A/N: blah, blah, blah, I don't own the characters, just the plot.

Chapter 7

The following morning, Draco was lying on the transfigured bed holding Hermione close in his arms thinking about their future. It just one week until Hermione Granger would become Hermione Malfoy.

Falling asleep with her wrapped around him on Friday night had been six years worth of his dreams coming true. It was also only the second time that he had actually slept in the same bed all night with a woman. He had never been one to spend the night holding the woman he had just been with, until Hermione. She was the only woman he had ever been comfortable enough to sleep with after they had sex. Previously, he had always certain that he vacated the bed quickly after sex. If he had any doubts before about being in love with his bride, the fact that he slept the whole night holding her nullified them.

Draco Malfoy was a playboy. He had been with many women in his past, but not one of them could hold a candle to Hermione. Friday night was just…perfect.

Finally, he understood that being in love with your partner added to the act itself. Now, he honestly knew why people called it making love. Their shared emotions had added so much more to, what he had always referred to as shagging. He could only marvel at this new level of intimacy. Draco had always considered himself a considerate lover, but by being with someone that you loved, it even took those practiced actions to another level of bliss.

They had made love three times throughout their lust-filled night. He had been surprised, to say the least, at how adventurous she was. Nevertheless, he made sure to take care of her needs as well. Despite his passion, he still hoped that his feelings of love and adoration would be evident to quell her doubts as well.

(I am not sure if that additional line works or not. I have been toying with another way to say what you mean here, but I have not been able to figure something out.)

Always a realist, Draco expected her to be upset when she opened her eyes and realized what had happened the night before. Instead, when she opened her eyes she smiled and sleepily asked, "Mmmmm, morning Draco, what time is it?"

As he returned her smile, he answered, "About nine, i think."

Instantly, she had shot out of the transfigured bed nude, running around the large living room to retrieve her scattered clothes. She explained, "Ginny and Harry are meeting me at my flat in 5 minutes to help me get everything over here."

He simply laughed and tossed her the bra that was lying underneath him. She dressed hurriedly and then stopped by the bed intending to give him a quick kiss. However, Draco had other ideas. He pulled her onto the bed and rolled her under him to give her a proper good morning kiss.

She ended up flooing into her flat thirty minutes late only to interrupt Harry and Ginny snogging on her couch. To announce her arrival, she teased, "Honestly, you two, you are married now. I would think that you would be able to control yourselves."

After seeing Harry's green eyes flash in recognizing the "reason" for Hermione's tardiness, Hermione quickly suggested, "Harry? Draco could use your help at the new house, Ginny and I will take care of getting everything here shrunk for transport." She then gestured towards the floo and grabbed her pot of powder.

If Harry thought that Hermione was acting odd trying to get him to leave so quickly, he didn't let it show. He grabbed a handful of powder and threw it into the fireplace, while taking a closer look at her mussed hair, before grinning and shouting, "Number 48 Ixworth Place."

With a flash of green light Harry was gone and Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand to pull her into the bedroom. "I need to talk to you."

"Where were you this morning Hermione? We got here at ten past nine, expecting you to be impatiently tapping your foot. Instead, we had to wait twenty minutes for you to even get here."

Seeing her friend shifting her eyes in guilt, Ginny moved in front of her and asked, "Look at me Hermione," she urged, and then gently said, "You slept with Draco last night, didn't you?"

Immediately, tears began leaking down Hermione's cheeks. "Ginny, I don't know what to do. I…what I mean to say is …I think…," she stammered too nervous to tell Ron's sister that she had slept with Draco. She felt like she lost another piece of Ron last night.

"Hermione, we have already talked about this. Ron is gone and you are marrying Draco in one week. It is OK to have feelings for him, you should have feelings for him, and in fact, I am thrilled that you have feelings for him. It means that you have finally let your anguish over losing Ron go and could made room in your heart for Draco."

Ginny finished quietly, pulling the quietly weeping Hermione into her arms, and holding her to sooth away her tears. Her own heart hurt knowing that her friend was finally letting go of her childhood sweetheart complete with their dreams they had for their future -- a feature that would never be. She, too, allowed herself to shed tears for brother and tightened her hold.

Hermione calmed herself after a while, and pulled out of Ginny's comforting arms. "We should probably get to work, so that I can make sure Draco doesn't put everything away wrong." She gave her a bright grin, despite her puffy eyes.

"The charms can wait. Now that you are calmed down, you know that I need some details." Ginny smirked at her and asked in quick succession, "So, is he as good as we always heard in school? How did it happen? How many times did you shag? Was that why you were late this morning?"

Hermione burst into laughter, "I suppose that you want me to take those questions one at a time, huh?"

At Ginny's nod she began, "He is better than good. I have never been touched the way that he touched me and I am not talking about with his hands--"

"Or lips, or tongue…" Ginny eagerly interrupted.

