A/N: Thanks to all for the lovely reviews and encouragement. Also, this is the wedding night, so you have been warned.

Beta love: Glittergrrl05 (if you haven't checked out Bespoke Witch, you really should); KiwiAmbrosia and Pagan Ianthe - they all had a major hand in making this fit for consumption.

Disclaimer: HP is the property of JKR and her designees, and I do not make any money from this story.

Ch. 17

Midnight

The Castle

The Scottish Highlands

The strange tugging at her navel ceased quickly as Hermione landed on her feet beside Draco. They were at The Castle. Hermione looked around at the familiar room; it was as gorgeous as she remembered, and a far cry from the Room of Requirement.

"Is this okay? I know you said you didn't want to live here, but I thought it might be okay for this weekend." Draco sounded just a little unsure of himself, which was unusual for him. "And I didn't want to spend it at Hogwarts. Did you?" The incredulous look on Hermione's face was all the answer he needed. He smirked. "I didn't think so."

"Mipsy!" Draco called for the house elf.

With a crack, she appeared and bowed low. "It is good to see the young Master and new young Mistress. How can Mipsy be of service?"

Hermione was startled to see the house elf here, but she supposed it would be natural for Narcissa to have sent her to prepare the castle for any stay, however brief. "Mipsy, before we retire, can you please put some wine in the master bedroom, and perhaps a cold plate for later?"

"Of course, Master. Mipsy is pleased to serve. Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you, Mipsy. You may go to bed after you are done." And with a bow and a crack, Mipsy disappeared.

Hermione had mixed feelings about house elves and their treatment, but since Mipsy seemed happy, Hermione decided to ponder that conundrum later. Much later. In the meantime she could relax in the knowledge that the house elf had looked well-cared for in her clean outfit of a pillowcase and curtain tie sash.

"Shall we?" Draco held out his arm and led her to the master bedroom. The gorgeous room was just as she remembered, with cream woodwork and gray walls. The suite had a separate sitting room from the bedroom, and elegant matching chandeliers lit both rooms. By the time they arrived, Mipsy had already delivered both the wine and food. Draco doffed his outer robe and draped it carelessly over a chair in the sitting room, loosening his tie, shirt buttons, and cufflinks along the way to the bedroom.

When they reached the foot of the bed, he reached out and pulled her left hand towards him and slid off her engagement ring and wedding band. Then he pulled his off as well. There, on the base of their fingers, was an intricate design of connected runes. They weren't easy to see unless you were looking for them. Hermione had been expecting a dark color, but instead they were almost white and would be completely covered by her rings. Draco's matched hers exactly.

"Are your parents' like ours?"

"They're the same color, but I'm not sure about the runes. I've never looked very closely." Draco shrugged. Hermione nodded, satisfied. The color helped explain why she had never noticed the tattoos on the Weasleys.

Draco slid their rings back in place kissed the back her hand. But instead of letting go, he slowly turned her around to admire the dress that had been driving him crazy since the reception had started. He wanted to kiss that supple skin, following the graceful sway of her spine before discarding the soft lace dress.

Draco stepped forward to touch his bride. "Have I told you how much I love this dress, wife?" He ran his hand lightly down her exposed spine.

She felt sparks follow his fleeting touch. "Don't you dare vanish this dress, Draco."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He leaned over and kissed her favorite spot just under her ear and trailed kisses down her neck to the thin strap of her dress. Standing straight once again, he tugged both straps down on her arms, locking her arms into place. He trailed his fingers gently across the tops of her partially exposed breasts, admiring the way the sapphires and diamonds encircling her neck winked in the soft light. "So beautiful." He captured her mouth with his. "And mine. Finally."

Distracting her with another thorough kiss, Draco again turned her around, and fulfilled his earlier promise to himself, kissing his way down her back. When he found the zipper at the base of her spine, he carefully tugged it down, easing his hands down to cup the expensive silk knickers that covered her arse. His hands moved purposefully up to the straps caught on her arms and pushed them down. Her dress sank to the floor, leaving her in her strappy heels, knickers, and sapphires. He stepped in front of her to look at his wife, catching her hands when she instinctively reached up to cover herself.

"No, let me look." His voice was almost reverent as h gently traced the scars she carried from her years at Hogwarts and then fighting Death Eaters. He'd seen her before, but the brighter lights in this room highlighted his new wife's courage in crystal clarity. He guided her to the bed. "Lie down." Hermione sat and, with his hands on her shoulders, lay on her back. The position threw the white scar from the fight in the Department of Mysteries into relief. Draco gently traced it with his lips. "Merlin, Hermione, you're perfect."

