A/n: WOW You guys are amazing! Thanks for all the reviews, they were my extra Christmas present this year :) Glad everyone likes this story so much! Keep on reading and reviewing...hope everyone has/had a Happy Holidays! You guys got the most reviews I've ever had for one chapter-17! You guys rock. As of 10/13/2012, this chapter has been edited so give a big thanks to my beta Tessa Cresswell :)

Monday morning brought another phone call into the apartment. Hermione jumped up and stumbled into the living room still half asleep, picking up the phone with a sleepy "Hello?"

"Hello Hermione."

"Marcus?" She was wide awake now, her hair clutched in the hand not holding the phone. "Why are you calling me?"

"What? You didn't think I'd find you eventually? Get real bitch, you knew it would happen."

"What do you want? You shouldn't be calling; we're getting divorced for a reason."

"You think I care? Yeah bitch; you're not getting away that easy."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" She heard footsteps behind her and then Draco's cool arm snaking around her waist, and if she had been a little less distracted at the time she would've done something about it.

"Watch yourself Hermione, you're not out of the woods yet."

"Who's that," Draco hissed in her opposite ear, biting at her skin. "Problem?"

She shook her head. "I don't have time to do this right now." She clicked off the phone before pulling Draco off her, turning to look at him. "And what do you think you're doing?"

He smirked, and pushed her against the back of the couch. "Making sure you remember who owns you now."

"Hardly. Nobody will ever own me."

He shook his head. "Believe what you want to believe." He kissed her forehead. "So who keeps calling my fucking house this early in the morning? Marcus is it?" He had her pressed to the couch, her hands resting on his chest.

"No."

He smirked. "Liar. I heard you say his name."

"Your point?"

"He shouldn't be calling should he? I believe you mentioned that you're getting a divorce yes? So he shouldn't be getting a hold of you."

"Oh get lost." She shoved him, brushing past him. "It's nothing of your concern." She slammed her bedroom door, leaving Draco in the living room alone. He looked at the phone.

He pulled his mobile phone from his pajama pants pocket, flipping it open as he pressed the return call button and watched the number dance into his vision. As the phone rang he saved it in his phone, naming it and all.

The voice picked up on the other side of the call. "I knew you were smart bitch."

"Yes, she's quite smart, isn't she?"

It was later that night when Hermione was back in the living room, watching TV as she flipped through some papers. Draco was off someplace in the apartment, where though, she wasn't much concerned about.

She stood and set the papers aside, reaching for her water. She headed towards the kitchen deciding she wanted something different to drink, and tripped over a book that had been left lying out on the floor. The drink slipped faintly through her fingertips and shattered on the ground as she fell, and she felt the vague stab of glass in her hand as she caught herself over the majority of it. Rolling to one side she examined her hand where the flecks of glass were and one rather large piece, the blood coming from the cuts in slow lines.

"Why do I never carry my wand on me when it's convenient?" She sighed, standing, considering going and grabbing her wand from the bedroom, but thought better of it and headed to the bathroom, deciding to not try a healing spell on herself. She pushed open the door.

"Oh god Draco!" She covered her eyes with her good hand, stepping back slightly as the heat from his shower hit her hard. The room was steamy.

"Ah, Granger. It's nice to hear my first name roll off your tongue. Came to join me I see?"

"Not exactly," she snapped. "Just let me grab a bandage and you can continue with your shower all by yourself."

"Why do you need a bandage?"

"I cut my hand...does it matter? Cover yourself and I'll depart quickly."

"Bullshit. I'll look at it." "Hmm maybe we'll play doctor."

"No I'm fine Malfoy."

"Ah we're back to Malfoy I see." She left his cool hand suddenly grab near the elbow of her injured arm and pulled her closer to the shower. "Just let me look."

"Fuck no! Put on some clothes."

"Hmm...fuck. That sounds rather lovely coming from you Granger. Dirty even. Never thought I'd hear that nasty word rolling off your pretty little tongue." She felt the painful, but light pressure of his fingers on the palm of her hand. "How'd you manage this?"

"I slipped. Why aren't you using your own shower exactly? This wouldn't have happened if you were in there."

