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***** HERMIONE *****

The clearing of a throat pulled me from my sleep. I blinked my eyes open, squinting against the harsh morning light.

"Good morning." A too cheerful voice said.

I lifted my head and was greeted with Pansy's amused face. I yawned, "Good morning, Pansy." I smiled at her and then dropped my head back onto Draco's arm.

"Just friends, huh?" Pansy chortled, "Ri-ght."

"Why are you here?" Draco muttered, his eyes still closed, and I laughed.

"Well, I was coming to ask you what the hell was really going on with you and Granger," She grinned down at us, "But it would appear that I have my answer."

"Pansy," He mumbled, his voice still sleepy, "Go away."

She laughed, "Fine, you have ten minutes. And I'll be back. You're not getting out of this so easily."

I caught her eyes and she winked at me. I had thought she would be pissed at us for denying any and all interactions other than friendship the previous night, but she seemed to be delighted to have stumbled upon us. I grinned at her - I couldn't help it - just before she disapperated.

"Good morning," I said, softly brushing my fingertips across his cheek.

Draco's eyes slowly blinked open and I smiled at him. He was scruffy and sleep wrinkled, and looking the most dishevelled I had ever seen him. We had barely moved from the positions that we'd fallen asleep in. My head was still pillowed on his bicep, and his arm was slung over my hip, his hand splayed against the curve of my spine, holding me tightly against him. Our legs were intertwined and I couldn't help but notice the morning bulge that was pressed against me.

And pressed as I was between his body and the back of the couch allowed me a sense of safety and I knew that it had been a long time since I had felt so content.

He smiled sleepily, his eyes still droopy, "Good morning."

"Are you awake?"

He murmured incoherently and closed his eyes. I chuckled, Draco Malfoy wasn't a morning person. "Not a morning person, huh?"

He opened his eyes and smiled again, "Usually I am. But, hmmm, this morning I can't seem to wake up."

"I wonder why?"

He sighed, "I have no idea."

"Well, we have ten...no about nine minutes, before she's back."

It seemed to be all the encouragement he needed. He shifted our positions, pulling me beneath him, his weight fully on top of me. He cradled my head and kissed me hard, his tongue slipping between my open lips and sliding against mine. For several long moments we simply kissed, and a deep and heavy desire grew inside me.

He ground himself against me, and I gasped.

"Sorry," He whispered close to my ear and then ground against me again, proving he wasn't sorry in the least. He groaned, sending a shiver down my spine, "Shit. You feel amazing under me."

His mouth found mine once more in a hard, bruising kiss that left me breathless and with a sudden urge for more than just his kiss. I gripped his hips and held him to me, whimpering at the sensation of him hard against my core.

He continued to grind against me, a slow, measured rhythm that had his name falling from my lips on a shaky exhale. I didn't want him to stop and I began to move slowly against him, chasing the friction that he had built in me in less than a minute. A friction that had me wishing that Pansy wasn't on her way back.

But he didn't seem to care. He leaned down just enough to brush his mouth over mine. "Do you want me to stop?"

I moved my hand under his shirt, pressing my fingers into his warm skin. He opened his mouth, sucking on my tongue, gently biting my lower lip. Heat pulsed through me, and I knew instantly that I wanted more.

I whispered his name and he shifted forward, the hard shape of him pressing directly over the seam of my jeans. I gasped, rocking harder against him, and cursing the fact we were both fully clothed.

"Good?" he asked, pressing himself deliberately against my clit. "Does it feel good there?"

"Yeah," I groaned, "I need more." My voice sounded harsh, almost desperate, but I didn't care. I moved my hands to his arse and pulled him harder into me, shuddering at his hot breath on my neck as he rocked faster against me.

The heavy ache inside me grew and I could feel how wet I was becoming, and the need to have him inside me was overwhelming. I didn't care that Pansy could be back any second; I didn't want him to stop. I didn't want to lose the dizzying feeling that was creeping along my spine.

