Reluctant Promises

When she reached the end of the couch, she smiled at the sight of her boyfriend.  He was sprawled on his stomach in his boxers and undershirt, his head on one arm and his legs dangling over the other.  She wrinkled her nose when she saw the puddle of drool under his partially open mouth.  That was one of her least favorite things about sharing a bed with Ron.  He drooled and with the sheer amount of hair that she had, she inevitably woke with some of that liquid in it.  It was part of the reason why she always took her showers in the morning.  When he made a rather loud snorting noise, she grabbed one of his shoulders with her free hand and gave it a shake.

"Time to get up, Ron."

He mumbled something that she couldn't understand and slapped her arm away.  Rolling her eyes, Hermione moved to the front of the couch and pressed the same hand to the middle of his back, jostling him again.  This time, he tried to roll over but given the limited width of the couch, he instead rolled right off.  Hermione jumped backward, out of the way.  Ron landed on the carpeted floor with a loud thud and immediately leaped up, staring around in panic.

"What 'appened?" he asked groggily when his eyes landed on her.

She grinned and dropped her boots on the floor.  "It's nearly eight.  You need to get ready for work."

She sat down and began to pull on her socks and shoes.  He stared down at her.

"Where are you off to?"

"I have to stop by Harry's office and Gringotts, and then I'm off to start Malfoy's Muggle lessons," she responded, tying her laces.

"Oh, right, Malfoy," he grumbled.  "When will you be home?"

Hermione stood up and moved to grab her purse and Malfoy's gold from the table next to the front door.  "I'm not really sure.  As soon as possible, but that really depends on how quickly we finish shopping, how easily Malfoy learns, and how many questions he has for me."

"What do I do for dinner if you're late again?" Ron whined.

She faced him.  "You could cook something for a change.  Your mum taught you the proper spells even if you don't want to do it the Muggle way."

He made a face at that.  "Maybe I'll just grab something at one of the places nearby."

Hermione set her hands on her hips.  "Ron, we don't have the money to do takeout every night.  You already do it every day for lunch," she reminded him sternly.  "I don't even know if the Ministry is paying me for my time baby-sitting Malfoy and until I'm done with my favor to Harry, I can't get a job."  She glanced at her watch which showed that it was five 'til eight.  She wanted to catch Harry right as he came in.  "Oh, now I'm running late," she moaned.

"Go then.  I'll figure something out for dinner," Ron stated, waving her off before heading down the hall to the bedroom.

Hermione apparated out.  It was only as she reached the Ministry lobby that she realized he hadn't kissed her goodbye for the first time since they started dating.

ooooo

"Hey, Harry, do you have a moment?" Hermione asked several minutes later, hurrying up to where he was standing in the hall outside of his office speaking with Kingsley Shacklebolt.  "Oh, hi, Kingsley."

"Sure, Hermione.  Give me a minute to finish up," Harry agreed with an easy smile while Kingsley nodded in greeting.

Hermione entered the office and, instead of sitting in front of his desk, moved behind it.  She surveyed the few photos on his desk with a grin.  There was one of Harry and Luna during their first dance on their wedding day, looking blissfully happy, one of her, Harry, and Ron from fourth year, and one of their little group of six from fifth year, taken in the hospital wing shortly after the Ministry ordeal.  Hermione and Ron had still been under Madam Pomfrey's care when Colin Creevey had snapped that photo.  She felt a pang of sadness as she thought of the young photographer-another life lost in the war to protect his very right to exist as a Muggleborn. 

Hermione shook the melancholy thought off and picked up the last picture on the desk.  She was pretty sure this one hadn't been here the day before, so Harry must have brought it in with him this morning.  She felt a bit teary-eyed when she saw that this photo was also from his wedding day, but it was a picture of her and Harry.  She remembered the moment captured in the photo clearly despite the fact that the wedding had been just over five months ago, in mid-April.  The wedding had been held in a small church in Godric's Hollow with the reception at Hogwarts with permission-a happy event to help offset the school's memories of the final battle.  Harry, never a fan of crowds, and even less so after the war, had snuck out of the reception.  Hermione, worried about how he was handling the stress of the day and the location, had followed.

