A/N: Hello! Goodness! Chapter 14 already! It feels like I just started this story a few days ago! So I'm interested in how many of the people who are following me are still reading. Also I would like to see who reads the announcements. If you could just say hi or something in the reviews to let me know that would be great! Also review with your thoughts!

Thanks to everyone who has been reading this so far, and a special welcome to those of you who read past (my horrible) chapter one and are just joining me for the first time today!

Okay! Here's a chapter with a lot of Dramione action just because you guys are amazing. Keep it up! Had some very lovely comments last time! Thank you!

With love,

Wren Gebel

Apologies and Acceptances

It had five days since that night on the bridge. We were in Poland now. The winds of winter were really trying to break into autumn as it was quiet chilly and Draco and I both had switched from just long sleeves to at least a jumper. The nights were starting to become longer and the skies where starting to get heavy with the need to snow.

Draco and I hadn't talked. I couldn't quite tell if he was avoiding me or if I was avoiding him or if we both where avoiding each other. Every time I looked at him I felt guilt punch me in the gut. I told myself that I shouldn't feel guilty, that I didn't have to rush into this if I didn't want to, that I didn't have to do this at all. After I had gotten back to the hotel after our kiss I wanted to just leave him and find my parents on my own. But, as much as I didn't want to admit it, I needed him. If it wasn't for his incredible talent of being able to aparate so smoothly, we would be in a lot worse condition than slight headaches. He knew more about that file on my parents than I did, which meant he probably had a good idea where they were. And he had money. Lots of money. I don't know how I would have paid for hotels and meals without him. But other than that, I simply couldn't bring myself to leave without him.

It was seven o'clock in the evening. The sky outside was dark as pitch without even a few stars to help light the sky. We'd managed to check into two separate rooms in an inn called, "Przytulny pensjonat", without saying a word to each other. The silence between us was growing increasingly awkward with each minute we spent together. And the minutes I wasn't with Draco had me feeling guilty as ever.

I sighed and snapped my book shut. I had started a new one a few days ago, but with Draco constantly dancing through my mind, I really had no idea what the book was even about. And, as you might have guessed, Draco had stumbled into my head yet again. I couldn't keep living like this. I couldn't concentrate, or think, or operate properly. I needed to talked to him and explain why I did what I did. Maybe he would understand, maybe he wouldn't, but hopefully my guilt would finally leave.

Slipping my feet into my slippers, I trudged out of my room and down the hall to stand in front of his door. I could hear the muffled sounds of Polish television through the door, but I couldn't hear any indication that Malfoy was somewhere in the room. I took a deep breath and rapped my knuckles lightly on the wood. It was quiet for a moment except for the telly and then the doorknob turned and Draco's silhouette stood in the door way, illuminated by the colourful flashing lights coming from behind.

"Draco, I wanted to say that I'm sorry." I mumbled. "For the night on the bridge. I should have stayed and explained."

I couldn't really see his face, so I stared shyly up towards his head. He tilted it slightly to the right, like he was thinking. Something on the television made a large bang and screech and then a high voice was gibbering away in Polish.

"Hermione, it's okay." He said like it was obvious. "I shouldn't have... you just weren't... it's my fault." He stammered trying to find the right words.

"No." I said remembering the night in Belgium when he kept saying everything was his fault. "It wasn't your fault. I just wasn't ready." I explained.

I thought I saw his silhouette nod and then we where in silence again. I didn't want to leave, but I felt like that was what I was suppose to do. The telly made an odd noise again and the room lit up bright green. I could see his face then in those seconds. He didn't look sad like I expected him to look, in fact, I thought I saw a small smile on his lips.

Oh the lips! That was another thing about him that I couldn't get out of my mind. How could lips be that soft? It just didn't seem real. I wanted to touch his lips and feel if they felt the same as I remembered. I needed to touch his lips again.

Pulling my eyes away from the spot his lips had been in I said, "Well I better-"

"Stay!" He said quickly. "I mean, would you like to come in?" He stepped out of the way so I could walk into his room.

I looked nervously down the hall and then back at Draco's room, and then nervously down the hall and then back at Draco's room. I wondered what would happen if I just went back to my room. Would there still be this awkwardness between us? But more importantly I wondered what would happen if I just went into Draco's room.

His lips.

I walked in and smiled up at Draco like this was normal.

"I have something for you." He said as he shut the door and the room became darker.

"You do?" I asked nervously.

I watched him carefully as he moved to turn the lamp on and help illuminate the room. Then he took out his wand and expanded his suitcase to it's normal size. I slipped my lip between my teeth nervously as he rummaged through his belongings. What could Draco Malfoy possibly have for me? Then he pulled out a black rectangular object that looked almost like a thin book.

