Author Note: I'm very pleased with how everything is turning out so far. With the holidays coming up, I knew that I was going to have to get this chapter out before they started. I'm going to be so busy for next few days, so on to the next chapter and let me know what you think.
A special thanks goes to: punklena, Legolas' Girl 31, LightofEvolution, Guest and Dramonie shipper17 for the wonderful reviews.
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Chapter 4:
November 30th, Draco's Apartment
Draco walked into his flat with his bag under his arm. There was an increased weight to it thanks to the book he had taken from Hermione's office. The whole walk home, she had been on his mind; but it wasn't just the things Harry had told him earlier on, there was a level of attraction there to and the curiosity of where it could go was drawing him in.
Tossing his shoes off, he sat down on the sofa to pull out the book he had taken. There was so much research to do about the creature in question. Harry seemed to believe that the threat on Hermione's life and the report he had given him were somehow connected. His fingers brushed across the cover of the old book in his hands.
"I'm sorry, Granger..." He whispered to himself, realizing that it was wrong to have taken it without her permission.
Opening the book to the first page, he glanced at the table of contents and decided that he better read it all if he wanted to learn all he could about the creature. He already knew that it was a hybrid being with a head of lion, goat's body and a dragon's tail. Other than those facts, he was completely clueless on anything else about it.
"A native to Greece, the Chimaera is violent and highly ferocious. According to myth, the Chimaera is a hybrid creature of Lycia in Asia Minor and composed of parts from more than one animal. It is also a sibling to creatures such as the Cerberus and Hydra." Draco read aloud.
He groaned at the information. The way he understood it, A Chimaera was highly dangerous and would most likely kill anyone who tried to get near it. So, once again, he questioned the connection to the death threat to the sighting of one of these creatures. Could someone really control a creature like this?
Reading through more of the book, he learned that The Ministry labeled the Chimaera a level five(Very Dangerous) and their eggs were a Class- A non-tradeable material. To Draco, that was really bad. Quickly shutting the book, he leaned back against the plush part of the sofa. The ceiling stared back at him.
Hermione's face flashed behind his eyes. Keeping the death threat and the report from her was hard to do, because he felt like she deserved to know. Harry asking him to protect her was even harder to grasp. Did he really trust him with such a task? Were there others in on this private mission? Pulling his wand from the inside of his overcoat, he pointed it directly at the cabinet that housed his liquor bottles. "Alohomora." He stated, the cabinet door opened wide.
Keeping his wand pointed at the cabinet, he spoke words to get one of the bottle to come to him instead of getting up to get it himself. Twisting the cap off, he pressed the cool glass to his lips. The amber liquid slid forward, coating his mouth with the pleasant burn.
In all of his twenty-three years, he never thought the emptiness would be consuming him as it currently was doing. There was so much hurt and regret that haunted him on so many levels of consciousness. It seemed like drinking was the only thing that kept it to a minimum. Taking another sip from the bottle head, he rested head back against the back of the sofa. Sitting the bottle down on the floor, he allowed the exhaustion to take over.
XX—XX—XX—XX
December 1st, Hermione's Apartment
Hermione awoke early just like every morning. She mindlessly started to make her usually cup of coffee until the papers on the counter caught her attention. It was yesterday's paper and she wondered how she never noticed that it was sitting there. The headline grabbed at her, making her think about what happened yesterday at the office.
MALFOY TRIAL TO COMENSE IN TWO WEEKS
She wondered how Draco was handling. His father's trial for the events during the battle at Hogwarts were just starting to come crashing down around them. There was rumors that he was never going to go to trial because of all the time that had passed by since the war and because of their last minute change of sides; but seeing that headline, it must be the right time to go ahead with it.
Scanning the article more, she realized that it had nothing to do with the war at all; but basic law breaking in the form of being far too greedy for his own good. He was born into wealth and never had to work, so it amazed her to see how greedy he really could be. The Ministry were probably looking for any kind of law breaking to get him to serve time in Azkaban. She pitied Draco for having to go through such a childhood and for having a father like Lucius.
Hermione tossed the paper in the garbage and turned to pour the dark liquid into the mug on the counter. Staring into the darkness, she thought about what happened at the office. How Draco offered to help her organize her office better and how close he had gotten into her personal space, even flirted with her. It was so unlike him to behave that way and it was even more uncharacteristic of her to enjoy the attention given.
Her mind quickly became cluttered with thoughts and then the phone rang, which gave her mind a much needed break. Walking over to the other side of the room, she picked up the hand-held device and pushed the button to answer the call.
