Declaration of Intent
Title: Declaration of Intent
Author: greenschist
Rating: PG
Word Count: 850
Summary: "If I have to spend the rest of my life without you, it's not going to be because I was too cowardly to make my move."
Warning: Some Hermione/Ron (but not for long, I think. -_^)
Notes: Prompt #22 "Got invited to the Christmas party by mistake. Who knew?" --Die Hard. Hope this doesn't disappoint, drcjsnider!
“Ah, Hermione, there you are.” Draco sat down next to Hermione and rested his hand on her leg, shoving Ron Weasley's hand aside to do so. Otherwise ignoring the tall, red-haired man-as well as the presence of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, sharing a love seat adjacent to the sofa where Hermione and Ron sat in a “conversation corner” of the ballroom-Draco focused all his attention on Hermione. “I've been looking for you.”
Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, Hermione stared at Draco, two spots of color high upon her cheeks.
“You look overheated, my dear. Perhaps one of these people,” he waved his hand vaguely at her friends, all staring at him with varying degrees of disgust and disbelief, “would be so kind as to fetch us glasses of punch.”
“Bloody hell, Malfoy!” Weasley was turning various shades of pink with anger, each more unflattering than the rest. “What do you think you're doing here?”
“I think Malfoy's lost his way,” Potter's voice was quieter and more dangerous, “and wandered into the Ministry's Yule Ball by mistake.”
“Ministry's Yule Ball?” Draco looked around in exaggerated confusion. “You mean this isn't the Death Eater reunion and pancake breakfast?”
Ginny exhaled audibly through her nose and looked away, mouth twitching. Harry and Ron both frowned at her, but Hermione simply sat staring at Draco's hand lightly rubbing her knee.
Ron suddenly noticed his girlfriend's lack of reaction. “Get your hands off her!” he half-bellowed, making Hermione jump and drawing attention from the mingling crowd.
“No,” Draco said sweetly, giving Hermione's leg a slight squeeze but not resisting when she lifted his hand and placed it on the cushion between them.
“Why are you here, Draco?” she asked.
For a moment, he just looked at her, admiring her pink lips and cheeks, her pale violet gown, the smooth skin of her neck and shoulders, and the elaborate up-do that curled her normally bushy hair into submission. “I'm here for you,” he said throatily, watching her lips part in surprise and the shine of candlelight in her eyes.
“I'm here for you,” he repeated, “because I want you. I think I'm in love with you.” Draco ignored the way Weasley drew his wand and the way Potter lunged over the love seat arm to pin his friend's hand to his side. “I'm here because I'm tired of watching you leave work with the wrong man. I'm tired of waking up in an empty bed, in a house that feels empty because you're not there. If I have to spend the rest of my life without you, it's not going to be because I was too cowardly to make my move.”
The crowd murmured around them, Ginny had both hands clapped over her mouth, and Potter was all but sitting on Weasley to keep his friend from committing an assault in front of the majority of Ministry officials, but Draco kept his eyes on Hermione. Red-faced, her trembling hands twisting the silk of her skirt, she met his gaze for what felt like an eternity before snapping back to reality.
“Ron, calm down.” Hermione stood up abruptly. “Put your wand away. And you--”she pointed at Draco, “Come with me.” Weasley sputtered and she soothed, “It's fine, Ron. I'll be back in a moment.”
Draco let Hermione steer him, with one hand on his back, through the speculating throng and out into the courtyard. Under the semi-private glow of the fairy-lit trees, he turned and found her glaring at him with her hands on her hips.
“I don't know what game you're playing, Malfoy, but this isn't funny.”
“No games, I promise.” Draco reached out and took her hand. “I meant what I said. I'm...declaring my intent.”
Her mouth worked soundlessly before she burst out. “Are you mad? You've hated me for a decade! And I'm dating Ron,” she added as an afterthought.
“For now,” he said simply. He ignored the way her eyes narrowed. “I haven't hated you for a very long time, not since before the War, certainly not since we began to work together. I'm tired of being judged as the idiotic boy I used to be. I want to show you who I am now.” He tugged her closer, lowering his head as she instinctively looked up. “You're beautiful, you know.” His mouth caught hers in a soft, hot kiss.
Hermione pulled back all too soon and stared at him, one hand raised to her mouth. “I-oh, no, Ron-I can't!” She spun on her heel. “I have to go, Draco, I'm sorry!”
“Hermione!” She paused and looked back. “Just promise me one dance tonight. Just one.”
Jerkily, she nodded and ran, stopping once again at the threshold to look back at him before disappearing inside.
Draco punched the air once in triumph and then slipped his hands into his pockets, meandering after her and whistling a waltz under his breath.
