Author Note: Got out of work early so I decided to put a new update today instead of my usual Sunday afternoon update. This was a fun little chapter and lighter than the previous ones, so in other words...more romance. Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think.

A special thanks goes to: HarryPGinnyW4eva, Guest, BoredRavenvlaw620, Legolas' Girl 31, zoesheppard, LightofEvolution, Hanable-13 and Snowflake Dazzle for the wonderful reviews.

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Chapter 18:

December 19th, Draco's Flat

Two days after Hermione returned to living in his small flat, Draco noticed that once again she was pulling away from him. He didn't know if it had anything to do with the upcoming holiday or something else entirely. All he knew was that he wanted to be closer to her. The silence at the table during breakfast was killing him. He wanted so badly for her to speak to him.

"What are your plans for today?" He asked suddenly, not able to keep the silence going for another second longer.

"I've been debating on calling Ginny." She answered softly standing up with her empty plate.

"Then why don't you?"

"I don't want to put her and the baby at risk just by me being there. Everything has been entirely too quiet as of late and I'm just waiting for another strike of some kind."

Draco could understand her reasoning; but it felt wrong for her to be cooped up in a tiny apartment going nowhere. He watched her clean the place so many times that he felt that things would fall apart if she cleaned them again.

His eyes lingered on her frame as she placed the empty plate in the sink to rinse it off. Getting up himself he stood behind her, leaning forward a little to press his chest into her back. The warmth of his breath caressed the shallow of her neck. He moved her hair from around her should so he could place a small chaste kiss to her skin. "You've been cooped up for too long, Hermione. Let me take you somewhere, please."

"Why?"

"I think you know why. I meant what I said at the Christmas Party."

Hermione thought back on the conversation while they danced at the party. The memory brought a slight smile to her lips, unknowingly to him. Flashes of them moving together in perfect sync appeared behind her chestnut eyes.

"Some people will never accept my kind...just as some will never accept that blood status means nothing. I appreciate you sticking up for me though."

Hermione's feet fell in sync with his after being spun around a second. He pulled her even closer than she was before. His warm breath caressed her bare shoulders. "There was no reason not to. I know your trying to figure things out and your mind is all chaotic; but I want you to know..."

"I know. You've done so much for me...that I could never pay back. I wouldn't even know where to start."

"I didn't ask you to. There is only one thing I want."

"And what's that?"

"You..."

She questioned his reasons for wanting her. His mother may have been nice to her; but she seriously doubted that she wanted her only son to break their blood purity logic. Especially since her husband had just been sentenced to quite a few years in prison. Narcissa was alone for the first time, which left Draco with even more responsibility to withhold at the manor.

Hermione felt his warm lips on the sensitive skin of his neck once again. "What about your family's belief in blood purity?" She asked softly, leaning back into him while reaching back for his hand. Their fingers laced together almost instantly.

"I told you once before that it didn't matter to me anymore. It may matter to them; but it doesn't to me and my opinion is all that matters here."

"Draco..."

He turned her around to face him. Their fingers were still locked together as he leaned in ever so closely to her lips. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute with every torturous second he refrained from kissing her. "Don't...you can't keep fighting against this forever. I know you feel for me to."

"Where did you want to go?" She asked gripping her other hand against the counter behind her.

She didn't want to be the one to cause him pain once again if whoever wanted her dead would attack again; but at the same time, she didn't want to fight against him. She wanted to embrace all the feelings that went along with him. There was no denying the way he made her feel when in close proximity. Why should she deny it?

Every single defense she had put up to keep her heart from ever being reached by another man had crumbled just as the sight of him standing before her in nothing but his sleeping pants. The curve of all the muscles across his chest just made her fingers itch to touch them. "Just come with me." He begged.

"Okay."

"Dress warm."

He slipped away from her, leaving her cold standing in the kitchen with her back against the counter. He didn't disappear down the hall without giving her a wink and a coy smile first. Hermione let out of the breath of air she had been hold far too long. Moving away from the counter, she retreated back to her room. Opening the small closet on the far wall across from the bed, she found a dark blue sweater towards the back. It was perfect for the snowy weather outside.

XxXxXx

Narcissa sat at a large wooden desk in the library. A quill was placed perfectly in her hand as she wrote words on a cream colored parchment. Her mind was scattered all over the place with the knowledge that her husband wasn't coming home anytime soon and her son was very invested in a muggle born witch. She wondered if Draco ever thought of her and how alone she truly was.

Shifting her hand across the soft paper, the delicacy of her writing was in full display.

"Dearest Draco,

I must insist on your presence here for the holiday. There is no one here to make it worth much for me if you don't. Bring Hermione if you must. I know you've been tasked with being her personal guard. No ill-will will come her way. I can assure you of that. There are matters we speak in person about. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Love

Your Mother"

She folded the parchment up neatly and whistled for her owl. She placed the item around its talon and sent the beautiful creature out to deliver the message to her son. Dipping the quill back into the ink, she stood up from the desk and took several steps towards the doorway. Pausing a moment, she looked back at the window to see a much different owl flapping its wings outside.

Not recognizing the creature, she moved back across the room to open the window to retrieve whatever it held. A letter was dropped into her hands and then the gray speckled owl took off. The penmanship was unfamiliar to her. Though, it didn't mean that she didn't know who wrote the letter in a manner of speaking.

