Yet another oneshot that wouldn't leave me alone. I swear I'm working on A Devious Affair and Unbreakable. Please bear with me.

Also this isn't edited, so I'm sure there are mistakes. So I refer you to the previous sentence - please bear with me.

HPOV

I was starting to regret choosing to move by myself into the muggle part of San Bernardino with so much stuff. How did I even have all this shite?

I grunted under the weight of two boxes, my vision completely obscured by the top box, so I was praying I wouldn't trip on the stairs. Moving into a flat on the second story in the middle of summer in California was not something I was finding myself fond of.

I never thought I'd find myself missing the rather dreary-in-comparison weather that Britain had to offer, but here, sweating my arse off as I hauled yet another set of boxes up to the second floor, I was feeling a tad homesick.

In front of me I heard a door open, keys rattling before someone chuckled. Before I knew it, the box obscuring my view was lifted, and I realized I was meeting my new neighbor. Carrying two boxes filled with nothing but books. Of course.

I blew a rogue curl from my forehead before looking up at the man helping me.

"Oh my gods." I gasped, the box falling to the ground between us with a loud thud.

"It's been a while, Granger." drawled Malfoy, slight smirk on his face as he looked down at me.

Holy shite.

Malfoy looked good. The years since the war had certainly done him well.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, unable to stop staring at him.

"I could ask you the same thing." he said, motioning for me to pick up the other box as he led the way back into my apartment.

"Most of your things really are books, aren't they?" he asked, setting the box down next to three others just like it.

I couldn't help the slight blush that rose to my cheeks as I set mine over the one he'd just put down, "I...enjoy reading."

"I think everyone's aware of that."

We stood in awkward silence for a moment before I cleared my throat, "Thank you. I - uh - don't want to keep you. You were heading out."

He smirked, leaning against the back of my couch as he said, "It can wait. It's not everyday that the universe drops something this interesting in my lap."

"What's so interesting about me?"

"You're kidding, right?" he asked, crossing his arms as he smirked at me, completely relaxed as he leaned against the back of the couch, "You're Hermione bloody Granger, one of the Wizarding World's saviors, just moving into muggle flats in California."

"I am a muggleborn, remember?" I countered, rolling my eyes and moving into the kitchen to grab us two glasses of lemonade.

"Yes, but you sure are a long way from home." he mused, taking the glass from me. His fingers brushed mine briefly, his hand cool against my own over-heated skin.

"There wasn't really a lot keeping me in London anymore."

At that he raised an eyebrow, "Don't tell me you and the Weasel divorced?"

"We were never married." I shot back, taking a few steps over to sit on one of the barstools.

"Really? I could've sworn he asked you."

"He did."

"Do tell." he smirked, leaning forward a bit.

"There's not much to tell." I said with a shrug, taking a sip of my drink, "We were together for like 3 years after we graduated. He asked me to marry him. I said no. He threw a fit. I left the country."

"What?" he asked, eyes narrowing a bit, "You left London because of that idiot?"

"Not exactly...things escalated rather quickly." I said, a blush spreading across my cheeks as I recalled my rather...quick departure from London.

"What does that -"

"Malfoy, do you honestly expect me to sit here and tell you about my love life troubles?" I asked, chuckling, "I've still got a mountain of shite to move in here."

"I'll help you." he offered immediately, "But in exchange -"

"How did I know your help would come with fine print?" I asked, smiling at him.

He rolled his eyes and said, "In exchange for my help, you're going to let me take you to dinner."

"Dinner?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, dinner, Granger. I know Weasley didn't take you out much, but surely you know -"

"Dinner," I interrupted, "If you tell me what you've been up to for the past five years."

He smirked and stuck out his hand, "It's a deal, Granger."

DPOV

It really seemed like my luck was changing. Perhaps Blaise was right and Luna really wasn't that insane. The two had been seeing each other for the better part of 4 years, and though I was loathe to admit it, they were good together.

I didn't remember which fairytale creature had told her of my upcoming turn in good fortune, but it seemed whoever - or whatever - was right.

Hermione Granger was living in the flat across the hall from me.

In bloody San Bernardino of all places. Things like that were almost too good to be true.

Yet there she was, sitting across from me in a dress that continued directing my attention to her ample cleavage, the plunging neckline revealing just enough to drive me utterly insane.

Salazar, she'd only gotten sexier over the years.

"So they really disowned you over that?"

I couldn't stop myself from chuckling as I said, "Yeah, my father's not really one for breaking tradition."

She shook her head, her curls moving slightly with the motion, "Marriage contracts are archaic. They shouldn't even be legal."

I shrugged, "People still put a lot of stock in the old ways. It's worked for them so far."

She licked a bit of whipped cream from her spoon, drawing my attention to her red-painted lips, before saying, "Well I'm proud of you. Harry and I knew you weren't like them. It's how I convinced him to -"

She shut her mouth, eyes wide as she looked up at me.

"Convinced him to what, Granger?"

She looked back down to her plate, her bottom lip between her teeth as she seemed to think something over in her head.

"I...I asked Harry to testify for you."

"What?"

She said nothing her eyes still focused on her half-eaten dessert as she gave a half-hearted shrug.

"Why?"

