Set after Deathly Hallows, exempting the last chapter… just because that's not the way that I roll. :

Disclaimer: All characters and such belong to J.K. Rowling… I just like to make up my own plots.

Chapter 4: Take Your Time

Draco Malfoy was sitting on his sofa in his inherited manor, sipping on Butterbeer and reading the Daily Prophet. He needed something to get his mind off her. There wasn't much else for him to do in his lonesome but to think about her, dream about her, talk about her…

"Master Malfoy," a squeaky voice broke the silence that had surrounded him.

He tore his eyes away from the paper that he wasn't really reading and looked down at the wrinkly little House Elf. "What is it, Gigi?"

"We has prepared yous dinners sirs," Gigi bowed slightly and smiled goofily at her master.

Draco nodded. "Thank you very much, but I am not very hungry at the moment." He patted Gigi's head. "Save it for later, yes?"

"Y-Yes," Gigi bowed even more and scuttled back into the kitchen.

That gave Draco unwanted time to himself. His thought immediately drifted back to Hermione. He touched his lips lightly, remembering the kiss she had bestowed upon him only a few hours before. He felt his back, were the now mended wound was from when she fell into him. He remembered her reluctant face as she left him in the Department of Mysteries. And then he remembered her words: I'm eventually yours. What had she meant? She wasn't the type to sneak around her loved one's back to rendezvous with the former enemy, was she? He sure hoped that she was, however. He began to think about her in the present. Thinking about what she was doing at that very moment. Then his stomach sank. Be began to think about who she was doing at that very moment. He covered his face with his hands and groaned. "Why you, Hermione Granger? Why?"

Then there was a slight tapping on his window. His head snapped up to see a brown barn owl perched on his window's ledge. He frowned in confusion and got up to retrieve the parchment that was haphazardly tied to its leg. When he read it, his stomach rose back up from its deflated state.

Draco-

Meet me at my flat in ten minutes. Bring Fire Whiskey and anything else that dulls the senses.

-Hermione

Then at the bottom Draco saw something that made his stomach to a back-flip, and he totally knew why.

P.S.- I'm yours.

He ransacked his liquor cabinet immediately, looking for the strongest alcohol he could find. As soon as he had carefully placed it in his arms, he apparated to Hermione's flat.

Once there, he found her, sitting expectantly on her sofa, wearing a robe. Her face was red and splotchy and her mascara was running wildly. He looked at her with concern and she lost it.

"I told myself that I was not going to cry over that cheap piece of… of… oh!" Hermione cried even harder.

He briskly strode over to her and enveloped her in his arms. "What happened?"

"He told me that I was a sleaze when I practically threw myself at him… and…" Hermione burrowed her head in his chest again. I definitely did not think that I would be comforting her over her loss of the Weasel… Draco thought as he stroked her hair. But it works, I suppose. Hermione pulled away momentarily. "He proposed you know? I said yes. I did. And then I… I told him that I wanted to… you know… be with him… and he freaked out. He told me that he was," Hermione got a disgusted look on her face and held up her hands to form air quotes. "'A traditional type of guy'. Can you believe it? He totally rejected me!" She began another round of tears.

"No, I can't believe it," Draco whispered. "Shh, Hermione, you'll be all right, you know? You'll land on your feet. There's plenty of fish in the sea." He couldn't believe that he was actually trying to get her to go out and find another man. Hopefully she didn't look any further than right in front of her.

Hermione shook her head violently and stood up. "I don't want fish!" she yelled. She walked over to her kitchen area and held up the coffee machine in her arms. "And I don't want coffee!" She threw it on the ground and it shattered. Draco stood, looking at her dumbfounded. She's mental! He thought. She reached into a cupboard and pulled out and elegant looking gravy dish that Ron had gotten her for their 3 year anniversary. "And I sure as hell don't want gravy! Who in the hell gives their girlfriend a gravy dish?!" Hermione threw it at her wall and it shattered into a million little pieces as well.

Draco looked around at the contents on the ground, there he found an empty bottle of Fire Whiskey. She must have started drinking without him. "Hermione, are you… drunk?"

"So what if I am?" Hermione began to walk towards him.

"Stop!" he ran over to her and picked her up. He pointed to the pieces of glass and ceramic on the ground. "Be careful."

"Oopsie," Hermione giggled. "That could have been catastrophic!"

"Leave it to you to use big words when you're wasted," Draco set her gently on the couch and she immediately made a pass for the Fire Whiskey that he had brought. He quickly grabbed it before her. "Oh no you don't!" He walked over to her kitchen area and placed it on top of her cupboards where he knew she couldn't reach.

"Hey, give that back!" Hermione stomped over the kitchen again.

Draco rolled his eyes and picked her up again. This time, he laid her on the island. "How about I make you some tea?"

"Then I can have that?" Hermione pointed to the liquor he had confiscated.

"Yes," Draco lied.

"M'kay," Hermione curled up into a ball and placed her hands under her head. More soon than she expected, she drifted off into a dreamless little sleep.

