Draco, stop.

She halted in the middle of the vegetable patch, unable to bear the silence any longer.

He turned to face her.

Yes?

Why are you so nervous?

I'm not nervous. He deflected.

You can't lie to me- remember. Part of the whole 'bonded for life' deal.

Draco swayed awkwardly and glanced at his feet.

Seriously, Draco. This is only making me worried. Is it your parents? Is something wrong with our bond? I haven't felt anything different, but maybe you are more sensitive to variations. She rambled on.

Hermione.

Or is it that you don't want to spend as much time together? I know that you made this bond under duress and that we weren't really good friends in school. The words kept spilling out of her mouth, and she had a panicked look in her eye.

HERMIONE

But Draco, I don't want our bond to sour. I don't want to be miserable for the rest of my life.

Draco did the only thing that he could think of to get her to stop rambling; he kissed her.

As he pulled back, he saw her looking up at him with a slightly flustered, bemused expression.

"Hmmmm…" she mumbled.

The reason I'm nervous is because I don't know how to act around you anymore. He confessed.

She just stared at him, willing him to continue.

I don't understand why you are even still talking to me. Why you defend me. You were my prisoner. What I did to you was unforgivable.

His voice shook, and his eyes began to water.

"I just have this feeling that one day you are going to wake up and realize what a monster I am. We are so different. You are light and goodness and perfection. You are so amazing, Hermione. You are so strong and brave and beautiful. And there is a part of me that will always be horrible and ugly. We don't fit. And we can try to strengthen this bond, but I just know that one day it will sour, and it will be because I wasn't good enough."

He wiped a silent tear from his cheek.
"And I don't want to cause you any more pain. I've done enough of that already."

Oh… Draco.

"Loosing you would break me, Hermione. So I don't want to keep waiting for the day that your will be disgusted by me. I can't be your lost puppy or your charity case. I want something I don't deserve, and the more I am around you the more excruciating it gets."

She used her fingers to caress down his cheek and across his jaw.

"Draco, you saved me. When will you get it through your thick skull? I was standing on the brink of insanity, ready to give up. You pulled me back. You kept me fighting. No matter how much you try and deny it, you are my hero. I never would have though Draco Malfoy would be my very own guardian angel."

When he said nothing, she continued. "I am nowhere near perfect. Sometimes I am a coward. I have a ridiculous need to prove to everyone how smart I am. And I have parts of myself that are dirty and weak- just like everybody else."

This time she forced him to meet her gaze.

But I love you, Draco.

He was totally shocked.

You can't.

Feel our bond. I am completely and totally in love with you Malfoy. So stop trying to push me away. I want you and only you.

You love me?

Yes.

I love you too princess. The words were like an oath on his lips.

She just smiled and kissed him.

A few minutes later they broke apart, breathless.

"So can we get back to the picnic?" He asked, feeling much happier than he would have believed possible an hour ago.

"No. There is one more thing we have to talk about." Now it was Draco who was sensing Hermione's apprehension.

"What now?"

"We need to talk about what happened in the dungeon."

She could feel his tension skyrocket.

"If we don't then it will be hanging over us every time we have sex, and I don't want that."

The topic of future sex seemed to bring him back into the conversation.

"What about the dungeon?"

"I know it was supposed to be all horrible, but it wasn't." She paused. "I am not saying that I liked what Voldemort made us do, but I liked that side of you. I don't want you to treat me like I am some sort of doll because you are worried that I will break. Until today, you haven't tried to kiss me since we were in the dungeon. I don't even know if you are attracted to me in that way or if it was all just survival. So I want you to tell me how you are feeling."

He turned away from her, and used their bond. He seemed unable to say any of this aloud.

There were parts I hated, like that stupid leash. And there were parts that made me absolutely sick, like when he would watch. Hitting you with that flogger was one of the most nauseating things I have ever done. But there were parts that were nice. I liked being able to touch you however I wanted when you were against that wall. I liked watching you come apart. Part of me even liked it when you called me master, because you were mine.

He turned back around.

I liked being at your mercy. It made me feel so amazing when all of your focus was on me. And I liked being treated roughly. And I liked feeling like I was yours. And I refuse to let him take that from us.

Well, I have an idea, if you want to try it. He said.

What?

He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to a clump of trees out of sight of Hagrid's cabin and the greenhouses.

Then he pushed her against a tree and kissed her.

Hermione was in heaven. She had been worried that Draco would shut down when she tried to talk to him about sex. But instead it seemed like she was only minutes away from getting lucky against a tree. She had wound her right arm around Draco's shoulders to steady herself. Without the tree to support her, Hermione was sure that she would be puddled in a quivering blob on the grass. Her legs felt like limp noodles, and they parted easily as Draco's legs made their way in between hers. His hands had moved up under her shirt to grab her breasts, pinning her further to the tree and causing Hermione to sigh against his neck. She kissed and licked her way greedily along his jawline. Everything seemed more intense because of their bond. This was the first time that they really started exploring how to use it during sex. He could whisper dirty words to her while using his mouth for other productive things, like nipping at her earlobe. She reciprocated by sending massive amounts of lust shooting through their bond. They were incredibly in sync, never having to pause or ask each other what felt good- they just knew.

Hermione's left hand had managed to make its way down to Draco's pants and open the zipper. When they finally came together, it was fevered and deep. Each thrust felt like their souls were connecting. They didn't speak aloud, but reveled in the sensations. Then they both broke apart, and disheveled they sunk down to the grass together.

They ended up in the incredibly familiar position of Draco lying on his back with Hermione draped over him, just like how they had gone to sleep together when they were back at the manor. Their clothes were still disheveled, though they hadn't actually removed any of them. Draco had his eyes closed and Hermione was tracing patterns on his chest with her finger.

That was so much better than my picnic. He sighed.

I can't believe I had sex outside. What if Hagrid had seen us? Or Professor Sprout?

Well then they would know what a complete floozy you secretly are. He laughed.

Does our bond feel any different to you?

Yea. It feels stronger.

I agree.

It also feels muted somehow. Almost like there is static, but for some reason, I don't feel worried at all.

Probably because you just got laid, she joked.

Shit. He thought.

What?

We didn't cast any protection spells.

There was a blanket protection charm placed on the whole school back in the sixties. I read about it in Hogwarts: a History. It is what keeps the owl population under control. Plus there are so many different cats and rats running around Hogwarts that they had to do something. Don't worry; I'm not pregnant.