Once again, my eternal gratitude goes out to wisecrackerme, and to every single one of you who reviewed, of course. My apologies for the delay, but I blame Nanowrimo.
Hope you like it!
Hermione and Draco, being so absorbed in one another, at first did not notice that another group had entered the Three Broomsticks. It was only when the customers started to whisper excitedly that they noticed something was amiss.
"Hermi-ow-ninny, what a great surprise!"
Her mouth fell open in shock as Hermione saw Viktor Krum walking towards her. It had been years since she'd last seen him, and over a year since she'd last received a letter from him; she didn't exactly have time to keep up a correspondence during the past year. "Viktor!" she said, astonished. "What are you doing here?"
He laughed and gave her a hug in greeting. "We are here for a couple of weeks, for training and friendly matches, with my team," he answered, gesturing to the wizards and witches behind him. "I had planned to write to you, but this is even better. How have you been? I heard you were a hero during the war!"
"Oh, no, Harry was the one who killed Voldemort in the end; I just helped him. And I've been a lot better since then, unsurprisingly! I'm redoing my last year at Hogwarts. How are you?" "Great, I am very good. Glad to be back in England, and—"
Draco stopped listening to the Quidditch player he had once liked, focusing instead on his anger at being utterly and totally overlooked by his own wife, and that after what they just shared! Interrupting whatever it was that Krum was saying, he threw his arm around Hermione's waist and stuck out his hand, almost aggressively, in greeting. "Hello, Viktor," Draco voiced. "I'm Draco Malfoy, you might remember me from the Triwizard Tournament. I wasn't aware you and my wife were still in touch."
From the corner of his eyes, he could see Hermione glaring daggers at him, but he ignored her. The whole situation would have been comical with Krum's thunderstruck expression and Hermione's discomfort if Draco's ire had not been so genuine.
"Wife?" Krum asked, looking at Hermione.
"That's right," Hermione answered with fake cheerfulness. "Draco and I got married shortly before the beginning of the school year."
"I am surprised," Viktor said. "It is not what I expected from a Malfoy."
"Nor did my father, I'm sure," Draco said.
Viktor fixed Draco with a piercing gaze, before giving a short nod. "Congratulations to you both. I'm certain you'll be most happy. Herm-my-ow-ne, I hope you'll do me the honour of joining me for a drink one of these days? So we can catch up!"
"I would love to, Viktor," Hermione answered. "I'm sure we'll be more comfortable when we're not surrounded by people who listen in when it is absolutely none of their business to do so." She raised her voice at the end of her sentence, indicating she was talking about the many eavesdroppers that had neared them during the conversation, but the elbow she thrust in Draco's side made it plenty clear to him who she was referring to.
"Malfoy and Malfoy," Theo then yelled, standing before a door at the back of the pub. "Get over here before Pansy throws a fit!"
"If you'll excuse us," Draco said, almost dragging Hermione with him. She allowed it, but only because there were far too many eyes on them to do otherwise.
"Where are we going?"
"The backroom. Pansy doesn't like to be surrounded by the noise and all the people, so we always take a room for ourselves."
"Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of going to a bar?"
Draco shrugged. "It's Pansy."
Theo ushered them into the room, and as soon as he had assured them it was soundproof Hermione whirled around and faced Draco. "What on earth were you doing back there?" she demanded to know, jabbing one finger into his chest.
"What I was doing? Introducing myself, since you oh-so rudely forgot to do that!"
"I was surprised by seeing someone I thought to be in another country, for the first time in years! Forgive me for not immediately putting you in the spotlight, no matter how much you love it there! Not to mention the whole 'my wife' thing! I'm not your possession to parade with as soon as another male enters the vicinity, you prat! Next thing you'll be telling me I'm not 'allowed'—" here she made air quotes with her hands— "to go have a drink with an old friend!"
"Not alone, you're not!" Draco shouted back.
"What? I—"
"Granger!" Pansy yelled, silencing the other girl. "Let me stop you right there. Remember how I said I'd teach you about wizarding customs? Here's lesson number one: it would indeed be most inappropriate for a married woman to go and dine or drink alone with a male who is neither family or an old family friend. So don't get angry at Draco for that, it is simply the way it is."
"That's ridiculous!" Hermione protested. "What about trust?"
"That has nothing to do with it," said Theo. "Look, we've all done our best to be open-minded when you brought us to your world, maybe it's time you do the same."
"Compromise, my dear Mrs. Malfoy," Blaise added. "It's the only way to make a relationship work, or so I've heard."
Hermione looked at Ginny, who nodded. "It's all true. And Blaise and Theo might have a point, you know!"
"Besides, Granger," Pansy said. "How would you like it if Draco went out to have drinks, alone, with a woman he hasn't seen in years but used to have a crush on?"
Reluctantly, Hermione had to concede that she would not like that. At all. But she'd be damned if she said that out loud, so instead she focussed on the other, more rational, arguments. Taking a deep breath, she admitted to herself that it was indeed her turn to make a concession to her husband's way of life. "Fine," she huffed. "I won't go with Viktor alone. Although I'm surprised he didn't know about this rule, he's a pure-blood as well, isn't he?"
