A/N: A little bit of a longer chapter to make up for the small one before - hope you enjoy!

Draco's annual day of Christmas shopping always fell on Christmas Eve. It wasn't that he was unprepared as such, he just needed a lot of time to properly think of what to get as gifts for other people. Other people being his mother, Blaise and Pansy, and then substituting a card as a gift for Harry as a small thanks for the past. It was nothing heartfelt, and he always made sure to get a card that already had 'Merry Christmas' written inside, so he could simply sign 'D.M' at the bottom. He had managed to find Pansy and his mother a gift, getting both of them some goblin made jewellery (earrings for Pansy and a necklace for his mother) and he was still to get his gift for Blaise. The search for his friend's present started in Flourish and Blotts as his plan was to get Blaise the latest leather-bound issue of his favourite series of Arithmancy textbooks. He'd often teased the other wizard about his fascination with the topic but since he'd found out about it almost seven years ago, he'd gotten him a copy of a popular range of factual texts every year.

The bookshop wasn't as crowded as the other shops in Diagon Alley, but it was definitely getting more customers than it would receive in an average day. A large majority of customers were gathered in the children's books or fiction sections of the store, leaving the back shelves filled with non fiction books to be relatively quiet. He stopped abruptly in his tracks when a small child of around five years old ran across the aisle in front of him and he heard an apology from who he assumed was the child's parent, but didn't acknowledge them and kept walking once the path was clear. He was very close to casting a Muffliato charm on himself to keep out the sounds of children running and giggling and people chatting loudly, unaware that a bookshop had its best atmosphere when the only sounds that could be heard were the faint flipping of book pages. When he was safely between the shelves of the non fiction section he had to look around as there had been a change in the layout and where Arithmancy books were normally kept, was now taken up with books on cauldrons and cauldron making. He rounded the corner to the next shelves and was surprised at first (he would realise why it was not so surprising later) to see Hermione standing with her back to him, looking at a book that she'd taken from the section on magical creatures.

His first immediate thought upon seeing her, was of their goodbye at the Ministry ball. He didn't feel very awkward about it because nothing had happened between them even though every morning since then he'd had to endure a cold shower just to get her out of his mind. Seeing her so enraptured with the book brought a small involuntary smile to his lips, and he walked forward quietly, aiming to give her a bit of a surprise. He lowered his voice slightly when he spoke, as to imitate someone else. "Excuse me, are you Hermione Granger?"

His little trick had worked as she responded with, "Yes, who ar—" as she turned around and closed the book, but raised an eyebrow when she found him standing before her. She smiled then and shook her head with a small laugh. "You had me fooled, Malfoy. I won't deny it." His first impression was that she wasn't too fussed about their last meeting since there was definitely no tension between them, nor was she blushing and fumbling like she would do when she found herself embarrassed in his presence, which he'd been witness to at some of their meetings.

"Oh, I know," he smirked and looked down at the book in her hands and saw a picture of a Hippogriff on the front. "Interested in the rights of Hippogriff's now are we?"

"No. Well, yes, I'm always interested in the rights of animals, but I'm going to get this book for Harry," she explained.

"I see," he said and looked around and spotted the sign with 'Arithmancy' written on it above the next section of books to the magical creature ones. He moved around her to begin searching the spines to try and find what he was after.

"Hodgkin's series are the best to read if you're interested in arithmancy," Hermione said when she saw him looking at the books.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to find."

"Oh you are? I enjoyed them tremendously, I'm actually going to buy the latest one in the series but after Christmas. I always have to remind myself to stick to my list and not buy any books for myself," she laughed.

He found himself laughing too as he bent down to look at some of the bottom shelves, but she couldn't see his face. "I'm not interested in arithmancy in the slightest," he said. "I'm actually getting one for Blaise. The same one that you want too."

"Zabini? I haven't thought about him in a long while. Although he just got engaged to Pansy Parkinson, right?" She asked and he nodded in confirmation. "I remember seeing it somewhere in the Prophet. Do you keep in touch with them?"

"Now and then," Draco answered truthfully.

"Who do you keep in touch with from school?"

Draco found the book he was after and pulled it out and double checked on the blurb that it was the latest edition. "A few people," he answered distractedly. When he found that the book in his hands was definitely the one he was after, he looked up to Hermione to see her staring at it too. "Now, now, Granger. Stick to your list," he reminded her teasingly.

Hermione smiled and nodded. "You're right. I need to get other gifts still."

"It's good to know someone like you is just as slack as I am when it comes to presents," he said with a small chuckle.

