Work Text:
It all started like this:
“Does your mother really let you leave the house with hair like that?” the small, blond boy chided. He shook his head, a mean smirk on his thin lips. He knew his words hurt others and he knew this girl would shrink in on herself. It’d make him feel happy, at least for a little while.
The girl with the wild hair turned to look at him quickly, golden brown eyes assessing him quickly. “Yes, she does. It’s quite a shame your mother lets you out like that, though. I’ve seen unwashed dogs with less grease in their hair.” Her words were sharp, to the point, like needles in a seamstress’s hand. She knew how to fight back.
Draco didn’t get his temporary high; he got a puzzle piece—a gift, really.
—
“You look messy,” he quipped. A weak attempt he would admit, but he couldn’t control himself around her. His cruel words came flying out of his mouth like angry little birds whenever he laid eyes on her.
“Is that all you have today, Malfoy?” she sighed. Hermione didn’t even bother looking up from her book—which, for the record, was much too large for a fourth grader to be reading. He hated how smart she was. “I was expecting more. What a disappointment.” Her bored voice made him want to scream and cry and throw a tantrum, but Mother said big boys didn’t do that anymore.
“Shut up, bookworm,” he muttered, kicking the leg of the table her book was on. For some reason, that was all it took to set her off.
“If you’re going to be mean, at least put some effort into it,” she snapped at him, eyes lifting from her book finally. “I’m trying to read here. Now, either leave me be or decide what you want to do. I have no time for your nonsense!”
Draco left the library, her eyes boring holes into his back the entire way.
—
“Never thought I would see you in detention, Granger,” Draco scoffed as he sank into the seat next to her. There she was, her nose in a fucking book, even in detention. Middle school was a lot rougher than elementary school and apparently his father couldn’t keep him out of trouble here.
“Just shut up, Malfoy,” Hermione sighed heavily, never looking away from her book. He watched her for a moment. She never turned the page. She was just staring at the open book, pretending to be busy.
“Is Honor Roll Granger upset that she’s in detention?” he mocked, a wicked grin shaping his lips. He leaned over the aisle between them. It was just them and some eighth grader in the room and that kid was in the far back corner. “Is little Granger gonna cry?” He let out a pretend sob and then laughed.
“I said shut up.” Her voice was low, coming through gritted teeth. Her eyes never left her book.
“Is Granger gonna go cry to her mommy about how unfair the school is? About how she didn’t mean to fuck up?” Draco laughed harder, holding his sides. He was too busy laughing that he didn’t see her snap right before his eyes.
Hermione slammed her book down on her desk and turned to face him, all in one swift movement. “You think this is funny?” she shouted at him. Her voice was sharp and loud enough to get the attention of the kid in the back of class. “You think it’s funny that I’m here? That I’m going to be in so much trouble I can’t even mentally conceive what repercussions could come from this?” Her eyes began to water and she angrily rubbed at them. “You think it’s funny my life could be ruined? Leave me the fuck alone, Malfoy! You don’t know anything!”
Hermione stood and snatched her book off her desk. Quickly, she brought her things to a desk at the back of the class, away from Draco and the eighth grader, and sat down by herself. She dug out her half-working headphone and her beat up iPod and did her best to tune out everything in the room.
The teacher running detention entered the room two minutes later and spent the whole two hours grading papers silently at the front of the class.
Draco didn’t move the entire time. He didn’t know what to think, what to say.
—
[8:23 pm] did detention suc as much as u thought it would?
[8:24 pm] you have no idea. Hermione Granger was there.
[8:24 pm] GRANGER?!?!?
[8:25 pm] Blaise you’ve gotta promise not to tell a soul.
[8:26 pm] y the fuck not???
[8:26 pm] because i said so, you idiot.
[8:28 pm] i think something's going on with her.
—
The weekend passed and when Monday came, Draco couldn’t find her anywhere.
“Why are you so freaked?” Blaise asked, obviously bored. He poked at his school lunch, his nose turned up. “It’s just Granger.”
“She never misses school.” He couldn’t stop looking around the cafeteria, eyes searching for her. What the hell had she meant? Who was going to kick her ass? Draco had to know.
“Well, she wasn’t in math.” Blaise rolled his eyes. “Just chill. I’m sure she’ll show up tomorrow.”
--
Hermione showed up on Tuesday in a wrist brace. She acted as if everything was fine and it drove Draco nuts.
“Hey!” he shouted once he caught her alone in one of the hallways. He grabbed her wrist and she let out a hiss of pain. “What the fuck was that on Friday?”
“Leave me alone,” she snapped, yanking her arm away from him. “I’m trying to go to the bathroom.”
“You can go after you talked to me!” he growled. “Just tell me what happened! That stuff you said, is that why your wrist is hurt?”
Hermione’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “N-no. I fell on my way home! Mind your own business, Malfoy, and leave me alone!” With that, she turned and ran into the girls’ bathroom.
