A/N: So, my loves, this update is a little late in the evening for my usual updates, but hey, I got it up! In this chapter, we have a little comic relief, I feel. As well as some pretty hot stuff. But there is also some heartbreak and some fluff. This chapter is chock full of feels. Or at least I think so.

I already had an author's note written up for this chapter, because I had a few things I wanted to let you guys in on. But I cracked the computer screen on my other laptop and I can't get to that doc, because I usually write my chapters on Google Docs and add the A/N on my word processor. Anywho, back to what I originally started this second paragraph for. There are a couple of songs that inspired part of this chapter and I wanted to tell y'all what they were so you could listen to them if you wanted. The first is Wiser by Madilyn Bailey. There are several versions out there but what really inspired me was the piano version on Kurt Hugo Schneider's page. The second song is also on the same page, but is a cover of the original which I liked much better, it is Cold Water by Major Lazer, covered by Citizen Four. I used some of the lyrics in the dialogue. Anyway, enough with this long and extremely winded note. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

XoXo,

Elle!

Chapter 10

Draco went to turn away and close the door, wanting to give Hermione privacy to clean herself up and put herself to rights. He hadn't meant to catch her pleasuring herself, but when he went into the bathroom, he'd forgotten to grab fresh clothes. So when he'd wrapped a towel securely around his waist, he'd opened the door to the most beautiful sight he'd ever beheld. He'd never pictured Hermione as a prude; he knew she had to relieve some tension somehow. Everyone had to or else they'd explode.

As he turned away, his toe caught on the edge of the door. He cursed as the pain raced up his leg and his balance tipped. He landed flat on his back, his torso in the bedroom, his hips and legs in the bathroom, body fully exposed. He could already feel himself turning red in embarrassment.

The commotion had caught Hermione's attention and she squealed in surprise, jumping from the bed. With the pajamas and knickers still around her ankles, she lost her balance and fell to the floor as well. But she recovered quickly, yanking her knickers and pants back up to her hips, scrambling over to him. "Draco!"

Draco groaned on the floor, his arm moving to cover his eyes. He couldn't bear to see the look on Granger's face when she found him, lying in the buff, on his floor. He hoped to Merlin that she had been so lost in her own pleasure that she hadn't noticed him jerking off to the sight.

"Draco, are you okay? Are you hurt?" He heard and felt her move from his head, into the bathroom. He felt a towel flutter down over his now flaccid cock. He took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, then releasing it.

"I'm fine, Granger." Resorting to his teasing manner of her last name. "My ego is a bit bruised, though. Along with my perfect arse. But other than that, I'll be fine."

She giggled, but smacked his bare chest. "Would you like me to kiss it?"

At that, he lifted his arm from his eyes to open one eye at her, "My arse? Absolutely." She glared at him, but couldn't stop herself from grinning. "I was not referring to your arse, Draco Malfoy. I was referring to your ego." She made a move to smack his chest again, but he snagged her hand.

He knew, from his voyeuristic ways, that this was the hand she had used while sending herself into ecstasy. He couldn't stop himself, even though he knew he could possibly be giving himself away with what he was about to do. He brought her fingers to his lips, kissing the pad of each finger, circling his tongue around each tip before moving onto the next.

It was a taste, sure. But not nearly enough of one, not by half. Hermione's eyes went half-lidded as she sucked in a slow breath, her chest inflating slowly. He noticed, from the corner of his eye, the way she squeezed her thighs together and had to suppress a groan. He was in so much trouble. He could feel himself hardening again, but didn't want her to feel pressured into anything. His lips trailed down to her palm as their eyes locked.

He was rewarded by the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, a moan from deep in her throat. Her voice was a hoarse whisper as she called out his name. "Draco." She had leaned closer to him, her mouth slightly ajar to allow herself to breathe better.

They were both so incredibly turned on at this moment that neither of them could have made the right decision. His hand slid up to her wrist, fingers wrapping delicately around the slender column. Her free hand moved from the tile floor to rest on his chest, fingers splayed. Her hair cast a curtain around them, their breaths mingling as she leaned into him.

"What are you doing to me?" She whispered quietly. He lifted his free hand, caressing her cheek. A grin lifted his lips, because he had asked himself the very same question before taking his shower. The hand holding her wrist had slid up her arm, now holding her elbow, his thumb caressing the inside of the joint.

