Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

A Match Made In Convenience	By : ErisNight Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 47188 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: The entire universe of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. I make no profit from writing these stories. I am only borrowing her inventions for my fiction.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
A/N:
Dear Readers, I'm not even going to get into the word count for this chapter. It's downright outrageous, but I couldn't find a good place in the narrative to split it up considering the fast paced telling of events. Just know that this is essentially two chapters word wise lol.
Review Replies,Discussion and a SPECIAL AMMIC EXCLUSIVE/MINI SPOILER are up: http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/49940-a-match-made-in-convenience-review-replies-and-discussion/

Thankyou for every Hit, Rating and Review! I get them all almost instantaneously to my phone and love each and every thought you share with me.
One thing I wanted to reiterate is that the structure for this story is a very slow paced beggining with foundational chapters and then the pace would speed up with the story coming to a screeching halt at the conclusion.

We are officially at the point where it speeds up. Yes, I understand that it's nice to have all the extra chapters, words and occourences but it doesn't fit within the frame of the work.

This will be a possibly 30 chapter fic as opposed to 50, but I appreciate the desire for more lovely scenes between our characters.

As always feel free to share your thoughts on the work in the review section, I love hearing the good and the bad and discussing the work.
So strap in because here is a long one Chapter 18: Advice From A Friend
Eris

  Draco woke up to a cold empty space beside him but didn’t take it to heart. He had expected that Celeste would leave first thing after her initial protests the evening before.
  She had known staying wouldn’t have accomplished anything more than the most basic form of pleasure and after hearing the full story on his love affair for a certain bookworm; she had been conflicted about sharing his bed.
  What he hadn’t expected was to find a note sitting on the nightstand next to a galleon that had been charmed with the imprint of a winky-face on both sides.
  Draco grinned to himself as he looked it over and knew he would keep the galleon as proof of the surprisingly amazing evening he had spent with the witch. He set the gold piece down and then picked up the note.
Draco,
  I’m truly sorry for leaving before morning, I debated staying considering how poorly it went last time a woman left you but I had to. Staying would have ruined the magic of the night we shared and I preferred to leave on my own terms. There are so many thoughts I have regarding you and I don’t know where to start.

  But the most prevalent of them all is:
  I want you to live a happy life.
  Last night was beautiful for so many reasons other than just the sex. It was one of those rare moments in time where circumstance brought two people together and allowed them a lovely reprieve from life.

  I will remember the evening always and carry it with me through the worst times. But you deserve more than the quite frequent (I’m sure) romps with whatever woman you bring home.   You deserve one woman that will love you and get to know all the wonderful secret qualities that you’re hiding away under the façade of being a bachelor.
  Don’t. Give. Up.
  Love can hurt you, more than you would ever expect. But love is worth fighting for no matter the circumstance. I can tell that Hermione Granger means a lot to you and you owe it to yourself to give it one last shot.

  I don’t want to sound like a hypocrite and tell you to curve your philandering but for the sake of every possible wonderful moment you could create with the woman you love, give it a try.

  Be a good boy Draco and just do as I say. I’m the one who knows about romance after all ;}
I wish you the best,
Celeste
P.S. I will never be able to hear the word “phenomenal” again without thinking about you.

  Draco felt paralyzed with an emotion he couldn’t quite place. Celeste’s parting words caused a warm feeling to envelope him. He knew that he would never see her again but felt as though this had been the best possible goodbye between them. Draco smiled as he read the note once more, before taking it with him as he went to his room.
  He had been feeling so incredibly discouraged when dealing with Granger and had no clue how talking, then having sex with another woman had managed to make it all better. He felt invigorated and inspired to move past all his insecurities.
  Draco was slightly in awe of the blonde Veela. He had never shared an evening with a woman that just got it, but Celeste had understood everything between them.
  That woman was a godsend, he admitted to himself, setting the note down on the dresser.
  Celeste was right, he owed it to himself to at least try once more. If he failed a second time then he would know that it was never meant to be with Granger.
  Draco took a quick shower and got dressed for work before heading down to prepare breakfast. He met Potter in the hall but didn’t think twice when the wizard didn’t acknowledge him. The fact that the boy who lived wasn’t a morning person was something that Draco had come to learn firsthand.
  Heading directly for the fridge and getting the pots ready with a flick of his wrist once they entered the kitchen. Draco turned but was spooked when he came face to face with the Head Auror.
  From the look in his eyes, he could tell there was something that Potter wanted to say, and Draco only hoped that it didn’t have anything to do with Granger.
  “You may as well spill Potter, unfortunately for you, you don’t intimidate me.”
  Harry had spent a fourth sleepless night, thinking of how he would go about setting his roommates straight without drawing too much attention to his involvement. He felt compelled to help Malfoy and Hermione but wanted to be as far from the situation as possible.
  Harry was equally loyal to the both of them and didn’t want to face the pressure of dealing with the fallout should they fail to come to terms with their feelings.
  He was in fact so equally loyal to them that that realization alone helped him understand everything about what had been happening for the last couple of months. The wizard’s oath had struck again.
  Despite the fact that he doubted he would survive the day without a vitamix potion, Harry’s sleepless night had enlightened him completely. So as he faced the blond man that he had come to admire more than most men he had ever met, Harry fully meant his next words. “I want to beat you into the ground Malfoy, but it seems as though a premeditated attack isn’t very loyal.”
  Potter emphasized the last three words as if to accentuate the point that he was serious and Draco felt a very tedious conversation on the horizon.
  The blonde edged around his roommate and began to pull dry ingredients from the cupboards “and what have I done to earn your ire this morning Potter?”
