Spellbound
Chapter 5
Draco paced the room, waiting on Hermione to show up and when she finally walked through the door, he forgot everything he was planning to say.
"H-Hi..." He stuttered.
"Hello. What did you want to see me about?" She sounded very formal and he didn't like it.
"I thought you would have figured what this was all about."
"I have an idea. But why don't you tell me." She sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, not wanting to make herself comfortable.
"I- Well, I talked to Astoria." He watched for a reaction but all she did was nod her head for him to continue. "Apparently, she's found herself a boyfriend, so she gave us her blessing. If we wanted it, that is."
"Why do we need a 'blessing'? That- That was a one time thing, Draco. What part of that don't you get?"
"But I don't want it to just be a one time thing. I want you. I want to be with you."
"I'm already spoken for, Draco. Can't you see that? I got home yesterday and Ron and I had the best time since we got married. It was like being newlyweds again. It was good. We- We just can't do that. We can't be anything." She stood up. "I have to go. And if you're going to send me anything at work again, please put my actual name on it."
"I can't do that, Hermione."
"And why not? It's my name."
"Because. I can't. Doing that would be admitting to myself that you aren't mine. That someone else snatched you up before I could."
"And someone else did, Draco! Someone decided long before you did that I was good enough for them! And now, I'm just supposed to throw that all away for some pompous arsehole who thinks he deserves everything he sets his eyes on? Are you mental? Seriously."
"I'm not the same person I was! I am not that same 'pompous arsehole'! I've realized a lot of things since then. I realized that I made a mistake calling you the things that I did and being the bully I was. But that's what I knew! I thought I was better than everyone! And then 6th year happened and I realized I was just a pawn in everyone's fucking games. I realized I was better than that. I realized that I was the biggest tool on the planet, literally." Draco took a shaky step towards Hermione. "And then, with your face plastered everywhere, I realized I was wrong about you."
"How? How were you wrong about me?"
"I realized you weren't some frizzy haired, bucktoothed know-it-all. I realized that you were brave, and a really good friend to stand by Potter like that. I realized that you really were smart and clever. And beautiful."
"Draco. Stop-" Hermione's voice cracked.
"You're the one who asked. I realized that just by reading about you in the Prophet, that I was falling for you."
"Don't say that. You don't love me."
"I didn't say I loved you. I said I was falling for you. There's a difference. But one day, if you would let me, I'd fall completely in love with you."
"Don't say that!" She yelled.
"Why the hell not?!" He yelled right back.
"Because you couldn't love me! You can't!"
"Why does everybody think that I'm incapable of loving someone?!" He was angrier than Hermione had ever seen him and she didn't like it.
"Have you ever given them a reason to believe you could?" Hermione had small tears forming in her eyes.
"No one's ever given me the chance! You and Astoria, you just assume I'm some cold-hearted bastard and don't give me a chance. And I'm sick of it. I want to prove to you I can be someone you would want to be with."
"Why now? What makes me so different now from when we were at school? I am still the exact same muggle-born I was. And why the hell should I give you a chance after everything you put me and my friends through?"
"Maybe you haven't changed, but I have. You may be the exact same, but I'm different. You saw that the other day. You can't deny that." Draco took another step closer to Hermione. "I want to dance to Frank Sinatra with you. I want to watch movies with you. And I want to go eat at weird muggle restaurants with you."
"You remembered Frank Sinatra?" Hermione whispered.
Draco took one last step towards her and placed a hand behind her neck. "You said you loved his music. Why wouldn't I try and remember something you said you loved?"
"Draco-" Hermione's voice caught in her throat.
"Hermione..." He whispered.
"What?" was all she could whisper back.
"Kiss me." She started to say something, but Draco stopped her. "Please. Just kiss me."
And she did. Once she pressed her lips against his, she knew there was no going back. SHe knew that the previous events between them weren't just a one time thing. And once his hands became tangled in her hair and her arms seemed to involuntarily wrap around his neck, she knew that she was in this for the long haul.
Draco's hand made his way to the tops of Hermione's thighs, and he lifted her legs around him. He spun around and laid her down on the bed and couldn't help but smile at he look on her face. "Scared, Granger?" He said, uttering the same phrase he had used on Harry their first year, just in a completely different context now.
Hermione chuckled because she remembered he had used that line before and answered the same way Harry had. "You wish." She said, playfully, as she pulled off her shirt. Draco almost forgot how to breathe.
"You are stunning." he said inbetween kisses trailing up from her collarbone to her mouth.
Afterwards, Hermione was laying with her head on Draco's chest and he was playing with her hair when she glanced at her watch. "Fuck. I have to get back to work." She sat up and began pulling her hair into a ponytail.
Draco sat up and placed a kiss on her shoulder. "Awe, do you really have to?"
"Yes, I really do. They like me there. They'll miss me and start to worry if I'm gone too long."
"But I'll miss you, too. Doesn't that count for anything?"
"It does, but you aren't paying me to work. I need the money. I have to go." She quickly got dressed and then crawled across the bed to give Draco a kiss. "I'll write you." She winked, gave him one more kiss, and then she was gone.
Draco fell backwards onto the bed and sighed; glad that the day had gone better than expected.
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