Disclaimer. I don't own it.
Author's note: This was written for the: Seasons Challenge, The Seven kisses challenge, the Thunderstorm Challenge, and the Unexpected Occupation challenge.
A week before Halloween, Draco Malfoy showed up at the tiny cabin Hermione told him about.'Fall is the perfect time to go,' she said, her voice ringing in his head. He put his bags down, staring at the little cabin he nodded; she was right. The cabin was nestled in a grove of autumn colors. A bed of fallen leaves surrounded the cabin, making it look like a make believe wonderland. Leaves in vivid browns, yellows, reds and some oranges covered the gravel driveway. The wind rustled the remaining green leaves as Draco looked toward the heavens. An eagle soared through the dying rays of sunset as the deepest purple etched against the pinks and orange skyline.
Draco walked to the back of the cabin. He noted how the deck overlooked the valley below. A quilt of colorful leaves stared back at him. Walking back to the front of the cabin Draco noticed a bright blue convertible with the top down in the driveway. The driver stared back at Draco. Her straight brown hair was pulled neatly in a pony tail.
"What on earth are you doing here?" she demanded as she got out of the car slamming the door.
"You told me Fall was a good time to go to the cabin. So I cleared things up with work and am on vacation for a month," he said. "I didn't realized you'd be here. I'll leave if you want me to."
"No you can stay, there are two rooms," Hermione reached in the car and grabbed two duffel bags of her own. She noticed the suitcases of Draco's on the porch.
"Oh, I haven't been in yet. I've been admiring the view. Where is Weasel?" Noting the absence of her husband.
"Ronald, will not be joining us,"she said in a warning tone. Draco would have pushed the subject further, but her glare told him not to.
"Shall we go inside? It looks like it may storm," he said watching the clouds as they moved in. Hermione looked up at the sky and nodded.
"Those clouds followed me from town. I heard old man McGraw say that there was to be a big storm tonight." Hermione got back in the car and closed the convertible top. She grabbed two large bags of groceries. As she stepped out of the car, Draco was by her side. He took the bags from her hands, his hands brushing against hers. She thought he was acting strange helping her out and all, she drew back her hand, surprised. For some reason, she expected his hands to be cold , she felt a warm glow that filled her whole body, something she thought she'd find in Ron, Draco seemed to have. He noticed the sudden movement from her and felt what she felt. He knew she was all kinds of wrong for him, but a chill chased up his spine as if something sparked that wasn't there before.
"Thanks," she said interrupting the awkward silence. She picked up her duffel bags as they headed to the covered porch. Setting one bag down, Hermione fumbled in her purse for the keys. She found them just as it started to rain. Putting the bags down in the hall, she led him in the kitchen. She pointed to a round, oak table for him to put the bags of food down.
"I'll put away the groceries while you get your things," she said. He nodded, went out the front door and grabbed his suit cases. Thunder boomed as he came back inside. "Would you lock the front door please?" she called to him as he came back through the door. "The keys are in my purse."
"What am I a house elf?" Draco muttered to himself. He saw her blue sawed purse on the floor in front of the coat rack. 'Never touch a woman's purse, unless she gives you permission,' his mother's voice called to him as he fumbled around for the keys. A manila envelope stared him in the face. 'Divorce papers,' he read the black ink peering up at him. Checking quickly to make sure she was still in the kitchen, he peered inside the envelope. Ron had already signed the document. He gritted his teeth. He never liked the man who stole Hermione's heart, but there was a story behind her that he needed to know. He noted her signature spot was left blank.
Returning the document back inside the purse he found the keys and locked the door. Staring out the window, lightening flashed before his eyes as rain pelted against the ground. Suddenly the lights went out. Hermione screamed and dropped the glass bowl she was holding. Draco pulled out his wand, shouted, "Lumos!" and rushed back into the kitchen.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"When the lights went out I dropped my grand grandma's wedding dish." She bent down to pick up the pieces. "Shit, mum's going to kill me."
"Granger, aren't you a witch?" he asked sarcastically. She looked and nodded.
"Oh," she replied. She grabbed her wand and muttered "Reparo!"
"I guess my magic's a bit rusty," she admitted.
"Since the storm knocked out the power, I assume dinner will be delayed?" Draco asked.
"No, we have a gas stove. Why don't you go on upstairs while I start dinner. You can have the room upstairs to the right. It was my old room. The pink has been there for years. I actually detest pink now."
Draco took his wand and his bags and headed up the stairs leaving Hermione alone in the kitchen. Rain fell on the tin roof. That was something he would have to get use to. He found the room just as lightening flashed in front of the window.
"I told you it was pink," Hermione said from behind him. He jumped as thunder boomed. She let out a giggle. "I thought you'd like a lamp," she said. "Scared of thunder?"
"No, scared of pink," he said snatching the lantern from her hands. Draco slammed the door in her face. The truth was, he used to love thunderstorms, until time of the Dark Lord. Awful things happened when the storms were at his manor they were things he kept hidden forever which is why he needed a therapist to begin with.
