Chapter Text
The Music that inspired this Fic
Hermione was enjoying a chocolate croissant in her favorite café in Bécherel on her tour of all the best bookish towns in the French countryside. She took one vacation a year for her birthday and this one had been her best to date.
Hermione loved her job and her friends, but their lives were so filled with family life that spending time with them was largely spent recounting the last adorable thing any of their children had done. Harry and Ginny were parents three times over. Ron and Lavender had one plus another on the way. Pansy and Neville were about to be parents. Hell, even Theo and Luna were talking about children, though how that would work Hermione had no idea.
Several years ago, on a night she would rather forget she had walked in on them practicing some rather erotic yoga. She had been invited over mind you, but apparently, they lost track of time. Dinner was cancelled that evening since there was absolutely no chance, she would be able to look them in the eye for several months. She loved them both dearly but both of them were so in the clouds she had a hard time imagining how they would be parents. But maybe they would just be a different sort, more whimsical, she imagined them all wearing ridiculous glasses on hunts for Nargles and snorted into her espresso.
The war ended nineteen years ago and everyone else had moved on and, in most ways, so had she. Hermione just couldn’t seem to let her guard down enough to let someone in. So, she poured herself into school and work. She had finished her N.E.W.T.S. and gone on to Uni which she graduated a full year from so she started medical school at twenty-three instead of twenty-four. She was also a fully qualified healer and had completed Muggle residency to become a doctor. She had spent four years after graduating with Doctors Without Borders to cope with the strangled feelings she had watching all her friends pair off. No one could accuse her of avoiding them when she was off being a Do-Gooder, as Theo so often ribbed her about. At thirty-five she finally decided it was time to come home and try to be more normal; find someone and settle down. She worked at St. Mungo’s now and still worked on call at a local Muggle A&E to be able to keep her medical license.
Amidst the bliss of her chocolate croissant Hermione heard the voice of a man she never thought she would hear again. She was transported back to a night eight years ago when she had had far too much to drink and Theo, being the scoundrel he was, spiked her cocktail with a lust potion. He defended his actions later under the pretext that she just needed to loosen up and have fun. Well, that fun led to a dark alcove with an equally inebriated Draco Malfoy and that led to terrible decisions. They had not seen each other again after that night and sometimes she wondered if it had been some crazed fever dream. What a sordid affair, “Girl snogs the brains out of childhood bully at a wedding”. It sounded like the plot of a horrendous romance novel.
Seeing Malfoy after all that time had been so bizarre he wasn’t the boy she remembered. He had been dashing, far too good looking, and apparently to her potion addled mind very snoggable. After she had berated Theo for dosing her she had finally learned where he had been for the previous four years. Having finished his N.E.W.T.S. while on house arrest, Malfoy went on to France for Uni. He had only just returned and was set to start work as an Auror the next month.
That had been eight years ago, despite having many mutual friends they had never crossed paths again. Granted she had only been in London for the past two year but it was still strange. Then she learned the reason one night when Theo whined to her that his best mate was always taking undercover assignments and was never around and why couldn’t he just be the lazy heir that did nothing but work a half ass job because the Ministry forced all of them to as penance for their “war crimes”. Theo was dramatic.
He spoke again, pulling her out of her reminiscing. Why was he here, of all the places in all the world? It was a tiny town in France known for bookstores, hardly a criminal underground. Why did the reclusive Auror have to be here?
Hermione glanced around but didn’t spot the blinding blond. The only man in the vicinity was talking on a mobile three tables behind her. She only glanced quickly but it was someone with brown hair, and the thought of Malfoy on a muggle phone. Laughable. The voice though, that was his voice. Less of that drawl perhaps and he was speaking French but that was his voice.
Why did she know that. Unbidden the memory rose.
“Merlin Granger, that swotty little mouth is going to ruin me.” His voice was raw and deep. “Tell me what you like, I am yours to boss around.”
Her cheeks were flaming as she forced that night out of her mind. Hermione finished her croissant and espresso and tried to push away every shred of curiosity, but she couldn’t, she was Hermione Granger and being nosy was in her nature.
Casually, she rose from her table with the feigned purpose of picking up a local paper on a stand near the entrance. The man was deep in conversation with someone on the phone, he suddenly broke off. Hermione glanced up just as he made eye contact. The eyes were steely grey, and she would know them anywhere. She looked down quickly, this was a terrible idea, she strode back to her table to gather her things and walked out of the café.
She had no idea why she felt the need to get out of there but the look of shock in those cool gray eyes had unsettled her. Panting in an alley two streets away she was about to Apparate when a strong Disillusioned hand came over her mouth and an arm of steel wrapped around her waist. Then she was spinning on the spot as her captor Disapparated them away.
When they landed, she was determined to fight for her life. The jostle of Apparation had loosened the captor’s grip enough for her to thrust her elbow into his solar plexus then stomp on his instep. She was able to get free and rounded on her assailant ready to punch.
“As titillating as reliving my thirteen-year-old wet dreams could be I would just as soon not. Finite Incantatem.”
Malfoy stood before her rubbing his chest where she had elbowed him. She closed the distance and went to punch him anyway, because he bloody deserved it the prick. Catching her fist and spinning her around faster than she thought possible.
“Nice to see you too Granger. However, unless you want me to spaff in my pants I am going to need you to stop trying to beat me up,” Malfoy drawled.
“Let go of me you disgusting pig,” Hermione snapped.
“If you promise to stop trying to woo me,” he whispered far too close to her ear.
Hermione stopped struggling and Malfoy released her hands taking a step back.
“Look Granger, sorry I just grabbed you off the street that was not very professional, I was just shocked to see you and when I realized you recognized me, I had to talk to you.”
All the usual Malfoy pomp and arrogance was gone. Malfoy looked, dare she say abashed, this was too unsettling. Pratty Malfoy she could deal with, this man grasping the back of his neck, glancing at her through his lashes, apologizing. She must have fallen into an alternate universe.
“What is wrong with you?” Hermione snapped with more accusation than necessary.
Malfoy straightened his shoulder every emotion melting from his face, this was his signature look. His ability to just feign disinterest was something she had always envied because even now she lacked guile.
“I need you to sod off, I don’t care why you are here, but I need you to leave or at the very least ignore me. I am here on official business, and I can’t be bothered. Having the ever-nosy Granger lurking about will not do.”
“Lurking. LURKING!” Hermione shrieked
“Yes lurking, did you think that move across the café was subtle? Very lurky, you would make a terrible spy,” Malfoy said with heavy condescension.
“I would literally never have bothered you! You are the snatcher that dragged me to some unknown location to do Merlin knows what with me. I have been abducted enough….”
That was not the thing to say, Malfoy looked even more ghostly than usual before his face snapped back to a mask of calm.
“Of course, you are quite right. Please note if you see me again do not react or take notice. I won’t bother you again.” His voice was stilted and overly formal.
“Malfoy…”
But he was already gone with crack.