"Anyways," Hermione continued, trying to suppress her grin, "Yes lips and tongue too. But he also touched my heart. He made it ache for him. And by the way, speaking of tongues, he should teach classes; it should be a required class seventh year for all wizards. Merlin, Ginny, it was the most amazing sex I have ever had."

Ginny grinned at her words. "So, the best you've ever had eh? Tell me more, you still need to answer how, and how many times it happened."

Hermione couldn't keep the huge smile off of her face. "Three times last night Ginny, and again this morning. I tell you, the man is insatiable. He did things to my body that I didn't know were possible."

However, that was then that Hermione's guilt caught up to her mind, "The best sex I've ever had? What am I thinking? Ron and I loved each other…but that doesn't mean that the sex was good. You can love someone and still have mediocre sex…and it's not like I have had that much sex. Ron was the only person I had ever slept with before last night. Our sex life was never bad; it was just ok. Ron never took me to the heights that Draco did last night...

Ginny noticed Hermione spacing out and correctly guessed that she was having a silent war with herself, so she snapped her fingers in front of her face. "Earth to Hermione? Where did you go just now?"

"I was just thinking about Ron. Ginny, I can't help it, but I am constantly comparing him to Draco, but not just in the bedroom. I loved Ron, Ginny. I loved him so much I thought I was going to die when he was taken from me, and it just seems wrong to be happy and moving on with Draco, when Ron is gone. We had so many plans, and they will never come true."

"Oh, Hermione, it is unfair that my brother died, but he did. Everyone knows that you loved him. Ron knew that you loved him and you made each other so happy. Now that he is gone you deserve to be happy again."

She paused to take Hermione's hands in hers and continued, "He is at peace now, but you are still alive, and you have this amazing chance for happiness with Malfoy. Ron would hate it if he knew that you were forsaking your chance for a happy life because of him."

"Of course you are comparing the two of them, they are the two most serious relationships you have had. Do you really think that when Harry and I got together that I didn't compare everything about him to Dean Thomas, and Michael Corner? It is natural for you to compare Malfoy to Ron."

"Now, stop fighting with yourself. We have a very busy day ahead of us. We have to get everything in this flat over to your house, so start shrinking."

It only took the two witches ten minutes to get everything shrunk down, and ready to go. Once the last box was shrunk and placed in Hermione's old school trunk, she took a last look around and her eyes glittered with more tears. Ginny knew that she needed a moment alone, so she offered to floo over to the house with the trunk to allow Hermione to say her goodbyes.

After Ginny disappeared in the fireplace, Hermione walked around the flat and let her memories and her tears come. Where her bed once resided was where she lost her virginity to Ron. They were so eager for each other that it had only lasted a few minutes. In the living room was where she first told him that she loved him while cuddling on the couch. She saved the kitchen for last, as it was where Ron had got down on one knee and proposed.

Why did it have to be so hard to say goodbye?

"Ron? I have to let go of you now. There will always be a special place in my heart, just for you, but as Ginny said, it is time for me to make room in my heart for Draco. He really has changed so much since school, and he loves me Ron. I have a chance for real happiness with him, and I have to take it."

She was still standing in the spot where Ron had proposed, and she slid to the linoleum to weep for her lost love. She knew that these would be her final tears for Ron Weasley.

Hours later, she was still leaning back against the cabinets, with her knees drawn to her chest, and silent tears steadily falling onto her t-shirt. It was then she felt two hands softly rest on her shoulders and pull her up and into their hard chest.

She instantly recognized the spicy scent of Draco's cologne. He murmured into her hair, "Ron's Mum sent me to make sure you were OK. She guessed that it would be hard for you to say goodbye to this place where you were so happy with him."

She smiled into his chest and tightened her arms around his waist as he hugged her. She knew that it was time that she moved on with Draco Malfoy. Even though she wept for Ron and mourned their memories and plans, it was on that same kitchen floor that she knew she was in love with Draco. She may have known this fact for a while, but it was only today she could accept it completely. After all, she would never give herself to someone that she didn't love.

Breaking into her thoughts, his voice rasped out in concern," Are you OK?"

She pulled back and gave him a tremulous smile. "I am going to be just fine Draco. I just needed time to say goodbye to the memories here."

"Hermione," he began sounding uncertain, "Ginny told me to put your clothes and trunk in the master bedroom with my things. This is what you wanted, right?"

Her quiet smile became a lecherous grin, Ginny knew her too well. "You know, when I gave myself to you last night I meant it…and what was it you said to me last night, Draco? Oh yeah, now I remember…I am by no means done with you."

Before apparating away, she thought, "Thank you Ron. I'm going to be OK now. I love you. Goodbye my love."

A/N: Well, what do you think? Do you like it? Hate it? Want more? Want less?

Let me know what you are thinking. We are just about finished, just some loose ends left to tie up. We're talking maybe one or two chapters left, so thank you to everyone who read this story. An even bigger thank you goes out to those that have reviewed. I truly appreciate each and every review.

And finally for the biggest thank you, BuffyXO, you are the best beta I could ever hope for.