Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing.

AN: I was reading your reviews on the last chapter and I went back and read over it and realized I made a mistake. I meant to say the keeper from the Chudley Cannons went missing, not the chaser. There will be some violence in this chapter and a lemon at the end.

Hermione Pov:

After dressing warmly for the harsh February winds, I pull my hair back into a low ponytail and tug on some boots. I'm flooing over to Draco's house in a few minutes, and then we're going to meet the Potters, Blaise, Bill, Fleur, and their children for a quidditch match. This game is between the Falmouth Falcons and the Chudley Cannons. Scorpious has been looking forward to it all week and it'll be nice to take a break from all the work going into pulling the school off.

When I found out that it was Narcissa and Andromeda that wanted to fund my project, I was grateful, but thought they were only doing it because I'm Draco's girlfriend. However, at the meeting they seemed genuinely enthralled by this plan and I realized that they supported my reasons one hundred percent.

"There's no room in our world for prejudice anymore" Narcissa told me a few weeks ago. "Hopefully with all the children coming together and forming friendships, it will inspire the community to do so and no one will care about blood status anymore."

We'd found some properties for sale in Wiltshire of all places, and have proceeded with the construction. It will be a huge school, though not quite as large as Hogwarts, and will take a little while to complete. It will allow children to start once they reach the age of five, and begin their education until they're ready to head off to one of the boarding wizarding schools. If everything goes smoothly, the school should be completed and ready to open in about a year and a half.

When at our meeting with the board of education, they decided that they felt anyone under the age of eleven wasn't ready for a wand. That part will still have to wait until they go to their secondary schools. But they'll teach children more basic magical things such as how to do measurements for potions, a little bit of astrology, basic history of magic, and dabble briefly in non verbal spells. This might make classes at Hogwarts a little easier for some, and I can't help but think how if we'd had a school like this poor Neville wouldn't have suffered so much with Snape.

There won't be houses to be sorted into since the children will only be there seven hours a day, five days a week. This was my idea as a way to promote unity. We'll also do our best to make sure the classes are filled equally with purebloods, half bloods, and muggleborns. Scorpious said he wanted there to be a quidditch and baseball team as well, and I think we may be able to have a sports department included. I'm glad he took to the muggle sport of baseball, and would like to integrate muggle things into the school to make children who are entering the wizarding world for the first time feel more at ease.

I put on a light coat of makeup and am ready to go. Since I won't be home for pretty much the entire day, I take down my wards and opt to just lock up the muggle way. The past few weeks I've been feeling the wards shift quite a bit, but there's never anything there when I come to check. Nothing has really happened though, so I don't pay much mind to it. I grab my purse, step into the fireplace, and floo over to Draco's.

Immediately when I step out of the floo, Tobias zooms over my head and lands on my shoulder. It's his nesting place on me if he can't get into one of my pockets. He nuzzles my neck affectionately, and I pet him a few times.

"Mione!" I hear from the top of the stairs and turn around to see Scorp flying down towards me. I crouch down and he flings himself in my arms and latches around my neck.

"Hey little man, are you excited for today?" I ask after he's done squeezing me.

He nods viciously. "I'm ready for the game! James and I want the Falmouth Falcons to win, and daddy says if I'm really good, I can spend the night with James when it's over!"

"That'll be so much fun" I tell him trying to match his enthusiasm. He has to be the happiest child I've ever met. I don't think there's anything that can get him down and it still baffles me that Astoria completely gave him up for money. Though if I'm being completely honest, I'm selfishly also glad she did because now I can have him and Draco all to myself.

Arms wrap around my waist from behind me and a kiss is pressed against my cheek. "Hey love, ready to go" Draco asks. Scorpious and I both answer yes, and after we put Tobias back in his cage, we apparate to the quidditch field where the game will commence in about fifteen minutes.

We greet Blaise who tells us everyone else is already up in the private box. I'm actually Draco decided to purchase the ridiculously expensive box a few months ago, because it beats having to sit out in these furiously whipping winds. I feel sorry for the players who will have to be flying against them.

