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Looking at her reflection on a shop's tall window, Hermione sighed. She never really understood why she decided to wear high heels. Maybe she did like them. Or maybe she's the fool who had her doubts that she wanted to check on. She put her headphones on to calm her nerves then she started walking the streets of muggle London again.
When she reached her destination, she took one last deep breath and pushed open the door to the café. She wasn't sure what she expected but she saw him standing by a table, waiting for her. Very much unlike the many times he turned up late.
He gave her a small smile as she walked to him. Draco Malfoy even pulled a chair for her and helped her in. He wouldn't know how nice it feels. She won't tell him. Not when she's surprised that he even complimented how she looks and how her high heeled shoes looked good on her feet.
She'd been spending the last year thinking she won't get to experience being treated the way he treats her now, yet here he is proving her wrong again. Somehow, she felt relieved that in a short amount of time, a lot of her doubts were dispelled. And it kept going.
For the first time since their parting, they sat opposite each other, taking their time to understand where they went wrong. Something they should have done a long time ago to save what they had. Yet as they exchanged confidences, they both agreed they were not mature enough at the time. It's amusing that they both accepted it won't have changed a thing if they talked about it then.
Hermione watched as he uncharacteristically threw his head back laughing like a little kid. He used to laugh at what she says before. But he never did so in a manner that's so un-him. It's strange that he thinks she's that funny.
She found herself a little shy as they told stories to catch up, having spent the past year ignoring each other. Mostly her fault really, even if she knows he doesn't share the same sentiment. Especially when he apologized for all the things he did and never did to keep their relationship.
They walked down the block to his car -- he even switched places with her so he was on the side nearest the road -- and she almost brought up his past self again and how she misunderstood him. But Draco started talking about the movies that his family watches. In particular, Die Hard, the Christmas movie she recommended. She never thought she'd ever hear him talk about how he spends Christmas like she wished he would, and here he is, recounting Christmases from when he was four.
Hermione has spent months thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end. Yet for the first time in a while, she felt that what's past is past. She really didn't have that much expectation in terms of how it will go moving forward when Draco invited her for coffee that day she told him to stay. But while she sat opposite him earlier in the café, on a Wednesday afternoon, she watched their story begin again.