p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-size: medium;"It was late as they walked hand in hand through the dimly lit streets of Paris. Hermione leaned close to Draco, her head resting against his arm as he squeezed his hand around hers. She felt like she physically could not be close enough to him. It was a strange feeling, one that she never expected to find, especially with him. There was nothing about them that she could have ever expected. As the night had gone on, she could not even wrap her head around the feelings that had flooded through her, lingering even in the darkest recesses of her body. In the quiet moments, it was hard to stay present and keep her mind from racing to overanalyze every second of their unconventional relationship. Being with him came so easy he was effortless to be around. That was a lot to wrap her mind around it. This was all so easy. How was this so easy? Was there a catch? Another squeeze of Draco's hand on hers brought her mind back to the moment. It was almost like he could tell, maybe he could. br /br /They eventually made it back to the wizarding part of the city, even there the streets were quiet. It must have been even later than she thought. She had absolutely no concept of how long they had been out. For once she did not plan a single thing, she was just allowed to go along for the ride. She always planned everything, and it made the night that much more memorable. Finally, their walk came to an end as they approached the hotel, knowing their pleasant stroll would end as soon as they reached their room. Then what? She had not allowed her brain to go there. What happens now? Will there be expectations from either one of them? Will it just be like any of the nights they had shared before this? How could it? Draco must have sensed the spiral because he stopped, right in front of the hotel. He cupped her face softly, pulling her gaze up to meet his own. br /br /"You okay?" He whispered looking slightly concerned. br /br /"I am," she nodded /br /Draco's finger gently brushed against her cheek before he pulled her in for one soft kiss. Then he led her into the grand hotel, his hand wrapped hers as they made their way up to their room. Their room. Not hers, not his, theirs. She took a purposeful breath as she rested her head back on his arm as they wandered through the corridor leading to their room. What was the point of letting her head run wild with every variable that could happen once they were alone together? To say that this was uncharted waters was an immense understatement. She was nervous and excited all at the same time. It felt like an eternity before they finally reached the large double doors leading into their suite. br /br /The room felt still as they walked inside; it was like walking into a life that did not exist anymore. At the same time, the room was filled to the brim with possibilities of all that night had to offer. Draco turned her around to face him once again. br /br /"Go get changed into something comfy, I'll make us a drink." His hand finally left hers for what felt like the first time in forever. She missed his hand on hers /br /She nodded and disappeared into the bathroom where she had left her bag. She had not planned on spending the night here but thankfully she had packed her favorite oversize jumper and a trusty pair of flannel shorts. The jumper was much longer than the shorts, but she did not feel so naked with them on. She let her pinned hair down and ran her fingers through it as her curls began to spring up through all the product that had tamed them for the evening. She took a moment to take a good look at herself in the mirror before taking a deep breath and walking out to see where Draco was. br /br /Their eyes met as Hermione walked out from the arched entrance to the bedroom. Draco stood in the sitting area with two mugs, his mouth was slightly agape. His shirt was half untucked, and the top few buttons had been unbuttoned. The silver moonlight that filtered through the windows made his pale features glimmer. She smiled softly as she made her way over to him, trying to hold her mind back and just live in the moment. He handed her a mug of what smelled like spiked hot chocolate, she cupped it in both hands letting the warmth from the mug radiate through her. The silence sat between them, making it clear of each other's uncertainty. Uncharted waters indeed. br /br /"So, was tonight okay?" Draco finally asked, breaking the silence. br /br /"Tonight, was really wonderful," Hermione smiled back, unable to hold back the grin that has spread across her lips. br /br /"I'm glad," Draco smiled back at her. Finding his striding in the unfamiliar terrain. br /br /He took a deep drink before putting his mug down and sitting down on the love seat his arm out inviting her in. Her smile grew as she cuddled up at his side, her mug still grasped in both hands. She would be fine as long as she had a drink in her hands. He kissed her softly on the forehead as they cuddled close. They settled into a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's closeness. How