"What are you doing out here Harry?" she had asked, approaching him where he sat on a large rock next to the lake.

"I just needed to get away from everyone," he had replied.

He had scooted over and made room for her to sit on the rock with him, and she had taken the unspoken invitation.

"You're very lucky, you know.  Luna's wonderful for you; I've never seen you happier," she had said, a smile on her face.

He had given her a smile so full of love at the mention of his new wife that she'd had no doubt that they'd be together forever.

"I know.  I've never been happier," he'd responded.

They'd sat quietly for a few moments until she'd started to shiver.  April in Scotland was still very chilly and her maid-of-honor dress had been short-sleeved.  Harry had curled one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his body heat.  It had been such a nice experience, especially because she could remember a time when he wasn't comfortable expressing affection physically.  In that moment, she had realized that he'd truly grown up; he was no longer the affection starved boy who saved her from a troll in the girl's loo.  She'd been so proud of him; he'd saved the world and found his happy ending.  And she couldn't have picked anyone better for him than Luna.  Sitting there with him, staring out at the water, she'd felt a pang as she'd realized that she was losing the man she'd grown to think of as her brother.  He must have noticed the shift in her mood.

"What's wrong, Hermione?"

"Nothing."

She hadn't wanted to ruin the happiest day of his life with her silly insecurities, but she also hadn't been able to fight her tears.  She had tried to fight him when he tipped her face up to his.

"You're crying," he had accused.

"Yeah," she'd admitted.  There was no point in denying what he could see.

"Why?" he'd been clearly confused.

She had shaken her head.  "It's silly, really.  It's just that for years it was just the three of us, you, Ron, and me.  And now, you're all grown up and married.  I feel like I've been left behind."

"But you've got Ron."

"Yeah."  She hadn't wanted to tell him that she wasn't sure how serious Ron was about her.

"And I'm not going anywhere, not really," he'd pointed out before adding, "and Luna loves you, even when the two of you fight.  She said that it feels just like she has a sister, right down to the occasional arguments."

Hermione had smiled at that because she had felt the same way about the blonde.  She had always wondered if that was what it was like to have a sister; during the time since the war ended, Hermione had grown closer to Luna than even Ginny.

"Alright, time to face the people again," Harry had announced, getting to his feet.

Before Hermione had even realized his plans, he had scooped her onto his back, causing her to squeal and wrap her legs around his waist so that she wouldn't fall off.  He had then carried her piggyback up to the castle. 

The picture kept replaying the moment where he picked her up and started up to the castle, almost like a tape stuck on repeat.  She hadn't even been aware that anyone had taken a photo of them.

"Luna took that picture of us.  She said that it was, and I quote, 'a moment I just couldn't resist capturing for eternity.'  I didn't even know she'd taken it until we got our pictures from the wedding developed," Harry said from the doorway, snapping Hermione out of her memories.

"Really?  That was sweet of her," Hermione murmured with a smile, setting the picture back down on the desk.

Harry nodded, coming further into the room and sitting down in his desk chair while Hermione rounded the desk to the seat in front of it.  The two of them were silent for a moment, each lost in their thoughts, before Harry spoke.

"I don't think I've ever said it, Hermione, but I'm glad I have you," he blushed bright red and squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.  "You're my sister every bit as much as Luna's, you know that, right?"

Hermione blinked back tears.  Harry had never said anything like that to her; it was something that she had always assumed, but it remained unspoken.

"Thank you Harry.  I do know that, but it's nice to hear," she almost whispered, trying not to cry.

Harry cleared his throat and moved the conversation into much more comfortable territory.  "So what are you doing here this morning?  Did you have a problem with Malfoy last night after we talked?"

