Chapter Rating: Mature Adult

Trigger: Abuse

Disclaimer: Of course I own nothing. A big thanks to JKR for her characters and her books that mean so much to so many.

A/N: I realize I am forever apologizing for not posting sooner and I am again today. This chapter is longer and full of Dramione so hopefully that makes up for it. I'm also still without a beta so please let me know if you see any errors, plot holes, inconsistencies, etc. and please review! Not completely happy with this chapter but I've revised it more times than I can count.

Chapter 28

Draco awakens as the sun rises. He is laying on his side with his left arm encircling the waist of the woman he loves. He does not have the words to describe the contentment and peace he feels after confessing his true feelings for her and having her with him here in Sicily, his true home. He smiles as Hermione's hair tickles his nose and he prepares himself to look at her, knowing the beauty of his isolated spot on the Mediterranean Sea will be a mere backdrop in comparison to her loveliness.

Hermione had been too preoccupied the night before to notice Draco's bedroom walls and ceiling are transparent. He is not an exhibitionist, but he craves open spaces. When designing his home in Rocca di Capri Leone, he had it built into the hillside on the beach. The plans included his cozy master suite with walls of windows facing the gorgeous view of the Mediterranean Sea on one side and a garden with a large pool on the other. He wanted to be surrounded by the splendor of the island when getting up and falling asleep. From the outside, to the naked eye, his sanctuary looks like a rocky outcropping. Of course, being a wizard he also added temperature regulating spells, blood wards, security and repelling charms to the very foundation and the entire structure. He uses a spell his mother taught him as a small boy to tint the windows of his home.

Even though his skin is pale, he craves sunlight. One of the things he hated about Hogwarts was his gloomy dorm room. His godfather, Severus Snape, made sure, even as a first year, that he was one of the privileged Slytherins to have a window that bordered the lake. When the sun shone brightly on the lake, he would have muted natural light filtered through lake water and the tinted green glass of the window. His mother taught him the incantation to change the tint of glass so he would be able to see into the lake. He, as his mother before him, had felt it helped the claustrophobic feel of the Slytherin dorms. But the dorms were not his only cause of the feeling. In fact, he had felt that way his whole life. He does not remember, but she actually taught the spell to him as a small boy. He was afraid of the dark so his father used to punish him by restricting him to his room, take away his candles and black out his windows making him sit alone in the dark for hours on end. But his life had been suffocating him as well, that is until after the war and finding this place. His view in the mornings of the unending sea helped him open up to healing.

Draco always rises with the sun, feeling a connection to it. Even in school, he would wake at dawn before his roommates. Needing time to be himself before compartmentalizing his feelings. It was a special time for him where he could laze for a while and get lost in the solace. As his bed was beside the window, he would change the glass and watch the lake morph from night to day. He loved watching the fish and occasionally even the giant squid would glide by. Because he hated the merpeople and grindilows, he quickly found a spell in the restricted section of the library to repel them. That was also the only place he found he could watch Hermione unaware, hiding in the shadows. He had spent years arguing with himself that he was only there for the solitude.

If Hermione could see herself, she would be mortified. Insecurity caused by a lifetime of being different from her muggle family and even her Hogwarts friends has only been exasperated by the verbal abuse from Ron, Draco and others during childhood. As she got older, she had come to expect it from Draco, but his taunts had eventually subsided unless she provoked him and in turn he would call her mudblood. She stopped felling inferior in regards to her magic relatively quick. Being so logically minded, the insult stopped bothering her relatively early on. She has so called "dirty blood,' but she didn't care since she is the best damn witch her age. She began taking the derogatory term in stride, wearing the intended put-down like a badge of honor that she has earned, as some muggle women do the word bitch.

