A New Year's offering.
"This is very popular this year," the seamstress told them.
Hermione made a face. "No."
"No," Draco agreed, looking at the book of designs over her shoulder. He flipped through a few more pages. "None of these will work. You'll either have to find something else or design something new for her."
He stepped back and walked around Hermione. "Something simple," he said. "Clean lines. High neck, long sleeves. Blue," he suggested. "Dark blue velvet. No lace."
"Hmm. I think--" The seamstress made a quick sketch on a blank page. "Something like that?" she asked.
"Yes." Draco looked from the sketch to Hermione. "Yes, something like that. Closer to the body, though."
The seamstress drew a second sketch. "Better?"
"Oh, yes," Draco said with a gleam in his eyes. "Much better."
"Don't I get a say in this?" Hermione asked.
Draco showed her the sketch. "Don't you like it?"
"Yes," she admitted after a moment. "You have good taste."
"Of course I do. I'm a Malfoy."
The seamstress let her measuring tape loose on Hermione and asked, "Would you like me to show the pattern around?"
Draco pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "Yes," he decided. "Do that." He smirked. "I'd like to see who copies that and who goes for the ruffles and lace."
"Why would anyone copy that?" Hermione asked.
The seamstress looked up at her. "The mistress of the Malfoy household is traditionally a fashion trendsetter."
"Oh." Hermione said. "Am I," she asked Draco uncertainly, "the mistress of the household?"
Draco turned the question around on her. "Aren't you?"
"Yes, I suppose I am." Hermione gave a vague smile to the curious seamstress.
***
Hermione flushed under Draco's admiring regard as she came down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, he took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles before tucking her hand into his arm.
"You look lovely," he said.
Her flush deepened. "Thank you." Her fingers went to the pendant hanging from her neck and the tiara crowning her head. "And thank you for the jewelry."
"It suits you." He brushed his fingers over hers. "You look like the mistress of the Malfoy house."
"If I'm to play the part," she said with a shrug.
He brushed his lips over her fingers again. "You'll do fine," he assured her.
And she did, at least as far as he was concerned. Half the guests did their best to ignore her, but that was only to be expected.
At eleven forty-five, Draco called a stop to the music and took his place, with Hermione at his side, two steps up the stairs.
"Good evening," he said, his voice amplified by a simple spell. "I trust you're all enjoying yourselves." He smiled at the crowd of people who clearly were enjoying themselves. "It brings me great pleasure to see so many friends, old and new, here tonight. As you can see," with a gesture at the grandfather clock behind them, "the New Year approaches. The hour has come for the traditional toasts." He raised his glass and watched the rest of the room do the same. The sneers on some faces told him what they expected him to say.
"To continued peace in our world," he said simply, and drank. He took careful note of who joined in his toast and who did not.
"To our host, Draco Malfoy." Crabbe may not have entirely approved of the whole proceeding, but he did know how to follow directions.
"And to our hostess, Hermione Granger," Draco added. There was some uneasy grumbling in the audience, but with Hermione on the step beside him, no one dared speak up.
Draco waved at the clock. "Only a few seconds now. Please, join me in the countdown."
As one voice, they counted down to midnight, and then there was a flurry of clinking glass as they toasted the New Year. Draco put one hand on Hermione's cheek and drew her close for a kiss.
He turned his head and said, "Happy New Year," against her cheek.
"Happy New Year," she answered him. They turned together to face the room and joined in the singing of "Auld Lang Syne."
It wasn't much later that the party started to break up, and Draco and Hermione finally waved off the last party of guests.
Hermione's smile dropped as soon as the door was closed behind them. "I'm so tired," she said. She carefully took the tiara out of her hair and started pulling out the spelled pins holding it up.
"You were wonderful," Draco told her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "It was quite a success."
"They're all wondering if we're sleeping together." Hermione dropped her head to give Draco's hands better access to the knots of tension in her neck.
