Summary: Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger lives together in the Malfoy Manor. They have a perfect relationship, or so Draco thought. Hermione suddenly leaves him. Could he convince her to come back? Post-Hogwarts and HBP didn't occur...

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, only some of the characters

Chapter 1 – It was for the best

"Hermione! What do you think you're doing? Open this door right now!"

The said witch stared at the door from which the hard and loud knocks were being made. The wizard could not open the door with a simple "Alohamora" spell seeing that Hermione had already put in a stronger locking spell. She bit her bottom lip in indecision. She was not surprised by the hard anger in Draco's voice; in fact, she was expecting it seeing the situation. Distressed by hearing Draco's voice, Hermione shut her eyes and prayed that he would just go away.

"Come on honey," the blond man's voice has become cajoling "we need to talk about this rationally."

Talking has never been the point of their relationship. It didn't get them anywhere before and she doubts that it would help them now either.

"Please Mione…"

It was his pleading that got Hermione. Draco never pleaded before. He was always given what he had always wanted, being the only heir of the Malfoy fortune. He never even needed to ask for that matter. Especially with a woman. Many more were willing to do more than just talk. The fact that he was pleading just shows how much desperate he was to talk to Hermione.

Slowly she crossed the room with the natural graceful swing of her hips, quite unaware of how regal and poised she looks. She steadied herself, bracing for the next half hour or so of facing the wrath of Draco Malfoy.

As soon as she opened the door Draco strode in with flashing dark silver steel eyes, indicating the loss of control of his anger.

"Alright," he rasped "so where is the guy that you have replaced me with!" scanning around the room of Hermione's pad as if trying to catch a man lounging there.

"Is it your so-called pal in the office Gyver Dolt? Or Somebody else, huh? He turned and looked at the brunette for the first time "tell me!"

His lips were braced against his teeth and his fists were curled against his sides. He was controlling his anger Hermione thought. She fixed her face with a look of calm knowing that Draco was spoiling for a fight. It would be better for one of them to have at least a small amount of calm and control.

Her lips pursed in a small movement, the only indication that she was not as calm as she seems to be. She took in her fill of the man that held her heart. His built was wiry and tall, 6'2 at the age of 25. His body was now full of tension unlike his usual cool and relaxed way of handling himself. His platinum blond hair is longer now, framing his pointed face, making him look like an avenging angel. His eyes of silver, generally light colored was now dark with fury.

Finally Hermione spoke, "Why should you imagine that someone's here? As you can see, no one's around."

"Why is that, do you think? Maybe you have hidden him in the bedroom." Once Draco got that idea he stormed towards the different rooms of the small place, opening the doors and checking inside the kitchen, bedroom and the small study. He even checked the bathroom.

"Okay! That's it! Stop," Hermione suddenly lost her patience. "it! There's no one here and as soon as you could get that through your thick blond head you may go. This is not the right time for us to talk about it especially since you're in one of your moods! Out!"

She stood in front of him indicating the open door. Draco stopped his actions and stared at the smaller Hermione, drinking in her wavy, sometimes curly and frizzy, brown hair, stormy satiny cinnamon-colored eyes, small pert nose and slight rosebud of a mouth. How he wanted to shake her shoulders right now, wanting to hurt her as she was hurting him at that very moment. Yet he couldn't do it. Helplessly, he finally decided that she was seriously considering her threat. She would throw him out if he does not compose himself soon. He stood stiffly by the dining table and crossed his arms while frowning darkly.

"All right, I'm calm…"

Hermione pushed her unruly bangs from her eyes with an impatient hand. "Good. As you said earlier we need to talk about this rationally, not with you storming around and trying to break every door in my pad."

"Merlin, your pad! I didn't even know that you had kept up the lease!" a frustrated Malfoy bit out.

"Well, you never asked," Hermione shrugged her shoulders, looking as indifferent as she could when inside she was such a mass of nerves. She sat down gracefully on the couch as she feels that her legs would give away every minute.

"I assumed that you did not keep it. After all…" Draco pushed back his platinum hair with a growl of annoyance. He strode in front of her and finally asked what he really wanted to demand since he got there. "Why did you move back to this pad? I thought that you would be at the manor waiting for me when I got back today!"

"It was for the best."

"What kind of answer is that?" Draco was already feeling exhausted. He doesn't need this. He was tired from traveling around for his work and he just wanted Hermione to be where she was supposed to be when he left 1 month ago. She should be in his manor, in his bed right now, not back here in her old pad saying that it was for the best to leave him. He asked again quietly. "Why did you leave?"

Hermione watched as Draco sat down at the other end of the couch, leaning forward as he rests his head on his hands. She longed to comfort him, to soothe his worn out figure. But she steeled herself from that action. She had made her decision and therefore she must stand by it.

"It was agreed before I moved in with you that after one year I would be able to leave if it's what we wanted," Hermione reminded him, "And since you weren't here at that time, I took matters in my own hands and decided on my own."

"Why, for Merlin's sake…I can't understand it," he demanded to know, for a moment seemingly confused, "you could have waited for me, for my decision too. What about me? I certainly did not want you to leave…"

Hermione looked at his clenched fists and nodded, "Yes, I know that."

"Then why did you? The last 12 months were the best time in my life. I thought you felt the same as I did. In fact I swear that I'm telling the truth!" Draco challenged the brunette.

