Hermione was pacing across the floor of her office, chewing on a fingernail. She glanced up at the clock on her office wall. The minutes seemed to be aching by. Any minute now she would hear back. Any minute now.
Turning on her heel, she started in the other direction. She had touched on all her presentation points. She had answered all of the questions she was asked, which wasn’t many. She knew the entire thing in her sleep. They both did. They had done everything they could, right?
There was a knock at her door. Hermione froze in her pacing, her head whipping towards the sound. It had to be him. Her heart felt louder in her ears.
Slowly, she made her way to the door and turned the knob, opening it.
“Granger.” Malfoy greeted. He said her name so nonchalantly, she almost wanted to punch him. Not to mention he was as pristine as always, not a hair out of place. How could he look so put together when she was nearly losing her mind?!
Hermione stepped further into her office, resuming her pacing. She couldn’t stand to look at him. “Well?”
She heard his dragon-hide shoes click across the floor as he stepped across the threshold.
“I received the news a few minutes ago.”
Hermione twisted to stare at him. He wasn’t giving anything away from his expression. She felt her heart beat faster.
“And?” Hermione heard the frantic nature of her tone. He had to know how she was feeling.
Slowly, Malfoy drew a piece of neatly folded parchment from the inside of his jacket pocket. It was sealed with the Minister of Magic seal, signaling its official nature. Hermione stared at it.
She shook her head, staring at him. “You read it.” She couldn’t do it. She wouldn't do it.
Malfoy’s eyes narrowed slightly before he carefully broke the seal. Hermione watched as his eyes scanned the page quickly. His brow furrowed slightly before all tension left his face. His mouth opened slightly in surprise. Malfoy stopped reading and gazed back at her.
“It passed,” He whispered.
Hermione’s heart stopped.Had she heard wrong? Did those words actually just come from his lips?
“It passed!” Malfoy said again, loudly. A chuckle of disbelief left his lips and suddenly Hermione’s feet were off the ground and she was spinning around.
Malfoy was exclaiming: “You did it!” Hermione barely had enough time to process what was happening. Her brain was still catching up. It had passed. They had done it.
She was still being twirled around and she finally let herself laugh with him. She didn’t care if someone could hear them from outside, the whole office could hear for all she cared. Nothing could sour this moment.
Malfoy set her gently back on the ground. His eyes were glittering as he stared at her. His mouth was pulled in a giant smile. Hermione didn’t know if she had seen him smile as much as he was right now.
“Malfoy, we did it,” Hermione emphasized. He had to know that it wasn’t just them, it was the two of them.
Shortly after the long and grueling months of Auror training, they had been paired together. Hermione was shocked. They interacted a bit in training but nothing enough to call their relationship anything more than acquaintances. I mean, their interactions at school weren’t exactly the most positive. And, if Hermione remembers, the incident as his parent’s property didn't place in the "best moments of my youth" awards.
But, being the mature adults they were and not wanting to cause more issues for their department, they decided to start fresh. And, as it turns out, they had more in common than they thought. Hermione was far more stubborn but Malfoy was far more outgoing than she was. He was better at speaking his mind and strategy while Hermione was better at researching and practical applications. Not to mention they were a perfect pair on the field. Hermione’s attack blended well with Malfoy’s defense. She never felt in danger around him. And, strangely, they became something of coworkers.
Sure, Hermione found him to be a prat at times. He was spoiled rotten. He was a picky eater and refused to try new things. But he was also a great listener and offered very good advice. He always challenged her and told her when she was wrong. So, slowly, they became friends. She would spend nights at his house, and the two of them would pour over case files and research for upcoming trips. Malfoy would come to her flat, bringing the plethora of research his library provided while Hermione introduced him to the various cuisines of the world. And, as it turns out, Malfoy was quite nice to be around outside of work. They could talk about everything and it only made Hermione more interested because he could match her. He could keep up. It was refreshing.
Hermione knew the moment that things began to change for her. He would stay the night, which wasn’t unusual. It was late and Hermione knew he preferred being with someone. They shared hotel rooms during missions. But then she woke up one night on her couch to find herself nuzzled into his chest, his arm wrapped around her torso to keep her against him. They had fallen asleep researching the significance of dragon eggs in the northeast of India, and it seemed they had just assumed a cuddling position.
Hermione tried to brush it off, to claim that it meant nothing. Simply happenstance. Nothing more. The fluttering in her stomach each time she thought about the firmness of his chest and the possessive nature of his embrace was nothing. So, she tried to forget it.
Each time he vouched for her in meetings, each time he shielded a curse sent her direction with his body, each time he spent the night on her couch despite it being early enough for him to go home, she tried to ignore it. They were just friends. And, he did not indicate that he wanted more. Neither did she. She would just keep working with him and be grateful. He would never ask her out, after all.