I'd always thought it was Potter who'd convinced her to testify for me, not the other way around.

"We were children." she said, looking up at me, "Your parents followed Him; practically everyone around you followed Him. What could anyone have expected of you?"

"Seems people expected more than what they got."

She snorted, "Fuck them. They all believe what they want anyway. According to Skeeter 58 percent of the Wizarding World thinks I'm a heartless, cheating bitch for saying no to Ron's proposal."

I was a bit stunned at her crass response. It was odd to see the girl I'd always thought of as prudish say such...explicit things. It was rather amusing.

And sexy.

"It doesn't matter what they think. The people around you, who know you, know that you made the choices you did because you had to." she continued with a shrug, taking another bite of her tiramisu before saying, "So fuck them."

I laughed with her, tilting my glass towards her before taking a drink, "Fuck 'em."

HPOV

"So what really happened between you and the Weasel?"

I rolled my eyes at the fact that he still called Ron that old nickname, but at this point I couldn't really disagree. He'd been a giant arse about the entire situation. It's not like it'd been particularly easy on me either.

I sighed, tucking my feet underneath me as we sat on the couch in his flat, a bottle of firewhiskey between us.

"I'm surprised you didn't read about it."

"I do my best to avoid everything about the Wizarding World, if we're being honest." he said, his eyes focused on the fireplace.

"He asked me to marry him." I started, looking away from him as I continued, "I wanted to say yes. It seemed like the totally logical thing to do, you know? We'd practically been together since we'd graduated and we'd been best friends for years before that...and I knew he was going to ask me. He's so bad with secrets."

I realized I was beginning to ramble, so I took a sip of the firewhiskey to slow myself down.

"But when he asked me, it was like I couldn't force the word out. I couldn't make myself say that one, stupid, insignificant word. I just stared at him. I stared at him, and then I shook my head and stood up. I think I was apologizing profusely, but I can't really remember. I was sobbing. It was like this slap in the face realization that I wasn't in love with him; and no matter how much I cared about him, I couldn't twist that into love. At least not any kind of love I'd be happy with."

I sighed, taking another sip from the bottle before leaning back against the couch to continue, "I just left. Went back to ours. Of course he followed. I tried to explain it to him, but he was furious. Threw the ring at me, the git." I added with a laugh.

"Was it at least a nice ring?" he asked, a small smirk on his face.

"It was as nice as any." I said with a shrug, "Anyway, he accused me of cheating on him. I guess it's the only reason he could come up with to justify what I was telling him."

"I don't see how this leads to you leaving London." he said, leaning back and stretching his arm out along the back of the couch, his hand close enough that if I leaned forward a bit I could press my lips to his fingers and -

I was tipsy.

"Well he went out to a pub and told everyone that I broke up with him for someone else. It got into the papers. Reporters were constantly at my flat - it had been months. I just wanted - needed - some fucking peace. If that meant moving...well here I am, on a date with Draco Malfoy."

I took another swig from the bottle, my curls catching on his ring.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing, my hands immediately going to his hand to try to untangle myself. As I continued laughing he started smiling, my hands shaking too much to do any good. When he finally pushed my hands away he was outright laughing with me.

"This would only happen with you, Granger."

"Hell of a first date, huh? Ow!"

"Blame your hair, not me." he snorted, finally managing to free his ring.

I ran a hand through my hair as I said, "I'll take that as my cue to exit. It's getting late anyway."

He glanced at the clock - 12:17am - before saying, "Did you call this a date?"

I rolled my eyes, standing up to grab my heels and purse before smiling back at him, "We both know it was a date, Malfoy. I'll see you later."

DPOV

"Why would I joke about something like this?" I asked Blaise over the phone, "Would you just floo over here? I hate talking on these stupid things."

Blaise laughed, mumbled something to what I had to assume was Luna, before saying, "I'll be there in two shakes." and hanging up.

I tossed the stupid cellphone onto the kitchen counter, picking up a glass of firewhiskey and heading into the living room. A few moments later the floo lit up and Blaise stepped through it.

"Drinking already, mate? Bit early for that, don't you think?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, motioning for him to sit.

"I have a new neighbor."

Blaise raised an eyebrow, taking a seat on the loveseat across from me, "And?"

"It's bloody Granger."

"What? No way. What's she doing here?" he asked, accio-ing a glass to himself and pouring a shot of firewhiskey.

"I'm sure you read about her drama with the Weasel."

He nodded slowly, "That's right...they were pretty hard on her. I had no idea she was just going to leave London because of it, though."

I ran a hand through my hair, taking a sip of my drink before saying, "We went to dinner yesterday."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised, but said nothing.

"She called it a date."

"Was it?" he asked, a small smirk sliding onto his face.

"Yes? Maybe? I don't know, Zabini."

He chuckled, knocking back the rest of his drink before standing up.

"If you dragged me away from Luna to ask if I think this is a bad idea, you're daft."

"Pardon?"

"You've had a hard on for her since like fourth year, mate. I figured this would've happened much sooner, honestly." he said, lightly laughing as he headed over to my fireplace.

"Do you think this is what Lovegood was talking about?" I asked, stopping him right before he tossed the floo powder in.

