Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews! I'm going to try to keep updating this every other day until I reach the end. :)

Chapter 18: Late

Of course Isabelle's frustration didn't last long at all.

By the next day she was grinning at him again every time they happened to pass each other in the rooms. She didn't say anything though. In fact she still hadn't said a single word to him when later in the evening she grabbed the front of his robes and dragged him into her room where she immediately pushed him down onto the bed and started kissing him passionately.

It wasn't something Draco would have allowed any other girl to do, but he found that he was helpless to stop it when it was Isabelle doing it. Not that this meant he was willing to give up control entirely. He pressed into the kisses, rolled her over so he was pinning her to the bed and proceeded to remind her exactly who was in charge in this relationship.

Afterwards when they lay, their skin filmed with sweat, breathing still ragged, Draco gazed into Isabelle's eyes and wondered what he was going to do when he had to leave her tomorrow for the holidays.

He wondered briefly if she was thinking the same thing.

There was silence for long moments that seemed to stretch into eternity and then Isabelle opened her eyes and grinned.

"What have you done to me?" she asked, resting her forehead on his.

"I don't know sweetheart, what have I done to you?" He smirked up into her brown eyes, which were blinking at him and still looking slightly dazed.

"I don't know," she groaned, "But we've just had amazing sex and I still feel like I want to fuck you all night."

"All night?" he asked, one eyebrow curving up in surprise.

"All fucking night," she growled, dipping her head suddenly and sinking her teeth into the flesh of his neck. He hissed in pleasure.

"I think that can be arranged," he drawled, pulling her back down on top of him and dragging her into another kiss.

She was hardly exaggerating as it turned out, and when they finally fell asleep, completely exhausted, in a messy tangle of blankets and limbs Draco had even less idea how he was going to survive two weeks without this.

The next morning he woke up first mostly because the sunlight was shining in at the window and falling right on his eyes. Draco knew he should probably take this as his cue to get up, and probably wake Isabelle too because they had a train to catch, but instead he slipped away and returned to his own room, climbing into his bed and letting sleep retake him.

Another hour's sleep here meant that he hadn't crossed that line. Hadn't spent the entire night with Isabelle.

Didn't it?

Unfortunately his actions meant they were both late. Late getting up, late finishing their packing and late when they finally stood in the living area, Draco tapping his wand against his leg impatiently, as he waited for Isabelle to finish fiddling with her trunk.

He could have just left her, because really there was no need for them to go down together, but for some reason he didn't.

"You know, you can leave the House Elves to do that," he said testily as she tried in vain to snap shut the catches on her over-stuffed trunk.

"If I can't do it, how are they going to do it?" she snapped, angrily reopening the lid and rearranging some of the things inside it.

"They'll sort it," he said through gritted teeth as she tried and failed to shut the lid again, "Now will you please come on because we're going to miss the carriages."

He tugged at her arm impatiently, his superior strength meaning that she was actually forced to stand up and stumble away from the trunk.

"Don't drag me around Draco!" she snapped, yanking her arm out of his grip, and looking mutinous as she knelt down again, "Go on ahead if you're so worried, you don't need to wait for me."

For some reason that last statement annoyed Draco in a way that he really couldn't have explained if he'd tried.

"Fine, but how do you think it looks if the Head Girl turns up late?" he chided, trying a new tactic, "Not a good impression to set is it? And I bet your sister's waiting."

"My sister is perfectly capable of looking after herself," she spat, "And don't you bring her into this. You don't even like her!"

"I have no opinion of your sister," he said frostily folding his arms, knowing full well exactly why she'd made that remark, "I've never spoken to her for long enough to form a judgement."

That got her attention. She shot him a disbelieving look and left her trunk alone.

"Fine," she said, "I'll leave it, but only because I don't want to be late."

"Finally," he breathed, following her as she marched out of the door in a huff and started to head down the four flights of stairs to the Entrance Hall.

"You know, you could have just left it in the first place," he admonished, his longer legs making it easy for him to catch up with and maintain his place at her side, despite the fact that she seemed determined to get away from him, "That's what the House Elves are there for."

"Just because they're there is no reason not to do things," she snapped, "I was trying to help them out."

"Oh Merlin, you sound like bloody Granger," he groaned as they reached the final staircase, "Don't start on at me about House Elf rights."

"I will not start on at you about anything Draco Malfoy, because I am not speaking to you." She raised her chin defiantly, "You are the most intolerable spoilt brat I have ever met."

"Me?! What about you?" he started, before realising that they had reached the Entrance Hall and that now they were being openly gawped at by quite a lot of the remaining students. He glared accusingly at Isabelle as if this was somehow her fault, before turning that glare on their audience and sweeping through a crowd of second years to go in search of his friends.

By the time he'd had a nice long sleep on the train and consumed lunch he was feeling a lot better, apart from a gnawing regret in his stomach, which could only be caused by one thing.

Isabelle.

He didn't like the way they'd parted. He didn't want his last memory of her for two weeks to be of them fighting quite so bitterly. Because it had been bitter, in a way that none of their usual bickering was. They had both been tired and fractious and in a terrible mood from lack of sleep and the fact that they had missed breakfast.

That's what happened when you spent an entire night having sex.

