What was that saying? That you didn't know what you missed until it was gone? Hermione wasn't gone per se, but not having her in the same place, not being able to just see her at a moment's notice, it was basically the same.

That's why Draco was currently levitating his trunk into his fireplace and stepping in after it. "Hermione Granger residence," he said before dropping down Floo Powder. Never in his life did he ever think Malfoy Manor would have a Floo connection to any member of the Golden Trio –let alone Hermione. But here he was, stepping out of her fireplace and immediately spotting her. She was sitting on her couch, her trunk sitting upright next to it, and she was going at her nails like she had skipped breakfast. She hadn't even heard him enter.

"You're going to eat your whole hand if you're not careful."

Hermione immediately stopped, looked up, and smiled broadly as she stood. "Malfoy,"

He smiled just the same. "Granger,"

Hermione stepped around her coffee table and threw herself onto him. Draco had nearly fallen back, but whether he had or hadn't, it didn't matter. All that he knew and cared about was the fact that he was being kissed, passionately he might add. It had only been four days since he'd seen her, but everything about her felt new. Her lips felt softer and she tasted of peppermint. Her body felt warmer, more inviting –and perhaps that wasn't helped by how close he was holding her against him.

She kissed his lips. She kissed his cheeks. His forehead. His ear –which made him laugh. She feathered kisses on his throat and it took every ounce of willpower on his part not to forego his plans and have them strip bare in the middle of her living room. It was no library, but it would certainly do.

"I missed you." Hermione said once she was through with her amorous greeting.

"I can tell."

"You're supposed to say that you missed me too."

Draco feigned ignorance. "Am I?"

He dodged a playful slap on the arm and laughed before giving her a kiss of his own. "I missed you too. Now, get ready. We're going to have to leave soon."

"To where, you refuse to tell me." Hermione said as he fished out a glass from inside his robes' pocket. "I'm assuming it's somewhere cold seeing as I have to bring these." She donned her robes that were once his and fastened them around her.

"Yes, it's cold. Charmed to stay that way no matter what month it is."

"Impressive magic,"

"It's an impressive place. Alright, finger on the portkey."

Hermione had one hand on her luggage while a finger was on the glass Draco had put on her coffee table. The portkey activated after a few seconds and they both felt that familiar tug as they were being lifted through space. She let go of it when he told her to and she found herself landing in a pile of soft snow. And the weather positively freezing.

"Malfoy," she said as she looked around. "Where are we?"

"France," Draco answered proudly. "Chamonix, France, to be precise."

Hermione turned her head to him quickly as realization dawned on her. "The French Alps. We're in the French Alps?"

Draco nodded, feeling every wave of pride hit him as Hermione's excitement grew. "I figured that we could get away for a weekend. I think we deserve it considering the annoying mess that's back home. So, welcome to L'Hôtel Chamonix."

Hermione gasped. "But that's so expensive!"

"A bit, but one of the few places that cares less about my past and more about my money." Draco grinned. He set his finger under her chin and closed her mouth. "Shall we go in?"

"Yes!" She said eagerly as she messily stood. Draco was grinning from ear to ear. She had her I just passed all of my NEWTs face on and he couldn't have been happier.

He led her up the snow-covered path to the hotel that had been behind them. Hermione's eyes were wide with delight as she saw the glamorous building come into view. It had five floors, each floor with a balcony and a set of lounge chairs and tables. From the outside chandeliers could be seen from the glass doors and they looked even more magnificent once the pair had reached inside.

Draco himself had never been to L'Hôtel Chamonix before. It had been, to his utter surprise, his mother's suggestion that he go somewhere for the weekend or even just a day. She had plopped the brochure of the hotel onto his lap and added, quite flippantly, that he could "bring a guest" if he wanted. And so he did. Now he was admiring the marble floor, mahogany reception desks with impeccable shine, the matching wood walls inlay with a gold finish, furniture gracing the lobby looking quite stylish and untouchable, yet inviting at the same time.

"Bonjour," a friendly hostess greeted them. "Bienvenue à L'Hôtel Chamonix. Votre nom?"

"Malfoy,"

The woman opened a large book and it began to turn pages on its own. A quill was also dangling in the air before it landed neatly on a page.

"Oui, vous avez la suite de l'isolement." She said as she looked up. Two keys appeared in her hand and she handed them to Draco. "La suite est sur le cinquième étage. Prenez l'ascenseur et utilisez le clé."

"Merci," Draco thanked her. They didn't leave though, as he leaned over to say quietly, "Et notre accord?"

