A/N: You lucky little monkeys! Or should I say, I am said lucky monkey as I've had a bit of a lull between rounds. Anyhoodles, decided to pop out another chapter. I felt like my last was too short, so I tried to make this one longer. Thank all of you who reviewed and subscribed, and a special thank you to hpwwefan for giving me the "Big 5" as I like to call it. That made me smile, lots. You all make me smile. Hope you enjoy this chapter. *Walks away smiling*

Hermione had never been a big person. At 5'4 and 116 pounds she was used to feeling less substantial, but she'd never felt as small as she did now, standing in front of Harry's flat door. She knocked even though she didn't have to; the wards would hum her arrival. She felt jumpy, and an electric current was running through her blood, surging irregularly to rub underneath her skin. She tried to stay still, but wiping her palms on her jeans soon turned into wringing them together.

She had left for good this time. There was no angry storming out after an argument. Actually he wasn't even at home or in the country for that matter. Draco had left the night before for a business trip. That day had been a good one, gentle words,carrying a calmer connotation then most. It was when he held her close and whispered in her hair that he loved her right before giving a soft chaste kiss on her lips that she snapped. Not outwardly of course. No, on the outside she'd just smiled back and said '"I love you too", and gave him an extra squeeze. But inside she was angry. How dare he lie to her. He didn't love her. If he loved her he wouldn't treat her the way he did.

She'd waited a few hours after he'd left to start packing her things, going through the whole mini mansion gathering up odd knickknacks and books and clothing. She hadn't slept, just waited until the sunrise before shrinking her bags, tucking them into her pocket and Apparating to Harry's.

Where was he? She looked up and down the hall nervously. She almost jumped out of her skin when a cat slunk around the corner and sat in front of a door, licking its paw, ignoring her completely. Why didn't he answer the door? Tears pricked her eyes, panicked tears. He had to be here, she couldn't go back there. She didn't want to set foot back in that house and she didn't want to go to Ron or Ginny or Luna. She needed to see Harry. He was the one who always made her feel better even if he didn't know it.

Hermione's hand was poised to knock on his door again, when it flew open. All the nervous energy seeped out of her as she watched him tug a thin green shirt over his head. "Sorry, Hermione", his voice muffled momentarily by the fabric. "Just got out of the shower- What's wrong?" She watched as he took in her appearance; hair back to its frizzy state, puffy red eyes and rumpled clothes. "Hermione", he took a step closer to her and suddenly she was sinking into his chest, arms wrapped around his waist, sobs wracking through her body. "Whoa", he pulled her gently inside, closing the front door. She continued crying as he led her to the living room and sat them both down on the couch.

She wasn't sure how long it was until she'd calmed down enough to speak but when she did, Harry stopped his rocking and pulled back slowly, as if afraid to set her off again. She sniffled and looked down, but he slid closer and held her face in his hands. "Hermione", he said softly, thumbs rubbing her cheeks. "Hermione, what's wrong?"

"I...I had to...", she took a deep shaky breath. Harry wasn't wearing his glasses and his emerald stare was penetrating and calming at the same time.

"Had to what?"

"Leave. I had to leave. He kept..lying" her voice broke then, it was angry and tear-filled and slightly desperate. "He kept lying, he wouldn't do that if he loved me."

She could tell Harry was trying to understand, but he kept his voice low and level, his Auror training taking over. Don't get side-tracked. Just ask the questions that matter the most for now."Lying about what?" He didn't need to ask who 'he' was. Harry already knew Draco was a prick. He had never trusted him. So what if he'd defected. He only did it to save his own arse, and he certainly was no fucking hero; he wasn't deserving of the simpering and lingering looks he received nor the sighs of "so brave to desert his evil father." It had been most disappointing to Harry when Hermione had become one of those who were adamant that 'he'd changed'. And he was more disappointed (angry really) that she had begun dating the man. He never accepted it, but Harry stopped telling Hermione to leave Draco after a while. Verbally that is, as he still allowed his body language to speak wonders when they were all in the vicinity. Harry knew Draco would hurt her in someway soon enough. He didn't like it one bit that that was what it would inevitably lead to, but Hermione was a grown woman, old enough to make her own bad choices, and she didn't need Harry to pull on her ear the whole time.

