Hermione gripped the door handle as Draco rolled down the windows. The warm night air whipped against her face, tossing her hair. The air smelled clean, fresh, a million miles away.

"How far are we going?" asked Hermione, her fingers still squeezing the leather handle.

Draco glanced over briefly, eyebrow raised. "You scared, Granger?"

She shrugged. "Of you? No." Her heart thrummed. She felt a little afraid but of what exactly she did not know.

Draco ran his hand through his white-blond locks messing them up in just the right way. "Good."

The night was so black. The blackest she'd seen in years. She could hear coyotes howling in the distance – and the moon and stars were beautiful and clear.

"Are we almost there yet?" The question let her lips in a breath.

"Just a few minutes." Draco stepped on the gas and the car revved forward, the groaning sound cutting through the stillness.

Hermione leaned back on the expensive leather. She couldn't believe she was here but after spending all morning at her ex boyfriend's wedding she knew she needed to do something reckless, to start trying to move forward. Do something she'd never have dreamed of doing.

Draco Malfoy was a good place to start.

Draco pulled the car into park at the top of desert cliff at the end of craggy dirt road. Hermione was surprised they could make it to the top in a Ferrari.

Draco opened the door and stepped out. Taking a deep breath, Hermione followed him. Since they were no longer whipping down narrow lanes in a car, Hermione realized the air was still. In the distance, she could see glittering Vegas but her eyes did not want to look that way.

Not it was the great expanse of nothing spread out before them. Painted a deep blood red by the moon and the darkness and the shining headlights of Draco's car. Her breath caught in her chest. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen something so beautiful.

"This is my favorite place in the world," sighed Draco, taking the final few sips of Slurpee. The bubbling sound as it came to an end made Hermione have to stifle back a laugh. He tossed his empty cup back in the car, shut the door and jumped on the hood. His eyes lit as he looked over the nothingness.

Cautiously, Hermione sat next to him. "Even better than the casino roof?" she asked.

His head tilted to look at her. "You be the judge of that."

Hermione straightened out her dress, let out a long breath and pushed all her thoughts away (a difficulty for someone like her). It was spectacular. "Wow."

He smiled – and Hermione couldn't see the desert anymore. Just his row of pearly teeth, the front middle one slightly crooked. Enough to make it special. "You like it?"

What am I thinking? This is Draco Malfoy!

But she couldn't stop thinking it. Not when he was smiling at her like that. "Way better than the roof."

There was a silent but peaceful pause. Then Draco pulled his wand from his pocket. "Let me teach you something."

Hermione bit her lip to hold in a laugh. "You teach me something?"

Draco held his wand out in front of him, the tip pointing into the great desert emptiness. "Well, stop me if you already know how to do this." He took a deep breath and said, "Incendus Ignitus."

There was a loud crack. In the sky, a flower of fire light appeared, glistening and shimmering down until they disappeared. Magic fireworks. Hermione grinned so wide it hurt her cheeks. That was one spell she didn't know. She hadn't even heard of.

"Did you invent that spell?" Hermione blurted.

Draco glanced down at his wand, a darkness floating across his vision. "Sort of."

Hermione tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and glanced up at Draco. "You got the idea from the dark mark, didn't you?"

His laugh was short and his head shook. "I forgot how annoyingly deductive you are."

"Sorry."

Draco straightened his back and looked straight at her. His grey gaze was absolutely piercing. "Don't apologize for being intelligent. You should never have to do that."

I spent half my life doing that.

Hermione nodded but the words of reply lodged in her throat. What did she say to this man who seemed just as scarred and changed by the war as she was.

"When are you leaving?" asked Draco.

"Tomorrow," replied Hermione. "When are you?"

Draco slid a little closer to her. Enough that she could smell his spicy cologne. "Most days, I think never."

"What are you thinking tonight?" she whispered.

"Maybe... someday," Draco whispered back.

Their gazes held for a moment, pausing, waiting for something, but Hermione didn't know what. That was thing though. She didn't know what she waiting for anymore. Her whole life was waiting and maybe, just maybe, she should stop waiting. Trembling, Hermione leaned in. Draco closed the distance between them.

His soft lips met hers gently. Then his hand twisted in her hair, tugging on the roots, making her shiver. When she kissed him back. She kissed him back hard. No waiting. No testing the waters. Just her mouth moving, twisting, tugging with his. A tongue swept against her lips. The breath blew out of her and she opened her mouth.

He tested like chocolate and cherries. Like the freshest, best things in the world. Draco slowly pushed her back against the window glass, his torso pressing on her chest. Hermione's hands were one on his neck and one on his cheek. His feathery hair. His rough, stubbly cheek.

And she had no idea how long they stayed there like that. It didn't matter. If it was a minute or half a day. It still would have been the romantic moment of her life.

Why did it have to be with Draco Malfoy?

Thanks for reading. Hope you're enjoying it so far. We'll be returning to the wizarding world after this chapter. Please review if you get the chance and thanks for all the favorites and follows (and reviews)!