"That's true…" Hermione looked at the floor, remembering the nights that have passed by so beautifully, the days that they would get together after his travels, the trips that they have been accustomed to taking whenever they had a free time together. The trouble was that it was too temporary. When she moved in with him, she was just as content as Draco was with their arrangement. Business acquaintances at days and lovers at night. They did not share each other much with others. Her friends were pushed aside and as well as her relationship with her parents. Draco was determined to have all of her free time. But after a while she had felt that their kind of lifestyle wasn't enough for her. She needed a relationship that would grow. Soon, she realized her relationship with Draco Malfoy was not the relationship she wanted. And it was hard for her to accept that she loves a man who doesn't believe in such emotion, who in fact scorned at those who believe in it. How could she know true happiness with him?

"You see…I'm right. You feel the same as me," Draco said determinedly, "and we're perfect for each other, especially physically." His steel silver eyes smoked with memories.

The wavy haired woman blushed under his heated gaze knowing that what he said was real. From the very first night, there was no denying that they have perfect chemistry in bed. She knew none of the pain that was usually connected with the dreaded "first time". Draco has taught her everything she knew in that aspect especially since he knew and was proud to say that he was her first lover. That part of their relationship has never wilted even when Hermione started having doubts in their relationship.

"So we are..." Hermione whispered as she bows her brown haired head.

Draco pushes her chin up gently. "Then let's go back to the manor. Let's forget about this." looking deep in her eyes.

Finally she broke the contact. Hermione stood up unwaveringly and said "I can't. It's not enough for me. For other women maybe that's enough but I need more."

"I never offered you more than that," Draco narrowed his eyes at Hermione

"And that is why I'm ending this affair," Hermione explained looking at Draco almost pleadingly. Tension present in every bit of her petite body.

Draco let out a small growl of frustration. He stood up and held Hermione by her shoulders, gazing deep in her eyes, seeing the fear and stubbornness reflecting the satiny cinnamon eyes. She swallowed hard at the dangerous softness of his stare, her senses instantly alert. Suddenly, Draco kissed her silky throat as his strong arms went around her small waist, fitting her curves perfectly against his lean, wiry frame.

She groaned while weakly trembling as he slowly kissed his way up to her already moist and pouting lips. Her arms automatically twined themselves around his neck. His right hand slowly roamed her body coming to rest at her sensitive breasts, his left arm tightening as if to keep her from escaping. Her nipples hardened under his questing fingers. She shuddered at his touch. He moaned his pleasure as she moved her hand on his chest, scratching her fingernails against the hard peaks under his shirt. His mouth plundered hers while their tongues danced around each other wetly and hotly, their scorching breaths mingling.

Draco smiled against her lips, "Hermione, honey, this is what matters. You're mine. You see…" He started to rove his playful fingers under her robe, resting on her lace clad breasts. He was starting to undo her bra.

Hermione suddenly gained awareness of what they were doing and her hands came up to push at his shoulders, knowing that she still can't win against his superior strength. Draco sensed her withdrawal and claimed her lips in a kiss of sensual demand becoming more savage when he felt that he was not convincing her.

His blond head came up sharply as he tasted her salty tears. He was stricken at what he saw. Hermione did not know how frail and vulnerable yet beautiful she looked.

"Crying?" Draco's thumb tips were unexpectedly wiping away her tears, his eyes anguished, "Why? You've never cried before! Tell me!"

Hermione looked at him still with traces of tears in her cheeks. "It's over," she whispered, "I'm sorry"

"But we still responds to each other perfectly," Draco's mouth tightened, "you know it!"

"It isn't enough! Can't you see that?"

Draco turned his trim figure away from Hermione. "Why can't you just be happy with what I've given you? Why do you still have to demand more!" He looked at her with silver eyes flashing dangerously with a hint of something that Hermione cannot understand, "All my time and loyalty was given to you! I was never unfaithful. Merlin knows I've had the opportunity!"

She knows that it's true. The Malfoy heir has hordes of women coming on to him all the time. Especially when he built his own company and invested in some more successful businesses, making the Malfoy wealth larger with its success.

Hermione shook her head, her wavy hair bouncing around her shoulders, "I'm really sorry."

"Sorry!" he scorned, "For what? For leaving me? Or for leaving me at a time when you knew I couldn't stop you? Because you know bloody well that I would have done, don't you? Draco looked at her with accusing silver eyes.

Hermione knew it. She could not have tried leaving him if he was around to stop her. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"I want you back. At the manor. By my side!" Draco rasped. He hugged her unexpectedly, desperately.

Hermione looked at him sadly with her once shining cinnamon eyes. Draco felt bleak and empty, yet pride won.

"I'm not going to beg!" He let go of the girl he wants, "If I leave without you now I'll never ask you again!"

She once again looks at him with her cinnamon eyes and whispered sadly, "I'll see you around".

"Damn you, then Hermione Granger!" Draco was livid. He strides purposely towards the door. "I never asked a woman twice!" he warned.

"Goodbye Draco", Hermione inside was trembling.

The entire pad shook with the force of the slam that he gave the door.

Hermione was still in shock and her knees shook. She fell against the door. Her heart was being torn in two.

"But it was for the best in the long run…" she convinces herself.

This is my first story. And I really hope that you guys would like it… please review so that I would know what to do…please! im begging you. just 1 minute more or less…please?