A/n: I'm quite proud of this chapter! Please read and review.
This chapter is dedicated to: BeaMax, Sayuri1990, Plagued, -jalice-carter and Dani who reviewed chapter seven but I forgot to mention. THANK YOU, you lot are my favourite people in this world right now. Also thank you to everyone who favourited and alerted.
Happy Holidays. I think I said this chapter was supposed to be new years, but it was getting too long so I had to cut it in half. I will update again soon
Chapter 10: Holidays and Attachment (Part 2)
Hermione: December 26th
Christmas came and Christmas went, and I barely realized it. Before, when I first moved to New York, I had a huge issue with making time go by and wanting to live. Now, ever since Draco has come into my life I have the ever present issue of making time slow down for me. It just flies by these days, as I have so much to occupy me.
It's like Hogwarts all over again.
Except unlike in the Hogwarts' years, Draco Malfoy is a permanent positive presence in my life. I don't think I've been this at peace at myself since the war ended. We're cohesive in every sense of the word. You'd think I'd call him my boyfriend in such a short amount of time, but I think the both of us are too afraid to venture in said territory in any of our discussions. Him more so than I, obviously. I would love to know where we stand, but I suppose in the grander scheme of things, it hardly matters.
But it matters a lot to me.
For Christmas, he randomly produced a gorgeous velvet box in which there lay a beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, diamond bracelet encased in twelve karat gold. I almost fainted with shock. The only jewellery I'd ever received from any of my boyfriends, relatives or anyone for that matter was...
Well nothing like this of course. I was stunned, to say the least and did not want to accept it, because come on. We've only spent about a month together. It made me feel self conscious of my own gift. I'd only bought him books for god's sake!
/
"Oh Merlin, Draco... you really didn't have to, you know... I can't accept something like that, it must cost a fortune and-"he, like always, cut me off.
"You're going to take it, whether you like it or not. We both know you can't out argue me. Besides, you let me live in your flat," he smirked, as if this were some sort of come back to be proud of.
"You pay the rent, you ferret!"
"Don't call the man who pays your rent a ferret. It's unseemly."
"You're unseemly!"
But he won me out eventually. As he had predicted. But in all honesty, I let him win. Who really wants to say no to a diamond fucking bracelet anyways?
/
But now Christmas is over and the year is almost out. Work is incessantly boring, especially after the promotion I received because everyone thinks I'm Sebastian Dominique's girlfriend. Well, I suppose for all intents and purposes I am Sebastian Dominique's girlfriend, he's just too afraid to talk about it with me. The said girlfriend. How bloody lovely that predicament is.
Everyone at work is most likely too afraid to be even the slightest rude to me. That, or they stick to me like glue and hope they can get with the "in crowd" or whatever else they're calling popularity these days. It's absolutely horrendous.
The only brilliant person left at work is, of course, Zara. I practically leaned on her for support, and people now know her to be "that Hermione Granger's best friend". So people flock her now too. I personally don't think she minds it as much as I do.
/
"Hermione, you really need to see the bright side of things," she said to me during one of our lunch breaks. I had my head buried in my arms, mourning the days where I was invisible to the general public.
"And what might that be, you attention seeker?"
"My ex husband sent me flowers, I got a raise, I can afford child care... oh and I bought new robes. Thanks to the raise. I love you, lots, did I ever mention that?" She giggled at my expression when I raised my head.
"Glad everything's working out for you."
Her response was to pat my head and offer me a sip of her lunchtime smoothie, which, being the best friend that I am, I ran off with.
/
Despite everything, I was happy for Zara. If someone could benefit from my new found fame, it ought to be her. She really deserved the break. For Christmas she took her family to the Bahamas for an extended vacation that would last past new years, so I hadn't seen her for a while. I myself wanted to take a vacation, back home, if a certain someone would comply with me.
I found Draco sprawled luxuriously on my bed reading one of the books I'd gotten him for Christmas. Putting on my sweetest smile, I greeted him.
"Draco?" I lulled out to him.
