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“Astrology Granger, really?” The voice came from behind her.
Hermione jumped at the sound of her name. She knew it was coming, like it did almost every morning, but the voice always made her jump.
“Morning Malfoy. What do I owe for the pleasure?” she asked and slowly turned around, taking in the figure in her open door.
Draco Malfoy stood leaning against her door frame, giving her his trademark smirk.
There was no viciousness in that smirk, there hadn’t been in years. Just a playful questioning leveled at her. Her eyes swept down him, taking in his dragonhide shoes, fitted black muggle suit, his tie was already loose. His hair was swept back from his eye. He looked crisp, and stunning as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
His smirk turned into a true smile when she realized she had lingered too long on his chest. She flushed.
“Well, Granger.” He said, pushing off her door frame and entering into the room, taking in the star charts pinned to her walls and the several copies of Witch Weekly turned to the astrology columns. “Have you been confunded? Is there anything you need to tell me? Oh, wait. What is my favorite flavor of ice cream?”
“Malfoy, don’t be ridiculous, no one is polyjuiced to replace me, and you know very well that I cannot tell you anything about my work. Also French Vanillia.”
“Yes, yes Granger, remind me again how you were promoted out of Aurors and into the Unspeakables.” He said, settling himself in one of the chairs opposite her desk, his long legs stretched out in front of him and his arms pulled behind his head. “You know the whole department's IQ has dropped since you left. There isn’t a decent conversation to be had with the whole lot of ‘em. Even the Quidditch conversation is poor.”
“Well, have you tried?” She asked him teasingly. She knew he was dying for their old conversations, since she transferred departments over a year and a half ago. They spent hours having discussions and debates about magical potions properties, spell work and theory. Truthfully, she missed them too.
After she completed her masteries in Ancient Ruins and Arithmancy. She joined the Aurors two years after Harry and Ron, who chose the direct from Hogwarts path. Malfoy joined the department 1 year after her. After his year sentence in Azkaban and his two years on house arrest, where he paid a private tutor in Potions mastery before joining the department.
They were given a lot of assignments together. At first, she volunteered for them, because no one else in the department wanted to pair with the former death eater. They started to work together and it turned out, they were really an unstoppable pair. The departmental transfer was hard on Malfoy, and it's why she left her office door open, so he could come by when he wasn’t out on assignment.
“Oh please. Potter is always busy now, with his department head promotion. Langley is on assignment, and don’t get me started on the Weasel. If I have to hear another story about his son’s potty training again, I will curse myself. He also has terrible taste in sports teams. Then the rest of the bunch, ugh, don’t get me started, they all want to play fantasy quidditch again this season, and I do not want to host ANOTHER draft party. No amount of magic can get whatever drink Jordan spilled out of my silk rug.”
She smiled at these complaints, they were all true, but it also showed how much closer he had become with the people in the department.
“Well, I could see if I could get you transferred to my department.” She asked hopefully.
“No. This is not where I need to be.” He briskly.
Hermione suppressed a frown. She has been hoping he would transfer departments.
Draco saw the frown cross Granger's face. She had been trying to get him to transfer departments since she left the Aurors. However, he couldn’t transfer, at least not yet.
He hated disappointing her. So he tried to steer the conversation away to safe ground,
“Yes yes, so you can’t tell me what you are working on. But I can ask why you are looking so intensely at your birth chart” he gestured to the wall, “and why you have a very accurate map of the sky,” point at another wall “ and why you have roughly a year of divination columns in front of you?”
“I am trying to see what I can glean about Sagittarius.”
“The constellation? The myth? The astrological properties? Come on Granger, help a man out here.”
“Well, the astronomy aspect I get, I can tell you about the Lagoon and Omega Nebulas, I can tell you about the teapot with the milky way for steam and how to locate it. I can tell you that it was Ptolemy in the 2nd century who first charted the constellation.”
Draco nodded along silently, before saying “I assume you know about the myth?”
“Roughly.” She said turning away from him, to look back at the charts on her walls. “I know about the centaur Chiron but not much.”
Malfoy took this time to look her over, while her attention wasn’t on him. She had on a navy robe embroidered with stars that hung open showing the muggle dress she wore underneath. It was knitted in a dark purple tone and looked like cashmere. He loved when she wore dark plum tones, it warmed her skin, and brightened her hair without washing her out like that heinous Gryffindor red did.
Losing himself he sat forward “well, I can help you there, Greek mythological stories were my bedtime tales for years.”
“You didn’t get tales of Beetle the Bard read to you?” she offered a smile over her shoulder at him.
