- Muggle London, 30th of September 1995 -
After saying goodbye to their parents, and promising to be back home before midnight, Draco only had to wait a few minutes for Deandra's confirmation that they were out of sight and that it was safe to apparate away.
"I hope you're not feeling queasy?" he asked as he steadied Hermione near the wizarding entrance of the British Museum, a popular apparition spot in central London. "It takes some time getting used to."
The brunette shook her head. "I'm alright." Finally taking in her surroundings, her eyes widened with excitement. "Were you planning on taking me to the museum?"
Draco grimaced. "Well, we were supposed to start our day off with a trip to the wizarding section of the museum, but since Umbridge is such a party pooper… I suppose we have to go on to the next part of our itinerary."
He offered her his elbow, but she decided to take his hand instead, clasping his fingers in hers. "Draco Malfoy has made an itinerary," Hermione whistled. "Are you already trying to woo me with your planning skills?"
He chuckled as he started guiding her towards Soho Square. "I knew who I was taking on a date, so I thought I'd better come prepared."
"And will I finally get to know where we're going?" she inquired again, looking at him expectantly.
"Always so curious," he teased her. "I heard you even tried to figure out my plans for tonight by accosting Harry and Daphne in the common room when I had to step in for Ernie and do rounds with Hannah."
Hermione's cheeks flushed pink and she looked away from him, hiding the smile on her face.
"Ah. So you did figure out something then, did you?"
The brunette nodded. "Daphne did tell me she recommended a wizarding restaurant to you. And Harry let it slip that he had to teach you the ins and outs of muggle money. So I assume that whatever we're doing tonight will be something magical, and something muggle."
"Even if part of our evening will be spent in both the muggle and the wizarding world, I assure you, all of it will feel like a magical evening," he quipped back at her.
"Stop being so cheesy," Hermione laughed as she nudged him with her shoulder. "I'm certain that whatever you have planned will be perfectly acceptable for a first date."
"Acceptable? Miss Dagworth-Granger. I am affronted by your description! To think you would assume a gentleman such as myself would only take you on an 'acceptable' date!" Draco kept teasing her.
Hermione laughed again and the two continued their playful banter until they were standing in the middle of the garden of Soho Square.
Looking over his shoulder for any nearby muggles, Draco muttered a notice-me-not charm as they walked up to a small Tudor-style cottage. He took out his wand and started tapping the door in an intricate pattern, much like he would do before entering Diagon Alley.
"I thought this was just a bomb shelter during the war," Hermione whispered quietly, waiting for the magic to settle.
"Ever the little nerd." Draco gently tapped the tip of her nose, making her smile.
Before she could retort, the door opened up and cast both of them in warm candlelight.
"Lord Malfoy. Miss Dagworth-Granger," the maître d' greeted them, waving them in. "Miss Greengrass told me we should be expecting you tonight."
"Daphne sends her regards," Draco answered in greeting.
"Miss Greengrass and her family have visited this establishment since she was a mere child. We feel honoured that she has recommended our restaurant to her friends and family. Please, follow me."
They were seated in a private booth in a corner of the restaurant, the windows enchanted to show the Tower Bridge at night, muggles crossing it and some even looking down to study the light reflecting in the river Thames beneath.
Hermione was looking around in awe, never having been in a magical restaurant before, and jumped up in surprise when one of the waiters called out to hand her the menu. She blushed at him and nodded her head in thanks, immediately searching for something she'd like to eat.
Now that Draco studied her complexion, she was looking rather pale. Perhaps, the detention and the blood quill's magic had drained her more than Draco thought it would.
"I feel a bit underdressed," she admitted a few minutes later as her eyes glanced over at the other tables. "You should've warned me this was where we were going."
Draco muttered a silencing spell and reached his hand across the table, taking her hand in his. "You're dressed beautifully," he assured her. "Tonight, don't care about wizarding customs or wizarding etiquette. We're just here as Draco and Hermione. Not as Lord and Heiress Malfoy. So don't worry. Besides, Daphne told me that the maître d' and his wife, who is the head chef, are both muggle-born. Perhaps it even amused him that someone finally entered here wearing regular muggle clothes."
"My wife may have been pleased that even Lord Malfoy has adorned muggle clothes tonight," a voice suddenly quipped as he neared their booth, having entered their privacy bubble. "Have you decided on what to eat?"
The teens decided to share some focaccia while they waited for their entrées. Hermione chose a ravioli with porcini mushroom in a creamy sauce. The maître d' winked at her in approval of her choice and exclaimed he would make sure his wife added some truffle oil if she'd liked. Draco decided on some pappardelle with lamb ragu and was promised some extra parmigiano-reggiano.
"Now I understand why Daphne likes to come and dine here," Hermione giggled. "She will never turn down an offer to make food even more delicious."
As Hermione pulled off a piece of focaccia and added some pesto to it, Draco asked her, "So, have you made some headway on the elder wand? You've been disappearing to the restricted section a lot."