His own voice had dropped and gone gravelly, a sign of his own arousal. "Tell me what you're feeling right now, Hermione. What is your body feeling? What is it telling you?" Hermione had now moved and was straddling him, her hips swaying in the air. If she had been a cat, her tail would have been swaying provocatively.

Her voice was a near purr when she answered him. "My heart is pounding against my chest, my breathing is heavy and erratic." She paused, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as a blush started to bloom on her cheeks. "My skin is tingling. All over. And…"

Draco's senses went on high alert as he licked his lips, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he prompted her, "And? Tell me, Hermione…"

She blatantly bit down on her bottom lip, moaning as she tried to squeeze her thighs together again, but was blocked by his legs. She shuddered as she dipped her hips and brushed against the erection she was hovering over. Her voice was barely a whisper, so low that he had to strain to hear it, "I'm so wet, Draco. So turned on that I feel like I'm pulsing with need."

Draco actually did groan this time, his eyes closing at Hermione's admission. "Then the answer to your question, Hermione, is obvious. You're finally learning what your body does when it's truly attracted to someone." He swallowed thickly as she remained there, hovering over him. So close, yet so far away.

Her eyes widened as the realization dawned on her and before he knew what was happening, she was kissing him, her hips dropping to rest on his. It took all the self control he had to not rip her clothes off of her and take her right there on the threshold of his bathroom floor.

But his arms did snap around her as he kissed her back, lips moving frantically against hers. When she began to grind herself against him, he had to physically lift her off of him and set her aside. Both of them were panting heavily, and Draco was looking at her hungrily. "Fuck, Hermione…"

She ducked her head, tucking her hair behind her ears, "I'm sorry, Draco. I-I don't know what came over me. It won't happen-" He put his finger on her lips, tilting her head up to look into her eyes.

"Don't you dare say it won't happen again. Or so help me Merlin, I will break every promise I have and plan on making to you in the future right now." Draco almost growled at her. Hermione tilted her head and raised a brow at him.

"Promises? Like what?" She asked, clearly intrigued. He looked at her seriously, his hand coming up to caress the side of her cheek. "Like no matter how much we want each other, or how much we explore your sexuality, if that is what you wish to do, I will not, do you hear me, I will NOT let you give up your virginity before marriage. No matter how long this lasts. No matter how much we might both want it. No matter how much you might beg me for it. It's just not something I would be okay with, taking that from you. Even if you told me it was okay."

He kept his eyes locked on hers, so he didn't miss the softening in her honey colored eyes, nor did he miss the tears that gathered in the corners of her eyes. Her smile was radiant as she leaned into his touch. "You keep this up, Draco Malfoy, and I may just fall in love with you."

As his heart swelled, he almost let it slip from his tongue, but instead, it just echoed in his mind, "It's too late for me, Hermione Granger. I'm already truly, madly and deeply in love with you."

XxX

Hermione had stayed the rest of the weekend with Draco. After their bathroom floor incident, no more had been said about exploring her sexuality. They had instead spent the days talking and laughing, just generally getting to know each other. It had been so enchanting, that they hadn't noticed the time passing.

When Sunday evening had rolled around, Hermione had been reluctant to leave. That would mean returning to the real world, to her problem with Ron. She wasn't sure she was ready for that. She was still rather pissed at him and was quite sure that she wouldn't behave rationally if she had to come face to face with him.

He was just the right kind of stupid, and she hated to refer to him as such, to try and confront her at work. She had thought about taking a few days off, just to avoid the inevitable, but changed her mind when she thought about the amount of work that was probably piled up on her desk.

So that was how she found herself sorting through the mound of paperwork that Daneel had brought in when she'd arrived. She had signed multiple documents for requests on new laws and smaller-scale Auror missions.

A knock on her door had her freezing, scared that the moment had come. But a glance through the frosted glass showed dark hair, instead of red and she let out a sigh of relief. "Come in." She called out, relaxing back in her chair.

"Hey, Hermione. How're you holding up?" Hermione gave him a weary smile and shrugged at him, "I'm here, buried in a mound of paperwork, wondering when Ron is going to burst in here and try to apologize and make amends."

At that Harry chuckled, "Well, about that last part…" He trailed off looking thoroughly amused with himself. Hermione just looked at him, curious as to what had him looking so pleased. "Harry James Potter, what have you done?"

