Disclaimer: Don't own them….just another attempt to answer the question-what if….?"

Warning: Post War Hogwarts, Mild Violence, Aghast, Lime… all that other good stuff.

Pairing: HGXDM, LMXNM, APXDG

Author's Note: I just want to thank the people who've read, reviewed, and added my story to their story alerts and also in their favorite story listing. You guys don't realize just how much….. You inspire me. Your responses are so overwhelming…. I'm in awe of it all. So thank you.

To the old readers as well as the new, Enjoy! =D

Part Twenty Six

Snow was falling fast as the students of Hogwarts made their way off the train station, plowing through the two feet of snow that had piled on the ground, and onto the steaming train that would take them home for the holidays, all eager to find a compartment so that they could change out of their drenched school robes and into something warm. As the train jostled along the tracks, many of the students loitered around up and down the carriages, all going over their plans for the holidays and the like. Heading to the front of the train, Hermione couldn't help but let out a content sigh as she finished up her rounds. She had ran into Draco only once, who had been making his own inspections from the opposite end of where she started, the blonde gracing her with a swift peck on the cheek and a lingering caress along her jaw before moving past her and continuing on his way.

Hermione had turned to look after his retreating form, holding her breath as he walked away, her mind willing him to just turn around and glance back at her. Reaching the door that would open up to the next carriage, the Gryffindor had just been about to turn away when her warm brown orbs watched as the blonde swiftly turned and froze upon seeing her still standing in the middle of the corridor. She couldn't help the smile that blossomed from her lips as the Slytherin prince glanced away, a subtle pink tint flashing across his pale, alabaster skin, before it was gone- his steely grey eyes meeting hers for just a second, as his hand groped the handle of the door behind him, the Malfoy heir vanishing just as quickly as he had appeared.

Hermione couldn't help the giggle that bubbled from her chest and out of her mouth, a spring in her step as she crossed the rest of the way out of the carriage, not noticing the person entering from the other side. The Gryffindor walked headlong into a broad, solid chest, her body bouncing off the other person instantly from the impact.

"Oomph!"

Bracing herself to land on the outdated carpet of the train, Hermione closed her eyes, only to open them a second later when a hand shot out and caught her from the fall. Looking up, she couldn't help but gasp as she peered into a familiar set of baby blue eyes, peeking out from behind a fringe of red hair. For a moment they stared at each other, the pain of holding such a frozen position making the ache in the small of Hermione's back steadily grow until the redhead noticed her open grimace of discomfort and pulled her upright. The redhead pulling his hand out of her grasp as soon as she was on her feet once more. There was another moment, before the ginger let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, edged his way past her and out the other door before Hermione could gather her wits about her. As the door slammed shut, Hermione couldn't help but feel that Ron had not only closed the door on her, but on their friendship as well. With a resigned sigh, the Gryffindor turned on her heel, determined to make it to the front of the train without further run-ins.

Returning from her trip from the loo, Pansy barely took three steps before an arm shot out and pulled her into the open doorway of a small luggage compartment just outside of the girl's lavatory. As the door slammed shut, the dark haired Slytherin couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu' as she came face to face with the one person she had been hoping to avoid being alone with during the trip aboard the train.

"Blaise-"

She was cut off as the Italian placed a slender finger against her lips, the very action that had led to the whole mess between them in the first place - unbeknown to him of course. Her dark eyes widened as the girl become all too aware of just how close their bodies were fitted against each other within the highly cramped space. She could feel his every intake of breath, every inch of his body pressed up against her, causing a slow burn to ignite under her skin and spread deliciously throughout the rest of her body. Her mind was growing hazy as the seconds passed, a part of her wanting nothing more than to just run far, far away from him while another part of her, wanted to see just how hot and steamy things between her and her fellow Slytherin could get- friendship be damned. As her mind warred with her body's traitorous reactions to the feel of his muscled physique pressed up against her slender frame, the Italian spoke, only adding to the torturous bliss Pansy found herself enduring.

"Pansy-"The male seemed to sigh, his tone somewhat low and husky as his black eyes seemed to burn into her own dark orbs and straight to her core. "This- this is driving me crazy!" He growled as the hold he had on her arm tightened to the point that the girl was quite sure it would leave marks in its wake- the thought coupled with his animalistic sound only making the Slytherin girl shiver. She could feel her arm becoming numb from the restriction, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to care as she tried to shift within the small space, the movement causing the girl to gasp and for the Italian to choke back a low moan in his throat as their bodies slid against one another.

It had been simple, at least in the beginning that is, the Zabini heir had reckoned. After another week of tense silences and blatant avoidance on her part, Blaise had decided to confront the Parkinson heiress once more- this time hell bent on getting some answers for her standoffish behavior. He had mentally prepared himself for the second confrontation not wanting a repeat of the last time he had tried to talk to the girl, only to be step sided and left with no answers.

