Comments | post_bellum: RP: Telling Tales

pb_hermione in post_bellum

RP: Telling Tales

Mar 25, 2009 22:51

Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy
Location: Draco's Flat
Date: 25 March 2000 | Evening
Status: Private
Summary: Hermione shows Draco her new book.
Completion: Complete

( Of shoes and ships and sealing wax; of cabbages and kings )

place: residence, hermione granger, 2000 03, complete, draco malfoy

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pb_draco March 26 2009, 04:56:01 UTC

It had been a long day. A long and trying day, as ap Hywel had set him to a new potion, one he'd read about but never attempted before. It didn't go well. He made three attempts at the base. The first had no reaction, the second fizzled out as soon as he added four drops of mulberry juice.

The third exploded a cauldron.

Draco skulked home, tail between his legs, and over an hour late after having to clean mulberries off the floor, walls, and ceiling - by hand. He had to stop by his tobacconist for his regular order of cigarettes, and then there was the long climb up his stairs. When he opened the door, satchel and cloak went straight to the floor as he noticed a tousled ponytail on his sofa.

It was possibly one of the most gorgeous things he'd ever seen, his girlfriend curled up on his sofa like she belonged there, and as far as he was concerned, she did. It was astounding how much of his bad day disappeared at seeing her take advantage of his offers that she should consider the flat hers as much as his. He really did love her. He couldn't manage to keep the smile out of his voice as he toed off his boots, watching her from near the door. "Granger, I'm home."

pb_hermione March 26 2009, 05:06:26 UTC

She was in the middle of a wonderful story about a butterfly when she heard him. "Malfoy? Who is Eugenia?" she asked before looking up. She smiled at him but had to blink and look at him again, "And why on earth does your hair have reddish splotches?"

pb_draco March 26 2009, 05:21:44 UTC

"Eugenia? My grandmother, why do you ask?" He bent over the back of the sofa to kiss her in greeting, then froze at her question. Reddish. Splotches.

In his hair.

He straightened up so quickly his spine cracked, and his hands went straight to his hair. Damp spots. Stickily damp spots. "Oh, son of a b--" Granger doesn't like swearing. "--erry. Berry. It's mulberries." He sighed and tipped his head back, staring at the ceiling. "Long day at work."

pb_hermione March 26 2009, 05:27:52 UTC

Hermione tipped her head up for a kiss.

She winced a little at how much his back crackled when he moved. "Why don't you go shower? We can talk after you've cleaned up. I've something to show you but you look a little ... sticky." Hermione thought she did a marvelous job keeping a straight face once she realized her normally impeccably groomed boyfriend had bits of berries in his hair.

pb_draco March 26 2009, 05:38:50 UTC

"I am sticky. I'm horribly sticky. I am covered in mulberries!" He shouted it as he stalked into the bedroom, his clothes stripped off and tossed on the floor. "Cannot believe I actually walked home like this. I went shopping!"

The force of the shower turning on and the roar of the water covered up the rest of his words, which was fortunate because they weren't very polite. Mutter, mutter, swear, thank god no cameras, mutter swear mutter, Cruciatus no one would blame me, swear mutter mutter, stupid berries and ap Hywel and mutter swear.

pb_hermione March 26 2009, 05:50:49 UTC

Hermione valiantly struggled to keep a neutral expression on her face while he went off on his rant. Honestly, he was far too adorable in a fit of temper. Malfoy stormed off to shower and Hermione waited until she heard to shower before finally succumbing to laughter.

By the time he'd returned, Hermione had herself composed and sat reading again and sipping on her orange juice. "Feeling better?" Hermione asked as moved her feet to give him space beside her.

pb_draco March 26 2009, 06:23:47 UTC

The shower took him longer than anticipated, since he had to wash his hair three times before he was satisfied he was no longer stained with mulberries. When he was finished, he hadn't the energy to change into anything but his usual pyjamas, despite the relatively early hour, but it wasn't as though the woman sitting in his lounge hadn't seen him in far less before. He trudged out, fingering his fringe absently.

"Slightly." Draco thumped into the sofa beside her and thumped his feet up onto the coffee table. "Honestly. Honestly. I swear to you, ap Hywel is a sadist. He let me leave like that, I went to my tobacconist and everything, and not one person said a word to me. I could have walked around like that all night if you hadn't said something." He huffed and gave her a sideways look. "Hello, by the way."

pb_hermione March 26 2009, 06:34:36 UTC

Hermione bumped him with her shoulder. "Hello, yourself," she said with a grin. "I'm glad I was here then. I told Cookoo I was staying for dinner. You don't mind, do you?" Heavens, she hoped not, especially if he still wanted her to move in.

She shifted so she could kiss his cheek. "I received something today and I wanted to share it with you." Hermione passed him the letter from his father that accompanied the book she was currently reading. "Read this."

pb_draco March 26 2009, 06:45:31 UTC

Having her there was easing his bad mood, even if he was fairly certain she'd been giggling at him while he was in the shower. She knew how he felt about his hair. "Of course I don't mind, Granger. Be right silly of me to have any objections to you staying for dinner when I'm wanting you to stay forever, now wouldn't it?"

