When Draco Met Hermione

Chapter 5: We Meet Again

~*~

Five years later....................

The airport was filled to the brim with people running from one terminal to another. Luggage and bodies were bumping against each other. In the center of Terminal A, a couple stood their ground as they passionately kissed and held onto each other as if they were the only ones in the terminal.

A man with shocking blond hair walked right past the kissing couple, and then stopped. He watched them for a bit, and then a small smirk formed on his face. He walked away from them and walked back towards the couple purposely bumping into the man.

The couple broke away from each other and the man with stared at the blond man.

"Harry? Harry Potter! I thought it was you!" Draco grabbed Harry's hand and shook it furiously as if he had wanted to see him for years.

Harry adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Draco, Draco how are you doing?"

"Good! How are you doing?"

"I'm......fine." Harry was obviously a bit taken back by being, well, interrupted, even if it was an old friend. The woman he was with was obviously miffed, and was not trying to hide the fact that she was irritated. Draco looked over at the woman, and his smirk grew larger. This encounter was going to be more fun for him that anything else.

Draco turned back to Harry, "Yeah, I was just walking by and I thought it was you and there it is, it is you!"

"Yea........." Harry was not sure how to react, he had never seen Draco so, well, enthusiastic about seeing him, or anyone for that matter.

"So Harry, are you still working for the ministry?" Harry looked shocked that Draco would so blatantly mention something like that in front of his companion who could have been a muggle. But Harry figured it was a slip and his partner didn't hear him......right?

"Oh, well, I am actually doing some seminars now, kind of like a motivational speaker so to speak. Still in the same department, but different title and a bit more money."

Draco knew it was grating on Harry's nerves that he was there, especially that he was making him discuss his work out in the middle of a muggle airport. "Well, I think that's great Harry. I guess you're on the American leg of your tour right? Well, I myself have been a bit successful in a way, I'm working as a political consultant. Very interesting."

Harry nodded and then turned towards his companion, "Draco, I would like you to meet Hermione Granger." The brunette turned around and shot a look of death towards Draco. "Ummmm.....this is Draco Malfoy, an old school chum from England."

Hermione shook Draco's hand as if they were meeting for the first time. She looked at him intently waiting for him to recognize her and say something embarrassing about the small amount of time they spent together driving to the city five years ago, but the man said nothing, just shook her hand and let go. It was as if she wasn't really there to begin with.

"Well, Harry, it was great to see you again, best of luck. I've got a plane to catch."

"Yes, good seeing you too Draco!"

Draco picked up the bag he had placed on the ground and walked away.

As soon as he disappeared in the crowd, Hermione slumped against Harry and let out a relieved sigh. "Thank Merlin he couldn't place me! We drove from college to New York five years ago and it was the longest night of my life!"

Harry straightened her out and brushed her hair off her face. "What happened?"

"Well, he made a pass at me and when I said no, because he was at the time going with a girlfriend of mine.....umm.........drat! I can't even remember her name! Blast, Harry, you better not get involved with me, I am twenty-six years old and I can't even remember the name of the girl I was such good friends with that I wouldn't get involved with her boyfriend!"

Harry smiled down at Hermione. He had met her at a bookstore in Greenwich Village when he was speaking to a small wizarding foundation in New York. She was absolutely intriguing. He had introduced her to many of his friends from Hogwarts who had moved to the states and made lives for themselves working with the New York Wizarding Community, or, like Hermione, leading muggle lives. One of Hermione's best friends was a girl named Ginny Weasley, as well as her brother Ron and a girl named Lavender Brown who seemed to follow Ron around like a puppy. Looking at his muggle watch, he picked up Hermione's bags and began to walk her towards her gate.

"So, what happened?"

Hermione, who was busy calculating the amount of time it would take for her to read the book she wanted to in the time she was in the air, absentmindedly mumbled a "when?"

"When, ummm, when Draco made a pass at you? And, well, I know you said you said no and.........."

Hermione stopped walking and took Harry's hands in hers. "Well, I said we could just be friends and he said that men and women can never be friends. Do you think that's true?"

"No," said Harry, albeit a bit too fast for Hermione's liking. "Harry," Hermione held his hand as they continued to walk through the terminal, "do you have any women friends, just friends?"

"No.....well, not counting Ron's little sister, so, well, no........but I'll get one if it's important to you!"

They reached the gate and Harry pulled Hermione in for a hug and a kiss. As he was bending down to kiss her, Hermione jumped back and had a triumphant look on her face. "Amanda Reese! That was her name!"

Harry just shook his head, he was used to Hermione's, well, quirkiness. He hugged her and kissed her good-bye. " I will miss you, I love you."

Hermione looked at Harry. "You do?"

"Yes."

"Oh, well, I love you."

One last kiss and Hermione walked to the gate and then boarded the plane.

