I am a huge fan of anniversaries, birthdays, holidays that involve gift giving. Today is my parents 32nd wedding anniversary. Did anyone else know that the gift for 32 years is conveyances? That's right, as in automobiles and other modes of transportation. They're getting an adorable Hot Wheels motorcycle because that's about all I'm willing to spend on their conveyance.

Chapter 8
Draco had invited her to his weekly poker game. Hermione didn't know why she was invited or why she went, but she entered Draco's flat half an hour after the game had begun. Pansy Parkinson had been the lone female until she arrived, and said nothing when Draco beckoned her to fill the seat beside him.

"What's the game?" Hermione asked when she was seated.

Draco draped his right arm along the back of her chair, slowly caressing her shoulder. "Hold 'em," he replied, examining his cards. "Some game Theo introduced us to."

"How do you play?" she inquired, looking at each player. The round table seated four other men - Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, Marcus Flint, and Adrian Pucey. Pansy sat between Blaise and Theo, but seemed to gravitate more toward Theo.

"We don't play," Pansy informed her.

Hermione glared at Draco. "So, I get the spend the night being Fanny Brice to your Nicky Arnstein?" she balked. "I don't think so."

She pushed away from the table and was almost to the door when Draco caught up with her. "Look, I don't know who those people are," he told her when she demanded he let her leave. "I wanted you to come over because I knew we wouldn't get to spend any time together for the next few days."

"You're going somewhere?" she asked, hearing this for the first time.

Draco shrugged. "Just for business," he replied with a roll of his indifferent gray eyes. "Anyhow, I'll be gone most of the week, and figured you'd want to say goodbye properly once they clear out."

"How very...you of you to think that," she muttered as she let go of the doorknob. Draco seemed hopeful that it meant she would return to the table with him. "Do I get to play?" she asked as he extended a hand to her.

He took hold of her wrist. "You can if you want to," he relented. They reclaimed their seats as another hand was dealt.

As Draco explained the rules, Pansy glowered at Hermione. On occasion, she would catch the dark green eyes of Pansy Parkinson before the pug-faced girl would look away. Hermione smirked as she leaned in closer to Draco. Any little touch they shared, every little smile they shot one another's way, when Draco sipped Hermione's water; all of these actions bothered his former housemate. And Pansy's disapproval was Hermione's pleasure.

As the night wore on and several men lost healthy amounts of money, Hermione wondered how much longer the game could last. She had grown tired as the hour approached midnight. Foregoing the next hand, she rested her head on Draco's upper arm and closed her eyes briefly.

"Don't fall asleep on me now, Sleeping Beauty," Draco murmured as he tossed a few chips toward the center of the table. "Game's not over yet."

"Then wake me when it is," she replied.

Sunlight filtered through the closed curtains in a bedroom Hermione had only ever seen at night. She was still dressed in her clothes from the night before, but her shoes had been removed. If Draco had put her to bed, why was he not there with her? Pushing back the blankets, she scooted to the edge of the king-sized bed and looked for her shoes. Finding them, she struggled down until her feet touched the floor, and she was able to pull them on. She left his room and entered the living room to find the game still going.

"Morning, Granger," Marcus Flint greeted her, the only one to look up from his cards. The game was down to him and Adrian.

"Where's Malfoy?" she asked, finding Theo and Blaise asleep on the sofa and floor respectively.

"Getting breakfast," Adrian informed her as he tossed three red chips towards the center of the table, adding to the growing pile already there.

"Did he take Pansy with him?" she wondered, taking a seat at the table.

Marcus patted the chair beside him, silently asking her to move closer. "You were such good look for Draco until he put you to bed last night. Figured I'd see if your powers worked for me," he told her when she slid into the seat beside him.

"So?" she prompted.

"Oh, Pansy, right," Marcus said, having forgotten all about the hanger on that was Pansy Parkinson. "Didn't she go home last night?" He turned to Adrian for confirmation.

"Yeah, she got a bit fed up with no one paying her any attention, so she left," Adrian said, laying his cards on to the table for his friend to see.

Marcus cheered just loud enough to wake Blaise and Theo. "Knew you'd bring me some luck," he said raking in what he said was the largest pile of the game. "I feel like I should share some of this with you."

Hermione shrugged. "Or you could just buy me a cup of coffee," she offered.

Marcus grinned widely, and for the first time she noticed that his once gnarled teeth were now straight and white. "It's a deal," he replied as Draco returned.

Draco dropped breakfast on the table and glared at Marcus. "What's a deal?" he asked.

"Me and Granger spending a little bit of time together," he replied. His arm hung comfortably across the back of Hermione's chair and she sat forward to avoid his hand touching her shoulder. She glanced quickly at Marcus, letting him know that she didn't appreciate the way he goaded Draco. With a roll of his eyes, Marcus explained that it was only coffee. "You said the two of you aren't together, so I didn't see the harm in asking her."

Draco shrugged. "Whatever," he mumbled as he pulled various pastries from the paper bag. "Eat up," he said before he walked away.

Hermione rose to leave, but Adrian shook his head and Marcus held her wrist. "Don't bother," Adrian told her as he reached for a cherry danish. "Let him cool down before you try to talk to him. Not much will get through if he's angry."

Hermione couldn't help but wonder what had angered him. Ignoring his friend's advice, she pulled her arm away from Marcus's grasp and entered the bedroom. "I thought I'd make some coffee," she told him. "Do you have any?"

"You broke the rules," he said as he stripped the sheets from his bed.

"You asked me to come," she reminded him, "for something more than sex. You put me in your bed when I fell asleep at the table. You bought breakfast. So far, I'd say you've broken more rules than me."

Tossing the last pillowcase on the floor, he turned to her with narrowed eyes. "Then go home and you won't have to worry about the rules anymore," he hissed before entering the bathroom and slamming the door shut.