For The Tabloids

Chapter Nine

Third Person POV:

Hermione's hands wrapped around the warm coffee mug the waitress had brought her. She had become accustomed to drinking her coffee black since her early days at the ministry, and now she couldn't shake the habit. She had, much like she always would, arrived twenty minutes earlier than the agreed upon time. She had already ordered her coffee, letting the waitress know that someone else would be joining her. She would have ordered for Draco like she did whenever her and Ginny went for tea or coffee, but she didn't know what Draco would order. Perhaps he'd take his coffee black like she did, or maybe he didn't drink coffee at all.

It felt like, after seeing him at the dinner a short few days ago, she didn't know him. The idea of him that she kept in her head seemed to break down.

Glancing down at her watch she noted that Draco was now five minutes late, presumably because she had chosen a muggle coffee shop for their meeting. It wasn't that she believed a shop such as the leaky cauldron would draw too much attention to their meeting, but that she believed this would make both her and Draco feel more comfortable. It was a location where no one really knew either of them, where neither party could risk drawing their wands. Hermione also simply preferred the muggle world, it wasn't nearly as complicated as the wizarding world. And part of her wanted to believe that, based off his words at the dinner, that Draco also preferred the muggle world in some respects.

Taking a long sip of her coffee she looked up towards the entrance of the shop, where her eyes met those of a tall blonde man. She quickly moved the cup away from her lips and used her arm to wave him over to the table, a corner booth that was closer to the back of the shop. Draco made his way over to her, his movements seemed nervous and awkward. His outfit also helped him appear out of place, feeling far too fanciful for the everyday muggle world. It nearly made Hermione chuckle a little, reminding her of the first time Ron and Ginny had been exposed to the muggle world.

Once he had made his way over to the booth and sat down, in the same amount of time it took the waitress to notice, he gave Hermione a firm handshake before saying anything. "Mr. Malfoy" "Miss. Minister" His greeting made Hermione glance around to see if anyone around them had heard it, Draco must have forgotten that her title isn't to be used in the muggle world. "Please Draco, call me Hermione" her words seemed to make Draco perk up in his seat, his pale face giving way to a very slight blush on his cheeks. "It isn't how things are done" "Draco I'm a muggleborn in charge of the wizarding world, change is natural" he just nodded in response, not wanting to begin an argument with her.

The waitress had soon made her way to their table, pulling out her small notebook before greeting them. "What can I get for ya" her question was directed at Draco, due to Hermione having already ordered her drink. Draco glanced down at the small menu Infront of him, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. While muggle food and drink wasn't entirely different from the wizarding world, it was just of enough to confuse someone who had been raised solely within the wizarding world. "Could I get a cup of peppermint tea" he asked the waitress, offering her a kind smile that Hermione hadn't grown accustomed to seeing on his face. "Sure thing dear" the waitress turned so she was now facing the middle of the table, talking to both Draco and Hermione. "Anything else? cake? biscuits?" Hermione thought for a moment, not having to glance at the menu given the amount of times she would visit this coffee shop. "A lemon loaf would be fine" she glanced over at Draco, urging him with her eyes to also order something to eat. "I'll have the same" his voice was slightly quieter than it had been before, for a reason Hermione couldn't quiet figure out. "Okay that'll be out in a sec" the waitress gave the two one last smile before turning around and walking towards the counter.

"So Draco, I hear you've been attempting to educate your students about blood status equality" "yes, yes I have" Draco didn't keep eye contact with her, opting to stare down at the menu in front of him.