezes his heart with disappointment.
"I'll let you in on a secret: I like having you here. You're a surprisingly enjoyable roommate."
"Wow… thanks, Granger. High praise."
She smirks and swats his chest but rests her palm back on him afterwards. "What I was going to say is, I like having you here, but I want more for you. You need to join the world. Not just my flat."
He nods, knowing she's right but decides to voice his concern with honesty. "What if Luna is not so kind. You're a special case, you know? I can't believe how open you are. Of course it works in my favour… You might be a bit daft, if I'm honest."
"Daft? You've met Luna right?" she deadpans and suddenly they both laugh and they're alright again.
Hermione drops her hands and walks back to perch against her desk. "You never let me tell you who she's dating, you know. That's the old friend I meant."
Draco groans but it has a good natured tone. He gestures with his palm up and a "come hither" pulse of his fingers. "Go on then. What special torture do you have lined up for me?"
Her lips press together in a grin that pops her dimples and makes his heart flutter. "She's been seeing Blaise Zabini."
"I… wait what? Zabini? I thought he disappeared to Italy."
"He did. Luna travels abroad a lot. Gives talks on magical creatures no one can prove exist. She found a great audience amongst muggles honestly. To them, wrackspurts are no more impossible than unicorns so they eat it up. She was in Italy last month and apparently he showed up at her event, hoping to reconnect with his British roots."
Draco shakes his head at the new information but suddenly dinner with the Potters doesn't sound too bad. And if Luna can look past Zabini's questionable loyalties enough to bed him, surely she can forgive Draco Malfoy enough to simply share a meal on neutral ground.
"You didn't decline my invitation yet did you?"
Hermione laughs. "Of course not. You didn't actually think I was going to leave you here alone did you?"
She winks and Draco could kiss her. Not today, but suddenly it doesn't seem so impossible to imagine.
Soon.
...
A/N: So I probably shouldn't have posted this but I've made everyone wait a long time on this story in general. I wrote most of this today. Usually I sit on a chapter and edit to death but I'm taking a chance and putting it up now. I apologize for typos as it is likely there might be some. I have 2 more chapters written but they aren't quite next. I have to fill in the blanks but I'll try to get on it quickly!
Also, I posted a quick 5 part little story called Love Is Foolish if you, dear reader, are interested. I also have about 10 chapters of a potential longer piece so if you enjoy my writing in general, give me a quick follow and be on the look out for that. It mostly takes place in Draco's dreams during 6th year but will divert from canon. If that sounds interesting, I'd love to hear from you. I'm a frail flower; I need encouragement ::shameless pandering for reviews::
I want to thank everyone who reviewed this and my other pieces recently. I tried to respond to each one but had an error with the most recent. So Capecodcanal I just want to say thank you for reading this and my little companion one-shot. Thanks also to Olivieblake for catching up on this story and leaving very encouraging reviews on each chapter.
I also appreciate the follows and favorites that have come in. Each one is a thrill when I see it hit my inbox.