Hunter and Prey

“I suppose we do not have to dine fashionably to dine well.” He recognised he was in foreign territory. Malfoys always dressed for dinner even for family meals at home. Draco matched his concession with a demand, intent on seeing how far she would play along. “You can dress me down if I can dress you up. Call it a trust exercise.”

“Have you been swotting up on psychology texts?” Hermione nearly laughed, jollying herself out of her misery with the image of Malfoy on a shrink’s couch talking about his Oedipal urges. She was never going to say it but he had been such a mamma’s boy.

“You’re not the only one who can read, Granger.” Draco retorted. He transfigured his smirk into a smug smile. “A simple transfiguration is all it is. Nothing risqué.” Half his luck. But if they were going to do this, he did not want any sideways looks from her. He was sick to the brim of those chary glances from everyone as though they expected him to whip off his cloak and reveal himself as Voldemort reborn. So, he meant to prove his trustworthiness now. “If you are too shy, we will forget it.”

“I am not shy!” She protested, sounding about four years old to her ears. Did she trust him or not? And she would have her wand in her hand so the first sign of anything suspect and he would be stunned back to the snake pit. “Very well.” Hermione stood up. She had warded herself against disarming charms before leaving the house that morning. “You may go first.”

Draco took full advantage of the chance to study her. He had caught himself glancing at her while they were shopping like some horny schoolboy. There would be none of that. The third reason he was helping her, because she looked delicious, would be acknowledged then shoved back into the subconscious where it belonged. It was just a lingering vision from pagan goddess worship anyway. He took himself firmly in hand before he had to take himself in both hands.

A v-necked jersey dress in dark green was an elegant and simple choice. The fabric slid across her body, making the most of her curves but not so much it looked cheap. He put her hair up into an elegant bun. Draco had never liked her hair. At Hogwarts it looked like it was ready to leap off and seek its fortune. He turned her slippers to black Louis heels and decided she would not shame him standing beside him.

Hermione was more interested in his choices than the result. She studied herself in the mirror above the mantle. Her skirt was just above her knee not the floor length she had expected from someone weaned on dinner parties. Ditto the neckline, which hinted at a lot but showed little. He had been looking at her. That much was obvious. What was also interesting from an inner-thought perspective was how little he had tried to conceal her bump.

“Always with the green.” She said, smiling and not airing her contemplation of his motives. He could be trying to flatter her. He could find her attractive. He could simply have a good eye for what suited a woman. Narcissa was a clothes horse according to rumour. What witch wasn’t, with a new wardrobe just a wand wave away? It was interesting whatever the reason.

Hermione simply changed the tuxedo to a grey suit because black was very harsh on the fair-haired, turned his stark white shirt to pewter and got rid of the bowtie. She had never got over being traumatised by Bozo the Clown at her sixth birthday party. He had put his enormous polka-dot bowtie on her head and everyone had laughed at her. Ah, the treasured memories of childhood.

“Not red, I see.” Draco commented, inspecting himself. In grey, there was nothing to compete with his Pre-Raphaelite colouring. His eyes glowed sapphire in his pale face. Evidently Granger noticed him more than his clothes. “Granted I am much better looking than Weasley, but if you can manage this with me why did he always look like he’d dressed in the dark?”

“Ron never let me choose his clothes. He refused to go shopping with me.” That had not been a sore point then. Hermione was not interested in fashion beyond looking smart. She had been accused of bossiness so often she just let him have his way. Then he sulked that she wasn’t paying attention to him and began the cycle anew. “Any comment I made was a criticism to him.”

“You should have left him to Lavender.” He dismissed the topic and Weasley. He did not want to talk about her ex-husband all night. This dinner was to find something they could discuss politely in public. Draco offered Hermione his arm. Remember her first name. Its Shakespearean. That was a good conversation opener. “Have you read a Winter’s Tale?”