He flicked his wand and unlocked the door. He took a step closer, trying not to make any noise, placed his hand on the door and slowly pushed it open. Just as the door crossed the threshold, a loud screeching noise echoed around him. All in one movement, he dropped on both knees with his hands over his ears, wand forgotten and dropped on the floor. He was still yelling in pain when he saw the shadow of a figure running towards him. He felt around for his wand, but couldn't find it in the dark, "Damn noise. You stupid git," he thought to himself. How could he have dropped his wand? The first thing you learn in school is never to misplace your wand.

He started to panic when he realized he no longer saw the figure, the noise had stopped, but there was a dull ringing in his ears and he was slightly disoriented. Then, fear ran through every bone in his body when he felt the tip of a wand digging into the back of his neck. He instinctively went completely still and started analyzing the situation. If he was quick enough, he could turn and knock the wand out of his attacker's hand while maiming him at the same time, and just as he was about to execute his plan, he heard a sweet muffled voice fill his ears and cool breath against his neck, Hermione. His lips curved into a smirk.

"I could have you arrested for breaking and entering." She said to the back of his head.

"No you couldn't."

"No? How so?" She asked straightening up. If she had learned one thing being with him over the years, it was never to stay in a vulnerable position for too long. He started to move as if to get up, "I didn't say you could move." She said digging the tip of her wand in a little harder. She could feel the atmosphere shift and she could feel the smirk on his lips.

He was usually the rough one, but he liked it when she played the part. He smiled, placed his arms at his sides, and said, "I didn't break in, love, I simply unlocked the door." He felt her pull back some more, and he knew she was thinking of what to say.

"Don't be coy. You still entered the premises without permission. I'm sure someone else heard the alarm."

"An alarm," he said with realization, "that's new."

"Well, when you live by yourself, it almost becomes a necessity."

He chuckled, "You're a witch, darling, what's wrong with using your wand?"

"Not everyone around here knows what that word really means, so to save the confusion and mass chaos for someone else, I've decided to install an alarm system."

"Mhmm, right, but aren't you supposed to be all for Muggles , Witches and Wizards living in harmony?" He felt her dig her wand back in and heard the smirk in her voice when she next spoke.

"Yes, well, some things need to be done slowly. I am in favor of both living together in peace, and I've realized that does not always mean one has to know everything about the other. It's something that can be worked into. We all saw what happened the last time someone decided to let every Muggle know there were such things as Witches and Wizards."

His face went flat. It had been ten years since the war ended, but it was still something he did not enjoy thinking about. She had tried to get him to talk about it, but he never said anything other than "I don't want to talk about it," and she never pushed too hard.

"Now we're joking about the war, Granger?" His voice was a little darker than he meant. He felt her tense up and retract her wand.

"I'm, no, I didn-, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."

He slowly turned around. He didn't mean for this to happen, but it always did when the War came into the conversation. You would think that after ten years he would be able to ignore the subject and move on, but it always hit a nerve. She had backed away and crossed her arms in front of her body in a defensive manner. He hated it when she did that. He always found some way to bugger things up.

"If you'd rather go home, that's fine."

"Stop," he said his voice still dark.

"What?" She asked with a little force.

"Don't do that. Don't play the victim."

"Excuse me? I was trying to have a good time, I didn't mean anything by what I said, I just, I know I shouldn't have said it, because you always get like this. If you would just talk to me –" he cut her off before she could finish.

"Hermione, I've told you, I don't want to talk about it."

"I know, trust me. I've heard you say it a hundred times. I just think it may help," she said walking towards him slowly and tentatively reaching out to grab his hand. He let her take his hand in hers, but he left it limp. He knew it would make things easier to deal with if he could just let go and talk to her about it, but it was impossible for him. He couldn't let her see that side of him, the side that was completely vulnerable. He had shown and given this woman a lot over the past ten years, but this was one thing he could not give. "Do you understand why it's so important to me, Draco?"

"Yes."

