Move, Countermove

She was sitting in her infamous armchair for a good two hours when Draco knocked on the door. She opened it and without speaking let him enter. He had showered, shaved and changed. He looked his usual self now.



“Are you feeling better now?’ He asked, taking his cloak off.



“A little, yes.” She said sitting in her chair again.



“Did my mother help?” He asked, sitting in the armchair next to hers.



“A little yes.” She said.



“I’m going to start at the beginning. Any time you have a question just ask. Alright?” He said, shifting his chair to face her. She just nodded without speaking.



“I woke in the morning thinking I would get a tray from the kitchens and we could have breakfast in bed. I found my father outside my room. He wanted to know just how long it would take me to get bored and get rid of you. I told him you were special to me and his agitation would end when he realized that. He asked how I could find a wife if I was carrying on with you.”



“And you said what?” She asked.



“I told him when it came to marriage you were the one I wanted.” He said.



“Draco why did you tell him that? You only made him more angry?” She asked. Draco did nothing but stare at her. “Draco you can’t be serious!”



“Hermione, I told you when I took you to lunch that I was serious. You said you needed something more then the games from Hogwarts and I took that to heart. Hermione, I need you and I said I would do anything you wanted.”



Hermione’s heart threatened to jump out of her ribcage. She tried to rise. “Not yet, hear me out first, everything. Then you can pace and interrogate me if you want.”



She sat down. He was right, she had to hear it all before judging. “Alright.”



“What he said next was what you overheard. How I could give up the girl he had tried to arranged my marriage. Hermione, I only meant that the reaction he had to you was a bonus. I didn’t mean that the only reason you were there was for revenge. I’m so sorry you heard it and thought the worst but that was never my intention. I could never think of you that way.”



His words made her want to cry again, but she maintained her control. “Alright then, so I reacted and left, and you followed me then?”



“Yes, when I saw you apparate away, I ran up to my room again rushing to get dressed. My mother followed me asking questions but I only gave her hurried answers. She wanted to know what was wrong and I told her you had misunderstood. She wanted to know if I was going after you. I told her I was and would most likely be speaking to father eventually. When I didn’t return for several hours she followed an owl here and found me. I was able to tell her exactly what happened and she wanted to talk to you, too but I told her you had sealed yourself up. She objected to me sleeping outside, but she left anyway. She said she would speak to my father on her own, and that he had been in his study since I had left.”



“When you left here, you went to speak to him?” She asked.



“Yes, I did right away. He thought I was crazy for sleeping on your porch and any woman of character wouldn’t have allowed his son to sleep there. I didn’t say anything to him, but instead after he had spoke, went to my room to get something to show him. When I came back I told him about Hogwarts and how we had seen each other the whole of our final year.”



“He couldn’t have been happy.” She guessed.



“No he wasn’t, but that was years ago so he can’t say anything about it. I showed him what I had brought from my room and he fell silent. I told him if he will lose a son if he does not accept my choice.”



“What did you show him?” She asked.



“I’ll show it to you in a moment, but sufficed to say he agreed to keep his opinions to himself and support what I want.”



“How on earth did you get him to agree to that? What did you show him? Did you mother speak to him too?” She rattled off.



“Yes mother spoke to him after leaving here, and before I came here, I talked to them both. Mother said she adores you and I made a good choice. Father told me that he would say nothing more. That life was my own and he would keep out of it from now on.”



She sat up straight and looked at him. “You’re leaving something out Draco.” She said.



“Yes. I am.” He moved his chair closer and pulled on the arms of hers so they were face to face. “There is something I need to make clear before I show it to you.”



“What’s that?” She asked. He held out a hand and she gave him hers to cradle in both of his.



“Hermione I never said anything, but while we were playing our game at Hogwarts I fell in love with you.” Hermione’s eyes shot open and she glared at him. “About halfway through the year I knew I couldn’t live without you, and having to part at the end of the year on the train broke my heart.”



Hermione let her tears fall. “I didn’t……I thought……”



“I know what you must have thought Hermione, but when you told me you needed more, I knew I had to do everything I could to keep this chance from slipping through my fingers again. I’ve tried to replace you and I can’t do that anymore. You are perfect Hermione, and no one can take your place.”



She let more tears fall, because she knew that feeling. She had tried to replace him and she couldn’t.



“I love you Hermione, and I won’t lose you again.” He reached into his pocket and held out something in his palm. She sobbed outright, letting out heaves as she saw the diamond ring in his hand, shining and set in a platinum band for her.



“I bought this when you said you would give me a chance. I’ve been waiting to find the right time to give it to you. I love you.” He slid off the chair on one knee. Hermione bawled some more and clutched his hand. “Will you marry me?”



She jumped off the chair and tackled him to the ground. She took him in a heated snog and gave in to everything she had been denying herself. She couldn’t get close enough. She tasted the salt of her tears as she kissed him.



When she broke away she kept holding his face in her hands, letting her tears fall at will. “I love you Hermione.”



“I love you too.” She said crying all the harder.



“You’ll marry me won’t you?” He asked sweetly.



“Yes I will.” He took her in a tight hug then helped her up to her feet.



“That’s enough of that now.” He wiped away her tears and slid the ring on her finger. Cupping her cheeks he looked in to her eyes. “Check mate.”



Hermione let out howls of laughter and threw her arms around Draco as he lifted her off her feet spinning her around.



The End