"Who knew we'd ever be so similar," she said teasingly and he knew it from her smile. "Are you working after Christmas?"

"Bright and early on Boxing Day," he nodded.

"Great. I'll see you then?" She asked with a smile and he nodded again. "See you, Malfoy." She gave a small wave and headed to the counter.

Draco gave a small wave back and then turned to the bookshelf again and looked at where he'd pulled out the book from. There were four other copies still sitting on the shelf and he replayed her expression in his mind when she'd seen the book in his hands. Without even double thinking it, he reached down and picked another copy off the shelf and took both to the front counter to pay. After getting his change and the books put in two separate brown bags, he walked quicker than normal out of the bookshop and scanned left and right, trying to spot her. He couldn't see her at all and took a chance and turned right down Diagon Alley and glanced into every few shops he passed, trying to find her. She ended up being outside of the Quidditch shop, looking into the window and he walked right up to her side. "Fancy seeing you here," he said.

"Hello stranger," she said with a smile when she lifted her head and looked at him. "Are you stalking me now?"

He scoffed and then held out the brown paper bag to her and watched her expression as she took it curiously then withdrew the book from within. "Merry Christmas," he offered.

Her eyebrows raised and she slid the book back into the bag when she realised what it was. "I can't take this," she said and tried to give it back to him but he refused to hold it.

"That's rather rude to refuse my gift before you've even properly opened it," he joked but still didn't take the bag back. "It's a present, Granger. Know how those work?"

"You didn't need to get me this, Draco," she said and pulled the book out and ran her finger along the cover. "I…"

"You don't need to do or say anything," he told her and she looked up at him. "Consider it a thank you."

"A thank you for what?" She asked but he paused and didn't answer and was glad when she didn't push him to. "Can I at least say thank you?"

To lighten the mood, he smirked and said, "I was expecting it."

She laughed and held the book with one hand and then doing something Draco wasn't expecting, she stepped forward and hugged him. It was short and she was the first one to pull away and his hand barely even grazed her back, but it still surprised him. He looked down at her when she stepped back to her previous spot and he saw the faint red blush high on her cheekbones. "Thank you," she said.

"We're work partners now. I thought I'd give you something," he said and she laughed.

"Are you trying to make me feel bad now? I haven't found anything I think you'd like…"

"You don't need to get me anything," Draco said. "I'm a, what did you call it? A grinch? I don't need a present."

"Everyone needs presents. Grinches or not," Hermione said. "Are you busy the rest of today?" She asked and he shook his head. "Come join me. I'll be here for a while you can tag around if you want? I can find you a present too," she smiled.

"I don't know about the last part," Draco said. "But I'll join." He had nothing else planned for the rest of the day except wrapping three presents with the help of his wand and a handy spell, and that would take all of five minutes.

She looked down at a watch on her wrist, "Shall we have lunch?" She asked. "It's where I was heading too anyway."

"Lead the way." The both of them walked with a reasonable space between them and his mind kept drifting back to the hug they'd just had. It obviously was out of thanks and happiness and had been incredibly short but he felt comfortable with it, which surprised him. He wasn't a hugger and he'd had enough struggle giving Astoria one when she'd asked the night she'd told him of her impending marriage and child, but not once had he thought about denying Hermione just then and he'd willingly hugged her back. She confused the hell out of him and it was enough to make him stay quiet until they'd reached a cafe and she asked for a table. "Cat got your tongue?" She asked when they were seated and given menus.

"No," he said but didn't elaborate.

"Alright. Oh!" She seemed to remember something. "Tell me how your mother's ball went."

"It was just the same as the Ministry one but smaller," Draco said. "Except I had to involve myself in a lot of dull business conversations."

"Ah, they are the best kind to be in," she laughed and grinned.

He smiled back at her, "It was splendid. And what was even better was that I didn't have any firewhiskey to ease the pain suffered from those conversations," he joked.

She laughed again and then looked up at the waitress who had returned to their table. "We'll have a latte and a long black to drink, and I'll have a chicken salad."

"Pork sandwich for me," he added when the waitress looked at him and then was on her way. "You have my coffee memorised. Are you sure you're not the stalker?" He teased.

"It's just a testament to how often we have coffee together," she smiled. "So, did you enjoy your family ball better?"

"Merlin no," Draco shook his head. "I played my dutiful little part of being a perfect Malfoy, smiling and making small talk but it was as dull as watching paint dry. The Ministry ball was much better, if not for other reasons."

"Which are?" She pressed and he had looked away from her just as she lifted a finger to scratch the side of her mouth and hide a small smile.

"Hm?" He pretended not to understand because he really didn't want to answer that her company had made it slightly better.