"No, I'm not." She covered the slash with her hand and arm.

He pulled her arm away and kissed the scar again. Then he moved above her, bracing himself on his elbows, and looked directly into her whiskey brown eyes. "Yes, you are. These scars – they make you perfect. They prove your bravery and loyalty. They are beautiful. And you deserve so much better than me." He kissed her, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth and drawing a moan from his new wife. She felt his lips quirk into a small smile at her involuntary sound. He drew back and murmured to her, "and even though you deserve better than me, I'm never giving you up."

Draco tangled his hands in her hair and plunged his tongue into her mouth, brooking no hesitation. Hermione moaned again, this time hooking her right leg about his hips and pushing hers upward, seeking to intensify the throbbing between her legs. She didn't know if it was the unitatas sponsus spell or not, but consummating this relationship had taken on a new urgency. Draco groaned at the heat he felt through his pants. He rolled his hips, eliciting yet another groan from Hermione.

She tore her lips from his. "Draco, please, don't make me wait."

"Haven't you heard, Hermione? Patience is a virtue." He kissed his way down her neck to her chest, plucking at her left breast and drawing its twin into his mouth. Her nipples hardened under his ministrations. "So soft, so perfect." He transferred his attentions to her other breast, sucking just a bit harder to leave a small mark that only he would see.

She arched upward, sending her breasts even closer to him, gasping at the pleasurable sensations spreading throughout her body.

"Oh, Godric, Draco please don't stop…" She sank her fingers into his upper arms braced beside her as he began to explore her body with his lips, her blunt nails leaving half-moons in his skin as he sought to find the spots that would send her higher.

As he slid down her body, his lips roamed over her breasts and down her stomach to the silk knickers that protected the last bit of her modesty. Draco laid his head on her flat stomach, closed his eyes, and inhaled her scent. She smelled of vanilla and something floral, but underneath it was her arousal. After a few deep breaths, he turned his head and tasted the soft skin of her belly.

Hermione pulled him up and began tugging frantically at his shirt, sending buttons flying. Draco smirked at her eagerness. He leaned back on his heels, yanking his shirt off and tossing it away. Standing up, he stripped off the rest of his clothes and rewarded himself by pulling her strappy heels off, dropping them on the floor. He turned his attention to her knickers, pulling them off and sending them over his shoulder to join the discarded shoes. Then he started at her feet, kissing his way up her legs, alternating between them. He recorded in his memory every gasp of desire he elicited on his journey up her toned legs. She moaned especially loudly as he nipped the inside of her thighs.

She tensed as he neared the apex of her legs. "Hermione, love, are you with me?"

She nodded mutely, but looked more nervous than ever before, and so Draco decided his plan to introduce her to joys of oral sex could wait. Crawling further up the bed and caging her body with his, he brushed his lips with hers before running his tongue over her lips to gain admittance. When she opened her mouth, he thrust his tongue in, imitating the rhythm of the lovemaking yet to come.

Hermione forgot about being nervous as she drowned in the erotic kiss, and she arched her back upwards in an attempt to press her aching breasts against his chest. Her hands began to roam of their own volition exploring his back and his chest. She hesitated when she reached his cock, but he broke the kiss to plead in a soft whisper, "touch me, please."

After a beat, she reached down and touched him for the first time. He was so hard, like steel covered with silk. He was longer than her hand and almost as wide as her palm. "Oh, Merlin," he moaned as he thrust his length into her hand, his forehead resting on hers. "That feels so good." He abruptly pulled back and away from her intoxicating touch, moving to lie beside her, struggling to calm his breathing.

"Draco, what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" She couldn't keep the worry out of her voice.

"No, no, no, love. No! Nothing like that. It was too good." Draco rolled to his side draped his leg over hers. "If you'd kept on, I wouldn't have lasted much longer." His hand settled between her thighs, and he dipped one long finger inside her. "And tonight, I'm going to come here." He pushed his finger in deeper. Her wet heat pushed his control to the limits. Salazar help him be gentle with her tonight.

Using his thumb to rub her clit, Draco added another finger to the first. He wanted her to be ready for this penetration more than anything he'd ever wanted before. Watching her face, he saw the same expression he'd seen before when she was close, and he felt her channel tightening around his fingers. "That's it, beautiful; come for me. Let go."

