Chapter 1

Hermione Granger was preparing to board the Hogwarts Express for the lengthy train ride to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the beginning of her next year. Hermione, always so outwardly put-together, so seemingly mentally and emotionally sound, was actually disconcerted by the bustle of the students boarding the train in an excited mob. She took a steadying breath, and stood, people-watching as the mob-like "line" ahead of her moved steadily towards their magical means of transport.

Draco Malfoy stood confidently some ways ahead of her in the group. She glanced at his profile fleetingly, but then couldn't help but linger. He was clothed in brand new, emerald green robes, and a shirt and tie. He wore on his face the smug smirk that he always carried, and as she focused on his face, she couldn't help noticing his absurdly attractive features. He had matured and grown into his features over the summer, as had many of the boys in her year, but his face was beautifully proportioned and shapely. She paused to behold his deep, mercury silver grey eyes. Though she couldn't see every detail of his face from a distance, she saw his platinum blonde hair, side-swept by the slight wind. It had grown a bit, she could see, if it had laid flat, it would have reached just past his chin, and almost to his slight but muscular shoulders. She found herself wishing she could reach out and stroke that silky hair, entwine her fingers in it.

Without knowingly doing so, she took a few steps forward, towards him. She noticed the plains of his face, chiseled but not hard. She imagined that the alabaster pale skin of his face would be very smooth, and soft. His cheeks held a slightly pink flush from the unseasonal chill in the September air. His nose was perfectly shaped and fit his face beautifully. And the soft pink lips…ooh the lips. Suddenly she wished almost to the point of pain that she was in the position to be able to kiss those glorious lips. She had always known Draco was handsome, but this year, this year her attraction had blossomed into lust. She scolded herself for thinking such things, of a Slytherin, no less, of Draco Malfoy!

Hermione Jean Granger! What has gotten into you!

She took a deep, cleansing breath, attempting to clear her head. By this time, she was seated on the train with Harry and Ron in close proximity. She began to listen to their chatter about Quidditch, desperate for a distraction from her raging feelings. She was not accustomed to feeling this much, it was new to her, all her life her focus had been academics. She had no idea what to do, what to think.

Besides, she thought, I have no chance with him of all people!

Hermione Granger, for once in her life, couldn't have been more wrong.

Chapter 2

By halfway through the train ride, Hermione had given up trying not to think about Draco. And Harry and Ron had stopped trying to interact with her on any level, seeing as she was so distracted. With what, they were clueless. And poor Ron would probably die if he found out, she thought guiltily.

Before she knew what was going on about her, the train had arrived at its only destination. The students filed out excitedly, first years squealing and whispering with nervous anticipation. Once off the train, Hermione spotted Draco, flanked by his pigheaded sidekicks, Crabbe and Goyle. He was heading in their direction. Hermione felt her nerves mounting, but these nerves were of a new kind, she didn't know what to make of them.

Draco strode up to them. He stopped and nodded to Harry, Ron, and herself;

"Potter. Weasel. Granger. "

"Malfoy." said Harry coldly.

"Ferret face." said Ron, nodding.

"Hello Draco." Hermione said, not as harshly as she thought. She blushed lightly. Harry and Ron glanced sideways at her. They had noticed. Draco's smirk deepened, and he nodded to her smugly, and walked away, flanked still by his minions. All the students entered the Entrance Hall and the professors began their introductory lecture to the First Years on school rules, House points, et cetera, et cetera….Hermione tuned out, something she never, did, and blatantly stared at Draco from across the room for the next ten minutes.

Oblivious, and appalled at her own behavior, she was snapped out of her reverie by Ron, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Hello? Mione? See something you like over there?" She blushed scarlet, cursing the involuntary reaction. Ron rolled his eyes, but did not question her further. She followed them into the Great Hall, where the enchanted celling sparkled with a thousand stars. The four long House tables were set up as always, and the Sorting began. After every last giggling first year had been placed, Dumbledore stood up, extended his hands and stated "Let the feast begin!"

Plates filled with roast beef, biscuits, Yorkshire pudding, and steamed vegetables, and goblets filled with thick pumpkin juice. The feast commenced, but mostly Hermione Granger's mind was on the image of Draco's face in her head. She glanced over at the Slytherin house table. Draco was quietly talking to Crabbe and Goyle, and his mates, and they were laughing. This seemed out of character for Draco and the secretive, smug Slytherins. But the sight of him laughing was fascinating. Although she could not hear over the din of the excited students, she imagined the sound would be like music, bells maybe. Or smooth and deep, like warm cider. She longed to hear him laugh quietly in her ear as they kissed, just so she could hear the sound of it. Honestly?, she thought to herself, What are you thinking?

