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Delicate fingers firmly held the stem of a glass filled with rich, ruby-coloured elf wine. Hermione gave the liquid a swirl and watched as the thickness coated the sides of the globe; its descent was slow… a good wine she surmised with an arch of her brow. As she took a tentative whiff a lazy voice drawled next to her.
“It’s the best, Granger… compliments of Malfoy wine estates in France –” Hermione almost spilled the precious contents as she jumped in shock at the familiar voice.
Upon seeing the exact person she was nervous to see, she took a moment to regain her equilibrium before scoffing at him and taking a deep, fortifying gulp from her glass before responding. “Come off it Malfoy – you only gave the wine because you’re conceited and like the attention.”
Draco Malfoy smirked down at her as he took a sip from his own glass — which Hermione noticed was almost empty. After swallowing, the tall, blonde man levelled her once more with his smouldering grey eyes that made her think naughty thoughts. Her shoulders tensed in readiness for whatever taunt he would bait her with, it had become their “thing” in the years of working together at the Ministry. It was also the only real dialogue they ever shared: taunt and react.
“My, my, Granger – I didn’t realise that you took such careful notice of my motives or even of myself… but you are right of course. Can’t spend my last day here and not remind everyone that I never actually needed to work here.” That smirk was back on his face again as he studied her face, which was now flushed under his attention.
Hermione responded with a frustrated “Ooph!” then ground her heel before she could kick him in the shin. “You are so annoying Malfoy! This is the office Christmas party! Not a ‘remember Malfoy’ party! Will you ever get off from your self-erected pedestal?”
Draco laughed at her wholeheartedly; she felt the flush deepening on her cheeks. Then the pale man took the last sip from his glass before chucking her chin as if she was a little girl. “You’ll miss me the most Granger.” Then, horror of horrors, he pecked her forehead and strolled off into the throngs of Ministry staff partygoers.
Hermione stood frozen as she watched his retreating back disappear, what in Merlin’s beard had just happened? She realised that her mouth was hanging open like a gaping fish when a finger pushed it closed. Rounding on whomever, she saw a grinning Ginny and Harry, who looked a little green, standing next to her.
“Please tell me my eyes were lying… Malfoy did not just kiss you, Hermione?”
Hermione only nodded mutely at Harry, still suffering from delayed shock at the whole exchange, which had only served to dump her already turmoil feelings into further confusion. The thing was, she had realised somewhere in the last three years of working with the said wizard – and getting the opportunity to know the post-war Draco Malfoy – that she was completely and hopelessly in love with the ferret. And thus far completely believed it to be one-sided.
Because, even though he was obviously a very different man than he was a boy at Hogwarts, she couldn’t dare to believe that he would actually get romantically involved with a muggleborn. A man can only change so much, can't he? Okay, he had dated that half-blood for a while a couple years back… so maybe he could change that much? And now, this last exchange had almost seemed – affectionate? Well in between the arrogance, of course. Her mind and emotions were a complete mess now!
Ginny rested a gentle hand on her shoulder upon seeing the open myriad of emotions racing across her friend’s face; Hermione had always been a typical – ruled by her emotions and open with them. “You know – I heard the reason he is leaving is because of some mystery witch he is infatuated with –”
Hermione groaned but Ginny hastened to continue, “No-no — not like that… Apparently, he is running away from her. Slytherin that he is, such a cowardly lot they are.”
Hermione looked at her two friends, wordlessly asking them. Harry, still looking rather green, finally broke the loaded silence. “It has been obvious for months now, Hermione… you both are completely crazy for each other. We have been placing bets –”
A heavy hand landed on Harry’s shoulder and Ron stepped forward and finished their friends’ sentence. “—on whether you fold first or whether ferret face will. So far it seems I’m winning… I said he will run before ever coming clean. Coward.” Ron stood grinning goofily; Hermione realised they all spoke without malice though.
Peace was made between them and the Malfoys years ago and although they never became best friends, they were completely polite and at ease with each other. They even ended up at the same pubs on occasion. Each group tried to one-up the other, making for drinking game nights that left all the Ministry workers, Slytherin and Gryffindor alike, struggling the next morning. Harry groaned at his misfortune, and Ginny scoffed at Ron.
“And Harry bet that you will be brave and come clean before this party already… needless to say, he lost already.” Ginny laughed at her grumbling fiancé.
Hermione frowned; she was a bit put out with her friends for betting on her. But at this point, she was more interested in some other information first.
“And how do you know that he is running from some witch?” She folded her arms primly, making sure to not spill her wine that was still clutched in her outside hand, and her voice was its best imitation of Professor McGonagall. It never failed to intimidate her friends.