On the other hand, Ron's verbal abuse continued from youth into adulthood as he consistently belittled Hermione's looks, personality and intellect. His words stung and what's worse, she had taken to heart and starting believing the majority of his insults. If awake, she would have dissect every flaw, as Ron had done in the past. Her hair is wilder than ever from their previous evening's activities and she has impressions on her skin from the winkles they created in the sheets. She is sleeping on her back, causing her to snore softly and it's creating a collection of drool on the corner of her open mouth. She is naked and every flaw and scar is on display. Laying on her back isn't a flattering position as it makes her breasts appear small and flat. The way her head is turned makes it look like she has a double chin, even though she really doesn't weigh quite as much as she should. Her body hasn't completely recovered from spending so much time on the run and having so much stress following it. Her ribs stick out slightly, emphasizing the scar Dolohov gave her at the Battle at the Department of Mysteries, not to mention all her other scars from all the nasty fights she has endured. Even though Draco had kissed each one of her scars, in this bright morning light her insecurities would skyrocket. At Ron's insistence, before seeing her naked, she would glamour the scar Dolohov caused, but because it was so extensive it would exhaust her magic core and her body physically so it didn't last very long so she had stopped doing it. You can even see the little scar that Ron gave her. She managed to dodge the glass he threw at her, but she wasn't fast enough to evade all the sharp shards that went flying everywhere when it shattered against the wall. A jagged piece cut deeply into her cheek. They were alone at Shell Cottage the week before they began Auror training. Bill and Fleur had gone to France to see her family and had asked them to house sit, thinking time alone would help Ron. Afterward, she wasn't able to heal it properly, only cleaning it with soap and water, since he had her taken her wand and bag with the undetectable extendable charm and disappeared. When she woke the morning they were supposed to leave, her bag and wand were on the nightstand beside the bed. By that time it was too late to do anything but glamour it. She usually refreshes the glamour when she showers, but thoughts of getting to the case file made her forgot the previous day.

As Draco opens his eyes, he sees the woman he loves bathed in the soft hues of sunrise awed by her natural, radiant beauty. Draco hates her scars, but only because they cause her pain, knowing she is self conscious since she had told him so the day she poured out her soul to him at The Leaky Cauldron. He can see beauty in the marring of her skin, because she earned them fighting for what is good and right in the world. He has already mapped each one with his lips giving them the same tender care she had given his arm. The one Dolohov had given her makes his stomach turn, because he now knows how close she came to death the night she got it. During the war, he heard the bastard bragging to other Death Eaters about scarring up Potter's mudblood slag, and it was all he could do not to kill him then. He knew with Voldemort watching his every move he would not get away with it, but he always managed to shoot several unfriendly spells his way whenever possible. He had cast several nasty ones on him during the Battle of Hogwarts when he was dueling Professor Flitwick. It was a good thing Dolohov had died in Azkaban or even with him being an Auror, he would have found a way to kill him after he had seen the extent of what he had done to her. It made him love her all the more, knowing she continued to fight again after being hurt so badly.

Draco shakes off the thoughts of death and war as he carefully removes his arm from Hermione so not to wake her. He sits up and has to adjust himself as he is already aching for her. He shifts so he has a full view, taking the time to study her as she sleeps, knowing it would make her uncomfortable if she was awake. He does not see the sharpness of her too thin frame, instead he notices the peach tone of her skin and remembers its softness under his touch. He looks at her beautiful face, relaxed in sleep and grins when she snores softly, thankful that she is able to sleep deeply, knowing her dreams are not always peaceful. He looks at the fullness of her lips, pursed now like they are waiting on his kiss. She sighs in her sleep, which causes his gaze to shift to her breasts and he watches as they rise and fall with her breathing. Her nipples are slightly hardened in the coolness of the room, reminding him of when he sucked and licked them last night and the little moans of approval she made. His gaze travels down to the juncture of her thighs where her neat curls are just a little darker than her hair. His mouth practically waters, wanting to taste her so badly. He forces himself to scan her legs as he wants to know what color polish she wears on her toes. It's the one place he had not paid any attention to and he had wondered what color they were early on at the New Year's Eve party. He grins when he sees they are the same shade of emerald green as the dress she had worn. He looks back to her face and notices her slight smile and he hopes she is dreaming of him. As the sun continues to brighten the room, he knows he will always cherish this memory.

Without taking his eyes off Hermione, Draco reaches for his wand on his beside table and with a flick of his wrist, he uses the spell his mother taught him so long ago and tints the windows slightly, then sits his wand down. After thinking of how he wants to wake her, he decides to go down on her. He knows she will love it, once she experiences it and when she wakes feeling the intense pleasure she will let him continue to please her in this way. He moves down her body and gently opens her thighs. When she does not wake he carefully parts her folds with his fingers, taking a few moments to get a good look at her now, knowing she would be embarrassed by his greedy stare. He leans in taking her clit between his lips, sucking gently and uses his tongue to lap at the little nub, hoping to please her.

