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Hermione was walking down the Diagon alley, as she saw Narcissa Black (former Malfoy), with a man on the side alley. Hermione had talked to Narcissa a few times, hence she had oddly become friends with Draco.
The man Narcissa was with seemed… angry. Not visibly yelling or anything, but he had grabbed Narcissa’s side and arm, while Narcissa stood very defensively. Hermione approached slowly, as to not get noticed, but also not eavesdrop. As she came close enough, she realized the man holding onto Narcissa was grabbing her quite roughly, the woman almost wincing at times.
Hermione knew this wasn’t right, no matter who the person was. She walked next to Narcissa and said, “May I borrow you for a second, Ms. Black?”
Narcissa nodded, glancing at the man quickly.
“Yes.”
Hermione grabbed Narcissa’s hand softly and pulled her away from the man and a bit to the side. She asked, in a worried tone, “Are you alright? Who is that man… he was holding onto you a bit too forcefully.”
“I- I don’t know him. He just came up to me and pulled me aside to talk about my.. involvement in the war.”
Hermione frowned in response, glancing over at the man. He was glaring at the pair, and it sent goosebumps over Hermione’s skin. She took both of Narcissa’s hands in hers, and said, “Are you sure you’re alright? He was holding onto you so roughly… you winced a few times, he was hurting you, wasn’t he..?”
Narcissa didn’t answer. Hermione squeezed her hands softly, as she glanced back at the man again.
Turning back to Narcissa, she said as she lowered her voice a bit, “What exactly is he trying to get you to say about the war? It ended a decade ago, and you were on the losing side.”
“Nothing, I think? He wanted me to take responsibility or something.”
Hermione gave Narcissa a concerned look.
“Take responsibility? For what? You were just following your husband and the Dark Lord because you were afraid of-“ Hermione cut herself off, as the man started walking towards the two. Seeing the man approach them, Hermione turned to face him fully, making sure to have Narcissa behind her. The man was big, definitely physically stronger than her, but Hermione was not going to back away. The man stopped about two meters in front of her. She felt Narcissa gripping the back of her cloak. The man looked between her, and then over her shoulder to Narcissa, and said, “Step away, girl. This is adult talk.”
Hermione lifted her chin, trying to appear as intimidating as possible. She was tall, but the man still easily towered over her. She stood her ground, glaring at him.
“I’m a 27-year-old woman, thank you very much.”
“Sure, girl.” The man snarled, and as he was taking a step forward to them, Hermione took her wand and pointed it at him.
”You wouldn’t dare.”
”Try me.”
The man backed away with reluctance. The moment he did, Hermione grabbed Narcissa’s wrist softly, and started walking to the opposite direction swiftly.
Eventually, Hermione slowed to a stop in front of a small cafe, pulling Narcissa into one of the empty outdoor areas. She led her towards one of the seats and sat her down, still holding onto her wrist. Hermione finally let go and sat down across from Narcissa, taking another steadying breath. The adrenaline was starting to ebb away, leaving her feeling a bit more exhausted.
She studied Narcissa's face for a moment, concern still present in her gaze. Hermione asked, quietly, "Are you alright..? You look pale.."
”I always look pale.” Narcissa deadpanned. Hermione had spent enough time with Draco to know it was a joke, and shook her head, amused.
Hermione reached across the table and placed her hand over Narcissa's. "That you do. But there's a difference between your usual lack of complexion and looking like you saw a ghost. “
”You sure know how to flatter a girl.” Narcissa rolled her eyes.
Hermione let out a short, surprised laugh at the comment, Narcissa was clearly still in defense mode, deflecting with sarcasm. But Hermione appreciated that it meant she wasn’t spiraling into panic. Narcissa’s sense of humor and snappy banter was something Hermione secretly liked about the woman, despite their past and the current stressful situation.
She squeezed Narcissa’s hand lightly before pulling back and waving over a waiter. "I’ll flatter you after I get you something to drink. Tea? Coffee?”
”I wouldn’t mind some wine, I do admit.”
In spite of herself, Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes and saying exasperatedly, “Of course you want alcohol. Why am I not surprised?"
She quickly ordered two glasses of red wine and waited until the waiter had left before looking back at Narcissa. Hermione sighed and said, in a slightly exasperated tone, "You know, you don't have to keep up the strong, snarky mask. Not around me, anyway. This whole situation was pretty damn serious, and you're still trembling."
