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“Herms, you are aware you are not going to find your husband in a bar, right?” Harry told her as they both leaned over the bar to grab their drinks, a mocktail for Harry and a Vodka Cranberry for Hermione. The party was beginning to wind down and they finally found a moment to talk to each other.
“That won’t stop me from trying, Harry. I’ve been single for too long, so it’s time I fuck around and live a little.” She answered with a smirk that did not feel like hers. In fact, this whole situation did not feel like her. With a mini dress in a bar in the West End of all places, celebrating Harry’s and Theo’s bachelor party.
“Who are you and what have you done to my friend?” Harry asked, teasing, taking a sip of his virgin piña colada.
“Your friend died with Joshua.” They both shivered simultaneously at the name and then laughed it off.
“What a dick, Hermione, my god. You truly know how to pick them.”
“Are we talking about Joshua?” Theo asked, entering the conversation, giving Harry a kiss on the forehead. “He was hot.”
“That’s the only thing he had going for him, whenever I tried to explain anything about what I was studying he just stared at me dumbfounded!” She complained, drinking and letting the alcohol take charge of her words. “Somehow I convinced myself he was smart and funny.”
“Hey, cheer up. Maybe you’ll find a good guy to get over him tonight. Who knows?” Theo comforted her.
“Ugh, you are just saying that because you found your soulmate in high school.”
“Fuck yeah, I did.” Harry answered, giving Theo a kiss on the lips.
“Your love disgusts me.” She said, tipping her drink towards them as they headed towards the dancefloor. On it, he found Ron with Tamara, his wife.
Ever since they had broken up because they wanted different things for life, Hermione had passed from one disastrous relationship to another, guys tripping over themselves to get with her because of her fame and glow up, but somehow, someway, it always ended badly.
Still, she was determined, she had greatly evolved these past few years, she had expectations.
Hermione scanned the bar quickly, there were a few men that she could see herself with, Blaise Zabini was always an option, even if he had that horrendous non existent job that was modelling.
No! She must focus, not settle. She had already dated a fellow celebrity and it sucked, always wanting to go to public places where they could be photographed, and she hated it with a passion.
“And what’s a lovely girl like you doing alone at the bar?” A voice asked behind her. She groaned in disgust and as she turned to flip him off on that poor excuse of a pick up line, he found Draco Malfoy himself, looking surprised he had flirted with Hermione.
“Draco.” She said, being taken aback, it had been a long time since she saw Malfoy, after all, she could notice a new tattoo or two in his rapidly growing collection. The last time was when he apologized to her in front of the entire Ministry and then donated to SPEW (That was rapidly growing and her personal favourite project).
“Right, I should have known that you’d be at Harry and Theo’s bachelor party.” He said smiling. He had a pretty smile, Hermione noticed absently.
“Best woman duties.” She shrugged, trying not to blush. Why was she blushing? This was Malfoy for fuck’s sake.
“Ah so you organized all this? Great job.” He answered, he did sound truly impressed at the decorations of the bar, snitches, books and small brooms flying around, while the drinks and food consisted of Harry’s and Theo’s favourites.
(For some odd reason, half of them contained tangerines).
“Yeah, I- I took some inspiration from Ron’s bachelor party.”
“He invited you?”
“Of course, he’s- he’s like a brother to me, you know?”
Sometimes, late at night when loneliness consumed every other thought, Hermione would wonder what would have happened if she had settled. If she had granted Ron’s wish of having a big family over career development.
But no, Ron had been desperate for loving, for companionship that wouldn’t leave him. She had been right to leave, she mustn't lose faith.
She mustn’t.
“Right, of course.” Draco answered, chuckling nervously.
Why was he nervous?
“What are you surveilling the bar for?”
“Well, don’t laugh.” She said, downing the last of her drink. “I have had one horrible relationship after another for the last 2 years, so I am looking for a guy to date.”
“And guys aren’t scrambling to get to date you?” Was that supposed to be a compliment? Hermione was too tipsy to note.
“They are, well, were. I don’t date guys that do not satisfy certain expectations, you know?”
“Of course, it makes sense for a woman like you to have certain stipulations, you wouldn’t want to give your heart to just about anyone.” A pause, Malfoy was staring. “Want help searching?”