We climb the many stairs and once we reach it, Draco sets Scorp down who immediately runs over to James and begins talking excitedly about the game. Victoire and Dominique are standing close to their mother and Aunt Gabrielle. I noticed that when we walked in, she gave Blaise a scornful look, and he in turn scowled. But looking over at him now, I see that he can't seem to take his eyes off her. If she happened to look his way, he quickly averted his gaze as though too shy to meet hers. Was there something there? I knew Blaise was a player and not the commitment type, but maybe that's just because that's all he's ever known. His mother was married seven times for Merlin's sake. Maybe he didn't know how to be any other way except the heartless playboy. While I'm sure Gabrielle's reaction to his ways shocked him, maybe it also intrigued him. She was different than all the other women he met and might be just what he needs.

"You should go over and try to start up a civil conversation with her" I whisper to him.

He looks down at me with wide eyes. "What! Why would I do that? It's not like I want to talk to her after her rudeness from the last time we met."

I roll my eyes but ignore the urge to point out that he deserved it for his crude innuendo. "Look, Gabrielle has been brought up with class and is a lady. She'll enjoy pleasant conversation and politeness rather than someone trying to get her on her back. Just respect her and show her that you can be a gentleman, and she'll warm up to you" I say.

He thinks about it for a minute. "Do you think she'd give me another chance?"

"I'm sure she would if you start off your conversation with an apology and keep the conversation topic away from anything sexual" I tell him with a smile. He returns it and makes his way over to the seat next to her. At first she's visibly mad and tense when he begins talking to her, but after a few minutes, she relaxes around him and even laughs at something he says.

I take my seat between Draco and Ginny, and Draco puts his arm around me. "What did you say to Blaise?" he asks in my ear.

I turn to face him and shrug. "Nothing much. Just gave him a few tips on how not to get slapped again."

He smiles at me and gives me a quick peck, then leans back to watch the game. Every once in a while we'll all cheer when the Falcons score, or have to break up fights between the children. Lunch is brought to us by the stadium owner as a thank you for purchasing the box, and afterwards Scorpious crawls up in Draco's lap and falls asleep. James does the same in Harry's, but the game still has a long way to go.

"The new keeper for the Chudley Cannons is a bloody idiot" Ginny comments to me while rubbing her swollen six months pregnant belly. "He's practically letting the other team make the goals. The sooner they find their original player, the better."

The case of the missing Chudley Cannons player hit the newspapers this week and has been the center of most of the gossip. Harry openly stated that his aurors were doing their best to locate him as well as several other women who have gone missing, but they aren't finding any leads. There hasn't been any proof that any of them were taken by violence and force, but the longer they're missing, the more severe the case looks. I hope Harry's able to find them all safe and alive, although the chances of that are rather slim.

Finally as night is beginning to fall, the seeker for the Falmouth Falcons catches the snitch and the game is over. Nearly everyone in our box cheers and the boys are ecstatic. I look over at Blaise and Gabrielle to see that they're so wrapped up in whatever they're talking about, they haven't even noticed the game is over. Draco, who noticed as well, catches my eye and gives me a smirk. This is a new concept for someone like Blaise, but he seems to be enjoying himself.

Ginny and Harry leave first, taking both boys with them. Draco is in a conversation with Fleur and Bill, and I tell him I'm just going to run to the bathroom before we leave. He'd said yesterday that he wanted to talk to me about something, and I have no idea what it is but he sounded rather serious. I'm a little nervous about it, and am trying to prolong it a little more.

I walk down the hall with my thought wrapped around what he could possibly want to talk about, but then feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up and get the creepy feeling of being watched again. I look around the dimly lit hallway, but don't see anything. I mentally scold myself for being so jittery. This hallway spreads out against about eight private boxes, including Draco's, and only people that own them have access to it and the private bathrooms. There's nothing dangerous here. Still the uneasy feeling doesn't go away. I speed up my pace and finally reach the ladies room.

I look at myself in the mirror and see that I look a little pale. I've got to loosen up, I'm acting like a scared little kid, not the brave Gryffindor I'm supposed to be. Come on Mione, get it together I mentally chide myself as I lean my face over the sink and splash some cool water on it. I let the water dribble down, then use my sleeves to wipe the excess wetness from my face. Letting out a deep breath, I raise my head back up to the mirror…and scream bloody murder. Ron Weasley is standing directly behind me.