Feeling a little guilty as slamming the door in Hermione's face, he opened the door hoping she would be there, but was disappointed that all he saw was the dark empty stairway. Cursing to himself, Draco went downstairs to look for her. When he didn't see her in the house he grew worried. Yes, he may not like the woman, but he didn't want to see her hurt. Draco raced outside as the middle of the storm reached them. He knew she was outside, but the question was where. He checked her car first. NO Granger. He saw the lightening light up the ground and noticed a path he didn't see before to the left of the cabin away from the cliff and up a hill. Draco followed the path.
The lantern and his wand lit the way as he came across a small wooden shack. 'She has to be in here,' he thought as he noticed the door opened. There she was lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Draco ripped off his shirt and put it to Hermione's head. The pressure from his strong hands made the blood stop long enough for him to mutter a few things with his wand. Within seconds he cleaned the wound and the bleeding stopped.
"Come on Granger, wake up,"he begged. The rain came down around the little shack as Hermione came to. When she opened her eyes she saw that her head was in Draco's lap and his shirt was off. Lightning flashed as she stared at him shirtless.
"What happened?" Draco asked breathing out a sigh of relief seeing her looking at him.
"When you slammed the door in my face I backed away. Then I realized we had no wood for a fire so I came out in the storm to the firewood shack. Stupid girl I am for coming out in the center of a storm," Hermione touched her forehead. She felt Draco's shirt around it. "When I came in here, lightning must have struck that branch and it broke the window, hitting me in the head.," Draco now looked around the little room. He saw why she called it the wood shack. Lightening flashed again illuminating the room. He saw piles and piles of wood stacked around the room. He then felt the wind come through the open window for he was too worried about Hermione's well being to feel it before.
"You were lucky the place didn't burn down," Draco said.
"I was lucky I had a knight in shining armor with me. I might not have survived if you didn't come looking for me," she declared. It bothered him for half a second that she called him her knight in shining armor. He got over her calling him that, and just smiled at her. For the first time in her life she saw him smile. She looked at him with a funny look on her face.
"Why are you staring at me?" he questioned.
"I never knew you could smile," she stated.
"Well I am human aren't I? Humans do have emotions. I would have thought you being the smartest witch in our year would have known that," he continued to smile at her.
"What?" she demanded. She hated being left out of anything and found herself desperately wanting to be a part of Draco's thoughts.
"Oh, I'm just glad you made it," he looked at her before he finished and saw her confused look.
"So I can have someone to make me meals while I'm here," he said. She sat up and shoved Draco to the ground. Draco grabbed her hand making her fall on the ground with him. She now laid on top of someone she never thought of being with. They stared at each other for a moment. He pulled back a strand of her hair that fell out of place.
"I've never noticed how beautiful you are," he told her.
"And I've never noticed how strong, but sensitive you are." She knew it was a stupid thing to say, but did not care. Her eyes went to the dark mark on his left arm. Her fingers traced the mark. Draco flinched and put on a firm look.
"I was hoping you wouldn't notice it there."
"Peace is our gift to each other," Hermione commented. He nodded. He knew what she meant. She meant that no matter what their past was they could be at peace without saying anything out loud.
"Hermione," he breathed her name. The cold grey eyes she knew from school faded into warm, loving eyes. Thunder boomed loudly making them jump. She got off of him and looked at him in the eyes.
"I don't think it would be a good idea to start anything with you right now. My life is in shambles as it is," she looked away from him for her eyes started tearing up.
"I wasn't going to start anything with you," Draco said confused.
"Let's go back to the cabin while the rain is has let up," she suggested.
They walked in silence as they went to the cabin. Lightning flashed illuminating the sky. Draco thought to himself as he saw her wipe away a tear. 'What did she mean when she said I don't want to start anything with you? Does she have feelings for me" Is that why I started to care for her?' The questions swam around in his mind as they came to the cabin. Draco noticed the lights came back on while they were away.
"If you don't mind, I think I will head to bed," she glanced at her watch. "So much for going to bed on time." Hermione left him alone in the doorway of the cabin. Deciding he was hungry he went into the kitchen and made a sandwich.
He ate in silence, then washed his dishes. Despite his attitude at school, and being a Slytherin, Draco was a neat freak and couldn't stand it when things were out of place. 'Muggles are odd,' He thought as he admired the objects in the kitchen. He secretly had a curiosity of Muggles that no one knew about.
After cleaning up, he went upstairs to take a shower. The water was refreshing as it fell over him. He was just about ready to step out of the shower, when Hermione came in. She gasped in surprise.
"Shit Malfoy, I forgot you were here," Hermione walked back out muttering to herself. He chuckled and turned off the water. Draco stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around his waist. He stared at himself in the mirror reflecting on the night's events. He heard sobbing coming from the room down the hall and decided to go towards it. He knocked lightly. She looked up at him. Her makeup was running and lying next to her was a note from Ron that arrived moments before.
