Hey Guys,
I've got another update for you! I'm really excited for the next few chapters!
Anyway, here we go...
The cameras cut, and Draco dutifully helped Hermione upstairs and sat her down, before disappearing with a smile to her, he and the pros recording this week's group routine. Much like the week before, Hermione's eyes were drawn to Draco's lithe figure as he danced below her, elegantly twirling Lindsey under one arm as they danced.
Their faces had been splashed all over the tabloids this week, wild headlines proclaiming a multitude of falsities had been everywhere she looked. Some proclaimed she was using him, others claiming he was using her and would get bored, and despite herself, she found she often wondered why he was drawn to her, sometimes questioning whether this was simply another publicity stunt for him.
In the deepest depths of her mind, she knew she was being unreasonable, Draco had given her no reasons to question his motives, but no one like him, strong and kind, had ever taken even the slightest glance in her direction. He was tall, well-built and a beautiful heap of a man, and in Hermione's opinion, she could never compete with that. She had seen some of the girls he'd previously been connected with, half of them ex-partners of his, and they were all tall long-legged blondes, so pretty much the opposite of her.
The pros finished dancing quickly, Draco returning to her, arm around her waist, hoisting her up as he helped her back to the green room. They sat silently on the sofa, and Hermione picked her book out of her bag, though it lay abandoned between them. She was distracted and deep in thought, Draco didn't seem to notice, his chin hooked on her shoulder as he waited for her to open the books pages.
"What's the matter?" He asked, after what had seemed like an eternity as she stared into the blank space in front of her. "You've been staring a hole in the wall for the past 20 minutes."
"Why are you with me?" She blurted out, snapping her mouth shut, seemingly surprised at her own question. "You're you, you're handsome, and brilliant and kind, and I'm just plain old me"
He moved his chin from her shoulder, placing the book on the floor and turning to her, her right leg was stretched out straight in front of them, and she watched as Draco twisted, one his legs curling under his body, his nimble hands grabbing her face, turning her head to him.
"You are beautiful, and talented, funny and brilliant, and I am the proudest person to be able to dance with you and watch you flourish and learn, I'm the lucky one" He told her earnestly, his grey eyes boring into her brown ones. "I can't believe that someone like you, as awesome and incredible as you are, is interested in me" He told her, kissing her lips gently. She nodded as they withdrew, his words placating the inner mental turmoil she'd been submerged in. "Now come on, we had better head back, don't ever doubt me like that".
She nodded, sighing as he helped her to stand, holding her waist as they exited the room, making their way back to the set.
Standing in their usual spot, Draco's arms almost held her up as they stood and waited for Tina to begin revealing the results.
"12 couples danced last night, but only nine of them can make it through to our halfway point in the competition" Tina said, "The votes have been counted and verified, and in no particular order, the first couple safely through to next week is… Maria and Tom".
Hermione placed her arms over the top of Draco's which held her up as he stood behind her, his chin hooked over her shoulder once more.
"Dancing again are… Phoebe and Michael".
"Hoping to score big next week are… Charlie and Witney".
"Dancing through to next week are… Diana and Liam".
"Returning are… Zachary and Ola".
"And now the first couple in the dance off are… Simon and Michelle, come down her and join me, the rest of you will have to wait a bit longer to find out your fate".
They cleared the floor quickly, Draco almost dragging her along with him. Simon and Michelle and the saved couples doing little interviews before she and Draco were back in their spot, same position adopted, him whispering reassurances in her ear.
"Now to find out who will be joining Simon and Michelle in the dance off, the first couple through to next week are…"
Hermione's heart was beating wildly as the pace music began, Draco's arms tight around her again, his lips pressing solidly into the side of her head.
"Hermione and Draco!" Screaming in delight, her arms were thrown around Draco's neck, the man himself swinging her carefully as they screamed 'thank you's' at the camera. Their light went dark, her arms remaining around his neck as they awaited the rest of the results.
"Safely through are… Angelina and Peter".
"Dancing again are… Seamus and Lindsey".
"Returning are… Hannah and Vincent".
