A/N: I know, I know, a short chapter... trust me, it'll be worth it soon!

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SEVENTEEN

Draco was at the flat before her the following night. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the door when she walked in. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pause as she continued on to the middle of the room and conjured her mask. She fastened it around her head, managing to hold his gaze as she did. It was when she went to remove her clothes that he got to his feet. He reached for her, his fingers curling around her wrists to quell her movements.

She stared up at him and broke her role as she pushed herself up on her toes and pillowed their lips together. They could talk after. Her intention was to end this, but she wanted there to be one last time. She was determined to make it as memorable as possible so she could look back on these memories and feel something other than guilt and regret. Before he was Draco, he was Kratos; her escape. Tonight would be her final journey into Elysium and close that chapter of her life.

Gently, Hermione tugged her wrists free of his hold and pulled back to resume undressing. A soft gasp escaped her when he pushed her hands away and began to remove her clothes himself. His movements were slow, as if dragging everything out on purpose. As he lifted her shirt over her head, she wondered if he was trying to tell her something with just his touch alone or if he felt the shift between them. It certainly felt as though his hands were memorizing every inch of her skin as they trailed over her.

Her head tipped back as he cupped one of her breasts and pushed it up. He dipped his head in and she hissed as his tongue swirled around her nipple. The skin puckered and pulled taut as he pulled it between his teeth and sucked. His other hand traced the ridges of her spine until it rested against the flesh of her rear. He squeezed her hard enough to make her moan and mimicked the action on her chest.

She moaned again when his mouth left her breast, the hand there sliding down to hook into the band of her skirt. With both hands, he pushed the remaining articles of clothing to the floor and took his time kissing and nipping at the lower half of her body. By the time he stood back up to kiss her, she was trembling from head to toe.

It wasn't long before his clothes joined hers on the floor. As he wrapped his hand in her hair, she already knew what to expect. The gently push to get her on her knees was received, but she took her time to kiss his way down his chest to get there. His cock twitched, begging for more attention below her. He was fully hard and weeping as she settled onto her knees and took him into her mouth.

He moaned at the warmth of her mouth around him pushed her forward gently until he was completely seated at the back of her throat. She swallowed around him and moved her tongue as best she could, enjoying the sounds he made. He moved his hand to the side of her head and let his other hand do the same. She reached up to place her hands on his thighs and tapped once to let him know she was fine. She felt his muscles bunch beneath her palms and then a moment later, he was thrusting in and out of her mouth.

It wasn't long before his hips began to stutter, but right as she braced herself to swallow him down, he lifted her up and pulled her to the bed. He bent her over the edge and settled himself behind her, filling her with one harsh snap of his hips. She cried out and gripped the bedding as his hand cracked against the globes of her ass. The depth of his thrusts had her coming with screams that left her breathless.

The way he collapsed at her back and twitched inside of her told her he had come with her. But he didn't let either of them enjoy it for too long. Instead, she found herself astride his lap after having been pulled to the top of the bed again. His hands were already on her hips, guiding her over him so he could find his way back into her core. She moaned from the sensation; the sound of their combined slick echoing around them as he thrust upwards.

Whereas he had been all about fucking her senseless, he seemed to switch gears. He simply kept hold of her hips and rocked them back and forth until she took over. She leaned back, resting her hands on his thighs and began to ride him, keeping the pace slow and steady. He surged forward, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her flush against him so his face was buried against her chest.

She moaned as he teased at her nipples with his teeth and tongue. He alternated between them for a few strokes each before moving his way up her throat. When he settled back against the bed again, he brought her with him until she was leaning over him. He reached up then and removed her mask. As his hand sank back into her hair and his eyes bore into hers, she realized he had never bothered to put his on.

The entire encounter had been a far cry from what it normally was; a sign that he must know what she had really come here for. She swallowed hard and put that thought to the side, determined to enjoy these last few moments. To allow them both a proper goodbye.

