"Our last night, huh?" Draco said, watching as Hermione surveyed their almost empty dorm.
They had returned from their final feast in The Great Hall, the eighth year students deciding to join their house tables to say their final goodbyes. To finish where they began was the idea. The feast had been loud and raucous, and the House Cup was awarded to Slytherin. Draco, Pansy and Blaise had glared smugly across the hall from their places at the Slytherin table at their former Gryffindor rivals when the announcement was made, before collapsing with laughter as Hermione, Harry and Ron rolled their eyes and shook their heads at the miserable attempt to intimidate them.
The party had flowed out of the Great Hall and into the castle, continuing on into the House common rooms; a dual celebration of it being a year since the war had ended, and the final year at Hogwarts for the seventh and eighth year students. Hermione told Draco that she'd meet him in the Heads dorm in an hour, and headed off to celebrate with her fellow Gryffindors.
Draco was waiting when she returned, smiling as she came through the door, happy and relaxed; the stress of the last two years seeming to have left her – at least for the night anyway. The improvement in her since they had been talking about what had happened had been remarkable. The nightmares had stopped again, hopefully for longer this time, but he was sure if they returned they would be able deal with them together.
Their trunks were packed, laying open, waiting for those last minute belongings to be added the next morning. Their discarded school jumpers and ties had been tossed unceremoniously on top of each one. He stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Yeah," she said, "Our last night."
"Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. This year was not what I was expecting." She told him.
"What were you expecting?"
"I'm not really sure now," she turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder and smiled, "But I'm pretty happy with the outcome."
Draco kissed her behind the ear, "Glad to hear it," he whispered, his hand slid up her body, coming to rest just beneath her breast.
"What are you thinking?" She asked.
The hand holding her hip increased its grip and he pulled her back against him. His mouth descended on her neck, "I'm thinking that it's our last night here and maybe we should leave our mark on this room."
"Hmmm," Hermione responded, reaching behind him to grab his arse, "Maybe we shouldn't do this out here. Blaise walked in on us once, I really don't want the entire group walking in for the show."
Draco sniggered and stepped back, holding his hand out towards her, "Come with me."
Hermione grinned at him as he dragged her up the stairs, "And where are you taking me, Mr Malfoy?"
"There's a very comfortable bed that I'd like to show you."
"Really," she quirked an eyebrow at him, "And what did you plan on doing after you show me this bed?"
Draco pulled her into his bedroom and kicked the door shut. He pulled her against him and whispered in her ear, "I plan on stripping you slowly and kissing every inch of your skin."
Hermione slid her fingers through his hair, closing her eyes and breathing him in, "That sounds amazing, and after you do that...?"
"And then I plan on fucking you until you scream my name."
Hermione tried to hold her laughter, but couldn't. She felt Draco's teeth dig into her shoulder, his body shaking as he laughed with her.
"Oh, really," she said between gasps of air, "And then what?"
"I don't know now," he laughed, "Sorry."
She pulled back from him, reaching out and unbuttoning his shirt, "How about we just start with the first part?"
"That I can do," he smirked at her. He shrugged out of his shirt and began on hers, taking his time, kissing each piece of exposed skin as he slowly loosened each button. He slid her shirt down her arms, and reached behind her, finding the zipper on her skirt and sliding it down, Gravity took over and her skirt dropped to the floor. She kicked it away and stood before him, a vision in white lace causing a not unpleasant pull low in his belly.
He stepped into her, pulling her close and brushed his fingertips along her back, drawing goose bumps along her skin. His lips pressed gentle kisses along her neck, finding that spot behind her ear that caused her breath to hitch and she felt him smile against her skin as a small sigh fell from her mouth. He turned her towards the bed, gently easing her back to the mattress.
She shifted further up the bed, leaning back on the pillows, watching as he removed his own pants and boxer-briefs and crawled up the bed to hover over her. He looked down at her, his gaze had intensified, he was suddenly serious, the laughter from just minutes ago forgotten. He kissed her, a soft, gentle kiss that said more than any of the previous exchanges the two had shared, and she instantly knew that this would be different. He was quiet, taking his time. Hermione reached up and cupped his jaw, taking in his features; she had never anticipated the reverence that was etched on his face, the tenderness of his touch.
