Title: Under the Dragons Protection
Author: Ms. Dependent
Rating: PG-13 - R
Disclaimer: It's not mine. JKR rox me sox
AN- I have completely ignored HBP in this, though I do love the book. This is post Hogwarts about 4-5 years later.
Chapter 10
Hermione woke to the smell of fresh coffee. Had she set the automatic timer on her coffee pot?
She rolled over and opened her eyes. Dark wood ceiling beams greeted her. She frowned, momentarily disoriented. Where was she?
And then it all came rushing back. . . . the death threat in the mail. . . . her agreement to come out to Draco's getaway cottage despite her better judgment. . . . the intimate dinner. . . . the two of them tangling the sheets together.
She flushed. He'd certainly lived up to her fantasies and then some.
They'd woken up in the middle of the night, and they'd had at each other in a way that had been just a bit less mind-blowing than the first time.
More importantly, she knew that last night she'd seen a side of Draco that he rarely let anyone glimpse. She'd seen vulnerability when he'd talked about his mother's death and she'd realized his protection instincts ran deep and strong.
Then he'd made love to her tenderly and passionately.
Made love. Was that literally what it had been?
Her mind shifted away from the question.
Certainly he desired her. She hugged the sheet to her as she thought about Draco's demonstration of desire last night.
She had to admit their relationship had changed irrevocably.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
She groaned. Leave it to Draco not to give her a moment to freshen up and look presentable.
"Rise and shine."
He was dressed in a beat-up T-shirt and jeans and his hair still appeared damp from his shower. He looked positively yummy.
A smile played at the corner of his lips. He held out the steaming cup in his hand. "I brought your shot of caffeine. I was going to hold it up under your nose to resuscitate you, but I see you're awake."
She sprang up in bed and held out her hands. "Bless you."
He handed her the cup and then sat on the side of the bed. "Cream, no sugar."
She sipped. "Mmm. Excellent. How did you guess?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "There are a few things I've picked up about you over the years. One of them is how you like your coffee."
"Part of your dossier on me?"
He looked at her enigmatically. "You could say that."
"Hmm." She lowered her eyes and sipped. "Thanks for bringing the coffee. It really wasn't necessary."
She again felt the same uncharacteristic shyness with him that she'd felt last night, before. . . .before. . . As she felt herself start to blush, she yanked her mind back from that trail of thought.
"Actually, it was necessary," he said matter-of-factly.
She quirked a brow, struggling for the casual, uncaring attitude that had been so easy to adopt where he was concerned—before last night.
"I'll admit to a selfish desire to see how you looked lying in my bed this morning."
She couldn't resist asking, "And how do I look?"
"Like a woman who's been thoroughly made love to." His eyes were hot. "Just like I imagined."
She felt herself heat. "Your crazy."
He nodded. "Yep, crazy for you. Though I have to admit jumping your bones last night was a good antidote for that. At least temporarily."
Oh, boy. Somehow Draco's new sexually tinged teasing was more dangerous than his old sarcastic tone.
"May need to inoculate myself every day though," he mused, making a show of rubbing his chin in thought. "Strikes me as the kind of thing that wears off easily."
She nearly choked on her coffee. Every day?
He looked amused as he caught her reaction. "Don't worry, Hermione. If last night was any measure, you're more than up to the task. I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise that we'd be dynamic in bed together, given how we're used to ripping in to each other."
"Hmm," she said shrugging as if he'd just told her nothing more significant than what the weather was outside, "I guess I should be flattered."
He stood up, grinned. "Get dressed before I'm tempted to give you yet another demonstration of how flattered you should be."
End of Chapter 10
A/n- Okay now don't hate me. . . . .again. I know it is short, but I have a plan for this story It is all mapped out until the end. I just needed to get this little fun conversation out of the way so the plot could return next chapter, which will be posted on Wednesday. After that I will post every Wednesday until I am finished. When I post the epilogue for this, I will post the first chapter of my Ron story. That way I will get to focus on this until the end.(so don't worry muhaha)
Now for Ron. My favorite choices for him are Pansy Parkinson or Gabrielle Delacour. Please vote between the two—though it may not count if I can not come up with a decent plot.
This Chapter is dedicated to CleverWitch and to NorthStar2005. thank you northstar for the wonderful summary.