She lay there for a while looking to the ceiling, noticing that there were no little swirls there like there were in her room. Nothing to count.
The feeling of waking up beside him should have felt more… awkward, but as she lay there, she felt completely at ease. She figured it was probably because she had done it dozens of times before. They had slept together in the room of requirement at Hogwarts and woken up together so many times that it wasn't a big deal.
"This is nice" she said.
He looked down to her and wrapped his arm around her before he leant down and kissed the top of hear head. It was intimate. It was nice. Ron never did anything like that. It burnt like fire inside of her. Just a simple act. She reacted before she allowed herself to think about it. She took him by the shirt and pulled him back to her, kissing him.
That was all it took.
She was pulling at her clothes, yanking his shirt off over his head, struggling out of her pants and underpants in one go while he did the same.
His book was long forgotten as she climbed on tip of him, never taking her lips off his.
It was hard and it was rough, and it was quick, but Hermione came like thunder in a storm, over and over again, when he flipped them, she came again, biting down on his shoulder to stop herself from calling out his name. It had been months since she had been with him but everything about him was familiar. Everything about him was like home. Everything about him felt safe.
She dressed without feeling shy. She had learnt that in her time with Ron. He used to ogle at her body, but now, Malfoy was gazing, observing, appreciating. With Ron, she felt dirty, she felt like he was staring, but with Malfoy, she felt sexy, wanted, desired.
It was such a vast difference. Such a tremendous difference.
"You know I can't give up now, right? I'm not going to let you get away again" he said.
"I know" she answered.
"What was it? What did I do to earn your… this… you, back?" he asked.
She looked to him for a moment, trying to think of what it was. Was it that he didn't hesitate to make an unbreakable vow? Was it that he stood up for her with Ron? Was it that he was being honest with her for the first time? Or was it just the familiarity of his touch, of his kindness, of his love?
"You were just you. I can't… I don't know how to explain it. It felt… it feels right... I suppose one day you'll tell me why" she said, receiving a smile from him.
As soon as she had put her shoes back on and smoothed out her hair, a knock came hard and heavy upon the door.
Hermione reached for the handle and pulled it open, revealing Harry, Ron, Tonks and Andromeda standing there. She hoped they hadn't heard what had just happened.
"I was just seeing if Malfoy had any more information for us" she said, looking around and feeling grateful that he must have made the bed in the two seconds before she opened the door.
"The question is, why?" Harry asked, looking around.
"Why?" she asked.
"Yes, why? You two were enemies in school, now you're up here in his room with the door shut" Ron said, looking around like Harry had just done.
"Ron, you know as well as I do that these doors shut themselves. Malfoy and I have an understanding" she said. "Besides, he is useful and with the unbreakable vow he can't hurt me" she said.
"What were the terms?" Andromeda asked.
"Divulge any information I have on Tom Riddle, stay within 50 feet of her, keep myself and her protected and tell only the truth. I can't lie even if I wanted to. I can't hurt her or myself. Nor can I leave, nor can I refuse to help destroy the psycho who gave me this…" he showed his dark mark. "I'm the ultimate prisoner" he said, his voice laced with portions of who he used to be.
Everyone was quiet for a few moments.
"Just… don't be in here with the door shut. I don't trust him" Harry said, looking to Hermione. She felt like a child. She noticed Tonks eyeing her suspiciously and looked away, not daring to have that conversation.
"There's a meeting in 10 minutes. We want everyone there. Malfoy included" Harry said.
"I'll be there" he said.
"Dinner will be straight after" Harry said.
"Granger's not cooking I hope?" Malfoy called, after Hermione followed Harry from the room.
"Kreachure will be cooking" Andromeda said with a laugh.
The circle in the meeting room was tense, Tonks looked from Hermione to Draco and back again several times before smiling to herself and siting back in her chair.
"So, Draco knows where the Horcruxes are" Andromeda said.
"The final Horcruxes. If we can get them, we have a chance of killing You-Know-Who" Hermione added
"With the addition of one. A big one" Malfoy added.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"The made her into a Horcrux out of desperation" he said. His serious tone was something Hermione hadn't ever seen before.
"Alright, what are they then? The last two?" Ron asked, not looking to Draco at all. Ron already knew this from the parchment that Draco had given them, but she sensed there was a power play going on.
"Hufflepuffs Cup and The Lost Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw" he said.
"Lost? Meaning its lost. How are we going to get it if its lost?" Ron asked with a smirk.
