Chapter 12

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is safe and healthy during this COVID-19 Pandemic. I'm very excited because I am done with my bachelors. Since it seems that no one will be working for a while I will have plenty of time each day to devote to this fanfiction.

I want to thank everyone that has commented on this work. I'm so honored and happy that you are enjoying this story because I enjoy writing it. I am so pleased that everyone is happy with my interpretation of Greg.

I think I mentioned it before, but I'll say it again: the reason I began writing this fanfiction was because I found this rare Hermione Granger/Gregory Goyle pairing so fascinating. However, the stories that feature them are so scarce! When I would finally find one, I was disappointed with it. Many fanfiction writers had such a limited interpretation of Greg. It frustrated me because I felt like there could be so much more. I think sometimes fanfiction writers tend to forget that while Rowling created these characters, we mold them, we play with them, we invent new ways for them to act and present new obstacles for them to tackle (and that's okay because that's what fanfiction is all about!) And I have rambled like a crazy person…. anyways, thank you for coming to my TEDtalk lol.

I will try to post the next chapter in a couple of days.

Disclaimer: I own nothing… JK Rowling owns it all.

…

Shortly after the departure of the "guests of honor," as Blaise and Ginny had deemed them, the party had turned into marvelous chaos. A layer of foam appeared on the pool and students began cheering and splashing each other with the soft bubbles. Ginny, Blaise, and Draco jumped into pool on the chaos. The moment they did, the ceiling began to rain down star-shaped rain drops on the pool. The music had begun playing loudly, a mash up of the Weird Sisters Greatest Hits set to muggle disco music. The students that had been dancing ran back to the pool to get in on the madness. There were some students that had left the hectic party behind to go upstairs to the hot tubs or bedrooms.

On the third floor, Greg and Hermione sat on the floor of one of the bedrooms finishing up their late night snack. The tray of food and the tray of drinks lay on the coffee table. The Head Girl had stuck with plain pumpkin juice after the tripping fiasco. She did not realize that it was Blaise and Ginny's way of igniting the chemistry between the couple which had been bubbling beneath the surface for the past month and a half.

The bedroom the pair had chosen looked underwater palace. The color theme was different shades of blue. The floor covered in a soft and plushy, light blue carpet. The entire ceiling was covered in medium -sized square mirrors. Some of the squares had different shades of blue-ish or turquoise tints which would move together in the shape of waves every few minutes. The queen-sized bed was covered in a seafoam green comforter and bedspread. Even the fire in the fireplace was charmed to burn in pale blue flames.

"They really thought of everything," Hermione said. The brunette wiped her hands on a napkin. She blushed a bit at the mirrors on the ceiling. Hermione may be a virgin, but she'd read enough trashy romance novels to know what the mirrors were for. She wondered what it would be like to be beneath Greg and be able to watch him while they did what some of the characters in her books would do. She was pulled by her naughty thoughts when Greg spoke.

"Sounds like it's getting crazy down there," Greg commented. The music was becoming louder and louder, they could hear some giggling in the hallway as people ran while trying to find a vacant bedroom. "I'm glad we escaped when we did." He noticed she seemed distracted, but not as skittish as yesterday. Perhaps the alcohol had softened the rough edges of her nerves.

"Me too," Hermione said, with a chuckle. "This is exactly the reason I didn't want them to throw the party in the Heads Dorms." The brunette putting a peppermint in her mouth as she shook her head at Blaise and Ginny's wild schemes.

Ever since they had come up to this room, Hermione had been planning to ask about the letter that Greg's mother had written her. She wanted to know what she meant to Greg. Did he even want her to come over to Goyle Manor for the Christmas holidays? Hermione knew without a doubt she would be spending part of Christmas holidays with the Weasleys and then Blaise had invited her and the girls to his home in Sicily. Although Hermione didn't know if the Italian wizard was sincere in his invitation or if it was just a little white lie to allow them to buy bathing suits.

"What are you thinking about?" Greg asked, popping a peppermint in his mouth. Greg always thought she looked cute when she got that little crease between her eyebrows. However, he was worried that she wasn't having a good time with him. She wore the same expression when she was writing a paper for Slughorn or translating Ancient Runes.

"Just the Christmas holiday," Hermione said with a smile. "Only…" Hermione silently counted on her fingers "three weeks left." She answered with a bit of surprise. It was so close!

