Disclaimer: This is not mine…well the plot is…but not the characters…except the amazing house elves to be seen a little later on in the chapter, those are mine too…but you know…I don't have anything worth suing for, so please don't…
A/N: So can I just say WOW! I couldn't believe the response I received for that second chapter! Thank you soooo much, you have no idea how amazing that was! And because of the amazing reviews from the last chapter, I decided to update the story today instead of Friday (or later). So here it is, the last chapter of All I Want! Hope you enjoy!
All I Want—Chapter 3
Why did she agree to do this again? Hermione nearly let out a moan of frustration as she stood on the edge of Draco Malfoy's wards and stared up at the large grey stone building several hundred feet in front of her. 'Naturally his new house would be almost the same size or bigger than his last,' Hermione sighed good-humouredly.
The house could have been very imposing, much like Malfoy Manor, if it hadn't been so green and full of flowers. Two feet in front of her was a six foot wrought iron fence with intricate patterns connected to a large eight foot wide gate with an archway, also wrought iron, all covered in red and white roses that wove their way through the open spaces of the gate to twine themselves together as one of the most beautiful things Hermione had ever seen.
Carefully stepping closer to the gate, and making sure not to touch it, knowing his wards were set up in a dome like configuration that touched the ground at the gate, Hermione peered through the tall gate to stare at the large yard in front of her, "Woah," was all she could think to say as she stared at the lovely yard. So caught up in the sight before her, Hermione didn't notice where she was walking and ended up tripping over her feet, sending her flying towards the gate.
Her eyes closed as she braced for some nasty hex, or strong repelling charm, or perhaps even something life-threatening, but Hermione was surprised seconds later to find that she had simply fallen through Draco Malfoy's gate and the wards. Catching herself and standing up, smoothing her ruffled up dark green one shoulder tank top and flicking some hair out of her face to land back in place with the rest of her carefully done curls, Hermione turned to stare at the gate once more, this time from the inside. Draco must have set the wards to allow her in anytime, she thought studying the wards carefully. There were certainly several that would quickly send unwelcome visitors packing, but none of them had bothered her.
"Huh," Hermione murmured, slowly turning around to face the massive house once more, confused about why the wards had been set to let her in so easily. A gasp tore through her as the full extent of the front gardens was able to finally sink in; it was amazing, lovely, spectacular and so many other adjectives Hermione didn't know if she'd ever run out of positive descriptions of the yard.
She stood on a pathway about three feet wide that was made of different sized flat stone slabs that were placed neatly together with small tufts of grass sneaking through the cracks between the stones. On either side of the pathway were small round bushes evenly spaced apart. Further off on either side of the pathway were two ponds about six feet wide that spanned nearly the entire length from the gate to the large house. Inside these ponds resided several small fountains and what looked to be lily pads with several flowers floating around.
As Hermione proceeded down the long pathway to what she could now tell were two very large front doors, she noticed that there were several more rose bushes on the other sides of the ponds along with hundreds of other flowers Hermione couldn't remember the names of all at once. Tulips, Lilac bushes, peonies, flower spikes and other blossoms led the front area to smell simply wonderful, that combined with the perfect amount of shade provided by the large leafy trees and the soothing sound of trickling water and a couple of chirping birds, all made for an absolutely relaxing sense of peace, safety and an odd sense of home. Hermione could easily see herself being quite comfortable here, which surprised her, considering how nervous she currently was.
Moving around the small round pond that rested several feet from the large porch and front doors of the mansion, Hermione slowed her footsteps until there was absolutely no way for her to stall any longer. A shaking hand lifted to rap the door sharply, half hoping no one would hear.
No sooner had her hand touched the door just once when the large door creaked open and a small head appeared, followed by an equally small body, "Welcome Mistress Hermione!" the house elf squeaked, seeming overwhelmingly pleased, "We's have been waiting for you for a long time!"
Hermione looked down at the house elf in surprise, "You have?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.
The elf nodded so vigorously that Hermione was sure it would fall over, "Master Draco is in the second library, he will be most delighted to see you, yes he will!" the elf reached up and eagerly grasped Hermione's hand to pull her inside.
The two were soon greeted by several other elves, "What can Oepy do for you today Mistress Hermione?" "Can Tipsy take your lovely travelling cloak?" "Here, let Mop take the cloak from Tipsy to hang so it won't get wrinkly!" "Would Mistress like some tea, specialty of Groegy?" "Is yous and Master Draco married? Yuba wishes to know, will there be children soon?"
Hermione looked down at all the elves busying themselves with taking care of her arrival, the elf holding her hand must have noticed her flustered look and snapped its fingers, bringing all of the other elves to an abrupt halt, "You are overwhelming Mistress Hermione!" the elf exclaimed, seeming exasperated. At once several faces drooped and saddened.
Quickly realizing where this sadness would lead Hermione held up her hands carefully, "No, no, no!" she proclaimed, "It's alright, I just…how did you all know who I am?"
