Wax Seals & Sugar Quills | Dramione

Five

Hermione Granger wore her shortest dress. It was a sundress, yellow with white flowers. It had a neckline that accentuated her collarbone nicely, and hinted at the idea of her cleavage. The hem of the skirt fell to mid-thigh revealing her tanned legs, and it swished as she walked — no, floated — into the hotel lobby.

Draco Malfoy almost didn't recognize the girl — no, the woman —  walking towards him. She had kept him waiting, and now he knew why. It must have taken her all morning to get her hair under control.

And her hair. There was so much of it. Half of it was twisted into braids, and a few loose curls framed her face. The rest cascaded over her shoulders in loose ringlets. Never in his wildest dreams did Draco ever think her wild mane could be tamed. Honestly, he preferred it wild, but since when did he even have a preference?

"What's all this?" He gestured vaguely in Hermione's direction. He tried to keep his eyes off of her curvy frame, but it was proving to be difficult.

"You don't like it?" Hermione's voice was noticeably higher pitched, feigning innocence as she spun around. The hem of her skirt lifted even higher for the briefest of seconds and his breath hitched.

He would have had to be a fool to think she didn't look incredible. He needed her to keep talking so he could remember that the swotty insufferable witch was still underneath that soft, seemingly beautiful exterior.

"It's just... unexpected." Draco chose his words carefully. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her appearance with a more discerning gaze, "Where's your bloody pantsuit?"

"I decided to go with something more weather appropriate." She hummed. "It's far too warm outside to be in something so stuffy. Besides, it's Florence, the city of romance. That's no place for a pantsuit."

Her words mirrored most of his previous conversations with the witch from the last few days. She had been armed and ready to fire on him with her quick wit. Draco wasn't sure what to think, other than he didn't like the sudden change.

Hermione stopped to smell the fresh bouquet of flowers on one of the entryway tables. It was the same floral scent as her — gardenias. Draco wrinkled his nose, had Granger changed her shampoo? Why had he even noticed?

The witch was in an unusually chipper mood, and he almost suspected someone was impersonating her with polyjuice potion, but there was no way Hermione Granger would ever miss this meeting.

"We should get going." Hermione flashed a knowing smile, leading the way as they exited the hotel lobby. She could tell she was getting under Malfoy's skin today with little effort. "We don't want to be late."

Flounced is the only word that could have accurately described how Hermione walked down the streets of Florence. Her hips swayed with each step she took, and Draco found himself scowling at anyone who gazed in her direction while he sulked next to her. 

He wasn't jealous. That much he knew for certain. He didn't even like the woman for fucks sake! He just hated not knowing what her motives were, or why she had to wear a dress like that. On today of all days! It was wildly unprofessional of her, and extremely out of character. He didn't need anything throwing him off when they were about to close a business deal.

They arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early, but Marco and Gianna were already waiting at a table outside. The pair stopped talking the minute they noticed Hermione. They couldn't take their eyes off of her, with good reason.

Gianna stood and embraced Hermione, "Hermione, it is so nice to finally meet you." She took a step backwards without letting go to fully observe her, "You look beautiful. I absolutely love this dress!"