Monday, December 28, 1998
When Hermione got down to the Common Room in the morning, she found Draco engrossed while reading a letter. She walked over and smiled until she saw an expression of concern on his face.
"Good morning." she said quietly.
He looked over and smiled, "Good morning." He replied, but she could see that the smile didn't quite meet his eyes.
"Draco, what's wrong?" She asked.
He shook his head, "Nothing." He said while folding the letter and slipping it into his pocket.
She sighed, "I take it that one of your friends isn't too happy about us being together."
He huffed bitterly and nodded, "Yeah…you could say that."
Hermione sat on the sofa and exhaled, "Which one?"
"Daphne is rather upset. You see, I was originally supposed to marry her younger sister, Astoria. However, since the war ended, things have changed, and the engagement was sort up in the air."
Hermione looked over at him in confusion and shock. "Did you…did you call it off because of our relationship?" She asked.
He swallowed, "Well, in a way, yes. Though, there were several circumstances that led to my decision and ability to make that decision. When my grandfather passed, I legally became able to decide who I want to marry, which means I don't have to be forced into a marriage that I don't want."
Hermione nodded, "Pureblood rules are quite…complex."
"They certainly are." He replied. "So, the entire Greengrass family is rather upset with me at this moment."
"I'm sorry." She said.
He shook his head, "I'm not." He grinned, reaching over, and placing his hand on her knee. "I care about you and I'm so happy that I'm with you."
She smiled, placing her hand over his, "Me too."
"Let's go get some breakfast." Draco said.
Together, they made their way to The Great Hall. As they sat down to eat, an owl flew into The Great Hall and landed near Hermione, dropping a letter on the table.
"It's from Ginny." Hermione said, before breaking the seal.
Mione,
Yes. The entire bloody family saw the article and Mum is furious. She's not mad that Charlie is gay. She's just mad that he's kept it from her and Dad all these years.
Duncan is supposed to come over for dinner tonight so Mum and Dad can meet him. I'm not sure I've ever seen Mum so excited or Charlie so anxious.
Other than that, Charlie is okay. He's received quite a lot of post from people supporting him but also a few rude Howlers. He told me to thank you for your concern and that he loves you.
I haven't said anything to anyone about you and Draco. It ought to be interesting to see their reactions on New Years Eve. I'll be sure to have some charms handy, just in case.
See you soon!
Love,
Gin
Hermione smiled after reading the letter. She was grateful that Ginny hadn't told anyone about her and Draco. She knew that she needed to be the one to tell Harry and Ron herself. The brunette was also happy that Molly was taking the news about Charlie so well.
She looked over at Draco and passed him the letter, making him raise his brow in curiosity.
He took it and read it before nodding, "I'm glad the Weasleys are being supportive of Charlie."
She nodded but could see that something appeared to be bothering him.
"What is it, Draco?" She asked. "What's wrong?"
Shaking his head, Draco said, "It's nothing, Darling." He muttered.
She frowned, feeling concerned, "Draco…"
He shook his head, and looked at her, "It's just…something occurred to me a moment ago. If the Greengrass family is as upset with me as they appear to be, then I am quite likely to hear from my…from Lucius."
The brunette nodded, understanding his struggle, "I see." She said, "What are you going to do if he contacts you?"
With a quiet sigh, Draco shrugged, "I'm honestly not sure."
She reached over and took his hand, "I'm here for you, Love."
The wizard nodded, lifting her hand to his lips, and kissing it before quietly thanking her.
After breakfast, they went back to the Common Room and sat together on the sofa. Hermione desperately wanted to cheer him up, so she met his eyes and asked if they were still going to the Astronomy Tower that evening.
A small smile appeared on his lips, and he nodded, "Yeah. If you want to."
"I truly do." She replied.
He nodded and said, "Good. I was going to go down to the Kitchens and speak with the Head House Elf about making a picnic basket for us."
"I want to go down to the Kitchens with you." Hermione said.
"All right." He replied, "We can go ahead and go down there now…"
She scooted a bit closer to his body, laying her head on his chest, "Not just yet." She murmured, "I just want to be with you for a bit."
He smiled and wrapped his arm around her body, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "All right, Darling."
A little while later, they made their way down to the Kitchens and spoke with the Head House Elf, Tinky.
"What can Tinky do for you?" she asked, looking up at the two of them.
"We were hoping that you could put together a picnic basket. We're going on a date tonight up in the Astronomy Tower. I'd be happy to pay you." Draco said kindly to the House Elf.
