A.N. I want to thank native-kitten for reading and reviewing. This chapter is dedicated to you. I hope you all liked my interpretation of Draco's life during the DH book. Here is chapter 7 please read and review. Oh, and also enjoy.

Chapter 7

Hermione had to stay in the hospital for a few days after her fainting, the doctors wanted to make sure there wasn't any underlying issues. If he had it his way Draco would have kept her there until they could make the panic attacks stop. He'd broached the subject of going to a wizarding hospital only once to Hermione and her look alone made him shut up.

"Draco don't make me regret asking for you to stay here. I just need to take things easier that is all, ok now can we just drop it and talk about something else. I have always hated being in hospitals." She didn't want to mention that the reason was when she was petrified by the basilisk that she could still hear everything. She could hear the suffering, the pain that others were going through in the nurse's ward. It was one such day that she was petrified that she felt an unfamiliar hand touch hers. It took a second for Hermione to hear the person's sobs, they sounded like they were trying to not let anybody know they were crying. Initially she had thought that it was Ron, or slightly possible that it was Harry. It wasn't until she heard her name that the voice clicked. It was Draco's voice. It was that moment that made Hermione start looking at Draco as more than just the bad guy.

Just when she thought he'd stop crying and leave she would hear the pause in his voice and the sniffing would start again. If Hermione were a betting woman she would have guessed he'd come there to confess but just couldn't. Little did she know that he was actually trying to build up the courage to actually speak to her. Draco figured that this was the safest way to tell her, she was in no way shape or form able to laugh at his confession.

Draco stayed at the hospital with Hermione, calling in sick to his work for the week. On the day they left an outsider wouldn't be able to tell which one had been the patient, being that they both were beyond happy and ready to leave the hospital.

"Hermione, you need to get rest and I am not letting you stay at your home all alone waiting for another panic attack to hit you. You are coming back to my house and there is no more discussion." Draco knew well enough to not look at her because that's all he'd need to do to break down and do whatever she wanted. He just kept walking to his car and opened the door. Hermione kept trying to get his eye and when she realized that he wasn't going to give in. With a huff of annoyance she sat in the passenger seat. Draco let a slight smile slip across his lips as he walked around to the driver's side.

"What is with the smile?"

"I just won an argument with you, that is a rarity." He heard a chuckle come from Hermione and he felt her soft hand gently rest on his thigh. It still amazed him that just the merest brush of her skin against his still made his heart stop and pound all at the same time. When they were in school together Draco had always assumed that Hermione was just uptight and serious. In the six months that they'd reconnected with each other, Draco has seen many sides of her coming out. They bubbled to the surface with more and more frequency. Hermione would never tell anyone, especially Draco, but just having someone who knew about her past and didn't pressure her to go back to magic put her at ease.

Stepping into the foyer Hermione smiled, she felt like she was home. She didn't even feel like that at her own home. Draco quietly took her bag up to his bedroom leaving Hermione wandering through the house. He was happy that he'd spent the previous day cleaning the house. With a startling realization that made him stop Draco didn't clean the house with magic, he'd done it by hand. He couldn't really remember the last time he'd used magic, probably the last girl that was here. He'd spelled the doors to stay locked except for the ones that led her to the front door.

"What's wrong, why are you just standing there? Did you forget where your room was?" Draco visibly jumped at the sound of her voice. Hermione gave him a quizzical look and took her bag and started walking towards his bedroom. Quietly Draco followed her into his room. As soon as he'd put his bag down Hermione turned towards him and kissed him. It had the feeling of trying to be soft and tender but came out as a crushing startlingly desperate kiss. He pulled back and looked at Hermione. Her eyes had unshed tears in them. Draco took his thumb and gently wiped away the tears that had started leaking out.

"Hermione what is wrong?"

"I, I am just so grateful that you stayed by my side in the hospital. I couldn't have asked anybody else to stay without having to endure endless questions that, frankly, I'm not ready to answer. I love you so much Draco." When Hermione looked into Draco's eyes his were radiating happiness and love.

"I love you too Hermione, I love you so much I want to marry you." It took him a second to realize that he'd actually proposed to Hermione. With a startled second of stunned silence they just looked at each other. Without another word Draco quickly walked out of the room. Hermione stood there stunned. Her brain was replaying the last few seconds trying to process it. In the blink of an eye Draco was back in front of her on one knee. He opened the jewelry box he'd had for just a week. The ring was breathtaking. It was a solitaire cushion cut diamond on a twisted silver band.

Hermione gasped and looked at Draco. This time it was her turn to wipe the tears quietly slipping down his cheeks.

"Hermione Jean Granger, I have no words for how you have changed my life. In the past nine months we've been together I wake up with your name on my lips and your face as the last thing that crosses my mind as I fall asleep. I have never known anyone like you. You are indescribable. You make me want to figure out how to create a world with more hours in a day so I can have more time with you. Will you please give me the greatest gift and marry me?"

