Chapter Eight
A/N-The title of this chapter meant a lot to me. I hope you like it!
Her Seeker
As the days passed by Hermione began to enjoy their late night rounds together. They shared embarrassing childhood stories and even snuck off to the pitch for a quick flight occasionally. Hermione was getting more and more comfortable on a broom and continuously thanked Draco for it. They hadn't kissed again since that night on the pitch. Hermione had mixed feelings about it. She didn't want to jeopardize Draco's safety nor her own so she settled for the shower of hugs and affection he gave her.
It was a snowy afternoon.In the Great Hall Hermione was talking with Ginny about the upcoming Christmas ball. When the owls flew overhead, Hermione barely noticed one swooping down to deliver a letter to her. She picked it up casually and continued to discuss the ball decorations with Ginny. Suddenly her face went pale white when she looked at the envelope. "Hermione….Hermione are you alright?"
Hermione forced a smile and nodded. "Fine. It's from Viktor….He's supposed to come and visit me this weekend in Hogsmeade. I almost forgot. I can't believe I almost forgot."
Hermione rubbed her temples with her fingers as her heart began to pound. She had been so distracted by her wonderful time with Draco that she had completely forgotten what Viktor was expecting to happen that weekend. The students bustled out of the Great Hall as Hermione walked out in a daze still holding the unopened letter. She was wandering in the corridor when she was startled by a flashing pop. "Hi Hermione!"
Hermione rubbed her eyes and squinted. "Oh hello Collin."
"I'm doing a bit on our Head Boy and Girl. Seeing how you have to dance together at the ball." Collin said casually.
Hermione shook her head. "What? Oh yes well it is tradition."
Collin shrugged. "See you later Hermione. Thanks for the picture!"
He waved and walked passed her. As Hermione began to walk away she felt someone's hands grasp her arms and guide her to an alcove. Draco waved his hand in front of her glazed eyes. "You got a letter." Hermione nodded. "What did it say?" She shrugged. "You haven't opened it yet have you?" She shook her head. She handed it to Draco and covered her eyes in anticipation. He sighed and crumpled the letter. "Tonight at the Three Broomsticks." Draco kicked the wall. "You don't have to do this Granger!"
Hermione wiped a tear from her eye but then looked up quickly. "Collin….I'll just ask Collin. I forgot about him too. I only have a few hours….I'll see you later."
She tried to leave but Draco pulled her back. "You're going to choose Creevey?"
"What other choice do I have? I'm running out of time and if-"
"If I have to spell it out for you then never mind." Draco sighed as he realized Hermione was barely listening. She appeared to be deep in thought. "Obviously I haven't changed anything in that thick head of yours." Draco spat his words hurtfully. "I can just see it now." He began to mock Collin's voice. "So tell me how it feels at this moment…Now this moment. Tell me and my interested readers what you like best about this experience. You don't mind if I take a few pictures do you?"
Hermione smacked him hard in the arm. "That's not fair!" She stormed out of the alcove.
"You're making a mistake Granger! Please don't do this!" He yelled as she stomped away. Hours passed by as Hermione wandered through the halls in a panic. Of course she didn't want Collin Creevey to be her first! As she stopped to lean against the wall she placed her hands inside the pockets of her jeans. When she did so she felt a piece of parchment inside. She wondered where it came from and then realized that she hadn't worn those particular jeans since the Quidditch match that Viktor attended. She smiled remembering how Draco had signed it for her outside the stands.
As she opened it she gasped at the words he had written.
As of now, I don't deserve you.
But give me time and I will prove my worthiness.
-Your Seeker
Hermione placed a hand on her heart and sighed deeply. Her stomach flipped as she folded up the parchment carefully. She took off in a run to his dormitory. She got lost along the way but then caught sight of Blaise walking alone. "Blaise!"
He turned and walked over to her. "What are you doing down here?"
She panted as she spoke. "I need to find Malfoy. I can't remember how to get to his dormitory."
