AN: This chapter gets a bit sexual, so if that makes you uncomfortable and you would rather not read it, feel free to shoot me a PM and I will gladly give you a chapter summary so you're still caught up for next week. Also, I have a lot of stuff happening in my personal life this next week so the next chapter might be a bit late, but I'll be trying to get it out on time. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

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Draco lifted Hermione from the kitchen counter and carried her to his bedroom, only stopping a few times along the way to push her against various pieces of furniture and kiss her. By the time they made it to his bedroom and her feet were firmly on the ground, her face was flushed and her chest was heaving with each breath.

Hermione wanted to explore his room because she believed such a personal space could say a lot about a person, but she was only able to notice soft shades of blues and grays before Draco's lips were pressed to her neck and her eyes fell shut. Her fingers clutched at his shirt and pulled him closer to her, her head tilted back to give him more access to the tender skin beneath her ear. A soft moan slipped past her lips. Reluctantly pulling away from the sinful feeling of his lips, Hermione tried to disguise her erratic breathing by ruffling her hair and kicking off her shoes. Her heart was thundering in her ears.

Draco felt a fierce hunger begin to burn inside him as he watched Hermione and realized the opportunity laid out before him. He had only caught a glimpse of the tattoos he knew were hidden beneath Hermione's clothes, and his fingertips were tingling from the need to strip her down and find them all.

"What?"

Hermione's soft question pulled him from his thoughts, and he smiled. "I am a very lucky man."

She blushed and bit her lower lip, an expression that was unintentionally sinful. The way he was looking at her made her toes curl. Before she could talk herself out of it, Hermione grabbed the hem of her top and pulled it up over her head. Discarding the shirt in the floor, she kept her gaze fixed firmly on Draco's chest, staring intently at the buttons as she felt her courage swiftly leave her.

Draco kept his eyes trained on Hermione's face and made sure they didn't dip lower, despite how badly he wished to look. She was bashful and avoiding his gaze, so he stepped forward, settled his hands on her bare hips, and softly kissed her forehead. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to," he said quietly. "I won't be disappointed or make you leave; we can go back to dinner."

"No," she said with a firm shake of her head. "I want this, I'm just… nervous." She met his gaze despite the blush still burning on her cheeks and tried to smile confidently at him. It was a touch shaky, but he mentally applauded her resolve.

"Are you sure?"

She placed her hands against his chest and rose up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "Yes, I'm sure."

Draco's fingers twitched against her hips. "Can I…" He swallowed thickly and licked at his suddenly dry lips. "Can I see your tattoos?"

A sly grin slowly worked its way onto Hermione's lips. "You really like tattoos, don't you?"

"When they're on someone as beautiful as you," he said with a wink.

Hermione laughed and, feeling much more at ease, stripped off her pants and socks. She stood before him in her underwear feeling a bit more comfortable under his heated gaze now that she knew how enthralled he was by the ink on her skin. She was so grateful that Miranda had talked her into wearing her matching blue set of lingerie, it made her feel confident standing before him. "Do you want me to give you a tour," she asked with a cheeky grin.

"No, love. I think I'll take my time, plot my own course, and you can give me a history lesson on each one." Draco brushed her hair back off her shoulders and traced his fingers gently down her arms. His hand wrapped around her left wrist, and he lifted her arm to closer examine her sleeve. He had seen it before during his very first tattoo appointment, but he still said, "Tell me about this one."

The colorful flowers spread from her wrist up to her bicep where they grew smaller and faded into her skin. Soft shades of orange, purple, red, and white merged into a garden on her skin that framed the magical scarring on her inner forearm, the word 'mudblood' still appearing as a freshly carved wound despite the years that had passed since she had received it.

"It was my first one. Jacob gave it to me. I let him choose the design, but decided to keep the scar as a reminder of what I have conquered." She knew it was a bad idea to say another man's name in Draco's bedroom, but she couldn't resist. The territorial expression that flashed through his eyes was worth it.

"Did he give you all of them?" His voice came out low and gruff, and it spread goosebumps down her arms.

She mutely shook her head and waited for him to pick the next tattoo, her skin tingling as he traced his fingertips over her. Hermione sighed quietly in disappointment when he released her arm.

