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Forgiven	By : Tassanaburrfoot Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 18105 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever, owned Harry Potter or the books or contents. This work is purely for my own pleasure, no profit to be made.

Chapter List
- 8
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- 10
“You’ve always been so handsome,” his mother cooed as they stood together in front of the mirror. Narcissa reached around her son and straightened his tie. “Twenty years old. I had always hoped I would see this day and now, here it is,” she whispered. “I’m so proud of you, darling.”
He placed his hand over hers and met her eyes. “Everything’s going to get better, Mum,” he promised her and he desperately wanted to believe it. “Before you know it, I’ll be married and Father will be home. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even have a grandchild or two.”
She gave him a sad smile and turned him around. “I know, my love, but first you have to propose to the girl,” she said, slapping his shoulder. “And you won’t get that chance by standing around here.”
(II)(II)
Draco stepped into the Leaky Cauldron and glanced around. The pub was a little busier than usual and it surprised him. He began walking, wondering if the witch he was supposed to meet was actually going to show or not. She couldn’t be late, could she? All those years in Hogwarts, he couldn’t recall her ever being late to a class.
Small, feminine hands suddenly reached up from behind him and covered his eyes. “Guess who?” her voice chirped.
He had shuddered, almost going into panic mode, when the hands blinded him, but the voice acted like a calming balm. He reached behind him and touched her sides, tickling her. “It’s not nice to try and scare people, Granger,” he chuckled as she danced away from him.
He turned around on the spot and was pleasantly surprised to see her dressed in an emerald green party dress. The V in the neckline gave a perfect show of cleavage while the skirt flared out. “Are you scared, Malfoy?” she asked.
He grabbed her and pulled her close to him. Staring down at her, he smirked. “You wish.”
She threw her head back and laughed aloud. She then looked up at him and gave him a genuine smile. “Happy Birthday, Draco,” she said as she stepped out of his embrace.
He wanted to grab her again, but he remained respectful. “Thank you,” he said graciously.
She took his hand and pulled him further into the pub. “I’ve a surprise for you.”
Draco followed her, letting his eyes roam her figure. The dress was amazing and he found his eyes running up her legs until they were hidden. He seriously needed to get laid before he did something stupid.
Shaking his head, he looked around and noticed they had entered into a darkened backroom he hadn’t been in before. It was too much to hope that he was going to actually get lucky. Suddenly, lights came on and several voices shouted, “Surprise!”
Flabbergasted, Draco took a step back and looked around. Zabini and Nott stood there with wide grins along with several other former Slytherins. In the middle of the room, there was a large cake shaped like a Hungarian Horntail that had been spelled to turn its head and flick its tail as though it were studying each person in turn. Emerald green banners with silver embroidery decorated the room. To say Draco was shocked would have been an understatement.
“Granger booked the room,” Nott explained as he handed Draco a glass of firewhiskey.
Draco looked at the Gryffindor. “You did this?” he asked.
She smiled gently. “It’s not every day you turn twenty, is it?”
“But why?”
Zabini draped an arm over Draco’s shoulders. “Why are you questioning it, mate? She went through a lot of trouble putting all this together for you.”
The blond glanced at his friend before his attention was snatched away by another. “Happy Birthday, Draco,” Parkinson said.
He stared at his ex in amazement. “You’re in on it too?”
She gave a sniff. “I’m doing this as a favor, so don’t think it means anything. I’m still sore you never owled me.”
“Really? You know it never would have worked out, Pans,” Draco said. “Father never would have agreed to the merger.”
“What merger?” Granger asked, still standing next to Draco.
He sighed and gave her a sidelong glance. “Between Pansy and me. Pans wanted to take our relationship to the next level, and when I had asked my father about it, he said no.” He gave Parkinson a hard look. “It wasn’t anything personal, Pans. You know how I felt about you.”
“Nothing personal? Well, that’s news to me!” the dark haired girl said with a sneer. “And, no, I didn’t know how you felt about me because you never said anything.”