Hermione glanced down at her plate of food, and blushed, she had barely touched her dinner in her distraction with the devilish blonde Slytherin. She also quickly came to the realization that Ron and Harry were not even attempting to converse with her, they were chattering happily with Fred and George. She doubted she had seemed "there" to them at all, she found that she became extremely immersed in her thoughts when they involved Draco. How rude they must think me! Hermione thought with great embarrassment and guilt. She tried to eat a small portion of her dinner, but thoughts of Draco continued to invade her mind. She looked down at her plate as the feast ended, and was mortified to discover that her plate had barely changed its appearance since they had entered the Great Hall.

Later, in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione sat in one of the large, comfortable armchairs in front of the roaring fire. She pondered her new lust. If I continue to think the way I did in the Great Hall tonight, my schoolwork is sure to be affected! Determined to clear and stimulate her mind, she pulled out her favorite volume: Hogwarts: A History. She opened randomly to a page, desperate for a distraction. With the first years' still excited chatter as background noise, she attempted to read her favorite book. For the first time in Hermione Grangers life, this seemed an impossible task.

Chapter 3

"Hey Hermione! What the bloody hell was up with you at the feast last night?" said Ron. He made a dreamy face and batted his eyelashes in the opposite direction, no doubt imitating her daydreaming pose that he saw too much of last night at dinner, "If I didn't know you much better, I'd say you suddenly fancied Malfoy, and thus had gone out of your bloody mind!" He laughed, as did Harry, to the point of gripping their sides and stomachs. Hermione found it slightly insulting that they found her romantic interests so comical. Even if they were joking. But she was embarrassed to admit that what they were saying was true, so she blushed and buried her face in her Transfiguration book. She caught Harry and Ron exchanging a quizzical look, and then returning to their homework and Quidditch-related chatter.

But it was true. As she had laid in her elegant four-poster bed in the girls' dormitory late last night. she couldn't deny that it was most definitely true. She fancied Draco Malfoy. No, she more than fancied him. She lusted after him, she wanted him. But satisfaction seemed so impossible, so far away, what with him being a Death Eater and all. And this time, she was certain. Ron, and probably Harry, would definitely die of shock if they ever found out.

Walking in the halls on the way to Ancient Runes class the next morning, Hermione spotted Draco Malfoy striding towards her. Her stomach jumped. She blushed violently for no reason when he stopped in front of her. He smirked, and a smug smile played on his full lips. Those lips…she thought. She mentally scolded herself and as quickly as possible regained her composure.

"Hello Draco" she said, still staring, having failed miserably at the aforementioned task of appearing composed.

"Hello Granger" he said, still smugly smiling. "See something you like?" His voice was smooth…and sexy.

She blushed at his use of Ron's term from the Entry Hall.

"I'll take that as a yes." Draco said and his smirk, impossibly, deepened.

"I suppose you're not so horrid looking yourself, Granger. I see your front teeth have finally caught up with the rest of your face, and your hair isn't so much of a bush as it was in past years." He was sarcastic, and he smirked and cocked his head as always, but behind his cold grey eyes hid something Hermione couldn't place.

"Why thank you Draco, what a lovely compliment." she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. But inside her heart sang, her stomach churned, and her mind ran wild. She felt ridiculous. But she couldn't help feeling as if he didn't find her quite as repulsive as she'd thought. This gave her her first and only glimmer of hope. She was abruptly interrupted by:

"Well, Granger, see you around the dungeons, and close your mouth please, it is most unbecoming."

She blushed scarlet yet again and closed her mouth as she was told, she hadn't realized she had been been so forgone as to having it hang open at the sight of him. All through Ancient Runes and Potions, she analyzed every word, every movement, every small facial expression of their encounter, looking for some evidence that the beautiful boy didn't hate her.

Chapter 4

Hermione's parents were taking a second honeymoon, so she would be staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. To her immense happiness, so would Draco, despite having Malfoy Manor at his mercy. . She didn't understand his logic in the least, but she was ecstatic all the same. Her joy peaked one afternoon in the Great Hall when Draco had not been watching his step on the way out, and he walked carelessly right into her. They stood face to face, a foot away. He looked up, and saw the levitating mistletoe in the air directly above them. He looked back to Hermione, his eyes seemed to burn for a fraction of a second, and he recovered his facade and said "Well, Granger, if we have to do this, let's at least not make it unpleasant, shall we?" And before she could protest, or even process what was about to happen, he pressed his full lips to her mouth with force. Almost like he means it, she thought. Then she lost all ability to think at all. He did mean it, she could feel that. He had lost his hard facade and was gripping her face and kissing her with real feeling, passion. He moved his hands from her face and into her hair, She did the same to him, twining her fingers in his silvery blonde locks as she had longed to do months ago.

