A.N: Hey you lot! I am sooooo sorry that this took so long to get up, but
you know how it is, with Summer Break and all that stuff. Anyway, here's
the latest instalment, I hope you like it, if you do, pleeeease review.
Thanks!!
Disclaimer: Still own nothing.
Chapter Nine: Shimmering Light
The long passageway was bare and dank, and both Draco and Hermione couldn't wait to get out of there. They slowly approached Lucius' potions room and Draco slid Hermione down his body until her feet touched the floor.
"How do you want to do this?" He asked, concern evident on his face, seeing how exhausted she was already, thinking that she might not make it back across without succumbing to the pain.
"The same way that I did it before, I think. Just.catch me if I fall?"
"Always."
With Draco's reassuring words echoing in her mind, Hermione turned to the ugly room ahead of her and began to psyche herself up for the physical onslaught that she was about to endure. Breathing deeply she filled her body with oxygen, then held her breath as she streaked across the room like lightning. The scream that Draco had been expecting didn't come, and she collapsed onto the stairs opposite him, once again breathing heavily, her eyes squeezed shut, her body trembling like a small animal in distress.
Draco quickly crossed the room after her and knelt on the step by her, peering intently into her face. Her eyes slowly flickered open, and she found herself staring into the most intense gaze she'd ever seen. Their faces were so close together that she could feel his cool breath fanning across her cheek, and she knew that he would feel hers. Hermione's face was pale, and her lips had a bluish tinge to them, and Draco thought that she almost looked like she was dead.
Carefully, so as not to hurt her more than she was hurting already, he pulled her into his lap and cradled her like a child.
"I hate this room," he confessed, "I'm going to block off this passageway as soon as we get back to the main house. I don't want the reminders of my father.
Hermione smiled, and shifted slightly on his lap. Draco looked down at her, and noted that her colour had improved slightly, and she looked able to move now. Slowly, still holding on to her, he stood up.
"Put me down Draco, I'm not an invalid and I want to walk! I'm the doctor around here I'll have you know!" Draco looked sceptical, but put her down all the same. She managed about three steps before her legs trembled and she slumped towards the floor again. He caught her before she hit the floor and made to lift her up again.
"No! I wanna walk!" Hermione sulked like a child.
"Well, you can walk, BUT I'm gonna support you, and I'm not taking no for an answer, it's that or you're being carried." Hermione nodded in agreement and they walked together, with Draco's arm around her waist, gently supporting her.
It took them a long time to reach the top of the stairs walking like that, and when they reached the top, Hermione sank gratefully into one of the large plush chairs by the doorway. Draco strode across the hall and grabbed his wand out of his bag, and walked back across to Hermione. He faced the doorway and began sealing the doorway. It was a long and complex spell, and he felt himself beginning to tire, after the incident in the torture room, maybe his energy levels weren't high enough for a spell like this. Just when he thought that he wasn't going to be able to continue he felt a presence behind him.
Hermione's hand was cool and smooth as she placed it on the back of his neck. Draco was about to yell at her for being out of the chair, when he felt a strange rushing beneath his skin. It was the same feeling that had engulfed him when he was lying on the emergency table at the hospital. He could feel his energy levels rise, and the spell that had been faltering grew strong again. He knew that she was giving him energy that she couldn't afford to lose, and a part of him wanted to kiss her, and a part of him wanted to shake her for being so stupid.
He finished closing the doorway, and turned to Hermione still unsure of how he was going to react. He barely had time to catch her before she fell to the floor, unconscious.
Draco quickly levitated her lifeless body and rushed her upstairs; he raced along the corridors, and lowered her onto the bed in his room. Summoning a house elf, he instructed the creature to bring him several healing potions and energy boosting medicines. The elf seemed to take forever to return as he sat by Hermione's side, watching her chest rise and fall with shallow breaths.
When the elf finally returned, Draco administered the potions and watched as some colour finally returned to her cheeks, and she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Exhausted by the trials of his first day outside the hospital Draco crawled into bed beside her, and fell asleep with the speed of a tired child, snuggled up to the warm body beside him. The house elf, who had been unobtrusively watching his changed master tend to the girl with such care pulled up the covers and went to spread the news about Draco and the new lady master who was already called Angel.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
When Draco awoke a few hours later, it was already dark outside, and he was alone in his bed. He stretched out as far as he could reach, and then rolled off the bed to go in search of Hermione. He padded into the bathroom adjoining his room and found Hermione brushing her teeth with a toothbrush that looked suspiciously like his.
"Is that my toothbrush?" Draco asked
"Yep." Hermione replied, unconcerned by the horrified look on his face.
"But. but. but that's MINE!! Eeeew, that's so gross, you can't use my toothbrush. Oh that's just great. I'll have to get a new one now." Draco sulked.
"What? Why do you need a new one? I don't have any diseases you know, and may I remind you that this afternoon you had your."
"That's totally different!" Draco interrupted, still sulking. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, and ignoring the evil look he gave her continued to brush her teeth. She swept past him out of the bathroom and laughed to herself as he picked up the toothbrush she had used and threw it into the bin. While Draco transfigured a new toothbrush, Hermione got changed into the dress that the house elves had made her while she was sleeping.
When she had woken up, a clutch of female elves were standing at the end of the bed, giggling and whispering amongst themselves. When she had sat up, they had rushed forwards, and still whispering presented her with a gorgeous white silk dress. They had said something about 'clothes fit for an angel' and scampered off again. The dress was gorgeous, fitting her like a second skin until her waist and then dropping into a long straight skirt that flowed around her ankles like a river. It was pure white, but had a slight shimmer to it that really did make her look like an angel. Hermione had decided to leave her hair down, since she had managed to make it straight, and go barefoot.