Not that he regretted that at all, last night had been… Draco realised he was smiling rather stupidly and tried to return his expression to a neutral one before any of his friends noticed. He attempted to force his attention back to the conversation with limited success. His mind kept wandering back to the way Isabelle's soft skin had felt under his fingers. The way her eyes had blazed with passion as they'd kissed. They way she'd finally fallen down on his shoulder, exhausted and sated, and he'd watched as her eyes fluttered closed, pressing light kisses over her hair and her temples until sleep had finally claimed him as well. The way she'd felt so warm and comforting when he'd woken up this morning and realised where he was.

He tortured himself for as long as he could stand, and then excused himself on the pretence that he needed the bathroom. Actually he did need the bathroom, so it wasn't a complete lie. He used it and then dithered around in the corridor for a while, not wanting to go back, but knowing there was absolutely no chance of seeing Isabelle. Even if he did find out what compartment she was in, she'd be with her friends or her sister and he definitely wouldn't be able to speak to her.

The door of the compartment he was leaning on slid open, and a very familiar voice demanded, "Get in here," before his arm was grabbed and he found himself yanked inside.

He stumbled a little and righted himself to find Isabelle putting a sealing charm on the door. When she turned her eyes were glinting defiantly as if daring him to continue their earlier argument.

Suddenly and inexplicably tongued tired, all he managed to say was, "Hello Isabelle."

She looked surprised. "Not sweetheart today?"

"You complain when I call you sweetheart," he said, frowning at her in confusion. She shrugged and looked at the ceiling, tapping her wand against her thigh.

"I'm getting used to it," she murmured. Draco felt his confidence come back in a rush of adrenalin, because she wasn't still angry, and she wasn't yelling at him, and she was here with him.

"In that case." He reached forwards and dragged her into his arms, wrapping her up tightly and bringing their faces together until their noses were touching and he was practically smirking against her lips, "Hello sweetheart."

She smiled. A genuine smile. He felt his heart rate ramp up a gear.

"Hello Draco," she replied, looping her arms around his shoulders and looking at him quizzically. "Are you going to kiss me?"

"Yes," he breathed, a second before he brought his lips to hers. They were soft and warm and she was kissing him back so gently that he felt like his heart would burst. It had never, never, felt this good to just kiss someone before and if Draco had had room in his thoughts for anything other than just how good it was he'd probably have pulled away. As it was he deepened the kisses just enough and pulled her even closer.

He didn't know how long this kiss went on for, but it could have been hours before he pulled away and leaned his forehead on hers, eyes still closed.

"You know, you really are a brat," she murmured, stealing another quick kiss. Unlike before her tone was gentle this time, almost affectionate.

"I know," he muttered, nibbling briefly at her bottom lip as he captured it between his teeth. He moved his hand to cup her face and pulled her into another kiss, this time much more passionate. He kissed her until desperation crept in and he broke off trailing his kisses down her neck and starting to undo her top buttons.

"Draco!" She snapped her eyes open suddenly and tried to push him away with one hand. "I am not having sex with you on a train!"

"You're no fun, Isabelle," he groaned, trying to distract her by capturing her wrist and nibbling on the soft flesh near her collarbone

"Draco!" She pushed him away properly this time and he shot her a sulky look before flopping down onto one of the seats in the compartment.

"Why bother dragging me in here if it wasn't for sex?" he grumbled.

"Because," she purred, arranging herself on his lap, sliding her knees either side of his thighs so she was straddling him, "I wanted to see if you'd stopped being such a grumpy brat and just gone back to being an annoying brat."

He couldn't help sniggering at that, even though he knew he should have been frowning.

"You annoyed me," he protested, trying to force himself not to smile. It was difficult with Isabelle tilting her head and looking at him with a faint hint of a smirk playing around her lips, "It was your fault I was grumpy."

"Fine," she said flippantly, "I'll forgive you, but only because you compared me to Hermione Granger, which I consider a compliment."

"It wasn't a compliment, " he pointed out, "Granger is an insufferable know-it-all."

Isabelle sniggered, "Whatever, Draco Malfoy." She rolled her hips against his, which did nothing to help calm his already semi-hard cock.

"I thought you said no sex," he protested, trying to stop her from doing it a second time.

"I did," she purred, moving her hands to his jaw and capturing his lips in another kiss, "But I didn't really expect you to listen to me." He pulled away, raising an eyebrow and giving her an incredulous look because he really could not believe she was even suggesting this.

"The thing is, Draco," she told him, rocking her hips again, "We were so late this morning that I forgot to put any knickers on."

His other eyebrow joined the first and he hissed through his teeth, abandoning his attempts to still her hips in favour of running his hands underneath her skirt to check the accuracy in that statement. He hissed again as his fingers found that she absolutely was telling the truth, and he slipped one down to feel the wetness already gathering between her thighs.

"You know, we're nearly at the station," he drawled, pulling his finger away and leaning back a little.

"You'd better get on with it then hadn't you?" Isabelle murmured, starting to unbutton his shirt and run her fingernails over his chest in the way that sent those delightful tingles of pleasure through his skin.

"Oh I don't know," he said reflectively, resuming his earlier attack on her blouse and squeezing her breasts through her bra as soon as he'd opened it, "I'm not sure we've got time for this."

"What's the matter, Draco," she hissed, starting on his trouser fastenings, "Afraid you can't make me come that quickly?"

"Sweetheart," he drawled, running his hands over the soft flesh of her stomach, "I could make you come twice before we got there."

"I'll settle for once," she said flippantly, "I need to get changed afterwards."

He laughed and raised his hips, allowing her to pull down his trousers and boxers before she settled herself back on his lap and pressed her lips to his.