Love Ain't

Chapter Five

In the four months since Hermione Granger broke up with Ronald Weasley, her life has gone on much in the way of business as usual. She has continued to work at St. Mungo's as a neurological healer, she has slowly but surely reconnected with Harry and Ginny after ignoring their floo calls for weeks and she has continued to invade Draco Malfoy's office at least once a shift– though, her motive for doing this may or may not have shifted slightly.

It had taken a minute (read: a few weeks) after Draco's chicken curry delivery to her bed for her to come to terms with it, but eventually she had realized that Draco's insistence on keeping her fed has made her feel more cared for than anything Ron had done in years. His consistent trips into Muggle London to get her favorite peanut butter cups and his attention to detail to making sure that her coffee was to her liking every morning have started to erupt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach with each passing occurrence.

Hermione Granger has a crush on Draco Malfoy. The very thought of that makes her feel vaguely queasy– not because of the subject of said crush, but because the very idea of a crush makes her feel like she's an awkward fourteen year-old with too-big teeth again.

Hermione exits the lift on the Neurological Maladies floor of St. Mungo's on the morning of September 19th determined to act as if today is any other day. If she's being honest with herself, Hermione doesn't feel much like celebrating, knowing that this is going to be the first year that she won't hear from or see Ron on her birthday since she was eleven. She doesn't exactly want to hear from him– and she certainly doesn't want to see him– but the loss is still felt regardless.

Hermione smiles despite herself when she sees her colleague and friend– and current crush– leaning against the check-in desk for her department, holding her daily coffee in his hand, as per usual. In addition to the coffee, Draco is also holding a white paper bag in his free hand, both of which he passes to her when she approaches.

"Happy birthday, Hermione," Draco smiles– a genuine smile that shows the dimple in his left cheek– as he walks alongside her to her office.

"I didn't expect you to remember," Hermione breathes, trying to hide her surprise as she unlocks her office door and places her coffee, mystery white paper bag and her beaded bag on her desk and takes a seat in her office chair.

Draco leans his right hip against Hermione's desk and flicks his eyebrow up at her.

"Of course I remember. Why wouldn't I remember your birthday?" Draco asks, his voice betraying his genuine confusion.

Hermione shrugs, taking her first sip of a coffee which she knows will be absolutely delicious.

"We've never really talked about our birthdays before. I wasn't sure if you even knew my birthday," Hermione shrugs, cradling her paper coffee cup in her hands carefully.

Draco crosses his arms over his chest.

"When's my birthday?" he asks, though there's a hint of something in his voice which Hermione can't quite place.

"June fifth," Hermione replies immediately.

"And you know that, how?"

Hermione furrows her brow, unsure of where Draco is going with this.

"We went to school together for seven years. Your mum would always send gift parcels on the fifth of June."

Draco nods, waving his hand as if to say 'yes, exactly'.

"Precisely, Granger. We went to school together for seven years– not to mention an additional year in healer training and our continued friendship after we've both graduated. I would have to be beyond dense to not know when your birthday is."

Hermione bites her bottom lip, unsure what to make of this conversation. Even if Draco is telling the truth that he has always known when her birthday was, he's never acknowledged it or brought her a special treat on the day of before. She doesn't exactly know what to do with that information because she can't think of a single thing that has changed in their dynamic since the year before– apart from her relationship status.

"Do you want to come out to dinner with me and Harry and Ginny tonight? F-for my birthday?" Hermione blurts out, her mouth evidently working faster than her brain. Of course, she wants to spend her birthday with Draco, but her stupid heart may or may not have just asked him to be her date to her birthday dinner without asking her brain for permission first.

Draco's eyes widen minutely before he schools his expression.

"You don't have to, of course! If- if you have plans or… or anything," Hermione amends, quickly shutting herself up by gulping down another swig of her coffee. It burns her tongue slightly, but perhaps that might not be such a bad thing in this moment.

Draco tucks his hands into his trouser pockets and eyes Hermione skeptically for a moment before he responds.

