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Tango	By : Alcoholic_Rootbeer Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 18416 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I will not make a profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
Beta love to LondonsLegend
Alpha love to LightofEvolution
I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as much as myself.
A.
"Don't settle. Don't finish crappy books. If you don't like the menu, leave the restaurant. If you're not on the right path, get off of it."
~Chris Brogan
Madam Puddifoot's
Scene cont.
Draco was furious. No, furious couldn't even begin to cover it. He knew that, should he chase after Astoria in this very moment, he would lose his temper and take out his frustrations on her instead of the witch who deserved it: Hermione. That thorn in his side needed to be taken out back and-
"By all means, Draco. Let's go." She was already up from the table in a matter of seconds, throwing him off of his game. Draco sputtered to regain focus as he shuffled himself out of his chair and gestured to the private back patio of Puddifoot's. As soon as the door closed behind them, Draco took out his wand and gave it a wave, setting up several types of concealing and muffling spells. The last thing he needed was someone overhearing them from the streets.
He tried to keep his icy composure as his eyes met Hermione's. "You have some nerve."
"I have some nerve, is it?" she started in, which startled the Malfoy heir. He expected her to be apologetic, perhaps frightened of his cold demeanor. Instead, she was as ferocious and brave as the Gryffindor house she had been sorted into. Why had he expected any different? "You're keeping secrets from your future wife, and I have the nerve. Ha! That's rich!" She poked him in the chest with her pointer finger. "If you'd been honest from the beginning, none of this would be a surprise! And really, Draco? You walk me outside to try and chew me out when you should be inside with Astoria! As cowardly as ever!"
Hot, blinding frustration flashed across Draco's mind. "How dare you call me cowardly? I'm simply-"
"-Simply ignoring the real problem here, which is that you should have told her!"
"It wasn't my secret to tell, Granger!" he shouted suddenly, losing his composure. "Blaise and Daphne asked me not to! Am I supposed to just go against their wishes?"
Hermione placed her hands on her hips - the way she did back in their school days when Weasley was about to get a firm talking to. "Malfoy, when you love someone, truly love someone, you no longer see yourself as two people who have secrets to keep from each other. You're a driving force of unity that handles all things together. If you truly cared for Astoria, you would have put your foot down to Blaise and Daphne and her."
It was like a light clicked on in the back of Draco's mind, illuminating a speck of truth behind her words. He'd never thought of it like that…There was a moment of hesitance as his mouth opened to rebuttal, but he felt uncertain in what he would say, and so he remained silent.
Just then, the door to the back patio opened, and Blaise popped his head out. "Oi, mate. I'm taking Daph home. She's still in a rough sort."
"Sorry to hear it," Draco muttered, arms crossed in a defensive stance as he stared, bewildered, at the frizzy-haired woman in front of him. She stood defiantly, though there was a shred of humility as her eyes drifted over to Blaise, who made a low, guttural 'hmph' at the back of his throat when their eyes met.
"My apologies," said Hermione. "But perhaps if you wouldn't have kept it a secret-"
Blaise shut the door hard enough to rattle the shingles on the roof.
"Marvelous," popped off Draco. "You certainly have a way with words."
Hermione turned her back to him, crossing her arms. Now that she did it, he felt very silly in the same pose. "And you, apparently, have none to offer."
"Come again?"
"You should have just told me," she said, quieter than before. "I understand the papers were a huge controversy, but you could have just told me you were canceling our private lessons."
Draco's body tensed. He wasn't sure which was worse - the fact that she had managed to make him feel guilty for not telling Astoria, or the fact that she was right in every sense; he couldn't find words to offer anyone these days.
All of the white-hot rage he felt moments ago sizzled out, leaving him lightheaded and drained. "...I see where that could have been juvenile on my part." Her head whipped around, and her eyes caught his; it made his entire body sing. "I didn't have a way of telling you." When she snorted a laugh, he continued, "I didn't, Hermione. Astoria was upset enough about everything, and I had to do whatever made her feel comfortable. She's...to be my wife, after all."
