A Thousand Miles from Yesterday

As winter gave way to spring, Draco had been given the privilege of helping out in the dentist office, to be faced with Muggles besides the Grangers. Being busboy wasn\'t the most fun job in the world, but he didn\'t complain much, except for the occasional "Eww" followed by a grimace to fit as he had to empty the bins with torn out teeth and bloody cotton-balls. He was becoming so Muggle-like that his mother was starting to worry if he would remember how to do magic when he rejoined the Wizarding World. Draco only laughed and assured her, he wouldn\'t forget being a wizard, as magic soared through his veins.



He had conquered his carsickness and had even taken the bus to London himself to get a haircut. He had gone for short at the back, longer in front, so his eyes were framed in by it. He had gone to see a magic show and had been shocked by the fact it was all tricks. He wondered how Muggles didn\'t see the strings and mirrors and realized it was mostly optical illusions. He had called Hermione to ask if all these so called Muggle-magicians were cheaters. She had told him most were, but had a suspicion that some were actual wizards undercover. "It\'s easy money… And to some that is a lure they can\'t resist."



Fred had stopped by almost once a week since Christmas. And it was through him Draco learned that Ron had hurt Hermione by inviting Lavender Brown over for New Year. Ron had defended himself by saying she and Luna had become friends and if he hadn\'t invited Lavender she would had been stuck alone with her parents. "You should have seen Hermione… She looked like a thunderstorm, reminding Ron that you were stuck with her parents and that she might just floo home… I say she was enraged, but they seem fine now… Typical of Ron, being such a dunderhead!" Draco had laughed and secretly loved the fact Hermione had thought of him, been the only young person at her parent’s New Year party.



As they reached spring time, the choker was removed and Draco enjoyed the sense of not having a pet-ring on his neck anymore. The Grangers took him out to dinner to celebrate and asked what he wanted to do for his birthday. "My birthday… But that\'s on June 5th… We are only in March…" John and Katie laughed and said that if he wanted some people over, they would have to arrange it with the Ministry, seeing he would still be "doing time" as John put it. Draco hadn\'t thought about that and frowning asked, "Who would come?!"



"Now, now dear… I\'m sure Ron and Hermione and Harry would be glad to come… And I know that Fred and George would love nothing better!" Katie answered, "Don\'t you realize they are your friends?" Again Draco frowned then sighed. He said it would be nice to have a party and then a smile lit his face, "Then I\'ll get to see how Muggles boogie down," making them all laugh. "Where the heck did you learn that phrase… It\'s not used anymore... Oh, son… It\'s from Katie and my youth!" Draco smirked and shook his head saying it just proved that you couldn\'t believe everything on the telly.



When they got home and opened the door they were forced to hurry inside and duck as small paper-aeroplanes whooshed at them. "What… the… DUCK!" Draco threw himself on the floor as all the planes turn on him. Grasping a hold of one he realized it was a greeting to him, congratulating him on his half-way mark, but they were magical… He wondered if he could get punished for receiving magical notes… He was getting rather annoyed with planes crashing into his head and was just about to yell "Finite Incantatem" when John came out of the basement with two butterfly nets, throwing one to Draco with a grin and a gleam of fun in his eyes. "Let catch the boggers shall we?" He swung his net to catch a blue plane that whooshed by.



Grinning at John\'s brilliant idea Draco got up and in about ten minutes or so, all planes had been caught. Draco was astonished by the number of planes. "If you subtract the nine cards from the Weasleys, the one from mother and father, Harry and Hermione\'s… It still leaved seven cards…" Opening them one by one he was baffled at the names signed at the bottom of those cards. "This one is from Chief Warlock Ogden… and this is from the Hogwarts staff… and, and this from my aunt Andromeda thanking me for my support at her daughter\'s funeral…" He got a cloudy look in his eyes. He hadn\'t really known his cousin… But the fact that Andromeda was left alone and that Tonks son was orphaned had… well he had contributed to the memorial service before he had turned himself in.

Blinking once and breathing deep he asked if Katie had a bag or something he could save these notes in. He got up from the settee, wondering if his life would be a rollercoaster-ride from now on: first being happy then crash to the floor in misery, only to repeat it all over again and again. He wanted to get off this rollercoaster... soon! "The loss of family is hard, son… But it will get better with time." John squeezed his shoulder and Draco nodded. The war, all of a sudden, seemed too close and so pointless. Never again would he do others biddings without questioning, if it was against what he himself thought to be right.