Hermione is dreaming that she and Draco are walking along the beach. He tells her again that he loves her and she feels intense pleasure ripple through her body. Thinking it is his words causing it she asks him to say it again, and he lays her on the sand where she can't tell if it is his words or what he is doing to her that is causing this building feeling. She's lost in the sensations when she awakens, not fully aware they are laying in his bed, not on the beach since when she opens her eyes she sees the sun above her. Her hands are fisted in Draco's hair locking his head in place and her knees are squeezing together as she calls out his name. He struggles, but manages to lower her legs from around him, while keeping his mouth in place. He alternates between sucking, licking, and lapping at her. She is tangy and sweet and he thinks she is fucking intoxicating. She closes her eyes as she begins to pant, chanting his name. He shifts so that one arm is holding both her legs down so he can use a hand as well. He starts with one finger, then adds another and begins stroking her. His lips, tongue and fingers work her into a frenzy. Finally, she arches her back and clamps down on his fingers when he says, "Come for me my love." She is delirious with pleasure. When she finally opens her eyes she sees Draco kneeling above her, sucking on two fingers.

Hermione smiles at him, noticing how amazing he looks on his knees between her legs with a fine sheen of sweat glistening on his chest. Her eyes travel a bit down and she sees that he is hard and erect for her. It's the first time she has seen him without clothes on in the daylight and his body is perfect. She reaches toward him until she realizes she is not dreaming and her hand falls to cover her breast as she scrambles up quickly, looking for something to cover herself. Draco realizes his mistake the moment her face changes from bliss to horror. She cries out, "You took me outside?"

Hermione's mind cannot process everything she sees. Her first thought is that not only is she naked in broad daylight, in front of the man she loves, he has her out on the beach, in front of the world. It is bad enough to wake and find Draco's eyes on her in such a state, but to show the world the contrast between the two of them is a cruel joke. She has too many scars, inside and out. She closes her eyes to shut it all out and takes deep breaths, hoping it is a bad dream. Feeling the pillow behind her she grabs for it, covering herself as best she can.

Stupid fucking arse! Do something! Say something! Draco is screaming at himself inside his mind as he watches Hermione scramble away from him. The look on her face is breaking his heart. He pulls himself from his stupor and calmly says her name. Her eyes are frantically scanning the room until they shut and she covers herself. She is shaking. Softly he continues, "Hermione, love, everything is alright. We are in my room, in my villa, in Sicily. No one can see us…" he continues but she doesn't hear anything. Her mind is working too quickly, trying to understand why he would hurt her so badly. Irrationally she thinks, It's all been a joke, a cruel joke. I bet all his Slytherin chums are here dying laughing at the mudblood slag.

Draco is kneeling in front of her on the bed, afraid to touch her, not sure what to do. He knows she is having a panic attack and it is all his fault. He continues, "Hermione please open your eyes and look at me. Tell me you are okay. I never meant to upset you. I did not think. Please look at me." Out of desperation he pulls her to him, she does not resist or respond. He leans down and kisses the top of her head and rubs her arms gently, rocking her. "Please come back to me. Hermione, I love you." Those three words finally break through her wall. She realizes her sleep addled mind made her irrational and it trigger a panic attack. She takes in calming breaths and begins to hear Draco whispering apologies over and over again and telling her how much he loves her. She opens her eyes as she questions, "Draco?" and realizes he is holding her and kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Thank Merlin. Are you alright?" Hermione realizes she freaked out and isn't sure what to say or think or feel, except to be embarrassed. She shakes her head to clear it, but Draco thinks she means she is not okay. He stutters out, "I can apparate us to St. Mungos." And begins to release her, but she holds on tightly and whispers, not wanting him to hear the stammer in her own voice, "No...No…I'm fine. I was just trying to clear my head. I'm sorry I did that. It hasn't happened since I couldn't find my…" her voice trails off. He notices she is blushing and he pulls her back fully into his embrace and when she lays her head on his shoulder he breaths a little easier. She has been through so much. He rubs her back as he says, "You have nothing to be sorry for, but I do. I apologize for not warning you about the room, I should have told you about it last night or at the least this morning. I was thinking with my dick when I woke up next to the beautiful woman I'm in love with, bare before me. All I could think of were the things I wanted to do to you. I should have…" Hermione cuts him off with a kiss. The sincerity in his voice was all that she needed to convince her she had been so completely incorrect in her thinking.

Draco wraps her up in the sheet and after kissing her and some prodding, Hermione admits doesn't understand how he could be attracted to her and he tells her exactly how he feels about her beauty. He continues to convince her by worshiping her body the rest of the morning. By the time they finish, she is almost comfortable letting Draco see her scars in the light of day. She understands him a bit more when he points out the way she reacted to his dark mark and his scars and it made her realize they really don't matter to him, but he understands her well enough to realize they bother her. It's a morning of growth in their relationship. She even lets him go down on her again when he tells her how much he loves the way she tastes.

