Catalyst

Disclaimer: I definitely do not own any of it, nor do I make any money off of it.




Draco did indeed promptly at seven that evening, bypassing the door and flooing directly into Hermione’s flat. He brushed himself off and was about to announce his arrival when he was suddenly distracted by a flash of orange fur. He moved to follow it behind the sofa, calling softly. “Here kitty kitty…” Draco secretly loved cats. He’d never had one- household animals were considered very inappropriate companions for the noble house of Malfoy, but he’d always felt a sort of respect for the aloof creatures. Plus they were warm and soft and made delightful purring noises, though Draco was terribly reluctant to admit he found that appealing, even to himself.

As he rounded the sofa, he shrieked in terror and turned on his heel, bolting from the room. Crookshanks had apparently not appreciated the stranger’s stealthy entrance into his mistress’s flat, nor did he care for being snuck up on by the blonde intruder. He had been waiting behind the sofa, crouched in ready position, leaping out at Draco in a frenzy of teeth, fur, and claws as the wizard approached.

Draco, heading for shelter, entered the nearest open door, slamming it shut behind him and leaning back against it in relief, eyes screwed shut tightly as he panted, trying to catch his breath. He could hear the creature (it obviously wasn’t a cat) yowling in frustration on the other side of the door.

“Oh. Hello, Draco,” came a cool voice dripping with sarcasm. “Won’t you come in?”

He opened his eyes slowly, the relief in his face quickly replaced with irritation. “Granger, what in the hell made you consider it a wise choice to keep that bloody menace of a creature as a household pet?” he demanded.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I hope you’re not talking about Crookshanks, my kit-ty cat,” she enunciated pointedly, obviously disdainful of his fear.

“Kitty cat?” his disbelieving outburst came out much higher and squeakier than he had intended. “Granger, that thing could single-handedly destroy an entire fleet of blast-ended screwts! It’s a four-legged killing machine! Just look what it did to my pants!”

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics, turning him around to investigate the damage. She held back a snicker as she noted that there were indeed claw-induced rips across the seat of his pants, exposing the green plaid shorts underneath.

“Something amusing back there?” His tone was frosty as he questioned her, not believing that she dared to laugh at the casualties her so-called pet. \"Potter and Weasley warned me that you wouldn\'t be able to keep your hands off me, but this is forward, even for you Granger.\" He turned and raised an eyebrow at her, gratified by her flushed face and muttered expletives as she forcibly turned him back around and avoided his gaze.

She did a few quick reparation spells, pushed him out of the way and opened the door, much to Draco’s chagrin. He flinched and drew his arms up protectively as he heard the door creak open, surprised as the attack never came. He looked up and found the ginger creature purring contentedly in Hermione’s arms, looking far less threatening, but still far too large to be held by the petite witch.

“Poor Crookshanks was so worried, wasn’t he?” she crooned to the feline, who snuggled deeper in her arms. “He isn’t used to sneaky strangers arriving uninvited,” she continued with a stern look at Draco.

“Uninvited?” Draco looked most put out now. “We have an appointment. I said that I would be here at seven, and you didn’t argue. Hence, an invitation,” he finished smugly. “Besides,” he continued, “if he was so worried for your safety, shouldn’t he be doing something other than rubbing himself against you and purring right now?”

“No,” she replied, looking as though he were missing something extremely obvious. “Crookshanks knew that you were an approved visitor as soon as he heard us talking,” she informed him briskly. “But you still should have used the door. Or at least made a floo call before coming through.” She added as an afterthought.

“Yes, well,” answered Draco, obviously unrepentant and unconvinced, “shall we be going?”

“Just let me grab my bag,” she answered, setting the large ginger cat on the floor and heading into the closet. Draco eyed the animal suspiciously, relieved when she returned a minute later.

“Where are we going?” she asked as he dragged her from the room.

“To dinner,” he replied brusquely as he apparated them away from her flat and the overprotective beast she called Crookshanks.