"No," Hermione denied, her voice still rough with emotion.  "Everything went as well as can be expected; he is Malfoy after all."  She made a face before continuing, "Actually, I have a couple of questions.  The first comes from Malfoy.  He wants to know what to do in case of emergency since he doesn't have his wand.  I think it would be a good idea to give him a mobile so that he can reach me if there's something wrong or if he has a question.  Plus, I can teach him about emergency services that way."  She looked at Harry expectantly.

He nodded.  "I actually have a mobile right here; I just forgot to give it to you yesterday." He started digging through one of his drawers.  "Your number and my number are programmed into the address book so that even if he can't get you he can hopefully reach me.  Narcissa chose to keep her phone after her year was up, so her number is in there as well."  He slid the small device across the desk to her.

"He should like that if I can get him to actually use the thing," Hermione acknowledged with a smile.  "The other thing I wanted to ask is: do I receive any compensation for serving as his liaison for the next year?"

"Crap," Harry muttered.  "I forgot to tell you that yesterday too.  Yeah, for the length of your assignment with him, you're considered an employee of the Auror Department.  Technically speaking, I'm your supervisor because Kingsley gave the instructions that I was to head up the rehabilitation project for both of the remaining Malfoys.  At my request, of course."

"The joys of being friends with the Minister," Hermione said cheerily.  "So this means I'll receive a check then?"

After Harry confirmed it, they went over the papers for her new position and she signed them all, making her an official, though temporary, employee of the Ministry.  Once they were done, Hermione gave Harry a quick hug and left.  She had half an hour to get to Gringotts and then to Malfoy's if she wanted to be on time.  Thank Merlin for apparition!

ooooo

When Hermione first arrived at Malfoy's, she thought that she'd accidentally apparated into the wrong house.  Cheeks red with embarrassment over the gaffe (what if the Muggle living here had caught her?), she had apparated again, only to land in the exact same room, just two feet over.  Her confusion had quickly been replaced by a rising fury.  What had the ferret done?

The living room, which had been respectable, if a bit small, had doubled in size and the furnishings had been changed to a masculine black leather with dark wood accents.  Several additional pieces had been conjured to fill the extra space that had been added.  In fact, the electronics, including the lights, were the only items untouched.  The color of the carpet and the wallpaper had also been altered.

Hermione moved into the kitchen only to find that it too had been changed.  The differences weren't as drastic here; it was as if whoever had made the changes hadn't been sure about the appliances, so most of the kitchen had been left untouched.  In fact the only changes she could see were that the linoleum of the floor had changed to a dark wood, the table and chairs had been removed, and there was an extra doorway in addition to the back door and the one that led to the living room.  Hermione moved through that door and found herself in a dining room.  It was small to suit the four person table and chairs that had been provided with the house.  Another thought hit her, and, panicked at what she would find, Hermione ran back through the kitchen and out the back door into the yard.  She stepped back to look at the house and was highly relieved to find that it looked exactly the same from the outside as it had the previous day.  Whoever had altered the house for Malfoy (because it couldn't have been him; she was quite sure she had taken his only wand) had apparently cast the same expansion charm that had been on the tent the boys and her had taken with them for their Horcrux hunt.

Now that her panic had been appeased, Hermione hurried back inside the house, her rage returning.  He had obviously broken the rules (broken?  Heck, he'd shattered them!) and she was going to confront him about it.

When she reached his bedroom, expanded of course, she hurried over to his bed to find him still fast asleep.  Hermione contemplated several rude awakenings for him before settling for the same classic Ron had that morning.  Whipping out her wand, she sent a burst of energy at Malfoy that knocked him off the opposite side of the bed (and, okay, so maybe that broke her no magic rule, but if he could break the rules then so could she).

ooooo

Draco had been having the most pleasant dream involving himself, two blondes, and some chocolate sauce when he had hit the floor with a painful thump and woke up.

