Back at Your Door

Summary: When Hermione leaves Draco, he tries to show her that he will never take her for granted again. Found on my computer and tweaked to fit the Valentine's Day challenge at GE... though there may still be too much muggleness for it to be accepted into the category. This is my first attempted fic that is fluff and has no smut, and I realize that Draco is kinda OC.

Warnings: Fluff, Romance

Draco sat on the couch of the apartment he shared with Blaise Zabini, his head resting in his hands. The next second he was up, throwing a vase that his mother had given him against the wall, causing it to irreversibly shatter, hundreds of ceramic pieces littering the plushly carpeted floor before falling back onto the couch.

Another ten minutes of brooding later, he dropped to his knees in front of the mess, picking up the pieces without a thought of using magic on them. When Blaise entered the room, having just gotten in from a long day at work as a junior partner at a wizarding law firm, he shook his head behind the back of his long time friend before walking up behind the blond and Banishing the ceramic into the rubbish bin.

Draco looked up, his face full of anguish and his fingers full of cuts. "So, she left you again? Why this time?" he asked. The question itself was rather callous, but the delivery was one of genuine concern.

"She said that I take her for granted," came the despondent response as Draco stood back up, staring at the dots of blood that were already drying over his hands.

"Well, you do kind of take her for granted," Blaise said as he deposited his outer robe in a closet just outside the room.

"I tell her all the time that I love her," Draco said sullenly, almost to himself. Why didn't she realize that he wasn't just saying the words; nothing in his life mattered if she weren't a part of it.

"Maybe, but when was the last time you did something romantic for her?"

"Three days ago-"

"Sex doesn't count, Draco. Sex and romance are two completely different things, and a woman likes to be romanced every once in a while," the suave Italian informed his friend.

"I bought her that-" was as far as he got before being cut off again.

"Draco, romance doesn't mean buying something for her, even if its something she wants or loves, at least not necessarily. It's all about the little things, the little details that show her that you're thinking of her. Sure, there's the grand gesture, like a candlelit dinner, or a nice hot bath strewn with rose petals, but a woman likes to know that the man she loves constantly has her on their mind, the way she does him."

"You put too much thought into this," Draco told Blaise as he unstoppered a crystal decanter to pour a healthy amount of firewhiskey into a glass, adding two ice cubes.

~~~@~~~~@~~~~@~~~~@~~~

Three days later, as Draco headed to his office in the Ministry, he made sure to stop by her own, leaving a long-stemmed red rose that he had dethorned himself, as well as a small jar of banana flavored candy hearts, all with the saying 'I love you' on them. The card with it simply read "I miss you."

When there was no response by the next morning, he left more candy hearts, knowing them to be her favorite confection, this time peppermint flavor with the phrase 'be mine', and a brand new copy of a Muggle cd that she had lost two weeks previous, knowing it to be one of her favorites as she was practically in tears when she could not find the shiny disc. After he returned to his office from lunch, he found a note on his desk. "Thank you for the cd and the candy, but it still doesn't change anything."

Each day he left a new flavor and saying of candy hearts and a present on her desk, each present having more meaning between the two of them, and each day he received a Thank You card that told him she wasn't reconsidering her decision.

On the fifth day, Friday, one week since she broke up with him, he left a yellow rose, along with a sketch he had done himself. It was from memory, of her on their first date. He had taken her to a carnival, where she had introduced him to cotton candy and amusement rides. He had won her a large stuffed hippogriff at one of the booths and it was the first time she had ever graced him with a large smile full of affection. It was that moment that he had drawn for her. This time, the card he left read "The carnival's back in town," while the candy hearts, chocolate flavored, read 'say yes.' The note he got back left him feeling higher than a kite, and the rest of the day went by in happy daze. "Meet me in front of the Funhouse at 8."

~~~@~~~~@~~~~@~~~~@~~~

He meticulously dressed in Muggle clothing, though he draped his robes around him, leaving the front open and letting the flowing fabric flap in his wake. He had quite a bit of muggle clothing from dating her for the previous two and a half years. He let his ear length hair fall loose, as was her preference, donning slightly baggy blue jeans and a Manchester United T-shirt, having become a rabid fan after just a few meetings with her father.

The carnival was a traveling one that went all across Europe, but always found its way back to England in the spring and the fall. It was run by a group of Muggleborns who had loved carnivals in their youth and decided that it would be even more of a spectacle if they added magic to it. Everywhere one looked was the traditional Muggle carnival, but the prizes and some of the sweets were wizard-related, and extra effects were added into all the rides.

The Funhouse, though, was where the owners went all out with their magic, most of them having studied Charms and Transfiguration well past their N.E.W.T.'s. While in Muggle Funhouses the spinning rooms were an optical illusion and the room of mirrors was merely a ploy in the amount of concave or convex curved into the glass, here the room really spun, leaving patrons falling all over the place onto the charmed-soft walls and floors and in the room of mirrors, there were mirrors charmed to show someone's deepest fears, their deepest desires, and their funniest memories.

As the Funhouse came into his view, along with her, he was stopped in his tracks by her pure beauty. He knew that there were quite a few people who looked at her and didn't see anything special, and he just couldn't understand the concept, because to him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Her unruly hair was pulled back into her standard braid that fell halfway down her back and she wore minimal makeup. She was wearing a simple sundress in a light blue, white heeled sandals, and a small white purse. It took him a second to catch his breath.