His mouth was everywhere, and I shuddered again, closing my eyes and losing myself to the sensation of his tongue as it moved over me. He kissed my throat, my jaw, my lips, all the while grinding harder and faster over me, chasing his own need.

I felt myself start to fall and my breath caught in my throat as a rush of pleasure exploded between my thighs. I dug my fingers into his hips, feeling him speed up. His hands gripped my hair and his mouth covered mine as he ground once, twice, three times before groaning into my mouth and collapsing against me.

When he finally lifted his head to look at me, his eyes were wide. "Shit. Sorry. I didn't mean—"

I pressed my fingers against his lips, "Don't ever apologise for that."

"But I told you I wouldn't," he pressed his forehead to my shoulder, "I am sorry."

I soothed my hands down his back, "I'm not."

He chuckled, "Not disappointed then?"

I frowned at him, "Disappointed?"

His cheeks went pink, "I, ah...I'm not usually that, um...quick."

"Well," I huffed out a breath, blowing the hair from my face, "We were given a time restraint."

He kissed me quickly and pushed up slightly, "I don't mean to run off...but, ah..."

I laughed, "Go," I told him, knowing that he would be uncomfortable and needing to clean up. "She'll be back any second."

He kissed me again, three quick presses to my lips, and then pushed himself off me. I watched as he raced up the stairs and then I flopped back down to the couch, flinging my arm across my eyes. I sucked in several slow, deep breaths, attempting to slow my racing pulse. If it felt that good to be with him fully clothed, how would he feel completely naked? It would be so good, I instinctively knew, and after what had just happened, I had no idea why I was so nervous.

I had felt more heat surging through me than I had felt in years. I had felt more passion, felt more desired, more...everything.

But I had become so used to having such low expectations when it came to any kind of intimacy with another person that my dread of having to reveal just how limited my experience was had grown tenfold.

I leaned my head on the back of the couch and sighed.

"Ten minutes wasn't long enough?"

I looked up to see Pansy smirking at me, but was surprised to see Ginny standing beside her. I scrambled off the couch and stood staring guiltily at Ginny.

"Ah," I stammered, "No, it was plenty of time." I said and then balked at their wide-eyed expressions. "No, I meant..." I squeezed my eyes shut and rubbed my hand across my forehead. When I opened my eyes and Ginny was smiling at me. I ran my hand through my hair and winced. I could only imagine what I looked like.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"I was actually down there," she indicated towards the cottage, "Imagine my surprise when Pansy told me you were up here."

"This was the first time I've spent the night here, and nothing happened. We were just sleeping." The words tumbled quickly from my mouth.

"You don't have to justify this," she said, "You're a grown woman, only you can decide what's best for you."

"You're not mad?"

"Look," she began, taking my hand in hers and pulling me back down to the couch to sit beside her, "You've been through hell, and that fucker—. Sorry, I mean, my brother didn't care a whiff about your feelings when he did what he did. And if Malfoy has been someone who you can talk to, then who I am to argue with you? And why would we be mad?"

"I thought that maybe you would think..." I shrugged.

Pansy sat the other side of me, "You thought maybe we'd think it's too soon?"

I nodded.

"Can I ask if anything has happened between you two?" Ginny asked.

"No, nothing has happened," Draco answered for me. He came down the stairs dressed in his running gear. "Hermione will decide when she's ready, and nothing will happen until then."

"I wasn't accusing, Malfoy." Ginny said calmly, "I was just—" She turned to look at him and her eyes went wide, her mouth falling open. I stifled my giggle - I could only assume that it was the same expression I'd had on my face when I had first seen him dressed as such.

I stood and greeted him, "You're running?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I figured these two would want to interrogate you, so I'll give you some space."

"Maybe we wanted to interrogate you too." Pansy said.

"Oh, I'm certain that you do," he replied, "But right now, Hermione needs a chance to talk to you both, and she doesn't need me here while she does."

"You don't need to leave," I told him.