She rolled her eyes before he turned back to her and then said, "I'm guessing Astoria attended your mother's ball too?"

Draco nodded, meeting her eyes again. "Wait…" He realised. "Why would you guess that?"

"I figured your families would be close," she explained. "Cut from the same cloth so to speak, no offence." His grunt and shrug implied 'none taken'. "And she also told me."

"Why would she tell you?" He asked with furrowed brows in confusion. "I would never have pictured you two to associate."

"We don't very often," she said.

"That's why she came to you looking for me at the Ministry ball?"

Hermione nodded with a smile and then thanked the waitress who'd just brought forward their coffees and then left. "She had something to tell you."

"And she told me alright…" Draco sighed and picked up his coffee and took a sip even though it was hot, but he masked the slight pain he felt from burning the roof of his mouth. "You know about it too?" He asked and she nodded in return. "How?"

"Her fiancé, Daniel, is a friend," she said and took three sugar tubes from the little cup in the middle of the table. As she poured them in one by one and stirred, she chose to ignore the slight grimace he was giving. "We got to know each other over the years since I was a regular customer at the apothecary. I catch up with him and sometimes with Astoria too, every so often."

"Small world," Draco murmured.

"How'd you take the news?" She asked and looked quite serious.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at her expression. "I'm not in love with her, Granger. I wasn't heartbroken which she seemed to think I would be. I'm happy for her, she deserves all that she didn't get from me," he said and surprised himself with how honest and open he was being with her.

"Is that why the both of you broke up?"

"Are you interviewing me for Witch Weekly?" He joked to lighten the mood and it did make them both smile. "It was part of the reason. I wasn't ready for kids or marriage when that's what she wanted," he answered her question. "We just grew apart otherwise."

"Mmm," she hummed and took a drink of her latte. "I can relate completely."

"Happened with you and Weasley I take it?" He assumed.

She nodded, "And it only took one pregnancy scare to realise it."

"Shit…" His eyes widened slightly and he took a drink of his coffee. "Just a scare?"

"Thank Merlin," she said with a light laugh. "That's why I refused his offer to try our relationship again last week."

He chuckled and put his mug down. "Guess we're cut from the same cloth too, so you put it."

"Guess we are," she smiled at him. Their lunch arrived then and both were too hungry to wait, so they ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. His sandwich was delicious and he made a mental note to himself to return to the cafe in the future when it wasn't so crowded with hungry, boisterous Christmas shoppers; he was shocked they'd even got a table. "Have you finished your Christmas shopping?"

"I have indeed. All four presents which was originally going to be three."

"Four?" She asked and then saw the paper bag with her new book, and smiled. "You really didn't have to get me that you know."

"I know I didn't," Draco said. "I didn't have to but I wanted to. Simple as that ."

"Why though? You've got to give me an answer this time."

Now he was thrust out of his comfort zone and he immediately looked away from her and grabbed his coffee cup. He looked out at the rest of the people in the cafe and took a drink and all the while she waited patiently and let him gather himself before replying. If it were any other person, he wouldn't have replied at all or even thought about what he would answer. "We may not know each other a lot, but I…appreciate your company," he said, finding it hard to find the right word to use and not sound like he had some obscene fascination with her (even though he did think of her outside of work but that was besides the point in his opinion).

"I appreciate your company too," Hermione said and smiled at him when he looked back at her. "I enjoyed the night of the Ministry ball, too. I didn't get to mention that," she said but her voice was slightly meeker.

"As did I. And you got me to do a near impossible feat," he smirked.

"Which is?"

"Getting me to dance." She laughed and he chuckled too.

"I hardly did it, you were running away from Astoria and I happened to be the first one to bump into you," she rolled her eyes.

"That may be so, but I could have easily asked us to go talk somewhere else. But we danced," he shrugged and ate some more of his sandwich.

"Well, thank you for that. I danced with Harry and Neville and you were the best out of them by far," she smiled.

"You don't need to tell me that twice," he snorted. "So are you still friends with a lot of the people you would associate with in school?" He asked.

"Yes, we'll catch up as much as we can," Hermione nodded. "It's a bit harder now because of my position at work and everyone else has work and children to tend to, but whenever we can, we'll make a point to see each other. Do you still catch up with your friends?" She asked and he didn't miss the hesitation in her voice at her last word.

He shrugged. "Sort of. Like you, I'm busy and they are too, but I'm fine with not meeting up with them every week," he said. 'As much as they insist' he thought in his mind and remembered he'd been invited to visit Blaise and Pansy tomorrow for Christmas lunch but he'd conveniently forgotten to respond to them. He'd finished his sandwich then and used the napkin next to his plate to wipe his fingers free of crumbs and he looked out to the cafe while Hermione finished off her salad.