"Hermione?" A warm feminine voice said.
"Yes, who may I ask is this?"
"It's Janey, from the 'Being Division'."
Of course, Hermione remembered her. She was the one who asked the question yesterday, the question she had to look up in an encyclopedia. Hearing her voice, the guilt was written all over her face. "Oh Janey, I am so sorry. I completely forgotten to answer your question yesterday." She apologized, hoping that it would be okay.
"Oh no worries, Miss Granger. I knew you were busy; but I was calling to see if we could meet up. There is some more questions I have for this report."
Hermione looked over at the clock. Nine in the morning wasn't all that bad, so she agreed to meet the girl at a small cafe' on the corner. It would give herself some much needed time to socialize with someone else other than the four walls of her office and of course, to keep herself from thinking about Draco Malfoy.
She moved back to her bedroom and opened her closet grabbing a pair of dark colored jeans, then took a dark red sweater off the hanger. Tossing her nightgown over her head, she stood before the large mirror on the wall fully exposed. She never thought herself flawed; but there was still the scar on her arm that would always remind herself that there was flaw in the eyes of most pure bloods and that included Draco. She had remember that.
Once dressed, she brushed her wildly curly hair and decided to pull half of it up into a low ponytail. Hermione then brushed her teeth and slipped out of the bathroom only to see that the sun was no longer shining through her window. The gray clouds had moved across the sky to cover the warmth of the sun. They have yet to see the first snow fall of the year, so maybe today was going to be the day for that.
Grabbing her handbag from the hook beside the door, she slipped her winter coat on and walked outside. The cold air hit her in the face, taking her breath away from a split second. The cafe' wasn't that far from her apartment and it only took her five minutes to walk there. Janey was sitting at the far corner table looking down at some papers scattered across the tabletop. Her long dark brown hair was twisted into a long braid and hung loosely over her shoulder.
"Hello Janey." Hermione greeted before sitting down across from her.
"Oh, thanks for coming Miss Granger." She replied with a smile and glimmer of happiness in her green eyes.
"Just call me Hermione, no reason to be formal outside of The Ministry."
"Okay..."
Janey pushed one of the papers across the table for Hermione to take a look at. She might be Head of The Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; but there was a higher up in all the sub-divisions. The report was for that said Head, then it would eventually come to her in due time. Janey was someone she kind of took under her wing, because she reminded her of herself only a younger version. "I would change this. You don't want to sound too factual; but at the same time, you need to sound like you know what your talking about without shoving the information down his throat."
Hermione reached for a pen from her bag and wrote a sample down, which Janey understood pretty well. They spend the next hour going over the report and speaking of small things that were happening around The Ministry, including the Christmas party. "Is there someone you plan on going with?" Janey asked curiously.
"Oh, I doubt there will be anyone this year." She answered feeling stupid for having hope that there would be someone to take along.
"That's a shame. You are extremely intelligent and far too pretty to be alone for the holidays."
When Janey needed to go, it left Hermione feeling accomplished. She was thrilled that she could help her out with little things like that. She looked at her watch, then stood up. It was a little after noon and there really wasn't anything else to do but to go back home.
Stepping outside of the cafe', white little flakes drifted across the sky. She looked up to see the snow starting the fall upon the city. A smile crept her face. It was finally starting to look like the Christmas season. The lights on the tree in the park were shimmering and drew her in.
Before she knew it, she was in the park looking at the lights on the large tree. Sitting down on the bench, the snow was starting to fall a little harder than before. There wasn't a single person around, so slightly feeling like a kid, she stood up and twirled around in the snow. A laugh escaped her mouth as she spun, until she spun into a body.
Her hands were pressed into his chest as his arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her against him. His masculine scent waved under her nose causing her mouth to go dry almost instantly. She was having trouble finding words to express how sorry she was for not looking where she was going.
"I'm sorry..." She muttered finally looking up.
A devilish grin and warm blue-gray eyes greeted her. She was in Draco's arms and was completely frozen in place with the snow falling around them. He let go of her and took a step back, giving her some space. She was thankful for that gesture. "You really should watch where you're going, Granger." He teased.
"Yeah...sorry about that. I don't know what I was thinking."
"I'm kidding, don't take it so personal."
The snow caught in her hair was an added bonus to her already exquisite features. He wanted to tuck the large chunk of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear; but forced his hands to stay by his sides.
