Making contact

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco stared at the fourth draft of his letter, the previous three having been incinerated (one by fiendfyre), and realised that although he wasn't happy with it it wasn't going to get better whatever he did so he might as well send it. The worst she'd do would be send a howler, or a more creative curse back.

Hermione,

I know I'm the last person you expect to hear from, but in my entire time in Hogwarts there is only one witch I consider my intellectual superior even if she did have the misfortune to choose friends she couldn't even bounce ideas off. In my attempts to reverse engineer various enchanted artifacts and create my own I'm afraid I have run into something I need a second opinion on, but that could lead to a wizarding version of the internet, and even potentially being able to connect the two via a heavily modified protean charm (a spell I am aware you've used).

If you are interested any owl you send will be welcome at Malfoy Manor and I will entirely understand if you want to meet in a neutral place or even on your own territory, and you are welcome to bring a bodyguard although I would request anyone except Ron or George Weasley.

Regards,

Draco Malfoy

It was now or never, so he rolled the note up, attached it to the leg of his owl, and sent it to find Hermione Granger wherever she was.

Comments

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco deliberately did a double take and let her catch him checking her out. If she'd put that much work into her appearance it was, after all, only polite to let her know it was the success it was.

And he met her smile with one of his own. "Do you indeed? When we're both capable of brewing polyjuice?" His smile widened into a smirk. "How do you know without it that I'm really me and not Mili Bulstrode or Greg Goyle?" Possibly because that wasn't the way either of them would have responded to a challenge like that.

[mudblood_andproud]

A blush covered her features after noticing that he was checking her out. Hermione tried not to wonder too much why the thought of Draco Malfoy appreciating her beauty had such an effect on her.

She laughed. "Because neither of them are very capable of brewing polyjuice, the same way we are. And besides, when would they want to try to be in your bad books?"

"You look good, Draco." She didn't use his last name, on purpose. It had been a while since they had seen each other. And she would like to try for a fresh start, if it was possible.

[dragons_can_learn]

"And you look stunning, Hermione." Draco smiled. "And that blush suits you." Which was of course deliberately poking her. It did suit her, but he also was asking her how far she wanted to be teased, assuming she could look after herself.

"Also which do you want? Lunch first, business first, or both together? And as it's my business I'm paying for lunch." This wasn't a date in the slightest, which a traitorous part of him thought was a pity - even if she was one of the Golden Trio and her brains had had him punished by his father repeatedly.

[mudblood_andproud]

His words made her blush again. Hermione felt like she was 16 all over again. And really, when you thought about how she spent her late teen years, it is no wonder that never had an experience like this one. It was nice, in a way, to have that teasing.

"Both together." She was not going to argue with him about who was paying for lunch.

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco smiled. "Then shall we get a table?" He paused. "You know you feel a lot more approachable like this than you ever did while we were in school. And I hope I'm less of a jerk than I was then." Which he was almost certain he was, but he wanted her to know he could openly acknowledge it.

[mudblood_andproud]

"We have yet to take a look at your work." Hermione stands, drink in one hand, linking her arm with Draco's with her free hand. "I am sure you will see some of those 'insufferable know-it-all' traits that you just loved, during our school years."

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco smiled, leading her towards an empty table in the corner. "Those were twice as annoying because you could back them up. Unlike any Ravenclaw in our year."

Hermione might be surprised that there was an attentive waiter as soon as they sat down, most unlike the Hogshead; there were advantages to being known to tip lavishly. "Do you know what you want, or would you like some time to decide? And the privacy runes please, Maria." The waitress nodded with a smile, touching part of the table, and there was a slight shimmer between them and the room.

[mudblood_andproud]

"The Sorting Hat took its time deciding between placing me in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor." Hermione smiles in response. Sometimes she wonders if he would have been nicer to her, if she had been sorted in Ravenclaw.

"Nachos. With the works." Hermione responds with a smile. "Thank you."

[dragons_can_learn]

"A plate of nachos and a mushroom pizza then please Maria. And a butterbeer. Two if you want one?" That last addressed to Hermione; the pizza was almost a political statement to Hermione as it was still very definitely considered muggle food rather than wizarding.

After she'd left Draco smiled. "You'd have made a better Ravenclaw than most. And an exceptional Slytherin if my house hadn't been taken over by Tom Riddle which also left Ravenclaw toxic." His voice turned reflective and self recriminating. "Not that I didn't help there."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Sure. I will take a butterbeer." Hermione smiled softly.

She frowned slightly at his reflective tone. And reached over to touch his hand lightly. "That toxic influence had its effect on a lot of good people. Making them do unfortunate things."

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco blinked at her reply, pressing his hand faintly against hers. "I know. But I was one of the worst while we were there. And I was especially horrible to you because I thought you shouldn't have been possible and you were the person proving everything I believed in wrong."

He shrugged, clearly changing the subject as he pulled a black steel runic device out of a pocket that appeared to be empty. "Anyway. This is a child's toy that turns one sequence of lights into another in whatever way you tell it to; the lights go in there and come out there. And you can see the sequences down the side. Have a play." He smiled. "Just a weird child's toy for when the only spell a pureblood can cast is Lumos and they want to do more." He paused. "Until you start mixing it with fibre optic cables."

