November 2001
Their hotel was nicer than anything Hermione could ever hope to afford for herself and she internally thanked McGonagall for the funding they received for the trip. After they had found dinner at a nearby restaurant, they had made their way to the hotel which was just down a few streets. Hermione checked them in as Draco gave them the rules for the coming nights. Each student was taken to their shared rooms before the bellboy stopped in front of one last door with Draco and Hermione. For a minute, the three stood there awkwardly.
"Um, so which one of us gets this room?" Hermione finally asked after exchanging a raised eyebrow with Draco. The bellboy shifted his feet, realizing he was about to deliver some unwelcome news.
"Well, miss, we didn't have enough vacancies when you made the reservation so you were given a double suite," he answered meekly. Draco stared at him, his hand tightening on his bag's shoulder strap.
"Ah, right, thank you," Hermione smiled stiffly at him before reaching for the door handle. The bellboy nodded and did a small bow at Draco before hurrying off. Draco stared after him as Hermione entered the room, holding the door for him. "Malfoy?"
Without a word, he followed her in, lips curling in distaste at the sight of two full sized beds in the room. Hermione personally thought the room was wonderful as she staked her claim by placing her bag on the bed closest to the door. Draco remained in the open doorway, silent and stiff.
"What are you waiting for, Malfoy, an invitation?" She turned to see him finally close the door, studying the locks before slipping his wand out to cast enchantments. She shook her head, opening her bag to rummage for a change of clothes. It had been a while since she'd been in muggle London and she intended to take advantage of her time here.
"What are you doing?" Draco asked from behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see him watching her with creased eyebrows.
"I'm going out for a drink, it's been a while since I've had the chance to do so here," she said. With that, she took her clothes to the bathroom with her to change. She slipped out of the many layers to then pull on a simple long-sleeved, almost skin-tight black dress that stopped a few inches above her knees. She accentuated the v-neck of the dress by adding a silver chain, and slipped on a pair of plain black wedges to give herself some height. Looking in the mirror, she gave herself a once over and nodded her approval before stepping out to grab her coat and purse.
"Granger, what could possibly make you-" Draco stalled in his question as he looked up from his own belongings, catching sight of her as she pulled her coat on.
"What?" She asked, grabbing her purse and meeting his eyes. He swallowed before looking back down at his own bag.
"Why would you want to go to a muggle pub?" He spat out, hand diving into his bag to pull out a black vest. She took a moment to study him, eyes catching on the hardness of his jaw and the defined wrinkles of his forehead.
"D'you wanna go with me?" She surprised herself with the question as well. He snapped his eyes up to look at her, frozen in place. "It'd sure help you relax as you seem real bloody tense." The weird tension released and he rolled his eyes.
"I wonder why that is, Granger." Tossing his vest onto his bed, he stripped off his overcoat to then pull on the vest. Hermione watched his fingers button it up nimbly, with a slight shake in his hands. Then, he pulled his overcoat back on. "Lead the way."
"Oh! So, you're coming with then…?" She hitched her thumb over her shoulder at the door and he raised an eyebrow.
"You did offer," he spoke slowly. With a nod, because she did in fact offer, Hermione turned and started out the door with Draco following right behind her.
They walked for a while down the street until she found one she wanted to go to, Draco sludging along behind her the whole way. As they entered, Draco stiffened beside her at the atmosphere. It was loud, considering it was later in the evening, and packed. Hermione breathed in deeply, missing the rowdy mesh of a muggle pub as she headed towards the bar with Draco hot on her heels. He attempted to dodge any contact but ended up bumping elbows and shoulders a few times which left him with a twisted frown by the time they found two open spots.
With a wave from Hermione, the barkeep headed over. She ordered herself a beer and a whiskey for Draco, getting the feeling that he wouldn't appreciate the classic taste of a Heineken. His eyes searched the crowd with his hands in his pockets, presumably clutching his wand, while she had been ordering. After a few minutes of standing awkwardly, their drinks were slid onto the counter and Hermione slipped the barkeep some notes which he accepted with a nod and a smile. Turning, she handed Draco the glass of whiskey. Carrying her own drink, she walked off to find a table, leaving him to stare at the glass in question before hurrying after her.