"Oh, he knew," Draco said, scowling. "I believe he was testing us."
"So what am I supposed to do? Show up with Draco in tow? Because that'll end in disaster!"
"Take someone else," Ron offered. "I'm sure if Ginny comes along it won't be a problem."
Ginny smiled. "I sure wouldn't mind talking Quidditch with one of the best Seekers nowadays."
"Would you be okay with that?" Hermione asked Draco. He seemed a tad surprised that she'd bothered to ask him, but immediately hid it behind a massive pout. "Why do you have to go at all? He seems boring, anyway."
As much as she wanted to stay angry with her husband, Hermione couldn't help but think that he was kind of adorable when he did that. Plus, his reaction was rather flattering.
"Can you two maybe figure this out later?" Blaise said. "I'd like to have a drink and some fun. We've been forced to deal with your drama far too often already."
When everyone heartily agreed with that, they settled down and talked about nothing of great importance.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Harry whispered to Hermione, who was watching her friends with a little smile on her face. "Can you imagine what our lives would've been like if we didn't have to fight evil every year?"
"It is very nice, yes, and no, I cannot. I imagine we wouldn't be half as close as we are today, the three of us, and I'm pretty sure Draco and his friends would still hate us, though, so I guess some good came out of it."
"I am surprised at how quickly you agreed to not meet Krum alone, though," Harry admitted. "I expected you to be a lot more stubborn about it."
"Don't tempt me. I think it's about time that wizarding society catches up with the Muggle way of life, but it's true that Draco has done his best to meet me in the middle. I figured it was time to do my part."
Harry smiled. "Looks like we're all growing up."
"Speak for yourselves," Ron said, joining them and handing them a butterbeer. "I'd rather be an irresponsible youth for a little while longer. We've been forced to grow up far too quickly."
"I'll drink to that!" Blaise called out, lifting his bottle. "To acting foolish and making stupid decisions!"
"But not you, Draco!" Theo said. "Your stupid decisions tend to have long-lasting consequences."
Everyone laughed while Draco rolled his eyes, a habit he no doubt picked up from Hermione.
"And maybe keep the alcohol away from Hermione," Ginny said. "Or she might just end up pregnant this time."
Hermione, who was at that exact moment taking a swig from her drink, almost choked on it. "Ginevra!" she shrieked. "Not funny!"
"They'd have adorable babies though," Luna remarked, shifting her gaze between Hermione and Draco. "And very clever ones too."
Hermione had never wanted the ground to swallow her so badly, and Draco looked so pale he was almost translucent. Thankfully, a change of subject presented itself by way of Neville, who entered the room. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late," said he.
"No problem whatsoever, Longbottom," Blaise said jovially. "Come and sit down." He pointed at the empty chair next to Theo, whose expression of horrified surprise made it clear that his friends had not bothered to warn him about Neville joining them.
Noticing how he immediately closed down and almost turned away from his crush, Hermione subtly made her way over to Blaise and Pansy. "You did not think this through," she hissed. "We need to help him!"
"Already on it!" Blaise said. "Alright guys, time for a round of shots! I have ordered Rosmerta's finest Fire-whiskey for this occasion, so no one will be backing out. Except for you, Hermione, no one—"
"Do not finish that sentence," Hermione said threateningly. "And hand me the damned shot."
"Alright then." Blaise did as he was asked, valiantly trying not to look intimidated while Draco chuckled.
She sat down next to her husband, who seemed content to forget all about their disagreement and put his hand on the back of her chair, toying with her hair. "Your friends are terrible," she complained.
"It was the Weaselette that came up with the pregnancy joke, so don't blame my—"
"WEASLEY YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Pansy shrieked, jumping up from her chair. "Do you know how much this dress cost me? Spill drinks on your own cheap clothes, next time!"
"Pansy, calm down," Hermione said. "It's nothing a spell can't fix."
"A spell? A spell? You imbecile, this is infinitely too expensive to be spelled! It's ruined!"
"Just buy more practical clothes next time," Ginny said with a shrug. "This isn't a gala."
"Of course you'd defend your brother! You've never been this close to something this expen—"
"Pans," Daphne interrupted her friend, a warning tone clear in her voice. "I don't think you really want to finish that sentence."
"Like hell she doesn't," Ron said, looking furious. "You can act as fake as you want with Hermione, but I know better. Some people never change."
All the colour drained from Pansy's face and she staggered back as if slapped. Draco stood up with such strength that his chair clattered to the ground, adding to the already tense atmosphere.
"Watch your fucking mouth, Weasley," he said, deceptively quiet. "You of all people should know how easy it is to say things you don't mean when things don't go your way, huh?"
"Shut up, Malfoy. Hermione's my best friend, you don't get to meddle. And I was angry about something a bit more serious than a stupid dress."
