Chapter 2

Hermione sat at the breakfast table with her cousin thinking about the events that had conspired a week ago. Every night since then she couldn't shake the feelings of his hands on her skin or his lips against hers. It was like a phantom was haunting her everywhere she went.

"Hermione have you heard a word I have said at all?" Blaise asked snapping his fingers in her face trying to get her attention.

"I'm sorry what did you say?" Hermione asked looking to her cousin.

"I said don't forget about the Malfoy's dinner party tonight, it's another must." He said. Hermione groaned inwardly.

"Can't I skip this one; say I have dragon pox or something." Hermione said the last thing she wanted to do was be around Draco again.

"Okay first off you know Dragon Pox doesn't exist and secondly if it did and you had contracted it you would die from it and then how would you explain your miraculous recovery when we have our Halloween ball next month." Blaise asked raising an eyebrow. Hermione crossed her arms and sat back in her seat.

"A miracle, that's why it's called a miraculous recovery," She mumbled and Blaise laughed standing up and kissing her forehead.

"Cheer up; I got you some things when I was in Italy last week." Blaise said and Hermione perked up.

"Really what is it, did you get me a book? Please say it's a book" she asked cheerfully.

"Perhaps, along with something else. I put them in your room." He said. Hermione jumped up from her seat and ran to her room Blaise following after her. Hermione flew into her room to see two boxes sitting on her bed. She went to the smaller one first and opened it seeing a first edition copy of Hogwarts, A history that was signed by the author. Hermione ran her hand down the front of it and almost cried tears forming in her eyes. Her copy had been lost with her parent's accident and she had never been able to bring herself to buy another one. Blaise leaned in her door way watching his cousin. He knew she had lost so much when she was younger and that not everyone had treated her the way she should be treated. Hermione was the kindest most loving person he had ever met and it pained him to know that she hurt more then she should. "So you like it then?" He asked. Hermione smiled up at him and set the book down and gave her cousin a tight hug. He had been so wonderful to her and she didn't know what she had done to deserve his kindness. The minute his father died and he took over the family business she knew he could have thrown her out but he hadn't he took care of her an indulged her love of books and charity with out batting an eyelash.

"Thank you so much." She whispered hugging him tighter.

"You're welcome, now how about you open the other box." He said and Hermione smiled at him biting her lip as she walked back to her bed and opened the second box. Hermione gasped at what lay in the box. It was the most beautiful gown she had ever seen made with fine black silk over laid with black lace. It had high scoop neck but an open back and light bead work done to give it a bit of glimmer.

"Blaise it's stunning. I have never seen such a beautiful gown." Hermione said holding the dress up to her and looking in her full length mirror.

"Will you wear it tonight then?" He asked. Hermione turned and looked at him with a scowl and he laughed.

"I knew there was a stipulation, trying to butter me up dear cousin?" Hermione asked laying the gown on her bed.

"Do I really need to butter you up?" He asked. Hermione laughed and shook her head.

"I'll go but that doesn't mean I want to." Hermione said. Blaise laughed and nodded leaving her be for the afternoon.

Draco watched as Hermione laughed with her cousin and Theodore Nott. Her body tightly wrapped in a black gown, her back was exposed and Draco thought it was possibly one of the most erotic things he had ever seen to see her shoulder blades and contours of her back, and the slit up on side of the dress that showed her long tones legs when she walked. Draco had never seen someone look so mouth watering and sophisticated at the same time.

He had been trying to corner her all night to speak with her but she had not let herself be alone for more then a second and he was becoming annoyed. She couldn't avoid him forever but he knew she would try. He continued to watch her when the room got quite and everyone looked towards the entrance way to the parlor to see Daphne Greengrass standing there with her head held high. Draco looked to see Pansy and Daphne's younger sister Astoria with looks of disgust on their faces. Pansy most likely because Daphne had always bested her in school and Astoria because she didn't want to live in her sister's shadow. All eyes were now on her and she entered the room with dignity and went to thank the Malfoy's for their invitation and apologized for her late arrival. She then went off to talk with some of the people she knew and everyone began to whisper about the elder Greengrass girl. Hermione was walking by Pansy when she caught word of what she and Astoria had been saying.

"I can't believe she is showing her face after what happened. I would go into permanent exile." Pansy said looking at Daphne in disgust.

"What is it she did?" Hermione asked the curiosity getting the better of her.

"You didn't hear?" Pansy said shocked. "She ran off with some low life wizard and rumor has it got pregnant then lost the baby." Pansy said.

"My parent's found her and dragged her back home. They locked her in her room for a week before she agreed that what she did was stupid and beneath her. They are forcing her to marry now." Astoria finished. Hermione looked over at Daphne and saw the sadness in her eyes and felt sorry for the girl. No one should be forced to marry and she had a feeling that she had been fooled by the man who she had been with.

"She must be miserable, poor thing." Hermione said.

"Please she brought this upon herself my mingling with people below her status as a pureblooded witch wtih a family such as hers. At least you have someone above your up brining to take care of you rather then going below your class." Pansy said and Astoria agreed with her. Hermione made a little bit more small talk with the girls before she excused herself seeking out the restroom. She didn't know what had possessed her to stop and talk with the two girls. They always had to remind her that she was living off of her cousin even though she never really felt that way. Blaise and Hermione were the only family that either really had left other then Blaise's mother in Italy. So she tried to escape for a little while and found a small lavatory down the hall from the large parlor where everyone was gathered. She had no sooner found it and stepped inside that someone joined her closing the door and locking it.