"It'll be nice to get a break from Hogwarts for a little bit," Greg replied with a small smile. "I'll miss our sessions though." He saw Hermione give a look of surprise before her full lips curved to a soft and tender smile. He felt his stomach doing another flip. It was different from the dazzling smile she gave him earlier, but it still felt like it was meant just for him. "Will you go home?"

"I'll go to the Weasley's. My parents are…" Hermione began, pulling her knees up to her chest. The smile fading a bit. "I warped their memories, so they'd forget me when Harry, Ron and I ran…went on the run." She had made her peace with it, but it still caused a lump to rise in throat. "I found them afterwards…in Australia," Hermione paused. She took a sip of one of the wine slushies on the tray. This was a conversation that definitely required something stronger than pumpkin juice. "But they have a new baby and a dental practice…they're muggle doctors who clean people's teeth." Hermione gave a small smile. There was an understanding silence between the pair, not exactly uncomfortable. Both Greg and Hermione were people who cared for their loved ones dearly. Greg felt a terrible sadness at the thought of not having his mother in his life.

"That was very brave," Greg said, reaching for one of her hands. "I imagine it still hurts…not having them around." His thumb slowly grazed against the softness of the back of her hand.

"Sometimes," she said. "But I'd rather have them be safe in Australia without me than have them been killed by Deatheaters." She looked down at their joined hands before shifting slightly, moving closer to Greg.

"Can I ask you a question?" Hermione asked, taking his hand in both of hers.

"Sure," Greg said, with a soft smile. "If I can ask you one as well." Unknown to Hermione, Greg had a plan of his own. He wanted to ask her to go on a date with him. She looked into his eyes before looking at his hands again

"Are all your scars from fighting?" Hermione asked, holding Greg's right hand in both of hers. She began rubbing the smooth pads of her fingers over the raised and rough skin on his knuckles. That was not the question he was expecting, but he didn't mind it.

"Most of them," Greg replied, swallowing thickly. There were some scars on his body that he was praying she didn't ask about. Particularly a few on his chest and back. He knew she had seen the one on his collar bone. He wasn't sure if she had felt the scar over his heart when she was rubbing the ice off of his shirt. There was never any easy way to explain growing up with his father.

"Did it ever bother you being Draco's enforcer?" Hermione asked, quietly. The brunette felt the anticipation bubbling up in her stomach. Looking up from their joined hands, Hermione saw Greg looking at her with a curious smile.

"That's two questions," Greg said with a chuckle. Watching as she blushed sweetly, her eyes meeting his as she giggled.

"You're right," Hermione replied, with a nervous giggle. "Sorry." He was giving her that sweetly sincere look again. Her stomach fluttered the look in his black eyes. He was staring at her as though she was an enigma. There was a look of desperate affection in his eyes as if he was trying to understand her. Ginny's voice was echoing in Hermione's mind: Why don't you just ask Greg? Maybe if she just kept talking the one question she truly wanted to ask would fall out of her mouth. The question of what they were to each other. Was it just tutoring or was there something more?

"It's alright," Greg replied. "Just means I get two questions now. No one has ever asked me that before." Hermione smiled at him. Only Hermione would ask him a question to find out something no one had ever bothered to ask. "But to answer your question, yes and no," He said with a shrug. Greg placed his left hand on top of Hermione's hands. She had such soft skin, her nails long, square, and manicured. "I guess I always just thought with my size: what else was I going to do?"

"You could invent charms," Hermione suggested softly. Greg's brow furrowed a bit in confusion before laughing. "Seriously," she continued, smacking his arm playfully. "You're so gifted. The roses you gave me with the butterflies. They were beautiful."

"Oh, I was just playing around," Greg said, waving his large hand in dismissiveness. "Professor Flitwick was always nice to me and there were times when I was bored and needed something to do, so I'd practice."

"Well, there are plenty of places that would hire you to practice for a living," Hermione said, in her know-it-all tone.

"That's a job?" Greg asked and Hermione nodded with a laugh.

"You'd be perfect for it," She replied. He noticed her bite her lower lip in the cutest of ways before asking, "Will you charm something now?"

"Umm," Greg mumbled as he looked around the room. Taking his wand from his pocket, he tapped the light blue carpet. Instantly the carpet began to move up and down like waves in the ocean. Hermione squealed and laughed as she squirmed closer to him. They were being rocked back and forth as if they were floating in the ocean. Hermione threaded her arm through his as the carpet waves rolled higher. Greg laughed as they knocked into each other, she was holding onto his arm tightly as if she were afraid, he'd float away. Greg pressed his wand to the carpet once more to return it to normal when he noticed the tray of food and drinks was about to topple over. When he did, the pair were fell over from the change, Greg was sprawled on his back with Hermione atop him. The pair were giggling like playful children.

