Chapter Fifteen: A Year Later

Draco sat at the muggle bar staring moodily at his watch. He was up to his second scotch and he still couldn't stop obsessing over her…

"Damn women, get into your head, mess around with it and then you're fucked for the rest of your life," Draco huffed, not concerned that he had said that out loud because there was nobody else in the bar other then him and the bar tender.

"Oh some lady trouble I gather?"

Draco looked up to see an older man looking back at him with a friendly twinkle in his eye and a whole bottle of scotch in his hand. Good man.

"Ah yes, but I bet you've heard this all before, I mean being a bartender is like being an unofficial therapist isn't it?"

"Yeah something like that," The man agreed with a chuckle, topping up his glass, "But I'm here if you want to talk, got not much else to do anyway."

Draco considered this and realised that seeing as he didn't have much else to do also he would indulge himself.

"Well this woman right, we used to hate each other like in school, but then like years later I dunno she just came back into my life and it was like we still didn't like each other but we couldn't keep our hands off each other also," Draco explained.

"Sorta like lusting after each other?" The bar tender interjected helpfully.

"Yeah exactly like that, boy she could make even the toughest men sink to their knees and beg to be able to go down on her… sorry to be vulgar, but that's just her effect," Draco apologised but the bar tender just shrugged, after all he had heard much worse.

"Yeah and for a while it was heaven but then I don't know we both kinda freaked out and she moved back to France which totally messed with my head, I mean I couldn't even look at another woman without thinking how much better it would be if they were her," He said with a sigh and the bar tender couldn't help but wonder what the woman looked like to get such a man frustrated.

Draco was a very handsome man, the bar tender was not ignorant of that even if he himself was rather shaggy looking. The bartender was also on the pulse enough to realise that the clothes that his customer wore were very, very expensive, all in all his customer was quite a catch… in fact the bartender wondered if this man would be interested in his daughter, after all, a rich, good looking, well to do man would make for a nice change over his present would-be son-in-law.

"But then she came back and that was awkward for a while, just figuring out if she liked me you know?" Draco continued oblivious to the bartender's crestfallen expression as his dreams for a worthy son-in-law crashed and burned at that one sentence.

"And then it was sorta like she did but then she made up a story about some guy…but it turned out she really did like me and boy, did she really demonstrate how much she liked me!"

The bartender muttered under his breath at that, something along the lines of 'lucky sod'. Truth was he was insanely envious of this man and regretted lending his customer an ear now that there was no chance he was going to be related… and maybe being on the receiving end of some expensive gifts.

And just maybe they would've played golf on the weekend and the man might even throw the game just to keep an old man happy, he seemed the type who would that. As for his real would-be future son-in-law, the bar tender thought in distaste, the impression he got was that he was a no hoper really and a slob who didn't give a hoot whether he had his fiancé's father's respect or not.

"-And I admit that I was crazy about her then too, maybe more then she was and I swear I wanted to take her home with me and demonstrate how much I felt for her, every time I saw her…in fact I don't think I did make it home many times… she could be very persuasive and a little bit kinky when she wanted to," Draco mused thinking back on their all time favourite make-out location. Ah the empty abandoned warehouse, Draco thought about fondly, if only the old dilapidated walls could speak, they'd be such smut mouths.

"So then what happened?" The bartender asked curious despite his envy.

"Well everyone thought we were getting married and she was pregnant, some little wise ass spread it around but we were okay with that for a while…" Draco trailed off with a sigh, "And I have to admit the idea of her being mine forever, as primitive as that sounds and having my child kinda thrilled me, I mean Merlin knows, she's the type of woman that would keep you on your toes for all eternity, you know what I mean?"

The bartender nodded thinking about how different his two failed marriages would've turned out if that had been the case. And was with the dropping in the name 'Merlin'? Maybe that was some kind new age thing?

But he didn't have time to think over it for too long because Draco went on in his usual engaging manner.

"And the she left. Back to her job in France and things quietened down somewhat," Draco indulged taking a long swill of his drink.

"She left you?" The bartender was in disbelief, "For another man?"

"No she didn't, she is just late sometimes is all," A husky feminine voice answered for the customer, "And she doesn't appreciate not being called by her first name."

The bartender looked up stunned and knew without a doubt, that the woman standing before him could only be the one his customer had been moaning over.

There was something about her, he noticed, she wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but it was in the way she held herself. Like she could either make you wildest dreams come true or make you wish you had never been born, it was very sexy.

And while not the most beautiful, the young woman was undeniably attractive, her curvaceous figure showed off flatteringly in a high waisted pencil skirt and a buttoned up shirt, with the top buttons teasingly undid, making the bar tender stare, momentarily forgetting how the blond man could beat him up easily.

"Ah Granger, I'd just about given up on you," The blond man stood up curtly and joined her, his hands instantly tangling in her hair, making the bar tender wonder if her curls really were as soft as they looked… what the hell was the matter with him?

"So I heard, really Malfoy you should have more faith," Her brown eyes glittered in a challenge.

The bar tender, sensing that this was going to be quite a reunion headed off to the back room to give them privacy…but not without a last longing look at the woman named Granger however. He may be past his prime, but he was certainly still a man.

