Message in a Bottle
Chapter 17
Weeks passed by and Hermione and Draco's friendship continued to progress. Their feelings for one another grew more and more by the hour and the situation got more awkward for them with each new day.
Hermione received letters from her parents once a week just to check up on her. As Halloween approached, she could feel herself growing anxious. She felt very uneasy, as if something could happen at any moment. Draco told her she was being silly but she could feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was going to happen, good or bad, she wasn't quite sure.
On All Hallows Eve, Hermione and Draco sat in their common room putting finishing touches on the Halloween feast. It was going to be slightly different this year. The theme they had chosen was House Unity. The students would not be sitting according to houses.
The idea was that essentially everyone was to show up in a costume with a mask and when they walked in, they would place their name in a black cauldron. As soon as everyone had arrived, the cauldron would begin splitting everyone up into two groups: boys and girls. Then the cauldron would match everyone with a member of the opposite sex according to compatibility. Then, it would put each couple at tables of eight. The center of the Hall was cleared out and turned into a dance floor and they had booked a muggle DJ to add a different feel to the evening.
Yes, they had gone all out for this. Draco had actually done most of the planning. He wanted to allow Hermione to just relax and have fun...have fun with him. A night that would allow her to rest, forget all her worries. Halloween would be that night.
"You still haven't told me your costume, Miss Granger," Draco mentioned as he continued to write down the names of all the students on small pieces of paper. The students were to find their names on a table outside the Great Hall and then throw the paper into the Cauldron. It was neat and organized, just the way Hermione liked it.
"I know! I want to see if you can figure out who I am. You're going to have to try to find me in the massive hordes of people!"
It might not be that hard. We MIGHT be partnered up together. I happen to believe we'd be very compatible."
"Not this again, Draco..."
"Of course this again! Come on! I don't get it. I fancy you. You fancy me. What's preventing you from just giving in?"
Over the past weeks, several times had Draco asked her our and every time, she said no but gave no explanation to her response.
"We have a ball to prepare for, Draco. Let's not get distracted here!" She continued checking off her party check list making sure everything would be perfect.
"Fine. Have it your way." He reached over and kissed her cheek , showing that there were no hard feelings. In the next second, he stood up and left to go get ready for the ball.
--- --- --- ---
Up in her room, she sat in the center of her bed with silent tears falling down her face. She was unhappy with herself. Draco had asked her out countless times and she had found countless reasons to say no but every time, they just kept becoming more and more ridicules. I'm not ready for a relatiohsip...too many responsibilities as it is...he's almost as emotionally unstable as I am...He's a Malfoy...he's been known to be a womanizer...we're better as friends...I don't date blonds...
But none of these reasons could take away the fact that she was falling for him. The more time she spent with him, the deeper she fell. He wasn't the kind to baby her. He didn't treat her like glass as if at any moment she could shatter. There was no sympathy in his actions. He treated her as he would anyone, but with a little more respect.
She could see it in his eyes. He respected her and he empathized with her. They had gone through traumatic experiences. It was only fitting that they empathize with each other.
She used him as her rock. They went to school and when they came back, she would vent out all her frustrations. It was helpful because she would tell him her problems and he would tell her that she was being stupid. "Petty problems," he would call it. "You've been through worse. Stop whining."
She knew he didn't mean it rudely. It was his way of saying, "Keep your head up. You'll be all right." He just wasn't good at being sympathetic.
But it helped her. When she got frustrated because Snape ignored her raised hand, she'd take a look at one of the many different scars on her body and think, Compared to HIM, Snape looks to be as kind as Dumbledore.
Pushing her thoughts aside, she hurriedly got dressed in her costume. The white cloth went over her figure easily, looking almost like a toga. Then she took golden rope and tied it in a beautiful pattern around her entire midsection.
With a simple spell said, her long brown hair became even longer and fell in lovely gorgeous curls. She put on a golden crown and natural colored makeup.