Quick as a flash he grabs me around the waist and slams me against the wall. The force knocks the air from my lungs and he covers my mouth with one hand while pinning my wrists above my head with the other. My heart is pounding furiously and I'm terrified. Why didn't I ask Fleur or Gabrielle to come with me? Why did I have to come by myself?

"You fucking whore!" he hisses at me in a low voice. His face is inches from mine and I can smell the liquor on his breath. His eyes are wild as they glare into my own. "You filthy little tramp! What the fuck are you thinking, spreading your cunt for that ferret?! Looking for your next rich boy toy? Still the same gold digging skank you always were, huh?"

I whimper in fear. My wand is tucked into my boot and I honestly don't know how I'm going to get out of this one.

"I own you, you little bitch! How dare you leave me for Draco fucking Malfoy! He doesn't want you! You're an ugly little slut! No one wants you, you useless little whore!" he spits in my face.

I bite his hand and he lets out a yelp of pain. I push against his shoulders to try and get free, but he's much bigger than me and doesn't even budge. He pulls his fist back and hits me across the cheek. I cry out as my head turns with the blow and I know a bruise will be forming shortly.

"You still insist on doing things the hard way! I've had enough! You will show me respect damnit!" he roars. "Thought you could hide behind your rich new boyfriend? Thought Harry could keep me away? You're probably fucking him on the side too aren't you? Shouldn't surprise me, since you've been screwing him behind my back ever since you were left alone in that tent for a few weeks. No more though. You're coming with me now! We're going back to where all your treachery started, and no one's going to get in the way this time!"

I kick out and continue struggling, and he steps back but grabs my shoulders forcefully and slams my back into the wall repeatedly. Through the pain and panic I notice that he's left a little bit of space in between us. I know I'll only have one shot at this, so I can't mess up. I bring my left leg up swiftly and kick him as hard as I can right in the crotch. He immediately lets go to hold himself and falls over howling in pain. I waste no time in throwing open the bathroom door and running as fast as I can down the hallway.

I'm on the same adrenaline rush I was on the day I left him and I'm not sure if he's recovered and chasing me, or if he's still crouched in the fetal position on the floor. The only thought in my mind right now is getting to Draco. I feel the absolute safest when I'm with him and if I can just reach him, it'll all be over.

The door to our private box is right in front of me, and I bust through it. Everyone besides Draco and Blaise has already left, but I don't notice. Draco had his back to me and jumped when the door slammed open. As he begins to turn around he says, "Hermione, I was fixing to come check-" he completely stops midsentence when he sees me and I throw my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest.

"Hermione! What happened! What's wrong?" he rushes. Blaise has the same bewildered look on his face as I try to tell them what happened through my shock.

"He…attacked…still in…restroom" I manage to get out. They still don't understand, but they managed to get the gist of what I've said. Blaise pulls his wand out and goes out the door looking for an intruder and presumably to check the bathroom. Draco holds me and rubs my back soothingly trying to get me to come out of my shock. "Shh love, it's okay. I've got you, I won't let anything happen to you." He says softly in my ear.

A minute later, Blaise comes back into the room. "There's no one out there. I've checked all the rooms and bathrooms. Whoever it was is gone." I pull back to look at him, but Draco grabs my chin and forces my head back to him. He looks down at my face and curses. "Hermione, who did that to you?!" There must be a bruise on my cheek just as I'd assumed. I can't hide this from them anymore. I thought he had just made an empty threat that day, but clearly Ron meant what he said. I should have said something to the others rather than just trying to handle it myself. Now they have to know, but I need to do it in one setting.

"Get Harry. Tell him to come to my flat" I tell him and Blaise.

Draco looks down at me with wide eyes. "Hermione, you need to tell-"

"I promise I'll explain everything! But I have to tell you both! Please Draco, take me home and get Harry. He needs to know too."