--

A year ago:

When Hermione had returned to her job a year ago, she had felt so lost and lonely. Burying herself in her paperwork proved counter productive because all she ended up doing was doodling Draco's name and her own over the back of documents she was supposed to be writing up. And the worst part, according to Gabrielle, was the reports she sent back with sketches of his piercing eyes in the border. It was enough to even distract Gabbie from her work and fantasize about the man.

Needless to say, Hermione had been doing poorly without him by her side, even though they agreed on meeting up on weekends, she found it unsatisfactory. Hermione smiled when she remembered getting drunk one Monday soon after, depressed that she had so many days to go, that she had actually forced herself to travel by floo- which she loathed- to his apartment… only to almost immediately fall into a drunken sleep in the hearth. Draco had been very startled when he had found her the next morning. Actually he was more smug then startled.

Naturally, they called in sick that day and never left the bedroom…. Their bedroom as it eventually became.

Draco dramatically proposed to her the next morning, which Hermione accepted with an eye roll. The ring was made of string and as Draco put it on her finger he told her how in the old days, cave men used to tie up the woman they wanted and slowly remove the rope until she submitted, and even then they left a piece on her finger so she was constantly reminded that she was his forever.

"Ok but I swear if you tie me up I will kick your ass, that's way too kinky for my liking."

"Darling, get your mind out of the gutter," Draco laughed and Hermione could only sit back and gaze at him. He had never looked so happy before, all the hardness and bitterness had vanished and she just couldn't look away.

"There are three conditions to my acceptance," Hermione went on seriously and Draco felt his heart stopped in nervous anticipation.

"We get married in Scotland and I get to keep my job… also no wedding dresses made out of feathers."

"My darling, you have yourself a deal," Draco immediately agreed, jumping on top of her with a rush of kisses, "…although I think you'd look cute in feathers."

At that Hermione punished him in wicked ways only she knew how.

--

The wedding was held a few months after the proposal. Unsurprisingly, the news of the wedding came as no shock to the wizarding community, after all they had read about the rumours for quite sometime in the tabloids.

Hermione's bridesmaids, Luna and Lavender and her maid of honour Ginny (who arranged a strange hen's party- which was held completely underwater) all looked stunning in sophisticated peach coloured dresses. There were no feathers insight (although Luna offered to lend Hermione her feathered under slip for good luck) and Draco with his groomsmen Crabbe, Goyle and his best man Thad looked dashing in their suits, Draco just that little bit more so because he was actually smiling.

Hermione was worse off that morning, she was a nervous wreck and even though her dress was perfect- she was dressed in a floor length white sating gown, with old fashioned trimmings (her mother's old wedding dress) and everyone kept telling her everything was going to be alright and that she looked stunning, she couldn't breath for her anxiety. Her mind was her worst enemy as the most absurdist thoughts rushed into her head, even as she was walking towards the entrance to the church.

What if this was a trick? ; Did he really want to marry her? ; What if she didn't want to marry him, but she didn't know it yet??

And then her dad led her out the doors and she saw him. The look of adoration and relief on his face calmed her completely and her heart raced with excitement as she neared him.

The vows were exchanged without much fuss, Draco's voice somewhat wobbly with emotion as he said 'I do' and pulled off the piece of string that Hermione had refused to take off. With a grin at her obvious dismay at losing that bit of sentimentality, he slipped on a thin silver band that looked exactly like the piece of string, before adding a simple diamond ring (Hermione had flatly refused to have a huge eyesore ring).

Hermione's hand closed around his and she squeezed it in reassurance. She had never seen him look so nervous in his whole life, was he afraid she was going to say no to him at the altar?

Without so much as a pause afterwards Hermione exchanged her own vows a little breathlessly as Draco's smile grew more and more- she remembered thinking that he should really warn people that they would fall in love with him when he smiled- and then it was her turn to slip a simple silver band onto his finger, which she had engraved on the inside simply saying, 'Yours and yours only'.

Later they would fall asleep in each other's arms, after staying up long after their bodies were spent, to practice calling each other husband and wife.

--

Present:

"I have faith plenty, but that doesn't mean that I can't miss you," Draco said sulkily but allowed himself to be pulled into a long kiss. Pretty soon he found himself flat on his back in one of the far corner booths with Hermione on top… Their reunion kisses always managed to get quite steamy.

"Ok, I'm sorry I overreacted," Draco's voice was husky when they broke apart.

"That's alright, I like it when you overreact, in fact I wouldn't mind it if we went home and you overreacted again," Hermione quipped cheekily, earning herself a very obscene pinch.

"I think I should take you away now, before we give a patron a heart attack," Even as Draco spoke, a few customers were entering, Hermione giggled and held onto him tighter…which was some feat.

"Ok, take me away, take me some place I've never been before," she whispered, nibbling at his ear.

Quick as a flash, almost like magic you could say…the strange young couple with their unkempt clothes vanished from the corner booth and the bar was peculiarly filled with a scent of tomatoes and olive oil.

The end

A/N: Quite a good ending because I think they have been through enough. They deserve to be together, no?

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