A/N: Thank you all for your lovely reviews and for having faith that I do have something bigger plans for this story (which I do). Anyways, here is the rest of my story.
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Recap
Ginny has ended up in the infirmary… And Draco has Hermione in a rather compromising situation…Up against the wall...And since Hermione isn't really in love with Richard…
"I'm glad I don't have to add him to my death list, but Blaise will more than likely take offense, which will then make me add him back onto my list out of loyalty and friendship and all that rot you Gryffindors seem to think we don't feel," Draco told her, waving his hand in a careless gesture. "Now, back to your seduction and evasion of my question… You do realize you called me love before, don't you?"
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Chapter 13: Flash Fire
Hermione's breaths were deep, heavy as she stared at Draco through hooded eyes. She watched as his gaze fell to her parted lips before his mouth was hovering over hers.
"Well?" he asked her, his gaze dark, a hazy shade of smoke that made her catch her breath.
Just as they were a hair apart, a commotion broke out by the door, startling the two.
In burst Ron and Harry, the two seemingly panting, as they rushed inside.
Draco internally cursed himself for having allowed the two banes of his existence to ruin a perfectly good moment with his mate. Hermione, though startled, watched as a vicious sneer found itself on the blonde's dramatic face, his eyes dark from passion of a different kind.
She moved to put herself between what would no doubt be another fight between Draco and Harry and Ron but the Veela's hand moved toward her waist, keeping her close, his body enfolding hers as if to block the male intruders out. Though his body was turned toward hers, his head was tilted to watch both Ron and Harry.
Ron watched Draco, his hand tugging out his wand from within his cloak. "Did you have something to do with this Malfoy?"
"Let Hermione go, Malfoy," Harry snapped.
The blonde's eyes flashed in warning. "She's not any of your concern, Potter."
Before the situation could become any more heated, Hermione moved to cover Draco's hand with hers, giving a quick squeeze before moving out of his hold and stepping between the males. The tension seemed to spark, magical energy mixed with something primal taking hold within the air.
"Now is not the time for all of you to be arguing," she told them. "We're here for Ginny."
Though none of them looked all too happy, Ron lowered his wand. As her two friends moved to step in closer towards her, she could feel a tell-tale coiled tension being emitted from the man behind her.
"What happened, Hermione?" Harry asked. "The Fat Lady was all but hysterical with the news."
Hermione shuffled her feet. "I was with Ginny when she fainted. I had come to talk to her about some things, and we were planning to go to the Great Hall for breakfast but when she got up to get dressed, my book fell over. She grabbed it before I could, and she fainted."
The two seemed to pause, before Harry asked, "What kind of book, Hermione?"
"I hadn't realized…" Hermione started, wringing her hands, still feeling incredibly guilty. "I didn't even remember she couldn't… that she shouldn't…"
"You did this to her?" Ron whispered harshly.
The brunette witch drew back, hurt by the accusation, heart heavy from the blame she'd already been placing on herself.
"She did nothing to her, Weasley, This wasn't her fault," Draco snapped.
Hermione turned to look back at him and shook her head, "Draco…"
Ron snorted, "And now you're calling the ferret Draco? Cozying up to Malfoy now, Hermione?"
"Ron, that's enough," Harry said, stopping his friend before he said something he might regret in the heat of the moment. "Hermione wouldn't hurt Ginny, and you know that. Just let her explain instead of accusing her, yeah?"
"Listen to Potter, Weaselbee," the Malfoy in question snapped. "He holds three quarters of that half a brain you both share."
Ignoring the jab at both him and Ron, Harry turned to look at Hermione questioningly.
"She touched a book about Veelas, Harry. It was enchanted to come in contact only to those with Veela blood running through their veins or to their mates," Hermione explained. "Since Ginny is neither of those things, when she touched the book, it rejected her which made her faint. Madame Pomfrey's given her a potion so she should be waking up soon."
"Veela?" Harry's eyes widened. "But that would mean that you-"
"Ginny's awake," Richard said, walking towards the tense group. He eyed the boys wearily. "You can come see her if you want. Zabini's with her now."
"Zabini?" Ron questioned. "Well this place is crawling with snakes now isn't it?"
As they walked towards Ginny's bed, Draco reluctantly allowed Hermione to go ahead with Potter, edging Weasley away so that he could block him from moving forward.
