I'm back for another chapter of Midnight Talk, Morning Kiss! I'm getting good reviews so far, and I'm going to trust that most people like it which I LOVE!! I'm trying to keep my chapters right around 2000 or so words, maybe a little over. I really try not to fall under it, though! Last chapter's song was "This is the Night" from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the movie!

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Believe that magic works
Don't be afraid
Of bein' hurt
Don't let this magic die
The answer's there
Oh, just look in her eyes

The Girl That Gets to Him

"So, you've let this girl get to you," Sir Andros Bastillo scoffed. "I don't believe this. After everything we worked for, you are abandoning the project. Well, Draco Malfoy, you are quite selfish indeed. I have miscalculated you. I am happy now that you are refusing me. Having you as my partner would have been quite the liability indeed."

"I'm sorry, Andros, but I don't like your tactics," Malfoy replied firmly.

"It's Sir Bastillo to you now," he retorted. "I do not let commoners call me by a casual name." With that, he disappeared from Draco's fireplace in a great "Swoosh", his black robes billowing in the wind created by his departure. In that split second, he looked larger and more powerful than life.

Draco sighed. He was glad that Andros hadn't been angry enough to step out of the fire and offer a duel or try to kill him. The man was volatile and had a temper. Draco wouldn't put anything past him. As long as he left Hermione alone, Draco wouldn't be bothered by anything he might try.

His stomach was rumbling. As far as he was concerned, it is dinner time.

Hermione was not at dinner, something that disquieted Draco somewhat. She was normally a very punctual person, and she didn't skip meals. Thoughts full of Andros Bastillo, he grew worried. Had he gotten to her?

He choked down his dinner quickly and sped off to her suite to check if she was there. He pounded on her door incessantly. A few students passing by gave him quizzical looks. He looked quite odd indeed. They could tell he was panic-stricken about something.

He pounded for a minute before blasting her door apart, scaring students, sending them running down the hall for cover. He stepped inside. Everything looked in order, nothing out of place. He turned around. Students were gathered around the entrance, staring.

"Ten points from each of your houses!" he bellowed, magically repairing the door. He had no clue if that command would actually work, but he was not up to checking which students were gathered around the door. He had more important things to do. He began to shuffle through the papers on her table. There were old Prophets and magically copied excerpts of books. He was looking for some sort of ransom note. He came upon a note, written in a curly scrawl.

Miss Granger,

Due to the lack of a prenuptial agreement between Mr. Ron Weasley and yourself, we will not be able to protect you from the fund split. Everything will be arranged 50/50. We understand that you have accumulated nearly 90% of the income held by the two of you. We regret to inform you of this unfortunate announcement. There will be no need to continue the appeals processing. Payment to Mr. Weasley is due in full within 60 days.

Regards,

Ms. Cho Chang

Draco felt a pang of sadness on behalf of Hermione. Not only had Ron cheated on her, but he was bilking her out of her money, too. That was absolutely unjust, in Draco's opinion, utterly ridiculous.

"What are you doing?" a voice from behind him asked, curiously.

He turned around, seeing Hermione, and before anyone could speak he had her embraced in his arms in the tightest embrace one could imagine.

"Can't…breathe…" she gasped.

"Oh sorry," Draco said quickly, letting go of her. "I'm just so happy to see you."

"I saw you a few hours ago," she laughed, "right after classes."

"Yes I know, but I have been dying to tell you…I talked to Andro Bastillo! He is pissed, but he gave into me saying no. The burden is lifted, Hermione! We are free!"

He thought Hermione would be happy, that she would give him a huge hug. He was not prepared for her actual reaction. She threw herself at him, and she was kissing him everywhere, literally leaping into his arms in happiness and ecstasy.

"I knew you weren't going to become a killer," she moaned between kisses.

She was driving Draco crazy, her beautiful body clinging to his as if her life depended on it. He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, willing him to take her into the bedroom where he could do whatever he wanted to her.

