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Chapter 31 –

Draco pulled Hermione over to his body, and embraced her tightly. His fingertips brushed lightly down her spine, feeling every ridge. Even though it was a very warm summer day, she had goose bumps form on her flesh, and a chill went down her spine, her skins tingling where his fingertips had just been.

"You excite me," she said honestly.

He laughed and said, "Is that so?" He touched her chin, bringing his finger slowly around to her jaw, and then down her neck, to rest his entire hand on her chest, at the opening of her dress, above her breast. "Does this excite you?" he whispered.

"A bit," she said. Hermione bit her bottom lip, trying hard not to smile. His hand went down the valley in the center of her breasts, to her waist. He put his hand on her hip, massaging it lightly.

"Does this excite you as well?" he asked, hoarsely, bringing her closer.

"Slightly," she answered, lying through her teeth. The truth was she was incredibly aroused.

He put both hands on her shoulders, and let them travel down her arms. He linked his fingers in hers, bringing her body flush against his. Their upper bodies were touching, not even a hairsbreadth away, her nipples reacting to the closeness, by becoming hard and erect, and pressed against the thin cotton of his borrowed t-shirt. He nuzzled his nose next to her ear. "Do you find this encounter exciting?"

"Yes," she said, completely paralyzed. That familiar tingling in her stomach was traveling to all other regions of her body.

He kissed her bottom lip only, and then steered her back toward the quilt. He lowered her to her back, hovering his body above hers. His hand flat on her stomach, he lowered his lips to her collarbone. His hand traveled down to her dress covered thighs, repeating his actions from earlier, when they were watching the game. His mouth continued to trail small, wet kisses all across her exposed flesh. His hand inched up her dress, until it rested completely on her bare thigh. He leaned over, to his back, bringing her with him.

His mouth held hers in a kiss, as his hand went to her backside. He cupped her buttocks, and he said, "How is this?"

"Oh, Draco," she said. She moved her face back to his, to kiss him once more. His right hand continued to press on her bum, as his left hand pressed hard on her back.

He moved to his side, and brought the hand that was on her bum to her chest, resting it on her dress-covered breast. His hand, not daring to move, remained motionless, but still, he could feel her desire. He was breathing hard, and he removed his lips from hers and said, "You certainly have a certain affect on me as well, Hermione."

She parted from him, and both hands under his shirt, as she did earlier. She leaned back toward him, kissing him again. He pulled her as close to him as humanly possible. A very annoying person calling their names brought them down from their passion-induced haze.

"HERMIONE!" Ginny yelled. "DRACO!"

Draco rolled Hermione over to her back, and with much aggravation said, "I HATE THIS FAMILY!"

"No you don't," she said, struggling to sit up. He pushed her back down, covering her body with his. Hermione pushed on his shoulders with her hands. He refused to budge. She tried to call out to Ginny, but he quickly covered her mouth with his, kissing her open mouth as hard and long as he could.

A shadow fell over their bodies, and Ginny said, "Can't you two give it a rest?"

Draco looked over his shoulder and said, "I heard you calling, Mrs. Potter, but Hermione wouldn't let me answer you. In fact, she forced herself on me. She practically raped me."

Hermione huffed and pushed him away. He fell on his back, putting his hands over his eyes to block the sun. Ginny reached down and helped Hermione stand up. "You should be ashamed, Hermione," Ginny laughed. "Come on, Oliver is leaving and he wants to tell you both goodbye."

The girls started walking back down the hill, hand in hand, when Hermione turned around and said, "Are you coming, Draco, darling?"

"Don't 'darling' me. You're picking Oliver Wood over me." He remained on the ground.

The girls were out of sight, but he heard Hermione say, "Draco? Come with me, please."

"NO! Tell that bastard goodbye for me," Draco said. Another shadow fell over Draco, and he opened his eyes.

"You can tell me yourself," Oliver said. Beside Oliver was Hermione, Ginny and Harry, all with smiles on their faces.

"Goodbye, you bastard," Draco said, completely unabashed, propped up on his elbows, still on the ground, on his back. Behind Oliver, Ginny and Harry were openly laughing. Hermione looked shocked.

Oliver turned to Hermione and took her hand. He kissed her knuckles and said, "If you two decide tomorrow that you've been dating too long, give me a call." He smiled at her, and she looked down at Draco. Draco popped up and stood behind her. He put his arm around Hermione's waist, and took her hand out of Oliver's grasp.

"We just might be married by tomorrow," Draco said.

Oliver laughed and said, "That I would like to see."

"Well, maybe you will," Draco snapped. "Then again, we probably won't invite you." He pulled Hermione behind his body and said, "Now, weren't you leaving?"

Oliver laughed again, and Draco thought he was laughing at them, and he was about to give the retreating figure a piece of his mind, but Hermione's hand on his arm kept him in place. Harry and Ginny walked after Oliver, back down the hill.

"I think I hate that man," Draco said.

"He's a nice man," Hermione said. Draco turned around to her, and before he could refute what she said, she added, "but, he was making fun of our relationship, and I don't like that. That was uncalled for." Draco studied her face for a moment, and he saw that she was sincere. She was not just saying that for his benefit. He brushed her cheek with his knuckles.

"Shall I go find him and beat him to a bloody pulp?" Draco asked.

