I know I'm mean for keeping you waiting and I apologise, but I have exams once again and I just haven't had the time. But I was in the mood last night so typed this up, it wasn't until this morning I realised I hadn't actually submitted it so here you are :P

Thanks to all reviewers, the support is most welcome and appreciated!

Chapter 14

Hermione stood at the side-lines grinning widely as she waved her green flag with enthusiasm. She didn't notice how the male Slytherin's around her were watching her with light smirks on their features, trying to hide their amusement at seeing her so excited as she jumped up and down in the Quidditch stands.

They didn't admit that they had a feeling as to the reason why Draco seemed to have taken a sudden interest in the brunette.

If they were being honest with themselves, they were indeed pleased with the bookworm having been moved to their House. One of the main reasons was that they knew winning the House cup this year was going to be in the bag, the fact that she had already gained them well over fifty points in two weeks from their teachers alone being enough to win them over.

They were very competitive after all. Their fathers would be pleased at the very least.

They also found it beyond amusing that it seemed to irritate Potter and Weasley no end when they saw how welcoming they were being to the previous Gryffindor, and while they would admit had it been someone else and their Ice Prince hadn't taken such an interest in the girl that they wouldn't have been as welcoming, their expressions were worth it alone.

Blaise grinned as he stood on Hermione's right, his eyes widening and his grin increasing when he took note Hermione had spelled her little flag so that every time she waved it harmless sparks fell off in every direction.

She had never done that for Gryffindor, he couldn't help but think.

"You think he is going to win then, 'Mione?" Theo nudged her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course," she snorted. "Statically, he has more of a chance to catch the snitch if he is on the left hand side of the field rather than the right," she pointed to where Draco was hovering. "All he needs to do it spot it and then catch it just before it makes the drop."

Everyone who heard looked to stare at her. She didn't notice.

"What?" Blaise asked.

Looking at him Hermione struggled. "Just because I don't play and can barely ride a broomstick to save my life does not mean I don't support the game. In my spare time I study it quite intensively" she spoke defensively.

Blaise held up his hands. "Is that why Potter always won?"

Hermione shook her head. "I helped him practice and told him my thoughts, but Harry's naturally talented at the sport so I think it's mostly on him that he catches it practically every single match." She wasn't about to take credit for his winnings.

Blaise on the other hand had a feeling that Hermione's pointers helped Potter out a lot more than she was letting on, and as he looked over the other side of the field and caught the narrowed eyes on said wizard it was clear Potter was thinking the exact same thing.

He smirked; poor Potter.

They won of course, Draco catching the snitch much to the Hufflepuff's annoyance as the crowd burst out in loud and boisterous cheers. It made Hermione jump, especially when Draco was flying in front of her before she knew what was happening.

She smiled. "Well done!"

Draco shook his head in amusement at his mate's excitement, his Veela side humming in delight that he had managed to not only impress his bookworm of a mate but seemingly make her day as well.

"Do I get a reward for playing so good?" he winked playfully, not actually intending for his question to be anything other than a light hearted joke. But when he saw Hermione get a strange look on her features, seemingly deep in thought, he was about to open his mouth to comment further when he suddenly found his cheeks covered with two small hands.

Draco soon found himself held still, as if he would fucking want to move away, as his mate planted a simple closed mouth kiss smack bam on his lips.

He was in heaven.

A content rumble vibrated in his chest as soon as their lips touched, his hands instinctively moving off where they had been resting on the front of his broom as he wrapped his fingers in her thick hair eagerly. Now this he definitely hadn't been expecting.

Not that he was complaining. Not at all.

It wasn't as long as he would have preferred, nor as dirty, but it was still perfect. It was new, delightful, and he couldn't help but savour the unique taste that was Hermione as she shyly pulled away from their kiss.

He reluctantly let her go.

"Urm…" she stuttered, flushing brightly at her boldness.

Not wanting her to regret nor doubt her going after what she wanted Draco was quick to reassure her, smiling cockily as he shot her a wink. "If that's what I get, I should play better more often!"

It worked perfectly, Hermione pushing aside her embarrassment as she giggled happily before leaning forward and pecking him quickly on the lips once again. Draco couldn't have felt happier at that moment.

"Let me wash up quick, and then we can get ready for the party, yes?"

Hermione nodded, smiling at Draco's excited tone before he was off like a flash to shower up in the changing rooms. She made an effort not to let her mind wonder, not wanting thoughts of a naked Draco to cloud her mind when she would rather be fully aware of her surroundings.

"So," Theo slid cheekily beside her as they waited for the team to finish up. "You plan on rewarding Draco tonight, then?" he wiggled his brows.

Hermione flushed, frowning. "What?"

"I mean he's used to girls rewarding him after a game, so are you going to blow them all out of the water?" he grinned cheerfully.

It was when Theo suddenly took in Hermione's nervous and uncomfortable shifting, the way her previous smile had faded off her lips after being replaced by a soft frown and almost devastated expression that he realised just how badly he had fucked up.

"I mean-"

"It's fine!" she blurted out. "I'm suddenly not feeling so well…urm…tell Draco to enjoy the party without me, yea?" she rushed out before hurriedly pushing her way through the crowd. She suddenly didn't feel in the mood to celebrate.

As Theo watched her go he swore loudly, knowing not only was his boyfriend going to be pissed but Draco was going to be absolutely furious with him. He really needed to get it into his head that Hermione wasn't like other girls that normally went after the rich purebloods, that throwing something like that in her face even in a playful manner would not end well.

"Hey baby," Blaise pressed his lips against his cheek drawing him out of his internal turmoil. "Where's 'Mione gone?"

Theo looked at him. "I think I fucked up, badly."