"Ow!" he yelled, hopping to his feet and looking wildly around for his wand before he remembered he didn't have a wand and his eyes settled on Granger.  She was standing on the other side of his bed and she looked pissed.

"Damn it, Granger!  What if I'd been starkers?!" he shouted, coming around the bed to face off against her.

Her lip curled.  "Then I guess I would have been scarred for life by your lily-white ass."

A chuckle escaped him before he could stop it.  He blamed the unexpectedness of hearing goody-two-shoes Granger swear; it definitely wasn't because her response had actually been funny.  And he definitely wasn't disappointed that she didn't even look like she wanted to scan his body, which was bare except for his boxers.  That made her a major freak; no normal girl could resist his body, especially when he was mostly naked.

"Why'd you shove me out of bed?" he snarled, taking a threatening step forward, a little put out that his body had no effect on her.

"Why do you think I shoved you out of bed?" she parried right back, not the least bit intimidated.  "You want to tell me what the hell you did to the house last night?"

If she was cursing, then he had really gotten to her.  He smirked.  "I just did a little redecorating.  Like it?"

He smirked even wider when she growled, actually growled.  Hell, that was even better than he had hoped for when he'd decided to put his backup plan into play.

"No, I don't like it," she said through gritted teeth.  "This is so against the rules that I could probably have you thrown back into Azkaban if I wanted."

Draco's pulse picked up.  He may have complained about having to live in the Muggle world for a year, but he sure as hell didn't want to wind up back in Azkaban.  He was kind of liking the freedom of having a private bathroom.  For the first time, he realized how very much his life was in Granger's hands, but he wouldn't back down.

"You don't have any proof that I did anything wrong," he pointed out stubbornly.

"Not that you know of," she commented, pulling that little communication device she had used last night out of her purse.

He shrugged and moved to the dresser to get some clothing, but he was curious, so he listened carefully to her.

"Hi, Harry.  It's Hermione.  I've got a little problem with Malfoy.  The house was magically expanded and redecorated overnight.  Can you check with the Misuse of Magic office and let me know if they picked up any traces of magic in the house last night?  I left shortly after seven, so have them check after that time.  Please give me a call back as soon as you find out.  Thanks and I'll talk to you later!" she said in one long breath.

Draco's curiosity was stirred.  "How are you going to know if any magic was cast here?  The trace gets removed automatically when wizards turn seventeen."

She scowled at him.  "I know that.  I was able to modify the trace to attach to a property as opposed to a person.  The Ministry's used it for everyone who's undergone the Muggle Rehabilitation Program.  It picks up any magic within the boundaries of the property that's cast by a human, whether or not a wand is used."

"So it wouldn't have mattered if I'd gotten my wand past you then?" he asked in understanding.

"Nope," she confirmed.  "The Misuse of Magic office would have gotten notification the instant you cast a spell with it."  She frowned at him.  "We have a lot to do today, so do whatever you need to get ready."

She left him by himself in the room.  Draco was completely stunned.  He felt something strange, an emotion that he only associated with his mum, dad, and closest friend.  It took him a moment to realize that it was respect.  What the hell?  She's a Mudblood; he can't respect her.  Still, an internal voice that had been dormant since the war ended, the voice he recognized as his conscience, hissed at him.  Why shouldn't he respect her?  She had modified the trace, a Ministry spell that had been in use for centuries, to cover a property instead of a person.  And, the voice continued, she had managed to separate the origins of the magic it could trace.  No longer would the Ministry blame a wizard for a house-elf's magic.

Draco ruthlessly shut the voice down.  He wouldn't soften toward Granger; he already knew she was smart.  She was a know-it-all, but that was just because she had always buried herself in books.  So, ignoring the voice that reminded him that modifying the trace hadn't been something she could learn in a book, he headed for the shower.

