-Chapter 4-

Accompanying Song: I Dare You - The XX

He had arrived punctual, as she should have anticipated, and dressed as impeccable as always as well. The black of his dress pants and overcoat were broken only by the stark white button up underneath. He had forgone a tie and instead opted for the first few buttons to be undone, and Hermione found it hard not to be drawn to the porcelain skin beneath.

But it wasn't just how dashingly handsome he had looked casually leaning against the mantle that had her breath caught in her throat.

No.

He had to be charming as well.

As she had rounded the corner to find him in her flat, it was the bouquet that he had brandished that caught her off guard foremost. White daisies with intermittent yellow lilies peppered within them. While not one to swoon over flowers, the gesture was sweet and something that she was not accustomed to. Her feet had grounded her in place and left her gawking, both hands tangled in her hair where they had been working to pull her curls back into a low updo.

"I wasn't sure if you were ready," he started to apologize, stepping towards her.

"No, no. It's alright. I just-" she stopped as he reached her, offering the bouquet.

"These are for you, a token only half as lovely as the women they are for." His smile was contagious and she could feel that tell tale heat creeping into her cheeks.

"Thank you," she managed barely above a whisper, turning quickly to retreat to her kitchen.

Draco followed behind her, seemingly unphased by her uncharacteristic reaction to him of all people.

"So, did you think of somewhere to go?"

"Oh, I most definitely did." She spun on her heel, the flowers now carefully held in a large vase in front of her. A mischievous grin had lit up her face as made her way towards him.

Draco had stopped in the doorway, taking in the small but cozy kitchen. It wasn't much, but it was all she needed. She did not spend much time at home, anyway. Most of her evenings were spent with her favorite married couple or amongst those she considered her only family now at the Burrow. If she wasn't in either of those places, she would pick up takeout from one of her favorite places near her flat. The kitchen had so little use here that she was on a first name basis with the owners of the shops nearby, and that was one fact that had her picking somewhere that was further away for them to eat at.

Finally his gaze came to rest on the witch before him. Her face was lit up like a child that had a secret and couldn't wait to tell. His brow arched at her. "Where are we going?"

"I figured I could get you into a bit of the local cuisine. There's a place here in Muggle London that I thought we could go to."

Her smile only grew more cheshire like as she watched for his reaction. She knew he would be positively squirming with disgust at the mere thought of where they would be. Surrounded by muggles? This was probably among the nightmares that kept him up at night.

But the moment failed to happen.

He only flashed that smoldering smile to her. "Sounds perfect." his voice held no disgust as he offered his arm to her. "Did you want to walk?"

Hermione balked at this. Maybe there was more truth to this new leaf that Harry was always going on about than he had let on to. Her brows furrowed with scrutiny for a moment before she wove her arm through his. As they made their way towards the door, Draco paused to lift her peacoat from the hook by the door and offer it to her.

Her lips pursed as she slid her arms into the offered garment. "Why are you being so kind?" There was no malicious intent behind her words, but this was not what she expected from him, new leaf or not.

A smile graced his features. "Hermione," he laughed, "did you just expect me to show up here throwing around awful names at you and protesting anything you wanted?"

"Well, no, but I also did not expect you to be so accommodating, so considerate. You're not even phased that we're going to muggle London. That's surrounded by muggles, you know."

He only smirked at this. "I knew what I was getting myself into and I gave you my word. That should mean something."

Without another question, they passed through the threshold and out into the crisp January air.

"A dragon?!" His incredulous tone was enough to send her into a fit of giggles, despite him trying to keep the conversation at a whisper.

"I don't think I have ever felt as much like a Gryffindor as I did in that moment," she laughed, leaning back in her chair.

"You are a wild one, Hermione," Draco shook his head as he resumed pushing around the remaining bites of food in an attempt to stretch the dinner as long as he could.

It was a surreal scene. Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin and annoying prat, was seated across from Hermione. Not only was he just at the same establishment, but it was technically speaking their first date. Draco Malfoy on a date with Hermione Granger, Princess of the Golden Trio. Draco Malfoy, not with a sneer or a scowl marring his face, but with a smile that reached his eyes. Eyes that twinkled with each tale she recalled for him and a boisterous laugh that continued to send her into a mess of giggles despite that they had now been picking at their meal for over an hour and a half.

