A/N: So yes I know there is a lot of detail in the latte-making scene but I was a barista for a few years so I'm just particularly enthralled with everything espresso/coffee related. That's why Hermione has a small espresso bar in her house. Hope you're enjoying the story I'd love to get some feed back from you. No flames please. My beta is IWillGoWithYouHarry but she's currently working on chapters 4&5 so this will be beta'd sometime soon. Big shout out to her for being awesome.
-X-
The next morning Hermione woke up at six in the morning, plenty early for her eight to eight shift at St. Mungo's. She was looking forward to her early breakfast with Draco. She expected him over in about an hour and hopped right in the shower. She used a little extra conditioner to make sure her curls would cooperate when she put them up into a neat bun.
She got dressed in some dress slacks and a pretty pink blouse. She didn't wear pink much but it suited her. She put on some flats that would be comfortable for a day on her feet and pulled her hair into a neat bun.
She turned her espresso bar on but just allowed it to warm up. It was torture to wait for her morning latte but she wanted to wait for Draco so they could enjoy their latte's together.
Just then the owl carrying her Daily Prophet flew up to her window. She had some idea what might be on the front page but she had to confirm for herself. She gave the owl a bronze knut and looked at the front page confirming her hopes.
In bold letters splashed across the front page of the Prophet was "Harry Potter: The-Boy-Who-Lived To Run For Minister of Magic Unchallenged!" Hermione sighed. There'd be someone to challenge Harry's campaign but she doubted that it would be a remotely a fair fight. The savoir of the Wizarding World was running for Minister of Magic after Kingsley Shacklebolt had stated he would be resigning after this term. The election wasn't for another six months but Hermione was sure that the time would fly for Harry. She hadn't spoken much to him about it but she made a mental note to owl him tonight and ask him how it was going.
Just then there was a knock at the door. Hermione smiled, brought out of her reverie by thoughts of the charming, handsome man on the other side of her door.
She opened the door, "Good morning darling." Draco said placing a soft kiss on her lips. She smiled and looked at the bag he was carrying it smelled delicious.
"What have you got in there?" Hermione said smiling and going over to the espresso bar flicking the "brew" button and getting the milk out of the fridge. She expertly steamed the milk and pulled out two mugs. She poured two shots in one mug and poured the steamed milk in and passed the mug to Draco. He raised his mug in thanks to her and took a sip. She makes the best lattes really I couldn't have had it better made at Café Lena's. Draco thought to himself. Hermione repeated the process for her own latte but added a bit of cinnamon to the milk before steaming it.
After she was done making their lattes she sat down next to Draco at the kitchen island and looked inside the bag. There were two large Danishes waiting for them and Hermione couldn't have been happier.
"I picked blueberry and raspberry with cream cheese does that sound good?"
"It sounds delicious!" Hermione said digging into the raspberry Danish.
They sat in comfortable silence as they ate their breakfast. Hermione made herself a cappuccino when she was done with her Danish and offered Draco one.
"You really like your espresso don't you?"
"It's what gets me out of bed in the morning." She smiled widely at him.
"Where did you get your espresso bar? I mean I've never seen one sold in a wizarding shop before."
"Well of course you haven't they're muggle contraptions. Certainly you could just conjure steamed milk and espresso shots from your wand but it would never be the same. I worked in a coffee shop one summer and I developed a love for all things having to do with steamed milk and espresso. I got my espresso bar from my mum as a Christmas present a few years ago."
"Hmmm… well it suits you. I love your drinks."
Hermione blushed a bit she loved being complemented on her skills with an espresso bar, "Thank you."
Draco began his process of leafing through her Daily Prophet but apparently skipped the front page. Hermione was quick to rectify his oversight.
"Maybe while you're looking at that you might want to look at the front page. I know you always skip the first page but it's something quite noteworthy today…"
He flipped to the front page and grumbled something unintelligible under his breath.
"He's running unchallenged? Certainly that's not possible. There's got to be someone else out there that wants to be Minister. God I don't want to have to vote for Potter." Draco's voice was a tad disparaging.
"Oh Draco, you know Harry will be a fair and just leader. He might be a bit hard on pureblood families but you know that's just because of the war." At this point Draco needed to change the subject because getting him going on what his family had been through after the war was not a pretty subject. He was certain he didn't want to ruin his breakfast with Hermione with talks of politics and the war that had torn apart their world not so many years ago.
"It's quarter to eight are you ready for work?" Draco said
"Oh yes, let me just grab my robes."
A few moments later she appeared in her lime green healer's robes. Draco flourished his wand and he donned his robes and they apparated to St. Mungo's.
