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Author's Note: Hi all, thanks for putting up with all the angst these last couple of chapters, I think it's time for a bit of warm gooey stuff now. As always, JKR is the inventor of the Bubble-Head Charm (aka how I feel when I'm reading her books!)

It wasn't until much later that evening that Draco heard a soft knock at the bedroom door. It creaked open and Granger peered in. It took her a while to spot him, as he was using only very faint candlelight against the darkness encroaching from outside. A couple of hours before, she had snuck into the room and left a plate of food, which he had devoured within a few ravenous minutes. Despite the scones earlier, he had been famished, and her homemade lamb stew and crisp cucumber sandwiches had really hit the spot.

"Draco?" she asked hesitantly as she entered the room, closing the door with a gentle click behind her.

He gave her an encouraging smile and gestured for her to come further in, trying to put her at ease. He had a few of his mother's things on the dresser before him, and he was sorting through some of her old letters and documents that Tilly had included in her rescue mission. A few of the more precious pieces of jewellery and heirlooms he had already examined and stored. It hadn't been easy, going through her things. But he supposed it felt like a kind of catharsis to deal with all those jumbled emotions as he did.

"Hey," she murmured shyly as she came and perched on the edge of the bed near him, "How are you going?"

He nodded and turned to face her, running his hands through his hair.

"Fine," he said quietly, and chuckled when she gave him a doubtful glare, "Really, Granger, I'm alright. What time is it?"

"Ten," she replied, and his eyes widened in surprise. Was it really that late? His gaze darted across to the little ticking clock on the bookshelf and he made an involuntary grunt of disbelief.

"Wow," he murmured quietly, "I hadn't realised. What have you been doing?"

Granger shrugged one shoulder with a slow, lazy smile.

"Just reading. I think I found something I want to try on my arm."

"Really?" he asked with interest.

She nodded, looking pleased with herself, but before she could answer she raised her hand quickly to her mouth to stifle a yawn.

"It's late," he said in a hushed tone. Feeling a bit bold, he moved over to sit next to her on the bed. The mattress dipped slightly, and he noticed that Granger immediately diverted her gaze to her fingers, which she was twisting nervously together. They were shaking. Draco frowned, reaching over and placing his hand over hers, holding onto her fingers. Her skin was warm and he felt a thrill trace up his spine as Granger turned her palm over to link her fingers through his. He grabbed the opportunity to run his thumb over her skin, delighting when he felt goose bumps prickle over the back of her hand.

They were both staring at their entwined fingers now, both nervous to meet the other's eye. Eventually Draco raised his gaze to her. Her braid was quite loose now that it was so late, and a few curls had escaped to drift tantalisingly across her neck. And she was biting into her bottom lip. She sensed his stare and lifted her head, and their eyes connected.

"Draco…" she began in a hoarse whisper, but her voice was tremulous and uncertain.

"What is it?" he asked reassuringly.

She was silent for a few more moments. She chewed on her bottom lip as she contemplated her words, and her hand was squeezing his a little more tightly. Finally she took a deep breath and stared at him with those round brown eyes that seared right through him.

"I want to know why you kissed me. What is this to you?"

Draco forced himself to swallow to cool his dry, burning throat. His heart was thumping. So she had finally worked up the courage to tackle this thing directly. He lifted their joined hands a little higher, and purposefully stroked her skin again in a soothing gesture.

"Do you want me to give it a label?" he asked with a gentle twitch of one side of his lips into a smirk. Hermione shook her head with a frown, even though he could see the humorous twitch of her mouth.

"If you wouldn't mind," she retorted with one raised brow.

He sighed.

"I don't know what to call it. I…uh…all I really know for sure, is that this isn't a game to me.

He honestly didn't know how to express himself. What if she threw it back in his face? Just because she enjoyed a couple of kisses, that didn't necessarily mean she wanted something serious.

"Do you…never mind," she flushed red and looked down. Draco squeezed her hand, raising it to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

"Go on," he encouraged.

"Do you really want me?"

Draco blanched a little bit at her question. It was quite direct, but then when had Hermione Granger ever beaten around the bush? If it were anyone else, someone with more confidence in her appearance, she would have known without any doubts just how much he wanted her. But Granger was different. She honestly didn't think boys could find her attractive. It wasn't self-pitying or ignorant, just completely oblivious to the effect she had on those around her.