"Well, Ginny and I both agreed to keep him away from you. Letting you be the one to come to him. It serves him right for what he did to you. This morning, I warned him to stay away from you. Though we both know how thick his skull is. So, I may have put a repelling spell on your door, specifically set for him. As well as a silencing spell, so that it wouldn't disturb you." At this, he blushed just slightly, now embarrassed with himself.

"You should have seen the way he went flying, Hermione. He looked so shocked. Then of course, he looked pissed. Acted as if he wanted to try again. I stopped him, told him that I was the one that put the spell up in the first place. So he could turn his rage onto me. I told him again to stay away from you, until you came to him. Told him again, that he owes you that much. I'll have to admit, Hermione, he wasn't happy about that. You need to talk to him. Sooner, rather than later."

Hermione sighed, nodding at Harry as she looked up at him. "I know, Harry. I'm just so...so pissed at him! How could he do that to me? I mean, I know, I know. We'd only been dating for a month. But he couldn't even hold back on his...his manly desires!" Hermione gave a mirthless laugh and threw her hands in the air.

Even Harry laughed at her, "Manly desires? Hermione, come on, you're the brightest witch of our age, you could have come up with better than that. Ron is worse than a horny toad."

Hermione didn't mean to, but the tears came unbidden to her eyes. "I don't care. He knew where I stood on the subject, Harry. He knew I wanted to wait. He said he could wait. But he lied. He lied and he slept with her. With Daphne Greengrass! And I caught them! If he knew he couldn't wait, then why lead me on?"

She wrapped her arms around herself as she truly started to cry. She hadn't allowed herself to grieve over what had happened. It was the reason she didn't want to confront Ron yet either. Harry's arms wrapped around her and squeezed. "Hermione, I truly hate what he did to you. He's my best friend, but he's an absolute tool and a prick. But we can't change what he did or who he is. No matter if you talk to him today or a week from now, it won't change the fact of what he did.

"Putting it off is only going to make you feel worse. Because I know you, and you are going to let it stew and fester. Just give me the word and I will tell him where you want to meet him. If you want to do it at Grimmauld Place, Ginny and I will be happy to be there for moral support. Because for this situation, we are on your side. He knows that he was wrong. He also knows that we are taking your side."

Hermione sagged, her tears slowing as she let Harry comfort her "Harry, I don't want you and Ginny taking sides, even though he was in the wrong. Tell him to meet me tonight, at my flat. Seven in the evening. And to arrive via muggle means."

Harry gave her a kiss on her forehead and a pat on the back. "Whatever you want, Hermione. Just remember, the offer still stands and we're on your side, whether you like it or not. We love you, Hermione." She nodded, giving him one last squeeze.

She waited to reply when he was at the door, "I love you and Gin too, Harry. Remember to tell her that when you get home." He nodded and left her to her paperwork again. The rest of the day passed uneventfully, or at least to her knowledge. What she didn't know was that Ron had, in fact, tried several more times to make his way into her office.

Several hours later, she had arrived home, taken a relaxing bath, and tried to ready herself for Ron's visit. However, her nerves were out of control, her palms were sweaty, her hands were shaking and she couldn't sit still. And yet her first thought wasn't that she wished she had taken Harry up on his offer. No, it was that she wished Draco were here.

She laughed softly as she pulled out the muggle cell phone she carried. It had surprised her to learn that Draco also had one as well. So, before she had left on Sunday, they had exchanged numbers. She called up his number now, pressing the send button. As she put the black brick up to her ear, she waited for his familiar drawl to echo in her ear.

"Hello, Hermione. To what do I owe this pleasure? Miss me already? I mean, it has hardly been less than a day." His chuckle hung in the air as Hermione sat silently, chewing on her thumbnail. "Hermione?" When she still didn't answer, his concern was evident in his voice. "Granger, what's going on? Talk to me, mon amour."

Hermione was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice what Draco had called her. "Draco, I'm freaking out. Ron is going to be here any minute now. And I'm not sure that I won't hex him to bits, or the very least hex his bollocks off."

Draco chuckled on the other end of the line. "That wouldn't be such a bad thing, would it, though? I mean, it would at least keep him faithful to his next woman."

Hermione giggled in spite of herself. "Draco!"

