A/N: In honor of my birthday today (March 30) I decided to gift my readers with a new chapter! And yes, before you ask, there will also be another chapter posted on Sunday as well! Yay! (Honestly this is all able to happen due to my wonderful alpha and beta *blows them a kiss* Thank you, lovelies!)
Enjoy everyone! xoxoHufflepuffMommy

A thousand butterflies fluttered inside Hermione's stomach.

Draco would be there within the hour to pick her up for their New Year's Eve outing—she refused to call it a date yet—and she was both giddy with excitement and nervous beyond reason.

She looked in the mirror and gave herself a pep talk to calm her nerves. She had faced a troll and rode on a dragon's back to escape Gringotts. Surely going out with the Slytherin wizard shouldn't be this terrifying!

She took a deep breath and assessed her outfit—a knitted sweater and skirt set, both in deep blue, paired with thick, black stockings. The skirt brushed just below the knees. It should keep her warm enough in case they went outside and also comfortable enough if they sat down for a while.

Now all she needed to deal with was her hair and makeup.

Lately, she'd been wearing her hair in a low ponytail, to keep it from flying around when it was windy and out of her face while at work.

Tonight they'd be mostly inside, so Hermione pulled out all the products that helped tame her curls so she could wear her hair down.

Images flitted through her mind of Draco kissing her and she could barely contain the shiver of excitement that ran up her spine.

When she was satisfied with her hair, she started on her make-up—nothing extravagant, but enough to enhance her eyes and lips. A few spells to keep everything in place didn't hurt either.

A quick spritz of her favorite perfume and Hermione deemed herself ready.

The butterflies appeared again as she made her way to the living room to wait for Draco and they intensified when she heard him knock.

With a steadying breath, she opened the door and found him on the other side with a bouquet of red roses in hand and a dazzling smile.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he echoed. "These are for you." He held out the flowers towards her then chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. "Though I suppose that's obvious." His cheeks turned slightly pink and Hermione realized that he was just as nervous as she was, and knowing that gave her some comfort.

She took the offered flowers and inhaled their fragrant scent. "Thank you, they're lovely. Do you want to come in while I put these in water?"

He nodded and followed her inside before closing the door. She brandished her wand and conjured a vase then filled it with a quick Aguamenti. She set the vase on her dining table, adding a quick stasis spell so they'd last longer

"Ready to go?" she asked as she turned around and stifled a gasp when she realized how close Draco was standing.

"Ready." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I just wanted to say, before I forget, that you look lovely tonight."

She ducked her head to hide her blush. "Thank you." She stepped back and assessed his own attire—dark blue jeans with a green v-neck jumper. "You look rather handsome yourself."

The right corner of his mouth ticked up in a smile. "Shall we go?" he asked as he held her jacket open for her.

She slipped her arms into the sleeves, then obliged him by holding onto his elbow as he led her to his car. He opened the door for her and bowed extravagantly, causing her to chuckle.

"So how excited was Lyra that she got to spend New Year's Eve with Emma?" she asked conversationally after they started driving down the road.

Draco's smile widened. "Extremely. Though, she was curious as to why I was dressed nicely and smelled so good—" Hermione laughed as he continued, "—which I said something to the fact that I was meeting some friends from work." He glanced at her. "I thought it was better I didn't tell her that I was going to be with you, in case she got ideas and got too excited."

"Because we're not putting a label on this?" she asked, amused.

"Correct. Just seeing where the night takes us." He glanced in her direction again and gave her another smile.

Hermione was grateful for the darkness inside the car as it would hide yet another blush that she knew was present on her cheeks.

When they arrived at The Barnacle, it was already crowded with patrons. The live band was in full swing. A handful of people were on the dance floor with most of the tables and booths full of people she knew from town that visited the bookstore regularly.

Hermione looked around and finally found her co-workers at one of the back booths.

"I see them," she half-shouted to Draco over the music. She took his elbow and led him to the table where five people had just taken a shot of something.

"Hermione!" Rachel exclaimed as she gave her a hug. "You came!" She glanced over Hermione's shoulder and smiled. "And you brought Mr. Sexy-Pants! Nice!"

Draco looked at Rachel curiously. "Who's—"

But Hermione cut him off. "What's that you're drinking?" Hermione nodded towards Rachel's drink she had just picked up.

"It's called an Appletini," Rachel said, taking a sip of the bright green cocktail. "You should totally get one! They're delish!"

"I think I will," Hermione said.

"I'll get it for you," Draco offered. "Anything else?"

"Maybe some chips—erm, fries I mean?"

"As the lady wishes."

As soon as he walked away, Rachel squealed. "I can't believe you two are finally dating!"

Hermione rolled her eyes good naturedly. "We're not dating, Rach. We came together, that's all. We're not labeling it, so there's no expectations."

Rachel waved her off. "This is totally a date. You arrived together, he's getting you food and drinks, and I bet you ten bucks he'll kiss you at midnight, maybe even slip you a bit of tongue," she added, wiggling her eyebrows.

Hermione groaned. "You sound just like Ginny, my friend from back home," she explained at Rachel's confused look.

