Chapter Text
December 21, 2005
Hermione stood in her office setting the last of her presents down on her partner’s desk. She was heading out after the Gala that evening and she wanted to make sure all of her friends had gotten their presents. She, like most offices that day, didn’t have to work due to the Gala that evening, so she took it upon herself to get ready, returning early to set presents out on their desks. She had asked her date to meet her in the Atrium instead of at her flat.
“You do know that the Gala is downstairs, right Granger?” The deep sensual drawl of her partner oozed from his mouth filling the space between them.
“Does your fiancé know you use the sexy Malfoy voice when you make fun of me?” Hermione turned to see him leaning against the doorframe in a charcoal grey muggle tuxedo. The color was perfectly set to his skin tone not washing out his alabaster features but enough to make his steel grey eyes look as if they were molten liquid.
“Granger, Granger, Granger, we both know I use the sexy Malfoy voice all the time; it’s part of my delightful charm. Now, why are you here when the party is starting causing Potter to send me in search for you?”
She moved waving her hand over his present on his desk, watching as his eyes lit up like a five year old. “I was leaving my presents for everyone, since I won’t be here until after the New Year. I leave tonight on holiday remember?”
He walked toward her asking, “Can I open it now?”
“No!” she smacked his hand away as he reached for it. “You weren’t even supposed to see it until the morning. Where is your fiancé?”
Rubbing his knuckles where her slap landed, “I left her with Red and Potter. Hermione please let me open it with you here. I didn’t think about you not being here over the holidays, I’ve your present at the Manor.”
Laughing at his pouting lip and fluttering eyelashes, she nodded and then handed him the present, “Go ahead, but don’t tell the others they have their waiting.”
Clapping his hands he was practically bouncing on his feet, “I won’t.” He sat in his chair ripping into the paper. The white box was charmed to open with a code, “Are you kidding me? Like we don’t have to decipher enough codes. Oh, wait, what is that?” He noticed a pair of ballet slippers next to a broom.
Rolling his eyes, “Really?”
She nodded, “Try it?”
Bringing the box closer, Draco whispered, “Training for the ballet Potter?”
The box burst open in his hands while glitter and streamers flew out at him, “GRANGER!” He growled.
“I told you that you weren’t supposed to even see it until the morning. I blame your impatience.” She was holding her sides from laughing.
“Now, I have glitt…” his voice stopped when he saw what was now resting in his hands. It was a crystal figurine in the form of the constellation Draco.
“Hermione this is amazing. Thank you.” Draco turned the figurine in his hands to see the whole of the artwork before setting it on the center of his desk. He then stood up, cleaning the glitter from him before pulling her into his embrace, “I truly love it.”
Returning his hug, she got a hit of the scent surrounding him a fresh scent of cedar and citrus. It was something she knew she had exclusively defined as pure Draco. “I’m glad. You are the hardest person to buy for; I mean what do you get the man that can buy the Wizarding World for himself?”
Laughing, he pulled away from her as he said, “You buy him adorable knick-knacks that his fiancé will find shelter in my personal office so not to interfere with her décor; which by the way, thanks for asking about the renovations to the townhouse.”
Rolling her eyes, “I didn’t ask because I know you didn’t feel they were needed as strongly as Astoria did. Moreover, why was that again? Planning a wedding wasn’t enough to deal with?”
Draco placed his hand on her lower back to guide her from their office toward the lifts. “I have deducted that it her coping mechanism for planning a wedding with my mother. My mother stresses her out, so in turn, she comes to renovate and redecorate my home.”
“Translation, that stresses you out and you hide at work or in my flat.” Hermione hit the button for the lift.
“I like your flat, it is cozy and you have a telly with movies for me to watch.” He waggled his eyes, “Plus, no one related to me or about to be related to me has access to your flat and can’t come find me.”
“Here I thought we were friends and you’re just using me for my telly and movies. Next thing you’ll tell me is that you actually are in love with Ron Weasley.”
“Oh, you’ve found me out. I just wish I could tell Astoria my true feelings for the red-headed heartbreaker.” They burst out laughing as the lift began moving to the level where the Ministry Gala was in full swing.
The lift stopped and Draco hadn’t removed his hand from her back as they entered the ballroom. “Wow! It reminds me of the Yule Ball in fourth year. It’s beautiful.”
Nodding, he agreed the ballroom once again nicely decorated, “Well, it should remind you, you have the same date if memory serves me correctly.”
“Yeah, but Ron has your date this time around.”
“That damn heartbreaker, I’m still crushed.” They headed to the bar to get a drink before heading to their table where Ron, Pansy, Ginny, Harry, Theo, and Daphne were all in the middle of a discussion when they joined when Draco asked, “Um, we seem to missing two people here; anyone see mine and Granger’s dates?”