Hermione felt her body begin to pulse with pleasure, nipples hard points and body tightening around his fingers. "Oh God, I'm going to come, Draco, please, faster…" Her husband obliged her wish and moved his hand faster, rubbing her in time with her moving hips. "I'm coming, please, ohhh…" She was saved from talking by Draco leaning over and kissing her through the ebbing waves of pleasure. When she opened her eyes, Draco was staring at her intently as if he was seeking an answer to a question only he knew, his silvery orbs darkened to pewter. Apparently satisfied, he rose to his knees and pulled her up beside him, drawing her into yet another soul-searing kiss.

He drew back and, hands at her hips, pulled her closer to him. "Slide down onto me." Her eyes widened at the request, obviously nervous. He whispered in her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine. "Trust me, beautiful; slide down. I won't hurt you."

Gathering her Gryffindor courage she moved up and positioned herself above him, sliding down onto his erection slowly, her earlier orgasm easing the way. When he reached her barrier, he guided her hips up and down again in shallow thrusts, repeated several times until it was almost easy. Her arms looped about his neck, Hermione reveled in the feeling of his body inside hers. She could already feel the pulsing sensation starting to build again. Then, before she could become nervous again, Draco caught her lips in his and, when she sank down on him the next time, he thrust upward, lodging himself firmly inside. Hermione stifled a groan and stiffened above him.

Draco froze, trying to give her time to adjust to his cock inside her. Salazar save him, it was a perfect feeling, surrounded by her tight, wet heat. He shifted their bodies so that they could lie down, and all the while he kept her mouth engaged with deep kisses and small, sweet ones, never pulling out of her. As he settled himself over her, still connected, he looked into her eyes and murmured, "Is it better? Are you okay?"

Hermione realized that she was and nodded mutely as the pleasure she'd felt earlier returned and her body stretched to accommodate him. He withdrew and pushed into her again, tentatively, gently; without conscious thought, Hermione met his thrusts, helping to push them both higher.

Draco knew he wouldn't last much longer, but he wanted Hermione to come apart around him. He looked down to watch as he slid into her, and it was the most erotic sight of his life, seeing himself as he sank into heaven. "Hermione, watch." He drew her attention. "We're made for each other."

The witch in his arms looked down and groaned as he thrust again. "Oh, God, Draco; deeper, please!" The pulsing waves that had accompanied her earlier orgasm were starting to build again as Draco managed to hit a spot inside her that she'd never been able to reach on her own ; his motions sent her plummeting over the edge. Sliding his hand down, he rubbed his fingertips over her clit, nudging her closer to another orgasm. The feeling of her fluttering and tightening around his cock finally sent him to join her in the most heated, intense orgasm of his life.

"Hermione, oh Merlin." Draco lost all ability to speak and collapsed on top of her, exhausted but sated. He tried again. "Merlin, I love you. Please tell me we can do that again," he gasped. Both of them still breathing heavily, the witch below him smiled. He suddenly realized he must be crushing her and pushed himself up on his elbows.

"No, wait; just stay here for a bit. You're not too heavy." Hermione reveled in the comfort of his warm weight on her and the feel of his slowing heartbeat as he softened inside her.

"As you wish." Draco grinned at his wife through the hair that had fallen in his face. He leaned down to place a teasing kiss on the side of her lips. After a few moments, she tapped his shoulder as if to give him permission to move. And when he did, he rolled them both to their sides and pulled her leg over his hip so that they were still close together. Facing her, he played with her soft curls at her cheeks. "Thank you, love. That was the most perfect gift I've ever received."

Draco woke hours later to the feel of a warm weight tucked into his side and Hermione's head resting on his chest. He stroked his hand up and down her spine and smiled softly as he remembered the previous night; then a frown flitted across his features when he remembered the change in the Dark Mark. He raised his left arm to inspect it again and suddenly jerked upright, dislodging his wife from her cozy spot beside him.

"Umm, what? What's wrong?" Her sleep-slurred voice drew his attention.

"Nothing. At least, I think nothing. Look." He showed her the remains of the skull and snake that had marred his skin for over two years. Rather than the gray of the night before, the mark had faded to white, much like the scar Hermione bore on her left arm.

The sleepy fog that had been slowing Hermione's thoughts lifted instantly. "Oh Merlin, Draco. When did that happen?"

"I, I don't know. You saw it before the reception. But this ..." He stopped. "I don't know." He considered the witch clutching the sheet to her chest beside him. "Do you think it could be the bond? That the bond faded it?"

"Did you feel it? Last night, I mean?"

"No. I was – concentrating on other things." Draco's heated gaze roamed her sleep-tousled visage and swollen lips.

