As the two stepped out onto the street, Hermione stumbled a little and would have lost her balance completely had it not been for Draco who had grabbed onto her arm. He steadied her before they began to walk again, and he left her arm in the crease of his to make sure she wouldn’t fall.
“Thanks,” Hermione said. “I think I may have overdone it a bit with the Firewhisky.”
Draco laughed. He had always been able to hold down a lot of alcohol, and so he had never had that problem before.
“May have? I think you definitely have,” Draco remarked. He continued to lead her down the street with only a few turns here and there.
Fifteen minutes had passed, and the two were still walking. Hermione hadn’t noticed how much time had gone by, but she was beginning to get tired.
“Aren’t we there yet?” she asked. She tilted her head to the side and rested it on Draco’s shoulder. He looked down at her and smiled.
“Almost, just a block or two,” he replied. “You know, if you didn’t want to walk all this way, you could have said something. We could have Apparated here.”
Hermione groaned. She had forgotten that small fact and could have kicked herself for not realising it sooner.
“Why don’t we just Apparate now?”
“All right, I guess we can do Side-Along Apparation; it’s quite evident you can’t even stand up on your own right now,” Draco teased.
Hermione nodded and wrapped both arms around Draco to make it easy to Apparate along with him. She took in a deep breath and noticed, for the first time since they’d been walking, how great he smelled. It was a mix between mint and another scent that she couldn’t put her finger on. Together the two scents smelled wonderful, and she buried her face into his side a little more.
In one swift motion, Draco stepped with Hermione and turned on the spot. Within seconds, the pair was standing in front of a medium-sized building. It wasn’t as elegant as Malfoy Manor, but it seemed to suit Draco well, Hermione noted.
He motioned towards the door and held her arm as she climbed up the five steps leading to the home. Draco rummaged through his pockets to pull out his wand, muttered a spell, and pushed the door open. He allowed Hermione to step inside first before shutting the door behind them.
From the looks of it, the apartment had two bedrooms, a small living room with a kitchen on the far right side, and a bathroom. Each room came off another and one could see each doorway from the front hall. They took a few steps before turning into the first room that happened to be the living room.
Draco led Hermione to the couch and gently sat her down. He placed a pillow behind her and walked to the kitchen. Quickly he put water in the kettle and placed it on the burner before going back into the living room to sit with her.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he took a seat in an armchair that was next to the couch.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Hermione replied. She lifted her head and looked at him. “Why are you sitting all the way over there?”
“I “ um “ I didn’t think you would want me to sit that close,” Draco answered.
“Why? You were sitting this close at the pub,” she retorted. A few of the words slurred together, but somehow Draco managed to understand them. He stood and gracefully sat down beside her.
“There, is that better?” he asked, giving her a small smile.
“Much,” she said. She changed her position and laid her head on his shoulder. She wanted to smell the sweet scent of his shirt again, and he didn’t seem to mind.
Draco sighed, leaned his head against the back of the couch, and closed his eyes. He didn’t understand why he was so comfortable around her after all the hell he had put her through in the past. She should have hated him still. The fact that she had her head on his shoulder and was in his home shocked him. He enjoyed her company very much, but he still couldn’t help but feel guilty about everything he had done to her.
“Hermione . . .” Draco said.
She lifted her head and looked up at him. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
This caused her to sit up, and she leaned back on the arm of the couch. “What are you apologizing for?”
“Everything, everything that I have ever done to you,” he replied. “For everything that I have done that had caused you pain, I am sorry.”
Hermione didn’t know what to say. She never expected an apology from him, and for him to do it now caught her off guard.
She knew that time would make people realise the things that they had done wrong in life. She knew that as you grew up, you would mature and finally be able to admit your faults. However, she never thought that Draco would apologize to her for their childhood. She thought that since they had been together all day that that was enough of an apology. The fact that they were comfortable around each other now was enough to satisfy her, and it was enough to make her realise that he had actually changed his ways.
“Draco, you don’t have to apologize to me. You were young and immature. Your parents had put those thoughts in your head long before you had even met me,” Hermione said. “It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is. I didn’t have to listen to them, but I did. I ““
“No, they are your parents. Of course you had to listen to them. Everyone has to listen to their parents when they’re young. It’s just the way life is,” Hermione interrupted.
Draco sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. “I know, I know, you’re right, but that still doesn’t change the way I was to you.”
He looked at her with the pain evident on his face. The person he was back in his school days disgusted him. After spending the day with one of the people he had hated in school, he realised that he had no reason to hate her. Not now, not ever.
The kettle in the kitchen began to whistle, but neither of them moved. Hermione continued to stare back at him and ignored the sound from the kitchen all together.
As if someone had taken over her mind, and body, Hermione slowly moved closer to Draco. She kept eye contact throughout the process. When she got as close as she could, she lifted her hand, and placed it on his cheek.
“Draco . . .” she began. “Stop, I wasn’t expecting you to apologize for anything. I thought that your spending the day with me was enough of an apology.”
“You did?”
“Yes, I did. No one is perfect, and I know that you have grown up a lot since we last saw each other. Honestly, I have realised that I “ I don’t really hate you,” she said. “I have no reason to anymore.”
Draco gave her a small smile and sighed. He was happy to know those two facts, and he lifted his hand and put it over top of Hermione’s. In one swift (and brief) moment, Draco leaned closer to her. Within seconds, their lips met, and Hermione didn’t seem to mind.
He pulled her onto his lap without breaking contact with her and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. Her right hand was still pressed against his cheek, and her left arm was slung around his neck. She sighed as he added more force to the kiss they were sharing, and her fingers moved up his neck to tangle themselves in his hair.
The whistling of the kettle grew louder and eventually caused the two to break from the kiss.
“I should probably “ um “ get that,” Draco said.
“Yeah, probably,” Hermione replied. Draco gently lifted her off his lap and sat her back down on the couch. He smiled at her and walked into the kitchen.
Seen In a Different Light by TCole
Chapter Notes: A million thanks to my betas again. =) Couldn't have done it without you all. *hugs*
Chapter Endnotes: Thanks for reading! What did you think? Let me know! I love hearing from the readers. :D