Draco must have heard her because the smile he gave her was overwhelmingly arrogant. He swiftly unbuttoned his shirt and discarded it into the floor. He kicked off his shoes and ran a hand through his hair. His eyes roved over Hermione's body, looking at her like a gift he was deciding how to unwrap. Brushing his fingers over her ribs, he watched her stomach muscles tighten and a shiver subtly make her body quiver. "I've seen this one before."

Hermione looked down at the names tattooed against her ribs and nodded. His fingers were barely an inch beneath her bra, and she was incredibly aware of how soft his touch was. She wanted him to grab her, to stop being so gentle, to hurry up and stop going so damn slow.

"And this one?" Draco's fingers trailed across the front of her left thigh, and Hermione choked on something that felt suspiciously like a moan. He traced the wing of the phoenix tattooed there, and she tried to keep her thigh muscles from twitching.

"It's for new beginnings and the Order of the Phoenix." Her voice was breathy, and she could feel her heart beating almost painfully hard in her chest. She tried to keep her breathing steady so he wouldn't know how much his touch was affecting her.

He walked behind her and brushed her curls over her right shoulder so he could see that tattoo on the back of her left shoulder. Draco had seen just a glimpse of it the night of Madam Rosmerta's party, but the curiosity of it had stuck with him. He wasn't disappointed.

A snow white wolf stared back at him with piercing blue eyes. Behind it was a misty mountain landscape with a crescent moon hung overhead and dark pine trees growing beneath the wolf. As he watched, the wolf's lips peeled back into a silent snarl, and wispy clouds began to float past the moon.

"Draco," Hermione whispered softly, and the wolf returned to its solemn expression.

"Hold still, darling. I'm not finished yet." He leaned down to place a soft kiss against her back, a breath away from the wolf tattoo, and murmured against her skin, "Tell me about this one."

Hermione swallowed thickly. She had far too many tattoos for them to go through. At this rate, she would lose her sanity before he lost his pants. "Miranda gave me that one when I officially joined White Wolf Designs' staff; she had a matching one on her right shoulder. I put charms on it later so the wolf was expressive and the clouds moved." She exhaled a slow breath and rolled her shoulders to release at least a small bit of the tension in her body. "The runes going down my spine are similar to the ones I gave Luna. Theo actually gave me those. They're charmed for protection, strength, endurance, and healing."

Draco bristled at the idea of Theo seeing Hermione's naked back. He pressed his hand against her back and dragged it down her skin, following the path of the runes from the top of her spine down to the small of her back, just above the waistband of her underwear. He made a frustrated clicking sound with his tongue against his teeth and said, "Theo gave you these."

Hermione tried to answer but the words got stuck in her mouth when she felt the clasp of her bra come undone. The blue lace fell down her arms and into the floor to join the rest of her clothing. She felt Draco's knuckles trace back up her spine, this time unhindered by clothing, and shivered when his hand settled on the back of her neck.

"Merlin, you're beautiful." He breathed the words against the back of her shoulder, and it caused her face to flush. "I want to absolutely devour you."

Her eyes drifted closed as his thumb began massaging the side of her neck. His other hand held her hip firmly and pulled her back against his chest. His skin was deliciously warm against her own, and she sighed as her head lolled back against his shoulder. "Draco."

"One more." He kissed her shoulder in between each word, slowly working his way closer to her ear. "Just one more, love."

His hand slid up from her hip to cup her breast, and she moaned quietly. The sound felt too loud in the silent room, and she started to shy away from him.

"Hermione." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her firmly against his chest. "I want you to be comfortable, and if at any time you get overwhelmed, tell me. We can stop at any time."

Hermione tilted her head up so she could look at him and smiled. "I'm okay. Just… feeling a lot of things."

Draco nodded in understanding and planted a kiss against the top of her head. "What do you need from me?"

She turned around in his arms, her chest pressed tightly against his so he didn't have the chance to see her. She gazed up at him for several moments, admiring his soft hair and sharp features, before she said, "Take off your pants."

His eyebrows raised, and his eyes widened. "Pardon?"

"Take off your pants, Draco. I want to even the field."

Not needing to be told more than twice, Draco took a step back from her and began removing his socks and pants. He tried not to blatantly stare at her chest, but it was quite difficult. He met her gaze and was relieved to find desire burning in her eyes. He let his eyes drift over her body; they lingered on her tattoos and the heat in his core began burning through him. Licking his lips, he asked, "Did I miss any?"

"Just one." Hermione pushed on his shoulders and backed him up until he sat down on the bed. She swatted his hands away when they immediately reached for her breasts and pursed her lips at him. "Patience."