“Granger, you have to know how incredible this is. This is going to change the entire Auror department,” Malfoy let out another laugh of disbelief. Hermione found it rather endearing. She also realized that his hands were still on her waist. It wasn’t an uncomfortable gesture and she wasn’t one to complain. Especially with how handsome he looked at the present moment.
“Obviously,” She rolled her eyes. On the long nights of their research, they would often talk about the long-term ramifications of the new law. They weren’t trying to make headlines (Hermione already had enough of that thanks to Skeeter’s irritancy). They just wanted to help their department and the future of it.
He stepped away from her, still animated. “I mean, I had little faith in the Wizengamot. I never thought they would do it!”
Hermione pressed her fingers to her lips to contain her laughter. This was the Draco she liked seeing. Not completely put together as the rest of the world saw him. Rather, full of emotion and saying the first thing that came to his mouth. It was something she realized that she was privileged to see. Hermione squashed down the thought in her head that said it meant something.
Hermione turned away from him and towards her desk. “Now everyone is going to be safer. It’s a nice feeling, isn’t it?” She began tidying up. She had to tell Harry and Ron the exciting news, though she was sure they already knew. Word traveled fast throughout the department.
Grabbing her bag and her wand, she made her way towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Draco called after her.
“To celebrate. Obviously!” she replied. Hearing his dragon-hide shoes clicking rapidly behind her, she smirked.
Reaching the elevator, she pressed the button to go down. The Leaky would be open. The Three Broomsticks was also a good location to celebrate. There was a new Muggle bar that had opened down the street from her flat. Maybe she would try there.
Draco caught up to her, standing beside her as they waited. Hermione eyed him, noticing his cheeks were flushed. Odd.
The lift doors hissed open and she stood inside. He didn’t follow her but stood there, his eyes looking beyond the space.
“Coming?”
His gaze flickered to her and his mouth opened. There was a pause before he spoke.
“Go out with me.”
Hermione’s heart stopped for a moment and her brain short-circuited. She hadn’t heard him, right? Did he really just say-
“I would like to take you out,” He said again, this time with more resolve. His posture was pin-straight but his hair was still messy from where he had dragged his hand through it. It was both Draco’s: the one the world saw and the one she saw. The two halves of him she liked.
“What?” she squeaked out. The lift began to close and she slapped it open. There was no way she could go home now. Surely he had to be joking? Maybe a boggart had gotten into her office and was about to rip her heart out.
“Hermione, please do me the pleasure of accompanying me on a date where it will just be the two of us in a nice restaurant. I will pay for your meal and you will let me. I will tell you you’re beautiful because I have been wanting to every day for months.”
Hermione thought she was going to pass out. Malfoy found her beautiful?
“Okay,” she found herself saying. Her answer seemed to surprise him as he blinked, his mouth dropping open in shock. Then, it snapped close.
“Okay,” he repeated, stepping into the lift with her. He leaned forward to press the lobby button. Hermione let go of the doors and they closed. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She was going on a date with Draco. A date with him because he had asked her. Because he liked her.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. She whipped to face him. “You mean right now?!”
He turned to look down at her and shrugged a shoulder.
“Why not?”
Hermione blanched and looked down at her outfit. She was in her Ministry clothes, possibly the blandest clothes that she owned. Sure, she didn’t care about dressing for men but after waiting and investigating for months to see if an inch of her feelings towards him were reciprocated, she wasn’t going to just downplay this evening.
“I’m not dressed for a date!”
“I think you look perfectly fine.”
Hermione felt her cheeks flush. He was insane. She was going to hex him.
The doors hissed open again and he walked out and towards the Floo’s. Hermione followed behind, crossing her arms. He wasn’t getting away with this.
Hermione reached a fireplace and stepped in. Malfoy did a double take and frowned.
“And where do you think you’re going?” He snapped.
Hermione narrowed her eyes and jabbed a finger in his direction.
“You are going to pick me up at my flat in half an hour and we are going out for drinks. I will pick the place, no complaints.”
Malfoy raised an eyebrow. “Seems reasonable.”
She nodded curtly, dropping her hand and adjusting her bag on her shoulder. He took a step closer.
“Marry me.”
Hermione felt her entire body flush. This day was moving rather fast. She didn’t expect him to ask her out, let alone propose marriage five minutes later. Her feelings for him were deeper than she would have liked to admit. Perhaps marriage with him would be as effortless as being friends with him was.
She grabbed a handful of Floo powder.
“Buy me a drink first, then we can discuss marriage,” She said before throwing down the powder. The last thing she saw was Draco’s face breaking out in a large grin.