”Forgive me, but we don’t exactly have a positive past. I know you’re friends with Draco nowadays, but I do not believe it fixes everything of my doing that was lacking during the war.”
Hermione leaned back in her seat and let out a weary sigh. She knew Narcissa was right; there was a lot of history between them, some good, but mostly bad. But Hermione genuinely considered Narcissa a friend nowadays, and she cared about her safety. She ran a hand through her hair, before meeting Narcissa's gaze again. Her voice held a serious tone, yet still managed to keep a hint of understanding.
"That's true, we have some rough history. But that doesn't mean I don't consider you a friend now."
”A friend? You must be insane.”
Hermione scoffed, shaking her head slightly. Narcissa was so stubborn, always pushing people away when they got too close. It was frustrating, but also… strangely endearing.
"Insane? Or just stubborn?" She smirked and took a sip of the wine that had just been delivered to their table before adding, "Look, I don’t trust you blindly because of your past choices. But I do know you’ve changed since then."
A pause as she studied Narcissa's face again.
"And more importantly, you didn't deserve getting manhandled like that back there."
”I suppose I should thank you. I can’t have access to my magic since the ministry decided so, the situation could’ve ended badly.”
Hermione's eyebrows rose at the confession, and she nodded slowly in understanding. She knew that after the war, many Death Eaters and alliances were stripped of their magic as part of their sentence. And she had heard from Draco that his mother was taking it quite roughly. She wasn’t going to mention that though.
She leaned forward in her seat, folding her hands on the table.
"Right, I remember hearing something about that… it's quite a harsh punishment."
She bit her lip, a frown forming on her face. "That man, back in the alley, he knew you couldn't use your magic. That's why he went after you like that..”
”Most likely, yes.”
Hermione was still frowning, her mind racing. The thought of Narcissa being helpless to defend herself made something unpleasant twist inside of Hermione. Sure, Narcissa had been an enemy in the war, but no one deserved to be attacked like that. She drummed her fingers on the tabletop as she thought for a while, then turned her gaze back to Narcissa, her voice quieter now.
"Can I ask you something?"
”Sure. But I won’t promise I’ll answer.”
A soft huff of mild frustration at Narcissa's stubbornness passed through Hermione's lips, but she pushed it aside for now. The woman was clearly still on edge, even if she hid it behind sarcasm.
She took a deep breath and asked, in a tone that was half serious, half joking, "Why do you always have to be so… difficult?”
”In what way?”
A wry smile tugged at the corner of Hermione's mouth at Narcissa's question. The woman was being deliberately obtuse, and it was both infuriating and endearing.
"Oh come on, you know what I mean. You're stubborn as a mule, you never let your guard down, and you're always so snarky."
She said the last word with a hint of fond annoyance, then added, in a quiet tone, "You're bloody difficult to befriend, you know that?"
”I just don’t understand why you would want to befriend me. When Bel- my insane sister tortured you ten years ago, in my house, on my floor, I did nothing. I was a coward. And yet, you want to befriend me?”
Hermione's expression shifted at the mention of Bellatrix’s torture. Her grip on her glass tightened slightly, but she didn’t look away from Narcissa. She did appreciate how Narcissa avoided saying Bellatrix’s name with her though.
"You were terrified, trapped in your own home, surrounded by madness. And even then… you helped me escape when it mattered."
Narcissa chuckled dryly.
”Oh dear Merlin, you Gryffindors are stubborn.”
Hermione couldn't help a small, amused smile at the dry chuckle. It was surprisingly easy to slip back into this familiar and rather entertaining banter with Narcissa. She leaned back in her seat and replied in a light-hearted tone: "Says the Slytherin. You're just as stubborn as I am, you know. Maybe even more."
”Touché.”
Hermione took another sip of her wine, still smiling. The banter with Narcissa was proving to be a welcome distraction from the earlier stressful situation. But the concern and worry over the woman’s safety still lingered in the back of her mind. Hermione watched Narcissa silently for a few moments before speaking up again, her tone more serious now.
"That aside… I'm really not liking the idea of you roaming around without any way to defend yourself. You're a sitting duck if you get attacked like that again."
”Oh please, you’re starting to sound like Draco. I’m fine.”
Hermione rolled her eyes, the familiar annoyance flashing through her again. Stubborn woman…
"Right, because you're so good at taking care of yourself," she snapped sarcastically. Hermione sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
”And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Narcissa narrowed her eyes.