Glancing at him now and then, she noted how his shoulders were rigidly pushed back to enunciate his height and he constantly pushed back his hair even when it wasn't falling in his eyes. When she found a table hidden in a corner, she immediately sat down and gestured to Draco to sit across from her.
"Seriously?" He scoffed and she looked at the table, trying to find the offending issue. "Granger, really, you just-" With a sigh, he placed himself in the seat next to her, with both of their backs against the wall. His eyes continued to scout the mingling muggles.
"Ah," she murmured before taking a sip of her drink. "Can never be too careful."
"Exactly." He didn't seem to notice her mocking tone as he lifted his glass to his face and inhaled deeply. "What is it?"
"It's like firewhiskey, but it burns less and it sometimes tastes sweeter."
"Hm," was his answer and then he was tilting the glass to take his first sip. "Hm!" His eyes widened as he looked back at the glass. Hermione stifled a laugh by taking a few gulps of her beer.
"What's 'hm!', huh?" She asked after swallowing while he had begun to drink more.
"It's not horrible." He paused to answer her.
"Not horrible? You certainly seem to be enjoying it." She glanced pointedly at the already half empty glass. He frowned at her, swirling his drink and looking down at the mixing brown and caramel colors dimmed in the low light.
"I can appreciate good alcohol, Granger."
"So you think muggle alcohol is good, huh?"
"Don't push it," he muttered, glass raised to his lips. He downed the rest of the glass. "What's it called? Both mine and yours. And what did you use to pay him?"
"It's a Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey, I think is what he grabbed, but just ask for a whiskey on the rocks. I got a beer, Heineken to be exact, I didn't think you'd like it. Muggles in Britain use pounds, I made sure to exchange before we came on this trip," she explained.
"Can I borrow some? I can pay you back," he said, holding his hand out. Hermione gaped at him, the nerve! With a huff, she dug into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a few notes, slapping them into his open palm.
"Knock yourself out," she muttered. He either didn't hear her or decided to ignore her as he simply got up and walked back to the bar. She rolled her eyes, took a few more sips of her beer, before taking the time to slip her coat off and hang it on her chair.
"Here." Another beer slid towards her and she looked up to see him sitting down again with his whiskey in hand.
"You got me another?"
"I'm not going to be drinking alone, Granger." He was sipping on his whiskey now instead of gulping it. She watched him for a minute, eyes trailing on the dip of his nose.
"Did you break your nose?" Her question caused him to choke.
"Did I- Granger, you're the one who punched me!"
"What?"
"In third year, you ninny! In honor of that stupid hippogriff that should've died!" His comment about Buckbeak lit a spark in her chest.
"Buckbeak didn't deserve to die! He barely cut you!"
"Oh, please, I wasn't able to use my right arm for weeks," he snapped at her, turning in his chair to face her head on. She bristled.
"You're the one who decided to insult him when he hadn't even done anything to you," Hermione shot back.
"What's with you and standing up for every lowlife, horrid creature you can find?"
"You should be thanking me for that since it got you out of going to Azkaban." She paused, realizing what she had said at the flash of his eyes. They had both pushed away the memories of his trial three years ago, disregarding the meaning of her testimony in favor of ignoring each other placidly until he had dropped right back into her life, returning to Hogwarts as his parole had conditioned. He leaned closer until their noses were almost touching. Her breath hitched in her throat, the woodsy scent mixing with the whiskey surrounding her.
"Listen here, Granger," he seethed. "I didn't need your help then, and I don't need it now, so don't go on thinking you or Potter are my saviors. I would've been bloody fine left to die in there." He glanced around the pub at the moving bodies and shouting clamor. "It would've been better than this muggle hellhole anyways."
"You were the one who decided to come, Malfoy," she hissed, turning her body away from him and crossing her arms over her chest.
"I'm not going to let you out of my sight, Granger." Her head swiveled to face him quickly. "I can't let you get yourself killed and then have McGonagall or the Aurors blaming me for it."
"How sweet," she said, drawing her tone out. He sent her a glare before lifting his glass and chugging the rest of his drink. The slam of the empty glass against the table caused her to jump, and he stood abruptly.
