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EPILOGUE

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Hermione blinked against the bright rays of the sun, yawning as she rubbed the back of her hands against her tired eyes. She stretched her arms up in the air, pushing herself up off the bed when the hold around her waist pulled her back against something warm and solid.

"Don't leave."

The raspy baritone voice that reverberated from behind made her entire body flush. Bits and pieces of last night came rushing back to her as soft lips pressed against the shell of her ear. She sighed. She couldn't have chosen a better ending for their first date.

"I'm not done with you yet."

She closed her eyes, shuddering at the feel of his breath, gasping when she felt him nip the tip of her ear. He nuzzled against her hair, lazily trailing his way down the column of her neck, dropping openmouthed kisses against her skin. The arm over her tightened further; fingers caressing the dip of her waist, coaxing her to melt into him.

Her breath hitched when she felt something hot and hard against the curve of her bottom, knowing full well that it wasn't his wand. How could it when she could feel every inch of his naked flesh pressed up against her?

She ran a hand across the arm tucked under her head, threading her fingers with his, tilting her head to allow him better access. She felt his teeth graze the edge of her shoulder before sliding back up the curve of her neck, latching greedily onto the junction before sucking lightly. A strangled moan tore from her throat; unable to fight the spark of lust that shot through her body.

"Good?" She felt, more than heard him, whisper against the new mark he left onto her skin, wondering how many he'd already given her.

"Did you like that?" She heard him ask again. This time right next to her ear.

"Yes." She found herself saying, utterly breathless after just a couple of well-placed kisses from him. She could feel his lips curling into a smile against the back of her neck.

"Good."

His hand started moving up the length of her stomach, pausing just beneath the curve of her breast before making its way back down to her hip. She felt his fingers still, just a shy away from where she really wanted them, before they began their cruel ascent once again; never truly reaching where she ached.

"Draco…" She whined, wrapping her free hand over his wrist to guide him where she wanted him to go; but he twisted away from her grip, trapping her fingers in his instead.

"Hermione." She heard him tease back in a tone that was smoother than velvet, making her whimper at the sound of her name and the feel of his breath right next to her ear.

"Draco." She called out much firmer this time, tugging at his hand pressed stubbornly against her lower abdomen. She needed him to move.

"Is there something you want?"

She growled at his attempt at feigning innocence. "You already know!" She felt his chest rumble against her back as he chuckled at her impatience.

Draco felt his amusement die down instantly the moment she started grinding against him. He let go of her hand to grasp the curve of her hip, stilling her in place; but the gesture only encouraged her further. Her free hand reached up to cradle the back of his neck, pulling him closer as she arched towards him.

His forehead dropped to her shoulder; powerless to resist her. He began rolling his hips to match the rhythm she set; the hardness of his length nearly unbearable now.

"Fuck."

He lifted his head, just about to roll them over when she suddenly bolted up the bed, pushing him to one side.

"Shit!"

He watched her jump off the mattress, frantically grabbing at the clothes on the floor. He had half a mind to ask her what was wrong; but the sight of her walking around in his bedroom without a single article of clothing on made his brain pause.

Seeing Hermione Granger naked under the bright rays of the morning sun made all the blood in his veins go south. He groaned in discomfort. He didn't think he could get any harder.

"Sorry, I have to go!"

Her rushed words made him snap out of his sex-riddled thoughts. "What?" He sat up in alarm. "Why?" He had every intention of asking her where she needed to go, and if he could be of any help; but the sight of her pulling one of his jumpers over her body made his brain short-circuit once again.

Bloody fucking hell she really looked good in his clothes!

Hermione pulled on a pair of dark gray joggers, clicking her tongue at how long they were. She called for her wand, adjusting the hem to fall right at her ankles. "I promised Molly I'd help her babysit Victoire today." She glanced back at the clock, cursing under her breath. "I was supposed to be at The Burrow half an hour ago!"

She summoned the rest of her things in her hands, rushing towards the door, pausing just before she could step out. She whirled around to bid him goodbye when the image of him the morning after stunned her in place.

Mussed long platinum blonde locks. Rosy lips. Purple bruises on his neck. Scratches against his chest. Glowing porcelain skin against the morning light. She swallowed.

Holy mother of fuck he looked good thoroughly shagged!

Her eyes trailed down to his hips; the tent under the silk sheets making her grin at him sheepishly. "You okay?"

Draco rolled his eyes at her questioning glance, grabbing a pillow to hide his unrelenting erection. "I'm fine. I can take care of this myself." He jutted his chin towards the door. "Go."

Hermione stalked towards him to cup his face in her hands, planting several quick kisses on his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, and his chin. "I'll make it up to you. I promise." She chuckled when he relentlessly chased after her lips, seeing his eye twitch when she playfully tilted away.

Draco clicked his tongue; eyes still locked on her lips as he reached a quick hand behind her neck to still her. He pulled her in for a searing kiss, making her gasp by sinking his teeth into her bottom lip. His tongue brushed up against hers, grinning when a soft moan left her throat. He felt her start to push against his chest even as her mouth wrestled against his, holding on to her even tighter.

He would never get tired of kissing her.

Not now.

Not ever.

Hermione let out a choked breath when she finally wrenched herself away from his lips. "Draco, I'm running-" All admonishment fled her thoughts the moment her eyes landed on his.

Molten silver.

She shuddered at their intensity. She ran her fingers through his cheeks, rubbing a thumb against his lips before pressing a soft kiss over them. She sighed.