"Punched the mirror yesterday, not important. You could've fixed this with a simple healing spell you know."

"I don't trust myself to do one of those in this state. What made you punch the mirror?" She still had her eyes firmly shut.

"What state? Horny and confused?" He ignored her question entirely.

"Tired and irritated. Let go of my arm I'm certain I can clean a few cuts myself."

"You have to get the glass out too. Open your eyes."

"Why?"

"I can't tell where they all start, you lost a lot of blood. Just open your damn eyes and show me."

"They're little cuts I can't have lost that much." She heard the water shutting off as she continued. "Just let go."

"Open your eyes."

"I'm not in the mood to be flashed."

"Too bad." She felt the soft material of a towel brush her arm. "Open now and I'll let go."

She rolled her eyes inwardly. Hesitantly opening them, making sure to try and mask where her eyes were obviously focused, she was relieved to see a towel being held in front of his lower body (maybe a little disappointment too). She opened her eyes fully and he let go.

He reached up, into the cabinet opposite the mirror, the towel loosely wrapped around him. He pulled out the disinfectant and bandages she had been searching for. "You'd think that you'd know where your own shit is Granger."

"Charming," she muttered, washing her hand in the water, feeling the dull burn as it hit the open cuts.

"Careful," he said. "Don't let the glass get buried further in your hand. Honestly Granger, you would think you would know these things, seeing as you're a Mudblood."

"I'm fine," she said, snatching away the disinfectant, and really getting a glance at his body for the first time. The water was still rushing down his stiff, muscular chest in streams, and his hair was tapered to his head in the back, and he had messily thrown the front around. She found herself staring involuntarily.

"Don't stare forever Granger, you'll get the glass stuck in there."

"Very funny you twit." She heard some small, almost inaudible sound from someplace in the living room. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" He had a pair of tweezers now, and was gently trying to pull the flecks and pieces from her skin.

"I don't know. It sounded like a faint crash." She winced as the largest sharp was pulled from her skin. "If I was a bit more daring I would've just done the healing spell and spared myself this annoying feeling."

He shrugged. "Someone in the hallways."

She heard some sort of crashing sound and twisted, nearly causing him to shove the glass into her hand. "There it is again!"

He jerked her arm. "Be careful."

"You honestly don't hear that?"

"No Granger, just like I didn't hear the man and his dog come in a few days ago. You're just imagining."

"Excuse me? I'm certainly not imagining Draco."

"There we go, I like the sound of that. My name sounds so perfect when you say it." He smirked up at her, the towel slightly looser now. She scoffed and didn't say anything. He finished pulling the last few shards from her hand, disinfected her hand once more and bandaged it. "Would've been faster if you had just done it with magic."

"I already explained that," she muttered, tearing her hand from his grasp and standing up. She walked out into the hall with him following. She headed to her room opposite the living room. "You think someone like you would listen more."

"Cute Granger." He leaned against her doorframe like he had done repeatedly before, and watched her pick up her wand. He was watching her slim back, exposed by the small t-shirt she had on.

She glanced back. "Do you mind?"

He held up his hands. "Fine, I'll just go back to my room." She heard him walking away and sighed, staring out her window.

"Um, Granger? What exactly did you break to cut your hand?" He sounded to be in the living room, maybe his bedroom door.

"A glass." She started out of her room towards where he was standing. Upon reaching the gap in the wall to the living room she saw the reason for his question once again.

The windows in the room had been blown in, and the freezing November air hit her hard. She wondered vaguely how cold he was in just that thin towel. "How did we not hear that," she said aloud. "I mean we were talking, but we're not deaf."

"I'm not concerned about the glass," he said, waving his hand and walking carefully over to the other side of the room, Hermione close behind. He paused in front of the water she had spilt, before proceeding on towards the kitchen. "I want to know who the fuck had the nerve to break in and break my shit."

"But how did they break those windows without us hearing?"

"Who cares?" He was looking at the fridge, which had been opened and the food scattered around, looking to be untouched. "How big was that dog of your ex's Granger?"

She leaned over to the large piece of meat Draco was looking at, noticing just like him the large chunk missing, and the distinct look of teeth marks on it.

