When Draco got back to his cell, he threw himself on his cot and assessed the books and music-playing contraption.
The reality of what Granger had just done hit him. It was incredibly kind and considerate of her to bring these things for him. She really was far too compassionate.
But then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. After all, this was the girl who wasted half of third year trying to save a manic hippogriff's life, and then later devoted her spare time to freeing house-elves.
At least house-elves were pathetic creatures who deserved her sympathy. Him? Not so much.
Does she make a habit of this with all her clients? He pictured her organizing an ice-cream social for reformed Death Eaters and shook his head.
Draco turned on the strange little music-playing device she'd given him and put the round pieces over his ears.
Immediately, he pressed the button she'd shown him and skipped to the fourth track. Soothing piano music and a deep voice filled his ears. In the first verse, he recognized the line Hermione had quoted to him and he smiled.
He closed his eyes, letting the haunting melody wash over him. When it was over, he played it again.
As he listened, he picked up one of the Muggle books she'd given him and, feeling quite foolish, opened it and inhaled. It did smell good. Not surprisingly, he thought it smelled like Hermione Granger. He closed the book and went back to enjoying the peaceful music.
He liked the song, and against his will, he was beginning to like the woman who shared it with him.
***
"So Ginny tells me you're a Ministry Defense Inquisitor," Hermione's blind date, Robert Nottingford, said as he flashed her a winning smile, reminding Hermione of the Muggle actor Brad Pitt.
"Yes." Hermione returned his smile and spread her napkin on her lap. "I started the program straight out of Hogwarts."
Robert let out a quick laugh and brushed his sandy blond hair from his eyes. "Can't imagine why the Ministry even wastes their time making you defend Death Eaters. May as well just lock them all up and save you the trouble, eh?"
"Well, it's not always so—"
"Heard you got that prick Draco Malfoy's case." He took a generous swig of Firewhiskey and grimaced. "Tough luck. I doubt you've got much of a case there. Heard he was a Death Eater right outta the cradle. His family and Voldemort go way back— real pureblood bigots."
Hermione felt prickles rise up her back. "It's not always so simple. Many of the pureblood families are very patriarchal. Some of the wives and children really had no choice but to follow Voldemort when the time came."
"Yeah, poor defenseless Death Eaters . . . cry me a river." Robert downed his drink and waved his hand to the waitress. When she came over, he pointed to his glass. "Another one of these and the sirloin steak, please. The lady will have another drink and a salad, easy on the dressing."
Hermione glanced at her glass of white wine, which she'd barely touched. "I don't need another drink. I'm fine with this for now. And I'll take the chicken parmesan instead of a salad." She handed her menu to the waitress, who gave her a knowing look.
Robert raised his eyebrows at her and gave a sheepish grin. "Thought I had that one down. My dates always just order a salad."
Hermione forced a smile and changed the subject. "So Ginny said you used to play Quidditch before you became a manager for the Harpies . . ."
"Yeah, until about four months ago." Robert went on to tell her about his time at Ilvermorny, the American Wizarding school, and how he signed with an American Quidditch team after graduation before moving on to become an assistant manager for the Holyhead Harpies. Hermione smiled and nodded politely as he recounted his many Quidditch exploits.
"This is so embarrassing," Robert said after a few minutes, looking around the restaurant. "I apologize if my fans are making you uncomfortable. They're always staring when I'm out." He sighed heavily. "I just want to be a normal guy, you know?"
Hermione glanced discreetly at the other patrons. There was another couple who seemed engrossed in each other's conversation, a family trying to placate a feisty toddler who was having too much fun with his mashed potatoes, and an elderly couple squinting at their menus. She didn't see anyone staring at them.
"It's fine," she said, "I actually didn't notice—"
"Of course, you must be used to that. Being the brains behind the Golden Trio and everything. When Ginny told me she was good friends with you, I just had to meet you. I'm so glad she finally set this up."
The waitress brought their food, and they made stilted conversation as they ate. By the time dinner was over, Robert had moved on to his fourth Firewhiskey and was blatantly staring at Hermione's chest every time she answered a question. Hermione resisted the urge to throw her water in his face.
Ginny is going to get an earful tomorrow, Hermione thought as Robert and she got up to leave.
"So what do you say we head back to my place, eh?" Robert whispered in her ear, the smell of Firewhiskey engulfing her as he leaned in close. His hand cupped her backside. "Bet we could have some real fun."
Hermione whipped around and firmly pushed him back. "No Robert, I've had more than enough fun for one evening."
Robert sneered and pulled at his tie. "So it's like that, huh? Should've known you'd be stuck up." His glassy gaze moved past her and his face lit up. "Well, that's your loss."
Hermione stared at him as he walked to the restaurant bar and sat down next to a leggy blonde with a glass of red wine and a small salad. The blonde flashed him an inviting smile as Robert placed a hand on her thigh.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Looks like he finally found his date . . .