--
Draco tried to talk to her two more times and both of which he was screamed at for. Then, he gave up.
--
[4:56 PM] what the hell is wrong with u?
[4:56 PM] Can you just cut to the chase and tell me what I did wrong this time, Pansy.
[4:58 PM] when did u go all soft on granger?
[4:59 PM] What?
[4:59 PM] I’ve definitely not gone soft.
[5:00 PM] u hvnt laughed at ANY of my jokes this week and its getting really annoying
[5:00 PM] like, whats the point of a bf even if u arent going 2 laugh at my jokes??
[5:01 PM] I mean...I’d laugh if they were funny.
[5:02 PM] now ur being mean! If u dont knock if off, ill just have my daddy talk to urs
[5:02 PM] Alright, I’m sorry, Pansy. I’ll be a more attentive boyfriend.
[5:03 PM] perfect! Thx!!
--
He stopped thinking about the detention incident once summer came around.
--
[7:12 AM] ready for our first day junior year, u dick?
[7:13 AM] Good morning to you, too.
[7:14 AM] come on. Admit u r excited! We’re no longer the little fish in the pool! We’re upperclassmen!
[7:14 AM] When have we ever been little fish anywhere, Blaise? What type of metaphor was that even.
[7:15 AM] ugh dont lecture my english before 10 am.
[7:16 AM] Whatever. My driver is pulling up to the school. I’ll see you in five.
[7:16 AM] And don’t you ever endearingly call me a dick again.
--
Four years of purposely not paying her any attention. Three solid years of avoidance, dodging, and skillful planning to not end up near Hermione Granger. He liked to think he was a champion at it by now, not that he could celebrate by telling anyone. If Pansy knew, she would throw a jealous fit and if Blaise knew, he’d roast his ass for at least two months. No, this wasn’t worth all of that.
Yet, he had already spent last night skillfully planning another successful year of avoidance. A night that, sadly, was flushed down the drain when she walked into his AP Calc class. Draco hadn’t been expecting her there--no, AP Calc was for seniors. He had worked hard and bribed two counselors to get in, to assure he didn’t have a chance of taking Advanced Algebra with her.
And now, she had fucking calculus with him four times a week.
--
“Can you pass this to the front of class?” she asked quietly, handing her homework to him over his shoulder. All the other students were passing their work up as well, but her voice irritated him. Draco snatched the lined paper out of her small, soft hands and passed it forward with his.
It was going to be a really long year.
--
[3:14 PM] is it tru u have like 4 classes with Granger this year?
[3:17 PM] I really wish it weren’t.
[3:18 PM] I’m not looking forward to listening to the know-it-all.
[3:19 PM] dude. That really sucks.
[3:20 PM] Thanks for the support.
[3:21 PM] i try my best.
--
“Did you understand the answer to 37b?” Her voice was quiet as she spoke, her breath warm on the nape of his neck. “I know I did all my work correct, but the answer in the back of the book was so far off from my answer.”
“It was wrong,” Draco muttered, not bothering to turn around. He couldn’t risk it. “Mistake on the editor’s behalf. I googled it last night.”
He heard her heavy sigh of relief behind him. It moved his hair and sent shivers down his spine..
“Oh thank goodness! I was worried I--”
He couldn’t stand it any longer. Draco whipped around and glared down at Hermione from his seat. “Listen, Granger, we aren’t friends. We’re barely classmates and we wouldn’t be if I could help that. It’s already killing my sense of smell being this close to you on a daily basis. Just because you sit behind me does not mean you can ask me questions about the fucking homework.”
Once all the words left his mouth, he took a deep breath. The people that sat next to both him and her were leaning away, fear in their eyes. He couldn’t blame them, it was an uncomfortable situation.
Hermione, on the other hand, looked outraged. “All I was trying to do was play nice,” she snapped at him, her tone low to keep from drawing more attention to them. “Excuse me for trying to make this year as manageable as possible. Your message was loud and clear, Malfoy. Turn around and don’t look back.”
She huffed at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He spun around and leaned over his notes, pencil pressed to paper so hard the tip snapped.
“Fuck,” he hissed to himself.
--
It was working. His new plan was a success. Hermione hadn’t talked to him in 56 days and he could slowly feel his sanity coming back.
Well, until the day their calc teacher paired them off in groups for the end of the semester project that was coming up.
--
[4:02 PM] It’s Draco Malfoy.
[4:23 PM] Great.
[4:24 PM] Wow, real nice way to treat your project partner.
[4:25 PM] I recall being shouted at for talking to you too much. Excuse me if I try to keep our exchanges to a minimum.
[4:30 PM] Fair.
[4:31 PM] That’s all you have to say? ‘Fair’?
[4:32 PM] You have a fair point, Granger. What more do you want? A gold star?