“Seriously? Thanks!” Hermione smiled brightly, then she hopped on one of the stools so she’d be leveled with Malfoy.
That guy was ridiculously tall, it was annoying.
“So, let’s see. Who haven’t you dated in Theo’s and Harry’s circle?” He asked, as he took a sip of his drink and she noticed he had tattoo’s going from his wrist into his arm, where they disappeared under his shirt. She shook her head and went back to people watching.
“Well, what about that guy?” Hermione gestured towards a dark skinned man, around thirty talking with Dean.
“Him?” Draco snorts “He’s a muggle drug dealer. He sells Theo his pot.”
Hermione sighed and looked around the bar again. Drug dealing was not a real job and she needed a stable source of income from her partner.
She looked around again and saw an ginger man leaning against a column and talking with Pansy with enthusiasm. “What about him?”
“He’s Daniel Jonesmith. Chaser for the eagles, sadly, his place on the team was bought by his parents, alongside everything else he has.” Draco commented, looking at her funny. “Third time’s the charm, isn’t it?”
“Uhm…” She looked around again, no one was really calling to her the same way that Ron or Joshua or Louis once did. “Him?” She pointed towards an asian man with curly hair, drinking a vodka cranberry and people watching
“Conan. He’s in an on and off relationship with Blaise. Their indecision is painfully unattractive if you ask me.” Draco answered. “Merlin, you truly know how to pick them, huh?”
She groaned into her empty glass and looked up at Draco again, maybe it was because she was a lightweight and she had had three vodka cran’s already, but he looked better in the low light of the bar, with floppy blonde hair and a soft smile that she had never seen him use before.
“Wanna dance? Maybe that will help you get your mind off of…everything.” Draco offered, and Hermione, that at this point had nothing else to lose, took his hand.
Muggle music was playing, The Cure, if she recalled correctly, one of Sirius’ (and by proxy Harry’s) favourite bands.
‘Show me, show me, show me, how you do that trick…’
She walked towards the middle of the dancefloor, still gripping Draco’s hands, and began to move to the rhythm of the guitar, letting the alcohol decide the moves, with closed eyes and low heels, she rose her arms and let herself lose, something she had not done in a long time.
She absently heard Draco’s laugh and opened her eyes, to see him mimicking her moments with a smile plastered on his face.
‘Spinning on that dizzy edge, kissed her face, kissed her head…”
She closed her eyes again and got closer to Draco, until they were dancing just a few centimeters away from the other, his cologne overtaking her senses.
‘Why won’t you ever know that I am in love with you? That I am in love with you?’
“Hermione…” Draco whispered, taking her by the waist. She leaned into his touch and pressed her head against his tattooed chest, putting her hands on his neck, but she did not lean in, she let him stare.
“Your indecision is painfully unattractive.” Hermione mimicked Draco’s comment, which made him chuckle.
“You are drunk, Hermione.”
‘You, soft and only, you, lost and lonely, you, just like heaven.’
The song ended and with that Hermione’s illusion, she had just been dancing with her bully from high school at her best friend’s bachelor party. And he had not moved away.
“I want you.” Hermione whispered, because it was the truth. She wanted this soft and funny Draco, the one with the light smile and pointy nose, that had covered his Dark Mark with muggle tattoos and donated to SPEW.
But this Malfoy sighed and shook his head, resignated, and she did not like that gesture one bit.
“You are drunk. Come on, let’s get you to your hotel, I’ll tell Harry and Theo.” He grabbed Hermione’s wrist and led her to the table where the happy couple was sitting.
“Bu-but I am Best Woman! I should give a speech!” She scrambled, she could not disappoint Harry’s decision of choosing her and not Ron!
“In this state, no, you are not.” Draco sighed. “Guys, Harry, you should probably take Hermione to her hotel room, she is drunk.”
“Oh, sure, of course.” Harry said standing up. “Theo, baby, would you mind signing the papers, meet you in our suite.” He gave Theo a kiss on the forehead and grabbed Hermione’s other hand, the one that was not being gripped by Draco. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
“It was my pleasure.” Draco said, before letting her go and walking away.
“Come on, Herms. Let’s get you to bed.”
