Draco scanned the shelves of the apothecary, searching for the vial of chizpurfle fang that he needed for a Wiggenweld potion. He had entered the shop only a few minutes prior, and almost instantly the shopkeeper had looked at him with distaste. Other patrons of the store had kept a healthy distance as well. It was like they thought his presence was poison. Draco had learned very quickly after the war to ignore people's reactions. Otherwise it would control his life, and he refused to be controlled anymore.
Finally finding the ingredient that he was searching for and placing the small glass vial in the basket that he carried, Draco looked down at his wristwatch. It was five minutes until one, and Granger would be meeting him soon. He had received her letter when he had arrived home from Nott Manor the night before. Draco had found it surprising that the young witch had been willing to meet with him again so soon, and especially in public. There was always someone lurking about to sell a story to The Daily Prophet.
It was then the twinkle of the bell above the door drew Draco's attention back to his surroundings, and he looked up from the silver face of his watch. Instantly he spotted the familiar texture of Granger's chestnut curls over the shelf he was standing behind. Stepping out further into the aisle, he approached the young witch. Hermione caught sight of him as she surveyed the store, their eyes locking. She gave him a nod, beckoning Malfoy to come closer.
As Draco walked to meet her, Draco couldn't help but notice the strange way that Granger was dressed. While he wasn't completely up to par with the Muggle fashions that many witches were now adopting in the workplace, the outfit that Granger wore seemed to be a hybrid of both Muggle clothes and wizarding robes. The wine colored ensemble fit her like a glove, and Draco was sure even his mother would be impressed by the level of tailoring.
Who knew Granger had a body like that. Draco thought to himself.
"Good afternoon, Malfoy." Granger greeted the young heir, and Draco gave her a subdued smile. He also noticed how Granger was absentmindedly fidgeting with the hem of her caplet, revealing that he wasn't the only nervous individual in the room.
"Granger. Thank you for meeting with me. I know the Ministry is probably keeping you busy, so I'll try to keep this short."
"It's alright if we take a while. I'm on my lunch break anyhow." Granger reassured him that they did in fact have a decent amount of time to discuss what needed to be discussed.
"Alright then. I need to replenish some supplies, so walk and talk?" Draco offered, and Granger nodded before coming to stand at his side. Stepping back into one of the shop's various aisles, Draco began his quest to find powdered bullroot.
"So you still continue Potioneering?" Hermione asked him, and Draco nodded.
"I make potions in batches and sell them under a pseudonym. I wanted to have something to occupy my time." He responded, looking down a row of glass bottles.
"Oh. I didn't know that." Hermione admitted, and Draco had to keep himself from smiling smugly. Of course she didn't know.
"That's the point of a pseudonym, Granger. No one knows that I'm the one brewing their potions. They pay for quality, not a name." Draco said sarcastically, finally spotted the powdered bullroot. Picking up the jar, he placed it in the basket that hung in the crook of his arm.
"That makes sense. Of course. You were always talented at Potions. I could never keep up." Granger responded, and Draco couldn't help but notice the sincerity in her voice. Looking back, he could also see the small smile that graced her heart shaped face.
"Granger giving me a compliment. Has the world gone completely off its axis?" Malfoy asked. Hermione laughed.
She laughed. At me. At something I said. The realization suddenly hit him like a bludger to the head. It was an unfamiliar feeling, having someone who once despised him laughing at his remarks. And he couldn't lie to himself. He liked it. Her laughter. It was rich, like the honey color of her eyes.
"Malfoy, are you good?" Granger asked him, and Draco realized he had drifted off.
Quit thinking about her eyes, you git. He heard the voice inside his head say.
"Yes, yes. I'm good. What were we speaking about?" Draco asked, and Hermione gave him a sideways look before answering.
"We were talking about potions. But I think we probably need to move on to speaking about our upcoming meeting for the betrothal contract." The young witch reminded him, and Malfoy nodded in agreement. He also realized that shopping and talking wasn't as easy as he thought it would be.
"How about we go get some coffee? I can purchase these things later." Draco motioned towards the assorted containers of potion ingredients in his basket. Granger looked a bit piqued, but then slowly shook her head.