He glanced back at her. "Oh you are so sleeping with me tonight."

"I'm not doing this," she said to him, about an hour later after he had dressed. Using Hermione's wand they had quickly and easily repaired the windows in the living room, as well as cleaning up the food straight into the trash, all of which would need to be replaced.

"Well, you're not sleeping all alone in your bedroom either. Be glad I agreed on sleeping in here with you instead of my room like I planned."

"And if the windows are destroyed again? Good luck removing the glass from both of us with my wand."

"Please Granger, you're sad. You're the smart one remember? You would have to do it."

"Unlikely."

He smirked. "Don't worry about them, I used your wand to do a couple extra spells for good measure while you were changing."

"You used my wand!"

"Eh, borrowed if you prefer. But don't worry, the windows won't blow in again."

"And what else did you 'fix'?"

"Just some locks on the doors, nothing serious."

"Draco, door locking charms are not all good."

"There you go with that Draco shit again. Why do you insist to use my name?"

She smiled. "Because it gets under your skin." He frowned.

"Or arouses me," he said in a quiet tone she didn't catch. "Whatever Granger, just go the fuck to sleep." He leaned back in the chair, a habit he was not happy to see becoming routine (preferring a more bed like piece to share with the vixen across from him).

"Yes Malfoy, you're charming." She snuggled into the blankets, looking for sleep that her mind wouldn't let her have.

Draco was out the door by seven the next morning. Hermione was finally asleep, and he hoped she would be asleep for a while, as long as he was gone preferably. He caught his commute to work and stormed into Harry's office.

"I need my wand back Potter."

Harry raised his eyebrows and folded his hands. "It's only been one year. You have three more months. Don't start trying to push me now or I'll suspend you longer."

"I don't need my wand for me."

"What then?"

"It might come in handy with keeping Miss Granger safe." He was leaning forward on the desk, staring down at his boss, not at all in the mood to 'tango' with him.

"And what has changed since last week?" He stood up and pushed Draco back off his desk, only resulting in him standing upright but not stepping back.

"Someone was in the apartment last night. If you want your friend to be completely safe I still suggest returning to me my wand."

"I knew it wasn't safe there," he muttered. "Did she get hurt?"

"Only through fault of her own. Whoever came in didn't touch her, just messed with a bunch of my shit. She was in the bathroom with me at the time."

He narrowed his eyes. "What? Would you like to explain to me what you two were doing in the bathroom together Mr. Malfoy?"

"Ah, too good to pass up." "We took a shower together. Cold night, cool apartment, the water just warned us both right up."

"I told you not to fuck with her."

He shrugged, still playing on his lie. "She didn't object. And I guess it's better that she didn't, maybe he would've hurt her then."

"He? Who do you think it was then?"

Draco shrugged. "There was a giant bite out of a slab of meat I bought. I'm guessing whichever one of her ex's that had a dog paid us a visit." He watched Harry's eyebrows draw together. "My wand Potter?"

Tuesday night Hermione was pacing the living room, wondering where her roommate had gone off to that day. He'd been gone, the mail had come, and inside she had discovered a letter from Hogwarts inviting her to a staff ball on Christmas night. Harry would be attending, along with many Aurors, and of course, her ex's.

Although Hermione was temporarily not working there, they sent her the same mail she would receive. The guest list didn't excite her, except for the chance to show up with a super hot date that would scare off her ex permanently. "Except I'd have to put out to get Draco to do that, and I'm not doing that."

Draco had come in earlier and gone to his room, saying she had nothing to worry about now. Hermione had wrinkled her brow but not wanting to chance after him for answers, she hadn't pursued thus far.

Draco didn't go to work Wednesday, and was surprised Hermione didn't wake up until almost eleven that morning. "Up doing something," Draco asked with a teasing smile when she finally emerged in her slim jeans and tight shirt.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She winked and opened the fridge.

"It's rather late for breakfast."

"Yes, I know." She pulled out the milk and he was surprised to see her drink from the carton.

"My goodness Granger, whatever happened to your manners?"

