If Only in My Dreams (Dramione)

Chapter 3: A Surprising Date

Draco Malfoy surveyed his living area one last time, making sure everything was in order. He had spent his whole day preparing for the next part of his plan, even though he hoped he wouldn't need to initiate it.

Picking up his wand, he threw his cloak on over the black button-down shirt and pants he wore.

No Polyjuice Potion tonight. He ran a nervous hand through his blond hair, which immediately fell back down across his forehead.

He glanced at his watch and saw it was ten to seven.

Now or never, he thought grimly.

Draco pulled out the Floo chip that Granger had given him the previous night and held it in his fingers. Then he placed his dark hood low over his face and walked to the fireplace. Throwing a handful of Floo powder, he raised his wand in a ready position.

He had a date with Hermione Granger and couldn't keep her waiting.

As the green smoke cleared from her fireplace, Draco quickly surveyed the living room of her flat. She wasn't in the room, so he stepped out and looked around.

Her wand and a small purse were sitting on a table next to the couch. He picked her wand up and stuck it into the pocket of his robes.

That was easy.

He had been expecting to have to quickly disarm her when he arrived, or even stun her and search her for her wand.

"I'll be out in just a minute," Granger's voice called cheerfully to him down the hallway, muffled by a closed door. No doubt she was finishing getting ready for their "date."

"Take your time," he called back in his Steven Carmichael American accent.

Removing his hood, he looked around the room, surveying it more closely now that he had Granger's wand safely in his possession.

He saw a variety of pictures on her mantel and walls. Some moved and some didn't. He picked up one of the non-moving ones and looked at it closer. It showed a grinning Hermione from about fifth year, in between a tall, redheaded man and a petite woman with short brown hair who looked a lot like Hermione herself. Those must be her parents that he had been ordered to kill.

He put the picture back on the shelf and picked up another one of Granger, Potter, and Weasley smiling and waving. Hermione was in the middle and had one arm around each of the boys.

The picture looked like it was from second year, as he was reminded of the girl who had angered him so much by saying that his father had bought his way onto the Quidditch team.

Even though he no longer felt proud of his response of calling her a Mudblood, Draco still felt annoyed by her assumption. He had been a good Quidditch player, and he felt he had earned his spot on the team that year through countless hours of practice, regardless of his father's purchase of new brooms for the team.

He heard the click of a door open and footsteps coming down the hall.

"How was your meeting this morn—" Hermione began, then stopped with a gasp.

Draco turned around to face her, his wand drawn, and saw a look of absolute horror on her face.

She dropped what looked like delicate earrings from her hands, and they made a light tinkling sound as they hit the hardwood floor.

"You!" she exclaimed, accusingly, her wide eyes narrowing.

"Hello, Granger," he said with his lips curling into a smirk. "Did you miss me?"

***

Hermione heard someone come through her Floo just as she was slipping on her black boots. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. 6:52 p.m. Steven was early. She liked that.