"I know. But..." He squeezed my shoulders and I knew exactly why he needed to leave; he was wound as tightly as I was and he needed to run the frustration away.

He looked longingly at me. He wanted to kiss me; I wanted him to kiss me. But I knew that he wouldn't. Not with the audience we had. He glanced at Pansy and Ginny and I watched his jaw clench. He huffed out a breath and turned on his heel, and sauntered out the door.

I sat in the armchair opposite them and wondered exactly what they were making of all this. I had left without a word over two months ago leaving them, I'm sure, panicked out of their minds. And then they had found me last night in his house, denying anything more than friendship with him, then the very next morning I was found curled up with him on the couch. And I knew that there was no way Pansy hadn't told Ginny.

I wasn't sure that I was ready to confess my feelings for him to them yet, but I knew that I owed them something. I grimaced. It was just one more thing that I was concerned about; how my friends would react to me being with him. And more importantly, how his friends would react to his being with me.

Ginny was still staring at the door that he had just left through, her expression was still that of shock.

But I could sympathise with her. He was no longer the pale, scrawny boy we all remembered. He had filled out; a broad chest beneath his shirts, ropey muscles in his forearms when he rolled his sleeves up. And his arse. I was guilty of looking at it more than once, and had pictured it in my mind most nights before falling asleep. Only in my mind it wasn't hidden behind well fitted trousers or tight running pants; it was naked and on display for only me.

"Gin?" Pansy said pulling her from her stupor, "You alright?"

Ginny looked at her and then me, her eyes still wide, "Are we sure that's Malfoy?"

I snorted a laugh, "I hope so."

Pansy quirked an eyebrow, "Oh, the way he looks at you? It's him alright."

I felt myself blush. She clearly knew more than I thought. And her simple statement had me wondering just how long he had been waiting for me. I pulled my legs to my chest – a habit that I was trying to break, but failing miserably at – and studied her face. Her eyes were wide and expectant, wanting an answer that would appropriately explain the behaviour she had just witnessed. She was shrewd and saw through most people's bullshit. And I had the distinct feeling that she knew exactly what had been going on with us.

"So," Pansy said leaning forward and steeling me with a knowing glare, "What's going on here? This whole 'just friends' line that you're spinning, do you want to clarify it?"

I looked at Ginny, whose face had gone from looking shocked at Draco's appearance, to being somewhat amused at my discomfort.

"Hey, like I said last night," she shrugged, as if reading my mind, "As long as he's not being an arse and he treats you with respect, I'm perfectly fine with this." She paused and tilted her head to the side, "Besides, you look different."

"Different?" I asked.

She nodded, "Good different."

"Definitely good." Pansy agreed, "You look happy."

"Was I that miserable before?"

"No," Ginny shook her head, "This is a different happy. That spark is back in your eyes. And someone who is just a friend wouldn't have that effect."

I smiled at her. As much as she was a pragmatist, she was also a hopeless romantic. I was sure that in the few hours that had passed, she would have already conjured up the image of me and Draco tangled together, sweaty and exhausted, in some romantic fantasy where we both realised that all the drama and all the loathing we had as teenagers was just a smoke screen and suddenly all our hidden feelings would tumble out and we knew that we were perfect for each other.

I bit my lip, trying to figure out what to tell them. I looked between them both as they patiently waited. "It's difficult to describe," I finally said. "At first I thought he was here to make fun of me, to be the cruel and insensitive arse that he was. But," I sighed and shook my head, "He surprised me. He's...I didn't think I needed someone to make me feel like he does. I didn't think I would want this so soon after everything that happened. And I certainly didn't think I would want it with him."

Pansy looked thoughtfully at me, "So you've liked being here with him?"

I nodded, "I have."

"And you're willing to give him a chance?"

I frowned at what seemed to be a sudden interrogation. "I think I am."

"You think?" She scowled at me, "Listen, you need to know for sure about this. Because if you're starting to feel the way I think you are, you can't rush into this and then regret it, because he is completely in love with you and he doesn't deserve to be simply used as a distraction for you. He wants more than that."