"Let them wonder." Draco let his hands fall from her skin. "Come, my lady," he said, offering his arm with a sweeping gesture. "I will escort you to your chamber."
She took it with an answering flourish. "Thank you, kind sir." They dissolved into laughter that echoed around the emptiness of the entranceway.
True to his word, Draco walked her to her door. There he lifted her hand to his lips in a repeat of the gesture with which he'd welcomed her earlier in the evening. His eyes met and held hers.
"Good night, Granger. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Malfoy," she echoed.
***
"What is it?" Draco asked when he slid into the chair across from her for a late--make that very late--breakfast.
"We're the front-page story." She turned the paper around to show him. Their photographic forms kissed, drew apart, and kissed again.
"They do go for the sensational," he said. "What are they saying about it?"
"The Malfoy New Year's Eve party," she read, "has always been a spectacle, and this year was no exception. There were no outrageous acts of entertainment, no near-violations of Ministry law, and no explosions. But it was no less a spectacle for those omissions. The Wizarding world's elite mixed, although not without reservation, with such ordinary families as the Weasleys. Even Harry Potter was in attendance, a first for any Malfoy event.
"But the real spectacle occurred only in the last few moments before midnight. In place of the traditional toast, Draco Malfoy, the current head of the Malfoy family, raised his glass, 'To continued peace in our world,' shocking no small number of his guests, and not only those who have been Malfoy allies for generations. Harry Potter was spotted gaping not unlike a codfish.
"Perhaps the explanation lies in the presence of the young woman at Mr. Malfoy's side, one Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born witch and friend--or should we say ex-friend; they barely spoke all evening--of Harry Potter. Following a clearly rehearsed toast to Mr. Malfoy as the host, Mr. Malfoy toasted Miss Granger as the hostess.
"The diamond-encrusted snowflake tiara crowning Miss Granger left no doubt in this reporter's mind that this king of the Wizarding elite has chosen his queen."
"Well," Draco said with a pleased smile. "That's the nicest thing they've said about the Malfoys in ages."
Hermione made a face. "No."
"No," Draco agreed, looking at the book of designs over her shoulder. He flipped through a few more pages. "None of these will work. You'll either have to find something else or design something new for her."
He stepped back and walked around Hermione. "Something simple," he said. "Clean lines. High neck, long sleeves. Blue," he suggested. "Dark blue velvet. No lace."
"Hmm. I think--" The seamstress made a quick sketch on a blank page. "Something like that?" she asked.
"Yes." Draco looked from the sketch to Hermione. "Yes, something like that. Closer to the body, though."
The seamstress drew a second sketch. "Better?"
"Oh, yes," Draco said with a gleam in his eyes. "Much better."
"Don't I get a say in this?" Hermione asked.
Draco showed her the sketch. "Don't you like it?"
"Yes," she admitted after a moment. "You have good taste."
"Of course I do. I'm a Malfoy."
The seamstress let her measuring tape loose on Hermione and asked, "Would you like me to show the pattern around?"
Draco pursed his lips and thought for a moment. "Yes," he decided. "Do that." He smirked. "I'd like to see who copies that and who goes for the ruffles and lace."
"Why would anyone copy that?" Hermione asked.
The seamstress looked up at her. "The mistress of the Malfoy household is traditionally a fashion trendsetter."
"Oh." Hermione said. "Am I," she asked Draco uncertainly, "the mistress of the household?"
Draco turned the question around on her. "Aren't you?"
"Yes, I suppose I am." Hermione gave a vague smile to the curious seamstress.
***
Hermione flushed under Draco's admiring regard as she came down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, he took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles before tucking her hand into his arm.
"You look lovely," he said.
Her flush deepened. "Thank you." Her fingers went to the pendant hanging from her neck and the tiara crowning her head. "And thank you for the jewelry."
"It suits you." He brushed his fingers over hers. "You look like the mistress of the Malfoy house."
"If I'm to play the part," she said with a shrug.
He brushed his lips over her fingers again. "You'll do fine," he assured her.