Several minutes later he climbed out and dressed in his boxers and robes.  When entered the bedroom, his jaw dropped.  It was exactly as it had been when he first saw it the day before.  He moved into the living room and was horrified to find that it had also been changed back.  He'd only been in the shower for fifteen minutes; it had taken hours to redecorate last night.  How had she turned it all back so quickly?  He arrived in the kitchen just in time to watch her levitate the table and chairs back into place before getting rid of the dining room.

"What did you do?" he cried in outrage.  "Do you know how long it took to get things how I wanted them?"

She cast a cold look in his direction.  "No, and I don't really care.  It was against the rules set out for you by the Ministry.  I was very clear yesterday about the fact that you have to redecorate the Muggle way.  I'm just setting things back to rights.  Now, before we leave, do you want to make yourself some breakfast?"

He was shaking in anger that she would so easily disregard all of last night's hard work.  "No, I'm not hungry."

"Alright," she said with a shrug.  "Let's go then."

ooooo

Thirty minutes later, Draco wished that he hadn't let his anger get the best of him.  He was really hungry; he should have at least had some toast and jam before leaving the house.  He was also starting to feel a little chilly because they were shopping outdoors.  Granger had wrestled him into something that she called a taxi.  He had fought not to scream like a girl as the Muggle had moved them through the streets, stopping, starting, and avoiding other taxis.  When they had arrived somewhere that Granger had referred to as the Whitefriars shopping centre, they had gotten out of the taxi and Granger had paid the man.  She had handed Draco his new Muggle money and then led him down the street, passing several large windows, each displaying clothing, furniture, books, and other items.

The street was even more crowded than Diagon Alley in August.  For the first several minutes, Draco had done his best to avoid making physical contact with the Muggles around them, but he had eventually realized that it was impossible.  So, vowing to shower the instant he got back to his house, he had chosen to relax as best he could and just go with it.  Draco had begun to worry that he was going to lose Granger, and as much as he didn't like her, he didn't want to get stranded here in the Muggle world without her. 

Now, Draco was hungry, caged in by Muggles, and being stared at (and not because of his good looks like he was used to).  This trip had reinforced why Granger had insisted on bringing him shopping for new clothing.  Muggles didn't wear robes; he stood out in the crowd because of how he was dressed.  He was starting to get impatient to buy a new outfit just to stop the looks he was getting; the sort of looks that said he should be in the long-term ward at St. Mungo's with Lockhart.

Draco came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk and realized that he'd been so focused on his thoughts that he had lost sight of his guide.  Turning on the spot, he scanned the crowd for the familiar bushy hair.  Shit, he should have paid attention to what she was wearing and, now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember if her hair had even been down.  Where was she?  Surely she wouldn't just take off and leave him here by himself.  He was starting to panic as he scanned the crowd frantically when he felt a small warm hand on his.  He looked down to find Granger staring up at him (he had never realized how much taller than her he was).

"Come on Malfoy.  We need to try not to get separated again."

Wrapping her hand around his, she started to pull him down the street.  Normally Draco would have reprimanded her for touching him, but he didn't want to lose her, not here, so he let her guide him into a nearby store.

He determinedly ignored the weird tingle running up his arm.

ooooo

Hermione's day wasn't going anything like she had expected.  For one, she hadn't meant to get an eyeful of Malfoy's chest, but how was she supposed to know that he slept in his boxers?  It had taken all of her willpower not to stare at him during their whole conversation.  She had heard the rumors about him whispered in the girls' loos back at school, and, although she had mostly ignored them, she had occasionally wondered if the rumors about him being a sex god were true.  When she had seen him in naught but his boxers that morning, that curiosity had come rushing back.  So, while he was still out of it right after he had jumped up from the floor, she had taken the chance to look at him.  His body still reflected his time on the Quidditch team and Azkaban didn't seem to have diminished that in the least.  When she realized that she was checking out Malfoy, she had felt instantly guilty, as if she had cheated on Ron.  She had a perfectly good boyfriend at home; she shouldn't be scoping out other guys, especially not guys that she loathed.  So she had tried to completely ignore his near nudity for the rest of the confrontation (okay, so she may have sneaked a look at his nicely muscled back while she was leaving her message for Harry when Malfoy was rummaging through his dresser, but that was just one tiny slip).