"It isn't lost, I know exactly where it is" Draco said. "And I can get to the cup" he added.
"Well… where are they?" Harry asked, frustrated.
"The cup is in my family's vault and the diadem is in the The Room Where Things Are Hidden, at Hogwarts" he said.
"Great, so all we need to do is sneak a lost Death Eater into Gringotts and someone else into the school. Piece of cake" Ron said.
They sat around the small circular table for the next three hours, discussing ideas, making plans, figuring out how they would get the last remaining Horcruxes.
Hermione watched how easily Draco and Harry began to get along, but felt saddened when, the closer Draco and Harry grew, the more Ron retreated.
"I think Ron should have more of a say in how this all goes together" she said out of nowhere. Ron looked to her and smiled a small smile. "I mean, Ron is always very calculated and concise. He can see moves and counter moves in advance, and I think that if he stays quiet on this, we'll certainly fail" she added.
"You're right Hermione, Ron, we need your input" Harry added.
After that, the planning, the structure, the logical planning seemed to all fall into place. Hermione watched Draco try his hardest and she beamed with something she couldn't describe.
"Hermione, do you want to take a break and help me make some tea?" Tonks asked her out of no where.
"Sure" she said, getting up and eyeing the goings on. "Behave yourselves" She warned the boys, who rolled their eyes in unison. She could tell Draco was holding in a smirk and she wanted to push him off his chair for being so crude.
She made her way to the kitchen in silence, while Tonks walked ahead.
In the kitchen, Hermione reached for the kettle, when Tonks grabbed her arm.
"How long were you in love with him?" Tonks asked.
"Um, I guess since he helped me recover from my injuries, but we always sort of had something in school" Hermione said, confused at the questioning.
"Not Ron, Hermione. How long were you and Draco in love?" she asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about" Hermione said, pulling her arm away and turning away from Tonks so she didn't see the guilt plastered on her face.
"I'm not going to tell anyone. But if I can see it, it won't be long till everyone else will see it too" she said.
"I…" she began, but her voice broke and she couldn't continue.
"Something that I don't let people know that much…" she began, adding some water to a pot, "…is that I can see bonds that exists between people, between creatures and between people and creatures. I saw it with Remus and me before we ever met. I'm his mate, after all. I see it with Harry and Ginny, I see it with Harry and Dobby and with Harry and Kreachure. I see it with my parents, with Arthur and Molly, and I see it with you and Draco. I'm not a seer, nothing like that, but I can see this, Hermione. Now either you two are messing around now, or you had a very intense romance last year or there is something wrong with me" she said.
"Maybe you're off your game?" Hermione questioned.
"I don't think so" she replied, staring Hermione directly in the face.
"I… We… It was very intense, and then… it wasn't. He lied to me and then he left" she said, shrugging.
"But you still have feelings for him?" Tonks asked.
"I noticed that you never mentioned anything between Ron and I" she said, avoiding Tonks' question about her current feelings.
"I see nothing between you and Ron. I never have. I see what everyone else sees and that's two people trying to make something work when there's clearly nothing there" she said. "But… Hermione, I say this as a friend, as someone who cares for you all. I also see what everyone else will undoubtedly see soon enough, and that's the magic that exists between you and Draco. The looks, the attention, the way you've been behaving since he arrived, the change in you the last few days and the fact that you were locked in his room with him and not so subtly made sure to check that the bed was made when everyone burst in. If you want to be with Draco, be with him. Sort out what you need to sort out with Ron. Harry is already warming to Draco. He'll be ok" she said.
"They're all I have" she said, tears escaping her eyes. "If I tell them everything and they hate me I've lost them both" she said.
"Some bonds are worth it. Do you think I retained all my friends when I married a werewolf? I lost almost everyone I ever knew. Everyone I thought was my friend. You know what I learnt in the process though? They were probably never my true friends to begin with. Harry and Ron are your true friends. They will be confused, even angry or upset at first, but they will understand" she finished.
Hermione stood watching the witch finish with the tea. She might be right, but she also didn't know Harry and Ron like she did.
Harry spent the entire last school year believing the Draco was a death eater. He was right, but it came from a place of hatred. He had come up with every possible conspiracy theory and his hatred for Draco had grown exponentially back then.
"I won't say anything Hermione, but what would you rather, lie to them and have them find out much later? Or tell them the truth now, deal with the hurt and move on? Before this war turns on its head" Tonks asked, before leaving with a tray of tea leaning on her large pregnant belly.