"Then, I don't understand why you won't even try. You don't even have to divulge that much, just tell me how it makes you feel, or why you feel that you have to hold onto this – this hate for yourself." His eyes opened a little wider in shock. "You think you hide every emotion so well, Draco, but I've learned to read you even when you distance yourself completely." She stared at him waiting for a reply, but he did not budge. He just stared back at her, his resolve giving only slightly. He hated that this always happened and he hated that she always found some way to bring it up. She stepped closer, dropped his hand and laid her hand on his chest. She stared at his chest as she spoke, "Draco, I know you probably know this, and I think you feel the same way too, but, I love you, and I just want to help you. I just want you to know that no matter what, I'll always be there for you."

Draco's resolve gave, and he slowly smiled a broad smile that reached his eyes. He knew he loved her, and he had known it for a while. He figured she felt the same way, but it sounded so sweet finally hearing it from her lips. He put his finger under her chin and softly forced her to look at him, "I love you too, Hermione" and he kissed her lips, and she smiled against his mouth because the words sounded sweeter finally coming from his lips too.

Draco slowly pulled away and looked at her more seriously, "I know that you have to put up with a lot when it comes to me, and I know that it would be easier to tell you, but I can't. It's not something I want to talk about. I know you'll always be there for me, you've been there for me more than anyone ever has in my entire life, and I trust you more than anything, but I just can't. I'm not ready."

"Will you ever be ready?" She asked hopefully.

"Maybe one day, but right now, my biggest concern is hearing you say those words again." He smiled as he leaned down to kiss her again. She smiled as his lips met hers and she slowly spoke those words between kisses until he had his arms wrapped around and she was pinned against the wall. He slowly maneuvered his leg so that it was placed between her legs. Hermione could feel the heat between them building, and even though she was pressed against his body, she needed to be closer. He felt it too, and in a reply to the deepening kiss, he pressed his knee against her center and let out a small gasp when he realized she wasn't wearing any underwear. She smiled at his reaction; "I was hoping I'd see you tonight." Draco reached down to guide her hips in a slow rock against him. She let out a soft moan of approval, and Draco felt his pants begin to tighten even more around him.

He kept one hand on her hip and moved his other to grab ahold of her hair. He gently tugged at her full locks receiving a soft gasp in reply. He smirked and began to slowly, tantalizingly kiss his way down her neck making sure to pay close attention to the sensitive spot where her pulse throbbed against her throat.

Hermione felt paralyzed. All she could do was follow his instruction. She continued to rock her hips against his leg feeling herself becoming wetter as every second passed. She realized that she was standing on her tiptoes and had Draco's shirt clenched in her fists as if he were the only thing keeping her in this position. She let out soft moans at first, but as he continued to assault her neck and slowly work his way down to her collar bone, her moans became louder and her breath quickened. He cautiously moved his hand away from her hip, and smiled into the hollow of her throat when she didn't stop grinding against him. He loved how he was the only one who could make her feel this way and he was the only one who got to see her this way. The high strung witch came completely undone at his touch.

He moved his other from her hair and removed himself from her neck. She whimpered at the loss of his mouth and moved her head to look at him. They fixed each other with a smoldering gaze. Draco's usually soft gray eyes had turned molten and dark with arousal just as her eyes had glossed over from the erotic haze in which they found themselves. Without breaking eye contact, Draco gently set her down and started unbuttoning the shirt Hermione was wearing (which was actually one of his dress shirts) and she let her hands fall limply to her sides. He got to the last button and pulled her shirt so that it was almost completely open. The only things covered were her bare breasts. He reached out and brushed his fingers across her flat, bare stomach. He loved how creamy and soft her skin was. He dipped his fingers lower, teasing her already swollen vulva. Her eyes fluttered shut. He watched her as his eyes continued to darken.

He placed his hands underneath the fabric resting on her shoulders and pushed the garment off so that it fell to the floor in a pool of cotton. She was completely naked pinned against the wall in front of him. Neither of them could have been more stimulated in that moment.

Hermione stared at him through hooded eyes and slowly reached to mimic his actions on her shirt. She loved being ogled by him, but she wanted to be able to ogle him too. Her hands were shaking from the excitement, and that was something that Draco did not miss. He loved the effect he had on her just as much as he loved the effect she had on him. No woman had ever been able to make him come completely undone until this little witch.