Ah...Aphrodite...Goddess of Love
She made sure to put on a string of pearls around her neck and a pair of simplistic sandals. Draco will go crazy for this! Though she wasn't sure that that was what she so desired, she continued making herself look perfect until she was sure she was done. Then, she went down to the ball.
--- --- --- ---
As names were spit out of the cauldron, everyone listened carefully for their names and the names of their friends. Many couples were to be expected and it wound up being that hardly any Slytherin and Gryffindors sat together.
The other houses were all mixed evenly, which made Hermione jump for joy. She watched Harry and Ron get paired up with a couple of really sweet girls, one from Hufflepuff and the other from Ravenclaw. And they were also seated at the same table as each other. Ron seemed to be ecstatic with his date but the look on Harry's face told her he wouldn't be enjoying himself much that evening.
Harry and Ron had come as Batman and Robin. They wanted to make fun of the fact that everyone always called Ron Harry's sidekick.
--- --- --- ---
The cauldron spat out two names at a time and would stop after eight names had been spat out. That was how the tables were organized. Draco sat wringing his hands together, hoping to be put with SOMEONE he liked. He knew it was highly unlikely considering the cauldron had yet to couple a Slytherin and Gryffindor together.
Almost everyone had received a seating arrangement except for the last either people. The next two names spat out were Geena Thompson and Ralph Arden: Slytherins. Next were Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson...Slytherins. Adamn Johnson and Alina Miles were next and they too were Slytherins. It was obvious that Slytherins were most compatible with themselves.
This left Hermione and Draco. She looked at him and smiled. He had come as a Greek warrior, his helmet covering his face for the most part. He looked brave and handsome. Oh yes, he did look good. She wished so badly that she could take off his helmet and run her hands through his soft blond locks but she resisted her temptaion.
She followed him to their table and whispered softly, "I thought the cauldron would mix it up better," as she sat down next to her date.
"It mixed it up to the best of its ability. It's hard to find a Slytherin and a Gryffindor with common interests. By the way, I love your costume. You look absolutely smashing." He picked up her hands and brought it up to his lips.
"Don't make fun, Draco. I like my costume. I happen to believe that this is a wonderful idea for a costume and I don't care what you say." She hate when he used sarcasm but something told her he wasn't joking this time.
"Let's get the introductions going, shall we?" he said after staring at her beauty for a few moments and finally deciding to change the subject. "Guy," he said, addressing the whole table. "This is Hermione, the head girl."
They all looked slightly upset that a Gryffindor was ruining their perfect table but they knew that if Draco accepted her, so should they.
A girl with long blonde hair approached Hermione timidly. "Hi. I'm Geena," she announced, seeming much like a first year. "And this is Ralph...my boyfriend."
"They're in love," Draco interrupted, pretending to be completely and utterly disgusted. "I guess the cauldron knew what is was doing."
"Hi, Hermione! I'm Alina," another girl said. She was tall and had short black hair and her eyes shone a bright green color. A Slytherin through and through. "This is my 'date' for the evening," she said while rolling her eyes. "His name is Adam but he's insignificant. Pay no attention to him."
"HEY!" Adam shouted as they got into an argument, bickering with one another, shooting insults back and forth.
"Fight like cats and dogs, these two do," Draco explained. "They've never gotten along since...well they went out in third year but he cheated on her with our dear sweet Pansy Parkinson, who happens to be one of my friends for whatever reason, and so Alina dumped him and since then, not a single kind word has been exchanged but we all know that they're in love. It's obvious the way they fight so much. I've always believed that it's a fine line between love and hate. They remind me a lot of us..."
"Hermione, oh my goodness! Your hair is so wonderful! Did you do it yourself? The ball is so lovely. The cauldron set me up with Neville and I'm at a table with Ron and Harry!" Ginny Weasley barged in on Draco's moment and he was fuming.
"Excuse me, little miss I'm-a-Gryffindor-Pureblood-yet-I-have-no-money-to-even-buy-a-decent-Halloween-costume, can't you see that Hermione and I were in the middle of a conversation?" Hermione shot him a look that almost made him feel remorseful...almost. Really he was just so damn angry.