He glanced up and when he caught my smile his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Drat... he was already onto me! "Yes...?"
"I was thinking..."
"Well, that can never be good," he laughed and made a dash for it when I tried to come smack him for his cheek. "Stop trying so hard, you fluffy cat, I'm too fast for you!"
Sighing, I crossed my arms over my chest and walked back out sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting for the question I already knew would come. I saw him lay back down on my bed in his previous position, and opening his book to the page he had marked down. I already knew he'd be pretending to read for a minute, just because he was infuriating like that.
"So, what were you thinking?" he called from the bedroom.
I grabbed an apple from the bowl placed onto the counter next to me. Taking a bite, and chewing slowly, knowing that he could hear me eating; I waited for the second prompt.
"Well?"
I grinned. Point one for Hermione. Folding my legs underneath me, I waited another few seconds just to get back at him for calling me a fluffy cat. "Well...I was thinking that we could go on a vacation. You know, for the New Year. I've wanted to take some time off work and I thought maybe you'd like to go. As in with me."
By this point, curiosity had gotten the better of him and he stopped pretending to read to come venture out to where I was sitting. He walked up to me, placing a hand on either side of me on the counter. "Where would we go?"
"Hmm..." I absently toyed with a strand of my hair while munching on the apple.
"Come on, out with it. I know you've already given it a lot of thought," he seemed intrigued, and I wasn't sure why. Maybe he really did want to go on a vacation. I almost felt bad for suggesting going home at this point.
"Well," I began, offering him a bite of my apple which he liberally finished off for me, "I was thinking we could go home. To London...and visit family." I knew I had scrunched my face up in fear of his response, so I was shocked when he gently stroked my cheek. I peeked out from under one lid and he was smirking. I honestly did not understand.
"You're rather sly, aren't you," he only laughed when I shook my head. He copied my earlier gesture and resumed playing with that errant strand of hair for me, curling it around his finger. "Well, you could go. I hope you don't think I'm stopping you. Have fun." And with that said, he turned around, walked right back into my bedroom and flopped down on my bed, pretending to read.
Oh.
So that's how he was going to play it, eh?
"Draco Malfoy, you get back here! You know that's not the point. I want you to come with me!" I indignantly flopped off of the counter, which he laughed at, viewing me from his place on the bed. I leaned against the door, staring at him. "I'd really like it if you came, you know."
"You know why I don't ever want to go back."
"It's unhealthy, not facing your fears."
"You're criminal! Asking something like that of me!" I flushed. He'd never raised his voice with me up to this day. I found I kind of liked it.
He sighed. "I'm sorry, Hermione, but-"
"I'm not sorry. I want you to go. Please? At least consider it?" I pouted, hoping it would raise some kind of emotion in him and allow him to be guilt tripped into coming with me.
"No."
Well. I guess that plan didn't work out so well.
December 27th
He was sitting there, watching the telly when I came home from work. He had made dinner today, since I had come home a little late due to a meeting that just couldn't wait until tomorrow.
"Dinner's on the stove, I just ate myself." It seemed he was behaving normally. I supposed I could risk my luck.
"Okay. Thank you..." He just nodded. I waited a minute, as I removed my coat and hung it in the closet. Braving myself, I sped through the question. "Have you thought about my proposition?" I closed my eyes and crossed my fingers.
"Hmm?" I opened my eyes and found he wasn't even staring at me, far too engrossed with whatever he was watching. I sighed, coming to sit on the arm of the couch he was leaning against.
"It would really mean a lot to me if you came home with me," I put a finger on his lips to make sure he wouldn't interrupt me. "Please? It would make me really happy. I've already bought the tickets."
He just shook his head. I could feel my expression falter, but I attempted vainly to compose myself. I dragged myself over to the stove, and filled the bowl unseeingly. I'm not sure why I felt the strongest urge to cry... it was absolutely insane. Feeling disgusted with myself I told myself that I was stronger than this. I am not dependant on some man. Step up your game Hermione-
"Why can't you just accept the fact that I don't want to go? I don't even have family there-"
"You have me." He faltered at that, gaping and then closing his mouth. Alternating between the two states as he came up with an appropriate response.
