Hello friends...I'm sorry for the long wait but it's here...Chapter 30...wow this story is getting pretty long...but that's ok right?
I'd like to thank Touma08 for his review...thank you for responding to my last note...I'm glad I finally got the opinion of a guy...I'm glad that you get that into the story...I do too sometimes...Thank you for your review and please let me know what you think about my story in the future...it's always good to have the opinions of a guy on my story...
Thank you everyone who reviewed as well...I come straight to this story to see who has reviewed and to read everything you've said...now on to the chapter...hehe
Disclaimer: JK has to be the smartest woman in the world to come up with such an amazing story and dynamic characters...but I'm not her...
A letter and A Decision
Draco found Hermione almost an hour later slumped in a chair in the library, a book resting open on her lap. The veil was still in place, as he knew it would be and she looked very peaceful as she slept. He took his wand out of his robes and ran it down the front of the robe. The buttons instantly separated and he pushed back the hood.
Instantly he could hear the soft sounds of her slow breathing. He couldn't leave her there because if she woke up in the middle of the night and saw the veil was gone she would be furious. He would take her upstairs and put her to bed.
There were so many things between them. So much that neither wanted to discuss or confront. The biggest on the list was this baby they were supposed to conceive. Yet neither brought it up and if they did the other would fight. That was why Draco hated Hermione.
She was stubborn. She refused to give up things without a fight and would risk anything to do what was right. These might be admirable traits in another person if you weren't being forced to do things against your will with them. Every time that Hermione challenged the Dark Lord she not only risked her neck but his as well. And Draco hated having his life depend on someone else.
He bent down and picked up his wife knowing perfectly well that he could have used a spell. But he figured that he would have to get used to being so close to her if he were going to get to work on the baby problem. Though the idea of having sex with Granger wasn't something that he was looking forward to.
He shifted her in his arms carefully before he started on his way. He carried her through the house, because the library was one of the furthest rooms from the front. He made it up the stairs with no trouble at all and started down the hall toward their bedroom.
He laid her on the bed for a moment before he began to take off the veil. He slipped one arm out, then the next, all the while Hermione slept. He slipped off her shoes and sat them together by the end of the bed. He snapped his fingers and a house elf appeared.
"Take her things and put them away." He said softly and the elf did as he said.
Draco turned back to Hermione and took out his wand. He tapped her robes and watched as they changed into a tank top and a pair of shorts. He took her hair, which was pulled up in an elegant fashion, down and watched the curls fall onto the bed around her head. He pulled back the covers and placed her under them.
He looked down at her sleeping face. He had noticed the peace that fell over her face whenever she was sleeping and somewhat envied it, for even when he slept he was haunted by their present situation and all the things that had transpired within the short time from end of school and then. He dreamt about Dumbledore's words and arguing with Hermione. He used to dream about their wedding and the beating she would receive. He saw his father and the Dark Lord in almost every dream, and sometimes he woke up sweating.
'Your going soft Draco.' She said turning away from Hermione. He walked toward the closet, as he did he took off his robes. Beneath them he had on a pair of black boxers and an undershirt that he promptly stripped off. He grabbed a pair of pants and a new pair of boxers and slipped into them before stepping out of the closet.
When he got into the bed beside Hermione he resolved that he would be stronger against her. If he had to he would resort to his old ways but he would make sure that she understood that she wasn't going to be able to fight anymore. He wasn't going to let her get him killed. He wanted as much as she to get out of all of this but there was no safe way anymore.
The next morning when Hermione awoke she found herself curled up against Draco, one of his arms thrown over her body holding her close. She knew she was supposed to despise the idea of him even touching her, but the feeling that coursed through her told her different. She felt like she was supposed to be there with him.
She remembered the wedding only a few days ago. She remembered the feeling that his touch created. It had been amazing to her. Her whole body had shivered from the tingle. Every thing her body did felt as if it were magnified by ten. She could feel the blood moving through her veins and her heart beating in her chest. It was still that way sometimes when she touched him.
At the moment her body was warm even though the room was cold. She was comfortable. And it felt nice to be held even if it was by Malfoy. He wasn't himself at the moment for he was asleep.
She remembered what he had said the night before. They would have to have sex. There was no way around it. She would either have to do it willingly or forced by a spell, but whether she wanted it or not it was going to happen. She hated not having a wand. If she had a wand she would be able to stop this.