As she quickly got into the dress, Hermione wondered what Draco would make of it. It was a bit posh for dinner, but the elves had instructed her to wear it that night, and she didn't want to hurt their feelings. Hermione had walked to the balcony, and was hidden from view as she stood quietly. Draco had walked back into the room, and couldn't see her from where he stood.
"Hermione?" He called quietly
"I'm out here." She called back, and turned to look at him as he stepped out to join her on the balcony. Draco's breath caught in his throat, and he was having trouble moving as he caught sight of Hermione for the first time. She looked amazing, standing there in a dress that he thought should have been illegal.
Her hair was shining in the bright starlight, and it cascaded over her shoulders in a silky torrent. Her skin looked almost translucent it was so pale, and she glowed with an ethereal light. Her dress was so white it hurt his eyes, and every now and then threads caught the light, and shimmered like stars caught in the fabric. A slight halo formed around her head caused by the light coming from the glass ballroom ceiling below, and she truly looked like an angel.
"What time is dinner?" She asked, breaking Draco's awed silence. He cleared his throat and in a slightly husky voice, replied
"Nine. It's half seven now, and I was wondering, do you want to walk around the grounds for a while? If you feel up to it I mean." Hermione smiled, and Draco's heart felt like it was about to explode, and he mentally willed her not to do it again.
"That would be nice." Just as she spoke these words, a snowy white owl flew down to rest on the balcony by Hermione's arm.
"Hedwig!" she said, happy to hear from Harry. She extended her hand towards Hedwig's outstretched leg, and removed the letter that was tied there. She unrolled it, and began to read the letter.
Hermione,
How are you? Everything is fine here, although we're all a bit confused as to what happened in the Forest. It seems that Voldemort is dead, betrayed by one of his own, but I have no idea who. I'm guessing that Malfoy has something to do with this, and I was just writing to ask if he'd got any of his memory back yet? Also, just a warning, be careful Hermione, don't get too involved. We still don't know what happened that night, and I don't think you should place more trust in him than you absolutely have to. Please write back soon, we need all the help we can get
Love forever
Harry
Draco still stood there, watching Hermione's face as it flashed through several emotions as she read the letter. The last was confusion and anguish, and remained on her face as she muttered a spell, and the letter burst into flame and disintegrated. She bent, and whispered something to Hedwig, who promptly flew off in the direction she had come from. She then straightened and looked at Draco. Ignoring the questioning look in his face, she smiled again and walked back into the room.
"Are you coming or what?" Despite the smile on her face, Draco couldn't help but notice that she didn't look as happy as she had done before. He would have given anything to read that letter, but it was too late now. He walked to join her, and offered his arm to Hermione, she took it and together they walked down to the gardens.
The Malfoy gardens were famous throughout the Wizarding World, and there were rumours that unicorns visited on especially beautiful nights. Tonight was one of those nights where everything seems to be so perfect that you don't even want to breathe for fear of ruining it. The stars were so bright that they lit up the gardens like mini floodlights, and seemed close enough to touch. Everything was touched with a light so pure that even the grass glittered like diamonds. The two people stood there for nearly ten minutes entranced by the beauty of the perfect night. The gardens were full of lush, large lawns, and amazing plants and flowers of all colours. There were greenhouses full of exotic flowers, mazes of high hedges, and at the very edge of the grounds, a large lake bordered on the far edge by a thick forest.
Together Draco and Hermione made their way to the lake, and a boat appeared. By some unspoken agreement, the two of them stepped onto the boat and it floated out into the middle of the lake. Hermione stared into the depths of the cold blue water, and when she turned back to look at Draco, he had charmed his clothes into a tuxedo with a plain white shirt and a black bow tie. Together they looked like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, that or an angel and a devil. Looking back towards the house that was lit up like a Christmas tree in the distance, Hermione sighed.
"There are no words to describe this moment. This is one of those times that you know you will remember for the rest of your life, even when sitting in your nursing home when you can barely remember your own name."
Draco said nothing, just sat there staring at Hermione, as she stared at his house. The glow was back, and Draco knew that if he didn't touch her then he was going to die. Very slowly, so as not to attract her attention, he reached out one hand and brushed the skin of her cheek as lightly as a feather. She turned back to face him, and gave one of those heart breaking smiles. He leaned forwards and brushed his lips against hers and pulled away, just an inch to whisper softly.
"Thank you."
"For what?" Hermione asked, moving closer so that when she whispered back, her lips fluttered against his.
"For everything. For saving my life, for coming here with me, for rescuing me, for kissing me, for being alive, for being here now."
Very slowly, the miniscule gap left between them closed, and their lips met in a searing, passionate kiss. All thoughts of the past fled from their minds, and they concentrated on the moment they were in. The boat slowly began to spin around, as if caught in a whirlpool, going faster and faster. As the kiss ended, they were both breathing heavily, smiling at each other. Draco lowered his head, and gently kissed her forehead, trailing kisses down her nose, and across her cheeks. He dropped a swift kiss onto her mouth before continuing on down her neck.
Hermione lifted her head to give him better access to the sensitive spot in the hollow of her throat. A high breathy moan escaped her lips, and she felt Draco smiling against the skin of her neck. His tongue flickered out against the spot where her pulse beat rapidly and Hermione's eyes slid closed. Her arms went around Draco's back, and one hand slid upwards to the back of his neck. Her fingers played with the soft hair that lay against his warm skin.
Draco lifted his head and once again their lips met, but this time the kiss was different. It was more caring, more gentle, with less frantic energy but still full of passion and need. Without even realising it, they had leant against the side of the boat, and were lying flat against the seat, with Draco almost lying on top of Hermione. Noticing this, he sat up when they pulled away, and kissing her one last time gently on the lips.
