A/N: So… possibly here's that lemon I promised… (Are they still called lemons? I'm so out of touch with fanfiction ha!)

25

There was one night left. One more night for Hermione to get Malfoy to profess his love. If he didn't, well, by breakfast, the next morning she would be the laughingstock of the whole school. It wasn't just about that, though. Hermione genuinely wanted him to say it. She wanted to know for certain that he felt the same as she. She wanted to know that this wasn't a game of some sorts to which he was seriously committed. The words would prove that to her.

"Not long left," Parvati said.

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Lavender asked. Hermione was in the girl's dormitory with the other girls who were getting ready for bed.

"I just wanted to see if you're worried." Hermione shrugged, smiling slightly.

"Why would I be worried?"

"I'm about to go and meet Draco." Despite her bravado, Hermione's stomach was doing somersaults. She didn't know how this night would go and certainly not how it would end. Anything could happen, and Hermione wasn't actually certain what it was she wanted to happen. If he did say he loved her, would it be real? Or would it be the result of some cruel trickery on her part? After all, this relationship was a product of Lavender's bet. Hermione would never have pursued the Slytherin Prince otherwise.

"Are you – ?!"

"She is!" Parvati and Lavender exchanged, their eyes wide. Hermione looked between the two, confused.

"You're going to have sex with him, aren't you?" Lavender squealed, rushing over to Hermione and taking her hand. "Wow, so you really like him huh?"

"I – you don't know what you're talking about," Hermione grumbled, blushing. Was she planning to have sex with Draco? She wasn't certain. Of course, it was a definite possibility, and Hermione couldn't deny that she wanted him, a lot. She didn't want to force anything, though, and she didn't want to do anything she was uncomfortable with.

"Oh come of it!" Lavender scoffed. "You're so obvious! Do you need a condom? I think I've got one left." She started rooting through her bag before Hermione could protest.

"Have you done it before?" Parvati asked, before rolling her eyes and laughing shortly. "Of course you haven't! Do you want any advice?"

"Look," Hermione protested. "This isn't – " Lavender pressed a condom in her palm before she could finish. Hermione blushed but discreetly pocketed it when her roommates weren't looking. If there were protection spells for this sort of thing, Hermione didn't know them. Draco probably did – the thought made her heart sink a little. Just how many girls had he slept with?

"The first time hurts a little," Lavender said. "But Draco is an expert, so I'm sure you'll be fine." What was that supposed to mean? Seeing the expression on Hermione's face, Lavender laughed and shook her head. "No, I've never shagged him. I've just heard stories. We all have. Even you, prude."

"You've got this all wrong," Hermione tried again, fighting against her blush.

"Oh of course we do. You're just sneaking out after hours to chat." When she said it like that… Hermione couldn't help but worry what it was Draco was expected of her tonight.

Hermione met Draco outside the Room of Requirements. He was leaning against the wall, his expression deadpan.

"Granger." He let a small smirk play across his features as he noticed Hermione approach. The butterflies in Hermione's chest burst into a flutter. "Hope you don't mind, but I went ahead and picked the room." Hermione tried to keep her face expressionless. She daresn't imagine what awaited her behind the closed door. A king size bed in a room of candles? She shuddered at the thought.

"You okay?" He looked momentarily worried, his smirk softening into a look of concern. He glanced back at the door as if suddenly doubting his choice.

"Of course," she lied easily. "Shall we go in before Filch or Mrs Norris catches us?"

"Come on then." Draco reached out for the handle but paused. "Wait," he said. "Close your eyes."

Hermione hesitated, before doing as requested. She could feel her heart in her throat, pounding away. Please don't let it be a sex dungeon.

Draco guided her into the room, holding her hand as he led her in deeper. Hermione heard the door click shut behind her.

"Can I open them?" She felt a little like Belle from Beauty and the Beast as she was led into the library. Hermione doubted her surprise would be anything close to that, though.

"Not yet." She could hear the laugh in his voice. With Draco guiding her, she took another small step forward, and then another. "Okay…" He paused for dramatic effect. "Now you can open them."

Hermione audibly gasped.

The Room of Requirements was unlike she had ever seen it before. She hadn't even imagined it possible. Her eyes scanned up and down, wide with awe.

"Do you like it?" Draco asked nervously.

"Like it?" Hermione breathed. "I love it."

They were standing on a grassy bank by the edge of a lagoon, the water a crisp, transparent blue. Waterfalls trickled gently down the edges of the cavern-like walls. On the bank, there was a blanket surrounded by cushions and candles. It was a safety hazard if she'd ever seen one, but they were two wizards in a magical room that was unlikely to catch fire, and so Hermione let it slide.

"I thought we'd go for a swim," Draco said.

"I haven't a swimsuit."

"A swimsuit?" Draco sounded horrified. "Granger, have you never heard of skinny dipping?"

