Birdcage
It had been a week since Theo’s engagement party. A week since Draco had realized he nursed a ridiculous, impossible crush for Hermione Granger. He couldn’t help it; it was almost as if it had always been there but somehow it took her words for him to realize it.
He felt sick with it, unable to sit through their weekly hangout on Wednesday. He thought if Theo saw him within any proximity of Hermione he would see it, no matter what he did to hide it.
It didn’t help that he’d taken it upon himself to take photos for the party, in addition to their hired photographer. He’d developed the habit of carrying a camera with him during his years at Hogwarts. And it had become an enjoyable hobby for him, pairing well with his interest in potions, since the pictures needed to be developed with a specific one to move.
Draco looked down at the picture he’d just finished developing and sighed. Hermione stood there swaying in Theo’s arms. The only part of Theo that was visible was his shoulders, with Hermione’s face being the focus.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Draco looked at the photos he’d hung to dry and found that almost every picture was the same. Every picture highlighting her beauty perfectly.
Well, fuck.
Draco’s heart squeezed as he scanned every picture. For Salazar’s sake. There was even one that was just her back with her hair bouncing in the light. How the fuck had he not noticed? How long had he been pinning?
At the realization, his breathing sped up, his chest heaving. His heart was beating wildly, and his palms were sweaty.
Before Draco could go into a full panic attack, the door to his dark room opened and he heard the voice of the last person he wanted to see at this moment.
“Draco?”
Hermione
Draco Froze. Maybe if he didn’t move, she would just go away? Before he knew it, he felt her presence behind him.
“Is that really what my hair looks from the back?” she groaned out.
Draco quickly put the photo back “Hermi-” he started before descended into a coughing fit. He’d almost called her Hermione to her face.
She patted him on the back with much more force than he would have expected from a woman her size “here” she was handing him some muggle contraption that he assumed held water. He quickly took a sip to try and clear his throat before he realized he was drinking from her water holder, where her lips had been.
He was now hunching over trying with all his might to cough up the water that had gone down the wrong pipe.
“For goodness’ sake Draco, are you alright?” She came round to face him, concern filling her eyes. He held up a finger signaling for her to give him a minute. Pulling at his collar he cleared his throat. “Yes, better now.” He croaked out.
With his throat clear Draco was finally able to take her in. She was wearing a loose-fitting shirt that hung loose on one of her shoulders with her bra strap on full display. Gods he couldn’t catch a break could he?
“Good, for a second I thought I was going to have to do the Heimlich on you.” She smiled.
“What the hell is a Heimlich?”
She flashed him that pretty smile and chuckled “Never mind.” And turned to bend over to look at the photos currently developing and Draco got a view of her perfectly plump behind. What the hell was she wearing? How could muggles allow their women to walk around with barely-there pants that clinged to every curve?
She continued to browse through the photos as she spoke. “Sorry for popping over unannounced but I had just finished a workout and remembered you had also taken photos of the party, and I was wondering if you had developed any.”
She was now walking around the room looking up. “Also, I wanted to apologize for making you suffer my company the other night, especially after I dropped that awkward bit of truth.” She chuckled uneasily, as if to reassure herself.
“I know you and I haven’t always been particularly friendly, what with me punching you in school and all, but I was hoping that could change, for Theo, you know, you’re like a brother to him.” She had now stopped at the picture of her swaying in Theo’s arms.
Draco didn’t know what to say. While he was struggling with a hopeless crush, maybe even a borderline infatuation, she was thinking he disliked her. He remembered he been opposed to Theo dating her in the beginning, but he had never been outspoken about it, had he? He thought they had always been amicable.
She backed up to where she could get a clear view of all the hanging photos and whispered “They’re all of me…”
Fuck
The panic that had subsided was back. Could she tell? Hermione slowly turned to face him, her eyes glittering in the low light, unsure and questioning. Her lips were slightly parted, and her face filled with realization.
“Yeah, yes, yeah”
Draco’s thoughts were spinning out of control. Should he confirm her suspicion? What would happen if he did? Could he? How would she respond? Would she tell Theo? What would Theo do? No, he couldn’t. He needed to answer fast because Hermione Granger was nothing if not extremely perceptive. Intelligent, quick witted, brilliant, beautiful.
“Ah yes. Theo asked if I could focus on you since you had a hired photographer. You know how he is, completely obsessed with you. Wanted nothing but photos of his beautiful fiancé.” His voice going slightly higher at the end of that sentence.
Hermione’s face changed quickly, her eyebrows furrowing, eyes blinking, biting down on both of her lips. Was that disappointment? No, no way.
He was probably just freaking her out.
She looked around the room as if wanting to look at anything but him. “Right, I should get going. Thanks for letting me see the pictures Draco.”
Before he could say anything, she was zooming past him and was out of the door. Leaving Draco to stare at the door she had just disappeared through. His heart squeezed again, and he rubbed at it as if he could soothe away the ache.
He quickly hung the pictures that still needed drying and rushed out of the dark room, not wanting to be left alone with the reminders that he had somehow failed to realize that he’d been pinning for Hermione Granger for who knows how long.