"Breathtaking," he said quietly, his mouth pressing softly against hers, "Beautiful...stunning...perfect" each word accentuated by another soft kiss. His mouth trailed across her jaw, along her neck, dipping his tongue into the hollow of her throat. His fingers curled behind her back, finding the clasp of her bra and freeing her from the white lace.
She shivered beneath him, as his mouth travelled lower to the valley between her breasts, his name falling from her lips and whispered into the silence. His mouth found the taut peak of her nipple while her fingers moved through his hair. He circled his tongue around the sensitive bud and then clamped his lips down, sucking hard. She arched beneath him, silently demanding more, and he bit down, grazing his teeth against the swollen nub. He switched to her other breast, sucking and biting at her nipple until it was red and swollen and matched the first.
His mouth moved lower, kissing the heated flesh over her ribs, down to her navel. Her hips jerked beneath him and he chuckled against her skin, his teeth grazing the edge of her underwear. He drew the lace down her legs, worshipping her skin as he kissed his way back up her inner thigh. He dipped down between her thighs and a breathy moan left her mouth. He licked and sucked at her, her hands gripping his hair, her hips lifting off the mattress to meet his mouth, he looked up at her and almost came undone at the sight. Her eyes were closed, her head thrown back and mouth open gasping and moaning as he dragged his tongue through her.
Her fingernails dug into his scalp in a painful grip while he lapped repeatedly through her slit. Quiet whimpers escaped her as he kissed her clit before lowering his lips over the sensitive nub and sucking gently on it. She rocked against him, tiny pelvic thrusts against his mouth as his tongue worked over her. He thrust two fingers into her, her back arching, her thighs tensing against his cheeks.
"Draco," she whispered, her body writhing beneath his mouth.
Draco grinned against her heated flesh, knowing she was close. He increased the pressure, his fingers thrusting harder. A few more swipes with his tongue across her sensitive nub had her climaxing tightly around his fingers, crying out his name.
She expected him to crawl up over her, but he remained still, "Draco?" she said quietly.
"Hermione," he hesitated for a second, "Can you roll over for me?"
She smiled at him, and rolled to her front, holding herself up on her elbows, "Like this?"
He dragged his bottom lip between his teeth, "Yeah," he breathed, "Is this okay?"
"This is perfect." She assured him.
He leaned forward and brushed her hair back from her shoulders, pressing his lips to her neck, slowly kissing his way down her spine. His hand brushed across her arse and squeezed gently, before kissing his way back up to her neck, shifting over her and positioning himself between her legs. His hard length brushed against her arse, causing her to shudder. Tiny jolts of pleasure shot through her as he resumed kissing the bare skin of her back and shoulders. She pushed herself up slightly to look over her shoulder. Draco smiled at her, and leaned in to capture her mouth.
"Oh!" She gasped, as his fingers slipped around her and caressed her nipple, tugging, pulling and twisting at the hardened bud.
"Tell me," He whispered, his mouth moving to her neck, planting wet kisses on her flushed skin, "Tell me how it feels."
"Good," she whispered back, her breathing becoming erratic.
"How good?" He asked, his tongue flicking over her ear.
"So good," she moaned, "So fucking good."
He placed another kiss between her shoulder blades, and ran his hand down her ribs, over the curve of her arse, stopping between her legs. Draco watched as her body flushed, her breaths becoming more and more erratic, his fingers working inside her were coated with her arousal.
"Are you ready for me?" Draco asked.
"So ready." She replied and lifted her hips slightly.
He shifted behind her, taking himself in hand and pushing into her. He gripped her hips, sinking into her until her arse was pressed against his pelvis. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, the feeling of being so deep inside her was almost too much.
Hermione reached back blindly, her arm flailing, trying to grab him, "Draco, help."
He frowned, taking a second to realise what she wanted. He leaned forward, his hands sliding beneath her and he pulled her up so her back was pressed against his chest. She moaned as the movement pushed him deeper into her, filling and stretching her. He placed one hand on her hip, the other slid to her stomach tracing patterns around her navel, moving up her ribs and coming to rest at the bottom of her breast. Her head dropped back to his shoulder, sighing at his gentle touch.