He took the letter she handed him, both eyebrows lifting as he recognized Lucius' distinctive handwriting. It took him several re-reads for the words to actually sink in, and he was actually speechless for a moment after they did. "Comes as a surprise," he said. "I should say so."

pb_hermione March 26 2009, 06:54:51 UTC

"It would be silly, but then I've never just come in and made myself at home without you being here before," she said.

She turned the fly leaf and showed that it was made out to a Eugenia. "I suspect it was your grandmother's. I told you about running into your father at Flourish & Blott's last week. Now he sends me this. He really is trying, Malfoy." Hermione beamed in pleasure at her gift. "I sent a thank you telling him I hoped to share it with a new generation of Malfoys someday."

pb_draco March 26 2009, 08:26:50 UTC

"This is true. However, if it helps to reassure you, as soon as I walked in and saw you there, I was thrilled. I liked coming home to you. It just felt right." Cookoo brought him a coffee and disappeared into the kitchen again with the smallest of looks thrown Hermione's direction. Maybe she was finally catching on that Hermione wasn't going away. God only knew with that elf.

He looked at the book and shook his head in a strange sort of disbelieving acceptance. "Bizarre. I can't imagine what brought him to give that to you, but I believe you're right. Eugenia was his mother. I never met her, but if he actually gave you something of hers, he is trying very hard." Her wide, pleased smile brought one of his own, and he patted her leg affectionately. "We certainly will. You'll be reading books like that to our children every night."

pb_hermione March 26 2009, 16:19:42 UTC

"You did have a lovely smile when you came over to kiss me. At least until you started ranting about your hair. It looks all better now, though." She reassured him.

"No, I won't," she said in reply. "I expect we'll trade off reading to our children. You should at least take Mondays and Thursdays." Her parents had always switched off reading to her and she'd enjoyed that because they each had their own styles. Her daddy liked to do character voices while her mum put lots of effort into painting the scenes with her tone and expressions.

"Speaking of books, are you sure you're all right with my turning the dining room into a study?" Hermione learned that it wasn't a done thing in traditional circles for couples to live together before marriage, but people did do it. W.H. had warned her his mother was not going to approve and that she should expect to be badgered about weddings. Thankfully, he'd said that her living arrangements would have negligible impact on her career, which had been the area she had been worried about. Hermione had already suspected Madam Goshawk would not be pleased, which was why she'd approached W.H. with her questions instead. She also suspected Molly Weasley was going to want to put in her two Sickles worth, however Hermione was determined that it was really up to her and Draco, and whatever anyone else had to say on the subject, they weren't the ones whose opinions mattered. She was slightly concerned about Harry, but Hermione planned to help keep his house running and finish the restoration. They so rarely saw each other despite living in the same house that Hermione didn't think he'd notice, let alone miss, not having her there.

pb_draco March 26 2009, 17:32:08 UTC

He touched his fringe again. "It had better. I used half a bottle of shampoo." Draco slumped into the sofa with his coffee, warming his hands on the mug. That stubborn tone had climbed into Hermione's voice and it made him smile. "Fine, fine, we'll both read to the kids. Fairy tales and histories, yeah?"

He glanced towards the dining room and nodded. "Granger, I don't eat in there very often. Not that I eat often, but you understand my point. I hardly use the room. I'd rather you refurbish it however you like. Don't forget to save some space for your bird's cage, though. There's no way in hell Lucifer would share."

pb_hermione March 26 2009, 18:19:39 UTC

"Histories are more than acceptable." She tried not to look too smug. Hermione liked it when he not only agreed with her but also offered his own suggestions for improvement.

"Fleck likes being outdoors so there won't be much need to share. I'm sure she'll be fine on the terrace and in the study." Hermione's face fell. "Heavens! How could I have forgot?" She looked stricken. How on earth had she not considered Crookshanks? Her cat was very old and spent more and more time lying about in patches of sunshine than moving about, but he was still hers and important to her. "My cat. I forgot my cat. What sort of horrible person forgets her cat?" Crooks had taken being left behind at the Burrow while she hunted Horcruxes in stride when Hermione explained things to him but she couldn't in good conscience leave him behind with Harry just so she could move in with Draco.

pb_draco March 26 2009, 19:01:45 UTC

This hadn't been something he'd even thought about. Draco furrowed his brows and shifted on the sofa to face Hermione. "First of all, you're not a horrible person in any way. Second of all, you know I don't have any problems with cats. Look at Osiris. I let him have the run of the place, seriously."

Hearing that said out loud made Draco pause for a moment, then he let out a long breath. "Oh. That ... yeah, that could be a problem. Osiris thinks he's the master of the flat."

pb_hermione March 26 2009, 19:28:37 UTC

"Crooks is so old now that he sleeps more than not. I didn't take Sekhmet from Madam because Crooks found her too playful. Osiris is a bit more independent. It might be all right after they establish their places." Why did they both have to have cats with attitude?

Hermione looked at Draco. "I can't believe I'm about to suggest this, but we should try them together and see what happens. I suspect Osiris is going to take a few lumps because Crookshanks doesn't like being bothered. The good part of that is, that Crooks won't be bothered by Osiris thinking he rules the roost as long as he leaves him be." How possible that was, Hermione didn't know. "At least I know Crooks isn't fussed by Lucifer."

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