"How about you pay for those, and I will meet you across the street at Gallicks." Hermione suggested, inclining her head to the somewhat empty cafe across the street. Draco once again agreed.
"I'll meet you there." Malfoy spoke, before they separated.
—00000—
Hermione waited patiently at a small table in the back of Gallicks. She was surprised when Malfoy suggested they veer from their original plan, but went with it anyway. When she had entered the cafe, there had only been a few other patrons, but she had still secured a semi-private table to avoid being directly in the public eye.
Malfoy had seemed a bit nervous when she had first greeted him in the apothecary, which seemed rather strange for his normally stoic manner. It had also surprised her how at-ease he had been once they had started conversing. Enough for him to crack a joke. A joke that she had laughed at, even more to her amazement. The civility that was occurring between the two of them was a bit shocking. But for some reason as well, it felt natural. Like they were supposed to be getting along.
It has to be the magical bond. Hermione thought logically. That was the only explanation. Or was it?
Trying not to become subject to her own thoughts, Hermione watched the door with an eagle eye. She finally spotted Malfoy crossing the cobblestone street. He entered the cafe with choreographed elegance. Rising from her seat, Hermione waved her hand to grab his attention. Malfoy spotted her on his first scan of the room.
Approaching the table, Malfoy easily glided into the open chair across from her. Hermione once again gave him a polite smile in greeting. Draco returned it with a slight nod of acknowledgement, and finished situating himself in the somewhat small wooden dining chair. The piece of furniture was a bit petitie for his somewhat lean frame.
"Where are the ingredients you purchased?" Hermione couldn't help but wonder aloud, noting the empty hands of the young Malfoy.
"I Vanished them back to my flat. They were cumbersome." Draco responded, and Hermione couldn't help but be surprised by his answer.
"You have a flat? I thought you lived at the manor." Hermione asked, and Malfoy shook his head.
"I purchased a flat shortly after the war. The manor no longer seemed like home." Draco spoke shortly, and Hermione very quickly picked up on the realization that he did not want to discuss the topic further.
"Alright. Would you like something to drink?" The witch changed the subject, and Malfoy shrugged. Taking that as a yes, Hermione called over the young barista that she had sent away earlier.
"What can I get for ya?" The brunette server asked, and Draco motioned for Hermione to go first.
"I'll take a London fog latte, please." Hermione asked, and looked at Draco when she had finished ordering.
"Coffee. Black." Was all that he said, and Hermione tried not to frown at his bluntness. The barista took their order, and departed for the counter to start on their beverages.
"Shall we get started? Discussing the contract meeting." Hermione offered, and Malfoy nodded in approval. He was the first to speak, seeing as it had been his idea in the first place.
"As you know, before we enter a marriage bond, a betrothal contract must be signed by both parties. The contract includes many clauses and stipulations. Many of them are expected, like the understanding that you will have access to the Malfoy family vaults, shares, holdings, and properties upon our marriage. Though there are some requirements that I wanted to make sure you were aware of before we met with our solicitors." Draco explained. Hermione quickly jotted down a few notes on the notepad that was resting in front of her.
"What are those requirements?" Hermione asked, and Draco cleared his throat.
"The consummation clause is the one condition that I wanted to make sure you understood and were comfortable with. Do you have any questions, concerns?" Draco tried to keep a cool demeanor while discussing such a topic. Especially with Granger.
"Not really. I figured such a thing would be expected. Is that what you were worried about?" Hermione inquired, her face neutral.
Malfoy could not help but be a bit speechless. He thought the witch would be running screaming at the thought of not just sharing a bed with him, but being intimate. But Granger seemed completely unfazed.
"It's fine? You're completely okay with the expectations such a clause requires?" Malfoy asked, and Hermione shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm not a prude, Malfoy. Marriages, especially for one like ours, will have certain expectations. I'm okay, I assure you." Hermione cocked her head, giving the youngest Malfoy a hard stare.
"Alright then. You have established your understanding. There are a few more things that might be of interest, if you would like me to go over them?" Draco offered, and Hermione nodded.