"Stop being a wanker, Malfoy," Ginny retaliated. "Are you at a table of all Slytherins?" she asked Hermione. "Oh dear. I pity you for having to spend so much time with a pompous prick like that."
"I don't mind, Gin," Hermione reminded her, angry to have her two friends fighting. "Listen, how 'bout we talk later. You go have fun with Neville. Enjoy yourself. Just give me an in depth explanation of everything tomorrow. Ok?"
In exasperation, Ginny shrugged and walked off giving Draco dirty glares. "I wish you would try to get along with my friends," Hermione said to him with a sigh. "You don't see me insulting yours!"
"That's because my friends just welcomed you! Why would you insult them? Alina and Geena don't send YOU death glares!"
"And that's only because you're Draco Malfoy and they're afraid of upsetting you. All Slytherins just keep their mouths shut when it comes to you."
"Well why can't you make your stupid Gryffindor friends do the same? I'm sick of them treating me like dirt and then you yelling at ME for returning the favor!"
"I only yell at YOU because it is you who provokes them! If only you would just treat them as if they were human beings and NOT the scum of the Earth!"
"I have no reason to do that!"
"You could do it for me!"
"You can't ask this of me! Your friends and I do not get along! Why can't you deal with that? I've accepted the fact that you and Pansy will never even be acquaintances... you should do the same with me and your pals."
"Draco..."
"No. That's it. End of discussion. Now I'm upset and you're upset and it's time to dance so we can lighten the mood. Let's go!" Before she could protest, he whisked her away.
"It's not even like I'm asking you to be friends with them," she continued as their feet moved in time with the music. "Just stop insulting them every time you see them."
"I want to change the subject."
"No."
"But..."
"No."
"Hermione..." Before he could say anything else, he noticed a huge crowd of Slytherins gathered in one corner. He recognized all of them, all of their families being affiliated with the Dark Lord. He also noticed that Blaise was the center of the group and every so often, the group shot Hermione and Draco suspicious looks.
"I told you I had a bad feeling about tonight" Hermione said, not even looking at the Slytherin crowd. "Something is about to happen. I feel it."
"I fear you may be right," he responded, never allowing his eyes to drift from the group that had began their approach.
Blaise led them to where Hermione and Draco were dancing on the dance floor. Everyone else at the ball was too busy having fun to notice.
"Forgive us, My Lady," Blaise said. "We didn't know." All the Slytherins bowed their heads in what appeared to be respect. "We were blind to your heritage but we see now. If you need anything, anything at all, let us know."
They all walked away as if it had never happened and Draco nearly laughed. "See? My friends worship you!" he choked out as she sacked his arm with little force.
"That's only because they know who my father is," She was dazing out, staring off into space. She was brought back when the music ended. "Draco, could you do me a favor and take me back upstairs? I don't want to be here any longer." She was feeling very uncomfortable with all the stares she was getting.
"Of course," he replied. "Let's go." He took her hand and led her out of the great Hall and all the way up to the Head Tower. Once they got there, Draco took her in an embrace after noticing that she had begun to cry. "It's okay," he said. "Being worshipped isn't THAT bad." She laughed at this. "Ah...a smile. Good. Now what do you say to you and I putting on some music and continuing that dance?"
"Okay," she said while crying her eyes. "But first I'd like to thank you for being such a huge help to me."
"You're welcome."
"No, silly. I haven't thanked you yet!"
"Huh?"
She raised herself up to stand on her tiptoes and pulled his face down to meet with hers. It was a soft, tender kiss. The heat of her mouth warmed him through and through. they pulled apart as she whispered, "Thank you."
"It is I who should be thanking you! I've dreamt of that kiss for so long. I won't deny that I want you."
"As I do you. I've made excuses before, Draco, stupid excuses. I think that really I was just struggling to let go of the past but I don't want to dwell on that anymore. I have feelings for you, strong feelings."