"Yes, Granger," he said in a low voice, placing a couple more lingering kisses on her knuckles, "I definitely want you. And if Tilly hadn't interrupted us earlier, I would have show you just how much."

He felt Granger shiver again. Feeling courageous, Draco tugged her a little closer using his grip on her hands. He toyed with a few of the curls draped around her neck as he leaned in to kiss her. His eyelids were heavy and he could feel her little puffs of air as she started to breath more and more rapidly. Just as he placed the first chaste little peck on her bottom lip, she groaned a bit and pulled back.

"I should be honest with you," she said very quickly, her hands shaking again as she stared down at her twisting fingers in a nervous gesture.

"Okay," he said slowly, wondering how bad it could be, and dreading some of the more depressing possibilities. She raised her eyes to his again and looked at him sadly before she spoke.

"Before we got captured…actually it was about a month before that even, Ron and I talked about becoming a couple."

Draco's gut turned over unpleasantly at her words. He had of course suspected along with half the school about the growing attachment between the ginger menace and the bookworm. It had been hot gossip all through their sixth year. Draco remembered being delighted when that skanky cow Lavender Brown practically threw herself all over the Weasel, because it meant that Granger was kept at a distance. Of course, it hadn't been easy at the time seeing her watching them with the green sting of jealousy in her eyes. Not when she barely even noticed him. And while of course he hadn't intended to poison Weasley, he was malicious enough to admit that he had been savagely pleased when the undeserving git had ended up unconscious in the Hospital Wing.

Draco clenched his teeth now, forcing himself to calm down. She had only said that they talked about it. That didn't mean Weasley had some kind of claim over her. If he did, Draco was sure he'd smash the prick's face in next time he saw him. He'd probably do it without magic just for the satisfaction of feeling the bones break under his knuckles. He took a couple of deep breaths and pushed away the feeling of sickness at the turn of the conversation, making sure he approached this with a cool façade.

"So…you talked about it. What did you both say?" He had to grind the words out, but he thought that maybe he had succeeded in looking unruffled. Or maybe not, judging by the guilty look she shot at him.

"Well it was just a few short whispers while Harry was inside sleeping. But Ron said he was sick of us both avoiding our feelings. He reckoned that everyone knew that we would eventually get together except us. So he suggested that we…you know…make it official."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"How romantic, Granger. The weasel really has a way with words. So what did you say?"

She bit her lip as she shook her head disapprovingly at him for his dripping sarcasm.

"I said that I needed time to think about it, but that if we were going to be together, then it would have to wait until after the war. And so he promised that he would wait for me."

Draco wanted to look away, he wanted to do anything else except stare into her eyes like a bloody puppy that had been kicked.

"And…how do you feel now?" he asked, wincing at the pitiful croak in his voice. She sighed and wrung her hands tighter together as that crease between her brows deepened in anxiety.

"I don't know, Draco! For months, years even, I have just expected that one day I would be with Ron. Everyone said so. I've had a crush on him since fourth year."

"But?" he prompted hopefully, sensing there was another part to her rant.

"But," she agreed with quiet emphasis, "These past couple of weeks with you, and kissing you… it feels different."

"Different how?" His heart was thumping louder now; he was surprised she didn't hear it.

"Everything is just so much more intense. Every touch and feeling and even when we're just talking…" she took a deep breath and let it out as her blush spread from her cheeks and down across her collarbone. He wondered vaguely just how far down it went. She was so nervous. He couldn't stop the smirk from playing at his lips.

"It's alright to admit that you want me too, Granger," he said in a low, purring voice.

"Is it? I feel like, by having feelings for you, and acting on them, I'm somehow betraying Ron."

Draco just managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes in frustration at how annoying the orange git was. He wasn't even here and he was getting in their way.

"But you just said yourself that you don't feel this way about him, like you do about us," he argued, holding onto her hand again and squeezing it a little to get his point across.