* * * * * * * *






Hermione had been expecting to find herself in one of the swankier restaurants of Diagon Alley, or perhaps even the wizarding section of Paris or Rome, taking into account the full extent of Draco’s elitism. She was therefore quite surprised to realize that he had taken her to a small restaurant that appeared to be… muggle. It was actually quite a nice little place, tasteful but simple looking, and a rather romantic setting.

She turned to him, not sure whether to inquire further or not. He seemed to sense her confusion and answered her unspoken question.

“Well I couldn’t very well take you anywhere in wizarding society, could I? No telling who might see us together.” His voice was haughtier than ever and she felt her blood pressure rising in anger before she caught the teasing gleam in his grey eyes. “Look, I just really like Italian and none of the wizarding restaurants are as good as this one. And I did think it might be a bit much for both of us to have to contend with various acquaintances tonight.”

He didn’t expound further, but she understood what he meant and let the subject drop. There were many in the wizarding world who would have much to say on the topic of any sort of relationship between the darling of the golden trio and the wizard who was assumed to be dark wizard. On the other side of the coin, there would likely be a backlash from the traditional and elitist wizarding families about a member of the prominent Malfoy family seeing a muggleborn. Seeing as how this was, in fact, their first date, she had to agree that neither of them needed that sort of pressure this evening.

As they were seated and Hermione looked over the table at the handsome wizard who was practically glowing in the candlelight, the butterflies in her stomach returned as it dawned on her that she was actually on a date, alone, with Draco Malfoy. In the frenzy surrounding his arrival and their hurried departure, she’d not had a chance to really lay eyes on him until now. As he looked up and met her gaze, she realized she had been staring and looked away hurriedly.

Draco, as it happened, had also been admiring his date’s appearance for the first time that evening. She had clearly taken care in her preparations for the evening, but the effect was somehow much softer than it had been the evening he’d found her with Nott. She looked far more comfortable, more like herself. Her hair fell in soft curls down her back, she wore only light makeup, and her dress was a basic black that wrapped around her body, tying at the side and draping softly over her curves. He thought that he’d never seen her look more lovely.

He cleared his throat, breaking the moment. “You look nice tonight, Granger. Glad to see that you can clean up on occasion with a bit of effort.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Whereas you, you twitchy little ferret, can’t help your appearance no matter how much effort you put into it,” she seethed at him, realizing as she spoke just how unconvincing she must sound.

Apparently Draco knew it as well, as he waved a dismissive hand in her direction, picking up his menu. “Please Granger, that’s just unoriginal, not to mention totally ludicrous. My appearance is never short of devastating perfection.” He perused his menu for a few moments, then spoke again without looking up. “You really do look lovely.”

She smiled slightly, watching him studiously avoid eye contact with her, then followed his lead and picked up her menu.

After ordering, they fell into an awkward silence as they both sipped their wine.

“So, Granger, explain to me what it is exactly that you do at the ministry. Campaigning for the underprivileged or some such activity isn’t it?”

“More like campaigning for the rights to which all magical creatures are entitled,” she responded haughtily. “It started out with S.P.E.W. at Hogwarts,” she shot him a dirty look as he snickered, “but my division now deals with the rights of all magical brethren. A good deal of what we’ve been dealing with in latest years has to do with repealing the restrictions on werewolves. I’ve also been working on a curriculum for a series of courses to foster better communication between wizards and various groups of magical creatures.”

At this he couldn’t contain his snort of laughter. She scowled at him and he threw his hands up in a placating gesture. “I’m sure that would be a wonderful idea,” he began, obviously working to keep from smiling, “it’s just, who do you anticipate will be interested in attending this… series of courses?”

