Give Me Your Heat
By DizzyDawn007
Hermione sat in class, on the last day. It was seasonably warm, and her robes were folded carefully over the back of her chair. Trying not to fidget in her heavy vest and long-sleeved shirt, she concentrated on what her professor was saying. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione thought she saw her Arithmancy partner, Draco Malfoy, smirk. However, when she looked again, his face was impassive as ever. Wishing he would show even the least bit of emotion, she shook her head. It was the last day of classes, and it always did do strange things to her, she reasoned. Why else would she, of all people, be concerned about him? The bell rang, breaking her line of thought.
She left with the rest of class, and passing though the threshold to the corridor, she shivered slightly, as a chill had come over her. It did not go away. In fact, she was growing colder by the second; ice seemed to be seeping into her very bones. Glancing behind her, after coming to the obvious conclusion that someone had charmed her, she saw the other students. She might never have known who had done it if he hadn't raised his hand in a pitiful half-wave and given her a lazy smirk. Even after years of taunts, he could still make her blood run hot. But not today. Because he had cast a cooling charm. A very severe one. She was going to kill him! Even now, she gave little involuntary shudders. As she rushed down the hall now, trying to get to their common room as soon as possible to remove the charm, she thought of how just a few moments earlier she had been concerned about him. This only made her angrier. At herself.
Hermione worked herself into a fit by the time she made it to her destination. Throwing her bag in a chair, which she never did, she whipped her wand out and cast a heating charm on herself. It took her exactly two seconds to realize this only made the charm worse, and she was now colder. In the middle of cursing Malfoy and trying to think of possible solutions, Draco walked in. She contained the urge to strangle him on sight, instead wrapping her arms around herself, as she was almost shaking now. She clenched her jaw tighter.
"Take the charm off, Malfoy."
"Oh, but this is so much fun," he whined.
"You stupid, insolent, insignificant boy! Take it off!"
"Now that's a bit cold, don't you think? I'm not stupid, I'm certainly not a boy, and I'm not insignificant." He moved closer to her. "At least, not to you."
"Oh, yes, you are. Remove it." She growled out. Her teeth were clenched so tightly now they hurt. He moved closer still.
"I can't take it off." He ignored her scandalized looks and obscene words, talking loudly over her. "But I know how to keep warm until it wears off." She stopped in the middle of damning him to hell.
"How?" She narrowed her eyes, barely able to speak now. He moved closer.
"Oh, it goes a little something like this…"
He stepped up, and now they were only inches away from each other. Hermione still watching through narrowed eyes. Draco lifted his hand and touched her cheek. Immediately, she felt where his skin touched hers heat up, and she gasped. She gazed back at him with open astonishment. He made to remove his hand, but before she knew what she was doing, her hands came up and held his hand there still. His eyes met hers and the only thought that ran through her head was "heat". Draco leaned in, and just as their lips were about to touch, she whispered one word.
"Why?" She felt his answer rather than heard it.
"Because I want you."
His lips closed on hers, and her whole body was suddenly and completely consumed with heat. Heat that only he could give her. After a time they had to separate due to this odd need humans have for oxygen, and Hermione prepared for the sudden rush of cold. She was shocked when her body temperature returned to normal. Draco started to pull back, and Hermione was having none of that. In a voice that sounded foreign to her, she spoke.
"Give me your heat, Draco." She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing herself against him. It was all the encouragement he needed.
Five years later, Draco walked stealthily behind Hermione, following her. They were both 22 now, and Hermione hadn't seen Draco since that night at the end of her seventh year. But he had seen plenty of her. Indeed, he'd practically been stalking the woman. He'd watched her from afar, waiting for her to fall in love with some guy so he could get on with his life. For Draco had discovered something; that the one night they had shared hadn't been enough. But he knew they wouldn't work together. And that was why he left. He had thought she would cry for a while, and then get over it. There had never been any tears, and she apparently hadn't gotten over it. Draco had watched her climb the ladder in the Ministry, finally becoming Head of the Archeological Artifacts and Ancient Magic (called 'Triple A M' for short') in just three years.