Hermione sniffled again. "He kept saying he loved me", her voice was barely a whisper but he caught it all the same. Now he was throughly confused.

"He doesn't love you?" Harry couldn't help the creep of indignation in his voice. Who couldn't love Hermione? She was smart and funny and beautiful and caring, and loyal, and when she was drunk she giggled and cuddled. Not to mention those freckles on her nose and the golden streaks in her eyes....

Hermione shut her eyes tightly and shook her head, still cradled in his hands. A few more tears fell, but Harry wiped them away with his thumbs. "No", her voice was shaking even more now. "No, he doesn't. He's always.... hurting me."

The way she said this made the hair on the back of Harry's neck stand up. "What", his voice was dangerous now, "do you mean?"

Hermione didn't say anything, just turned her head away. Or tried to. Harry's grip tightened slightly and gave her a small shake. "How?" he asked forcefully.

She took a deep breath and, eyes still shut, gently removed his hands from her face. She shifted on the couch shakily, so that she could turn around. Her back facing him now, quaking hands reached back to the hem of her shirt. Slowly she lifted the fabric, to show him the single purpling mark that hadn't been healed from two nights before.

She found him in the kitchen.

He was sitting on the tall black chair in front of the bar. He was dressed only in black slacks. His feet and upper body were bare and his back was to her. She could see him reading the paper and sipping from a white mug.

The wild thought to take him down now, tackle him from the back and wrap her fingers around his throat, flitted across her mind. But before she could even ponder performing that act, he turned his head and looked at her standing in the doorway over his shoulder.

"Breakfast is ready. The eggs are just how you like them, I made sure I cooked them myself." He closed the newspaper and set it down before stepping off the chair. His hair looked damp as if he hadn't taken a shower too long ago. His face looked well rested or in other words not hungover. "And I know, when did I start cooking, right?" He smiled, that charming smile that caught her so off guard which now seemed like so long ago. "Well, right after you...left." She watched the single tick in his jaw. "Helped deal with the stress."

She stared at him as he still smiled. She tried to keep her eyes on his face but she couldn't help looking at the rest of his body. The smooth alabaster skin that stretched taunt over his lean muscles. Draco wasn't as slight as he was back in school. Although he was no Ron, his shoulders were still broad enough and he'd picked up more muscle mass. His flat stomach was slightly more defined than how she remembered and his 'vee' cuts on each side were deeper.

She used to kiss that expanse of skin all over.

Do not bite at the bait of pleasure, till you know there is no hook beneath it.

Hermione cleared her throat and looked into his eyes. "Why were you in my bed last night?" She was proud to observe her voice was steady.

Draco didn't flinch. Instead he gave a smirk and said, "Last time I checked, this", he spread his arms to indicate he was referring to the house as a whole, "was mine. So technically, I was in my bed."

Hermione fumed. Of course he would do this, resort to wordplay. Biding time. Purposely make her angry. "Fine", she bit out. "Why were you in the same bed with me?"

"I can do whatever I want to my belongings." His eyes became steely and his jaw tightened.

"I," Hermione's temper spiked again, "am not one of your belongings." This was ridiculous. So far, every time she set out have a conversation to get something resolved, it turned into an argument that went in circles. They weren't yelling yet, but it wouldn't be long.

"Oh," Draco took a step forward and Hermione automatically took a step back, cursing herself in the same second. Do not show weakness. Not that she could take another step back anyway. She hadn't come too far into the kitchen and now her back was against the edge of the wall, the point where the two edges met digging in between her shoulder blades. "But that's where you're wrong." Draco continued, his gaze intense, taking another step closer. "You do belong to me, Hermione." He was standing right in front of her now. "You're my Princess, or at least," he raised his hand, fingers tracing her clear skin, "I tried to make it official. But you...left." His voice was very soft and although his eyes were on her face, they weren't entirely focused. It was as if he were reflecting to himself, murmuring aloud as he alluded.

She hadn't flinched from his touch but the panic that she felt when his skin first made contact with her own flared. Her breathing hitched unpleasantly as he slid his fingers into her hair. "Yes," he breathed in that unsettling tone, "imagine when I came home, to find my Princess gone. I came home early just for you, did you know that?"