Tinky smiled, "Tinky would love to do this for you. There's no need to offer any sort of compensation. Is there anything in particular that you would like in the basket?" She asked.
"Some sort of nice wine, please." Hermione spoke up.
Tinky nodded and replied, "Tinky will send the basket to the 8th Year Common Room after lunch."
"Thank you, Tinky." Draco said before leaving with Hermione.
Later, after lunch, when Draco and Hermione returned to the Common Room, there was an owl pecking at the window.
Draco let the bird in with a wave of his hand as he sat on the sofa with Hermione. The owl flew over, dropped a letter in his lap before landing on the perch beside the window to rest.
Hermione looked over at him as he stared at the letter.
"It's from Theo." He remarked, looking at the wax seal. "I'm going to read it later."
She nodded. "All right."
They remained curled up together on the sofa until midafternoon when they each went up to their dormitories to begin getting ready for their date.
When Hermione went back down to the Common Room, she found him waiting for her while holding their picnic basket. He looked utterly dashing in his casual clothing. He was wearing jeans, with a black tee beneath an open grey flannel shirt and a black and green woolen plaid coat.
"You look lovely, Darling." he said, watching her as she came down the stairs in her dark jeans, tall black boots, black turtleneck, and light grey coat.
She smiled, and walked over to him, "Thank you, Love."
"Are you ready to go?" He asked.
She eagerly nodded before they left to go to the Astronomy Tower.
When they made it to the staircase, Hermione led the way up them with Draco following a few steps behind as he hovered the picnic basket behind him.
Hermione arrived at the top of the stairs and smiled, looking around. She had always loved the Astronomy Tower because of the beauty that could be seen from it. Hearing some motion to her right, she looked over and saw Draco laying out the blanket and setting up their picnic on top of it.
"Would you like some help?" she asked, walking over.
He shook his head, "No, Darling. I've got it." He said, looking over at her.
She smiled and watched as he finished laying out the food that Tinky had put together for them.
Draco sat down and looked up at her, "Join me?" he asked, grinning.
She nodded and sat down beside him on the blanket.
"This is lovely." She said, admiring the set up.
Draco nodded, "Tinky did a great job."
"So did you, Draco." She added before
He leaned over and kissed her lips softly before pulling back, whispering, "Thank you, Darling." He grabbed the bottle of Elf-Made Wine and poured some in each of the goblets Tinky had provided for them.
"Did you read Theo's letter?" Hermione asked as they ate the various food Tinky had made for them.
He nodded, "I did." He said with a blushing smile. "He was quite surprised but also happy for me. He's also rather eager to see us together."
Hermione smiled, "I'm glad, Love." she said, feeling relieved but knowing that Draco was anxiously waiting for a response from his other two friends and possibly a remark from Lucius.
He winked and squeezed her hand.
When they finished eating, they walked over to the rail that lined the edge of the tower. Draco stood behind Hermione, letting her lean back against him as they looked out at the vast number of stars in the inky sky and the glow of the snow that blanketed the grounds.
"It's beautiful." She breathed.
He nodded and kissed her temple, "It is."
"Look!" Hermione said excitedly, "It's a shooting star!" She pointed to the streak of light in the sky.
The wizard grinned.
"You know…" The brunette smirked, "in the muggle world, when you see a shooting star, you're supposed to make a wish." She said, turning to look at him.
Raising his brow, he nodded and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and meeting her eyes.
"What'd you wish for?" She asked.
A small smile graced his lips and whispered, "That this keeps getting better and better." He said before asking, "What did you wish for?"
She swallowed, wondering if she should tell him. "That I…that I don't get my heart broken." She said before quickly adding, "Look, Draco, I know that we've only been together for an extremely short time, but I care very deeply for you. You…you mean quite a lot to me."
He smiled, "You mean quite a lot to me as well. And I can tell that what happened with Krum truly hurt you and that you need time to heal. I'm here for you, and I swear that I am not going to break your heart, Hermione."
She smiled, hearing her first name from his lips gave her a sense of security that she hadn't expected.
"Thank you." She whispered.
He lifted her chin up and kissed her softly.
It was nearly midnight when they returned to the Common Room.
Draco set the picnic basket on the floor and turned to Hermione, pulling her close. "I hope that you sleep wonderfully."
Leaning in, she kissed his lips with fervor, taking him by surprise. As they separated, Draco exhaled and grinned.
Hermione laughed lightly and quietly spoke, "You as well, Love. I'll see you in the morning."
He nodded and pressed one last, lingering kiss to her lips before watching her climb the stairs to her dorm with a small smile on her lips.