Disclaimer: I own nothing as usual and especially not this. I give credit to MrBenzedrine for inspiring this piece because she writes enviable smut and is endlessly entertaining.

Warning: referenced previous slash relationships

Draco Malfoy walks into Potter's office, on no more important errand than asking if he has the Selwyn files for his Dark Artifacts case, to find him in what looks like a heated discussion with Hermione Granger.

She looks up and her eyes narrow. "Well, if it isn't the pointy ferret now. I'll leave you to it," she says with a hateful sneer and flounces past him.

"What's with Granger?"

Harry takes his glasses off and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I sort of told her about your birthday."

"Oh? I'm a bit surprised. Coming out of the muggle closet were you?"

"She's my best friend and it was sort of an important personal discovery alright?"

"And she took it not well I suppose?"

Harry sits down heavy in his chair. "I fucked up somehow. I didn't realize, she gave no indication but… I think maybe she's in love with me." He looks up and there is true sorrow in his eyes. "It would have been so easy to love her you know? Such a neat little package. Best friends forever and all that."

"How do you… what did she say?"

"Something about "Oh so that's why" and "all these years…" and then you came in."

Draco shrugs, "You can't help who you fancy. Or who you don't in this case" There is a set in his jaw though and he seems determined suddenly. "I'll talk to her."

"What- no. Don't, Draco, please. I'm not a child, I'll… I'll talk to her."

Draco gives him a knowing smirk. "No you won't. For all your Gryffindor courage, you're terrified of her."

"M'not," he says petulantly with his arms crossed but they both know it's true. "Fine. Talk to her then. I love her too much to lose her like this you know?"

Draco gives a sage nod. "Oh I know."

XXXXXXXX

Hermione rolls her eyes at him when he barges into her office.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

He saunters in with a disinterested gait, just for show, and flops down in a chair in front of her desk. "Just came for a chat, Granger."

In an ironically similar move, she pinches the bridge of her nose just as Harry had done and sits down hard in her own chair. She motions with her other hand. "Alright then, go on."

He frowns, "This isn't fair of you, you know."

"Wha… fair of me? What have I done exactly that is so unfair?"

"Treating Harry this way. Treating me this way for that matter."

"I guess that's just me, selfish Hermione Granger, always in the way of someone's happiness."

"What the ever-loving fuck? Happiness? It was one night, hardly some grand affair."

"So... you're not seeing each other?"

"What?-No! Merlin it was just recreational. A night out that turned into a night in."

"Regardless," she goes on, determined, "just one night for you maybe: One night with my best friend. Could've been anyone on your birthday but you chose Harry."

He sobers a little, his ire diminishing slightly. "I'm am sorry, Granger, if I'd realized... we really didn't mean to hurt you. But you can't make someone love you."

"That doesn't mean you have to throw it in my face," she barks back.

He tries another tactic to appeal to her. He never meant to come between the two friends after all. He had no idea Hermione felt anything for Harry. And he had made damned sure Harry felt nothing for her. "It's not as if you're a stranger to casual sex either. How many tumbles have you had with Zabini?"

"Oh so I'm supposed to be celibate while I pine away for a man who doesn't want me then?"

Draco throws up his hands and paces the room. "Of course not. I just think you could be a little understanding. None of this was meant to be a slight at you. He didn't even know how you felt."

"But I'm sure it matters deeply to you how I feel."

He stops his pacing at looks at her. "It does actually. I thought we," he gestures between them, "... I thought we were at least friends, Granger."

"I don't know if..." she trails off and licks her lips. "I don't know if that can be the case. Not after this," she determines quietly.

He is stricken at that. Never would he have imagined this would be the outcome of one night of meaningless fun. "Friends for four fucking years, getting past everything between us during the war, and this is your breaking point."

She laughs with no mirth and answers, "Oh believe me there were lots of potential others. You're the biggest whore I know. It's hard for me to stomach."

"What the fuck, Granger, that's a shite thing to say. I didn't judge you for that little stint with Adrian fucking Pucey. You know, where you hooked up with him in the coat closet at my manor. Or your naked witch circles in the forest with Lovegood."