Ron piped up, “Viktor said he saw an old teammate he wanted to talk to while he waited and Astoria said he had to use the loo.”
“She went alone? Don’t you women do that in herds?” Hermione smacked Draco’s shoulder as the other women at the table cursed him verbally.
Raising his hands in surrender, waving his napkin in the air, “I surrender, but in my defense you do.”
“How is it that my only sister is marrying you in a few short months? You know I did warn her against it.”
“As I warned Theo against marrying you, but here we are Daph.” He blew her a cheeky kiss across the table while everyone laughed.
Hermione looked over to Daphne and Theo asking, “So, when are you due? Astoria mentioned she was going to be Auntie soon.”
Daphne blushed, as she said, “Not until the end of July or early August. I am barely pregnant and I really wish she would let us announce it. Can we Oblivate her Theo?”
“Makes no never mind to me, love, I don’t care who knows. It isn’t as if we got married for that reason. We have been married for three years now.” He kissed his wife’s cheek before picking up his drink.
A few more minutes passed when Hermione leaned into Draco and whispered, “I’m going to see if I can’t find Viktor, would you like me to check on Astoria and see if she is okay?”
“Thanks, I appreciate that, but I’ll come with you.” He went to stand and pull out her chair.
“You can’t go in the women’s loo, Draco.”
“No, but I am allowed to wait outside the door to wait for her.” They excused themselves in favor of walking toward the hallway leading to the loos. Hermione was laughing at something Draco was telling her about some of the peacocks and his father on Christmas when she told him, “Oh, I wish I could have seen that. I’ll be right out, one fiancé in tow.”
“Fingers crossed that we didn’t miss her and she was just talking to one of her friends.”
Hermione froze mid stride into the loo as the sight of Astoria sitting atop Viktor’s lap with her dress pulled low, exposing her breasts to him, while he pumped up into her.
“Gods Viktor don’t stop, just like that.”
From her standpoint, Hermione spat out, “Yes, Viktor please don’t stop.” She stormed out pushing past Draco, with tears flowing down her cheeks.
“Hermione?” He gave her a confusing look as he walked in seeing Viktor Krum buried balls deep in Astoria as she bounced on the man’s cock. “Bitch!”
Draco stormed from the loo looking around for Hermione. When he didn’t see her in the hallway, he went back into the ballroom to look for her at their table, “Have you guys seen Hermione come back through here?”
Ginny looked up, “No, is everything alright?”
“No, no it isn’t. We just found our missing dates.” Draco dragged a glaring look to Daphne, who had the foresight to look embarrassed. “Did you fucking know Daphne? Did you know that your cunt of a sister and Viktor Krum were screwing around behind mine and Hermione’s back?”
The uproar from the other occupants didn’t stop Draco’s eyes from scanning the room for Hermione. He knew it was a long shot but he had hoped she had come to Harry, Ron, or Ginny at the very least.
Theo looked from his wife to his best friend asking, “Did you?”
“I knew there was someone; I didn’t know it was Viktor.” Daphne looked between her husband, the table, then finally landing her eyes on Draco.
Ginny, Pansy, Ron, and Harry were on their feet, “We’ll let you know if we find her, you do the same.” Ron stated as Draco shook his agreement.
“Draco?” Astoria walked up and before anyone could blink, Ginny had her wand out casting her bat bogey hex at the younger woman.
“I think that sums it up Astoria.” Draco said as he walked away with the others in tow.
An hour later had Draco sending a message to Harry and Ron letting him know he found her. He told them she said she would see them the following day, but she just wanted to be alone for the night.
Hermione walked out of her bedroom wearing her cotton Christmas pajamas, “Nice, you look good in green and silver.” Draco joked with her.
“Yeah, ya think? You know, you look good in, well, anything. What are you wearing?” She asked as she came into her living room where he had disappeared into from her kitchen.
“My pajamas. If you tell Red, I’ll deny it all.” As he waved a hand over his chest baring the shirt of the Holyhead Harpies. “She got my name in last year’s drawing and this is what she got me. They are very comfy and cozy.” He wiggled deeper in the sofa, patting it for her to sit next to him.
“I have the movie cued up, the popcorn popped, the fizzy colas, and of course the sweets. Time for us to commiserate together.”
“I really don’t feel like watching a movie. You don’t have to stay here. I mean, not for my sake. I’ll be fine.” Hermione curled into the crook of his open arm.
He wrapped her in next to him, “I know, but I don’t want to be alone.” He whispered into her hair.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before a knock on her door startled them. “I don’t want to see or talk to him.”
“Hermione I now you are in there, please let me in to explain the situation,” Viktor banged and yelled through the door.
Draco glared at the door as if he was able to Aveda Viktor from where he sat next to her on the couch. After a few more minutes of Viktor’s insistent banging, Draco stormed over and flung the door open, “Leave!”