Having completely taken Draco's shirt off, Hermione ran her hands up and down Draco's chest, and just as he was starting to enjoy the soft feel of her hands on his skin, she drug her nails down his chest, which made his eyes open wide and gape at her. She had a smirk plastered on her face that could compete with his, and her eyes had become so hazy that Draco couldn't take it anymore. He needed to be inside her now.

"Hermione," he whispered in a husky voice.

"I know." She said in as husky a voice as his, "But not yet." She smiled slyly and dropped to her knees. She kissed along his abdomen and dipped her tongue in his belly button and worked her way down to the hem of his pants all while listening to Draco's breath erratically change between gasps and pants. She undid his pants, let them drop to the floor, and smiled at what greeted her. She reached up and rubbed his hard cock, and to her amazement, he became even harder and she could see the small wet stain of pre-cum at the tip of his shaft. She looked up and smiled at him, and without taking her eyes off of him she took him in her mouth through his boxers. Draco let out a hiss and clenched his fists willing himself not to come right there. She sucked one more time on his tip and then reached up to discard him of his last article of clothing. Now it was her turn to ogle him. She loved that all of this, all of him, body and soul was hers.

She began stroking him and dipped a little lower to take his scrotum in her mouth. He let out a gasp and wound his fingers in her hair. In the two years that they had been together intimately, she had never done that, and after this, they both planned on remedying that.

Before she could open her mouth to begin her ministrations again, Draco picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, just letting his tip touch her sensitive lips eliciting soft moans from them both, he carried her up the stairs to the bedroom, all the while she was kissing and nipping at his neck and earlobe. Usually they wouldn't fret with trying to make it all the way to the bedroom, and Draco was finding it harder and harder to move his feet with Hermione wrapped around him and whispering naughty words while she assaulted the bare skin she could reach; but, this time he wanted to make it special. They weren't just going to have sex, tonight they would make love, and he was going to show her just how much he loved her.

He finally made it to the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. He tenderly kissed her legs from feet to inner thigh effectively causing her to writhe and moan beneath him. He wasn't going to be able to last much longer, and neither was she.

"Draco, please" she moaned with her eyes shut tight.

"Wait for it, love" he smiled and began placing light kisses on the sensitive skin above her vulva, Venus, as he liked to call it. He kissed up to her belly button, dipped his tongue in as she did to him, and made his way back down to Venus when he felt her fingers wrap around his lose hair forcing him to look up at her. Her look alone could have finished him right there.

"Draco, I need you, now" she demanded leaving no room for objection. With one swift movement, Draco's lips met hers for a searing kiss as he positioned himself at her core. He broke away and without breaking eye contact, he pushed himself inside her filling her completely. They both moaned at the feeling.

"Oh, God" Draco moaned. They moved against each other, Draco moving in and out while Hermione ground her hips upward meeting him thrust for thrust. He tried to start out slow and take his time, but when she pulled him close so she could feel all of him against her and wrapped her legs around his waist, he found that he reacted to her movement and automatically started thrusting into her faster. She wanted to feel him everywhere; she wanted his skin all over her skin. She ran her fingers up and down his back grabbing his well-shaped bum and he reached under her to squeeze her toned derrière.

He pushed himself up so that he could access her mouth and kiss her again. Their breathing was getting faster, and between pants and kisses, Hermione said, "Mm Draco, don't stop. Don't ever stop."

"Oh, Mi" and with one last thrust, they both tumbled down into bliss. He collapsed on top of her, both panting and a little sweaty. She placed light kisses on his temple and played with the hair on the back of his neck. They lay there for thirty minutes arms and legs wrapped around each other.

Draco pushed himself up so that he could look her in the eye, "I love you, Hermione. You're my everything, the only reason I'm where I am today."

She smiled, "I love you, too, Draco" and met his lips for a soft kiss. He continued to kiss her and make is way along her jaw line and ear and started to pull out of her. She whimpered at the loss, and he chuckled, "Relax, love, we have all night."