"We should get back. It's time for dinner and I don't want to hurt the house elves feelings since they spent so much time preparing it." Draco smiled at Hermione's words. 'She's always thinking of other peoples feelings. I wish that I could be that selfless. I can't believe that she's here and she let me.. and that she actually. Life is good.'
Hand in hand they walked back to the house, once the boat had deposited them on the shore of the lake. They entered through the double doors of one of the more luxurious banqueting halls, and saw that there was already food at two of the places on the table. According to tradition, the house elves had place Draco at the head of the table, and Hermione at the foot of the table, meaning that there was at least sixty feet of polished mahogany table between them. Hermione's face fell as she saw the distance between the two places, then stoically walked to her place as Draco walked to his.
The dinner seemed interminable, with seventeen courses followed by coffee. Hermione was so bored by the end of it, she was about to chew off her own arm, just for the entertainment value of it. As the final dishes were cleared away, Draco rose and walked to Hermione's side and bowed deeply.
"May I escort you to the ballroom, Madam?" Draco asked solemnly.
"You may indeed Sir." Replied Hermione, just as seriously although with a flashing light in her eyes that betrayed her.
Arm in arm they walked through to the ballroom, where music was playing softly, arranged no doubt by well meaning house elves. Draco swept Hermione out onto the floor and led her around in a delicate waltz. The music was soothing, and Hermione rested her head on Draco's shoulder and sighed happily. As the song ended, Draco pulled away slightly, and Hermione looked up at him, slightly confused.
"Come with me, there's something I want to show you." Draco said quietly, and led her out of the ballroom, followed by soft strains of music. Once the house elf had mentioned the library, Draco had known that Hermione had to see it. He had carefully steered her clear of it throughout the day, leaving it for a time like this. He conjured up a blindfold and carefully tied it around her eyes, making sure that she couldn't see.
He opened the door, and turned on the lights before turning to the still- blindfolded Hermione. He knew that the room would delight her, and he revelled in the fact that he could do something to make her happy. He carefully reached up and removed the blindfold, and stepped back so that she could see the room. Hermione gasped and stepped forward, one hand slightly raised as if to out over her heart or her open mouth. The room was huge, with high ceilings and a large staircase going up the centre of the room, to give access to the second floor of the books. The second floor was more like a balcony around the inside of the room, giving a perfect view of the glass ceiling high above from the ground floor. (A/N: Think the library from Disney's Beauty and the Beast) There were several ladders positioned around the room, and large comfy looking chairs and sofas, tables and footstools dotted around the room.
All in all, this was Hermione's idea of heaven, and Draco knew it, she whirled around and stared at him.
"How did you know?" she whispered
"Magic." he replied, right before she launched herself into his arms. She hugged him so tight that he thought he was going to break, but he loved the feeling.
"This is so perfect, it's amazing."
"I thought you'd like it! I'm guessing that at least this room of my house gets the Hermione Granger seal of approval, hmm?" He laughed at the look she gave him. "I know, I know, do I even need to ask!" He grinned at her, and she grinned back.
They stayed in the library for a while, chatting and laughing, and Draco marvelled at the pleasure that he gained just from being in her company. The large clock above the fireplace in the library chimed midnight, and Hermione got up from her chair opposite Draco.
"I'm gonna get to bed, it's late and I have to be up early."
"Why?" Draco asked, suddenly worried that she was going to leave in the morning, although she hadn't said anything about leaving.
"I have to go down to the kitchens to thank the elves for the dress and I want to start some kind of medical treatment programme because some of them don't look well at all."
Draco looked up at her with eyes filled with admiration, and pulled her down into his lap. "You always care so much about other people that must be why you're such a fantastic doctor." Hermione blushed, embarrassed by Draco's praise.
"I'm not a fantastic doctor." she denied
"I beg to differ; you always make me feel better." Draco smirked devilishly and bent down to kiss her again. Hermione twisted out of his grip and fled to the door of the library.
"Goodnight Draco."
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Draco was lying in his bed, with the sheets twisted around his lower body, the waistband of his dark blue boxers just visible. His chest was bare and his hair was tousled, as he lay sprawled across his bed, still wide awake after hours of tossing and turning. He got out, and stood at the edge of his bed, straightening his sheets for what seemed the millionth time that night already. Just as he was about to get back into bed, a creak stopped him in his tracks. The door swung open and Hermione stepped in, wearing flannel pyjama bottoms and a white strappy top.
"I can't sleep." She admitted in a lost little girl voice.
"Do you want to come and sleep here?" Draco asked, keeping his voice soothing, although inside he wanted to drop to his knees and plead.
His heart leapt as she nodded, and slowly walked to the opposite edge of the bed. He crawled onto the bed and lay down under the sheets and waited for her to do the same. He felt the edge of the bed dip as she sat down, then saw her swing her legs up on to the bed. She lay down, facing away from him, and he pulled her closer so she was snuggled against his body. She sighed happily and snuggled her head down onto the pillow.
Draco couldn't decide whether or not to try to go to sleep, or to give in to his heart and kiss her. He didn't want to seem like he was expecting something from her, but his very cells were screaming for him to kiss her. She wriggled backwards so that she was pressed more tightly against him, and that made up his mind. He stretched his neck forward slightly and lightly pressed his lips against the back of her neck. When she didn't move away, Draco began to trail hot little kisses down the back of her neck to the first bumps of her spine, then stopped. Hermione rolled towards him, and lifted her face, expecting to be kissed. Never one to leave a lady disappointed, he obliged.