Hermione held Narcissa's gaze, her frustration with the stubborn woman beginning to show. Why was she being so damn stubborn and oblivious?
"You know what I mean," she said, exasperated. "I get that you're used to acting like you're invincible, but you're not. You're defenseless, an easy target if anyone wants to attack you. For Merlin's sake…"
”Do you think I don’t know that?” Narcissa hissed.
Hermione froze for a second, the sharpness in Narcissa's tone cutting through her frustration. The woman was clearly angry, but beneath that anger was something else. Fear? Shame? Her expression softened slightly as she realized Narcissa wasn't just being stubborn, she actually knew how vulnerable she was right now.
"...No," Hermione admitted quietly, her voice losing its edge. "I don’t think you don't know. But I also don’t think you're doing anything about it."
”What on earth could I do?”
Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but hesitated. Narcissa was right, what could the woman do? She had no defense, no magic, no way to protect herself... The thought was both infuriating and worrying. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, her frustration with the situation clearly showing in her expression. After a few moments of tense silence, Hermione finally spoke, her voice filled with a mixture of irritation and resignation.
"I don't know.”
”Exactly.”
Hermione let out a huff of frustration, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Narcissa's short and dry response. She could be such a nightmare to deal with at times, especially with her infuriating knack for being right. In a quiet tone, Hermione said, almost more to herself than to the woman across from her:
"You're really bloody difficult, you know that?"
The corner of Narcissa’s mouth curled into a small half-smile. ”So are you.”
Hermione couldn't help the small smirk tugging at her own lips, despite herself. Narcissa was being impossible as usual, yet somehow that didn’t make Hermione want to strangle her less.
"Takes one to know one," she shot back with a huff, but there was no real heat in it this time. A pause before she added under her breath, "You're lucky I like you."
Narcissa chuckled, and oh boy, Hermione was in trouble. Her cheeks warmed slightly at the sound of Narcissa's quiet chuckle, and she looked away quickly, mostly to hide the fact that she was smiling.
"Don't get smug about it," she muttered, swirling her wine glass before taking another sip. The tension from earlier had eased considerably now, replaced by something far more... familiar. A comfortable bickering rhythm between them. She glanced back at Narcissa and added dryly, "Though I suppose you always do.”
”Oh you know I do.”
Hermione raised an eyebrow, an amused glint in her eyes. Narcissa was impossible, yet strangely charming in her arrogance.
"You're insufferable, you know that?" she said with a half-smile, leaning back in her chair. “How in Merlin's name has anyone put up with you for this long?"
“Most people don’t, Ms. Granger.” Narcissa said coldly.
Hermione grimaced, realizing she'd inadvertently stepped into dangerous territory. She'd gone too far with the comment, and Narcissa's icy tone was a clear indication that the woman was insulted. She reached across the table and placed a tentative hand on Narcissa's arm, saying hastily, “That's- I didn't mean it like that, Narcissa. I was just- "
She fell silent, at a loss for words. Damn her big mouth…
“It’s quite alright.” Narcissa replied coolly. Too coolly. Hermione studied Narcissa's face, looking for any hint of deception. The woman was good at hiding her emotions, too good, in Hermione’s opinion.
She didn't pull her hand back yet, but she did frown slightly. "No it's not," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have said it, I’m sorry.”
Narcissa didn’t say anything for a moment, but her mask fell, and she looked surprised.
Hermione cleared her throat awkwardly and finally pulled her hand back from Narcissa’s arm, though she kept eye contact as she said, "You don’t have to act all shocked when I apologize. I can be decent sometimes."
”Mm, sometimes.” Narcissa took a sip of her wine. That red liquid slowly disappearing behind those red lips, oh dear lord.
“I can’t tell if you’re emotionally short, or overly emotional, as a person.”
“Depends on who you ask, Andy won’t stop calling me emotional.”
Hermione let out a surprised laugh at the comment. She could just picture Andromeda teasing Narcissa about being emotional, and how utterly annoyed the woman would be at her sister.
She smirked and teased, "Let me guess, you deny it every time, right?"
”Obviously.”
The smirk on Hermione's face widened. It was surprisingly satisfying to see Narcissa being so openly defensive about something. She raised an eyebrow and gave the other woman a sly smile. "Deny it all you want, but I'd bet every sickle in my vault that you're secretly a big softie."
“Oh please.”
