In the previous chapter

She placed her body on top of Draco's and Draco tried his best to ignore her tempting weight and body just above his.

She looked closely at Draco and smiled a slow smile. She leaned in closer once again and locked her arms around his neck. Draco couldn't hide his surprise, but he was sure that Hermione couldn't see it. Her face was buried in his silvery-blond hair.

He tentatively placed his arms around her tiny waist and when he did so, he tightened his hold and smiled contentedly. He wondered if they could stay in the sun like this. Then he remembered, the sun. His body suddenly, miraculously recovered.

He would have believed anything else in the world. Anything, everything, except the fact that Hermione was his miracle. She had made him open up, made him unscrew the tight cork that confined all his feelings. She made him new. He refused to believe it. he was too afraid that it just might be true.

A few seconds later, if he knew what was coming at him, he wouldn't have thought so.

Because at the very moment a few seconds later, Hermione had whispered his name softly and when he answered with a "yes?", she had bit his ear.

Softly, not enough to hurt him. yet the next statement amused him long and well enough.

She leaned in closer and whispered gently into his ear.

"Checkmate."

Sweet Torture

Draco was still in a shock when she placed her whole weight on her elbows, looked at him, smiled cunningly, and then got up in one swift movement and ran away.

Draco felt his jaw stiffen. He didn't know whether he should feel amazed at her slyness, that she had outwitted him, or angry at the fact that she had humiliated him.

He thought he felt neither. He felt amused instead. He saw Hermione run into his hut and felt the corners of his mouth twitch into another one of his cunning smiles. He was also glad that the attempt didn't make his skin taut, like it did yesterday.

He walked briskly and on the way to his hut, decided against the motion of grabbing Sniffy out of his bottle and murder him on the spot, so Hermione wouldn't get her last wish. Sniffy was an irritating genie, after all, and Draco was sure that no one would miss him. Anyway, he never came out of his bottle these days. Hermione never let him out either. Draco would die first before he took out the corkscrew.

Therefore, he went into the hut, and Hermione collided face-first with his muscular chest. Obviously she had realized that she was in the wrong hut. Too bad she realized it too late, Draco thought coyly.

"Hello," he said, his voice low and husky.

Hermione felt it surprising that he didn't just grab her and throw her across the hut. She tried to find a way around him, but his body was far larger than hers, and he blocked almost the whole doorway.

She frowned and tried to guess his plan instead.

"Don't you try to seduce me," she said, after a moment's thought.

Draco looked amused that she had even thought of that. He even wondered if he should just change strategies right that instant.

"And why not?"

"Because it won't work," Hermione boasted confidently.

Draco smiled with equal confidence. He deliberately leaned down to kiss her. Hermione refused to react, despite the desperate urge to just open her mouth.

After a few torturous moments for the both of them, Draco didn't seem to have the idea of stopping. He didn't even seem to notice that Hermione wasn't reacting.

Hermione panicked. What if he kept at it for long? She couldn't keep up with her self-control any longer.

Then, she purposely opened her mouth and Draco let out a low growl of satisfaction. She purposely bit his bottom lip and flicked his tongue with hers. She purposely ran her hands slowly down his lean sides. And purposely tickled them. She had outwitted him once again.

Draco pulled back from her and heard her tinkling laughter once again. He had stopped kissing her, but she hadn't stopped tickling him, though. His sides were already aching with laughter and he felt as if they might burst. He would have grabbed hold of both her hands if he had the strength to. He was laughing too much, all composure forgotten.

She finally decided to stop torturing him. Draco had stopped all his laughing and by now, Hermione was sure that he would surely murder her. Instead, he was smiling. Genuinely.

Hermione felt confusion and suspicion creep inside her. She wasn't confused nor suspicious for long. Her confusion was unnecessary and her suspicion was confirmed.

Draco grabbed her. Literally. He put an arm underneath the insides of her knees and the other around her neck. Though he was careful enough not to hurt her.

She was as light as a feather. Draco had no trouble at all lifting her. The strange thing was, he felt no resistant coming from her. He looked down briefly and saw her smiling at him. There was no coyness, seductiveness, nor slyness in it. It was a real smile. Facing such beauty, Draco had to look up before he tripped over his own feet. Suddenly, he didn't mind falling flat on his face, but he didn't want to drag Hermione down with him. She might get hurt. He chided himself for thinking about her. He hadn't a slightest idea about what was going on in his head and in his life nowadays. He knew it was because of Hermione. But he somehow couldn't bring himself to blame her. She was too innocent to carry a burden of his blame on her tiny shoulders.

He hadn't noticed it, but the both of them had already made their way to the waterfall.

He looked down. "Time for a bath."

She simply nodded and closed her eyes to brace herself for the plunge into the water. It never came.

She eventually got into the water, though. But it was so gentle that Hermione couldn't believe it was Draco who had pulled her into the water. She finally opened her eyes when she felt the cold water cover the lower half of her body. She looked up and all she could see was Draco staring intently at her.

She suddenly realized that he was in the water with her, and that he was still carrying her n his arms. Hermione nudged his chest gently, as if indicating that he can put her down already. Draco shook his head forcefully and went in deeper into the water.

The water was damned cold. Hermione felt her teeth chatter as they ventured deep into the water. Draco was taller, so by the time the base of Hermione's neck had reached the water surface, only half of Draco's chest was submerged in the water. She suddenly decided that he was trying to drown her. She kicked the water with her legs and struggled in his grasp, trying to get away.

He wouldn't let her. He didn't know why she had started struggling in his arms; she had seemed so peaceful a while ago. He didn't realize that it was him that had caused such a violent reaction in her.

Hermione's tears flowed freely. She was suddenly afraid of this boy in front of her. She suddenly felt that he was dangerous and was suddenly full of fear, afraid of what he would do to her.

Draco didn't realize that she was crying until she started hiccuping against his chest.

"Oh, God…" he muttered softly as he carried her out of the freezing water.

He laid her down and her shoulders slumped against a big gray boulder. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and tried to ignore the intent stare Draco was giving her. That was so not her, being so illogical. Of course he wasn't trying to drown her, although Hermione wasn't sure what else he would do if his intention wasn't to drown her. She refused to let her thoughts wander that far. She was embarrassed at her own uselessness.

Draco tried to touch her chin, but Hermione wouldn't let him. She swiped his hand away forcefully, surprising Draco. But that didn't stop Draco from engaging her in a tight embrace.

Hermione tried to resist once again, but then realized that her strength was no match for Draco's and gave up, before Draco felt her any more foolish.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, breaking the silence between them.

"Nothing," she said, refusing to tell him anything.

Draco pulled back from the one-sided hug and knelt down before her. He wasn't ready to give up now, even if she was. A million thoughts about why Hermione was suddenly so afraid of him ran through his now scattered mind. Then, illogically, he picked the most ridiculous and unlikely one.

"I wouldn't hurt you," he ventured slowly, knowing for sure that he had certainly gone in the wrong direction.

Before he could switch directions, Hermione's face gave her away. God's truth, it was the most ridiculous and unlikely conclusion that was the truest.

"I really wouldn't. Trust me." And that was it. He had said the two words that he thought always meant nothing to him. He swore never to use those useless words; he had given an oath under his father's name and his only witness to that oath was his father himself.

Hermione's heart warmed at the last two words. 'Trust me'. She looked up at those gray eyes and tried to see the warmness in it. She could definitely see it. But the fact that intrigued her was that she saw another dark shadow lurk behind the brightness of the optimism.

So, instead of saying that she trusted him, which was true, she said nothing and placed a feathery touch on his chest, where his heart was situated at.

"Trust yourself, Draco," she whispered.