For a moment he looks like he may argue more, but he finally relents and tells Blaise to get him and meet me at my flat. Blaise disappears with a pop and Draco apparates the both of us to my front yard. He's still holding my hand as I walk up the concrete steps and with trembling fingers, fish my keys out of my purse and unlock the front door.

When I finally manage to get it unlocked, I push the door open, step into my flat and flip on the lights…and gasp. My entire apartment has been trashed. My furniture has been blown to smithereens, pictures and books torn and scattered all over the floor, the window in the kitchen has been smashed, and the words 'mudblood' and 'whore' have been burned into the walls.

Draco takes out his wand and scans my entire flat to make sure no one else is still here. He comes back after a minute and pulls me into his arms. I don't cry, I'm in too much of a daze from what happened earlier and the fact that he discovered where I lived. I knew I shouldn't have taken down those wards.

Harry and Blaise arrive moments later and are shocked to find the condition of my apartment. My kitchen table is still fairly intact, and the four of us sit around it. I'm glad Scorpious is over at James' house. I can't imagine how scared he would be if he came back with us.

"It was him wasn't it Mione?" Harry asks getting right to the point.

I shakily nod my head. I still can't believe after all this time, he's still fixated on the idea that he owns me. Now he's become crazy and obsessed.

"You have to tell us what happened" Harry encourages.

I know I do. He's incredibly dangerous and he'll never leave me alone if I don't get the others in on it.

"I-I went t-to use the loo right after you left-t. I was completely by myself and he a-attacked me. H-he kept calling me horrible names and s-screaming that I was his. He said something about coming away with him to the place my treachery started and that no one would get in the way this time. I don't know what he meant" I stammer out.

"Who? Who did this to you Hermione? Who is after you" Draco asks from beside me. I can see that he's mad by the look on his face. This is going to completely ruin our relationship. I never should have gotten so involved with him and his son, having had a past like mine. I think my heart is breaking.

"Tell him Hermione" Harry says sternly, and I look over at him. "He has a right to know. Tell him now, or I will." I can't avoid it anymore.

"My ex…Ron" I say quietly. Blaise raises his eyebrows in shock, and Draco's jaw tenses and a thin line forms on his mouth.

"Is this the first time he's come after you since you've been back? Has there been anything suspicious you've noticed" Harry asks.

I sigh. "He confronted me in the streets of Diagon Alley a week or so before the Halloween Ball. He said he was waiting for me to come back to him and learn my place. He was mad when I told him I'd never go back to him and threatened that I would and wouldn't leave him again. I sometimes feel like I'm being watched whenever I'm out and I think I've seen him a few times from outside a shop or restaurant window. And I kept feeling shifts on my wards, but anytime I investigated, there was never anything there." Now I know that it was Ron testing the wards to try and get to me. I don't know how he found out where I live, but now I know he's been stalking me for months.

There's a silence for all of about ten seconds before Harry finally breaks it. "Why didn't you tell me Hermione?! Why didn't you tell anyone?! Do you realize what could have happened if you didn't get away?"

"But I did, Harry! I-"

"You got away this time! You got away last time! But how long before your luck runs out? Next time you may not be so lucky! He's dangerous, just look at what he did to your cheek! How can we protect you if you don't tell us what's happening?!" he yells.

I sit quietly while he rants for a few more minutes. He's right, I should have told them about our confrontation that day. I could have gotten a restraining order or something against him and perhaps with Harry and the other aurors watching my back, it wouldn't have gotten this far.

Harry sighs and quiets down after a little while. "You can't be by yourself anymore. At least not until we catch him. We need to find a new place to put you, somewhere heavily guarded-"

"She'll stay with me" Draco says firmly from beside me. I turn shocked eyes to him. He hasn't said a word after I answered his question and he still won't look at me. I can tell he's very much upset, so why is he offering to let me live with him?

"I have powerful wards around my home and no one I don't recognize can get in through the floo or past a certain point on my property. It's one of the safest places she can stay" he continues.

Harry nods and says, "We'll station at least two aurors around the perimeter as an extra precaution. It's best to head on over there now."