“Granger really went all out, didn’t she?” Daphne Greengrass said as she approached them with a firewhiskey in her hand. “What did you do to earn it?”
It was all Draco could do to shrug as he had absolutely no idea. However, he did know one thing for certain. He was definitely marrying this witch. He had to after all of this.
“Call it an olive branch,” Granger suggested with a smile. She leaned in close to him and whispered, “A merger? Really, Draco? Love isn’t a business transaction. If you love someone, you should show them. No hesitation.”
His eyes went to her again. Grabbing her by the waist, he pressed his lips against hers, kissing her deeply. He felt her tense, but he continued to kiss her, both needing and wanting her to reciprocate.
“Leave it to Malfoy,” he heard Parkinson scoff, but he ignored her.
Finally, Granger relaxed in his embrace and Draco swept the tip of his tongue along her bottom lip. The moment she opened her mouth, he pulled her even closer and plunged his tongue inside. He heard whoops and hollers around him. All he could taste was her. His hands ran across her back and he growled.
“Malfoy, get a room!” someone shouted.
“I have a room,” he snarled against Granger’s lips.
She touched his cheek and he opened his eyes. They broke the kiss and stared into one another’s eyes. Her eyes sparkled and he felt himself getting lost in them. “You’re amazing,” he breathed.
He could see the exact moment when reality started catching up to her. She pushed away from him and he let her slip from him. She touched a hand to her swelling lips and he had to keep himself from smirking at the knowledge that he had caused it. She shook her head. “I just wanted to give you a good birthday.”
“So far, it’s incredible,” he said with a smile.
Tears were in her eyes as they darted around the room before settling. He followed her gaze and saw a highly amused Nott with his arms folded, staring at the couple. “Granger’s untouchable, mate?” he asked with a smirk.
“What?” the girl in question demanded, looking at Draco in shock.
Draco closed his eyes and sighed. “Yes,” he said to his old friend.
“Untouchable?!” the Muggle born repeated in disbelief. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The blond looked at her in confusion. “What kind of question is that?”
“The kind you ask when someone tells their friends that she’s untouchable, you prat! Who do you think you are? You don’t control who I can or cannot be with!” He could see she wanted to hit him and readied himself in case she decided to act on it.
“I only said that to protect you!” he growled, waving a hand at Nott who was chuckling. Draco clenched his fist with his other hand.
“Oh, so now you decide to protect me?” she snarked. “News flash, Malfoy! I don’t need you to protect me. I’m not a damsel in distress and you are no knight in shining armor!”
He hesitated. What the hell was she talking about? His moment of confusion was all the time she needed to turn on her heel and stalk out of the room. “Enjoy your party,” she called behind her.
The Slytherins who were gathered stared at the door. It was Greengrass who broke the silence. “Well? Aren’t you going to go after her?”
Draco frowned. “Why should I?”
“Because, you git, look at all she did for you,” Greengrass said. “That cake isn’t an easy spell to perform and she managed to get all of us together.”
He sighed, knowing she was right. He didn’t even know what had happened. Things had been going swimmingly and then she just snapped. “I’ll be right back,” he told his friends and quickly left the room to find Granger.
He found her sitting at the back of the bar, nursing a cocktail. Tears fell unchecked from her eyes as she stared at the candle on her table. He pulled out the chair beside her and sat in it. They stayed that way for a while. She sipped at her drink and he just watched her.
“Ronald asked me out this morning,” she said suddenly, though she didn’t look at him.
Draco’s initial reaction was to make some snide comment about the pauper. He licked his lips as he tamped down his anger. “Wh-what did you tell him?”
She sighed. “He wants to take me to see the Chudley Canons play Puddlemore,” she told him, rolling her eyes. She took out a bit of cloth and dabbed at the corner of her eye. “Of all the things, he thought I’d want to go see a Quidditch match.”
