Run
Chapter Four
Disclaimer: Ya'll know this belongs to J.K. Rowling.
A few weeks had gone by since Rory's death and Hermione was still trying to make sense of it all. Cowgirl Blue gave her the option of breaking the contract since they were aware that Hermione and Rory were seeing each other. She declined the offer since she was never one to back out of a commitment. She stayed on the tour with Raylene; if anything being with her horse Treasure comforted her during this difficult period.
Hermione, along with most of the other rodeo participants had attended a memorial service for Rory a few days after his accident. His body had been brought to his hometown of Amarillo, Texas and his family was going to have funeral services there. Hermione had thought about taking a few days off to attend the funeral, but held back from doing so. She had never met Rory's parents and she didn't even know if Rory had told them about her. Hermione remembered how he always spoke fondly of his parents; his mother had been a Texas beauty queen and his father owned an oilfield business. She wondered how they were handling his death. Rory had been their only child.
It was the end of the tour and the rodeo association was hosting an awards ceremony for all of the participants. Everyone was recognized for their efforts. Towards the end of the ceremony, it was announced that there was a special posthumous award for Rory. As this announcement was made, Hermione looked around the room to see if his parents were there to accept the award, but no one approached the stage. The announcer looked around the room too, and then a rodeo official approached the podium and whispered something to him.
"Excuse me folks, but I've just been informed that Rory Matthew's family wasn't able to make it to the ceremony. Perhaps a friend or colleague would like to accept this award on his behalf," the announcer said.
Hermione glanced around and saw that no one was getting up, so she approached the stage. The announcer smiled at her and handed her the large belt buckle.
"Thank you," Hermione said and gave him a sad smile. Looking at the award brought back so many memories of Rory and she was feeling overcome by emotion as she went back to her seat next to Raylene. When she sat down, Raylene put her arm around her shoulders and rested her head on hers.
When the ceremony had ended and everyone was leaving, something occurred to Hermione. What was she going to do with the award? This didn't belong to her. Should she have it shipped to his family? As she processed this, she thought about impersonal it would feel for his parents to receive this by mail. It was at this time that Hermione made a decision. She was going to deliver it to them personally. Maybe this would bring closure to her and his family.
When she told Raylene about what she planned to do, her friend insisted on accompanying her. It seemed like the perfect time to do this. It was the beginning of May and the tourist season didn't start for another few weeks at Daisy Springs. Hermione and Treasure returned to the ranch for a few days, where she was comforted by Joe, Nancy, and Pat. When Hermione told them about delivering the award directly to his parents, they all thought that it was a good idea.
Hermione and Raylene booked a flight to Amarillo and left from the airport in Bozeman. Raylene had never revealed to Hermione what had occurred with Rory at the motel. She figured he was dead and why should she mar the good memories Hermione shared with him. She had decided to go to Amarillo with Hermione because something was telling her that maybe Rory's family wasn't who Hermione thought they were. Raylene had listened as Hermione described them to her and she couldn't help thinking that Rory had fabricated most of the details. Hermione was a smart girl, but she was so naïve when it came to Rory. That asshole probably could've convinced her that shit was ice cream, Raylene thought bitterly as Hermione recalled fond memories. She truly hoped Hermione wasn't going to be disappointed.
When they arrived at Rick Husband Amarillo International airport, they immediately rented a vehicle. Once they were settled in the small sedan, Hermione punched in Rory's parents address into the navigation system and they were on their way. It was about 30 miles to their destination, so they were able to see a good bit of Amarillo. Raylene had been there a few times, so she pointed out good restaurants and places to shop as they drove.
Hermione's heart began to beat faster as they approached the end of their journey. Doubts began to creep into her head. Maybe she should've called them first, but when she had searched for a phone number, Hermione hadn't been able to locate one. What were she and Raylene going to do if no one was home? She took a deep breath and pushed these doubts out of her head. It was going to be fine.