Hermione dragged her eyes down to his arm and stroked over the ever-so-slightly raised scar. "So, it didn't hurt again?"

"No," he whispered, reaching up and dragging the sheet away from her chest. "Let's talk about this later…."

Sunday Afternoon

Hogwarts

Eighth Tower

With a whoosh the Floo activated, and the newlyweds stepped through into the Common Room. All of their classmates awaited them with their fiancés, and Hermione was enveloped by hugs.

Ginny pounced first. "Where did you go? It was just overnight, but tell me you went somewhere fabulous."

"We went to Draco's family castle here in Scotland, and it was gorgeous."

Before Hermione could launch into details, Hannah interrupted. "You have to come see. Come on!"

They all walked out of the common room and into the hall. At first glance, all appeared normal, but Draco and Hermione soon realized what was different. The two doors of their rooms had disappeared, and in their place was a single door. The plaque read "Draco & Hermione Malfoy," with the names flanked by a snake and a lion. Draco reached out and opened the door, entering first to ensure there was no danger to Hermione. When he had satisfied himself that everything was in order, he came back out and motioned her in.

"Really, Draco? I don't think there's any danger in Hogwarts." Hermione couldn't decide whether to be charmed at his show of chivalry or angry that he apparently thought she couldn't take care of herself. "And I can take care of myself, you know."

She stepped over the threshold and gasped, minor irritation forgotten. "Good God, this is amazing." The suite had been redecorated in their absence. A large four-poster bed dressed in a cream comforter sat between the windows, and there was a seating area on one side and a study area in the other. They had retained their wardrobes and chests of drawers, which flanked either side of the bed.

Their classmates crowded the door. "Ohs" and "ahs" chimed.

"This is nice, Hermione!" Parvati ran her hand along the back of an armchair. "I'm jealous!"

Draco looked at Blaise with raised eyebrows and looked pointedly at the door.

"Come on everyone, let's give the newlyweds some privacy." Blaise ushered everyone out of the room. "We'll see them in the Great Hall for dinner, I'm sure."

Meanwhile

Azkaban Prison

Narcissa sat, impassive, as Lucius read the front page article on their son's wedding. He was clearly unhappy as he viewed the pictures that accompanied the article.

"I see the boy actually did it. Married the mudblood." Lucius's voice was filled with icy disdain for the situation.

"Lucius, you mustn't say such things. She's the future of our family."

Lucius surged up out of his seat and slammed his hands on the table in front of him. "I will never accept some half-blood brat as a Malfoy!" His shout drew the attention of the guards, who moved closer to the door. He remembered himself, took a deep breath, and sat back down. "Tell me, is he going to do his duty and take her to the Manor?"

"They spent the night at the Castle."

"So, no, he hasn't." Lucius's eyes narrowed in consideration. "When will they go to the Manor? I will not have an impure Malfoy heir."

Narcissa debated whether or not Lucius needed to know that the Manor and all Malfoy residences had already accepted Hermione as a Malfoy. Looking into his eyes, she saw the same unmistakable gleam of madness she remembered in Bellatrix's gaze. Better not tell him; it would only upset him further.

Instead she tried to sooth his feelings. "I'm sure Draco will ensure they don't have children any time soon, my love."

"He'd better make sure of it," Lucius muttered. After a moment's pause, he continued. "Tell me, where do they plan to live, if not the Manor?"

Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he wasn't beyond recovery. "They'll choose between the Castle, the Rectory, Malfoy Hall, and Malfoy Place."

"And when will they be viewing these homes?" Lucius's seemingly idle inquiry put Narcissa's instincts on alert as the mad look in his eyes had yet to truly fade.

"I'm quite sure I don't know, Lucius. Draco is still at school; there's no hurry, is there?"

His impatient look was belied by his seemingly innocent words. "Of course, of course. Plenty of time. And did you enjoy the wedding festivities?"

"It was a very lovely affair. Daphne Greengrass was the planner."

Before Narcissa could elaborate, Lucius interrupted. "Now, she would have been an acceptable bride. Too bad the Ministry decided to interfere."

"Well, you may know that she is engaged to the Potter boy. They'll be wed this Yule."

"Ahh, yes. The half-blood 'Chosen One.' Good for the Greengrass family. At least they get someone with some magic in his blood." Lucius did not bother to contain his bitterness.

Before Narcissa could respond, a chime sounded, signaling the end of visiting hours. I must warn Draco that his father is truly not stable. And he may be deadly.