“Leave it to Weaselbee,” he breathed. “So? Are you going?”
She huffed. “Of course not. Ronald thinks a Quidditch match is some form of romantic venture,” she said, rolling her eyes.
He nodded quietly and in his mind he was smiling. They said nothing to one another for a while longer. Draco listened to the sounds of the pub. People laughed, talked, and drank. There were diners, too, and people coming in and out of Diagon Alley. He glanced at the witch by his side and really wanted to kiss her again.
“Why did you do this?” he asked suddenly. “Why did you put all this together… for me?”
She gave him a watery smile and replied, “It’s your birthday.” Looking down at her drink, she added, “I didn’t want you to be alone.”
“Draco,” his mother said causing him to look up in shock.
He stood, eyes wide. “Mother! What are you doing here?” he asked as he hugged her to him.
The older witch buried her head in her son’s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his slender frame. “Miss Granger sent me an owl,” she explained, pulling back slightly so she could run a hand through his hair. “I am sorry I didn’t tell you, darling. She wanted it to be a surprise.”
“I tried talking to the Minister about maybe seeing if your father could be here,” Granger said from her seat. “But prisoners aren’t exactly allowed to leave. However, I did arrange it so you and your mother could see him tomorrow if you like.”
He stared at Granger. If she truly wanted to surprise him for his birthday, she had succeeded. He let go of his mother and approached the Muggle born again. Taking her by the hand, he helped her into a standing position and quickly pulled her into an embrace. “I’m going to kiss you again, Granger,” he warned in her ear before doing just that.
They weren’t even dating and here she was throwing him a birthday party and arranging a visit with his father. Even more, she had managed to get his mother out of the manor. This whole night was far more than he could ever imagine as he allowed his lips and tongue explore the wonderful taste that was Hermione Granger.
Breaking the kiss, he gazed down at her and swept some hair off her cheek. “What did I do to deserve all of this? Why would you care so much?”
She shrugged a little and looked away, staring at his Adam’s apple. “Your mother was right. I did owl her, mostly because I was curious. I couldn’t understand why a boy who had hated me for so long was starting to come around my office. She replied. She told me more about life at the manor when Voldemort was alive. I don’t…” she looked up at him. “What that madman and his lackey made you do...” She pinched her lips. “We all went through indescribable trials at his hands. I’m not surprised by what you had to go through, the burden you had to bear.” She rested a hand on his chest and bowed her head. “Like I said, no one should spend their twentieth birthday alone. I felt your parents should be here as well.” She actually looked angry at herself. “I wish I could have gotten your father here. The charges against him are outrageous and I’ve no doubt the only reason the Ministry is keeping him is so they could have someone arrested.” As she looked up at him, he was amazed by the sudden fire in her eyes. “He doesn’t deserve to be in that prison and I’m going to see to it that he gets out.”
He blinked several times and glanced at his mother. She gave him a single nod and smiled at him. Turning his attention back to the witch in his arms, he shook his head. “You’re too good to me, Granger,” he said softly. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”
“Yes, well, don’t thank me yet,” she told him. “Thank me when your father is sitting in his own home, free from prison bars.”
He smirked, touching her shoulder idly. “Shall we return to the party, love?” he asked. He glanced at his mother and his smirk widened into a boyish grin. “You should see the cake, Mum. It looks like an actual dragon.”
Granger brightened at this, snapping her fingers. “Oh! Right! Yes, we should definitely get in there,” she told them. “I told Blaise to keep an eye on it, but knowing him he’s bound to ‘forget’ to tell Theo not to go near it.”
They hurried back to the party, though Draco had no idea what she was talking about. When they entered into the room, he took one look and burst out laughing. Nott had never looked sourer than he was in that moment covered in chocolate. “What happened?” he managed to ask amid his laughter.
“Blaise!” Granger reproached as she walked up to the cake. Chocolate poured from the cake’s mouth and nostrils, congealing onto and over the plate onto the floor. “I told you not to let anyone near this cake!”