  “You know what” came the swift reply. Draco paused for a moment and wondered if there was going to be any easy way to avoid this conversation. He had known that if he had ever gotten the chance to touch Granger he would have had to convince Potter not to lose his shit over it but this was not the morning he wanted to begin that process.
  Draco turned to face the other man “look, it wasn’t intentional and I take full...”
“It was intentional, don’t lie Malfoy, not to me. If you had the chance you would do it again.” He had him there; Draco wouldn’t hesitate to get Granger on her back again given the opportunity.
  Fucking Celeste had made it clear that there was no comparison between the two. Sex for the sake of sex just wasn’t going to cut it for him anymore. Draco wanted Granger wholeheartedly and no other woman would do. “What’s you point?”
  Potter crossed his arms “Whatever it is going on between the two of you needs to get straightened out.” Draco mirrored his roommate’s earlier move and crossed his arms “I agree.”
  Potter nodded “good, because whatever that is happening is not just affecting you.” Draco inclined his head inquisitively at this, waiting for the wizard to continue.
  “Ever since Hermione’s been home, my feelings of adoration and love for her have heightened.” The blonde felt his shoulders tense, he tried to hide the reaction but Potter noticed and dropped his arms to his sides.
  “It’s not like that, no entirely anyway. I want to protect her, and keep her safe especially from Ron. Which is crazy because he’s kind of one of my best mates and I usually let the two of them solve their own issues just fine by themselves.”
  Potter frowned suddenly and brought a hand up under his chin, he remained quiet for a moment before admitting “sometimes I look into her face and see the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met and other times she’s just my sister. It’s been freaking me out to feel that way. I’m constantly on edge around her and it’s like there are two conflicting people inside of me, vying for two completely different kinds of relationships with her.”
  He regarded Draco critically “but do you know what I’ve realized Malfoy? We have never been able to keep our personal feelings outside the oath.”
  It was Draco's turn to frown. Of course they had, there were little quirks here and there but they never felt compelled to share their emotions with each other as they were forced to do with other things. “I don’t follow you Potter; we’ve been able to keep our personal feelings private the entire time.”
  The dark haired wizard just shook his head “No, we’ve just never been forced to reveal them to each other. And whether you want to admit it to me or not, you know it’s true. You can feel it, just as strongly as I can. You wouldn’t have had to change secretaries otherwise.”
  Draco wanted to contest that point “the secretary thing was a quirk…” Potter clutched the waystone in his hand. “There are no true quirks, just side effects of the oath we’ve neglected to look further into. It has completely tied us together.”
  He paused for a moment, “Look Malfoy, it took me the longest time to realize what was happening but these feelings that I have for Hermione aren’t all mine. You’ve adored her; you’ve wanted to keep her safe from Ron.”
  As if to prove his point further he pulled out his waystone, the lump of red glittering in the light. “Hermione’s is far more elaborate than it needs to be. But you wanted to present her with something beautiful. Since the very beginning, you’ve admired her, you’ve desired her. You feel these emotions so strongly that I can feel them. You want her so badly that I want her. It’s messing with my head mate, so I can only imagine what it’s doing to yours.”
  Potter held the stone in his hand tight for a moment and held Draco's gaze as if daring him to deny it. But after a time he just sighed and reached out to place a reassuring hand on Draco's shoulder.
  “I know it’s not your style to come right out and talk to me about what’s going on in your head. This is unlike any experience I’m assuming you’ve had before. But at the very least the oath has made it so that I know exactly what it is you’re feeling and I can tell you first hand that Hermione is worth it.”
  He let go of Draco's shoulder, “I suggest that you decide whether you’ll admit how you feel or let her go. Either it’s going to pay off or you’ll have to get over it but you have to do something. We are in this together until you get things under control but ultimately I don’t want to jeopardize my friendship with her because of your feelings.”
  Draco didn’t know what to say in response to that. He hadn’t expected for Potter to be able to know what he had been feeling, shit he hadn’t known how he had been feeling until recently. He didn’t even know where to begin explaining all the thoughts that were swirling around in his head.
  Potter took a step away from him and poured himself a glass of juice from the fridge, then without even looking up, continued, “I’m throwing her a small birthday dinner here on the 19^th. You’re more than welcome to come and it’s your choice to bring a guest if you feel that’s necessary. I just think that you should be there, it would go a long way to repair whatever is broken between the two of you.”
  Draco realized that Potter was giving him an out. If he chose to make the night all about Hermione then that would be one step closer to admitting his feelings, but if he brought another woman he was deciding to give in. Draco sent a stiff nod to the dark haired wizard before stepping around him and escaping from the room and situation entirely.
  Harry felt completely satisfied with how the conversation went. Malfoy hadn’t been as defensive as he had expected and in hindsight had all but confirmed Harry’s suspicions through his actions. Granted Malfoy had fled, but Harry was sure that the blonde understood his veiled ultimatum.
  Malfoy had a choice to make and his actions at Hermione’s birthday dinner would tell Harry all he needed to know about the wizard’s true feelings.
  Harry’s morning only continued to improve once he had a spot of breakfast and more coffee than he had ever consumed in his life. His team of Aurors had yet to figure out the riddle and it was driving him insane, but they were making tremendous headway with other aspects of the investigation. To be perfectly honest, everyone in his department was doing an exception job, everyone except Harry.
  He found himself incredibly distracted and taking more and more trips to the main administrative section of level two because of it. He was neglecting his own work and had no viable reasons for being there.