They apparated away to her hotel room, where she let go of Harry’s hand and took off her heels.
“Am I truly so unlovable, Harry?” She questioned him. That must be it, there was no other reasonable explanation as to why she had such bad luck in love.
“What? No, of course not, Hermione. What are you even talking about?” Harry asked, grabbing her shoulders. “Herms, I love you, okay?”
“As a sister! And I love you too, Harry, of course. But I just want what you and Theo have, what Ron has wi-with Tamara, or what Louis has wi-with Sabrina.” She was sobbing, ugly crying in ways that she had not done in years and it was pathetic.
“Oh, Herms…” Harry whispered, hugging her tight. “You will find the one eventually, Hermione. You are so sweet and beautiful and oh so smart.”
Hermione couldn’t help but hug him back sobbing into his shoulder.
“Let’s go to bed, alright?” Harry asked her, and she nodded, she was so exhausted and all she wanted to do was sleep.
“Will-will you stay with me, Harry?” Hermione asked him, just like she did almost 5 years ago when they were on their Horrocrux hunt and Ron had just left and it was just the two of them against the world.
“Of course, Herms:” Harry whispered, taking off his suit and sending a patronus to Theo that he’d not be coming back, then he lay on the bed and patted the space next to him. Hermione lay down where he patted and hugged him tight. “Goodnight, Herms.”
“Goodnight, Harry.”
-
Two weeks had passed since the Bachelor party fiasco, and Hermione was back to her normal, stuck up, single self.
Because past mistakes were just new information, that night when the rest of her coworkers invited her to a bar, she copied Harry’s example and ordered a virgin piña colada. She would not get drunk in the proximity of another human being ever again.
Especially if said human being was Draco Malfoy.
“So, Granger, any new love developments?” Margaret asked her. She was bright, but she was also the biggest gossip that Hermione knew, so she always remained tight lipped around the woman.
“I am afraid not, Peggy, it has been a while since I ever so glanced at a man.” She lied. She rose an eyebrow, waiting for the inevitable challenge.
“Well, I’ve heard from a little birdie, Luca, that you were cozy with Malfoy at Harry's bachelor party.” This bit of information gathered ohhhs and ahhhs from the table, but Hermione chuckled.
“Since you were not invited I guess we’ll never know for sure.” She answered by drinking her piña colada with a smug smile. Merlin, she loved shutting that woman up for once.
“Still, you can confirm or deny, no?” That little bitch-
“I can testify that I did not cozy up with Granger, as you so eloquently put it.”
This made Hermione turn rapidly, Draco was leaning over their booth, staring at Margaret and not at her. This made sense, especially if they wanted to pretend that what had happened, hadn’t.
This did not make it hurt any bit less.
“Still, I’d like to steal her away for just a few moments, if she does not mind.” Draco said, finally looking at her. She smiled conspiratorily and left her drink on the table.
“I’ll be right back, guys.” She said, getting off the booth and following Draco to his table, on the far end of the bar, where Hermione’s coworkers would not be able to see them.
“Look, Hermione-”
“No, let me talk first.” She took a deep breath, she had been preparing for this moment. “I am sorry I threw myself at you. I was drunk and you did the right thing by denying me, so thank you for taking care of me. If there is any way I can make it up to you, I-”
“You can offer the kiss now.” Draco offered.
What?
“What?”
“Of course, if you don’t want to I wouldn’t want you to fell pressured, but I’d really like to kiss you now that you are sober and conscious of your ac-”
“Draco, I am not kissing any boy that is passive, do you, or do you not want to kiss me?.”
This made Draco shut up, and with a smug smile, he leaned in and finally pressed his lips against hers. It was a brief kiss, short, but still a declaration.
Draco wanted her.
“Look, Hermione, I- I am not perfect, I am tattooed as you can see, I have a small shop on Hogsmeade where I sell potions and I am still ostracized by half of society. So I probably won’t meet your expectations, but I do want you to feel adored, and that, I believe I can do.”
She could not believe she was doing this, if someone had told her 7 years ago that Draco Malfoy would be offering his heart to her so readily, she would have laughed at their face. But now that it was happening, she could not help but feel honored and excited.
Someone who could finally meet her expectations.
“I accept, Draco.”