"Careful, Hermione. You're starting to sound mushy," he joked as he pulled her body close to his and captured her lips within his own.
"I want tonight to be sweet, Draco," she told him, taking his hand and leading him up to her room. She waved her wand and candles were hovering in mid air circling the bed. "I read a book once that said when two wizards make love, they can make it be magical in a literal sense. A simple spell said can heighten every pleasurable moment. It'll also make sure I don't get pregnant. It's like an all in one spell."
"You read too much."
"True."
"You're sure you want this?" he asked her, taking a look around the romantic room. "I'm not going to ask again. Once you say yes, there's no going back. I won't want to stop."
"I do know what I'm doing, Draco."
"Good." His callused hands lifted her small frame up and laid her down on the bed. "I know the spell. I've read about it as well." he finally said. "It requires both of us to say it while I'm inside of you."
"What are we waiting for then?" she said coyly, taking off his costume armor while he began on her robes. They each took their time stripping each other. He wanted to make sure she wasn't going to suddenly freak out and subconsciously associate this with Riley.
When they were both naked, Hermione looked at him and it was a good feeling this time that sat in her stomach. She wasn't ashamed to let him see her and she was glad he let her see him. The scars on his body stood out fiercely and she almost flinched.
"Remember, Hermione," he said after seeing her sympathy spring forward. "That which does not kill us."
"Right. I know. I'm sorry." He laid down on his back as she took the opportunity to straddle him. She placed her lips on his lips and then allowed her kisses to travel further south, down his chest. Her tongue traced every scar that she came across and he shivered at the warmth. It was at that moment that he truly questioned why she was able to do this. He had always heard that victims of rape always had a hard time recovering. Why was she okay?
It didn't matter much though as her lips reached back for his once more. He flipped her over and settled himself at her entrance. "Brace yourself."
He slid into her and they began to chant a spell that did more than either of them knew.
A/N...I'm sooo sorry for the long wait. I've been trying so hard. I hope it was worth it. Please read and review. By the way, I'm having Draco still call her Granger on occasion...some bad habits just never die.
Chapter 17
Weeks passed by and Hermione and Draco's friendship continued to progress. Their feelings for one another grew more and more by the hour and the situation got more awkward for them with each new day.
Hermione received letters from her parents once a week just to check up on her. As Halloween approached, she could feel herself growing anxious. She felt very uneasy, as if something could happen at any moment. Draco told her she was being silly but she could feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was going to happen, good or bad, she wasn't quite sure.
On All Hallows Eve, Hermione and Draco sat in their common room putting finishing touches on the Halloween feast. It was going to be slightly different this year. The theme they had chosen was House Unity. The students would not be sitting according to houses.
The idea was that essentially everyone was to show up in a costume with a mask and when they walked in, they would place their name in a black cauldron. As soon as everyone had arrived, the cauldron would begin splitting everyone up into two groups: boys and girls. Then the cauldron would match everyone with a member of the opposite sex according to compatibility. Then, it would put each couple at tables of eight. The center of the Hall was cleared out and turned into a dance floor and they had booked a muggle DJ to add a different feel to the evening.
Yes, they had gone all out for this. Draco had actually done most of the planning. He wanted to allow Hermione to just relax and have fun...have fun with him. A night that would allow her to rest, forget all her worries. Halloween would be that night.
"You still haven't told me your costume, Miss Granger," Draco mentioned as he continued to write down the names of all the students on small pieces of paper. The students were to find their names on a table outside the Great Hall and then throw the paper into the Cauldron. It was neat and organized, just the way Hermione liked it.
"I know! I want to see if you can figure out who I am. You're going to have to try to find me in the massive hordes of people!"
It might not be that hard. We MIGHT be partnered up together. I happen to believe we'd be very compatible."
"Not this again, Draco..."
"Of course this again! Come on! I don't get it. I fancy you. You fancy me. What's preventing you from just giving in?"
Over the past weeks, several times had Draco asked her our and every time, she said no but gave no explanation to her response.
