A/N: Heh, they finally kissed:D Yay! Umm… Sorry about the wait. I have had total writer's block for ages. And I kinda forgot about my HP fanfics… Sorryyyy! But the idea bunny has returned and hopefully I'm back on track and will be updating a lot more often than I have been. Review!
Dedicated to Becca for getting me to finally update
Hermione was the first to come to her senses. She pulled away suddenly, panting to catch her breath. She looked down at Draco in silent shock.
"What?" he asked, worry suddenly plunging into his stomach.
Hermione stood up suddenly, rushing inside. Draco sighed and let his head hit the ground. What had he done now? After a moment of staring moodily at the clear sky, he got up and followed her inside. He guessed she'd gone to their room, so he headed upstairs.
"Hermione?" he called, pushing the door open.
Hermione was sat cross-legged on her bed, hugging her pillow. Draco could only see her eyes over the edge of the pillow, but he could tell she was crying.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down beside her.
Hermione shook her head but Draco pressed on.
"Was it something I did?" he asked, feeling concerned.
"No, it's not you," Hermione finally said.
"So what is it?" Draco asked.
Hermione didn't reply at first. She stared at her lap, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt .
"I can't do this," she whispered. "Harry and Ron… They'd kill me… and you."
"So don't tell them," Draco said, sliding an arm around her and pulling her towards him.
"I can't exactly keep you a secret, they'd find out eventually," Hermione said, leaning on his shoulder.
"We can try," Draco said, his breath tickling Hermione's neck as he rested his cheek on her head.
"I don't know," Hermione replied, almost so quietly that he couldn't hear her.
"Please try?" Draco purred.
"Okay," Hermione said, feeling a rush of excitement, worry and anxiety. "Okay, we'll try."
Draco smiled, suddenly feeling proud of himself. He cuddled Hermione to his chest and breathed in the smell of her shampoo. Hermione buried her face in his shoulder, trying to think of a way to keep Ron and Harry from finding out.
"Hermione!" her mother called from downstairs. "Hermione, come here a minute!"
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes before pulling out of Draco's arms.
"C'mon," she said softly, pulling Draco up by the hand and leading him out of the room and down the stairs.
Mrs Granger was standing in the kitchen and Draco instantly dropped Hermione's hand as if it were red hot. But it was too late.
"Hermione," Mrs Granger said, putting an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Could I talk to you for a minute in private, please?"
Hermione couldn't object as Mrs Granger led her out of the kitchen and into the living room. When the door was shut, Mrs Granger turned to face Hermione. Hermione couldn't help but feel nervous.
"You said there was nothing between you two," she said, her face cracking into a smile, reminding Hermione of Ginny. Hermione let out a relieved sigh.
"There was nothing," she replied.
"But he was holding your hand," Mrs Granger said, confusion suddenly crossing her face.
"I said there was nothing, I didn't say there isn't now," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. Mrs Granger smiled gently and pulled Hermione into her arms.
"Oh Hermione," she murmured. "You're growing up so fast."
Hermione shut her eyes and breathed in her mother's scent. She couldn't pinpoint the exact smell but she smelt of home, which was more than comforting.
"But be careful, Hermione," Mrs Granger continued, pulling away and holding Hermione at arm's length. "Be careful."
Hermione laughed lightly. "I will, Mum."
They went back into the kitchen where Draco was pouring out glasses of lemonade for him and Hermione. Mrs Granger smiled fondly and sat down at the breakfast bar, pulling a letter towards her.
"Now, Hermione, I wanted to ask you about something—"
Mrs Granger was cut off by a yelp from Draco and a crash on the floor. Hermione spun around to see Draco, a hand clutched to his left forearm, broken glass and lemonade on the floor.
"Draco, what's wrong?" she asked, putting her hand over his, trying to comfort him.
Draco swallowed and lifted his hand, revealing the faint outline of the Dark Mark. Hermione gasped and Draco clapped his hand back over it.
"Hermione, what's happening?" Mrs Granger asked, standing up and crossing over to them.
Hermione remained silent, her eyes trained on Draco's. She felt scared. Scared for him, scared for herself, scared of the Mark.
"Hermione!" Mrs Granger said urgently as Draco's grip on his arm tightened and his eyebrows dipped down into a strained frown. Hermione swallowed.
"You-Know-Who's summoning his Death Eaters," Hermione said, her voice no more than a whisper.