Author's Note: I'm so sorry that it has taken me this long to upload a new chapter, but I hope this chapter makes up for it :) I'd like to thank my new beta MizSphinx for all the help and support given throughout the writing of this chapter. As such, I'm dedicating this chapter to MizSphinx.
Disclaimer: I own nothing that belongs to JK Rowling, I just use her creations to create this story for my own and others (hopefully!) enjoyment.
Chapter Nine
Draco's POV
I woke up with the biggest smile on my face, and it was all thanks to the beautiful girl that was sleeping next to me. I rolled on to my side so I could admire her sleeping form. She looked so peaceful while she slept, that I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face.
"You know it's rude to stare," Hermione said suddenly, making me jump slightly at her unexpected interruption.
"How long have you been awake?" I asked her, my shock wearing away.
"Long enough to know you were watching me sleep. Do you always watch the women you share a bed with sleep?" she asked, looking at me with those big brown eyes.
"I've never shared my bed with a woman overnight before," I answered honestly and watched as her eyes widened with surprise.
"So, you just love them and leave them, then?"
"Not with you," I answered. I didn't even know how I could ever drag myself out of this bed and away from her.
"Why not with me?"
"Because you're special," I said cupping her cheek with my hand. And she was special – the most extraordinary girl in the whole world.
"I'm special?" she asked, a look of disbelief on her face.
"Yes, you are. Look at what you've done for our world. I seriously doubt Potter and Weasley could have done all that Horcrux searching without you – you are the smartest witch of our age."
"I never thought I'd hear such a compliment from you," she said, smiling at me. Warmth flooded through me at the fact that I'd made her smile.
"Well, I couldn't tell you how I really felt about you before, could I? Not the way my life was then…I'm just a coward really." I felt immensely guilty as I remembered my behaviour before and during the war.
"You were trying to save your life the only way you knew how," Hermione replied, and I was amazed at her words. She had seen - and sometimes been on the receiving end of - the worst side of me, and yet here she was defending me. I truly didn't deserve someone so pure and perfect…but Merlin did I want her.
"Not always," I replied as soon as I found my voice again.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, and again I was floored by her response. No-one had ever asked me that.
"Not right now," I replied. "There's something I'd rather spend the remainder of our time together doing." A grin spread across my face as I leaned down and kissed her. My heart leapt as I felt her return my kiss, and I loved how her body felt against mine.
Her arms went around my neck as the kiss became more passionate, and I had to resist the shiver that threatened to run through me at the feel of her hands playing with the hair at the back of my neck. Our breathing became heavier, and I ached from my desire for her.
I heard her moan and her hands began to clutch desperately at my hair. I took her reaction as an invitation to move things forward, so I moved my hand from her cheek and slowly slid my hand down her neck, feeling her pulse flutter wildly as I caressed it.
She moaned again as my hand gently passed over her collar bone and down to gently massage her breast. A wave of pleasure shot through me as she arched against me, and I moved my hand slowly down her body.
She broke our kiss and gasped for air. I was unable to keep my lips off her. I was like a man possessed, and needing to feel her soft skin against my mine, I desperately moved my lips to her neck.
I enjoyed listening to her moans and feeling her rhythmically moving against me. I slowly inched my hand down her body again until I reached the waistband of her shorts. My mind became focused on one thing and one thing only, and that was to bring her pleasure.
Just like the pleasure she had brought me. I couldn't help the groan that escaped me as the memory from last night flowed through me.
"Draco, don't. Not now, please." I had to force myself to listen and understand what she was saying.
Eventually her voice penetrated the fog of desire that had clouded my brain, and I was able to process what she had said. Reluctantly, I pulled away from her, rolling onto my back as I tried to calm my rapid breathing.
"I'm Draco," she said rolling to her side so she could look at me. "I'm just scared – I don't know what to do when it comes to this stuff."
My breathing gradually slowed while I processed what she had just said. Did that mean she and Weasley hadn't…? Joy filled me at the thought.