He had counted on her trying to make a run for it. He had counted on her kicking up a fuss. What he hadn't counted on was the feelings that seemed to rush through his veins at the feel of her slender body against his, nor the way she seemed to speak his name so breathlessly to cause a small stirring within his pants. Before she had a chance to cause more damage, the Zabini heir had cut her off with a finger to the lips, though he had to say that it was counterproductive as his mind just had to point out just how soft and supple her lips felt against his skin. Merlin he was losing it and- what was he supposed to say again? As his mind drew a blank, Blaise let out a growl of frustration- though it did little to soothe him. After losing so many hours of sleep over the last two weeks and now having the culprit right in his arms but not being able to remember just what he had intended to say to the girl, the Slytherin Keeper found he was only becoming more and more frazzled- he needed release.

"Pans-just please." Blaise rested his forehead on the luggage right above the girl's shoulder, the tips of his dark brownish black hair tickling the skin of her neck, though the last thing Pansy thought to do was laugh. She squashed down the itching she felt to just run her hands through the dark wizard's hair- her mind trying to get her to remember to breathe as the feeling of his voice so hoarse and broken left her quite breathless. Pansy fought for control over herself as she pondered over what Blaise was desperately pleading for.

With a shaky hand, the one the Zabini heir was not clutching onto like it was a life line, the Slytherin debutante placed it against his shoulder blade, her mouth letting out a short gasp as the male against her shivered at the innocent touch, his hot breath hitting against the side of her neck and causing her mind to explode. Pushing himself up to look down at the girl below, the Zabini heir's eyes seemed to only grow darker, so much so that Pansy found herself growing dizzy trying to find the separation between his pupils and his irises. As his face drew closer to hers, the Parkinson heiress found a sense of dread along with a jolt of excitement rush through her as the thought of Blaise's lips descending upon hers flashed across her mind.

He paused when he was barely a breath away, the Zabini heir confused as to how his interrogation turned into something out of the pages of his mother's numerous romance novels. A second later, he pushed the thought aside as he listened to what his body urged him to do- which was to kiss the girl below him with as much passion and desire that she would be left a quivering mess when he was through with her. Then he could ask all the questions he wanted. He made to swoop over the girl trapped between his overheated body and the rack of luggages which with every jostle of the train had the pair bumping their bodies into one another in a very carnal way, their breaths mingling together as they both made to close that gap -

SLAM!

Whipping their heads in unison, the pair froze as they met the stare of their fellow Slytherin, Adrian Pucey who was staring at them with a somewhat leveled expression, one eyebrow raised delicately in the air. Before he could say anything, Pansy collected herself and slid out from under the Italian's arm, making a mad dash down the corridor and out of sight.

As the Pucey heir opened his mouth, Blaise raised an opened palmed hand to stop him. "Don't. Even. Ask." He warned, as he slumped against the rack of trunks he had less than a second ago had Pansy trapped against. He gave a short sigh as the emerald eyed Slytherin patted him on the arm, before reaching for a small red travel case and leaving the small room, closing the door softly behind him.

As the Zabini heir thought over what could have been before his friend had abruptly interrupted, Blaise couldn't help but groan, his mind even more confused than before. Feeling his pants had become unbearably tight, the Slytherin looked down from where his forehead was perched on top of his forearm, and upon noticing his 'little' problem, softly swore under his breath. Things were getting out of control, and for all his ingenious plans, Blaise for once, had no idea what to do next.

His black dress shoes brushed against the aged old carpet, the carriage he entered practically empty seeing as he was near the end of the train. The Slytherin prince made to leave, not seeing any reason to continue down what he was sure to be a deserted corridor, when the door he just came through opened to reveal a slightly shaken Weasley, who tensed at the sight of him.

"Malfoy." The redhead growled, his hands balling into fists, as the blonde did nothing more than stare at him with a bored expression gracing his face.

"Weasel." Draco responded, his right brow rising as his silver eyes took in the sight of the Gryffindor before him. The Slytherin prince made his way toward the redhead, almost passing him before a hand shot out and grabbed the cuff of his jacket, stopping the blonde in his tracks. His eyes narrowed as he tilted his head toward the man beside him, his mind willing his flaring temper away. "As much as I'd just love to get into it with you right now, I have more important things to be attending to right now Weasel." Draco couldn't help the trademark Malfoy sneer that flitted across his face, as he none to gently slipped his sleeve out from the redhead's grasp. As he opened the door, the blonde found himself being whirled around, the tip of a wand pointing at the spot in between his brows less than an inch away greeting him.