[4:34 PM] I’m just not used to the Great Draco Malfoy owning up to a flaw.
[4:37 PM] It does happen, just not to scum like you.
[4:38 PM] Ah. There it is.
[4:38 PM] There what is?
[4:39 PM] The rudeness. I was wondering where your sense of cruelty went and it seems to have returned.
[4:40 PM] No need to be a bitch, Granger.
[4:41 PM] If that’s all you’ve got, then I obviously hit a sore spot.
[4:52 PM] Gotta go. Smell you around later.
[4:53 PM] Wow. It’s like I’m back in middle school.
--
[6:13 PM] I heard Snape paired u up with granger! My poor baby!
[6:14 PM] I’ll be fine.
[6:15 PM] And I’m not your baby, Pansy. You broke up with me over summer for the french exchange student.
[6:16 PM] U will always be my baby ;)
[6:18 PM] Pansy
[6:18 PM] You’re gay.
[6:18 PM] Like a straight up lesbian. I asked you for a blow job and you gagged.
[6:19 PM] I’m just trying to be a good friend and sympathize for u and ur sanity while u work with granger
[6:19 PM] No need to call me out like that
[6:19 PM] Fuck
--
“You have the last ten minutes of class to talk with your project partners about anything you need to,” Snape’s dull voice instructed them from the front of class, not even looking away from his computer screen.
With a very heavy sigh, Draco turned his desk around to face Hermione. When she didn’t look up from her notes, he cleared his throat. Hermione rolled her eyes and looked up at him. “Yes?”
“We’re supposed to use this time to talk about our project.” God, why was she making this so difficult.
“What is there to discuss? I’ll do the project and you’ll put your name on it.” She looked back down to her notes, but Draco saw red. He snatched her pencil out of her hand and held it out of her reach.
“That’s not how we’re doing this, Granger,” he snapped. “I can carry my own weight.” A cruel smile found his lips. A chance for a question he always wondered was right in front of him. “How about we meet up at your place this weekend to start on it?”
Hermione turned pale, like the life had been taken right out of her. Draco almost felt bad. Almost . “My place?” she repeated, her voice quiet, defeated.
“Yeah, unless that’s an issue.” Draco crossed his arms across his chest and felt his grin grow.
“W-we can’t. My parents are...having guests over this weekend.” She spoke quickly, lies spewing from her lips. The poor thing couldn’t lie to save her life. “My parents told me no friends over this weekend.”
“What a shame,” Draco chided wickedly. “Maybe some other time?”
“Yeah...some other time…” Hermione sank in her chair.
--
[12:43 PM] Hey, I want to start the project this weekend, before the holidays start. Can I come over tomorrow night?
[1:06 PM] Absolutely not, Malfoy.
[1:07 PM] Why not? Little Granger afraid her family will love me more than her?
[1:09 PM] This isn’t one of your sick games. You aren’t coming over to my house. Ever.
[1:09 PM] That’s final.
--
[5:43 PM] What about now?
[5:45 PM] You’ve got to be kidding me.
[5:46 PM] Can I come over now?
[5:49 PM] A few hours difference isn’t going to change anything, shithead.
[5:50 PM] What if I told you I got your address from the school system and was driving over right now?
[5:50 PM] You wouldn’t.
[5:50 PM] Right? You wouldn’t, Malfoy.
[5:53 PM] Don’t you dare.
[5:57 PM] I swear to God I’ll kill you.
[6:03 PM] I’ll give you anything not to knock on my front door.
--
In hindsight, he should’ve recognized Granger’s uncharacteristic pleading as a major red flag. It would’ve made plenty of sense to read those texts where the most stubborn girl he had ever met was caving in and thought, ‘ wow, maybe I should stop ’. But, he didn’t.
Draco Malfoy parked his fancy Tesla right in the driveway of what appeared to be an average middle class family’s house. It was small for his taste, but it looked normal. It wasn’t the crack den he had imagined or anything that stood out. If his GPS hadn’t told him to park there, he would’ve passed the place.
He slammed his car door for effect. Draco thought it was hilarious that Hermione was inside somewhere, panicking. Arrogantly, he marched up to her front door and pounded on it. Sure, his mother would be ashamed of his manners at that moment, but he was just absolutely thriving.
Then, well, the door opened.
--
Everything happened so fast . The door swung open. A man shouting. Bloodshot eyes staring accusingly. The distinct smell of body odor. A hand reaching for his throat. Nails dragging on his skin. A voice as warm as honey. A girl with messy curls pulling the man back. Soft shushing. The door closing quietly. A heartbeat of silence. Hermione slipping silently out the front door, opening it just enough for her to squeeze out.
It was all so much he couldn't process it. Even as he sat out front of Hermione’s yellow and white house on the curb, her right next to him. After the chaos, the sound of his shaky breathing and her soft breath seemed too quiet. What had he just witnessed?