"The contract will reflect the expectations of a traditional Malfoy marriage, as you probably also know. It will grant you blood ward status, most of which have been deactivated by now, though. Another clause will be that of a dowry, but I know that my father is working to release the Dotis Nomine claim on your vault. Most of the requirements of the traditional contract have been eliminated to work with modern social changes. Normally, you would also have an advocate there to represent your interest, besides your solicitor." Draco clarified the rest of the basics of the contract.
"Could I have an advocate there, if I wanted one?" Hermione inquired, as she continued to write down notes on her notepad.
"You could, I suppose. Who would you advocating for your interests, may I ask?" Draco posed, and Hermione thought for a moment before answering. She knew that any of her Gryffindor cohorts were out, but there was one person that she would love to have for guidance.
"Andromeda Tonks." She responded, a look of discomfort filled Malfoy's face.
"Oh." He said softly, and Hermione instantly regretted saying her answer. She knew the emotional and physical trauma that Malfoy had suffered at the hand at one of his aunts. Bringing up his estranged aunt had been a shitty choice.
"Um…" Hermione tried to recover from her flub, and thank Merlin, the barista finally arrived with their drinks. The brunette server slid her latte in front of her, careful to avoid her notebook, and delivered Draco's black coffee to him in another quick move. With a quick nod of appreciation from both parties, the barista returned to the next customer.
It was quiet for a few beats, when Malfoy finally broke the lull.
"I didn't assume you were a prude, you know. Buttoned up, yes. But not a prude." Malfoy tried to salvage a piece of conversation. Hermione chuckled at his admission.
"I'm not a saint, but I'm also not a sinner, Malfoy." Hermione admitted, and Draco gave her a small grin. The discussion was slowly becoming more familiar, and both she and Malfoy seemed to be warming up to one another. Which was somewhat of a relief, in Hermione's eyes. She was going to be marrying the man sitting in front of her. The time for frosty glances and unfamiliarity was quickly passing.
"I'm guessing Weasley had something to do with that?" Draco decided to say something a bit daring, and Hermione immediately retaliate with her own commentary.
"A Weasley, yes. But not the one you're thinking of." Was how she answered. Draco nearly choked on the sip of coffee he had just ingested.
Hermione was a bit shocked herself at her cheeky response. It was true, though. One drunken night in Romania had equaled waking up to one very nude Charlie Weasley. They had both decided it had been a maudlin attempt at finding comfort, and moved forward amicably. She had never admitted to anyone about the encounter. Until now.
What is happening to me? Spilling secrets to the King of Snakes himself. Get a grip, Hermione. The witch mentally scolded herself. But for some reason, she felt compelled to bear herself to the man sitting across from her. Damn magic bond, causing her to completely embarrass herself.
"I don't think I even want to know." Draco remarked, and Hermione shrugged.
"I know that you're definitely more of a sinner. Or were those rumors throughout our Hogwarts days just rumors?" Hermione queried, and Draco smirked.
"Mostly rumors. Some truths."
"I'm guessing the ones about you and Parkinson were the truths?" Hermione took a long sip from her latte as she waited for Malfoy to answer. She couldn't help but notice that he twirled the Slytherin ring that adorned his right hand as he spoke. Hermione also noticed something that she hadn't before; Malfoy was left-handed.
"We fooled around as kids. Her tastes have changed since then." Draco finally replied.
Once again, a quiet overcame the two. They both took a few sips of their drinks before Hermione spoke again.
"This is so strange." She mused, and Draco gave her a bemused look.
"Life is strange, Granger." Draco answered, she grunted in agreement.
"Are you really okay with marrying me?" Hermione sheepishly asked, and Malfoy gave her a knowing look. She tried not to study his sharp features for too long, but it was hard not to do. Draco Malfoy had always been a prick. But by Godric, he was a handsome prick.
"To be honest, I wasn't thrilled at first. But I'm learning to be okay with it." Malfoy confessed, and Hermione nodded with understanding. Raising her latte, she motioned for Malfoy to do the same. He raised his brow in confusion, before he realized what she was doing.
"A toast then." Hermione proposed, and Draco slowly raised his own porcelain coffee cup.
"To learning to be okay." Hermione cheered.
Draco clinked his own cup to hers.
"To learning to be okay."