"Look, Ferret- I don't know how you've fooled everyone in thinking that you've changed for the better, but I know different. I'll be watching, just waiting for you to mess up." Ron growled, the end of his wand emitting a series of small sparks that popped against the Slytherin's skin in tiny shocks of gold and red, though his expression remained impassive.

"Sure, whatever you say. Try not to cream yourself too much while you do that, will you?" With a snort, the Slytherin prince left the redhead fuming behind him, his thoughts brushing aside the encounter and instead turning to the fiery Gryffindor he was going to have wrapped in his embrace once he returned to his compartment. With that image coming full force to the front of his mind, Draco quickened his pace up the train, eager to have his little witch within his reach once more.

Hermione quietly looked out the window at the passing scenery, the sight of the usually yellowish green fields all blanketed by a sheet of white and piling had her blowing at the window and fogging up the glass, just so that her finger could draw a little flower through it. For a compartment filled with five other people it was unusually subdued, as the occupants all seemed to make light chatter, their minds all obviously elsewhere as conversation continued to lead to rather painful silences. The underlying tension between the Slytherins was so heavy, particularly between Pansy, Blaise and Adrian who had taken to sitting as far away from each other as they could within the small booths within their compartment, though true to their nature none of them said a word about the unsettling feeling that hung over them like a black cloud.

The sound of the door opening and closing with a soft thud, had Hermione turning her head, her lips forming a small tired smile as her eyes met those of the Slytherin prince. She waited as he stood before her, his hand reaching out for her which she accepted, allowing the blonde to pull her up before quickly settling into the seat and placing the Gryffindor princess on his lap. Conjuring a thick wool blanket that he often magicked into his pocket for the times he traveled in cold weather, Draco charmed it to its normal size before wrapping the girl in his arms within the warm, comfy material, his fingers caressing her face from the top of her head to the base of her neck.

"Sleep, Hermione. We still have a few hours before we reach the Platform." The Malfoy heir whispered, his grey eyes watching as the Head Girl merely nodded, her head coming to rest in the crook of his shoulder as her pretty brown eyes fluttered to a close. After a few moments, the Gryffindor was out like a light.

"So." Theodore began, making sure he had the blonde's attention before setting the manuscript he had been reading down and continuing. "Do mom and pop know about our little bundle of joy yet?" The sandy haired Slytherin grinned as he gestured to the sleeping girl in the Malfoy's heir's arms. The others turned their attention to the blonde, all awaiting their answer.

With a sigh, Draco shook his head as his silver eyes looked down to the peaceful face of a sleeping Hermione. In the back of his mind, he wondered if she would have such an expression while sleeping under the roof of the Manor. "No- I mean, they know that I'm bringing someone home with me, but I didn't exactly mention who it was when I penned mother about having a guest."

At his answer, the other Slytherins had varying expressions, though they made no comment about Draco's deceptive reply to his parents. They knew more than anything that had he informed them sooner it would have only started off the holidays off on a bad note as they would have surely objected not only to having her in their home, but with their son as well- not that having them find out when there was nothing they could do about it was any better. It was merely the lesser of two evils.

"Draco, the court-" Daphne began tentatively, as she carefully watched the blonde as his stormy grey eyes met hers head on, her own stare unwavering under his barrage of emotion swirling behind his irises.

"I know, Daph. I'm fully aware." He brought his hand up to pinch the brink of his nose to relive the sudden pressure, before resuming his caressing of Hermione's face, his face softening as he gazed at her. "Leave it to me. I'll deal with them when the time comes." The group shared looks of uneasiness amongst themselves, which did not go unnoticed by the Slytherin prince, though he made no comment about it. He was just as unhinged as the rest of them about having that particular group to deal with while Hermione was expected to be around.

"Well, at least we know that Christmas is going to be a hell of a lot more interesting this year!" Theodore commented lightly to ease the somber mood that always descended upon the group whenever that certain topic was brought up, the statement something that the whole lot of them silently agreed to. The presence of Hermione during Yule Tide, one of the highly anticipated seasons of the pureblood social calendar, when almost all of them from all over Europe- not to mention the Pureblood court as well- would be in attendance, was something that the group of Slytherin was sure to set off the beginning needed to begin the restructuring of the corrupt society- whether they were ready for it or not. The group had no idea just what kind of impact was in store upon their return, not only for them, but for the fiery Gryffindor as well.

Author's Note: hi everyone! Not much to say about this, just that… I don't know. I was finding it hard to write this part… only because I kept switching between reading this one Dramione and writing my story! _ I had a hard time focusing. Lmao. But yeah. I hope it wasn't too long a wait.

Again, I'd like to apologize for any mistakes! I usually post this at 3- 4 AM where I live so sometimes I miss the errors. Don't be afraid to let me know so I can go back and correct them. =D

Like always, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next chapter! XD