The navigation system gave instructions to turn right and it was only about a quarter of a mile before they reached their destination. When they arrived, Hermione and Raylene looked at each other. This couldn't be the right address. Rory had told Hermione that his parents lived in a lovely two-story manor with a white picket fence all around it. She was taken aback when the address she was given led them to an older mobile home that had seen better days. The screen door on the front was hanging by its hinges and the siding on the home was buckling in places. There was a small driveway on the side of the mobile home, so Hermione parked the sedan there. She noticed that there were two other vehicles, so someone was probably going to be there. Maybe she had the wrong address; this couldn't be right, Hermione thought as she and Raylene stepped out of the vehicle. She went around to the trunk of the car, opened it, and retrieved the belt buckle. Hermione looked at Raylene.
"Do you think this is the correct address?" she asked.
Raylene shrugged. "Only one way to find out. Let's see if someone is home," she said and they began walking to the front door.
They looked around dubiously as they stepped on the wooden front porch which seemed a bit unsteady and creaked as they walked on it. They approached the front door and Hermione looked at Raylene before she knocked. Raylene nodded and Hermione tapped lightly on the door. They waited a few minutes, but no one came.
"Maybe knock a little louder, they probably didn't hear those little taps," Raylene said and before Hermione could knock again, Raylene gave the door three loud raps.
"Don't you think that was a bit much?" Hermione asked out of the corner of her mouth.
"No, those little taps you made wouldn't even make a flea stir. If someone is here, they definitely heard my knock," Raylene replied and tried not to laugh.
Hermione only shook her head and was about to retort, when they heard footsteps coming from inside the trailer. Her heart began to beat faster again as she and Raylene watched the door open. An older woman with blonde hair that was obviously dyed since the black roots were showing answered the door. A cigarette was hanging out of her mouth and she was holding a small boy who appeared to be about two years old. The child was only clad in a diaper and the diaper appeared to be full. The woman was thin and haggard looking; she had bags under her eyes and lines on her face. The faded pink housecoat she wore hung loosely from her frame. She grimaced as she looked at Hermione and Raylene.
"Whatever it is you two are selling, we don't want it. So why don't you get off mah porch?" the woman drawled in a southern accent and grimaced at them.
"Excuse me ma'am, we aren't selling anything. My name is Hermione Granger and this is my friend Raylene Devlin. We're here on behalf of Rory Matthew. Did you know him?" Hermione asked tentatively. Who was this woman?
The woman regarded both girls for a few moments, and then turned away as she extinguished her cigarette in a nearby ashtray. When she looked at them again, she began to laugh and then erupted into a coughing fit probably due to her excessive smoking habit and the fact that she was laughing so hard. Hermione and Raylene looked at each other and wondered what was it that Hermione said that prompted this fit of laughter. Even the small boy she was holding looked at her strangely. Hermione took a closer look at the child and noticed how similar his eyes and facial features were similar to Rory's. A pool of dread began to form deep in her gut. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to come here.
When the woman finished laughing and regained her composure, she looked at Hermione and then Raylene. "Well, which one of you is knocked up for Rory?" She pointed at Hermione. "Is it you?" She turned slightly and pointed at Raylene. "Or is it you Blondie? My Rory always had a thing for the blondes," the woman said and began to laugh again. She was totally nuts.
"So you're Rory's mother?" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"I sure am and if you're preggers honey, you'll need to take it elsewhere. We can't feed another mouth around here. Rory left this one behind and his girlfriend has a bun in the oven," Rory's mother answered. As she said this, a young woman came up from behind her. She had stringy blonde hair and washed out blue eyes. She was also thin, except for the huge pregnant belly. She gave Hermione and Raylene a curious look as Rory's mother whose name was Darla said as she pointed towards the young girl, "Marla Ann here is about to pop any day now."