Hermione couldn't believe that she had run into him of all people, especially when she was acting like a child just minutes before. One of those rare moments of happiness abruptly ended, because she had misjudged. Looking up into his face, the grin was no longer there. Instead, he looked at her with concern.
"What were you doing anyway?" He asked out of curiosity.
"Enjoying the snow...it was something I used to do with my parents..." She answered honestly and instantly regretted it.
Draco took a step closer to her, reaching out to tuck that large chunk of hair behind her ear. He had heard her speak of her parents once before. It was something he probably would never understand, considering his family was dysfunctional. He could only imagine what her opinion of them was. His father's name was on the front page of the newspaper once again. "Come with me..." He whispered turning away from her.
"Where?"
"You'll see..."
She wondered if she should trust him enough to take her somewhere unknown; but the urge to find out was overwhelming. Her legs carried her to follow him. He lead her further into the park, further than she had ever ventured before. There were trees all over, almost like a forest except it was no where near big enough for that.
Five more minutes passed by before Draco stopped walking. Hermione looked out at the snow covered stream. She had no doubt that in the spring this place would because absolutely breathtaking with fresh blooming flowers; but now, it was a winter wonderland. How had she never known about this place before? "This is beautiful..." She commented.
"My mother used to take me here when I was little to look at the ice covered stream."
His words caught her completely off guard. She never expected him to open up to her like that. Mentioning his mother only got her mind thinking of the newspaper headline from yesterday. She wanted to ask how he was handling that; but couldn't open her mouth to speak the words. "My mother isn't all bad. I wish the newspapers would leave her be." He admitted stepping out away from her.
"Draco...I'm sorry."
"There isn't anything to be sorry about. My bastard of a father ruined us. He ruined her and... ruined me."
Hermione shook her head and took several steps to close the distance between them. Her cold hand reached for his. He looked at her with a million different emotions running side by side. "He didn't ruin you. You aren't the same person you were then, even I can see that. You have a chance to be your own person and not do the things your father did. With you being an Auror, you're already on the right path." She stated with a smile.
Draco didn't think of things that way; but was glad she expressed her thoughts to him. It made him feel like a person. He didn't want to be his father, never have and never would want that. His mother encouraged him to follow his own path and accepted the fact that he became an Auror despite his father's rejection of the idea.
Hermione's hand tightened around his briefly before letting go completely. She couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling. His father no doubt expected far too much from his son, instead of loving him for just who he was. "Are you hungry?" She asked changing the subject.
"Why?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her questioning.
"Well since I ran into you while I doing my childish twirling, I figured I'd make it up to you by buying lunch."
"Well then...if you're offering who am I to refuse."
She smiled brightly, placing a hand on his arm before walking forward towards to the park. Draco followed after her, walking right by her side. He had spent so long resenting her in school for being smarter than him and he never took the time to really see her as a person. Seeing her now, he was seeing how wrong he had been about her in more ways than one.
He watched her flag down a taxi and let out a slight chuckle to himself before getting into the car right behind her. They sat in silence the whole way to wherever it was she told the driver to take them. His knee brushed up against hers, getting her to look over at him. The flush on her cheeks returned and he couldn't help but feel accomplished in making her feel nervous around him. It made him think that there was an attraction on her end as well as his.
The car stopped outside of a small diner that he had only been to one other time prior. She handed the driver money to pay the fee, which didn't sit well with him. He may not be with the woman; but it still was the gentlemanly thing to do to pay for the expenses, especially when he had a lot more money than she did.
They got out of the car, noticing the snow had stopped falling. Walking into the diner, they were quickly seated in a private corner of the restaurant. It never dawned on Hermione that people around would begin to talk about whom she was with; but luckily, no one said a word. At least, none that she could hear anyway.
"What can I get you two to drink?" The waitress asked cheerfully.
"Just a water for me." Hermione stated.
"Same." Draco said as well.
She nodded and went on her way to gather their drinks. He looked around discreetly. Hermione noticed his uneasiness. She supposed it was because he didn't want any rumors starting their way through the tabloids. "Relax. I picked this place for a reason. They don't allow any newspaper journalists or any kind of writer in here. It's supposed to a safe place for anyone to be."
"Was I that obvious?" He asked.
"Kind of, though I don't really blame you for being cautious."
Draco watched her head lower. There was something different about her now. The warmth in her eyes was no longer there. It was replaced by a look of disappointment and it made him feel like he needed to say something to bring that warmth back in her eyes; but he had no idea what to say to her. "I just didn't want rumors to start for the wrong reasons." He said softly.
