out for a drink -- hermione

[canndee]

It was a shame really. The Leaky Cauldron was a really great place and not that Draco didn't liked people, he just preferred non-crowds. He had had enough of them in Hogwarts really. That was basically why he almost never was in Hogsmeade. But he had been there a few times though, and had had the privilege to taste both butterbeer and firewhiskey. Not because he really liked drinking, he had to admit that firewhiskey was a good friend these days. He had bought a bottle, which was in his apartment. Almost every night he took a glass of it. Not more.

Draco had changed since Voldemort was killed two years ago - maybe to the better. He didn't had a grudge against all those people he used to have and muggleborns weren't scum in his eyes anymore. Well, they had never really been - but he had to pretend, because his family was a respected pureblood family, so he had some things to live up to. Therefore he had treated most people below his bloodstatus like shit. Draco sighed at the thought - he was starting to grow closer to his parents, but they would never be a whole family again, he was sure. It had been hard growing up with Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy.

Draco shrugged as he opened his wardrobe. He needed a shower and then some fresh clothes. Quickly he took the old clothes of, left it in a pile on the floor and found a towel and placed around his waist that revealed his toned body. He had always been in good shape. Draco looked at the pile of clothes on the floor and shook his head. "I take care of you later.." Draco headed out to the bathroom, threw the towel on the floor and quickly showered. After that he grabbed his towel and walked into his bedroom again with a yawn.

Was he too sleepy to go for a drink tonight? Nah, he could always do this. A smile escaped his lips as he took his wand and with a flick he cleaned the pile of clothes, so it landed in the laundrybasket. Draco took the rest of his clothes on and fetched his wallet. He looked over his shoulder and started walking the very short way to The Leaky Cauldron. Really, it was literally 500 feet. It took him about a minute and as he entered the pub he looked around. There wasn't as many people as there used to be, which made him happy.

Draco found his way up to the bar where he ordered a glass of firewhiskey. He paid and got it and took a sip of it, when he saw a very familiar face. Draco hadn't seen her in a long time, but still he smiled a little bit.

notes: i hope it's okay!

status: done!

clothes: here !

words: 473 without code

tagged: hermione granger aka nikki

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[hermione jean granger]

Drinking, alone, in a pub. Wasn’t that supposed to be a bad thing? Hermione bit her lip at the thought. Right in that moment, she wasn’t sure she particularly cared. The brunette needed some time to herself- to relax after her day. Which she sure as Merlin couldn’t do at home. Not with the soon to be newly weds being all coupley all over the place and Ron, lazing around in that infuriating way he did. Just seeing him, or even thinking about him, twisted Hermione’s stomach in a knot, and caused hurt and frustration to bubble inside her. Which was why home was not the place she could relax in these days. It was a place to be on high alert, and attempt to remain polite through gritted teeth just to maintain the status quo. She wasn’t all that sure which was causing her more stress right then- Home or Work. The competition was steep
To re-group after a long day, and avoid going home, Hermione had taken to going to the Leakey Cauldron often. It was strange actually. This wasn’t exactly a place she had ever really imagined herself frequenting, but she supposed as you got older, things had to change. Even when you fought the change every step of the way. She guessed it was inevitable really. But, did that mean a person had no control over it all? It wasn’t like Hermione has asked for or planned her life to turn out like this. She hadn’t meant for her relationship with Ron to fall apart. Maybe if she wasn’t so proud.. She could fix it? But alas, she was. They both were. Neither liked to admit they were wrong, and be the first to put themselves out there to the other, and growing up they’d had some rotten fights because of it.

Toying with her glass of Nettle Wine, Hermione pushed thoughts of Ron from her mind. He was there far too often and right now she didn’t want to entertain even the idea of him. Looking down at the dark Liquid, Hermione frowned. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but she felt odd coming into a pub and not ordering anything, so she usually ordered one drink and nursed it the entire time she was there. Even that though, was enough to give the young woman a buzz. When you weren’t used to it, even one drink could affect you. She was slowly building up a tolerance though. Slowly. Bringing the glass to her lips, she took a sip. It actually wasn’t all that bad tasting. To be honest she could rather easily drink more of these. She probably wouldn’t, but you know, she could if she wanted..

