Watch the Clock

"So you think you can help me?"

"Depends on what you're asking for help with."

Draco Malfoy leaned back in his chair and contemplated the brunette in front of him. It had been two years since they had finally graduated Hogwarts. When he got off the train he had thought he would never see Hermione Granger again, much less find her in his office asking for help. What had gotten into the world?

Hermione, for her part, was nervous as hell. She had had to remind herself that she could relax, it was just Draco, about four hundred times before she came in. She couldn't believe what she was going to ask, or that she was asking Draco Fucking Malfoy, but that was what things had come to.

"Where have my manners gone? Please, have a seat", Draco said, gesturing forward. There was an awkward pause and Hermione laughed.

"'Please have a seat'? What the hell, Draco, we're best friends!" she dropped into her favorite leather chair near the fire and kicked her shoes off.

The two had met up a month or so after school had ended, when both were on their Grand Tour. They had spent more time than they had meant to in Milan, touring together and laughing all night. It had been the first time they had realized that they had more in common than previously thought- and it had made Hermione realize how woefully inadequate a boyfriend Ron was. Compared to Draco Ron was a blithering idiot, and suddenly Hermione couldn't take it anymore.

Their friendship had continued back in London, where Hermione started working for the Ministry while Draco began an international consulting firm. Even though both made plenty of money to have their own places, they had been skittish enough after the war to want someone around and had gotten a well-appointed row house together. Well, initially it had been a rundown piece of crap, but magic really did work wonders and Draco's family vault full of enough furniture to fill twenty houses had helped as well.

"I wanted that chair, you know", Draco said, trying to poke her out of it. She narrowed her eyes and leveled her wand, and he backed off to drag another chair over. Sitting knee to knee with her he ruffled her hair and smiled.

"Ok", he said, "You can tell me now. I'm perfectly ready for it."

"Well... um, it's kind of awkward. You know how you always have those... girls... around... and you do... things... and I can usually hear it..." Hermione stuttered. This had to be the most awkward thing in the entire world.

"Oh God, I forgot a Silencing Spell! Mione, I'm so sorry, I just wasn't thinking-" Draco said.

"No, no, it's fine, really... It was good. I mean, not good, just... Oh, God."

Hermione blushed light pink and Draco grinned. He absolutely loved it when she blushed.

"Why, Hermione, were you jealous?"

"What?! No, never! Ew!"

"Really? Or were you secretly dying to be that moaning girl?"

He had said it in jest, but Hermione's sudden avoidance of all eye-contact was telling.

"Wait, what? Seriously?" he asked. This was getting strange.

"It's not like I'm some creepy stalker or anything, it just sounded... well, kind of awesome."

"But don't you... you know... get guys and stuff?"

"Yeah, but I haven't been- they don't really- it just isn't-"

"What, they can't get you off?"

"Actually... yeah. It's not that I haven't, it just stopped. I don't know why. But it's so bloody frustrating! I'm horny all the time and I never get a release and I get so, so close but it just doesn't work!" Hermione rambled without really thinking of who she was talking to. She realized again that it was Draco and hid behind a pillow.

"And I figured" she mumbled, "Maybe we could... you know... cause you're pretty good-looking and I'm pretty good looking, and we're both pretty open so it wouldn't be weird..."

"Hermione", Draco said, taking the pillow from her and looking her straight in the eye, "I would absolutely love to shag you senseless. Let's do it."

Hermione saw the glint in his eye and suddenly wondered if this was such a good idea after all.