"I have you here, too," he muttered finally.
I just rolled my eyes. "It's fine. I won't say I'm not disappointed, but you can stay here if you'd like. I'll do the groceries so you won't starve, before I leave tomorrow." He had this thing about not being seen in stores. Shaking my head, I turned back to my food, ignoring him completely.
I could practically feel his frustration with me and himself all the way from the other side of the room. It gave me a certain sense of satisfaction, knowing that he had the ability to have a conflicted mind, taking things I wanted into account. I knew he was staring daggers at me.
He made some sort of noise, a growl perhaps, in the back of his throat and before I could turn make sense of what was going on, he was at the door shucking his coat and hat on, that I made him wear whenever he did go out.
"Fine, I'll go with you on your bloody vacation, but the goddamn elf is coming with me!"
And with that, he was gone, and he made sure to slam the door extra hard behind him, leaving me standing there with a huge grin plastered to my face.
/
It was well after midnight when I heard him come home and drag something heavy in behind him. He was swearing quietly to himself, which he rarely did in front of "a lady", unless he was really not in control of himself. Then I realized he probably thought I was asleep, since I was laying in bed in the dark.
I'd left the door to my bedroom open so I could see his silhouette reflected on the walls from the streetlights outside. When he walked in, I decided to continue to pretend being asleep, just because I didn't quite feel like ruining his mood any further than I probably had already.
I heard him undress, and find a pair of pajama bottoms to slip into. I knew, however, that he wouldn't find any, since I'd thrown them all in the wash just last night and hadn't had the time to fold them to put them back in their proper place. He sighed, when he realized this, and I assumed, crawled into bed as gently as he could so as not to wake me, in his boxers.
I knew he'd come close now, because that was how we'd always sleep. This is what we'd been doing every night. I would go to bed, pretend to be asleep and he would come in as quietly as possible. I would dread this moment, thinking that tonight would be the night he would choose not to curl around me, but he would always prove me wrong, and my heartbeat would slow down.
Eventually.
All these nights I think he knew that I'd always be awake until he came to bed. It was an irrational routine, but I couldn't help any of it. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep if I knew he was alone with his thoughts. I couldn't help the racing of my heart, each time, when I thought that this would be the night that I would be rejected. I'm sure he was aware of most of it. The wakefulness part at least.
When he lay next to me, this particular night, he broke the routine and I was shocked. My heart beat faster. I felt him lift my hair away and his lips softly press into my neck. I stopped myself from shivering, but only just.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "For being difficult."
He curled around me, stroking my neck gently with his fingers whilst pressing his lips to my racing pulse. This time I couldn't help the shiver that wracked through my body. "It's okay," I whispered back.
And that was how we both fell asleep and almost slept through the alarm I'd set so that we could leave bright and early for our flight to London.
Draco:
It was disastrous. A complete mistake. Why did I agree to this? Big haired brunettes are not to be trusted. Or maybe just Hermione Granger. I wouldn't want to discriminate at this point of my life.
We woke up at six in the morning, with the sun in its process of rising for the day. I can certainly assure that I do not enjoy rising with the sun, especially since I've started spending time with the demon in disguise.
I had recalled her saying that she had bought tickets, but I had no idea that she'd meant for us to take the muggle conventional way of getting around. I do mean airplanes, if there was any room for doubt. Having integrated myself in the muggle world, I certainly knew what an airplane is. It's just that, I'd never gone through the process of riding one. It was absolutely horrendous.
Why she just didn't register for a transnational portkey is far beyond my scope of understanding.
The day began with her charming my trunk to look like a muggle suitcase and refusing to shrink it down. Apparently it was not appropriate to go onto an airplane without luggage. Fancy that. Then she harassed me into taking a taxi to the airport, as if apparation had gone out of style. Malfoys do not do anything but apparate. Anyone with a brain should know this.