How on earth did she get so lucky?

"I'll hold you to that."

She blinked at his words, forgetting what their earlier conversation had been about. "Huh?"

"You said you'd make it up to me." He smirked at her wide-eyed gaze, dropping a quick peck onto her parted lips. "I'll hold you to that."

He watched her nod at him wordlessly as she pulled away from his embrace. He caught her hand just before she could move out of reach, placing a chaste kiss against her knuckles. He threaded their fingers together, frowning when he felt her start to tug away from his grasp. He sighed reluctantly as he let her slip away, finally allowing her to go. He grinned at the sight of her walking backwards towards the door; brown eyes locked intensely on his naked form.

"I'll see you tonight?"

He nodded. "I'll keep the floo open."

Draco flopped back down the bed at the click of the doorknob, hearing the flames roaring on the other end of the door. He let out a breath.

So much for morning sex.

He glanced down at his straining member, rolling over to one side to head to the bathroom. His eyes landed on his phone by bedside table, remembering he owed Blaise and Theo a text. He grinned.

He could finally stop telling them to go bald every single time he saw them heading out for a date. He chuckled to himself, feeling an overwhelming sense of giddiness in his chest as he composed his message.

His days of singlehood were now over!

Theo groaned at the chime that reached his ears. He stretched an arm out, blindly feeling for his phone; annoyed at its persistent ringing. He sighed when his fingers finally latched onto the device, pressing a random button to silence it completely.

He squinted at the notification on the screen, rolling his eyes when he finally realized who it was. He clicked his tongue. What the hell did Draco want first thing in the morning? He opened the message, wondering what the blonde could possibly–

凸_(︶︿︶)_凸

He snorted at the emoticon that greeted him. "Real fucking mature." He muttered under his breath, chuckling at the Malfoy heir's pettiness. He shook his head, just about to type his reply when an arm draped around his torso; followed by the feel of warm, soft skin pressing up against his back.

"You up?"

Theo turned around, grinning at the sleepy Gryffindor blinking at him lazily. "Half way there." He winked, referring to something else entirely.

Oliver Wood shook his head at the Slytherin's shameless innuendo, watching as he busied himself with his phone. He frowned. "Is that Malfoy? Again?"

Theo hummed, rolling his eyes when he caught sight of his boyfriend's annoyance. "I have a feeling he's officially with Hermione now."

"Good. Maybe getting laid will finally get him off my case." He pulled Theo in closer, pressing his forehead against his. He nudged at him relentlessly, willing him to pay attention to him instead of the blonde nuisance that never seemed to leave his boyfriend alone. "Are you sure he's not secretly in love with you?"

Theo winced in disgust, pressing the send button before chucking his phone away. "No chance, babe."

"He told you 'I love you' and he-"

"You keep taking that out of context!"

"Don't get me wrong." Oliver sighed at the petulant look on his lover's face, making him run his fingers through his brows, easing the tension away. "I trust you. It's his honor that I question repeatedly."

Theo groaned in frustration. Why couldn't his boyfriend and his best friend just get along?

"Besides, he's a complete-"

Theo silenced him with a kiss, not wanting to hear another one of his rants about the Malfoy heir. He trapped his bottom lip between his teeth, tugging at it roughly before rolling his tongue inside his mouth. He ran his fingers through his hair, clutching the strands against his nape, pulling his head back so he could gain better access to–

He pulled away instantly when a callused hand wrapped around his swelling cock; the sensation knocking the air out of his lungs. He could hear soft chuckles coming from the lips currently busy trailing kisses down his neck.

"Need some help with that?"

Theo shuddered when he felt him start to pump his tight fist up and down his length; a wicked smirk crawling up his face.

Oh yes.

He most certainly wanted Oliver to help him with his wood.

Fin.

And… we've reached the finale!

This story has been living rent free in my head for more than a year now, so I'm not quite sure what to feel exactly… This wasn't an easy story to write, and I find myself occasionally regretting making it so complicated.

But now that it's over, I can say, without a shred of doubt, that I'm incredibly satisfied with how things played out!

I'm glad I didn't take the easy way out with False Pretenses, and that I was able to make something I can feel wholeheartedly proud of :)

Thank you to all of you who made it until the end, especially to those who've been with this story since the early chapters. I salute you people who read WIP fics! Continue to live dangerously lol!

Thank you for all the kudos/comments/reviews/votes (especially to those who never failed to leave one in almost every chapter)! They definitely made me write faster (or so I think lol). All the encouragement from you guys really mean a lot to me, and I hope you all know that.

Never underestimate the power of words :)

As humans, we're all just looking for some form of connection, and more often than not, fiction serves that purpose. I think the best works are those that are able to relate to us, because they make us feel like we belong somewhere, and that we're understood.

We are not alone.

To those who shared their lives with me after resonating with some of the themes of this story, thank you! I wish you guys all the best. I really do. To those who worried over me because of the rawness of some chapters, thank you as well! Please know that my life is far from the chaos the characters in this story experience :)

I learned so much from creating this universe, and I will always cherish this piece of literature I worked so hard on. My only hope is that you guys were able to take something away from it as well.

To those who referred to this work as a 'book', please know that it made me very very happy. I never thought it could be called that until a few people started to.

This story may have reached its end, but the journey still isn't over. This isn't a goodbye, but a 'see you later' :)

Everyone… Please take good care of yourselves! Stay safe always, and until next time!