(I'm sorry this took so long! I've been travelling like a madwoman, and I really haven't been in the writing mood lately. I was able to squeeze this out. I hope it's not too horrible, and it can hold you guys for awhile. I think I only have one chapter left, unless I decide to draw it out and make it two. Enjoy!)
The day of the next Rose Ceremony, Hermione found herself very excited. Normally she was very nervous, but she was so
certain of her choices this time, there was no way she could be nervous. She rose early and took a shower, ready to
face the day. She took her disguised Hogwarts, A History out to the pool to read.
Before she knew it, it was time to get ready for the Ceremony. She decided to wear a pale pink dress this time. She wiggled into the dress and arranged her hair in a curly mass atop her head. Slipping on her pink matching shoes and fastening her necklace, she made her way down to meet the guys. She smiled once she saw the three at the bottom of the steps. She hated to admit it, but she knew Harry was most of the reason that she was smiling.
She never thought she could care for someone so much after knowing them for such a short period of time. She wished she would have had more time with him, and she could have kicked herself for forgetting to tell him she is a witch. She was so into the moment that it completely slipped her mind to tell him. She hoped to remedy that the next moment they got alone without the cameras. Times like that were hard to come by, but she hoped she would get a chance.
They talked amongst themselves and waited for Chris the Host to come and get her to go into the Deliberation Room. All too soon he was leading her in, but she didn't need the extra time to make a decision. She knew without a doubt who would be moving on. A few minutes later, Chris the Host came to collect her and take her into the main room. Once she got there and saw the nervous, smiling face of her Harry, she knew she was making the right choice.
She stood before the table that held the two roses she would be giving out and smiled at the three remaining men.
"I just want to let you know that I had a wonderful time with each of you the past few days. With that being said, know that my choice today has nothing to do with you, it just means that we weren't meant to be." She picked up the first rose and took a deep breath.
"Harry." He smiled bigger than she had ever seen him smile and stepped forward.
"Harry, do you accept this rose?" She knew he would say yes, or rather hoped he would say yes.
"Absolutely," he replied, flashing her the smile she knew and loved. She pinned the rose to his lapel and kissed his cheek. He stepped back with the others as she studied the faces of the two men whose names hadn't been called yet. Draco looked arrogant and sure, just as he always did, and David had a nervous smile as he shuffled his feet. Chris the Host stepped forward to announce the last rose of the night, and Hermione took another deep breath before announcing the last name.
"Draco." He smiled as well as he stepped forward to accept his rose.
"Draco, will you accept this rose?"
"Certainly," he replied, waiting for her to pin the rose to his lapel before stepping back with the others.
Chris came forward and addressed the men," David, I'm sorry you did not receive a rose. Please take a moment to say your goodbyes. David shook Harry and Draco's hand and turned to Hermione.
"Thank you for allowing me to get this far," David told her as he hugged her goodbye. "It's been a pleasure getting to know you, and I wish you the best with whomever you choose." Hermione nodded and bid him farewell.
She then turned to her two remaining men and smiled. She still couldn't believe she was there. She was glad to have been given the opportunity to be there, and thanked her lucky stars that she was, because it brought her to Harry. Next she would take them to meet her parents, and she hoped they liked them as much as she did.
***********
On the plane to London to meet her parents, Hermione thought long and hard about the decision she was going to have to make. She knew whether her parents liked them or not made a big difference as far as who she would choose. She knew she felt a special connection with Harry, but Draco had definite possibilities as well.
When she arrived, she was thrilled to see her parents and immediately ran to them and gave them a hug.
"Mum, it's so good to see you. I missed you!" Hermione told her as they pulled away. She then turned to her father and gave him the same enthusiastic greeting.
"Well, if we're going to get that same enthusiastic greeting every time you go away, maybe you should go away more often," joked Richard Granger as his daughter reluctantly let him go.
"Oh, Daddy, it's just nice to see you. I can't wait for you to meet him," Hermione told them as her luggage was being loaded into the boot of the limo.
"Him? Aren't there supposed to be two men left, darling?" Jane Granger asked, confused.
"Oh, yes, of course. I meant them-Are you ready?" Hermione said absently as she climbed into the car. Her parents exchanged a meaningful glance before climbing in behind her.
When they reached her parents' house, the limo driver carried her luggage inside and left her. They had wanted her to stay in a hotel, but she convinced them to let her stay with her parents. She missed staying with them, and was excited to be able to sleep in her old room again. Once the excitement from being home wore off, she began to feel the nerves again.
She valued her parents' opinions more than anything, and she hoped she liked the remaining men. She had decided to have Draco visit first, so he would be arriving the following day. She had a whole night to forget about the whole 'Bachelorette' business and be alone. No cameras would be following her, and she could truly be alone for the first time in weeks. Just the thought of it was heaven.
After enjoying a nice long bath, she went to bed early, deciding it would be better for her to be rested for the days to come.
*********
The next day, Hermione was enjoying a nice lunch alone when there was a knock on the door. She went to answer it and found the limo driver.
