A/N: Hello! Chapter 14 is here and we are so close to the end of this fanfiction! I'm so grateful for the support lately - I recently got 30 followers of this story, so thank you! Enjoy this one!
JK Rowling owns HP.

Last Chapter:

He laughed nervously, eyes wide, and charged away, with her hot on his heels.

Nerves were not something Draco was accustomed to. Sure, he was aware of them; he knew they existed, but throughout his life he simply wouldn't accommodate for them. They were pointless, irrational fears that assumed the worst of a situation when it would, most likely, turn out perfectly fine.

But here, in the swanky restaurant with its simpering waiters and glaring lights, he felt the ominous weight of anxiety settle on him. He was only waiting for Hermione – it's just Hermione, he kept telling himself, but it made no difference.

He had his hair mussed up artfully, and he wore a shirt, a black blazer and matching trousers, which he kept wiping his hands on in vain attempts to remove the sweat beading there. His eyes darted around the room, viewing the elderly couple in the corner eating silently, and the young, probably newly married couple just beside him, chatting animatedly, entranced by each other. He watched the group of friends, all on their phones, as they smiled inwardly or knitted their eyebrows together in confusion, completely ignoring the real people sitting around them.

The restaurant itself was beautiful – it was a favourite of his mother's – and he remembered visiting it in the past. Some memories included his father, some were just him and his mother. Now, he would be here, alone with Hermione. He had arrived early (a near miracle) and had sat at their reserved table. It was Wednesday, after school, and as the fuss about their relationship finally died down, Draco had decided it was time to take Hermione on a proper date. She had been eager to comply, as long as she had enough time to do her homework beforehand.

It seemed the thousandth time someone entered, but Draco still looked up. That's when he saw her. That's when everything else disappeared. There was no longer an elderly or a young couple, no longer a group of friends on their phones, no simpering waiters, no glaring lights, just her and him. It was the same, every time he saw her. And, as much it scared him to care so much, he was beginning to feel safe. All he needed to do was set his eyes on her, and he was calm.

She wore a blouse and some smart skinny jeans. Her hair was still its natural bushiness, but sectioned apart to keep it out of her eyes. It wasn't much, but it was all she needed to captivate him. She had never been exceptionally pretty – Draco knew that – but she had a graceful beauty about her that was much more valuable.

She saw him, and she smiled shyly, eyes lighting up. He loved that look. She didn't seem pathetic or weak, just slightly apprehensive, but still with that touch of intrigue and anticipation that she could never seem to shake off.

"Hey," she greeted him as she reached the table.

"You look stunning." Draco complemented, drawing her chair out for her. She sat down, shaking her head slightly at the comment, as if to brush it off.

"This place is amazing, Draco. How did you find out about it?" she asked in awe.

"I used to come her with my mother… and father." he said, images from those days flashes past his eyes. He started breathing rapidly – his flashbacks only ever came when he was at home, and this had never happened before.

"Draco, focus on me." Hermione's voice cut through his panic with its unfaltering steadiness and he looked up at her. The look of worry on her face was enough to shatter him.

"I should never have suggested coming here. I'm sorry Hermione, I-" he apologised, appalled at himself for spoiling their date already. Hermione stopped his words by placing her hand on his, which had been clenched on the table in front of him.

"No. You don't have to apologise. This place… I love it. Thank you. And the fact that you brought me here when it holds so many memories for you makes it all the more special. The more you open up to me, the more I like the Draco I see, so please don't try and protect me from him."

"What did I do to deserve you? All I ever did was annoy and insult you, and your friends. Yet here you are, still forgiving and accepting me." Draco said, calm once again.

"No one is more surprised than me, but we've never really been able to avoid each other, have we? I mean, even in our first year at high school we'd always end up quarrelling at some point. If I believed in fate, I would say it was inevitable. Thankfully, I don't condone such fancifulness, so I'll put it down to the fact that our teachers seemed bent on having us in the same classes. After all, you can only spend so long with someone without going mad, whether that be madly in love or madly angry." stated Hermione. At the word 'love', she blushed profusely, but Draco politely diverted his eyes for her to recover. They both sat in silence for a while, thinking separate thoughts with related topics.

Hermione knew she was falling. She was sensible enough to recognise that, and knew that soon she wouldn't be able to deny that she had fallen in love with Draco Malfoy. The thought alone didn't scare her, but she knew that it would be too much for Draco, if she told him. She knew he was scared of hurting her, even though Hermione believed he never would, and having her so attached to him would only heighten his fear. Not to mention the fact that she wasn't even sure he would say the same. He may love her, but was he in love with her?

Coincidentally, the same question came to Draco. He had admitted to himself days ago that Hermione was the one person he cared most about in the world, but he couldn't bring himself to call it love. He had seen the pain that love could cause from a young age, and wasn't prepared to expose Hermione to the same hurt.

Meanwhile, the waiter came and took their orders, snapping both of the teens out of their contemplation. Hermione quickly flicked through the menu and picked the first thing that caught her eye, while Draco relayed the one meal he had always had in this restaurant. Once they were left alone (once again in silence), Draco let out a small chuckle.

"What?" Hermione asked, smiling too. She surveyed him quietly. He was staring at the fork that he twiddled in his hand without really seeing it.

"What you said… about fate? Maybe it does exist." he chuckled again as she raised her eyebrows. "Before us was, well, us, it was like there was some kind of magnetic force, keeping us together. If we ever drifted too far away, something pulled us back. At that time it was a predicament of some kind -"

"Because we could both be imbecilic maniacs." Hermione interjected jokingly. Draco nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Yes, but now it's something much better. It's almost as if we argued…" he paused, as if something was suddenly dawning on him. "It's almost as if we argued because we didn't want to admit how much we might like each other, if we tried." Once again, he laughed, memories flickering in front of him like an old-fashioned movie.

He saw Hermione walking away from him in the crowds of school, and how easily he could pick up her figure despite the masses of students. He remembered every time she had poked him, or nudged him, and how the skin where she had touched him would burn. He had assumed it had been because of his defiant aversion toward her, but now he saw it differently. It was the same nervous happiness that he got now, whenever they came into contact.

He looked up at Hermione, and saw the same surprised realisation on her face as he felt on his. He smiled wistfully, thinking of all their lost time, but also of all the time they had left. He reached for her hand and lifted it up, so that both their elbows were on the table and their arms were upright. He intertwined their fingers and they both stared at their joined hands. After a while, Draco turned his hand so that her arm was towards him. He kissed the back of it very gently, letting his lips linger there, and keeping eye contact with her.

"Fate," Hermione murmured, as if trying the word out in her mouth. Her eyes gleamed with peaceful happiness. "Maybe I should try being fanciful more often."

Thank you for reading! I won't be able to upload for a while because I'm going away for Christmas but as soon as I come back I'll give you two updates. Sorry about that. Please review, I'll love you forever and ever. See you next time! Have a good Christmas!