It finally dawned on Hermione what was going on here. There had never been a huge house with a picket fence and she doubted this crazy bitch was ever a beauty queen. Rory had made it all up. She couldn't believe he had a child and another one on the way. How could he have been with her and told her how much he cared about her? It had all been one big fucking lie. Everything Hermione thought she knew about Rory Matthew flew out the window as she regarded the scene before her. She had to think fast.
"Mrs. Matthew, neither one of us is pregnant for Rory. We were on the same rodeo circuit and we wanted his family to have this belt buckle that was presented at the final awards ceremony," Hermione said as she handed the buckle to Marla Ann. The young girl looked at it and turned it over in her hand. She wondered how much she would get for it at a pawn shop.
"I'm sure his son would appreciate having this as a memory of his father," Raylene said.
"Yeah Rory didn't leave behind much except for more mouths to feed," Darla replied with a scowl.
"Well, we've taken enough of your time. I'm really sorry about Rory. Please give his father my regards," Hermione said. She just wanted to get as far away from this place as she could.
"His father? I tell you what honey, if you see that good for nothing bastard, you can give him your regards. I haven't seen him or a child support check since he walked out on us when Rory was two years old," Darla scoffed.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Hermione said. Raylene looked at her and grabbed her arm. They began walking quickly to the car.
"Give me the keys, there's no way you can drive," Raylene said when she saw how shaken Hermione was. Good Lord, this was worse than I could've ever imagined, Raylene thought. Rory truly was a piece of work; she wondered how many other children he had out there. She couldn't believe the way he had led Hermione on.
They got back into the car and left that dreadful place. As she drove, Raylene glanced at Hermione and saw that she was staring out the window. They didn't speak for a few miles. Raylene finally broke the silence.
"I'm really sorry you had to see that Hermione," she said.
Hermione shook her head and looked at Raylene. "Everything was one big lie Raylene. How Rory could have been with me knowing he had a son and a pregnant girlfriend? Why would he have made all this crap up about how wonderful his parents were?
"I don't know. Maybe he was trying to forget where he came from. I guess he could be anything he wanted to be since he was away from his family," Raylene said.
"Raylene, do you think there were other women? I mean if he carried on with me the way he did, I wouldn't be shocked," Hermione said.
Raylene took a deep breath and pulled into the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant. She parked the car, shut it off, and turned to Hermione. "I wasn't going to tell you this, but after what you just saw, I think you need to know. On the day Rory died, I had caught him with another girl at the motel. I threatened him and told him that if he didn't tell you, I was. I'm guessing he was going to tell you that night. Hermione, please don't be upset with me, but I totally understand if you are. I just didn't want to add to your misery."
Hermione gave Raylene a rueful smile. "I'm not upset with you. I know you were only trying to protect me especially with what happened. But Raylene, I'm not some fragile little doll that's going to go to pieces. This was definitely one of the most difficult things I've had to face, but I'm going to be okay. At this point anything I hear about Rory will not shock me. You think you know someone."
"Well I was as shocked as you to see he had a kid and one on the way! How about we go to our hotel and have a nice dinner?" Raylene asked. They had booked a room for the night since their return flight was scheduled for the next morning.
"That sounds like a plan. It's safe to say this totally wasn't what I was expecting. Fucking understatement of the year," Hermione scoffed.
"It's fucked up you had to find out this way. Let's get out of here," Raylene said as she started up the car. They left the parking lot and went to their hotel. The young women shared dinner and talked more. The remainder of their trip was uneventful as they turned in early. When the morning arrived, they returned to the airport, turned in the rental car, and took the flight back to Montana.
Upon returning to the ranch, Hermione threw herself into her duties and the daily routine of the ranch. She was happy when the tourist season started again; being busy kept her from thinking too much of what happened with Rory. It was going to be a long time before Hermione gave her heart to another man.
