"MALFOY? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS, HERMIONE! OUT OF ALL THE GUYS YOU COULD BE GOING FOR?! MALFOY ?!"
A gut-wrenching sob.
"I really wanted to believe Harry when he said that it was all fake and thought up by Skeeter."
A shuddering breath.
"He told me not to speak to you about it because you would get angry."
A long sigh.
"I feel like such a fool, like the last one to know. It hurt seeing you have tea with the ferret and his mother." The last bit was barely audible, the howler already starting to light up in flames.
A puff of smoke and Ron's message was over. The rollercoaster ride of emotions that Hermione felt during his message proved to her just how wrong she had been when she had accused him of having the emotional range of a teaspoon. Sure, she was disappointed that it only took a second article, technically a whole special edition, to make one of her longest and best friends believe that lie. Then again, Hermione felt horrible for having hurt Ron like this. It was so hard to keep in touch with him after they had broken up and he had moved to Ireland to open a new branch of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes . If Hermione thought finding out that her and Malfoy's rumoured relationship was enough to fill a whole magazine was hitting a new low, Ron's howler hit her down another notch.
It took a long fire-call with Ron to straighten everything out between them. In the end, Hermione felt so exhausted that she did not open her store as Harry had suggested.
For the rest of the week, however, Hermione pulled herself together and went about her business as usual. The reporters, howlers, and both fans and antis got on her nerves, but it was bearable.
In the weeks that followed, the rumours surrounding their relationship calmed somewhat, though of course, Witch Weekly complained briefly that she and Malfoy were just keeping a low profile to try and fool the public again. Malfoy's birthday came and went and despite Witch Weekly rehashing the whole 'pure-bloods do not stay unmarried long after their twenty-fifth birthday' thing, it was not as bad.
Howlers reached Hermione less and less and she was ready for normality to return to her daily life. All the turmoil had cost her some of her most loyal customers.
It was Friday evening just before closing time when she heard her doorbell ring and came out of her backroom slightly annoyed, where she was just finishing the preparations for Saturday. At the sight of Malfoy, she froze and blinked, hoping that she had only imagined him. To her sorrow, he was in her store.
"What are you doing here?" At her gruff question, he raised his arms as a sign of peace.
"I just wanted to talk to you." He carefully stepped closer to her like she was a feral animal that could lash out any time.
"You promised not to come here again," Hermione hissed in protest and scanned the street for photographers through the windows.
"Relax. I made sure no reporters are around. There have been less and less around your store for the last couple of days." He tried to calm her down but all Hermione understood was that he had watched her.
"Have you been monitoring my store?"
"I can just waltz in here next time and let the reporters have a go with it if that's what you want." Malfoy rolled his eyes dramatically. "And, no, I have not monitored your store. I happen to come through here often as it's the best connection to Muggle London for my meetings." Hermione must have heard Malfoy wrong. That, or he had said he had meetings in Muggle London, of all places.
It was so absurd a thought that Hermione's mouth dropped open. "Muggle London?" At her apparent disbelief, Malfoy snorted and leaned casually against her counter.
"Believe it or not, Granger, it isn't some affair with a non-pure-blood witch my mother supports me in, but my venture to introduce Muggle medicine and ingredients into the market." Her mouth shut with an audible clack and Hermione felt ashamed of herself. Her misconceptions about Malfoy had led her to completely misjudge him. What Malfoy had just confided in her sounded wonderful and was something she herself had long considered meaningful. Muggle medicine had a lot to offer to the wizarding world. Lavender and Parvati could certainly tell you a thing or two about how backward Hermione thought wizarding oral hygiene was, so often had she tried to convince them to use Muggle toothpaste. That Malfoy, of all people, dared to take this groundbreaking step was truly remarkable. Hermione did not even want to think about the effort he must have put in to accomplish this. With a newfound respect for the wizard in front of her, and still slightly perplexed by the revelation, Hermione gave him a genuine smile.
"That sounds great, Malfoy." A brief positive remark from her and she saw him unclench his jaw, his shoulders relax, and his tension fall away.
"If I have my way, that will be the only thing the newspapers report about me." He pushed off her counter and stepped closer to her.
"Anyways. That's not what I am here for." Unlatching his satchel bag, he pulled a wrapped package from it and held it out to her.
"Think of it as a kind of compensation for the trouble I caused you." The gesture and his admittance to having caused all of this caught Hermione off guard. She had not taken him for the apologetic type. The wrapping paper was simple but neatly folded. She wondered if Malfoy had wrapped it himself. It was the first edition of Hogwarts: A History she had read in his library. Never had she received anything this valuable before. Yet, it was not the monetary value that made her heart beat faster, but all the fond memories she had of discovering the wizarding world with this book. Hermione wanted nothing more than to apparate home immediately and reread her favourite book.
It broke her heart when she pushed the book back at Malfoy. "I can't accept this."
"Don't sweat it, the Malfoy library can do with just a second edition or two." He gave her a nonchalant smile and offered her the book again.
"No, that's not what I mean. You can't just come in here and give me a present. Do you even know what that looks like? You might as well go ahead and propose to me for all they care." Malfoy pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.
"Fine. Have it your way." To Hermione's great horror, Malfoy knelt down in front of her and held the book out to her like a ring box.
"Hermione Jean Granger, will you do me the honour of accepting this gift for all the sorrows I have caused you?" Redness shot into Hermione's cheeks in the face of his audacity. This was no joke to her. For Salazar's sake, they should have been unobserved at Malfoy Manor and had been photographed. Hermione snatched the book out of his hand.
"Out! Out, Malfoy! Out of my store!" At her outburst, Malfoy merely laughed and walked leisurely to her door.
Before the door closed behind him, he threw over his shoulder, "I told you there were no reporters around. No need to panic."
The following Monday would show Hermione just how wrong he was.
~ Witch Weekly Issue 22/2005 ~
The Ways into a Witch's Heart
The ways into a witch's heart are plenty and just as diverse as the witch herself. While some prefer being wooed with expensive jewellery, artisan confectionery, elaborate holidays, or grand shows of affection, Ms Hermione Granger seems to prefer books.
Just this weekend, Draco Malfoy was seen surprising his beloved with a book. He chose closing time for this venture so that he could find Ms Granger alone in her store. Although his choice had caused a minor lovers' quarrel that ended in Ms Granger kicking him out of her store, he had not stopped laughing.
Now you, Dear Readers, may ask what is so special about a little attention between lovers that warrants a whole article. You are quite right in assuming that although it was a first edition, the gift was not worth mentioning. It was the handing over that was special. Mr Malfoy did not simply hand the book to his chosen lover. No! He went down on one knee as if proposing to her. This little joke, however, seemed to have gone down less well with Ms Granger.
Was this perhaps only a trial run for the real proposal?
It was time to send a howler of her own. How had Malfoy managed in one go to apologise for the inconvenience and at the same time make their situation even worse than before?