"He said the divorce is final once I sign the papers." She started crying again as Draco sat down on the bed next to her. 'Comfy bed,' He thought. He put his arm around her in hopes to comfort her. He knew she needed a friend and was the only one around.
"I can't believe it. I'm only twenty-seven and he's wanting a divorce. I can't say I didn't see it coming. The drinking, gambling, staying out late. I just didn't know it would come so soon," she muffled through her sobs.
"Stupid git. I never liked the man much myself," she chuckled letting out a smile.
"Malfoy, you never liked any of us."
"Not true."
"What's not true?" she thought she saw him blush. 'But he's a Malfoy and Malfoy's don't blush!' She thought.
"It's nothing," he said. "So how long has Weasel been a drunk?" he said changing the subject.
"Malfoy, what do you mean by saying 'Not true?'" He could see she wasn't going to give up.
"I've always had a soft spot for you. Ever since you slapped me in the face in third year. I don't know why, but that turned me on," Draco looked away from her, embarrassed.
"You are so strange Malfoy. Who would have thought that a slap from a girl would make the boy
like her?" Hermione stated.
"I didn't say I like you," Draco he said as blushed even more.
"You might not have said it, but I see it in your eyes. Also, you're blushing," she touched his cheek gently.
"Malfoy's don't blush," he replied as if he read her mind moments before.
"Everyone blushes. No matter how black their hearts might be. In this case, your heart isn't black," She explained simply.
The moon shown over her making her glow among the tears. She looked up at him with a sheepish look. The bold, beautiful Hermione was only strong for so long. She leaned up against him for support. At first he didn't know what to do. He awkwardly patted her back. Not saying anything. When she looked up at Draco, all he could think about was kissing her. She looked so small in the moonlight. How could anyone hurt her?
Draco couldn't refuse, as he looked down at her, he suddenly moved his lips towards hers. The next thing he knew, he kissed her. A soft, gentle kiss on the lips as they sat there in silence. He wrapped his arms around her holding her as the lips kissed. When they broke apart, he looked at her in the dark. Not saying anything.
"What?" Hermione questioned. He could hear the hint of disappointment in her voice.
"You said you didn't want to get involved with me."
"I didn't expect a kiss on the lips from you," she confessed.
"Neither did I, but it happened," and with that Draco walked away. He knew it was a mean trick, but he knew the kiss egged her on. He undressed quickly and crawled into bed. Rolling over on his side, facing the wall, he sighed, 'she'll come to me.' Quietly, he heard his door open and turned towards the noise.
"Why did you kiss me?" she asked standing in the door way. She looked elegant in the moonlight. The evening storm had passed for now, but there was another one brewing. He could hear the thunder coming in. He stared at her. She was wearing a light blue strapped cotton gown that looked more like a dress than a nightgown. Her hair was wavy again and fell past her shoulders.
"I wanted to," his answer was a simple one, but a complicated one for her.
"You wanted to? Since when does Draco Malfoy want to kiss a Mudblood?"
"Granger, haven't you ever heard the saying, 'if a boy teases you he likes you?'" he smirked at her.
"Of course I've heard that saying before, but I've always thought it was a false statement." Draco couldn't help it but let out a laugh.
"Why because no one's teased you like that before?" He joked as he sat up in the bed that was once hers. She noted he slept with boxers on and no shirt.
She turned and closed the pink door. What she did next set Draco ablaze with a sense of urgency. In one smooth motion Hermione reached down, pulled her nightgown off and tossed it to the floor. Her underwear went beside it as Draco felt himself grow hard.
"Hermione," he whispered her name. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" She walked silently closer to him. Her body swayed in perfect rhythm.
"I have never been so sure of anything in my life than what I want right now," she said. She was inches away from his body. He could smell the lavender shampoo she used from her morning shower. She placed her legs firmly on either side of him. He could feel her tremble, but out of love. She then sat gently on his legs and put her hand to his chin.
"Draco," she whispered, kissing him . He wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her on the bed. She was under him now as he moved a strain of hair out of her face.
"One kiss for hope," he whispered as he caressed her shoulders gently with his calloused finger. He gently kissed the soft skin where his finger was a few minutes ago.
"One kiss for patience," he felt her knees give away as he kissed her neck.
"One kiss for your heart" as he kissed her left breast he heard her moan.
"One kiss for your soul," as he gently moved to her right breast.
"One kiss for beauty," he said kissing her belly button. His hand lingered for a moment over the belly.
"One kiss for power," as he teased her by going just below the belly, kissing it softly.
"One kiss for your love," he said kissing her gently on her soft red lips. "Which makes a total of-"
"Seven kisses, but why seven?" she whispered.
"Seven was the number of the days you were my therapist," his soft voice sent sensations all over her body. Something she never felt before with anyone. Including her own husband.
He awoke hours later with her sleeping soundlessly next to him. He smiled at the good fortune sharing his bed.
Author's note: I know its longer than normal, but this was written for 4 challenges.