And she did, at least as far as he was concerned. Half the guests did their best to ignore her, but that was only to be expected.
At eleven forty-five, Draco called a stop to the music and took his place, with Hermione at his side, two steps up the stairs.
"Good evening," he said, his voice amplified by a simple spell. "I trust you're all enjoying yourselves." He smiled at the crowd of people who clearly were enjoying themselves. "It brings me great pleasure to see so many friends, old and new, here tonight. As you can see," with a gesture at the grandfather clock behind them, "the New Year approaches. The hour has come for the traditional toasts." He raised his glass and watched the rest of the room do the same. The sneers on some faces told him what they expected him to say.
"To continued peace in our world," he said simply, and drank. He took careful note of who joined in his toast and who did not.
"To our host, Draco Malfoy." Crabbe may not have entirely approved of the whole proceeding, but he did know how to follow directions.
"And to our hostess, Hermione Granger," Draco added. There was some uneasy grumbling in the audience, but with Hermione on the step beside him, no one dared speak up.
Draco waved at the clock. "Only a few seconds now. Please, join me in the countdown."
As one voice, they counted down to midnight, and then there was a flurry of clinking glass as they toasted the New Year. Draco put one hand on Hermione's cheek and drew her close for a kiss.
He turned his head and said, "Happy New Year," against her cheek.
"Happy New Year," she answered him. They turned together to face the room and joined in the singing of "Auld Lang Syne."
It wasn't much later that the party started to break up, and Draco and Hermione finally waved off the last party of guests.
Hermione's smile dropped as soon as the door was closed behind them. "I'm so tired," she said. She carefully took the tiara out of her hair and started pulling out the spelled pins holding it up.
"You were wonderful," Draco told her. He put his hands on her shoulders. "It was quite a success."
"They're all wondering if we're sleeping together." Hermione dropped her head to give Draco's hands better access to the knots of tension in her neck.
"Let them wonder." Draco let his hands fall from her skin. "Come, my lady," he said, offering his arm with a sweeping gesture. "I will escort you to your chamber."
She took it with an answering flourish. "Thank you, kind sir." They dissolved into laughter that echoed around the emptiness of the entranceway.
True to his word, Draco walked her to her door. There he lifted her hand to his lips in a repeat of the gesture with which he'd welcomed her earlier in the evening. His eyes met and held hers.
"Good night, Granger. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Malfoy," she echoed.
***
"What is it?" Draco asked when he slid into the chair across from her for a late--make that very late--breakfast.
"We're the front-page story." She turned the paper around to show him. Their photographic forms kissed, drew apart, and kissed again.
"They do go for the sensational," he said. "What are they saying about it?"
"The Malfoy New Year's Eve party," she read, "has always been a spectacle, and this year was no exception. There were no outrageous acts of entertainment, no near-violations of Ministry law, and no explosions. But it was no less a spectacle for those omissions. The Wizarding world's elite mixed, although not without reservation, with such ordinary families as the Weasleys. Even Harry Potter was in attendance, a first for any Malfoy event.
"But the real spectacle occurred only in the last few moments before midnight. In place of the traditional toast, Draco Malfoy, the current head of the Malfoy family, raised his glass, 'To continued peace in our world,' shocking no small number of his guests, and not only those who have been Malfoy allies for generations. Harry Potter was spotted gaping not unlike a codfish.
"Perhaps the explanation lies in the presence of the young woman at Mr. Malfoy's side, one Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born witch and friend--or should we say ex-friend; they barely spoke all evening--of Harry Potter. Following a clearly rehearsed toast to Mr. Malfoy as the host, Mr. Malfoy toasted Miss Granger as the hostess.
"The diamond-encrusted snowflake tiara crowning Miss Granger left no doubt in this reporter's mind that this king of the Wizarding elite has chosen his queen."
"Well," Draco said with a pleased smile. "That's the nicest thing they've said about the Malfoys in ages."