There had been plenty of men that would have suited her perfectly, and yet…she had rejected them all. Kindly, sure, but they were still rejected. And he had to know why before he could get on with his own life. She seemed to be doing fine, but he wasn't. He sort of disappeared from society, he hadn't had any girlfriends; in short, he was totally and completely obsessed. And Hermione wasn't following the plan. That one night had to be enough… because they just wouldn't work together. One, or both of them, would've died. Draco was very sure of this. And it was because he was very sure of this that he decided they needed to talk. Hermione had to be happily in a relationship before Draco could even think about doing anything but watching her. She had to be happy. And so, we come to Draco, who has just knocked on Hermione's door. She opened the door.
"Oh! Um, hello Draco. Uh, please, come in."
"Thank you." He followed her to the living room, where he stood, looking around the room for a long period. Taking in her space. She finally sat, and so did he.
"So, to what do I owe this pleasure? I haven't seen you since…school." There was a blush that could just barely be seen upon her cheeks.
"Uh, actually…it's, uh…to do with that…" He cleared his throat.
"Oh? Really? Well…would you like a snack, or a drink? I think I'll get a snack." She quickly got up and left the room. Draco sat stunned for a moment, then followed her. He found her in her kitchen, busily preparing drinks and a snack.
"Hermione, you can't just run away from this…we've got to talk." He leaned against the doorjamb.
"As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing to talk about."
"You don't run out of a room when there is nothing to discuss."
"I didn't run." There was an edge to her voice that he had never heard her use outside Hogwarts. And even then, that tone was specially reserved for him.
"Oh yes, you did."
"What do you think we have to discuss?" She busied herself with more snacks, since she was working quite fast and she felt the need to preoccupy herself.
"Why haven't you gotten married yet? Why haven't you even been in a relationship, period?" Her movements froze. She turned to him.
"You've come to badger me about my love life? You are impossible!"
"I believe the term would be "lack of love life"."
"And I believe you're still a stupid, insolent, insignificant boy!" He smirked despite himself. "And there is nothing wrong with being single," she added.
"There is when you haven't gotten over somebody in five years!"
She gaped at him. "You are the one visiting me, are you not?"
"That's true, but it's not for what you think."
"How the hell do you presume to tell me what I think?" he started to answer, but she cut him off. "You know what? Don't answer that. Leave."
"Excuse me?" he said aghast.
"Leave. Get out. You are no longer welcome in my home."
"You can't throw me out!"
"And why the hell not?"
"Because! We – You and I – we,"
"Yes, and then you ran away. Therefore, you are not allowed to use that as leverage to stay in this house."
"Well, alright, that's fair. But I can use this."
Quick as lightning, he had her in his arms and his mouth covering hers. It seemed to him that Hermione didn't even try to fight him. When he finally pulled away, her eyes were glazed, and they were both breathing heavily. Hermione recovered her senses first and pushed him. He almost fell from the force of it. He looked at her, astonished. Draco thought for sure, she would've pushed him away and commanded him to leave. Now, however, she saw she was more incensed than before.
"How dare you? How dare you come into my home and kiss me? How dare you come at all! After everything that happened 7th year, how could you have the nerve!"
Shocked and unsure what to say, Draco found himself blurting things out.
"Because that one night wasn't enough! I thought it would be, but it wasn't! I've waited and watched for five years, Hermione! Five years! And you just refuse to move on and be happy! I need to see you move on, so that I can move on!"
It was Hermione's turn to be shocked now, and when she came out of it, she looked like she was going to cry or possibly smash something. Her voice, starting out as a harsh whisper, rose in its intensity.