"What do you think, Draco?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

If I stood at Granger's door any longer I was liable to fuse to the ground. I was holding a bottle of faery wine in one hand - housewarming gift - but was finding it rather difficult to knock on the bloody door. I mean it was just Granger.

And I'd only fancied her for like a decade. No big deal for a Malfoy, right?

Wrong. Salazar, so wrong.

I'd been standing here for at least fifteen minutes arguing with myself about the chances of her even being there. She worked right? Most people worked during the day. The only reason I wasn't at work was because I bartended, so my shifts started around 10 pm.

"Fuck it." I muttered, "She's probably not home anyway."

I raised my hand, knocking three times, before taking a step back.

A few seconds later she was pulling open the door, a slightly surprised look on her face.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?"

I was caught off guard for a moment, because she looked so different to what I was used to. Her mass of curls were piled on top of her head, seemingly held there by a few paintbrushes. She had on a pair of paint covered overalls, there were a few flecks of paint on her face, and her hands were stained in various shades of white, green, and black.

"I...figured I owed you a housewarming gift." I said, extending the bottle to her.

Her eyes lit up as she said, "Faery wine? I haven't had this since Hogwarts."

"I stole it from the Malfoy wine cellar before I left." I said with a smirk, earning a laugh from the brunette in front of me.

"Well come on in then."

"Oh, uh -"

"I don't bite, Malfoy. Come on."

And without waiting to see if I was following her, she turned away from the door and headed back into her flat. I heard the water running in the kitchen before I managed to get my feet to walk forward.

I found her, hands now clean, grabbing two wine glasses and setting them on the coffee table in her living room.

"I figured you'd be at work." I said, handing her the bottle.

While she poured our two glasses she said, "I am." and nodded her head towards her back balcony where a painting of a person sat on an easel surrounded by different paints and brushes.

"You're a painter?"

She handed me a glass and I followed her out the balcony door.

"Something like that." she murmured, staring at the painting of -

"Holy shite, that's me." I said, blinking as I looked at my younger self, quidditch uniform and all. Granger really was talented.

"I hope you don't mind." she said, her attention now on the city's skyline, "McGonagall wanted portraits to hang at the quidditch field entrance. The others are around here somewhere."

I shook my head, "No...I don't mind." I blinked a few times, my mind processing what she'd said after that, "McGonagall's going to hang this? There are others?"

HPOV

I couldn't stop the short chuckle that escaped my throat before saying, "Accio quidditch portraits."

Roughly twelve portraits came zooming out onto the balcony, some Hufflepuff, some Ravenclaw, some Slytherin, and of course Harry's face as one of the Gryffindors.

"How much is she paying you for all this?" Malfoy asked, eyebrow raised as he looked back at me.

"A pretty penny, I assure you." I said with a smile, waving my hand so the paintings would all go whizzing back to where they'd been before.

"I would hope so." he murmured, turning his attention back to the portrait of himself. "Why'd you pick me?"

I shrugged, a light blush tinting my cheeks as I said, "You were Seeker, just like Harry...a big part of the team and all. It just made sense."

He nodded slowly, "Right."

"Besides," I said, stepping back through the balcony door, "You always looked quite fit in your quidditch uniform."

I slipped back inside, leaving the door open for him to follow through. When I got into the living room I flipped on the TV, pouring myself another glass of wine before finding an old episode of Bewitched.

A few moments later I heard the balcony door slide shut, and then Malfoy was taking a seat next to me.

"I thought you hated quidditch." he said, pouring himself another glass of wine before glancing at the TV.

"I did. I do." I said with a laugh, "But that doesn't mean the uniforms weren't a great choice. Tight in all the right places."

At that Malfoy smirked, "Does that mean you were looking at my butt all those years ago?"

"Don't act so surprised. Every girl was looking at your butt."

He laughed, saying, "You weren't exactly like every girl, Granger."

He had a good point.

Instead of saying anything, I returned my attention to the TV. I'd seen this episode at least twice, but it was my comfort blanket. Before I'd gone to Hogwarts this show had been the only thing that gave me some semblance of belonging.

"Figures you'd be watching something like this." he said, the eye roll evident in his voice.

"I take it you don't have a TV."

He snorted, "As if I'd have something so ridiculous."

"You're such a wizard." I said, unable to hold back my laughter. "Even Ron got used to it."

"The Weasel getting used to an excuse for being lazy? Imagine that." he retorted, raising his glass to his lips.

"Touche." I said, lifting my glass in his direction before taking a sip of my own.

He was quiet for a few minutes, the only sound the TV, before he finally spoke up, "I may have looked at your butt as well."

I laughed, tipping my head back against the couch as I said, "Before or after I punched you in the face?"

"After." he said wryly, a small smile on his face.

I shook my head, amused at the entire situation. Who would've thought I'd ever be sitting in my flat drinking faery wine with Draco Malfoy?

"Into a little pain, Malfoy?"

"Are you?" he shot back, smirk in full effect.

I could feel my cheeks blazing, but I wasn't about to back down from him.

"A lady never tells."

His cheeks were lightly flushed, and the fleeting thought that Malfoy was a bit of a lightweight crossed my mind, but he was talking soon enough.

"Even if a man were to get said lady into a...position that warranted an answer?"