He worked hard the next couple of weeks and had taken up running to use some of his excess energy. As he ran he\'d sprint every time a bad or stupid thought formed in his mind. It was in one of these sprints he saw a shadow by his side. Slowing down and stopping, he leaned on his knees to catch his breath. He looked up and met a pair of radiant blue eyes smiling at him. A girl about his age, he would guess, stood panting beside him. "You are a fast runner…" Standing up, she reached her hand toward him. "I\'m Candy… Well Candace is my given name… But every call me Candy!" Draco smiled and took her hand "Draco… Nice to meet you Candace." He started running again, and turned, asking with a smirk if she was coming. Candace grinned and sprinted up next to him. They then found a pace where they could talk at the same time.



"So… Are you a cousin of the Grangers?" Candace asked as they passed the statue marking the entrance to the small park. "Well, not exactly," Draco laughed. "There are my guardians till November… Been a bad boy, so was sent away to learn about… well, normal people. And to get away from the crowd I usually hung with." Candace gave him a curious look and said she wouldn\'t have guessed that, but then again you should never judge a book by its cover. "Most of the world\'s biggest leaders are judged only on their sins… But if you look behind that, at the why… It often shows a reason for their evil mind… Well, except for Hitler… He was just wacko!" As they reached the Granger house, Candace thanked Draco for the chat and said he was welcome to stop by her place. "I live over there, the pink one on the right, along with my lover." She winked as she ran off. "Her name is Suzanna… If she gets the door just say I invited you over!" Draco grinned and said he might just do that.



Laughing to himself, he called out to let the Grangers know he was home. "I\'ll just hit the shower then I\'ll be down for dinner… Okay?" Katie said it would be on the table in ten, so he had to hurry. He quickly climbed the stairs and started to undress even before he reached his room, throwing the wet t-shirt through the door and kicking off his trainers, he starting to zip down his shorts when he caught a glimpse out his eye. "Her…Hermione your home…" Stopping, he bent down, picked up the shoes and smile an apologetic smile. "Sorry \'bout the mess… Would have picked it up after my bath." Hermione stood paralyzed and took in his damp body with slightly blushing cheeks. "Umm… Back… yeah… umm…" She swallowed and turned back into her room.



Draco starred at the closed door, wondering what the hell that was all about. Shaking his head he walked into his room, undressed, picked out a set of trousers and a polo shirt, placing them on the bed. Throwing a towel around his waist he walked into the hall calling, "Hermione… You need to use the bathroom before me?" When she didn\'t answer he walked in and closed the door, turning the key, as he didn\'t want any more surprises being half-naked!



Hermione stood leaned against her bedroom door, still blushing. He had caught her off-guard, totally off-guard. Letting out a sigh of embarrassment she slid down to the floor. He had looked so hot with that boyish smile upon his face, his damp skin glistening in the rays of spring sun streaming in from the skylight. She felt her heart beat fast as she thought of him being naked right next door. "Stop that… It\'s stupid… You are going steady with Ron… You have to forget about this… Get a grip of yourself, Hermione Granger!" She sighed and waited for the sound of the bathroom door closing and then got up, a fast check in the mirror and hurried down stairs into the safety of the kitchen. "Hey, Mom… Need a hand?" She smiled and took the plates to set the table. "Draco\'s arm is healing up okay… It will leave a scar though, don\'t you think?" Hermione tried to sound as natural as possible and if her mom could sense the chaos within her daughter, she didn\'t let her know.



"I think he\'d prefer a scar instead of that hideous Death Mark he had been branded with, sweetpea" Katie said and nodded towards the glasses on the counter top. Hermione placed them round the table and Katie asked how thing were going at the Weasleys. "Well, George has started dating Alicia Spinnet… Harry and Ginny can hardly be without each other for five minutes… Fred still has something going on with Angelina… Percy is working hard on regaining the family\'s trust... Molly is Molly doing Molly-things and Arthur is keeping a close watch on the ministry… So, it\'s fine and dandy." Katie paused a second wondering why Ron hadn\'t been mentioned, but let it go as a sign that Hermione wanted to keep her private live to herself. She was almost at that age when Katie and John had met… So, it was natural to be secretive… Maybe it was time to talk birth-control, but how to begin.

"Umm… Sweetpea… Have you and Ron? It is okay if you have… Just… Use protection alright?" Katie murmured giving the mashed potatoes a little harsh wiping. Hermione blushed and whispered, "Mom… None of your business… Really… Mom!" Taking some dinner napkins from the top drawer she tsk\'ed at her mother and shook her head. They were quiet for some time, then Hermione slowly murmured that they were very careful and she, as her mother, should know she would protect herself. Katie whispered, "Good," and called out for the boys. "Dinner!"