Rolling to my side so I could look into her beautiful eyes, I said, "So you haven't slept with Weasley?"
I watched as her face reddened with embarrassment, and for a horrible second I thought my earlier assumption was wrong. But joy and pleasure returned as I watched her shake her head.
"No we haven't. We haven't done anything," she said, holding my gaze.
Realisation of what she was trying to tell me hit me and put a whole new perspective on why she was saying no.
"That's ok, Hermione," I said, promising myself to let things develop at a rate that she was comfortable with. "I like that you don't know much. It means I can teach you. Besides, I really don't like to share."
"I told you: I can't end things with Ron now."
"I know and I understand, but I can't not be with you."
"So what happens next? Do we see each other in secret?" I asked.
"I suppose so," she said, and I longed for the day when we could be together openly.
"Thank you, Draco."
"For what?"
"Understanding." And she kissed me gently.
When she pulled away, she asked, "What's the time?"
"7.30," I replied after checking the time, and her eyes widened in shock.
"Oh no, I'm supposed to meet Ron for breakfast."
I was overcome with pain as the reality of our situation slammed into me. Jealousy reared its head as she got out of bed, but I forced the feeling away as I reminded myself that she had spent the night in my bed.
"I'll see you later in class," she said, bending to kiss me one more time before she left my room.
I couldn't help but feel on top of the world as I walked towards the Great Hall half an hour later. Nor could I keep the grin from my face. I had finally got the woman of my dreams, and for the first time in my life I felt truly happy.
Somehow, I knew where she was as soon as I entered the Hall. It was as if I could feel her presence even across the room. I looked over to where she sat, and she met my gaze. Could it be that she was as aware of my presence as I was of hers?
She smiled at me from where she sat before re-joining her conversation. I made my way to my house table, memories of last night filling my mind.
"Morning," I said brightly as I sat opposite Blaise, and helped myself to some toast.
Blaise stared at me, a shocked look on his face. "Ok: who are you and what have you done with Draco?"
"What?" I asked in between mouthfuls of toast.
"Nothing. You're just happier than I've seen you in a long time, and I wanted to know why?"
"Who says something's made me happy? Maybe I just woke up on the right side of the bed," I replied, my grin returning when I thought about who I'd woken up with this morning.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd spent the evening with a woman…" Blaise said, obviously noticing my grin. I felt bad for having to keep Hermione a secret from my best friend, but I couldn't risk anything spoiling what Hermione and I had.
"Ha! I wish!" I lied, trying to make it convincing.
"I thought you might have spent the night with Pansy," he continued.
"Why would you think that?" I asked.
"Because she told all of the Slytherins that you're back together. Plus, I saw you taking her back to your room after lessons had finished," he explained.
"We are really not together." I was angry about what Pansy had said. "Nothing happened, anyway. We kissed, that was all, and that only happened because I was bored and wanted to annoy Granger."
"Granger? What's she got to do with it?" Blaise asked, looking confused.
"She's the new Head Girl."
"How lovely. I guess she wasn't too pleased to arrive back to find Pansy in her room," Blaise said, smiling.
"No, she wasn't."I smiled as I remembered what Hermione's reaction had led to.
"So what are you going to do about Pansy?"
"I don't know. I'll think of something." I sighed. Pansy could be so annoying sometimes. How many times did I have to tell her there wasn't - and never would be - an 'us'.
"Well, you'd better think of something fast because here she comes." I looked up to see that Pansy was, indeed, walking towards us.
That was just what I needed. I clenched my teeth as Pansy walked up to our table, a sickly smile on her face as she sat next to me.
"Morning, Draco," she said in a voice that she probably thought made her sound sexy, but in reality it made any man's ear buds cringe.
"What do you want, Pansy?" I asked putting as much venom and loathing as I possibly could into my voice.
"I just wanted to have breakfast with you, Draco. Celebrate the fact that we're a couple again."
