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Chapter 10: Figure a way for me to let go

Draco and Hermione entered into their common room. Draco casually walked up to the fire place in the dark before retrieving his wand and flicking it to the center of the room near the fireplace. The fire place lit up within seconds, glaring a bright flash at first, revealing a small table for two with 2 candles and covered plates. Draco pulled back a chair for Hermione to sit in, watching her with the light from the fire dancing on her skin.

"When did you do all this?" Hermione asked curiously, never thinking Draco would ever do something to this extent.

"I have my ways Granger. Don't think much of it."

Hermione sat down looking at the covered plate before her, wondering what was under it. Draco sat down across from her watching as carefully as he could to not distract her from her curiosity over the food. However, she stopped, knowing that he was watching. Hermione looked up at him watching him watching her. Their eyes came in contact, Hermione blush fully looked away still feeling uncomfortable with this all, it was a bit to strange.

"Well, aren't you going to eat?"

"Just waiting until you're ready" she said placing a grin on her face in appreciation of the food before them.

"Well, in that case…" Draco pulled out his wand yet again and levitated the metal plate coverings up into the air and flicked them off to the side, silently.
"Eat up"

Revealed under the plate coverings were mash potatoes with gravy, a nice well done steak alongside of carrots. Hermione looked up with her eyes gleaming; it was one of her favorite meals. How could he have known? It must have been a lucky guess. Hermione picked up a fork and knife and began to cut the meat gently. They ate their food quietly, not knowing whether or not to talk. Draco looked up from his plate and watched her eat, he pulled his wand out under the table, and controlled her hand to place her spoon of mash potatoes in her mouth too a bit too far to the left, where gravy landed onto the corner of her mouth. Draco let out a small laugh before covering his hand coughing. Draco immediately looked down the split second Hermione had looked up.

"What is it?" she asked knowing he was laughing; Draco wasn't very smooth when he did try to cover up his laugh, especially like that. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and stared straight at the still amused Draco.

"Nothing, nothing…" he said softly chuckling himself to being serious.

"Malfoy, I know you're lying to me. Come on. Tell me." Hermione said demanding and irritated. Draco smirked widely knowing the control he had over the situation, which made him confident and strong.

"Alright Granger," he said laughing softly still. He rose up from his seat and walked over to her and bent down to her to be eye to eye. His smile crept from the center of his mouth to the corner. He lifted his hand to where he caressed his hand against her neck and followed his thumb to where the small spot of gravy laid, he swiped it down and looked at her still, wiping his hand off on a napkin before replacing it in the same spot as before, looking into her eyes. "You had some gravy on you"

"MALFOY" she said out loud, pushing his arm back standing up. "You're telling me, I had to force you to tell me what you were giggling at and it was the fact that I had gravy on me? You sniveling little…" before she could finish Draco wrapped his strong arms around her stopping her with a kiss. He knew Hermione would jump up in reaction and that she'd be flustered with the fact that he seemed to let her have the gravy on her face until she was humiliated when she were to get ready for the ball. Which wasn't his plan at all; his plan was to kiss her. What better to receive this when he knew he could annoy her first and be able to take it by surprise?

He kissed her softly for a few seconds before she pulled away.

"You honestly think you could get off that easily? Kissing me to where I don't forget what you were going to pull off?" she said eyeing him carefully.

"Yes" he said smiling wide.

"Well… It worked." Hermione ran back to him where she basically did the pouncing this time to where they landed on top of the sofa, planting a kiss upon his still smiling face. Their kiss hardened. He liked how she took control of him; there he was weak beneath her, giving her all he had in his kissing capabilities. Her grip on his neck strengthened, yearning to be closer than they were. He traveled his hands down caressing her body from her shoulders to the very bottom tips of her waist.

"Granger." He said still using her last name, due to the fact of feeling comfortable and keeping unneeded awkward seconds away. They pulled away from each other; she lifted an eyebrow in response. "We still have dinner to eat." He said smiling.