A small blush crept up Hermione's cheeks, and she dabbed at the corner of her eyes. Was she crying? "Even still, you could have been the one to tell me."
Draco shuffled in place. "I understand that."
"I truly am sorry about...all of this." She waved her hand dismissively. "Letting out the family secret. Causing so much trouble with your relationship. It was never my intention."
I invited you out, remember? Draco thought to himself. "Yes, well...it takes two to Tango, doesn't it?" he smirked, uncrossing his arms and offering out his palms instead to show his candidness. "Perhaps...if I hadn't interrupted your date and forced you to drink with me, we wouldn't have been so sloshed enough to find ourselves in such a compromising position." He took a step forward, as if he were approaching a stray kneazle.
Hermione didn't scare away or take a step back, but she did stare at him with a fondness unfamiliar to him. It made the tips of his ears burn.
"If it makes you feel any better," he said, "Astoria and I...we're not doing as well as we'd like, anyway. Even before the incident." When he said the word 'incident', it felt like he was describing an affair - but it hadn't been. Just two chums out for drinks. Just two chums eating ice cream and walking down the muggle streets outside of Diagon and holding each other at a fountain...just two chums wishing that Hermione's dessert fantasy could have lasted longer.
"I think that was obvious from the get-go," she said. "And I am sorry about spilling the beans."
Scrunching his face up in confusion, Draco asked, "Beans? I'm quite sure there are just pastries in there…"
The door came open again, this time to present Harry Potter, the ignorant sod, and his far-too-ginger girlfriend, Ginny. "Everything alright out here?" he asked.
"I'm fine, Harry," said Hermione gingerly. "I can handle the giant man-baby."
Ginny Weasley gave a snigger under her hand before saying, "Never doubted you could."
"We're um...we're heading out," said Potter to Hermione, "if you wanted to…" He gestured his head toward the door, beckoning her to come with them.
"If it's all the same, Harry, I think I'd like to offer Astoria my apologies," she replied. "You two go on."
"You sure?" Potter asked with a protective tone, his eyes shooting over to Draco, who had the sudden urge to hex four-eyes into oblivion.
"Come on, Harry. We both know Malfoy would be on his back in five seconds if he tried anything," said Ginny. "Malfoy, just so you know, we put two soups and a box of tea on your tab."
"You what?"
"Bye!"
And then they were gone, the door whamming shut behind them.
"What do you care?" asked Hermione. "You're disgustingly rich."
Draco smirked. "That I am, Granger. That I am." He rolled his eyes. "What's next? Is Weasley going to buy out the store, too? Knowing him and that appetite…" He was tempted, oh so tempted, to ask the question that burned inside of him. So he did. "So, you and Weasley came here together...should I assume…?"
Hermione's eyes went wide. "What? Oh! Oh, no. No, we're here as friends. It was the least I could do after our conversation."
Draco's heart sped up its pace. "Conversation?"
"I guess I took your advice. Sort of." Her eyebrows wove together at her admittance. "Ron came to check on me after the paper. It's when I let him down."
A smug grin set upon Draco's face so quick, it nearly made him dizzy. "What was that, Granger? I couldn't hear you. You took my advice?"
"Oh, shut it and go find Astoria," Hermione shooed him.
"Who?"
"You!"
"Oh, right." Draco nodded. "Me."
Offstage left: Ron Weasley
Setting: The loo
Ron had just finished his bathroom time in record success - well, for him, anyway. Ginny used to complain he spent hours in the bathroom, but really, he was a man, and men had things to do when it came to their bathroom breaks. It wasn't like women, powdering their noses and gossiping and...whatever it was women did.
Apparently, they also liked to cry in bathrooms, because as he stepped out of men's lavatory, he could hear a soft sob from the other door across the hall. Debating his best course of action, he nearly hightailed it back to the table - that was, if he hadn't stepped on his untied shoelaces and catapulted himself forward and into the women's lavatory door. His body weight pushed the door open with a thud, and he fell inside, releasing a strangled, "Oof!"