Zabini, as well as the other Slytherins, were laughing. “I’m sorry, Granger,” he chuckled. “I told him not to, but I swear he’s more Gryffindor than Slytherin sometimes.”
The other Slytherins laughed even harder as Nott glared at the black man. Narcissa looked at the cake and chocolate in surprise. The cake gave one last turn of its head and stopped moving altogether. The older witch sighed. “I’m sure it was more beautiful, Miss Granger.”
Granger looked as though she was about to start crying as she took out her wand and began syphoning the mess. “It was,” she told Draco’s mother. “And now it’s ruined.”
Not wanting her to start crying in front of everyone, Draco stepped up to Granger and placed a hand on her back. He was still chuckling as he pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry about it, Hermione,” he said, rubbing her back. “If anything, this is the best birthday ever.” He glanced at Nott with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Of course, I would have preferred someone a little more feminine covered in chocolate, mate.”
“Shut up,” Nott growling, wiping chocolate off his face and looking down at his clothes. “300 Galleons,” he said. He glared at Draco. “You’re lucky I actually like you, you git.”
Draco chuckled some more and glanced down at the witch in his arms, still rubbing her back. “Are you alright?” he asked her.
She nodded. “I just wanted this day to be perfect for you,” she whispered, holding back a sob. “And now…”
“It is perfect, Granger,” he insisted. “My mother’s here, Nott’s covered in chocolate, and you look delicious enough to eat.”
“You’re supposed to eat the cake,” she pointed out innocently.
He gave her a wicked grin at that. Oh how he was going to enjoy showing her the finer things in a relationship once they were married. “Then perhaps we should eat?” he suggested.
Breaking from her seeming trance, Granger moved out of Draco’s arms and clapped her hands together. “Right,” she said. She looked at Narcissa and blush. “I apologize for the mess, Mrs. Malfoy.”
Narcissa gave her a kind smile. “I’ve known Theodore and Blaise since they were infants. This is just a taste of the mischief they get into with Draco. There’s no need to apologize,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling. “And, please, call me Narcissa, my dear. So is cake all you have here?”
“Oh, no,” Granger gushed as she pointed to a table to the right of the room. “The old bartender, Tom, helped me put together some finger sandwiches and other finger foods.” She looked at Narcissa apologetically. “I couldn’t afford caviar or escargot, but I hope this works? I did convince Tom to make some of these really delicious cheese balls.”
Narcissa smiled kindly. “I’m sure what you have is great, Miss Granger. I was just making sure that there was more than just sweets and sugar.”
The Gryffindor waved her hand. “Of course,” she said. “I was raised by a couple dentists after all.” She gave a laugh and Narcissa smiled, though like Draco, had no idea what the Muggle born was talking about. Granger glanced at Draco. “That is alright?” she asked uncertainly.
He rolled his eyes. “It’s perfect, love. Actually,” he added as he turned her so that she was facing him. He touched her cheek with his fingertips, “this whole day has been perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday.”
“I didn’t get your father,” she said, looking down.
He tilted her chin upward. “You will,” he told her. “Just use that Granger brain of yours and he’ll be out in no time.”
“Wait,” Parkinson interrupted. She pointed an accusing finger at Granger. “You’re going to get Lucius Malfoy out of prison?”
Granger glanced up at the Slytherin girl and nodded. “I’ll do everything in my power. He doesn’t belong there.”
“That’s not going to be easy. Granger,” Zabini said.
Draco smirked at his old friend as he led the Gryffindor to the table of finger foods. “Think of who you’re talking to, mate. If anyone can achieve the impossible, it’s Granger.”
“Oh, don’t say that, Draco,” the girl complained as she picked up a plate. “I don’t want to get your hopes up.”