"Drink up, Granger, I think we both need it." And with that, he started off for the bar again. Hermione sighed and looked down at her half empty glass and the full one he had brought earlier. A burning pit opened up in her stomach as she thought about how ungrateful he was for her help.
"Drink up, we both need it," she mocked quietly, dropping her pitch into an awkward tenor. Seething, she downed the rest of her half empty glass and started on her second, hoping to finish both before he returned. She stopped for a breath and before she could continue, someone had pulled out the chair from across the table. Her eyes shot up at the man who was now sitting down.
"Hey, you looked like you could use a little company," he said, smiling at her. He had dark, wavy hair that fell around his ears and he wore a tight t-shirt that had a football team logo emblazoned on the front. "I'm Matt, what's your name?"
"None of your business," Draco's voice, dripping in venom, came from behind Matt. Hermione looked up to see Draco standing behind him, glasses in hand looking as if they were going to crack under his white-knuckled grip.
"Oh, sorry mate, thought she was here alone throwing back beers," Matt seemed to try to laugh the situation off. Draco's stare hardened.
"Well, she's not, so you can leave now."
"Right, sorry." Matt raised his hands in a show of surrender before throwing a wink at Hermione and walking off. She felt her blood run cold.
"See what I mean? You're gonna get yourself in trouble at this rate, Granger," Draco muttered as he placed their glasses on the table and slipped into the seat next to her.
"What, I didn't- I didn't even do anything!" She sputtered, smacking the back of her hand into his shoulder. He grabbed her wrist quickly and pulled her close.
"It's nothing you've done, look at how you're dressed."
"That's disgusting, Malfoy. So because I'm wearing a dress, I deserve to have men come up and be gross to me?"
"No, you don't deserve any of it," his eyes burned like charcoal. "Men are going to be gross no matter what you wear, but because you decided to go out tonight looking like a real woman, there's going to be even more of it. That's unfortunately how men are, and I can just assume muggle men are no different from wizards. Just because you can defend yourself well enough with a wand doesn't mean you're not in danger."
"I- you- what?" Her head couldn't wrap around what he was saying. He let go of her wrist and leaned back in his chair, scanning the room. His eyes stopped for a minute and Hermione looked over to see what had caught his attention. Matt was leaning against a wall by the bar, grinning back at him, swirling his drink in his hand.
"If he touches you, I'll kill him." Hermione's attention swung back to Draco, who continued to stare down Matt.
"Malfoy, seriously? I'm allowed to have fun with whoever I please and it is most certainly not your business to know about it!" With that, she downed the rest of her second glass and began the third that he had brought over.
"You can do whatever the fuck you want, you can fuck whoever you want, but not right now. We aren't here for a shag, Granger, we're here as professors. I'm not putting my neck on the line because you choose the first sleaze to hit on you and end up getting fucked over for it. You don't know what he wants with you." He was looking at her again.
"You're mental," she breathed out.
"I'm paranoid; it's different," he scoffed, throwing back his head to guzzle his drink. She noted the slowness of his movements, realizing that he was getting drunk a bit faster than her thanks to the whiskey's high alcohol content. She slammed back the rest of her third glass, determined to catch up. No way was she going to let him outdrink her.
"I'm going to get something stronger," she said after swallowing the last drop, pushing away from the table to stand. Draco watched her carefully, eyes catching on her legs before darting back to her face. Warmth flooded her cheeks, and somehow she knew it wasn't from the alcohol, but the way his eyes burned into her. Shaking her head, she started towards the bar.
When she approached, the barkeep held up a hand in a motion that said to give him a moment. She leaned against the bar, arms crossed on the wood, and looked at the selection of liquor lined up on the back wall.
"What'll it be?" The barkeep had finished what he had been doing.
"Can I get three shots of tequila?" She pointed at a brand on the wall, and he turned to take note. With a nod, he was off grabbing glasses and pulling the bottle off the shelf to pour. She thanked him, slipping him the money as he finished, before grabbing the three shot glasses carefully and making her way back to their table.
"What's that?" Draco asked upon her arrival.
