Disclaimer : If it was mine, would I be writing fanfiction?

With a guttural sigh he swept a long fingered hand through his tousled hair. He was perched on his bed and a large, brightly wrapped package lay in front of him. With another troubled sigh, he drew out his wand and shrunk the present, placing it carefully in his trouser pocket.

A few weeks had passed since the... flying incident and it was now Christmas Day. Just thinking about the incident brought a sincere, though small, smile to his pale face. Her lips had been warm and soft, only a tiny bit of pressure applied to his own. After getting over the initial shock of the kiss (initiated by a girl assuming the appearance of Granger, no less) he had responded passionately.

He couldn't help but find her fear of flying cute, couldn't help but love the feel of her soft and supple body in his firm arms. The feeling she gave him as she clutched desperately to him for safety was like no other he had ever experienced. She had clutched to him for dear life, depending on him, needing him. He had never been needed. Not by his parents. Not his teachers. Not by his 'friends'. And yet an almost complete stranger needed him. It was a good feeling.

She had complimented his 'disguise'. He chuckled darkly to himself. Oh, if she only knew. He thought it was rather clever, who he decided to disguise himself as. But that in itself was another... complication. His disguise had been flawless. So why was it that when she touched his bare flesh his entire body flushed with warmth? Why was it that when she clung to him so closely, almost as a lover would, his dark heart soared? Why was it that when she began to get the hang of flying, when she had started laughing and smiling in joy, a sincere grin spread across his own features and his mood lifted. Why?

But an even better question: did she react the same way to him? At the moment he had to know. He experimented with it. He had held her tighter, held her closwer to his body. He whispered his words in her ear, noticing with satisfaction and almost... joy when a shiver ran down her spine. He spoke to her gently, in the kindest tone he had ever used, and noted the emotions that had flashed through her eyes when she registered it. Confusion and happiness, the latter overcoming the former. That alone made him smile, made him want to continue that tone with her, made him want to keep speaking to her. In his entire Hogwarts experience, he had never made anyone happy. He made his parents content at best with his good marks. He made his Potion's Master proud with his outstanding skill. Hell, he brought girls, women, fiery pleasure and contentment in his bed. But he had never made anyone so happy with something so simple as a flying lesson, a smile, a kind tone of voice.

Her expression was enough to make him want to keep using that tone; to keep exposing her to that side of him, that kinder- dare he say it -softer side to him. But to her. Only to her.

He couldn't understand how a girl could change so much about him in such a short amount of time. How, on their first (and other) meetings, she riled such new emotions in his soul. It confused and intrigued him.

And then she had turned around to say something to him after he had complimented her. Their eyes met. He couldn't pull away. Her eyes were a gorgeous shade of brown, light, almost gold, in the center and faded to a molten chocolate at the edges. They swirled with a warmness, a fondness, that he could escape from. He vaguely remembered wondering if they were really her eyes or the eyes of the person whose body she was borrowing. There was something in those eyes, something that drew him in, that made him never want to look away. But he had to. In his peripheral vision he had seen the ground racing towards them. With a warning shout he directed all of his attention to the broom, only managed to slow it down a bit and make it so that they were almost parallel to the ground. Realizing that impact was imminent he reacted completely on instinct.

He wrapped his arms around her. And when they were flung from the broom he turned them in the air just so, so that he would take the brunt of the impact and not her. Not her.

He hit the ground and somehow she managed to spin in his arms. A second after his back slammed into the grass of the Quidditch pitch her chest smashed into his, winding him for the second time in less then a quarter of a minute. His eyes had been open the entire time and he carefully assessed the damage. Nothing seemed broken, but he was bloody positive he'd have bruises the next morning. He stared at her and froze. She was laying on him, her glorious feminine curves meshing perfectly with his well sculpted body. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her head lay on his chest, directly over his heart. He watched the emotions flit across her face. Anxiousness gave way to ease. Ease gave way to regret. Regret cave way to confusion. Confusion led to realization. Realization lead to embarrassment, a cut shade of red flushing her face. And then she opened her eyes and looked at him.

And he was lost.