"Move on? Move on? How could I possibly move on? How could anyone else even begin to compare to you!" A sob escaped her. " I haven't let another man touch me since you. I can't! It's like I'm cold, all the time! Everybody else is cold too, everybody but you!" She was done screaming at him and broke down in sobs. Sinking to the floor, she managed to pull herself together enough to throw a towel at him.
Draco didn't know what to do, or say, for that matter. He had never been good with emotions, except anger, and as angry as Hermione was, she was also sad.
Hermione let out a strangled gasp as she heard the cracking sound of his apparition. Slumped on her kitchen floor, she didn't move until much later, and that was only to get a pint of ice cream before heading to bed.
Nearly a week later, Hermione stepped up to the front door of the new Malfoy Manor, and knocked. She had decided enough was enough and had finally gone looking for him. A house elf opened the door, wearing a pretty pink dress. Hermione was shocked. She spoke when she realized the elf was waiting for her to say something.
"Hello. I'm here to see Draco Malfoy, please."
"Yes, ma'am, right away ma'am."
Hermione said 'thank you' just before she cracked away to some unknown part of the house. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Her heart beating rapidly, she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She was so nervous. What if he ran away again? She didn't think she could take it, but then again… she couldn't go on living as she had. She heard noise coming from somewhere and quickly made sure she looked okay. She swallowed again just as Draco Malfoy arrived at the bottom of the stairs. Finally looking up, he missed the last step and stumbled forward. Hermione would have laughed had she not been so nervous. He cleared his throat.
"What are you doing here?"
"I – I've – Draco, I can't go on like this!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I can't live without… you. Your heat." She laughed at herself. "I bet you never saw this coming."
"Hermione, we can't be together."
"Why the hell not? Who is stopping us? You are, and I don't understand why!"
"Because it just wouldn't work. We weren't cut out for each other."
"Draco…" she sounded helpless, a tone Draco had not heard once in all his years of knowing and watching her. "Don't you see? It's not working now! It's not working like this. You come here and kiss me and hold me and then tell me we weren't cut out for each other!"
"Hermione…don't."
"Don't what? What could I possibly do to you that's worse than what you've done to me!"
"Don't you get it? That's exactly the point! All I do is hurt you!"
"The only time you've ever hurt me is when you ran. You ran away from me, Draco! You told me you wanted me, and I let you have me, and you ran! I will never, ever give myself to another person, Draco. I can't. I don't want to. Just … just be with me. Forget what you've told yourself and just be with me, Draco."
She was done. Looking down at her shoes and trying to keep in the tears, she missed his whisper-like movements and didn't look up until she saw that his feet were toe and toe with hers. And the second she did look up, his lips were on hers and his hands were in her hair and on her back, pressing her to him. Her own hands curled around his neck and toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. It seemed to her that the moment went on forever and she enjoyed every second of it. When they finally broke apart, his hand left her back and slipped into his pocket. She was utterly surprised to see him pull out a small, worn down box. Looking her straight in the eye, he asked her to marry him.
"Oh, yes! Yes, yes, and yes again." She kissed him. "I love you."
"I know." He smirked and flipped open the box. "I hope it still fits, I've had it since seventh year…" Ignoring her astonished and questioning gaze, he slipped the ring on her finger without a hitch. And then he pulled her in for another kiss.
"So, Mr. Malfoy…now that we're engaged, can I see the rest of your house?"
"Why, of course, Miss. Granger. Where should we start?"
"Well…" she pretended to ponder. "I think your bedroom would be a wonderful place to start."
"I completely agree. Shall we?"
"Right away. You see, I've had this itch for a very long time, that desperately needs to be scratched." It was her turn to smirk at him.
"I think we can take care of that." He took hold of her hand and led her up the stairs.
Well? God, I haven't been on in forever! It's feels so good to be back...I can only hope all of you will forgive me for being gone so long. It's just a little thing that wouldn't leave, so I wrote it down. Anywho, now that my computer is more or less fixed, I can really come back. I'm so happy. So tell me what you think...
Ealted to be Back,
DizzyDawn007