"Pansy," Ginny said slowly, not giving me the chance to respond - although after that bombshell, I wasn't sure I could actually speak. "What are you saying?"

She looked at Ginny and then back to me, "It might come as a surprise to you both to know that he's never wanted someone so badly in his life. And he has been pining after you for longer than you think." She said, "And I just want you to be sure that this is what you want. You're my friend, but he's like my brother. And if you break his heart," she waved her hand in the space between us, "This friendship will all be over."

"And just so you know," Ginny poked her finger into Pansy's arm, "If he breaks her heart, no one will ever find his body."

"And you've not killed your brother because..?"

Ginny grinned, "Because mum would kill me."

I smiled at them both. Two people who I thought were polar opposites were actually the same: feisty and fiercely loyal. "Pansy," I said, "You don't honestly think I would do the same to him as was done to me? Because I assure you, I wouldn't."

"No, I of course you wouldn't," She cocked her head to one side, "But you said you were thinking it's too soon to get involved with anyone else. And you might not believe it, but he's exactly like you when it comes to this. It's all or nothing with him. So you need to be absolutely certain that you want something with him, before you leap into it."

I shook my head, "We might be friends, you and I, but you've just proved that you still know so little about me."

"How's that?" she asked.

"Do you honestly think I would leap into this without any thought? Do you think that I haven't spent hours wondering if I should pursue this? That I wouldn't weigh the pros and cons over wanting to be with Draco Malfoy? The very same Draco Malfoy who made my life hell as a teenager?"

"He only did that because he liked you." She said weakly.

"That doesn't excuse his behaviour." Ginny pointed out.

"Don't worry, I've already told him I've forgiven him." I told them both, "And believe me when I tell you, I have told him I don't want to rush into anything. He knows I'm nervous about this and he has been patient and has said he will wait until I'm ready for more."

"So nothing has happened?" Ginny asked, sounding surprised.

I chuckled. Twelve hours ago she was ready to kill him, and now she was disappointed that I had no naked stories to share with them. "No Gin. He wasn't lying. Nothing has happened."

"So, the whole thing on the couch was..." Pansy trailed off in her questioning.

My stomached clenched. I didn't want to share anything with them yet, no matter how small or innocent it was. But I knew them both far too well to know that if I didn't give them something, they would relentlessly hound me until I did.

"The whole thing on the couch," I explained, hoping that they wouldn't see through my tiny lie, "Was us simply sleeping, in the literal sense. Nothing more."

Pansy sighed dramatically, "That's disappointing. Draco's barely snapped at anyone this week, and you're all rumpled and happy this morning. I was so hoping that you two..."

I waited for her to say more but she simply sighed again, "That we what?"

Pansy held my eyes with hers, "Did the dance with no pants."

Ginny made a sound that was somewhere between a choke and a laugh. "The what?" She managed to say between laughs.

Pansy shrugged one shoulder, "The dance with no pants. Surely you've heard of it." She turned back to me, "I'm certain Hermione has."

I pursed my lips. "No." I repeated firmly, running my hand through my rumpled hair again. "Nothing has happened."

Ginny was still giggling at Pansy's turn of phrase and wiping her eyes of tears when she looked at me, "Is that why he was frustrated and had to go running?"

"No, he's been frustrated for longer than one night." Pansy answered with a wicked smile on her face. "He's been walking around with a constant hard on now for...I don't know...when was the Yule Ball again?" She asked and then cracked up laughing at my shocked expression.

Ginny snorted - a loud, undignified sound - and slapped her hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter. I groaned, and covered my face with my hands. Why I had been worried that they would be concerned about this was a mystery. I should have known better. I should have known that they would turn into twelve year olds and the conversation would inevitably fall into the gutter.

I smiled at them both as they tried to get themselves under control and laughingly shook my head.

Pansy had been wrong. The niggling concern that all of this was happening too fast had disappeared. I had spent far too much time worrying about what was considered right and proper, and finally given in to my heart.