Sleepy as I was, I didn't complain too much about standing in line. But making me walk through security, as if I were some sort of commoner! And having a man frisk me! I was indignant. But the man only seemed to find me amusing, as did Hermione. She said I wasn't a "morning person". I assure you, anyone would behave that way under such circumstances!
Then, I'm not sure anyone will believe this, she made me board the unsightly metal contraption and told me I had nine hours to contemplate my behaviour. Nine hours! How in the world did muggles cope with this... inconvenience? Magic is clearly something I should not be afraid to employ if it means I don't have to go through such gross methods as these.
It is bad, I tell you. Even my elf said fuck it and left after the scandal at security. Well, Dobby did not exactly employ such language, but I do enjoy embellishing in my head. I, being the gentleman that I am, endured it for Hermione's sake, instead of asking the elf to save me.
The poor dear is deluded, after all. She thinks this is a reasonable way to travel. I suppose in the future I can convince her of otherwise.
Then came the food. I have listened to these muggles and their jokes about airplane food yet I hadn't understood that they had meant it literally. It came in disturbing packaging and had the oddest taste. Hermione had the good grace not to laugh at me. She did however say she was chuckling with me, that horrid witch. The lengths I go to her.
And only because she said she would be happy! Clearly she was "being happy" at my expense. Life has proven itself to be unfair time and time again. Though I suppose it is worth it, since she seems so light hearted. All I can think of that gets me through this is, "she owes me".
When the plane landed and we'd retrieved our luggage, which was not so easy to find due to its disfigurement, she hailed another taxi. I, however, managed to convince her apparation was the best means of transportation at this point.
It was the one clear high point of my day, because where we were going...well, it could mean death. Taking a deep breath, I took her hand and she spun on her foot. The unpleasant feeling of being squeezed out of a tube of toothpaste was still present even after we'd arrived at our destination, but I'd have gone back to that instead of what I was being faced with now. Gulping, I resigned myself to my fate, grabbed our trunks and walked a step or two behind her to my doom.
Yes, we had reached the burrow.
Sitting on the bed I had been provided with in the room that I would be sharing with one or more of the red headed freaks of nature, I tried everything to calm down. I took deep breaths, counted the floor boards, attempted to listen to the noises of the house (which were plentiful) but nothing decidedly worked.
It had been chaos so far, and it is safe to say that the rest of the Weasly clan was not so receptive of my presence. Only the little children did not seem to mind me so much. That, and perhaps the mother, Mrs. Weasly, I suppose I should call her.
The only thoughts that kept me going were that I could leave right after the New Year party and Hermione would come with me...and we would stay in the city, where no one had to know who I was. And no one would hate me, of course.
Here, however was a completely different story.
The moment Hermione had announced she'd brought a guest, the house was overjoyed, asking if she had snagged up a fiancé. An American fiancé. But the moment I stepped through the door, heaving our heavy bags, silence fell.
"What's he doing here?"
"Yeah, Hermione, you could've warned us!"
"Malfoy?"
"You mean to tell me you're sleeping with the ferret?"
"George! That's disgusting-"
"What? She brought home a Mal-"
"Enough!" And that had been Mrs. Weasly. "He is Hermione's guest, and so he is our guest and you lot shall BEHAVE! Now please, Ginny, George, come help set the table. Charlie, I think you can take the bags off them and take them up to their rooms. Lovely- welcome to our home, dear, if you'd like to wash up before dinner..." And so it had gone on.
Dinner had been a sordid affair. We had been cramped in a small room on a table that could barely support the food that had been jammed on it. I could tell they all were waiting for just a tiny little slip up so that they could brandish their wands and banish me from their home, but more importantly away from their precious Hermione.
Of course, not to be misunderstood, she is precious. She's just not theirs if my meaning is understood.