  When Shacklebolt noticed him for a third time, he pulled Harry aside and asked if everything was ok. Harry felt duty bound to admit that he was keeping an eye out for an important friend and had to reassure the minister that everything else was fine.
  By the fifth walk to his office, Harry felt conflicted. He had important work to pursue, but he just really wasn’t in the mood to get anything done.
  He wanted to see Luna and he wanted to see her sooner rather than later.
  As silly as it was for him to keep taking the long walks back and forth to the area that housed the lift, Harry didn’t want to miss her when she came that day. Luna had had a point about him not noticing her and Harry didn’t want to ever make that mistake again.
  Shaking his head and trying his best to focus, Harry closed and locked the office door behind himself. He was determined to at least get some work done before going to check again.
  Interestingly enough, Luna was on the other side of town, watching an incredibly nervous Hermione Granger devour her food with a zest that rivaled Ronald Weasley. Luna wondered if this would be the lunch that the brilliant witch finally fessed up about her feelings for Draco.
  Luna had been able to see it as clear as day for a while now. Hermione was in deep where Draco was concerned. She had already told Luna about the night of the thunderstorm and the majority of the conversations the two women shared, one way or another, always ended back on the handsome blonde wizard.
  Luna was just glad that Hermione considered her someone she could confide in, it was rather nice to have that sort of relationship with another girl. They were building a pleasant sort of comradely that she was coming to enjoy very much.
  Luna ate her lunch peacefully and noticed how there were a rather unusual amount of crows sitting on top of the brick building across the street. She stared at them a moment longer but eventually pushed away the uneasy feeling settling in her stomach.
  After a while Hermione let out a soft sigh and looked up from her plate. “Luna, can I discuss something important with you? I’m going insane thinking about it and it would be nice to talk with a girl.”
  Luna set down her spoon “of course.” She debated simply making this easier on the brunette by admitting right off the bat that she already knew where this was going, but figured this would be something Hermione needed to verbally get off her chest.
  Hermione pulled out her wand and cast a quick “muffliato” spell before clasping her hands on the table and looking Luna directly in the eyes. “I have a certain depth of feelings for one of my roommates?”
  Luna knew she shouldn’t joke around during a time like this but she couldn’t help herself. Hermione looked as though she had committed a cardinal sin and Luna wanted to lighten the mood.
  “I don’t blame you, Harry is quite wonderful.” Hermione’s mouth fell open and a slow blush began to color her cheeks. “See ah, well that’s the thing Luna, it’s not Harry.”
  Luna smiled “I know.” A look of wild incredulity flashed across Hermione’s face. “You know? How could you possibly know? I’ve only told Harry last night!”
  Luna stirred her straw around her glass “well it’s fairly obvious Hermione, you don’t exhibit the usual signs that most women do, but they are there. I’m just a tad bit more observant than most.”
  Hermione sat back in her chair and remained quiet for a moment, “do you think anyone else has noticed?” Luna reached out and took her hand “absolutely not. Now don’t look so glum, love is a rather refreshing experience. No point in hiding your feelings now. I’m sure you’re gonna try to bury them and wait for them to go away.”
  The other witch nodded “how did I let this happen?” Luna shrugged “how could you not? Draco is wonderful in practically everything he does and you’ve experience the best of him firsthand.”
  Hermione’s blush deepened and she buried her face in her hands. Luna laughed at her reaction but made a mental note to stop teasing her friend. Hermione couldn’t handle reminders of the night of the thunderstorm.
  They ended up having discussion in which Luna did her best to be sympathetic. But honestly she rather Hermione just talked to Draco about that night. It would solve the world of problems between them much sooner. But halfway through the conversation Luna realized that a conversation wasn’t likely to happen so she let the notion go.
  There was a moment where Luna wanted to confess that Draco probably felt exactly the same way. But then Hermione explained about how she had seen him wrapped up in a gorgeous blonde the night before and Luna was forced to forego that idea as well.
  Hermione wouldn’t have believed Luna for a second. I need to have a talk with him. She decided, or better yet she would have a talk with Narcissa.
  Luna felt her lips curve up at the thought of her mischievous deed. Telling Narcissa would be overkill, Draco would be writing sonnets by the time his mother was through with him. Tough, Draco is just going to have to deal.
  When their lunch break winded down, the girls prepared to leave the small restaurant. “Are you heading to the ministry now?’ Hermione asked as she stood, Luna nodded and cleaned up what she could of her lunch. “Yeah, I’ll go back with you and see if they change their minds today.”
  They were walking down the main Ministry hallway when someone called out Hermione’s name. Turning toward the sound both girls watched as Adrian Pucey waved and made his way over.
  Luna wanted to frown, but figured it wouldn’t be very fair of her to do so. Everyone deserves a chance at happiness.
  Catching Hermione’s attention she smiled at the witch and gave her a quick hug. “I have a feeling this is more of a two person conversation. I have to get up to level two before returning to the Quibbler office. So I’ll see you later?”
  Hermione looked a bit confused for a moment but nodded her agreement when Adrian reached them. Luna turned on her heel and made her way up to the second floor.
  She took the immediate right off the elevator and signed in before sitting in her usual spot on the visitor bench with her legs crossed at the ankle. Luna hummed as she waited and hoped that today would be the day that the regulator for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures department listened to her.
  Luna had been sitting there quietly for quite some time, when she noticed a familiar dark haired wizard walk into the large room. He stopped for a moment scanning the area with his eyes and eventually landed on her.
  Could Harry have been looking for me? He walked over to her and gave her a gorgeous smile. Luna felt her heart pound; he must’ve been looking for me. She glanced up to him from where she was sitting “hello Harry, what brings you here today?”
