The Marriage Decree

Chapter 17: Naked!

Draco runs down the stairs two at a time. He can't believe he just did that. She sounded rather angry when she told him to get out. 'Of course she's angry. You saw her naked.' He runs his hands through his hair exasperatedly as he paces the living room. His baby owls starts chirping nervously, obviously sensing his unnerving presence so he walking to the kitchen where he slams the back door, blaming it for the predicament he's in right now.

Gripping hold of the counter, he stares out over the garden trying to get the image of a half-naked Hermione out of his mind. She distracting him from his self-scalding. He hears the kitchen door open, announcing her arrival. He's not sure he can look at her right now without thinking about the body he had seen beneath.

"Draco?" She asks shyly.

Taking a shaky breath he turns around but he doesn't expect her to be stood so close to him or to be dressed so...

"Beautiful." He mutters under his breath. He blushes slightly, hoping she hadn't heard that but the small smile that graces her face tell him she did.

"You look very nice." He tells her, avoiding her eyes which he could feel boring into him. "I'm sorry." He adds. "I thought there was somebody in the house." He explains, finally managing to make eye contact.

"Let's just forget it ever happened." She stares pointedly into his eyes to which he nods. "Good, now maybe you could tell me why you didn't tell me it's your birthday today." She quirks her eyebrow at him.

"Who told you?" He sighs, waiting for an argument to start about him keeping secrets.

"Gregory came over with this for you." She brings a small bag out from behind her back, holding it out to him.

"Oh, right." He mumbles taking the bag, twitching slightly when their finger brushes against each other.

He looks in the bag taking out the card first which he opens. It simply says 'Happy Birthday. Gregory and Megan.' Goyle had never been a man of many words. He takes the rectangular box out next, giving it a little shake. Goyle had never been one for giving presents either so he assumes this was Megan's idea, which doesn't make much sense since he's never talked to her before.

He opens the lid to find a thin, cylindrical object. He's not entirely sure what it is but it's beautiful either way with the cylinder being mostly emerald green with the two tips and a ring in the middle being silver. Hermione leans over to take a look.

"It's beautiful." She mutters.

"What is it?" He wonders aloud, taking the object out of its box and turning it over in his hands to inspect.

"It's a fountain pen." She replies, taking it out of his hands.

He watches as she pulls at it and one-half comes away to reveal a nib like on a quill.

"It's like a muggle quill. The ink is held inside and you just refill it when it runs out." She tells him. "I'm assuming this was Megan's idea. I'd forgotten her mother's a muggle." She adds.

Draco takes the fountain pen back, clicks the lid into place and replaces it in the box.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asks again.

"I didn't want you to feel obligated to get me a present just because we're married." He answers, avoiding her eyes as he replaces the card and present from Gregory and Megan back into its bag.

"Draco!" She sighs, placing a hand on his shoulder, making him glance up at her. "That's not the only reason I'd have gotten you a present. I've gotten to know you over the past few days and whether you like it or not, I consider you a friend and friends get each other birthday presents." She raises her eyebrow.