To her credit, she did attempt to stop all the evil glaring done by the ex. Ronald, as his mother calls him so dearly. I suppose to be honest; he is the only one that truly hates me. Perhaps partially for the taunting of the past, but mostly because I appeared with the girl he is so obviously in love with, still. Potter seemed perplexed at the most, and untrusting. Perhaps he believes I have ulterior motives. In their eyes, it must appear that way, but to Hermione, well, she knows everything there is to know about me. Well, mostly. The earless wonder just appeared to like making jokes at my expense.
It could have been much worse, I suppose, if Hermione weren't there to handle things.
"So, how did you two love birds meet?" asked the one they called George, whilst batting his eyelids at us in the most revolting way.
We shared a glance, Hermione and I, and I made it clear to her that I would not be the one answering this question. "Well, it's a funny story, actually..." she supplied, slowly.
"Yes, hilarious, why don't you tell them?"
She glared at me, which cheered the depressed lovesick Ron a little bit, before she continued, "Well! I was on a late night stroll one night because I couldn't sleep-"
"Late night? How late?"
"In New York-"
"Isn't that dangerous-"
"Let her finish!" snapped Mrs. Weasly. The woman did have a short temper, I'd realized... but with kids like she had, who could blame her?
"Anyways," she continued, rolling her eyes, "I was on a late night stroll, as I said, when I ran into Draco here. He was being chased by these girls, you see-" I coughed upon hearing that.
"Why? Did he-"
"Do something inappropriate?"
"-rob them-"
"I did no such thing!" And that definitely quieted them down a few notches. They all stared at me, and I could feel my cheeks go a little bit pink with colour. Clearing my throat, I gestured to Hermione to continue, which she did, with a big grin on her face.
"No, you see, he's a bit of a celebrity back there. They know him as Sebastian Dominique, you see-" But again, she was cut off by the chatty bunch.
"No way! The Sebastian Dominique?"
"As in the writer?"
"That guy who practically owns the broomstick industry!" This was supplied by Ron, which made me feel slightly proud of myself. Disgustingly.
"Well, yes," Hermione continued. "So, since I didn't want to be trampled by the girls who were chasing after him, I helped him hide, and we've been inseparable ever since." This statement was followed by a remarkably long awkward silence.
"Who wants dessert?" Ah. Mrs. Weasly to the rescue again. I figured I couldn't manage this vacation without her.
So it is safe to say, that the next three days will progress in a horrendous fashion. I had been in the midst of contemplating that when I heard a swift knock on the door and a swifter entry. I turned, unsurprised to find Potter and Weasel bee standing there, awkwardly.
When they fumbled for their words, I raised an eyebrow. "Nice to see you too."
"You're in my bed," was all Potter had to offer.
"Oh." Well, what was a bloke to do? I moved my things to the bed that the Weasel pointed to. When they both opened their mouths, I cut in. "Look, I know what you're going to say, it's completely unnecessary."
"Oh, do you," asked Weasly. They shared a look between themselves, Potter just shrugged.
"I'm going to come out and say it anyways. If you hurt-"
"A hair on her head, you'll chop me into little tiny pieces and throw me about the Thames, yes I know," I finished for him. He stood there with his mouth slightly opened. This wasn't how he had anticipated this conversation to go, certainly. "Do you honestly think I'm stupid? Clearly we're not talking about the same person. She has more capability to destroy me with her left hand than the two of you put together. If she had wanted to hurt me, she would have done so by now. Don't be thick to assume she cannot defend herself, she'll prove you wrong."
And now they both stared at me with their mouths ajar.
"What? Haven't you faced the wrath of Hermione Granger?"
They took a second to contemplate, then miraculously burst out into laughter. "Alright, mate, we get your point."
Perhaps this trip wouldn't be so bad at all...
"But seriously, if you mess up once, we'll tear you to pulp. Sweet dreams!" And Potter shut the lights, leaving me there to think about the madness I'd willingly stepped into in the dark.
Oh, she so owed me big time.
A/N: So, any better or do I still need to work on Draco? I LOVE FEEDBACK and I will incorporate your suggestions in the story, so review! I don't bite...much.