"That was fun," Hermione stated as she began to sit up. She felt a bit awkward as legs were over Greg's hips. She moved back carefully while trying not to rub her sex over the front of his swim trunks. She moved her legs while trying not to knee him in the crotch. "I feel bad I keep falling on you tonight."

"Don't be," Greg said, sitting up. "I'll always catch you." Hermione's heart jumped in her chest at his words. Looking into her eyes, he began moving so his legs were not spread out as they tried to untangle themselves. His hands holding onto hers, so she didn't fall back as she kneeled in front of him. Something began to change and shift between them as they stared at each other, brown eyes meeting black. He was giving her that look of honest yearning again, she felt a heat spread in her lower belly. Yet she felt a sudden coldness in the room. The pair broke eye contact when snow fell upon them.

Looking up, they saw small mistletoe hovering above their heads emitting little bits of snow and cold air. The flakes falling on the pair to alert them to its presence. The mistletoe brought a chill in the room. It was quite odd timing for a mistletoe to show up, but that did seem to be their style. The pair had only noticed each other in passing for seven years and now they were falling for each other.

When Greg lowered his eyes from the mistletoe, he was about to tell Hermione that they didn't have to kiss if she didn't want to, but she was already looking at his lips. His hands were still holding hers, but he let the fingertips of his right hand wander slowly up her forearm, grazing past her elbow before dancing up her shoulder to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing against her full bottom lip as he did. She was trembling a bit. Whether it was from the cold or her nerves, he didn't know but she leant forward. Eyes closing as their lips brushed against each other. She tasted like peppermint mixed with a fruit fusion from the wine. It was heaven to him after all these weeks of wanting to lean across the table during their sessions to kiss her.

Hermione leaned into his chest as Greg wrapped his arm around her waist. Her hands that had rested on his broad shoulders wrapped around his neck. The kiss was slow, tender, and yet filled with passion. Greg poured every silent longing he had felt for each other since their tutoring sessions began. Hermione gave a soft moan as he sucked her bottom lip in between his. Letting the soft flesh go and softly pressing kisses along her chin and jaw before reclaiming her lips. He gave one softer kiss to her lips before pulling back. Her eyes slowly opened, and she gave him that soft smile. Greg held her close to him, her breasts meshing into his hard chest. He was kissing her cheek and jaw when he heard her mumble something. "What did you say?" He asked, pulling back to look at her.

"Am I just your tutor?" Hermione asked, quietly. A look of vulnerability in her eyes. There was probably a better way to do this, but right now the brunette couldn't think of it. She wanted to know before things went farther. She pulled back to sit down. "I know we're kissing, but I have to know for sure. I mean, do you…have feelings…" Hermione realized she was going to begin rambling nervously. "I just…I mean…I like you…and…"

"Hermione," Greg began, brushing a stray curl out of the brunette's face. Cupping her cheek to make her look at him. "You are so much more to me than just my tutor," Greg replied, a bit breathlessly. "I've been trying to figure out a way to show you, but…"

"I know," Hermione said, her fingers brushing his jaw line. "I have too." Greg gave a soft smile before leaning in to steal another quick kiss before Hermione broke the kiss again.

"But we really should get back on a tutoring schedule," Hermione said. She leaned in for another kiss before pulling away again. "We are a bit behind," Hermione informed, leaning in again. As they kissed again, she felt Greg smile against her lips. Only Hermione, Greg thought.

"Hermione," Greg began, ready to offer a proposition. The Slytherin pressed his forehead against hers. "We can make a tutoring schedule right now if you want," he said, softly. "I'll meet with you every night of the week if you want."

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, but on one condition," Greg said, pulling away to look her in the eyes. "Have dinner with me tomorrow night. We can go to any restaurant you'd like in Hogsmeade."

"Like a date?" Hermione asked. A nervous flutter in her belly. She'd never been on a real date before. Greg smiled and gave a nod.

"Yes," Hermione said, leaning into kiss Greg again. His kisses were so intoxicating. He tasted like mint and a caramel spice from the bourbon butterbeer. Combined with his spicy cologne, it was perfect. Hermione felt her knees go weak and she began to fall back before Greg put his arms around her waist holding her to him tightly.

….To Be Continued…..The next chapter will be up in a couple of days…..