The blond winked at her. “Too late,” he teased. At her crestfallen look, he kissed her forehead. “It’ll be alright, love. You’re quite possibly one of the most stubborn people I know. Hell, you were even able to talk Snape into upping your grade that one time, remember?”
“He didn’t do it,” she pointed out as she began picking through the different foods. “I know the incident you speak of and I swear he was more stubborn than I. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he genuinely hated me.”
He smirked. “You’d be right,” he admitted. “Snape hated the Golden Trio. He couldn’t stand that you were always helping Longbottom with his work. But you still fought the bastard. I honestly thought he had caved.” She shook her head and he shrugged. “At least you tried.”
“I just hope Kingsley and the Wizengamot aren’t as stubborn.”
(III)(III)
The rest of the party had been amazing. The cake had been delicious and the group of friends had finally begun to catch up. “We should chill some time, Malfoy,” Zabini had said as they were getting ready to leave.
All in all, Draco couldn’t imagine a better success than the night of his birthday. Or a more remembered one. He could still taste her lips on his. How had he managed to kiss her not just once, but twice in one night? Not a date his left butt cheek! She had looked so beautiful dressed in that green party dress, too. And the way she had kept giving him surprise after surprise just made his fingers itch to hold her and never let her go. If he kept working at it, he figured they would be dating by the end of the week.
He reclined lazily in his armchair in front of the fireplace. His mother showing up at the party had been a nice touch and Granger’s promises to free his father really hit him deeply. If she could manage it, Draco would end up eternally in her debt. Marriage would be the least he could do and he would willingly spend a live time paying her back.
It still amazed him that she was even speaking to him. Apparently all those times going to the Ministry and inviting her to lunch were working. He would have to continue.
“Maisey,” he called and the elf appeared. He waved a hand in the air. “Granger mentioned that she wanted to be romanced… Well, sort of.” He sat up and look at the elf. “Weasel breath asked her to a Quidditch match between the Canons and Puddlemore. I know she doesn’t want to go and even said as much. She wants romance and I intend to give it to her.”
“Shall Maisey send another boutique of flowers?”
The wizard shook his head. “No. If we keep sending her flowers, it will only confuse her. No, I need something more.” Standing, he began pacing the front of the fireplace when the fire turned green.
“Malfoy?” Nott called as his head appeared in the flames. “Do you have a few?”
Nott had spent an entire year sharing a dormitory with Granger. While Draco was jealous, he also knew he could utilize his friend’s knowledge. “Yeah, come on over,” he said, taking a step back to give his friend room.
Nott pushed the rest of the way into the room and dusted himself off. The dark haired man sat in the armchair Narcissa often occupied and gave Draco a quirk of his brow. “So, Malfoy. Wicked party.”
Draco shrugged as he returned to his seat. “What do you want, Nott?”
“Well, Zabini and I were talking after the party,” his old friend explained, checking his nails. “I thought you said you weren’t interested in Granger.”
The blond licked his lips and looked away. “What makes you think otherwise?”
Nott shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. The party was a good indicator, though that was Granger’s idea and from the looks of it, you had no idea what she had been planning. But then you snogged her. Unless you were trying to truly piss off Parkinson, it isn’t hard to figure out.”
“I don’t give a damn about Parkinson,” Draco growled. He looked at the elf. “Maisey, bring me a bottle of brandy and some glasses.”
“That’s exactly my point!” Nott said. “If you wanted to get with the girl, you could have just told me. I mean, I knew you fancied her, but…”
“How did you know that?” Draco interrupted, looking at his friend in surprise.
Nott raised an eyebrow again. “Seriously, Draco? I’ve known you since we were in diapers. I can’t tell you how many times we sat in the boys’ dorms listening to you bitching and moaning about ‘Granger this,’ and ‘Granger that.’ It grew even worse in third year and by fourth, things changed. I don’t know what happened, but sometime either during or after the Yule Ball, you changed, mate. You still bitched, but there wasn’t as much… venom, anymore. Things stopped for the most part and then in seventh year, you started on about her again, but nothing negative. I can’t even remember the last time you called her a Mudblood.”