Hermione chuckled, enjoying Narcissa's stubborn denial far too much. The woman was terrible at hiding it, every time someone called her out on being soft, she got that flustered look.
"Come on," she teased, "I've seen you with your cat.”
”Moon is way better than most humans.”
Hermione laughed, the sound warm and genuine. Of course Narcissa was going to be extra protective of her cat... it figured.
"I'm not surprised you like cats more than people," she said in a light-hearted tone. “You and Moon are both sassy, spoiled, and absolutely terrible at showing affection."
”Moon shows affection just fine, she just doesn’t like strangers.”
Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes at Narcissa's comment, though the gesture was more fond than irritated.
"You and Moon both have the exact same personality, then," she said, still smirking. "You're both cold and distant with people you don't know, but clingy and soft with the ones you care about."
“Are you calling me clingy?”
Hermione shrugged, her smirk growing a bit wider. It was too easy to tease Narcissa, she made it too damn difficult not to.
"I would say 'possessive' might be the better word, but also yeah," she teased, "a little clingy."
“And this is exactly why I don’t befriend Gryffindors. There’s no guarantee what kind of bullshit will come out of their mouths.”
Hermione rolled her eyes again, barely holding back a laugh at the response.
"Oh please," she said, "you love every second of it. You'd get bored if I didn't call you out on your pretentious little act all the time. Also since when do you curse?”
“Honey, I’ve been cursing longer than you’ve been alive.”
Hermione's mouth dropped open as she stared at Narcissa, momentarily speechless. She'd never heard the woman call someone 'honey' before, and that, combined with the realization that… yeah, it was actually true, threw her off guard.
She took a long sip of wine, trying to regain her composure before saying with just a hint of attitude, "I forgot how bloody old you are."
“Tst tst, you should know to never talk about the age of a woman at this point of your life.”
Hermione rolled her eyes again, though there was a hint of a smirk on her face this time. It was both endearing and irritating how well Narcissa could still throw her off balance.
"Oh shut up," she said, leaning back in her chair with a huff. "You know you're old. You'd just never admit it."
“I’m in my forties!”
Hermione couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Narcissa's almost offended tone. How cute. She chuckled before smirking and saying, the words heavy with sarcasm, "Oh, well then..."
“I will strangle you one of these days.”
Hermione let out a loud, genuine laugh at the threat, though she knew full well that Narcissa could and would follow through with it if provoked enough. And it didn’t sound entirely unappealing, having those slim fingers wrapped around her throat.
"Promises, promises," she teased between chuckles. "But we both know you're too soft to actually do it."
Narcissa’s eyes got a dangerous gleam. Dangerous, but oh, so hot.
“Do you want to bet?”
Hermione's laughter died in her throat as she caught the look in Narcissa's eyes. The woman was serious...Hermione knew she should just say 'no' and let the subject go, but instead, her mouth responded in a challenging tone before her brain caught up.
"You wouldn't..."
Narcissa stood up, as elegantly as ever, and sat next to Hermione. “Are you absolutely sure?”
Hermione's heart was suddenly hammering in her chest. She knew she shouldn't have goaded the woman like that… but now it was too late. A small part of her didn't want to back down, either.
She met Narcissa's gaze, her eyes filled with a challenging gleam, then quietly murmured, "...yeah."
Narcissa cupped Hermione’s cheek, then slid her hand against her throat. “Still certain?”
Hermione's breath hitched as Narcissa's hand moved to her neck. She could feel the woman's fingers just barely resting against her throat, and for some reason it made her pulse speed up even more.
"Yes." She said quietly, her chest heaving a bit. Gods, what was she getting herself into.
Hermione's vision blurred for a split second as the pressure on her throat increased, just enough to be noticeable. Her hands instinctively came up, not to push Narcissa away, but hovering uncertainly in mid-air. She knew she could break free if she wanted… and yet something about this moment had her frozen. Not in fear, but something way more complicated.
Narcissa took her hand away. Hermione's breath hitched again as the pressure disappeared, leaving her mind reeling. She was almost panting now, and her eyes fluttered back open to see Narcissa's face mere inches from hers.
“Stubborn little Gryffindo-“
Hermione found herself doing something idiotic, she grabbed the lapel of Narcissa's coat, yanking the woman even closer, and pulling her into a kiss. Hermione’s surprise at her own actions was quickly replaced by the feeling of Narcissa's lips pressed against hers. She was hyper-aware of every little thing in that moment, the feel of the woman's breath and hair, the soft noise of surprise caught in her throat, and the faint traces of the woman's citrus perfume...