Gradually their kisses became more and more urgent, and Draco slid his hand under the soft cotton of Hermione's top. His fingers brushed the skin of her stomach, and she sucked it in, in an instinctive reaction. He did it again and she laughed against his mouth.
"Cut it out! That tickles." she added by way of explanation. Draco grinned and moved his fingers higher; until he brushed against the underside of her breast then he withdrew his fingers. Hermione pushed her own hand under her top, and guided his fingers back. Draco pressed his lips harder against hers, and she moaned in response, which only made Draco more insistent. Very gently Draco's fingers continued exploring underneath her top, Hermione becoming more and more impatient as time went on. She rolled on top of Draco, feeling him hard and hot underneath her, and pulled off her top. Draco's eyes grew wide as he stared at her.
"I've never seen anybody as beautiful as you." He whispered to her. Hermione felt a little glow of pleasure run through her at his words, she lay down on top of him, loving the feel of his chest against her. Draco, deciding that it was his turn to be on top, rolled her over, catching her gasp of surprise with his mouth as he initiated yet another intense kiss. When he broke away, he trailed kisses down her throat and torturously slowly down her chest and paused to gently blow her right nipple. Hermione moaned and threaded her fingers through his hair, urging his head down. Obeying her unspoken command, he lowered his head to close his hot mouth around her raspberry nipple. 'God she tastes so good' he thought.
Growling, Hermione flipped the pair over again, and mimicking his action trailed her tongue down Draco's throat. He moaned, just as she had, throatily, and ran his hands through her hair; she smiled at this, loving the fact that she could make him as hot as he made her. She licked in a circle around his nipple and blew on the wet trail, making Draco shiver. Climbing off Draco, she knelt by the side of him, and grasped the waistband of his boxers and pulled. He lifted his hips to make her task easier, then settled back down as she pulled them down his thighs and finally tugged them off altogether. She threw them into the corner of the room, and lay down alongside him again.
Draco slid his fingers into the waistband of her pyjamas, and looked her in the eyes, waiting for consent before continuing. She nodded slightly and he pulled down the trousers, leaving her completely naked. They embraced tightly, each loving the feel of skin on skin, the warmth, the softness. They kissed and caressed, learning places that would make the other gasp and moan. Draco could feel himself start to lose control as Hermione wrapped her small soft hand around him and begin to work her way up and down.
He placed his hand over her own, and gently pulled it away, then slowly rolled on top of her, carefully positioning himself. He slid his hand between their two bodies, and gently slid a finger inside her. She was hot and wet, and she seemed so small, so tight that he couldn't see how he was going to fit. His eyes met hers, and once again she nodded, but before he slid into her, he needed one more confirmation.
"Are you sure you want to do this? Even if this isn't your first time, it's probably gonna hurt cos." He trailed off, trying to find a way to put it.
"You're big. I know. I could feel it, even before. I want this. I want you."
Draco didn't need anything more than that, and very gently he began to slide into her. He went slowly, so as not to hurt her more than he had to, but the slow pace was almost killing him, and despite himself, he pushed in hard for the last few inches. She gasped, and he could see the pain in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He muttered, kissing her very gently, using all his willpower to keep from moving until he knew that she was ready. She shifted underneath him, and slowly he started to move and the two began to merge into one soul. Hermione moaned, and Draco increased the speed of his thrusts, her hips moving to match his every move. He already knew that this was the best it had ever been with anybody, and he didn't need any memories to tell him that. Draco could feel Hermione getting close to the edge, and he knew that he was too, he sped up, and Hermione lifted her hips more and he was in deeper than ever. It only took a few more minutes for the two of them to reach their climax together, each calling out the other's name.
Hermione's whole world exploded into shards of coloured light, and she felt peaceful, lapped by waves of golden warmth. She knew then that she loved him, and that nobody else would do. Draco Malfoy was hers and they were meant to be.
He knew at that very instant that he loved her more than anything else in this world, and he would die rather than have her shed one single tear. He collapsed on top of her, too exhausted by sweet pleasure to move, and he didn't want to. He wanted so much to tell her how he felt, but was so scared of the consequences, that he didn't dare. As he lay on top of her, nothing else mattered, only the feel of her skin against his, the silky smoothness of it. He wanted to marry her, have her bear his children, and grow old with him. The knowledge that that could never be ate at his heart like acid. He rolled off her, and pulled her relaxed body against him, her back, against his chest. Luckily for him, she was braver than he was.
"I love you." she said, so quietly that he barely heard her. But he did hear her.
"I don't deserve you." he replied. 'Shit Malfoy. Wrong answer.' he thought as she got out of the bed and walked out of the room. The pain of her walking away hit him like a brick wall. 'Well that was just fantastic wasn't it? That's great. Do you have to fuck up everything in your life?' He raged at himself. 'The woman you love just told you she loves you and you don't say it back?! You idiot.'
Draco could have punched himself. He leapt out of bed and raced after her, he ran into her room, and saw her packing her bag in the corner of the room, tears running down her face. Draco saw those tears and felt lower than the lowest bacteria, 'And to think that I wanted to die rather than see her cry, and now I've caused it.'
"Don't leave." he said quietly
"Why? I need to leave. Please just let me go. I should never have come here."
"Don't leave."
"Why?"
"I love you." She stopped packing and slowly straightened. She looked him dead in the eye.
"What?"
"I love you." She flew across the room, and launched herself into his arms. He held her so close that she was almost a part of him, and breathed in the scent of her that had lingered so enticingly on his skin. 'Don't mess this up again Draco, how many more times is she going to forgive you?' He thought as he closed his eyes.
"I love you." He repeated
"I love you." She said back, and at that moment his life was so perfect that he could have exploded from the sheer happiness of it.
