Fore Play (Dramione)

Chapter 5

Hermione peeked through the door of The Century Bar and saw the unmistakable platinum blonde hair of Draco Malfoy already sitting at the bar. Her stomach did a backflip at the sight of him and she quickly stepped back out of sight, brushing the front of her navy cocktail dress flat for what felt like the hundredth time since she'd put it on. She checked her watch - it was only ten to eight. She started debating with herself whether or not she should just go in - she didn't want to appear too keen. Then again he had turned up early too...

Stop overanalyzing everything and just get in there, she chided herself. Taking a deep, steadying breath she held her head high and strode into the bar, trying to project an air of relaxed confidence. She hoped that she looked more confident than she felt; it was difficult to ignore her legs shaking as she teetered in a pair of heels she hadn't worn since Teddy and Victoire's wedding last summer.

As she walked towards Draco she took a moment to take in her surroundings; the decor screamed glamour and wealth - the Donegal tartan curtains draped on tall Victorian windows overlooked the expansive grounds of the estate. Intricately carved, pistachio-coloured wooden panels and crimson toned upholstery complimented the highly-polished dark wood flooring her heels clicked on. Art deco chandeliers hung low overhead bathing the room in a warm, inviting glow. Everything in the room cried luxury, complete with its glossy, marble-topped bar at the centre of the room. It was no surprise to Hermione that Draco Malfoy had chosen this as their meeting place, she imagined he felt very at home in a place like this.

The sound of her heels gave her away before she had the chance to greet him. He turned towards her and smiled broadly and Hermione felt her pulse quicken at the warm, welcoming expression on his face. Pushing the feeling aside she returned the smile, "You're early."

"So are you," he noted rising to his feet. He touched her gently on the elbow and leaned in, brushing a soft kiss against her cheek. Hermione's cheek burned on the spot where Draco's lips had made contact, but she kept her cool and returned a polite kiss to his pale cheek. She couldn't help but notice how soft his skin was under her lips, even if they had only touched for a moment. Draco helped her onto the stool next to him and asked, "What can I get you to drink?"

"Is that an Old Fashioned you've got there?" she asked glancing at the half-empty crystal tumbler in front of him. His mouth quirked.

"You know your cocktails, Granger. I'm impressed."

Hermione shrugged, "I know my whiskeys. I'll have the same as you, thank you."

Draco nodded and signalled to the barman, "Two more, please."

The barman nodded and began prepping fresh drinks for them both. Turning to face Hermione, Draco said lightly, "Well that's at least one thing we have in common; I'm a bit of a whiskey connoisseur myself."

"Well you're just full of surprises aren't you?" she asked cocking an eyebrow. "You play Muggle sports, wear Muggle clothes and now you drink Muggle whiskey too? Whatever happened to the boy who thought he was too good to be in the same room as a Muggleborn let alone ask one out for a drink?"

"The boy grew up," he replied shortly, his smirk faltering. "Is this why you agreed to have a drink with me - so you could quiz me on the past mistakes of a stupid young man?"

"In part," she admitted. "I'm interested in getting to know the person you are now, but i think first we need to know how we got here. You can't blame me for being curious, you're one of the last people I ever expected to see here."

The relaxed atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Hermione knew she was probably throwing this one chance at a not-date with Draco Malfoy under the Knight Bus by grilling him, but she couldn't help herself. She had been burning to ask him one question all afternoon and now was her chance. For a moment it looked as though Draco would up and leave the room, his jaw tensed as he seemed to be debating with himself whether or not it was worth his while to sit here and put up with this.