"This is the one you were looking at, right?" He held up the object and now I could see what it really was.

I gasped and then laughed at it. "When did you get that?" I asked in amazement. I reached out and took the film I had been looking at in the shop next to the cafe in London when he had suddenly shown up. It was the one with the green skinned woman in a black witches hat and dress on an old broom.

"The same time I got these." He said and dumped out a bag of muggle sweets and crisps. "I think I understand what a movie is now." He said. He sat down on the bed in front of the telly and patted the spot next to him for me to sit.

I moved over to him warily and acutely aware that I was crawling into the same bed as Draco Malfoy. "You do?" I asked, curious to know what he thought a movie was.

"Yes. It's a story, like a book, but there are pictures with sounds." He studied me. "Am I right?"

I was surprised at his well explanation of a film. "Pretty much, ya." I smiled.

"Only, I don't know how to work it."

"Here." I took the disc out of the case and slid it into the DVD player next to the telly.

The screen turned black for a moment and then the pre-movie warnings faded in. I sat down next to him again.

Arms touching.

Shivers.

"Want some... what ever this is?" He held out a bag of gummy bears, all the while staring quizzically at them.

"They're called gummy bears." I said and pinched a couple between my fingers.

He nearly choked. He slapped his hand over his mouth and his eyes bulged out of his head. "They're made out of bears?" He asked.

I started laughing. For some reason I found his reaction hilarious. I almost couldn't talk. "No." I giggled. "They're just in the shape of little bears!" I squeezed in between laughs.

He looked relieved. "Oh." He breathed and removed his hand from his mouth. He was smiling.

"This is ridiculous!" Draco said throwing a hand out at the screen.

The film was made some time in the eighties so it had poor special effects, and not to mention, magic that was nothing like magic at all. Draco was clearly becoming upset with the muggles' interpretation of witches and wizards and the magic world in general.

"It's funny." I said.

"It's ridiculous is what it is." He huffed.

It was cute to see him flustered.

What?

"I think it's funny that the muggles think witches are green and make large potions in giant cauldron in a dungeon." I said.

He smirked. "Okay, it is a little amusing." He admitted.

On the screen the green skinned witch was watching a man drink her potion, and suddenly he turned into a frog. I burst out laughing at the horrible effects and understandings. I turned to Draco and realized he was laughing too.

He noticed me and turned to meet my eyes. Slowly he stopped laughing until he was just grinning at me. I forced my eyes to stay focused on his pebble gray ones. I couldn't hear the telly anymore, only his breathing. Then suddenly I felt his hand on mine again, warm and soft. He reached up and brushed a strand of my hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear. His hand slid from my ear to my chin and I felt his two fingers there.

My breathing became rapid and my heart tried to fly out of my chest. I could feel his warm breath on my face and in my hair. He pushed my chin up gently with his fingers and pressed his mouth down on mine. I closed my eyes. His lips were just as soft, if not softer, than I remembered them. I moved my hands to his torso and I could feel his stomach, hard, but not particularly muscly beneath his jumper. I pushed my hands up his chest and onto his shoulders as he raked his hand through my hair to cup the back of my head.

He kissed me harder. His tongue grazed my bottom lip and then his teeth nibbled at it sending shivers up my spine. Then I felt like I was falling. The world moved upwards around me and suddenly I was on my back on the bed and Draco was on top of me, kissing me hard. It felt so good. I felt okay with it. He moved his hands over my cheeks and then down onto my chest. I tasted his breath, like sugar, as he breathed deeply. His hands sent shivers through my body as they traveled down my stomach and onto my hips.

He stopped kissing my mouth and I felt his breath on my neck as he pecked and sucked his way from the bottom of my ear to my collar bones. There was a tug at the bottom of my jumper as his hands wiggled inside and grazed my stomach. I sucked in a deep breath as his fingers stroked my sides and he nibbled my neck.

I knew what he wanted next. I knew he wanted to go farther, but this was as far as I felt comfortable with. I brought my hands to his and slowly dragged them out of my shirt. If he really cared about me he would understand.

"Draco." I breathed and he pulled away from my neck to look down at me with his piercing eyes. "No more." I said, trying to make him understand that this was okay, just going farther wouldn't be.

He nodded and then planted one last lingering kiss on my lips before he crawled off of me and helped me sit up.

We watched the rest of the movie quietly. He had wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I leaned my head against his chest. I could hear his heart beat loudly. It was an odd thing to hear. It reminded me that he was human. That he was made of the same things as I was. And it was all I could think about, him being a living breathing person. I paid no attention to what was happening in the film anyway. I couldn't pay attention. I kept feeling his lips on my mouth and his fingers on my stomach and hoping that we were finally okay with each other. I felt great with what had happened. I hoped he did too.