True Confessions
Title: True Confessions
Author: greenschist
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1345
Summary: Secrets are spilled when the office tea pots are spiked with Veritaserum.
Warning: Multiple pairings. (highlight to reveal) Hermione/Draco, Harry/Pansy, Ron/Lavender, Kingsley/Percy, and unrequited Neville/Ron
Notes: For the Holiday Movie Drabble Challenge clean up, prompt #50 "Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love." --Love Actually. Contains one quote from the movie Willow.
“When I figure out who slipped Veritaserum into all the tea pots, I'll kick his arse so hard he'll have to stand on his head to use the loo.” Harry's fist hit the table with such force it rocked glasses back and forth. Only Draco's quick reflexes kept the firewhiskey bottle from tipping over.
“That makes no sense, Potter, but thanks for that mental image.” Draco flicked an invisible speck of lint off his sleeve and straightened his cuffs. “Anyway, stop your whinging. You're not the only person who made an embarrassing confession of love today.”
“I know, I know.” Harry ran his hand through his fringe. “You're in the same boat as me.”
Draco scoffed. “I hardly think so. I was referring to Longbottom.”
Harry's eyes widened. “Oh, yeah. Poor Neville.” The two shared a moment of silence in honor of Neville's spectacularly verbose declaration of love for Ron Weasley. “Neville certainly left in a hurry after that.”
Arms folded on the table, Draco tsked quietly. “Who could blame him? Lavender Weasley looked ready to kill him. So see?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Your situation could be worse. No one wants to kill you. Well, no one new, anyway.”
Harry moaned and held his head in his hands. “It could not be worse. I can't feel this way about...about her! And now she knows how I feel! This is a nightmare.” Harry dragged his hands down over his face and looked at Draco with his most baffled expression. “This is not what was supposed to happen. I was supposed to fall in love with a nice Gryffindor-perhaps Ginny-or maybe a Ravenclaw, settle down in a nice house, make a few nice kids. You should be the one in love with...with her, not me. But, noooo,” Harry dragged the word out, shaking his head. “You had to fall in love with Hermione, and I just had to lose my heart to-Hey!”
“'Hey' what?” Deciding that the dark-haired man had had more than enough, Draco moved the bottle and their glasses to the edge of the table to be picked up by the waitress.
“Why did you say you're not in the same boat as me and Neville?” Harry's eyes were narrowed in speculation. “Everyone heard you say you love Hermione. You said she is your 'everything.' You told her to her face--” he blushed slightly “--that you want to shag her until she can't stand up.”
“Right,” Draco nodded in agreement. “Not my exact words--”
“I can't repeat what you said,” Harry interrupted. “Not about Hermione. You're lucky I don't hex you into oblivion for it.”
“--But, yes,” Draco went on. “That's what I said.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Malfoy, if that wasn't an embarrassing confession of love, I don't know what is.”
“I agree.” Hermione slipped into the chair next to Harry's while both men gaped at her. “I'd say we have something to discuss, Draco, wouldn't you? But first,” she patted Harry's hand. “Harry, Pansy is outside in the car park waiting for you. She refuses to come in and says that the next time you hide from her-and she's certain there will be a next time-pick a place that's less 'skeezy.' She says she doesn't do dives, not even for your-and I quote here--'sexy arse.'”
Harry turned pale and looked around as if searching for an escape.
Draco laughed, delighted. “Go on, Potter. Time to get the shit kicked out of you by love.”
“I'm sure she just wants to talk, Harry.” Hermione's tone was comforting, but Harry noticed her eyes never left Draco's.
“Um, right. Well, then.” Harry stood up. “I'll just...I'll just go talk to her.” He trudged away, looking slightly terrified.
When they were alone, Hermione rubbed at a water mark on the table with her thumb and asked, “So you're in love with me, are you?”
“Looks that way.”
“Can't live without me?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Ache when you're not near me?”
“Sounds about right.”
“I'm 'your sun, your moon, your starlit sky'?”
“Certainly.”
“Interesting.” Hermione's cheeks were pink and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “When did you come to this rather startling conclusion? Because this is the first I've heard of it.”
Draco reached across the table and took her hand. “Sometime between our second date and the first time I woke up to find you still in my bed.”
The hint of a smile vanished from her face. “Ah, but we don't have dates, Draco. We have meals in Muggle restaurants where no one will recognize us, we have trysts we hide from our friends, and we spend our holidays apart because our relationship is a secret.” She tried to pull her hand from his and sighed when Draco tightened his grip. “I told you I can't go on like this.” Hermione looked down at her lap. “Whatever prejudices you're not ready to face, I can't endure another Christmas like that. Last year's was difficult enough.”
“You two have been dating since before last Christmas?!” Hermione gasped and looked up. Harry's hair, always messy, was even more rumpled than usual. A button was now missing from his shirt and there was a smear of dark pink lipstick on his neck. Harry flushed a dark red and tugged his collar up when he spotted Hermione looking.