The waitress returned, cutting Hermione off from replying to his statement. The slender woman with short black hair sat their glasses neatly in front of them with a smile and turned to write down their order. "So what will we be havin' today? The vegetarian lasagna is to die for if I do say so myself." She said trying to encourage the daily special on them.
"It does sound good. I think I will go with that." Hermione said handing her menu back.
"Same." Draco stated giving the waitress his menu.
She jotted it down on her notepad and took the menus from their hands with another warm smile. Hermione took a drink from her glass, preparing herself to answer the statement from a few minutes ago. The cold fluid slid down her throat and sent a chill straight down to her stomach. "You mean rumors of you being seen with a muggle born?"
"I figured you'd think that; but that's not why. The fact is, I'd rather my life stay out of the headlines. My family might be attention seekers; but I'm not. The fact that your muggle born has no relevance here. If anything...I'd rather you not be seen with me."
His words only confirmed what she was beginning to think already. He had changed since the war. Smiling to herself, she took another sip from her glass to hide her happiness from him. They talked about little things, like what got them into The Ministry and what their training was like. When their food came, they both enjoyed every bit of it. Draco had many different plates of the same food from other places and none compared to the little diner they were currently in. That only proved that fancy doesn't always mean the best quality.
The waitress returned to ask if there was anything else she could do for them. When Hermione told her there wasn't, she laid the check down on the table and left them. Hermione reached forward for the check; but Draco reached his hand out beating her to it. She looked at him dumbfounded. "What are you doing?" She asked.
"Paying for the meal." He answered simply.
"I told you that I would buy."
"Yes; but I changed my mind in letting you do that."
He smiled at her. The flutters in her chest were taking her breath away. She didn't understand how this man could make her feel that way just after a couple days of interaction. Had she always harbored such emotions for him? That was the million dollar question in her mind.
Draco did as he intended and paid for the meal. They turned to leave the restaurant and stepped out into the crowded walkway. It was close to four and everyone would be headed home from the weekend job or the weekend shopping trips. "So where do you go now?" He asked turning to look at a display window of mens jackets.
"I really don't have anything else to do. I'm probably going to go home and make a big cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows."
He continued to look into the glass, debating on saying anything else to her. He really didn't want to let her leave yet. Her company was pleasantly fulfilling and wasn't ready to let it go. Hermione turned her head to side slightly, confused as to what he was doing. Shifting a little, she noticed the snow starting to fall once again. "Would you like to join me for a cup?" She asked turning back towards him.
"Sure." He agreed.
She nervously flagged yet another taxi and told him where to go. The trip to her apartment complex was spent in silence. Her mind was going in a million different directions and it never occurred to her that Draco was the first person other than friends she had brought home with her. It felt awkward, though not in a bad way.
The driver told her the price once he pulled along the curb. Hermione went for her handbag for the money; however, Draco paid for it instead. He winked at her before getting out of the car. They stood on the sidewalk outside the gate. "You didn't need to pay for that to." She argued.
"Well I did, so get over it." He countered with a coy smile.
Turning to push the button, she narrowed her eyes at him. Pretending to be angry at him, even though she doubted he believed her. She was easily readable. At least that's what Harry always told her. No one answered the buzzer, which frustrated her. "That's unlike Aiden." She commented.
"I'm sorry, miss. Aiden had an emergency. There won't be anyone to let you in until eight or so." A lady shouted from her window.
"Oh...thank you..." She shouted back.
Mentally cursing at the timing, she turned toward Draco and let out an annoyed sigh. "Come on, I'm not going to let you wander the streets for the next four hours." He said placing a gentle hand on the lower part of her back. She stiffened slightly at his touch; but quickly relaxed, realizing there was no reason to tense up.
They walked for another ten minutes or so and came to another apartment building. Draco opened the door and allowed her inside. Climbing several sets of stairs, they finally came to a door that read 16B. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The warmth caressed her cheeks instantly. Slowly stepping inside, she took notice of the lack of furnishings. It was a pretty standard apartment set-up. Kitchen joint to the living room. A hallway leading back to a bedroom at the end, maybe another on the left hand side.
"It's nothing fancy; but it will keep you warm until you can get into your own place." Draco stated.
"You know...I expected more from one of the richest people in London." She teased.
"I actually like the simplicity of this place. Less to clean."
"Fair enough..."
He took off his coat and hung it up on the hook beside the door. Reaching out to take hers, his fingers brushed against hers. Draco turned into the living room to clean off the coffee table of the items she didn't need to see and quickly shoved them into his bag. The large window caught her attention almost instantly. The snow falling heavily caused a white haze over everything. "You have such a view." She complimented.
