Thanks to;
MaronTodai, Audraell,echizenochi,
bushyhaired-american-nerd,
Melly2014, cutiepiehp
SaruDM, Daisy Seary and
My Bad Addiction -who has read all 29 chapters in a single go and commented on more than half! Thank you sooo much!
For all you Draco Malfoy lovers out there reading this fic, I'd like to say that my friend,'My Bad Addiction' is a fantastic writer and she's written a great Draco/Ginny called'Working for the dragon'which is still in progress along with her other Drinny story 'Under the Mistletoe'.
Both are great stories and you should really check them out if you haven't read them already!
If I ever write a Draco/Ginny, it'll be because her story inspired me too! :)
I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas!
And wishing you all a very Happy New Year!
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CHAPTER 30.
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"So will you be all right? I think it's all good. They were okay with me and they sure seemed okay with the idea of you being here. I mean even Harry was fine and Ginny, well you know Ginny. She doesn't really care about norms as long as..."
Draco was in his kitchen fixing himself a cup of tea. He tuned out as Hermione started rambling. She had entered only two minutes ago and her news was that the Weaslette and Potter knew about him and they wanted to meet him.
Well, he wasn't surprised really. He had kept in touch with Potter over the last year. What was surprising though was that Draco was getting tolerant of him. He no longer thought him to be annoying and nauseatingly self righteous.
In fact once Potter had even met him once instead of just floo calling or owling as they usually did.
So he wasn't surprised that Potter didn't mind meeting him. But he wanted Hermione to have a good time with her friends. His presence would probably only make it more awkward and everyone would be guarded and cautious. Surely this wasn't the type of week Hermione needed.
"Draco! Come on! Are you listening to me?" Hermione asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah what?" Draco asked sheepishly.
"What? What? I've been talking away for minutes and you're not even paying attention!" She said indignantly.
"To be fair Hermione, you just stopped making sense when you started speaking so fast that my mortal ear couldn't follow you." Draco joked.
"Don't be silly Draco. You know I'm tensed as it is. And Godric knows I don't need it. This is supposed to be a fun reunion! I don't want to tiptoe around my friends." Hermione said ruefully.
Draco looked at her guiltily. He walked up to her and hugged her. "Fine. No stress. It will go as planned. I promise I will try my best to be gracious. After all, I'm practically the host."
"Yeah right." Hermione scoffed. "I've lived here for a year and a half and you're the host?"
"Well, who planned what places they could visit and the restaurants they could eat at?" Draco asked.
"Wellllll, I planned the hospital tour and the library and the museum..."Hermione said.
"Hmmm. Yeah." Draco mused. "That's a great plan. Because England so does not have a hospital or a library or a museum."
Hermione slapped him with a magazine. "Don't be a wise-ass. I was trying to add some culture."
"Admit it. My agenda is way better than yours." Draco stated.
"So not true." Hermione said.
"Fine." Draco said. "We'll just ask the Potter's them. And no revealing who suggested what, okay?"
"Hmmm. Okay." Hermione said, wincing as she remembered that Harry and Ginny both were never keen on cultural history and museums. Well anyway, they would rather listen to her than Draco. Right?
"Good. Let's go then." Draco said.
"Sounds good." Hermione said. "Meet me in 30 minutes in my living room." And she disapparated without waiting for Draco's reply.
"And goodbye to you to." Draco said to himself loudly.
He finished his tea and apparated to the Opera House where he purchased tickets for all of them. That was what Ginny had researched on and gone on and on about it. She would be rather thrilled about it.
He shook his head. He couldn't believe he was manually planning the Potter's holiday and purchasing tickets for them too.
Well, he had done that for Hermione last month but this was different. In a way, this was for Hermione as well. He had promised he would behave and try his best so this was his offer for a truce.
Hopefully, Potter would accept and the week would not be as awkward as he had envisaged it to be.
