Hermione woke and for a minute wondered where she was. She then became aware of Draco, still pressed against her, his arm thrown around her waist and she felt a strange, warm feeling. Not only did this feel totally amazing, his body up against hers, his comforting warmth making her feel incredible but their conversation from last night was running in her head. What he'd told her had been shocking but it was the fact that he'd been willing to tell her and show her the teddy had made a little tingle run through her. She was always annoyed that he wouldn't tell her things or let her in and so him telling her such intimate things made her feel happy.

Draco murmured and shuffled a little but Hermione just kept perfectly still, not wanting their embrace to end. It was the strangest feeling to suddenly realize that she actually wanted to be this close to Draco and she wanted them to be able to talk about anything. When did that happen, had it just gradually crept up on her? Draco moved again, stretching as he awoke. Hermione felt her stomach do a little flip and desperately hoped that Draco wasn't going to be upset about last night.

"Good morning." Draco's voice sounded sleepy. Hermione wiggled free and turned to face him which was a mistake because there he was, still ruffled from sleep, bare-chested and just about the sexiest thing Hermione had ever seen. "So, did the earth move for you?" Draco asked with a smirk and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I know we didn't do anything, I wasn't drunk." A thought suddenly hit her and she scrambled out of bed. "Bloody hell! What time is it? I'll be late for the shop!" She felt Draco grab her arm and she tried to shake him off. "I'm not kidding, Draco. I've already had a load of time off..."

"Hermione, it's Sunday."

Hermione stopped in her tracks and stared at him. "Oh." She looked down at herself and then over at Draco still in bed and it suddenly struck her just how intimate a situation this was. She picked up Draco's robe from the end of the bed. "I should go anyway..." Before she could move any further Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him.

"What's the rush?" he sat up, the cover slipping revealing his body and he pulled her back towards the bed.

"Draco!" Hermione protested. "I can't, it's not right..."

"I'm not asking you to do anything except have a lie in!" Draco said, ignoring her protests and using his superior strength to grab her and pull her back into the soft, warm bed. She still struggled.

"No, I can't. You're engaged and I've just spent the whole night in bed with you half undressed!" Hermione sighed and then gave him a little, shy smile. "I'm not complaining."

Draco rewarded her with a devastating grin. "I should hope not! I've never had a complaint before," and he chuckled and despite herself Hermione also giggled.

"Oh my god! You never stop do you?" Hermione said. She made a concerted effort and got away from him. "Seriously, how did I end up spending all night in your bed? You even said last night that you couldn't do anything, that we couldn't do anything." She tied the robe around her. "So I'm going to get dressed and then I think it would be a good idea if I went home."

"You came and knocked on my bedroom door, remember?" Draco answered smirking at her.

"I was showing concern for you, that's all," Hermione bit her lip and they both grinned at each other. "We needed to talk." Draco opened his mouth to reply but was stopped by a loud knocking at the door. Hermione gasped, looking down at herself. "Oh my god! Who's that?"

Draco slipped out of bed, still only dressed in his boxers. "I'll go and find out but it's probably best if I wear my robe..."

Hermione looked down at the robe in horror. "I can't take it off! What if they come in here?"

The door knocked loudly again and Hermione jumped.

"Will you calm down!" Draco said, trying to almost forcibly extracting her from his robe. "I don't know how things work in your home but visitors don't generally invite themselves into my bedroom. Now give me the robe before they break the door down."

Hermione handed his robe to him sulkily and he put it on and went to answer the door. Hermione looked around for something else to put on and saw Draco's thick jumper on the back of a chair. She slipped it on and almost giggled at how big it seemed. She then went over to the bedroom door and opened it a fraction. She was instantly reminded of the last time she had listened at a door. The day that Draco had first came to her shop. Had that really been the same man she had just spent the night with? She heard Draco's voice.

"Astoria?"

"I need to talk to you. I've been up all night..." Hermione heard Astoria's voice and it was high pitched, she was obviously upset. Hermione felt her heart sink, Astoria so upset that she had to come to Draco's apartment early on a Sunday morning really couldn't be good. And the one person who might actually and quite legitimately barge into Draco's bedroom was Astoria. Hermione stepped back from the door for just a moment as a question popped into her head and it was one she really didn't want to think about. One she didn't have any right to ask but Draco and Astoria were engaged so had they...? Hermione glanced over at the bed and then quickly turned away. They must have, of course...Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Why? What's happened?"

