A/N: Sorry this chapter is kind of short but the next one will be longer I wanted to get their romance rolling so to speak. I hope I'm not moving to fast for you all. The point of the first chapter was to get you all in-tune with the idea that they were already close friends and that romance between them wouldn't be too far fetched. Draco's done a lot to change since the war.

-Oh and sprezzatura is a reference to The Borgia's FYI-great show.

-X-

Right after he had gotten home from the park he owled her and asked her to meet him at his townhouse at nine that night; they'd apparate from there to his mystery location. She'd owled back immediately and said she was looking forward to it (even if it was a surprise location).

After their encounter in the park Draco was going crazy in his small townhouse. He was really starting to like the cheeky little thing. 'Promise not to make any moves on me mister?' He was going to have to be the patron saint of chastity not to make a move on her tonight. It was true, he wanted her affection but she had a way of being sexy without even knowing it. Her hair was much more tamed now… nothing like it had been in school and her body… just thinking about it was making a certain part of his anatomy come to life.

Pansy had never made him feel like this. She was beautiful in everyway a pureblood witch of her pedigree should be. There was nearly nothing natural about it; she wore too much makeup and always wore ridiculously expensive clothes even if it was just to brunch with him. Hermione rarely bothered with much makeup some soft coffee colored eyeliner and mascara but nothing dramatic. The most makeup he'd seen her wear was the night that they had gone on their "date" and she still looked very natural. She could even pull off that beautiful Vera Wang dress and not have the dress overwhelm her.

Sometimes Draco wondered where women like Hermione Ganger were made and how he got to be so lucky to get to know a woman as gorgeous and intelligent as her.

It was now half past eight and he was beginning to wonder what he should wear for not seducing Hermione. This was going to be tricky. He didn't want to dress in one of his formal suits because he'd be lying on a blanket with her looking up at the stars. Definitely not suit and tie time…he had some nice jeans that would go well with one of his Puddlemere United t-shirts. Was that too dressed down though? Oh fuck it… he was really being a pansy about this.

-X-

Hermione knocked on his door at exactly nine. She was wearing dark blue skinny jeans; Draco figured this must be a muggle fashion, and a blue blouse with ballet flats.

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you without a tie Draco!" She giggled as Draco let her into his apartment.

"Yes well stargazing isn't exactly a suit and tie event so I figured I'd dress down a bit."

"It suits you," Hermione gave him a peck on the cheek and asked the inevitable, "So where are you taking me?"

"Darling, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now would it? I think you'll really like where we're going though."

"Oh Draco! I hate surprises but suppose just this once I'll allow it…" He extended his arm to her and she accepted as he apparated them to their mystery stargazing location.

-X-

When their feet landed Hermione shook off the strange feeling of side-along apparation and looked around her she was in a field somewhere but it was very familiar.

"Draco is this the Forest of Dean?" Hermione said hopefully.

"How very observant of you." Draco smiled sweetly at her; he knew this was this perfect place to bring her.

"I'm starting to like your surprises." She looked up at him and winked, Draco took out the tiniest looking blanket from his pocket and with a flick of his wand the quilt was full size again.

He laid it down gently in the soft summer grass and lay down on his side. Not seducing Hermione, not seducing Hermione, look at the stars look anywhere but her absolutely divine body…. While Draco was trying to calm his hormones Hermione slipped off her ballet flats and lay down on the soft blanket. She looked up at the stars and began searching for Orion's belt, that was how she always acclimated herself to the night sky.

"Draco can you find Orion in the sky?" She of course assumed he was paying attention to the night sky when she turned her head to look at him he was still laying on his side looking at her.

"This isn't Hermione gazing you know?" She huffed as he snickered at her witty remark.

"I only wish it was." Draco said quietly. He rolled over on his back and pinpointed Orion, "I found Orion would you like me to show you?"

"Yes, please, I always find Orion's belt first then find the other constellations after that get's me oriented." Hermione said in her best bookworm voice.

"You know we're not here to study…"Draco said reaching down and taking her hand and interlacing his fingers with hers.

She looked up at him and said, "What are we here to do then Draco? I thought we were stargazing?"

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are Hermione?" Draco squeezed her hand just a bit for emphasis.