If someone had told her even just a few short months ago that she would not only find his company enjoyable but intoxicating, she would have had them sent to St. Mungo's with haste. She wouldn't lie to herself, though. She was enjoying this more than she had ever anticipated. Even Draco seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly despite it being a muggle establishment.

"Draco," she cautiously started to get his attention, "why is it that you were alright with my choice tonight?"

"I agreed that we could go anywhere your heart desired, did I not?"

Hermione nodded, but continued to wait for the rest of the answer.

With a sigh, Draco shrugged his shoulders. "I am truly am different than our Hogwarts days. I hope I can show you that."

Regret and embarrassment began to creep up on her. They had been having a lovely night and here she went soiling it by bringing that up.

Draco dropped the remnants of his meal and rose, startling her. "Come. Let's get dessert."

"This, this is definitely not what I thought you meant."

Hermione slowly spun as she took in her surroundings. The small shop was stuffed with books to the point that there was minimal room to navigate and no wallpaper could be seen through the bookshelves lining the walls. The organization was chaotic, only genres defining the areas and a loose attempt at organization by author's last name. Carefully, she begun to pick her way through the path, occasionally plucking a book from a shelf and adding it to the pile accumulating in her arms.

As they reached the second room, her book stack had begun to sway dangerously in her arms.

Silently, Draco reached forward and plucked them from her arms. When he was met with a quizzical look, he just smiled. "I thought I could free your hands to better find new works."

Hermione came to a halt in the doorway, blocking his exit.

"How did you know about this place? These are muggle books, and not even I had been here before."

Draco shrugged nonchalantly, "I ran out of wizarding material to read."

Hermione's arms crossed at his answer.

Defeatedly, he carried on. "Perhaps when it dawned on me that muggleborn wizards might just not be as inferior as I was taught, a burning curiosity brought me to consume all things muggle in an attempt to understand them."

"You-Draco Malfoy-studied muggles?"

"There is a lot about me for you to learn," he once more gave a shrug.

Seemingly satisfied, for the moment, with this answer, Hermione began carefully making her way back to the register.

But when it came time to pay, Draco had already produced a small plastic card and offered it to the cashier before she could.

The shocked and confused look that washed over Hermione's face had to have been enough to satisfy him as she could see him physically forcing himself to avoid her gaze as to not burst into laughter.

Hermione shook off the fresh dusting of snow that had collected on her coat and scarf, one that Draco had ducked into a small boutique and insisted on purchasing for her as the snow began to fall, and placed them on the hook by the door. Slipping out of her shoes, she quickly padded across the living room. The wood floor was cool to the touch and soothed her feet that had begun to ache from the amount of walking they had done. Neither had wanted the night to end, but she used that bit of Gryffindor courage she was known for to invite him back to her flat.

"Hot cocoa?"

"That would be lovely, thank you."

When she returned, the sight before her physically pulled at her heartstrings. Draco sat still as a statue aside from the one hand that brushed slowly over a large furry mass that had taken up residence in his lap. Crookshank's wild purr sounded through the quiet room like a revving chainsaw. The cat's tail fluttered with content behind it leaving a trail of orange in its wake. Carefully as to not disturb the moment, Hermione placed the mugs on the coffee table before them.

"He normally is never this kind to a stranger," she murmured, gently reaching to stroke her familiar.

"Perhaps this should be a sign to you."

Hermione only offered a smile in response.

Maybe, just maybe, she could get used to this.

A whole day, not one moment of tension.

Just maybe.

The sun's first rays had begun to breach her blinds and spill across the room. Hermione stirred slowly, attempting to gain her bearings. Once more she found herself awaking alone, Draco having vanished in the early morning.

At least this time a note was left behind.

Carefully, she rolled to her side and swiped it from the coffee table.

Thank you for humoring my request and going through with this with me. I promise to show you just how much the gesture means to me.

I cannot wait for dinner tonight.