She smiled smugly. “Actually, everyone.” Seeing his expression of disbelief, she continued. “You see, it has become painfully obvious that very few witches and wizards are willing to treat their magical brethren as equals. Therefore, offering these courses would do very little good due to the fact that, as you are obviously aware, no one would enroll. However, if the courses were mandated, well, that would be an entirely different story, wouldn’t it be?”

“How on earth do you plan to get these courses mandated?” he asked, obviously unconcerned.

“Let’s just say, having Harry Potter as your best friend does have its advantages.” She looked quite pleased with herself as she watched the dawning comprehension.

“You’re a tyrant!” he cried. “You’re openly admitting to using your influence over the hero of the wizarding world to manipulate the Ministry into furthering your own political agenda…”

She shrugged. “It’s a good agenda,” she informed him loftily.

“Granger, everyone thinks their own agenda is good,” he pointed out, “that’s why they make it their agenda.”

“Not true,” she answered loftily. “Many people, you for example,” she shot him a contemptuous look, “further their own agenda simply because it will be of benefit to themselves. It has nothing whatsoever to do being a good cause.”

He mulled that over. ‘She wasn’t wrong,’ he conceded. “Still, regardless of whatever your noble intentions may be,” he replied, looking disgusted, “doesn’t change the fact that you’re pulling strings just the way I do. Therefore, you forfeit the right to lecture me about the evils of corrupting our system of government. And you know, I can’t figure out what upsets me more- the fact that Hermione Granger could possibly be that manipulative, or the fact that she utilizes said power of manipulation for ‘a good cause’.” At this he shuddered as if witnessing something too repulsive for words.

Hermione laughed aloud at that.

“Think that’s funny, do you?” he arched an eyebrow at her, his lips twisted in a frown but his grey eyes sparkling with amusement. He turned to the waitress, “Keep the wine coming; we’ll be needing a lot more alcohol to get through THIS evening,” he informed her, pointing exaggeratedly at Hermione as he spoke.

She rolled her eyes and sat back in her chair, smiling.

* * * * * * * * * * *






They left the restaurant several hours later, having eaten through a number of courses and dessert, then had a few more drinks. It had occurred to Hermione that they had been sitting at the table for an exorbitant amount of time, but she’d been having so much fun and the atmosphere was so nice that it hadn’t seemed to matter. She had discovered that she found Draco’s caustic wit far more amusing when she wasn’t on the receiving end.

Now, as they left the restaurant and apparated back to her apartment, she decided that she wasn’t ready for the evening to end. Draco excused himself to use her restroom and Hermione teetered around the apartment, tidying and lighting candles, then perching herself on the sofa in what she hoped was a seductive pose.

“Whatever might you be doing, Granger?”

She turned towards the voice from the hallway, tipping herself from her precarious position on the couch. A small voice in the back of her mind was at the edge of her consciousness, trying to get her attention. She ignored it and pulled herself up immediately, ignoring his amused look and straightening her dress. Walking towards him with an exaggerated sway to her hips, she locked her hands behind his neck looked up at him. She lifted on to her tiptoes, pulling him down to her and pressing her lips against his.

He quickly got over his shock at the suddenness of the move and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her in closer. The other hand tangled in her soft curls, gently holding her head as they kissed. He took control of the kiss, gently tasting her mouth as he felt her melt into his arms. She felt very soft and very warm as she molded her body to his his and he allowed his hands to stroke over the curves he\'d been admiring all evening, luxuriating in the taste, feel, and delicious smell of her. Finally, she broke the kiss and leaned back, grinning at him.

She couldn’t believe how long it had taken her to realize how handsome he was. He was so strong and so handsome and he smelled SO good… She leaned in against him, breathing deeply. Her thoughts were interrupted by the vibrations of his chest as he laughed softly.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded, noticing that her voice sounded funny and she stumbled slightly as she pulled away from him.

His arms shot out to steady her and she found herself looking into his grey eyes which were currently lit with amusement. He guided her back to the sofa, sitting next to her.