"Why do you always want to go around 'thrashing' people, and beating them to a 'bloody pulp'? Who even talks like that, Draco? I seriously question what century you're from," Hermione said, smiling.

"I say things like that, missy, and I'll show you what century I'm from." He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He put one hand over her bum, to keep her from slipping. His other hand held one of her bare legs.

She screamed, "Put me down!"

"I don't think so. This is how people from the past centuries treated their women," he said, walking down the hill with her.

Her hands were on his back, and she said, "Maybe cavemen! Put me down, this is embarrassing!"

"Make me," he laughed back. He was almost back to the house, and most of the Weasleys were sitting on the front porch. They were pointing and laughing at the pair.

"Did she break her ankle?" George called out.

"I bet she forgot how to walk," Charlie said.

"Maybe he's finally decided to show her who wears the pants," Bill said.

"I don't think she seems happy," Fleur stated the obvious.

Harry came out of the front door, as Hermione was still yelling at Draco to put her down. He walked off the porch and said, "Unhand my friend, Draco."

Draco stopped walking and said to Hermione, "And you think I'm from another century. Who says, 'unhand my friend', Hermione?"

Hermione twisted her head to look over her shoulder. Harry made it easier for her, by walking to the back of Malfoy. "Harry, make him put me down."

"How?" Harry smiled.

"Tell him you'll beat the shite out of him if he doesn't," Hermione said. Draco hit her hard on her backside. "OUCH!" she yelled.

"Seriously, Granger, watch your language. There's a child playing in the yard." Draco hit her once more. She kicked her legs.

"I am utterly embarrassed!" Hermione proclaimed. Harry walked back over to the front of the pair.

"Malfoy, enough, put her down," Harry said seriously. He could tell that she was genuinely embarrassed. He actually held out his arms. Draco smirked, but threw her off his shoulders, into his arms, and then deposited her in Harry's waiting arms. Harry placed her down on the ground.

Hermione glared at Draco and said, "That was stupid!"

"I thought it was fun," he said.

"I hope you're proud of yourself!" Hermione spat.

"I am, for I'm shocked I could even lift you. I'm stronger than I thought," Draco said, walking away from her, to join the others on the porch. Everyone laughed at his joke.

He looked back over at her, smiling, but saw that she was still standing in the same place, and she had a sad expression on her face. Dammit! He caused her distress again. He made fun of her, egged on by the crowd, just as he used to do in school, only the difference now was that he loved her, and even though he liked being the center of attention, he really did not want to hurt her feelings. Harry gave Draco a dirty look, and took Hermione's hand, leading her around to the side of the house.

Draco started to follow, but Ginny put her hand on his arm. "Let Harry talk to her," Ginny said.

"He will probably tell her, 'See, I told you he was a prat'," Draco said.

"He might say that, but he will also remind her to lighten up, and remind her that she is among people who love her, and wish her nothing but happiness, and that includes you," Ginny stated. He turned to Ginny, and nodded. He hoped she was right. "Let's go help mum with lunch. She had a chore she wanted you and Hermione to do, but since Hermione is indisposed, because of you, I might add, you and I will have to do it." Ginny grabbed Draco's hand, and started around the side of the house.

"You all eat lunch early around here, huh?" he asked.

"No, we will eat in an hour and a half, but we have things to get ready. Mum is making a large green salad. You and I are going to go out and pick some vegetables from the vegetable patch," Ginny said.

Draco looked at her incredulously and asked, "Why don't we go to the grocery store, instead?"

"Because we have a vegetable patch, you git," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. They approached the vegetable patch, and Ginny entered the wire fence. She looked back and said, "Come on, Malfoy."

Draco looked at his hands. "Will I get dirt on my hands?"

"For Merlin's sakes," Hermione said from behind him. She was smiling. Her eyes were red, brimmed with recent tears, but she was smiling.

He walked up to her tentatively, grasped her face with his hands, and said, "I am so sorry, Hermione. The old bully in me came out, I made fun of you, and had a laugh at your expense, and it was unbelievably moronic and wrong. I am so sorry. I want to be a better person than I once was."

Hermione looked at the ground and said, "It's funny you should say that, for I almost felt like I was back in school, and you were calling me 'Mudblood' again, and making fun of my hair and teeth."

He bent his head, to look in her eyes. He put one hand under her chin. "I am so sorry. Am I forgiven?"

"You know, if we can't get past something like this, when real trouble comes at us, what will we do? Harry pointed that out," Hermione said. Draco looked back, as Harry was helping his wife with the vegetables.

"Potter's not completely hopeless, is he?" Draco said. He put his arms around her and said, "Let them finish with the manual labour. We should get back to our sunbathing."

Harry overheard, and looked up. "No, since Ginny and I are doing what Molly originally asked you and Hermione to do, you can do mine and Ginny's job."

Draco sneered and said, "What pray-tell was your job?"

Harry laughed and said, "Go up to the house, and find out for yourselves." He laughed again, and Ginny laughed along with him.

"Goodness, Malfoy, what have you gotten us into?" Hermione asked, taking his hand and leading him to the house.

"You share the blame, Granger," he said. "If you hadn't run off crying like a baby, we would be safe and sound in the vegetable patch right now."

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