Hermione sank onto both of her knees and nodded her head. If she could speak she would have screamed yes but currently she had a lump in her throat. As Draco slipped the ring onto her finger Hermione felt as if this is where she was always meant to be. Hermione leapt on top of Draco, plastering him to the tile floor. She laughed and kissed him anywhere she could. Draco began laughing and struggled to sit up. Gently pushing Hermione off of him Draco stood up and took her hand and led her to the bed. He took his time kissing her. He let her know with every kiss that he loved her. Every touch, every caress, was filled with tenderness and the yearning for something more. Unlike their first time which was more about urgency and desperate need, this time was all about relishing each other. Draco kissed Hermione's eyelids and cheeks and he nibbled and sucked on her ears. Hermione kissed his shoulder and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. As soon as his shirt was unbuttoned Draco shrugged out of it; as he did that Hermione pulled off her shirt as well. The satin sheets caused her to get goose bumps that were only heightened by Draco's lips on her stomach. Hermione was shivering with anticipation. Draco pulled off her pants and underwear in one move. He still had on his boxer briefs. Hermione rolled Draco off of her and she sat on his legs as she began to tease him the same way that he was teasing her.

She dragged her nails up and down his chest and stomach seeing the same goose bumps that were on her show up on his body. Draco was already starting to pant in anticipation of what was about to happen. In the blink of an eye she removed his underwear and started to kiss and lick him around his arousal. Draco started panting even harder and grabbed her hand pulling her towards him. He kissed her lips and gently moved her hips over his. She teased him by just slightly keeping her other lips just grazing his wanting head.

When they finally joined together they both cried out and sat still for a second absorbing the sensations. Hermione was hot and tight. She could tell that Draco was already on the verge of coming. Slowly she started moving her hips and instantly Draco met her sway with a thrust. He could see her eyes start dilating and he felt himself rushing towards the blissful ending. With a shudder Hermione came and right behind her was Draco. For the first time she had multiple waves of ecstasy crash over her. She could feel him pumping himself into her and see in his eyes love radiating out at her. She slid next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. She ran her nails along his abdomen loving the feeling of the muscles there.

"Oh god, Hermione that was…beyond words." Draco slipped out of bed and didn't try to hide himself as he went and got a glass of water from the bathroom. He walked back towards her and Hermione looked him over. She loved how he looked. As she took the glass of water she looked at her ring and her breathe was taken away. She took it off to look closer at it. That is when she noticed the inscription on the thin band. The ring said: My love is forever yours DM and HG. Hermione slipped the ring back on her finger and smiled. This is how getting engaged should feel.

"Mom, hey it's me….. I have some great news….Draco…..yes he did!" Draco could hear her mother squeal with delight. "Yes mom we will get together as soon as possible….ok love you bye…." She laughed as she closed her cell phone. Draco was dressing for work, Hermione was already dressed. Standing behind him she wrapped her arms around his chest and looked at him in the mirror. Her heart was so full and contented. It had been a week since they'd gotten engaged and Hermione hadn't had one single nightmare, she'd had a few flashes of memories but they were brief and few and far between.

"Class, today we are going to discuss borderline personality disorder." Hermione could hear the class quietly sigh; she knows she hasn't been such a good teacher this semester. Feeling her ring on her finger she smiled and didn't let it get to her like she would have before. The class went better than she's ever had it go. There was a very interesting conversation about disorders. As Hermione walked to her car, nearly floating is how she felt, a familiar voice brought her down to earth with a thud.

"What are you so happy about, Hermione?"

"Harry what are you doing here? I can't talk I've got an appointment that I can't miss." She knows he saw her ring and he grabbed her hand and looked.

"Wow, Ron got you another ring, I would have just given you the same one you had. I guess that wizarding shop is doing better than anyone really thought." Hermione knew that he wasn't trying to sound mean but that is how it came across. She retracted her hand and put her briefcase in that hand to keep him from grabbing it again. It would make sense that Harry would just automatically think that she was engaged to Ron again. Harry never really stopped and thought things out. He'd always left that for Hermione. Harry was more of the rush in and wreck havoc then try to figure out a strategy.

"I'm not engaged to Ron, Harry. We are over and have been for almost a year and a half. I am engaged to Draco Malfoy." Hermione held her head high and waited for the expected look of shock and betrayal to cross his features. It took a second for the words to process through Harry and then the looks were there.

"He is our enemy Hermione. What part of that do you not understand? He was the one who put Tom Riddle's diary in amongst Ginny's books. He was the one who caused her to nearly die. He was the one who set up Hogwarts by finding and sharing the room of requirement to the death eaters."

"I am not having this discussion again. I am happy with Draco and you can take it or leave it." Without another word Hermione got into her car and drove away. She'd recently put her house up for sale and had been steadily moving her stuff into Draco's house. His house was slowly becoming more of their place, not quite so stark anymore.

Only her parents knew about Hermione's move. Since her relationship with Draco, Hermione has gotten closer to her parents. Draco doesn't try to get her to do magic, and that helps her relax. In the past nine months Hermione couldn't help but feel that if she hadn't met Draco again; Hermione would have had a nervous breakdown and would probably not be able to function.

She leaned against Draco as he read the newspaper and she graded papers.

"This is what I've always wanted. I used to fantasize about doing exactly this with my husband. I just feel like my life is finally what I've always wanted it to be."

"Me too, I've had this dream, nah I don't want you to think me a sap." With a gentle nudge Draco continued. "What I didn't tell you about that day when I realized I loved you; I saw you sitting under a tree with the sun setting and reflecting across you. My heart stopped for a second and it felt like I was transported to the future for a second and I saw us cooking dinner together laughing." With that Hermione hugged Draco. He pulled her into his lap and she put her head on his shoulder and sighed.