“Potter,” Draco said through gritted teeth, “would you get gone already?”
“Hermione?” Harry touched her arm questioningly. “Are you all right here?”
Hermione smiled as best she could and patted his hand again. “I'm fine.”
“Okay, if you're sure...” Harry picked his jacket up off the back of his chair. “I just came in for my coat. Pansy and I are leaving.” He blinked as if he couldn't believe his own words.
“Have fun,” Hermione said softly. Harry bent down and kissed her cheek.
Hermione watched Harry walk away before speaking to Draco again. “At least something good came out of that spiked tea. Too bad it wasn't good for you, Draco.”
Draco tried to take her hand again, but she tucked it under the table. “I don't know what you mean.” He raked his own hand through his hair in frustration.
“Now everyone knows.” She shrugged. “The secret's out. All because of a little Veritaserum in the tea.”
“Hermione, you know I drink coffee.”
Mute, Hermione just stared at him in confusion.
“I'm not embarrassed by what I said because I said exactly what I intended to. No more hiding, no more secrets. In fact,” he reached across the table and touched her cheek, “I think we should get married.” Hermione's hands flew up and covered her mouth in shock.
“Married?” Hermione looked dazed and her hands were trembling slightly.
“Absolutely.” Expectant, Draco waited for her response. When it wasn't forthcoming, he said uncertainly, “I can get down on one knee, if you like.”
Hermione was thoughtful now. “You're the one who spiked the tea, aren't you?”
Draco looked uncomfortable. “Of course not.”
Relentless, Hermione began ticking points off on her fingers. “You slipped Veritaserum into the tea, you pretended to make a very public helpless confession of your feelings to me, knowing that so many secrets were being spilled at that moment our secret would barely be noticed, and now you're going to capitalize on the media ruckus caused by high-profile new relationships like Harry's and Minister Shacklebolt's--”
“Shacklebolt's?”
“Yes, the typing pool caught him bending Percy Weasley over a desk. It will be in all the papers tomorrow, and don't change the subject.” She held up her fingers again. “And now you want to quickly marry me before the dust settles. Am I right?”
Draco blinked rapidly. “And if you were? What would you think?”
A grin broke over her face like the dawn, and Hermione stood up and leaned over the table, capturing his lips in a searing kiss.
“I'd think you're very Slytherin, I think I like you that way, I think that was a terrible proposal, and yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
Author: greenschist
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1345
Summary: Secrets are spilled when the office tea pots are spiked with Veritaserum.
Warning: Multiple pairings. (highlight to reveal) Hermione/Draco, Harry/Pansy, Ron/Lavender, Kingsley/Percy, and unrequited Neville/Ron
Notes: For the Holiday Movie Drabble Challenge clean up, prompt #50 "Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love." --Love Actually. Contains one quote from the movie Willow.
“When I figure out who slipped Veritaserum into all the tea pots, I'll kick his arse so hard he'll have to stand on his head to use the loo.” Harry's fist hit the table with such force it rocked glasses back and forth. Only Draco's quick reflexes kept the firewhiskey bottle from tipping over.
“That makes no sense, Potter, but thanks for that mental image.” Draco flicked an invisible speck of lint off his sleeve and straightened his cuffs. “Anyway, stop your whinging. You're not the only person who made an embarrassing confession of love today.”
“I know, I know.” Harry ran his hand through his fringe. “You're in the same boat as me.”
Draco scoffed. “I hardly think so. I was referring to Longbottom.”
Harry's eyes widened. “Oh, yeah. Poor Neville.” The two shared a moment of silence in honor of Neville's spectacularly verbose declaration of love for Ron Weasley. “Neville certainly left in a hurry after that.”
Arms folded on the table, Draco tsked quietly. “Who could blame him? Lavender Weasley looked ready to kill him. So see?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Your situation could be worse. No one wants to kill you. Well, no one new, anyway.”
Harry moaned and held his head in his hands. “It could not be worse. I can't feel this way about...about her! And now she knows how I feel! This is a nightmare.” Harry dragged his hands down over his face and looked at Draco with his most baffled expression. “This is not what was supposed to happen. I was supposed to fall in love with a nice Gryffindor-perhaps Ginny-or maybe a Ravenclaw, settle down in a nice house, make a few nice kids. You should be the one in love with...with her, not me. But, noooo,” Harry dragged the word out, shaking his head. “You had to fall in love with Hermione, and I just had to lose my heart to-Hey!”
“'Hey' what?” Deciding that the dark-haired man had had more than enough, Draco moved the bottle and their glasses to the edge of the table to be picked up by the waitress.
“Why did you say you're not in the same boat as me and Neville?” Harry's eyes were narrowed in speculation. “Everyone heard you say you love Hermione. You said she is your 'everything.' You told her to her face--” he blushed slightly “--that you want to shag her until she can't stand up.”
