Fourth Afternoon Alone
They pulled apart both gasping frantically for breath. Their eyes locked and Hermione couldn't contain a wide, goofy grin. She had just kissed Draco Malfoy and enjoyed every second of it. Who knew she would ever do a thing like that?
"Wow," Draco breathed and completely voiced her thoughts.
"I know," she sighed and leaned into his firm chest. Protectively Draco wrapped his arms around her frail shoulders and pulled her even closer. "So what do we do now?"
Draco laughed and Hermione felt the rumble in his chest against her cheek. She liked it when he laughed. It made him seem more human and less like the Draco she thought she had known.
"Classic Hermione," Draco laughed. "Always wondering and thinking. Don't you ever let go?"
"I just did," she responded and cocked her head to look at him. He was smiling broadly down at her. "That kiss was me letting go."
"And you liked it, didn't you?" Draco's smile became sly and Hermione blushed as she nodded.
"I liked it very much."
"So did I."
They stood close together in silence for a while before Draco released her from his grip. Hermione moaned at the loss of his arms and Draco laughed sweetly at her vulnerability.
"Let's do something," he declared and took her hand.
"Like what?" she asked and raised an eyebrow at him.
"I don't know," he said and smirked at her, making her blush all over again. "Something fun."
Immediately Hermione's thoughts went to the wrong sort of fun – the kind of fun that had nearly happened when she was sitting in the tub and he was watching her – and her blush turned dark crimson. Draco's laugh was as loud as thunder when he saw the colour erupt on her cheeks and she hurriedly hid her face in her hands.
"Good Merlin Hermione, what kind of fun were you thinking about?"
Hermione shook her head while she quickly mumbled, "Nothing – nothing at all."
Draco was still laughing when he took hold of her hands and removed them from her face. She tried to turn her head away and avoid his eyes, but he took both of her hands in one of his and with his other hand he caught her chin and tilted her face towards him.
"I love that colour on you," he remarked and stroked her cheek with his thumbs. "Just as I like the colour of the shirt you're wearing."
His sly smile made Hermione confused and she shot a glance down herself. What shirt had she put on after her bath? She couldn't remember, but when she saw it, she knew why Draco liked it. The shirt was green, the colour of Slytherin.
"Oh," was all she could say and Draco grinned.
"It looks good on you," he said, still stroking her cheek. "It makes your eyes sparkle."
Suddenly Hermione felt cornier than ever before and answered, "I don't think it's the colour that does that."
Draco sent her a questioningly look.
"I think you're the one doing that to my eyes."
At her words Draco's face broke into a happy grin and he leaned forward to kiss her again. Their second kiss was tender and sweet, loving and heartfelt. There was no rush to the movements of their lips. When the kiss ended neither of them felt the need to move too far from the other. Draco rested his forehead against Hermione's and breathed the sweet scent of her breath. Timidly Hermione brought a hand to Draco's face. He closed his eyes at the touch and seemed to enjoy it immensely. Lightly she traced the contours of his face starting with his high cheekbones. Her fingers ran from his cheeks to the bridge of his nose down and all the way down its length. She paid special attention to his soft lips when she reached them next. They were slightly puffy and red from their kiss and she knew hers looked something like them as well. From his lips she came to his pointed chin and his masculine jaw. His earlobe was next on her list and she lightly pinched it, making Draco gasp in surprise. She chuckled and pinched it again. Then her fingers ran across his cheekbones again and ended on his eyelids. They fluttered lightly at her touch and Draco sighed contently. Taking a hold of Draco's face with both her hands Hermione leaned against him and pressed a quick, soft kiss against his lips. He didn't have time to respond before she pulled away. Confused Draco opened his eyes and watched her watching him.
"You're beautiful," she whispered and a delicious red colour spread in her cheeks.
"No," Draco protested. "You make me beautiful."
Hermione was glad that he hadn't said she was the one who was beautiful. She knew she wasn't. She wasn't plain or anything, but she wasn't beautiful either. Not like Draco was. And he knew not to lie to her even if it was to make her feel better. Ron had never understood that about her. He always said that she was beautiful even though she very well knew she wasn't. It annoyed her to be lied to no matter what kind of lie. It was nice that Draco got her like that.
"What do you feel like doing?" she asked him and he shrugged.
"How about we just talk?" he suggested. "We don't really know each other."
"Sounds good to me," she answered and took his hand. Hand in hand they walked to their spot in the library. When they arrived she let go of his hand and was about to sit down in her own chair when Draco grabbed her around the waist and pulled her with him as he sat in his chair. She was pressed flush against his body, sitting on his lap. She laughed at this she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Draco answered with a laugh of his own. Then he grabbed her legs under her knees and pulled them into the chair so that she was sitting curled up in his lap.