It made me believe that the hurt would eventually be nothing more than a distant memory and that it was possible to fall in love all over again.

***** DRACO *****

What the hell had happened? What had I been thinking?

I wanted to strip her naked and fuck her senseless, that's what I was thinking. And it was becoming harder and harder to resist her. And having her wrapped around me like she had been, was like some kind of dream.

And for what seemed like the first time in my life, I could barely open my eyes and wake up. I was completely relaxed and had slept soundly. But my body was not satisfied with me ignoring its basest of needs. She was warm and smelled amazing, and was so unknowingly temping. And my brain had been almost screaming at me to ignore my promise to wait and just take her; my hand, after all, could only provide so much relief.

The feel of her beneath me, her tiny gasps and breathy moans. The way she instinctively knew how to move against me. It was all too perfect, too...I didn't have the words.

I groaned. What the hell was wrong with me?

I had assured her that I would wait for her, wait until she was ready. I wanted her to trust me, but the first chance I had gotten, I was all over her and coming in my pants like some horny sixteen year old.

But I didn't think I had ever been so aroused in my life. And, fuck! We had still been fully clothed. I couldn't remember the last time I dry-humped a girl – probably when I was a horny sixteen year old. And I hated that I had come so quickly. Not once in my life had I been unable to control myself and I hated that she might think me incapable of more.

But, she hadn't been pissed at me. In fact she had responded in a way that I hadn't expected. I had expected her to tell me to stop, to push me away, but instead she had moved with me, against me, and the breathy way she exhaled my name...shit.

I wanted to devour her, but I needed to push these feelings down, no matter how difficult it was. I didn't want to complicate this any more than it already was. But right now, my entire world was her. Work had become a simple matter of turning up and leaving again. She was the only focus I had, she was all I truly cared about and she was all I wanted.

I slowed my pace to a walk and looked up to see a figure leaning against the stair rail, smirking at me. I swore under my breath.

Blaise.

Great. Just what I needed.

"Isn't it a little too early for you to be out of bed," I asked.

"Aren't you a little too frustrated to be running?" He countered and I scowled at him.

I shoved past him and began the long climb up the stairs. His footsteps echoed mine and I could tell without looking at him that his face was smug.

"So," he said, "Granger is in your house bright and early this morning, which is interesting since she's been missing for months."

I didn't respond and he chuckled, "So I can only assume that she's been hiding here and the two of you have been shagging like rabbits?"

I spun around, hating that he'd gotten under my skin so easily. "No," I snapped and pointed at her cottage, "She's been staying there."

He held both his hands up in surrender, "Mate, I was just—"

"You were just nothing," I waved him off. "You don't get to joke around, or make smart remarks, not when it's her."

He looked at me, nodding, his brows creased, "What's going on?"

I leaned back on the rail and folded my arms across my chest. Blaise had been my friend since childhood and had been the one person I could spill everything to whenever I needed, but this felt different. It felt too close, too private, and I just wanted her to be mine for a while before the world learned about us.

"Nothing's going on," I finally said, "She's...fuck!" I rubbed the back of my neck and stared up at the sky. "She's fucking perfect. She's smart and beautiful and funny, and she's still broken from what that fucker did to her."

He leaned on the rail opposite me and I watched his face as he carefully considered his response, "I don't believe that nothing's going on, you've been in love with this girl for far too long for that to be true. How much time have you spent with her?"

"We haven't had sex, if that's what you're asking."

He shook his head, "No. I'm not interested in any details of what you have or haven't done."

"Since when?" I snarked.

"Since this girl is it for you." His face was dead serious. "So tell me what happened. Start from the beginning."

I unfolded my arms and gripped the railing behind me. And I told him. I told him how I ran into her on the beach, how I first cooked for her, how she was flirty and adorable and then bolted when she kissed me. I stopped short of telling him of that mornings' escapade – I wasn't going to reveal that I came in my pants in under three minutes and subject myself to his ridicule.