Hermione awoke in the middle of the night. According to the clock, it was half past midnight. Draco's protective arm was draped over her, and he was holding her firmly, making it nearly impossible for her to move underneath it. She pushed up on it lightly. Unfortunately, Draco stirred, causing her to feel bad for waking him up.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay, Mione," he grumbled back sleepily, obviously not thinking straight.

Even so, Hermione paused at the sound of his nickname for her. Only Ron had ever called her that. She wondered if that was a slip-up of Draco's, or if he would start referring to her by that name all the time. She wasn't sure yet how she felt. She supposed she could adjust to it, most certainly, but would it bring back the past which she had recently taken to trying hard to shut out?

"You okay?" he murmured, slightly more coherently.

"Yeah," she replied, "I just woke up, that's all."

"What's on your mind?" he asked. "I know there is something on your mind." He turned to face her, releasing her from the stronghold his arm had over her.

"I was just thinking how nice it is lying with you," she said innocently.

"Oh really?" Draco replied, his smirk audible in the dark. "Do you think this is nice too?" He rolled on top of her, straddling her. Hermione squealed in delight. "I'll take that as a yes. How about this?" He began tickling her ferociously. He didn't know if she was ticklish or not, but the instant he began to tickle her, her screams were uncontrollable.

"Draco…I…can't…breathe!" she laughed. He rolled to the side of her and propped his head up on his arm facing her. "I never knew you were ticklish. It's a great thing to know, very useful."

Hermione giggled. Surprisingly, she realized that although they were stark naked, they didn't find it awkward at all. Even with Ron, she had felt a little awkward after love making. She just felt so exposed, and she guessed it must have been because he was betraying her and her intuition felt it.

"You know, Draco," she said into the darkness, "you haven't met my family. My parents would love you. They've always been after me to get myself back out there on the dating scene ever since the split." She had never directly referred to it by name that easily. Was she finally beginning to truly accept it? "There is just an air about you that is different from Ron, in a good way."

"Well," he replied, obviously smiling, "I'm not a two-timing, betraying asshole for starters. Also, I'm not an egotistical politician wannabe."

"Politician?" Hermione questioned, obviously surprised. "Where did you hear that?"

"Daily Prophet," he lied quickly. He didn't feel like Hermione would take too kindly to his paying Ron a special visit at the ministry.

"I must have missed that one," Hermione snorted, "Because, you know, the Daily Prophet is my favorite periodical to read."

"You refer to it so formally," Draco laughed. "It doesn't deserve that name. it is more trashy than the stupid Quibbler with all their crumple-horned snorkacks. Then again, those fantasy creatures would actually exist before you lived up to that stupid article."

Hermione giggled. "Well according to Luna Lovegood, there have been countless sightings."

"According to Luna Lovegood, Sirius Black was really Stubby Boardman," Draco retorted.

"How did you know that?"

Draco blushed, unseen by Hermione of course.

"It was a huge joke in Slytherin house," he said shrugging. "And it was a load of crap."

Silence followed this statement. Draco turned over onto his back. He had been a very interesting teenager, that's for sure. What appeared to be a scathing jerk was really a bewildered teenager who had too much on his plate. He nearly went crazy when he had to kill Dumbledore. All throughout his youth, he had thirsted for information, meaning he read all the magazines, even trash like the Quibbler. He really was an intellectual person. People just underestimated him because of the complete idiots like Crabbe and Goyle that he hung around with. He really was an intelligent young chap.

Hermione turned over onto her side next to him. Her breathing was steady and even. Obviously, she had fallen back asleep. Draco wedged himself farther under the blankets and put his arms around her. Then, he peacefully drifted off to the land of sleep with her.

Sorry that took a while to put up a really short chapter, but I am really busy, and it was update today, or make you wait until Friday or Saturday. I already know I will have no time tomorrow, and I wont have time to start another chapter tonight.

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XOXO,

CHRISTINE