Hermione found Draco lying across the sofa, his stone grey eyes fixed on the blazing fire with an intensity that made Hermione certain that something was up. She had seen that expression on him before, and she didn't like to see him wear it.

He looked up when he heard her footsteps on the thick carpet, and immediately stood up to greet her. She flew to him, the need to be close to him almost unbearable now. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and brushed his lips against her forehead, bridge of her nose, and jaw line, making the hair on the back of Hermione's neck stand on end. His breath was soft on her face, and at last, he dragged his lips to meet hers.

She kissed him with such intensity that it was difficult to tell whether it was love or lust that drove her toward him. How long had she been waiting for his touch, to feel the warmth of his body as he pressed against her, to feel his soft lips massage hers? Too long. Two weeks was definitely too long when you were in love.

He brought her closer, one hand in her chestnut brown curls while the other drew circles on the small of her back with his fingertips. Hermione melted under his touch, just like always. She reached up to stroke his blonde hair, touch his face, anything to let him know how much she'd missed him…

He slowly turned her around and lay her on the sofa, continuing to stroke her hair, not daring to remove his lips from hers in case she might flee…not that she would, of course. But he still didn't want to chance it. He wanted this moment alone with her more than anything now.

Hermione's heart raced under her white school blouse. The kiss was becoming more urgent, more physical than she remembered ever kissing him. The thought madder her heart skip two beats. She had dreamt of this. Thought about it. Wondered how it would be. What it would feel like.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to meet her. He half-lay on top of her, one hand behind her head, the other at her waist. He broke off, and moved his lips down her neck, tracing feather-light kisses on her warm skin. It felt so right. He loved her more than anything. He knew that this was she wanted. It was what they both wanted.

He slowed, taking his time, brushing his lips ever so softly against the hollow of her throat, the base of her neck; the exposed flesh of her collarbone…Hermione closed her eyes, her heart speeding a hundred times faster than it ever had. Were they really going to show each other what they really meant to one another tonight? It seemed almost unreal.

"I missed you" he murmured against her skin. His breath made her tingle all over. She pulled him closer, and she shifted her hips beneath him, desire building slowly inside her very being, her soul aching for this.

"I missed you too" she breathed longingly. It was true. She had missed him so much over the two-week holiday period that she found it hard to sleep at night without his warm body next to her. Not that they had ever done anything…until now.

Hermione's breath caught as he resumed kissing her, moving back up to her lips, where she responded with as much desire as he was. It wasn't rough, or forced; it felt absolutely perfect. They would take their time, not worrying about rushing into it, to make this meaningful, something special, not just a one-time thing…Hermione let her hand stray down his back, her fingers brushing the defined muscles there through his clothes. She felt him arch slightly at her touch; Hermione became hot all over.

"I forgot to ask" she whispered in his ear "how's Anielle?" He took a minute to answer.

"She's perfect" was his reply. "I put her to sleep a few hours ago. She should be out for a while" Hermione nodded against him. The hand that had been at her waist moved upwards, and Hermione shivered hotly when she realised what he was probably going to do. But she didn't restrain him. Their lips never left each others' as she moved her hands to his strong shoulders.

He moved until he was lying on top of her, spreading his weight so that she wouldn't be buried into the sofa. Slowly, he reached up, and with his right hand deftly unbuttoned the top button of her blouse, exposing more of her cream flesh. He bent his head to place a feathery kiss there.

Hermione gently drew patterns on the small of his back, tracing nothing on his covered skin. He breathed heavily, his breath tickling the newly exposed skin through her blouse. Then, as deftly as he had the first, he undid the second button. Hermione shivered, but not from cold. From desire. The strap of her lacy bra was now visible under her blouse.

She twisted her fingers in his blonde hair, bringing him down to meet her lips again and again. She shifted her position slightly; her legs were wrapped loosely around his. Her skin grew warm with such intimacy of their current situation. If Harry or Ron were to walk in now…she would probably die of shame. She breathed a moan, ever so quietly, as Draco brushed against her ample chest. She instinctively moved her hips, ever so slightly, against his own. It was his turn to breathe his longing.

