Hermione looked over toward the Slytherin table, and her eyes instantly met gray orbs. A playful smirk and a small gesture skyward had her lips curling into a smile and her ears burning.
"What's got you all smiles?" Asked Ron, his cheeks puffed out as they were stuffed with bites of rolls and other foods.
Before she could answer, the owls swooped in with the mail delivery. She untied the letter from the leg of the owl in front of her before handing it some food. The owl clicked its beak in a gesture of gratitude before grabbing the food from her and flying off.
Hermione opened the letter, instantly recognizing the handwriting inside. And she should since the writing belonged to her boyfriend of one year.
Books come in all shapes and sizes
I hope you will say I do
To a day in Hogsmeade with me
A day like no other
Is another word for tomorrow
Her lips turned up into a bright smile, and she couldn't help the small laugh that escaped from her. It was the same five lines from one year ago, but this time, she knew for sure who had written them.
"It's that same guy from last year?" Food miraculously managed to stay inside Ron's mouth when he spoke this time. "I don't get what you see in him! You won't even tell us who it is!"
"Seriously! It's not your problem if she tells you or not!" Ginny snapped back, already knowing who Hermione's secret boyfriend was since Hermione had felt bad for not telling her since Ginny was the one to help her get dressed for all of her dates.
"It's not like it's hard to figure out," Harry pointed out. "Not many students have that style of writing."
Harry had figured out who the sender was the first time he had seen the letter. He had chosen to politely not mention anything until around the third date, and by that time, he had already come to terms with it.
"It's surprisingly fun and romantic to keep it a secret," admitted Hermione. Though, in all honesty, it was downright exhilarating to have spontaneous dates while sneaking around undetected. She couldn't tell if Draco was rubbing off on her or if she already had that hidden side to her.
Ginny nodded along to her words. "I know what you mean." She shot Harry a sidelong look that had the poor boy turning red. Ginny had taken a page out of Draco's book and pulled a similar stunt on Harry just a few months prior, and it had been a total success.
Hermione put the letter away after placing a preservation spell on it. Her eyes once again found Draco. Before getting up from her seat, she sent him a small wave of her fingers after making sure no one was looking.
She made her way down the corridor before finding the statue with a secret space behind it. She had actually been surprised by how many statues had hidden rooms, tunnels, and hole-in-the-walls behind them.
Not even three minutes later, Draco slid into the spot behind her.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her snug against, causing a blush to rise to her cheeks. He then leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of her cheek. "I can't wait for tomorrow," he breathed, sending a warm breath gliding across her face, causing her to burn an even brighter shade of red.
She moved her arms until they rested against his upper back. "Same." She then leaned up on her toes, capturing his lips with her own. Her lips parted open in shock when she realized that his mouth tasted fresh and clean even though they had just eaten.
Hermione didn't have time to feel embarrassed about not cleaning her teeth because Draco deepened their kiss. That sly tongue of his darted into her mouth, making her toes curl.
Draco finally pulled away after a few minutes. His chest moved up in down as he took in air, trying to catch his breath. He then brought his thumb up and rubbed it against her lower lip. "You should stay in here for a few minutes."
Hermione felt her face flush once again as she realized that her lips were more and likely a little swollen. It was something that happened quite frequently after she had started dating Draco.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He pressed a chaste kiss to the top of her head before darting out into the still empty corridor.
Hermione's back hit the wall behind her, and she slowly slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. Her knees were bunched up against her chest as she slowly allowed herself to catch her breath.
She found herself once again grateful for stopping Draco from leaving almost one year from the day. Finding out that he had been the one to send her that letter had been a great shock to her, but it had been the third best thing to happen in her life. The other two being her exceptance into Hogwarts and the friends that she had made along the way.
After waiting for a few minutes, she slipped out from her hiding spot. Of course, she had made sure that her hair and attire were as they were from before her little rendezvous with Draco.
. . . .
Hermione found herself arriving at the bookstore first again. She browsed the new collection before settling onto a read that promised to be interesting.
"First again, I see," came a familiar drawl.
Hermione looked up to find Draco dressed once again in her favorite color. Held out in front of him was a single rose and a box of chocolate.
"Only one flower this time?" She teased him. She then scooted over on the chair she was sitting on to make room for him.
Draco sat down beside. He slid his free arm behind her waist, effortlessly sliding her onto his lap. It was easy to forget how strong he actually was, but all of that could be attributed to him playing Quidditch.
"Of course. And I will give you one every year from here on out." He then opened up the chocolate and placed one against her lips.
Hermione's tongue darted out to wrap around the offered chocolate. "I look forward to it," was her heartfelt reply after swallowing the overly-sweet candy. She then leaned over until her lips were pressed against his ear. "I've also got you a gift. It'll be sitting on your bed when you return." It was a bag of cookies that she and Ginny had tirelessly baked with the help of Mrs. Weasley, but she decided to leave it as a surprise to keep him guessing. Though she had a feeling he would probably be imagining all sorts of things except for what the gift truly was.
"Hmm? I thought you were my gift?" Draco emphasized with a kiss to her forehead.
Hermione felt her eyes closing into a genuine smile, allowing herself to fall for that sweet tongue of his once again.