As he walked towards her, his palms started to sweat with the fear that she would use tonight to break up with him for good. She had never been like the other women, falling at his feet because of his name and his money. She had only agreed to go on a single date with him after she had gotten to know him. She cared more about who he was inside than even he had. That one date had turned into another, and another until they were considered a couple, even featured in most of the wizarding rag mags, much to both of their chagrin.

When she noticed him, she gave him a smile, but it wasn't the smile he wanted. This smile was hesitant, like she was trying to hold a piece of herself back from him, and the fact that he had put that smile on her face caused a wave of sadness to rush through him. Reaching her, he resisted the strong urge to pull her into a hug, instead bringing her hand to his lips, where he softly kissed each knuckle.

"How is it the mere sight of you takes my breath away?" he asked quietly, his eyes devouring every detail of her face, etching it into his memory forever.

"Draco, I may love you, but dime a dozen compliments aren't going to help you," she informed him, taking her hand away.

"I'm sorry you don't believe that I mean it," he responded, not allowing her to see just how much the simple sentence and action had hurt him.

She gave a tired sigh and started walking. "I didn't come here to fight," she said wearily.

"Neither did I," came the response as he caught up to her. "I came here because my life isn't worth living without you."

She stopped dead and turned to him. "Draco," she started, bringing two fingers up to her temple.

"If you're going to say something that would imply that I don't mean it, then please don't say anything. Perhaps I shouldn't have said it, but it doesn't make it any less true."

It was then that she looked him over and gave a slight nod of her head. She linked her arm in his and continued walking. "Let's not fight. Come on the rides with me," she suggested.

"I think I can do that," he smiled down to her.

~~~@~~~~@~~~~@~~~~@~~~

At the end of the night, they each had had a wonderful time, simply enjoying the company of the other. After they had made it to every ride at least once, as well as visited most of the booths, Draco dragged her over to a small tent where a band was playing and couples were dancing.

After a couple of songs, the band took a short break, and Draco disappeared to the toilets. Shortly after he arrived back to their table, a new song started playing and Draco pulled her up to dance with him, holding her as close as she would allow as he sang (rather badly) the lyrics into her ear, the song coming off of the cd he had returned earlier in the week.

"If I took you for granted
I apologize for acting tough
You’re my reason for living
And there’s no way I’m giving up."

By the time the song had finished, she had tears in her eyes, hearing his singing voice for the first time ever, as well as the emotion behind the words he had sang to her. Right after the last note, Draco dropped down to one knee, pulling out a golden ring in the shape of a dragon that had sparkling white diamonds for eyes and emeralds and rubies, in chips so small that they could only have been infused to the precious metal with magic, circling the band, mixing together as the dragon's breath of fire.

"I know that I haven't always treated you like I should, and I know that you deserve far better than me, but I also know that I love you, and without you my life is incomplete. I can't imagine what I would be without you, where I would be without you. You brought joy into my life when I thought that all I deserved was sadness. You made me realize that life is worth living, and I want to live that life with you, until we're old and wrinkly and can't see each other any longer through our rheumy eyes. In short, I love you, Hermione Jean Granger, those three words have my life in them, and it would make me the happiest bloke in the world if you would agree to be my wife."

She looked down upon him, completely shocked. He could see that she was not expecting this and he had no idea what her answer would be. He was just hoping that it wouldn't be a flat out no. He could work with 'maybe'.

"Draco....I....yes, I'll marry you." As he picked her up and spun her around to the clapping of the people neither had realized were watching them, she laughed in his arms. "But this will be a long engagement," she informed him when he put her on her feet and placed the ring on her finger.

"That's fine, love; I intend on spending every day of the rest of my life convincing you that you made the right choice."

~~~@~~~~@~~~~@~~~~@~~~
Thanks to Lupinswolfie for her beta skillz.

All candy heart sayings are real, though the 'say yes' has been discontinued.

The song that Draco had played was Back At Your Door by Maroon 5, and here are the lyrics....

From the moment the lights went off
Everything had changed
Lie awake in an empty room
In my head it all feels the same

Like the taste of the day you left
That still lingers on my breath
And the dampness of tears that left
A stain where you had wept

All alone with the negligee
That still hangs off of my bed
I keep meaning to give it away
But I just leave it there instead

No need to cry about it
I cannot live without it
Every time I wind up back at your door

Why do you do this to me?
You penetrate right through me
Every time I wind up back at your door

3 more days 'til I see your face
I’m afraid it’s far too much
Cook a meal and fix up the place
Dial your number, hang it up

If I took you for granted
I apologize for acting tough
You’re my reason for living
And there’s no way I’m giving up, oh

Don’t need to cry about it
I cannot live without it
Every time I wind up back at your door

Why do you do this to me?
You penetrate right through me
Every time I wind up back at your door

Now every evening is a bitter fight
And I’m eating home alone on a Friday night
I know what your friends say
“You’re just wasting your love and time”
I will never let you change your mind

No need to cry about it
I cannot live without it
Every time I wind up back at your door

Why do you do this to me?
You penetrate right through me
Every time I wind up back at your door

No need to cry about it
I may just die without it
Every time I wind up back at your door

Why do you do this to me?
You penetrate right through me
Every time I wind up back at your door

Every time I wind up back at your door
Every time I wind up back at your door