"I have them, I'm just not using them." She burped, and sat down on the couch beside him with a smile. "So why are we safe now?"

He could smell it lightly on her breath. "Granger did you drink my whiskey yesterday?"

"Nope." She shook her head. "I drank some juice from the fridge but no alcohol." She ruffled his hair and he raised an eyebrow. "I even had a visitor."

"Excuse me? Who?"

She giggled. "Marcus."

"Hermione! You let him in? What the hell's wrong with you? Have you lost all your senses?" He grabbed her arm.

"No, he came in."

"What?" He glanced around the room. "How? Hermione the house is locked down. You would've had to have let him in."

"But I didn't!"

"God you're drunk." He waved his hand. "Hermione what the hell's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." She leaned into his chest. "You're all strong."

"Wow, really drunk." "Hermione." He grabbed her and pushed her back. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Hmm, you're rough."

"Oh god." He felt his cock growing as she spoke. "Alright." He grabbed her up and flipped her over like a sack of potatoes.

"Where're we going?"

"My room."

"Oh! And do you have any plans for me?"

"Unfortunately not the plans I want." He pushed his door open and deposited her on the bed. "Stay here."

"That's it? You're not going to do anything with me?"

"Huh. You are a whore when you're drunk. Remind me to never take you clubbing." He grabbed the door handle. "Just stay in there Hermione."

"Bye Draco!"

"Hmm. I think I like you better sober. At least then I can hold a sensible conversation with you." He shut the door.

"Hmm, next time I want to nail her I'll just get her a drink." He smiled inwardly and wandered into her room. "Now how'd he do it?"

He was beginning to notice that this ex of hers had a knack for performing everything he did soundlessly. How? Now that was the question. To sneak into a sealed home, and get a girl drunk with alcohol in the opposite room and never wake him up - who only slept one wall over - was impressive, but unnerving. It was like he had his own personal entrance to Draco's apartment.

"I'm going to have to meet Marcus. Have a talk of sorts. No one breaks in here and gets away with it. Fuck that."

He looked over the room twice and couldn't see anything un-normal. However he had gotten in was beyond him. The room was clean, nothing opened up into a door from what he could see, nothing was hidden, and her picture was dusted clean. He rubbed his temples.

"I'll just sleep with the drunk Granger tonight." He headed back towards his room to see how she was.

Because of Hermione's state, Draco was able to maneuver her into his bed that night, but didn't get much further than feeling her up before she fell asleep from absolute exhaustion. He found himself smirking openly at her near naked sleeping body just beside his and traced his fingers up and down her skin. It was then as he traced over her left hip that he felt the slight feeling against his skin, like freshly punctured skin. Using his newly re-acquired wand he lit the space and gazed at the mark on her skin with irritated anger.

The letters were fine and almost warm if you applied pressure there, and when he had been busy taking off her skimpy pajamas he hadn't noticed it. There were just two, which looked like they had almost been burnt into her skin. He quickly rolled on his back, biting his lip until it bled and tried to control his anger the best he could. Yesterday, when he had seen her bare lower back, that had certainly not been there.

"Marcus Flint. You have got to be kidding. The bastard."

Thursday Hermione woke up alone in Draco's bed, utterly confused. She rubbed her head, feeling the massive headache as soon as she sat up, and found her wand on Draco's bedside table. She wrinkled her nose as she waved the wand, diminishing most of her headache. She found that her bra had been lost sometime in the night but that the lacy boy shorts were still on, which she took as a good sign.

"I must remember to slap Draco in the head when I see him. How dare he take me into bed in that state? The slime!" She gathered up her scattered clothes, pulling them on.

"Come to think of it, did I see Marcus yesterday? Impossible." She stood up and wandered out of the room, Draco flipping a mobile phone shut. "You have a cell?"

He shrugged at her. "Nice to see you sober."

"Yes, I'm sure it's your favorite thing. Harder to get me into bed though."

He shrugged again. "Well I wasn't sending you back into your room."

"Why's that?"

"You don't remember? God Granger, we must build you a better alcohol tolerance."

"What should I remember then?"

He almost chuckled. "You saw Marcus yesterday. Flint? Yes, I'll just suppose you were stupid enough to make him your husband."