She had spent the rest of the time at the house undoing all of the spells that had been cast on it.  She had to set the place back to normal because she certainly couldn't let him keep his illegal modifications.  She also felt considerably more normal when these actions made Malfoy mad at her.

The shopping trip had been entertaining so far.  She could tell that the taxi ride had terrified him, and then he had spent all of that time trying to avoid the Muggles around them as if he thought they'd contaminate him the instant they made contact.  Plus, he was drawing strange looks from others and she knew that he wasn't used to that.

When they'd gotten separated, she'd begun to panic.  Harry would have her head if she lost Malfoy, and she'd never forgive herself for failing Harry.  Luckily, his white blonde hair stood out in the crowd, so she hadn't had too difficult a time finding him again.  She'd kept a hold on his hand after that, just to make sure that she didn't lose him again.  That had been a really weird feeling.

That had been a couple of hours ago.  Malfoy had since bought several new Muggle outfits.  He had changed into the first pair of jeans and jumper that he had bought.  She had to admit that he had better taste than Ron when it came to clothing, even with no idea about what was fashionable among Muggles.  He was checking out shoes in the Fenwick department store when her mobile rang.  This time, he didn't jump, merely glanced over at her before going back to his shopping.  Hermione pulled out her phone and was happy to see that it was Harry.  She flipped it open.

"Hi, Harry," she answered, moving slightly away from Malfoy but still keeping him in sight.

"Hi, Hermione.  I've got the results of the question you asked," he skipped the small talk and went straight to the heart of the matter.

"Oh, good.  What did they say?"

She heard a car in the background on his end and knew that he had stepped outside of the Ministry to call her back.  Their mobiles didn't work in heavily concentrated areas of wizards and magic.  His voice was low when he answered.

"They didn't find any trace of magic after a final apparition at 7:12 PM.  I'm guessing that's when you left?"

Hermione nodded, realized he couldn't see her, and said, "Yeah.  That sounds right."  She sighed and lowered her own voice so as not to be heard by either the Muggles around her or Malfoy, who still seemed engrossed in the shoe selection.  "There was definitely magic in use at that house last night.  And if it wasn't a wizard..."

"You think it was a house-elf?" Harry finished her thought for her.

"Yeah.  Heaven knows he has enough contacts who could send him a house-elf.  Can you put the other trace I created in place?  The one that'll track elf magic?"

"Sure," Harry affirmed.  "Full boundaries of the property again, right?"

"Yeah.  How long will it take for you to get word if they detect usage?"

"It should only take as long as the Patronus needs to reach me, so nearly instantly," he explained.

Hermione smiled.  "Great.  If they contact you, call me on my mobile.  I want to catch Malfoy red-handed and find out who's helping him break the law."

Harry laughed.  "You've got it.  I've gotta go; I was supposed to meet Ron for lunch at the Leaky, but I had to call you back first.  Bye, Hermione."

"Bye, Harry."

Hermione hung up her phone and rejoined Malfoy.  She was happy to have a plan in place; he wouldn't know what hit him.

ooooo

Draco wondered if he should be worried when they stepped out of the very large store, new sneakers added to his growing collection of bags, along with a couple of new shirts.  Granger had seemed awfully happy when she got off her communication device.  He wondered if it had been Potter contacting her.  Maybe it had been Weasley.  The two were living together, but he also remembered how upset she had been the previous night and how she had told Potter that she didn't think Weasley had ever used his mobile thing.  It must have been Potter then, which led him back to wondering if he should worry about the way her mood had lifted after she put the device back into her purse.