As she thought about her relationship with Draco she felt him stir beside her. She couldn't let him see her awake so she quickly shut her eyes and relaxed her body. She felt his arm lift off her and the warmth slowly leave her as he sat up. Goose bumps sprouted up all over her as the sheet fell away.
Draco got out of bed not even realizing that Hermione was in the bed. He walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Hermione laid in the bed her eyes still closed. She was thinking about her feelings for him. What were they?
She couldn't fancy him because if she did then she would be betraying her friends and even her cause. But then she'd already done that by marrying him. But she couldn't deny that she had felt something. There were feelings that she didn't understand when it came to him, though she knew it was wrong. But she couldn't stop them.
For instance her heartbeat picked up whenever his hand touched her or his eyes turned her way and seemed to gaze through her. When his voice was soft and deep it sent shivers through her. When she woke up the feel of his arm about her made her feel safe, like nothing could possibly touch her. But all the while she knew that these feelings couldn't possibly be real.
The bathroom door opened and Hermione relaxed herself. She could hear him approaching the bed and knew he was there when the bed sunk a little under his weight. He lay down beside her and pulled the blankets up around them. Hermione felt the cool sheets against her skin and wondered what he was doing. She wanted to open her eyes just a bit to see but what if he was looking right at her.
Draco stared down at his wife's sleeping face. It was so strange to refer to any girl as his wife. But she was his wife for she had the ring on her finger to prove it. The ring shimmered in the early morning sunlight and he stared intensely at it. That little band of precious metal was the obvious sign that they were bonded forever but Draco could also feel something inside him. He could feel the power of the magic between them. The magic not only left over from the ceremony but maybe even from the ring itself. His mother had said something about them…
She started moving and Draco's eyes were taken from the ring and redirected to her face as she turned on her side to face him. Her hair gently fell forward covering her face in its thickness. Taking his hand he gently pushed it away.
'What are you doing!' he thought to himself outraged when he quickly withdrew his hand. 'I can do things like that or father will think I've gone soft.'
He lay down and turned his body around to face the night table. Hermione felt the bed shift and peeked through a crack in her eyelid to see his back turned. She was a little taken aback by his sudden gentle gesture and somewhere deep within her she felt happy about it. She stared at his bare back trying to figure out what her feelings were. She also tried to figure out if he felt something within him as well.
She knew that at one time Voldemort had been toying with her emotions. She had felt lust for Draco before she even got along with him. She enjoyed her touches at first but after a moment when she thought about it she really detested the feel of his skin on hers. But that wasn't how she felt now. She felt longing towards him. Every time his fingers brushed her arms by accident she wished it would happen again. If he grabbed her arm in the heat of an argument she wanted him never to let go.
She wondered if he was beginning to feel for her what she already felt for him. She would have to test him. She could no longer deny that she had feelings for him and she certainly wouldn't be able to hide it from him much longer. The only thing she would have to figure out was exactly what these feelings were.
All the thinking had made her forget about pretending to be asleep. She was lying there staring straight ahead of her eyes wide open. She also hadn't noticed that Draco had rolled over and was staring right back at her searching her eyes to figure out what she was thinking so hard about.
"Hermione." He said but she didn't respond. It was almost as if she were in a trance or something.
"Hermione!" He said a little louder and her eyes shifted to his in a second. She stared at him with her wide eyes startling him for a moment.
"What?" she asked softly.
"What's wrong with you? Didn't you hear me calling you?"
Hermione shook her head as she sat up the covers falling down. She looked around her not really having ever seen the room properly before. That was when she remembered the night before and all that had transpired.
"How did I get up here?" She asked her eyes narrowing toward Draco.
"I brought you. You fell asleep in the library and I thought if I left you there you'd be furious so I brought you up here and took off the veil." He said narrowing his eyes right back. There was a slight edge to his voice and she knew that she was annoying him already.
"Oh. Well thank you." She said turning away from him and crawling off the other side of the bed.
Draco watched her stroll across the room and enter the bathroom. He knew that every morning he would have to deal with her annoying comments and looks and it made him angry. But there was nothing that he could do. He would have to put up with it.
He heard the sound of water running. She was brushing her teeth. He got up off the bed and entered the bathroom to see her spitting into the sink. He leaned against the bathroom wall for a moment before he held his wand to his mouth. He knew that she was watching him in the mirror as he used his wand to clean his mouth.
"Jealous Hermione?" Draco asked when his mouth was clean and tasting fresh like hers.
"Not in the least Draco. I've always used a toothbrush. My parents were dentists." She said smiling.