I looked at him, his silver eyes dark as he held my gaze, waiting for an answer.

"Well," I said, taking a sip of my drink in an attempt to slow my now racing heart, "I suppose a lady would make an exception."

"I'll keep that in mind, Granger." he murmured, setting his empty glass on the table.

I glanced at the clock on the wall: 5:46.

"Do you have food anywhere in this kitchen?"

His voice was farther away, and when I turned I saw that he was in the kitchen.

Great.

"Uh...not really." I laughed awkwardly, "I usually just order takeout."

I made my way to the opposite side of the bar, leaning against it as he turned, eyebrow arched to say, "Seriously? You don't even have bread, Granger."

"Oh shut up." I muttered, "There's whiskey, water, and I'm pretty sure there are some cookies...I paint most of the time anyway."

He rolled his eyes, grabbing his house key off my counter before saying, "I'll be right back."

I slid into the barstool, absentmindedly drumming my fingers along the marble top. It was so strange that I felt this comfortable with Malfoy, but I suppose it had a lot to do with how much he'd changed since school. He was living in muggle California. Who would've thought?

A few moments later he was back, dumping an armful of shrunken groceries onto the bar. They started returning to their normal size while he looked through my cabinets, seemingly relieved that I at least had pots and pans.

"Are you cooking?"

"You're clearly not going to." he chuckled, squirting some oil in a pan before turning on my stove.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want me to." I said, leaning forward onto the bar top.

He raised a curious eyebrow at me as his adept hands began cutting various fresh vegetables, "Is there really something you're not good at?"

"There are plenty of things I'm not good at." I muttered, my cheeks heating, "Cooking is certainly one of those things."

He chuckled, his eyes focusing back on his hands. I finally realized he was cutting peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower.

"What are you making?"

"Salmon," he said, nodding toward the fish on the counter, "Make yourself useful, and hand me that."

I rolled my eyes, a slight smile on my face as I stood to help him.

"You're going to regret this."

DPOV

Cooking with Granger hadn't been that big of a disaster.

Besides, I'd managed to keep her from burning the fish.

And now, sitting next to her on the couch eating, I fought the urge to pinch myself. This couldn't actually be happening.

"You're staring." she murmured, her eyes not leaving the stupid muggle picture contraption as she took a sip of the wine.

"Does that bother you, Granger?"

At my question she did look at me, a smirk on her face, "Not at all."

I had no idea that Granger was like this - free and sassy and fun and flirty.

Because that's what this was, right? There wasn't really another way to interpret all of the lightly veiled remarks she'd made throughout the day - and obviously I was flirting back, enjoying it, even.

"You're nothing like what I imagined." I said, breaking the silence once more.

A light snort escaped her as she said, "Trust me, I'm nothing like who I was at Hogwarts."

"I still see plenty of similarities." I mused with a smirk, "But I can see what you mean."

"I can assure you that the old Hermione wouldn't be sitting in her flat with Draco Malfoy chatting it up like they're old friends."

Touche.

"I suppose I could say the same about the old Draco." I agreed, setting my empty plate by hers on the coffee table.

At that she laughed, "You damn well know you could."

After watching Salazar-only-knew-what on TV for a few moments, she shifted, tucking her feet beneath her, "How long have you lived in California?"

"Practically since the end of the war. I left a week after my sentencing trial...I appreciate you doing that, by the way. Testifying for me. I never thanked you for it."

Her eyes widened but she managed to breathe out, "You don't have to thank me. It was the right thing to do." And before I could say anything to the contrary, she was talking again. "Do you still see anyone from Hogwarts?"

"Zabini and Luna mostly, though Theo does swing by unannounced far too often for someone on the other side of the globe." I answered with a smirk.

"Luna and Zabini make a rather odd couple." she mused, a light smile on her face, "They're good for each other, though."

"You've hung out with them?" I asked, the surprise obvious in my tone.

She shrugged, "Not really. I've spoken to them a few times at Ministry functions before I left. Zabini's pretty funny."

"He never mentioned it." I said, more to myself than to her, but she snorted regardless.

"Why would he? It's not like you gave me any thought before - other than to mercilessly tease me, that is." The smile on her face and in her voice let me know that she was poking fun, and I couldn't exactly admit to her that I'd been thinking about her for years.

I cleared my throat, steering the conversation to her, "Do your friends know where you are?"

"Some of them." she said vaguely, "I left pretty quickly, so there wasn't much time to...properly say my goodbyes to everyone."

Odd. I figured she wouldn't have said anything to Weasley, but she seemed close with the rest of her friends - or at least she had when I'd known her.

"Do you still see your parents?" she asked, taking a sip of the faery wine in her glass, looking over the rim at me.

"I owl my mother on occasion." I said slowly, "She isn't particularly fond of the weather here, so she's never been, and I'm not keen on going back to England."

Granger nodded her understanding, and I couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever go back - of course she would, right? This was just a temporary thing until she sorted herself out, let the flames from Rita's criticism die down some.

Right?

"And Lucius?"

I couldn't help the scowl that slid onto my face at the mention of my father, "Not since his sentencing."

My father had been sentenced to twenty years in Azkaban for his part in the war, his close ties with Voldemort. The only reason my mother wasn't sitting in the cell next to him was because of Potter.