A wonderful scent assaulted Draco's nostrils.  It smelled like food and he was hungry; he still hadn't eaten yet today.  His stomach protested its emptiness loudly and Granger giggled (giggled, like a normal girl!) next to him.

"Are you hungry, Malfoy?"

He frowned down at her but nodded.

"I bet that's what you're smelling," she commented, pointing to a nearby building across the street with a sign that said Burger King on it.  "It's Muggle food, but if you think you can lower yourself that far, we can stop and grab some lunch."

"I'm hungry enough that I'd even eat something that Weasley cooked right now," he admitted.

"Then you'd starve," she stated, leading him across the street to the restaurant.

"What do you mean?"  He dodged two small children who were running through the crosswalk and then a woman who chased after them, calling their names.

Granger looked over her shoulder at him, sidestepping an elderly man.  "Ron doesn't cook.  He knows how, unlike you, but he doesn't use the knowledge."

Draco wondered why she had told him that.  Surely she knew that was like giving him a wand and telling him which spell Weasley hated to have cast on him most.  When she reached for the handle on the door, Draco beat her to it and pulled it open for her.  She cast him a startled look and then smiled, moving past him with a quiet thank you.  He wondered briefly if Weasley ever held doors open for her because she hadn't looked like it was normal for someone to show that courtesy.  Yeah, Draco was usually a jerk, especially to Granger (he hadn't held a single door for her all day), but his mum had taught him how to be a gentleman.  He bet Weasley wasn't cultured enough to know how to treat a woman, even one like Granger.

The restaurant was a very odd one.  Instead of sitting down to be served, Granger led him to a counter where they waited in line behind several Muggles.  They stood there quietly, Draco studying the menu above the counter and Granger watching the people around them.  He had made up his mind by the time they reached the counter.  Granger ordered first and paid for herself; Draco was actually pleasantly surprised by that.  No matter who he was with when he went to a restaurant in the past, he was always expected to pay.  His best friend was the only one who had ever paid for himself, and sometimes for Draco too when they took turns paying.  He had definitely never shared a meal out with a girl who didn't make him pay.  When Granger moved to one side, he gave his own order to the man behind the counter.  Draco watched with interest as he pushed around on the unfamiliar object in front of him and then set a plastic tray next to Granger's with an odd style of parchment on it.  It was very colorful, like a painting, but it wasn't a painting.  When Draco had to pay him, he was very glad that he had paid close attention to the money lesson that Granger had given him in the first store.

When their food and a paper cup had been placed on each of their trays, Granger showed him how to get his drink from the machine.  He was highly amused by the ice dispenser and then confused.  He didn't recognize any of the options.  There wasn't a choice for pumpkin juice or milk.  There was only one thing to do.

"Hey, Granger, what are these?" he asked, gesturing to the options.  She was already filling her cup with a clear, bubbly liquid.

She smiled at him.  "Oh, sorry, I forgot that you wouldn't recognize soda.  It's a carbonated drink that comes in different flavors."  She gestured at her own cup.  "This is Sprite; it's citrus flavored.  I can't really describe the taste of the others; you'll just have to try them."

He pressed the buttons on each choice experimentally.  One was orange, most were brown, and then there was the clear one that Granger had chosen.

"Oh!" she interjected, drawing his attention.  "There's iced tea in that container over there if you'd rather have something more familiar.  I'm going to find a seat.  You don't have to sit with me if you don't want to, just don't leave the restaurant without me."

Draco watched her walk away.  He turned back to his beverage choices.  He could go with the choice he knew or he could be brave and pick one of the Muggle drinks.  Something in him wanted to rebel; why shouldn't he?  He'd already spent hours with Muggles and a Mudblood.  He was eating Muggle food, so why not try a Muggle drink too?  He picked one at random called Coke (there were two dispensers instead of one, so he thought it must be fairly good) and filled his cup.