He bent down and, carefully, undid the next two buttons of her blouse. The cool air against her skin only heightened her desire; her open clothes only mirrored the intimacy of their current position. The gentle swell of her breasts was visible; Draco inclined his head and lightly kissed the shallow valley between them, causing Hermione to shiver and convulse in pleasure in his arms. Her parted lips gave way to another breathy moan. How could she not want this?

Draco moved down her body until he reached the waistband of her skirt. Hermione drew breath, almost a gasp. His lips brushed against the exposed skin above the waistband. Carefully and slowly, he hooked one finger onto the waist of the skirt and pulled it down half a centimetre, exposing her shapely hipbones. Hermione gasped again, adrenaline surging through her bones. And then, he stopped what he was doing, and looked up to meet her desire-fuelled gaze.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he whispered hoarsely; the desire was clear in his voice, too. Hermione nodded.

"Absolutely" she replied. "I love you, Draco, you know that. I love you so much" her voice was barely a whisper also. He moved back up to her lips, and kissed her swiftly before turning his head and whispering, almost seductive, in her ear.

"Your room or mine?" Hermione smiled.

"Mine, I think. We don't want to wake Anielle" came her passion-filled response.

"You're right, as always" he said. And then, he moved away, his lips lingering on hers for a moment. Hermione moaned at the loss of contact. She looked so innocent, so virginal, lying there with her dark curls spread out on the arm of the sofa behind her, her legs bent, knees together…apart from the undone blouse and the skirt that was too low on her hips. He had never wanted her more than at this very moment.

He picked her up, bridal-style in his strong arms, the contact between them rekindled. Hermione smiled. This really was it. So long she had waited for this…dreamt of it….wondered about it. And now it was really happening.

In one quick stride, he manoeuvred around the sofa, and made for the stairs. He took his time, almost painfully slowly, as not to waste any precious moment with her by rushing into it. Reaching out with one hand, he pulled open the door to Hermione's room. He smiled at her. Hermione's heart melted. She nodded to show that she was ready.

He took her to the bed, and pushed her down onto the pillows. He followed after her; carefully, he slowly unbuttoned her blouse all the way down the bottom. Hermione arched in his arms. And then he bent down to kiss her, and the two picked up where they had left off on the sofa just moments before.

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The pair were absolutely silent as they lay side by side, their arms wrapped tightly around each other. Their breathing was slightly laboured, still on a high from what had just passed between them. Hermione moved closer to Draco, who responded by pulling her nearer to him. The warmth of his bare skin made goose bumps erupt on Hermione's own. She smiled into his alabaster chest as she remembered what had just happened.

She opened her eyes to find a pair of deep grey orbs staring back at her lovingly. She gave him a quick kiss on his lips, and he smiled. His fingers were in her hair, playing with the long, chestnut curls. He continued to stare at his girlfriend for a long time. He didn't say anything, and neither did she. Neither of them needed to. The last hour had been perfect beyond imagination. Neither of them wanted to break the spell so quickly.

Moonlight came in through the un-curtained windows, telling them that it was late at night. Hermione looked over Draco's shoulder at the clock on her beside table. Quarter to ten. Had it really been that long? She blushed as she remembered. The heat between her thighs was burning in the aftermath of their actions. But neither showed any remorse for what had happened.

Draco pulled himself up onto his elbow, and he interlaced the fingers of his left hand with Hermione's own left hand. Their clothes lay forgotten on the carpet. Only the deep crimson quilt covered them now.

After a while, Hermione spoke.

"That" she said "was…everything I've ever dreamed of. And more" she spoke honestly, from the heart.

"My feelings exactly" Draco replied. Then it was silent again. An owl hooted faintly in the blackness outside the window, from somewhere deep inside the forest. Hermione sighed a breath.

Suddenly, Anielle started to wail in the other room, wanting her late-night bottle. Hermione and Draco both laughed at her typical, cliché timing. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'll go and see to her, darling" she whispered, and then rolled over to reach for her dressing gown, which lay over the back of a chair against the wall.