“I got the edited, less muggle-friendly versions of them.” He frowned before continuing “Chiron was born of two worlds; his father was the Titan Cronus and his mother a nymph. His mother, seeing he was a half breed centaur, abandoned him.”
“Apollo and Artemis found the baby on Mount Pelion, and took pity on the boy. They could see that he was inherently peaceful and kind. He was given a great education by his new family, music, medicine, prophecy, archery and hunting.”
“He became a sought after and respected teacher, mentoring Achilles and Jason and befriending Hercules. One day Hercules accidentally struck Chiron with an arrow that was dipped in poison. Hercules apologies profusely but Chiron held no ill will against his friend. However, he suffered from the poison, and since he was immortal he couldn’t die from the wound.”
“He struck a deal with Zeus to free Prometheus from his punishment from giving humans fire. Prometheus was meant to suffer for an eternity unless an immortal would trade places and head to the underworld in his place. Chiron was already suffering from the poison in his leg that could not be cured, saw a way to save two souls and willingly gave up his immortality.”
“He went peacefully to the underworld and Prometheus, who had already given fire to the humans, was freed and assisted Hercules in this 11th labor.”
Draco finished his tale and looked up at Hermione. She was still standing staring at the star charts.
“That was a lovely story, but I am still not sure how it relates to what I need to know.”
“Granger, if you can’t see parallels between you and Chiron, I am not sure what to tell you.”
“Har, har Malfoy. Yes yes the wise and outcast.” She looked annoyed.
“Who would fall on a sword for a friend?” He huffed. “Come on Granger, it’s almost lunch, let me take you to the leaky. A good lunch can set anyone straight.” He thought for a moment she would turn him down, she often did. For some reason she liked to work through her lunch hour. However, she turned and smiled at him.
“That sounds nice.”
Now sitting across each other, digging into their fish and chips, Draco could see her mind was still occupied.
“If you need advice on astrology, have you talked to the Weasel’s wife?” It was well known that Lavender would send cards with birth charts when a baby in the office was born, or compatibility scores if anyone became engaged.
Hermione broke into laughter. “Draco, come on. You know exactly how it would go”.
His heart quickened at the sound of his first name on her lips. He smiled and leaned forward. “Actually, I would love it if you would enlighten me, I have never had the pleasure of meeting her in person.”
Hermione wiped her hands on her napkin and leaned forward. “It always starts the same ‘Hermione. You are looking so drawn’ - which is what every witch wants to hear when they come for dinner. ‘You need to look towards Gemini, Hermione. It is an intellectual pairing, difficult and rewarding.’”
Draco felt his face flush. She obviously didn’t know that he was a Gemini. She continued “I love Lavender but sometimes I just miss talking to someone about logical things. Draco, why won’t you transfer departments and come work with me? We could be a great team. You are being wasted with the Auror’s.”
He met her gaze and took a deep breath.
“Because I want to date you, Hermione.” He said quickly, before he lost the nerve. She blinked at him, and watched her flush as what he said sunk into her. He rushed ahead.
“We can’t date if we are in the same department. I’ve been waiting to ask you out for the last year once you transferred departments. I just hadn’t gotten the chance to ask yet. I thought if we dated, and things went well, maybe in a few years I could transfer into your department.”
He made eye contact with her, and she was smiling so brightly at him. He felt a rush to his heart he was worried he’d never feel with her.
“And why would you be able to transfer in a few years?” She asked coyly.
“Well, I figured, after we were married, the department wouldn’t have a problem with a married couple in the same department, as long as things were above board.”
“So you have really put some thought into this?” She smiled again at him, he felt his cheeks flush.
“Of course I have. This is important.” He said softly, looking down at his remaining chips.
“I’d love to go out with you Draco.” She reached across the table taking his hand in hers. “Is this our first date?”
“Hermione, please, let me sweep you off your feet properly.” he scoffed. “Are you busy tonight?” He asked, standing up and putting several Galleons on the table.
“No, but I was planning on working late.” She said, looking at him startled.
“Of course you were. Well, now you have plans at 7pm tonight.” he said, straightening his coat.
“Where are you going?” Hermione asked “We aren't done with lunch.”
He turned to her, leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It was tentative, soft and full of promise. Pulling away just a few inches he said softly.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I am sorry to leave you like this, please finish your lunch. I have to make arrangements for tonight.” He kissed her again. He stood and walked away.
“What about work?” She called after him.
“Everything else can wait, Hermione. I am a man on a mission.” He called over his shoulder as he left the Leaky.
She smiled to herself, blushing as she slowly finished lunch. When she returned to her office, her desk was barely visible under the massive floral arrangement that had been delivered while she was out.
The card said “You are my Lucky Star.”