Ever since Hermione talked with Draco about her infertility, her dreams had been riddled with images of either being pregnant or having a baby.
It felt like a cruel joke, dreaming of an infant with blond curly hair, swaddled in a soft blanket, only to know that would never be a reality.
However, for as many baby dreams she had, there were others she didn't mind as much. There were also dreams of being intimate with Draco, and many mornings she woke up with an ache between her thighs.
A vibrator could only do so much.
She knew it was because of their upcoming date—with all the teasing they'd been doing, since it was almost guaranteed they'd end up in bed together.
Hermione thought she might be nervous, knowing she'd be sleeping with Draco Malfoy for the first time. But, if she were honest with herself, she felt more than ready.
Part of her wanted to tell him to come over before the date to get it over with, then they could enjoy their night without all the anticipation looming over them.
He'd tease her senseless if she suggested such a thing, and would probably prolong the date just to make her squirm.
Merlin, she hoped he would make her squirm, among other things.
Pulling herself away from thoughts of Draco and sex, she rummaged through her closet, trying to find something to wear, before she picked up her mobile and called for reinforcements.
"I don't know what to wear," she said when the receiving end picked up.
"I'll be right over!"
Rachel came equipped with a bag full of clothes as well as her make up kit. She rummaged through Hermione's closet, trying to find the perfect outfit, but ultimately ended up digging through her own stuff.
"I think we're about the same size," she said as she pulled out dresses, tops, and skirts. "I'm sure I have something that will work. Do you know where he's taking you?"
Hermione shook her head. "He just said out to dinner. Knowing him, it will be some place fancy though."
"Hmm… Well, there's a few nice places in town, but nothing overly formal. I think a dress would be nice, and you have that dark gray wool coat to keep you warm. Here-" She handed Hermione a couple dresses. "Try these on."
Hermione obliged, trying on the various dresses until she came out wearing a long sleeve, dark green wrap-around dress that fell at her knees.
"Oh that looks gorgeous on you!" Rachel said. "So much better than it ever did on me! Oh! And you have to wear these boots with them." She plucked a pair of black, zip up boots that went up just below her knees.
"Yup, that's the winner right there. Just add a bit of jewelry and some makeup and he won't know what hit him. What time is he supposed to pick you up?"
Hermione glanced at her watch. "About an hour."
"Plenty of time then." Rachel opened up her make up kit and held up various items from within. "You trust me, right?" she asked.
"Um…"
"I'll take that as a yes."
Hermione glanced in the mirror after Rachel finished and was surprised with how well her makeup turned out.
Rachel kept it simple but applied a darker shade of eyeshadow and lipstick than what Hermione normally used.
She then put in a pair of topaz teardrop earrings and used a curler to tame some of her more unruly parts of her hair.
"Well, I think you're ready," Rachel said as she packed up her things and headed for the door. "Oh, just one more thing…. You are wearing something sexy under that dress, right?"
"Of course. One does not go on a date unprepared for such things."
Rachel grinned. "Excellent. Call me tomorrow with all the details. Bye!"
Hermione waved as Rachel walked to her car, just as Draco stepped out of his.
"She's all yours," Rachel announced as she passed him.
Draco had a grin on his face as he walked to the door. He then bent to kiss her cheek. "Hi."
"Hello," she said softly.
He took her hand and spun her in a twirl. "You look stunning."
Hermione blushed. "Thank you." She stepped back to look him up and down. He wore a dark blue, button up shirt with black slacks. "You look rather nice yourself."
He pulled her back in and his lips found hers.
"Oops," She used her thumb to wipe the lipstick off of his lips. "I didn't get a chance to charm it in place since Rachel was here."
"I don't mind." Draco lifted her hand to his lips. "Are you ready to go or do you still need to finish getting ready?"
"I'm ready, I just need to grab my coat." She plucked the wool coat from the coat rack and slipped it on.
"You know, you never told me where we're going," she said as he walked her to his car. "Only that it was a surprise."
"That's usually what a surprise means," he drawled and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.
"What about a hint then?"
"Hmm," he said, pretending to think. "Okay, here's a hint—you've been there before."
"Please don't tell me it's McDonald's," she deadpanned.
He looked at her aghast. "And here I thought splitting some fries and a chocolate milkshake would be romantic. Well, I guess we'll have to reschedule."
Hermione giggled at his antics. "Alright, fine. I suppose when you put it that way, it does sound nice. But please be aware that I will be planning the rest of the dates from here on out."
Draco reached over and held her hand as he drove. They sat in companionable silence until he turned away from where she thought they were headed, and instead wound up on his street.
She was even more confused when he parked in his own driveway.
"We're here," he announced as he unbuckled his seatbelt.
Hermione watched him curiously as he rounded the car and opened her door. When she got out, he offered his elbow and escorted her up the porch steps.
"I don't get it," she finally said. "We're having our date at your house?"
"Yup." He opened the door then gestured for her to enter. "After you."
Hermione walked in, expecting everything to be as it normally was, but stopped and looked around in astonishment.
Draco had charmed his ceiling to look like the night sky and there was soft music playing all around them. The only light was from the floating candles that hovered just above the ceiling.
"It's beautiful," she said, turning around to smile at Draco. "It looks just like the Great Hall."
"That's what I was aiming for." He slipped her coat off and planted a kiss on her shoulder before he led her to the table.
She had eaten there many times before but she had never seen it decorated like this—it was smaller, only big enough for the two of them, and covered in a dark blue tablecloth, with silver, shimmery stars sewed into the fabric. A single rose sat in a glass vase in the middle of the table with tall candles lit on either side of it and there were sparkling white china and navy cloth napkins that completed the place settings at the table.
Draco pulled out her seat and when she sat down, he summoned a bottle of wine with his wand. He filled two glasses and offered her one before finally taking his own seat.
He held up his glass. "To….us," he said.
Hermione smiled and nodded approvingly as she clinked her glass with his. "To us."
He served them a five course meal. How he managed to do it was a mystery, but Hermione suspected magic, or rather, a house-elf, might have been involved.
When she finished the last of her crème brûlée, she leaned back in her chair.
"I don't think I could possibly eat another bite."
Draco chuckled. "Same." He set his napkin down on his plate and with a flick of his wand, only the rose, candles, and their wine were left.
He studied her for a moment and Hermione took a drink from her glass to hide her blush.
He held out his hand for her across the table. "Would you care to dance?"
She gladly accepted and they both stood together, hand in hand, until their bodies met. They swayed to the music while Hermione rested her head on his chest and sighed contently.
"This is nice," she said, closing her eyes.
Draco hummed in agreement, one hand splayed across her lower back while the other held her own.
"It is rather odd though, not having Lyra around." She looked up at him. "Where is she anyways? At Emma's?"
Draco shook his head. "Not this time. Natalie has her. She was going to watch her here, but her sister came to visit with her nieces, so she asked if she could take Lyra to her place instead."
Hermione smiled. "I bet she's having a blast."
"I'm sure she is," he agreed. "But do you know what this means?"
Hermione looked at him curiously and shook her head.
His grin grew wide as he dipped down to kiss her. "It means we don't have to worry about getting interrupted."
Hermione smiled against his mouth. "That does sound rather nice."
He gathered her up and kissed her again until she had to pull away to catch her breath.
"What time is she supposed to come back?"
Draco looked into her eyes and she saw they looked like molten silver.
"Tomorrow morning," he answered.
"Perfect," she said before closing the distance between them once more.
A/N: *cackles evilly* See you all next week!
(I promise the next chapter will be a little longer)