Your Fiance, Draco

Only half a dozen dinners had passed and she already found falling into conversation with him so incredibly easy. They had managed to avoid any topics at this point that would get one another heated. It was as if he actually wanted to get to know her as a person, and was genuinely interested in the things that she had to say. While conversations with the boys were fun, they were often one sided. She didn't care for their Quidditch talk, and they hardly cared about the latest book she had picked up or about the inner workings of anything Ministry related that didn't involve risking one's life.

She actually felt giddy to meet up with Draco. After her return to work, she found herself watching the clock more frequently.

And it was hard to admit that Draco Malfoy was the one that left her feeling alive and like she was no longer just married to her work.

"Hermione?"

The click of his leather shoes on the wood floor alerted her to his arrival. Carefully, she pulled a jumper on over her undershirt and bounded down the hall to greet him.

Draco was always charming. The prior nights he had been his typical gentleman self and arrived with bouquets of flowers that now adorned what little surface space was left in her flat. Tonight, was different. He arrived with a small brown package. Her pace slowed as she neared him, a questioning look replacing the smile that had previously plastered her face.

"You don't have to, you know."

"I am well aware. I do it because I want to," he smiled that contagious grin and she found herself unable to resist.

With careful fingers, she slowly unwrapped the package. A cover she had yet to see in the window of Flourish and Blotts stared back up at her. Hermione's brow furrowed, her fingers tracing over the raised lettering. This was the latest edition of research in alchemy, and it wasn't due to release to the public for several more months. She knew this for a fact as they had spoke about it over dinner the other night; both of them could not wait to get their hands on it.

"But... how?"

"You mentioned you wanted it, and that was all the motivation I needed."

Conversation this night flowed quickly and seemed to center around magical theories involving alchemy and the dabbling in potions that Draco had been working on lately. While being an Auror was his career in life, potions was his drive, and alchemy was a side hobby that often intermingled with it. It was nice to have a conversation that she could interject into with her own theories, readings, and experiences, but she slowly let him dominate the conversation. To watch someone talk about something they were truly passionate about, to see that sparkle in their eye, to watch how animated they became, it sent a warmth through Hermione's heart.

It wasn't just that he was passionate about it and that she loved to learn, but it was how alive he seemed when they talked about academics. If she passed him in the halls at work, his expression was always stony, stoic, all business. Yes, he was always attentive and responsive and a perfect listener when it came to their day to day life, and he had become quite valuable with his input on wordage or minor adjustments to her bills with work, but it wasn't like this. He didn't wave his arms around as he talked or dare to mess up his perfectly groomed hair. When it was the two of them, and they talked about something he truly loved, it showed, and it couldn't help but lift her spirits.

A soft warmth came over her hand that stirred her from her thoughts. She had been in a stupor, a dumb smile plastered across her features as she had analyzed him, and it seems this did not go unnoticed.

"See something you like, Granger?" He always reverted back to her surname when he was teasing her.

She rolled her eyes at this, "Besides this meal in front of me, of course not."

"I'm still not sure how this is considered a meal," he emphasized his point with a flourish of his hand across the basket of fish and chips in front of them.

"Oh, stop. You're just upset still that you have to eat with your hands."

"Of all the restaurants we have been to, I have yet to so much as groan, but this just seems barbaric! I'm not a child, you know."

"No, but you'll have one soon," she pointed at him with her chip before taking a bite.

The slight crinkle in his features softened at this and a small smile replaced it. There was no further complaints about their meal. Reflecting on her sentence, a smile of her own graced her face.

Parents.

They would be parents soon. While the thought was terrifying enough to leave her recovering from anxiety attacks almost daily, there also was a bit of excitement that was building with it with each passing day that they got to know one another more. She had always wanted to be a mother, just not this soon. Regardless, it gave her a bubbly feeling how supportive he was being already.

Perhaps it wouldn't be that bad.

Almost two and a half weeks had passed since their engagement and subsequent dinners every night, like they had agreed. Despite her attempts to test his patience, she found his charm to be unwavering and he had obliged to her every whim without complaint. Their conversations were stimulating, challenging, something she hardly ever encountered and she loved to pick his mind for her latest proposals for laws in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures or his views on muggle technology.