"Personne saura de votre présence."

Draco inclined his head to her and then took Hermione by the hand, their luggage floating behind them as they went towards the elevators. The brunette kept letting her gaze flicker between him and the hostess with a silly grin.

"You speak French."

Was it a sin to be this prideful?

"Yes."

"You'll have to teach me." Hermione insisted. "It's always been an interest of mine. What did you say to her? At the end? I figure the beginning was all hotel protocol."

"I had made an arrangement with the hotel." Draco explained. "Just to make sure that no one would bother us here."

"Good," she sighed contently as they and their luggage stepped inside the elevator. She hugged him around his middle and took in his scent. It smelled even stronger than she remembered.

The elevator was fairly standard with buttons for each floor. When Draco had owled about the rooming options they had, the Seclusion Suite had immediately caught his eye. Taking up the entire fifth floor, no one would have access to it but them. It required a key in the elevator to get up there, and when the doors finally opened even Draco, who was used to lavish things, couldn't help it when his mouth dropped.

"Malfoy, I could kiss you."

I could kiss myself.

Draco had, undoubtedly, outdone himself. Hermione left his side to walk down the mini hall and stood in middle of the suite's living room. It held two luscious long brown couches and two accompanying armchairs with a glass coffee table on gold legs in the middle of it. A wall separated it from a kitchen, and Hermione couldn't help but wonder what Draco would look like operating in one.

Does he even know the basic concept of a stove?

It made her chuckle.

Hermione ignored the kitchen, went past the living room and down another little hall that led to an enormous bedroom complete with a king-sized bed, night tables on either side with lamps, a walk-in closet, an expensive work desk, and a vanity mirror. Across the hall from the bedroom was the most beautiful bathroom she had ever seen and she nearly crashed into Draco as she ran back out into the hall.

"There's a Jacuzzi in there!" Hermione said excitedly. "Malfoy, I… I can't believe that you arranged this."

Draco merely shrugged. He was trying to keep his ego as small as possible. It wasn't very attractive otherwise.

"I just wanted somewhere for us to be alone. Our own…Room of Requirement, I suppose."

"If that's the case then food doesn't just appear. You know, one of the five Principal Exceptions-"

"-to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration." Draco smiled as he finished her words. "Yes, I know. I did get an Outstanding in Advanced Transfiguration after all. However, there are kitchen elves on call twenty-four hours a day. The kitchen here is honestly just for show."

"Oh no, elves?" Hermione said with a frown. "Must we bother them?"

"Do you want to starve?"

Hermione let out an exasperated groan. "Alright, alright fine. But you do it; I'll feel terrible if I do."

Draco shook his head at her, but couldn't help but be amused. So concerned with what she didn't have to be concerned with. Although, that was one of the things that had kept his attraction to her strong, wasn't it? Her capacity to care was staggering. Strange –to him at least. And captivating.

He had done as she asked and got them something to eat while she unpacked her trunk. When the food finally arrived they sat at the kitchen counter and dug in. Neither had any intentions of leaving the suite today, preferring to explore tomorrow. And so they ate slowly, enjoying one another's company without feeling as though someone was watching them.

"You never did tell me what kind of job you wanted to get now that we're done." Draco said as he sipped on wine. Hermione had nagged and said that it was much too early for such a thing, but he only replied saying that it was never too early.

"I don't know." Hermione mused as she seriously began to think about it. "I've had it on my mind for the past year, to be honest. And I suppose I am leaning towards one more than the others."

"A whole year?" He repeated. "Of course you would have your entire life planned out so far in advance."

"It wasn't that hard. I already had the job offers –Ministry ones –before I returned to Hogwarts. I just wasn't sure which one I wanted."

Draco stared at her in awe. "You already had offers? Without your NEWTs?"

"War. Heroine." She enunciated clearly, taking a moment to relish in that title although most days she hated it. "It kind of gave me an edge in that arena. Plus I'd already been doing work for them trying to stable the government again."

"I suppose so…" Draco said with a stroke of his chin. "Why go back to Hogwarts then? You were already set."

"I wasn't finished. I don't do anything halfway, Malfoy. For me to just live my life knowing that I never finished getting an education in this wonderful world that I'm so lucky to be in, well…" Hermione shrugged. "It didn't feel right."

Draco couldn't help the curve of his lips as he stared at her. So passionate, she was.

"I get it." He nodded. "So, which job offers did you get?"

"Senior Magical Researcher, Auror, Junior Misuse of Magic Case Manager, and Judicial Advocate."