Odd, really.

She simply nodded, not saying anything on the matter, and I couldn't help but be thankful. The last thing I wanted to be doing was talking about my arsehole of a father with the most brilliant - and seemingly insightful - witch on the planet.

"What about your parents?"

The second I'd voiced the question I regretted it. The quick flash of pain and regret on her face let me know that the answer wasn't likely to be a pleasant one. I immediately tried to back track, but she shook her head, a sad smile on her face.

I knew that Voldemort had ordered us Death Eaters to find her parents, but we'd never been able to, and after a while he'd called off the search. I just imagined that she'd been able to hide them really well, but it was looking like the answer was much darker than I'd thought.

"No, it's okay." she said, taking a deep breath, "My parents are still in Australia."

Her answer confused me. They weren't dead? Then why did she look so broken up about it?

"I feel like I'm missing something." I admitted, shifting on the couch so that I faced her.

She released a choked laugh, running a hand through her hair as she said, "Right. You wouldn't know about any of that. Sorry." she stumbled over her words, shaking her head at herself.

"Wouldn't know about what?"

"It was all over the papers a few months after the war, but I suppose you were gone by then...I - during the war I decided it was too dangerous for them to be here." she said, closing her eyes briefly before continuing, "I erased their memories of me and sent them to Australia. They're happily living by the beach and have been since I sent them away."

Fuck.

Holy fuck.

"Granger, you saved their lives."

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, but something about the look on her face let me know that I didn't regret it.

"What makes you say that?" she asked softly, her intense toffee eyes holding mine.

I cleared my throat, yanking a hand through my hair as I fumbled for words. She obviously knew that I'd been a Death Eater. Knew that through my father I'd been working closely with Voldemort on certain tasks.

But this? How was I supposed to tell her about this?

I'd been in her family's home for fuck's sake.

"Because He was looking for them. He would've killed them, had they been found."

A small, choked sound left her throat, but her eyes remained glued to me, "How do you know that?"

I opened my mouth but no words came out. The fact that she certainly already knew didn't make it any easier to voice the words.

I warred with myself, unable to meet her gaze, when her small, warm hand rested on my forearm - directly over the fucking Mark.

My entire body went rigid and I swear I'd forgotten to breathe.

"Just because you took the Mark didn't mean you had a choice." she whispered, and though I still couldn't bring myself to look at her, the emotion that clogged her voice was obvious. "I always figured you would've been one of those assigned that night, you know?"

I closed my eyes against her words, drawing a ragged breath only to force it back out with, "I'm so fucking sorry, Granger."

Her hand tightened on my arm, and I did look at her then, only she wasn't looking at me. Her eyes were glassy, her lips slightly parted as she stared at her hand on my arm.

"You didn't do anything." she said, finally breaking the silence to look back at me.

"That's exactly the problem." I muttered, looking away from her again, "I didn't do anything. Ever."

She sighed, shifting closer to me so that she could rest both of her hands over my arm, "You bought us crucial time that day, Malfoy. Don't ever think otherwise."

The pain that clenched in my chest was intense, and her words left me reeling.

"I stood there and watched her torture you." I bit out through clenched teeth, "I raised my wand and fought with my father and Aunt Bella to keep you there."

She shook her head, digging her nails into the mark enough that it drew a light grunt from me, my eyes flicking to hers.

"If you would've admitted what you knew - that it was Harry - they would've called Voldemort immediately and we'd all be dead." she snapped, "So if you honestly think that some bloody scar on my arm wasn't worth the opportunity to kill Him for good, you're fucking barmy."

Her eyes were blazing as she held my gaze, fingers still digging into my arm as she continued, "If you think that I didn't notice how absolutely shite you looked that day, you're wrong. If you think I didn't see you hesitate when Ron and Harry ran out, you're wrong. And if you honestly think that I didn't notice that small smirk on your face when Dobby dropped the chandelier, you're wrong."

Fuck.

Fuck.

"I had no idea you were paying any attention to me." I murmured.

She snorted, her fingers absentmindedly brushing over where I surely had her fingernail marks under my long sleeved button up, "Just because you weren't paying me any mind didn't mean the same for me."

I shook my head, moving my hand over one of hers on my arm as I said, "I assure you, Granger, I was paying plenty of attention to you."

Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn't look disgusted - hell, her pupils looked like they could've been dilated, but that could also be the low-light of her living room now that the sun had nearly set.

"That's...very interesting to know." she said softly, lips slightly parted and fuck, I really wanted to kiss her.

Wait. It was dark out.

Shite.

I glanced at the clock on the opposite side of the living room, cursing as I saw the time - half past nine. I needed to be at work in thirty minutes.

"Late for something?" she asked, pulling my attention back to where she'd shifted - on the bloody opposite side of the couch again - looking down at her hands on her lap.

"Uh - yeah, actually." I said, running a hand through my hair, "I work at ten."

At that her eyes met mine again, "You work?"

I snorted, "I do. I don't exactly have access to my vaults - not enough to warrant not working, anyway."

"Where do you work?"

"A bar a few blocks away from here." I said, unsure what her reaction would be. It certainly wasn't as glamorous as what I'd envisioned myself doing, but being out of England and out from under my father's thumb was enough to make it manageable.