"Sounds like my kind of girl! You should have her visit and we can all hang out or something."

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "I don't think I can handle the both of you together, honestly."

Draco returned with her drink and a pint of ale for himself. "Here you go, one Apple-tini for the pretty lady," he said with a wink.

Hermione blushed as she thanked him then took a sip. The sweet and tart mixed together with the alcohol was surprisingly delicious. "Oh, this is good!"

Draco smiled. "Glad you like it. The bartender said they'll deliver the fries soon," he informed.

"Sounds good. We should probably find somewhere to sit," Hermione said as she looked around the crowded bar.

"No need, we have plenty of room!" Rachel said loudly as another song began to play. "Hey, Chris, Brandy—you two scoot over to let them in!" she said as she sat on the opposite side with two other co-workers, Nina and Daniel.

"Sorry," Hermione said apologetically as she sat down, scooting over to make room for Draco. There wasn't much room so his leg brushed against hers and stayed there. A warmth spread over her, which she suspected had nothing to do with the alcohol from her drink.

"It's totally fine!" Brandy said, as she sat at an angle against the wall to allow room for everyone. "Besides, we'll probably head to the dance floor in a bit, right?" she said as she elbowed Chris.

Chris, who was rather shy and introverted around a lot of people, nodded into his glass.

The waitress arrived with the basket of fries and the group around the table dug in. Draco motioned for the waitress to bring another and she couldn't help but stifle a giggle at his generosity. She snagged a handful of fries from the rapidly dwindling basket and placed them on a napkin between them. "We can share until more arrive," she said, taking one and eating it.

The group around the table talked and drank until the waitress returned with the second basket of fries and a chair to place at the end of the table.

"You looked a little cramped there, sweetie," she said, giving Draco a wink. "Figured you could use this."

Draco thanked the woman as he moved to the chair, though Hermione was slightly disappointed in the loss of his touch against her.

That is, until he scooted his chair in at the same time she moved over to make room for Chris and Brandy and their knees knocked together.

"Alright?" he asked with a raised brow as he nudged her foot with his own and left it there to rest against hers.

Hermione nodded. "No complaints."

He took some fries from the basket, placing another pile between them to share.

Before long, both baskets of fries were empty and Hermione's co-workers decided to head to the dance floor.

Hermione stood to let her friends pass. Draco got up also and placed a hand on her lower back as he stood behind her.

"Did you want to dance?" he asked in her ear.

She tilted her head to look back at him. "I'm not really good at it, to be honest. But… I will if you will?"

As an answer, he held out his hand and she smiled as she took it.

The music was upbeat and lively and Hermione had enough alcohol in her that she didn't quite care if she was good or not. Draco had a goofy grin on his face as they danced and laughed, with his hands on her hips.

They stayed on the dance floor for a while before they decided to head to the bar to get another round of drinks.

In their absence, the booth they'd been seated at had been taken up by another group of people, but she and Draco were lucky enough to find a table for two.

"Are you having fun?" Draco asked as he took a drink of his ale.

"I am. Are you?" Hermione asked, sipping on her second Appletini. A quick glance at her watch told her that it was nearly midnight already.

Draco gave a nod. "I am as well. Though, I admit I'm not usually into dancing. But," he reached over and placed his hand on top of hers. "I find I don't quite mind, considering the company."

Hermione could feel the warmth bloom across her cheeks as she took another sip. "Same. I don't know the last time I went out dancing, but I do know that it wasn't nearly as enjoyable as it is with you."

"Maybe we can do it again some time when it's not so crowded?" he asked.

Hermione smiled, threading her fingers between his. She felt totally at ease with him. "I'd like that."

He smiled back at her and she could have sworn he was starting to lean in closer when the music suddenly stopped.

"Can I have everyone's attention!" the band leader said into his microphone. "I just wanted to say that it's been a pleasure playing for you all tonight here at The Barnacle!" The bar erupted in whoops and hollers and he waited for it to quiet down before continuing. "We have just about a minute left until midnight, so grab your guy or gal and head on down to the dance floor for the countdown!"

"Ready?" Draco asked and Hermione answered with a nod and took one last sip from her drink. He removed his hand from her hold and she was about to protest, but he slung his arm around her back instead, keeping her close as the crowd gathered all around them. She responded in kind, slipping her arm behind him as well.

The lights in the bar dimmed just as the New Year's Eve countdown from New York was projected on a giant screen above the band.

Everyone in the room began to count down together.

"Three!... Two!... One!... Happy New Year!"

The noise in the bar was deafening with all the cheering and shouts, and Hermione couldn't help but join in with everyone's excitement.

"Happy New Year, Draco!" she shouted so he could hear her over all the noise. She lifted onto her toes and kissed his cheek soundly, giggling as she pulled back, but his hold on her waist tightened ever so slightly.

Suddenly, it felt as if it was just the two of them in the room, the noise of the people around them faded in the distance. His eyes bore into hers, flicking down to her lips and back up again as he pulled her even closer.

His eyebrow ticked up in a question.

She licked her lips in anticipation and, with a slight nod, he brought his lips to hers.