Ginny shuffled, giving Harry and Ron nervous glances, “Well… Theo told us… we all kind of pooled in the bets –”
Hermione raised her brow severely, arms still folded tightly, “Who... everyone?”
This time Ron mumbled out an answer after Ginny shot him an expectant glare. “Well, it’s us… then there is Theo and Daphne… also Goyle and Tracey – oh and Pansy –”
Hermione glared at her friends; she felt completely betrayed! She had thought that she had guarded her little secret crush very well, only to find out everyone knew it. They didn’t even seem bothered by it, which was one of the main reasons she never acted on her feelings — fear of rejection from her friends. And now they had even grouped in with the Slytherin lot to bet on her!
Without a response, she turned around and marched away with a last glare at them. As she stomped off, she gulped down the wine quickly, taking a second to once more appreciate the quality of it. Hermione was still fuming as she polished off her third glass and stood against a wall watching Draco as he danced and socialised. She mulled the words of her friends –mind you, she was still mad at them – around in her mind. They had said that he was infatuated with her as well? That he was taking the cowardly way out by running… Well, that would be in character for the wizard, she guessed. And it came on good authority – his own friends.
Harry had already lost the bet, and if Malfoy left tonight – then Ron would win the bet… And she couldn’t have that now, could she? After all, she had spent the last four years making sure Ron and Harry never won their various bets… it was a little game she and Ginny played. And besides, she didn’t want Malfoy to leave, and her friends had only now nudged her with the needed information to act.
Hermione glanced around the atrium, where the Christmas party was being held, looking for inspiration. She would have to be the brave one, and she would need to pull a very Slytherin stunt to capture her twitchy ferret. Her eyes landed on the various mistletoe hanging around, and a slow and satisfied smile curved her lips.
DMHG
Somewhere during the party, if one really noticed, they would have been oddly surprised to see the Hermione Granger, war heroine extraordinaire, crawling on all fours through the crowd of guests. If they had paid more attention, they would have realised she was crawling behind a certain blonde wizard with a sprig of mistletoe clutched in her hand.
But as it was, no one took notice – except for a certain two different groupings of friends. Some of whom seemed worried at the obvious developments, whereas the others seemed excited and rubbed their palms together gleefully.
Hermione was oblivious.
She just needed to get close enough to her twitchy wizard, and then she could plant the charmed mistletoe and make sure she was there. And so she kept hunching down as she tailed him, making sure that he didn’t notice her. Finally, she was satisfied with the locations and got up carefully, making sure that no one noticed her appearing amidst them. With her wand clutched carefully in her hand, she hovered the charmed mistletoe to fix above Draco. He was talking with some wizard from a lesser department, but no one was directly next to him, so she just needed to collide with him, and then the mistletoe would do its job.
When the mistletoe was firmly above him, she stepped forward and “accidentally” bumped into him. Hermione wanted to hide her satisfied grin when his hands closed around her upper arms automatically to steady her. “Really, Granger – if you want to swoon over me, just say so. I will gladly oblige you by stepping onto my pedestal...”
Hermione’s hidden grin instantly morphed into irritation, but before she could pull away from him to put him in his place, the charmed mistletoe stopped her.
Hermione flushed as suddenly a charmed light beamed down on them from the mistletoe, followed by some happy carol playing magically along with the light… she somehow had forgotten how tacky these charmed mistletoes were. The crowds instantly stepped back to clap them, urging them to kiss. Hermione glanced coyly up at her wizard. Draco looked down at her hooded eyes; Hermione gulped nervously as she kept his gaze while vaguely aware that he was still holding her upper arms.
“So… are you going to kiss me Malfoy?” her voice was tentative, and upon seeing his face still being kept carefully blank, she started to step back carefully.
But then Hermione stopped herself, and with a surge of Gryffindor courage, she stepped forward and pressed her lips to his.
And oh!
What a kiss it was! Instantly he returned the kiss, their lips meshing and melding with fervour, their teeth clashed, and yet it made it all the more real and raw. Within seconds his hands gripped her arms even more tightly as he kept her against him; her hands gripped his waist in an attempt to feel more of him. His tongue delved inside her mouth where hers met his boldly, and together they danced in an age-old rhythm.
Slowly their senses returned as the mistletoe’s carol died out along with its spotlight. Pulling apart, they still kept their grips on each other; brown and grey searched the other quietly as the partygoers resumed their business. But Hermione could hear some whispering happening, apparently, their kiss had topped all so far for the night.
“Why are you quitting again, Malfoy?” Hermione asked him quietly, still clutching his waist, her expression serious now.