He was still leaning against the wall as he watched her wipe her mouth on a towel. He was frustrated but mostly he was attracted. She was only wearing shorts and a tank top. So much of her milky skin was exposed and every inch of it kept Draco yearning to touch it. He could feel the spell in his head making him want to touch her. He tried to fight it but Voldemort was just too strong.
Hermione started to leave the bathroom, passing her husband by. But just after she passed him his hand shot out and grabbed her upper arm. He pulled her back to him. Hermione was basically thrown against Draco's chest and when she looked up and opened her mouth to demand what he was doing he captured her mouth in a passionate kiss.
Hermione's whole body went limp as Draco kissed her. Her arms slipped around his neck and she leaned into him enjoying every bit of this, deciding that she would scold herself later. His hands ran from her waist down over her bum to her thighs then back up again only this time they worked their way beneath her shirt. That made her snap out of her enjoyment and break the kiss.
"I know what your trying to do and it's not going to work. I don't care what happens I will not have sex with you." She said pulling herself away from him.
Draco looked at Hermione his mind telling him to grab her and throw her on the bed. But that little spot inside him that seemed to be gaining more control of his mind told him to leave her alone. It told him that it wasn't the right time. So Draco remained still as Hermione left the bathroom.
After Draco had showered and dressed he opened the door to see an elf waiting in his room. It was standing there nervously but as Draco approached it seemed to stand up straighter.
"A letter froms the Darks Lord sirs." The elf said trying to hide the tremble in its voice.
"Thanks." Draco said taking the envelope knowing exactly what was inside.
Draco,
The Mudblood has perfected her resistance to my spells. And you seem to be fighting me as well. I will cease my pushing, but if I do not learn that you have consummated the marriage before tomorrow evening both you and your wife will have a very harsh punishment to face. Your charge will be disobeying orders and I'm sure you know what the penalty is.
Voldemort
Draco stared at the letter at a complete loss for words. He would have to explain the circumstances to Granger for if they didn't have sex that evening then both she and Draco would face much worse that what Hermione had faced at her punishment.
"Where is my wife?" Draco asked the elf who was still standing in the room beside him.
"She's downstairs sirs. She's eatings breakfasts."
After racing down the stairs and coming to an almost screeching halt in the kitchen beside the table Draco handed the letter to Hermione. She sat her fork on the plate before reading the letter and was glad that she had.
"He can't be serious." Hermione said softly turning to Draco.
"How could you even think that he wasn't serious Hermione." Draco said sitting himself beside her. "He would never joke about this. Actually I don't think that he'd every joke about anything."
Hermione's eyes filled with tears. She was being forced to give away her virginity to her enemy. But then again she had been forced to marry him. That was just the next step wasn't it?
"We have to Hermione. There's no choice. I've seen what he does to people who disobey him." Draco shuddered at the memory.
"I can't stay here." Hermione said suddenly. She stood and hurried from the room.
Draco didn't bother to follow her. There was no where for her to go. There were spells all around this house that would make sure that she didn't leave unless permitted. She could barely get into the woods before she was transported back.
She was going to fight and make him suffer beside her. They would both be dead before they were even married a month if she kept on that way. He couldn't believe that he was going to have to either rape his wife or suffer an unbelievable punishment.
Hermione ran until she couldn't any longer. The grounds were beautiful but she hated them anyway. She could feel the tears sliding down her face as she thought about her friends. She missed them terribly and wondered if they were still looking for her. Or had they given up? Had they thought that she was dead or lost to them forever?
She knew that none of them could save her from any of this. The only one that could do that was she. But there was nothing that she could use. She couldn't get out of the house without Draco and there was no way to escape Death Eaters from the only other places she ever went. The only way to completely escape anything was death but that would be a last resort. She wouldn't do that unless things were absolutely hopeless.
She sat down on the grass atop a large hill and looked out at the surrounding world. She could see the tops of trees and in the distance a small town. She and Draco seemed to be the only things around for miles and that didn't help matters any.
Hermione would have to give her virginity away to the one person in the world who didn't want it or deserve it. She didn't want him to have it either because she had always promised herself that she would wait for someone who loved her and whom she loved as well.
But if she didn't she would have to be beaten again. And she knew that she wouldn't be able to get through another beating. She wasn't even sure how she made it through the first one. She had intended to do just as Draco had told her and faint but the last thing she remembered before waking up in Draco's room was putting her head down and thinking about Harry. After that there was nothing but black.