Sweeping the stray curl that had escaped her French twist during the course of the day from her face, Hermione let her dark eyes sweep the pub. Frowning, her gaze met Draco’s. He was looking at her.. and, smiling? She felt uncomfortable with that. While she was somewhat aware of the ordeal the Malfoy family had suffered at Voldermort’s hand, and that they had seemed to alter their beliefs as a result, it was still rather awkward to see the young man who had once dared to call you a ‘mud-blood’ smiling at you. Cheeks flushing, she attempted to smile a greeting in return. However she wasn’t sure her features looked all that cheerful.

.

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[canndee]

Normally Draco would be bummed after a whole day in the ministry, and he was tired yes. But not more than that. Sometimes he would come home and be angry, even mad because he said his opinion in a matter and no one would listen to him. But today everything had worked out as planned - they had all listened to him, treated him like an actual human being. Thank God for that. He hated being labelled before he could say anything. Everyone knew that he was Lucius Malfoy's son and sometimes he wished that everyone didn't knew. The expectations were just a whole lot higher, when you are someone's kid. Ugh. The thought of his father made him feel bad. This whole "bonding-with-your-parents" wasn't going that great or that fast for that matter. Draco was still in the "i-don't-want-to-see-my-parents-in-public" phase.

When Draco saw Hermione smile back at him, he nodded and took another sip of his firewhiskey and debated with himself whether to go over there or just stay where he was. About eight years ago, he had called her a mudblood and he knew that it had to be hard to forgive. It wasn't a word he used anymore. Muggleborn was the right term these days. Mudblood was actually a terrible word. Again something he had learned from his dear father. Draco downed his firewhiskey and decided to go over to her. Draco walked with firm steps and was quite determined actually.

"Granger.." He said with what Hermione what think was an all new voice. He didn't sound harsh or anything like that. He sounded calm. Not evil and not mad. Because he was beyond that stage. He had no idea what else to say, honestly? It was all new seeing her outside Hogwarts. Draco ordered a new drink, this time a butterbeer. He had had a firewhiskey hangover and they weren't recommended really. So better slow down on the firewhiskey and change between butterbeer and firewhiskey. But he had no intentions on being drunk tonight.

notes: short!

status: done!

clothes: here !

words: 350-ish without code

tagged: hermione granger aka nikki

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[hermione jean granger]

Biting her lip, watching Draco move over to her. She wasn’t exactly prepared for the man to approach her. What was she supposed to say to him? While she respected him as part of the Wizard community (his and his family had made it clear they stood for new things, which in Hermione’s eyes made him easier to accept) she wasn’t exactly sure she wanted to engage in conversation with him. What would they talk about? The weather? News events? The good old days? Heh. Hermione felt herself smirk at that thought. Reminiscing about the school days with Malfoy was actually mildly amusing, ‘Remember that time I punched you in the face?’. ‘Oh yeah, nice left hook Granger’. They were adults though now, right? They didn’t hold animosity about the past. Well, at least she hoped they didn’t. If he was coming over to start a fight, she really wouldn’t be impressed.

“Malfoy..” she nodded at him. Using last names seemed like the right thing for them to do. They weren’t and had never really been on a first name basis so it made sense that that fact didn’t change now. It would have been even more awkward had he walked over and called her ‘Hermione’. She would have probably died from shock. Or asked him if he was ill or something. Watching him, her brown eyes took in his appearance. Something had changed about the young man. He no longer walked around with his nose in the air like he was better than anyone else. He even dressed differently, more casual. Less black. It was, well.. Nice. He wasn’t the seemingly intimidating thing he used to be. She only hoped others gave him a second chance. She knew not everyone was so open to giving people another chance as she was.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded to the seat across from her. “Do you want to sit?” She was probably jumping the gun, asking him to sit. However she wasn’t sure what else to say, and it felt strange with him standing there while she sat. Besides, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t the least bit curious about where this conversation was going to go. And Hermione was indeed a curious sort of girl. While she waited for his response, Hermione took another sip of her drink. A larger one then before. The taste was really starting to grow on her actually. Why hadn’t she bothered to try wine before?