"Oh." Hermione felt herself blush. Oh, indeed.

She had – partially – emotionally prepared for sex, so the idea of getting naked in front of Draco Malfoy shouldn't have filled her with dread. But boy it did.

"You needn't look so scared," he said, sounding both amused and a little irritated. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to."

"I know that," she said quickly. "I've just… never…"

"Skinny dipping is the best kind of swimming. There's a certain thrill in it, even when you are alone."

"Well, okay. I guess?"

"If it makes you feel more at ease, I can turn away until you're in?" Hermione nodded and, once Draco had turned away, she started to undress. Her dress pooled to the floor around her ankles, and she looked down hesitantly at her bra and knickers, specially picked out for their evening together. What was the point in going to all that effort if he wasn't going to see? Cheeks once again flushing red, Hermione realised she wanted him to see.

Stepping carefully out from the dress circling her, Hermione stepped over to Draco and lightly placed her arms around his waist. He turned slowly, curiously, and his eyes widened as he caught sight of her in her red laced underwear.

"Granger?" She kissed him before he could say anything else: a soft, shy, kiss. His hands found her lower back as he kissed her back, taking charge but keeping it gentle. Hermione moaned as his tongue lightly brushed her lower lip and, encouraged, he kissed her a little more forcefully. His hands slid lower, until they rested on the lace of her underwear. Hermione wound her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, no longer feeling shy.

Draco's lips moved to her neck, caressing the flesh with gentle kisses. She rolled her head and moaned at the contact, unsure that she had ever before felt so amazing.

"Draco," she moaned, her fingers threading through his hair. At the sound of his name, Draco's hands tightened on her bum and pulled her closer against him. She could feel his erection on her bare flesh, and suddenly Hermione became aware of just how dressed he was compared to her. Not liking that fact one bit, she fumbled to amend it, sloppily unbuttoning his shirt. Draco chuckled and gently knocked her fingers away, finishing the job for her much faster than she was managing.

"You'd think you'd never undone a shirt before," he teased. Hermione looked away. She had undone many shirts, but they had all been her own. She had never undressed another human being before and certainly not in such an intimate situation. Seeming to realise this, Draco kissed her forehead.

"Here, sit down," he said, guiding her to the blankets. He looked her up and down as they sat together, his eyes full of lust he was clearly trying to contain. Hermione herself could barely take her eyes from his chest. He was a skinny boy, true enough, but his muscles were well defined and his chest hairless.

"You have no idea what you are doing to me right now," he told her. Hermione thought she did have an idea. She leant forward, leaning on her palms and knees and kissed him. Draco groaned, all self-restraint leaving, and flipped her over so that her back was pressed against the blanket and he was hovering above her, a playful look on his face.

"Do you know how long I've pictured this?"

"You have?" she asked, surprised. "How long?"

"I've wanted you since the third year, Granger." He was almost growling, his gaze moving from her face, down the length of her scantily dressed body and back again.

"Really?" This revelation shocked her the most. She had been certain he hated her. Certain he wouldn't touch her with a pitchfork.

"Really." He moved his lips to her ear and whispered the word. His warm breath tickled her neck and Hermione moaned. Grinning, Draco trailed kisses down her neck, moving lower until he reached her bra. "I think we should lose this," he said, expertly unclipping it. Hermione was too blissed out to feel embarrassed, her eyes fluttering shut as he sucked gently on her nipple.

Her back arched as he continued his trail of kisses, moving down her body slowly, tantalisingly. When he reached her knickers, he took the elastic between his teeth and pinged it against her flesh, causing her to buckle.

He looked up at her from between her legs, silently asking her a question. When Hermione didn't protest, he slipped the red lace down her legs and abandoned it to one side. He kissed up her thigh until he reached the wetness between her legs and then he kissed there as well. Hermione gasped aloud, her head rolling as her back arched. Never before had she felt anything like this. She could see stars. She could feel the universe.

"Draco," she gasped. He slid up her body, reaching her lips. He tasted of her, and Hermione was surprised that she liked it. "Draco," she repeated. He met her eyes, his gaze intense, and she nodded. Hermione didn't know when he'd taken off his trousers, but there he suddenly was, all of him, sliding inside of her.

She arched her body against his, and there was pain, yes, but there was also an overwhelming feeling of wholeness as if she had been missing a part of herself that had now been returned.

"Do you want me to stop?" Draco asked, misreading her teary eyes.

"No," she gasped. "Never stop." And they moved as one until they came together, gasping out in pure bliss.

For a while they lay, naked, in each other's arms. When Draco kissed her, Hermione felt time stop. She couldn't help herself when she blurted: "I love you."

Draco didn't say it back.

Hermione climbed into the lagoon and swam, trying to pretend her tears were just splashes from the water she glided through.