Hermione got up from being on top of him and straightened her robes out. She paused to see that Draco didn't get up but still was staring at her. Slowly he rose, standing before her again. A small smile came out on Hermione's lips; Draco watched it form completely before looking back into her eyes, locking on, and feeling warmth. His heart beat became rapid. Dinner could wait. He wasn't hungry for food. He was hungry for Hermione.

Draco sighed; Hermione looked back at him in a rush of confusion of what exactly was going on.

"Dinner can wait." He said before wrapping his arms around her small body pulling her up to where he laid her onto the sofa. He planted his weight on his arms which were besides Hermione's shoulders; he looked at her softly as if they were meant to be each other's completely. They smiled at each other before Draco fell down upon her lips kissing her delicately. A few more minutes passed as they kissed slow and fast, soft and hard, rushed and patient. The bell for 7 rang in their room. The ball was an hour away. They stopped kissing knowing that they needed to go and get ready.

"So" Hermione said softly looking back into Draco's eyes, sinking deeper into the sofa.

"So" Draco smiled back, brushing hair out of the way of her right eye.

"I guess we should get ready?"

"I guess so." Draco said not letting her body leave underneath his.

"You're going to have to let me go." she struggled to get up. Draco didn't move and kept his eyes straight on her.

"Maybe"

"Maybe? We'll need to get ready in order to go to the ball."

"Or we could stay here" he said playfully, toying with her.

"We have to go Malfoy." She said giving him a serious face, telling him to really get up.

"That doesn't mean we have to be on time." Draco didn't move still.

"You're a funny one. Let go. We need to get ready."

"Only on one condition Granger."

"Hmm?"

"You figure out a way for me to let you go."

Hermione laughed, Draco was being serious. He wasn't going to let her go. He didn't want to. He wished the world could remain as far away as possible when they were together like this but time was their enemy and it would always defeat them. Hermione had a choice, to play along or to be serious and make him let go.

"Well, your breath smells." She said laughing; making a move to get up before Draco softly restrained her back into the sofa.

"And you're a horrible liar." He said then holding on to her waist tighter.

"You're an ugly ferret." She said lifting an eyebrow as a take that remark.

"Oh come on now, no low blows. Besides, I know that that is a lie as well. It's something that Potter and Weasel would say to attempt to hurt my feelings."

"Malfoy, we really need to get ready."

"Not until you convince me to let you go."

Hermione sighed; he wasn't going to let her go. She neared his face slowly looking into his eyes until they weren't visible clearly and kissed him softly.

"Oh now you just tempt me Granger. That makes me not want to let go." He growled smirking. Hermione laughed he was being stubborn, but it was cute, but she needed to go get ready though.

"Come on Draco, we can play this later, we really need to get ready." Draco let out a fake frown pretending his feelings were hurt.

"I suppose you're right but we have an hour. I won't let go until there is only… 5 minutes left."

"I need more time than just 5 minutes." She laughed out.

"Ok, ok… 7 minutes." He smiled, pulling her closer to him.

She gave up on irresistible his irresistible grip and lied next to him looking into his eyes.

"20 minutes. Nothing less." She said.

"But…"

"No buts Malfoy. Or you'll have to suffer the consequences."

"But…"

"I said no buts"

"But…"

"Argh!" Hermione reached over and begun to tickle Draco, who surprisingly enough squirmed in reaction. He was rather ticklish. She began to enjoy herself. Draco could barely take it, and before he knew it, his grip slipped. Hermione stood up immediately.

"I guess I found a way." She said evilly staring back at him still in the same position on the sofa but with a saddened face.

"Congratulations Granger. But you not only got loose from my grip, but hurt me as well" he pouted while holding a laugh in.

"Aw well isn't that a shame. What will I ever do?"

"You can come back."

"I could but… there's only 40 minutes until the ball and- I ought to get ready."

"But…"

"What did I tell you about those buts?" she winked.

"Bah, fine." He huffed and got up. "I'll meet you downstairs at 8."

"Thank you" she said longingly running over kissing him on the cheek. Draco blushed and turned away to where she couldn't see the redness on his pale cheek.

"Mmhmm" he let out while walking away to his bedroom to change for the ball.