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Chapter 7 -

Draco's hands were holding her close. They stood together forever. He wanted to kiss her, but he didn't want to scare her away. At one point, he even thought she was going to kiss him. She finally reached up and traced his lips with her index finger. Then she said the word, "Yes."

Did he ask a question?

He crashed his lips down to hers. She stumbled slightly, so he held her even tighter, one hand on the back of her head, one holding hers on his chest. She moved her head to the side, and gained the strength in her legs that she had temporarily lost. He started to kiss her gingerly. He would not probe this time, but instead, he would keep the first kiss simple, chaste. He put both his hands around her waist. Draco decided to ask, "So, friends, Granger?"

Still holding her tight, both her hands went to his chest. "Is that what you want us to be?" she asked.

'NO, NO, NO,' he thought. What should he say? He finally said, "I would like to start with that."

Her next movement caught him by surprise. She leaned into his body and put her head on his shoulder. Her hands went around his middle. With her face pressed against his chest, she said, "Sure, we can be friends."

He put his hand under her chin to force her to look at him. Before he could ascertain what she meant, she smiled and stepped back from him. He should not have removed his arms from around her. He should have kept her captive a while longer.

She said, "Let's go back and have some cake. I'm feeling rather tired. Maybe some sugar will wake me up."

"If that's what you want," he said, slightly confused.

He thought he heard her say, "Does it matter what I want," as she walked in front of him, back toward the Burrow.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, looking back at him with another plastic smile.

He ran to catch up to her and said, "Have I offended you?"

"No, not at all," she said.

They walked back to the back garden. The reception was still in full swing. Most of the tables had been pushed back to make room for a makeshift dance floor. Hermione went to get a piece of cake. She picked up two plates and said, "I have your piece too, Malfoy, so would you mind getting me some coffee, and I'll carry our cake over to a table."

He was still slightly confused. She was acting strange, distant, but she must still want to spend the rest of the afternoon with him, but apparently only as 'friends'. He must have read her wrong. Of course, he did ask her if she wanted to be friends, but he was just being coy. Playful. Maybe she took him seriously. He would find out.

He brought two coffees over to where she sat. He sat beside her and she leaned over and said, "Look at the happy couple."

He did as requested. They were on the dance floor. They were not dancing, however. They were more or less molesting each other. It was almost indecent. Draco made a funny face, involuntarily, and Hermione laughed. He turned to her and stared. She was already eating her cake. He decided to eat his as well. He was shocked when she threw down her fork and said, "Seriously! He's eating her face off right there on the dance floor! How embarrassing."

Draco said, "Just stop looking!"

She pointed toward the newlyweds and said, "How can you avoid that?"

He took her pointed index finger in his hand and put her arm down.

"Take a deep breath, Granger. Remember, you said you didn't love him anymore. Seeing them like that, while disgusting, yes, shouldn't really upset you," Draco concluded. He took another bite of his cake.

She placed her hands in her lap, and despite what Draco had said, she continued to stare at Pansy and Ron. Occasionally, she would let out little phrases, like, "yuck," and "get a room."

Finally, to shut her up Draco did the only thing he could do, right there in the backyard of the Burrow, surrounded by all the Weasleys and her friends. Yes, Draco Malfoy took Hermione Granger face in his hand, turned her to look at him, and then he did it! He smashed the rest of his piece of cake right in her face.

To say that she was shocked would be an understatement. She was shocked, livid, enraged and fuming. Her mouth hung open, and a small piece of frosting, which was dangling from her nose, fell to the table. He was slightly afraid, for she had a look in her eyes that told him she was ready to kill.

She took her napkin and started to wipe her face, and said, "Why the hell did you do that?"

"Be thankful that's all I did," he said back, "I had to shut you up somehow, and it was between this and kissing you."

As she continued to wipe the cake off her cheek, she said, "I would have preferred the kiss."

He smiled and said, "Duly noted, and I won't hesitate to put that plan into action the next time you are raging out of control."

She missed some icing on her jaw. He took his finger and swiped it down her face, and then put the icing finger in his mouth. "Yum, the icing even taste better on you than it does on the cake."

She said, "I wonder how it would taste on you?" She took her piece of cake off the place, placed it in her right hand, and held it aloft.

"Put the cake down, Granger, we both know you don't have the balls," he said lazily, turning his gaze away from her and taking a drink of coffee. He felt the piece of cake hit the side of his face.

He turned and looked at her, stunned, as she was sitting beside him laughing! At him! He took his napkin, wiped his face and said, "You will pay for that, Granger."

Harry Potter and Ginny decided at that moment to join them. Harry put their cake down on the table and said, "Hermione, I have two more pieces here if you need to get his other side."

She turned and said, "I might take you up on that."

As Harry was setting the cake on the table, Draco reached over and grabbed a piece, right in his hand. Hermione's eyes widened, and she said, "Be reasonable, Malfoy. You did it to me first. We are not children, and this is a wedding. We must act dignified."

"I will put this on your face with the utmost decorum and respectability, I promise you that, Granger," he said, with false manners.

Hermione stood up and put her hands in front of her in a defensive mode. Harry said, "Well, hell, now I have to get another piece of cake," as he stood up.

Ginny said, "Get two," and she stood and handed Hermione her piece. She looked at Draco and said, "Now it's a fair fight, for you're both armed and dangerous."

Draco said, "Are you really going to put that cake on me, Granger? I don't think you're fast enough to catch me!" and he threw his piece and it landed right on her chest, icing side facing her skin. He looked slightly amazed that he hit his target. He shouted, "Goodbye!" and he ran across the garden, toward an open field.