To his left, he saw the pretty woman named Astoria curled up in a little ball beside the sink, dabbing at her eyes with a roll of toilet paper. No, not just a section: the entire roll. It was comedic, but not nearly as Ron's mishap of falling into the women's restroom. Trying to pretend as if it was what he meant to do, he hoisted himself up on his elbow and asked, "Are you alright?"
Astoria, to her credit, didn't laugh at him. She merely stared in a mixture of horror and shock, followed by a series of light giggles into her palm. Still, even when she did, Ron didn't feel as if they were aimed at him. Rather, they felt more like she was laughing out of nervousness.
"Am I alright?" she asked, sniffling against the paper roll. "Are you alright?"
Ron scrambled to sit up, drawing his long legs closer in and effectively shutting the door as they no longer blocked the way. He scratched the side of his neck, trying to appear nonchalant. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just a bit...banged up. Nothing I can't handle." He puffed out his chest a little. "After all, I've fought off dark wizards. Y'think I'm gonna let a door get the best of me?"
Astoria sniffled again. "What really happened?"
"...Shoelaces."
This time, she did laugh. It was a cute sound. One he used to associate with Hermione, though this time it felt less condescending.
"Draco's quite clumsy, too," she said, scooting across the bathroom floor, at the same time reaching for her wand, which was tucked under her skirt against a leg-holster. Ron caught the bit of creamy skin lurking beneath her skirt and blushed the color of a tomato. He watched as Astoria gave the wand a wave over his head before it emitted blue sparks. "No concussion. That's good news."
"Yayyy…." Ron pumped his fist lightly in a mock cheer, a grin across his face, hoping it would cheer her up. "So...why are you so upset about your sis being pregnant?"
"I'm not."
"Well, you're crying. In a bathroom. Alone."
"I'm crying because Draco chose to keep a secret from me. Not only him, but apparently my sister, too." She raised the top of her skirt and slipped the wand back in place inside its holster. It had been quite a while since Ron had seen such a pretty leg - or any part of a woman, for that matter. He jerked his head forward, afraid of her catching him staring. "To answer your question, I'm hurt, Mister Weasley."
"Like I said, Ron'll do. My dad's Mister Weasley."
He stiffened when Astoria moved even closer to him. "I'm sorry," she said, reaching out and touching his chest. "I just…" She brushed at his shirt, swiping crumbs off of it. They fell to the floor, and Ron released a muffled laugh.
"Oh." He helped her brush the rest off. "Yeah. Sorry 'bout that."
"It's alright, Ron." Astoria gave a pleasant smile, her eyes still red from crying. "I'm sorry. It's habit."
"I don't mind. Hermione used to do it back when we were dating." He paused. "Not that we are anymore." He sighed. "Mind if I mope in the bathroom with you?"
"By all means," she said, gesturing around with a sniffle, "my bathroom is your bathroom."
"Great." Ron scooted back against the wall and leaned his head against the stones. He was just about to close his eyes when he began to hear more soft sobs. His eyes popped open, and he saw Astoria weeping, her face pressed against the toilet paper roll. It was nearly comical. "You...er...wanna talk about it?"
"No."
"Okay..." He tried to close his eyes again.
"It's just...he's so secretive, that Draco!" Astoria shouted, startling Ron. "It seems the harder I try to get to know him, the further away he slips. I thought we were a team. Partners don't lie to each other. Partners don't hide things. And partners certainly don't disappear to go drinking with a pretty witch with far more intelligence…"
Oi, Ron thought, why'd I have to fall into this bathroom? He tried to comfort her. "Nothing went on between him and 'Mione, believe me."
"Of course, nothing happened. If they did, I wouldn't be here trying to salvage my relationship." Astoria grumbled, "But it doesn't mean I don't see the way he looks at her."
"...Or she looks at him," Ron added, haunted by the thought of the Daily Paper with Hermione curled in Malfoy's lap. "That twat doesn't know the first thing about how to treat a woman." So why does Hermione stare at him the way she does?