She woke up only an hour later in her warm, cozy bed with a throbbing headache. "Ugh," Hermione grunted and attempted to get out of bed. She realized that she was still in her robe. "Oh, thank God." Hermione breathed aloud. She went to her dresser to put on pajamas instead of wearing lingerie under her robe. She was glad that Draco hadn't seen her in her undergarments… it would be too embarrassing. She then trudged out into her living room to see Draco sitting on her sofa, sipping tea and watching her television. Hermione cleared her throat to get attention.

He turned to look at her. "You're up." He smiled then pointed to the TV. "This contraption is pretty amazing."

Hermione laughed a little and then held her head in pain. "Talk a bit more quietly," she whispered.

He rolled his eyes and walked over to her, handing her his cup of tea. "Have some of this, love." He froze as soon as the words flew out of his mouth.

Hermione stood there, frozen as well. She saw a certain gleam in his eyes that she had never seen any other boy wear before. Then she began to think of all that he had done for her. Saving her from stepping on the rubble, which was now cleaned up... courtesy of Draco himself, making sure she sobered up, being there when she cried, just holding her. Then she realized at that moment that Ron was absolutely right. She did have feelings for Draco. Feelings that she was just now beginning to comprehend. Even before when they were just civil co-workers, she had always cared about what he thought of her… because she was infatuated with him and his will to live a good life after not being able to for so long. That drive in him to be a better person attracted her from the start… Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but accidentally let the ceramic mug slip out of her hand. It clattered to the ground and broke in two.

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat and, without taking his eyes off her, he said, "You broke it."

"It's okay," she replied, not taking her eyes off him either. "It was Ron's."

Draco finally broke the intense stare down to look at the broken mug. Sure enough, in big black letters was R.W. He shifted his tea soiled socked feet and stepped out of the puddle. "I'll get a mop." He began to move away.

"No," Hermione blurted out and grabbed his sleeve. Déjà vu struck her and she thought about how only five hours before, she had slammed him up against the shelf and injured his back. "Hey, how's your back?" Hermione mentally kicked herself in the butt for saying something so off base and stupid.

"Oh, it's fully mended," he replied and lifted his sweater. "See?"

And Hermione could indeed see. She could see the chiseled beginning of his abs and the musclely flex of his back muscles. Hermione found herself reaching out to touch him, but realized what she was doing and quickly covered. "The mop's in the closet over there." She pointed with her already outstretched hand.

Draco let out a breath that he had been holding in for some reason and trudged over to the closet. Hermione took a seat on the sofa, her back to him. It was beginning to get difficult to control herself around him. She had never felt so… so… animalistic. She stuck her hands under her butt so she wouldn't be tempted.

"Finished," Draco declared and came to sit on the coffee table across from her.

Hermione took in a sharp breath. "Maybe… maybe you should…" Hermione took one hand out from under her behind and pointed towards the recliner on the other side of the coffee table. "Maybe you should sit over there?" She didn't mean for it to come out as a question.

Draco nodded in agreement. "Yes, that sounds… better…" He got up and plopped down in the recliner. He saw her long slender legs crossed delicately and her bony yet soft hands rested upon them. It was his turn to take in the breath. "Definitely better, no?" he asked in a strained manner, trying to keep the breath in so he wouldn't let out any other awkward sounds.

Hermione looked at him, sitting all masculine like: tall, lean… like a god. Hermione nodded in false agreement. "Yes, much better." Hermione couldn't take it anymore. "Then again, you're so far away."

"Yes, well…" He scooted the recliner closer. "Better?"

"No…"

He scooted even further. "Now?"

Hermione leaned in towards the coffee table. "Not yet."

He got up from the chair and leaned across the coffee table like she was, making it so their faces were inches apart. "What about here?"

"Close, but no ci—"

Then he kissed her, the animal inside Hermione soaring with victory. She gripped the back of his head, pulling him closer, needing him closer. He pulled her up so she was lying on the table and he rested himself on her delicate frame. He began to suck and bit on her neck and she let out a soft, but audible moan. She then began to nip at his ear, driving him wild. He wanted her so bad… but he didn't want to be the rebound. Shit, Draco thought.

He pulled away and got off the table, needing to distance himself from her if he was really going to stop kissing her. "Sorry," he breathed.

Hermione sat up and crossed her arms around her chest. "We keep telling each other that, but we both know that we don't mean it," she pouted.

Draco kneeled by her and took her hand. "Look, Hermione… I'm going to just say it: I have some pretty strong feelings for you and I don't want to be the rebound."

Hermione opened her mouth but Draco cut her off. "So I want to date. Take things slow. I want to get to know you better before we do this…" Draco motioned his hands back in forth between them. "Agreed."

"I suppose," Hermione sighed. "You know, I have feelings for you too."

"I figured." He smiled and then he got up. "But for now, I should go, okay? See you tomorrow at work?"

Hermione's face brightened. "Yes, tomorrow."

"Okay… and try not to be so late." He joked.

Hermione smiled and nodded. As he grabbed his coat, Hermione asked him a question, "So, when will I get to call you mine?"

"Oh," Draco kissed her forehead. "I'm eventually yours." And with that, he popped out of her flat.

Hermione sighed deeply and crawled over to her couch just as her head began to throb again. "Stupid Fire Whiskey," Hermione murmured. "Stupid Ronald…" she muttered before she shut her eyes and drifted off, yet again.