"Go get him, Hermione!" Ginny shouted. Soon, many people were watching, egging Hermione on, urging her to 'get Malfoy' as well.

She kicked off her shoes, and saw him from the distance turn around and stick out his tongue. She said, loudly, "Should we really be doing this? We are mature adults, and we're making a worse display, and acting with shoddier comportment, than the couple whom we were just referring."

Ginny leaned toward a returning Harry and said, "I think she's referring to the newlyweds, out on the dancing floor making a scene."

Harry stood up and gave her another piece of cake, plopping it in her other hand, as Malfoy was still watching on from a short distance. "Two pieces, Hermione, in case you miss with the first one. Now, go get him, Granger! Show him what you're made of and cake that snake!" Harry goaded.

Draco shouted, "I know what she's made of Potter. She was a Gryffindor, after all. All talk no action." He was having fun taunting her. Soon, George Wealsey was behind her and he stuffed a third piece of sticky confection in her hand. Seamus stood beside her and said, "Shall I get you a glass of punch to throw in his face, as well?"

"No, this will do for now," she said. She started walking toward Draco, approaching him slowly. He openly laughed at her.

"You are such a girly Gryffindor, Granger," he continued to snidely remark. "Of course, most Gryffindors were girly." He knew she knew he was just joking, but he also was aware that he was in the backyard with a bunch of former Gryffindors, and just a few former Slytherins, so he would keep his 'trash talk' to a minimum.

She eyed him carefully, still slowly approaching. He stopped moving, and planted his world-renowned smirk proudly on his face. His hands went to his hips and he said, "Come on, little girl, show me what you've got."

With cake still slathered on her chest, she started a full out sprint. He was surprised at first she could move that fast, hence the reason he didn't run right away, and so he was hit with the first piece of cake as it left her right hand. It barely missed him, with just a small bit of icing grazing his sleeve.

He turned to run and she followed. The crowd was shouting for her, and she ran faster than she had ever run in her life. He twisted around trees, and bushes, taunting her again.

"You couldn't hit the side of a barn standing still, Granger," he said, behind a tree. She threw the second piece. It whizzed by his head, a little too close for comfort.

He ran toward another tree, and took cover. She followed. He started to circle the tree, and she was right behind him. He said, "Only one more piece, Granger. Make it good."

She looked so determined. He liked that look on her. The crowd was now standing, as if forming a sideline, and they continued to shout encouraging words to her. She said, in a whisper, "Let me hit you with this last piece, so it can all be over, otherwise, they'll keep furnishing me with cake, and I'll have to continue to run after you."

"You want me to 'let you' hit me? I think not, my dear," Draco drawled, "for I have a reputation to uphold."

"Name your price," she grinned.

"You don't have enough," he said back.

"There's nothing you want from me?" she asked, not even realizing the implications of her words.

He got an almost evil look on his face and said, "Oh, there's one thing, Hermione, but you would never agree."

They both were moving back and forth, the piece of cake high above her head, ready to be launched. She said, "You don't know that, Malfoy. I might like what you propose. Tell me."

He had a predatory look on his face suddenly, and took three steps closer to her, but before he could tell her his proposition, she released the piece of cake from her hand, and with more strength than he thought, she possessed, it hurled straight toward him, and landed on his right shoulder. The crowd cheered.

"Oh, you will pay now!" He started toward her and she actually squeaked. She ran away and he chased her, not as fast as he could, toward on open field. He wanted to chase her far enough away from prying eyes, so he could truly make her pay.

She climbed over a wooden fence, which he was easily able to jump. Once they were far enough away from the wedding reception, he urged his legs faster, and he caught her in no time. He grabbed her arm, and swung her around. He put both arms around her body and brought her to the ground, cognitive of putting the weight of their fall on him. Another benefit of taking the weight of their fall was that she ended up on top of him.

He held her on top of his body. They were both out of breath. She pushed against him with her arms. He soon turned her over, so he was now on top, and said, "Say uncle."

"What?" she said breathing hard.

His face was close to hers and the weight of his body on top of hers sent little chills and fire throughout her nervous system.

"I said, say uncle, give up, you know?" he said.

"Never!" she said, issuing a challenge, and smiling widely, moving slightly under him, in a feeble attempt to get away.

His mouth was centimeters from hers. "Say uncle, or face the consequences."

"No," she said softly.

He could not help himself, he leaned toward her, his face close to her face, and he took a bite of cake from the front of her chest. This amazed her. It was so intimate, and so incredibly sensual and sexual. She said, "What are you doing?"

"Say uncle," he said again, in a husky whisper. This time he licked her collarbone, coming back to face her with icing on his mouth. He licked his lips.

"Draco, let me up, someone might see," she said back in a whisper.

"They're all far away, now, say uncle," he repeated. This time he took a finger, and moved it from the hollow of her throat, to the opening of the collar of her dress. He held the icing covered finger over her face and then put it to her mouth. He smeared icing on her lips, and then dipped his head and licked the icing off her mouth. He repeated this action one more time. He said, "Say uncle, or I continue."

The look she gave him he could not identify. She said, "Get off me, Malfoy, I don't want to play anymore."

"Who said I was still playing," he said breathlessly.

"Friends don't act like this with each other," she reminded.

"Maybe I just decided I don't want to be your friend," he said, with one eyebrow raised.

She asked, "You don't?" She almost looked crestfallen.

He placed the icing covered finger back to her lips. He was about to smear more icing on them, when to his amazement, she put his finger in her mouth, and licked the icing clean. He was more turned on than he had ever been in his life.

He smirked, "Friends don't do that, either, Granger."

"We just decided we aren't friends, I thought," she said and then she smiled.

He smiled back. She suddenly thought, 'oh no, what now?'

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