The elves all shared a perplexed look, "Master Draco told us who you were, and gave us strict orders to welcome you as we would any member of the Masters family," the elf holding her hand told her, "Master Draco told Ziggy that if you ever came here it would only be because yous two are married," the elf, apparently called Ziggy, peered up at her carefully, "You are Mistress Hermione yes?" he asked her.
Slowly looking around at all the elves Hermione nodded her head, finally noticing one of the things that were so odd about the elves, they were all wearing comfortable looking clothes with a lovely cursive 'M' embroidered on their left side, right over their hearts, "Yes I am Hermione, but Draco and I aren't married," she told them carefully, surprising herself with how upset she sounded as she said these words.
There was complete silence for several moments as the elves comprehended this, then Ziggy tugged on her hand, "But you love Master Draco yes?" he asked her.
Hesitating for a moment, before deciding that they appeared to be very loyal elves, Hermione nodded once more, "Yes," she whispered, feeling slightly embarrassed to be confiding in a group of house elves.
"Good," the one Hermione vaguely recalled was named Oepy exclaimed in excitement, "Then that means you will become married soon!"
Hermione looked at the excitedly nodding heads and sighed, not wanting to burst their bubble, "Do any of you know where Draco is?" she asked them, deciding to best to just change the subject.
Everyone nodded their heads again but it was Ziggy who spoke, "Ziggy will show Mistress Hermione to the Second Library where Master Draco is now," Ziggy then turned and tugged Hermione off up the grand staircase barely giving Hermione time to turn and wave to the other elves as she left them behind.
Several doors were open along the way, but Ziggy was pulling Hermione too fast for her to stop and look at any of them, instead, Hermione only caught glimpses here and there of well decorated rooms. Several more stairs, long hallways, and various turns later—Hermione was certain she would never be able to find her way back out—Ziggy pulled to a stop just in front of an ornately decorated dark mahogany wood door.
Ziggy gave Hermione a wide smile before snapping his fingers, causing the large door to open. Hermione almost let out a squeal of surprised glee as she looked around the two floor library, covered wall to wall with books. A large cluttered desk rested in the middle of the spacious room with a large leather wingback chair resting behind it. There was a fireplace in the center of the left wall that two large comfy looking armchairs resided in front of with a long matching sofa in between them. The opposite wall held a large window with stained glass bordering the edges, with a nice comfortable looking window seat placed directly beneath the bottom of the window.
But what most caught Hermione's eye was the platinum blond head that resided with his back towards her as he bent over something on the desk, studying it intently, "What is it Ziggy?" Draco's deep voice asked kindly, making Hermione tremble for a moment, whether from momentary terror at her current location or from sheer need to hear his voice and see him she didn't know. Draco didn't turn around as he asked this, and Hermione couldn't help thinking that even from behind he was striking, Hermione groaned internally with something akin to want. He wore a dark blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows tucked into a pair of black slacks over black…socks? Hermione couldn't stop the small giggle from escaping.
Draco whirled around, his eyes wide in surprise and once again Hermione found herself locked in a staring contest with the man.
"Ziggy has brought Mistress Hermione to see Master Draco sir," Ziggy stated, letting go of Hermione's hand, seeming oblivious of the increasing awkward tension in the room, "Ziggy will send Groegy with some tea in a moment," Ziggy said, bowing shortly before apperating away.
Hermione felt the world disappear once more; it was simply her and Draco, staring wonderingly at one another. She didn't know how long they stood like that, staring at each other before Draco suddenly broke eye contact to look at the ground for a moment, clearing his throat awkwardly, "Hermione," he murmured in greeting, slowly lifting his head to look at her once more.
"Draco," Hermione responded in the same tone, a small smile pulling on her lips, "How are you?" she asked, forcing her brain to resume functioning.
Draco's eyes flicked towards the closed doors behind Hermione once before he answered, "I am good," he paused, "And you?" he asked, "I mean, how are you doing Hermione?" he asked her, his lips seeming to caress her name as it left his lips.
Hermione tried to keep her smile from spreading ridiculously, "I am doing great, thanks for asking," she responded, unsurprised when their conversation died for some time after that as Draco seemed to be having an internal conversation. His eyes nervously flitted about the room, as his hands fidgeted with things behind him on the desk.
Draco narrowed his eyes as he looked at her outfit, from the bottom of her silver converse sneakers to her faded, pre-torn, hip hugging, black Capri pants, to her one shoulder dark green top, to her perfectly curled hair. "If I didn't know any better," Draco stated clearly, seeming surprised to hear his own voice, "I would say that you must have been in Slytherin," he commented.
Hermione looked down at her outfit carefully in surprise, one hand reaching over to fiddle with the beaded bracelets on her other wrist, "What do you mean?" she asked him curiously.
Draco's hands moved up and down, gesturing to her, "Those, Hermione, are Slytherin colors. Not to mention the last time I saw you, you were wearing the same colors as well."
Her hands stopped fidgeting, "Really?" she inquired surprised, trying to remember.
Draco nodded.