The only time she suffered a breakdown was when her parents had come for a visit in June. They had never met Rory and she had been planning on introducing them. When she told her parents everything that happened, including the part of him being unfaithful, she couldn't stop crying. Her parents consoled her as best as they could, her father telling her that it would get better in time and she would meet someone worthy of her. Hermione's mother held her and let her cry on her shoulder and didn't say anything. She knew how hurt Hermione was and it was going to take time to get over this. When Harry and Ron had found out about Rory, they had offered to take time off from their Auror training to spend a few days with her. Hermione wouldn't hear of it. They made her promise to visit them soon, they missed her.
Things slowly went back to normal for Hermione. It was only late at night that thoughts about Rory would creep into her head and it was difficult to fall asleep. There were many nights that she found herself on her front porch, looking into the magnificence of the star-kissed Montana sky. She would sit in an old rocker, with her feet propped up on the railings of the porch, thinking. She wondered if she would ever trust another man again.
When the tourist season ended, Hermione was contacted by Cowgirl Blue. Once again, they wanted to sponsor her and Raylene in the pro-rodeo circuit. She was hesitant at first, but figured why she should give up something she loved so much because of a jerk like Rory. It was hard to accept his death in the beginning, but now that she knew everything was a lie, it was getting easier and easier to cope with it. Hermione accepted Cowgirl Blue's offer and when October came, she and Raylene were on the road again.
This time on the pro-rodeo circuit was completely different for Hermione. She socialized more and realized how much she had missed out on by spending all of her spare time with Rory on the previous circuit. She met plenty of men who were interested in her, but she politely rebuffed their offers of taking her out to dinner, etc. Raylene was glad to see that Hermione was going out and meeting new people. However she knew that it was going to be some time before Hermione let her guard down enough to date again. That was going to be one hell of a man who could break through that shield Hermione has up, Raylene thought as she would watch Hermione turn down one suitor after another.
After another successful rodeo season, Hermione returned to Daisy Springs. After one long and difficult day of mending fences and rounding up stray cattle, she returned to her cabin. After showering, she changed and walked over to the main house for dinner. As she walked in, Joe handed her some mail she had received that day. As she sorted through the junk mail, she was pleasantly surprised to see a letter from Harry. They had been communicating by email, so she wondered why he would send something by muggle post. She smiled as she opened it and immediately noticed that it was some sort of invitation. As she read it, she could barely contain her excitement. It was an invitation for the official Auror swearing in of Harry and Ron. They had completed the program! She was thrilled her two closest friends were now Aurors. Hermione was so proud of them. She looked at the date and saw that it was two weeks away.
Hermione approached Joe and Nancy after dinner and asked if she would be able to take some time off to return home. She told them that her friends were graduating from the police academy and they wanted her to be there. Hermione didn't like lying to them, but there was no way she could even begin to explain to them about Aurors.
"You take as much time as you want dear, you deserve it," Nancy said, as Joe nodded.
"Thank you so much," Hermione replied as she hugged them. She left the main house and returned to her cabin. She couldn't wait to email Harry and let him know that she was going to attend the ceremony.
Nancy and Joe watched her leave with smiles on their faces. They had worried about Hermione since Rory's death; this was one of the few times she looked genuinely happy.
Always one to be prepared, Hermione immediately booked a flight to London and let her parents know that she was going to be visiting. Harry and Ron couldn't wait to see her. It had been two years since she had left the wizarding world. As she started the preparations, Hermione felt exhilarated; she looked forward to seeing her friends again. The only snag in her plans was her wardrobe. She looked through her closet with a frown; she had nothing to wear but jeans, t-shirts, and western wear she thought with dismay. She still had the red dress she had worn on her first date with Rory, but she kept it out of sight. Hermione would never wear it again. That was it; she was going to have to go shopping.
She and Raylene met for dinner at Tubby's later that week. When she told Raylene about her plans, Raylene told her they were going to Billings. According to her, Billings was the best place for shopping, for the city had quite a few shopping malls and exclusive boutiques.
"Are you sure we need to go all the way to Billings just for clothes? I'm sure I can find everything I need here in Big Sky," Hermione said.