Had he been that transparent? No wonder Crabbe had been pissed at him those last few months leading up to the final battle. “If you knew, then why did you make those comments about her that day?”
“I wanted to see your reaction,” Nott said with a shrug. “I knew you still had it out for her. Figured I could push you in that direction.” He smirked. “So, how did you get your mum to agree to it? I know your father hasn’t a clue.”
Draco stared hard at his friend for a long moment. Maisey returned with the brandy and poured a finger for each of the men before moving off to the side. Draco took his glass and downed it in one go. He grimaced and poured himself some more before he finally relaxed, leaning back in his chair.
“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “You know how my mother felt about Muggle borns. So, I started purposefully pointing out articles in the Prophet that featured Granger. I needed her to begin seeing Granger as more than some filthy Mudblood in order for it to work.”
Draco placed his glass on the side table next to his chair and stood. Crossing his study to his desk, he opened a drawer and took out a single picture. He returned to his chair and handed the picture to Nott. “Once I felt she was ready, I simply let her ‘catch’ me looking at that picture.”
Nott looked at the picture, studying it for a few seconds before glancing at Draco. “How did you manage this?”
Draco shrugged. “There was this boy taking pictures and I saw him snap the shot. I simply paid for it.”
Nott shook his head. “No, I mean, how did you manage to get Granger to dance with you and then snog you at the Yule Ball? Didn’t she go with Krum?”
“Oh, that,” the blond said with a smirk. “She went with Krum, but she really wanted to be there with Weasel. They had had a fight. It was sheer luck that I had decided to go out by that lake that night. Even luckier that Granger came by soon after. That part hadn’t been planned, but it worked out well for me.”
The dark haired wizard looked at the picture a bit more before handing it back to Draco. “It sounds like you have everything well under way. What’s your goal?”
The blond licked his lips, looking down at the picture. Watching their first kiss never got old. “I want to marry her,” he whispered.
Nott’s eyebrows shot up as he stared at his friend. “And how are you going to convince your father to allow such a union without burning your name from the family tree?”
Draco gave a small smirk. “Well, Granger’s already working on that one, isn’t she? Father is going to owe her when she springs him from prison. And seeing that my mother can’t have any more children, I don’t see him disowning me any time soon. Worst case scenario, he’ll deal with me until Granger has our first born and then name my child as his heir. By then, it won’t matter much, will it?” he questioned as he cradled his drink.
“You’re banking a lot on her agreeing to marry you,” Nott pointed out.
“She will,” Draco confirmed. “I’m the only man that’s right for her. She knows it, she’s just denying it right now. But she’ll soon see.”
“And how do you know Zabini or I won’t try to steal her from you? Or worse, the Weasel could still take her back.”
“You won’t. And neither will Weasel,” Draco explained, taking a swallow of his drink. He watched as Nott nursed his own drink, taking small sips from it. “Besides, you don’t think she and I have already spoken about you? When she told me she had shared a dorm with you, I wanted to know how close you lot had gotten.”
Nott chuckled. “You’ve it all planned out, don’t you, Malfoy?”
“What can I say? It’s something I’ve been thinking of since fourth year. I just wasn’t sure if I would get the opportunity,” he said.
“You’re forgetting one thing, mate,” Nott pointed out. “Granger’s not just known as the brightest witch of our age because of a few Outstandings on some tests. The girl’s got a brain in her head and it won’t take her long to figure out what you’re plotting.”
Draco frowned. “I don’t plan on hurting her. By the time she figures it all out, I’m hoping we’ll be madly in love and married.”
“Not if you keep doing it alone.”
Draco’s eyes glittered as he smiled mischievously. “Why, Nott, I was wondering when you’d get to that.”

Author's Note: Such a devious Slytherin Draco is. He thinks he's got it all figured out. *Giggles*
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Forgiven