Hermione nodded slowly. "I think I'm on the right track. I read up on wand lore and the myths of the Hallows. Dobby also found some extra books in the Malfoy Library for me to read, and from what I can gather, it's definitely real. A wand like that leaves traces throughout the centuries."
"Such as?"
The Slytherin witch started summing up powerful wizards and witches throughout the ages, and descriptions of a wand that did not seem to follow the conventional structure and build of the wands they were using nowadays.
"But the trail runs dry at the end of the nineteenth century," she sighed. "I might need to consult a historian to give me some more leads. But who is going to answer a letter from a fifth-year Hogwarts student?" she sighed.
Draco rolled his eyes at her. "Mione. You're not just a Hogwarts student. You're Heiress Malfoy and future Lady Dagworth-Granger. Don't forget that your status holds weight in the wizarding world."
Hermione bit her lip. "Perhaps it would work… I thought of sending a letter to Professor Bagshot. She was also born in Godric's Hollow, just as the Peverells and Potters were."
The blond raised his eyebrows at her. "The author of A History of Magic ? That could be a good place to start. Perhaps she knows more about the other hallows as well."
"Exactly my thinking," Hermione nodded in agreement.
Soon after, their food arrived, and the two teens enjoyed their food and each other's company in silence. Hermione eventually admitted she wouldn't mind a tiramisu for dessert, and Draco decided on a cup of black tea with milk and honey. He only wished that she would eat more and that some sugar would do the trick after her detention with Umbridge.
"What are you thinking about?" Hermione softly asked when she found Draco staring at her as she watched the Tower Bridge.
"How surreal this is," he admitted with a sigh. "I never thought you and me would ever go on a date. Last time, the war… And even now. I never assumed you would fall for me again."
Hermione smirked at him. "That confident in your wooing skills, are you?"
Draco let out a laugh but turned serious again as Hermione reached for his hand and entwined their fingers. "There was a reason why I wished for you to be free, Mione," he admitted. "I've never felt right for you. If you'd known me the first time then-"
"Enough with this nonsense," she shushed him. "I fell for you the first time around, when you apparently were an insolent bigoted brat. You've only ever been nice to me. Why would I not fall for your charms? Why would you not be right for me, when the bond between us was so strong?"
"I'm still so sorry that I broke it," he whispered to her. "If I had known the pain it would cause you, then I would have never- I would have at least talked it through with you beforehand."
"I know. But what's done is done. Besides, there is nothing stopping us from reestablishing that bond when we graduate, is there?" she winked at him.
The maître d' found him all flustered and blushing when he arrived with Hermione's dessert and Draco's cup of tea. "Ah, young love suits your complexion, Lord Malfoy," he teased.
Hermione giggled in agreement and graciously accepted her food. By the time they left the restaurant, it was with promises of returning with their families during the Yule holidays and a small tour of the kitchen to greet the head chef.
"We have to hurry up, or we might not make it," Draco urged Hermione as he led her across the road and into an alleyway behind Sutton Row.
"Where are we going?" Hermione laughed as he took her hand and started running down the street with her, only to end up in front of Phoenix Theatre. Seeing the movie that was premiering that night, Hermione looked up at him in awe. "You remembered," she whispered.
"I even already bought the tickets," Draco said as he led her inside. "I wonder if the movie will deviate a lot from the book."
"You've not only read Jane Austen, but now you are taking me to see the new Pride and Prejudice movie?" Hermione whispered as she stood still in the entranceway, looking at him in disbelief.
"You were mentioning some of my wooing skills earlier tonight," Draco said as he wiggled his eyebrows at her, I just thought that-"
Hermione ran towards him and flung her arms around his neck, kissing him full on the lips, and catching Draco completely off guard.
"Mione, love, I'm-" he stammered.
"Wonderfully romantic," she finished for him as she took his hand and let him towards the theatre shop to buy some drinks and popcorn.
The couple enjoyed the movie, even if Hermione did point out some of the discrepancies between the book and the movie, and lazily walked back to the apparition point at the British Museum at the end of the night, sharing another sweet kiss.
Only Deandra was still awake to greet them when they came home to the Manor and she gave both the teens a loving smile, urging them to head to bed.
"Thank you for today," Hermione whispered to Draco as she hovered in her bedroom door. "I'm happy that we got to go on a date."
"Me too," Draco smiled sheepishly. "We should do it again."
"We should," she nodded. "Would you go to Hogsmeade with me in two weeks?"
"Of course. Anything for you, Mione," he sighed as he took a step forward and kissed her softly on her forehead. "Now sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow."
"Oh, so Harry told you, did he? About Sirius' plan?"
Draco blinked in confusion. He and Hermione's parents had a brunch planned for everyone at the manor to celebrate Hermione's sweet sixteen from two weeks earlier. But what was she on about? Harry had mentioned they should meet up at the Room of Requirement tomorrow evening, but... "Sirius' plan?"
"To help us become animagi, of course," the witch smiled widely, excitement showing in her eyes.