Our Secret / Dramione Fanfiction

8

A/N- I made this one pretty long since the rest of the chapters weren't as lengthy as I thought lol. Enjoy.

Earlier the next day, the office was abuzz with gossip before Hermione had even arrived. As she passed her colleagues' desks, she noticed how quickly some of them stashed away copies of the newspaper. Frowning, she stopped at Draco's desk and asked him to follow her to her office. "What's going on?" she asked after he shut the door.

Draco shrugged and sat down in front of her desk. "There was a picture of us getting married in one of the articles of the newspaper," he replied simply. "You know we can't stop that. All we can control now is what we tell them."

"And you really think they'd believe us?" she wondered, sitting on the edge of her desk in front of him.

"Probably not," he replied with a smirk. "In fact, I think denying it will make them believe that article even more."

Hermione shook her head. "I can't deal with this right now," she said, defeated.

"Hey, we planned to talk it over tonight, remember?" Draco pointed out. "So just relax and we'll come to a conclusion later."

_________________________________________

Later that evening, after the staff had left, Draco entered Hermione's office. "So, I could eat," he said casually as he leaned against the door frame.

"Yup," she mumbled, never lifting her eyes from the document she read.

Draco frowned. "You forgot," he surmised.

Sighing, she placed her quill on the desk and looked up. "I'm sorry," she said tiredly. "What?"

His scowl deepened as he turned to leave. "It's nothing. Forget it," he muttered.

Getting to her feet, she rounded her desk and jogged to keep up with him. He returned to his workspace to gather his belongings before leaving. "Wait," she said, holding on to his arm when she reached him. "It's just been a really busy day. Everyone I've ran into has asked about that damn article. Or have stopped to ask about it. I'm completely behind."

Picking up his bag, he shrugged. "It's fine," he replied. "I get it. We'll reschedule."

As he began to walk away, she tightened her hold on him and followed. "Would you just listen to me for a minute?" she asked. Huffing, he stopped and turned to face her. "I didn't forget. In fact, I've been looking forward to it since you asked."

"But?" he interrupted.

Shaking her head, Hermione smiled. "There's no but," she promised. "I was hoping I'd meet you there in, say, half an hour? I've got to finish this report before I go home tonight."

"Really? he asked, not willing to get his hopes up just yet.

"Really," she confirmed. "And I'm starving, so I expect my dinner on the table the second I walk through the door."

Despite the roll of eyes, Draco smiled. "You're a taskmaker, aren't you?" he asked.

"Starting to regret your-- our proposal?" she wondered.

His brows furrowed. "Are you trying to make me regret it?" he countered.

Hermione shook her head. "Well, not yet anyway," she replied. "I'll see you at your house?"

Draco nodded and left for the lifts while Hermione returned to her office. Sitting down, she attempted to finish her work, but found herself unable to concentrate. Didn't she want him to regret their proposal? More importantly, didn't she want herself to regret it? It was just a piece of paper, she told herself. Nothing had changed.

Putting aside her quill, and deciding her work could wait until morning, Hermione gathered her belongings and made her way to the exits. Arriving in the Atrium, she stepped into the first available floo and arrived quickly in Draco's room.

"What happened to half an hour?" Draco wondered. Stepping out of the bathroom at the sound of the activated floo.

Hermione shrugged. "Couldn't focus," she admitted.

He beckoned her to follow him from the room. "Thinking about me?" he smirked, leading her to the first floor.

"You'd like that," she replied with a laugh.

With a small lift of his shoulders, he replied, "Who wouldn't? Everyone wants to know that someone's thinking about them." Pulling out a stool, he told her to sit, then moved about the kitchen to gather the ingredients necessary for dinner.

"What are you making?" she wondered as he removed the loaf of bread.

Draco grinned. "You told me once that this was your favorite food when you were little," he stated.

"You're making me peanut butter and jelly?" she asked. "I can't believe you remembered."

"You know I do actually listen when you talk," he told her as he spread the peanut butter on two slices of bread. "Even got the chunky kind because you said it was, and I quote, vastly superior to creamy."

Smiling, she accepted the sandwich he had finished making. He took a seat beside her and started to eat. "Thank you for this," she said. "I know it's just a sandwich, but it means a lot to me."

He gave her shoulder a gentle bump. "You're welcome," he replied. "You should know I'm mad that I don't find this disgusting."

Hermione grinned. "I told you that meals don't have to contain rare aquatic life and ten karat gold leaf to taste good," she stated.

Draco chuckled. "Whatever," he said. "Anyway, I was thinking that since we're still married, we should be doing things a married couple does, dont you think?"

Hermione's eyebrows rose skeptically. "Are you suggesting that we should move in together, have kids, tell people?" she asked.

Getting to his feet, he began to clean up. "No, I don't want any of that," he said as he rinsed off their plates. "Would it really be so bad if people knew we're together though? They don't have to know how together we are."

Sighing, she dismounted her stool and moved to the sink to stand beside him. "I don't think it would bother me if people knew we were together," she decided. "I like being with you, Draco. How is it that you were so unlike what you were, back in the school days?"

He shut off the water, and pulled her closer. "Because I was confused whether I had a crush on you or whether I loathed you," he confessed. "I decided that I liked you. I still like you."

"You've got good taste," she remarked, smiling at him.

"Thanks for confirming my suspicions about your narcissism," he teased.

Chuckling, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I told you that you'd be a bad influence," she replied.

He leaned in until their lips were millimeters from touching. "Would I be a bad influence if I kissed you?" he wondered.

In response, Hermione rose just enough to close the distance from them. His lips were soft and mildly sticky from the jelly. A small noise of approval came from the back of her throat, causing Draco to laugh. "You taste good," she said defensively before pulling him in for another kiss.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" a voice asked behind them.