~*~

Hermione settled herself in her seat on the place and leaned back a bit and closed her eyes. She was loved! Not just by anyone, but by one of the most famous wizards of all time! She just had to call her mum. She thought about Harry and well, what it would have been like if they had been at Hogwarts together. Would they have been friends? With thoughts of Harry in mind, Hermione relaxed a little more before take-off.

"Miss, would you like something to drink?" Hermione opened her eyes and saw a flight attendant with a gigantic grin staring down at her.

The passenger next to Hermione thought he was addressing him, "Nothing for me thanks." Hermione just shook her head and looked back at the woman in the aisle.

"Do you have any bloody mary mix?"

"Yes we do ma'am."

"Ok, well, here's what I want. Regular tomato juice, filled up about three quarters then add a splash, just a splash, of bloody mary mix, and a little piece of lime, but on the side."

As Hermione dictated her drink, the man sitting directly behind her could not even begin to believe it. 'On the side? The woman is still asking for things on the side? Pity the muggles don't throw passengers out for being anal." As soon as the flight attendant walked away, Draco Malfoy leaned over the seat so that he was looking at Hermione upside down.

"University of Chicago right?"

'Oh blast.....here we go.....' Hermione turned around and faced him right side up. "Yes."

"Did you look this good at the University of Chicago?"

Hermione was dumbfounded. 'How dare he?!' "Well, no, I don't suppose so....."

"Did we ever....you know......." Draco pumping his fist up and down. Hermione turned beet red at the actions, as well as the fact that the man sitting next to her was grinning in anticipation to see just how detailed their conversation was going to get.

"No! Absolutely not!" Hermione blushed an even deeper shade of red. She turned to the man on her right, "Look, we drove from Chicago to New York together after graduation, that was all there was to it!"

The man didn't look like he bought her explanation, but nodded nonetheless. "Would you two like to sit together?"

Hermione shook her head in protest, but Draco grabbed a handful of her hair and prevented her from continuing to shake her head. "That would be great! Thank you," exclaimed Draco.

The man and Draco promptly switched places. Hermione slumped down in her seat as Draco shifted around in his new one. "Ahh, found me a good resting place for my bum. So, you were good friends with, umm.....drats, what was her name...."

"Amanda. I can't believe you don't remember her name!"

Draco waved over a flight attendant, then turned his attention back to Hermione, "What do you mean? I remember! Amanda, Amanda Rice." Draco gave Hermione a smug smile. He ordered a glass of water for the attendant, and sank back down in his seat.

"It was Reese you prat. Her last name was REESE." Hermione snapped open her magazine that had been resting on her lap and proceeded to stare intently at it.

"Umm, well, it would do you some good if that magazine was right side up Granger." Draco smirked and flipped the magazine over. Hermione huffed and straightened out the magazine. "Look, Reese, ok, the last name was Reese. What ever happened to her?"

"I have no idea."

"You have no idea? Well, weren't you really good friends with her? I never ended up shagging you to heaven and back because you were such good bloody friends with her!"

"Look," said Hermione through clenched teeth. Her patience was wearing thin at every word Draco spoke. "You were going with her. I had no intention of shagging you no matter how much of a friend Amanda was to me! She was a friend, best or not. You insufferable prat! You conniving jerk! And to think of all the places in the world, you are here sitting next to me!"

Draco watched Hermione's chest rise up and down as her anger began to subside. Draco let her fume a bit more before he leaned back on his seat and turned his head to face Hermione's red one. "So, was it worth it? The sacrifice of not shagging me for a friend that you don't even keep in touch with?"

Hermione had calmed down a bit and was breathing normally again. She scowled at the man behind her who had previously sat next to her. He seemed a little too interested in their conversation for her comfort. She turned around and looked intently at Draco.

"Well, Mr. Big shot, you may not believe this, but I never considered not sleeping with you a sacrifice." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and had a smug look on her face as if she had won something big. Draco realized that this was neither the time, nor the place to get her blood boiling. "Fair enough, Fair enough," said Draco, bowing his head towards her as if she needed a physical showing that he had conceded to her.

"So, Granger, I remember you were going to be a gymnast." Draco began to flip through an airline magazine while he made a slow attempt at keeping the conversation going.

"I was going to be a journalist." Draco smiled behind his magazine, 'the smallest things will do the trick,' he though. "Right, journalist, that's what I said. So what happened to that?"

Hermione, who was busy examining her bloody mary, gave up and pulled the blanket she brought on all her flights around her stomach and pulled her legs up and got into a more comfortable position.......to take a nap. She had been hoping that Draco would stop babbling about small things and leave her alone. She shut her eyes and sat silently for a few moments. Draco's question about what she had done in the last five years since they last saw each other hung in the air between them.

