A/N: Warning for graphic sexual content, if you're not comfortable with those type of scenes, skip down to the second scene. Also apologies for the delay; I thought I was going to write this in a day, but I was unsure of the ending I definitely wanted and so I had to put it on hold until I thought it out a bit more and decided on an ending. Read and enjoy! Thanks for the feedback and support so far!

Spring

2000

Hermione arched her back against his stomach, a low moan escaping her slightly parted lips. Her breath hitched with every thrust of his hips, while his fingers worked her clit. His teeth sank into her shoulder, her sweat coating his tongue. His tongue trailed up her throat, following the slightly bulging vein before he began nibbling on her ear lobe.

"For Merlin's sake, Draco..." she groaned, her fists curled into the sheets baring white knuckles.

He hissed as his hands gripped her hips, trying to push himself as far as he could inside her. He heard her yelp in surprise. Quickly, he removed himself from her, whispering dazed apologies. His neck stretched to kiss her cheek as she caught her breath, her eyes drifting close.

Draco trailed his fingers against the dip from her hip to her waist, feeling the goosebumps rise at the touch of his tips.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his lips inches from the skin of her neck.

Hermione shivered against him, feeling the tickle of his breath against the hairs standing on her neck. She murmured into her pillow as a response. Draco felt a smirk tug at his lips as he rolled her over to her back. He stared down at the beautiful woman laying beside him; her big, chestnut eyes staring back at him. Draco's fingers wandered up her stomach, stopping to outline her breasts.

"Draco," she said warningly.

He smiled at her with innocence and pure amusement. She watched as he lowered his lips to her nipple, and cursed herself for letting her eyes fall shut. He grinned against her skin as he felt the familiar arch of her back and that first moan that always led to many more.

"I hate you, you know that?" she breathed, running her hand through his hair as he licked and flicked at her flesh.

"No you don't." he replied, his voice barely audible.

Somehow he had learned everything about her so quickly, and he didn't even know when it truly began. It was impossible to pin point the exact moment he started falling for her. But before he knew it she was the one he thought about first thing in the morning. She was the voice of reason in his head, even when it came to the simplest of choices. It was her that he pictured kissing and touching and holding. When he was having a rough night or woke from a nightmare, it her that he wanted there with him, to soothe him.

He knew what made her tick. He knew that it drove her crazy when he trailed up her thighs with his tongue. He knew she loved it when he was rough. And he knew that she loved to beg.

She was breathing heavily now as he worked over each breast; sucking, biting, grasping. He took her familiar cries of pleasure as his cue to move further south, trying to taste every inch of her on his way down. Hermione whimpered as his lips met hers, going directly for her most sensitive spot.

Her moans and cries only grew loader with every flick of his tongue, her fingers now digging into his scalp. His hands rested on her hips once again, much as she tried to buck against them. She loved that too. He could feel her stomach and thighs beginning to tighten, and that was when he stopped.

"Draco..." she whined, loosening her grip on his hair. "Draco, please."

He placed one kiss on her inner right thigh and smiled devilishly against her skin when she let out a groan. It was then that he glanced up at her from between her legs, her chest falling up and down, her curls splayed out on the pillow.

"Say you don't hate me..." he prompted, ready to gently bite her left thigh.

"Never." she said in her best determined tone.

"Then I'll stop." he said with a cool blow to the exposed flesh between her thighs.

Hermione shivered beneath him and bit her lip as she groaned again.

"All you have to do is say it, and I'll continue." he murmured into her thigh, gripping skin between his teeth lightly.

She whimpered as he continued these moves, slow and gently. Almost as if she were made of porcelain. She loved this about him; his ability to know exactly what she needed. Sometimes it was rough, sometimes it was sweet and gentle, and sometimes, like tonight, it was that perfect mixture of both. He always moved with such tenderness and passion, sweeping her off her feet every time.

"Please, Draco." she whined, finally.

"Those aren't the magic words..." he muttered, the words trailing along her skin in rhythm with his breath.

It was that final bite between her thigh and her flesh that did her over. Her ultimate sweet spot. Damn him for finding that.

"I don't hate you!" she cried desperately, before throwing her head back in relief when his mouth met her yet again.

Draco held her tight as she cried into her chest. She had received news that her father died of a heart attack, something he didn't understand at first, and was still having trouble comprehending.

It had been a week since his funeral and she hadn't cried since she received the news. He hated when she buried her emotions. Mainly because she still brooded around his flat and found any reason to snap at him. He had had enough and started a fight, knowing it would lead to this.

They laid in their bed while he stroked her mangled curls. He inhaled the scent of her tears and heart ache and vanilla perfume.

"Let it out." he whispered in the semi-darkness.