A sharp pain flashed through his head, and he slammed a hand to his forehead, letting out a scream of pain. He dropped to his knees, and then merciful, blessed unconsciousness flooded across his brain.
Disclaimer: Still own nothing.
Chapter Nine: Shimmering Light
The long passageway was bare and dank, and both Draco and Hermione couldn't wait to get out of there. They slowly approached Lucius' potions room and Draco slid Hermione down his body until her feet touched the floor.
"How do you want to do this?" He asked, concern evident on his face, seeing how exhausted she was already, thinking that she might not make it back across without succumbing to the pain.
"The same way that I did it before, I think. Just.catch me if I fall?"
"Always."
With Draco's reassuring words echoing in her mind, Hermione turned to the ugly room ahead of her and began to psyche herself up for the physical onslaught that she was about to endure. Breathing deeply she filled her body with oxygen, then held her breath as she streaked across the room like lightning. The scream that Draco had been expecting didn't come, and she collapsed onto the stairs opposite him, once again breathing heavily, her eyes squeezed shut, her body trembling like a small animal in distress.
Draco quickly crossed the room after her and knelt on the step by her, peering intently into her face. Her eyes slowly flickered open, and she found herself staring into the most intense gaze she'd ever seen. Their faces were so close together that she could feel his cool breath fanning across her cheek, and she knew that he would feel hers. Hermione's face was pale, and her lips had a bluish tinge to them, and Draco thought that she almost looked like she was dead.
Carefully, so as not to hurt her more than she was hurting already, he pulled her into his lap and cradled her like a child.
"I hate this room," he confessed, "I'm going to block off this passageway as soon as we get back to the main house. I don't want the reminders of my father.
Hermione smiled, and shifted slightly on his lap. Draco looked down at her, and noted that her colour had improved slightly, and she looked able to move now. Slowly, still holding on to her, he stood up.
"Put me down Draco, I'm not an invalid and I want to walk! I'm the doctor around here I'll have you know!" Draco looked sceptical, but put her down all the same. She managed about three steps before her legs trembled and she slumped towards the floor again. He caught her before she hit the floor and made to lift her up again.
"No! I wanna walk!" Hermione sulked like a child.
"Well, you can walk, BUT I'm gonna support you, and I'm not taking no for an answer, it's that or you're being carried." Hermione nodded in agreement and they walked together, with Draco's arm around her waist, gently supporting her.
It took them a long time to reach the top of the stairs walking like that, and when they reached the top, Hermione sank gratefully into one of the large plush chairs by the doorway. Draco strode across the hall and grabbed his wand out of his bag, and walked back across to Hermione. He faced the doorway and began sealing the doorway. It was a long and complex spell, and he felt himself beginning to tire, after the incident in the torture room, maybe his energy levels weren't high enough for a spell like this. Just when he thought that he wasn't going to be able to continue he felt a presence behind him.
Hermione's hand was cool and smooth as she placed it on the back of his neck. Draco was about to yell at her for being out of the chair, when he felt a strange rushing beneath his skin. It was the same feeling that had engulfed him when he was lying on the emergency table at the hospital. He could feel his energy levels rise, and the spell that had been faltering grew strong again. He knew that she was giving him energy that she couldn't afford to lose, and a part of him wanted to kiss her, and a part of him wanted to shake her for being so stupid.
He finished closing the doorway, and turned to Hermione still unsure of how he was going to react. He barely had time to catch her before she fell to the floor, unconscious.
Draco quickly levitated her lifeless body and rushed her upstairs; he raced along the corridors, and lowered her onto the bed in his room. Summoning a house elf, he instructed the creature to bring him several healing potions and energy boosting medicines. The elf seemed to take forever to return as he sat by Hermione's side, watching her chest rise and fall with shallow breaths.
When the elf finally returned, Draco administered the potions and watched as some colour finally returned to her cheeks, and she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Exhausted by the trials of his first day outside the hospital Draco crawled into bed beside her, and fell asleep with the speed of a tired child, snuggled up to the warm body beside him. The house elf, who had been unobtrusively watching his changed master tend to the girl with such care pulled up the covers and went to spread the news about Draco and the new lady master who was already called Angel.
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
When Draco awoke a few hours later, it was already dark outside, and he was alone in his bed. He stretched out as far as he could reach, and then rolled off the bed to go in search of Hermione. He padded into the bathroom adjoining his room and found Hermione brushing her teeth with a toothbrush that looked suspiciously like his.
"Is that my toothbrush?" Draco asked
"Yep." Hermione replied, unconcerned by the horrified look on his face.
"But. but. but that's MINE!! Eeeew, that's so gross, you can't use my toothbrush. Oh that's just great. I'll have to get a new one now." Draco sulked.
"What? Why do you need a new one? I don't have any diseases you know, and may I remind you that this afternoon you had your."
"That's totally different!" Draco interrupted, still sulking. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, and ignoring the evil look he gave her continued to brush her teeth. She swept past him out of the bathroom and laughed to herself as he picked up the toothbrush she had used and threw it into the bin. While Draco transfigured a new toothbrush, Hermione got changed into the dress that the house elves had made her while she was sleeping.
When she had woken up, a clutch of female elves were standing at the end of the bed, giggling and whispering amongst themselves. When she had sat up, they had rushed forwards, and still whispering presented her with a gorgeous white silk dress. They had said something about 'clothes fit for an angel' and scampered off again. The dress was gorgeous, fitting her like a second skin until her waist and then dropping into a long straight skirt that flowed around her ankles like a river. It was pure white, but had a slight shimmer to it that really did make her look like an angel. Hermione had decided to leave her hair down, since she had managed to make it straight, and go barefoot.