'I wish I was able to hex him silly right now,' thought Hermione. She had peeked out of one eye and saw that instead of being irritated that Hermione had blatantly ignored him, he was flipping through his airline magazine humming softly and occasionally glancing at her as if waiting for an answer. 'Ugh! Frustrating man! How is he getting to me like this!' Draco was watching the squirming figure under the blanket with much amusement. He knew his unconcerned behavior in regards to her rudely ignoring her was eating away at her defenses.

Within a few moments, Hermione sat up, hair wild and all over her face. She glared at Draco, gulped down her bloody mary and settled back down in her blanket. She turned her head slightly to face Draco. "I am a journalist and I work for Manhattan News."

Draco wasn't all that interested in what she did as much as what he did that would irritate the hell out of her. "That's great Granger! And now you're with Harry Potter! You're together, what, three weeks perhaps?"

Hermione gaped at him with an expression mixed with awe and irritation. "It's been almost a month, yes, how did you know that?"

"He took you to the airport," said Draco very matter-of-factly.

Once again with the open-mouthed expression, Hermione just looked at him, now with more curiosity than ever. Draco proceeded to explain further. "You take someone to the airport, or say, to platform 9 ¾, or even to an apparition spot, it's clearly the beginning of a relationship. See, I've never taken anyone to an apparition spot or an airport at the beginning of a relationship."

"Oh, and why is that Malfoy? Because you're limo driver will take you catch of the day for you?"

Draco wagged his finger in Hermione's face. "Bitter bitter Granger. No, because eventually if things move on and you don't take them to wherever, airport, or apparition port, or even a broom landing, well, than someone will become a screeching harpy about 'Why didn't you take me to the airport anymore?' or 'Why did I have to go to the Broom Departure Terminal by myself this time?' It will get tiresome."

Hermione just looked at him and then let out something that was suppose to sound like a sarcastic laugh, but instead it sounded like she had been smoking for year. "It's amazing, you look like a normal person, but actually, you're like the avada kedavra curse." Hermione shook her head. She was still in awe at how detached Draco was emotionally from everything, even taking someone one cared about to the freakin' airport!

"Are you going to marry him?" Hermione was startled out of her thoughts by Draco's voice, and his question.

"Malfoy, honestly, we have only known each other for about a month and besides, neither one of us is looking to marry at the moment."

Draco gave her what she thought was a smile, "Well, I'm getting married."

A bit of bloody mary flew from Hermione's mouth as she nearly choked on the remainder of her drink. "You are?"

"Mmm hmm."

"YOU, Draco Malfoy, are getting married?!"

"Umm...well, yes. And you might want to take that jacket off and get soak it when you get off the plane. It's a damn good thing you didn't get me with that awful dramatic choking display."

"Who is she? Is she real?"

Draco took out a handkerchief and brushed it over his dark suit jacket, just in case. "Helen Helson, she's a witch who works as a muggle lawyer, and she's keeping her name."

"You're getting married. Honestly, I never would have guessed......."

"Yeah," thought Draco, whose thoughts were broken by more laughing from Hermione. "Well," said Draco rather sternly, "what's so funny about that?"

"Oh," Hermione looked at the anger in Draco's face. She pursed her lips and was ready for a verbal battle if it came down to it. " Well, It's.....a.....well.......it's just so optimistic of you."

" Well, Miss-I-Know-Everything, you'd be surprised at what falling in love can do for you."

"You know what Malfoy, I think it's great. It's nice to see you embracing life in this manner." Hermione finally finished cleaning up her bloody mary mess.

Draco was amazed that Hermione didn't have anything scathing to say about his engagement. "Well, yeah, plus after a while you get a little tired with the whole thing."

"What 'whole thing'?" Hermione was back in curious mode, just waiting to see Draco show his 'Dark side' again.

"Well, since you asked, that whole life-of-a-single-guy thing. You meet someone, you have the safe lunch, and you decide you like each other enough to move onto dinner. You might go dancing, go back to her place, you have sex," Draco saw Hermione blush at the mention of the word, " and the minute I finish you know what goes through my mind? How long do I have to lie here and hold her before I can get up and go home. Like, is thirty seconds enough?"

Hermione was looking at him with a look of disgust, "That's what all you men think after a shag? Is that true?!" A horrified look came over her face and Draco knew she was thinking of Mr. Potter. He was going to make the moment last.

"Sure! All men think that, including Harry Potter. Don't forget, we were mates in Hogwarts, I know of his past dirty deeds." The looks that Hermione was giving him were priceless. "All men think that way Granger. How long do women want to be held after? All night, right?" Hermione nodded her head numbly, still shocked at Draco's revelation about men. "See, there's your problem, somewhere between thirty seconds and all night is your problem and the problem of women all over."

"Well," Hermione fluffed out her blanket and folded it neatly and placed it on her lap, "I will have you know Draco that I do not have a problem!"

Overhead a voice steamed through the speakers: Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be landing shortly. Please fasten you seatbelts and thank you for flying Swifty Air!

"Yes you do," said Draco before Hermione turned away from him and buckled her seatbelt.