"We have a ball to prepare for, Draco. Let's not get distracted here!" She continued checking off her party check list making sure everything would be perfect.
"Fine. Have it your way." He reached over and kissed her cheek , showing that there were no hard feelings. In the next second, he stood up and left to go get ready for the ball.
--- --- --- ---
Up in her room, she sat in the center of her bed with silent tears falling down her face. She was unhappy with herself. Draco had asked her out countless times and she had found countless reasons to say no but every time, they just kept becoming more and more ridicules. I'm not ready for a relatiohsip...too many responsibilities as it is...he's almost as emotionally unstable as I am...He's a Malfoy...he's been known to be a womanizer...we're better as friends...I don't date blonds...
But none of these reasons could take away the fact that she was falling for him. The more time she spent with him, the deeper she fell. He wasn't the kind to baby her. He didn't treat her like glass as if at any moment she could shatter. There was no sympathy in his actions. He treated her as he would anyone, but with a little more respect.
She could see it in his eyes. He respected her and he empathized with her. They had gone through traumatic experiences. It was only fitting that they empathize with each other.
She used him as her rock. They went to school and when they came back, she would vent out all her frustrations. It was helpful because she would tell him her problems and he would tell her that she was being stupid. "Petty problems," he would call it. "You've been through worse. Stop whining."
She knew he didn't mean it rudely. It was his way of saying, "Keep your head up. You'll be all right." He just wasn't good at being sympathetic.
But it helped her. When she got frustrated because Snape ignored her raised hand, she'd take a look at one of the many different scars on her body and think, Compared to HIM, Snape looks to be as kind as Dumbledore.
Pushing her thoughts aside, she hurriedly got dressed in her costume. The white cloth went over her figure easily, looking almost like a toga. Then she took golden rope and tied it in a beautiful pattern around her entire midsection.
With a simple spell said, her long brown hair became even longer and fell in lovely gorgeous curls. She put on a golden crown and natural colored makeup.
Ah...Aphrodite...Goddess of Love
She made sure to put on a string of pearls around her neck and a pair of simplistic sandals. Draco will go crazy for this! Though she wasn't sure that that was what she so desired, she continued making herself look perfect until she was sure she was done. Then, she went down to the ball.
--- --- --- ---
As names were spit out of the cauldron, everyone listened carefully for their names and the names of their friends. Many couples were to be expected and it wound up being that hardly any Slytherin and Gryffindors sat together.
The other houses were all mixed evenly, which made Hermione jump for joy. She watched Harry and Ron get paired up with a couple of really sweet girls, one from Hufflepuff and the other from Ravenclaw. And they were also seated at the same table as each other. Ron seemed to be ecstatic with his date but the look on Harry's face told her he wouldn't be enjoying himself much that evening.
Harry and Ron had come as Batman and Robin. They wanted to make fun of the fact that everyone always called Ron Harry's sidekick.
--- --- --- ---
The cauldron spat out two names at a time and would stop after eight names had been spat out. That was how the tables were organized. Draco sat wringing his hands together, hoping to be put with SOMEONE he liked. He knew it was highly unlikely considering the cauldron had yet to couple a Slytherin and Gryffindor together.
Almost everyone had received a seating arrangement except for the last either people. The next two names spat out were Geena Thompson and Ralph Arden: Slytherins. Next were Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson...Slytherins. Adamn Johnson and Alina Miles were next and they too were Slytherins. It was obvious that Slytherins were most compatible with themselves.
This left Hermione and Draco. She looked at him and smiled. He had come as a Greek warrior, his helmet covering his face for the most part. He looked brave and handsome. Oh yes, he did look good. She wished so badly that she could take off his helmet and run her hands through his soft blond locks but she resisted her temptaion.
She followed him to their table and whispered softly, "I thought the cauldron would mix it up better," as she sat down next to her date.
"It mixed it up to the best of its ability. It's hard to find a Slytherin and a Gryffindor with common interests. By the way, I love your costume. You look absolutely smashing." He picked up her hands and brought it up to his lips.
