DRAMIONE: Least Expected

Part 1 - Shock of the century

Part 1

The young girl had been scribbling on a piece of parchment for best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Her hair was pushed up into a messy bun but it wasn’t enough to hold all her curls. After all the years, Hermione Granger was no longer the girl in Hogwarts but she had grown into a woman. A woman who was an auror for the Ministry, and she still hadn’t settled yet. Harry had Ginny Weasley and Ron had Luna Lovegood, something that always surprised her. Since their years in Hogwarts, Ron was never fond of Luna, often times he’d laugh and call her Loony, but it changed after the war. Ah the war, it gave a big impact to their lives. Hermione was not on duty due to the fact it was given to somebody else and it pissed her just a little bit. She knew she could do it better than anyone, the scratching of her feather echoed through the place.

She missed her best friends and she knew they were busy unlike her. And she envied them so. A small growl escaped her lips as she finished the letter off with her sign. This was not her day. Hermione let out a sign and leaned back against her chair, as she looked around her clean and arranged room. She had to change from apartment to apartment in the wizarding world due to her job. Maybe she could pay her parents a visit, she missed them dearly. A smile touched her lips at the memory of them.

Then suddenly in the middle of her train of thought, a brisk and rude knock played against her door. Hermione jerked her head with a slight confusion on her face. The knock came again, “alright, I’m coming,” gracefully, she pushed herself off the chair and opened the door with her wand ready at hand. Of course she had to be ready, but as she opened the door, she gawked. A fresh and handsome face faced Hermione.

Draco Malfoy.

He out grew his boyish features ages ago and time had turned him into a dashing man. After the war, they found out that Draco was good only that he was just afraid of dying if he disobeyed. Though he was still rude, cold, cocky and arrogant still that she could tell. A smirk played on his lips as she continued to gawk at him. His hair was messy and he was wearing a suit, well, he had his black jacket over his shoulder, his black tie was loosened down and his white sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

“Good to see you again Mud- Granger,” Draco still hadn’t gotten over what he used to call Hermione years ago. Hermione snapped out of her stupor and returned the smile slightly forcefully.

“Malfoy,” there was still hostility in her voice as she curtly nodded her head.

Draco ran a hand through his hair as he waited for some invite but before he asked. He took a minute to look at her. Hermione wasn’t the same old bushy haired girl back at Hogwarts, but instead she had bloomed into a very desirable woman. She was wearing a red tank top that emphasized her curves, curves that would only be on a full grown woman, her chocolate eyes had grown more expressive but yet secretive as well. And her hair wasn’t all bushy, okay slightly, but it had a graceful tact about it despite it being in a bun.

Hermione shuffled uncomfortably as she noticed his scrutiny. “What do you want Malfoy?” she asked, the emotion was mirrored in her voice as she shifted from one foot to another.

Draco smirked, “snippy, inviting me in would be a start considering that it’ll be more polite,” he pointed out.

Hermione noticed his voice had grown deeper, more velvet-y and there was still the Slytherin superiority in it. She rolled her eyes but muttered a sorry as well as she opened the door wider. Draco noted the room as bright with the sunlight splashing in, it was a clean apartment but only the desk was clattered with parchments, ink and her feather. The Leaky cauldron was a fine place to stay but it was down right blunt when you didn’t mess with the arrangements.

Hermione shut the door behind her as she flicked her wand towards the desk. Immediately the parchments rolled themselves into a neat pile while the rejected ones vanished in a small fire. The ink splatters subsided and the feather stood in the ink bottle. As Hermione seated herself in the same old place before she went to get the door, she noticed that the room got smaller considering that Draco was tall and muscular. Not lanky anymore.

“Now may I finally know the reason why you have graced me with your presence?” Hermione asked sarcastically as she tugged a lock behind her ear. Another smirk found Draco’s lips, glad that he was still able to piss her out.

“Not really in a gracious mood are we Granger,” he walked around the room, inspecting the place and her books.

“Look Malfoy, we never got along way back and past affects the present ---- I don’t need you to inspect my things by the way,” Hermione snapped a bit at the last part but she took in a deep sigh as she dropped her head.

“Sorry, I didn’t have coffee yet and I get monstrous without it,” she explained in an exasperated voice.

Draco looked at her, “no kidding,” he snorted as he sat down onto her bed that was once proper and undisturbed. Hermione threw him a glare but Draco paid no attention to her, instead he summoned a house elf and ordered 2 coffees. He looked at Hermione expectantly.

“Black, make it extra black,” she muttered under her breath, with a bow, the old elf popped out of thin air. Draco looked at Hermione again, she looked disgruntled but under the splash of light, she looked more beautiful. There was a fire of irritation in her eyes and her lips were firm and set on a straight line, in other words, she was free.

“Why do you keep staring at me?” Hermione asked in her exasperated voice again.

This time she darted her troubled and irritated eyes to Draco’s. Draco was a charmer yes but he was not the type to be all emotional. Though despite it all, he was frank when he wanted to, “you look beautiful when you’re pissed,” he said in a nonchalant way but the drawl made a small blush. Hermione tilted her head to the side a bit, “did you get yourself a drink before you came up here Malfoy?” she asked and Draco laughed.

That was what he expected her to say.

“Yes I did, but I’m not drunk,” Draco chuckled and then the house elf appeared with a silver tray at hand.

“Thank God!” Hermione declared as took a sip of her steaming coffee; Draco gave a curt nod and went to his drink. An amused smile found Draco’s lips as he watched Hermione’s expression change to sweet bliss as if she was in heaven. Her whole face brightened up and the stress and irritation instantly vanished as if it had never been there.

Hermione noticed Draco and let out a chuckle of her own. The hotness hummed in her veins as it coursed through out her body and made her feel alert.

“What?” she asked as she removed the coffee cup from her lips, “you’ve changed a great lot Granger… how’ve you been?” Draco asked trying to strike up a conversation, taking advantage of her good mood since that was how he was.

Hermione smiled as she took another sip, “not bad, pissed but not bad Malfoy,” she appreciated him asking and for a moment she almost forgot to ask again why he was with her in the first place. Draco laughed as he saw the glint of realization in her eyes and once again Hermione sent him a cold glare.

And for a moment there, Draco missed her blessed expression but then he stopped himself. He looked at her again with eyes set.

“Will you be my wife, Granger?”