Author Note: This chapter is fairly short; but it's kind of important in the development for the relationship. The big stuff will be happening in the next chapters. There is probably only two or three left. I hope you enjoy reading this and let me know what you think.

A special thanks goes to: HarryPGinnyW4eva, Legolas' Girl 31, LightofEvolution, Snowflake Dazzle, matkatry and Grahamgirl93 for the wonderful reviews.

Another special thanks goes to: Bright Flight, 89, 100, Galipou, 96, HermioneDraco368, pinkdaisyjane, Imr4893, typicalwhitechick, Secret Hopeless Romantic, elianngarcia and tonyeagle for becoming followers to this story.

Chapter 24:

Everyone was silent. Hermione's hand tightened around Draco's. She knew that it couldn't have been easy for him to admit that his father could very well have something to do with the attacks on the people close to her. Pansy struggled to sit up, moving her feet off Stewart's legs. Her eyes slightly wider than before. "Do you really think he would do something like this?" She asked looking down at the floor and familiar gray carpet beneath her feet.

"He's capable of anything and if he's convinced my mother of the same thing...then they really are dangerous. Trust me...I would know..." Draco answered, leaning over to kiss Hermione's forehead trying to calm his own internal rage.

"How do we go about finding out for sure?" Stewart asked.

"Let me take care of that. I want Hermione to spend the holiday with Potter. She will be safe there."

Pansy turned to look back at Stewart. She knew that she had nowhere to go; but how was she going to ask him if she could spend the holiday with him? They hadn't been close for very long and it seemed wrong to ask such a meaningful gesture of the man who made her feel more human than ever before. "Then I will have Pansy with me. She will be safe with me." He countered.

The two men shared a moment of understanding. Pansy was stunned to hear the very thought emerge from his mouth. Maybe she really could trust him enough to care for her. Her eyes shifted to Hermione, who stood next to Draco with her fingers laced with his. Envy was fading away with every second she watched them together, because they really were perfect.

She leaned back against the pillow, her body trembled a little as a cold chill washed over her. Stewart pulled the blanket over her and then moved down onto the floor below her.

Draco watched closely. Deep down he was happy that someone could care for his former flame as he once had. She deserved a lot better than what he could offer her at the time. Hermione pulled her hand from his and turned to walk towards the front door to lock it for the night. "There is another pillow and blanket in the closet in the hall if you need it." She offered to Stewart.

"Thank you..." He answered refusing to look away from the injured woman on the sofa.

Hermione sucked in her bottom lip before turning down the hall herself to retreat to the bedroom she had occupied since beginning her stay with Draco. Before she could even step inside, his arms were around her waist pulling her back towards him. "There is no need to sleep in there any longer." He whispered in her ear.

"Um...are you sure..."

"Yes."

She couldn't see the smile that was on his face; but it was definitely there. He pushed the door to his own bedroom open. The scent of him filled the room and eased her worries. Her bracelet felt heavy on her wrist as she pulled back the already unmade bed. She could remember the memories they've made in the room already.

The fact that he had told her that he loved got her heart pumping at the thought of hearing it again. She wanted to stay alive not only for herself; but for him. There was no way he could handle anyone else leaving him or betraying him.

"There is something on you mind..." Draco stated, pointing out the obvious.

"I can't help but think that I'm not doing enough. You've done so much for me already and I...really haven't done anything."

Draco immediately went to her side and gently curled his hand around the junction at her elbow. She slowly turned to face him, feeling his other hand cup the side of her face. Her name was at the tip of his tongue; but it just wouldn't come out. He understood the helpless feeling all too well. He felt that way throughout his years at Hogwarts. "Don't put yourself down. You've done plenty for me."He encouraged.

"Like what?"

"You showed me that everyone deserves a second chance and that people could be redeemed if they want it bad enough."

Leaning his face in closer to hers, the warmth of his breath tickled her upper lip. She licked her lips out of reflex to his earlier gesture. It was exciting her in more than one way. Warmth pooled between her thighs with the very thought of him touching her intimately once more. She never knew a man could be this addicting, course she never really had been involved with someone like Draco before. "I promised you once before that I wasn't going to let anyone hurt you and I'll be damned if I let my own family do that. Again…."

"You'd be betraying them by protecting me."

"I know. They just don't understand how you make me feel."

A smile tugged at her lips just as she closed the remaining distance between them. The feeling of his lips on hers was all she ever needed. His fingers traced a line down her arm and then moved to the side of her breast. He wanted her in the worst way. The painful pressure in his groin was more than enough for him to understand that.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him in even closer. She felt the erection pressing against her abdomen. A soft moan escaped her lips all the while Draco inched her back against the edge of the bed until she had nowhere left to go except down. He reached into his back pocket for his wand. With a circling motion of his wrist, he uttered one word. "Muffiato." He had full intention of silencing the room so his guests would not hear anything between them.

Draco placed his wand on the nearby nightstand and returned his attention towards the woman in his arms. His lips found hers once more, tasting her warm mouth with his tongue. Hermione groaned, finding her courage to search his body on her own. When her hand found the bulge at his pants, she rubbed her palm against the material. It was met with a hiss.

He wasn't so sure he was going to be able to take his time with her this time around. She was radiating sexual prowess, despite her lack of experience. The sound of metal against metal brought him back to reality. The charms on her bracelet hit the metal on the buckle of his belt. She was taking a different approach than she had the first time; but there was something on his mind that needed to be said before anything else could continue.

"Hermione..."

"Hmm..."

"There is nothing that will stop me from loving you. Not Potter, Not Weasly. Not Pansy. Not my family. You are it for me."

Hermione remained wordless. She had no idea what to say in response to what he had just declared. It was the most beautiful thing she probably had ever heard. As he kissed her, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Those three little words repeated inside her head over and over again. She wanted to say it again. His mouth never left hers and their bodies united in unbridled passion that consumed them both entirely.

Even when they lay still in the darkness of the safety of his room, she thought those words. Her cheek pressed against his warm chest. The sound of his heartbeat ever so soothing. The fact that he had told her once already didn't make it any easier for her to say it herself. You give her a spell, a book or anything magical to master and she could do it; but give her something that dealt with a relationship and she was scared to death.

When she thought he was asleep, her mouth parted slightly. The lump in her throat grew a little bigger; but she swallowed it down. "I love you..." She whispered. He moved his arm that was draped over her bare waist up her arm to the side of her face, letting her know that he wasn't asleep at all. His lips found hers. "I love you to." He answered before finally allowing the sleep to take over.