"Just what I needed." Hermione smiled coyly at him, sliding one of the shots towards him. "It's called a shot; you're supposed to swallow it in one go."
"It's clear," he noted, lifting the glass to smell it. "It smells like old broom polish, Granger, you want me to drink this?"
"It's tequila, just try it." With a shrug of her shoulders, she threw back her first one before giving him a look.
"If this kills me, I will haunt you," he muttered, tilting his head back and pouring the glass down his throat. Hermione grinned at the grimace he pulled and then she took her second shot. A fizzy feeling started to seep through her skull and she couldn't help but smile even more.
"You're not dead yet, Malfoy. I guess I can't be that lucky."
"Shut it," he paused, looking at the glass thoughtfully. "Go get more."
"Where are your manners?"
"Buried back at the Manor. I'd like another shot, Granger."
She stared at him, the way his fingers traced the rim of the shot glass and how slowly he blinked. Her own brain struggled to catch up to the situation at hand, but regardless she stood and made her way back to the bar. After ordering four more shots, she turned to head back to the table, gripping them carefully so as to not spill.
"Need any help?" A voice said at her elbow. She turned to see Matt next to her, hands empty.
"I-"
"Here," he interrupted, reaching forward and taking two of the glasses from her hands. "I'd hate to see you spill anything on that dress."
"Oh, uh, thank you," she stammered out, before the two were headed back to her table. Draco's eyes caused her to feel hot before she even looked up to see them on her, his face devoid of emotion at the return of Matt.
"Here you go," Matt said cheerfully, placing the glasses in front of Draco. "Cheers, mate." He walked away with the pair watching him carefully.
"Granger," Draco's voice rumbled. "Sit down." She hadn't realized she was still standing. After she had taken her seat, Draco surprised her by pulling her chair closer to him forcefully, his arm around the back and enveloping her.
"What-" She started.
"He thinks he has a chance with you, but he doesn't."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"You didn't see how he looked at you, huh?" Draco's eyes bore into hers. "We're not here for a good fuck, Granger. You can't let him think he has a chance by letting him help you and whatnot."
"I wasn't trying to let him think anything!" Her heart pounded against her ribs, blood rushing to her cheeks. "Why can't you act normal for once instead of being a massive arse all the time?"
Draco stared at her, eyes wide and cheeks pink. She huffed, turning away and downing one of the shots. He grabbed one and tossed it back as well, grimacing as he swallowed. Hermione fought back another grin at his face, and took another shot. He followed suit.
"Earlier, earlier you said you were stuck at St. Mungo's. Why?" She turned to face him, their knees knocking together under the table.
"Goyle found me," he answered darkly. "Decided it was my fault Crabbe died, tried to make up for it. I was hit by the cruciatus about a dozen times before my mother walked in."
"How did she not hear you?" Hermione stared at him wide eyed.
"All the rooms in the Manor are set up with privacy wards, meaning you can't hear what's happening if you're not in the same room." He glared at the table. "It's been that way since the first War."
"You're still alive though."
"Is that an issue?" He glanced at her. She shook her head no. "I've been targeted by the cruciatus before more times than that, but this is the first time it was ever so quick in succession. I ended up in the permanent spell damage ward. It's why I shake." Draco held up his hand, fingers trembling.
"I'm so sorry. I understand." And she did. He met her eyes for a brief moment and she saw a flash of guilt. "It's not your fault. I wouldn't have stopped her either if I'd been in your position."
At this point, Hermione knew she was good and well drunk as her fingertips and the tip of her nose felt like TV static. She chanced a glance at Draco to see him staring down the empty glasses on the table, spread out like crime scene markers.
"I'm done, are you?" She asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He nodded stiffly before standing. It was then that she realized he hadn't taken off his overcoat, and she wondered if it was so he could access his wand easier. Pulling on her own coat, she stood as well and the two headed for the door.
Stepping outside, Draco grabbed her wrist. She turned to him, about to rip her arm out of his grip when he pulled her a short ways down the sidewalk and threw her brain for a loop as she tried to focus on staying upright. He let her fall into the brick wall of the pub building where she steadied herself and looked up at him. Even in her heels, the top of her head met his chin and she forced herself to stand up straighter so as to not feel so small.