  He took a seat next to her, and Luna loved the way he fidgeted with his glasses before doing so. “I’m working on noticing you of course.”
  Luna couldn’t help but smile at this; she loved when he gave her direct answers like those. A door opened to their left and a woman called out her name. Rising she sent Harry an apologetic look and wave as she went to her meeting.
  Over a half an hour later, Luna was surprised to see Harry still sitting on the bench when she came out of the office. She had a heavy heart because her request had been denied once again but seeing the Head Auror brightened her back up considerably.
  “You’ve officially met your quota for noticing me today Harry, you won’t get extra points for doing it twice in one day. I couldn’t possibly handle all the attention.” He grinned at her and Luna felt it all the way to her bones.
  It was impossible not to notice how incredibly attractive Harry was and she especially liked his long shoulder length hair. She found herself wanting to run her fingers through it on the odd occasion.
  “Well it was worth a shot” he returned, shoving his hands in his pockets. Luna noticed that he seemed slightly more comfortable around her. It excited her and made her want to tease him.
  He shifted his weight from foot to foot and Luna realized there must’ve been something he had wanted to see her for. No matter how comfortable he may have gotten around her she could tell almost instantaneously whenever he was getting nervous her and now was suddenly one of those times.
  “So… ah” Luna watched as Harry stumbled over his words and did her best to refrain from cracking a smile. She didn’t want to make him even more nervous but she thought it was incredibly cute when he was.
  Harry brought a hand up and scratched the back of his head before crossing his arms. Luna waited patiently for him and watched as a look of determination fell across his features.
  “I’m throwing a small surprise party for Hermione and was wondering if you would like to come.” Luna thought it through but knew ultimately what her answer would be. “No.”
  Harry looked taken aback but masked the expression quickly, “well alright then, if you reconsider, you’re more than welcome to come.”
  Luna clasped her arms behind her back and looked up into his eyes “I’m messing with you Harry, I would love to come.”
  His smile returned in full and his eyes seemed to sparkle, “so I’ll see you then?”
  She took a step closer to him, just enough to invade his personal space without making him too distracted by it. “Harry, her birthday is little under a month away. Hopefully we’ll see each other before then.”
  And there it was, that lovely flush of heat that started at the base his neck and rose up to his cheeks. Luna was sure that for as proud as he must’ve been for holding a fully functional conversation with her, she had just stumped him.
  “Sure.” Harry managed after a moment. Luna brought a hand forward and touched his shoulder lightly. “We’ll have a good rest of your day Harry”
  He placed a hand on top of hers then their eyes met and held. Luna could read all the silent promises in his intense emerald gaze. “You too Luna” she pulled her fingers free from beneath his and stepped around him, before walking away.
  Once she was safely in the lift she sagged against the side and expelled a deep breath. She couldn’t wait to see him again.
  Hermione walked down the hallway to her department in a daze. She could not believe what had just happened. Adrian Pucey had asked her out on a date Friday night and she had said yes!
  It would be her first date with a man that was someone other than Ron and that alone excited her. It was exhilarating, although if not a slight bit daunting.
  What would they talk about? She couldn’t discuss work with him just as she was sure he couldn’t discuss his current case. They could try and discuss their lives since they had graduated from high school but Hermione didn’t have many interesting things to say about her time after Hogwarts.
  She didn’t even know what she would wear or how she would wear it. How would she hold his attention? She knew a lot about everything but what would Adrian want to talk about. Hopefully not Quidditch she thought with a groan.
  Hermione stopped herself from thinking too far into it. She would not psych herself out days before she was even seeing Adrian again. The bottom line was she had a date, and it would go a long way to help her get over Malfoy.
  Friday is a world away; I can worry about being an irresistible vixen later. Hermione made her way back to her office and finished all her work with a flourish. Everything is starting to look up.
  Friday came quicker than Hermione had originally thought. Before she knew it, it was five in the evening and time for her to go home to prepare for her date.
  Organizing her desk in a hurry, Hermione found that she was both nervous and excited at the events to come. Adrian was attractive with his dark hair and eyes and he had a respectable position within the ministry.
  Hermione also appreciated that they didn’t know much about each other. It would be a refreshing experience to start over with someone new.
  Landing in the sitting room of Grimmauld, Hermione made her way up to her bedroom in a hurry. She heard Harry’s voice in the living room and filed that information away for later. She wanted to get his opinion on her outfit before she left.
  Hermione took a quick shower and spelled her hair dry, praying that for the space of one evening it would behave. All the characteristics that had made it bushy in her youth had thankfully turned into what made it wavy now but she still struggled to tame it. Most days she just let it hang free and in return her hair thanked her by not looking like a bird’s nest.
  After trying many different hairstyles, Hermione settled for tying it up into a simple updo that kept its heavy weight off her neck. Her deep brown tresses actually complimented the shape of her face while and made her feel debonair.
  Hermione applied what little makeup she was familiar with using and slipped on the smooth black dress she had chosen the night before. It hugged her shape perfectly but was modest enough to leave the majority of her body to the imagination.
  Twirling in front of the mirror, Hermione approved of the ensemble. She looked alluring and yet sophisticated. The dress suited her well. Now let’s hope Harry agrees. It’ll be good to have an honest male opinion on this. Grabbing her shoes, wand and purse, Hermione turned the lights off in her room before leaving.
  “You should really practice on us mate. Tell us how you feel about things first and it will become easier to say the important things to Granger later.” Harry, Blaise and Malfoy were spending the night in, playing wizard’s chess by the fire in the living room.
