Chương 29: City of Love
When Hermione opened her eyes, she was in Paris.
No, seriously.
The Eiffel Tower stood, stark against the darkening sky, and the Champs- Élysées ran the length of the view before them. Hermione stood, jaw agape, as she took in the beautiful view.
"You brought us to Paris?"
"Only the best." Draco smirked. "And we can go visit the Eiffel Tower later, but first we have dinner reservations, and then I have another surprise for you."
Hermione's eyes widened. "How am I going to pay you back for all this?"
Draco looked as though he was on the verge of saying something before the Eiffel Tower came alive, lights running from the top to the bottom of the large bronze structure.
"Wow." Draco smiled a smile of relief- thank goodness for the impeccable timing- and they walked a few blocks before arriving at a restaurant. The awning above them read
Hermione looked around curiously at the old-fashioned style décor as Draco ushered her inside. It was quite a cozy place, stone walls and wooden chairs, with a hospitable hostess, a warm, kindly elderly woman. She directed them to a table for two, a little more secluded compared to the rest of the place, and they were promptly seated, and before Hermione could blink there was a waiter pouring wine for the two of them.
"What's the surprise?"
"It's a surprise. That's the point of the whole thing, 'Mione."
"Can't you give me a hint?" Draco took a sip of wine to avoid looking at her large eyes, pleading.
"Nope, because you'd figure it out within a minute."
Hermione sighed. "Fine." Draco raised his eyebrows.
"How many times have you given up on wheedling something out of someone else?"
Hermione looked at the ceiling, thinking. "I mean, not often. But thing is, I know there's no way I'm going to get it out of you if you don't want to tell me."
Draco sighed internally. "If only you knew." It came out barely audible.
"Hmm?" Draco shook his head. "Nothing, nothing; how's the gala planning going?" Hermione sighed, but left it for now, trusting that Draco would tell her what he had muttered under his breath later.
"It's going really nicely. Your mum's planning on sending out invitations in a couple days, and then it'll be held on Christmas day." Draco wasn't surprised; the event was bound to be so large that his mother would have had to send out invitations in late November.
"And there's lots to do; the flowers still have to be arranged, as well as the food, and- so much more. Good God, planning a party in the muggle world was never going to be this complicated, except if you were royalty." Hermione threw her hands up, a little exasperatedly, in thought of planning to come . Draco smiled.
"Welcome to the pureblood world."
***
"Okay, okay, wait. It's not that much farther-"
"Draco, are you sure?" Hermione questioned. She was blindfolded- much like she had done to Phineas Nigellius years ago- and had already walked several blocks in the air that was rapidly getting colder. Draco hummed.
"You know what-" Draco slipped his arms around her waist and carried her across the rest of the square, walking into the still-lit building and setting her down.
"And... open your eyes."
Hermione gasped as she took in the beauty of the , now understanding why art enthusiasts called her smile the most alluring ever to be painted. Of course, as a young girl, she had read all about her and the technique Leonardo da Vinci had used to paint her- called - but never had never really understood the mystery behind the way her eyes seemed to move with her and the way her smiled appeared to flicker the longer she stared at it until now.
Draco smiled at her surprise and astonishment.
"You- you booked the Louvre-"
"Remember, only the best."
Draco may have smirked, but his mind was whirring. Had Weasel not done anything romantic for the woman he'd never deserved? Hermione's standards were far too low for someone of her caliber, especially since as a wizard, travel cost nothing until you started sightseeing and paying for hotels, and even then you could Apparate to a city for a night and return home without paying a Knut for somewhere to stay.
He sighed, and as Hermione continued to admire the , he made himself another promise.
***
"Had- had Weasley never done anything like this-" Draco tread carefully with his words as he walked leisurely alongside Hermione, down the oddly empty corridors. She scoffed as they approached the, another work by Leonardo da Vinci.
"No. Ronald has never been romantic. D'you know what he did for our first date? He took me on a bloody broom ride over the Black Lake. After I'd told him I despised broomsticks. What you've given me- I've never experienced anything half as romantic." Despite the dim lighting, he could clearly see the blush reddening her cheeks.
"I would give you things twice as romantic if I could." Draco's voice had dropped and they stopped walking. Hermione turned to face him. The dim lighting highlighted his aristocratic features; his platinum-blond hair glinting, and his alluring silver eyes held her gaze. His hand reached up to cup her cheek and time itself seemed to stop as he leaned towards her, his lips brushing hers.
It sent a spark throughout her body- just that simple touch- and she got up on her tiptoes, wanting to be closer. She reached and brought her arms around his neck and he slipped his arms around her waist, causing her to gasp into his mouth and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Her body was so close to his that she could feel every line of muscle etched into his body.
He pulled away, and Hermione nearly protested before he moved to her jawline and then her throat- placing light butterfly kisses that left her aching for another proper kiss. He reached the juncture where her neck met her shoulder, and continued, kissing the hollow of her throat before Hermione drew him up again and brought her lips to his, slanting her mouth across his and pulling on his hair accidentally. She hadn't meant to- but this elicited a low growl from Draco and he intensified the kiss, turning it from sweet and gentle to something entirely different in nature.
They broke apart when the need for oxygen was imminent, but even then she didn't seem to need to catch her breath- she simply laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, when the realization hit her.
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