"Ready to go?" She asked after a few minutes when she'd finished and wiped around her lips with her own napkin. He nodded and they both stood up, grabbing their things. "I'll pay for this, I'll meet you outside," she said since there was a lineup at the cash register to pay. He didn't reject since he knew what had happened last time he'd paid for the both of them, and it was far too busy in the cafe now that he didn't want to spend any extra time there. He left through the front door and stood to the side and put his hands deep in his coat pockets. It wasn't snowing but it felt cold enough that it could be. People rushed through the alley with their coats wrapped tightly around their bodies and scarves wound around their necks. Children ran alongside their parents, excited with the prospect of the next day and what gifts they would receive, mittens on their hands and beanies on their heads, unperturbed by the frantic air about everyone in Diagon Alley. His eyes wandered down the street and he saw the sign for the apothecary and thought about Astoria and her fiancé that worked there and that got him wondering whether he'd be invited to the wedding. He didn't care if he wasn't, but if he was asked to go he would without complaint. He realised that it was time to start bridging the gap back between him and Astoria that had broken down over the years after their breakup. He wasn't looking to be best buddies with her or start visiting her every week, but he didn't want to keep running in the opposite direction if he passed her in the street.

He was still deep in thought when Hermione returned to him and he only realised when she stood in front of him. "Consider that part of my present," he said and they both began walking.

"Not a chance. I'm getting you a proper present, something tangible," she laughed and then went in the direction of a small trinket shop. "Ginny loves these little things," she said and thanked him when he held the door open for her. "I know if I get her a birthday or Christmas gift from here, she'll be happy."

"What is this place?" Draco asked. He figured it was a figuratively new shop, or he was just very unobservant, as he had never even glanced its way. The shop was filled with soothing music and he could smell something that seemed to be wafting through the air and it made him almost want to sneeze.

"It's just a shop with anything and everything," Hermione answered. The shop truly looked like it had tried to fit everything in existence into it. There was clutter everywhere, on tables and dressers and end tables and any available surface. He saw price tags on the makeshift counters too and wondered how in the hell anyone would be able to buy them when there was so many items on top. Most of it looked like old knick-knacks but he could tell they were being sold as quirky items to decorate a home. He snorted to himself thinking about what his house would look like if he started putting up different canvas pictures or decorating the rooms with old furniture and unusual crafted items. "What's so funny?" Hermione asked and he realised she was still right in front of him.

"Oh, nothing," he brushed off and picked up what looked like a miniature model of a racing broom but it was made entirely out of tin. "Why does anyone have a need for this?"

She picked the broom from his hands and surveyed it seriously and even looked at the price tag attached. "It's nice to decorate with little things like this," she said and kept a hold of the model. "Thanks for picking this up by the way. My first present is complete," she chuckled and headed down the shop to look at other things. He found it difficult to navigate in the narrow spaces and watched her slip between tables and walk in places that he would never go in for fear of knocking the many items off their safe spaces. He found a table of candles and wax melts and even candle wax that had been poured into old cigarette tin cases as their holder. It was all very ingenious stuff and he smelt a lot of the different candles but never would he even think about getting one and he contained his need to snort at the thought of various scented candles throughout his house. He moved away from the table when Hermione walked past and he followed behind her and without even realising it, his eyes drifted down her back and watched the gentle sway of her hips as she walked and how snug her jeans were… He averted his eyes back up to a reasonable area and mentally scolded himself for his slight ogling when she had stopped walking to turn and look at a few cushions with different patterns on them. He walked past her and then looked down at something that was sticking out of the aisle slightly from underneath a table. He bent down and pulled out what was an old leather trunk.

Curiosity took hold and he unclipped the clasps on the trunk and opened it up. Inside were the four balls used in Quidditch and his eyes widened slightly. They looked slightly different to the Quidditch equipment he was used to, almost like the people who had made them hadn't really known what would be best. The bludgers didn't rattle around the box and weren't even pinned down and he figured out that they had long lost their magic. He even saw the small hole on the top of the trunk that held the snitch and he pulled it out. The golden ball didn't look very golden anymore and he carefully pulled the wings out to find that one was damaged, and he tucked them back into the tiny sphere and put it back in its place. The box amazed him and the more he looked at it the more he had a desire to have it. Not to use when he played Quidditch but to have in his house (any maybe show off once in a while). He closed the trunk and clasped it up and then picked it up off the ground and knew his hands were covered in dust. He thought about how this treasure hadn't been sold already but then he realised, with a shop as cluttered as this, it would take days for anyone to trundle through every single item to find this hidden gem.