  Harry had thought it a good idea to invite the Italian over so that they could hold a sort of intervention for the blonde. But luck wasn’t on their side. Malfoy sleuthed out his intent immediately and had been playing it cool all night.
  Malfoy couldn’t lie to them and deny his feelings for Hermione but he was doing a pretty good job of pretending they didn’t exist.
  Blaise moved his knight and leaned back in his chair. “How long do you intend to distance yourself from her? The longer you wait the worse it will get.”
  Malfoy crossed his arms “Or the easier it’ll get. Can we just talk about something else? I thought your talk earlier this week was it Potter. Now you’ve recruited Blaise?”
  Harry poured them all a new drink and set the bottle on down the table he had grabbed it from. “Well that talk was it until days passed by with you doing nothing Malfoy.”
  “I’ll do whatever I choose, whenever I choose. You can’t force me to talk about something when there’s nothing worth saying. This little intervention is pathetic.
  Harry opened his mouth to reply when he heard the floorboards creaking. A second later Hermione came into the living room, black heels, wand and simple clutch in hand.
  She froze mid step once she noticed the three men and averted her eyes immediately. “Sorry, I hadn’t realized you all were here, I just wanted… I’ll just go.”
  Hermione turned in the direction of the sitting room but Blaise was on his feet in an instant blocking the doorway. “Oh no you don’t Granger, you look positively ravishing tonight. You can’t leave us without letting us know why at the very least.”
  Harry watched as a blush lit her cheeks and she slowly back tracked into the hall. “No it’s alright, I’ll just...” Harry rose to his feet, now he was interested, whatever Hermione was trying to avoid having to say must’ve been something important. She didn’t get dressed up without a reason. “You mentioned that you wanted something? I’m assuming from me then right?”
  Hermione looked between Blaise at the door and Harry by the floo. He knew she was calculating an escape but that only served to pique his interest more. Suddenly an idea came to mind. “Are you meeting Ron? Did you two somehow make up?”
  The sharp sound of a chess piece hitting the board rang out drawing their attention to Malfoy. He looked pointedly at Hermione as though waiting for her response.
  She glanced in his direction nervously and brought her hands together in front of her, the heels clicking at the contact. “No, it’s not that. I wanted to know you opinion on this outfit. How does it look?”
  “Put the shoes on” Blaise commanded lazily leaning against the door frame. His eyes ran their course over Hermione’s body as she bent to do as he bid. Harry turned his attention to Malfoy who was now glaring at the Italian openly with clenched fists.
  Hermione straightened after a moment and Harry gave her a quick one over “you look beautiful Mione that outfit suits you.”
  “What’s the occasion?” Blaise asked moving to stand next to Harry in front of the fire. The latter was still trying to figure out where his best friend might possibly be going on a Friday night dressed like that.
  Harry looked her over once more when suddenly it hit him, “you have a date tonight.” It wasn’t expressed as a question but a statement of fact and although his tone was perfectly friendly, Hermione’s blush returned in full force.
  She began to back up toward the hallway and Harry felt terribly inconsiderate for his earlier observation. Hermione clearly didn’t want to talk about it in front of Malfoy, which was why she was currently all panicky.
  Any other woman would use it as an opportunity to spurn the man that had hurt them but not Hermione. Harry tried to think of the best way to alleviate the situation. “Well have fun tonight; you deserve a good bit of happiness Mione.”
  He didn’t dare look at the blonde sitting to his right. By now Hermione had successfully almost made it to the door. “Thank you, I will try. Have a nice…”
  “Who?” The question rang out so clearly and sharply that Hermione flinched. Harry crossed his arms and wondered that if somehow the three of them ignored the blonde, the question would go away.
  Malfoy knowing who was taking Hermione on a date didn’t seem like the best idea at the moment. He could feign indifference all he wanted but he had jumped to attention when Hermione had walked into the room looking like something out of a muggle Maxim magazine.
  Harry looked into his best friend face and could tell that she was trying to decide whether to answer him or not. But he knew she would tell them, ultimately it wasn’t in her nature to keep things from the people she knew. Hermione hated secrecy more than anyone.
  “Adrian Pucey” the name coming out in a quick rush, Harry recognized it immediately as one of the higher ranking Aurors under his employ and could only shrug his shoulders. Pucey wasn’t bad in the way of available men and perhaps having a fellow Slytherin pursuing Hermione would spur Malfoy into action.
  “Well be safe Granger and try not to do anything I wouldn’t” Blaise teased as he took his seat and moved his next chess piece. Hermione gave a wry smile at this and disappeared down the hall. Moments later the sitting room floo could be heard taking her away.
  Harry sat back down and shared a look with Blaise before glancing over to their increasingly silent friend. Malfoy sat completely still with the only sign of his displeasure being the telltale twitch of his jaw.
  Surprisingly enough though he looked up at the both of them and took a deep breath.
  “I’m working on being better yeah? Well I’ll try to cater to the whims of your pathetic intervention and express that seeing Granger dressed like that for another man pisses me the fuck off.”
  Malfoy stood but threw the rook he had been about to move none too gently. The piece wined out in protest of the treatment before dragging itself to the side of the board.
  Blaise however began a slow clap that ended in him laughing. “See that wasn’t too hard mate, keep that up and you’ll be able to talk to Granger in no time.” Malfoy sent him an icy glare before stalking out of the room.
  Regardless of the attempts Harry had made to reconcile his roommates, the days leading up to Hermione’s birthday turned out worse than Harry had hoped.
  Hermione went out on more and more dates with Adrian and Malfoy only grew angrier and spent the majority of his time in his wing.
