A/U: The last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this story! This may be my last story for awhile, unless someone can give me a plot idea. I believe I've run into writer's block, so I'm stumped as to what idea to write on next. But anyhow, I hope you liked One Drunken Night, and I hope the characters weren't too OoC for you! Don't forget to review!
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"And then he said, 'Figure it out'. And I don't know what that means!"
Ginny laughed. "Dear, dear Hermione," she said. "He fancies you! I can't believe you didn't see it before. Seriously! I mean, don't you like him too?"
"What?" Hermione exclaimed. "There is no way he still—"
"He stayed with you last night without taking advantage of your drunken state, offered to take you home, kisses you whenever he gets the chance, has even told you he cares about you, acts like he fancies you, and you can't see it?"
Hermione clapped hand over her mouth. "You're right! Why didn't I see this before? I am so blind!"
Ginny shook her head. "Yes, yes you are. But how do you feel about him?"
"I…I don't know! I don't know."
"Okay, how do you feel around him?"
Hermione was quiet for a moment, just thinking about the times she'd been around him. "Well," she began slowly, "I do…like kissing him sometimes, and being with him when he's not being a wanker. And…sometimes I feel happy around him. I don't know!"
"Do you ever get a tingly sort of feeling inside when he's around? And does your heart starts beating fast when he's about to kiss you? Or even when you think about it?"
Hermione blushed. "Yes, a little."
Ginny grinned. "Then you like him, Hermione! Oh my gosh, but please don't tell me your going to go marry him or something, because could you imagine having babies with that prat? Oh, but they'd look so adorable! You should tell him right away! I mean, it has to be done in the right way. Get him to ask you out! Or kiss him or something. Or ravish him at his flat or—"
"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed, red as a tomato. Her best mate laughed. "I'm not getting married to him, Gin, and I'm definitely not going to ravish him at his flat."
"Right now, you mean. Maybe later…?" Ginny said suggestively, and Hermione blushed red again.
"No! We were drunk! I would never do that sober."
"Oh come off it 'mione! You know you want to!"
Hermione sighed. "Well, what am I supposed to do now? I don't even know how to act around him anymore!"
Ginny grinned.
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"So I heard you didn't shag Granger?"
"How'd you hear that? And of course I wouldn't when she's sloshed like hell."
Theo grinned. "I've got my sources. How're you gonna manage even staying around her with your feelings when she blatantly doesn't feel the same way?"
"I should ask you the same thing."
"Eh, I found another bird. She's got great knockers."
"Oh, Merlin Theo."
Theo just grinned. "How are you going to act around her now?"
Draco shrugged. "I've still got time."
"What's your plan?"
"Let her deal with her feelings till she realises she's in love with me."
"Good luck, mate. She'll be a tough nut to crack."
Draco grinned. "Yeah. She's a challenge all right."
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"Hey Granger, here are the reports," Draco said, handing her the papers. Hermione nodded and took them and quickly looked at them, avoiding Draco's grey eyes. Had they always been so light and shiny?
"You all right there Granger?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking; thanks for the reports."
"You're acting a little odd," he noted, and Hermione shook her head.
"No I'm not acting odd, maybe you're odd."
Draco raised a brow at her and left, closing the door behind him.
Hermione looked up, making sure he was gone, then breathed heavily in relief. Hermione's Floo suddenly rang, and she looked in to see Ginny.
"So how'd it go?"
"I was acting odd! And he noticed! Merlin!" Hermione slapped a hand on her forehead. "What am I going to do?"
"The next time he comes into your office, tell him how you feel. Or kiss him. Or if he tries to kiss you again, kiss him back ardently. Ask him out."
"Oh Ginny, I don't know if I can stand it. It's been two days since Ernie and Hannah's engagement party, and he hasn't kissed me! I don't know what to do! He doesn't act interested in me at all! What am I going to do?"
"Follow my instructions, and you'll be fine. Maybe dress up a little? Or not?"
"I am not going to flaunt around my body just to seduce Malfoy, Gin. I'm not that desperate."
Ginny laughed. "If you say so."
"Oh, shut it! I think someone's coming. I'll talk to you later."
Hermione shut the Floo before Ginny could get a word in, and hurried back to her desk. Lavender came in, and Hermione almost groaned.
"So how are things with Malfoy?" Lavender asked, and Hermione shook her head.
"Non-existent. We're just acquaintances, Lav. Nothing more."
"But you both want more. Good God, get a hold of yourselves!"
"Please get out. I'm working." Hermione felt frazzled and stressed and didn't seem to care what was coming out of her mouth now.
Lavender got up and looked offended. "Excuse me!" She stood up and stormed out.
Hermione dropped her head onto her arms and heard someone else coming in and almost cried.
"What did you do to Brown?" the person asked, and Hermione looked up to see Draco close the door behind him.
And she began to think of all the times they'd had together, not all pleasant, but the moments they'd shared recently. She remembered how it all started with the drunk night after the after party at the pub, and the way Draco acted afterwards and all the kisses they'd shared and how she'd felt disgusted with him at first but gradually began to fancy him. And how he told her he'd cared for her even before the after party and how he'd kissed her so earnestly at her flat and had had his house elf cook breakfast for them, and how she felt around him now and how now she wished he'd just kiss her. She wanted him. She…
"Granger?" Draco asked, waving a hand in front of her face with an amused expression.
"I like you," she blurted out.
"What?"
"I…I fancy you," she repeated in a softer voice.
Draco just stared at her. "You fancy me?"
"Yes! I fancy you!" she yelled. "Now you can make fun of me or tease me or just come over here and kiss me!"
Draco smiled and walked over quickly and grabbed her face and complied to her last request. In Hermione's mind, she counted this as their second real kiss, and she was ecstatic.
When he pulled away, Draco kissed her nose and kept smiling as he stroked her cheek affectionately with his thumb. "I knew you'd change your mind if I kept bothering you. You're not going to blame it on the alcohol now, are you?"
"No," Hermione breathed, and leant forward to kiss him again.
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Five years later, Ernie and Hannah and Harry and Ginny weren't the only married couple. Neville and Luna were now added to the list along with Justin and Padma, and, of course, Draco and Hermione.
Hermione was now a married woman like she had wanted to be, and fat as a whale like Ginny and Hannah. Draco always teased Hermione about her mood swings and her strange taste buds, and she always told him he was more like the woman with all the extravagant baby accessories he bought. And Ginny would butt in and tell him to buy her baby accessories (even though Harry was more than capable to buy them himself, Draco would point out), and Hannah would tell him to baby-sit her little son while she spent his money on her unborn child (although he had to work like her husband, he'd always say), and Hermione would always laugh and kiss him.
She wouldn't have life any other way.
finis