"Don't make fun, Draco. I like my costume. I happen to believe that this is a wonderful idea for a costume and I don't care what you say." She hate when he used sarcasm but something told her he wasn't joking this time.
"Let's get the introductions going, shall we?" he said after staring at her beauty for a few moments and finally deciding to change the subject. "Guy," he said, addressing the whole table. "This is Hermione, the head girl."
They all looked slightly upset that a Gryffindor was ruining their perfect table but they knew that if Draco accepted her, so should they.
A girl with long blonde hair approached Hermione timidly. "Hi. I'm Geena," she announced, seeming much like a first year. "And this is Ralph...my boyfriend."
"They're in love," Draco interrupted, pretending to be completely and utterly disgusted. "I guess the cauldron knew what is was doing."
"Hi, Hermione! I'm Alina," another girl said. She was tall and had short black hair and her eyes shone a bright green color. A Slytherin through and through. "This is my 'date' for the evening," she said while rolling her eyes. "His name is Adam but he's insignificant. Pay no attention to him."
"HEY!" Adam shouted as they got into an argument, bickering with one another, shooting insults back and forth.
"Fight like cats and dogs, these two do," Draco explained. "They've never gotten along since...well they went out in third year but he cheated on her with our dear sweet Pansy Parkinson, who happens to be one of my friends for whatever reason, and so Alina dumped him and since then, not a single kind word has been exchanged but we all know that they're in love. It's obvious the way they fight so much. I've always believed that it's a fine line between love and hate. They remind me a lot of us..."
"Hermione, oh my goodness! Your hair is so wonderful! Did you do it yourself? The ball is so lovely. The cauldron set me up with Neville and I'm at a table with Ron and Harry!" Ginny Weasley barged in on Draco's moment and he was fuming.
"Excuse me, little miss I'm-a-Gryffindor-Pureblood-yet-I-have-no-money-to-even-buy-a-decent-Halloween-costume, can't you see that Hermione and I were in the middle of a conversation?" Hermione shot him a look that almost made him feel remorseful...almost. Really he was just so damn angry.
"Stop being a wanker, Malfoy," Ginny retaliated. "Are you at a table of all Slytherins?" she asked Hermione. "Oh dear. I pity you for having to spend so much time with a pompous prick like that."
"I don't mind, Gin," Hermione reminded her, angry to have her two friends fighting. "Listen, how 'bout we talk later. You go have fun with Neville. Enjoy yourself. Just give me an in depth explanation of everything tomorrow. Ok?"
In exasperation, Ginny shrugged and walked off giving Draco dirty glares. "I wish you would try to get along with my friends," Hermione said to him with a sigh. "You don't see me insulting yours!"
"That's because my friends just welcomed you! Why would you insult them? Alina and Geena don't send YOU death glares!"
"And that's only because you're Draco Malfoy and they're afraid of upsetting you. All Slytherins just keep their mouths shut when it comes to you."
"Well why can't you make your stupid Gryffindor friends do the same? I'm sick of them treating me like dirt and then you yelling at ME for returning the favor!"
"I only yell at YOU because it is you who provokes them! If only you would just treat them as if they were human beings and NOT the scum of the Earth!"
"I have no reason to do that!"
"You could do it for me!"
"You can't ask this of me! Your friends and I do not get along! Why can't you deal with that? I've accepted the fact that you and Pansy will never even be acquaintances... you should do the same with me and your pals."
"Draco..."
"No. That's it. End of discussion. Now I'm upset and you're upset and it's time to dance so we can lighten the mood. Let's go!" Before she could protest, he whisked her away.
"It's not even like I'm asking you to be friends with them," she continued as their feet moved in time with the music. "Just stop insulting them every time you see them."
"I want to change the subject."
"No."
"But..."
"No."
"Hermione..." Before he could say anything else, he noticed a huge crowd of Slytherins gathered in one corner. He recognized all of them, all of their families being affiliated with the Dark Lord. He also noticed that Blaise was the center of the group and every so often, the group shot Hermione and Draco suspicious looks.