“Right,” Draco nodded in agreement. “Not my exact words--”
“I can't repeat what you said,” Harry interrupted. “Not about Hermione. You're lucky I don't hex you into oblivion for it.”
“--But, yes,” Draco went on. “That's what I said.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “Malfoy, if that wasn't an embarrassing confession of love, I don't know what is.”
“I agree.” Hermione slipped into the chair next to Harry's while both men gaped at her. “I'd say we have something to discuss, Draco, wouldn't you? But first,” she patted Harry's hand. “Harry, Pansy is outside in the car park waiting for you. She refuses to come in and says that the next time you hide from her-and she's certain there will be a next time-pick a place that's less 'skeezy.' She says she doesn't do dives, not even for your-and I quote here--'sexy arse.'”
Harry turned pale and looked around as if searching for an escape.
Draco laughed, delighted. “Go on, Potter. Time to get the shit kicked out of you by love.”
“I'm sure she just wants to talk, Harry.” Hermione's tone was comforting, but Harry noticed her eyes never left Draco's.
“Um, right. Well, then.” Harry stood up. “I'll just...I'll just go talk to her.” He trudged away, looking slightly terrified.
When they were alone, Hermione rubbed at a water mark on the table with her thumb and asked, “So you're in love with me, are you?”
“Looks that way.”
“Can't live without me?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Ache when you're not near me?”
“Sounds about right.”
“I'm 'your sun, your moon, your starlit sky'?”
“Certainly.”
“Interesting.” Hermione's cheeks were pink and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “When did you come to this rather startling conclusion? Because this is the first I've heard of it.”
Draco reached across the table and took her hand. “Sometime between our second date and the first time I woke up to find you still in my bed.”
The hint of a smile vanished from her face. “Ah, but we don't have dates, Draco. We have meals in Muggle restaurants where no one will recognize us, we have trysts we hide from our friends, and we spend our holidays apart because our relationship is a secret.” She tried to pull her hand from his and sighed when Draco tightened his grip. “I told you I can't go on like this.” Hermione looked down at her lap. “Whatever prejudices you're not ready to face, I can't endure another Christmas like that. Last year's was difficult enough.”
“You two have been dating since before last Christmas?!” Hermione gasped and looked up. Harry's hair, always messy, was even more rumpled than usual. A button was now missing from his shirt and there was a smear of dark pink lipstick on his neck. Harry flushed a dark red and tugged his collar up when he spotted Hermione looking.
“Potter,” Draco said through gritted teeth, “would you get gone already?”
“Hermione?” Harry touched her arm questioningly. “Are you all right here?”
Hermione smiled as best she could and patted his hand again. “I'm fine.”
“Okay, if you're sure...” Harry picked his jacket up off the back of his chair. “I just came in for my coat. Pansy and I are leaving.” He blinked as if he couldn't believe his own words.
“Have fun,” Hermione said softly. Harry bent down and kissed her cheek.
Hermione watched Harry walk away before speaking to Draco again. “At least something good came out of that spiked tea. Too bad it wasn't good for you, Draco.”
Draco tried to take her hand again, but she tucked it under the table. “I don't know what you mean.” He raked his own hand through his hair in frustration.
“Now everyone knows.” She shrugged. “The secret's out. All because of a little Veritaserum in the tea.”
“Hermione, you know I drink coffee.”
Mute, Hermione just stared at him in confusion.
“I'm not embarrassed by what I said because I said exactly what I intended to. No more hiding, no more secrets. In fact,” he reached across the table and touched her cheek, “I think we should get married.” Hermione's hands flew up and covered her mouth in shock.
“Married?” Hermione looked dazed and her hands were trembling slightly.
“Absolutely.” Expectant, Draco waited for her response. When it wasn't forthcoming, he said uncertainly, “I can get down on one knee, if you like.”
Hermione was thoughtful now. “You're the one who spiked the tea, aren't you?”
Draco looked uncomfortable. “Of course not.”
Relentless, Hermione began ticking points off on her fingers. “You slipped Veritaserum into the tea, you pretended to make a very public helpless confession of your feelings to me, knowing that so many secrets were being spilled at that moment our secret would barely be noticed, and now you're going to capitalize on the media ruckus caused by high-profile new relationships like Harry's and Minister Shacklebolt's--”
“Shacklebolt's?”
“Yes, the typing pool caught him bending Percy Weasley over a desk. It will be in all the papers tomorrow, and don't change the subject.” She held up her fingers again. “And now you want to quickly marry me before the dust settles. Am I right?”
Draco blinked rapidly. “And if you were? What would you think?”
A grin broke over her face like the dawn, and Hermione stood up and leaned over the table, capturing his lips in a searing kiss.
“I'd think you're very Slytherin, I think I like you that way, I think that was a terrible proposal, and yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes.”