"Pansy, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this: we are not a couple, and we never will be."
"What do you mean, Draco?" she replied, her smile faltering slightly.
"What I mean is that I don't want to be with you, that I'm not with you, and that I never want to be with you," I said bluntly.
"One of these days, Draco, you'll push me so far that I won't take you back," Pansy said, tears of anger swimming in her eyes as she got up from the table and stormed out of the Hall.
I felt guilty for my harsh words, and felt bad for upsetting and hurting her, but I felt like it was the only way. When it came to our relationship, Pansy was deaf to my feelings (or lack of feelings) towards her. I admit, in the past, I had led her on, gave her the wrong impression, even though I had known that it was wrong and selfish, and had only been for my personal gain.
However, she had no true feelings for me either. The only thing she found attractive about me was my wealth and family name. She only wanted what she could get out of me, and what she thought would elevate her life.
"Draco, we'll be late for Potions if we don't leave now," Blaise's voice broke through my train of thought. I looked around the Hall and saw there were only a few people still sitting at their tables.
"Come on, then. We had best not keep old Slughorn waiting," I said as I got up from the table and grabbed my bag.
Blaise followed me silently out of the Hall as we made our way to the dungeons. We arrived at class seconds before Slughorn entered and began the lesson. Blaise chatted about the latest girl who had caught his attention as we set about chopping, dicing, and preparing the ingredients needed for the potion we were making.
As I listened absentmindedly to Blaise's story, I cast my eyes around the room, desperate to find the object of my affection. I found her bent over her cauldron, vigorously stirring her potion, soot on her nose, and her hair all over the place because she had been running her fingers through it in frustration. I had never wanted her more than I did in this minute.
As if she could sense that I was staring at her, she looked up and returned my gaze. For a few seconds we did nothing but stare at each other, my eyes feasting upon her beauty. Finally, she smiled at me, a smile that reflected all that had passed between us. I returned her smile and continued to watch her as she returned to her work.
Several more minutes passed and then she set down her knife, I watched as she said something to Weaselbee and Potter before she left her desk and went into the storeroom. I quickly made an excuse to Blaise and made my way to the storeroom as well.
I found her amongst the shelves, her back towards me, and a jar in her hand.
"You know we can't keep meeting in here, like this," I said, leaning casually against one of the shelves that surrounded us. Startled, she almost dropped the jar she was holding. As she righted herself, she placed the jar back on the shelf before turning to face me, a small smile on her face.
"Can't you be away from me for even an hour?" she teased.
"Not when you look that beautiful."
"Ron and Harry are going to wonder where I am," she said, but she made no effort to move.
"Well we had better be quick, then." I closed the distance between us, and began kissing her deeply. Our kiss became more heated and our breathing became heavier. I pulled her tighter against me, and felt her desperately clutch at my hair.
After a blissful few minutes, she pulled away. Slightly breathless, she said, "Draco, I have to get back."
"Must you?" I asked, playing with her hair gently.
"Draco Malfoy, I will not let my potion go to ruin for a few extra minutes kissing you." I smiled at her words; she always placed her studies above everything.
"We have all of tonight, though," she added, a mischievous grin on her face as she left the storeroom. I couldn't help but think about how lucky I was to have her as I walked back to the desk I shared with Blaise. My contentedness continued as I worked in companionable silence with Blaise.
"So who is this girl you are so taken with?" Blaise suddenly asked.
"Oh, you don't know her," I said surprised by his sudden question.
"Is she a Gryffindor?"
"No, of course not." I tried to convey outrage in my tone at his suggestion, whilst trying to hide my nervousness.
"It doesn't matter if she is. Times have changed. Things are different. There isn't as much animosity between the houses now," Blaise said, making me increasingly uncomfortable.
"I said she's not a Gryffindor," I persisted.
"If that's true, why did I just see you kissing Granger in the storeroom, then?"