"What's that?" Hermione asked when she walked up to him and she already had a variety of things in her hands that were for Ginny.

"Old Quidditch trunk," he responded. "I'm going to get it. I really had my skepticisms about this shop but I was proved wrong," he chuckled.

"That can be your Christmas present from me!" She said excitedly.

"Granger, no, it's thirty galleons. I can get it myself."

He saw her expression falter when he told her the price and he knew that she no doubt had converted it to its Muggle equivalent. "You spent fifteen galleons on my present," she told him. "Let me pay half of the trunk."

"No, Granger, I can't—"

"Tough," she said with finality. "I'm paying half. If I don't I'll constantly be riddled with guilt."

"Can't have that, can we?"

"We most certainly cannot! I'm afraid I would have to be around you every day so I could badger you about it," she joked.

"Maybe I shouldn't let you pay, then," Draco said, letting his thoughts slip out of his mouth, and he masked his seriousness with a smirk.

She gave him a cheeky grin right back. "Maybe," she said and winked at him before turning and walking away which rendered him speechless for a few seconds before he found his brain again and followed after her and saw they were heading to a cash register at the front. He knew (at least he thought he did) that she'd been joking around with him and the wink was only playful but it still stirred something deep inside of him that had him looking at her out the corner of his eye when he placed the Quidditch trunk up on the counter at the front of the store. He watched as she paid for her items and when she looked up at him he pretended he'd been watching the store clerk wrap the delicate items she'd bought in newspaper, instead of looking at her. She didn't seem to suspect anything which was good and after they'd made their payments they headed from the shop. He cast a shrinking charm on the trunk once they'd left the store so he was able to carry it around and not look like he was lugging around a huge trunk filled with Merlin knows what.

"Thanks for half a present," he teased Hermione as they walked and she laughed and bumped her arm into his.

"It means I only half like you," she joked.

He smiled genuinely and faced ahead as they walked. "I can deal with that," he said and they kept having to dodge between oncoming shoppers. "I don't see the need to rush with Christmas shopping," he said and followed her into the Quidditch shop.

"Sometimes people stress because what they wanted to buy isn't available anymore," Hermione said as she browsed the shelf filled with broom maintenance equipment.

"Yes, but that's why people need to shop earlier if they know what they want to buy is something that might run out quickly."

"Why don't you shop earlier then?" She asked curiously.

"Because books and jewellery never runs out," he answered easily. "That's the only presents I give. Why don't you shop earlier?"

"I guess it's subconscious reasoning to what you said," Hermione mused, pausing from her browsing. "I know the things I want and anytime I've gone to get presents this late, there's never anything that's sold out. I try to think outside the box with gifts," she shrugged.

"I think you proved it back in that junkyard of a store," he joked.

"It is pretty crowded isn't it?" She laughed and then picked up a few different items from the shelf. "The first time I went in there I panicked from how claustrophobic it was."

"I was just too terrified to move and bump something."

"Trust me, you don't want that happening," she said and something about the way she said it made him press further.

"What did you do?" He asked and found his smile growing as he looked at her roll her eyes and get a soft blush on her cheeks.

"My coat may have caught on a wire decoration…"

"Tell me you didn't."

"I did," she nodded and grinned. "I pulled, I'd say, about ten items off the table from that one little slip up. You won't believe the noise it made!"

He pressed his hand to his stomach as he laughed. "Trust me, Granger, I can," he said and continued to laugh as she joined in and tried to hit his hand in embarrassment. He hadn't laughed that genuinely in a very long time and it had been something so simple to set it off. As he looked down at Hermione who was still laughing with him he knew for sure that right then, he didn't just think of her as the straight backed, all business woman that irked him for putting three sugars in her coffee, like he'd once thought her to be. He knew that without any trying on her behalf, that she'd been making him realise that simple things like smiling and laughing weren't as hard as he'd made them out to be. She'd shaped him to enjoying spending time outside of his own self and mind and be in her presence. It wasn't love. It wasn't even close to infatuation; but Hermione Granger was beginning to shape Draco Malfoy into the man that he'd never thought he could be.

A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter and don't worry; their shopping adventures will continue into chapter seven! Please review because your comments really mean the world to me. I'm open to any and all suggestions of what you want to see happen, any predictions, constructive criticism and just general comments! Thanks for your support, hope you enjoyed! P.S 30 galleons = 150 UK pounds and 15 galleons = 75 UK pounds.