Before she went, though, Draco reached for his wand – which was lying on the bedside table – and cast a quick charm on the lower half of Hermione's abdomen. She looked at him, slightly confused.

"Contraceptive charm" he explained softly. "Can't really take the risk of having more children when we've already got one who's in danger" Hermione smiled.

She sat up, and quickly slipped on the dressing gown, pulling the belt around her middle. Draco fell back onto the pillows, sighing. He was probably going to fall asleep any minute. Hermione didn't mind. She would join him once she had Anielle fed.

Hermione left the room and went to see to Anielle, her bare feet pattering on the floorboards of the short hallways between both rooms. The memories of recent incidents replayed themselves in her head. Hermione was burning with passion and contentment. She had never felt so exhilarated, so loved, in all her life until then.

She pushed open the door and went over to the cot. Anielle's wailing was louder here, of course; she gently picked up her daughter and held her close.

"Shh, sweetheart, mummy's here now" she crooned softly into one dainty pink ear. Her little fists gripped Hermione's dressing gown, her soft blonde hair tickling her chin. "That's it, shh now" she rubbed her back gently. "I'll get your bottle, and you can be nice and full. Okay?" she whispered to her. Anielle was still crying, but not as loudly.

She went down to the main living room, filled the kettle and got Anielle's bottle from the sideboard. She put the tin of baby formula in the nearby microwave for two minutes. All the while, she was whispering to her daughter, telling her stories, about the wizarding world and Hogwarts and the life that they had with her. She told her about her daddy, and her grandma and her mummy's friends, Harry and Ron. Anielle listened – or rather, Hermione thought she was listening – to every word she said. She had stopped crying by now, and was staring anxiously at the bottle on the sideboard.

"Yes, you'll have your milk soon" Hermione whispered. "Just a few more minutes". The microwave pinged just moments later, and Hermione took the tin out. She flipped open the top of the kettle and poured the cold water into a plastic jug. With practiced movements, she twisted open the tin of hot formula milk and poured it carefully into the bottle, screwing the lid on tight; all one-handed, with Anielle on her hip. Being a mother made things like this second nature.

There was no sound from Draco's room at all. Perhaps he had fallen asleep. It was later, after all. Anielle yawned, very softly, into her mother's shoulder. Hermione smiled. She knew that the little darling would fall asleep before she finished the bottle, but not to worry. That's just what babies did.

As she took Anielle over to the chair and sat down, she thought of Draco. And what she had just done with him. How natural, how wonderful it had felt when he had moved inside her with expert movement, passion clear in his eyes, yet she knew – from one of their more private conversations – that this had been his first time too. And he hadn't disappointed her. She blushed as she recalled the memory.

Hermione walked over to one of the deep leather armchairs and sat down comfortably, supporting Anielle carefully with both hands. She put the teat of the bottle to her lips; her daughter immediately took the bottle herself in her two small fists and sucked happily. Within seconds, only three quarters of the bottle was left. She must have been hungry. Hermione stroked her soft blonde hair as she drank contentedly.

How could she have ever lived without either of them in her life? Up until now, she had revolved endlessly around books, thrown herself into her schoolwork, feasted so hungrily on knowledge and learning and wanting to do well that she had never had any time for anything else. It was probably one of the reasons why she had never understood Quidditch, even though her two best friends and her boyfriend all played the wizarding sport.

But now, things were different. She had a very clear image of what she wanted to live for. One of those things was feeding silently, eyelids drooping, in her arms right now. Anielle. Her daughter. And also the child of one of the people she loved the most in this world, and the Muggle world. Any world, in fact.

Funny, wasn't it, that things always seemed to come together, even if the situation underneath was terrifying? Full circle.

A/N: God, two chapters in a day! No wonder I've been busy. Anyway, here was chapter 50....are you getting tired of the story yet? Wait, no, don't answer that...! How did I do? It was my first try at anything remotely sexually intimate so please tell me if it was convincing. I would like to know these things, so that I can make this story a better read for everyone. Don't forget to drop a review by and tell me what you think of this chappie...and wait patiently (ish) for the next installment! Much love xx