He laughed, a deep belly laugh that had Hermione's heart beating double time. "What? It's the truth! Just relax, Hermione. Everything will be fine. If you want, when everything's said and done, just call and I'll come right over. We can do whatever you want."

The knock on her door had her jumping out her skin and turning to face the door. She whispered into the phone, "He's here, Draco. I'm not ready for this."

She heard his tortured sigh, then his voice, "Hermione, you can do this. You are the strongest witch I know. Call me as soon as he's gone and I'll be there."

As another knock sounded Hermione squeaked, "Promise?"

"I promise, Hermione. And as I told you the other day, I won't break my promises to you. Ever. Now go answer the door." He hung up the phone and Hermione had no choice but to do as he'd told her. The promise of Draco coming as soon as Ron left gave her newfound courage as she marched to open her front door.

On the other side, Ron looked miserable. There were a few fresh bruises on his face, likely from his attempts to gain entry into her office. He opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand, shaking her head. "No, you do not get to speak first. Because I know what is going to come out of your mouth."

His shoulders sagged as he released his breath. He nodded and stepped through the threshold. Hermione shut the door behind him and leaned against the panels. She watched him as he started to pace in front of her couch.

"When we started dating, I made it clear to you what I wanted when it came to sex. I told you that if you couldn't handle that, to go your own way. I told you that, Ronald, because I knew I would not change my stance. I gave you an out from the beginning. You could have chosen to use it at any given time. Instead of doing that, you lied to my face, kissed my lips, held me. But at night, you were wrapped up in her, in Daphne."

Hermione stopped talking, looking at Ron, her chest heaving as she breathed, waiting for his reaction. "It wasn't like that, 'Mione. It was just the one time. Well, technically twice, I swear."

Hermione threw her hands up and screamed, "You know what else I really hate, Ronald? When you call me 'Mione'! It's part of the reason I call you Ronald so often. Because I know that you hate it as well. And I couldn't care less if it was the first time you'd shagged her or the hundredth time! The fact of the matter stands, Ron, you sought your pleasure elsewhere when you couldn't get it from me.

"That isn't something you do when you are in a relationship. Now, I know I am not an expert on relationships, clearly. But I watched my p-parents," Her voice cracked at the mention of her parents but she cleared her throat quickly. "And my grandparents. Cheating isn't something you do to someone you see spending the rest of your life with, Ron. It just isn't."

He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I know that, Hermione and I am so sorry. But after you just dismissed me from Flourish and Blotts, like I was nothing more than a pet, I was so angry. I went to the Leaky, intending to go to Harry's, but instead, I sat at the bar and started drinking.

"I just couldn't stop throwing Firewhiskey down my throat. When Daphne sat down next to me, I was so pissed drunk, I couldn't have even told you my name. When she suggested that we leave, I didn't have enough brain cells to stop. Next thing I knew, we were at my flat, clothes were flying and we were shagging."

He had stopped pacing and was staring at Hermione, the look he was giving her, pleading her to understand. She just closed her eyes and shook her head, "That I might could have forgiven, Ronald. Maybe, possibly, and remained friends. But when I showed up at your flat, it was the following evening and you had had plenty of time to sober up! And trust me, I saw it in your eyes, Ronald Weasley, you were clearly sober!

"So don't you dare stand there and try to play this off like it was just the alcohol. I have heard your apology, I have heard your side of the story and that is what this meeting was for. I cannot accept your apology right now. Nor do I know if we will ever be friends again. What I do know is that I am barely holding onto my anger right now and that if you don't leave my flat immediately, I will not be held responsible for what hex leaves my wand."

Ron closed his eyes and looked as if he were in pain, but he nodded, and made his way to the door. He turned to look back at Hermione, the pain evident in his eyes this time, "I am truly sorry, Hermione. I never meant to hurt you." With those parting words, he left and shut the door behind him. Hermione collapsed onto the floor where she stood, barely managing to pull the cell phone from her pocket and dialing Draco.

She couldn't get any words out past her sobbing when he answered, but she didn't need to. He knew who was calling him. He apparated straight into her flat and scooped her up into his arms. As he cradled her in his embrace, he kissed the top of her head and whispered into her hair, "Shh, mon amour, I've got you. I won't let go. I'll be your lifeline tonight. Just hold onto me."

A/N: I'll keep this one short. Please let me know what you think via review or comment. I love you all, you truly mean the world to me and I love getting your feedback.

XoXo,

Elle!