"This way. I just saw him head towards it." He said as he led her down a familiar corridor. When they stopped Hermione smiled. "You're going to have to knock…He's never told anyone the password."
Hermione nodded. "Thank you Blaise." She watched him walk away and breathed deeply. When she knew he was gone she whispered. "Fire and Ice."
The portrait swung open and she stepped inside. She found him lying on his bed staring at the ceiling with an angry expression. He noticed her walk in and sat up quickly. "Are you alright?"
Hermione started to cry tears of confusion, delight, and anticipation. "No…I'm not."
Draco walked to her and led her to his bed. "Sit down….What happened?"
Hermione wiped her eyes and spoke hoarsely. "All this time…It's been right in front of me. You said it yourself. I'm blind. I can't see things right in front of me. I didn't even realize."
Draco hugged her. "Hey, hey. Why are you so upset? What are you talking about?"
Hermione shook her head as she removed the parchment from her jeans pocket. "You Draco."
Draco shifted back slightly at the sound of his name on her lips. He smiled and shut his eyes. "Say that again…" He opened his eyes and grasped her hand moving it to his chest. "Please Hermione."
Her heart jumped into her throat as he whispered her name for the first time. "You are the most romantic and thoughtful person I have ever met Draco. No one has ever treated me as well as you have." Draco raised an eyebrow as she laughed. "Well at least this year."
"Why are you telling me this?" He asked ashe played with her hands nervously.
"Because I need you to know. The things you have made me feel in these past few months are things I never thought I'd come close to my entire lifetime. Your kiss makes me melt. Your touch makes me shiver. When you look it at me I feel it deep in the pit of my stomach. You make me feel special Draco. I feel safe and protected when I'm with you. I know you would never hurt me."
Draco sighed shyly. "What happened to having that guard up? Have you forgotten what I told you in the beginning?"
Hermione laughed. "I'm starting to realize that having my guard up was more for your protection than my own. You didn't trust yourself. But I trust you and that's all that matters."
Draco stroked her cheek with his hand. "I wish it was enough." He kissed her lips softly and then hugged her.
Hermione gave a confused look. "What?"
"Trust Hermione. Trust isn't enough."
"It is enough. But that's not the only thing that's going on here. I'm the one who doesn't deserve you Draco. I'm not worthy of you."
Draco embraced her tightly. "That's outrageous. You are the most perfect creature I have ever laid eyes on. It just took me seven years to figure that out. But I realized something. I was angry at you for being beautiful because I wasn't allowed to notice. I hated you for being smarter than me because that is something that I've always wanted in a girl. I despised you for knowing what a self centered bully I am. I hated that you were always wrapped up in Potter or Weasley and never noticed me. I despised the fact that I had my pick of any girl at this school and the one I wanted, didn't want me and even if she did I wasn't allowed to have her. I've been given everything in life. But the one thing I truly wanted was you, Hermione. I just didn't know it until our first day back."
Hermione gaped at his honest and tender words. "Thank you…Thank you for telling me that. I don't know what else to say."
Draco smiled and kissed her softly. "I love that I can make even you speechless."
She laughed and bit her bottom lip nervously. Draco lunged at her playfully and kissed her. "I told you that drives me crazy didn't I?"
"I'm sorry!" She said as she ran her hand through his hair. They stared at each other with shy smiles for a several minutes. Hermione sighed deeply and stood. "I should go. I just needed to see you before….Well before I go. Thank you for telling me how you felt. It meant the world to me." She headed for his door and smiled weakly. "So much for silly ideas huh?"
Draco bolted off the bed and pulled her into a passionate kiss. He pulled away and panted heavily. "You're not going anywhere."
Hermione panicked. "But I have to go! I can't just not show up!…..He'll kill me Draco!"
Draco kissed her again and whispered. "You'll go….But not until you're ready." He guided her over to his bed and lay her down gently. He crawled on top of her and kissed her neck. He whispered into her ear as she played with his hair. "I can protect you from him. You won't ever have to see him again. Let me protect you."