He went to slam the door back closed when Viktor placed his foot in the way of the door closing, “I want to talk to her.”
Draco shook his head, “No the time you and Astoria had to talk to either one of us, has long since passed. You need to go before I do something I will regret. Well, I won’t regret it, but I will regret how it will make Hermione feel so just leave her alone. Give her space.”
“Astoria said you would be here with her. Maybe we weren’t the only ones with something to hide.”
“Fuck you, Krum, I didn’t like you in fourth year and I like you even less in this moment. Hermione and I have nothing to hide, we are friends.”
“Just friends? I doubt that, she wouldn’t give it to me and you wouldn’t give it to Astoria, just who are the two of you giving it too?” Viktor’s smile curled Draco’s stomach and before he knew what came over him, Draco’s left hand came up and made contact with Krum’s nose. The sound of cartilage cracking under his fist was one he remembered well, from when Hermione had broken his nose in third year for being a prat to Hagrid. “Now leave before I call the Aurors here to remove you.”
Draco was still shaking his hand when he reentered the living room where Hermione had stayed out of the way. She didn’t like relying on Draco, but she just couldn’t look at Viktor at that moment. She was grateful he had stepped in to help, but she became concerned when she saw him shaking his hand.
“What did you do?”
“I think I broke my hand on his fucking nose.” He held out his hand to her to have her look it over.
“I don’t think it’s broken, but you really hit him?” She asked.
“I can show you the memory if you like but my Pensieve is at the Manor.” He smiled weakly just as her tears started to fall heavily down her face.
“Oh, come here.” He pulled her into his lap and he rubbed circles over her back letting her cry until she fell asleep in his arms. When she had been sleeping for a while, Draco stood and carried her into her bedroom. Once he had her laid down on her bed, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, as he had a million other times over the years of their friendship.
He went to leave when he heard, “Don’t leave me please stay.”
“I was just going to the couch.” He tried to reassure her.
“You can stay in here.” He let out a soft breath of air then crawled in under the duvet, pulling her in his embrace as they fell into a comforting silence.
“Draco, I feel so stupid. How did I not know something was going on with him? How did we both miss it? I mean, this holiday was THE HOLIDAY. It was the one that was going to change everything for me.”
“What do you mean Hermione?” He continued to stroke her hair, but she pulled from his embrace to look at him in the eyes.
“Draco, I know I’m not a sex god like you, but everyone has to start somewhere.”
Laughing a bit he said, “Where did you get the ridiculous idea that I’m a sex god? Wait?” He sat up, “What do you mean start somewhere? Are you a virgin Hermione?”
“You don’t have to make it sound like a sentence to Azkaban, but yes, I am. I know you aren’t but can you please just not make fun of me tonight for it, because as it stands now, I will probably die a virgin.”
“Hermione I wasn’t going to make fun of you. I can’t make fun of you for something we share in common.”
Her eyes grew wide as she said, “You’re a virgin?”
“Well, in the most important part of the meaning, yes I am.”
“What would be the unimportant part of that meaning Draco?” Hermione asked.
“I just mean that while I haven’t actually had penetrative sex with a woman, I have done a few other things to make our times hopefully, I thought, enjoyable. I guess in light of events tonight, I could have been wrong, I mean, Astoria has never sounded like she did tonight with me before.”
They both just stared at one another before Hermione broke, “If you were planning on spending the rest of your life with Astoria, why didn’t you make love to her?”
Taking a deep breath he answered quietly, “I wanted to wait for that part until I was married. I know it sounds old fashion for a man to say that he wanted to wait, or at all, but I did want to wait for that. It’s funny when I was younger and I had questions, my Mother would send me to Father. He told me that some things were okay to experiment with but full-blown intimacy should be between a man and his wife. He also told me that wasn’t always the case and if experimenting went too far, there were precautions that needed taking.”
“So, just snogging for you as well then?” She asked even while blush tinted her cheeks.
“No, I’ve done more than snog a woman.”
“Oh. Ooohh. OH!” Hermione’s mind caught up to his meaning and then she began very aware that she was in bed alone with a man.
“Are you sure you were ready for this holiday with Krum?” He pulled some hair out of her eyes that had fallen.
“Well, I guess you could say that I was hoping that by the time we had gotten to the chalet that I would be more inclined to the idea.”
“I see. Well, for what it’s worth, from one virgin to another, don’t waste the effort to just have it over with or wasted on the wrong person. I’m glad I waited now, knowing she was cheating on me makes me feel better about my decision.”
Draco laid back down pulling Hermione with him, “Let’s go to sleep Granger. We have people to officially break up with tomorrow.”
“Draco, I’m sorry.” She hugged him closer and settled in next to him.
“Yeah, I’m sorry too, but you know what, next year is going to be better for both of us. You’ll see.”
With that the two laid in a quiet peace until falling into a peaceful asleep in each other’s arms.