Raylene rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Big Sky is great if you want to look like country comes to town when you go back to London! You really need some new threads girly. Come on, it'll be great! I can show you around Billings too."
Hermione shook her head, but agreed with her friend. "Fine, we're going to Billings."
"Yay! We're going to have so much fun," Raylene squealed as she clapped her hands.
Hermione smiled at her friend. She was glad that she and Raylene had reconnected since she came to Daisy Springs. They had definitely become closer since Rory's death.
They agreed to leave early Saturday morning since Billings was almost 3hours away from Big Sky. Hermione was hesitant at first, but the more she thought about it, she was looking forward to the trip. She couldn't wait to get home and see her friends. There had been so many new and exciting experiences in the muggle world, but now that she had slowed down, she realized how much she missed the wizarding world.
True to her word, Raylene arrived bright and early at 7 a.m. Saturday morning. She was in Dave's pickup truck.
"I thought we'd go in the truck because I figure we'll need the extra room for all of the clothes we're going to buy," Raylene joked as Hermione stepped into the truck.
"I know you're joking, but sometimes I wonder," Hermione grinned.
It didn't seem like a 3-hour trip to Hermione, as she and Raylene talked and sang along with the radio. It was a beautiful day and she was surprised to see the city of Billings upon them. Raylene drove straight to the mall where they stayed for the remainder of the day shopping, only taking a break for a quick lunch.
Hermione felt a bit guilty for all of the money she was spending, but she really hadn't spent all that much since she started working at Daisy Springs. She had also done really well being sponsored by Cowgirl Blue, earning a tidy sum which had never been touched. She and Raylene had found plenty of cute outfits. Her favorite was the dress she was going to wear for the Auror ceremony. It was a royal blue sleeveless sheath dress with a belted waist and the neckline was accentuated in a dainty black crochet. When Hermione came out of the dressing room to show Raylene, her friend nodded.
"That's the one! You look beautiful!" Raylene exclaimed. "I just saw the perfect heels that will go perfectly with this dress."
Hermione thanked her friend and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had to admit the dress did suit her; it accentuated her curves. She smiled at Raylene in the mirror.
After she took off the dress, she met Raylene in the store and they went to the shoe department. Raylene was right; the black high-heeled sandals complemented the ensemble well. Hermione liked that the shoes would go well with the other outfits she had purchased. She wondered if she was going to have a chance to wear all of them. It had been some time since she had shopped for any new clothes and maybe she had gotten a bit carried away, but it was hard not to get caught up in Raylene's enthusiasm for shopping.
She thought that they were done for the day, but Raylene insisted that they hit the huge cosmetics department of the huge store. Hermione groaned.
"I can buy makeup in Big Sky," she said as she made a face.
"Um that stuff you get at the local drugstore is fine for Big Sky, but you're going back to London girly. You need to wow your friends," Raylene insisted and stuck her tongue out at Hermione. "Come on, I know exactly which counter to go to."
Hermione knew it was useless to resist Raylene so she followed her friend. When they arrived at the makeup counter, they were met by a gorgeous Asian girl named Dawn. She had Hermione sit down and she started working on her face. As she applied the makeup, she explained what she was doing. When Dawn finished, she handed Hermione a mirror. She gasped when she saw how her eyes seemed to be bigger and her lips looked as if they'd just been kissed. Hermione was impressed that Dawn did this with only a few products, so she gladly bought them. Raylene gave her knowing look and Hermione just knew she wanted to tell her "I told you so."
After they shopped until they dropped, the young women had dinner and checked into the hotel Hermione had booked for the night. She knew that they wouldn't feel like making a 3-hour drive after this long day of shopping. She and Raylene had fun looking over all of their purchases. Hermione was glad that they had done this. She was feeling better than she had in quite some time.
The day finally arrived and Pat drove Hermione to the airport in Bozeman so she could catch her flight. He stayed with her until it was time for her to depart. As he watched her walked through the gates, he called out to her.
"You come back now!"