His fingers stroked the swell of her breast, sliding over her taught nipple, twisting it gently. Hermione's breath quickened, a moan rising from deep in her throat. He kissed his way down her neck, sucking at the place where it met her shoulder, drawing another sigh from her. His hand shifted from her hip sliding down between her thighs and she covered it with her own, dragging their linked fingers lower, feeling the spot where he was buried inside her. He began to move, long, slow thrusts through her wet heat, her fingers feeling him as he slid through her.
Hermione rolled her hips, meeting his thrusts, shifting her hand from between her thighs to meet his hand that was on her stomach. She ground against him, the tip of his cock sliding against the perfect spot inside her. Her body shuddered as he thrust up into her, his fingers rolling over her clit. He repeated the movement, each thrust harder than the last. Her hand scrambled back, gripping his hip as the pressure built, their hips slamming together as they rode each other. His fingers continued to toy with her clit, the other hand back on her breast, twisting and pulling roughly at her nipple. She was moaning, loud expletives falling from her mouth, begging him for more.
He pushed her forward and she fell onto her outstretched arms. He gripped her hips and took her roughly, slamming into her over and over. He could feel her growing wetter, her insides pulsing around him. He reached for her clit, rubbing it in time with his thrusts. She was whimpering as her pleasure began to reach its crescendo. A strangled cry escaped her, as her body gripped the thick length of him.
Hermione gasped at the heat that was building inside her. This was different. This was new. She felt as if every nerve ending in her body was concentrated at the one point that Draco was repeatedly slamming into. The combined pleasure of his hand on her clit and his thick length inside her had her gasping, almost whining, as a tight knot of pleasure rushed through her body. She let out a wailing moan, her body stiffening, her hips slamming back hard onto him. Her body shuddered as a rush of liquid gushed down between her thighs, coating his cock.
Draco cried out in surprise, before losing the tiny sliver of control he had. He gripped her hips and slammed into her, thrusting hard and fast through her spasming walls. He threw his head back and groaned out her name as he jerked and swelled inside her, following her own explosion with one of his own.
Hermione's arms buckled and she fell to the mattress, Draco slipping out of her. She shuddered at the sensation, her body still sensitive and every nerve alight.
Draco looked down between them, his completely spent cock hanging limply between his legs, covered in the wetness that had exploded from her body. He was stunned. He ran a finger across his wet skin, not believing what had just happened. He shifted to lie down beside her, and she turned her head to face him.
"Holy fuck," she whispered and laughed.
"Holy fuck indeed," Draco answered placing a kiss to her shoulder, "Fuck Hermione. That was..."
"Intense." She finished for him, "I don't think I can move."
Draco laughed, "Then don't." He curled against her side, wrapping an arm across her back, "Are you okay?" He asked her gently.
"Better than okay." She didn't think she'd ever felt this good in her life, "So amazingly okay Draco."
He kissed her forehead, "Good."
"I've never..." She closed her eyes, she'd never felt so exhausted and so content at the same time in her life, "That's never happened before."
"Never?" Draco couldn't contain the smirk that crossed his face.
"Never," she repeated, "You're the first to make me do that."
"First, huh?
Hermione couldn't help the bubble of laughter that escaped her, "Yes, first."
He leaned in and kissed her, "Finally."
"Are you being smug?" Hermione opened her eyes to look at him.
"Smug?" Draco raised his eyebrows at her, the smirk still plastered across his face, "No, not smug. Just feeling a complete sense of pride in myself."
"Sounds like smug to me," She teased and gave him a satisfied smile, "I'm glad that happened with you."
"Me too," he said.
Draco watched as sleep slowly took hold of her. She had a small smile on her lips as her eyes closed. He leaned in and kissed her, breathing her in. He knew that this was it. He loved her. He loved her completely and with his whole being. He closed his eyes, feeling her body relax against his. She was his, and now that he had her, he would never let her go.
It was time to leave.