He checked his watch. It was almost time to meet at Hermione's flat. He walked quickly into a side alley and looking around to check for muggles, he apparated directly into Hermione's flat.
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Draco's arrival was signalled by a loud pop and at the same time a startled Harry jumped and a brown object flew from his hand. In slow motion and time freezing fashion, Draco and Harry's eyes followed the objects path. Its ascent was short-lived and soon gravity overtook and it began its downward journey towards Hermione's tiled kitchen floor.
Draco managed to catch the morose look on Harry's face as he saw his seemingly beloved object plummet to death. Reflexively he sought out his wand and arrested its fall just inches before it could collide with the tiles and crumble to death.
As the object lay suspended and very much intact, Draco got a chance to actually see what it was but not before he saw the look of supreme relief on Harry's face.
He had just successfully saved...
A BROWNIE !
A brownie? A chocolate brownie.
This was unbelievable. All this for a blasted brownie! The look on Potter's face when he saw his precious brownie fall seemed like he was losing the philosopher's stone or something.
Harry bent down and retrieved his brownie with a look of pride on his face.
He then saw Draco.
"Umm. Thanks for saving this Malfoy." Harry said.
Draco was still speechless. He just waved his hand and pulled a chair to sit on.
Harry then put his brownie in a plate and opened the microwave door to place it in.
He shut the door and looked at all the buttons. He looked confused.
Draco was still looking at him. He couldn't help asking, "Why don't you just warm it using your wand Potter?"
Harry turned his eyes away from all the knobs and buttons. "I tried. But it's not as gooey and melty as it was when Hermione used this machine yesterday. The Dursleys never had a microwave so I don't know how to operate one." He added sheepishly.
Draco raised his eyebrows comically and sneered. "You're basically telling me that the saviour of the wizarding world and the boy who lived twice cannot operate a microwave?"
Harry reddened slightly. "Well, it's confusing. All these buttons! Hermione just pressed a series of them so speedily yesterday. Besides, the kitchen is Ginny's department." He defended himself.
Draco actually found himself laughing. He got up and went to the microwave. "So you like it all gooey and melted eh Potter?"
"Well yeah. That's the best way to have it I reckon." Harry replied cautiously, somewhat aware now that this was Draco Malfoy, his childhood nemesis he was talking to.
And this wasn't one of his finest moments. If he was anything like the old Malfoy, he could use Harry's recent idiocy as ammunition against him.
"Damn right." Draco said as he punched in some buttons and the light inside went on and the brownie started rotating. "Gooey and melted is the only right way to have a brownie."
"Tell me about it." Harry conceded nodding his head. "Wait... Malfoy? You know how to work a microwave?"
"That was a brilliant deduction you made. What gave it away? This hot and gooey brownie here in front of you?" Draco said sarcastically.
Harry shook his head. Man! Maybe he was dreaming and in some alternate universe.
He had a bite of some brownie goodness. Damn. Hope it's not a dream, Harry thought. This brownie seems real.
"It's a muggle contraption!" Harry said still stunned.
"Look Potter. I think this is a good opportunity as any to let you know that I'm not the same Malfoy you knew me as. It's been a long time and frankly Hermione can get pushy. So I'm as muggle an actual muggle could be. Sometimes I even forget my wand." Draco said casually.
Harry gaped at him! "Merlin! Now I've seen everything!"
"Look, I know us being around each other can get awkward but Hermione really wants this to work. Heck, she needs this to work. And I don't care if I have to suck it up all week, I'll do it if it makes her happy." Draco stated.
It was a good thing that Harry had some brownie in his mouth. That was probably the only thing that prevented his jaw from sweeping the floor.
Harry knew Draco cared deeply for Hermione. But now he was certain. And like Draco, he too was ready to give Hermione's faith a chance. She deserved it and he would do anything for her. Even if it meant trying to befriend a Malfoy for a week.
He smiled and offered Draco his hand. "Hi. I'm Harry Potter."