"I have none," he said immediately and reached for her again.

She batted his hands away again and laughed. "Clearly." When he finally braced his hands on the mattress and leaned back, Hermione lifted her right foot and rested it on his thigh. Inked over the arch of her foot was the word 'ohana' in beautiful cursive lettering. It was distinctly muggle and very simple, but it was one of her favorites.

Draco gripped her ankle lightly and furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar word. He wasn't even going to bother pronouncing it. "What does it mean?"

"It means family." She tilted her head to the side and considered him carefully before adding, "Jacob gave me that one, too."

The growl that rumbled in Draco's chest lit a fire in her veins. He grabbed her hips and tossed her on the bed, quickly crawling over her and kissing her before she could catch her breath. He wanted to kiss her until she forgot Jacob's name, until she forgot every name but his own. His hands roamed her body, tracing her full curves and worshiping every inch of her. He felt intoxicated.

Hermione melted into his touch and lost herself in the feel of his skin on hers. Her entire body was attuned to his every movement, and his keen touch left her breathless. She couldn't get enough of him.

The rest of their clothing was discarded in a rush of movement. After checking to make sure she was ready, to which Hermione expressed her impatience, Draco kissed her fiercely and finally slid his cock inside her.

Digging her hands into his hair, Hermione's back arched and her toes curled. She felt as though all of the air had been knocked from her lungs. She moaned his name which earned her a responding groan from Draco.

"Say it again."

She tried to focus on his face, but her eyes fought to roll back into head as his hips picked up their pace.

"Hermione." He slowed to a near stop, and she whimpered. Draco gently grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. "Say my name again."

"Draco," she breathed into his ear, and the shudder that wracked Draco's body was gloriously rewarding. She said his name again and again as he set a swift pace, his hips snapping against hers. She felt that cliff's edge, that precipice rushing towards her. She was so close. "Draco, please."

Finally the tension snapped and she came with a keening sound she'd never heard herself make before. Her back arched, and Draco's hips stuttered as he chased his own release. Their ragged breathing echoed through the room, and he collapsed on top of her.

Her mind drifted, blissfully quiet and aware of nothing but the euphoria coursing through her veins. He slid into bed behind her and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in close. She curled into him and fell asleep in his arms.

The next morning Hermione woke slowly, languidly stretching her limbs and enjoying the feeling of having nowhere to be. Her smile vanished from her face, however, when her hand rested on the cool and, more importantly, empty mattress beside her. She sat up quickly, curls wild and eyes angry.

That son of a bitch.

She was ready to throw back the sheets and make a swift exit when the bedroom door creaked open. In walked Draco, arms laden with the most enormous breakfast tray she had ever seen. Hermione gawked at him. He had to have been up for hours to make that much food. She instantly felt guilty; of course he hadn't left her.

He gave her the most dashing smile as he gingerly set the tray down next to her on the bed. "I didn't know what you liked," he confessed, his smile turning sheepish. "So I made a bit of everything."

"A bit?" she laughed. "I feel like a queen."

"As you should," he said with a wink.

She blushed prettily and began eating. Hermione hummed quietly at how delicious the food was and enjoyed the way Draco's eyes widened slightly at the sound. "So," she said while slowly licking her fingers clean. Draco's cheeks flushed slightly, his eyes transfixed. "What do you want to do today?"

"Whatever your heart desires."

As it turned out, Hermione's heart desired a trip to her tattoo shop. Although he was somewhat disappointed, Draco was not at all surprised.

After finishing their breakfast, and only getting distracted a few times in between, they managed to finally get dressed and apparate to Hermione's flat so she could freshen up. The last thing she needed was to parade around in yesterday's outfit. They then apparated to Diagon Alley and slowly made their way through the streets to Virago.

Draco was keenly aware of the people watching them and tried to keep a bit of distance between Hermione and himself, but every time he would drift away from her, Hermione would walk back up to his side and bump her shoulder against his arm. She was either oblivious to the staring or didn't care, and he was grateful for it.

When they were nearly to her shop, Hermione laced her fingers through Draco's and flashed him a bright smile. "Thanks for coming with me."

He squeezed her hand, despite the suffocating feeling in his chest that told him to walk the other way, and tried to return her smile.

"It doesn't bother me," she said softly. He almost didn't hear the words over the hustle and bustle of the Alley. "They can stare all they like; I couldn't care less."