His tongue gently forced her mouth open, and she began breathing faster, gasping. He explored her mouth with his tongue gently, not forcibly, and she loved the way he tasted. She felt his teeth graze her bottom lip and shivered, and he held her tighter, feeling her chill, and kissed her with more passion, forcing her to respond. She did not know what to do, so she clasped her arms around the small of his back and kissed back with all that was in her. Her head was swimming with pleasure as they broke apart, both gasping and blushing….Draco Malfoy, blushing, there was a sight, his beautiful alabaster skin flushed with pink. By this time there were no other students standing around them, Hermione wondered how long they had kissed for. It felt like hours, and still it hadn't been enough to satisfy her.

"Did we just snog?" she asked breathlessly, dizzy.

"Looks like it, Granger, hope you enjoyed yourself." he said, regaining his composure much faster than her.

"I did" she gasped, then blushed at her own comment.

Still gasping slightly, she looked up into his liquid mercury eyes and was suddenly aware that her mouth was hanging open again. But she was caught up in his eyes, and couldn't force her brain to tell her facial muscles what to do. This time, Draco touched her chin gently and closed her mouth for her, and left a soft but lovely kiss tingling on her lips and walked away.

For a while after their first kiss, Draco was very subtle towards Hermione. He figured that , now that she knew how he felt, and she felt the same, they didn't need to flaunt their attraction all over the school. After the initial humiliation of the abrupt stop of conversation when she entered a room for a week after the mistletoe incident, she began to enjoy Draco's little signs of affection. Grabbing her hand for a second in passing in the corridors, or brushing her waist, which she loved, it made her shiver with happiness.

Then, after about a month of this, they could't restrain themselves anymore. They began walking together around school grounds, sometimes holding hands. Crabbe and Goyle got on Hermione's nerves until Draco ordered them away when they were together. One evening in early spring, after classes, they were walking quietly by the lake. Hermione was in bliss. Draco's strong arm held her at her waist, and they talked.

"Hermione, love, what changed?"

"What?"

"What changed? Last year, you hated my guts, would've happily bashed my head in with a Bludger. And now-- he kissed her lightly to illustrate his point-- "I can do that and all you do is swoon!" He smiled and brushed her blushing cheeks with the back of his hand.

He was right. He made her swoon with his delicious kisses on a daily basis. But what was she supposed to say? Yeah, sure, you're a Death Eater and all, you'd like to see my best friends dead, but you're incredibly sexy, let's snog.

Yeah, that was it, definitely…..

"I don't know Draco. I honestly don't know what happened. I feel drawn to you now. When I am around you, I feel safe. And I honestly don't believe you're as evil as others think you are. To use a horrible cliche, I see it in your eyes."

"You're right, I'm not evil." he chuckled "And I'm not a Death Eater, just so you know. I've grown tired of old Voldy's games, my father, he's a different story maybe, but I'm not evil."

"Good." She laughed and kissed him lovingly. Their passion mounted, and they fell back together on the grass next to the lake. Draco shifted his weight on top of her, so as not to hurt her. As he moved against her, she panted and gasped.

"Calm down, love, you're becoming tense."

"Are you mad?! How can I be calm when you kiss me like that?"

"Good point". He laughed huskily and pressed his mouth on hers again, coaxing her lips open with his tongue just as he had done under the mistletoe. She felt heat rise to her face in a wave of passion. He felt it too, and kissed her harder. She moaned in pleasure and pushed him away reluctantly.

"Stop, love" she said, gasping, "someone will find us and we'll get detention and--"

"No, you stop", Draco said forcefully, his silver grey eyes burned "No one is going to catch us, everyone is in the common rooms at this hour, doing homework " he sneered the word "don't you think this is so much more fun?" She was abruptly reminded of all the schoolwork that was going undone, and it worried her. He leaned down and kissed her again, building on a small kiss until both their mouths were open and moving in harmony with each other. Hermione pushed him away again, afraid of being persuaded by his delicious mouth.

"Well, of course, but--"

"Quiet love" Draco purred in her ear "Let me touch you, let me kiss you, it's all that I want is to make you happy."

"You do make me happy, Draco, immensely happy, just being with you makes me ecstatic."

"Great, then this must make you bubble over with happiness, right?" He kissed softly and lovingly up and down her neck and over her jaw. He wrapped his long, strong arms around her waist and pulled her up into a sitting position. He gently rolled onto his back and shifted her so that she lay comfortably on his chest, all without breaking his endless stream of kisses. Her breathing accelerated, she couldn't help it, he was so good at what he did. Merlin, will the blushes ever stop? she thought, as another wave of passionate heat graced her features. Draco pulled back, and Hermione found herself straining closer to him, wanting more. He smiled at her hunger, stroked her cheek, and pushed a tendril of her brown hair behind her ear.