Hermione turned and smiled at him. "I'll see you in two weeks. Make sure you give Treasure her apples."
"I will darling. You have a fun trip and stay safe," Pat replied as she waved and walked away. As he left the terminal and walked to his truck, he couldn't help feeling that Hermione might not be coming back to Daisy Springs. He shook it off and figured he was just being an old fool.
Hours later, Hermione's plane landed in London. Her parents were waiting for her and it wasn't long before they were home. Hermione went to her room to put her belongings away and was shocked to find how much she had missed these familiar surroundings. It truly was good to be back on her home turf. She couldn't wait to see her friends.
Draco had a late night drinking with his friends, Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott. He had stumbled back into his apartment at about 3 a.m. and there had been a witch with him. All he remembers is waking up with her in the bed. She had gotten totally pissed at him because he couldn't remember her name, so she dressed quickly and left in a huff. This suited Draco perfectly; he didn't want to be stuck providing her with breakfast and feeding her lies about seeing her again. He'd just taken a hangover potion when he heard his floo being activated. He grimaced when he saw it was his mother.
"You look positively ghastly Draco! Where were you last night?" Narcissa asked as she looked him over and shook her head.
"Out with friends Mother. What with brings you here at this hour?" Draco asked ignoring her searching look. He walked into his kitchen and Narcissa followed him. She watched as he got a bottle of water and drank the whole thing. He looked at his mother. "Can I get you anything?
"No thank you. I'm here at this hour, which by the way is 10 a.m. to give you this invitation," Narcissa replied as she thrust the invitation towards him.
"Another one?" Draco asked as Narcissa raised her eyebrows and nodded. As he read it, he groaned. "Do I really have to attend this crap? Like I feel like watching Potty and the Weasel get initiated into the Auror program."
"Draco, your father and I think that it's important for us to be there. We've made great strides in improving our image since the war and we think that this would solidify our stance by showing support for Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley," Narcissa huffed.
"Fine Mother, I'll be there. When is this crap? Good, it's tomorrow afternoon," Draco said to himself as he looked over the invitation again.
"Be sure you're on time. Father and I will meet you at the Ministry," Narcissa said.
"Okay mum, I'll even put on my best dress robe," Draco joked.
Narcissa's face softened and she smiled at her only child. She ruffled his hair like she would do when he was a small boy. "Draco, when are you going to find a nice witch and settle down? You can't keep going out and keeping these late hours."
"I'm enjoying life mum. I just haven't met the right witch yet," Draco chuckled.
Narcissa sighed. "I'll let you be and let you get back to whatever it is you planned on doing today. We'll see you tomorrow."
Draco nodded and smiled as he kissed his mother on the cheek. When she was gone, he went back to his bedroom and promptly fell asleep. He was meeting his friends later for another night of drinking.
Hermione took one last look in the full-length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. She made sure that everything was in place. Her hair had always had a mind of its own and she hadn't been sure how to fix her mass of curls. She finally decided on pulling it back in a fishtail braid. The braid hung down to the middle of her back. It wasn't bad and it kept her unruly hair in place.
When she came down the stairs, she fought not to roll her eyes because her mother was waiting with her new digital camera. She insisted on taking a few pictures before Hermione left. Her parents told her how nice she looked and this made her happy. She took a deep breath as she left the house and headed for the Ministry. She couldn't wait to see her friends.
Draco arrived at the Ministry a few minutes before the ceremony started. His parents shot looks of disapproval towards him as he sat next to them in the small auditorium. He looked back at them and raised his eyebrows.
"What? I'm not late," Draco whispered.
"Be grateful we were able to save you a seat. We hadn't realized there were going to be so many people," Lucius hissed and faced forward.