He couldn't help but notice the closeness, the intimacy of their position. And he couldn't register whatever he mumbled at her, only realizing that she was trying to get away, to escape. Not a chance. Not if he had anything to say about it. He tightened his hold on her waist and only realized it when she stared at him. She murmured something again and then her lips were on his.

At first it was only a gentle kiss, merely her lips ghosting over his own. But then he snapped out of his shock and responded in the only way years of purely sexual relationships had taught him how: passionately. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, a request for entrance. She had hesitate, slowly opening her mouth a tiny sliver. But that had been enough. He pried her lips open and quickly swept the cavern of her mouth with his tongue, tasting her thoroughly. She tasted of chocolate, he decided, with a hint of caramel and sugar. Once he had acquainted himself with her mouth, he caressed her tongue with his own, trying to persuade her to respond. She did, hesitantly. It was obvious she wasn't experienced with kissing but she certainly caught on quickly. He cataloged the information in his mind for later use. He nipped her lower lip gently with his teeth and she groaned lowly. Mimicking his actions, she circled her tongue tantalizingly slow around his mouth and tangled her tongue around his.

Their tongues danced for what seemed like blissful hours. Panting for breath, she had reluctantly pulled away, staring down at him with swollen lips. Her eyes were hazy and her cheeks were flushed.

"I'm sorry," she murmured again.

"Don't be." He leaned up and brushed his lips briefly over hers. She smiled down at him before carefully rolling off of him so that she was lying next to him. She reached shyly for his hand and he had firmly intertwined their fingers.

They laid side by side for an indeterminable amount of time in comfortable silence, both coming to terms with what had happened in the past hour and a half. It had been she who first broke the silence as she observed the sky in contentment.

"It's a pretty blue." She stated whimsically and he turned his head slightly to stare at her with a raised brow. "Definitely not my favorite color. But it's pretty all the same."

He shrugged indifferently." It's okay, I suppose. Not really a blue kind of guy."

"So what's your favorite color then?"

"Hm. Don't really have one. Dark green, maybe."

She looked at him strangely.

"Really? I like green too. Not lime green, more around a light forest green. Sorta keep it on the dow low though."

"Why?"

She smiled wryly. "House rivalry." She shook her head and sighed.

"So you're a Gryffindor." He was fairly positive that his statement was true and he had looked at her for confirmation.

She seemed shocked at first, but then it gave way to a small smile. "And you're a Slytherin." He thought he had done a good job of hiding his house, but once it was revealed he hid his surprise well.

"You're a muggleborn."

"And you're a pureblood."

There was a pregnant pause. She continued quietly. "And I'm a girl."

The corners of his mouth twitched up. "And I'm a boy."

She boldly pressed her lips to his briefly before settling back down beside him.

"So."

"So."

"I've been meaning to ask you something."

"... Yes?"

"What the bloody hell does 'ex dee' mean?"

He smiled fondly at the memory. For the following two hours after that, they had continued to lay in the grass next to each other, the broomstick forgotten, and talk about anything and everything.

After that day they met at least once every week, always disguised as the same people (to prevent confusion, apparently) and talked almost constantly via H.I.N.T.S. They even went flying again. Their conversations varied greatly, but they quickly became close friends and then... something more. She told him about her 'perfect' persona that she used to cover her insecurities. He told her about his difficult childhood and the wrongs that he'd done. She told him about funny muggle inventions and he told her about pureblood customs and traditions. She vented her problems with her friends and he expressed his indifference, and, sometimes, his irritation at his cronies. They had much more in common than either of then could have previously thought, and they both debated their different views valiantly, getting into friendly disputes.

Yes, much had happened over the past few weeks and now it was Christmas day in the late afternoon and he was sitting on his bed, waiting for the right time to leave.

He was going to meet her in the Room of Requirement shortly, one of their favorite places to rendezvous. Which explained the present. It was for her, and, though he was rather reluctant to admit it, he was a bit nervous to give it to her. He never really gave presents, always receiving gifts from his lackeys, sometimes his mother, his admirers and his lovers. This would be the first gift he would give in a long time and it made him feel a tiny bit vulnerable. Would she accept it? Would she use it? Would she like it?