Twenty minutes later, I've salvaged what few clothes weren't destroyed and a few of my toiletries, and find myself in Draco's home. Tilly makes up the guest bedroom for me and after a quick bath, I put on my night clothes. Draco hasn't said a word to me since we left and I decide that we need to talk.

I come into his room and see him staring directly into his fireplace with a glass of firewhiskey in hand. He seems to be deep in thought. I come up behind him and clear my throat to make him aware of my presence. He whips around and gazes fiercely into my eyes. I gulp.

"Draco, I think we should-"

"Sit" he commands. Our talk is definitely going to be on his terms. I do as he says and seat myself on the long couch in front of the fireplace. Draco comes around and sits down on the coffee table directly in front of me so that we're now at eye level.

"I tried to wait for you to tell me on your own time" he begins. "I'm not waiting anymore. I want to know everything. Tell me what happened between you and the Weasel."

"I…I don't know…where to begin" I say after a moment.

"At the beginning" he says.

I take a deep breath, and finally tell him my story. I tell him things that even Harry and Ginny didn't know, such as how Ron's verbal abuse technically started back in our school years and how I always forgave him no matter what. I tell him all about being confined to that godforsaken apartment and Ron not letting me find my parents or working, and how the abuse started. Then I talk about how I discovered his lying and cheating ways and how he would never change, and also about what he tried to do the day I left. I go into a little more detail about what all transpired tonight and how I've felt his presence around my flat all these months.

After I finally finish, he speaks. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before? Why try and hide it?"

I can feel the tears forming in my eyes, but no matter how much I try to blink them back I can't stop them. "I thought at first that if you knew about my past, you wouldn't want to be with me. And I thought that I could handle myself and didn't want to make anyone worry for me. When we became more serious, I was afraid that if I told you, you'd take Scorpious and leave and…I- I just…I didn't want to lose either of you because I've fallen in love with you." As soon as the words are out, my eyes widen. I didn't mean to tell him that last part. Now it's just going to make the breakup that much harder.

He looks surprised by my confession, and then his gaze softens. "Hermione, I-"

I shake my head. I can't do this to him and Scorpious. "No Draco, you don't need to involve yourself with this anymore. I don't want Ron to come after you or Scorpious because of me. I can't let anything happen to either of you. In the morning I'll go and find a more permanent place to stay."

A shocked look crosses his features, and then anger returns. "Do you honestly think I'm going to let you go now? You think that my feelings have changed just because that ginger fucker can't accept the fact that you're too good for him? You're the best thing that ever happened to me and my son, and I told you you're mine! Merlin Hermione, how can you not see it? I love you too!"

I can't believe the words that just came out of his mouth. He…he loves me? "But…why?" I say aloud.

"What do you mean why?" he asks harshly.

"Why do you love me? I'm unattractive and nothing special. How can you love me?" How can he? He's Draco Malfoy! Women want to be with him and men want to be him. What does he possibly see in me?

"You don't think you're beautiful" he asks quietly while looking intently at me. I don't answer him and silently let the tears stream down my face. Of course I don't! Ron made sure I never forgot it.

Suddenly, I find myself being lifted up by my arms and Draco's lips crashing down onto mine. His kiss is so intense and fiery and I open my mouth in a gasp at the sheer shock of it all. He immediately plunges his tongue into my mouth dominates it. After a few seconds, I begin to respond back to his movements, and put my arms around his neck. He lifts me off my feet, and I have no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist. Without breaking the kiss, he carries me over and gently lays me in the middle of his giant king size bed.

He settles his body over mine, then pulls back to look me in the eyes with his still intense gaze. "Forget everything that arsehole ever said to you" he says sternly. "Erase any negative thought he ever put inside your brilliant mind. You are beautiful Hermione. You are the most beautiful and incredible woman I've ever laid eyes on. You're everything I've ever wanted, and I'm so in love with you." Tears still stream down my face from his words, but for a different reason. No one has ever said that to me before. I feel so loved and cherished.

He kisses me again, but begins to move his hands up and down my body. After a few minutes, he begins massaging my breasts through my thin night shirt and trails kisses from my lips to my jaw and down to my neck. With every kiss, he murmurs a soft "beautiful." Pulling back to sit on his haunches, he quickly removes his shirt and pants, then pulls me up to a sitting position and removes my shirt.