Hermione had achieved the highest possible scores in all of her classes with the exception of one; Potions. Draco had managed to beat her, and didn't he let her know. She had laughed, and allowed him his smugness, reminding him of her success when he became overbearing
She had surprised everyone, including Draco, by deciding to become a Healer at St. Mungos. They had all pegged her for a Ministry job, Harry and Ron even going as far to wonder if the reason she'd chosen that path was because Draco would be working at the Potions Lab there. She had slapped them both, telling them they should know better. That there was no way that anyone, including Draco, would have any influence over the decision she made regarding her own future.
Draco was secretly delighted that they would be working together, even though they would be working in completely different fields. He kept his excitement in check, not wanting Hermione to think that he would use their combined work place to keep an eye on her; he wouldn't, of course, but the whole jealously thing was something he was still working on and he needed her to believe that he trusted her wholly. Still, it didn't change the fact he was pleased that he would be near her every day.
St Mungos had accepted them both eagerly. To have both the brightest witch and wizard that Hogwarts had produced in many years wanting join them, well, they couldn't have been more pleased.
Harry and Ron had both been accepted into the ministry's auror offices with as much excitement as Hermione and Draco's appointment at St Mungos. The two 'war heroes' joining the ministry was a great advert, and a major part of the reason Hermione wanted nothing to do with it. She had no desire to become a poster girl for The Ministry, and not do any actual work.
Pansy would be joining Draco, her potions score was outstanding, equalling Hermione's. Not that they were surprised, she had excelled at potions during her entire eight years at Hogwarts. Ginny had accepted the spot as seeker for the Holyhead Harpies, and Gwenog Jones was letting everyone know about it. She also looked to be taking up a job as a sports reporter at The Daily Prophet.
And Blaise. Blaise had no idea what he was going to do. His scores were as high as those of the others, but he was fairly nonchalant about his future, with the exception that he knew he was definitely not going to work for his father. An office job was not for him.
Hermione had laughed and told him to take a gap year, give himself time to think about exactly where his future lay. He had given her a quizzical look, not understanding the muggle term. She explained that he should take a year off to travel, or work in a dozen menial jobs until he decided what suited him. He might be surprised and find something completely unexpected suited him.
Hermione and Harry were sitting together on the wide stone ledge in one of the archways that surrounded the rebuilt courtyard, waiting for the others.
"What is it Harry?" Hermione asked, noticing the odd look on his face.
He looked at her, "I was just thinking that it's been an interesting year."
"More interesting than the last few years?"
"Much more interesting, I'd say," He bumped her with his shoulder, "I mean, seriously Hermione, did you ever expect Ron and Pansy to get together?"
Hermione snorted a laugh, "Pansy and Ron? No, never. Weirdest couple ever."
"Oh, I don't know," Harry grinned at her, "Malfoy and me becoming friends is pretty weird."
"Friends?" Hermione's eyes went wide, in mock surprise, "Rumour is that there's something more going on between the two of you. I heard you were moving in together.
DM#HG
Hermione had been at a loss as to where she would live after school had finished. The previous summer she stayed with the Weasley's, and had organised The Ministry to oversee the sale of her parents' house. The fact that her parents weren't dead, but had no memory of their home in England, was more muggle red tape than she could possibly or even know how to deal with.
She had more than enough money from the sale of the house to purchase a place of her own, but that would take time, and with her new position at St Mungos starting in just over a month, she didn't think she would have time to put in the effort required to find something suitable.
"You can stay with me. There's more than enough room at my place," Harry had told her, "I had it completely redone while we we've been at school. In fact, you can have an entire floor to yourself."
"Are you sure, Harry?" Hermione asked, "Because I'm sure I can find somewhere to stay."
"Hey, you're my family," Harry told her, "And Sirius would want family in his home."
Harry had inherited Grimmauld Place from Sirius and during the war it had been used as the headquarters for The Order. Now that they had finished with it, it would be his home. He, like Hermione, didn't want to return to the Weasley's. They had both been grateful for the home that had been offered, but both wanted to stay in London. Sirius's old home had been fully transformed. The doom and gloom that had existed there for generations had now been replaced with light and colour.