"Narcissa Malfoy,

It has come to my knowledge that your son has taken a personal interest in the muggle witch known as Hermione Granger. I too have a dislike for the woman, except mine is a little more personal than that. It's a hatred I can't describe; but if you help me get rid of her, we both win.

If you decide to do this. Meet my colleague at the cafe across from the park on Friday morning at 8:30. He will give you instructions on what to do next.

I look forward to hearing from you."

Blinking several times, she wondered if that paper in her hand was hallucination. At times like this, she reached out to Lucius for guidance; but this time, she couldn't do that. He was out of reach for a long time. She had to decide what to do on her own and for the first time, she didn't know what to do.

XxXxXx

The bitter cold wind scrapped across Hermione's cheeks like sandpaper. She was confused as to where Draco was leading her to; but never complained about the walk they were taking. His warm hand gripped her tightly, refusing to let go as if she would be snatched away at any moment in time. It made her smile to know how protective he was of her; but she knew that his protection only went so far.

As they walked, the passing people gave glances and looks that made her wonder what was so wrong with a relationship together. The past can be forgiven and she wished that everyone saw the good in Draco like she did. He had been misunderstood for a long time and now that she finally could see the real him, she was captivated.

"We are here." He stated snapping her out of her inner thoughts.

She looked around to see the large frozen pond that dozens of people were ice skating upon. Looking up at him, he smiled at her before pulling her towards the location. "Are you serious?" She asked not really believing that was what he had brought her here to do.

"What? Can't skate?" He replied lightly taunting her.

"Oh yes I can. That's not what I meant."

"I know."

He discreetly aimed his wand at her shoes. With soft words, he changed them to ice skates and repeated the process with his own shoes. They gingerly made their way onto the frozen water. Hermione slid across a few feet before stopping herself. Looking back, Draco was closing to the distance between them.

The snow started to fall from the gray sky, catching in her curls. Standing there in the middle of a frozen pond with snow falling around them, he couldn't help but find Hermione that much more alluring. He leaned in closer fully intending on kissing her unlike earlier in the kitchen. It wasn't until a child fell and slid into Hermione did the moment shatter.

"Are you okay?" She asked sweetly, leaning down to help the little girl up to her feet.

"Thanks...I'm fine."

Hermione smiled at the little girl. Genuinely smiled. Draco was drawn into the interaction and unconsciously smiled at the image. It made him wonder if that's how she'd be as a mother. The little girl's mother thanked Hermione before escorting her daughter away to continue learning to skate elsewhere. "What?" She asked when she saw Draco's expression.

"Nothing. You just seem happy."

"I am..."

"Good."

He grasped her hand and pulled her along. They moved their legs to keep balanced. Hermione noticed the little girl from across the pond looking at her with a mischievous smile. It reminded her of herself when she was little. The thought of having a daughter of her own someday came to surface as well.

Draco felt Hermione pull her hand away and shift to skate backwards so she was looking directly at him. "You do skate well." He commented with a grin of his own.

"Thank you. So why did you really bring me here?" She asked.

"You needed this. To be happy."

She didn't know what to tell him. He had been the rock in her life, solid and unchanging. The question now was if she was ready to accept his feelings and embrace them fully. Was she willing to risk everything for a shot a lifelong happiness? Her thoughts caused her not to think about her current activity. Tripping over her other foot, she fell back. Draco attempted to catch her only for him to be pulled down with her.

He landed on top of her. His knee parted her legs while his hands were placed on either side of her shoulders. They stared at each other a moment, noticing the position they were in before bursting out in laughter. The sound of her laughing was better than anything he had ever heard before.

Draco stood up and then held his hand out to her. She took it and was helped to her feet. They moved together once again and witnessed the lights on the park tree come alive. A truly beautiful sight. She couldn't believe just how wonderful her time with Draco had been. He almost made her forget about all the terrible things that were happening around her.

Stepping off the ice, she turned her skates back into shoes then took several steps towards the tree. Staring into the lights, a flash of the flames that consumed the Christmas party appeared in her head. She could feel Draco's arms wrap around her from behind. The comfort that came with it was soothing, easing the images away.

"I know I've told you this before...but I swear that I will protect you from whoever is doing this." He declared.

"I believe you...and I won't fight you on it anymore."

"Why don't I believe you on that statement. You've fought me on everything so far."

Hermione could hear the laughter in his voice; but chose to ignore it and lean her head back against his chest. Though, he wasn't wrong. She has fought him on everything; but for some reason, she just didn't want to anymore. Maybe it was because she knew that she was falling in love with him without meaning it. "I know; but I can't anymore...because I just want to be near you."

Hearing her words, Draco smiled and then turned her around in his arms. It was the first time she had actually admitted to any kind of feeling towards him out loud. Looking at her a moment, he finally captured her lips right then and there. Her hands rested against his chest as her lips moved with his, circling his tongue with her own.

Her bottom lip was taken in between his before allowing her to break the connection. She noticed that there was something different about that kiss compared to the previous one. That one held a lot more meaning with some desperation attached to it. All the previous ones had been a heat of the moment kind of thing.

"Promise me something." She said breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Stay alive...even if I don't."

"Hermione..."

"Please just promise me."

How could he promise something like that? It was like she almost expected not to come out alive. Taking her hand into his, he laced their fingers together before answering her. "Okay...I promise." He replied tasting the bitterness on the words.

They walked back to his flat without speaking another word; but they didn't need to. The occasional glances in each others direction was more than enough to know that the feelings were still there even after the cryptic promise had been made.