"I feel like a cat," she laughed.
"Not a cat," Draco whispered and silenced Hermione. "A lion. My lion."
Her heart fluttered violently at those words and her breath was caught in her throat. He had called her his. And she hadn't minded at all. Just the opposite in fact. It had pleased her immensely.
"Tell me something about yourself," Draco pleaded enticingly. "Something nobody else knows."
His strange plea threw her off balance for a second before she started thinking. What could she tell him that no one else knew? Ron and Harry knew everything there was to know about her, they were her best friends. Was there anything about her that they didn't know? That nobody knew? Then it hit her. There was something she could tell him.
"When I was younger I wanted to be a professional singer," she confessed and felt heat in her cheeks again. It was embarrassing, she thought, to admit that. She, who had such a great sense of logic, had wanted to be a singer. That business was probably the most unstable one. And yet she wanted it.
"Can you sing?" Draco asked and pulled her from her thoughts. He had a strange ability to do that.
"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I just know that I like."
"Would you sing for me?" Draco asked and stared her straight in the eyes. She gulped and found it incredibly hard to deny him anything. But she found the strength to shake her head. Draco's face fell flat. "Why not?"
"I've never sung for anyone before," she said. "I'm too shy for that."
"Please?" That was all it took for Hermione's will to falter and crumple. She sighed and closed her eyes in surrender.
"Fine…" Then she started singing.
There's a place where I can hide
A place that is all my own
No one know about where I go
When I want to be myself
When I want to be alone
All on my own I know who I am
I recognise myself
And I feel what I feel
Think the thoughts I want to think
Alone is where I belong
There's a place where I can feel safe
A place that belongs to me
No one knows about my place
No one knows who I really am
Only my place can make me me
All on my own I know who I am
I recognise myself
And I feel what I feel
Think the thoughts I want to think
Alone is where I belong
She stopped and held her breath, waiting for Draco's reaction. She opened her eyes to watch him and was startled by what she saw. He's face was serine and he had a tear gleaming in his one eyes. Gently she reached out and stroked the tear from his face.
"That was exceptionally beautiful," he breathed. "I don't know that song…"
"I wrote it myself," she confessed. "A couple of years ago."
"Wow," he whispered. "Beautiful."
Then he hugged her close and stroked her hair caressingly. "Beautiful," he repeated.
"Now tell me something nobody knows about you," Hermione said, still feeling a little awkward.
Draco shifted a little in the chair.
"Sometimes I wish I was born a regular Muggle," he whispered against her hair. She froze instantly when she heard his revelation.
"Why?"
"It seems so easy," he mused. "It's like they don't have a care in world. They only worry about living and being happy."
"Do you worry about something else?"
"I worry about surviving."
Hermione placed a hand over his heart and stroked his chest through his shirt.
"Many Muggles worry about that as well," she told him.
"Not in the same sense that I do," Draco said.
"Tell me how you're different."
"You know about this whole deal with my father," Draco started and then paused before continuing. "If I don't kill you, Hermione, my father will most likely kill me. I don't think many other Muggles face that kind of thing."
"Perhaps not many," Hermione admitted and snuggled closer to Draco's chest to offer more support and comfort. "But I don't think being a Muggle is easier that being a Wizard. We have out advantages and disadvantages just like Muggles have theirs."
She felt Draco nod against her hair.
"I know that," he sighed. "But I still think my life would have been easier if I was born into a Muggle family."
Hermione hesitated before she responded.
"If you had been born Muggle you wouldn't have met me," she whispered shyly.
Draco pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I know," he said and kissed her forehead. "And that's the only reason why I'm glad I'm a wizard. Only you, Hermione."
Then he placed a finger under her chin and cocked her face up to his. His lips quickly captured hers. They kissed with intense passion and longing as if they'd die without the other's lips. Hermione tried to pour all her emotions into the kiss. She tried to show Draco just how much she had come to care for him and how much she supported him and understood him. She was pressed firmly against him. Draco had his hands on her hips and he was slowly inching up her shirt till his fingers made contact with her bare skin. Hermione gasped at the touch and Draco used the opportunity to force his tongue into her mouth. His fingers dug into her skin and held her even closer than before. She was his saviour. She was his angel. And it was his job to kill her.
Sorry for the long wait, I've been so busy but finally found the time to give you all an update. Hope you enjoyed the read and that you're satisfied.
As always – review your finger off!