Hermione stopped moving her hands and looked at Draco seriously. "No one can protect me from him….He's a monster."
Draco sighed. "You've always underestimated me. Don't you remember me telling you that you don't know what I'm capable of? Viktor Krum is a bloody pixie compared to the things I've had to deal with in my life."
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "You know what? I don't want to talk about Viktor right now. Viktor has nothing to do with why I came here."
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"
Hermione sat up and crossed her arms. "I'm sure you think I came here to convince you to be my first so that Viktor doesn't get the satisfaction. But honestly, I had almost forgotten about him since you took me flying that day. That day you replaced my book." She blushed as she thought about it. "You've had me so wrapped up in a fairy tale that I overlooked the fact that I am in a terribly abusive and cruel relationship. All I've been able to think about is you. All my free time has been spent with you. I dream about how you kiss me and the way you make me feel when you look at me. In my naive and twisted mind, I actually pictured us together with no obstacles ahead of us. I let myself begin to believe that you were my real boyfriend and that Viktor was just some terrible nightmare. But that all came crashing down when I received his letter. I have to be honest….I don't think I could have actually gone through with it. Choosing someone so quickly just to beat Viktor for once. As much as I wanted it to be, it wasn't me. I would have just ended up embarrassing myself and ruining a perfectly good friendship with someone. I'm so lucky you kept trying to interfere."
Draco whispered as he traced his finger over her lips. "I just didn't want you to get hurt. You've been through so much already."
"I know. You've done so much for me." Hermione said as she kissed him gently.
"Have you always wanted to wait until you get married Hermione?" He asked as he stroked her cheek.
"No, of course not! I only said it to Viktor hoping that he would leave me alone. I've always pictured my first time with someone that treats me with respect and tenderness. Who knows when I will be married? As long as it's special…It will be the right time for me." Draco kissed her softly and smiled. Hermione whispered. "I promise this has nothing to do with what is to take place later tonight….I want you to be the first person to make love to me Draco. You're my Seeker." Draco tried to respond but Hermione interrupted. "Even if you don't want to now. I'll go as planned and give Viktor what he's after…..but it won't be me in that room…In that bed. I'll be off in my own little world running through a field of all the tulips you have given me. I'll be there with you instead. But I'll wait for you Draco. As long as it takes, I'll wait for you to give me my true and special first time. Some day you'll realize that this was meant to be."
Draco pressed his lips together and pondered her words. "You don't realize how much I care for you do you? Do you honestly think I would just to let you waltz out of here to him once you've just given yourself to me?"
Hermione placed her finger over his lips. "You can't think about that! That's not important!"
"Maybe not to you! But to me it's everything! You're everything!"
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Draco please. Please be here with me…Be here with what's going on right now. We can't worry about what's to come. I'm begging you to listen to me. I've never wanted anything more in my life than you right now. I mean it when I say that if you don't want to do this with me at this moment that I will still hold a piece of myself for you for when you're ready. When I walk out that door and go to him, nothing will have changed the way I feel about you. I've realized that I don't care if he takes my virginity. All I care about is knowing that one day, you'll make love to me."
Draco blushed and lowered his head. He whispered softly. "I've never done that before."
Hermione smiled softly and raised his head with her hand. "What haven't you done before?"
"Made love." He said as he pulled her onto his lap.
Hermione sighed as he nuzzled her neck. "See, there's a first for everything my handsome Seeker."
Draco laughed. "I guess there is."
Hermione kissed him deeply and shifted her body to stand. As she stood she felt him grab her hips and pull her back down on top of him. He whispered softly. "Stay with me Hermione. Be with me." She began to move against him as she nibbled on his ear. He groaned in arousal as she tugged at his belt. He flipped her over and unbuttoned her shirt. He smiled as he looked down upon her petite but shapely body. He kissed her breasts while he removed her skirt. Hermione sighed nervously. He stopped and smiled. "Are you okay?"