"What's got you so ruffled, Malfoy?" She asked, noticing the tight lines of his face and hard eyes. He leaned close, mouth brushing the hair by her ear.
"We're being followed," he whispered, and she shivered. "Pretend I'm saying something funny." He leaned back and she laughed nervously, eyes searching the road around them for whoever was following them. They caught on a head of dark, wavy hair by a streetlamp before her line of sight was blocked off by Draco's face.
Without warning, he pressed his lips to hers, but since she had been laughing, they met her teeth. Quickly however, her smile disappeared and Draco was able to meld his mouth against hers comfortably. Hermione stood frozen for a minute, brain racing for an explanation, and then his hand was gripping her hip and she melted. It had been so long since she'd been intimate with another person, and the static of her brain overruled the rationale.
Throwing her arms around his neck, she dragged him closer and he pressed himself harder against her which caused a moan to escape from her throat. The opening of her lips against his allowed for his tongue to dart against her bottom lip before he sunk his teeth into the plush skin, releasing another moan from her. Her fingers slid up his neck and into his hair, gripping into the thin strands and tugging. A groan rumbled from his chest and Hermione felt a sort of pride bubble in her chest. A part of her screamed that she would regret this when she sobered up.
Draco was the first to pull away, leaving a gasping Hermione to sink back against the wall. Dark eyes watched her catch her breath before he muttered something under his breath. Hermione watched the air behind him shimmer, and she realized he cast a revealing charm.
"Ready to head back?" He asked her, eyes watching her face carefully.
"Mhm," she hummed, meeting his eyes and trying to send the silent message that their stalker was still there.
"Or," Draco drew out the sound, leaning back a ways from her. "Maybe we can explore a little here, huh?" She didn't quite understand his meaning, continuing to watch his face for a change. He leaned back to nuzzle against her ear, slipping an arm around her waist as he whispered, "We'll go into the alley and disapparate."
"You kinky motherfucker," Hermione breathed out as he leaned back, hoping her voice carried to the person behind him. Draco watched her for a minute, hazy eyes dilating in the low light. Then, he was propelling her forward by the arm around her waist. They headed towards the dark alley, Draco's hand tight on her hip and Hermione had the horrid thought of a bruise possibly forming from it. As they turned the corner and out of sight, Draco quickly disapparated, dragging Hermione with him.
They landed in their room at the hotel. Well, not so much as landed as the two stumbled down onto Draco's bed from Hermione's clumsiness and drunken state. She slammed into the mattress, pulling an equally inebriated Draco on top of her in the process.
"Salazar's sake, Granger…" he mumbled, propping himself up on an elbow and looking down at her. "Bloody good work on getting that muggle to follow us outside."
"I didn't even do anything; how many times do I have to tell you that, Malfoy?" She glared at him, pushing herself up on her elbows as well.
"All your pouting and drinking and dress-wearing. You're the perfect candidate to hit on," he leered, before forcing himself to his feet where he wavered for a moment.
"You're archaic, you know that? It's revolting how low you think of women and their behaviors," she snapped at him.
"I'm stating what every other man in that pub was thinking, Granger! Look at you," he growled, gesturing to her laid out on his bed. "Your dress rides up your thighs when you sit, you've got nice jewelry on which just enhances the fact that your tits are right there on full display, you've been throwing back liquor all night with your ridiculously slender neck putting on a show-" He stopped, chest heaving and eyes wide. Hermione stared at him.
"Those men would kill for a chance to have you sprawled out on their beds," he finished quietly, fingers reaching for his collar to unbutton around his neck.
Hermione didn't know what possessed her to say what she did - whether it be the alcohol or the loneliness she'd been facing for the past two years, but the way Draco was looking at her caused goosebumps to rise along her arms.
"But you already have me sprawled out on yours."
A/N: I have been so excited to post this chapter! It's the only chapter so far to only span one scene and I tried so hard to write it as organically as possible. I love their little banter and I can't wait for there to be so, so much more in the coming chapters. After this, we see a lot more one on one than before. :) I'm so happy with this one, please enjoy!