Draco stared down at her in shock, but Hermione kept walking at a sedate pace with a soft smile on her lips looking for all the world like an average young witch out for a walk with her wizard. "They're probably just jealous," he said. He tried to keep his tone light and unaffected, but the stress of the public eye had his jaw clenching tightly shut, and the words came out rather clipped.

"Jealous?" She peered up at him and frowned. "Of me or you?"

"Both," he answered with a smug expression. "We're easily the most attractive couple in Diagon Alley." He thought he heard her mutter the word 'couple' to herself, but they arrived at Virago's front door before he could mention it.

Hermione opened the door to the shop, and they were immediately greeted by a cacophony of noise inside.

Ginny was racing around the room with her wand, firing spells at a small blur that was darting about the ceiling. Theo was running after her, yelling at her to stow her wand and something about killing his companion. Luna, seemingly unaffected by the chaos, was flipping through one of Hermione's portfolios and signing a rather off-key rendition of a Wicked Sister's song.

Draco blinked at the pandemonium before them and immediately said, "We should go back to my flat before they notice us."

"Hermione," Ginny shouted, much to Draco's disappointment. "You have a blasted pixie in the shop, and Nott won't leave me alone to get rid of it."

"Not a pixie," Luna sang, seamlessly blinding the words into the melody of the song. "He tried to tell you it's not a pixie."

"For Salazar's sake," Theo shouted back at Ginny. "It's just Widget."

Ginny pointed her wand at him this time and demanded, "What the bloody hell is a widget?"

"A hummingbird." Hermione walked into the room, carefully lowered Ginny's wand, and put a comforting hand on Theo's shoulder. "Widget is a hummingbird and a welcome guest in my shop, so please put your wand away."

Theo made a sound of exasperated relief to which Ginny responded with a rather foul gesture.

"Manners, Ginevra," Luna said without looking up from the book.

Draco finally made his way through the room and came to stand beside Luna. He watched Ginny and Theo begin to bicker and Hermione attempt to moderate, and he had the distinct feeling of being back in school and watching a professor lecture rambunctious students. He glanced to Luna and asked, "How long have they been at this?"

Luna glanced up and shrugged. "An hour or so, I think." She looked over to Draco and stared at him for several moments, just long enough to make him squirm. "How was your date?"

He couldn't help the smile that quickly pulled at his lips. "It was good," he tried to say casually. "We had fun."

"I bet you did," Luna said with a sly grin. She bumped her shoulder against his and said, "Good for you. You deserve happiness, Draco."

Draco leaned against the front desk and looked back towards Hermione, trying to hide his smile in the palm of his hand. The feeling that bloomed in his chest just from looking at her scared him. The way she was gesturing as she lectured her two friends, the way her hair was piled haphazardly atop her head, the way her sweater clung to her curves in all the right ways. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

Feeling his eyes on her, Hermione glanced his way and flashed him a smile.

"You two will struggle, there will be obstacles, but it will be worth it," Luna said quietly.

He was fairly certain that Luna was some sort of seer, but before he could ask what she knew, Widget flew over and perched on the hand he had resting on the top of the front desk. The little hummingbird ruffled its feathers and puffed itself up a few times before settling further between Draco's knuckles.

"Traitor," Theo whispered loudly. He looked truly betrayed by the little bird and glared fiercely at Draco. "How dare you."

"Sorry, mate." Draco shrugged and looked anything but apologetic. "I can't help being more likable."

Hermione snorted and said, "I hardly think that's why Widget landed there."

Draco met her gaze and smiled seductively. "Do you think he likes my hands?"

She blushed and quickly looked away, and Draco was pleased to see the way she tried to subtly shift her weight. She was so easy to fluster.

"Get a room," Ginny called loudly which earned her a loud shushing sound from Luna and caused Hermione's face to turn an even darker shade of red.

Theo raised his eyebrows at Draco, as though asking for an explanation, but Draco ignored him in favor of winking at Hermione.

Muttering some excuse about paperwork, Hermione quickly left the room and shut herself in her office.

"Well, that's enough sexual tension for my liking." Ginny glared at Draco as she made her way over to the front desk and grabbed Luna's hand. Dragging Luna from the shop, she called over her shoulder, "Break her heart, and I break your face, Malfoy."

Draco waved cheerfully to the girls as they left and chuckled at the rude gesture Ginny gave him on her way out the door.