As she quickly got into the dress, Hermione wondered what Draco would make of it. It was a bit posh for dinner, but the elves had instructed her to wear it that night, and she didn't want to hurt their feelings. Hermione had walked to the balcony, and was hidden from view as she stood quietly. Draco had walked back into the room, and couldn't see her from where he stood.
"Hermione?" He called quietly
"I'm out here." She called back, and turned to look at him as he stepped out to join her on the balcony. Draco's breath caught in his throat, and he was having trouble moving as he caught sight of Hermione for the first time. She looked amazing, standing there in a dress that he thought should have been illegal.
Her hair was shining in the bright starlight, and it cascaded over her shoulders in a silky torrent. Her skin looked almost translucent it was so pale, and she glowed with an ethereal light. Her dress was so white it hurt his eyes, and every now and then threads caught the light, and shimmered like stars caught in the fabric. A slight halo formed around her head caused by the light coming from the glass ballroom ceiling below, and she truly looked like an angel.
"What time is dinner?" She asked, breaking Draco's awed silence. He cleared his throat and in a slightly husky voice, replied
"Nine. It's half seven now, and I was wondering, do you want to walk around the grounds for a while? If you feel up to it I mean." Hermione smiled, and Draco's heart felt like it was about to explode, and he mentally willed her not to do it again.
"That would be nice." Just as she spoke these words, a snowy white owl flew down to rest on the balcony by Hermione's arm.
"Hedwig!" she said, happy to hear from Harry. She extended her hand towards Hedwig's outstretched leg, and removed the letter that was tied there. She unrolled it, and began to read the letter.
Hermione,
How are you? Everything is fine here, although we're all a bit confused as to what happened in the Forest. It seems that Voldemort is dead, betrayed by one of his own, but I have no idea who. I'm guessing that Malfoy has something to do with this, and I was just writing to ask if he'd got any of his memory back yet? Also, just a warning, be careful Hermione, don't get too involved. We still don't know what happened that night, and I don't think you should place more trust in him than you absolutely have to. Please write back soon, we need all the help we can get
Love forever
Harry
Draco still stood there, watching Hermione's face as it flashed through several emotions as she read the letter. The last was confusion and anguish, and remained on her face as she muttered a spell, and the letter burst into flame and disintegrated. She bent, and whispered something to Hedwig, who promptly flew off in the direction she had come from. She then straightened and looked at Draco. Ignoring the questioning look in his face, she smiled again and walked back into the room.
"Are you coming or what?" Despite the smile on her face, Draco couldn't help but notice that she didn't look as happy as she had done before. He would have given anything to read that letter, but it was too late now. He walked to join her, and offered his arm to Hermione, she took it and together they walked down to the gardens.
The Malfoy gardens were famous throughout the Wizarding World, and there were rumours that unicorns visited on especially beautiful nights. Tonight was one of those nights where everything seems to be so perfect that you don't even want to breathe for fear of ruining it. The stars were so bright that they lit up the gardens like mini floodlights, and seemed close enough to touch. Everything was touched with a light so pure that even the grass glittered like diamonds. The two people stood there for nearly ten minutes entranced by the beauty of the perfect night. The gardens were full of lush, large lawns, and amazing plants and flowers of all colours. There were greenhouses full of exotic flowers, mazes of high hedges, and at the very edge of the grounds, a large lake bordered on the far edge by a thick forest.
Together Draco and Hermione made their way to the lake, and a boat appeared. By some unspoken agreement, the two of them stepped onto the boat and it floated out into the middle of the lake. Hermione stared into the depths of the cold blue water, and when she turned back to look at Draco, he had charmed his clothes into a tuxedo with a plain white shirt and a black bow tie. Together they looked like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, that or an angel and a devil. Looking back towards the house that was lit up like a Christmas tree in the distance, Hermione sighed.
"There are no words to describe this moment. This is one of those times that you know you will remember for the rest of your life, even when sitting in your nursing home when you can barely remember your own name."
Draco said nothing, just sat there staring at Hermione, as she stared at his house. The glow was back, and Draco knew that if he didn't touch her then he was going to die. Very slowly, so as not to attract her attention, he reached out one hand and brushed the skin of her cheek as lightly as a feather. She turned back to face him, and gave one of those heart breaking smiles. He leaned forwards and brushed his lips against hers and pulled away, just an inch to whisper softly.
"Thank you."
"For what?" Hermione asked, moving closer so that when she whispered back, her lips fluttered against his.
"For everything. For saving my life, for coming here with me, for rescuing me, for kissing me, for being alive, for being here now."
Very slowly, the miniscule gap left between them closed, and their lips met in a searing, passionate kiss. All thoughts of the past fled from their minds, and they concentrated on the moment they were in. The boat slowly began to spin around, as if caught in a whirlpool, going faster and faster. As the kiss ended, they were both breathing heavily, smiling at each other. Draco lowered his head, and gently kissed her forehead, trailing kisses down her nose, and across her cheeks. He dropped a swift kiss onto her mouth before continuing on down her neck.
Hermione lifted her head to give him better access to the sensitive spot in the hollow of her throat. A high breathy moan escaped her lips, and she felt Draco smiling against the skin of her neck. His tongue flickered out against the spot where her pulse beat rapidly and Hermione's eyes slid closed. Her arms went around Draco's back, and one hand slid upwards to the back of his neck. Her fingers played with the soft hair that lay against his warm skin.
Draco lifted his head and once again their lips met, but this time the kiss was different. It was more caring, more gentle, with less frantic energy but still full of passion and need. Without even realising it, they had leant against the side of the boat, and were lying flat against the seat, with Draco almost lying on top of Hermione. Noticing this, he sat up when they pulled away, and kissing her one last time gently on the lips.