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[canndee]

Of course Draco remembered when Hermione Granger had punched him in the face. He had really been a dick back then, so he fully understood her. She was just trying to protect Hagrid. Speaking of Hagrid... Draco never really liked him, and still didn't. There was something scary about giants, or half-giants or whatever he was, wasn't there? A small sigh escaped his lips as he thought about Hagrid. Even though it had hurt when she had hit him, it was obviously worth it. She fought for something important and Draco respected that.

As he reached her, she spoke. Hearing her voice made him smile a bit more. It had been almost three years since he had talked to her last. Or talked.. You couldn't say that Draco and Hermione were that good friends that talked together. They had been enemies for the best part of seven years - she had been a Gryffindor and friends with Harry Potter. The only thing that really bugged Draco about Harry Potter was all that fame that was around him. Why was it him that have been chosen to the Triwizard Tournament? Back in Hogwarts, it pissed Draco of a lot. But now it had been six years and it was forgotten. At least Draco wasn't holding a grudge anymore. He had changed.

Hermione offered him to sit down and even though he was surprised, he took the seat across her. Draco smiled and mimed a "thank you". He took another sip of his butterbeer and looked at her. "So Granger. How is your life these days?" He asked with a fairly amount of interest. She wasn't his favorite person, but not his least favorite either. He liked siting here, it was nice to just relax and meet with old enemies, he hadn't talked to in a while.

notes: short!

status: done!

clothes: here !

words: 350-ish without code

tagged: hermione granger aka nikki

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[hermione jean granger]

This was kind of a set up to a bad joke; two enemies walk into a bar... Only, it wasn’t. It was real. Sureal, but very much a reality. She was sitting across from Draco having a nice little chat. He even seemed interested in her life. The brunette considered his question for a moment. What was she supposed to say about her life? She wasn’t about to tell him about all the stress and drama that was surrounding her relationship with Ron. By the same note though, she wasn’t sure if it could be avoided. Everyone had been witness to her and Ron’s blossoming relationship at school, and everyone she ran into now wanted to know how they were. In such a small community like the Wizarding world it was natural to be overtly curious about other people’s love life.

She gave a small shrug before answering. “Oh, just working for the Ministry. It’s frustrating though. Although attitudes have changed towards muggles and blood status, I’m still faced with the faced with the archaic views everyone seems to have to all other magical creatures. This morning I was re-buffed yet again in my efforts to give Centaur’s more land and-“ She stopped abruptly. Cheeks flushing deeply. “Sorry.. My work gets me rather worked up. I should know better not to talk about it. Ron is always telling me to hush..” her words trailed off at the end of the sentence. It all seemed so natural to talk about Ron. Teaching herself not to bring him up was rather challenging for the woman. One she was probably failing at. She wasn’t used to failing. It just meant she’d have to try all the more harder. That was the way she was really, try until you get it right.

Quickly rushing over her Ron faux par, Hermione turned the conversation onto Draco. “What about you? I read a little about the comings and goings of your parents in the Daily Prophet, but not anything about what you’re doing with yourself..” She took another sip of her drink. Eyes on Draco as she waited for a response. She was deeply curious about what the Malfoy was doing with his life. She’d never really known what he’d aspired to in school, but that wasn’t a surprise. He probably had no idea what she had aspired to either so at least they were equal in that.