Draco sat down and wondered why his parents were so uptight. He looked around the auditorium and saw a few familiar faces. Suddenly his eyes were drawn to a young woman in a blue dress. He couldn't see her face as he watched her take a seat towards the front. He liked the way the dress hugged her curves and she had the most appealing pert little bottom. He caught a quick glimpse of her face before she sat down, but that was it. He knew he hadn't seen her before. Maybe coming here wasn't going to be as torturous as I thought it would be, Draco said in his mind as a smirk appeared on his face. He was always on the prowl.
The ceremony took approximately an hour and there was a reception in another room. Draco stood with his parents and listened to the band playing. His eyes scanned the room and finally he found the witch he had seen before. She was alone.
When the ceremony had ended, Hermione had waited for her friends. When they saw her, she was smothered with hugs.
"Hermione, it's been way too long. I'm so happy to see you," Ron said as he grabbed her in a bear hug and swung her around.
"Come here you! You look great," Harry exclaimed as he did the same as Ron.
When they finally let her go, Hermione stepped back and looked at her friends. She was amazed how much they had filled out and weren't the boys she had left two years before. She congratulated them along with Ron's family. Everyone else was thrilled to see Hermione was back. While Harry and Ron finished up, Hermione decided to head over to the next room for the reception.
She walked in and glanced around the room, but she didn't see anyone she knew. Hermione decided to watch the band until her friends arrived. She was enjoying the music when someone spoke into her ear.
"Do you know you're the most beautiful witch in here?"
Hermione turned and couldn't believe it. Draco Malfoy, the biggest git that ever lived, was attempting to come on to her? She didn't know whether to laugh or hex him. "Draco Malfoy, as I live and breathe. I see you haven't grown up since Hogwarts. What the hell are you up to?"
"Granger?" Draco blurted out. "I'm sorry I thought you were someone else," he said and walked away. Merlin's bollocks, how could this alluring creature be bushy-haired Granger, he thought. He groaned inwardly when he realized the cheesy pickup line he used on her. The reality was that he actually meant every word, she was beautiful.
Draco kept his distance. He watched as Hermione took turns dancing with Potty and the Weasel. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she threw her head back and laughed. What was wrong with him? Since when was he attracted to Granger? He decided to throw caution to the winds and ask her if she wanted to dance with him.
Hermione was taking a break from the dance floor and sipping on a glass of pumpkin juice. She inwardly groaned when she saw Malfoy heading towards her. She was having such a nice time being with her friends; why did he have to ruin it? As he walked towards her, she had to admit that Malfoy was quite easy on the eyes, with his striking platinum hair and grey eyes. Like Harry and Ron, he had filled out too since she had last seen him. She gave him a resigned look when he was in front of her.
"What is it Malfoy?" she asked and sighed.
"How about a dance?" Draco asked and gave her his most winning smile.
Hermione looked at him for a few seconds. "I'll dance with you, but if this is some kind of joke, you'll regret the day you were born," she said in a low voice.
"Hostile much Granger? Look, I know I was a total arse when we were at Hogwarts, but I want to put that behind me. It's just a dance, I promise," Draco replied
"Okay, lead the way Malfoy," Hermione said. They walked over to the dance floor as a fast song was finishing. A slow song started and she thought about walking away, it was going to be so awkward dancing slow with Malfoy. But he gently took her hand in his and placed the other one lightly on her waist. Hermione placed her other hand on his shoulder and they began to move slowly. As they danced, she decided that this wasn't quite the unpleasant experience she thought it would be. Malfoy was a good dancer. It was also a bit surprising to find that his touch wasn't as repulsive as she thought it would be.
As they moved, Draco fought the urge to pull her closer to him. He loved the feel of her hand in his and she smelled amazing. Her dress fit her to perfection, he thought as he took in her small breasts and tiny waist. Who knew Granger would turn out like this? He decided then and there he had to have her.
Harry and Ron almost choked on their pumpkin juice when they saw Hermione dancing with Draco. What was that all about?
Thank you for your patience. I'll be glad when the holidays are over, LOL. Finally a little Dramione interaction. More to come.
Also thank you for the alerts and reviews, I appreciate it!