Chapter 27

The N.E.W.T.S

The N.E.W.T.S were finally upon them and everyone was on nerve. Especially since Hermione, Harry and Ron needed high marks since they all planed on becoming Aurors and begging their training that summer. Ginny planned to keep her distance from them as much as possible during those next few long days. The trio was also excited but a little nervous about joining the Order of the Phoenix officially as soon as they were done with Hogwarts.

One afternoon after a prefect's meeting Hermione decided to go talk to Dumbledore about the plans they had decided on for the End of Seventh Year Ball and get his approval on them. Draco didn't really find a need to go so he decided to stay in the common room and study. Hermione knew that he felt uncomfortable around Dumbledore. She assumed it was because Dumbledore had a knack at seeing right though people and Draco was probably afraid of that and afraid of Dumbledore himself. "He should be!" Hermione thought to herself.

"Gum Gushers" Hermione said when she had arrived to the familiar statue of a Griffin that blocked the entrance of the Head masters office. It started to move revealing the moving spiral staircase. Hermione stepped up onto a stair and rode it to the top. She stepped off and walked to the door to Dumbledore's office and knocked. The door opened by itself letting her into the room.

Dumbledore was talking to a portrait of a man. They laughed then Dumbledore turned his attention to Hermione with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes.

"Ah Miss Granger, what can I do for you? He said in an obvious good mood.

"I wanted to go over the plans for the Ball with you, if you had the time." Hermione replied.

"Oh of course of course, please have a seat." Dumbledore said.

Hermione sat and went over the plans of the Ball and double checked on the group United still being able to perform. Soon all the details were approved. Hermione was about to ask him about the book she had found but didn't because she figured that if they needed to know or if he knew something that he would tell them. She was listening to him talk about how he would like to meet with her, Ron and Harry after all the tests were over when she noticed something on his desk. Hermione slightly squinted her eyes to better focus on it. Sure enough there lying on Professor Dumbledore's desk was one of Fred and George's Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes products that he attempted to hide under some papers. He noticed that she saw it and started to mumble as he tried to better hide it but gave up for she had already seen it.

"So what does it do?" Hermione asked genuinely curious as she leaned forward in her chair. This seemed to excite Dumbledore for he quickly grabbed it and walked around the desk to show her. She also stood up to get a closer look.

"I'm not quite sure. It is a secret compartment of some sort that expands when opened."

"How does it open?"

"I have not yet discovered the manner of opening it. All I know is that there is a trick to it."

Hermione and Dumbledore both began trying to open it by rapping and prodding on it. Both of their faces were inches from it when it exploded. Hermione looked over at Dumbledore who was removing his glasses revealing the only clean spot on his face. His white hair of his beard and head were now black with soot and shot out at odd angles, his robes shredded at the ends. Hermione looked like a coal miner and her hair too was filled with the greasy soot and her robes were the same as his.

"Fascinating!" Dumbledore chuckled. "Well it appears that that is not the way to open it."

Hermione looked down and noticed a label that had now begun to peel off. She opened it the rest of the way and found the instructions as well as the penalties for trying to break into it that were designed as an anti-theft system. She removed it and handed it to Dumbledore.

"Good thing we didn't press the issue further," he said after reading the instructions. "After the explosion warning, the next warning is a lovely shade of violet that would discolor us for a week."

"Pretty," Hermione feigned.

"Well yes, but my aren't these things interesting," Dumbledore replied.

"Yes… well I think that I should be off so I can tend to my appearance. Certainly can't show up for dinner looking like this now can I?" Hermione said with a mixture of lightheartedness and displeasure.

"Oh yes it is about that time isn't it? Well I also should clean up as well." Dumbledore said as he walked back around his deck and placed the small compartment in one of his desk drawers.

"Well see you later Professor."

"Well off you go then, good bye Miss Granger and please do inform Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter of the meeting." Dumbledore said the he raised his hand to her.

"I will good bye." Hermione said and walked out of the door and shut it behind her.

As Hermione walked though the halls some students noticed her appearance. Hermione just smiled and nodded although she felt extremely uncomfortable. She even got some laughs from some of the portraits. By the time she got to the portrait to her common room she was more than a little annoyed. Mr. and Mrs. Albany could tell she was so tell didn't ask her what had happened but only opened the door as soon as she mumbled the password.

Draco was sitting in one of the chairs reading a book and looked to his left and saw the way she looked. He just stared at her and watched her as she continued to walk past the chair he was in and then the couch. He didn't really know what to say. She remained quiet holding her head up as she continued towards the bathroom then shut the door gently behind her. Draco sat there not really sure if he should go in there and find out if she was okay and what had happened. He just decided to wait until she was done with the bathroom then ask her. "Yeah I think that is safe." Draco told himself. He closed the book and set it down on his lap and waited for her to emerge from the bathroom.

Finally after several minutes she emerged with a towel in her hair and one wrapped around her body.

"So is everything alright?" Draco asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I am fine it was something that Professor Dumbledore had that we messed with it and apparently in a way we weren't supposed to and it blew up at us. It seems that there were directions that came with it only we didn't see them and well… well you saw." Hermione explained.

"So why were you the way you were when you came back?" Draco asked

"I was fine until I started to walk back here from his office. Everyone who had seen me was staring and I know they wanted to laugh. The portraits however did laugh as they pointed!" Hermione said as she crossed her arms.