-X-
Later that day Hermione was swamped with cases. It was just about lunchtime and she wondered if she'd be able to escape for lunchtime. Draco hadn't mentioned going to Café Lena's so she assumed that she was on her own for lunch.
Fish and chips it is she thought as she healed a gash on a young man's arm. This wizard and his friend had been dueling in a dueling club and things had gone too far. They were a bloody mess but nothing Hermione couldn't heal with some spells, Dittany and pain potions.
The clock struck one o'clock and she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. The two men were reasonably stable; stable enough to be left in the care of her staff while she went for lunch.
She went to the break room and took off her dirty healer's robes casting a quick Scourgify on them. She put them in her locker and briskly went to the foyer of the hospital where she found Draco waiting for her.
"I was beginning to wonder what held you up." Draco said grinning at her.
"Dueling club incident." Hermione said a little flustered so lunch was going to be an everyday occurrence?
"Let's go they're holding our table at Lena's."
"Merlin Draco, you're a life saver I thought I was doomed to fish and chips for lunch today." Draco let out a hearty laugh at that.
"I'd never abandon you to your own devices for lunch especially fish and chips." Draco laughed and offered her his arm; she took it and walked with him.
Once they were out of the hospital and on the street she whispered to him "You know Draco people are going to starting thinking we're dating if you keep picking me up for lunch at work and I'm sure the rumor mill has already started to pick up."
Draco looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face, "Aren't we seeing each other? I was under the impression you were my girlfriend."
Whoops! She hadn't thought they were dating because he'd never said that they were. Yes, they spent a lot of time together, like nearly every waking second except while they worked. So it did make sense that they'd be dating. He'd asked her out for drinks and she'd refused to be a one-night stand that boded well for her being girlfriend material. She just didn't think…. I'm not thinking is what I'm not doing! Hermione thought to herself.
"You're right of course we're dating. We spend so much time together and you're so sweet to me. I'd be happy to be your girlfriend." Draco smiled genuinely at her a placed a gentle kiss on her lips before opening the door at Lena's for her.
He placed their order in French as he always did and she didn't bother to ask what he'd ordered for her; she knew it would be wonderful.
It started to nag at her conscious just then. Being Draco's girlfriend would certainly mean that sooner rather than later he'd find out that she was lying about her virginity. That was not exactly something she was prepared for it was her closest guarded secret.
They took a seat at they table and Draco moved the "Reserved" sign to the side. It occurred to her then that he had probably made arrangements with the manager to have this table reserved at one o'clock for today and tomorrow. Tomorrow was her last twelve-hour day shift and then the day after, Friday was her big date with Draco. She hadn't the slightest idea where they were going for dinner but she liked his surprises now so she trusted him to make it special.
Their food arrived and they conversed over coffee and sandwiches. The whole time her conscious nagged her to tell him the truth about her virginity but her head reminded her that this was neither the time nor place.
After they finished eating they had some spare time so he ordered her an espresso macchiato. She sipped it and decided that if she spoke in Italian that no one else would be privy to their conversation.
"Quindi sai come ho detto ero con Ron?" (Translation: "So you know how I said I was with Ron?") Hermione said not really making eye contact.
"Sì." Draco said pensively, he really didn't want to hear about her ex after she'd just agreed to be his girlfriend.
"Beh, non ho mai dormito con lui. Ho mentito" (Translation: Well I never slept with him, I lied.)
"Hai mentito? Beh, hai dormito con qualcuno? Non hai citato chiunque altro." (Translation: You lied? Well have you slept with someone? You haven't mentioned anyone else.) Draco was frowning now.
Hermione looked sheepish, "No non ho io sono vergine, ma io voglio darmi a te" (Translation: No I haven't I'm a virgin, I want to give myself to you.) Draco was taken aback by her honesty and he now understood why she wanted to have this conversation in Italian. It was of a highly sensitive subject. He was glad Blaise Zabini was on holiday or he very well might have crept up on them and overheard the whole bloody thing!
Draco let out a long sigh. He took her hand and squeezed it gently and said, "I'd be honored." Hermione blushed furiously she was falling hard for him. Falling like she was falling off the astronomy tower and his strong arms a sweet lips were the only thing there to catch her… Oh she was in deep.
She polished off her espresso macchiato and said in a whisper "Friday night after dinner. Promise me?"
"Of course darling. Whatever you'd like. I'm just a bit shocked but pleased that you truly get to be all mine." Hermione smiled at him and stood up to go. Her break time was over and she had cleared the air with Draco.
Mission accomplished.
-X-
After Hermione's shift ended at eight that night Draco was waiting for her in foyer of the hospital. Hermione truly thought it was charming that he always waited up for her. She never got off at exactly eight something always held her up for a few minutes so it really more like quarter after when she came strolling into the foyer.