“You are,” he finally answered. “You’re totally smashed, aren’t you?” He hadn’t noticed in the dim lighting of the restaurant, or perhaps that last drink had taken a few minutes to work completely into her bloodstream, but her cheeks were now flushed a bright pink, her brown eyes glowing and hazy, and her speech was slow and slightly slurred.

“Am not,” she answered belligerently, attempting to wind herself around him once more and finding her efforts frustrated by his insistent arms, pushing her back to her side of the sofa.

“My mistake,” he replied with obvious condescension, standing and moving her legs into the spot that he had been occupying. Despite her sounds of protest, her body was pliant, and she allowed him to pull her into a reclining position. He pulled the blanket off of the back of the sofa and covered her with it.

Hermione was dismayed to realize that despite her best efforts, he was leaving and she was, in fact, very sleepy. She snuggled into the blanket unconsciously and sighed contentedly.

“Don’t go,” she mumbled, reaching out to grab his coat. He rolled his eyes at her, but there was no malice in his expression.

“Right, because you’re obviously fit to entertain right now.”

She looked up at him with sleepy eyes. “You could entertain me,” she offered suggestively.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Shaking his head slightly to clear the lusty thoughts that were insinuating themselves in his mind, he decided that it was indeed time for him to leave. While he would like nothing more than to show her just how many ways he could entertain her, this was clearly not the appropriate time for that. Instead, he bent over her sleepy form, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

“Some other time, Granger. Sleep tight.” He walked to the fireplace and grabbed some floo powder. By the time he turned around in the fireplace before leaving, she was already asleep.

* * * * * * * * * *






Hermione woke the next morning with a pounding headache. She groaned at the morning sun filtering through her living room window and covered her face with a pillow, burrowing down into the sofa.

Sofa? Hermione blinked her eyes open in confusion, unsure as to why she was sleeping on the sofa. Suddenly, the events of the previous evening came flooding back to her and she re-covered her face, overcome with embarrassment.

“Did I actually pass out before he even left?” she mumbled into her pillow.

She honestly had no idea how it had happened. She’d certainly had no intention of drinking herself into a stupor. She’d felt relaxed, and had been enjoying herself. Draco had imbibed just as much as she had, and he’d seemed fine, though he was actually quite a bit bigger than her, not to mention the fact that she rarely drank, upping the chances of intoxication when she did. She cringed slightly at the foggy memory of his amusement at her antics. Perhaps she’d just gone a bit overboard. ‘A bit?’ her conscience pressed further, indignant at being ignored.

“Oh, bugger off,” she muttered to herself, kicking off the blanket and pushing herself into a sitting position.

“Now that’s hardly polite,” came a voice from the fireplace, “seeing as how I called just to see how the big date went.”

“Come on over, Ron,” she conceded flatly, knowing that he wouldn’t desist until he’d gotten the details he was looking for.

She headed for the bathroom to look for a hangover potion and heard him tumbling into her living room.

“Hermione,” his eager voice called.

“In a minute,” she snapped fiercely, satisfied with the total silence that followed. She tipped the contents of the potion vial down her throat and brushed her teeth, finally re-entering and scowling at her visitor who was currently sitting on the sofa, wearing an expression that resembled a kicked puppy.

“Hi,” he greeted her hesitantly.

She could feel the potion easing the ache in her head and the dryness of her mouth. The relief of her agony also eased her annoyance with her guest and she suddenly felt a small pang of guilt.

“Good morning Ron,” she replied with a gracious smile, letting him know that she wasn’t angry with him. “So, Harry told you about the date then, did he?”

“Yeah, he did,” Ron began, “I hope that’s okay.” He suddenly looked a bit nervous again. Seeing no immediate reaction, he continued. “So how was it?”

“Very nice actually,” Hermione answered distractedly, “up until the point that I drank like a fish and offered myself to him,” she finished drily.