"We slither, Weasley. Quietly, and swiftly, and when we bite, it's quick and rest assured, deadly enough to kill." Malfoy whispered darkly, his eyes still charcoal. "If you ever, and I mean ever, say anything untoward Hermione again, especially when I'm around, I'll make sure you breathe your last breath before you finish a sentence. I let this slide now, because that's your sister in there, and contrary to your idea of who I am and what I stand for, I have some compassion when it comes to fear over your family, but if it happens again, I will end you."
Draco turned on his heels and stalked off, walking the short distance to Ginny's bed.
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Ginny sat up on the fluffed pillows of her bed in the infirmary. Hermione had fussed with them the moment she got to her side, making sure that she was comfortable.
"It's not your fault I'm in here," Ginny told her lightly. "I'm just going to be more careful around books of any kind, maybe pet the spines of them like that textbook Hagrid gave you."
The brunette smiled and Ginny watched as the blond male behind her hovered. She scrutinized them closely, quickly before either of them noticed, and smiled a little.
Well, they did look quite good together and Malfoy had proved to not be such an awful git all the time.
"You had us bloody worried," her brother told her, his language always so charming.
Her blue eyes twinkled. "Does that mean you'll let me eat your share of cake during Christmas dinner?"
Ron snorted, "Not bloody likely. You're alive, aren't you? Be thankful for the little things."
Harry, who stood beside Ron, rolled his eyes. "What he's trying to say is that he's glad you're alright. So am I. We nearly fell down every flight of stairs coming from the tower, and we nearly fell up every flight of stairs getting up here."
"I'm sure I've told you and Weasel before that you have the feet of trolls," drawled Malfoy, a smirk turning up on his face.
Richard, who Ginny hadn't remembered carrying her down, seemed to take it all in with amusement, as Hermione rolled her eyes at the byplay.
It was Zabini, however, who's gaze had never left hers. And Ginny knew this because it was strong enough to have her shifting in her spot, looking anywhere but at him. They hadn't had any chance run-ins since he had managed to talk her into going out with him on some unspecified date.
"As much fun as it is to have all this Slytherin company," Ron stated, his tone sarcastic, "I don't think we need you here so you can go."
"Ronald," Hermione snapped, "Your manners are appalling."
"No, they," he gestured to the Slytherins, "Are appalling."
"I don't need you kicking out any of my visitors Ron," Ginny stated. "If I wanted them gone, I would've told them to go, but seeing as they're still here, I'm pretty sure you can tell what I want, so leave it."
It was Madame Pomfrey, however, that broke up the party. "Feel free to visit Ms. Weasley later this evening, but right now she needs more rest. The potion I gave her can only do so much, her body needs to do the rest," the mediwitch stated.
She walked away to check on the other patients in the infirmary, and while they grumbled, the others made promises of coming to see her before dinner.
It was Zabini who once again lagged behind the rest, staying with her for a bit longer.
"You scared me half to death there, Riding Hood," He stated, his eyes catching hers. "You owe me."
She stared at him confused. "Excuse me? I owe you?"
"For the years you took off my life," he stated plainly. "I did my very best to preserve my hide during the war and here you go ruining my perfectly constructed plans. You owe me another dinner, after our first date."
She was left there staring as he gave her a little salute, a smirk upon his lips, before walking away.
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Harry stared at Hermione and the blond man who had yet to leave her alone while she was with him and Ron.
"So… you mind explaining all the missing details here?" He asked her, his gaze wary as Draco seemed to eye him carefully. "We leave you alone to your own devices for a bit and you're suddenly Hermione plus one."
The brunette smiled, "I think we should have this conversation when we're not in the middle of the hallway where anyone can listen in. It's almost time for lunch so maybe after you can meet Draco and I in our common room?"
"You'll have to show us the way," Harry said slowly, "But we'll be there."
Ron nodded and he moved to place a hand on her shoulder but was intercepted. He winced as someone's grip around his wrist tightened and he lifted his gaze from the pale fingers to meet eyes like thundercloud.
"Bloody hell, ferret," Ron snapped, tugging out his wrist. "Where the hell did you come from?"
Harry glared at Draco, stepping in between him and Ron as Hermione sighed, tugging on Draco's arm.
"What the hell is your issue, Malfoy?" Harry asked.
The blond looked at them both. "I'll tell you this once… You do not touch her."