"We should get back. It's time for dinner and I don't want to hurt the house elves feelings since they spent so much time preparing it." Draco smiled at Hermione's words. 'She's always thinking of other peoples feelings. I wish that I could be that selfless. I can't believe that she's here and she let me.. and that she actually. Life is good.'
Hand in hand they walked back to the house, once the boat had deposited them on the shore of the lake. They entered through the double doors of one of the more luxurious banqueting halls, and saw that there was already food at two of the places on the table. According to tradition, the house elves had place Draco at the head of the table, and Hermione at the foot of the table, meaning that there was at least sixty feet of polished mahogany table between them. Hermione's face fell as she saw the distance between the two places, then stoically walked to her place as Draco walked to his.
The dinner seemed interminable, with seventeen courses followed by coffee. Hermione was so bored by the end of it, she was about to chew off her own arm, just for the entertainment value of it. As the final dishes were cleared away, Draco rose and walked to Hermione's side and bowed deeply.
"May I escort you to the ballroom, Madam?" Draco asked solemnly.
"You may indeed Sir." Replied Hermione, just as seriously although with a flashing light in her eyes that betrayed her.
Arm in arm they walked through to the ballroom, where music was playing softly, arranged no doubt by well meaning house elves. Draco swept Hermione out onto the floor and led her around in a delicate waltz. The music was soothing, and Hermione rested her head on Draco's shoulder and sighed happily. As the song ended, Draco pulled away slightly, and Hermione looked up at him, slightly confused.
"Come with me, there's something I want to show you." Draco said quietly, and led her out of the ballroom, followed by soft strains of music. Once the house elf had mentioned the library, Draco had known that Hermione had to see it. He had carefully steered her clear of it throughout the day, leaving it for a time like this. He conjured up a blindfold and carefully tied it around her eyes, making sure that she couldn't see.
He opened the door, and turned on the lights before turning to the still- blindfolded Hermione. He knew that the room would delight her, and he revelled in the fact that he could do something to make her happy. He carefully reached up and removed the blindfold, and stepped back so that she could see the room. Hermione gasped and stepped forward, one hand slightly raised as if to out over her heart or her open mouth. The room was huge, with high ceilings and a large staircase going up the centre of the room, to give access to the second floor of the books. The second floor was more like a balcony around the inside of the room, giving a perfect view of the glass ceiling high above from the ground floor. (A/N: Think the library from Disney's Beauty and the Beast) There were several ladders positioned around the room, and large comfy looking chairs and sofas, tables and footstools dotted around the room.
All in all, this was Hermione's idea of heaven, and Draco knew it, she whirled around and stared at him.
"How did you know?" she whispered
"Magic." he replied, right before she launched herself into his arms. She hugged him so tight that he thought he was going to break, but he loved the feeling.
"This is so perfect, it's amazing."
"I thought you'd like it! I'm guessing that at least this room of my house gets the Hermione Granger seal of approval, hmm?" He laughed at the look she gave him. "I know, I know, do I even need to ask!" He grinned at her, and she grinned back.
They stayed in the library for a while, chatting and laughing, and Draco marvelled at the pleasure that he gained just from being in her company. The large clock above the fireplace in the library chimed midnight, and Hermione got up from her chair opposite Draco.
"I'm gonna get to bed, it's late and I have to be up early."
"Why?" Draco asked, suddenly worried that she was going to leave in the morning, although she hadn't said anything about leaving.
"I have to go down to the kitchens to thank the elves for the dress and I want to start some kind of medical treatment programme because some of them don't look well at all."
Draco looked up at her with eyes filled with admiration, and pulled her down into his lap. "You always care so much about other people that must be why you're such a fantastic doctor." Hermione blushed, embarrassed by Draco's praise.
"I'm not a fantastic doctor." she denied
"I beg to differ; you always make me feel better." Draco smirked devilishly and bent down to kiss her again. Hermione twisted out of his grip and fled to the door of the library.
"Goodnight Draco."
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Draco was lying in his bed, with the sheets twisted around his lower body, the waistband of his dark blue boxers just visible. His chest was bare and his hair was tousled, as he lay sprawled across his bed, still wide awake after hours of tossing and turning. He got out, and stood at the edge of his bed, straightening his sheets for what seemed the millionth time that night already. Just as he was about to get back into bed, a creak stopped him in his tracks. The door swung open and Hermione stepped in, wearing flannel pyjama bottoms and a white strappy top.
"I can't sleep." She admitted in a lost little girl voice.
"Do you want to come and sleep here?" Draco asked, keeping his voice soothing, although inside he wanted to drop to his knees and plead.
His heart leapt as she nodded, and slowly walked to the opposite edge of the bed. He crawled onto the bed and lay down under the sheets and waited for her to do the same. He felt the edge of the bed dip as she sat down, then saw her swing her legs up on to the bed. She lay down, facing away from him, and he pulled her closer so she was snuggled against his body. She sighed happily and snuggled her head down onto the pillow.
Draco couldn't decide whether or not to try to go to sleep, or to give in to his heart and kiss her. He didn't want to seem like he was expecting something from her, but his very cells were screaming for him to kiss her. She wriggled backwards so that she was pressed more tightly against him, and that made up his mind. He stretched his neck forward slightly and lightly pressed his lips against the back of her neck. When she didn't move away, Draco began to trail hot little kisses down the back of her neck to the first bumps of her spine, then stopped. Hermione rolled towards him, and lifted her face, expecting to be kissed. Never one to leave a lady disappointed, he obliged.
Gradually their kisses became more and more urgent, and Draco slid his hand under the soft cotton of Hermione's top. His fingers brushed the skin of her stomach, and she sucked it in, in an instinctive reaction. He did it again and she laughed against his mouth.