“I asked you not to come by,” Hermione said eventually. He had no idea how much time had passed. He expected a scolding, like the ones his father gave him when he used to sneak into his office. This was different. Her voice was soft and calm. There was no blame.
“I had no idea,” was all he could get out. Draco kept his eyes on the three grass blades growing out of the crack in the road between his two feet. He couldn’t look at her.
“Yeah, but by not telling you I guess I just made it too tempting.” He could hear her disappointment in herself. “You don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I doubt you’ve ever gotten one before. I should’ve known better.”
“Is this what you meant back in detention?” Draco hadn’t meant to ask, but the words fell out of his mouth like vomit--which he felt like doing as well.
Hermione was silent for a long time. “You still remember that?”
“Of course I do. You never told me why you blew up on me.” He forced some bitterness into his tone, but it was half hearted.
“What was I supposed to do? Tell my bully, the boy I hated the most, ‘oh, yeah, my dad’s schizophrenic and me being there meant I couldn’t go home and take care of him’? You would’ve laughed at me.” Hermione shook her head and let out a short laugh. “I think not.”
“You took care of him in middle school?” Draco looked up from the ground finally, eyes on the girl next to him. She looked older and a little braver now. It’s like she had stopped pretending to be happy right before him.
Hermione scoffed. “I’ve taken care of him since elementary school, Malfoy. My mom had to work twice as hard to keep everything we had after his break, so I picked up everything at home.” She shifted uncomfortably. “It isn’t all that bad, though. I love my father. He’s a good man still. He just...he forgets his medicine a lot. He’s so scared, you know? The least I can do is look after him.”
Draco nodded. What else could he do? “We can work on the project at my place, if you’d like. A different time, of course. I won’t, uhh, do this again. I’m sorry.”
He didn’t miss her pupils widening slightly. She nodded. “That...sounds like a deal. Don’t tell anyone at school, okay? Or I swear to God I’ll kill you.”
“I promise.”
--
“Get out of my house,” Draco groaned as he pushed his two best friends toward his front door. Pansy just kept giggling and Blaise threw all of his weight down to his feet.
“No way! Granger is coming here ? We’ve got to see this!” Pansy squealed and clapped her hands.
“This is going to be a moment to remember,” Blaise smirked. “Bitchy Granger spending the evening in Malfoy Manor. C’mon, just let us stay in the security room. We’ll watch everything from the camera system.”
“That’s fuckin’ creepy you know where my father keeps that stuff at, for starters.” Draco shoved the both of them and they stumbled forward. Sadly, they steadied themselves before they even began to fall. He had just finally gotten over his immense shame of being such a dick to Granger. He didn’t want his two best friends to give her an excuse to hate him even more.
“It’s not like you even actually want her here, right Draco?” Pansy asked and God why was he friends with someone with such a shrill voice again?
When Draco fumbled for an answer, the both pounced on him.
“No! No way! Does Draco have a wittle crush on Hermione Granger ?!” Pansy shrieked, white teeth flashing her predatory grin.
“This is amazing!” Blaise laughed. He laughed right in Draco’s face and clapped him on the back. “Fuck, I thought your rebound for Pansy would be rough, but Granger ? Oh God, I think I’m actually crying!” He wiped one of his eyes and checked his finger for moisture. “Oh my God, I am!”
“Draco, does she even brush her hair?” Pansy sniggered, eyes still playful.
“You two are the fucking worst.” Draco groaned. “Go on, get out of my damn house. I swear to God, I won’t have her hearing the two of you be dicks.”
“Draco’s got a crush on Granger!” Blaise shouted to the empty house. It’s not like anyone was ever home.
“Get out !” He had gotten them all the way to the front door and threw it open with the intent to shove his two childhood friends out on the doorsteps.
Except, of course, the one person he didn’t want to be there was.
--
“Draco’s got a crush on who now?” Hermione asked, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She was wearing her best stern expression, but she couldn’t hide her big, scared eyes.
“Oh shit,” Blaise muttered to himself.
“Time for us to go!” Pansy announced with one of her practiced smiles. She grabbed Blaise’s hand and started to drag him to the front gates. “You can help me find an outfit for my date this weekend.”
“No,” Blaise groaned, throwing a desperate look back to Draco. “You know how much I hate hearing about Fleur.”
--
His two best friends were gone, but Draco and Hermione hadn’t moved an inch. Hermione was watching him with calculating eyes, her fear still prevalent. Draco, on the other hand, was looking everywhere but at Hermione.
“Maybe we should go inside and talk,” Hermione eventually suggested.
“Uhh, yeah, sure, let’s do that.” Draco ducked his head and led the girl with the wild curls that he had harassed for years inside.
“Draco, your house is…” Hermione’s voice got quiet and trailed off. He glanced behind him to see her still standing in the entryway.