Draco's eyebrow cocked at Hermione, one of her elbows propped onto the table before them, her hand wildly gesturing with her fork as she spoke about some centaur laws they were working on. He was never a fan of centaurs and certainly would never lobby for them, but her passion for her line of work was endearing. She had a way of captivating all that listened to her. She had a way of challenging how you thought and daring you to make a difference. She had a way of making you want to be a better person.

And he was definitely finding himself to want to be a better person. He was so used to coasting through life and skimming by under the radar after his family defected. Those pureblood ways always seemed the hardest to break, but he was trying. Instead of being put off by how Hermione was acting and making a snide remark about her table manners, he found her disregard for the opinions of others to be quite charming, and uniquely her. Not to mention, he learned his lesson by Dinner #3 that Hermione would do the complete opposite of anything she was told to do simply out of spite. If they weren't in a social function, he simply would not say anything. Not that she didn't know how to behave in front of others, but-

A hand waved in front of his face. "Earth to Draco," followed a sing-song voice.

"Mm, sorry, my dear, you were saying?" He played it off with a signature smoldering smile, one he tended to save for extreme cases with her when he needed to wiggle his way out of something.

She paused for a moment, attempting to dismiss his coy behavior with a wave of her fork. "I said… we have been in contact with the Centaur tribe at Hogwarts recently and are looking to bring one of them on board to help us with the issues we are having regarding territory boundaries," scanning his face, she continued. "I am going to volunteer to be one of the officials to meet with them."

Draco shot her an incredulous look. "Hermione," he attempted to suppress the growl in his tone, "is that the most intelligent decision in your current state? I understand how much this all means to you, but what if it were to go wrong and you or the baby was injured?"

With a sigh, she pushed her food around her plate with her fork, grating the metal against the china much to his dismay. "I understand the concern, but really, how bad could it go?"

"Seeing as how they treated Umbridge," he sighed, raking his fingers back through his hair. "I would just hate for anything to happen to you- or the baby," he swiftly amended.

"Aww, is someone getting soft on me- Oww!" Hermione swung her feet up under her chair as the toe of his shoes collided with her shin. "Uncalled for!"

"Darling, you are making a scene," came his drawl in response.

Hermione shot him a glare before swiftly launching the piece of food she had been pushing around her plate at him. .

Without so much as a twitch of a reaction on his face, he shook his head. "I suppose it was too much to ask to hope that they taught you Gryffindors how to act in public."

"Oh! Speaking of," disregarding his attempt at insulting her and pouncing on the opportunity to move the conversation elsewhere, burying the previous one where he might forget, "Harry and Ginny have invited me over for dinner Friday. I might have said I was bringing someone with me, so if you would like to come and get this introduction over…" she trailed off, that nervous habit of toying with her fingers taking hold as she began to fumble with her napkin on the table.

Without skipping a beat, "Of course, my dear. We could make our announcement then."

Hermione nodded. It had been almost three weeks since she had seen her best friends in her attempt to keep quiet about both the engagement and the pregnancy.

Carefully prying the remnants of the napkin from her hand, his fingers entwined with hers. "I will be on my best behavior, I promise you."

She shot him a small smile, "You always are lately. I'm just waiting for the polyjuice to wear off. We will all laugh before I have to go make up to the real Malfoy, who is most definitely a rude little git, by the way."

"You are quite the charmer," keeping her hand held in his, Draco moved to stand beside her. "It is a wonder that I am not fending off the competition for your hand with a beater's bat," his voice flat and not revealing any of the sarcasm dripping from his statement.

Her airy laugh penetrated his tough exterior as she rose into his embrace, her free arm looping around his waist in an affectionate gesture. "You sure know how to flatter a girl, Draco Malfoy."

Once more his hand found its way to hers before they began their now routine post dinner stroll.

Author's Note: No cliffhanger this time! A bit longer but now we're going to be picking up the pace and jumping in finally. I hope you're enjoying the ride thus far. As always, thank you for the kind words, faves, and follows! It means so very much to me.