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: Love Sex and a Bottle of Vodka :
: Chapter Twenty-Four :
Draco was lying there, on the bed, smiling as the sun seemed to dance around his skin. Hermione hummed as she absently twisted her fingers through his flaxen hair.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, glancing down at him. Draco opened an eye.
"Nothing in particular," he said. "It feels so nice that maybe, maybe everything's fine now. I mean, I'm hoping that things will stay fine."
"I know what you mean," Hermione said, laughing a little. She leaned down to kiss his forehead. "But for now, I think I'm content with remembering you." Draco was almost stupefied by the tranquility around him, the absolute bliss of the warmth of sunshine and the feel of Hermione's lips.
"I think I'd go mad if you forgot me," she said, grinning. Draco returned the smile and let his eyes close again, sleepily.
"I think I was going mad," he murmured. With his eyes closed, he wasn't expecting the feel of Hermione's lips again, on the corner of his mouth. He let her kiss him and he felt his own lips curve into a grin. It was absolutely entrancing, being there, in the tranquil forest. Half asleep, it all felt like a dream and Draco supposed that in a way, it was a dream. He languorously shifted his weight to his side and pulled Hermione down until they were lying side by side with their noses nearly touching.
"I missed you, even when I didn't remember you," she whispered. Her eyes were closed and her lashes were golden in the sunlight. They were both nearly half-asleep. Draco kissed each half-halo beneath her eyes. Hermione felt as though in a pool of delicious honey. Each movement was done languidly and seemingly dipped in gold. Draco's fingers moved dexterously until the white shift that Hermione had been wearing was on the forest floor. Hermione smiled at the warmth of the sun on her skin. The white linen sheets beneath her felt deliciously soft and warm. Without thinking or opening her eyes, she traced her fingers against Draco's pale, soft skin and he let her pull off the white tunic.
His lips were against her golden skin, murmuring secrets, tracing a path along her shoulder to her collarbone and back. And then they just lay there, murmuring to each other about the past few weeks, the summer, and everything in between, sometimes just letting their mouths dance with one another. Hermione loved and missed Draco and his pale skin, gleaming in the sun, the way the light filtered through his hair and his thin, red lips. He ran a hand through her curls, scattering pale, pink petals liberally and randomly, as he pleased. Hermione tasted honey in her mouth and on Draco's lips.
He kissed her erratically down her body and Hermione laughed as he kissed her stomach. Draco let his tongue dance on her soft, skin, savoring the sweet taste. He circled her bellybutton and when Hermione pulled him up, gently, he traced a torturous tongue along her jaw to her ear. He was whispering words into her hair and tracing his mouth against her neck.
When they finally moved as one, it was slow and delicious, as sweet and languid as a slice of rich cake in bed on a sunny, Sunday morning. It was playful as they rolled around again and again on the vast bed, laughing and kissing in turn. And they held each other like a still pool. Draco smiled when he felt Hermione's gilded lashes against his cheek. She was tucked underneath his arm as they lay on their backs, letting the sun be their blanket. Hermione nibbled absently on a flower petal.
"Maybe I shouldn't go back," Draco said, with a sly grin. Hermione laughed and shifted her weight to her side so she could balance herself on her arm.
"What do you think will happen when you go back? When we wake up?" Draco opened his eyes and looked at her, as he played with her hair, letting his fingers twist the golden, brown coils.
"We'll probably get into trouble," he said, off-handedly.
"I really don't think we should," Hermione said, smiling. "The procedure worked, didn't it?"
"No thanks to the faculty," Draco said, with a slight snort. Hermione placated him by catching his other hand and kissing the tips of his fingers.
"What else? What do you want in life? We'll graduate from Hogwarts soon enough." Hermione looked at him with sober eyes. Draco regarded her carefully and seriously.
"You," he said, without a doubt in his gray eyes. "But it's not always for certain."
"What?" she asked, bewildered.
"Oh there are plenty of nice, smart boys at Hogwarts. Who knows which one might catch your fancy," Draco said. Hermione searched his face for a bit, and then smiled widely.
"Well then, if that's your worry, you really shouldn't lose any sleep over that." Hermione leaned forward until her lips were nearly touching Draco's own.
"If you want me in your life, I will always be there," she whispered. Draco closed the distance between them. Hermione felt herself growing nearly light-headed with giddiness and pleasure as his tongue danced between her lips and his teeth gently nibbled her bottom lip. He stopped briefly and caught her eyes in his own gray ones.
"And so will I," he said.