Draco whistled. "Well done. Looks like Senior Magical Researcher it is."

Hermione tilted her head. "Why?"

"You named it first." He said simply. "I was always told that whatever comes out of a person's mouth without thought is what he truly feels. It was on the forefront of your mind, Granger. You should do it."

Hermione bit the inside of her jaw. "Yeah?"

"Yes," He reassured.

"Well, Senior Magical Researcher it is."

"Good." Draco grinned. "And now that that's over, we have work to get done."

Hermione looked at him curiously. "Work?"

"Work, yes." He said as he stood and extended his hand to her. She took it without question as he led her out of the kitchen and through the suite. "We're in France and you don't know a lick of French."

"I know some words." She argued as a she fought a blush. "Just not very many of them."

"Hence why you, Miss Granger," Draco said mischievously, "need a French lesson."

Hermione had been led to the bathroom and was gently urged to sit on the edge of the Jacuzzi. She watched as he turned on various taps and the water began to fill it. She was smiling.

"A French lesson in a bathroom? That's hardly conventional."

"Neither is a transfiguration lesson during sex."

She laughed. "And you got an Outstanding, didn't you?"

"And you'll get an O, too." His eyes flashed lustfully as he added, "Several of them."

Hermione's voice hitched in her throat. How in Merlin's name was he able to do that? It was just him talking. Just words. He hadn't even touched her. But when he did? Oh, when he did it was a completely different story.

Draco was standing directly in front of her. He suddenly reached over to turn off the taps, giving her the perfect opportunity to take in his scent again. He took her left hand and dipped it into the water.

"L'eau,"

Hermione knew this one, but she paid fervent attention anyway. Draco pulled back and took the hem of her shirt in his hand.

"Chemise," he said slowly as her shirt moved at the same rhythm on its journey from off of her persons and onto the floor. "Repeat after me."

"Chemise," She repeated, taking his shirt in her hands and lifting it off of him. With her eyes on his bare chest she wondered if it had really been that long since she'd seen him without clothes. The mere fact that she had asked herself that question had meant yes.

Draco set his hands on the rim of her pants, his thumbs running circles on her skin. Hermione resisted the urge to succumb to a welcomed shiver.

"Pantalon,"

He got down to his knees so he could slip them off one leg at a time. They, too, ended up on the floor. Hermione mimicked his actions, removing his underwear at the same time, and stooping low to the floor so that he could step out of his. Once up on her feet Draco's hands were on the sides of her face. He let them trail, mirror opposites of each other as they slipped down her neck, her shoulders, across her shoulder blades and near the center of her back. His fingers found the clasp of bra.

"Soutien-gorge,"

The bra fell to the floor easily. Just as bare-chested as he now, Draco's gaze had only grown more feral. His hands glided down her back and settled themselves on her hips. "Culotte,"

Hermione had expected his fingers to hook into the sides of her underwear and let them fall, but that wasn't what happened. Draco was on his knees again, and her purposefully-chosen emerald green undies were clasped between his teeth. He pulled them down all the while staring up at her predatorily. If only he knew just how close she was to buckling with all of his teasing. Perhaps he did, considering how his hands dug into her thighs. Soon his mouth had disappeared between them and Hermione's hands gripped the rim of the Jacuzzi harshly.

He stayed there for Merlin knew how long, eventually coming up to rest his lips on hers and kiss her deeply. He no longer tasted like wine.

"What was the French word for that?" Hermione asked breathlessly as Draco scattered kisses across her chest.

"Hmm," Draco mused, running tongue over her. "I almost forgot I was teaching you something."

Hermione chuckled. "You're a horrible teacher."

Draco's eyes flickered up to her. He smiled wickedly as her face contorted in a surprise sense of pleasure as he slipped himself into her without warning.

"Detention, Miss Granger."

Hermione threw her head back as punishment commenced. Who knew she would ever be a fan of detention?

Author's note: Well, if I was Hermione, I wouldn't mind detention myself ;). I have to give thanks to trinka belle for mentioning in a past interview about DH possibly going somewhere for a bit of seclusion. Swiss Alps were mentioned, but I chose French for the lovely French lesson written above. That and I have a love of the language and it's the one I know second best lol. Although, of course I'm prone to errors since it's not my native tongue, so feel free to correct me if you like :).

ALSO! This story made it past 200 reviews since the last chapter! Thanks ever so much. And, fun fact, I just finished writing chapter 25. Stemming from a one-shot with no intentions of writing more, that's nuts.

Until the next chapter!

-WP