She pulled his lips to hers. "I've never been better." He chuckled and tossed her skirt onto the floor. He removed his shirt and then took off her panties. He placed his hand on her knee and then slowly slid it down between her thighs. She moaned at his touch and arched her back. He replaced his hand with his lips causing Hermione to gasp and moan louder. After a few minutes, her head was whirling as his mouth caused an unfamiliar sensation to wash over her entire body. She screamed his name as she shuddered and jolted. He kissed her belly button and then her breasts again. He stood and grinned as he removed his pants and boxers. The sight of him made Hermione cheeks redden. She reached for him as he lay on top of her.
As he moved slowly inside of her Hermione gasped in shock but then saw a flash of light and an image of him smiling at her inside her head. He moved in deeper. Another flash of him handing her tulips. Hermione grabbed his hair in her hands as he thrust inside her again. A flash of him wrapping his arms around her as they sat on a bench. He began to move more rapidly as Hermione muttered in agreement. She saw him scribble on her parchment and hand it back shyly. He kissed her as she dug her fingernails into his shoulders. Her favorite book on his nightstand glinted before her. She nibbled on his ear. An image of them flying into the sunset flashed quickly. Draco kissed her neck and grasped her hand. The reflection in her head now revealed him kissing her in the cold, dark, snow.
As the minutes passed by, Hermione enjoyed the feeling of him deep inside her and the memories of his justified worthiness flickering through her mind. She listened intently to how he was breathing. A rhythm she had never heard him make before. She liked how strongly he was holding her hand as he had always held it so gently before. Hermione breathed in the mixture of his familiar scent, sweat, and herself on his lips. She loved the way he moved inside her. It's as if he knew exactly what felt right to her. She felt herself beginning to feel quite dizzy and sensitive. The faster and deeper he went the more she pushed against him welcoming his thrusts. She didn't want him to stop. She wanted him to stay inside her forever. She shouted his name as she was washed over with pleasure. He climaxed with her.
As his movements slowed and his breathing became more controlled, Hermione let a tear escape her eye. She couldn't remember a time when she was more sure of a decision she had made. She had just experienced in her eyes, the most special moment in her entire life. Draco rolled on his side and kissed her hand. He had a serious expression as he ran his fingers over her chest. "Please don't go."
Hermione smiled and sighed. "You know I have to."
"Let me go with you….Please?" Draco pleaded.
Hermione laughed. "I don't think Viktor's into that sort of thing."
"Ha ha…Very funny. You know what I mean. Let me end this all tonight. You won't have to worry about him anymore." Draco spoke seriously.
Hermione shook her head. "Don't do this Draco. Please don't do this."
Draco turned over and sat up sternly. Hermione wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed his neck. His stiff composure softened at her touch as he turned to face her. "I'll ask you one more time. Please let me protect you."
Hermione whispered. "You can't."
Draco nodded and walked into the bathroom. Hermione quickly got dressed. She waited for a few minutes for him to come out but he didn't. She walked to the door and knocked on it timidly. "Draco…Are you okay?"
He had his hands resting on the sink as he looked into the mirror. "No Hermione, I'm not. Nothing about this is okay."
"You knew I had to go no matter what! I have to go Draco!…..Draco? Well if you're still listening…I-I…." She began to whisper. "Nevermind. Goodbye."
She left his dormitory and took off into a run towards her room to freshen up before she met Viktor.
A/N-Ooooooh! Angry, angry readers! Furious readers! Going to give me a piece of your mind are you? Please don't tie me up next to Viktor! I'm begging you! QUESTION: Do you think the T rating is okay with the love scene? Should I move it up? Now, I have almost finished the next chapter...I'm afraid I may be getting close to writer's block...I have some ideas for the ending which is coming very soon. I may not update for a few days. You understand right? No? Oh dear...
-Jill