"You really think I'm beautiful?" Hermione said in a small voice.

"Gods yes, I'm not sure how you don't see it, but I suppose that's part of what makes you beautiful to me. You're effortlessly beautiful, like you were just made this way. You're so different than the other girls I've been with; there's nothing false about you, you have sprezzatura."

"The effortless display of grace," Hermione sighed and rolled over closer to Draco so that her front was facing his. She stroked his chest and said "You know I've had a crush on you for quite some time. I was wondering when you'd get the courage to ask me out for a date."

Draco's eyebrows shot up. "How would I have ever known? I mean sure we're both department heads and we work closely together and I see you outside of work a lot but you never gave me any signs…" Hermione puzzled

"Coming over to your flat for lattes and chats about how your shift was, what was on your mind and generally being just around more than a friend was wasn't enough?" Draco said with a tone of disappointment.

"Well I guess that's what I thought a friend would do… but when I think about it now, yeah you did act as more than just a friend. I have to admit I was surprised when you asked me out for drinks."

"I thought you might be." Draco was grinning now and he looped his arm around Hermione's waist with one arm, bringing her closer and placing a hand on her cheek with the other.

He leaned in closer and planted a soft kiss on her lips. She looked into the depths of his grey eyes and noticed the faint moonlight brought out the twinkling flecks of blue in his eyes. She was hopelessly ensnared in his charm…

She leaned in for another more passionate kiss, this time lingering longer on his lips. He tested her resolve by gently brushing his tongue past her entrance, she allowed him in and he dived into he waiting mouth.

They kissed and kissed. Soft gentle kisses, then more ravishing, desperate needy kisses. His hand wandered to her breast and began kneading it just enough to elicit a soft moan from her. That's when his promise to not try anything with her came rushing back into his head. He pulled back from her and gave her a tender kiss on the forehead and sighed. She moaned softly at the lack of contact and he cleared his throat. His aim truly hadn't been to seduce her but she made his head go fuzzy with need.

He didn't want to ruin the moment so he sat in comfortable silence and tried the think of things to calm his aching need. McGonagall in her nightgown, Snape naked in the potions lab whoa! Ok yup that did it!

She was the first to break the silence, "So was this your plan all along? Get me here and get me all wound up and not finish the job?" Her tone was light but he'd thought she was serious about waiting to seduce her.

He didn't really have a response for her feistiness for once in his life so he just stammered, "Err… well… I didn't exactly plan it this way."

"Well how did you plan it Draco? You and me alone with nothing but the stars and each other to look at where did you think it would go? I was half hoping you wouldn't keep your promise." Hermione didn't sound mad she sounded sexually frustrated but there were worse things.

"I just want it to mean something when we go through with it. I don't want you to think I'm just fooling around with you. I know you've heard the rumors. I'm not the playboy they make me out to be but I want you to be comfortable and secure when it happens for the first time…" Draco sounded insecure? It was totally unnatural for him but that was definitely what Hermione was hearing.

"You know I don't take those rumors seriously, at least not anymore. Let's do this another night. I agree, I think I'd rather be in a bed for my first time with you. I'm really starting to like you Draco and I want thinks to be right between us. I think I'm hopelessly ensnared by your charm." She said in a far away voice. She didn't like lying to Draco. Sure, she'd fooled around with Ron but she'd lied when she said that she'd said that they'd had sex. She was twenty-five and a virgin and not even her best friends knew it.

She always lied about it. Why should Draco be any different? She always got so close to that point and couldn't let go. When she'd dated a muggle man a few years younger than her while she was with Ron he'd had to wait a month to kiss her and now look at her! She was kissing him senseless and they weren't really even dating!

So now she had her own little lie to contend to because she did intend to go all the way with Draco Malfoy, virginity be damned. She was too old to be playing these games with men. She decided right then and there on their next date she'd invite him back to her flat and that would be that.

"Draco let's go home it's starting to get chilly out it must be midnight by now."

"Oh right, of course darling. Would you like me to stop by your flat before work and bring you breakfast?" Hermione sighed, he was so sweet, who was this and what had they done with Death Eater Draco?

"That sounds lovely."

To be continued!