"Cut it out! That tickles." she added by way of explanation. Draco grinned and moved his fingers higher; until he brushed against the underside of her breast then he withdrew his fingers. Hermione pushed her own hand under her top, and guided his fingers back. Draco pressed his lips harder against hers, and she moaned in response, which only made Draco more insistent. Very gently Draco's fingers continued exploring underneath her top, Hermione becoming more and more impatient as time went on. She rolled on top of Draco, feeling him hard and hot underneath her, and pulled off her top. Draco's eyes grew wide as he stared at her.
"I've never seen anybody as beautiful as you." He whispered to her. Hermione felt a little glow of pleasure run through her at his words, she lay down on top of him, loving the feel of his chest against her. Draco, deciding that it was his turn to be on top, rolled her over, catching her gasp of surprise with his mouth as he initiated yet another intense kiss. When he broke away, he trailed kisses down her throat and torturously slowly down her chest and paused to gently blow her right nipple. Hermione moaned and threaded her fingers through his hair, urging his head down. Obeying her unspoken command, he lowered his head to close his hot mouth around her raspberry nipple. 'God she tastes so good' he thought.
Growling, Hermione flipped the pair over again, and mimicking his action trailed her tongue down Draco's throat. He moaned, just as she had, throatily, and ran his hands through her hair; she smiled at this, loving the fact that she could make him as hot as he made her. She licked in a circle around his nipple and blew on the wet trail, making Draco shiver. Climbing off Draco, she knelt by the side of him, and grasped the waistband of his boxers and pulled. He lifted his hips to make her task easier, then settled back down as she pulled them down his thighs and finally tugged them off altogether. She threw them into the corner of the room, and lay down alongside him again.
Draco slid his fingers into the waistband of her pyjamas, and looked her in the eyes, waiting for consent before continuing. She nodded slightly and he pulled down the trousers, leaving her completely naked. They embraced tightly, each loving the feel of skin on skin, the warmth, the softness. They kissed and caressed, learning places that would make the other gasp and moan. Draco could feel himself start to lose control as Hermione wrapped her small soft hand around him and begin to work her way up and down.
He placed his hand over her own, and gently pulled it away, then slowly rolled on top of her, carefully positioning himself. He slid his hand between their two bodies, and gently slid a finger inside her. She was hot and wet, and she seemed so small, so tight that he couldn't see how he was going to fit. His eyes met hers, and once again she nodded, but before he slid into her, he needed one more confirmation.
"Are you sure you want to do this? Even if this isn't your first time, it's probably gonna hurt cos." He trailed off, trying to find a way to put it.
"You're big. I know. I could feel it, even before. I want this. I want you."
Draco didn't need anything more than that, and very gently he began to slide into her. He went slowly, so as not to hurt her more than he had to, but the slow pace was almost killing him, and despite himself, he pushed in hard for the last few inches. She gasped, and he could see the pain in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He muttered, kissing her very gently, using all his willpower to keep from moving until he knew that she was ready. She shifted underneath him, and slowly he started to move and the two began to merge into one soul. Hermione moaned, and Draco increased the speed of his thrusts, her hips moving to match his every move. He already knew that this was the best it had ever been with anybody, and he didn't need any memories to tell him that. Draco could feel Hermione getting close to the edge, and he knew that he was too, he sped up, and Hermione lifted her hips more and he was in deeper than ever. It only took a few more minutes for the two of them to reach their climax together, each calling out the other's name.
Hermione's whole world exploded into shards of coloured light, and she felt peaceful, lapped by waves of golden warmth. She knew then that she loved him, and that nobody else would do. Draco Malfoy was hers and they were meant to be.
He knew at that very instant that he loved her more than anything else in this world, and he would die rather than have her shed one single tear. He collapsed on top of her, too exhausted by sweet pleasure to move, and he didn't want to. He wanted so much to tell her how he felt, but was so scared of the consequences, that he didn't dare. As he lay on top of her, nothing else mattered, only the feel of her skin against his, the silky smoothness of it. He wanted to marry her, have her bear his children, and grow old with him. The knowledge that that could never be ate at his heart like acid. He rolled off her, and pulled her relaxed body against him, her back, against his chest. Luckily for him, she was braver than he was.
"I love you." she said, so quietly that he barely heard her. But he did hear her.
"I don't deserve you." he replied. 'Shit Malfoy. Wrong answer.' he thought as she got out of the bed and walked out of the room. The pain of her walking away hit him like a brick wall. 'Well that was just fantastic wasn't it? That's great. Do you have to fuck up everything in your life?' He raged at himself. 'The woman you love just told you she loves you and you don't say it back?! You idiot.'
Draco could have punched himself. He leapt out of bed and raced after her, he ran into her room, and saw her packing her bag in the corner of the room, tears running down her face. Draco saw those tears and felt lower than the lowest bacteria, 'And to think that I wanted to die rather than see her cry, and now I've caused it.'
"Don't leave." he said quietly
"Why? I need to leave. Please just let me go. I should never have come here."
"Don't leave."
"Why?"
"I love you." She stopped packing and slowly straightened. She looked him dead in the eye.
"What?"
"I love you." She flew across the room, and launched herself into his arms. He held her so close that she was almost a part of him, and breathed in the scent of her that had lingered so enticingly on his skin. 'Don't mess this up again Draco, how many more times is she going to forgive you?' He thought as he closed his eyes.
"I love you." He repeated
"I love you." She said back, and at that moment his life was so perfect that he could have exploded from the sheer happiness of it.
A sharp pain flashed through his head, and he slammed a hand to his forehead, letting out a scream of pain. He dropped to his knees, and then merciful, blessed unconsciousness flooded across his brain.