They landed in front of Pansy's house and continued kissing for several minutes until they were both out of breath.
"Are you sure you want to go in there?" Draco asked, sliding his hands up her back. "I can think of another way we can spend the evening."
"We're going in," Hermione said, pushing his hands off of her. "We're going to tell them, have dinner, spend some time with them, and have a lovely evening."
She adjusted her dress and swatted away Draco's hand when he reached for her. "Behave," she said and knocked on the door.
Pansy appeared a minute later in an emerald green short dress with diamond encrusted straps and mile high stiletto, silver heels.
"Come on in!" Pansy said brightly. "Hermione, I'm so glad you could make it."
Pansy led them through the house onto the back patio where Ron, Blaise, Gina, Harry, and Ginny were all sitting around a table with drinks in their hands. Everyone but Blaise and Gina looked apprehensively at Draco and surprised at Hermione.
"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, setting down her drink and getting up from the table to embrace her friend. "We had no idea you were coming. What are you doing here?"
"I'm here with Draco," Hermione said, deliberately using Draco's first name and linking hands with Draco. "We're together."
There was complete silence as Ginny, Harry, and Ron all looked shellshocked. Pansy, on the other hand, looked thrilled, Gina looked apprehensive, and Blaise just smiled.
"Well I think it's great," Blaise said, breaking the silence and Accioing two butterbeers before rising and handing them to Hermione and Draco. "Gina does too."
Gina raised an eyebrow at her husband, then looked to the rest of her friends who were staring at her. "They seem well matched," she said and Blaise looked pleased with her response.
"It's great!" Ginny said, throwing her arms around Hermione, nearly spilling her butterbeer. She turned to hug Draco but stopped when she saw the look of horror on his face. She burst out laughing. "Don't worry Malfoy, I won't hug you," she said.
"I appreciate that Weasley," he replied.
"Actually, it's Potter," she corrected him. "But I'll take it over, what was it? She-weasel?"
"I can't recall," Draco told her with a half smile.
Hermione looked at Harry and Ron, waiting for them to say something. Ron whispered something to Harry and he nodded.
"Can we talk to you alone?" Harry finally asked.
"Whatever you have to say to her, you can say in front of me," Draco said, putting his arm protectively around Hermione.
Hermione turned so that they were facing one another. "Let me talk to them alone," she requested quietly. "I promise it won't take long."
Draco gritted his teeth but nodded. She kissed him softly and turned back to the group. "Let's talk inside," she said and walked into Pansy's house without looking back.
Harry and Ron both got up from the table and, avoiding glaring looks from their respective wife and girlfriend, walked into the house behind Hermione.
They evidently hadn't gone very far and hadn't put up a silencing charm because not two minutes later Harry and Ron's voices could be heard yelling at Hermione.
"Are you out of your bloody mind?" Ron shouted at Hermione. "Him? Of all people you're dating him?
"Have you forgotten what he was like at Hogwarts?" Harry yelled. "He is a Death Eater, not three years ago he would have murdered you, he probably did murder muggle born witches like you, what is wrong with you?
"Not to mention he's still technically a prisoner," Ron raged. "He's taking advantage of you, he thinks if he shags you, you'll set him free."
"Oh Merlin tell me you weren't stupid enough to shag him," Harry yelled, paling a little. "Hermione you need to end this with him right now."
Draco set down his butterbeer so hard the bottle cracked. He clenched his fists and moved to go into the house but to his dismay, Gina reached out to stop him. "She can take care of herself," Gina told him. "Give it a minute."
"They're screaming at my girlfriend and I'm supposed to just sit here and listen?" He spat.
"Yes," they all answered at once, then laughed.
"She won't appreciate you rushing in," Ginny told him. "Like Gina said, just give it a minute."
Harry and Ron were still shouting and Hermione simply stood there, waiting. When they both paused to take a breath, she spoke.
"Are you quite done?" She asked in a deceptively nice tone. "May I say something?"
"Of course Hermione," Ron said amiably, fooled by her tone. "What would you like to say?"
"Do you think I'm stupid?" She asked, keeping her face calm.
"What? Of course not," Harry replied.
"Do you think I can't make decisions?" She queried.
"Of course you can," Ron began. "But-"
"Do you think that, after surviving a war, I am incapable of taking care of myself?" She continued.
"Of course you can take care of yourself Hermione," Harry answered. "We just-"
Outside, Ginny had begun to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Draco snapped.
"Nothing," Ginny said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You'd just think that after over ten years of friendship they'd have learned by now."
"Learned what?" Draco asked curiously.
"That they're screwed," Pansy said. "The minute Hermione asks seemingly harmless questions with obvious answers, you're done for."
Fascinated, Draco grabbed another butterbeer and sat down to enjoy what could proven to be an entertaining show.
"Do you trust me?" Hermione asked.
"With our lives Hermione," Harry told her. "But the point is-"
"No," Hermione said cutting him off, her calm facade gone. "The point is you trust me enough to fight Voldemort but you don't trust me to choose who I date?"
"But Hermione," Ron tried to say but Hermione kept going, directing her attention.
"Harry's reaction I expected," she said. "But you Ronald? I expected you of all people to understand given that your girlfriend is a Slytherin, former Death Eater, and you were in my position a little over a year ago."
"It's not the same thing!" Ron cried. "Pansy never had a chance-"
"Neither did Draco!" Hermione shouted back, finally losing her temper. "You don't know anything about him, you don't know what he's been through, not that I should have to stand here and defend my boyfriend or myself to my two best friends. You, Ronald, are a hypocrite. Pansy is one of the best people we know and look at where she came from. And you, Harry Potter, shame on you. We fought a war to end hatred and you're clinging to a childhood animosity."
Hermione stopped to take a breath and Harry and Ron wisely chose not to speak.
"Now, if you're finished, I'd like to go have dinner with our friends," she said, looking at them both expectantly.
No one said anything for several minutes before Ron finally spoke.
"I'll be civil," he said. "If he is to me."
"Thank you Ron," Hermione replied. "Harry?"
"Yeah, if he's nice, I'll be nice," Harry said grudgingly.
"Fantastic," Hermione replied. "He said the same thing about you two. So let's go have a nice dinner."
The three walked out of Pansy's house and back on to the porch.