Ron looked apoplectic with rage. “Where is he?” he demanded harshly. “I can’t believe we trusted the bastard, and the first chance he gets…” he ranted, obviously getting geared up for a long tirade capped off with a brutal retribution her date.

“Ron!” she interrupted. “Nothing like that happened.” She was very pink and looked at the floor. “He laughed at me, set me on the sofa to sleep with a blanket, and left.”

“Oh,” the redhead replied, looking confused. ‘Well… that was decent of him.”

She gave him a half-smile. “I think we’ve established at this point that, surprisingly enough, he tends to do the decent thing more often than not. He may not be gentle about it, but… there it is.” She shrugged and looked at him helplessly.

“Anyhow,” she continued after several moments of contemplative silence, “I had a very nice time. I don’t know how I’ll ever face him again, between Harry and your interference,” at that she glared at him, “and my sudden metamorphosis to drunken, brazen hussy.”

Ron grinned at her playfully. “You know,” he began thoughtfully, “I wouldn’t mind seeing that side of you sometime ‘Mione. She sounds delightful.”

She scowled at him. “Get out of here Ron,” she ordered, but there was no malice in her tone.

He laughed softly. “Alright, I’m going. Glad it went well. Mostly, at least,” he amended, standing and walking over to the fireplace.

Hermione bid him goodbye and shuffled off to her bedroom to sleep a few more hours.

* * * * * * *



A/N- So there\'s the first date+morning after discussion. I hope it wasn\'t disappointing! *fidgets nervously* I\'m trying to use some discretion in how quickly all aspects of the relationship develop so all feedback on the pacing is helpful!

Up next: Reactions all around to the date, a surprise visit, and of course, a little more \"help\" from Lucius and Narcissa...


A/N- Please read and review! Thank you so much to everyone who has so far!

*Hugs all*

(responses for last 2 chapters since I didn’t do them last time)

Petalsoft- Hope it lived up to the expectation. With regards to one of your earlier comments re: Cedric- you are SO right! How could she have to take him away before we even got a chance with him?!

Ava- Thanks so much!

Bubbles- I do love Draco, so I’m delighted that you find him “droolworthy!”

Moxie- Lol- thanks!

Lorett- How it possible that I love everything you write so much, including reviews? *Grins* Glad that you liked the smug gleefulness- smug and glee are two of my absolute favorite words! Ever.

DB2020- Thanks! I hope that the trend continues… *looks nervous*

Sommer- Here it is… hope it isn’t a disappointment.

Jenn- Thank YOU!

Emmaline Vance- Review-induced updates you say? I DO like that… Thanks for the review!

Liz- I predict a bit more of that in their future… Thanks for the review!

Kristal- Looky looky- here it is again… thanks for reviewing!

Lemonade- That’s right- she is a very independent lady, which is one of the many reasons why we (or I at least) love her. And not having an assassination in her immediate future is always, er, nice. Thanks for reviewing!

Kenzi- How right you are- I definitely, um, smoothed a bit over in the name of a happy Malfoy family. But I’m happy that you also enjoy their scheming! I’m glad that you are enjoying it- thanks for reviewing!

Chickenofpink- I love the meddling parents too, so we will definitely have a bit more of that coming *giggles maniacally* thanks for reviewing!

Audrey Coldren- I’m, um, glad that you’re glad that I’m obsessive. LOL- thanks for reviewing!
Jaimi- Thanks for reading and for reviewing!

HiddenAllusion- I’m so glad that you clicked on it this time, and that you enjoyed it! Thank you for reviewing!

Audry- Thanks for reviewing!

Geo- Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Michelle- Yahoo- I’m glad that you are back- hope you’re still liking it!

Sunny- I will try- thanks for reviewing!

Kate- Thanks for writing!

Ancientgirl- I like the needling too- and hopefully Draco got his dose of that here. Thanks for reviewing!

Fiona- Thanks!

Serendipity01- I’m thrilled that you like the characterizations! Thanks for reading and reviewing!