"I don't…I've never felt like this before. Draco…you saved my life, and every moment since then you've behaved with more kindness and acceptance towards me than anyone else ever has," he felt his chest swell up at her words, and he started to stroke his thumb across her knuckles again to encourage her to continue, "You actually care about my interests and what I have to say! Usually people, and Ron in particular, just ignore me or try to convince me I should talk about quidditch instead! It's so ridiculous that the one boy who used to denigrate and insult me more than anyone else at school is now the only one who actually listens and understands!"

"I'm sorry I made you feel like that in our younger years…"

Hermione just waved a hand in dismissal of his apology.

"We were both different people back then. It doesn't matter. What I'm trying to say…poorly… is that I feel a spark with you that's unlike anything else I've felt before."

Draco smiled and linked his fingers through hers tighter, wriggling a bit closer on the bed towards her.

"Hermione, listen to me. You can't just turn away from this if it makes you feel so much more than you do with that freckled git. If you really do want me like I want you, then that's all that matters. So what's really stopping you?"

She bit her bottom lip again and shrugged slightly.

"I guess nothing. I'm just afraid that someone will get hurt. Probably Ron. I know his feelings for me are stronger than maybe mine are for him. But also in school you weren't exactly known for your ability to have one girl at a time. You were always wooing about ten at once. What if I get hurt?"

Draco nodded in understanding. He wasn't surprised she felt that way. It was a carefully designed image that he had cultivated over many years at school. He certainly hadn't been a womaniser or slept around a lot, but he was a Slytherin. And flirting with girls just enough to seem available opened a lot of doors. He was wealthy and good looking after all, and cunning as all Slytherins naturally were. And it did lead to quite a distinctive reputation. But in those last few months between the vanishing cabinet and his burgeoning feelings for Granger he had barely registered the presence of any other girls let alone been paying them any attention.

"Hermione, believe me when I say that you would not just be another notch on my bedpost."

"What would I be then?"

He swallowed. She had been really brave so far, and he was cursing himself for not being able to work up just as much courage to admit his feelings to her. He wanted to. The words were right there on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't force them out no matter how hard he tried. His palms were getting sweaty, and he was sure she would notice them. Eventually Draco managed to pull himself together and meet her eye, trying to give her a solemn look.

"I care about you. A lot. It scares me how much I do."

Hermione nodded, but didn't reply. She was tapping her foot nervously as she observed him quietly. He continued, determined to convince her.

"Hermione, please believe me when I say you're not like any other girl I've ever known. You make me angry and frustrated and confused and happy and excited. But you also make me so curious to learn everything about you, from your favourite potions theories, to what makes you laugh, to what sounds you make when you experience pleasure."

Granger's blush went from a pretty pink to a deep red. He even saw her release a little shudder. Draco knew that she was starting to give in to him. She had slid a little closer to him on the mattress and one of her fingers was travelling indolently over the back of his hand. He tried to smile softly at her, tilting his head in a bit closer.

"Can I kiss you now?" he asked her a bit cheekily. Hermione blushed and nodded shyly. But then when he leaned in, she met him halfway, so he knew that she wanted the kiss just as much as he did.

Their lips met gently at first, but it quickly escalated. Draco had been thinking about this more and more the last few hours. He started kissed her fiercely, with unbridled passion. He quickly caressed his tongue over hers, and she reached up one hand to twine her fingers through his hair. He could feel her nails scrape over his scalp, and he released a low groan in the back of his throat. As their bodies moved closer to each other, Draco grabbed her on the hips and tugged her body forwards. Hermione let herself follow the momentum he set by allowing herself to be pulled up onto his lap.

It only took an awkward fumbling of their legs and she was straddling him. But their lips never parted. He didn't care that he was running out of air, he couldn't get enough of her taste. Hermione made a few of those tantalising little mewls again, and his skin crawled with desire to find out what else he would hear from her. Wanting to feel her closer, he wrapped his arms around her back and dragged her up his thighs. Draco emitted a blatant, animalistic groan against her lips as she came into contact with his cock, which was throbbing and strangled in the confines of his pants.

Hermione obviously felt it too, as she pulled her mouth away just enough to let out a ragged gasp. When Draco leant in to kiss her again, he felt her fingers tighten in his hair. But instead of pulling him closer, he felt the slight tug before she drew away. They sat there panting in a tangle of limbs for a few moments as Hermione swallowed before she was able to speak.