~~( )~~

It didn't take Draco long to appear in his common room. He was absolutely furious. What the fuck was Theo thinking talking to his mate like that? Ruining what had been a bloody good start to their relationship by bringing up his past discretions? Hermione actually mattered, damn it!

"Hermione!" he called as soon as he had the portrait open.

He was fully aware of the fact his face was an unflattering shade of bright pink from his running, not even his Veela heritage affecting the way his skin pigments changed when he grew flustered. The only difference was he didn't feel out of breath, though had he been a human he knew he would have been panting by now.

He also knew that the worry and panic he was feeling was displayed on his features for anyone to see. He loathed allowing others to see what he was feeling, but he found he had too much on his mind to even spare a thought about what other students thought of him.

As far as he was concerned, Hermione mattered and that was that.

And that was coming from someone who could hide his emotions pretty fucking well.

"Hermione!"

"What?"

Breathing a sigh of relief at the sound of her voice he turned around to face her, his features softening when he caught sight of her in her PJ's as she sipped at what he scented to be a hot chocolate in the kitchen.

"Look, Hermione-"

She cut him off. "You don't need to explain Draco, as far as I'm concerned your past is in your past. It just doesn't mean I like to be reminded of the fact experience wise we are very…different."

"He shouldn't have said that," he shook his head at her, though his relief was clear that she didn't seem to be holding it against him.

His Veela purred. He could fix this. He hoped.

"It's true though, isn't it?" she asked weekly.

Draco scraped his nails through his hair, enjoying the bite of pain it caused before it was gone in an instant. He savoured the slight distraction. "Yes, I admit that before my heritage came in-"

"You didn't want me," she pointed out matter of fact, but Draco could clearly see the effect their conversation was having on her emotionally.

Now he really wanted to fucking kill Theo!

"You seem to have the impression that I never allowed the thought to cross my mind, Mia" he quirked his head to the side. He smiled when he caught sight of her stunned surprise. "I admit I never entertained the idea of pursuing you in my younger years, but I haven't always viewed you as...well…a Mudblood" he winced at the term.

Hermione stayed at him, her face flushed.

"What do you mean, entertained?" she asked almost shyly. Draco thought she looked adorable.

"You are gorgeous, Mia" he ignored her attempts to cut him off. "I have entertained the idea of you under my sheets and myself more times than you would care to count," he winked.

Walking forward he carefully plucked the mug out of her hands, placing it behind her on the counter before moving to stand closer to his mate. He grinned when he saw her shudder at their close proximity, enjoying how sensitive to his touch she seemed to be.

"Do you have any idea how much you made my Veela purr when you kissed me on the field?" he bent his lips down to caress her ear. "How much I wanted you, not just in a physical sense but how you're not like most girls Hogwarts?"

"W-what do you m-mean?" she stuttered.

Draco's eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the light aroma of her arousal as it swirled around his senses. It made him think it was what heaven would smell like.

His lips ran along her cheek, caressing her skin as if it was the finest silk. "I can see my future with you, Mia. You're the type of girl a guy wants to settle down with," he confessed quietly. "The other females who seem to get so much attention, it's only for the purpose of sex. Trust me; none of the guys are picturing their lives with them in the picture."

Hermione was quiet for a few moments, her cheeks still flushed red at their proximity. It wasn't until she decided to simply follow her instincts that her arms wound around his neck, her fingers curling in the loose strands of hair which were resting at the nape of his neck that she felt Draco shudder at the sensation as well.

She found she liked having that effect on him. She liked gaining a reaction out of her mate.

She smiled at the term, mate.

Perhaps it would just be best to follow what her heart was telling her instead of listening to her head, but she found a large part of her simply couldn't help it. She wanted to trust him, trust that he would treat her right and never break her heart once she gifted it to him with caution. But her head was telling her it was a mistake, it was too fast and she needed to slow down and think rationally about it.

But had she thought about it too much as it is?

She had read books and books on love and finding your soul-mate, did she really want to push Draco away when everything she could ever want was standing right in front of her? Simply due to the fact she had doubts and fears? She would have them in every relationship she would have, at least with Draco she knew what she was getting into from the very start.

She could be happy, she knew that.

Her breathing was coming out in light pants as she tried to calm down her urges, her sex already damp between her legs causing her to turn a delicate shade of pink which drew a light groan from her admirer.

The thought only seemed to excite her more.

She had never experimented with her sexual side, with the side of her that seemed to pulse with want and desire whenever she seemed to allow thoughts of Draco to pass through the forefront of her mind. She couldn't help but wonder if it would always be like that, that she would always react to him so vividly.

She wanted to know why the thought didn't seem to bother her if it did.

They had chemistry that much she was sure of, but was it enough? She knew some relationships didn't have it to start off with and they never seemed to last due to the lack of spark, so could her and Draco be different?

She almost snorted at the thought, of course they were different. Most women didn't have a Veela as a mate.

With that on her mind she realised that she was sick of always taking the safe option, of saying 'no' simply due to the risk of something going wrong. A part of her knew that if she gave her heart to Draco he would look after it, look after her and guard it with his life. He had changed, she was fully aware of that.

Her fingers curled roughly in the platinum blonde hair at the thought, her back arching as she pushed herself up on her tippy toes. Tilting her head up in want Draco only had a split second of hesitation before he was gently massaging her lips with his own, savouring her taste.

Her deep moan had been unexpected but oh so welcome, his grip tightening on her smaller form while his Veela side purred in obvious delight for being so close with his mate.

What Draco hadn't expected with for the surprised 'umph' to leave him when all of a sudden long legs were wrapped around his waist, pulling him impossibly closer. He groaned long and deep, if the night continued like this than he definitely had no complaints.

Review – next chapter is already on the way :P