  For the first time in a long while Harry heard Malfoy’s piano almost nightly and the songs were always either incredibly morose or chaotic. Malfoy slowly descended into the perfect example of a roommate.
  He was quiet, courteous and kept the house in order. He didn’t bring any women home and he entertained Blaise in his wing whenever the Italian visited. Harry hated this change and preferred the arrogant, sarcastic man he had come to respect.
  More and more Harry found himself wanting to take drastic measures. He contemplated locking his roommates in a closet, or telling them of the others affection. Scenario after scenario filled his head until the idea of forcing them together almost seemed like the best course of action.
  Harry knew it wasn’t his place to interfere but desperate times called for desperate measures. His roommates had turned out to be the most intelligent, dumb people on the planet and he couldn’t figure out why.
  To make matters worse Hermione didn’t look as though she was particularly enjoying her dates. Sure she looked gorgeous whenever she left the house to meet Adrian but there would be no overt excitement, it almost seemed like a duty. It reminded Harry very much of her relationship with Ron and that worried him.
  So by the time Hermione’s 23^rd birthday rolled around, Harry wasn’t sure if they would all survive the night. Luna and Malfoy sat across from Harry and Hermione at the dining room table.
  There was a large candle lined chocolate cake in the center and a small bundle of presents further down. There were bottles of muggle wine and firewhisky as well as a modest Malfoy prepared meal.
  Luna had enchanted a large number of lit candles to float high above their heads and the effect made the room glow serenely. Hermione had been pleasantly surprised when Harry had led her into the room.
  However now that everything had settled down, they were all sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Every attempt at conversation ended abruptly and Malfoy was still consistently being his incredibly polite self.
  He checked the time constantly though and the implications made Harry anxious. Malfoy was clearly waiting on his guest and Harry could only surmise that it was probably a woman.
  Harry had warned Hermione that he had told Malfoy he could bring a guest and had instantly regretted that decision when he saw the expression on her face.
  She had covered it up though before greeting Luna in the living room when she had arrived. Harry had asked Malfoy if he had decided to bring someone and the blonde had simply asserted that he had before ending the conversation and walking away.
  Harry couldn’t stand how cold Malfoy was lately, he would have never thought that he would come to enjoy his presence as much as he did but Merlin how he missed the old Malfoy now that he was gone.
  Harry had even challenged him to the wandless duel that was well overdue. Malfoy had beaten him quickly, given him a few pointers on how to improve his wandless magic and then left. Harry was at a loss for how to approach him about his new demeanor.
  What would he possibly say? “I want you to be a sarcastic asshole again?”
  Everything was slowly going to shit and Harry didn’t know how to stop the descent. The only good thing about the past few weeks was that he had somehow saw Luna daily. She was ingenuity, quirkiness and beauty all wrapped up into one adorable Lovegood package.
  Harry had found himself wandering to the administrative wing of level two a lot more than he had originally intended, until Luna, amazing woman that she was, started visiting him in his office.
  She’d always keep her visits short, citing that she didn’t want to compromise his reputation but she had always come. It was exactly what he wanted and had become the highlight of his day.
  Luna was silly and sweet but incredibly observant and witty. He had been able to grow more comfortable around her because of her honesty.
  The feelings of being completely ensnared in her existence only grew. Harry could feel the stirrings every time he saw her and wanted more and steadily more. Luna complimented his life well and he wanted to fit in hers.
  Problem was, she was a puzzle to figure out. Luna was always enthusiastic about seeing him but never hinted at anything beyond the level of friends. There would be moments when he would feel the attraction as though it were a living breathing entity between them but days would pass in between those moments and nothing ever came from them.
  Luna gave him no hints as to whether she wanted him to take this farther and Harry was completely out of his element. Ginny had been so direct in their relationship that he never had to even think what she wanted, she had always just let him know.
  Luna was far too subtle for that. But Harry was more or less content to keep waiting her out and seeing her as often as possible.
  She was sitting across from him in a pink sweater that suited her complexion, jeans, her converse and Harry had to keep from staring. Their eyes had met many times over the course of the evening and he didn’t have a single excuse for as to why he would be looking in her direction.
  But he liked how she wore her hair in a long braid down her back and how her radish earrings shone in the candle light. Harry realized he had been staring again and quickly looked away.
  “Will Adrian be coming tonight?” Luna asked, Malfoy stiffened but relaxed when Hermione explained that he had an important family function to attend.
  “Speaking of guests, mine will be arriving shortly so we’ll be able to eat soon” Malfoy announced casually pouring a glass of firewhisky for himself. Gloom hung over the room as if they were all dreading the arrival of Malfoy’s guest.
  No matter what woman it turned out to be, Hermione’s feelings would be hurt. Harry just prayed it wasn’t the blonde from a few weeks ago.
  Luna engaged Hermione in a discussion about her plans with her family for her birthday and about how excited she was for the brunette to open her gift.
  They heard the sound of the floo go off and Malfoy left the room in a hurry. Harry looked to Hermione almost apologetically. He hadn’t thought that Malfoy would actually bring someone to Hermione’s birthday.
  He had been remiss of her feelings in trying to test Malfoy’s affection for her and he was truly sorry for it. She put on her bravest face though and took a small sip of wine.
  Luna only smiled and rose from her seat and came around the table to a Hermione on the back. “The best thing about Draco is that he’s unpredictable in a good way.”
  As if on cue, Malfoy returned holding a large crate in his arms with Blaise on his heels.
  Harry almost laughed in relief; he had been right all along. Malfoy definitely fancied Hermione and was cognizant of her enough to try and accommodate her despite the fact that he didn’t know how happy he had just made her.