She stayed outside for a good portion of the morning walking around through the forest. She would get to a certain point and feel the power barrier that would prevent her from leaving and she would turn and walk in another direction. She was still in her pajamas as she walked but she didn't care. She just couldn't go back in that house yet. She wasn't ready.
Draco looked out the windows in almost every room of the three-story house trying to see if he could spot his wife. He needed to talk with her about this because they needed to figure out what there were going to do. But no matter where he looked she wasn't there. She was walking aimlessly through the surrounding forests probably thinking just as hard about everything as he was.
Giving up he turned and started back down the stairs to sit and reread the letter. They had until the next evening to get it settled and he knew that it would probably take until then because she would fight until the last moment. But Draco prayed that just once she would give in quickly without too much of a fight so they would have a chance of not facing any consequences.
When she finally returned to the house in the early afternoon Hermione had made a decision. She had decided what she would do about the issue and knew that once she made the decision she would stick with it. There was no more being unsure of things because the consequences of going back on something could be painful.
Draco, who was still walking through the rooms looking out of the windows, heard a door creak open and slam shut a moment later. He hurried down the stairs to see Hermione gliding down the hall. She was heading toward him as he stood on the stairs but she never looked up at him.
"Where have you been? We really need to talk about this." Draco said stepping aside so that she could climb.
"There's nothing to talk about. I've made my decision." Hermione said softly as she passed him. Her tone was even and flat with no feeling.
"Wait we have a lot to talk about. I have a say in what happens too, you know. I want to talk about it." Draco said frustration and anger seeping into his voice but Hermione kept walking to their bedroom not turning to look at her husband. Draco continued to gaze angrily at her back until she shut the door.
Draco kept himself locked up in his office for the rest of the afternoon. He didn't want to even look at Hermione because after she came out of their room, showered and changed, she refused to talk about the note and the situation that they were in. She just pretended not to hear him.
They ate dinner in silence. Draco kept his eyes on his plate eating quickly so that he could get away from her before he exploded. When he got up from the table he saw her head lift and their eyes met for the briefest moment before she looked down again.
It was late when Draco decided that he should go up and try to sleep. He started up the stairs wondering where his wife was but not wanting to look for her lest he start an argument with her about the letter. When he reached his room he pushed the door open. He reached, without looking, to turn on the lights but a hand stopped him.
Draco turned his head toward the figure that was draped in shadow. It was Hermione, he could tell by the little tingle he felt where their skin met. But why was she standing in their room in the dark?
As his eyes adjusted he could see her moving to stand before him. Before he could open his mouth to ask her what was going on however they were locked in a kiss. It wasn't like any of the kisses that they had shared that morning but a soft shy almost nervous kiss. He knew at that moment what was happening.
This was Hermione's decision. This was her way of giving in. She wouldn't say that she gave in but just do what was asked of her. And he knew also why she did it this way. It was easier this way. It seemed more natural even if the entire thing was strange to her.
Draco understood how hard this all was for her because he knew, without even having to ask that she was a virgin. He knew that all this was foreign territory to her. So he decided that he would make it easier on her and go slow. Hecaressed her lips softly, allowing her to stay where she was. She still held his hand in hers from when he'd reached for the light. They hung connected between the two. As they kissed Draco lifted his free hand and softly touched her cheek. He allowed Hermione to set the pace, allowing her to make the moves when she felt comfortable. He didn't want to force her to do something she didn't feel in some way prepared for.
The kisses grew a little deeper. Hermione dropped Draco's hand and wrapped hers about his neck moving in closer to him. Her body was pressed lightly to his own and he slipped his hands about her waist.
As he kissed her Draco's hands stayed in place but Hermione's were beginning to roam. One moved to his cheek the other to the back of his neck. And Draco noticed that her kisses grew deeper. Her tongue moved along his bottom lip and he opened his mouth allowing it to enter.
'She's an amazing kisser.' Draco admitted to himself as he caressed her tongue with his own. Draco felt hot and wondered if it was the room or them.
After a few minutes of passionate kissing against the wall Hermione broke the kiss and looked up at Draco. Her eyes were so deep and filled with meaning that Draco wished he could look away. But he knew that if he did that he would ruin everything. So Draco looked into her eyes and opened his mouth.
"Are you ready?" he asked her his voice deep and soft.
All Hermione did was nod and take Draco's hand, leading him to the bed.
Well that's where I'm going to end it and I know your all going to hate me but don't worry...it will be alright...
Starry