"And what if I can't learn to love you?" She asked him.
Draco merely smiled. "Even Hogwarts wasn't built in a day."
For the first time in months Hermione felt a small smile tug at the corner of her mouth as she recalled a similar muggle metaphor. "Whose side are you really on?" She asked him as he brushed away her tears with his thumbs.
"Our side," He whispered before bending his head to capture her lips with his own.
Hermione could have pulled away in that moment. She could have summoned what little constraint she had left until she had more time to sort things out, but she didn't. Instead she kissed him back with a hunger she wasn't aware she possessed. Reality slowly slipped away from her as he gently caressed her tongue with his own. She'd all but forgotten the elf in the room and the witch having a nervous breakdown in the darkened hall until Draco pulled away, leaving her lightheaded and in a daze.
"Inigo," Draco said, his silver eyes never leaving her face. "It seems Miss. Parkinson has forgotten her place," He said with an authority that reminded her of his power and influence. "Remind her of what it is."
Hermione watched as the elf bowed just before disappearing, and if she wasn't mistaken, there was a faint glimmer of satisfaction in his large glassy eyes.
"As much as I want to continue what we've started," Draco sighed with an air of restraint as he took a step back from her, "I think it would be best if I stayed in one of the guest rooms for now."
"But these are your chambers."
"You need some time to yourself," He said, almost regretfully. "And these rooms are the most accommodating."
Hermione nodded her head. He was right. She needed to be alone for a while. She needed time to think, to think about him, to think about her, about what had happened, about what was going to happen. So far, she had more questions than she had answers and she didn't like the darkness the abyss of uncertainty cast on her.
After several moments of contemplation, she nodded her head. "Thank you."
"I have a few things I need to see to tomorrow, but I won't be away for long," Draco told her as he went to fetch a few things from his closet. "Inigo will bring you whatever you need to make you more comfortable."
"Will I be safe?" She asked as she watched him grab a few of his dress robes. "With you gone, I mean."
Draco turned to look at her. There was a look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place, and when he spoke it was with the upmost confidence, as if he'd never been more sure of anything in his life. "There's never been a safer place for you than right here, not at home with your parents, not at Hogwarts with Dumbledore, not at the Burrow with your friends. This is your home now."
Hermione wasn't sure she would ever feel at home ever again. And as much as she wanted to believe that she was finally safe, she couldn't vanquish the shadow of doubt in her mind. "And how is that possible?" She asked him. Afterall, she was no stranger to the amount of evil that lingered in these halls.
Draco took a step towards her and her eyes fluttered closed as he bent to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Because in our new world this is the kingdom of hell," He whispered. "And you've just become its mistress."