  The change in Hermione was instantaneous; she set down her glass and sat up straight in her chair. Luna just grinned broadly and greeted the Italian warmly.
  “That’s a pretty large box Malfoy” Harry observed as his roommate set the crate down next to the other presents. Malfoy only shrugged and sat back down.
  Blaise wrapped an arm around Hermione’s waist and pulled her up from her seat into a hug. “Birthday girl, you look as lovely as ever. My gift is a bit personal but if you accompany me home tonight you can unwrap it there.”
  Hermione just laughed and pulled free from him “Is this your way of telling me you were too cheap to buy me a gift, because if so that’s completely alright Blaise.”
  He let her go and just laughed “Of course not, but it’s your loss Granger, you’ll just have to settle for something less… impressive.”
  They all shared a laugh at this as Blaise made his way to the head of the table. Malfoy handed Blaise a drink and began to hand out plates.
  Luna clapped her hands together. “Finally now that everyone’s here, we can start this party! But first we need music!” She waved her wand toward the record player in the corner, and danced her way around the table back to her seat.
  Harry had the overwhelming urge to pull her down in his lap as she passed him but opted to grab a plate instead.
  The evening picked up from there, Blaise’s presence lightened the mood tremendously and even Malfoy seemed more like himself.
  They sang to Hermione and watched as she cut the cake before urging her to open the presents. She stood to go retrieve her gifts but Malfoy raised his wand without a word and suddenly her gifts were in front of her. She smiled in thanks and reached for the bundle of packages.
  Hermione opened Harry’s present first and gasped, he had managed to procure an invisibility cloak for her. Granted it wasn’t like his, but it one of the oldest cloaks in existence and he knew she would appreciate the novelty of it.
  Hermione held it to her chest before reaching over and giving Harry a hug over their chairs. Then opened Luna’s gift next, she gushed at the lovely mint dress, she pulled out of the box and vowed to wear it as soon as she could.
  There was also a circlet much like the one Luna had worn on the evening she had come for dinner and Hermione placed it on her head. “Thank you, I’ll keep it at work so that I can focus better.”
  Blaise tossed her a small package but told her to open it in private. Hermione burst out into laugher “oh Merlin, this better not be nude pictures of you Blaise!” The Italian just grinned “You’ll have to wait and find out” before he winked at her and then subsequently Malfoy.
  Harry could only guess what Blaise had gotten her but turned his attention to the large crate Hermione was attempting to open.
  She ultimately had to stand and pry at the edge. It took her a few moments to open it and Blaise made a joke about Malfoy getting her a large empty but impossible to open crate to make himself look as though he got her an extravagant present.
  But when the top came off, Hermione was greeted with a site that made her eyes water. “Well what is it?” Luna asked, but Hermione seemed completely paralyzed. Harry stood and peered into the crate and was surprised himself.
  He looked to Malfoy almost disbelievingly before looking back into the crate. How he had known that this would be the perfect gift to get Hermione, Harry didn’t know.
  But there wasn’t a more suitable gift for his best friend in existence and Harry had to say that he was impressed. On the very top of a very large stack of books was first edition copy of Hogwarts a History.
  Granger looked so incredibly happy to receive her gift that Draco knew right then and there that it would all be worth it in the end. She started crying as she lifted book after book from the box, and gasping as she read title after title. “I can’t… these books…”
  Hermione Granger was unlike any other woman that he had ever met. Draco appreciated literature greatly and knew of no one more deserving that Granger to receive some of the greatest works of literary merit.
  She pulled them all out and Draco noticed that she absentmindedly sorted them alphabetically and be genre and when she pulled out the last book, the one that he had specifically buried on the bottom, he was rewarded with the brightest smile Hermione Granger had ever given him.
  She held up the first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice and wiped her eyes “I know I look mental, I promise I’m alright but these books… they don’t even exist anymore. They are either incredibly rare or were lost in the war. I can’t even express how this feeling, it’s too amazing for words.”
            She came around the table after setting the book down carefully and hugged him right where he sat. She held him tight for longer than he expected and even kissed him on the top of his head. “Thank you Malfoy, this is truly a wonderful gift.”
  Malfoy couldn’t even describe how happy her words made him. Fuck Adrian Pucey, no one else was allowed to have her. No one else was allowed to receive this kind of gratitude from her.
  Draco had just needed to be reminded of that fact. It would take a lot more work this time around but perseverance was a specialty of his once he had a goal in sight.
            After she let him go, Draco leaned back in his seat and met Potter’s approving stare across the table, he could do this. He could definitely win Granger over. It would take a hell of a lot of patience and hopefully luck would be on his side in regards to Pucey, but Draco would not be deterred again.
            Granger was his and he was keeping her.
            After the festivities died down, Harry walked Luna to the living room fireplace. Malfoy and Blaise had retired to the room sitting and Hermione had levitated all her gifts to her bedroom.
            “I’d say tonight was a success” he commented to Luna as they stopped near the floo powder. The firelight made her eyes flash and he was struck once again with just how much he wished she would give him a sign.
            Something, anything, any indication that he wasn’t alone in his feelings, that there was in fact this incredible attraction between them. “It was almost a success” she replied, meeting his gaze.
            Harry crossed his arms, “Malfoy got Hermione a gift so grand she cried and they seemed to have an amazing night together. That had been our goal all along.”
            Luna shook her head “That was your goal Harry; I knew that Draco wouldn’t fail us in this. He’s far nobler than any of us can comprehend. My goal was entirely different and it failed.”
            Harry was confused, “what was your goal then?” She took a slow step forward in the manner that always unnerved and excited him. It was so incredibly sexy when she focused on him like that, as though he were the only man in the world.