Hermione bit back the groan threatening to rise up in her throat. What little she knew about Veelas was of their primal, raw, hedonistic passion and unbound emotion. They were also extremely possessive. All of which seemed to be true as she was now getting hands on experience. She just hoped that Harry would know to just leav—
"You don't speak for Hermione, Malfoy." Harry snapped. "We're her friends; we'll be here for her long after whatever game your playing tires you."
"She's not a game, Pothead," Draco snapped, tense at the implication that his feelings were so shallow. "What goes on between me and Hermione is deeper than what you have even dreamt to comprehend."
Ron snorted. "You expect us to believe you've suddenly changed your entire belief system?"
"Big words for one with a brain as small as the rodent he keeps as his familiar," Draco taunted. "Should I toss you some cheese as a reward?"
The brunette witch had had just about enough of this male showdown. "Stop. Now. All three of you."
Draco tensed before straightening up and standing to her side.
"You're practically manhandling her," Harry snapped.
Hermione glared. "I said that was enough, Harry James."
"Maybe you should remember the cause that landed the littlest Weasley in the infirmary and then maybe it will all bring some clarity into your thick skulls," Malfoy snarled, his lips curling. "Lord knows those particular attics haven't seen any light in a while."
The petite witch beside him sighed in exasperation. "Draco Malfoy."
The blond in question sighed. "Alright, I promise not to taunt Weasley until he has more than two brain cells to rub together."
Ron spluttered in indignation while Harry stared at Draco with something akin to understanding.
"Gin was here because of a Veela book… that Hermione was carrying with her," Harry whispered.
A smirk fell upon Draco's lips like it normally did, before he turned to look down at Hermione. "Well, it seems Potter has more than two brain cells. Apparently he has three. I can at least pick on him, can't I?"
Hermione ignored him, though he saw amusement flare into her eyes, as much as she tried to repress it. "No one really knows, Harry, and the walls in this castle are always listening… We'd rather…keep this quiet."
"But…"
"Go to lunch, Potter, your head looks like it's going to combust, it's working so much harder than it normally does," Draco stated. "She'll explain after lunch."
Harry looked at the two…at the couple? The concept was foreign and one he'd never really thought to consider. "Why don't we just sneak into the kitchen, grab some food to go and eat it in your common room."
Hermione looked back to Draco, before nodding her head. "That seems like a more reasonable plan."
So the group of four walked the halls, Hermione the divider between Draco, and Harry and Ron. The walk was silent as one half of the group felt awkward, and Draco… Draco was frustrated.
'They're such rooster blocks,' Draco's voice resounded in her head.
She glanced at him curiously but he just looked straight ahead. 'Rooster? Oh… you mean cock block.'
He stole a quick glance at her out of the corner of his eyes, his smirk growing wider. 'I know. I just wanted to see if you'd say the word cock.'
'How mature,' Hermione thought, her cheeks flushing.
Ron and Harry, though oblivious to the conversation being had were not oblivious to the passing looks. They too shared a look themselves.
Rounding the corner, the group nearly made it to the pear when a now familiar Richard absently ran into Draco.
"Oh, I'm so so—" Richard started as Draco pinched the bridge of his nose.
He closed his eyes, the flickering colour almost frightening as his frustration and fraying nerves showed. He hadn't liked this Richard character to begin with. He opened his lids and stared down the man who was nearly as tall as him. "You… I thought we got rid of you."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Don't mind him. I'm afraid he's a bit loopy lately."
The blond sputtered. "Loopy. I am not loopy."
"And sensitive." Hermione added, smiling charmingly.
Draco snorted. "Now you're making me sound like Boy Wonder and the Weasel."
Richard shifted to gaze at the protesting two thirds of the golden trio, before glancing back at Hermione who had now unknowingly been sheltered behind Malfoy's broad shoulder. He lifted his eyes to meet Draco's gaze and found ice instead of thunder.
"I did want to speak to you, but maybe… Maybe alone would be better?" Richard asked Hermione.
The blond sneered. "She won't be alone with you."
"Like your influence is better," Ron snorted.
Hermione sighed. "Well, then, if you simply won't leave me alone with a man, Mr. Sixteenth Century Mindset, Richard can come along with us for lunch."
Draco rolled his eyes, muttering. "Of course, what a brilliant solution. What are we, Hermione's band of misfit toys. Shall I buy you an island?"