"That means Daniel and Rachel, Tanya and Matthew, one of you is in the dance off, that couple is… Tanya and Matthew, that means Daniel and Rachel, you're safely though to next week, Tanya and Matthew come down here and join me."
Sunday found Hermione at Draco's once more, having slept in his spare room, and the couple spent their time with Scorpius, dutifully playing along with his fantasies.
"So, this week, we have the… Charleston to "You Give a Little Love" from Bugsy Malone" Draco told her as he sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders, Scorpius wrapped into her other side, his eyes closed, her hand combing through his soft platinum blonde locks. "It's not ideal I know, but that's what we got".
She nodded, the TV in front of them playing a kid's movie quietly in the background, allowing the two adults to talk. Her legs were propped up on the footstool which matched his sofa, her right knee bruised and her ankle slightly puffy from the incident the day before.
"Great" She laughed lightly, her hand still combing absent-mindedly through Scorpius' hair. When the pair had picked him up from Draco's parents that morning, Hermione remaining in the car, he'd bounded out to her, checking she was ok, his face filled with concern mirroring his fathers, he'd been watching when she fell and wanted to make sure she was completely ok.
He'd been disappointed upon learning her father and she had had a 'sleepover' without him, though both adults were glad of this considering some of the more, 'heavy' activities they'd engaged in the night before.
Blushing lightly at the memory, she turned to Draco once more, as he continued to fill her in on their schedule for the week.
"We're on It Takes Two tomorrow with Tanya and Matthew and Angelina and Peter", He told her, her attention completely on him. Hermione had been shocked when last night the judges chose to send Tanya home, but relieved all the same that it wasn't her.
Resting her head on his chest, she sighed contently, Draco's free hand coming to rest in her hair, which lay in a scruffy bun on the top of her head.
"Is it weird that this feels like we've been doing it forever?" Draco thought out loud after a while.
"No, I feel exactly the same" She reassured him, smiling, lifting her head from his chest to press a kiss to his lips. "It feels like I've known you for so long".
On Monday morning, she awoke, not in her own bed, but the guest bed in Draco's home, him having carefully and not so innocently convinced her to stay the night once more. She turned over, a small blonde child nestled into her side, and she had a vague recollection of him crawling in with her in the early hours of the morning.
The door creaked open, Draco's smiling face peering in, his blonde hair dishevelled with sleep and her fingers.
"Morning" He said to her, coming to sit beside her on the bed, placing a chaste kiss to her lips. He stood after that, moving to his son, shaking the boy to rouse him. "Scorp, it's time to get up, you have to go to school".
"Not yet" The boy whined, his father conceding if only to preserve this moment in his memory.
"When did he come in?" Draco asked, settling next to Hermione.
"I'm not sure, it was early this morning though" Hermione replied, again carding her fingers through the child's hair. "I was half expecting you to make an appearance to be honest".
"I was dead to the world" Draco remarked, his head on her shoulder.
She giggled once more when she felt the smirk on her shoulder. After 5 minutes, the duo woke the sleepy boy, Draco escorting him to his own bedroom, helping his son wash and dress for his day at school.
Sighing and climbing out of the bed, she grabbed her leggings which she had been wearing for the past three days, thanking the lord for her forward thinking, she'd told Ginny having a spare pair of underwear or two in her bag would come in handy, and the red head had yet to agree.
Going into the bathroom, she washed herself, before pulling on fresh underwear and her leggings, pulling on the same T-shirt once more.
Returning to the guest room, she smiled to herself upon seeing one of Draco's white T-shirts lying on the bed. Discarding her own shirt, she pulled his on, knotting the long material around her mid-rift.
Pulling on some socks and her trainers she left the room, her bag on her shoulder. In the kitchen the father and son duo sat side by side, Draco chatting with his son as Scorpius happily made his way through a bowl of cereal.
Hearing her entering, he looked up, a strange look passing over his eyes at her, and she smirked, before sitting down beside the child.
"How's your leg?" Draco asked.
"Alright, not too sore, swellings gone down, and bruises aren't so bad" Hermione replied, pulling out her phone and replying to any messages.
"That's good, we need energy today, and we can't do lifts if your legs still giving you pain".