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[canndee]

Draco knew that Hermione was a smart witch. Or not smart, but very intelligent. She had been the best in their class all along. Draco had always been surprised because in his eyes she was always the know-it-all mudblood, but he never realized that intelligence in girls attracted him. And he couldn't really tell if he was attracted to Hermione right now. In his eyes, she had always been pretty, but of course no one knew that. If anyone from his house would know that, they would make him an outcast. The truth was that Draco hadn't been with anyone since Daphne really. And that was almost two years ago - so he missed someone. But he was pretty sure that he needed to marry a pureblood witch, but he wouldn't rush into something he would regret after a year. He could marry either Pansy or Daphne as the things were now. But the thought only made him laugh a little. Draco couldn't imagine spending his entire life with either of them. They were both great, really. But Pansy wasn't intelligent enough. It was mean, but it was the truth. Daphne was.. well she was Daphne. Had always been beautiful and fairly intelligent.

Yeah, he was picky when it came to girls. Now, he was. He hadn't been back at Hogwarts. He had snogged both Daphne, Pansy and several other girls. Back then, he was different. A cold, boy who just needed something like love. Of course it wasn't love. Just lust, but it was the closest thing he had ever been to love. So for him it was enough. But he started missing a girlfriend. Only a little bit. Then Hermione started talking and Draco listened and nodded when it was required. It all sounded very interesting. But it was weird that he hadn't seen her if she was working in ministry. But then again, it was quite big, so understandable. "I know what you mean. Really! I work there too, and it's not always my colleagues agrees with me. I work in The Department of International Magical Office of Law. Nothing big, but I like it." He said with a nod and took another sip of his butterbeer.

Then she started talking about his parents and Draco nodded. Ah yes, the infamous "I-read-about-your-death-eater-parents-" talk was coming up. But okay, it was understandable really. "Well yes. My parents.. I guess they are still my parents. I'm starting to get a better relationship with them. But trust me. It's not easy. It takes time. Like a lot of time. They missed basically all my childhood, so they need to win a lot of it back somehow." He said with a small smile. All of it was true.

Draco heard her mention Ron's name. That meant she was dating him. That was possibly the best thing. Draco wouldn't date Hermione. Draco had no idea what to feel about the Weasleys. He guessed he had to meet Ron before he knew it and maybe it was a good idea. Draco decided not to comment on it, why should he really? It was to no use for him really.

notes: woo!

status: done!

clothes: here !

words: 500 without code!

tagged: hermione granger aka nikki

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[hermione jean granger]

Hermione knew a thing or two about absent parents. Though her situation was much different, she could sympathise- Almost. Hermione bit her lip. She could remember a time that Draco idolised and looked up to his father and everything the man stood for. Yes, people change, but it was all a bit much to expect that they could change then not have to take responsibility for things. Draco’s father was possibly the reason a few people in the Wizarding world had no parents at all, and the man he has served was the reason many more people had lost their parents, or parents had lost their children. Wounds that would take a lot more time to heal completely. She understood why certain people could never be able to accept an apology for what they had lost, no matter how much proof was offered that the person responsible had changed.

Hermione herself was battling. Faced with Draco was harder then she would have imagined. The woman liked to think of herself as a forgiving sort of person but everyone had their limits. She just wasn’t too sure where hers lay. Chewing the inside of her lip, she raised her glass. Taking a long drink of the liquid. It gave her something to do while she considered what she was going to say and how she was going to react. Hermione liked to ration things out in her own mind before responding. This wasn’t always the case, and more times then she liked to admit did her feelings get in the way. Still though, she did like to at least try to look at every situation rationally. Perhaps the wine would be more of a hindrance, but right then it served as a good distraction, which was enough for Hermione.

“You know..” she started slowly, putting the glass down. “It’s not exactly easy to feel sorry for you and your parents.” Her brown gaze stayed on his face. Words chosen carefully and tone monitored. She wasn’t saying any of this to come across as rude, or to offend the blonde. She was merely attempting some honesty with him. Maybe it was a failed experiment from the start, but still. She gave a slight shrug. “Your family are indirectly responsible for so many people loosing loved ones, Malfoy.” She kept her eyes on him, trying to stop the colour from rising in her cheeks, and the emotion from taking over her voice. She didn’t want to sit across from him and start accusing him and his parents of being murderers.

“My own parents,” she started again, dropping her gaze. “Are lost Merlin knows where, because I sent them away for fear of what could happen to them if Death Eaters found them..”

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