[mudblood_andproud]

"But think about it Draco, if you didn't constantly challenge me, I would have not pressed so hard to do what others thought was impossible." She would have never been mentally challenged by Harry or Ron.

"In a way, you made me a better witch." Better savor those words for the moment, for she just might not repeat herself.

When he changes the subject, Hermione removes her hand from his to take the runic device that he held out. She examined it closely as he explained it's purpose. Then looked at him, with slight interest. "And when you do?"

[dragons_can_learn]

"You'd have made such a good Slytherin if the house hadn't been corrupted." From Draco that was a huge compliment.

"And nothing and everything." He pulled another more complicated looking device out of his pocket with rows and rows of tiny lights on the side. "This is my third one and I can get it right next time. But it almost works. It's the next step I need help with."

He tapped it with his wand and she was looking at a very blurry TV screen which he glanced at. "This is something called The Jerry Springer Show. And tells me that my family is nice and normal by Muggle standards." And he was receiving it live.

[mudblood_andproud]

She glanced at him for a moment. Then back at the complicated looking device. Here she was... sitting with Draco Malfoy, and he was talking about watching a Muggle TV show. And was about to eat Muggle food. If it wasn't for the fact that she knew how intelligent and creative Draco was... and that he could have fashioned the device in her hands, she would be having some serious doubts about who she was sitting with.

"Next thing you are going to tell me is that you are dating a Muggle." She chuckles.

[dragons_can_learn]

"I've not changed that much." He smirked. "There's the Statute of Secrecy and there are far too many fun spells to share with the person you're dating to give up." He shrugged, guessing Ron had tried very few of them with her.

"But I will admit that after ... things... I looked at everything I thought I knew about the world. And that involved looking at what Muggles are doing because they were supposed to be beneath looking at."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Why Draco... are you into erotic spells?" Hermione brightens her smile. His assumption about Ron was pretty close to the truth. Except for the part where the two of them never made it to a sexual relationship. They had shared a passionate kiss in the heat of the moment... and when the heat was gone, Hermione knew very quickly that a romantic relationship between her and Ron was not something she wanted to pursue.

But luckily for her, her lack of a dating life didn't seem to be worthy enough for the Prophet to be broadcasting to the entire Wizard community.

"You have a very good start on this project. I should recommend some better programs for you..." Hermione smiled.

[dragons_can_learn]

"Only with the right partner." Draco smiled. "And I've even felt most of the ones I use with the help of polyjuice." His smile turned into a smirk. "And you sound curious about them, Hermione."

He paused to see how she reacted to that, then waited as the waitress arrived with their meals, raising his glass to her and only intending to continue either conversation when Maria was out of the bubble.

[mudblood_andproud]

When he mentions the use of polyjuice, Hermione wonders briefly if he uses the potion to become someone else, or to get his partner to become someone else.

She waits for the meals to be set down, and Maria to disappear, before she answers his question. "Why is it such a surprise to everyone that I have a healthy, sexual curiosity and interest?"

"They seem to forget that while I am studious, I can also be very passionate."

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco raised one eyebrow. "Do you really want me to answer that? Because I'm one of the people it's not a surprise for, especially with the way I was making you blush earlier. But I've never thought you were anything other than curious and passionate."

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione has to laugh softly. Draco either must have no idea how sexy he looked, when he did that eyebrow trick. Or he does... and is just using it to prove a point.

"You are more than welcome to make me blush anytime." Hermione picks up her butterbeer. Taking a sip, letting the foam decorate her lips for a moment.

"If we are being honest here, I only have been with one wizard who was daring enough to explore my curiosities and passions. And who knew a few 'fun' spells, himself."

[dragons_can_learn]

And his eyes caught on her lips for just a second before he lowered his voice, knowing exactly what he was doing but still barely repressing the jolt that action sent through him. "You, Hermione, are making me very curious right now. Both as to what your curiosities are, and what you'd look like bound, unleashed, or both."

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione blushed again. And she felt warm at his words.

"I am sort of like your little project here, Draco. You have to push the right buttons to find out the answers to your questions."

Her whole body felt a little flushed to be flirting with him.

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco just smirked at that. "You know that the privacy screen here is solid." And another eyebrow raise as he'd been watching and listening to her. "Anything we do here won't be seen or heard by anyone else unless the waitress walks in on us." Which she wouldn't, but he wasn't going to tell Hermione that. "Or we could take or even leave our meals and I could apparate us to my town house."

[mudblood_andproud]

"I have confidence in your privacy screen."

That wasn't the point. Hermione tilts her head slightly. "Will it be a fair exchange of curiosities, Draco? Will you be willing to tell me something you desire, for each desire I might tell you?"

[dragons_can_learn]

"Of course." Draco smiled. "There are several ways of doing this. Truth for truth, question for question, or via legilimency if you trust me that far. Each of us taking it in turns to set a scene and both of us seeing it from both sides. And trust me. That's gratifying to the ego."