Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other recognizable work
A/N: Holy kittens you guys! I asked and you delivered, 15 reviews for one chapter! So here is the next as promised AND...this chapter is getting more into the M rated territory. Steamy times ahead people and remember, it's eventually a Dramione story, I promise!
Chapter 8- Of Returns
Hermione sighed as they arrived in the manor and Cormac leaned on her a little too heavily. She had told him not to have the last glass of mead and she really did want to murder Ginny at that moment. He laughed, too loudly, and she shushed him again.
"I- I had-" he hiccupped slightly. "I had a good time."
"Me too." Hermione lied, stepping further out of the grate and suppressing a groan when his hand caught her elbow and pulled her back against him.
"Let's do it again." He said thickly and before she could answer his mouth was on hers, too hot and too heavy and entirely too repulsive. She pushed him away and he hummed in satisfaction as she stepped back through the grate and he disappeared into flames.
"Have fun?" She squeaked as she turned to see Malfoy leaning on the wall and she forced a smile on to her face.
"Yes, did you?"
"Hermione-" He said, his tone low and reproachful.
"What? Did the children behave? If they-"
"Why are you doing this?" He interrupted and she stopped from where she had started towards her suite and turned.
"Doing what?"
"You think I wouldn't know? I'm a Slytherin, not a Hufflepuff. And I stand by what I said, Ginevra Weasley is scary and she probably should have been a Slytherin."
Hermione narrowed her eyes." I don't know what you're talking about."
"You just so happen to go on a date with Cormac McGaggen and expect me to believe it has nothing to do with-"
"With you?" she asked, her temper flaring. "Believe it or not Draco Malfoy, not everything revolves around you. Believe it or not, I may be lonely and wishing for the company of another person."
"You're children aren't enough?" he bit back. "I'm not enough?"
She scoffed at that, inching closer to him. "My children are plenty. However, it's nice to be needed for something besides wiping snotty noses and kissing booboos and honestly, Cormac's company was better than anything you've provided the least few weeks you've been ignoring me."
"I haven't-"
"Bullshit." She yelled and she knew her anger had gotten the best of her but she powered on. "We kissed Draco. I get it, I'm a mudblood, I sullied your lips with my muggle parentage but for the love of Merlin, I just wanted to spend some time with someone who likes me for more than the fact that I can get their child to tell me what they would like to eat for breakfast. I liked that Cormac looked at me like I was a woman and not a glorified babysitter and I liked that he wasn't afraid to kiss me for fear of-"
"Shut up." Draco said lowly, and he moved forward, his hands grasping her arms firmly. "You think I ignored you because you're muggle born?"
"Yes." She fumed.
"Fuck." He swore, and he let go of her roughly, turning on her as he ran a hand through his hair. "No Hermione. I wasn't ignoring you because of what your parents are. I was ignoring you because I want you for Salazar's sake."
"I don't understand."
"Of course you don't. Because you're a Gryffindor, you don't do selfish. You don't worry about self-preservation." He snapped as he rounded on her. "I want you Hermione but all I can think of is how much it would hurt me to lose you if I were to fuck up. Which, honestly, I'm going to. I don't do anything else."
"No, Draco-"
"It wouldn't just kill me though. You see because my son loves you. My son asked me tonight why you can't just be his mummy too and if, when, I fuck up, I'm going to lose my son too. So that's why I've been pushing you away. Not because of your blood, which, by the way I haven't cared about in years. But because of the fact that if I let myself fall for you anymore then I could lose everything and I'm just too selfish for that."
Hermione stared at him, her eyes wide and he looked away, raking his fingers through his hair once more. She was completely speechless, something she honestly couldn't remember ever happening before, and as she watched him fume before her, she realized her precious words wouldn't do much good in this situation anyway. So instead, she did the next best thing.
Her hands were on his face before she knew it, pulling his lips to hers hungrily and for a moment she was worried that she might have made a mistake as he froze beneath her. All too soon, however he was moving with her, pulling her against him as their lips danced and his tongue darted out, begging for entrance. She greedily accepted as she pressed herself further against him, feeling the heat pool in her belly as his hands gripped her tight, holding her close to his warmth and his want. By the time they pulled apart, they were gasping, and Hermione was smiling as he leaned his forehead against hers.
She wanted to say so much, to tell him that she wanted this. She wanted him. Instead, she leaned up, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth and wrapped her arms tighter around his middle as he let out a laugh.
"Really though, Hermione, McGaggen?" He laughed breathlessly.
Hermione groaned but let out her own laugh as she made a mental note to owl Ginny to let her know everything had worked. Perfectly.
Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had been this content. In the days following her date with Cormac, she had started to see a whole different side of Draco. Of course she had seen his tender and affectionate side when he was with Scorpius. However, the soft kisses he gave her when the children were occupied and the way he would pepper a kiss on her neck or shoulder when he passed behind her, made her heart beat faster and slower at the same time.
They had decided, without even having to voice as much, to keep their budding relationship to themselves. As such, the time they spent together during the day was often hurried. However, they had fallen back in to a schedule and after putting the children in bed and making sure they were asleep, Hermione would make her way to the library where Draco would be waiting.
It was here that she found herself two weeks after her date with Cormac, lying across the sofa in the corner of the room as Draco ran his fingers through her curls while she laid with her head on his chest.
"You did not." He argued.
"I did. I swear it."
"I think if three teenagers broke a dragon out of the basement of Gringotts, people would have heard about it."
She moved until she was looking up at him, his fingers caught in her hair as he smiled down at her. "I swear to Godric. It was one of the only times I've willingly flown actually and I still haven't recovered."
"Oh, that's right. The great Hermione Granger is scared of flying." Draco smirked and she reached out to swat at his chest, laughing as he winced overdramatically.
"I'm not scared." She laughed when he made a face. "I'm not, I just really detest it."
Malfoy laughed at that, pulling her against him once more and kissing the top of her head gently. "That's only because you've never flown. Not really."
"How do you mean?" she asked, running her fingers along the buttons of his pyjama shirt.
"A Dragon and a Hippogriff you said?"
"Mhmm and a thestral."
"So you say…." Draco laughed again as she went to swat him once more and he grabbed her hand out of the air, lacing their fingers together. "You need to fly properly. On a broom. I'll take you sometime."
"I don't know-" she edged, not bothering to hide the quiver in her voice as she thought of being on a broom. The only thing at Hogwarts, besides divination which she swore didn't count anyway- that she hadn't excelled at.
Draco shushed her, reaching down with his free hand to hook his finger under her chin, bringing her eyes to meet his. "Do you trust me?"
She thought about that as she looked in to his deep, gray eyes that were so full of hope and longing. Would she have trusted the Draco Malfoy that had tormented her in school? The boy who laughed at her upbringing and thought lesser of both her and her friends and family? The simple answer was no. Did she, however, trust he man that that boy had become? The man that was loving and attentive to not only his child but hers as well. The man who had only earlier tucked Rose in to bed and read her favorite muggle fairy tale to them as Hugo nestled in to the crook of his arm. Without much hesitation she smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, I do."
Draco's answering smile was radiant as he leaned down to capture her lips with his and she felt her heart soar as she eagerly accepted.
"Dippy!" Draco shouted as he walked hurriedly in to the dining room.
Hermione stilled her motions as she helped Scorpius to cut up his waffle and looked at the man before her. Dippy appeared with a pop, trembling once again and Hermione felt bad for the elf. In the three weeks that she and Draco had been, for lack of a better word, dating, he had begun to open up more to her about the state of his family's affairs.
After the war, his father had received a sentence to Azkaban for numerous crimes, the highest of which was aiding and abetting Voldemort. It hadn't helped that his wand had been used to commit several atrocities that resulted in the death of muggleborns or muggle sympathizers. Draco had never defended his father to Hermione, a fact she was grateful for, but she could tell that it still bothered him and he rarely discussed his father unless he was talking about his mother. In his father's absence, Draco had taken over the affairs of the Malfoy estate and had slowly been working to restore some dignity to the family name. He had told her, a few nights previous, that if not for Scorpius he wouldn't even expend the effort. He wanted his son to have more, however, and so he worked tirelessly to repair the damage his father, and himself, had helped to cause.
"Yes Master?" Dippy asked shakily and Malfoy looked at the elf exasperatedly.
"There were parchments on my desk concerning Gringott's, I have a meeting with them and I am running late, could you please fetch them for me?"
"Of course sir." The elf said and bowed before quickly disappearing.
Hermione finished Scorpius' waffle and pushed his plate towards him before standing up and making her way to Draco who was fighting with his tie.
"Come here." She said gently as she walked up behind him and he turned, allowing her to take over the tie on his dress robes.
"It's an important meeting." Draco said lowly as her fingers worked the silk material deftly around his neck.
"I know." She replied softly and with a smile as she worked.
"I just- want it to go well." He explained and she could tell that he felt bad about his rushed behavior.
"And it will." Hermione assured him as she finished his tie. "You have nothing to worry about."
He smiled down at her and she realized, belatedly, that her hands were still on his chest. She blushed as she brushed some invisible lint from his dress robes before looking up at him embarrassedly. He laughed lightly as he reached down, grasping her hands in his lightly and giving them a squeeze as he leaned ever so closer. "Thank you, Hermione."