He pushed the thoughts and doubts to the side. He got to his feet, made sure he looked presentable in the mirror in his room, and exited his room, shutting the door firmly behind him. As he passed through the common room, he noted the Head Girl's absence. Things had been weird between he and the other Head and he was slightly relieved that she wasn't in the common room to watch his exit.

He had kept to his word; he had become kinder. Well... kinder might've been the wrong term for it. He stopped going out of his way to torment people and became more quiet and reserved. He still retained his biting sarcasm, superior and aristocratic air, and sharp wits, and people continued to cower in his presence. The changes, however minor, made him appear more mature and almost everyone noticed the difference. The most noticeable change, however, was one relating to a certain Gryffindor seventh year girl. They treated each other with detached politeness, reluctant respect for each other evident. Heated debates were often, but they were usually devoid of the usually hurtful insults, devoid of the word 'mudblood.' Yes, he had changed, but he was still the same cold, aloof, and manipulative Slytherin everyone knew and loathed. He opened up to no one, showed no one any other side of his personality.

Except her.

They had grown close over those few weeks and he found that his affection for her was growing steadily, as was his trust in her. Both changes confused him slightly, but he didn't think much about it, taking the changes as they came. Instead he embraced it, discovering that opening up about his deepest thoughts, concerns, and feelings almost made him feel... good. It was curious.

He found himself in front of their usual meeting place, the Room of Requirement. A pale hand set reassuringly on the pocket with his present in it, he paced in front of the Room with closed eyes. There was a creak and his cold eyes flickered open. A door had appeared in the previously blank wall before him, and, with a quick glance in all directions to make sure no one was watching, he entered.

The room was small and cozy. The walls were a rich green color and the plush carpet was black. One wall was overtaken by a large crackling fireplace and there was a green comfy couch settled in front of it. To the far side of the couch was an enormous Christmas tree, decorated beautifully with dazzling ornaments, garlands, and floating candles. Under the tree sat a single present topped with a bow. On the far wall there was a large bay window with a cushion-covered window seat. Through the panes he could see that the sky was black, with only swirling white snow flurries visible against the inky sky.

There was only a single occupant in the room and she was perched comfortably on the couch, a steaming cup of hot cocoa in her hands. He closed the door gently behind him and her eyes flickered to his. A slow grin spread across her features and she got to her feet.

"Dev," She had shortened his name, Deviation, to Dev a week or so after the flying incident. Settling her mug down on the coffee table that appeared before her, she made her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his middle in a hug.

"Hey," He greeted with a small smile, ruffling the top of her head. "How long have you been waiting for me?"

She pulled away to look up at him. She shrugged. "Not long, only five or so minutes really." She paused, blushing, before diverting her gaze. "Merry Christmas..." She mumbled, a petite hand sliding into her pocket to finger something.

"Merry Christmas to you too." He caught her hand in his and her face flushed an even darker shade of red. He grinned at her shyness. "Shall we?"

"Oh, yes." She smiled at him and lead him towards the couch. He sat down with a content sigh ad she plopped down next to him, cuddling into his side, their fingers still intertwined. There was a lapse of silence, broken only by the crackles and pops of the fire and their even breathing. Finally she spoke in a soft whisper, so quiet he almost didn't catch it. "I missed you."

They weren't together. They weren't. But if anyone had walked into that room at that moment, they would have bet their life's inheritance that the two seventh year students were a couple. Their closenss and intimacy was evident, each holding the other in such a way that only a lover should be allowed to do. She was staring at the fire when she spoke, her head nestled on his shoulder, and he turned his head to look down at her. He had been thinking these past few weeks. His emotions and feelings were confusing to him; he had little experience in the field with such a cold and distant family. Yet even so, he had managed to shift through his emotions and found a growing attachment to this 'Incandescence.' He found himself waiting for her to log onto her H.I.N.T.S. book, finding himself talking with her until three o'clock in the morning when only complete exhaustion forced them to say goodbye and go to bed. Whenever he was in a bad mood, talking to her or meeting her always cheered him up; just saying her pen name (as wimpy as it sounds) was enough to make his heart lift a little. He found himself becoming angry and violent whenever she told him about the bullying and snarky comments she received or when she divulged that she and her best mates were once again fighting. He also discovered himself becoming strangely jealous when she mentioned any other man in their year with anything but contempt. And when she spoke to him with such affection, saying such the smallest things like 'I missed you,' he almost couldn't contain the euphoria in his chest.