Draco turned around to find somewhere to sit.  He spotted Granger in a small booth in one corner, head buried in a paperback book that she must have had in her purse.  He didn't really want to sit with her and he liked that she wasn't making him, but at the same time, he wasn't really comfortable enough in the Muggle world to sit by himself.  Decision made, he joined her.

When he slid onto the bench across from her, she looked up in surprise but didn't say anything.  He pointedly looked away from her to watch the people around them and she went back to her book.  He was shocked at how much the Muggles here acted just like the wizards and witches at the restaurants in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.  While he was shopping, he hadn't had the chance to really watch the Muggles around him but now that he had the chance, he was surprised at how normal they all seemed.  There were really young kids playing, adults arguing, others talking and laughing together, and a couple about his age who kept leaning across the table to kiss.  It was a very familiar atmosphere; if he hadn't known better, and they hadn't been wearing Muggle clothing instead of robes, he never would have known that these people were Muggles.  It was eye-opening.  He still knew that he was superior to them-he could do magic after all-but maybe they weren't the animals he had been raised to believe they were.

With that idea in mind, he turned his attention to the girl across the table from him.  She was focused fully on her book, so he took his time examining her.  Granger had grown up since the last time he saw her, at his trial.  She had a thick braid thrown over one shoulder of her loose purple jumper.  He wondered for a moment whether she had curves hidden under there, but shook that thought off.  He definitely wasn't going to contemplate Granger's body.  Taking a bite of his burger, he watched as she absently bit into one of her chips, never taking her eyes off her book.  He was startled to see that her teeth were normally sized, even, and white.  When had that happened?  He remembered her as having overly large front teeth.

He wasn't sure how long he had been staring when her big brown eyes met his silver ones.  "What?  Do I have something on my face?"

"When did your teeth get normal?" he blurted out and then could have cursed himself for doing so.

Granger scowled.  "Fourth year.  Your curse at Harry hit me, Snape insulted me, and I went to Madam Pomfrey.  She shrunk my teeth for me to correct the damage you had done."

He remembered that incident.  Her teeth had gotten past her collar before she had taken off.  He snickered at the memory.

"Yeah, go ahead and laugh, ferret," she muttered, turning back to her book.

The reminder of his most embarrassing fourth year incident stopped his laughter.  His face pink, he took his first drink of his Coke.  It tasted good but the bubbles tickled and made him sneeze and then hiccup.  Granger glanced up at him and started giggling until she snorted.  Her cheeks turned pink to match his.  Their eyes met again and they both started laughing.  It felt odd to laugh with Granger (he'd spent so much time laughing at her), but also...okay.  He thought that he could get used to having a truce with her.  The next year would probably be more pleasant at the very least.  He wasn't going to be the one to suggest it though.

When Granger set her book aside and started explaining their plans for the rest of the afternoon, he wondered if maybe he didn't have to suggest a truce. 

Maybe she didn't need the words.

A/N 2: There we go; the first half of their first full day together. Next chapter will start Draco's Muggle lessons. Will their truce be able to survive that? I don't know; I haven't planned that far. I usually just sit down to write with a general outline of what I want to cover in the chapter and see what comes out as far as how my characters handle it (that's how I wound up with the scene where they get separated). Also, no Luna, but I hope you enjoyed the flashback to Harry's wedding. Info on the trace was based on what I took away about it from DH. I also want to let ya'll know that I did some research on the internet for where they could shop in Canterbury and found the Whitefriar shopping centre, which is an outdoor shopping area. I used the map on the Whitefriar site to find that the Burger King is right across the street from Fenwick, but I'm not sure which street the department store opens onto (though if it's anything like the ones here, it probably has an entrance onto each street it faces). I live in the middle of Illinois and have never been to Canterbury, so I apologize if I get any of the details wrong throughout this story. Oh, and sorry for the super-long A/N.