John pushed the door open with an, "Uhhh, smells divine, Honey." He drew out a chair and sat down, looking from mother to daughter sensing he had missed out on something. Hermione placed the potatoes on the table as Draco walked in and a discreet draft of cedar drifted by as he passed her to take the seat next to John. Why did her senses go crazy every time he was near? "Up for a beating in chess after dinner, John?" Draco asked, taking the mash potatoes and smiling to Hermione for a moment, then turned to continue talking to her father. Draco laughed as John said this time he would beat the living daylight out of Draco. Looking from her father to the young man next to him, she saw a strong bond had formed between them and from her mother\'s gentle shaking head, as she said it would never happen, she got a jolt of jealously. They acted like a family. Eating her stew slowly she wondered why it made her jealous, Draco was leaving soon. So, it wasn\'t that big a deal and still it bugged her. It bugged her so much that she later the night on the way to bed, not on purpose or anything, she gave him a little too harsh "Right!" as he wished her goodnight.



Grabbing her and pushing her against the wall Draco looked straight at her and in a very cold voice asked what the hell he had done to make her act so bloody strange around him. "Was it the bracelet? Too much? Just wanted to show you how much I… appreciate what you have done for me." He narrowed his eyes studying hers as they switch between emotions: fear, rage, sadness and something else undefined. "Guess the wristband you sent was a mere… what sympathy gift?!" He moved his eyes to the band as did she. "No… It wasn\'t… Neither… I love the bracelet… Means a lot to me… And my gift was…" Her eyes filled with tears and Draco felt remorse for reacting so brutally. "Sorry… Just can\'t read you…" He closed his eyes and looked away for a moment before lowering his hand from the wall.



Seeing a tear leave her eye, he slowly lifted a finger and wiped it away. Once more he realized this could only bring trouble his way and he let his hand drop. "Sorry." He walked away and closed the door behind him. Trembling he fell onto the bed hiding his eyes behind his arm. It was crazy to even let himself wonder what it would be like. But he had been so fucking close to kissing her then and there. "Great...! Just great!"

In the room next door, mirrored emotions ran trough Hermione, who was crying hard into her pillow, killing the sound of her sobs. She kept repeating the same sentence over and over in her head for so long it almost became a chant. "I\'m Ron\'s Girlfriend… I\'m Ron\'s Girlfriend… I\'m Ron\'s Girlfriend… I\'m Ron\'s Girlfriend… I\'m Ron\'s Girlfriend…" and she drifted off to sleep repeating it as a sigh.



When she got up the next day the others had left for work, her mother leaving her a cupcake and a note wishing her a good day. She noted a heap of "make-you-own" invites were spread over the coffee table and her lips curled into a smile at the stack off crumpled together ones on the floor. That made the shouted words of anger that had awoken her, make sense. She had jerked up in shock as she had heard Draco yell, "Bloody hell… I give up… Fuck it!" and then a door slam.



Sitting down with her cupcake in one hand, placing a can of diet-coke on the table, she turned on the telly and automatically started to sort the cards into colour and decorate them without really looking. It took her two episodes of her favourite soap to finish the cards and she stacked them up nicely, then cleaned up the mess Draco had made and turned off the telly, deciding to take the tube to Piccadilly for a book hunt. She hoped Draco didn\'t mind she had made the cards, but if he did she could buy them and use them herself. After their little clash last night she still hoped he would invite her as one of the party guests he had been allowed to have over. But she wouldn\'t count on it.



When she got home she was almost run over by Draco as he opened the door, his back to her yelling he was going for a run. She let out a small puff as he slammed into her, "Ohhh… Granger… Watch out!" His arm wrapped around her, stopping her falling. Steadying her, he asked if she was alright. Smiling, she nodded. "Thanks for the help with the cards… I\'m hopeless… Don\'t have the patience… You\'re an angel!" He quickly planted a kiss on her forehead and starting to jog away. Turning, and with a grin, he called out, "Don\'t look so lightning struck… I was raised a gentleman!" This made her laugh and shake her head as she waved to him while walking inside.



As she dropped her new books on the settee her mother came out, "Hi, Sweetpea… Found some interesting books I see." She grinned as she caught a glimpse of the title of the top one. "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask… A rather long title for a book that small, I must say." Katie grinned and ducked as her daughter hurled a pillow after her in laughter and couldn\'t help but ask if she was planning to give a reading after dinner. "Uhhh, you are so evil… Don\'t tell dad!" Hermione looked worried, but Katie just smiled and whispered it was their little secret.



