Chapter 32: What?
Hermione checked the guest list one more time before sending out the stack of letters that lay on her desk. It would, in fact, require three owls- her own, Draco's, and Narcissa's. Narcissa had originally planned to send them out herself, but 'something had come up' and so she had delegated the task to Hermione.
The brunette didn't mind, of course, but it was a little intimidating.
She re-read the names on the envelopes, corresponding them by district before tying them up and shoving the whole stack into a box with a handle on top, made specifically for owl delivery. After the last box vanished over the horizon, she sank into the sofa, watching the sun climb higher and higher into the sky before a knock snapped her out of her stupor. Raising a brow, she called back an affirmative reply, mind wondering about who would call on a quiet Saturday morning. Opening the door, she found Draco leaning against the opposite wall of the hallway.
"Surprise." He smirked at Hermione's raised eyebrows, but the expression shifted from playful to businesslike after she'd run and changed into a blouse and skirt.
"I have a.. proposition."
"Yes?" Hermione was intrigued. A proposition? About what?
"I'm wondering if you would like to become business partners with me."
Hermione cocked her head. "Business partners?"
"As in you would own half of the company."
Hermione's eyes widened, and Draco grinned. "Why-"
"-Because you're incredibly talented, resourceful, and the woman that I call mine." His eyes sparkled with laughter.
"I'm not, however, a Malfoy." Draco dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
is not going to be a problem."
"Because?" Draco flushed.
"You'll know someday."
"Draco." Hermione's tone was stern and reprimanding, demanding an answer.
"No, I will tell you someday. Seriously. Just not today."
"Draco, everything's a secret. Can you tell me one thing?" Hermione threw her hands up rather exasperatedly, not fond of her suddenly newfound position of being kept in the dark.
"I swear I'll tell you someday."
"Draco Malfoy."
"Seriously, Hermione." His voice was exasperated.
"I am not a Malfoy. I can't co-own the company. There's got to be some rule against that."
"It be a problem, because I'm going to you a Malfoy." Draco had muttered it under his breath, but Hermione's instincts were nothing if not sharp.
"What?" She sank back onto the couch out of sheer surprise, unsure whether what she'd heard was what she'd actually heard or something else.
"What?" Draco was unaware she'd heard him.
"What did you say- before you said what." Hermione smiled a half-smile at Draco's disappointed expression.
"I said I was going to make you a Malfoy." Draco mumbled.
"You- you want to- to marry me."
"Salazar, Hermione- how have you not noticed? I- I was hoping this wasn't just a fling, or something. It's all I ever hoped for since you said yes on that day when I asked you out to lunch."
Misreading the confusion in her eyes he smiled a tight smile before he excused himself to leave, feeling a world away as though he was watching himself leave through a curtain of glass instead of actually leaving himself. Just before he was about to go through the door, Hermione stopped him.
"Wait."
"What is it?" He turned back to her, edging his foot out the door.
"Don't go. I- I want to talk to you about it."
"About what?" Hermione sighed; despite it all, he was still Draco Malfoy.
"About what you just said. About- about marriage."
"I already know what you're going to say, Hermione. It's- it's fine." He shoved the door open and Hermione rushed outside only to hear a slight as he Disapparated. Hermione sank down against the entryway and put her head in her hands.
"I was going to say
***
Draco sat with a Firewhiskey in his hand back at his own apartment.
Taking another swig from the bottle, he tried to let it all fade away when the sharp sound of a fist against wood brought him back to reality.
"Fuck." He groaned and got up, tying on a dressing robe before answering the door, not wanting exactly to be shirtless, and opened the door to reveal a pissed-off Pansy, who stormed inside without invitation as she was used to doing. Draco followed her, not sure in his slightly inebriated state whether to be scared shitless or not. Pansy rounded on him.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy what the fuck have you done."
"I've just been over with Astoria to Hermione's and you know how the poor girl is doing?"
"Right, poor because she just-"
"She's bawling her eyes out and Astoria's still there with her, calming her because I'm not good with emotional shit. I am good, however,' her eyes flashed,' at letting people they've fucked up. What the hell have you done? She won't say anything, and by the looks of it she thinks you've left her, which I swear to Merlin if you did you're going to regret it. What the hell were you thinking? And now I find you in your apartment getting bloody drunk?"
"I didn't break it off."
"Then what did you-" Pansy suddenly stopped and stared at him, realization hitting her like a ton of bricks.
"You said you were going to marry her. Not a proposal, but you told her you want to marry her, in the future. And then you thought she declined."
"Thought? She did."
Pansy gave him an incredulous look. "By my guess she didn't. And by yours, too, if you had stayed for about five seconds longer and let her say what she wanted to say. Did she actually say no? Or did she just look confused as hell before you left?"
Mumbling, Draco answered as he slowly started to piece it together.
"Confused as hell."
"Do you realize it now?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah? Yeah? You, mister, need to get your ass down there and fix the fucking mistake you just made, because otherwise you're gonna get your ass beat. She's a good girl and deserves better than this, and I expect you to give it to her, because I know you can." Pansy tilted her head.
"Now get dressed and get over there or I'm coming back and I won't be nice."
With that, she left, striding out of the apartment.
Draco sighed.
***
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