many nights had they found comfort in each other's arms? Plenty, but something was different now. Her heart raced just waiting to see what would happen next. Was this it? Or was he feeling the same feelings that were welling up inside of her? It was all so new, would either of them be bold enough to continue to push the boundaries of their relationship? Had they pushed them enough for one day? Then it finally hit her, there was no going back now. They had already crossed that line. Would they be brave enough to accept it?br /br /"What are we doing?" she finally blurted out, looking up at him. Her drink was once again creeping in, making her braver and bolder. br /br /"We are unwinding after a wonderful night," Draco replied without missing a beat. Her face must have said it all because he quickly retorted, "Unless," he grinned slyly. "You have already overanalyzed tonight and are needing some kind of spoken parameter, so you know where we stand."br /br /He was not wrong, which was both impressive and infuriating at the same time. Once again, her face conveyed her feelings before her lips could. His grin widened as his face moved up to brush her face. br /br /"Well I guess that leaves me no choice," he said matter-of-factly. "Granger, I have feelings for you. Real… legitimate... feelings. If I had not made that obvious at this point," he laughed softly through his grin before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on her lips. "And I think that you share those feelings," he said as he pulled his lips away from her. br /br /"And if I do?" she asked softly. br /br /"Then you get to decide what parameters that you are comfortable with. Knowing how precarious of a situation our friendship was, I don't mind if we take our time figuring this out. We don't have to dive right into the deep end." He ran his fingers through her curls as he spoke, and she melted a little bit more. br /br /"Alright then," she said before taking a deep breath and smiling back at him. "Agreed." Her words barely had time to leave her lips before they found his. br /br /Draco pulled her closer while their kiss deepened. It did not take long before all the feelings that had been welling up in her finally found their way to the surface. She egged him on, the tension and excitement bubbling to the surface. Before she knew it, he had pulled her onto his lap, his lips kissing her feverishly. The heat between them was reaching a boiling point, much quicker than she had anticipated. Her mind did not have time to keep up with her emotions and she gave over to what she was feeling. They finally pulled apart; their breathing heavy as their eyes locked on each other's silently agreeing to what was coming next. Their lips found each other again before Draco scooped her up in his arms, holding her tight as he carried her into the bedroom. Their lips continued to reach for each other like their lips were the air they needed to breathe. Draco placed her on the bed softly and they both knew that there was no going back now. br /br /…br /br /The sun was just beginning to creep through the curtains, Hermione's eyes drinking in Draco. He was still peacefully asleep, his shirt strewn over the footboard, leaving his torso fully exposed. He was in good shape, his skin littered with old scars. What could have scared him up so badly? They laced over his torso and his arms, just under where his shirt normally hid. They were different from the deep scaring from him trying in vain to remove his dark mark. Idly she allowed her fingers to trace over his back, following the pattern of scaring. br /br /"You can thank Potter for those," Draco spoke playfully as he rolled over to meet Hermione's /br /"These are from sixth year, aren't they?" she asked almost ashamed. br /br /"Snape patched me up the best he could," he smiled softly as he reached for her pulling her into his arms. br /br /"I'm so sorry," she said softly as she laid his head on his chest. br /br /"You have nothing to be sorry for," he replied as he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Besides none of that would have happened if I hadn't been such a coward."br /br /"He would have killed you, he would have killed your family," she retorted. Sitting up so she could look into his silver eyes. br /br /"Blame it on the self-preservation but if it would have been you, you would have died first. Not that my aunt didn't try to see to that." He seemed far away, his memories hiding behind his /br /"Well, I'm glad that you didn't die. Even if you were a prat." She smiled kissing him /br /"I'm glad you didn't either, even though I was too afraid to save you," his voice was still remorseful. br /br /"Well, would you save me now?"br /br /"In a heartbeat," he smiled squeezing her hand that was resting on his chest. br /br /"That's all that matters going forward," she cooed before laying her head back on his chest. Her hand laced softly with his as she cuddled close to him. br /br /It was so nice to have the tension between them/span/p