Changing the topic Hermione smiled, "Draco was in a good mood… Anything particularly good happen?" Katie raised her shoulders and said he had talked with Harry over the floo, but she didn\'t know what they had talked about. "But it had to be very funny. I could hear both Draco and Harry laughing, all the way down in the basement." Hermione smiled, it was good that Harry and Draco were becoming kind of friends; goodness knew Draco needed a new network of friends. If he could slip into the Weasley group through Fred and Harry, maybe soon the extended network of theirs would accept him as one of the good guys. In high spirits Hermione picked up her books and said with a grin she had some reading to do. Katie pretended to blush and the Granger-girls laughed.





Draco knocked on the door to Hermione\'s bedroom and heard her swear and asks for a moment, then she opened the door slightly flushed, as if she had been doing something she didn\'t want him to know about. "Yes?" She looked a little worried as he tried to get a peep of what she had tried to hide under her pillow. "Time for dinner… What are you hiding…? A book?" Draco grinned naughty at her. "I bet it\'s one of those really sugar-coated love novels by LaFolle… Mother reads the all the time… They are just too much… its hilarious… But you don\'t need to be ashamed by your tacky taste of novels." Grinning he nodded towards the stairs noticing Hermione looked relieved. It made him wonder if it wasn\'t just a tacky novel partly hidden under her pillow.



"Draco… Mail for you… Caught it by myself!" John grinned and past Draco a net with a struggling bright yellow envelope. It wasn\'t a Howler, they were usually red and steaming. With a slight frown he opened it and was relieved to hear Harry\'s voice. "Hi, Malfoy. Just a short message to say we would like to come party with you Saturday 6th of June. And I should tell you, from Fred and George, that they are mortally hurt that they didn\'t get an invite. They have been working on a Siamese-twin potion so they both could attend. See you in a fortnight!" And the envelope exploded into multi-colour fireworks. "Guess I better be careful when opening any unmarked gifts addressed to me, then!" Draco grinned and grabbed a breakfast bun, taking a big bite, seeing Katie look in direction of Hermione.



Turning his head he clearly saw why Katie had looked to cheerless. Hermione sat slowly stirring her tea, following it with her eyes looking rather miserable "Umm… Are you alright Hermione?" he asked in a worried voice and as she sighed and said she hadn\'t found anywhere to be on the 6th, but she didn\'t want to be in the way, he looked bewildered. "You don\'t want to come?" She looked up "I haven\'t gotten an invite… So I didn\'t think you wanted me to attend…" Her eyes shone with tears of disappointment. "But I slid it under your door a week ago…" He rose from the table and left, all eyes following him. He returned minutes later holding a white envelope decorated with small silver four clovers and her name. "It had slid under the rug… Why didn\'t you tell me you hadn\'t received it, silly?" He handed it over with a smile and left. Hermione held the invite to her chest as it was the most precious thing she had ever received.



Gently opening it so not to break it and turned the paper and read:



"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.



You are a real friend to me and I would be the happiest person in the world if you would celebrate my eighteenth birthday with me on June 6th at your house, in your living room, hopefully with your friends parting along.



A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself.

If you should die before me, ask if you could bring a friend.

Love Draco"



Smiling so her eyes sparkled and she excused herself and went looking for Draco to tell him, she would love to come.



On the day of his birthday he received a letter from his mother, wishing him a grand birthday and that he would get his present on the day he returned to the Wizarding World, as it was Magical. "Your father sends his best wishes and wants me to inform you that he is getting better at this Muggle-thing… Take care my son!" Draco sneered at his father\'s remark. He hadn\'t forgiven him for his cruel treatment or the beatings when they shared a cell during the trial. He put the letter in the bedside drawer and again turned his attention to what to wear to the party next day.



If he went for the Armani suit he might look too posh and too much like the old Draco, but he didn\'t want to look to everyday\'ish either. "You could wear the jacket with a pair of jeans and a polo shirt, not to posh not to casual." He turned around and saw Hermione leaning up against the doorpost smiling. "Didn\'t know you were a Legilimens?" he said with a smile. She laughed and said it didn\'t take Legilimency to know what he was thinking. "May I?" and Draco gestured for her to come in.