He was unwilling to have Potty and his Sidekick, as well as the newest string bean who'd been dropped into his life. On any given day he would have normally avoided spending unnecessary amounts of his free time with them but apparently not this day because as much as he hated the tag alongs, he wanted Hermione to be happy and they somehow fell into that particularly important grand scheme. So he bared it. He didn't grin but he bared it.
He'd sooner kiss Umbridge than admit that he was whipped.
Merlin help anyone who said otherwise.
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When food had been ideally packaged in some paper bag contraption that the house elves had prepared for Mistress Hermie, they had managed to make it to Draco and Hermione's common rooms.
They found Blaise casually flipping through a copy of the Prophet as he lounged on one of the cushy arm chairs.
"Remind me," he told Hermione, "To change the password. I'd rather not get any more unexpected visitors."
"Why are you so angry, he bats for your team," Ron snickered.
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Never thought you'd let a Weasel poison the well," he drawled, glancing at his best friend.
"Hermione's idea," he muttered, setting the food down on the coffee table as Hermione leaned over to fix things as everyone else arranged themselves on the seats.
No one dared comment on the domesticity the actions seemingly had.
"So what calls for this little Christmas party?" Blaised asked, helping himself to a sandwich in the pile that Hermione had neatly arranged on a plate.
When it was clear that everyone was comfortable, Hermione leaned back and started. At the end of it all, Ron, looking a little green asked, "So that means you're shackled to Malfoy for the rest of your life?"
"And the many lives after that." Draco stated plainly. "I don't have any problems with that part. My problem is that you, your family and Potty come along with her as a side package. You know in those little muggle infomercials how they always have that little extra promotional side gift that's an added incentive to buy whatever the hell it is they're trying to sell. You know how those things are useful? That's definitely not you."
Blaise jumped in. "Imagine now that Hermione is one of those large pretzels. She's downright delicious but you might get thirsty, but instead of you being a package deal of pretzel and water, you end up being pretzel and hot sauce. Completely unnecessary and kind of irritating."
Hermione sighed. "We're going to work on this whole getting along thing."
"It can be your side project, love," Draco smirked.
Harry and Ron looked positively green. Richard just looked pensive.
"Can't believe we'll have to put up with you," Harry grumbled.
"Feeling is mutual," came the blond's response.
Harry and Ron sighed. "We'd stay 'Mione but we actually have to talk to McGonagall about the Quidditch team."
The two boys said their goodbyes, nodded at Malfoy and Blaise who in turn nodded back and they left. Richard eyed the boy who's cheesecake he knocked over and Malfoy who sat right by Hermione, his arm stretched wide.
"C'mon, cheesecake murderer," Blaise sighed, talking to him. "Let's get out of these two lovebirds' hair."
"But he needed to–"
Richard smiled. "We'll talk later. You've been talking the whole afternoon so I'll disturb you later."
And the two left Hermione and Draco, crumbs on the table and glasses scattered. Hermione moved to clean up when Draco's hand stilled her, making her pause and glance back at him in question.
"You know… when Weasley said you'd be shackled to me for life… there is a loophole," Draco murmured. "You could let me die."
The brunette slumped back in her chair, neither of them staring at each other. "I'm not going to let you die. Not if I can help it."
"I'm not a charity case, Hermione. I'm not some cause like Elvish rights. I care about you," he told her, deciding that while it didn't cover half of what he really felt, it would suffice enough to not scare her away. "I won't tie you to me forever if it means you'll spend the rest of eternity miserable."
He stiffened for a moment as she laid her head on his shoulder before relaxing at her touch, even as his senses began to hum and slowly overload.
"I'm not saying that this will be easy…. But I think…. Maybe we can try this, us, in earnest and actually give us a chance," Hermione told him.
He smiled. "Totally knew you'd fall for my charm eventually," he drawled in his sweet honey tone, his arm draping across her shoulders to tug him into his side more.
Hermione just laughed. "Arrogant git."
And that was the start of Hermione and Draco's courtship.
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A/N: That's the end of Chapter 13. I loved having dashes of possessive!Draco shine through. Thank you for all your lovely reviews, I'm sorry it takes me so long to update. My summer break is rolling around so I'll probably hunker down to write more chapters. If any of you want to know what's going on with me, or want to know where your questions will be answered, click on my author profile and there's a link to my tumblr.
Happy reading.