"That doesn't explain why she's on your couch before nine on a Sunday morning."

"She spent the night last night," I held my hand up at his raised eyebrow. "Nothing happened. We talked, and we both want this. But as I said, she's still wary."

"Because of you?"

I shook my head, "Because of him."

He nodded, understandingly, "She has every right. Maybe we should find him..."

"No," I said firmly, "I won't jeopardise this because of that tosser." He frowned at me and I clarified, "She doesn't want to hear anything negative about him. She blew up at that lot yesterday over their comments about him. I've kept my thoughts to myself and she appreciates that."

"Is that weird?"

"Keeping my thoughts to myself?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head, "That she won't let anyone talk down about him."

I shrugged, "They were together for six years, and she was in love with him." I shuddered at the thought, "And like she told that lot," I nodded towards the house, "She couldn't just turn that off and hate him."

"But she hates him now..?" Blaise hedged carefully.

"I don't think its hate," I said, "But I wouldn't want to be him if he happened to cross her right now."

"Oh, I need to be there on the day that happens." Blaise chortled, and then leaned over and cuffed me on the shoulder, "But seriously, this a good thing, right?"

I couldn't have stopped the grin from splitting my face if I had tried, "Yes. This is a very good thing."

"And you're prepared to wait for her?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "I don't need a lecture. You're not her father."

"No, but I know you and sometimes you have a tendency to get ahead of yourself,"

I frowned at his words, but taking into account my performance on the couch, they rang true. "I know," I admitted, "But this is different. She's..." I trailed off. I didn't know how to explain it to him.

He was watching me closely as a million thoughts rushed through my head. A million hectic thoughts that really all just boiled down to one. Her.

"She's everything you ever wanted, all wrapped up in perfection?"

"That'd be it." I said, "And I won't get ahead of myself this time. I've waited far too long for her to fuck this up."

I pushed off the railing and turned to climb the stairs, and then paused. "No one knows she's here."

"And that will stay the same," He assured me, "I don't relish the thought of Hermione Granger hexing my sweet arse."

"Blaise, I'm being serious here."

"As am I," he said, sounding offended, "Too many women like this arse for it to be messed with."

I glared at him and he laughed.

"Draco. We've been friends for how long?" He gave me a pointed look, "Do you really think you need to tell me to keep my mouth shut about this?"

"Sorry, it's just..." I sighed, "He really did a number on her and I'm still not convinced that she completely trusts me. Pansy, Ginny and Potter know she's here, and she was hesitant for them to know, and they're her friends."

"Wait," he said, holding up his hand, "Potter knows you're shagging her? And you're still alive?"

"I'm not shagging her," I griped.

"Shagging, not shagging, call it what you want," he shrugged and then his face turned serious, "Listen. Yes, you're right in saying that she's been through hell, but you're wrong if you think she doesn't trust you."

I shot him a sceptical look, but he ignored me, "She considers me her friend, and Pansy, and she's said she wants to be with you?" I nodded and he continued, "So there's no way she'd do that if she didn't trust us. She may have been naive when it came to Weasley, she's not stupid enough to trust the three of us - the same three people who, let's be honest, at one time treated her like crap - if she didn't see the people who we've become."

"That's very philosophical of you." I was surprised at his candour.

"You said to be serious," He chuckled, "And I mean it. She spent the night on your couch, I'm sure that means she trusts you. And you've wanted this for how long now? Stop trying to analyse all of this and just let it happen."

I looked in the direction of my house. Blaise was right. She trusted me. I'd not divulged her whereabouts to anyone, I'd not pushed for anything more than what she wanted. And I had trusted her with the feelings I had divulged to her.

I looked back at Blaise, who was grinning at me.

She was up there, waiting for me and I was down here, being a broody fool.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

He laughed, "You always have been. But I'm certain that she's the one who'll set you straight."

A/N:

Three re-writes and a lot of banging my head against the wall...and finally I managed to get this posted. I think I'll go and lay down now...enjoy!