It started at the top of her forehead.

The end of their fifth year was looming closer and closer, and it was hotter than hell outside. Draco had been sitting in the shade of a tree, shirt sleeves rolled up and unbuttoned down his chest like the rest of the sane population of Hogwarts, when he noticed the golden bloody trio, sitting on a bench just a couple of steps away. They were so painfully close that he could see every emotion written across their faces, hear every word of their idiotic conversation about Quidditch and Krum. They hadn't noticed him, thankfully, and he didn't intend to let them.

Granger was the subject of his scrutiny that day. Her hair was tied in a knot on top of her head, with a few stray curls falling into her face and sticking to the back of her neck. Her cheeks were flushed a slight pink, the same colour as his lips. Her blouse was nearly unbuttoned all the way and her skirt was clearly shorter than should be allowed, but he allowed none of this to affect him. She was quite often a subject of conversation as amongst the Slytherin Quidditch team in the locker room, but they would always agree upon one thing – she was a mudblood, and therefore untouchable. No pouty pink lips or flushed cheeks could change that.

That was, of course, until he saw it.

A small bead of sweat at her hairline.

He watched it in fascination as it began to slide down the side of her cheek, wondering somewhere in the back of his mind why she didn't just brush it away. Granger seemed to take no notice of it, only focusing on the book she was reading and occasionally tossing in a couple of words to Potty and Weasel's conversation. She didn't even notice it as it slid slowly down her lips, the image making Draco shiver. Why wasn't she doing anything? Surely she knew it was there, she had to. There was no way you could be unaware of a bead of sweat trailing down your face. But no, Hermione Granger continued on as usual, completely ignoring the fact that the droplet of sweat was making its way down her jaw line, into the base of her throat and then down the crack between her breasts.

Bloody freaking Merlin, that was the sexiest thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

The image of the sweat kept repeating in his mind over and over, like it was stuck on play. There was nothing he could do but sit and stare in awe as she began to pack away her books, saying something about needing to go to the library to study. Potty and Weasel weren't listening to her as usual, but Draco was. He was paying special attention to the sweet honey of her voice, the way her lips were moving and how beautiful that small little bead of sweat had looked perched upon her pink pout. He knew it was disgusting to be thinking of her like this, that it was wrong, but he didn't care. All that mattered was that she was going to be in the library, alone, and that he was going to follow her.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

It continued in the back of the library.

Lucky for him, she had chosen the back table. Her book of charms was in front of her as she read, forehead crunched in concentration. He could see it now, the bead of sweat slowly making its way down her body. It was like he had become obsessed with her, was craving her, all because of one tiny droplet of water and a distractingly low blouse. Like he had said, disgusting that these thoughts were in his mind, but he couldn't get them out and he didn't think he'd want to.

She really was quite beautiful. There was a window on the wall above her, and the way the sun was shining down made her look like an angel. He decided that she should wear her hair up more often – somewhere along the way she had lost the fullness of her cheeks, and without her mane in the way her bone structure was striking. It was almost as good as his, which was quite an accomplishment in itself because Draco had often been told that he had the "bone structure of a Greek god". Her eyes were framed by thick dark lashes, and he could tell just by looking at them that she didn't wear makeup. Good, he much preferred the natural look.

And then there were her lips.

Sweet Merlin, her lips. Deliciously pink, naturally glossy, and just the right amount of plumpness, her lips were something that must have been the envy of every woman she met. Especially at that moment, when she was digging her top teeth into her bottom lip in concentration. All he could think about was how it would feel if those teeth were his, nibbling softly at her bottom lips as they...

She was leaving.

Slowly rising from his table across the room, Draco followed her back into the last row of books, praising his good luck. She was reading something from a book she had grabbed from the shelf, her lips moving along with the words she was muttering to himself. He didn't look to see what the book was, and in all honesty, he didn't care. His only concern was her, and finally doing to her what he had been dreaming of doing since he saw that tiny trickle of sweat disappear down her shirt. He was going to seduce the Gryffindor Princess, and he was going to do it in the back of a library.

Draco was behind her now, and she still hadn't noticed his presence. Perfect. He took a small step forward so his chest was pressed against her back and leaned down into the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet sent. Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt her tense and heard the sound of the book dropping to the floor, but he was too high on the smell that was so uniquely her to even notice, or care, what her reaction was.

And then she was turning around, painfully slowly, and he opened his eyes.

"Draco." His first name had slipped from her lips, and in that moment he was melting. The fear in his eyes was clear, as well as the anger, but he knew that he could change both of those into passion and need in a matter of seconds. She was trembling like a leaf as she took a step backwards into the bookshelf, and he raised his arms beside her head to pin her in. No way was she escaping before he got the chance to change her mind.

When he leaned forward to kiss her forehead, he was certain she was going to have a heart attack. Her breathing was erratic, her entire body stiff as a board, and judging from her silence she was going into shock, but he paid no mind. All Draco did was continue to kiss down her face, against the corner of her lips, making a trail of everywhere that damn bead of sweat had touched her skin. That bead of sweat that had started it all, released this painful yearning for her that had been building up in the pit of his stomach for so many years now. Ever since third year, when she had punched him, he had needed her. He just hadn't realized it until that afternoon, in the blazing heat, watching a bead of sweat trickle down into places that he was desperate to explore.

And then his lips were nearing those places, and she let out a sigh.

"Oh, Draco," she moaned, and it was like someone had lit a fire in him. His lips were on hers and she was reciprocating, fighting for dominance in a battle of tongues. He didn't know where this passion had come from and he didn't care – he was loving every minute of this, and all he could think was how he wanted more.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

it ended in a broom cupboard.

Not the most romantic of places, she knew, but they had been like two dogs in heat, and really, where else could they go? All Hermione wanted was the feeling of him all over her, and that was what she had gotten –again and again. She had seen him out on the grounds, staring at her, and as she felt his eyes on her she wanted him more than she could describe. Yes, his ambush in the library had been a surprise, but a pleasant one at that. Of course, she didn't plan on letting him know that she had known, because judging from the satisfied smirk on his face as he looked her naked body over, he was pretty content with the thought of him winning, and she was going to let him keep that.

For now.

A/N: Short, I know, but that's how I write – short, sweet, and to the point XD I love reviews, so anything you want to say is mundo appreciated. Thanks for reading loffies, if you want any other chapters/sequels/whatever, I might be able to be convinced (hehehe...)

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Molly 3