She snorts, "sounds like you did in fact and are still judging me. And anyway that didn't matter. No one got hurt there. I was totally unattached, as were they, and no one was sitting in the wings, quite obviously I might add, waiting to be noticed."

"Oh now that's complete rubbish because I happen to know for a fact Zabini would have you. Wants you."

"Blaise? No, he's been quite clear it's just sex. I mean he's funny and charming. I'm certainly not saying he's a bad choice. But he's as uninterested as I am in something more emotional."

"So it's alright to just string him along in between your other fucks?"

He sees her straighten her back, bracing herself for what comes next. "I'm not stringing him along. We have a clear arrangement. Anyway, what do you care? Or even know about a real relationship? At least I'm loyal when I'm committed."

"What are you implying?" Draco honestly has no clue where she might be going with this. He's been a bit of a tart, sure, but never if he was in a relationship.

"Astoria," is all she says.

His voice drops low and venomous, "Astoria's a fucking liar if she said anything in regards to me being unfaithful."

"She told me, half drunk and sobbing, that you were with someone else. That's why you broke it off."

Draco shakes his head and advances around the desk to close the distance between them, to appeal to her and try to salvage any friendship they might have left. "No, Granger, I told her I couldn't be with her because I was in love with someone else. But that's why I left her. Not because I'd already been with someone, but because I am fucking loyal and I couldn't be with her exclusively when my heart was elsewhere."

"Oh yes and that great love affair? What happened with that? Which in your string of broken hearts was he?"

"She never knew. She thinks I'm an arsehole on my best days and wouldn't give me a chance. She broke my fucking heart and doesn't even know." He takes a deep breath and continues in a softer voice, "In fact it's come to my attention she's fucking one of my friends and in love with another."

"Who the hell... wait, what?" She eeks out slowly, "Who is she in love with?"

"Potter," he spits the name. 'Harry' he might call him in public (or in private as it turns out) but here, between them in all the ways that matter, he will always be fucking Potter.

"Does... does Harry know."

"Well he does now," he sneers. "It seems she just told him and stormed off."

He sees her breath pick up and there is a bitter part of him that's glad she's feeling uncomfortable. If she's going to call off years of friendship over this then what does he have to lose?

"Did Harry tell you I was upset you slept together because I wanted him for myself?"

"Seems you made it pretty obvious. Something about pining for him for years."

"Not him you daft prick," her voices rises in the middle. "You. I'm in love with YOU!"

"I-" A silence settles the room and Draco's heart beats wild in his chest, pounding as though to break through. "Why didn't you ever tell me," he asks softly.

"You were busy eye-fucking my best friend."

"Yeah well you were busy actual fucking mine," he counters. "For months. Why do you think Zabini didn't pursue you more? It was out of respect for me you stupid twit. I love you." He says it again, softer and pleading, "I love you."

They stare at each other for a long moment when suddenly, Hermione flings herself at him and he barely catches her so they don't tumble to the floor as she attacks his mouth with hers. She is aggressive and soft and gorgeous and she tastes exactly like he'd thought. Better than anyone. Better than everything.

She has him half undressed on top of her desk when she pulls her mouth from his nipple to asks, "What the fuck do we tell Harry?"

"He'll be fine. He has a whole new half of the populace to explore. From now on, all I want is you."

A/N So you have MrBenzedrine to thank for this. I am a loyal, committed, steadfast reader of Dramione. I'm nearly incapable of cheating on my head cannons. But then comes along MrBenzedrine who is amazing and throws out some Drarry smut and I find myself skimming it because she's just so damn good. And then, instead of feeling guilty for my transgression, I make up this whole AU to her story in my head to justify it for my preferred OTP. Granted that story isn't done so maybe it will be a sappy HEA for Drarry but as of chapter 3 it inspired a sappy HEA for Dramione from me.

Dreams of Requirement next chapter should be up tonight!

Reviews make me smile!