And it wasn't all that bad. Most nights I actually did enjoy my job.

"A bar?" she asked, a small smile sliding onto her face as she stood up from the couch, "Let me get dressed then. I could use an excuse to meet some people here."

HPOV

The bar that Malfoy worked at, The Rider, was nothing like what I'd expected.

For some reason I figured he'd be bartending at a posh place with high price tags, but it was practically the complete opposite. It was rather like a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, though the atmosphere was amazing. Everyone seemed to be having a good time - drinking, dancing, playing pool in the adjoining room.

I wove my way to the bar, spotting Malfoy's blonde head of hair immediately. When he caught sight of me he smiled, excusing himself from the woman he was speaking with to make his way over to me.

I looked behind him at the woman - who looked none too pleased about his departure - and couldn't help but wonder if they'd been flirting.

It wasn't like we were anything. So why did the thought annoy me?

"You look great, Granger." he said with a smirk, leaning forward to be heard over the music. "What can I get you?"

I couldn't stop the ridiculous blush from spreading across my cheeks at his compliment, but managed to say, "I'll take a whiskey sour, please."

He nodded, smirk still fully in place as he stepped away to make the drink.

The blonde that he'd been speaking to earlier was talking to him again while he worked, and I had to dig my nails into my palm to stop myself from sending a jinx at her chair - it was a muggle bar.

And I had no right.

Choosing to ignore my own ire, I spun around on the bar stool to face the rest of the bar, watching as people danced and talked and had what seemed like a great time, and honestly it made me miss my friends. Things had been strained between us since the breakup, but that was to be expected, wasn't it? Ron was Ginny's brother and Harry's best friend, and it wasn't like they'd tried to pick sides.

"Your drink, Granger."

I turned to face the bar again, giving Malfoy a slight smile as I opened my bag, "What do I owe you?"

He rolled his eyes, putting his hand over mine as he said, "I'm not letting you pay for a drink, Granger."

"Is that what you told her, too?" I asked, the words out of my mouth before I could stop them.

The blonde hadn't stopped glaring at me since I'd sat down, and with everything that was currently running through my head I couldn't help but snap at him, unfair or not.

His eyes widened slightly, one eyebrow raised as he looked across the bar. The woman immediately changed her expression, smiling coyly at him and motioning him over.

"No," he said, a small smirk on his face as he faced me again, "Miranda is...persistent, but she pays for her drinks."

I opened my mouth, no idea what I was going to say anyway, but he kept talking.

"Stay for a while? I go on break in a few minutes, and I have an idea of how you can pay me for the drink."

I arched an eyebrow at him, to which his smirk only widened.

"Just one dance, Granger."

Before I could respond he was helping another customer - not Miranda this time.

I took a sip of my drink, turning to face the rest of the bar again, and let my thoughts wander.

Malfoy was so different from the boy I'd known back at Hogwarts. He was still sarcastic and arrogant, but he was funny. It was easy to be around him, to talk to him, hell - to flirt with him.

And I wasn't going to kid myself into thinking that he wasn't fit. Very fit.

I could imagine his strong hands traveling across my body, his lips teasing my skin -

And he wanted a dance.

I couldn't stop the butterflies from swirling around my stomach at the thought. Merlin knew I wanted that and so much more.

"Care for a dance, sugar?"

I jumped, slightly startled from my thoughts at the closeness of the man beside me.

"Oh...uh...no, that's okay." I said, shaking my head and taking another sip of my drink.

"Oh come on, don't be like that." he said, sliding his hand onto my leg as he leaned closer, "I don't bite unless you want me to."

I immediately stood up, putting my drink on the bar as I snapped, "I said no."

The man looked pissed, but he smirked regardless, taking a step forward as he said, "I just wanted a dance, baby."

I opened my mouth to spew venom, but just then there was an arm wrapping around my waist, and Malfoy was speaking.

"She's not your baby, Dane. Call a cab and go home."

The man - Dane - dropped his eyes to Malfoy's arm around my waist, his eyebrows nearly disappearing into his hairline.

"Oh - Draco, my bad. I didn't know you two were - uh - yeah, I'll see you. Sorry, lady." he stuttered, turning on his heel and leaving.

"I could've handled that." I said, turning my head to look up at him, the weight of his arm still firmly around my waist.

He smirked and said, "I know, doesn't mean you should have to."

"Well...thank you." I murmured, "Are you on break?"

He nodded, "I've come to collect that dance."

I couldn't help the smile that slid onto my face as I said, "Lead the way, Mr. Malfoy."

He took my hand, easily leading me onto the dance floor and sliding his hands to my waist. Without thinking about it, I moved my own hands to his shoulders, delighting in the tight coil of muscles that I found there.

Gods, he was handsome.

"This isn't at all what I expected." I said, leaning closer to him to be heard over the booming music.

"You're not at all what I expected." murmured Malfoy, his lips by my ear.

I couldn't help the butterflies that erupted in my stomach at his words, at his closeness.

"Is that a good thing?"

"It's a really good thing, Granger." he murmured, tugging me closer as our bodies continued to move in sync with the music, surrounded on all sides by other couples dancing to the beat.