"I'm fine honestly" Hermione replied, smiling at the man over the top of his son's head.
"Alright people, we got to get moving!" Draco said, taking the finished bowl from his son and placing it in the sink to wash later.
Standing up, Hermione stretched, a small sliver of skin becoming visible as she did so, before turning to Scorpius.
"You need shoes on Mr." She smiled at him, the boy running past her in sock clad feet, sliding to a stop in the hall, collecting his school shoes. She followed him at a much slower pace before allowing him to sit on the bottom stairs whilst she bent down to fasten his shoes from him. "All done"
She ruffled his hair lightly as she stood to her full height once more, returning to the kitchen briefly to grab her bag, and Draco followed behind her as they re-joined Scorpius, himself clad in a t-shirt and joggers his usual trainers on his feet as they readied themselves for another full week of rehearsal.
Leaving the house, jackets and coats wrapping the three up against the cold of the autumn morning, they got in Draco's car, hers having been dropped back at her own home the day before when they'd run errands.
Draco quickly dropped Scorpius at his school, kissing his son goodbye before jumping back in the car and driving the two to the rehearsal studio in comfortable silence.
Entering the space, he flicked the main lights on, and Hermione dropped her bag in the corner of the room, shedding her jacket and moving to sit in the centre of the room.
"Let's get stretching" Draco said, dropping beside her, legs out wide as he stretched his legs.
Soon they were working on the routine, delaying work on the swivel steps for now, out of fear of damaging her ankle once more. They pieced together the routine, Draco pausing every now and then to work out a next step or picture the lift he wanted.
At the end of the day, the two had pieced together some semblance of a routine, tomorrow they'd work on the precise steps and perhaps start working on the swivel action she needed to perfect, but for now they were quietly pleased with what they'd managed to put together in just a day.
Draco's mother had collected Scorpius from school as usual, and Draco had received a text from his mother, wondering when she would meet this partner of his, the one which Scorpius would not stop talking about. This had caused a blush to colour the pale man's face which in turn had made Hermione laugh.
"We should get going" Hermione said, chest heaving in exhaustion as they finished the day. "We need to get to 'It Takes Two'".
He nodded, grabbing his water bottle and jacket, Hermione following suit by grabbing her own belongings before they left the rehearsal space.
They arrived at the ITT studio, entering the space hand in hand as usual, getting to their room once more. The usual routine of picking outfits happening with a slight side track by either of their lips grabbing the others.
Dressed in a light stripy top, and jeans, flat ballet shoes on her feet, Hermione smiled, slipping her usual earrings in.
The pair left the room together, turning to hair and make-up. Hermione's hair was brushed and the re-pinned into a messy bun, tendrils of curly hair falling and framing her face. Her features were coated in various products, the finished result leaving her face a-glow.
Finding Draco waiting for her, they exited the final room, heading for the green room.
"You look beautiful" Draco commented to her as they settled on one of the sofas.
"Don't you look sharp!" Angie joked, her and Peter entering the room, the taller woman clad in a long dress, heels on her feet.
"Looking good Ange" Hermione replied, settling back into the couch, Draco's arm around her.
"How are you after that fall? I never got to ask" Angelina asked, she and Peter taking a seat on the sofa across from the other couple, Peter slinging his arm over the back of the sofa.
"Alright, I hurt my knee and my ankle, but I still danced so there's definitely something to be said for that" She replied.
Smiling, Angie subtly raised an eyebrow in her direction when the two male pros began conversing.
Hermione smirked in response, Draco's arm unconsciously tightening around her. Angie's eyes sparkled, and she made a subtle gesture that Hermione assumed meant she was going to call the other woman for details.
Nodding, the couple's quieted, the show beginning suddenly, the theme music playing as Tanya and Matthew shuffled into the room.
"Hello and welcome to this week's 'It Takes Two', and what a weekend we had ladies and gentlemen. Now after a fabulous night in the ballroom, one couple had to be eliminated, and unfortunately this week it was Tanya and Matthew." The studio 'aw'-ed. "But not to worry they're backstage ready to talk to me about Saturday night and their incredible Strictly journey. We also have Angelina and Peter who will be dishing all the details about their week, and we also have Hermione and Draco who after a terrific week, will be telling all after that horrible fall. But first we have ex-pro dancer Nadia Johnson here to give us our Dance Debrief!"