The situation was escalating quickly, everyone becoming more angry with every word that was spoken. Blaise had joined the fray, insulting Ron in defence of his friend, which in turn pissed of Harry, who stood up and started shouting at both Blaise and Draco. Neville stared at the group, obviously taken aback at the sudden change in atmosphere, while Theo blushed in shame for some of the things his friends were saying and Ginny was palming her face with such vigour she'd no doubt have a trace of her hand on her forehead. Hermione tried to make them listen to her several times, but it had no use; no one paid any attention to her. When she saw Ron's hand inching closer to his wand however, she knew she'd have to resort to more drastic methods.
"Silencio!" she shouted, wand pointed at her husband and friends, effectively shutting everyone up. Following that up with an Expelliarmus, she soon found herself with five wands in her hands and a lot of glares in her direction.
"Well played, Granger," Theo said appreciatively. She had made sure that her spell only affected the ones fighting, so Theo, Neville, Luna, Daphne and Ginny were still in possession of their wands and voices.
"Yes well, that's about as far as I got. I don't suppose you have any bright ideas to calm them down?"
Draco approached her, obviously intending to grab his wand back, but he was stopped by Harry, who looked ready to hit him in the face.
"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Hermione yelled. "Don't make me stick you to the walls, because I assure you that I will!" The threat in her voice was plain to hear.
Harry and Draco halted, and in a movement so identical it was funny, crossed their arms and glowered at her. Ginny burst out laughing.
"Damn, Hermione," said she. "I had never realized those two were so very alike."
Harry looked shocked, and mouthed what Hermione believed to be: 'I'm nothing like that prat!' Ironically, Draco had a similar look of horrified disgust on his face. Biting her lip to stop the giggles from escaping, she noticed the way Draco's gaze immediately dropped to her mouth. He really had terrible timing.
Flustered, she looked around, in vain, for a solution to the problem she was facing.
Ginny, seeing that her friend had no idea what to do, took pity of her. "Alright, listen up," she said. "Everyone is going to sit down and take it easy. If I hear anyone being rude once Hermione lifts that Silencio, it's a Bat Bogey Hex you'll have to look forward to. I'm nowhere near as nice as her, as I'm sure you all know."
Ron and Harry sat down without protesting, perfectly aware of just how serious the redhead was. Blaise followed their example, figuring he didn't really have a part in this quarrel anyway. Pansy stayed where she was, waiting, while Draco kept staring at his wife.
With one gesture of her wand, everyone regained their voice.
"Give me back my wand," Pansy said. "I'm leaving. I'd hate to bother you all with my unbearable presence."
"Pans, no, there's really no need for that," Blaise protested. "Let's just talk it out. I'm sure Weasley—"
"You don't know anything about me, Zabini, so shut the fuck up," Ron spat indignantly.
Meanwhile, Draco had crossed the distance between him and Hermione and grabbed his wand back. "Don't ever do that again," he said quietly.
"You didn't really give me a choice!" she protested. "If you think I'm enjoying this, you're wrong. I hate seeing you fight with my friends all the time."
"Why do you even care?" he said urgently, drawing her further from the others so they wouldn't be overheard.
"For the same reason that you want me and Pansy to get along!" she retorted.
"Yeah well, you can't really expect me to listen to whatever it was that arsehole of a Weasley says to one of my best friends and not get pissed about it!"
"It's not like she was being nice to him! He was hurt, he—"
"Why are you always defending him?" Draco hissed. "He basically called you a slut and you're still pissed at me if I so much as express my anger about that, and now he goes around and calls Pansy incurable evil and—"
"That is not what happened! He spoke out of anger, as did Pansy, and they both have their share of blame in this situation. They also both happen to be grown ups, capable of taking care of themselves, but no, you preferred jumping in and attacking Ron because you refuse to take a moment and try to understand what others might be thinking or feeling!"
"Of course it's my fucking fault. You know what, Granger, why don't you go and find your friend Krum, I'm sure he's infinitely more understanding."
Hermione had no idea what just happened, how their wonderful moment before had turned into such animosity in so little time, but the hurt she felt at his words turned into fury before her thoughts could catch up.
"You know what? I think he absolutely would be more understanding. I might just follow your advice," she spat out.
His sharp intake of breath and the hurt in his eyes made her realize her mistake almost instantly, but it was already too late. She could see him retreat behind his walls again, see the progress they made shrivel. Draco was not good at emotions and affection, she knew that. He'd dared to give her a part of himself before, when he told her he appreciated her, and now he felt rejected. Gods! She'd been the one totally lacking in understanding this time!
"Very well. Have fun, then," he said, and his voice sounded so cold it made her shiver. He was out of the room before she could answer.
"Damn it! Don't you storm off on me like that, Draco!" she yelled, trotting after him.
The other people in the room stared at the door, not fully comprehending what was going on.
"I hope you're happy now," Blaise said with a reproachful look at Pansy and Ron. "I hold you two personally responsible!"