Relentless - A Dramione FanFic

Dinner for Two

Draco smirked satisfactorily to himself, as she took her place next to him.  "I don't know.  How about salmon?" He asked, knowing full well it was her favorite.

"Mmmmm..." she groaned, catching him unaware and sending a shiver down his spine. "You read my mind.  What are you thinking for sauce?" She questioned, her quill hovering over the parchment, into which the word SALMON was slowly fading. "Lemon dill butter or maybe honey bourbon glaze?"

"Well, I'm allergic to dill, so my vote is honey bourbon glaze." He quipped, smiling charmingly at her, an expression he anticipated she would return, however her face was frozen in a look of bewilderment. "Hermione..." Draco's joviality was replaced with concern. "Is everything okay?"

She shook her head and forced a weak grin, realizing he must think something upset her. "No.  I mean yes.  Everything is okay.  Its just that I've only ever known one other person who was allergic to dill. The memory of him just caught me off guard."

Draco, of course, knew to whom she was referring, as it was the Blake half of himself, however, he was careful to seem as surprised as possible.  After all, being allergic to dill isn't exactly a common issue. "Really?"  His voice conveyed genuine curiosity.  "That's interesting.  In all my life, I've never run across a single other person who shares that allergy."  He nudged her playfully with his elbow as he added, "And here I thought I was one-of-a-kind."

She chuckled at his self-deprecating joke, and finished writing the list of ingredients, including brown rice and green beans for sides.  "Oh, you're one-of-a-kind alright," she retorted, rolling her eyes, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.  "But seriously, Mr. Unique... salmon or sides?" She asked, motioning toward the food that just appeared in front of them.

"Salmon."  He answered confidently.

She raised an eyebrow as she handed the fish to him.  "Okay, but be warned... I'm very picky about how I like my salmon.  It better not get overdone."

"Don't worry, Granger."  Draco's voice was sultry and suggestive.  "I've got this."  He flipped the gas burner closest to him on low and Hermione was overtaken by its heat.

At that moment, she realized her uniform long-sleeves, tie and jumper were going to be far too much clothing for standing in a hot kitchen.  "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I..."  She didn't know how to explain to Draco that she needed to take some clothes off.  She stared at him speechless, before quickly blurting, "I...I'll be right back," and running upstairs to her bedroom.

She rested against the closed door trying to regain her composure.  "What is it about him that makes me so out of sorts all the time?  Come on, Hermione... You know exactly what it is!  He's an attractive man, who you now know is equally attractive on the inside.  There's no denying it.  You're falling for him."  She leaned her head back into the door frame, as she acquiesced to the fact that she was in fact falling for Draco Malfoy.

***

"Well, that was strange."  Draco mused to himself.  "But her ability to catch me off is one of the things i love most about her."  

***

When she emerged from her room in a Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes t-shirt rather than her uniform, he understood the meaning of her sudden departure.

"Sorry about that."  She blushed, as she descended the stairs.  "It was just too warm for all those layers."

"Agreed," he responded, gesturing to his own tie and jumper flung across the back of the nearest barstool.

Only then did Hermione notice he had not only removed his tie and jumper, but he'd also rolled up his sleeves, and unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt.  She barely managed to conceal the involuntary whimper that escaped her lips, at the sight of his perfectly chiseled chest, as her clearing her throat.  She stared at the rice and beans in front of her, completely unfocused, and scolded herself. "Pull yourself together, Hermione.  It's just rice and green beans, you could cook this in your sleep. Don't let on that he is getting to you."  A quick nod of her head to agree with herself and she was ready to tackle the side dishes.