“Yeah, I know it’s big,” Draco shrugged. “You get used to it.”
“No, I mean...Yeah, it’s big, but it’s also terrifying. Who the fuck decorates their house in modern and gothic deco?” Her eyes warily ran around the room. He couldn’t blame her. Her mother had insisted on keeping the gigantic family portraits on the wall from centuries ago.
“That would be my mother,” he sighed. “Just...it gets better, I promise. My wing of the house isn’t terrifying.”
“You have your own wing?” She snorted. “That’s why you’re such a dick.”
--
[3:06 PM] can we get an update plz omg
[3:06 PM] We r still parked out front. We havent left yet
[3:07 PM] come on draco! Give us some news
[3:07 PM] I bet you $100 that she kills u or stabs u or something violent.
[3:10 PM] Is this a sign that u r dead? Is that y u rnt replying?
--
“Is it true? What Pansy was screaming?” Hermione asked. She was sitting on the very edge of a plush loveseat in Draco’s personal living room. He had his own fucking living room to see his friends in. All of her body language said she was ready to run, to jump to her feet and sprint to the door as quickly as possible.
“Do you want it to be?” He tried his best at using his Malfoy Charm that Pansy had always loved, but he didn’t need to see Hermione’s expression to know it fell flat. It didn’t help that his voice cracked. “Fuck, okay, don’t answer that.” He groaned and ran his hand through his hair. “I hadn’t thought a lot about it before today, okay? But when Pansy started shouting shit at me, I couldn’t say no? So that means something, right?”
“And now what?” She asked him, her voice accusatory. “Do you feel disgusted with yourself? Disappointed in your taste in women and their status?” Her knuckles were white as she gripped the cushion’s edge. Hermione’s whole body was stiff.
Why did her tone make his chest hurt?
“What? No!” He sputtered his words out. “I didn’t say that. I was shoving them out because I didn’t want them to be dicks to you when you got here. We’ve been, uhh, rude enough to you over the years. I’ve been working on not being a dick and I didn’t want them to mess that up.” He couldn’t stop himself from talking so quickly. Why was there sweat on his back? And why was his mouth so dry?
“Is this a joke?” Hermione demanded, standing up. “You think this is funny? What, are your friends in the other room waiting to see what ugly Granger does when Draco Malfoy flirts with her? This is really low, Draco, even for you.”
She didn’t need his help finding the exit.
--
[9:43 PM] U r telling me u just let her run out of ur house assuming u were pulling a prank on her?
[9:44 PM] That would be correct.
[9:45 PM] U r an even bigger idiot than I ever thought
[9:45 PM] I thought you didn’t want me liking her anyways.
[9:46 PM] I also never wanted to hear about u shoving ur dick in Pansy and yet, here I am, knowing too much about ur sex life.
[9:46 PM] Stop being a dipshit and text her or something.
[9:47 PM] What if she doesn’t answer?
[9:47 PM] Then call Pansy and ask her what ur supposed to do next. Idk how chicks work.
--
[9:50 PM] Hey. So I might’ve been a bit of a dick earlier.
[9:50 PM] I didn’t say all that as a prank. My friends weren’t in the house or whatever waiting to watch your demise. That would be really fucked up, even for me (I like to think).
[9:50 PM] I hope you see these and open them or whatever. I don’t know what I feel, but I wouldn’t have done that to you.
--
[10:32 PM] Okay, I lied a little. I know what I feel.
[10:32 PM] Fuck. I like you, Granger. I like your stupid bushy hair that can’t stay in place and I like the way it smells. I like that you’ve got better grades than me and that you aren’t intimidated by me being an ass. And you’ve got a really nice smile, especially since you got your braces off last year.
--
[11:47 PM] Pansy informed me that was the worst text she had ever seen in her life so if you could just unsee that, I’d greatly appreciate it.
[11:47 PM] Apparently I’m a dick even when telling someone I like them. Who knew?
--
[12:21 AM] Please reply. Even if it’s just to tell me to shut the fuck up.
--
Draco liked to think he had a lot of good ideas in the little time he had lived so far. He also believed this was one of them.
He sat in his car, parked out front of Hermione’s yellow and white house. It was mid morning and nice out. Beautiful, actually. Perfect weather to tell someone you liked them.
He picked up his phone and called her cell. When she didn’t answer the first two times, he began to feel doubtful, but on the third attempt she answered.
“What do you want, Malfoy?” she hissed through the phone, her voice crackling from the sheer force of it.
“I’m parked outside your house. I didn’t want to go knock on the door and upset your father. Can you come out here?” He kept his tone polite like his mother had taught him to when talking to a lady.
Her heavy sigh came through the phone after a moment. “I’ll be right down,” she mumbled and hung up.
She came out while trying to fix her disheveled hair. It was obvious his phone call had woken her up. She was wearing some ratty old t-shirt and sweats. With her arms crossed in front of her again, she glared at him from the sidewalk. “Yes?” she demanded.