"You really have a way with witches," Theo said sarcastically. "It's a wonder Hermione didn't fall for you sooner."

"Sod off." Draco pushed up from the desk and carefully transferred Widget from his hand to Theo's shoulder. "Tell Hermione I'm off to visit Mother, and I'll be back by to see her later."

"I'm not a bloody owl."

Draco patted Theo on the shoulder that wasn't occupied by a bird. "Thanks, mate."

When he had told himself he should visit his mother more often, Draco had not anticipated seeing her three times this week. And yet, there he was, sat down for tea with Narcissa and carefully avoiding her gaze. Narcissa sipped her tea and gazed out over her flowers. She hid her anticipation well, but Draco could see the curiosity lighting her eyes every time she looked at him. He sighed quietly and took a sip of his tea. It did nothing to ease his discomfort. He shifted in his chair but then froze when he heard Narcissa speak.

"It's very unlike you to fidget, darling." The corners of her mouth twitched as she sipped her tea, her silver eyes dancing with amusement. "Something on your mind?"

He sighed again and decided to just get it over with. "You were right," he mumbled into his tea cup. It was his least favorite thing to say, especially to his mother. His pride ached at the gloating smile that came over her face. It wasn't cruel, Narcissa simply enjoyed always being right.

"Draco, I can't understand you when you mumble," she goaded with a sweet smile. "We've talked about this."

Draco sent her a small glare with very little fire behind it which did little to phase her and said again, this time more clearly, "You were right, Mother."

"I was, wasn't I?" She set her empty tea cup down and sent a pointed look between Draco and the tea kettle.

He rolled his eyes at her smug tone and reached to pour her another cup of tea.

"She enjoyed the dinner then?"

Draco fought against the faint blush that tried to rise to his cheeks and kept his gaze carefully fixed on the tea set. "Yes, she did," he lied smoothly. There was no bloody way he was going to explain to his mother why dinner had to be postponed.

But she was his mother and a Slytherin, so she saw right through him. "Draco, it is impolite to lie over tea."

"As opposed to other times?" He smiled apologetically when she frowned at him and said, "We had a wonderful time."

She raised her eyebrows at him and let him squirm a few moments longer, laughing to herself at how easy it was to cause him discomfort. It wasn't every day Draco let his mask slip, and he was exceptionally easy to read this morning. Taking pity on him, she changed the subject. "You should invite her to our Samhuinn dinner."

Draco nearly dropped the milk. "Pardon?"

"Surely you haven't forgotten, Draco. Samhuinn is in only a few weeks, and I plan on having our traditional dinner in the Manor gardens."

"And you want me to invite Hermione?"

Narcissa could see the glimmer of hope in his eyes, hope that she would be so easily accepting of his new relationship with Hermione. Despite her advice and encouragement, Lucius had instilled enough fear in him that Draco had doubted his parents would ever truly accept her, and it filled Narcissa with overwhelming disappointment. She took a moment to truly look at her son. He was relaxed, she could see the stress had faded from the corners of his eyes and been replaced with a genuine happiness that she had been waiting to see returned to his face. His shoulders weren't stiff, as though that seemingly permanent weight upon them had been alleviated just a bit. Perhaps Hermione wasn't the woman she had anticipated Draco finding, after all that Greengrass girl had been quite determined when they were younger, but she would be damned if anyone took that happiness from him again.

Besides, if anyone could keep him in line and match his intellect, it would be that witch.

"Of course I am sure. Your friends have already agreed to attend, although their parents were less than inclined." She paused only a moment, the broken ties between old friends still weighing on her. "I see no reason why we shouldn't invite your new witch as well. It will be just the six of us this year. Dinner will be in the gardens, so there will be no reason for her to go inside the Manor."

Draco smiled gratefully. It wasn't explicitly said, but they both remembered quite clearly what had happened inside their Manor, and they had no doubts that Hermione would be opposed to entering their home any time soon. Neither of them wanted her to relive those memories.

"How are the renovations?"

Narcissa's smile was beautiful and enthusiastic as she began describing the changes she was making to the manor. The grounds themselves would stay the same, especially her gardens, but by the time she was done she expected the inside to look like an entirely new and unrecognizable Manor. He tried to listen patiently as his mother described the difference between the color palettes she had chosen, but his thoughts were entirely occupied by Hermione and when he would see her next.