The way that he spoke to me - the way that he acted - sweet Circe, he wanted me too, didn't he?

Because Morgana knew I wanted him.

Badly.

"Granger," he murmured softly, my name rumbling against my ear as his lips lightly brushed my neck, "You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you."

DPOV

Granger's breath hitched at my admission, and I couldn't help but relish in the sound.

Her bright toffee eyes met mine, and I was barely able to make out her words over the thumping of the base.

"So kiss me."

For a moment I did nothing, my hands on her waist tightening as my mind tried to determine whether she'd actually said that.

That moment didn't last long, though, because in the next breath my lips were on hers.

And the feeling was divine.

Her delicate fingers slipped into my hair as I relished in the softness of her lips beneath my own.

Salazar, how long had I wanted this very thing?

I teased my tongue along her lips, groaning when she immediately parted them, welcoming my tongue into her mouth.

The hands in my hair tightened as I deepened the kiss even further, sharply pulling her against myself as I swallowed her surprised gasp with dominating kisses.

When she broke away to gasp for breath I was undeterred, shifting my attention to her neck to press kisses and nips to the heated skin.

"Malfoy," she groaned, half-heartedly attempting to push me back, "We're in the middle of a club."

I chuckled against her skin, dragging my teeth over her pulse point before asking, "Would you rather go back to mine?"

I sounded more confident than I felt, because in all reality I was bloody terrified that she'd come to her senses and say no.

She slid her hands to my cheeks, tugging my lips back to hers in a torturously slow kiss before pulling back just enough to murmur, "Yes, but you're technically still working."

I groaned, tugging her forward again while debating if I could manage to leave early - really early.

Ultimately, though, I knew that I couldn't leave - it was only Mark and I here until close at 3AM. And it was packed tonight.

Pressing my forehead to hers I said, "I don't get off until 3 in the morning, Granger."

She smirked, pressing her lips against my ear as she said, "Then neither do I. I can wait for it."

I couldn't help but growl at her insinuation as I tightened my grip on her hips, "Can you wait in my bed?"

"Yes," she groaned immediately, allowing me to pull her back into another highly inappropriate kiss considering I was only on break.

Sooner than I would've liked, I tugged her from the dance floor, weaving my way back over to the bar. After murmuring the passwords to my wards and pressing another kiss to her lips, I was watching her leave the bar.

3AM couldn't come bloody fast enough.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

By the time I slipped through the door into my flat it was nearly 3:30. I wondered if Granger really had come over here or if she'd changed her mind and was now sleeping in her own bed practically across the hall.

I opened my bedroom door, pausing when I found Granger sprawled out across my bed, her curls wild around her head, a book resting on her chest, her breathing coming slowly and evenly, in nothing but a pair of panties and one of my shirts.

"Fuck," I breathed, the word out before I even registered I was saying it.

She looked like a bloody goddess.

I trailed my eyes over her body while slowly removing my own clothes, noting the way the moon filtered in through the slightly open window to cast a glow that slanted across her body in a path that I wanted to trace with my tongue.

Her panties were slightly visible with the way my shirt had rode up her thighs, but with the lack of light I had no idea what color they were - but they were lacy.

Salazar, they were lacy.

Keeping my boxers on, I crossed the small distance between us, lightly plucking the book from her and setting it on the nightstand.

I slid in beside her, a slightly amused smirk sliding onto my face as she turned, nuzzling her body against my own, though she still seemed asleep.

I lightly trailed my fingers through her hair, surprised by how soft it looked, and before long I could tell that she'd woken up.

She nuzzled her face against my neck, her hands gliding over my shoulders as I murmured, "Hey, Granger."

"Hey, Malfoy." she said, beginning to press a series of light kisses to my neck as her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of my neck.

I slipped my fingers to her chin, tilting her face up to capture her lips in a kiss that quickly grew wild. I couldn't stop my hands from wandering, from grabbing her hips, her hair, her bloody perfect arse.

Pushing her back so that I hovered over her, I placed teasing kisses to her neck while my fingers made swift work of the buttons on her shirt - my shirt - exposing her pert breasts to my hungry mouth.

She immediately arched up, pressing herself further against me as her hands trailed over my chest, nails digging in every so often, and Salazar, how did I get lucky enough to worship this goddess?

As I continued toying with her breasts I felt her delicate hands slip down from my shoulders, one hand tracing my chest, the other drifting over the more than noticeable bulge in my boxers, and I couldn't help but groan at the contact.

"Please, Malfoy." she whispered, tugging my face back up to kiss me.

I smirked, pulling away from her lips to trail kisses across her neck as I murmured, "Please what, Granger?"

She hook her head, arching into my touch as I continued down her chest and stomach, coming to a stop at her lacy panties.

"Please touch you here, maybe?" I asked, pressing light kisses to her inner thighs.

She sighed softly, her hand gently trailing over my cheek as she said, "You don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to." I chuckled, "But I assure you that I want to."

A small smile graced her lips as she murmured an okay as I slipped her panties from her legs.

I couldn't help but groan as I said, "Fuck, you're so wet, love."

"For you."

Salazar, how was this woman so bloody sexy?

I leaned forward, licking a trail up from her dripping slit to her clit and repeating the process a few times before focusing solely on her little pearl.