Tanya and Matthew were ushered onto set first, but Hermione and Draco were not far behind them, Hermione giving a fleeting wave to Peter and Angelina as they exited the room.
"Now my next guests tonight are the couple who have topped the leader board for every single week of the competition so far, its Hermione and Draco" The two sat on the couch, a quick VT showing their moments from the weekend playing, including her fall.
"Hello, my darlings, Hermione I must say you're looking considerably less in pain" Jenny said.
"I am" Hermione laughed.
"That's fantastic news, now that Jive was just phenomenal, how did you find it?"
"We both really enjoyed it, it's definitely a routine we'll hold close to our hearts I think" Draco said.
"Now Hermione, not to dwell too much on the fall, but we'll show you what our camera's caught" They showed the clip of Hermione's stumble. "Ouch. To think you put on a 4 Tens earning performance after that is incredible".
"Yes, I think it looks a lot worse there than it felt, certainly at the time, I honestly didn't feel much discomfort until we had to begin jiving, and then I realised, ok yes this really hurts, but there's a lot to be said for adrenaline, it was coursing through me, and I pushed though. I've got a bruised knee, and my ankle was slightly swollen but everything seems to be alright for now. I'm just glad I didn't do any serious damage, all things considered it definitely could have been worse." Hermione replied.
"My heart was literally in my throat. Now, this week you are dancing the equally energetic Charleston, no rest for the wicked?"
"No, I suppose not, we've been rehearsing really hard today, we haven't started on our swivels yet, but hopefully tomorrow we can give those a go, nothing is hurting too badly and I have this strapping guy here to help me through any pain or discomfort" Hermione said, turning her head to smirk at Draco, who's cheeks had darkened slightly under her praises.
"Yes, she's a trooper, I honestly don't think I've ever met someone who works as hard as this woman does, she's coping with her injury really well, and I have zero doubts that we will be able to pull off a show-stopping performance on Saturday night"
"Thank you, best of look for the weekend, Hermione and Draco everybody, now a lot of you beautiful people out there are probably wondering how you can get in on some of this year's Strictly action, well here's Anthony Baker with some important information for you!"
The week rolled by in a flash, Wednesday had seen the rehearsals of lifts, and Thursday had been the piecing together of the whole routine, ironing out transitions, and Friday's camera blocking, and costume fittings had passed Hermione by in a daze.
Saturday morning brought the usual cocktail of nerves and excitement to Hermione, and upon showering and dressing, she headed to the studio. Walking in alone felt strange for Hermione, she looked around but was unable to catch sight of her partner.
Dropping her belongings off as usual, she checked her phone, a text lighting up the notification screen.
Draco ~ In craft services x
Shutting off her phone, she placed it in her pocket, walking out of the room and heading to find her partner.
Entering the tent, she spotted his blonde head immediately and made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his middle as his back was turned to her.
"Hey" He said, his voice hoarse.
"Hey, you ok?" She asked, removing her arms from him, rounding his body to stand in front of him.
"Been up all night. Ill. I'm alright though, I swear" Draco said, a small cough coming from his throat betraying his statement, but Hermione dropped it, grabbing his sweating hand and pulling him with her to hair and make-up, only slightly alarmed by how much heat she could feel radiating from him.
Draco was promptly tutted at by the make-up ladies, who sat him immediately, beginning to fuss around him as they attempted to hide his sick and sleep deprived face.
Sitting in a chair beside him, Francine began work on Hermione's hair, loosening her hair from her ponytail, the woman began the work of fixing and pinning Hermione's tousled locks into a flapper style faux bob.
Her face was then painted by Vikki, 1920's designs being worked into the make-up, matching the theme for the week.
For once, she was sat waiting for Draco, the ladies obviously working their hardest to make sure not a trace of his sickness was evident on his features, and it was not a job for the faint of heart, the bags under his eyes persistently showing through the make-up.