"No, I don't have plans. Where should I meet you?"

Hermione's heart leaps into her throat and it takes a moment for her to wrangle her singed tongue into cooperation, but the moment that she does, she replies, "I'll come by yours and we can apparate together. Is that alright?"

Draco smirks, making Hermione's stomach clench harshly.

"You're the birthday girl, Granger. You just tell me when and where and I'll be there."

"Alright, 'Mione, spill," Ginny Weasley-Potter insists when she follows Hermione into the restroom of the Thai restaurant which she chose for her birthday dinner later that evening. "You brought Draco Malfoy as your date?"

Ginny is smiling at Hermione somewhat manically, though the smile doesn't appear to be disappointed or upset– just intrigued. If Hermione knows her friend well enough, she would bet several galleons that Ginny is just here for the gossip.

"He's not my date," Hermione states truthfully. "We're friends. You know that."

Ginny crosses her arms over her chest, raising a copper eyebrow at Hermione.

"Friends don't look at friends the way that he's been looking at you all night," Ginny laughs, winking at Hermione as if her intention with her statement had been, in any way, unclear.

Hermione hates herself for even asking, but–

"What do you mean? How has he been looking at me?" Hermione wonders, biting her bottom lip nervously.

Ginny smirks in such a way which would probably instill fear in anyone who hasn't known the witch since she was eleven. Ginny Wealsy-Potter is an intimidating witch, but so is Hermione Granger and the latter has never been quick to back down.

"Like he wants to kiss you and eat you alive," Ginny replies, her words still laced with laughter. "You should've seen the way he was watching you drink your wine– like he wanted to be the glass."

Hermione leans to her left against the restroom countertop and bites her bottom lip again.

"And don't even get me started on the way that you were looking at him when he was telling you about that patient from last night– like he literally hung the stars," Ginny continues, this time, narrowing her eyes at Hermione. "If you don't go home with him tonight, I might never speak to you again."

Hermione opens her mouth to speak, but Ginny cuts her off before she can begin.

"Listen, 'Mione. I know that you and Ron haven't been broken up for all that long, but let's just be honest here– that relationship ended long before he actually moved out. I love Ron because he's my brother, but he was a lousy boyfriend to you. Malfoy has been a better boyfriend to you without actually being your boyfriend than Ron ever was. He feeds you and keeps you in caffeine, he humors your unnecessary nerves about work– he comes out to dinner with people he doesn't even remotely like just because you asked him to."

Hermione frowns.

"He doesn't not like you and Harry. He thinks that you two don't like him," Hermione corrects without thinking. "He and Harry buried the proverbial hatchet years ago, but he thinks that Harry would rather have buried a real hatchet in his back than accept his apology– his words, not mine."

The corner of Ginny's lips turn down in a similar fashion to Hermione's.

"Harry has nothing against Malfoy– not anymore. He actually told me this afternoon when you owled that he was coming to dinner that he doesn't feel like he has to worry about you as much when Malfoy is around. He takes care of you, 'Mione."

Hermione sighs.

"He feeds me and asks his house-elf to dry clean my clothes," Hermione argues, willing herself not to catch herself agreeing with Ginny.

"Neither of which he is obligated to do. He wants to take care of you, Hermione. Let him. Ron could only show you what love isn't. Let Draco show you what Ron couldn't."

"Thank you for walking me home. You didn't have to," Hermione breathes, smiling up at Draco when they arrive outside of her flat. She shrugs her arms out of Draco's jacket, which he had draped over her shoulders as they stepped out of the restaurant and hands it back to him.

"I know I didn't have to. I wanted to," Draco replies, accepting his jacket back and draping it over his forearm. "Happy birthday, Hermione. Did you enjoy your celebration?"

Hermione smiles brightly, nodding enthusiastically.

"I really did. Thank you for coming. I'm really glad that you did."

Draco quirks a half-smile.

"I wouldn't have missed it. Thank you for inviting me," he states, his mouth twisting into a frown of deep thought. "Hermione…"

Hermione tilts her head, encouraging him to continue where he trails off.