He didn't wait for an answer.

"I couldn't wait to get back and hold you... I searched all over you know. Thought you were holed up somewhere poring over a book. Or hiding from me." His fingers tightened in her hair for a moment and Hermione flinched minutely. She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn't seem to look away from his face, whose expression was far away. She needed to keep looking at him, had to watch when he finally snapped back to reality and realize that she was fifty pounds lighter than him and without a wand.

What is wrong with him? The question popped up in her head. She'd seen him odd and volatile before but....this was different.

"You were always hiding from me..." He continued his monologue. "So, I called for Dessy and imagine my utter surprise when she stuttered and stammered that she saw "Master's Miss pack her bags and disappear." His fist clenched in her hair again, much harder this time, and Hermione watched a shadow fall across his face, but his voice remained soft. Extremely soft and Hermione knew that soon she would have to calm him down somehow. Now was not the time to demand her release. Now was the time to protect herself from bodily harm. Her nostrils flared as she realized this would mean leaving this place would be delayed.

Draco removed his hand from her hair, instead he cupped her face and brought his other hand up to do the same. "Imagine," he whispered, "standing on Potter's threshold looking over his shoulder at you. You know how you looked like right then?" Hermione trembled and tears slid down her cheeks.

She was scared.

How was she going to calm him down?

"Do you?" He rubbed the tears away with the pads of his thumbs. Still trembling, lips shaking far too much to speak, Hermione shook her head 'no.' His eyes sharpened now, focused. He was no longer looking into the past but right into her eyes. He smiled a dangerous smile. "You princess," he lowered his head agonizingly slow, until his lips hovered right about hers, where the tears were running over freely now, "looked like you'd just been fucked through the mattress".

Hermione's heart pounded extremely hard as his hands gripped her face. Her panic was paramount. He was going to slam her head back into the wall, she knew it. And where she was standing wasn't a flat surface, no, the edge of the wall would no doubt make the impact twenty times worse. She would black out and not just for a few hours. Calm him down, CALM HIM DOWN.

"Dray-Draco", he voice shook wildly. "I would never, I didn't." And it was the truth. She hadn't slept with Harry. At least not around the time he was talking about. "I was, I'm" she fished for something frantically. Delving into her memories to what usually placated him. "I loved you. Love you. I love you, Draco", her hand trembled as she rose it to rest on his bare chest. His eyes fluttered for a moment at her touch and Hermione latched onto the action. She rose her other hand to lay next to the other, and slid them both up the velvety skin to rest on his shoulders. "I'd never hurt you, you know that". This part, she was confused and somewhat unhappy to admit was true. She'd never wanted to hurt him, just wanted him to stop hurting her. But shouldn't she want to hurt him? After everything?

Regardless, his grip loosed and his thumbs circled her cheeks. His eyes were closed and he stepped closer to her. Hermione slid her hands back down his chest to encircle his waist. It was like petting a lion everyone swore was trained. No quick movements, aware of the fierce temper underneath.

Draco took a deep breath and rested his forehead against hers. "Say it again", he whispered.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. She had to say it. To calm him down, it's not like she meant it. She was only saying it out of self preservation. The reason why her heart ached was because she was lying about it's priorities. Really. "I love you, Draco."

And then his lips were on hers, soft and velvety and sweet. He sucked on her bottom lip gently and she let it drop slightly to let his tongue in. The only reason she felt her body melt was because she'd finally calmed him down. The only reason why her arms pulled him closer was because she was so relieved she could faint.

With all the emotions and thoughts barreling through her body and mind, one was prominent.

It shouldn't be this easy to kiss him.

A/N: There it is! Reviews please :) I've noticed a pattern. Staggering number of hits (9,000 I think *squees and hands out popsicles*) and not so staggering number of reviews. Is it just me... Thoughts, comments. What do you think of my Draco, is he capable of fixing things? Will Hermione let him? SHOULD she let him? Ah well :) Real life is calling me back. Financial-Check In here I come!

Oh! and I'm thinking of doing a soundtrack for this story. I know I never used to like em, but I've warmed up to the idea, and I wanted to know if you all wanted songs to accompany the crazy.