Hermione's body shook against his, the roaring fire their only source of light. He could hear the rain pounding against his window, another spring storm passing through.

She felt her lungs burn with every choked sob, while her cheeks surely glowed red. Her stomach felt like it had dropped into her butt, and her heart raged with pain as though it had been split in two. Draco's arms wrapped tighter around her quivering form as her sobs grew louder, drowning out the rumbles of thunder.

"I miss him so much, Draco." she whimpered after another half-hour of crying.

His hands rubbed up and down her back, trying his best to quell her last body-shaking sobs.

"I know you do, Hermione."

It was a perfect Spring morning. The sun was shining through his emerald green curtains, the smell of freshly cut grass and blooming flowers invaded his bedroom. The warmth of the sun's rays fought the chilly air of the early morning on their exposed skin.

They sat in bed with a blanket draped around them, tangled in each other's limbs. Hermione's fingers traced over his mark; his barely fading, ugly mark. He hadn't been able to look at it without feeling resentment and shame for months now. He turned his head away as she examined it, her features at ease.

"It's revolting." he muttered, staring out the open window.

Hermione pecked kisses along his jawline as she hummed softly.

"I used to think the same about mine." she said quietly, exposing the scribbled 'mudblood' on her forearm.

He flinched as it glared at him, reminding him what his Aunt had done. Under their roof.

"They're not who we are, Draco. They're scars now. And soon the memories will fade."

Draco glanced down at her; skin glowing in the orange glow of morning sun. The gentle breeze pushed her stray hair away from her face. He smiled at her before planting a kiss on the top of her head. Hermione rested her head on his stomach, and began drawing circles around his belly button.

"I hope this isn't the break of your I'm-always-right streak." he said sarcastically.

She smiled up at him and pressed her lips to his cheek briefly. His skin burned at her touch.

These were the only memories he wanted from now on.

He hadn't seen Hermione since they arrived at work this morning. He had however, ran into Dean who mentioned she was in a horrible mood today. Draco sighed at this news. The Ministry had been wearing her thin lately; asking her to stay late, springing assignments on her at last minute, demanding reports be finished the very next day. She was stressed, and he was the one paying for it.

At lunch time, Draco wandered down to her office and let himself in. There she sat, hunched over her desk, scribbling frantically and muttering to herself. She nearly jumped out of her seat when he cleared his throat.

"Damn it, Draco. Do you know how to knock?" she barked, slamming down her quill.

"No. Put down your work and come with me." he said, ignoring her jab with his casual tone.

Just as he expected she huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Hermione, you can run right back to your office. But just have lunch with me first." Draco sighed, knowing he had to use as much patience as he could muster.

She stared at him, her features only briefly hard as stone. But one glance down at the pile of work, and her lip was quivering. She glanced back up at him, her eyes now glossed with tears. Her lips twisted into a tight line as she tried to hold back the tears before nodding and rising from her chair.

A picnic in the park had been exactly what she needed. Just her, Draco and nature. She had kicked off her shoes and laid down in the grass as soon as they claimed their spot by a willow tree. Draco took the responsibility of unpacking their lunch as she closed her eyes and sighed.

"You always know what I need." he heard her say mindlessly.

She was silent for a moment before she spoke again, propping herself up on one elbow. "You always know how to make me feel better. Sometimes I don't even know how to help myself."

He arched an eyebrow at her, laying out the rest of their food. "And?"

He heard her sigh again, contemplative but not troubled. "And I suppose I don't understand how that's possible."

Draco nodded at that thought. He wanted to say he didn't know how they had happened. Written in the stars to be enemies, yet here they were. Defying all odds with every passing day. Something had changed in him after the war, obviously, and he supposed she changed as well. Perhaps that had been the plot hole. The only possible way the two of them would end up together. If he had taken one of those offers from the Death Eaters, or if he had never chosen her side at all, they wouldn't be here.

With this knowledge, he leaned forward and kissed her fiercely, holding her head in his hands. He let go of her just as quickly as he had grabbed her. She stared at him in bewilderment, her lips slightly parted, pulsing and tinted pink.

"Never question the good things in your life, Hermione. Hang onto them. My mother once told me that. Probably the most sentimental memory I have with her, to be honest." he said with a chuckle.

Hermione wasn't sure why, but his words sent her into a fit of giggles. She covered her mouth and leaned her head back as the continued to laugh. Draco hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to react, before he caught sight of her smile and burst into laughter himself.

A/N: Before anyone asks, I don't plan on revealing what Hermione gave Draco for Valentine's Day. Think of it as a piece of the story you can dream up yourself! I wanted this section to focus on their somewhat new relationship. I wanted it to focus on their emotions and feelings towards one another. Hope you enjoyed this! I may try and get some sleep before I write the last part, but it should be up by tomorrow at least.