"You're beautiful when you blush like that, please don't ever stop," he said, reading her mind.

"It's embarrassing, I wish I could." she said, and the subject of her blushes made her blush deeper.

"Hmm, please don't. Ever," he purred as he brought her head gently against his chest, and became silent. She listened to his heartbeat and he kissed her temple softly. After five minutes, it was beginning to get dark, and she really did not want to get into trouble.

"Draco, love, i can't believe I'm saying this after that, but I'm feeling cold. Can we please go inside now?"

Draco sighed happily and easily lifted her into his arms like a child, and he kissed her tenderly as he walked her back to the school building. Once inside, they said goodnight and parted with a kiss, and went to their dormitories for the night.

Chapter 5

Hermione now not only kept her grades up (as distracting as Draco was capable of being, he was brilliant, and they often studied together, not that Hermione needed it!) but she was also happy. Extremely happy. Physically, visibly content. That is until one night in the Gryffindor common room, when not many others sat by the fire. Hermione, Harry and Ron were doing their homework together for the first time in two weeks, and as Ron and Hermione squabbled over the quality of one of his essays, Ron blurted out:

"Fine, if my work, and Harry's for that matter, is so bloody terrible compared to that Death Eater love of yours, why don't you just go write the bloody essay with HIM! Not that you've been around much to criticize and nitpick lately!" Harry looked up from his Herbology sketches, and stood next to Ron. Ron's ears and face flushed red with anger and he said in a strained voice; "I don't like it, Hermione, you being with the person we've hated for six years, is my logic so hard to comprehend? He's evil, Mione, a Death Eater, you-know-who's own! I can't stand to see him near you! In my mind, it's only a matter of time before he hauls you off to a meeting of the Dark Lord's inner circle!"

Hermione was shocked. She hadn't realized there was this much going on "in Ron's mind" half the time, and she felt incredibly stupid for not seeing this when she was around. She stood aghast and stared at Ron, speechless. It was late, and Harry broke the uncomfortable silence by laying a hand on Ron's shoulder and saying; "Alright, guys, it's late, let's just all go to sleep and maybe we won't be trying to bite each other's heads off in the morning. For this comment, Hermione would be eternally grateful.

Still later that night, she lay in bed and contemplated the recent events. It was true, she didn't hang around Harry and Ron much anymore, most of her out-of-class time, studying or otherwise, was spent with Draco in the library or on the grounds. And when her worlds did intersect, Draco smirked, Harry's eyes were always cold, and Ron looked at her love with narrowed eyes, suspicious, as if he would swallow her up whole any second. She felt guilty for deserting her best friends, but Draco made her so happy in a new and beautiful way, she never wanted it to go away. His presence calmed her, soothed her nerves, let her breath again when she got tense. That was it, she decided, ironically. She would have to speak to Draco.

One afternoon not long after that night, Hermione and her Slytherin love walked the grounds after finishing their work. Draco held Hermione close, his arm around her lower back. She loved his touch, and it sometimes still made her blush, even after two months of a passionate physical relationship. Sensing what she was thinking, he had a way with that, he brought his hand slowly down around her back and rubbed calming circles into the place above her hip. His touch made her blush, and giggle, and then blush some more on account of the giggling. She looked up at him, his eyes burned with love and want, and they smiled. Draco looked around. Many other boys were practicing Quidditch a ways away, and the girls were mostly inside, as it was slightly cold out in the early spring air.. gently turned her to face him, their eyes inches away. He placed a hand on her lower back, and brought one long arm languidly up around her neck. She saw it coming, and yet it couldn't come fast enough. He crushed her against him, and kissed her, and they fell back on a grassy hill. The grass was wet, and left droplets sparkling in Draco's blonde hair like round crystals. As they kissed, Draco purred sweet words to her, and the things he said drove her passion. Draco was dominant, and Hermione's hands, when not plundering Draco's beautiful body, were made wet by the grass. Draco kissed her neck and the hollow above her shoulder blade. His hot breath tickled her skin, and she shivered. Seeing her reaction, her pleasure, he showered her neck, jaw, and lips with passionate kisses. He placed her arms around his neck and tightened his hold on her. She promptly moved her hands to his chest, pressing against him, not pushing him away but straining to get closer. Her wet hands soaked through his white shirt, and she stroked his hard, sculpted chest, gasping between loving kisses from the boy whose body she wanted so badly at that moment, it drove her nearly insane. He wanted what she wanted, she could feel her theory confirmed through his pants as she lay on top of him on the lawn. Someday she thought someday, as soon as we're given the chance, it will happen. And she wanted it. And he knew.

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