She inhaled, breathing in the sweet smell of him as she nodded her head distractedly. "Of course."
Hermione leaned in, her breath catching in her throat as his lips brushed against hers and she pulled away as Dippy appeared beside them, her hands full with the stack of parchment. Draco grimaced as he reached down and pulled the pile out of the elf's hands, quietly thanking her before he turned to Hermione. "I do have to go."
"I know." Hermione nodded. "You'll do great."
Draco smiled as he turned to look at the children, seemingly only realizing they were there at that moment, his eyes widening.
"I didn't-"
Hermione chuckled wryly. "It's okay. Just go."
Draco nodded, though he didn't look convinced, before he slowly left the room and Hermione waited until she heard the telling sound of the floo before she turned back to the children.
"Mummy?" Rose asked around a bite of her waffle, whipped cream smeared messily on her cheek.
"Don't talk with your mouth full Rose, it's not safe or polite."
Rose nodded and made a show of swallowing the food in her mouth before she started again. "Mummy?"
"Yes Rose?" Hermione asked, sitting down and cutting in to her own waffle.
"Why did you kiss Mister Draco?"
Hermione spluttered around her fork, taking a large gulp of her pumpkin juice as Rose and Scorpius dissolved in to giggles and as she righted herself, she couldn't help but join in.
"Hermione." She jumped as she came to from the nightmare, her heart pounding in her chest as she came face to face with Draco's worried gray eyes. "Are you okay?"
She sat up, breathing deeply as she tried to slow her heart rate and nodded. She had been waiting up for him, as she always did, knowing he might be home late and last she remembered she had been reading on the sofa in the library.
"I'm- I'm fine." She stuttered and she could tell in his eyes that he didn't believe her.
"Are they always like that?" Draco asked seriously, his tone soft as he laced his fingers in hers.
She nodded slightly, looking down at the floor with interest because the nightmare he had woken her had indeed been bad, but it was different than she was used to. Normally, in her dreams, she would relive the night that Arthur had appeared in her floo while she was waiting up for Ron and eventually the dream would change. Before long she would be standing in a room alone, Ron's body laying before her bleeding and broken. Tonight, however, had been different and she wasn't even quite sure she was ready to admit it to herself.
"Hey." Draco's voice was soft and soothing as he pulled her in to him, kissing her forehead softly. "It's alright. I'm here."
She relaxed against him, taking comfort in his strong arms as she tried to forget the scenes that had taken over her sleep. Of the tiny screams and broken sobs as she watched two matching blonde heads disappear into the darkness.
His lips peppered kisses on her face and she smiled as his lips trailed a pattern down to her neck and back up to her temple once more. She let go, for just a moment, enjoying the feel of his mouth on her flesh and the resulting effect as her skin pebbled on her arms and neck, sending a delicious shiver up her spine.
She let him continue but turned so that her body was more facing his and she heard his throaty laugh against her neck as he expanded his path of kisses and she pressed further against him, hiding her own smile. He reached her collarbone, half hidden beneath her shirt and gently pushed the fabric aside, his lips gentle and probing before he slowly, deliberately, pulled away. She felt the desire pool in her stomach, the heat growing unbearable and she twisted on the sofa until she was able to climb onto his lap, her legs on either side of his.
"Hermion-" he started as she sat down, firmly straddling him.
"Shhh." She commanded and she pressed her lips against his, cutting off his protests.
He responded in kind as his fingers found her hips, rubbing underneath the fabric of her pyjamas and though she knew they were fast approaching a territory she wasn't sure she was quite ready for, she couldn't deny that it felt good. She ground her hips against his, relishing in the sound he made at the friction and she reached out with her tongue, licking his bottom lip as she deepened the kiss.
He shifted, his hardness pressing against her and it was her turn to moan against his mouth. He took the opportunity to move his lips from hers, once again scattering kisses from her throat to her collar bone and laughing against her skin as she shivered and whimpered below his attention. His grip on her hips tightened and she realized she had been moving above him, relishing in the feel of his hardness pressed against her center. She blushed and stilled her movements, opening her mouth to apologize just as the door behind them flung open.
They jumped apart, Hermione's heart pounding a too fast rhythm on her sternum and she turned back to see the last face she expected to see staring at her from across the room. The stern look of consternation she had seen before as she writhed on the floor of a room somewhere down below. She swallowed thickly against the bile that threatened her throat as Draco straightened up beside her and gave her one last look before he stood up and nodded to the newcomer. "Welcome home Mother."
A/N: I'm sorry! I love to hear your thoughts and views! How about if you can beat 15 reviews by morning I'll post another one! (I'm a mom, I'm a whiz at this bribery thing!)