Draco just rolled his eyes but claimed Harry's handshake nonetheless. "You are such a dork Potter." He said. "I'm Draco Malfoy. Umm nice to meet you?"
Harry laughed.
"Good Godric Malfoy! Hermione didn't tell me that the bludger altered you're memory. I'm Ginny Potter. Known to you by the name Weaslette. Rings a bell?" She asked cheekily.
Draco had to fight his laughter as he shook hands with Ginny. "Does your husband always behave this way in the presence of sugar? I just witnessed a rather disturbing show of love between a man and his dessert and let me tell you, it was unnatural."
Ginny's lips twitched. "What can I say? At home I monitor his intake." She said. She looked at Harry who was gobbling up the remains of his brownie speedily before his wife could vanish it. "Harry!" She exclaimed exasperatedly. "I leave you alone for 15 minutes and you can't control your sweet tooth?"
Harry shrugged unapologetically. "I told you not to leave me."
"I was showering!" Ginny said indignantly.
"I offered to shower with you!" Harry yelled back.
"Harry!" Ginny yelled, her neck reddening.
Harry turned to look at Draco who was trying very hard now not to burst out laughing. Who knew? Maybe the week wouldn't seem so long now.
"Don't come crying to me when you're a diabetic then." Ginny said trying to deflect attention from any shower related topics.
"Oh come on Ginny!" Harry insisted. "It was just one brownie!"
"You know what Harry Potter? I am not having this conversation with you now. We'll talk when we get back home." Ginny said crossing her arms across her chest.
"Umm not any of my business here, but are you two always like this?" Draco asked gratingly. "Because 7 days can get really long."
Hermione chose the same moment to enter, wiping her curls with a towel.
"What?" She said whining. "You all have just met and you're fighting already?"
Draco rolled his eyes and turned to face her. He stopped mid roll (something he'd never done before ever). She was wearing a dress.
A dress.
A deep blue cocktail dress. Nothing too revealing or fancy but Hermione wore dresses only when she felt really happy.
It made her feel beautiful she had told him once.
Not that she needed to feel beautiful. She was beautiful. But telling that to her would only entail a game of denial from her end.
So he just settled at ogling at her.
Discreetly.
Or so he thought.
Because Hermione was still upset over her friends not getting along, she missed the raised eyebrows and widening eyes and dilated pupils and the silence.
Even Harry who was usually oblivious to most things didn't fail to notice Draco's line of vision. He wasn't really surprised but actually seeing it live was something else.
Ginny obviously was observing all this with her usual keen eye and a smirk.
For someone who was the smartest witch of her age it was difficult to believe how oblivious Hermione was at that moment.
"We're not fighting." Ginny said trying to fill up the silence.
"Yeah." Harry said trying to calm Hermione down. "He even helped me heat my brownie."
"What?" Hermione asked confused.
"Relax Hermione." Ginny laughed. "We were just joking."
Now Hermione looked gobsmacked. "Joking? Three of you?" She asked disbelievingly. "And what brownie?"
"Well aren't we getting late? Come along now. I'll tell you on the way." Ginny urged.
"Fine." Hermione huffed. "But if they don't get along I'm going to kick some ass."
"WOW" Draco said finally.
"Damn right wow." Hermione said. "Don't think this is an empty threat." She said and disapparated with Ginny.
"Unbelievable." Draco whispered shaking his head.
"Phew." Harry said. "I know! She's never used ass kicking terms ever. And Hermione has gotten all red and angry plenty!"
"So damn hot." Draco said to himself wondering how did a mad and angry Hermione end up looking so hot.
Oh who was he kidding? He thought she always looked hot. Today was just super hot.
"Come along now Potter." Draco said. "You'll have to side along with me. I'm only hoping Granger and your wife are at the same place we were supposed to be at."
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Draco and the Potter's meet!
Was it too pally?
Should I have added some more hate?
Let me know!