And gods, the sounds she was making.

One of her hands was tangled in my hair, the other clutching the sheets above her head as I slipped first one, then to fingers into her tight cunt.

"Oh my gods, Malfoy!"

Salazar, this woman was going to be the death of me.

And what a bloody brilliant way to go.

HPOV

Malfoy's tongue was driving me insane, his fingers crooking come here and brushing that fucking perfect spot over and over again.

I was spiraling, higher, higher, higher - the heat spreading out from my stomach, uncoiling, stretching, reaching the tips of my toes and the top of my head before all of my muscles tensed - and I was falling.

"Fuck, Granger." groaned Malfoy, his fingers slowly pumping through my orgasm before he pulled away, pressing light kisses up my body while I tried to catch my breath.

"You're so fucking beautiful." he murmured, his lips brushing against mine before he kissed me.

I couldn't help but groan at the taste of myself on his tongue, and I didn't even bother stopping myself from lacing my fingers into his hair and deepening the kiss.

"Are you sure about this, love?" he asked, pulling up slightly to catch my eyes, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sure that if you don't fuck me I'll combust."

He smirked, letting me push down his boxers before settling himself between my thighs, his hard cock brushing against me with every breath and Morgana, I just wanted him inside me already.

"Look at me." he said softly, and when I did he slowly slid into me and -

"Oh fuck, Draco." I gasped, my eyes fluttering shut as he stretched me so perfectly.

He dropped his face to the crook of my neck, letting out a guttural groan that already had me fluttering around him as he said, "You feel so fucking perfect, your tight cunt squeezing my cock while you pant my name."

Gods his mouth was filthy, and I absolutely loved it.

"Please," I begged, back arching into his touch as he peppered my breasts with light kisses.

"Please what?" he asked with a small smirk.

When I said nothing his smirk only widened as he said, "Use your words, Granger. Please, what?"

"Please move." I groaned, attempting to shift my hips against his.

He chuckled, slowly beginning to move his hips, but it wasn't nearly fast enough for me.

"Malfoy," I panted, nails digging into his shoulders at his slow torture, "Please,"

"Please what?" he whispered against my ear, chuckling lightly as he thrust a big harder, drawing a moan from my lips.

"Please fuck you harder?" he murmured, his hips slamming against mine with that same infuriatingly slow pace that set my blood on fire.

"Please fuck you faster?" he asked, supporting his weight on his forearms as he began a faster pace that immediately stole the breath from my lungs.

"Yes, gods yes." I panted, "Please fuck me."

His smile was beautiful and triumphant as he shifted my legs to his shoulders, sliding impossibly deeper as he really began to fuck me, and I couldn't stop the steady stream of moans that streamed from my mouth like a prayer.

He just felt so perfect.

How I was already so close to coming undone, I had no idea, but gods, I was.

And I told him as much.

"Good." he said, voice slightly out of breath as he pressed a kiss to the side of my knee that rested on his shoulder, "I want you to come on my cock. Let me feel you." he murmured, leaning forward so that his chest was pressed against mine as he claimed my lips in a kiss.

And I was gone.

My body tensing, legs shaking as the heat that had been coiling in my stomach exploded, tearing a shriek of his name from my throat.

"Fuck," hissed Malfoy, his thrusts becoming erratic as he spilled inside me with a groan of my name - my given name - and it set off a series of aftershocks that had me clenching around him again.

His hips were still rocking into me lightly, his lips peppering kisses along my neck and chest as he murmured, "You're beautiful. You're so fucking beautiful."

I moaned, my hands tangled in his hair as he continued to stroke that perfect spot inside me, "Malfoy - Draco - you're going to make me come again."

His chuckle was deep and rough as he nipped my neck, "That's the point, love."

He slipped a hand between us, his fingers expertly circling my clit, and it only took moments for me to fall over the edge again, nails digging into his back as he groaned against my throat at the feeling.

Morgana, he was perfect.

"I don't want to move." he said with a chuckle, burying his face in my breasts as I laughed breathlessly, running my fingers through his hair lightly before responding.

"You don't have to."

He leaned up onto his forearms to look down at me as he asked, "Will you stay?"

"You couldn't pay me to make the walk across the hall." I said with a laugh, pulling a small chuckle from him as well, "I'm sure my legs aren't even working."

He smiled, pressing a lingering kiss to my lips before rolling off me.

We both stared up at the ceiling for a while, seemingly lost in our own thoughts before he was speaking again.

"Granger?"

"Hmm?" I asked, my eyes already feeling heavy.

"I don't want this to be a one-off." he said softly.

I was slightly surprised, turning to look at him with a small smile, "Good, because I might've had to kick your arse in your own flat if you had."

He laughed, his shoulders relaxing immediately as he tugged me into him, one arm curling around me to keep me close.

Before I drifted off to sleep I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head and murmur, "Luna might not be so mad after all."

I'm going a little stir crazy being stuck at home all the time, and it really isn't doing wonders for my mental health - but I'm doing yoga, meditating, trying to focus on the positives and actually get some writing done. I know that this isn't an update on one of my chapter fics, but it's what I could do and felt motivated to write. Better than nothing, right?

I hope you enjoyed.