The place was massive, much to Molly's delight (they all saw her picturing plenty of room for grandchildren), six floors in all; four floors above the ground level and one below, with bedrooms and bathrooms on all floors, except the lower two. Harry insisted that there would be more than enough space for her to live with him and Ginny, in fact, they probably wouldn't even see each other, and Hermione had taken him up on his offer, without hesitating, forgetting completely that she had Draco to consider. When they had talked about their lives after Hogwarts it had been somewhat of a shock for both of them.
"You can live with me." Draco told her, but was startled by her response.
"No, Draco. No. I can't." She'd backed away from him.
At first he didn't understand her reaction. It took a few seconds but it hit him; The Manor.
"Hermione no," he closed the gap she'd made between them and took both of her hands, "Not The Manor. I would never ask you to live there."
After the war, and the subsequent arrest and incarceration of his parents, he had not returned to his childhood home. He'd rented a flat in the middle of London and spent the summer there. The constant noise was welcome after the hollow, empty echoes of the manor. He had remained out of sight, avoiding even leaving his temporary dwelling for days at a time, enjoying the solitude. Outside of The Ministry, Pansy and Blaise were the only ones who knew where he was.
The entire Malfoy estate had fallen to him; the money, the jewels, the artefacts, the Manor. He had returned only once to allow the Ministry Aurors to remove and destroy any and all questionable items that they found and he had them do the same to the family vault at Gringots. He wanted no part of his father's wrongdoings and had wanted it known that he was assisting The Ministry in whatever they asked of him.
The only thing that he kept, other than his personal belongings, was the library. He had the entire collection – that which the Aurors deemed acceptable - moved to a new vault at Gringots and then had The Manor demolished and sold the land on which it had stood. It was a responsibility that his nineteen year old self shouldn't have had to deal with.
It was why he had returned to school. He had decided that he would put on hold the responsibility that he hadn't wanted and most certainly hadn't asked for, and he would disappear back to Hogwarts. He thought it would give him time to think about what lay ahead, but it also gave him a chance to hide from the public scrutiny that followed him everywhere.
Hermione was shocked, "You had it demolished, seriously?"
"Seriously," Draco said, "There was absolutely nothing there that was worth anything to me anymore."
"You grew up there, doesn't that count for something?"
"No, The Manor holds no value to me whatsoever." He shrugged, "I have no need of a place that almost destroyed the people I love."
She smiled at him, "Harry offered me a place at his house."
"Oh," Draco tried not to sound disappointed, "Um, okay then.'
She let him sweat for a few seconds before telling him, "You can stay there with me."
"Seriously?" He was slightly shocked that Harry would be happy for him to stay, but could barely contain the smile.
"We wouldn't even be technically living with them," she explained, "We'd have an entire floor to ourselves. Bedroom, bathroom, sitting room. We'd only have to share the kitchen."
"Them?" Draco asked.
"Ginny and Harry," she answered and then grinned, "And Pansy and Ron."
"Blaise and Graham not joining the group?"
"I'm not sure we'd survive," Hermione laughed, "What do you think? Are you happy to live at Harry's?"
Draco cupped her face, "I think it sounds perfect."
DM#HG
Harry laughed at her, "Well, that's one rumour that is true. Draco Malfoy is moving in with me. His girlfriend says he's a decent guy, I'm still not convinced," he winked at her, "I just hope they know how to use silencing charms."
Hermione's face flushed pink and she twisted her mouth into a smile, "I hope so too. I've heard the rumours about how loud they are."
"No. I thought it would be funny, but it's not," Harry shook his head grimacing at his own joke, then smiled, "You look happy, Hermione."
"I am happy, very happy."
"Who'd have thought, huh?" Harry said.
"Thought what?" Hermione grinned.
Harry pinched her knee, "That you'd be happy with the ferret."
"Or that he'd be happy with me," Hermione laughed and flung her arm around his shoulders, "Interesting year, huh?"
They watched as their friends approached; an eclectic group that eight years ago would never have even considered the possibility that they would be friends. Ginny and Pansy were laughing at something Blaise had said; Ron, Draco and Graham following them shaking their heads.
Harry nodded his head, "Interesting year indeed."
A/N: Again, cheers for the reviews. This story is still rattling around in my head, so there's more to come :)