"It's William. He's asked me to marry him..." Astoria gave a little sob and through the crack, Hermione saw Draco put his arm around her shoulder. "I'm so sorry...I love him and I don't care what Father wants. I can't marry you, Draco."

"Bloody hell, Astoria!"

"I'm sorry...I know it will spoil your plans. I should have told you before we announced our engagement how serious it was getting but William had agreed to go along with our arrangement. But now he can't and I don't blame him so he's asking me to marry him and make it all official and that's what I want to do. I'm so sorry, I'll try and emphasise that it isn't your choice to Father."

"I don't care about that! I care that he's going to kill you!" Draco said and Hermione saw him pull her into a hug. Hermione felt a small twinge of an emotion she had no right to feel then she quashed it because they were just friends.

"I know! He is going to kill me but I don't care. I've already made arrangements to leave so he won't be able to throw me out."

"I'll give you some money." Draco offered.

"No. I have some of my own that Father can't touch," she stepped back from Draco and Hermione saw her squeeze his arm. "I do care about you..."

"I know that," Draco said. "I care about you too. You're my partner in crime!"

"This is okay with you, isn't it?" Astoria asked. "I mean you're not upset..."

Draco put his hands on her shoulders. "Of course it is!" he paused for a moment. "I was thinking about pulling out but I didn't want to leave you having to deal with your Father."

"Really? You're not just saying it?" Hermione heard her chuckle. "Stop looking at me as if that was a stupid question."

"It was a stupid question," Draco said. "So what are you going to do now? Does he already know?"

"No. I'm going to tell him now." Hermione could hear the apprehension in Astoria's voice.

"I'll come with you," Draco offered.

"No. William is going to come with me, you need to play the devastated, dumped boyfriend. That way you might still get your deal."

"I told you I don't care about that," Draco repeated. Hermione saw Astoria squeeze his arm again and then step away from him.

"I'm sorry. Thank you for making this easy...I promise I'll be in touch..." Hermione heard Astoria's voice break and for some inexplicable reason she felt a lump in her throat. This was good news, actually this was great news on lot of levels but it didn't alter the fact that Draco and Astoria had obviously become friends during all of this and that Astoria was going to have to do something unpleasant and upsetting. Hermione closed the door and went to sit back on the bed. It was just a few minutes later when Draco came back in, his face pale.

"I heard," Hermione said, before he started to speak and he nodded at her. He came over and joined her on the bed.

"That was horrible," he said and Hermione just nodded.

"Are you really okay with it?" she asked and then she rubbed her head, embarrassed. Despite her asking the question casually it made it just a little too obvious that his answer was important to her. Draco looked at her from under his lashes.

"Definitely, she's done me a huge favour," he said and Hermione blushed at his implication. "I just don't like to think of her facing her Father. He's a tough, old git."

"I know, I'm sorry..." Hermione said. She slid off the bed again. "I'll go and get dressed."

"Is that my jumper?" Draco asked and she looked down at it before looking back over at him.

"Yes, I was cold, it was on the chair," Hermione answered.

"Well, just for the record you don't make that item of my clothing look good..." Draco smirked at her.

"I know! I look ridiculous! I really, really need to get some of my own clothes!"

"Yes. Go and pack a case..." Draco said, also standing.

"What? Haven't we had this conversation before, several times?" Hermione asked. "I meant I need to go home and stay there!"

"Why?"

"Because that's where I live!"

"But it's still not safe and it's easier when you're stopping here," Draco replied. He then grinned wickedly at her and she looked at him suspiciously. "I've just realized that I have just became a single man again! Young, free and single!"

"Oh no!" Hermione said, only half joking. "I really do need to leave now."

She walked towards the door and she heard Draco chuckling behind her. She turned and looked at him. "So tonight then..." he said and he nodded his head at the bed. "You can't have a hissy fit about it being inappropriate now."

"Yes I can! Tonight I'm going home," Hermione answered and she put her hand on the door handle. She then stopped, feeling she should say something about last night. She turned back towards him. "Thanks for telling me everything last night. I'm sorry if I pushed you into it."

"You did but I'm glad," Draco said. "I'll see you at the lab after lunch, I have a feeling I might be having a conversation with Greengrass anytime soon. We have a potion to mix! Then we can argue about where you are going to stay until all this is over!"

So, Astoria is out of the picture...next chapter it's time to mix the potion and then Draco has an invitation for Hermione. Thanks for the great reviews and the PM's. x