Draco climbed out of his car, yellow hyacinths in hand. He approached her and held out the bouquet. It was obviously expensive, but he had purposely not gone over the top. He knew Hermione would have hated that.
“What are these for?” she asked, eyeing them cautiously.
“You,” he stated simply. “Now I’m the boy giving Hermione Granger flowers in public. It can’t be a silly prank if there’s no one around, if we’re out in the open, and I’m the one being vulnerable. Right?” He hesitated. “Right?” he repeated.
Hermione looked at him for a really long time before sighing and nodding. She took the flowers and fought a smile. “They’re really pretty. Thank you.”
“I didn’t mean to like you. I know that’s not what anybody wants to hear, but it’s the truth. I doubt you’d want to like me. I meant what I texted you, but in, uhh, less harsh ways.” He shifted from one foot to another. “I don’t actually hate those insane curls of yours--”
“Don’t use the word ‘insane’ like that,” she told him quietly. “Like there’s something wrong with it. Or ‘crazy’. You can’t call my hair that.”
Draco swallowed and nodded. “I like your, um, uncontrollable hair and I like it when you smile. I really like how fucking smart you are--”
“Even if I’m a know-it-all?” she interrupted, golden eyes demanding only the truth.
He sighed in return. “Yes. Yeah, I do. I like that you fight back--just like that--and that you’ve got this attitude and that you’d never let anyone put you down without a fight. I like all of that about you.” Draco took a deep, shaky breath. She was watching him with critical eyes. It felt like that moment went on for ages.
“Okay.” Was all she said. She spoke simply, arms still crossed, flowers still in hand.
“That’s...it?” He was in shock. He had bared his soul to her and all she had to say was ‘okay’.
“Yeah. What else do you want?” She asked him, one eyebrow raised. “You don’t know me, Draco. You just think you do. We’ve never hung out. You don’t know my favorite books, what type of music I like, what I do on the weekends. You don’t know me. You like the idea of me and I’m flattered, but that’s not enough for me.” Hermione shrugged and turned, headed back to the house.
“Wait!” he called after her and she stopped, but didn’t turn around. “Let me get to know you then? We can hang out and I can learn all of that about you and see if I still feel like this.”
Draco couldn’t see her smile.
--
[2:11 PM] did I just see u at the Three Broomstick with Granger?
[2:12 PM] god I love this group chat action. What did u see blaise???
[2:13 PM] Draco in his lucky jacket. Hermione with her hair back?? And she looked cute? In a dress?? And they both had milkshakes.
[2:15 PM] HE BROUGHT OUT THE LUCKY JACKET?!?!?!?!?
--
“You really fuck with chocolate, don’t you?” Draco laughed as Hermione killed the last few sips of her large double chocolate milkshake.
He loved when she blushed.
“Chocolate is the best flavor of everything, obviously,” she stated firmly before rolling her eyes playfully.
“It also appears to make you a lot more agreeable.” Draco chuckled as she threw a balled up napkin at him. “Okay, so now I know your favorite flavor of basically everything is chocolate and you love Pride and Prejudice more than anyone should.” He smiled, proud of himself.
“It’s an amazing book and all the movie adaptations are good!” She scolded him with a smile. “I watch the one with Kiera Knightly whenever I’m having a really bad day. It’s got a really beautiful soundtrack.” Hermione paused. “For our next da--hang out, we could watch it together.”
Draco couldn’t hold back his grin. “Fine, I’ll watch your movie, but only if you watch my favorite movie after.” He smirked at her. “If I’m learning about you, you’ve gotta learn about me, too.”
--
“Your favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?! ” Hermione doubled over in a laughing fit. She was taking over half of his big, plush couch just laughing her ass off.
“I never said it wasn’t good!” he argued with a grin on his lips. “But this is so much better! It’s got all the elegance of the original, plus the gore and suspense of zombies.” He knew what he was saying was ridiculous, but he really did like the movie.
--
Blaise was laying across Draco’s unseemly large bed, tossing his phone up and catching it over and over again. Draco watched him from the head of the bed boredly. Some days, they just sat around together instead of sitting alone in their mansions separately. Some company was better than none.
“Draco,” Blaise elongated his name in a long, ugly groan, “I am so bored!” He sat up and set his phone on the bed. “C’mon, when was the last time we did something wild? When was the last Malfoy party?”
Draco eyed his friend. “I’m a little busy courting Granger, right now. I don’t want to do anything stupid to risk that.”
“Parties aren’t stupid,” Blaise insisted. He put on his businessman-arguing-pants. “They’re a time for celebration and bringing people together. This is the perfect time for a party.”
“And who in God’s name are we trying to ‘bring together’?” Draco used air quotes and sent Blaise a skeptical look.
