Assumptions
"Sex is an essential part of life, Hermione, darling," Draco said rather bluntly. The pair was seated in their shared Heads common room. Hermione was trying to read a book unsuccessfully, as she had picked it up in the middle of an argument.
Thus, she shut it with a resounding smack and glared at her boyfriend in utmost anger. "Draco Malfoy, I, unlike you, have my morals to consider before having sex; and I, unlike you, am a proud virgin and plan on being one until I am ready to have sex!"
This argument had been going on for the better part of an hour. They had been snogging in Draco's bedroom before their tiff with their shirts off. As engaged as she was, Hermione did notice when Draco slid off her school skirt and began going a little farther than she was comfortable with. Being underneath him, Hermione had to turn her head so that his lips met her cheek instead of her mouth for him to notice something. Propping himself up on his hands, he looked down at her, his hair falling into his face. "What's wrong?" he wondered.
"Stop," she said.
He chuckled. "Hermione, we weren't having sex."
"But that's where you're headed," she said sternly.
"I take it you have a problem with that," he replied heartily.
"As a matter-of-fact, I do," she said heatedly, pushing his bare chest with her hands to get him off of her. She rolled off the bed as he landed on his side, watching while she picked up her jumper from the floor and her skirt from the end of the bed. She put them on and left to Draco's protest of, "Hermione!"
Sighing in frustration, Draco slid off of the bed and went in search for his own shirt. Once he found it and put it on, he followed Hermione out his bedroom door and down into their common room. There he found her sulking in an armchair, her back to him. He was glad that she hadn't escaped into her own bedroom; if she had done that then there were ways that she could lock him out. This way, at least, he could talk to her without a door obstructing the conversation.
Coming up behind her, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hermi—"
"Get off of me," she said, shaking her shoulder to rid it of his hand.
Sighing again, Draco settled on taking a seat in the armchair across from her seat. But she wouldn't look at him. "Hermione, doll, we didn't have sex. I don't know why you are so upset with me. I didn't even push you to have sex."
"Yes you did, Draco," Hermione replied, turning to look at him coldly. "You always pressure me. Would it kill you to respect my values?"
"When do I pressure you, Hermione?" Draco asked rather loudly.
"You pressured me just now!" Hermione said, equally as loud, her eyes bulging.
"How? How in the hell did I just pressure you?" Draco's tone was getting louder and angrier with each sentence.
"Did you hear the way you spoke to me, Draco? Did you not notice how you just took off my clothes in assumption that I was alright with it?" Hermione's voice was building as well, matching Draco's.
"You told me you weren't alright with it! Did I push it from there? No, Hermione, I didn't!"
"You are just so CONDESENDING! I can't stand it, Draco! You make me feel like a scared little girl! Before the next thing comes out of your mouth, I can tell you right now that I am not afraid of sex! I am just not ready to have it yet!"
Draco was glad he was saved from asking her if that was her reason, because if he had asked that the argument would probably have gotten even more heated. "Alright, Hermione, what do you want me to say? What do you want me to do? You can't exactly change who I am? Would you like me to stop before I even kiss you? Would that make you happy: if we didn't do anything at all? I'll just keep my hands off of you!"
"Malfoy will you listen to me?" Hermione yelled. Now she was on her feet and her face burned an angry red.
"I am listening!" Draco replied just as loudly. "Don't you dare pull the Malfoy card, either!"
Hermione continued as if Draco had never said anything. "I'd like you to stop making assumptions and stop making me feel stupid! You treat sex as if it's nothing! I think sex is a big step that I'm not ready to take yet!"
"I don't treat it is if it's nothing," said Draco, looking away from her. This time, he let Hermione's voice be much louder than his. His anger was smoldering, but he tried not to show it as much as his girlfriend was showing her own rage. His stormy grey eyes met her fiery brown ones and he said lowly, "Do you honestly believe all the rumors going around the school about me?"
That was when Hermione faltered. Her jaw dropped slightly and her posture relaxed. "Um…" she said, and a blush darkened her already rage-filled cheeks.
Draco cracked a sardonic smile. "You do believe them," he said. His voice was at the normal volume now.
"Well I don't believe the ones that say you're cheating on me," said Hermione in her defense.
Draco rolled his eyes at her. Hermione sat down again. "Hermione, what rumors do you believe, then?"
Hermione looked down at her lap, ashamed. "That you've slept around with every girl in Slytherin."
"I can't believe a smart girl like you actually listens to shit like that."
Hermione looked up from her lap. "Well enlighten me with the truth, then," said Hermione defensively. "How many girls have you been with?"
"One," said Draco, to Hermione's surprise. "And she doesn't even attend Hogwarts. It was last summer."
Hermione felt awful now. "Then…oh…I'm sorry, Draco."
He was about to say something cocky, but decided that this was not the time or place. He didn't want to make the situation worse than it already was. "I only pick special people, Hermione." Cracking a smile, he waited for Hermione to say something.