"Hermione, I– at the risk of sounding like a first year, I like you– as more than just a friend. I have done for a long while now. I never want to pressure you or–"

Draco's words are cut off when Hermione stands up on her toes, pausing for a moment in order to give Draco an out if he wants one, before closing the gap between them by pressing her lips to his. Draco seems surprised for a moment before his arms raise to coil around Hermione's waist, tugging her close against his chest.

The kiss doesn't go far– in fact, Draco pulls back fairly quickly, leaning to rest his forehead against Hermione's, a ghost of a smile gracing his now red-tinted lips.

"Well, now I feel like it's my birthday," Draco whispers, dipping his head back down to steal another kiss. "Should I even ask how long we could've been doing that for?"

Hermione brushes her nose against his, a wide grin taking root on her face.

"Probably since you brought me the curry, but it took a few weeks after that for me to realize exactly what I was feeling for you, so maybe not that long."

Draco nods in understanding, lifting his left hand from her back and using it to brush a loose curl off of her cheek and back behind her ear.

"Milly is going to have a field day with this new development," Draco chuckles, shaking his head as if in disbelief. "Do you have any idea how long she has been trying to force me to tell you how I felt about you?"

Hermione laughs lightly, though she isn't surprised to hear that Milly has had some sort of skin in this game. The small elf had always seemed a bit too invested in both Hermione's failure of a relationship with Ron and her friendship with Draco himself.

"At least a year, but probably longer than that. She was so cross with me when she found out that I didn't immediately ask you out as soon as you were no longer with Weasley."

Hermione smiles, at once believing that fact to be true. Milly is small, but mighty and Hermione would absolutely never want to be on her bad side.

"Do you think that we should tell her or let her figure it out on her own?" Hermione smirks deviously, meeting Draco's gaze with a raise of her brow.

Draco tips his head back on a laugh, his cheek dimpling adorably as his shoulders shake with the force of his amusement.

"Oh, I knew that there was a reason I liked you."

Hi, friends! Happy Friday! (:

I can't believe we're actually at the final chapter of this little fic! It definitely doesn't feel like five weeks have passed since I first uploaded it, but here we are. :P

I really enjoyed writing this little fic, if for no other reason than for healing purposes for myself, but also just because I thought that it was fun. (:

This fic, unlike most of my multi-chapters, doesn't have an epilogue. This is where the story ends, but I think that it was a good place to stop. Let me know what you think!

As is typical for me when I finish a fic, I want to let you all know what you can expect from me now that this fic is over. Potentially obviously, if you follow my other work, there is plenty more of Snippets coming. We're just a little over half-way through that fic, so if you're looking for a longer read and you haven't read that one yet, I encourage you to. It's currently my favorite thing I have ever written, which says a lot considering I've been creative writing for like fifteen years now.

There will also be Friday uploads for at least the next two weeks. I have a Fremione one-shot that will be going live next Friday (08/02/2024) and then a Dramione one-shot which will go live the Friday after (08/09/2024). I know that Fremione probably isn't the cup of tea for everyone who is here, but I still encourage you to read my Fremione fics. They're some of my favorites. (: Especially the one going live next week. There's a lesson in there. :P

After those two one-shots, we might not have Friday uploads for a little while, but I don't know for sure. I am working on a multi-chapter Fremione and I have tons of one-shot ideas for different pairings, but writing has been a bit slow-going lately just due to the chaos of my life. But worry not, I'm still writing and if nothing else, you'll always have the weekly Snippets uploads to tide you over. (: I hope that that's okay.

As always, thank you so much for spending a bit of your time here with me this week and for continuing to read my work. You seriously have no idea what that support means to me. I truly appreciate each and every reader. (:

If you feel so inclined, leave a review! I love reading your thoughts, theories, observations, favorite parts, all of the things! Especially for this chapter because now you can review this chapter and the fic as a whole. (: Thank you again and I hope to see you all again soon.