Draco smiled and responded a bit playfully. “I was running away from this infuriating witch –“
With a scoff, she dug her fingers onto his waist, “You are such a coward, ferret – but it’s okay, I’m brave enough for both of us. Can this infuriating witch convince you to stay?”
His signature smirk appeared, “No, but she can convince me to visit here… you know, collect her for lunch dates and the like.”
A slow grin spread accross her face, and she tiptoed up to peck the corner of his mouth. “Will it be sufficient to convince you if she tells you that she might be in love with you?”
Draco dropped his hands from her arms finally, but only to circle his arms around her back to pull her flush against him. With a wicked voice he whispered against her ear, “I would truly hope it’s not a matter of ‘might be’… as it is, be ready for lunch Monday. I will collect you at one.”
And their lips met again for a repeat performance of that searing kiss they had shared.
DMHG
A bit away, a group of old Slytherin students joined the grouping of old Gryffindors with handshakes and grins. With a lot of grumbling, everyone paid up to Ginny and Pansy, who were grinning like the Cheshire cat. They counted their galleons gleefully before nodding that everyone was accounted for.
“Why do we never win Harry… It’s some conspiracy I tell you!” Pansy took mercy on a mumbling Ron eventually and smirked at him as she patted her fat pocket that housed her winnings. “If you ask nicely Weasley, you can help me drink up these galleons tomorrow at that new pub.”
Ron watched her calculatingly for a few seconds, then grinned at the pretty witch – whom he normally rather loathed, but hey if she was willing to share galleons – before nodding in agreement. Just then, he remembered the reason for the bets in the first place and turned a lovely shade of green, reminiscent of Harry’s earlier.
“Say… do you think Mione will like – you know – do things with the ferret face now?” Everyone grinned and nodded salaciously, except for Harry who turned pale once more. But before anything could be said, Ron got smacked behind on the head… hard.
Sputtering, he turned around to see a glaring Hermione and smirking Malfoy standing behind him. “Bloody hell Mione! What was that for?”
Hermione’s foot tapped in irritation as she continued glaring at him, “You don’t call Draco ‘ferret’ again in my presence. And quit discussing my sex life.”
Ron and Harry both gaped at her, but this time Harry responded. “But Hermione… you call him ferret all the time! And he calls Ron weasel and me scarhead…”
Hermione’s brows shot up at him, obviously astounded that he dared cross her. “Only I can call him that. And he won't call you that again either – in my presence at least.”
The duo grumbled but nodded; Draco seemed like he wanted to protest the last bit, but a glare from Hermione had him closing his mouth instantly – much to the delight of everyone around them. It was as they left to dance that the friends all turned to each other once more, glints of mischief in their eyes.
“How long till you think they either kill each other or marry each other?” Theo asked grinning as comprehension dawned on the others. Immediately the bets got raised.
Ron gave his first, “One week and Mione hexes his arse in a fight.” Theo then shook his head, “No… three months and he proposes.” Harry laughed him at that, “You wish! Three months and Hermione dumps him when he proposes.” Pansy and Ginny shared a look but waited out the rest.
“One year and he pops the question.” Daphne smiled in satisfaction at her bet but was instantly followed by Gregory Goyle. “Six months and he leaves her after a fight.” Tracey scoffed at her husband as she held his arm, “I say they will be pregnant by six months… and marry after the birth.” Everyone laughed at Tracey, for they knew Draco and Hermione, and they had too high values to have that happen.
Finally Pansy placed her bet, “I say they marry in a year after they break up temporarily in a big fight.” She nodded in satisfaction, and Ginny placed her bet with Pansy without preamble.
DMHG
One Year Later
Harry sat grumbling at the table designated to the closest friends of the bride and groom, Ron sat next to him also grumbling. The other lot did not look much better either. Only Ginny sat next to her husband, grinning widely. Pansy sat next to Ron with much the same grin. Eventually, Ron glared at his girlfriend and huffed. Pansy shot him a grin and then quietly slipped him half of her winnings under the table. “Make sure you buy me something with that, or I'll hex you, Weasel.”
Ron lost his pouty face and instead grinned happily at Pansy, then leaned in to whisper something in her ear. Whatever it was, no one would ever know, but it had the normally poised witch blushing red.
Just then the dancefloor got opened, and everyone turned to watch the bride and groom waltzing under the moonlight to their first dance as husband and wife.
Hermione looked up into her husband's grey eyes as they twirled around on the dance floor, she watched as he grinned down at her.
“Well, Mrs. Malfoy, I must say… I am awfully glad that you snuck that mistletoe over my head a year ago. I always knew you’d crawl after me one day –”
Hermione only pinched his side and glared before smirking naughtily up at him, “And I always knew you watched me every second…”
The End