She squeezed her hands into fists. "What makes you think its Flint?"

This time he did smirk, and walked up to her, placing his hands on both her hips, and applying the faintest pressure to her left. She hissed in pain. "Because I saw the initials. What kind of trouble did you get yourself into my dear?"

"Shut up Malfoy. It isn't your damn problem."

"Ah, you keep forgetting." He pulled her chin up and kissed her. No matter how much she hated him having a grip on her she couldn't help melting against him. "You're mine. And he'll soon learn that."

"How?" She found a note of worry in her voice, and hated herself for it.

He pulled out his wand, which surprised her, from the pocket he'd deposited his cell into a minute ago. "You'll see."

Thursday night Draco insisted that Hermione be within his sight as she slept. After her repeatedly refusing to join him in bed again, they settled for the living room once more.

"Remind me why I can't sleep in my room?"

"No one's marking my girl again."

"I'm not yours." This time Hermione was in the chair and Draco sprawled out on the couch which was just big enough for him.

He shrugged. "Then fight back. Your wand's still in your possession." He smirked and looked at her. "If you hate me controlling you so much, fix it."

She picked up her wand. "Fine." Throwing off the blanket she took a step to the couch, to be met by his own wand pointing at her. "Going to hurt me?"

"No, I see no reason to hurt my vixen. Although if she tries to hurt me I may have to knock some sense back into her head." He smirked again.

"How would you do that?"

He smiled and lay back against the couch. "You'll have to wait to find out."

"Tell me." She stepped closer.

"No."

"Tell me!"

He lunged at her then, and she didn't try to stop him as he knocked her wand from her hand and pushed her back onto the chair, collapsing on top of her. His lips crashed into hers and his tongue slipped easily into her willing mouth. He held the kiss for a moment, his erection pressed firmly into her leg, and his right hand drifting to touch her breast for a moment.

Then he was off of her, smoothing his hair back and relaxing on the couch. "Something like that." He could hear her heavy breathing as she tried to compose herself.

Friday night they slept in the living room again, Draco having looked through her room once again, using as many spells as he could think of to try and find out how Marcus had snuck in. Although Hermione had protested and tried to sleep in her room, eventually it had just led them back to the couch and chair. Saturday there was a small shuffle that awoke Draco, and brought him to look in the hallway for a moment, but nothing more, and he returned to his place on the chair.

Sunday he stalled her at about ten as she was about to settle in for the night. "What now Malfoy."

"Hmm, I prefer Draco." She raised an eyebrow as he continued. "We're sleeping in my room tonight."

"Ha! Not even." She pushed him and sprawled out on the couch.

He sighed. "Fine, you forced me to." He quickly grabbed her up bridal style, and she quickly twisted in his arms. "I told you we're sleeping in there."

"Not happening."

He shrugged as he deposited her on the bed again for the second time that week. "Looks like it is. You don't fight as much as I would've thought."

"Well maybe I wanted you to bring me in here." She lay back on the blankets and the sight was too good to be true.

He lay down beside her. "Really now?"

She brought a swift hit to meet his nose, and he rolled away holding the throbbing part of his face. "Nope. Now, I'll stay in here if you make up another bed for yourself."

"You want my bed," he asked, lightly pinching his nose to bring the feeling back. "That's rather sexy."

She shrugged. "I roll a lot. The bigger bed is better for me." She made a "shooing" sign with her hands. "Go on."

He stood up, shaking his head. "I was right, what a fucking tease you are Granger."

She shrugged. "You haven't objected yet." He smirked as he conjured up his makeshift bed, not answering.

"Ha-ha," she thought. "Whipped."

Draco sat thinking for a while as he heard Hermione's heavy breathing as she slept just one bed over. Marcus had been on that fucking phone call, calling her again for who knew what, but now Draco knew that Marcus knew that he knew. Confusing right? He was also positive Marcus had gotten her drunk and...done what? If he'd fucked her Draco was positive it would've woke him up. Had he really done it to only leave his damned initials on her skin? The sick bastard.

The thoughts rolled over each other as his mind darkened, sleep coming so very slowly.