"Yeah...this place does have it's perks." He replied moving to stand beside her.
"It's beautiful. My place doesn't have a view like this. I could stare at it for hours."
He wouldn't mind if she came to visit him just for the view if that meant he could spend time with her. It was so unlike him to get this attached to someone so quickly. Glancing back at his work bag leaning against the frame of his sofa, he considered telling her about everything Harry advised him not to speak of. "I'm sorry for running into you today during my childish antics." She apologized turning her head from the window to look directly at him.
"No need to. You looked so happy while doing it."
"I was...the thought of my parents really does make me happy even though I can't see them."
Draco understood her need to keep them out of her affairs. Her magical blood was dangerous to those who don't have any magic. During the war, she did what she thought was best and never looked back. He admired that about her, because he seriously doubted that he would have been able to do what she did.
Hermione blinked to break the stare they had going. She looked around the room once again. "You don't have a single Christmas decoration in here." She commented turning back around to look at him. It was curious to her as to why he didn't have a tree or anything. She knew that he was a single man living alone; but he didn't even have an artificial pre-lit tree.
"I know...just never got around to it. I'll get to it sometime."
"I'll bring some of my extra stuff. I have far too much and I can never put it all out."
"It's not necessary."
He moved to sit down on the sofa and opened the bottle of liquor that was on the floor. She watched him intently, waiting to see what he was going to do next. He twisted the cap and took a full swig from the large bottle. The burning sensation in his throat calmed his nerves fairly quickly as he never noticed Hermione sitting down next to him. "Is this what you do? Drink the second you get home?" She asked.
"I don't have much going for me. I get home from The Ministry and the bottle keeps me company from the nightmares."
"Nightmares?"
"The ones I've had every single night since the war."
Hermione understood where he was coming from. She to had nightmares after the war, mainly of the torture she went through at the hands of Bellatrix; but there were other moments that came back to haunt her dreams. Getting up onto her knees, she shifted her body to face him. His eyes were almost pleading with her to keep her distance. "Draco..."
"Don't! There is nothing you can say that will make everything that happened okay. I made the choices and now I have to live with them.
"You didn't have a choice and that's where the difference is."
She could tell that he was hurting in more ways than one. Leaning in, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. Her scent waved under his nose, intoxicating him with her unique smell. It didn't take him long to wrap his own arms around her, accepting the comfort she was giving. Closing his eyes, he reveled in her warmth.
Pulling away, she sat back down on her feet. He opened his eyes to catch her own. There was something happening between them and neither one knew exactly what it was or how to go about it. Instead, he was just going to let things happen as they did. He didn't want to push her into anything, because if he was honest with himself, he didn't deserve her. Not even as a friend.
"I never blamed you..." She admitted softly.
"You should." He replied, already know what she was speaking of.
He had been there that night when his aunt had taken her blade and carved that derogatory word in her flesh, forever branding her. It was then that he felt the warmth of her hand on his face. Her thumb brushed across his chin. His body went rigid at her touch, not expecting it. "I don't blame you, never have. Harry never did either."
"What about the Weasley kid?"
"Ron? He may have; but it was more out of jealousy than anything logical."
Ron's opinion never mattered to Hermione when it came to that night. He hadn't seen the things she did and no matter what she said, he always dismissed it simply because he never liked Draco or anyone associated with him. At the time, she understood the reasons why; but as she discovered there was almost more to a story than just the one side.
Letting her hand fall away from his face, she pushed herself off the couch. He quickly stood to follow her to the door. Time had already passed them by and it was time for her to leave. He noticed that it just passed by far too quickly for his liking. "I'll bring that stuff over tomorrow if that's okay?" She offered with a slight smile.
"That should be fine. I don't plan on going anywhere." He replied holding her coat out to her.
"I'll see you then."
He nodded, as she opened the door. "Goodnight, Draco." She said walking out, closing the door behind her. Draco let out a frustrated sigh before moving to sit back down to continue drinking from the bottle on the table. Her scent was all over his shirt, creating a wave of desire that shouldn't be there. He knew that he shouldn't want her; but he did and doubted that it would go away any time soon, if ever. She had dug herself in without even realizing it. "Damnit..." He cursed letting his head fall back to stare at the ceiling.
"What am I supposed to do now?" He asked himself aloud running a hand over his head and across his face, collapsing fully to sofa.
End Note: Happy Holidays Everyone!