Author: greenschist
Rating: PG
Word Count: 850
Summary: "If I have to spend the rest of my life without you, it's not going to be because I was too cowardly to make my move."
Warning: Some Hermione/Ron (but not for long, I think. -_^)
Notes: Prompt #22 "Got invited to the Christmas party by mistake. Who knew?" --Die Hard. Hope this doesn't disappoint, drcjsnider!
“Ah, Hermione, there you are.” Draco sat down next to Hermione and rested his hand on her leg, shoving Ron Weasley's hand aside to do so. Otherwise ignoring the tall, red-haired man-as well as the presence of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, sharing a love seat adjacent to the sofa where Hermione and Ron sat in a “conversation corner” of the ballroom-Draco focused all his attention on Hermione. “I've been looking for you.”
Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, Hermione stared at Draco, two spots of color high upon her cheeks.
“You look overheated, my dear. Perhaps one of these people,” he waved his hand vaguely at her friends, all staring at him with varying degrees of disgust and disbelief, “would be so kind as to fetch us glasses of punch.”
“Bloody hell, Malfoy!” Weasley was turning various shades of pink with anger, each more unflattering than the rest. “What do you think you're doing here?”
“I think Malfoy's lost his way,” Potter's voice was quieter and more dangerous, “and wandered into the Ministry's Yule Ball by mistake.”
“Ministry's Yule Ball?” Draco looked around in exaggerated confusion. “You mean this isn't the Death Eater reunion and pancake breakfast?”
Ginny exhaled audibly through her nose and looked away, mouth twitching. Harry and Ron both frowned at her, but Hermione simply sat staring at Draco's hand lightly rubbing her knee.
Ron suddenly noticed his girlfriend's lack of reaction. “Get your hands off her!” he half-bellowed, making Hermione jump and drawing attention from the mingling crowd.
“No,” Draco said sweetly, giving Hermione's leg a slight squeeze but not resisting when she lifted his hand and placed it on the cushion between them.
“Why are you here, Draco?” she asked.
For a moment, he just looked at her, admiring her pink lips and cheeks, her pale violet gown, the smooth skin of her neck and shoulders, and the elaborate up-do that curled her normally bushy hair into submission. “I'm here for you,” he said throatily, watching her lips part in surprise and the shine of candlelight in her eyes.
“I'm here for you,” he repeated, “because I want you. I think I'm in love with you.” Draco ignored the way Weasley drew his wand and the way Potter lunged over the love seat arm to pin his friend's hand to his side. “I'm here because I'm tired of watching you leave work with the wrong man. I'm tired of waking up in an empty bed, in a house that feels empty because you're not there. If I have to spend the rest of my life without you, it's not going to be because I was too cowardly to make my move.”
The crowd murmured around them, Ginny had both hands clapped over her mouth, and Potter was all but sitting on Weasley to keep his friend from committing an assault in front of the majority of Ministry officials, but Draco kept his eyes on Hermione. Red-faced, her trembling hands twisting the silk of her skirt, she met his gaze for what felt like an eternity before snapping back to reality.
“Ron, calm down.” Hermione stood up abruptly. “Put your wand away. And you--”she pointed at Draco, “Come with me.” Weasley sputtered and she soothed, “It's fine, Ron. I'll be back in a moment.”
Draco let Hermione steer him, with one hand on his back, through the speculating throng and out into the courtyard. Under the semi-private glow of the fairy-lit trees, he turned and found her glaring at him with her hands on her hips.
“I don't know what game you're playing, Malfoy, but this isn't funny.”
“No games, I promise.” Draco reached out and took her hand. “I meant what I said. I'm...declaring my intent.”
Her mouth worked soundlessly before she burst out. “Are you mad? You've hated me for a decade! And I'm dating Ron,” she added as an afterthought.
“For now,” he said simply. He ignored the way her eyes narrowed. “I haven't hated you for a very long time, not since before the War, certainly not since we began to work together. I'm tired of being judged as the idiotic boy I used to be. I want to show you who I am now.” He tugged her closer, lowering his head as she instinctively looked up. “You're beautiful, you know.” His mouth caught hers in a soft, hot kiss.
Hermione pulled back all too soon and stared at him, one hand raised to her mouth. “I-oh, no, Ron-I can't!” She spun on her heel. “I have to go, Draco, I'm sorry!”
“Hermione!” She paused and looked back. “Just promise me one dance tonight. Just one.”
Jerkily, she nodded and ran, stopping once again at the threshold to look back at him before disappearing inside.
Draco punched the air once in triumph and then slipped his hands into his pockets, meandering after her and whistling a waltz under his breath.