My top is completely bare and open to his gaze. I haven't been with any man like this except for Ron, and I so want to please Draco. A little shy under his vision, I move my hands to cover myself but he catches my wrists and pins them to my side after pushing me back down. "Don't hide. You are gorgeous" he says and brings his head down to engulf one of my breasts. He suckles intensely and flicks the nipple with his tongue, and I cry out from the pleasure and sensations he's stirring within me. After he's satisfied with the attention he lavishes on one, he moves to the other and repeats his actions. The ache between my thighs is becoming too much, and I rub myself against him wantonly.

He moves to trail kisses down my stomach, over my hips, all the while still murmuring "beautiful." Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of my shorts and knickers, he swiftly pulls them down and off. I'm completely nude before him and he looks at my body as though he's memorizing every dip and curve. His eyes travel back up to meet mine before giving me a sensual smirk and lowering his head between my thighs.

I arch myself halfway off the bed as I feel his tongue give one hard long lick up my slit and flick my clit. I've never had anyone do that and the sensation is driving me wild. My folds are practically dripping in arousal as he goes back and forth between circling my nub and tonguing my inner walls. Pressure starts to build within my abdomen and when he begins pumping one, then two fingers inside of me I know I won't last long. It's been far too long since I've indulged in this kind of pleasure. He works furiously and I'm almost there, just a bit more…

Right as I'm about to fall over the edge, he pulls his fingers out and stands up to his full height. I let out a frustrated cry and look up to see why he stopped, only to find that he's dropped his boxers and is stroking his cock. Oh wow, he's big! I'm not sure if he'll fit. Slowly he begins to rub it against my womanhood, spreading my juices and his precome. All I can think about right now is how bad I want him inside of me.

"Say it Hermione" he says meeting my eyes again. "I want to hear you say it."

He must know he's torturing me! Why is he dragging this out? "Draco…please…please"

He inserts the tip in just barely, but refuses to move another inch. "Say it Hermione" he repeats.

I need him so badly right now and I know what he wants me to say. "I,,,I'm beautiful! I-OH!"

He finally pushes all the way in and my muscles stretch to accommodate his large size. It's a pleasure pain, but it's so delicious. My whole body is on fire and we both grunt at the feeling of completeness.

"Fuck!" he swears. "You're so tight!" He hasn't moved yet to allow me time to adjust, but his body is quivering with the effort of his restraint. Finally after another minute, I roll my hips as a sign for him to move. He immediately pulls out almost all the way, then thrusts back in.

We move slowly at first and it's beautiful. I can feel every part of him as he enters me again and again, and he finds that sweet spot inside of me that makes me cry out. Every time his hips surge forward, I raise mine to meet him. Soon our pace becomes faster and he's slamming into me over and over again, and I can't think straight with all the sensations overwhelming my mind and body . I'm so close, and I know this orgasm will be powerful.

"Oh oh Draco! Don't stop! Oh! Yes, harder, yes, yes, yes, DRAAACOOO!" He finally pushes me over the edge when he pinches my clit between his forefinger and thumb. I've never come so hard in my life and I see stars in my vision.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, HERMIONE!" he grunts as with two more thrusts his own orgasm is triggered and he spills his hot seed inside me. He collapses on the bed beside me and we both pant harshly, sweaty and exhausted. Once we've both relatively calmed down, he pulls me into his arms and situates the covers over our naked bodies. This was one of the most glorious experiences of my life and I want to do it with him over and over again. Once I'm able to move my limbs again that is.

He kisses my forehead and whispers, "I love you Hermione and I'll always protect you. You are beautiful. Never forget that."

I snuggle in closer to him and smile. He loves me! He really loves me! As long as he's by my side, I can take on anything.

AN: Ok…I'm very anxious to hear your thoughts on this chapter. I know it's super long. I originally had another scene in it, but it was very gory and most of you would have probably found it a little disturbing, so I cut it out and saved about a page. Maybe I'll put it in another chapter further in the story. Also, writing sex scenes is not a strong point of mine. I hope it was good. Until next time!