As he thought, he continued to stare at her as she looked into the fire, a smirk playing upon the corner of his lips. She noticed him staring and looked at him curiously, opening her mouth to ask what was wrong. He surprised her with a quick kiss, little more than a peck on the lips, but enough to convey his feelings all the same. She looked at him, dazed, and smiled. He grinned and licked his lower lips slowly, licking the residue of the hot chocolate that had come from her own mouth.

"I missed you too." He murmured to her, laying an arm around her shoulders to squeeze her gently.

They stayed like that for a while in silence, just enjoying the feel of each other in the their arms. Suddenly she got up, detaching herself from him (rather reluctantly, he noticed) and retrieved the parcel from under the tree. Sitting back down next to him, she handed it over to him, blushing.

"It's nothing much," She said hurridly, avoiding his eyes as he regally undid the bow and removed the wrapping, "I don't have all that much money at the moment, but I can bake really well, so I thought that-"

He rolled his eyes and smirked at her, popping a cookie in her mouth to shut her up. Her gift to him had been a large tine of baked goods, all homemade. There were cookies, brownies, what looked like a few slices of cake, and a few donuts. "I love it," He told her, taking a bite out of a brownie and reveling in the rich taste of the chocolate to convince her, "They're delicious."

She flushed at the compliment but looked pleased all the same. He pecked her cheek, withdrawing his own present from his pocket. "Cookie crumb." He explained, grinning mischievously. She chuckled then looked at the shrunken present in his hand curiously. One flick of his wand later, a large gift lay in their laps, a long rectangular box from the look of it.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Is that for me? You shouldn't have! It must've cost a fortune..."

He huffed. "Cost counts for naught when it comes to you. Besides, if it makes you feel better, I'll divulge that it cost less than my Hogwarts uniform. Now just open it."

She grinned like a little girl, tearing off the paper slowly to build suspense. It was an unmarked black box, and, with shaking fingers, she slowly lifted up the lid. A gasp escaped her lips as she looked awestruck at the contents.

Inside the box, in all it's black and silver glory, was the new LightningFlash Infinite, the newest and top-notch broomstick released to the public. With trembling fingers, she felt the smooth ebony wood, stroking the straight, clean twigs of it's tail end, and admiring the smooth silver pieces of metal that adorned the handle. She looked up at him, still in shock. "I... I can't accept this." She said airily, looking back at the broomstick. "It's too much, it's-"

"Yours." He replied firmly, quite pleased with himself that he liked his gift so much. In all honesty it was quite expensive, but he had been truthful when he told her that it cost less than his clothes.

She set the broomstick down gently on the table, admiring it as the fire's red light played with it's features. Then she turned to him, her features neutral. He raised a brow at her. She stared at him for a moment before lunging at him, taking him completely by surprise and knocking him to his back so that she was laying on top of him. Before he had enough time to fully comprehend what was happening, her tongue was in his mouth. Getting over his initial shock took him a second and he quickly and skillfully took over the kiss.

When the need for air became too strong, they pulled apart, both panting and flushed. She was still on top of him and he reached up to cup the side of her face affectionately. She sighed happily and leaned into his hand, her eyes fluttering shut. "Dev..." Her words were barely more than a moan. He leaned in for another kiss but she stopped him, reaching into her pocket and grabbing something. She took his hand in hers, pulling her other hand out of her pocket, and slipped whatever she grabbed onto his finger. She kissed his knuckle then laid back down into her previous position. "Merry Christmas..." She whispered.

He held up his hand to inspect the changes. She had given him a ring. "Isn't that my job?" He joked lightly and he could feel her smile against his chest. The ring was a thick silver band with a single large green stone (an emerald, perhaps?) adorning it. To each side of the gem there was a snake poised for attack. And if he looked carefully, he could see through the stone and see 'Deviation' engraved in the metal.

"Wow..."

"Do you like it?" She sounded nervous and he immediately dispelled her fears.

"This is amazing. And you were scolding me for being spendy."