            “My goal was to get you to notice me tonight Harry.” Her fingers brushed against his forearm. “I always notice you Luna” he admitted catching her fingers in his.
            She quirked a brow “Oh yeah? Well then why are you sending me home Harry Potter?” Harry froze surely she couldn’t mean… a million thoughts rushed through his mind. He didn’t want to look too far into her words and scare her off if he misinterpreted them. Maybe he had just imagined that she said anything in the first place.
  After a time he thought it might be better to remain silent but Luna sighed when he didn’t answer and took a step back. “Never mind me Harry, I’m just being silly. Tonight was a wonderful success and I’m grateful to have been a part of it.”
            She smiled over her shoulder and took a handful of floo powder and it was that action that broke Harry out of his daze.
            He hadn’t imagined what she said; Luna had finally given him a sign. She tossed the powder into the flames and they burst into life shining bright green. “Goodnight Harry.” She had given him a sign. She had given him a sign!
            Relief, desire, excitement and the unmistaken rush of adrenaline shot his body into life. Reaching out and grabbing Luna by the arm, Harry pulled her hard against his body. He captured her lips with his and kissed her slowly, waiting for a reaction.
            Luna moaned into his mouth and wound her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer. Harry deepened the kiss, feeding from the sweet unique flavor that was all Luna and completely alluring.
            He wound his fingers around her braid and held tight as he broke away from her lips and kissed her throat. Luna giggled a bit forcing him to smile and meet her gaze. “What was your goal tonight Luna?”
  She returned his smile and gave him a quick kiss “to spend the night Harry.” He didn’t need to hear a single word more.
  Sweeping her up off her feet and holding her light frame in his arms. Harry turned and left the living room, taking the stairs two at a time before disappearing behind the dark blue door of Grimmauld Place with his lovely and beautiful prize.
  Long after the party had ended, Hermione was in her bedroom putting away all her new treasures into the wardrobe. She hugged the books to her chest and then set them down neatly on the shelf she had designated for them. I can’t believe he gave me so many first edition copies of the best works known to man. This is amazing.
  She held up Pride and Prejudice in front of her face and sighed happily, how had he known? There was a knock on her door. “Come in” she called out turning on the spot, Harry most likely…
            Malfoy stepped into the room and quietly closed the door behind himself. “Can I talk to you for a moment?” Hermione set the book she had been holding and ran a nervous hand through her hair. “Sure, what would you like to talk about.”
            She was just about to thank her lucky stars that the room was as big as it was when Malfoy suddenly crossed the distance and took her hand in his. He leaned close to her and she felt her breath catch in her throat, he’s going to kiss me!
            Malfoy stopped just short of her face and brought his eyes up to hers. She was shocked by the raw emotion she could see clearly in his steely depths and wondered what it was he could possibly want to talk about.
            He brought his free hand up and laid it on the other side of the hand he was already holding and stroked her palm with his thumb. “I apologize for my behavior the night of the storm Granger; clearly I overstepped my bounds and would like to call a second truce. You’ve been avoiding me because I’ve made you uncomfortable and I regret that. I want nothing more than to resume our friendship.”
            Hermione was shocked; she would have never thought that Malfoy had even noticed her absence. Especially since he had so many beautiful women at his beck and call, but here he was in her room asking for forgiveness for something that wasn’t really his fault.
            She parted her lips slightly to reply but didn’t trust herself to speak. The last thing she wanted was to make a fool of herself when they had the perfect opportunity to start over. Nodding her head in acquiesces of his request, she kept her eyes level with his, when all she wanted to do was look away.
  She hadn’t been this close to him in a long while and everything about him was wreaking havoc on her senses.
  Malfoy held her gaze for a long silent while as if trying his best to convey something she surely needed to understand before they searched her face and landed on her mouth. Hermione could tell just from that look alone what he was thinking and despite the past few weeks, knew that she wanted him to follow through.
  She felt her eyes drift close as he leaned closer and felt her body angle her hips slightly closer to him. Malfoy’s mouth hovered above hers for a moment but ultimately brushed past her cheek and was next to her ear.
  “Happy Birthday Granger” he whispered quietly before bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it gently.
  He released her hand in the next moment and left the room without another word, closing the door just as quietly behind him as he had when he had come.
  She stood there for a moment frozen, reeling from the sensations his kiss had caused. Her immediate area smelled of him and the lingering presence of his aura stole across her skin.   When she regained control of herself, Hermione sat down on the bed and looked to the spot where his lips had been.
  Sincere.
  All Hermione could think about was how sincere Malfoy had just been. This can’t be healthy for me she thought with a smile, feeling happier about the sudden turn of events than she knew she should.
  You’re not a stupid woman Hermione, being friends with him will most likely prove to be disastrous. She lied back on her bed and looked up to the ceiling knowing this to be true.
  She should have just told him that she needed her space and that a friendship was impossible. That would have been the smart old Hermione thing to do. In fact she could find him at that very moment and still tell him, but she knew that she wouldn’t.
  Hermione was happy. Happy that he had brought Blaise tonight, happy that he had given her the most thoughtful gifts ever, happy that he had spent the evening making her laugh and happy that he had come to her to reclaim their friendship.
  She knew that she wouldn’t trade the chance to be near him for anything in the world, no matter how much sense it made.
  At the very least, she could love him a bit easier now that she didn’t have to avoid him, and hopefully it would make those very same troublesome feelings go away all the more quicker as they settled into a comfortable companionship.
Ratings and/or Reviews
- 17
- 18
- 19
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Match Made In Convenience