She is snuggled in Draco's arms as they come down from their blissful high when she realizes she is through with being a victim. She fought and helped to win a war and now has an amazing career and a wonderful boyfriend. She knows it will take some time to get completely back to her old self, but she is ready to be Hermione Granger again. Knowing the first thing she needs to do, she turns in Draco's arms so she is facing him and he opens his eyes. His gaze is completely full of love. She caresses his cheek and he turns and kisses her open palm. When he looks back at her she says boldly, "Draco Malfoy, I'm in love with you." He pulls her to his chest rolling over so she is on top of him. Hi face alights with excitement and joy. He takes her hand, placing it on his heart and says, "I am in love with you, Hermione Granger." She feels the pace of his heart quicken as he says the words. Their next kiss is slow and full of emotion. As she sits up, he follows so their mouths and bodies join simultaneously. She begins to move slowly as he holds her hips to help guide her. They continue to look in each other's eyes, seeing love and contentment that builds and changes into passion as their pace increases. Their gazes hold and between kisses they tell each other how and what they are feeling. "I never knew it could be like this." "You are so amazing." "I love what your touch does to me." "You feel so good." "I will never let you go." "I need you." "I have always wanted you." "I will always want you." "I love you." "I love you." "Make me come." "Take me over the edge with you."

As they come together, Draco falls back onto his pillows bringing Hermione with him. They stay joined, body, heart, mind, soul as they drift off to sleep in the early afternoon light. She likes the way the room feels now, open to the world, but isolated and protected from it as well.

Only a short time later they are awoken by Potter's patronus saying, "Malfoy, I got my aunt and uncle settled into the Janus Thickey Ward. Definitely related to the case. Are you coming to work today?"

Hermione's nude form is draped over him. She rubs her eyes then looks at him when he says, "Well, now you know. Last night, Potter made me swear not to tell you about his family being victims. He thought you would come rushing in, brandishing you wand ready to kick some arse. I am sorry I did not tell you." She gives him a slow sensuous kiss before replying, "It's fine. I know how Harry can be. The part about returning to work is true, but I've been wanting to do that since I completed mentalist training." She shakes her head, saying, "I'll tell you, if anyone's soul deserved to be snatched away it'd be them. She yawns and sighs, "They are horrid people." Draco's eyebrows shoot up in surprise and she gives him a wicked smile, "Remind me to tell you about what I did to Rita Skeeter sometime." She stretches before getting up. "May I borrow you wand?" He just nods, a little stunned at her reaction as she conjures her patronus, sending it to tell Potter thanks for letting her know about his aunt and uncle so quickly, that Draco is catching her up on the case and giving her all the ins and outstoday, she congratulations him on his engagement and she says she and Draco would see he and Ginny tomorrow night at Grimmauld Placee at 7 PM sharp to go out for dinner. No excuses. He marvels again at the woman in front of him, who can be so strong, yet so delicate.

Hermione returns Draco's wand to the nightstand as he eyes her, "I…um…thought after reading the file and hearing about Potter you would want to get to work right away?" She smiles at him cheekily, "Well, lets just say I did a little more than just read the file." She raises one eyebrow and says, "Come on, get your sexy arse out of bed and take a shower with me. I fancy a walk down the beach to that restaurant of yours where you can fill me with more of that amazing food and I'll tell you what all figured out while you were gone yesterday." Draco smiles, there's that fire I've been missing. He stands and stalks toward her saying, "Alright you, Mentalist Extraordinaire, tell me everything." She rolls her eyes at the nickname he'd given her when they had lunch at The Leaky. When he reaches her, he gives her a giant hug then easily throws her over his shoulder and she squeals. He lightly squeezes her derrière as he heads toward the shower in his garden.

A/N: I wanted to show the contrast in how Draco sees her and how Ron saw her – I hope that is clear in the chapter. In the books, I always thought Ron held an idealized version of Hermione and when she did something counter to this he got angry with her.

Yay to Tale nanny992 for knowing who Bubo is. If you haven't seen the old movie Clash of the Titans (1981) check it out. The fight with the skeletons is great. No CGI back then so it's really campy stop motion cool. I posted a picture of Bubo and YouTube clip (he also makes a brief appearance in the 2010 version) on my Pinterest and Facebook pages.

Goggle beach Rocca di Capri Leone and check out the images to see what this beautiful place looks like.

Thanks so much to all the new reviews, follows and favorites and to those who have been reading for a while and sticking with me!

Edited January 2021