As he was released, he walked dazedly to her, and sighing she grabbed his hand once more, leading the pair to costume. Hermione was greeted as usual by Georgina, who with a sparkling gold dress over her arm, led her to her usual changing booth. Being careful of her hair and make-up she slipped her own clothing off as usual, slipping the costume on, before Georgina sewed her into the fabric.
The material was soft to the touch, despite its glittering appearance, and Hermione smiled. They'd gone for a crop top and shorts for her, all done to be sympathetic to their 1920's gangster/Bugsy Malone theme.
Looking it over in the mirror she smiled gratefully to the costume designer, before seating herself to wait for her partner.
He reappeared in a 20's Al Capone-esque suit, a fedora on his head. Hermione's shoes were thankfully pumps once more, and she was glad after she thought upon how much bouncing and lifting they had to do.
Grabbing his hand once they'd shrugged themselves into their dressing gowns, she led them back to the green room, sitting on the sofa before dragging his head into her lap.
"How are you really feeling then?" She asked after a moment, his forehead seeming to be alight with a fever, his cheeks flaming a bright red, yet at the same time he seemed paler than usual.
"Horrible, but we've worked too hard for my cold or flu or whatever this is to put us off. Once the adrenaline kicks in I'll be fine, I swear" He told her, and she nodded, his eyes closing even as he spoke, getting comfortable. She smiled slightly as she watched him drift into unconsciousness, her fingers tracing his features as he slept, he looked so peaceful when he was asleep, and it was so easy to compare him and his son when he was like this. She could clearly see all of the similarities between them, and yet she could also see the differences.
She'd wondered about his mother more than once, but never felt brave enough to broach what was clearly a delicate subject with him. Scorpius never asked about her, and she didn't want to bring up something that would only cause more pain, and possibly lead to more questions than answers.
After an hour or two she gently woke her partner up, last minute touches being added hastily backstage before they made their way to the group's ritual circle. Draco looked a little bit more alive after his nap, but Hermione was still silently worried about her partner.
"Did I mention you look amazing?" Draco whispered in her ear as they lined up once more.
"No" She replied.
"Well, you do, and sexy and hot and beautiful" He said, his hand around her waist tightening, she had noticed her seemed to revel in touching her bare skin whenever he could, relishing it seemed in suggesting to the costume department that as much of her skin should be on show as possible.
Hermione flushed. "Alright, keep it in your pants" She joked to him.
'Or don't whichever, I don't mind' She thought, she hated to admit it but recently her mind had been stuck on sex, and more appropriately sex with him, she'd never been the type to be this hooked on a man. A voice in the back of her mind warned her they were moving very quickly, but a larger part of her didn't seem to mind.
The hosts were introduced, as the show began. The judges being seated before attention was finally turned to the contestants.
"Our judges everybody, now everybody backstage is anxiously waiting to dance, and with a spot in next week's Halloween spook-tacular up for grabs no one wants to miss out" Olivia said.
"They all desperately want your votes, but before any of that they have to dance, so without further ado, it's time to meet…" Tina paused.
"Our Strictly Stars" The said together.
The queues began moving as the couples were introduced one by one to the audience.
"Tennis Star and Wimbledon Champion, Angelina Johnson and her partner, Peter Fletcher"
"Children's TV Personality, Hannah Reid and her partner, Vincent Alamore"
"TV Doctor, Diana McCall and her partner, Liam McKay"
"Gymnast, Maria Adamson and her partner, Tom Malloy"
"Actor and Singer, Charlie Walsh and his partner, Witney Larson"
"Ireland Rugby Captain, Seamus Finnegan and his partner, Lindsey Thompson"
"Olympic Gold Medallist, Daniel Hulmes and his partner, Rachel Evans"
"Singer, Phoebe Stevens and her partner, Michael Peace"
"TV Presenter, Simon Lake and his partner, Michelle Norris"
"Footballer, Zachary Bell and his partner, Ola Aksana"
"And Finally, Author and Stage Actress, Hermione Granger and her partner, Draco Malfoy"
Emerging at the top of the stairs, she smiled, waving, though she felt Draco's grip tighten on her as they began descending, seeming to want to keep her from another nasty fall, the thought was fresh in her mind too, and she was glad to have him as her crutch in this moment.