"Well it was defiantly as sight." Draco said trying not to laugh at the memory.

"Well I am glad we didn't press on with the attempt to open it for if we did we would have been violet for a week. That would have been even better. I am going to get dressed so we can head down for dinner." Hermione said as she headed to the bedroom.

"Pitty." Draco said disappointedly. Hermione just threw him a smile as she went in the room.

When she came out they headed down to the Great hall for dinner.

Hermione and Draco woke up on the final day of their tests not really wanting to get out of bed. They both had a really nice night of sleep. Draco rolled over and started to pull at the strap of her top.

"So you wanna have a go before we are off to finish with our tests?" Draco asked.

"Oh not right now I am too anxious. Maybe when we are finished and have all that out of the way we can celebrate tonight." Hermione suggested.

"Okay… tonight we celebrate." Draco said sounding disappointed at first.

They got up and readied for the day and then headed off to finish their testing.

The end of the tests had finally come. Harry, Ron and Neville seemed to be the most excited out of all of them. Hermione however was saddened by the fact that they were over not just for that year but for they were completely done at Hogwarts.

"They are finally over! We are done!" Harry joyfully yelled.

"No more Snape! No more Potions! No more tests or classes! Well from here anyway, we are free!" Ron chimed in.

"I for one am glad of that. I do think that I did well though. How about you mates?" Neville asked.

"I know I did well, with all that studying I best have!" Ron answered.

"Yeah, me too! Hey Hermione you've been rather quiet." Harry said.

"Well I know I did well on the tests, but it's all over. The tests, the classes, and being here at Hogwarts. It's sad."

"Well I don't know about the first two, but yeah it is kind of sad that we are about to leave Hogwarts and not return next year for another term." Added Ron.

"Yeah, it did go by rather quickly if you think about it." Harry said.

"Honestly I for one thought that it took forever." Neville said. They laughed at this because they remembered all that the poor boy went through.

Hermione returned to her room and spent the rest of the afternoon before heading to dinner with Draco who seemed in a way distant Hermione pretty much knows why. When dinnertime arrived they headed down to the Great Hall.

Hermione sat down with her friends and they talked about the Ball for the next evening. They worked out their plans and Ginny asked Hermione if she would stay the next night in the girls' dorm for one last night together at Hogwarts. Hermione accepted, feeling kind of bad about leaving Draco by himself on the last night there at Hogwarts. She would make it up to him that night she thought.

After dinner Hermione and Draco met back in their common room. Although Hermione had already taken a shower she still wore her uniform. She figured that in a few days she wouldn't be able to wear it again so she would wear it while she still could. Hermione went to the bedroom to take off her shoes, as did Draco. After she took them off she stood and looked at him as he stepped closer to her.

He leaned down and kissed her gently as he ran his hands along her jaw, her neck then through her hair. Keeping one hand in her hair behind her head he slipped his other arm around her waist and guided her to the bed. He smoothly laid her down and climbed on top of her, then pulled up sitting on his knees as she remained in the same position. She closed her eyes at the soft feeling of his touch as he ran his fingertips along the inner and outer parts of her legs. He leaned down and caressed a spot right above the inner part of her knee with his mouth. She shuddered at the sensation. He ran his hands along the silky soft surface of her thighs under her skirt and gripped his hands around her pelvis then running them back down to her knees. She watched his face as he was torturing himself by holding back from just devouring her. He didn't want to rush he wanted to take it slow, to remember it always as she was right then, and to remember the way he felt as he looked at her and how he felt when he was with her with his eyes closed. He wanted to remember forever how she loved him and in all the ways she showed it. He wanted her to remember how he loved her always. He looked into her eyes, "They are so beautiful." Draco thought to himself.

Hermione sat up not breaking eye contact and put one hand on his bicep and the other behind his head sliding her fingers in his hair and pulled him into a soft kiss. He rested one hand on her thigh and put the other hand on her cheek and gently brushed it and pushed her hair back behind her ear. She pulled back then started to slowly undo his shirt and pushed it over his shoulders and down his arms. Then she glided her hands along his chest and then stated to remove his belt. He laid her back down on the bed and started to unzip the back of her skirt then pulled it down around her hips then removed it completely from her body.

Soon they had nothing on and he once again was on his knees as she lay on the bed. They just eyed the others body imprinting the image into their minds. He lay on top of her and ran one hand along her body as he rested the other next to her face. They enveloped their lips as they moved against the others body melting into and absorbing the other.

"I love you." Draco said tenderly placing his forehead against hers.

"And I you." Hermione returned as they stared deep into the others gaze. She closed her eyes as he started to kiss her once again.

It was late as they lay in bed in each other's arms as Draco listened to Hermione talk about all the things that she was planning and going to do. He was proud of her for going after what she wanted and how she worked hard to get there. He secretly wished he could be more like her. He loved to just lie there and listen to her talk; he wished he could hold her like that forever. Soon Hermione feel asleep, but Draco however found it difficult to sleep that night.

A/N: Well here is the next chapter. I know I said 15 and it is 14 but you guys are still reviewing on the other chapters too, so this is a thank you chapter. Thank you so much I will answer questions and stuff in the next chapter I just wanted to get this out to you. So see ya in 15 reviews! Keep r/r:)