“Your world and Granger’s world,” he explained smoothly. “Imagine this: you invite all her friends, you invite all of our friends. We let loose in an all night party filled with alcohol and weed until the sun rises. Everyone leaves closer than ever before.” As Blaise spoke, he made dramatic motions to help narrate the picture he was trying to paint. “Your worlds collide. You’ve made it publically know that you--Draco Malfoy--are dating Hermione Granger and that means her friends are your friends.”
“Does that include Weasley?” Draco muttered under his breath and Blaise burst into laughter.
“Sadly, I think it does.”
Draco let out a loud sigh as Blaise continued to give him pleading eyes. “Fuck, fine. You have to get all the booze and drugs though; I did it last time.”
“Yes!” Blaise jumped to his feet and started texting away.
--
[2:23 PM] I can invite all of my friends?
[2:25 PM] All of them. Mine will be there too. I’ve got nothing to hide when it comes to you.
[2:38 PM] Okay, the boys are in, but only if there’s fireball.
[2:38 PM] I will personally make sure we have two handles of it.
[2:40 PM] This isn’t weird to you at all?
[2:41 PM] Oh, this is weird as fuck to me, but weird isn’t bad.
[2:41 PM] If I didn’t like weird, I wouldn’t have gone after you.
[2:42 PM] Oh, shut up. I hope this goes well.
[2:44 PM] What could go wrong?
[2:45 PM] Why would you ask that?
--
“To our new King and Queen!” Blaise announced dramatically while standing on top of one of the kegs in the entry hall of Draco’s family mansion. “We’ve all come here to celebrate the joining of Draco and Hermione!” He raised his red solo cup up in the air as a toast.
“Get down from there,” Draco shouted, tugging on Blaise’s shirt, but it didn’t matter. The sea of students cheered with Blaise, effectively silencing Draco. Blaise grinned down at Draco, who rolled his eyes.
If Blaise was going to be no luck, he really had to find Hermione. He might’ve agreed to this party, but Draco couldn’t imagine spending the evening with a bunch of Weasley’s as fun.
Draco looked everywhere, but he couldn’t find Hermione in any of the populated areas. She wasn’t drinking with any of her friends or outside smoking with the twins and Lee. He’d seen her come in and that was the only reason Draco knew she was in his house.
Listening to his instincts, Draco slipped off to the family library. It was dark, albeit one lamp that was on. There, sitting in an armchair passed down for generations, he found her.
“Is everything alright?” Draco asked as he walked to Hermione’s side. Carefully, he sat on the arm of the chair and placed an arm around her shoulders. Instantly, she leaned into his touch and let out a soft sigh. Even the smallest things about her made his chest ache.
“Junior year is almost over.” Her words were quiet, carefully chosen and handcrafted by her brilliant mouth. Her golden eyes looked up at him, searching his own.
“I know.” He furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand.” What did that matter? Soon summer was coming and he’d be able to spend all day with her, every day. It sounded like heaven.
“After junior year comes senior year,” she continued just as quietly. Her eyes were so sad. “Then we’ll be applying for colleges and graduating and leaving.” Hemione paused and Draco swore he saw her bottom lip tremble. “What are we doing here, Draco?”
“We’re dating and enjoying ourselves. Why are you so sad? We’re at a party full of people who are here just for us.” He couldn’t follow her train of thought. Draco had put this all together for her, to show her how serious he was, to pledge himself to her infront of all her friends.
Slowly, Hermione shook her head. “This is a bad idea.” Her voice was so soft, so quiet, that Draco almost couldn’t believe what she was saying. “I have a future to focus on. We’re just going to get hurt here. I wasn’t planning on dating. We’re just going to go to two different colleges in a year and half. I can’t.”
Hermione stood and gave Draco the saddest smile he had ever seen. “Tell Blaise I said ‘thanks’. He did a great job with the party.”
She left before Draco could even realize what was happening.
--
[1:02 AM] Plea se come bac
[1:03 AM] Hermione did yu make it home safe ?
[1:15 AM] Don t do this
--
Blaise found him at three am, a handle of Fireball empty next to sleeping Draco in the library armchair.
--
[12:40 PM] so how was it last nite? I didnt see either of u the whole time
[12:48 PM] I don’t want to talk about it.
[12:49 PM] Wait what? This was supposed to be fun
[12:54 PM] Yeah, well, she left me.
[12:54 PM] WHAT HAPPENED
--
Draco hated that Pansy had a key to his house. Their parents had deemed it appropriate that someone was able to check in on Draco during the times he was left alone. It was meant for Mrs. Parkinson to come by now and then, but had instantly been added to Pansy’s keyring.
“Are you fucking stupid?” her shrill voice demanded as she threw open his bedroom door. Probably?
“Go away,” he groaned. Draco rolled over and buried his face in a pillow. Her voice made his hangover headache threaten to become a migraine.