She Flooed home to her flat, kicked her shoes off, and headed straight for the kitchen. She opened the freezer, grabbed a pint of ice cream and a spoon, then threw herself down on her couch.
What an evening . . .
Hermione sighed and took a bite of vanilla ice cream. Ironically, the high point of her miserable evening had been when she stopped to drop off her books for Draco Malfoy at Azkaban. She honestly would've preferred his company over the oaf she'd just been out with. And that was saying something.
Although he tried to hide it, she could tell Malfoy was sincerely grateful for the books. Even without dementors, Hermione knew Azkaban was still an extremely depressing place to be. Against her better judgment, she did feel a small amount of pity for Draco Malfoy.
Robert Nottingford's attitude about Malfoy that evening had irked her. As if Malfoy didn't even deserve a fair trial because of who his family was. Yes, he had done some awful things—the extent of which wasn't even fully known to her yet—but he was also very young. Did he really deserve to spend the rest of his life in prison for the crimes he committed in his youth?
She recalled how Luna had said that Draco Malfoy had a good soul. Although Hermione had never seen any evidence of that, she hoped Luna was right. Perhaps, if she was, Hermione could find a way to reduce his charges.
With a hopeful heart, Hermione put the rest of her ice cream back in the freezer and got ready for bed.
***
"How was your date?" Draco asked Hermione as soon as he sat down on Monday morning.
"Fine."
"Fine," he imitated her. "Sounds riveting . . . Who was he?"
"That's none of your business." She glared at him.
"What, Weasley spend the entire time slobbering all over you like a Flesh-Eating Slug?" Hermione gave no response as she arranged her papers, so he tried again. "Or, maybe it wasn't with Weasley and you got stood up?" Nothing. "Or, maybe you never really had a date on Saturday, and you got all dressed up for me? That's a little pathetic, Granger, even for you."
"Please." She gave a derisive laugh. "Ginny set me up with one of her managers from the Holyhead Harpies."
"A Quidditch man, eh, Granger? I wouldn't think that would be your type."
"Ugh, he certainly wasn't. It was awful, okay?"
For some reason, this made Draco happy, but he would never admit it.
"What, Harpie-boy didn't enjoy a play-by-play of Hogwarts, a History over wine and candlelight?" Draco asked innocently.
"Ha-ha . . . No, he was extremely arrogant."
"What's wrong with being confident?" He smirked.
She groaned. "I forgot who I was talking to. There's confidence and then there's preening at your own reflection in the cutlery during dinner, Malfoy."
"Well, he was probably just trying to impress you." The words came out of his mouth before he even thought about them. To cover his near-compliment, he quickly added, "Or get into your knickers."
"Charming . . ." She curled her lip in distaste. "Trust me, he didn't do either."
Ha! he thought with satisfaction, beginning to take a real dislike to the unknown Quidditch manager. And why's that? His brain nudged, but he quickly dismissed it. After all, he disliked everyone.
"Smart man," he gibed for good measure.
"Actually, he was pretty dense."
Ah, most definitely a deal-breaker for her.
"What about the Weasel?"
"Ron? He can be a bit dense too," she said, making notes on her parchment.
"No." He chuckled. "I mean, weren't you guys a thing?"
"Oh . . . um, yeah, but it didn't last."
"Why's that?"
She sighed loudly. "Why do you care, Malfoy?"
He shrugged. "Just making conversation. It's not like I have anyone else to talk to." Which wasn't exactly true, since he knew his mother would visit him later.
She sighed again, this time, less agitated. "We just didn't work together . . . we're very different and not in a good way. Ron never opened up, and I think he was just with me because it was convenient. But that wasn't enough for me."
"Ah, your faith was strong, but you needed proof." Draco smiled playfully as he said the words.
"You listened to the song," she said incredulously, then laughed. "Did you like it?"
"Yeah." Draco scratched his head. "A lot, actually, and almost everything else on there. I can't believe I'm saying this, but music just might be the one thing Muggles do better than wizards."
Hermione gaped at him. "Who are you and what have you done with Draco Malfoy?" She made a show of looking under the table and around the room.
"Now who thinks they're so funny, Granger?"
"I'm just . . . surprised, that's all," she said, smiling.
He grinned back, quite liking that he had been able to surprise her.
***
A/N: I hope you're all continuing to enjoy this story! More Draco and Hermione together next chapter 😊
If you like my writing style check out my other stuff:
If Only in My Dreams: Another Dramione story you can find on my profile.
Desperate Forest: A daring escape. An ominous forest. An unexpected alliance. ~ My debut novel coming out on Amazon in July. You can read a 4-chapter sample on my website (www.CeceLouise.com) and Goodreads page.