Come Find Me | Dramione

Chapter 12: Her

Fucking fresh flowers and honey.

He swore it was growing stronger with every passing day he spent with her. Their time apart did nothing to diminish it, not that he would have wanted it to. Her signature scent still lingered around Draco as he stood motionless in his library, staring at the spot where she had just been and scolding himself for being such a monstrous fool.

He shifted The Winter's Tale in his hands, remembering the first time he had read it.

It was his second year at Cambridge. He had found this very copy on a bench while walking through campus. He picked it up, flipped through its pages and spotted her name.

He had always thought it was such an unusual name. He had never seen it before, it had only ever belonged to her. So naturally his interest peaked.

He left a pile of Muggle currency – which he later learned was an obscene amount of money, more than enough to pay back his stealing of some poor bloke's book – and changed course for the library.

The book sparked a love for Shakespeare that Draco still harbored to this day, if his extensive collection of his works were any indication.

Out of all the books he could have chosen to show her, of course – of course, he had to pick this one. No wonder she ran out of the place with the fear of Godric on her face. She probably thought him a right creep after flipping through and skimming his notes.

His skin still simmered from her gentle touch, his heart was only just then returned to its normal rhythm.

What the fuck was he doing? What was it about Granger that made him lose his sense of time, of reality? Why did looking at her make him feel anything but normal?

And for the love of everything good and holy, why did she have to be married?

***

Draco Apparated into the travel parlor of the Manor, meeting the cool blue eyes and warm smile of his mother, who had been waiting for him. Narcissa was always dressed in the newest wizarding fashion labels, all hand picked by her designer Pansy Parkinson and sent to her from Milan.

It seemed that meeting – what was her name again? – was certainly the occasion to go above and beyond.

She was in all black dress robes, eloquently draping into a long skirt, with her long blonde hair pinned out of her face.

"Mother," he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "I see we are in the business of 'woo-ing' today."

"Whatever gave you that impression?" She smiled at him innocently.

"Please, do try to remember that I am not actively seeking a partner at this time in my life. I'm sure this girl is lovely–"

"She is," Narcissa interrupted. "Very lovely. So lovely, in fact, that I believe she could surprise you. Come now, Draco, you made a promise."

"I made a promise to attend dinner with these people, and this is me keeping that promise, Mother. Anything else is of no consequence."

"Just have an open mind. That is all I ask."

He huffed as she tugged him to the Floo. He couldn't possibly think of anything else he'd rather not be doing than attending this meal. How was he expected to have an 'open mind' when there seemed to be no space left that wasn't already occupied by her?

It was ridiculous. He shouldn't think that way – couldn't think that way. As they arrived in Diagon Alley, he straightened his shoulders, determined to fulfill his mother's wishes and give this woman a chance.