"What do you think you are doing?" Hermione asked.

"Looking for you. I thought I would return this." Draco said holding up the knickers she had been wearing that night in the library.

"What are you doing with those?" She asked grabbing for them but he pulled them out of her reach.

"I picked them up after you fled that night. Didn't want anyone to find them now would you. Imagine if you cousin had found these." Draco said stuffing them back in his pocket. "If you want I can return them to him, he does buy all of your things anyway doesn't he?" Draco said leaning against the door. Why was it everyone seemed to be one her about what her cousin did or didn't buy for her?

"You're a pig." Hermione spat at him.

"I've been called much worse princess." He said with a shrug.

"You need to forget that night ever happened. Merlin knows I have been trying to." Hermione told him.

"Oh please, like you don't feel my touch still," He said backing her against the wall in the small lavatory, "Like you don't feel my lips against yours still, like a whispers or air." He said brushing his lips against hers as he put an arm on the wall on either side of her.

"No I don't, and you need to remove yourself." Hermione stammered out.

"Liar, you know how I know?" Because I feel all of those things." Draco said kissing her lips nipping on them. Hermione pushed against his chest thrusting him away and wiped her mouth.

"Just because you feel those things doesn't mean I still do." Hermione shouted at him feeling violated.

"You're still lying I know you are, you want me to touch you and I bet you are wet from thinking about that night." He said. Hermione didn't know what to say, he was telling the truth, she wanted nothing more then to feel him again, but she couldn't get over the fact that he was someone she couldn't stand and yet she wanted him more then anything. Hermione just stared at him for a moment before he grabbed her faced and crushed his lips onto hers again pinning her back against the wall lifting her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. Hermione was thanking Godric her dress had a slit in allowing it to move with out ripping because she wasn't sure how she would explain that to Blaise. Draco's hands were running up her legs as her hands fisted in his blond hair and she moaned against his lips. Draco wasted no time in freeing himself from his pants and burying himself with in Hermione who gasped then moaned at the contact. This was better then she remembered. He began to pump into her as he continued his assault on her lips slipping a hand between them to rub at her clit. He knew that people would start to question both of their absence soon enough and he wanted to make sure she was satisfied. Hermione anchored herself against the wall to arch her hips causing Draco to hit the perfect spot and she was soon cumming around him clutching at his dinner jacket as her orgasm over took her then Draco. They sat there panting for a moment before Draco let go of Hermione's legs allowing her to stand on her own. They righted themselves and Draco kissed Hermione again.

"Maybe next time I will actually get you in a bed." Draco joked with her causing Hermione to roll her eyes. "Wait a few minutes then leave after me. If we are seen leaving together…"

"What people may think you are lowering yourself to speak to a charity case?" Hermione returned. Draco just shook his head and walked out. Hermione closed the door and looked in the mirror. Her cheeks and cheats were flushed and she still hadn't calmed her breathing or her heart rate and her lips were swollen and red. She turned on the water and scrubbed her hands and grabbing a towel wetted it and tried to clean some of the sweat off of her. She knew that trying to use magic wouldn't get the feeling that she had just done something wrong off of her so she was doing this the old fashioned way hoping she could scrub it off of her skin. She knew sleeping with Draco was a huge mistake but he seemed to get her brain to stop working whenever he touched her. She knew then looking at herself in the mirror that tonight had started something bad.

Hermione finished righting herself and feeling that enough time had passed left the bathroom and retuned to the dinner party. She was quickly met with Theo who started a conversation with her that had her smiling and laughing and Draco watched with anger on his face. He had just shagged her in the bathroom not ten minutes ago and here she was laughing it up with another man like nothing had happened between him. Draco felt anger raising more inside of him like someone had just taken his favorite toy away. Draco had never liked other's touching what was his and Theo had his arm on Hermione's elbow whispering something in her ear that made her blush and giggle and Draco resisted the urge to go over there and drag her from the room.

"You look like you want to kill someone." Blaise said taking Draco's attention away from Hermione.

"Perhaps I do." Draco replied coolly looking at the Italian by his side.

"Did you get the files?" Blaise asked him. Draco nodded and Blaise walked off to talk with some others.

Daphne Greengrass looked around the room and saw all the looks she was receiving. She knew that coming here tonight was a bad idea but her parents wanted her to feel the shame that her action had brought up their family or something to that affect. They just wanted to punish her for loving someone they didn't approve of.

"You're looking well Daphne." Blaise said handing her a glass of champagne.

"Thank you Blaise you are looking well and Hermione seems like she is a jewel for you." Daphne said watching Hermione talk with some of the other guest there.

"Yes she is quite the gem I must say, though she can sometimes be to bullheaded when talking with some of the business partners." Blaise said with a smile.

"She was always strong willed in school, I think she tries to hard to prove she belongs sometimes." Daphne observed.

"This is the world she was meant to be in simply because she will make it a better one." Blaise said watching his cousin.

"I think you will too, you were always kind and good hearted. I think you are the only one here who hasn't stabbed someone in the back." Daphne said taking a sip from her glass.

"Oh if only. No one is perfect but I try not to step on people to much." Blaise teased and Daphne smiled. Something she didn't do genuinely anymore. "Well I best go make another round, you know how people talk if you spend too much time with one person." Blaise said with a smile and kissed Daphne's hand before moving on to talk with others. Daphne smiled and watched him go thinking that perhaps tonight hadn't been so bad after all.

AN: Check out photobucket for pictures relating to the story search ssteele2989. Click to view profile and the album is the same name as the story. Let me know what you think in a review. Until next time.