“I will not!” She was suddenly on the bed and hitting him with a pillow. “You let her leave?!”
Draco sat up quickly and pushed her back. He snatched the pillow from her hands. “What was I supposed to do?” he shouted at her. “Tie her down? She has her own free will!”
“When a girl leaves, you’re supposed to chase after her !” Pansy let out a dramatic groan. “You boys have no idea how girls work! Tell me everything that she said.”
--
So, maybe Draco was parked outside Hermione’s house again. In the passenger seat sat an aggressively beautiful bouquet of flowers. Roses . She was a fan of the classics.
His mother would love her.
Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He’d been doing his research. Last time he surprised her, he’d probably scared her dad by banging on the front door. Her father could be living a perfectly normal life right now, especially since Hermione had told Draco he had been handling his meds well. Now, maybe this was an awful idea, but he was desperate.
With the dozen red roses in hand, Draco made his way to the Granger’s front door on that Sunday morning. Gently, he knocked on their front door twice. He could hear noise behind it, but nothing like the ruckus he had caused with his first visit.
The door opened to reveal a woman that looked like an older, carbon copy of Hermione. Draco had never seen her mother before. She eyed him curiously with the same golden eyes she had, the eyes he loved.
Nervously, he cleared his throat. “Hello,” he greeted her as calmly as he could manage. Where was his Malfoy charm now? “I’m Draco, Draco Malfoy. Is Hermione home?”
“Oh,” Mrs. Granger said in surprise. She began to smile, eyeing the teenager and the flowers he held. “Yes, yes she is. Let me go find her.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Would you like to come in?” She made the offer with a warm smile that eased his nerves.
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Draco replied in his politest voice. His mother would be so proud of him.
“Nonsense,” Mrs. Granger held the door open and waved him in.
Draco entered the threshold and everything just made sense. The house was a chaotic sort of neat. Everything had its place, even with all the clutter. There were numerous bookcases in each room, stuffed to the brim. There were books stacked on most flat surfaces, well-worn and dogeared. The walls were decorated with academic works, geograph maps, astronomical charts, and an assortment of other papers. It was chaotic and nothing like his house and it just felt right . It felt like Hermione.
Footsteps came down the stairs quickly. “Mom, who was--” Hermione stopped halfway down the stairs, staring at Draco with wide eyes.
“You’ve got a guest, Hermione,” Mrs. Granger informed her while fighting an obvious smile. “I think I’ll leave you two alone. Your father is out in the garden; I think I’ll go join him.”
Hermione didn’t move until there was the sound of a closing door to notify her exit to them. All at once, she hurried down the rest of the steps and glared at Draco. “What are you doing here?” she hissed at him, her eyes narrowed.
Draco took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. “I’m here for you,” he told her boldly. “You made a decision for the both of us at that party. That’s not how this works. There’s two of us in this and we’re going to talk it out.”
Whatever it had been she was expecting. Hermione hadn’t been expecting that. She took a step back and eyed him warily. She glanced over her shoulder into the kitchen, making sure her family was really all gone.
“There’s nothing to discuss.”
“Yes, there is,” Draco replied. This time he took a step towards her. He watched her swallow and realized how right Pansy had been. He was supposed to be here. “You decided this was just going to end sometime in the next few months and threw away any chance we had.” He took a step closer to her, closing the space between them. Hermione had to tip her chin up to meet his grey eyes. Draco watched her worry her poor bottom lip.
“You don’t get to do that, Granger. So what if junior year is ending and we’re going to be seniors applying for college? We’re the smartest students in school. I can apply anywhere you apply to and am just as likely to get in.” Her eyes were burning into his and he had to steady himself to continue. “I’m here fighting for you . I want you to be mine and not just until we graduate. I don’t care, I’ll follow you to whatever school you choose. I’ll go wherever you go. That’s nothing new. I’ve always had to go wherever you go.” Gently, Draco cupped her pink cheek. “Don’t you see? I can’t let you go. I wasted so much time already here. I’m not letting you go.”
Hermione stared up at him, searching his eyes. “You’re fighting for me,” she repeated quietly.
“I have to.”
And that was it. Her arms were around his neck and she was pulling him down to her. Her chapped lips found his and they were softer than he had ever imagined. Hermione Granger was kissing him and kissing him feverently. He dropped the bouquet and pulled her against him by her waist. Draco moved one hand up to her hair and tangled it in her curls, just as he had imagined so many times. When he tugged softly, she let a soft gasp into his mouth and he was certain he was going to lose it. Quickly, he pulled back from her mouth and looked down at her flushed cheeks.
“I don’t think I can keep kissing you like this with your parents home,” he murmured quietly.
“That’s a good point.” Was she pouting?
“How about we put these flowers in some water and we go to my house?” he asked with a mischievous smile.
Hermione grinned. “That sounds like a plan.”