Chapter 14
It took a long time to get ready that night. Usually I didn’t give a mandrake rout about looking good, but I felt it was important to look my best. My hair fell straight and sleek down onto my shoulders, and I put on some simple make up that did wonders, making my face glow. I imagined the perfect dress in my head, black silk that went down to my ankles with cap sleeves and little silver stars spread over the front and back, then conjured it. It fell gracefully onto my arm and as I slid it on I discovered that it fit perfectly. Looking in the mirror I realized I needed a necklace to go with the low neckline. There was no such perfect necklace in my jewelry drawer. So I conjured that as well. A small silver chain with a tiny star fell from my wand and I picked it up off the floor before putting it on. It matched my dress perfectly. I turned to the mirror and gasped at my reflection. As much as I tried not to say it, in fear of sounding vain, I looked-
“Beautiful,” said a smooth voice behind me. I turned to see Draco leaning in the doorframe. He looked back to his old self, confidence restored. He was wearing a dark gray muggle suit with a silver tie, matching his eyes and my dress. It was quite strange to see him in muggle clothing, but he looked relaxed, as if he wore a suit every day. I couldn’t hide my smile. “You ready to leave?” he asked, offering his arm. I hooked mine through it.
“Did you get what you were looking for in tow?” I said innocently. I could tell his was trying hard to keep his cocky demeanor intact, but I could see him gulp. He nodded. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said slyly, regaining his composure. We began to walk down the hallway. Before we reached the front door, Draco unhooked his arm from mine and walked behind me the put his hands over my eyes while I put my coat on. “I want to show you something.” He shuffled me forward and opened the door with his foot. I felt the snow fall onto my face but Draco kept me warm. He pulled his hands away and I saw a gleaming silver Maserati (A/N: I’m not even going to bother trying to spell that.) parked in the middle of the brick courtyard. I was stunned. He looked pleased at my expression. Taking my hand, he led me down the front steps and led me to the passenger door, which he opened for me. I was still to stunned to reply. He chuckled as I sat down and ran a finger over the leather interior. When he sat down beside me I looked at him questioningly. He smirked the classic Malfoy smirk.
“I bought it,” he said, responding to my unasked question. “Seat belt!” When he saw I was ready to go he hit the gas and we raced down the hill. For once, I enjoyed the danger. He slowed down to the speed limit when we reached the main road. Giggling, I said,
“I see you’re back to your old self.” The smirk disappeared and mortification filled my lungs. “Oh, I’m sorry… wrong thing to say.” He waved the comment off.
“Don’t sweat it, let’s talk about something else. Tell me more about Superman,” he said randomly. The rest of the car ride I did my best to explain what kryptonite was. He didn’t get how the difference of color affected Clark. It wasn’t until Draco opened my door that we stopped arguing over weather color was a characteristic property. Looking around, I saw that we were in a small parking lot behind a little brick building.
“Where are we?” He took my hand and pulled me out of the car.
“This is Manger Le Méchant. It’s a fancy French restaurant that I read about in the New York Times.” We walked around to the front of the building. It was made of dark brick and long webs of ivy blanketed the surface, parting so windows revealed the fancy candle lit dining room within. I was glad I had dressed up for dinner, the other patrons were wearing their best clothing, and I got the sense Draco had looked for the most expensive restaurant in town, most likely to empress. Who, I couldn’t tell. Entering the restaurant we got several curious stares from the diners. Swotty rich people were common in this part of Vermont, but I had never been comfortable at fancy dinner partied. Draco, however, seemed right at home, the classic Malfoy smirk still residing on his lips. He led me over to the matradi (A/N: sp?"). Before the snooty man said anything Draco said, “Table for two, reservation under Granger.” I looked at him curiously, pondering the use of my last name. The swotty man nodded and led us through the sea of tables to a U shaped booth in the corner. When we sat down, he walked away.
“That man looks like he has a broomstick up his bum,” I said quietly as he tottered away. Draco smiled nervously. “Are you ok? You don’t seem yourself,” I whispered. He waved off the question, before surveyed the room. The restaurant was certainly romantic, what with the candlelight, the leather seats, and the wood paneled walls. It seemed obvious to me now that he was going to propose. All the signs pointed to it. It suddenly became so real!
A waitress wandered over to our table and handed us menus.
“Would you like anything to drink?” I looked at Draco.
“I’ll have some red wine and she’ll have a Pinot Grigio.” (A/N: sp!) The woman gave him a once over, provided a noticeable swoon, and walked away. I giggled nervously, as he continued to smirk. “So Clark never permanently hooked up with Lana Lang?” I shook my head, glad to have an excuse to continue to talk. My boyfriend was oddly fascinated by the story of Superman. He was drawn to the idea of being almost invincible. We often discussed his story at meal times, talking of the various schemes of Lex Luthor and how Clark had managed to thwart them. What Draco hated most about the story, however, was how Clark couldn’t escape his destiny, no matter how hard he tried. I think Draco feared that he would be unable to keep himself from becoming a death eater again, never mind the fact that Voldemort was gone. That was what he saw as his destiny. That was the destiny he was trying to change.
We ordered our food and ate it before anything unusual happened. I was sipping hot chocolate and Draco a coffee before he started. He layered his hand on top of mine on the table and I looked up, meeting his gaze. Determination was pronounced in his pupils, but love and devotion mixed with the sharp edges of the strong emotion. This was it, this was the moment.
“Hermione?” he said in that husky voice, and I felt my knees go weak. Shivers went up my spine.
“Yeah?” I answered, having trouble speaking. He inhaled deeply and began to stroke my fingers with his own.
“Before I met you I had nothing to live for. Even after I met you my life wasn’t much better.” We laughed nervously. “But you reached out to me, even after I bullied you. You showed enormous faith in me, putting your friendships on the line when no one else would. I can talk to you, Hermione, and I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” With that he slid out of the booth and bent down on one knee. The old women behind him cooed, as I began to freak. He looked up at me nervously as he pulled a little black box out of hiss back pocket. He opened it and held it out to me, and said, “Hermione Jane Granger, will you marry me?” I stopped breathing. He was so scared; I could see it, his smirk gone. Would I? The whole room was quiet, waiting for my reply. Did I really want to be Mrs. Hermione Malfoy? What was wrong with me, leaving him down on the floor?
“Yes!” I exclaimed. He pulled me out of the booth, breathing a sigh of relief, and scooped me up into his arms. Behind us people clapped, but I couldn’t hear. All there was in the world was Draco and I. It was the perfect moment. We kissed passionately, and I wished that moment would never end. I pulled away first and grinned like an idiot as Draco did the same, an actual smile, not a smirk or a grimace. He pulled my hand toward him and slid on the ring. It was a simple silver band, with a small black stone set in it, with small silver spirals surrounding the edge. It was simple, but it didn’t matter that there was no diamond or gem. All that mattered was that Draco had given it to me.
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