"Are we fools?" asked Astoria quietly - so quiet, Ron nearly didn't hear.
"Maybe," he muttered back. The next moment, a warmth pressed against his side as Astoria leaned her cheek against his shoulder. "Look, Astoria, I don't wanna go butting my nose into other people's business, but you seem like a nice enough girl. What the bloody Hell are you doing with a chump like Malfoy?"
"He isn't a chump."
"I've known the guy a loooong time. Believe me. He's a chump."
"He's just...damaged." She tilted her face up, and he tilted his face down to meet her. "I thought I knew him, but it feels like we're growing apart."
Ron nodded awkwardly. "Probably because he's a chump."
"You don't know what he's like. Not really. After the war, he grew quiet and self-loathing. I tried pulling him out of it. I thought, maybe, if I kept caring for him, the way his mother used to, he'd eventually snap out of it. But he doesn't trust me to hold secrets or to confide in me or-" Tears streamed down her cheeks as her eyes met Ron's. "I just don't understand why I'm not good enough."
Ron wasn't great with words, but he knew the feeling of being found wanting very well. Out of sympathy, and perhaps because there was a pretty girl crying on his shoulder, he reached over with his hand and brushed a few tears off of Astoria's chin. "You seem just fine to me."
A soft pair of lips met his, and his eyes went as round as tea cups. One moment, he had been comforting Astoria, and the next moment she was kissing him. Her hands wove in his shirt, pulling him even closer, and fingers slipped up into his hair, and good gravy, her lips were so soft. Ron found himself kissing back because he was a guy and this was a beautiful woman with a sensational body who was climbing into his lap... Ron's senses went into overdrive, and he melted against the wall like a chocolate frog left out on the sidewalk.
Astoria pulled away, eyes fluttering open. She blinked back at him, just as shocked as he was.
"Oh my...oh my word...I'm so sorry, Mister Weasley-"
"Ron-"
"Ron, I don't know what came over-"
"S'alright-"
"I shouldn't have-"
"Really, I'm fine-" He reached out and stroked his thumb down her cheek. "Calm down. S'alright. It's just...pre-wedding jitters. Everyone gets them."
"Do they?" she asked desperately.
"I dunno, really," Ron shrugged. "Never been married. But my brother George kissed a cow before marrying Angelina. D'you think that counts?"
"Are...are you comparing yourself to a cow?"
"Gin says I eat like one-"
Astoria's lips were on him again. "That-" kiss. "Is simply," another kiss, "adorable-" She kept kissing him: on the lips, over his jaw, down his throat. Ron knew this wasn't the best spot to be in, but Merlin, she was a talented kisser. And gorgeous, too. And-
Thud. The door came open. "Astoria?"
All kissing ceased. Astoria sat rigid in Ron's lap, her eyes wide and horrified. Slowly, she turned around to meet the startled, well-angered state that was Draco Malfoy.
"Draco!" she gasped, pushing herself off of Ron's lap quicker than a snitch zoomed through the air at a Quidditch game. She was on her feet in two seconds flat, brushing down her skirt. "I...I can-"
But Malfoy's was already mid-incantation as he aimed his wand directly at Ron. The next moment, Ron found his stomach twisting and groaning before he felt nausea overcome him. He raced past Astoria to a stall before upchucking a thick, yellow slug the size of his thumb. "Ah, gross!"
"Draco! Draco let's talk about this-" Astoria was shouting, but by the sound of the door slamming, Malfoy was already gone. Astoria cursed under her breath before tapping on the stall door. "Are you alright, Ron?"
"Blegh!" was his reply before he vomited another slug, this time the color of puce.
Oh dear. Astoria had an emotional breakdown! What does this mean? (evil smile) We will see soon, won't we?
And before you go hating on her, just remember: she's younger, less mature, has a LOT of burdens and responsibilities all weighing her down, and finally, someone told her she was enough. That had to have meant everything to her.
~A.
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