"I was told to come get you so you could accompany me to pick up Mr. Malfoy from the airport."
"Oh, I wasn't aware, give me one moment and I'll be ready," Hermione answered, surprised they hadn't told her she would be going. It made sense; she would be able to talk to him before he met her parents. Minutes later, they were on their way to the airport. They made their way as far as they were allowed and waited.
They didn't have to wait long, and before she knew it, Hermione saw the snow white hair of Draco Malfoy approaching. Looking a bit lower she saw his intense steel gray eyes, and just a bit lower yet, his enticing mouth curved into something that would probably be best described as a smirk.
Finally, she studied his attire, and was not disappointed. He wore a black suit with blue pinstripes that perfectly matched the blue shirt and blue silk tie. Although he was a bit overdressed for the casual evening, Hermione thought he had never looked better. He would definitely make a good impression on her parents.
As soon as he was standing in front of her, she couldn't help but smile at him.
"You look very beautiful. This was definitely worth spending thirteen hours on an airplane," he told her as he kissed her cheek.
Hermione blushed slightly as she accepted the kiss. "We had better get going. My parents will be expecting us."
"Of course," Draco told her as he offered his arm. She took it with a smile and they followed the driver out to the limo.
The drive to her house seemed short, and before they knew it, they were there. The driver opened the door and as they stepped out, Draco couldn't help but smile. It was so hopelessly Muggle. Just a few years ago, he never would have imagined visiting a place like this, and now he was excited to be there. Oh, how the times changed. He looked over to find Hermione studying him.
"Are you ready?" she asked uncertainly, hoping everything went well. She knew Draco grew up in an all-magic family, and wasn't as used to Muggles as most. She hoped he would be okay.
"I am more than ready," he told her as he took her hand and led her to the door. As they approached, the door opened and revealed two smiling people. Draco smiled back as he offered his hand to her father.
"Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself as Mr. Granger accepted his hand and shook it briefly.
"It's good to meet you, Draco. I'm Richard Granger, and this is my wife Jane." Mr. Granger gestured to his wife who also held out her hand. Draco shook it briefly and smiled at her.
"I see where Hermione gets her good looks. You're a very lucky man, Mr. Granger," Draco told them as they walked in. They sat down in the sitting room on couches facing each other.
"So, Draco," started Mr. Granger. "You're from around here?"
"Yes, sir, I grew up outside London. My parents own land out there that has been in my family for a very long time."
"I see. Hermione tells us you own a business?" Mrs. Granger asked politely.
"Sort of. I own pieces of a few businesses. I am basically just financial support for them when they need it. I help them get on their feet when they have slipped," Draco tried to explain. "Hermione tells me you are both dentists?"
"Yes, we are. We have our own practice not far from here. We do fairly well," Mr. Granger answered with a smile. "It's very interesting that a man in your position doesn't already have a significant other. What made you decide to do the show?"
Draco smiled at the polite jab. "After meeting Hermione, I wondered the same thing about her," he joked. "I found that, around here, everyone I come in contact with knows me. They know who I am, what I do, and where I've been. I wanted the chance to meet someone that would get to know me for me, and form their own opinions. I wanted an objective relationship. You can't find that with people you've known the better part of ten or fifteen years."
Mr. and Mrs. Granger nodded in understanding. "Are you ready to eat? I made turkey, I hope that is okay with you," Mrs. Granger asked as she rose. Everyone followed her into the dining room and took their seats. They passed around the food, and, once everyone was ready, began to eat.
"This is delicious Mrs. Granger," Draco told her after a few minutes.
"Thank you, dear," she answered back with a wide smile. "Tell me, have you given any thought to children?"
Draco almost lost the food in his mouth all over the table. A second later, he found himself grateful that he had a full mouth because it gave him time to think of his answer.
"Not really, but I think I would like to have children. I am an only child, so it would be nice to have at least two so our children would have a sibling, but I'm not sure about any more. It would just depend on if it worked out or not," he answered, hoping it was what they wanted to hear. He was glad to see Mrs. Granger nodding thoughtfully.
"That sounds reasonable. I always wished we would have had another child so Hermione could have a brother or sister. It just never worked out," she told him with a sad smile.
Too soon, dinner was over and they were walking Draco to the door.
"It's been wonderful to meet you both," Draco told Mr. and Mrs. Granger as he shook both their hands.
"You, too, Dear. Good luck with everything, whether it works out with you and Hermione or not," Mrs. Granger said as she opened the door for him.
"Thank you," Draco said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Hermione followed him out the door to say goodbye.
"So what do you think of them?" she asked once they had reached the car.
"They are very nice," Draco answered, giving her a hug. "It's obvious how much they love you."
"They do," Hermione said as they pulled apart. She leaned up and gave him a short kiss before he got in the car. "I'll see you in a few days."
"I'll look forward to it."
As the limo pulled away, Hermione couldn't help but think, One down, one to go.
(As always, I'm going to beg. You guys have been wonderful about it so far, I just always feel the need
to say it. PLEASE REVIEW!)