p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 100%;"span style="font-size: medium;"out of the way. Now they could see where this was going to go. As unbelievable as their relationship seemed, it felt so incredibly right. br /br /They laid in bed awhile longer, cuddled up under the covers before Draco finally rolled out of bed. He was stunning standing there, with only his boxers covering him up. Her eyes drank in his figure as he reached over to grab his shirt off where it landed last night. He must have felt her eyes as he shot her a sinfully playful smile as he buttoned a few of the buttons on his shirt. br /br /"Hungry? I'm going to order breakfast up," he asked before his gaze left her eyes and made its way down her /br /"I could eat," she smiled softly. br /br /As much as she wanted to stay in this bed all day, she knew that at some point she would have to get up. Her hand searched for her discarded jumper, finally finding it, tossed carelessly onto the floor. She pulled it on as she got out of bed trailing after him into the main area of their suite. Draco's eyes watched her as she made her way across the room, a sly smile creeping onto her lips as she finally approached him. He had just finished sending their room service order as his arms reached out to her. She let him pull her into him, embracing him as he pulled her into a hug. All she could do was savor the moment, the warmth of his body against hers and the smell of his cologne lingering on his shirt. She breathed him in, trying to commit every detail of this moment to memory. Eventually one of his hands moved up, brushing her hair away from her forehead so his lips could take their place. His forehead kisses were possibly one of the most comforting actions she had ever experienced. br /br /Draco carefully scooped her up into his arms, carrying her over to the plush love seat, sitting down with her still in their embrace. She knew that once they left the safety of their retreat that these moments would be precious gifts. Something told her that Draco must have been feeling something similar as they cuddled as closely as they possibly could. Time seemed to almost standstill, lost in the comfort of his arms until a knock on the door shattered the silence that had rested so comfortable around them. Her eyes darted up, and an unintentional sigh escaping from her pursed lips. Draco's lips once again met her forehead as he carefully set her down so he could answer the door. br /br /The doors opened up to a young wizard, maybe only a few years older than they were. He wore a freshly pressed uniform and pushed a silver trolley with their breakfast order spread on top. Draco tipped the wizard before closing the doors behind him. Spread out on the cart was two plates with crepes filled with what looked like preserves. Very French, Hermione thought as Draco brought her plate to her. They ate breakfast cuddled up, enjoying every moment before they returned to the real world. Tomorrow was Christmas after all and she was so excited to have her parents back for Christmas this year. As excited as she was there was a small, selfish part of her that wished that they could hide away here until it was time to return to Hogwarts. The morning was flying by as they finished their breakfast, before she knew it their plates were empty and there was nothing left to distract their mouths from each other's /br /Then just like that, it was time to leave, Draco's hand grasped hers softly as they checked out of the hotel and headed out to where their portkey would be located. br /br /"I already can't wait to come back," she said excitedly. One night was simply not enough. br /br /"I already can't wait to bring you back here," Draco replied with a playful laugh. "I can't wait to bring you anywhere that you want to go," he added as he kissed her hand that was clasped in his /br /Anywhere that she wanted to go. Anywhere. That thought sustained her as they finally reached their portkey. She took a deep breath, her eyes meeting Draco's silver gaze before they plunged through. Their feet finally landing back on British soil, back in the cemetery that they left from yesterday. It had only been yesterday, it felt like a lifetime ago. They continued to walk hand in hand through the graveyard before making their way out into the city. He brought her clasped hand back up to his lips, giving it another soft kiss. It would not be too long before they were back at her parent's house. What then? She had not thought about how it would be when they got back. br /br /"So are we dating?" she blurted out, shattering the comfortable silence that had carried them from /br /"Yes Granger," he grinned as he squeezed her hand as they kept walking. "Are you going to tell your parents? Or am I going to have to resist the urge to touch you for the rest of Christmas break?"br /br /"I'll tell my parents. I couldn't put you through the torture of keeping your hands to yourself until next year."br /br /"Thank Merlin for that."br /br /Her parents' house was quickly coming into view. She took a few deep breaths, rehearsing what she was going to tell /br /Hi Mom. Hi Dad. Paris was great! Draco and I are dating now! Surprise!/span/p