Looking through his wardrobe she quickly pulled out the green shirt, a pair of black trousers and the Armani jacket, then a pair of blue jeans and the grey shirt and asked if he would mind putting on, first the jacket set, and next the jeans and shirt. Draco raised his shoulders as in "Why not?" and pulled the polo he was wearing off and then with a wicked smile asked if she wanted a strip show since she didn\'t turn away. "Umm… Sorry…" She blushed and quickly turned her back to him.



"There… I\'m covered… You can look." Hermione turned around and nodded in approval, but added it might do to a formal dinner at a fancy restaurant, but was a bit much for a small party at home. "Put on the other set, please." Hermione turned her back again as he started to undress once more. And when he gave her the go ahead, she gave him as quick look over. Frowning she took two step forth and said he didn\'t need to button the last couple of buttons and undid them, not looking at his face at all. As she stepped back she smiled, whispered perfect and asked him to look in the mirror. "Smart and Malfoyish, yet casual enough for tomorrow… You like it?"



Draco smirked and nodded still looking into the mirror, catching her eyes he gave her a smile so warm it made butterflies flutter in her stomach. "Better get out of it so it\'s clean for tomorrow… Thanks… You\'re always there when I need help… How can I ever repay you?" He looked away and began to unbutton the shirt then stopped and caught her eyes again. "Sure you aren\'t begging for a strip show?" He laughed as she looked bewildered and murmured sorry as she hurried out the door closing it behind her. She might be a little naughtier that she looks, Draco thought grinning, then sighed and cursed the fact she wasn\'t available. Not that it usually stopped him, but he didn\'t want the Weasley clan\'s wrath raining down on him.



After he changed back into his everyday wear he went down, grabbed his jacket and called out that he was leaving to help John close the clinic for the day. As he had taken as few steps out of the garden someone called his name. "Hey stranger… Want a lift… Suzanna and I are heading into town to do some grocery shopping… And I bet you\'re heading for the dental office, right?" Candace pulled up beside him in a bucket of a car and grinned as Draco frowned. "It might look like a piece of shit… Hell, it is… But it gets us from A to B… Jump in handsome, we don\'t bite… much." The two girls laughed as he climbed in. "Brave boy… Here we go…" The old car buzzed and rattled, but slow and surely started to move and soon he was dropped off at the office. "Thanks for the ride, both of you… It was something to remember!" and he waved at them as the continued along the road to the grocery store.



He would remember the car ride for a long time. He had discovered that Suzanna and Candice really were lovers, more than that even. They were girlfriends for real and wanted to get married and even have kids. He found it kind of weird, but it also turned him on, the thought off two girls… He shook his head to clear his mind and pushed the office door open. He said hi to John as he passed by the open door to his private office. "Thought I would clean it extra good… A belated spring cleaning, if you like me to?" John smiled and said it was his birthday and he shouldn\'t be cleaning. "Want to… I know you gave me the day off, but it just gave me so much more empty space to fill out till dinner and the party tomorrow," Draco said with a grin and opened the broom closet wondering if he could make a mop fly if he wanted. A thing to try when he was allowed to!



As the two men came in the door to the Granger house, Draco was surprised to see a birthday banner and balloons decorating the living room, and when Katie and Hermione came out carrying a birthday cake as they sung "Happy Birthday" he had to fight hard not to let emotions flow. He hadn\'t known what they had planned for him, but this… He was left speechless, but smiling.



"Happy Birthday, Dear!" Katie grinned as it was quite a sight to see Draco totally taken aback. John gave his shoulder a squeeze, saying that it was custom in the Granger House to spoil the Birthday boy or girl rotten. And when Hermione came up and gave him a hug, she realized he was shaking. "Draco Malfoy, you are in shock… Over this?!" she said in complete awe. When he whispered that no one had ever… ever surprised him on his birthday, she shook her head. "Then it is clearly about time! We are going to the theatre to see one of our favourite musicals after dinner… It was supposed to be a surprise but I don\'t think you could handle more surprises today!" Draco shook his head and laughed, saying they were crazy. "I was supposed to be serving time and suffering the harsh verdict… This is extreme!"



Katie waved his words away stating he was expected to learn about Muggle ways, "And this Muggle family celebrates turning eighteen… It is a big deal for us! Now taste the cake and tell me if it is as good as it looks!" With a smirk he took the plate she offered and tasted. "Wow… Katie it\'s… WOW!" He took another bite as the other laughed.



That night as he slid under the covers of his bed he felt as happy as a hippogriff in flight. He wouldn\'t give up magic, but he didn\'t mind living amongst Muggles at all. He began speculating on buying a flat right here in town, wondering if he would be disowned by his mother for doing so!