"Draco-" her voice was raspy and breathless, and he felt another jolt go straight down through his navel, "I'm not…I've never…"

Sensing her anxiety, Draco leaned back to look into her eyes, using his hands to sweep the wilder curls away from her face.

"What is it, Hermione? Tell me."

"I've never done anything like this before. I'm afraid."

Draco couldn't stop the satisfied smile from taking over his face. He wouldn't deny that it gave him a flutter of pleasure to know that she had not had any real experience with other boys. He didn't like the way the jealousy would eat at him when he imagined her with Krum or Weasley in the past. It was purely a caveman response, but he was honest enough to own up to it.

"It's okay," he said in a low, soothing voice as he used his touch to stroke her skin around her jaw and down her neck, "We can take it as slow as you want."

Hermione nodded gratefully and rested her forehead against his. Draco's heart was still pounding and he had to take a few deep, steadying breaths to gain control again. As he did he breathed in her scent, strong from holding her so close to him, with their bodies in the most sinfully exciting position. He loved the way the soft weight of her thighs cradled him. He drew her closer, his hands stroking up and down her back. Draco's gut swooped happily as he leaned in and placed a final chaste kiss on her mouth. He felt her lips stretch into a smile as she returned it gently.

"Really? You don't mind?"

"Of course not, princess."

He saw Hermione roll her eyes at the term of endearment, and he laughed as she smacked him. Then he leaned back and raised one eyebrow at her curiously.

"Does this mean we can't sleep here together anymore?"

Hermione smiled softly and pushed the hair back from his forehead.

"No I think that should be okay," she whispered.

Draco grinned. As they clambered off each other, he reached for his wand and transfigured their clothes into pyjamas. He quickly stored his mother's things in a cupboard and joined Granger under the covers.

They both lay on their sides watching each other for a while. Draco leaned wriggled forwards a little and placed another soft kiss on her lips.

"Does this mean I can't feel you up?" he murmured.

Hermione let out a surprised laugh. He loved the way the smile lit up her face this close to her. He could have counted the freckles scattered over her nose.

"You can feel me up a little bit-" she replied with a sly smile.

He snuggled deeper into the pillow as he gleefully raised one hand and ran it up over her hip, stroking the small slither of skin exposed. He saw Granger bite her lip and arch her back towards him.

"You're incorrigible," she said with a warm smile.

"Only a grindylow could lie here next to you and not want you," he replied, stroking his hand up her hip and over her ribcage.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not!" he protested, "You have no idea the effect you have on me. I want you all the bloody time."

She flushed again but managed to keep eye contact and not look away in embarrassment.

"Is that so?" she asked eventually.

"Mmmhhmm," he hummed in response, running the backs of his fingers down over her stomach now. He liked how soft she was. He hated girls who ate nothing but salads so that they could look and feel like a stick. Where was the fun in that? He loved the way Hermione's belly was just slightly rounded before her waist flared out into curvy, womanly hips.

"Draco," she whispered hoarsely, and he felt the shiver pass through her. Knowing that he would never get to sleep at this rate, since he was still rock hard, he quickly withdrew his hand and placed on last kiss on her bottom lip.

"Please don't date him," he muttered quietly, nudging his nose against hers and breathing in her scent deeply. He drew back very slowly to see her reaction, and noticed that she was observing him quite calmly. She didn't seem offended or upset, just understanding. She was silent for a very long time, and he saw her eyes flicker down to his lips once or twice. Finally she spoke.

"Okay," she whispered simply, with a slight shrug and a twitch of her lips. She didn't add anything else; no conditions or caveats. She just watched him with those open, honest brown eyes. He even saw the little glint of amusement when she noticed his smug reaction. He must have looked pretty damn pleased with himself. She chuckled a little bit and nudged his nose with hers to mirror his earlier actions.

"Go to sleep," she giggled softly.

With a cheeky grin, Draco lifted his arm and shifted them around until she could prop her head up on his shoulder. He pulled her closer and they embraced each other comfortably. Now that he was actually in bed, he realised he was actually exhausted. It had been an emotionally fraught day. It didn't take him long to drop off, with a gentle smile still lingering on his face.

...

Author's Note: Ok, so I know I've maintained that this is a Draco POV story, but is anyone interested in getting a one-off Hermione chapter at some point? Let me know! Please review.