She laughed into his chest. "I made it. Used a few charms to shape it and do the engraving, I just bought the emerald." She looked up at him. "But it gets better." She took his hand. "This ring is sort of like a pensieve. It holds memories and then you can view them whenever you like. It holds only good memories though... All you do is touch the stone and think of the memory and it's transferred into the ring. And then whenever you want to relive them, you just clear your mind and think of the emerald while touching it. It'll randomly chose a memory and you relive it. You don't go into the ring like you do in a pensieve, it just overtakes your mind for a few minutes and puts you into a dream-like state. That way you can do it during class or whenever without getting caught."

He looked at her flabbergasted. "It must've taken you forever to cast all those enchantments to get it to work right!"

She smiled modestly. "It only took about a week of studying to learn the proper spells."

"This..." He couldn't find the right words for his feelings, just shaking his head and staring at her with a slightly furrowed brow. "This... I don't deserve this, this is just..." She knew how most of his life had been dark and negative and had given him a gift that would provide him constant happiness. In his mind such a gift was priceless. "Thank you. You're amazing."

She blushed and murmured something under her breath, gasping when he leaned up to kiss her soundly on the mouth. She immediately yielded her mouth to his tongue, licking his lower lip as he controlled the kiss. Nipping on her lip she moaned into him and he felt something inside him smirk in satisfaction. As the kiss deepened, he carefully rolled them over so that she was below him and he was hovering above her, one arm propped up to prevent his body from crushing her. They broke for air and he trailed sweet kisses from the corner of her mouth down to her chin, along her jawline, and then up to her ear. She groaned as he licked the shell of her ear and sucked gently on her earlobe before trailing more kisses down her neck to the sweet juncture of her neck and shoulder.

He had been with many women, ever since his thirteenth birthday and his 'coming of age' present his father had given him, but none mewled like she did. None of them moaned in that effortless airy way that made him shudder. None of them could arouse him so easily, so quickly, without even trying. None of them made his skin burn so hotly, made such an inferno in his blood that he could barely think straight. She was pure, delicious heaven and he couldn't get enough of her smooth skin. And he wasn't willing to share.

Biting into her neck, he reveled in the load groan she rewarded him, a shiver going up his spine as she gently raked her nails down his back. He soothed the wound with his tongue, sucking on the spot a little bit, nibbling and licking until he was satisfied with his mark. His mark. She was his now. No sharing.

Moving downwards, he expertly undid the first few buttons of her shirt with his teeth and tongue, licking and kissing and sucking on the creamy flesh that slowly became more and more exposed.

"Dev--"

He looked up at her, silky locks falling into his eyes. She looked beautiful like this, lying underneath him with her hair fanned out like a chestnut halo, chest heaving, face flushed. Her eyes were glazed and half closed as she breathed his nickname again, arching into his body. It was his turn to groan, a deep guttural noise that shook her bones. He looked into her eyes, the question evident in his own stormy gray ones. She smiled faintly. That was all the answer he needed. He immediately continued his actions, only pausing for a second to kiss her chest when she spoke her final words before resuming.

"Merry Christmas."

A/N : Sorry for any and all mistakes, in a rush right now. I have studying to do. I'm also sorry if you think the transition from the last chapter to this chapter was choppy. I tried my best; I didn't want to dwell too much on their inbetween time. Anyways, I have myself on an updating schedule, so hopefully I'll be able to keep to it. If I do, this story'll be complete before the end of February.

I WILL BE DOING A SEQUEL. I have most of it planned out, so if this story's ending is unsatisfactory for you, there's always that to look forward to.

Thank you so much TashaLyn13, Slytherin Princess, Krabby Patties, Vampqueen27, sanaazzy, mary-loki, SilverJellicle, aaliona, musicmagic7, GirlMarauderJonas, crimson-diamonds-823, TJ Binxs, sarabara, Lya Darkfury, Bozu, Kat0350, Dairire, darling draco., xxbecksyxx, SHSUL18, The Secret Bookworm, N. Emilia, XlinzX, Ravensnake, and Danielle Salvatore for your lovely reviews.

Lya Darkfury : You're too good to me. C: No need to thank me, Dramione is so much fun to write. I should be thanking you, it's all of your amazing reviews that give me the energy to keep writing.

Review please...? The more reviews, the faster the updateeee...