"Keeping me waiting again darling?"
"Keeping you guessing more like it." She said with a smirk. He laughed and took her arm and apparated her back to her flat.
Hermione was bone tired she had spent most of the day managing cases and had to personally handle a case involving a father-son broom collision that had ended rather nastily. The boy wasn't severely hurt but the father had been and she'd sent most of the afternoon stabilizing him before he went to the critical care floor.
Draco too was exhausted. He'd been vomited on three times by toddlers with an awful stomach flu that was going around. He felt pretty gross and was really in need of a long shower. Not even a powerful Scourgify had fully removed the smell and he just wanted to go home but not before saying goodnight to Hermione.
Draco collapsed down on Hermione's couch and she sat next to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her gently before saying "It's getting late and we're both dead tired. I'll see you for lunch tomorrow. Goodnight darling." He kissed her forehead and made to leave.
Hermione sighed and lay down on the couch and curled up with a pillow, "Good night sweetheart. I'll see you tomorrow."
He grinned over his shoulder at her before disapparating from her flat.
-X-
The next day passed without incident. Lunch flew by, Draco brought up dinner and refused to tell her where they were going but promised her it would be magnificent.
It was her last twelve-hour shift and the last hour seemed to drag on for days. For once there was relatively little activity in the Emergency Department so Hermione set about doing some of her backed up paper work.
She breezed through her paper work and when she looked at the clock in her office again it was five past eight. Time to go.
She gathered her things and expected to meet Draco out in foyer but he wasn't there. She was exhausted so she simply apparated home and figured if he really wanted to see her he would just show up.
She was home for about an hour when she heard a knock at her door. There he is She thought to herself.
She looked though the peephole and sure enough there was Draco looking rather ragged.
"Hey there I was wondering what happened to you after work." Draco sighed heavily.
"You have any firewhiskey?"
"That bad huh?"
"That bad and then some." Draco responded. Hermione took out a tumbler and asked Draco "Straight up or on the rocks?"
"Straight up."
"So what happened?" Hermione asked as Draco swallowed his shot of firewhiskey down in one pull. She pushed the bottle toward him and he poured himself another nursing this one as he spoke.
"I had a kid, just a toddler come in with Dragon Pox about an hour before the end of my shift. The parents had obviously ignored the signs. The poor kid didn't make it. I had to call the Aurors and have charges of child neglect leveled against them." He finished his firewhiskey and poured another.
"That's terrible!" Hermione said outraged that any parent could ignore the obvious signs of Dragon Pox.
"It was my first, Hermione I've never lost a patient before." He said in a soft voice.
Hermione felt even worse for him. She remembered her first; it had been an elderly man with Dragon Pox. There had been nothing she could do. She remembered explaining to the family the death of their loved one and how it was the worst feeling in the world.
She wrapped her arms around him and pushed the firewhiskey to the other end of the kitchen island.
"There was nothing you could do sweetheart absolutely nothing. The best thing you could do was call the Aurors and have them deal with the parents. I'm sorry. Would you like to stay here tonight? Just so you're not alone?"
He looked up at her and nodded his head silently. He seemed truly broken. This was a side of him she hadn't seen since his trial way back when.
She pulled him off the bar stool he was glued to and into her bedroom. She gathered her pajamas and got changed in her bathroom and left him to do the same. He stripped off his shirt and transfigured his trousers into basketball shorts. He curled into her bed, already a little drowsy from the alcohol.
She came out in shorts and a tank top to find him already peacefully sleeping. She got into bed and curled up next to him. He was warm and inviting and she liked the way it felt to have him in her bed.
She quickly fell asleep with her cheek nuzzled into his shoulder…
-X-
The next day she woke up to an empty bed and she could hear the sound of steaming milk in her kitchen.
She wandered out of her bedroom stretching lazily. She sat up at the kitchen island and saw that Draco had prepared her, her favorite a cinnamon latte.
"Good morning sleepy head." Draco said grinning at her.
"Morning," Hermione stifled a yawn and said, " Where did you learn to steam milk and make a cinnamon latte?"
"By watching you of course." Draco responded.
Hermione hummed and took a sip of her latte it was perfect Draco was quite good at learning by merely watching.
Draco took a seat next to her and said, "I have some errands to run today before our dinner date but I'll be back here to pick you up at 7 alright?"
Hermione kissed him soundly on the lips and said "Sounds wonderful I also have something to do before we go on our date so I'll see you tonight."
Draco finished his latte and kissed her cheek sweetly, "Until tonight darling. Remember the dress!"
"How could I forget?" Hermione said with a smile. a
To be continued!