Draco's hand slid forward to cup her jaw as her lips parted with a moan. His thumb pushed past her lips, resting against her teeth. She closed her lips around the digit and hummed as her clit ground against his pubic bone. Her lashes fluttered, but she kept her eyes open and on him as she continued to ride him. As she came, her lips parted again and his thumb moved to her bottom lip, dragging it down just a bit. His fingers tightened on her jaw as he thrust up and came with her again.

Neither one of them moved for the longest time; neither ready to part from the other's bodies. It wasn't until he slipped out on his own that she extracted herself from on top of him and slid to his side. Instead of curling up around him like she normally would, they lie shoulder to shoulder, staring up at the ceiling, panting to catch their breath.

As the high of their releases faded, the awkward tension returned. Hermione knew the time had come and knowing it would hurt, she dove in head first. "Can we talk?"

He stiffened for a moment before replying. "Is this about your date yesterday?"

Hermione gave a small nod and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She tucked the sheet up under her arms; this was not the sort of thing to be discussed while having her body bared. He scooted up against the headboard, scrutinizing her every move. "I told you once that this," she waved between them, "was a way for me to cope. I went to Elysium to have people shut my mind off because I couldn't do it myself. I never planned when I would leave, but I knew I would." She swallowed and plucked at the sheet in her lap. "I never expected to fall into whatever this is with you."

"Whatever this is?" he questioned. There was a hint of anger in his eyes, but his overall demeanor remained calm. "I've been pretty clear about what I wanted from you, Granger. Maybe you should tell me your definition."

"It doesn't matter," she said, her voice a shaky whisper. "It was never supposed to last."

"So you go and start dating some random bloke? How long have you been seeing him?" he asked, bitterness in his tone as he got out of bed and made way for his clothes.

Hermione stared after him, her jaw dropped in shock at how he was taking this. "About the time your engagement to Astoria debuted in the Prophet," she fired back, keeping the sheet around her as she got to her feet and summoned her clothes.

He paused in pulling his trousers up. "I thought you didn't read the Prophet," he said as he finished tugging them up over her hips.

Her laugh was bitter and harsh. "That's all you have to say, Malfoy?" She bit back the sob of anger and began to dress. "Were you ever planning on telling me you had a finance or were you just going to pretend she didn't exist on the weekends?" A thought occurred and she went still. "Does she even know about me?"

Not that it would change her mind if Astoria did. She had no intention of forever coming in second.

"Did you tell your date you were coming here tonight?" he countered.

She took a deep breath, blinking rapidly against the tears that threatened to fall. "I did actually. He's always known that what I had with someone else was complicated."

"Does he know why you came here then?"

"Part of it."

"Which part, Granger?" The look in his eyes as she caught his gaze told him he knew which part, he was just making her say it.

"To end it," she breathed, closing her eyes. Tears brimmed and slipped past her lashes. She brushed them away and shrugged. "This was never supposed to last as long as it did. Ashton-"

"I don't want to hear about him, Granger," he snapped, yanking his shirt over his head. "If you're sure about this, you should go. Just know that if you leave, that's it. It's over. Is that what you want?"

She chewed at her bottom lip and swallowed hard. She had been determined to walk away from this with her head held high, but she was second guessing herself. Was it what she wanted? Before she could even answer that for herself, her mind brought forth images of him and Astoria. It didn't matter what she wanted.

"You're not mine to want," she heard herself say at the same moment she thought the words. "Goodbye, Draco," she whispered and Apparated home.

She dropped to the floor where she landed in her room and let sob after sob wrack through her body. It was only supposed to be temporary. A phase of her life that helped her deal with the things she couldn't move on from. But somewhere along the way it had gotten twisted. Now, instead of parting ways and moving on with her life, she felt as though a piece of her soul had been ripped from her.

As she realized she had broken up with Draco Malfoy, she tried her hardest to pinpoint exactly when it had turned into something that could have broken at all.