It was all too much, and for the first time in her life, Hermione had no idea what she was doing. She pulled back slightly and whispered against Narcissa's mouth, "Bloody hell.."
Her chest rose and fell quickly as she tried to process what the hell had just happened, she had kissed a Black.
A full five seconds of stunned silence passed before Hermione finally choked out, "...I think I need another drink."
“You and I both, honey.”
Honey. Why in the hell did Narcissa's use of that word affect her so much? Hermione shook herself mentally and quickly grabbed her wine glass, downing the second half in one gulp. She refused to meet Narcissa's eyes, but she could feel the woman still staring at her, watching her closely. Damn it…
“You kissed me.”
It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. Judging by Narcissa’s voice, she wasn’t as unaffected as Hermione thought at first. She finally looked up to see Narcissa's expression, expecting to see mockery or anger... but instead the woman simply looked surprised, maybe a bit flushed. Hermione swallowed thickly and managed a nod in response, her own expression wary.
"Yeah. I did."
“Why?”
Hermione hesitated. It was a valid question, and she did have an answer to it... it just wasn't the most easy one to say out loud. She took a deep breath, trying to gather her courage... and then it all came spilling out in a rush.
"Because I've been thinking about it for weeks. Because you're infuriating, you're arrogant, and annoyingly attractive. Because your damn cat is more affectionate than you and I still find that ridiculously endearing. Because you're sarcastic and you drive me insane. Because every time you call me 'honey' in that stupid sexy tone I almost lose my goddamn mind.”
Hermione let out a bitter laugh, knowing her confession had probably sounded absolutely insane. Hell, it sounded insane even in her mind. She ran a hand over her face, trying to ignore how flushed her cheeks felt, and continued in a quieter tone.
"And because... because I think about you more than I'd like to admit. Because I find myself wanting to be around you, even though you drive me mad more often than not."
Narcissa played with a strand of her blond hair, seemingly lost in thought.
“Would it be an inaccurate statement to say you like me?”
Hermione was suddenly very aware of every little sound and gesture happening around her, as she fidgeted with the edge of her shirt and avoided looking at Narcissa's face.
"No." She admitted quietly. "...I do like you. Quite a lot, unfortunately."
Narcissa tilted her head to the side. “Huh.”
Hermione finally braved a glance at Narcissa, and found the woman was studying her with a contemplative expression. Her heart rate quickened at the attention, nerves and anticipation churning in her stomach.
She fidgeted some more, trying to appear casual despite how awkward she felt, and hesitantly asked, "Is that... a bad thing? That I like you?"
“Oh honey, it’s a very bad thing. I’m not exactly good for you.”
Hermione was about to make a sarcastic retort, something about how Narcissa was probably the absolute worst thing for her, for a bunch of reasons... but she swallowed the words when she noticed the sincerity in the woman's eyes. This wasn't just a joke or some flippant remark, Narcissa really was trying to be sincere here.
She let out a huff, a mixture of irritation and frustration, and said, with a small frown,"You don't get to decide what's good for me."
“So… you don’t care? Even though you know who I am?”
Hermione rolled her eyes at the question, though the gesture almost felt fond. Gods, this woman really was an idiot. She leaned forward, her expression shifting to one of stubborn determination as she responded, her voice quiet and firm.
"Of course I bloody well care, Narcissa. I didn't just kiss you without thinking this through, I know exactly who you are. All the good and all the bad and everything in between. But you don't get a say in whether or not I like you."
Hermione could see the surprise in Narcissa's expression and a small part of her felt a small rush of satisfaction. Narcissa Malfoy, the proud woman who was usually so confident and composed, was actually floored by Hermione's stubborn determination to like her. The realization gave her a burst of confidence, and Hermione smirked slightly as she said firmly,
"I like you and I like spending time with you, so you're just going to have to deal with that."
“Would it sound childlike, if I said I like you as well?”
Hermione was suddenly thrown off-guard. She had been preparing for some sort of snarky comment or witty retort from the woman, so the unexpectedly sweet question left her feeling strangely off-kilter. It also did funny fluttering things to her stomach. Oh damn it. Damn this woman.
She shrugged and tried to sound nonchalant, though there was a hint of warmth in her eyes and her voice.
"Yes, extremely."
“Oh shut up.”