Work Text:
“You can’t be serious.”
“I assure you I am.”
“Hermione-”
“Draco.”
“I need to see the fucking daylight before I turn into a goddamn vampire.”
“And I need to find this book. Now hush.”
He grumbled under his breath. How did he found himself in this situation yet again?
Well, it was all because of that stupid owl. Potter’s owl, as usual.
Autumn
“I’d like to actually enjoy my honeymoon, you know?”
“And I’d like a cup of earl grey.”
Raising to his feet, he sighed. “No sugar?”
She smiled appreciatively. “A spoon of honey if you can find some.”
His heart missed a beat at the way her eyes shone with affection, and he wanted to tear his hair out. Stupid, stupid, stupid feelings.
Early Spring
It had all started with a note. Not even his.
Potter had absolutely been having fun at his expense.
“You’ll see Malfoy, what it's like. It’s the best formation ever.”
“You’ll survive,” Ron had clapped him on his back. “We certainly did.”
“Seven years,” had approved Potter.
“Eight,” had quipped in Longbottom.
Draco had sighed. Granger couldn’t be that bad of a partner, could she?
And yet, there he was, sprawled on a fucking library’s floor, waiting patiently for her to find the book she apparently needed so very much.
He craved his bed, his apartment, his silk sheets; but fuck, here he was.
“Granger, I’d like to...”
“It’s Malfoy now,” she answered with a mischievious little smile.
And his treacherous heart missed a beat again.
How come she always knew what to say to make him shut up?
Late Spring
“I’m pretty sure it’s all normal. Very normal,” he drawled as his hands gestured wildly around.
“Are you sure?”
Theo frowned at Blaise’s question. “Why do you ask him? He’s obviously lost it.”
Draco slammed his fist on the table, peeved by their habit of talking about him as if he wasn’t there. He wasn’t that sloshed yet. “I certainly haven’t!”
As Theo arched a brow, Draco rose to his feet, both fists anchoring him on the table.
“I. Have. Not.”
Blaise’s smirk was answer enough that they both didn’t believe him. Draco shook his head. He would have to find better friends. Understanding friends. Friends who didn’t mock him, and make fun of him as he poured out his heart's contents, disclosed his feelings.
“I’ll have to choose Weasley, maybe,” he groaned, disheartened by the prospect.
“See, he's definitely lost it,” repeated Nott, that treacherous old pal of his who he would not ever see again.
Zabini shrugged. “Fine by me. I always thought he was not that sane anyway.”
Draco’s slurred roar was overcome by Theo’s question. “Do you mean that because he always had such a soft spot for Granger and denied it all along?”
“Indeed. Only he would deem it perfectly normal to fall for that bushy haired know-it-all.”
“I’m her partner; I'm pretty sure it’s part of the deal!”
Both his former best friends shrugged at his antics.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, mate.”
Pansy arrived, kissed Zabini quickly before sitting down. “What did I miss? Did he start moaning about Granger, already?”
Two amused glances and one very vexed one shot at her, making her cackle in delight. “When are you doing something about it?”
Draco tilted his head back, sighed once more. “I can’t, I’m her partner. There are rules.”
Early Summer
“Granger...”
“I’m almost done, Draco,” she sing-sang.
He loved his name on her lips, loved to hear her small gasp whenever he touched her cheek as he pretended to be her husband.
“I have a honeymoon to enjoy.”
His husky voice poured over her like hot liquid.
“Please do it.”
“I can’t do it without my wife.”
She rolled her eyes. “Behave.”
He groaned. “I’m always fetching you tea, and you can’t even be so nice as to kiss me?”
She laughed at him, squatting his arms away. “You’re terrible Draco!”
Well, at least he made her laugh, that was something, wasn’t it?
Late Summer
“Did she find it yet?”
Draco glared at him, clearly annoyed. “Did you think she would?”
Potter raised his hands in mock surrender. “I only mentioned the book, I did say it may not even exist.”
“And how well did you think it would go?”
Potter’s hand went to his nose, pressing his glasses a bit further up. “I actually doubt she could be worse with you than she was with any of us.”
Setting his quill down, Draco turned to face him, a leer on his lips.
“She combs through every library in every city on every assignment ever. I’m supposed to play the doting husband since it’s our cover, and trust me, I just want to burn all the earl grey tea I come across.”
Harry nodded slowly, his eyes shining with mirth as if he knew that Draco was exagerating. At least in the last part of the sentence.
“And you can’t tell her that you’ll have a look around instead of waiting for her?”
Draco’s face twisted in indignation. “Of course not! I’m her husband!”
“Pretend husband, and during the assignment only. I can’t believe Hermione would spend all her working hours on her recreational search.”
As infuriating as he was, the man was right. The mission was always done or mostly done during Hermione’s frantic search. But Draco couldn’t tell him that. He couldn’t let Potter know, even if it seemed the man had suspicions.
“No wife of mine, real or fake, would be left alone for three hours on our honeymoon, Potter.”
Harry smiled at the scornful words. “Fair point.”
Pleased with himself, Draco went back to his report but it seemed Potter wasn’t done yet. Before turning on his heels, he threw him a mischievous grin.
“You do have a library too, don’t you Malfoy?”
Early Autumn
“I’m going to kiss you.”
She didn’t even bother turning around. “You shouldn’t, there isn’t anyone for you to pretend for.”
He shrugged impatiently. “I’m not doing it for anyone.”
Hermione stopped at last searching for that godforsaken book and turned around. “Do you want to kiss me?”
Draco stood gobsmacked. What was it about that woman that completely left him exposed? Behaving like a moron?
“I- Well I... I guess?”
He stumbled over his words like some stupid teenager and he wanted to smack himself. Hard.
“Well. I say it’s not too early.”
Hermione was smiling as she set the books down, coming to stand in front of him. “My treasure hunt can wait if you've finally decided to kiss me.”
He had just cradled her face when the door to the library opened, making him jump apart as his mother appeared in the doorway, a suspicious look on her face. “We’re collecting rare books!”
Narcissa arched a brow. “Is this what it’s called nowadays?”
“Mother!”
The blonde woman smiled easily before backing down. “I’ll just come back later. Potter asked me if we had any book on violet ink, but it can definitely wait.”
To Draco’s bewilderment, Hermione pecked his lips lightly before following his mother. “Mrs Malfoy! I have been searching for that specific book for a long time and are you sure that...”
Draco closed his eyes, tilting his head back. If only he had not fallen for an ambitious bookworm.
One Year Later
“Draco!”
He hummed softly, stretching lazily. A pleasing drowsiness behind his sleepy eyes, he scrubbed at his face to remove the last remains of the night.
But Hermione was having none of that, as she tried to push him awake. “I’d like to actually enjoy my honeymoon, get up!”
“Whatever for?”
“Harry sent me a letter, there’s a rare book supposed to be here in Venise and I’d love to have a look at the local library.”
Draco groaned. He had managed to survive being Granger’s partner for a whole year; but suddenly he wasn’t so sure about his days as her husband.