"I told you I had a bad feeling about tonight" Hermione said, not even looking at the Slytherin crowd. "Something is about to happen. I feel it."
"I fear you may be right," he responded, never allowing his eyes to drift from the group that had began their approach.
Blaise led them to where Hermione and Draco were dancing on the dance floor. Everyone else at the ball was too busy having fun to notice.
"Forgive us, My Lady," Blaise said. "We didn't know." All the Slytherins bowed their heads in what appeared to be respect. "We were blind to your heritage but we see now. If you need anything, anything at all, let us know."
They all walked away as if it had never happened and Draco nearly laughed. "See? My friends worship you!" he choked out as she sacked his arm with little force.
"That's only because they know who my father is," She was dazing out, staring off into space. She was brought back when the music ended. "Draco, could you do me a favor and take me back upstairs? I don't want to be here any longer." She was feeling very uncomfortable with all the stares she was getting.
"Of course," he replied. "Let's go." He took her hand and led her out of the great Hall and all the way up to the Head Tower. Once they got there, Draco took her in an embrace after noticing that she had begun to cry. "It's okay," he said. "Being worshipped isn't THAT bad." She laughed at this. "Ah...a smile. Good. Now what do you say to you and I putting on some music and continuing that dance?"
"Okay," she said while crying her eyes. "But first I'd like to thank you for being such a huge help to me."
"You're welcome."
"No, silly. I haven't thanked you yet!"
"Huh?"
She raised herself up to stand on her tiptoes and pulled his face down to meet with hers. It was a soft, tender kiss. The heat of her mouth warmed him through and through. they pulled apart as she whispered, "Thank you."
"It is I who should be thanking you! I've dreamt of that kiss for so long. I won't deny that I want you."
"As I do you. I've made excuses before, Draco, stupid excuses. I think that really I was just struggling to let go of the past but I don't want to dwell on that anymore. I have feelings for you, strong feelings."
"Careful, Hermione. You're starting to sound mushy," he joked as he pulled her body close to his and captured her lips within his own.
"I want tonight to be sweet, Draco," she told him, taking his hand and leading him up to her room. She waved her wand and candles were hovering in mid air circling the bed. "I read a book once that said when two wizards make love, they can make it be magical in a literal sense. A simple spell said can heighten every pleasurable moment. It'll also make sure I don't get pregnant. It's like an all in one spell."
"You read too much."
"True."
"You're sure you want this?" he asked her, taking a look around the romantic room. "I'm not going to ask again. Once you say yes, there's no going back. I won't want to stop."
"I do know what I'm doing, Draco."
"Good." His callused hands lifted her small frame up and laid her down on the bed. "I know the spell. I've read about it as well." he finally said. "It requires both of us to say it while I'm inside of you."
"What are we waiting for then?" she said coyly, taking off his costume armor while he began on her robes. They each took their time stripping each other. He wanted to make sure she wasn't going to suddenly freak out and subconsciously associate this with Riley.
When they were both naked, Hermione looked at him and it was a good feeling this time that sat in her stomach. She wasn't ashamed to let him see her and she was glad he let her see him. The scars on his body stood out fiercely and she almost flinched.
"Remember, Hermione," he said after seeing her sympathy spring forward. "That which does not kill us."
"Right. I know. I'm sorry." He laid down on his back as she took the opportunity to straddle him. She placed her lips on his lips and then allowed her kisses to travel further south, down his chest. Her tongue traced every scar that she came across and he shivered at the warmth. It was at that moment that he truly questioned why she was able to do this. He had always heard that victims of rape always had a hard time recovering. Why was she okay?
It didn't matter much though as her lips reached back for his once more. He flipped her over and settled himself at her entrance. "Brace yourself."
He slid into her and they began to chant a spell that did more than either of them knew.
A/N...I'm sooo sorry for the long wait. I've been trying so hard. I hope it was worth it. Please read and review. By the way, I'm having Draco still call her Granger on occasion...some bad habits just never die.