"There they all are" Tina began once she and Draco had stopped on their mark. "They're all eager to get started, but to kick the evening off we have Singer, Phoebe Stevens and her partner, Michael Peace, this week they're dancing the elegant foxtrot, let's see how they got on in training".
The couples cleared the floor, all of them going to stand or sit in Olivia's sky box. Draco's face seemed to grow paler as they waited, but Hermione simply held his hand tighter which seemed to keep a smile gracing his face. She wasn't sure whether he was nervous or whether some of his sickness was kicking in again, but she wanted to make sure he knew she was there for him, whichever one it was.
After 6 couples had danced it was their turn, they headed to stand on the stairs, smiling and waving to the camera.
"Now dancing next tonight is Hermione Granger and her partner, Draco Malfoy. Following a nasty fall last week, and the pressure of being at the top of the leader board for the last 5 weeks, it seems the pressure might be beginning to show, luckily for Hermione, Draco seems to know exactly how to get her prepared for their Bugsy Malone themed Charleston" Tina said, and Hermione and Draco moved to their opening positions once the VT began rolling.
"Dancing the Charleston to "You Give a Little Love" from Bugsy Malone, Hermione Granger, and her partner Draco Malfoy".
The music began, and their Charleston was beginning, the two of them swivelling in unison, lifts and trick executed precisely and, in the end, Hermione, delighted in smashing a pie into Draco's face.
The music ended and she screamed in delight. They'd done it, despite all of this week's challenges they'd pulled it off and danced as well as they could.
"YES!" She squealed, Draco's pale face (Grey from illness) now awash with pink from exhaustion and custard from the pie.
She moved to him, giving him a one-armed hug as she avoided his custard face.
"WOW!" Tina said, the couple joining her by the judge's table. "Everyone in here seemed to love it, but let's see what these 4 thoughts, Martin?"
"1 word, 3 syllables, darling" He paused. "A-MAZ-ING! I would have liked a little more flow to the routine but you sure know how to perform dear"
Hermione screamed in delight, Draco smiling at her.
"Selina?"
"Wow, so sharp and yet fluid and fun, I wanted to be out there with you, you both looked like you were having the time of your lives, you were bouncing and there was not a step out of place".
"Zoe?"
"Fabulous, just fabulous, what more can I say?"
"Tim?"
"WHAT WAS THAT?! Where on earth did that come from? You are simply sublime my darling, you are amazing, and I will be astounded if you're not in the final".
"Wow, the judges all seemed to be agreed about you, they said everything we were all thinking, head on up to Olivia for your scores" Tina said, "Hermione and Draco!"
Hermione grabbed Draco's hand, leading him this time, the couple climbing towards the cheering coming from above them.
"That was just incredible, everyone up here was screaming and cheering for you, you're like wonder woman, you're just amazing".
"Thank you" Hermione replied, Draco with his arm around, her, a towel having been handed to him by one of the other pros. She almost burst out laughing as she clocked some of the larger chunks of cream stubbornly clinging to his eyelashes and the ends of his hair.
She eyed him, but all traces of earlier illness seemed to be gone after their high praises from the judges.
"Shall we get your scores?" Olivia asked rhetorically.
"Martin Thomas?"
"9"
That score earned him a 'Boo' from everyone in the studio, and Hermione found herself giggling at people 'boo-ing' a nine. Who would have thought she'd be disappointed in receiving a nine, but after last week's feeling, after receiving all tens, it was an addicting feeling, and one she'd want to repeat as often as possible.
"Selina Valentine?"
"10"
"Zoe Chalmers?"
"10"
"Tim Lisetsky?"
"10"
"Oh my god!" Hermione screamed, pulling Draco into a hug, it wasn't the 40 from last week but considering everything she found she didn't care.
"That's a score of 39 out of 40, you are unstoppable, but remember the judges scores aren't enough, they'll need your votes when lines open at the end of the show to make sure they make it through to next week's Halloween Spook-Tacular. Tina"
There you go, the last chapter for today, but these updates should keep coming thick and fast, I'm determined to persevere with this now!
Remember let me know what you thought!
I love you guys!
DWMS6