"That doesn't change the fact that I'm not ready to sleep with you," Hermione retorted briskly. Then she picked up a book from the coffee table in front of her and opened it, signaling the end of the conversation.
Draco stretched his legs out on the table and watched her. He knew that there was more Hermione wanted to say, but she was just afraid to tell him everything. Even from his seat he could tell that her eyes weren't focusing on what she was reading, though she was flipping pages normally. Draco wanted to get the rest of her feelings out. It was too obvious that she was unfocused and had been for the past few days. After what Draco felt was a sufficient time, he spoke.
"Sex is an essential part of life, Hermione, darling."
Hermione shut her book with a resounding smack and glared at Draco in utmost anger. "Draco Malfoy, I, unlike you, have my morals to consider before having sex; and I, unlike you, am a proud virgin and plan on being one until I am ready to have sex!"
"Didn't we just go over this, Hermione?" Draco said, trying to keep his voice lazy. "I've only had sex twice, and with the same girl. I have morals as well. They may not happen to be as strict as yours, but they are there nonetheless. Am I not special enough to you?"
Hermione sounded hurt when she spoke. "Draco, how could you even say that? You know you mean the world to me."
"Do I?" Draco said, raising an eyebrow at her. He hoped that the conversation was on its way to revealing Hermione's real dilemma.
"Draco, of course you do," she said. "Our relationship means everything to me. I would never want anything to ruin it; especially not sex."
"Well it's not my fault I want to have sex," Draco replied.
Hermione looked at him incredulously. "I suppose you're going to blame it on your testosterone, aren't you?"
"Actually, I was going to blame more of it on you."
Hermione raised both of her eyebrows. "How are you going to pin this on me, Mr. Malfoy?"
"I wouldn't want to shag if you didn't talk to me, walk in front of me, laugh, suck on the end of your quill when you study, or make that gasping noise when we snog."
The look that came from his girlfriend was one of slight surprise.
"Stop turning me on, Hermione. You cause me physical pain, here."
She just gaped at him.
Draco continued, "I wish you didn't have this power over me, but you do. It's infuriating, really. No one has ever had the power over me that you do. Believe me, if I didn't fancy you as much as I do, I would really be pressuring you to go farther with me."
"I love you," Hermione said suddenly, her eyes glassy.
Draco blinked exaggeratedly. "Excuse me?"
"I love you?" Hermione said again, sounding less confident and looking more like a scared rabbit.
Draco had absolutely no idea what to say. He was literally stunned speechless. Even when Hermione's eyes lost their scared, glassy look and she looked him in the eye, he had no idea what to say.
Hermione didn't know how much time had passed when she finally whispered, "Draco?"
He cleared his throat and looked her straight in the eye while he spoke. "Hermione, you have to understand that I've never heard those three words from anyone. Likewise, I've never said them to anyone. However…" He took a moment to think about his next words. "Hermione, I have never cared about anyone as much as I care about you. This is probably the hardest thing I've ever had to say but…I…I love you too."
Both of them had a delayed reaction to the situation. When they did realize what had just happened, they went for each other at the same time, reaching for a face, a kiss, a confirmation of love. What they found was two bruised heads, for they had bumped heads in their momentum. Laughing, they fell to the floor tangled around one another. Hermione ended up leaning her head on his shoulder, her body splayed between his open legs. Draco kissed her temple.
"If someone had told me last year that I'd be sitting here, in love with the Gryffindor know-it-all Hermione Granger, I would have committed them."
Hermione laughed.
"See, you need to stop doing that, it turns me on."
"Oh stop it," Hermione said light-heartedly, hitting him playfully on the leg.
"So this is the reason you've been acting so tetchy lately, is it?" Draco asked.
"This would be the reason," Hermione said. "I was just so afraid of telling you. You know, Draco, it's hard to tell you things sometimes. I always wonder how you're going to react to things."
"I don't want you to feel that way, love," Draco said, stroking her hair. "I don't want you to keep things from me. What have I ever done to make you feel like that?"
Hermione arched an eyebrow, though he couldn't see it because of the way they were sitting. "What about the time when you saw me and Ron holding hands?"
"I didn't know the circumstances! How was I to know that you were temporarily blind from Potions?"
"Well you made an assumption. See, Draco, there's that word again." Hermione laughed again. "That was pretty hilarious, though. Even though I couldn't see a thing, I heard your yelling. I was afraid you two were going to fight."
"I think it's time to change the subject," said Draco. "I never want you to keep secrets from me."
"And what about you, Mr. Malfoy, sitting over there being in love with me too?"
"Don't patronize me, Hermione."
"Well I guess all that matters is that we're in love."
"That sounds so cheesy, love."
"It's okay to be sappy once in a while, Draco," Hermione chastised. "Now the only thing I'm worried about is telling Harry and Ron."