"Oh," Hermione looked down at her outfit again then back up at him with a shrug, "Green just happens to be my favorite color," she stated, "and silver and black just go well with it."
"What would Potter and Weasley say if they knew?" Draco mock gasped, slipping easily into his old snarky façade.
Hermione rolled her eyes and shrugged her bare shoulder, "Who cares?" she nearly growled, "I haven't spoken to either of them for nearly two months."
Draco frowned, his eyes showing his curiosity but the rest of him was still hard and unyielding; Hermione didn't back down though, nor did she get defensive, she just waited. Draco seemed to realize that he wasn't going to get anything else out of her on the subject and hesitated a moment longer before snapping, "So what exactly are you doing here in my house Granger?" he demanded, reverting to her sir name.
Hermione took a few steps further into the library, causing Draco to stiffen but remain otherwise unmoving, leading Hermione to smile as she lifted her eyes to look around the library, "I just realized that I never thanked you," she started, her gaze falling to meet his after her first words.
Confusion spread clearly over Draco's face as he momentarily forgot to keep his emotions behind his mask, "Thanked me for what?" he frowned.
"For defending me," Hermione replied simply, "Ron was being a git and he should have known better."
Draco's eyes hardened as well this time, "Weasley doesn't seem to know how to use what little of his brain that seems to operate in even a moderately functioning way," Draco agreed, intending offence, growing uncomfortable with the lessening distance between them.
Instead he was quite surprised when Hermione actually laughed at his snarled comment, "I don't think he even uses a fraction of that little operational part of his brain," she snickered.
Draco narrowed his eyes, "What would your beloved Weasel think if he heard you say that?" he sneered.
Hermione shrugged, "I don't care what that rotten good-for-nothing thinks to be quite honest," Hermione commented primly with a roll of her eyes, "He lost the opportunity to have me care when he started spreading rumors about me to the entire ministry and made the one man I never thought would publicly defend me quit his job instead of being punished for defending me."
"And how do you know I was defending you and not just looking for some excuse to beat Weaselbee up?" Draco questioned arrogantly, his eyes watching as Hermione moved even closer to him.
Hermione smiled, clearly seeing that Draco was trying to cover up his confusion by being snarky, "Neville told me what happened. He told me that you were standing nearby with Neville when you two overheard Ron telling that other man all those rumors about me. He said that you gave Ron a warning to knock it off, but when he didn't you hit him and shoved him against the wall. That's when I showed up," Hermione came to a stop just in front of Draco, causing her to need to lift her head to look up at him, "I heard you telling Ron to back off, you also told him that I didn't deserve to be treated in such a way by him."
Draco studied Hermione closely, his eyes showing his mind was hard at work as he tried to decipher every possible intent behind Hermione's thanks. Hermione noticed this and slowly shook her head, "I'm not a Slytherin, Draco," she murmured, "there isn't some alternative motive behind everything I do," she smirked, "In fact, being a Gryffindor, I believe makes it nearly impossible to be cunning enough to manipulate you through offering you my gratitude."
Seeming to recognize her words as truth Draco seemed to relax a bit as he allowed himself to lean back on the desk behind him, "Neville could have been making it all up," Draco stated, eyebrows raised as he half heartedly attempted to convince Hermione he hadn't done what she thought he had.
"Which part?" Hermione asked cheekily, "The part where he told me you two have been growing closer as of late, maybe growing to be even friends? The part where he told me that if you hadn't defended me then he would have? The part where he defended you to Harry and Ron, and watched as both threw what was left of their friendship with him back in his face? Or maybe it was the part where he told me he was glad you quit, not because the Auror office was better off without you, but because you were better off without the Auror office? Or maybe, the fact that you just called him Neville instead of Longbottom, proves that you know that he didn't make any of it up," Hermione smirked, "Believe me, I'm pretty sure Neville wouldn't make up some elaborate tale in which the two of you are close friends just for the fun of it."
Draco frowned, not upset, but still confused, "So you came all this way, tried the wrath of my wards and my house elves, just to thank me for defending you from the one person on this planet I cannot stand?"
Hermione shrugged, her fingers moving to brush a curl out of her face, "The wrath of your wards and house elves is severely lacking if that is how they act when faced with a complete stranger," she remarked with a twinkle in her eye, "It was all quite welcoming to be honest, and if they're like that towards me, the Mudblood Granger then I can't imagine how they would react to someone evi—"
"Don't call yourself that!" Draco demanded, standing up from the desk. His silver eyes flashed as they glared at her, "Don't ever call yourself that!"
Hermione had gone ridged at his sudden exclamation at first, unsure what she had done to provoke his anger, but as her mind processed his words she softened immediately, "They're just words Draco," she murmured, "They don't bother me."
"Well they bother me," Draco hissed, "So don't call yourself by that horrible name again," Draco paused and realized how harsh his words seemed to sound, "Please, Hermione," he softly pleaded.
Hermione decided then and there that she had never loved her name as much as she did in those few seconds that her name fell from his lips, "Alright," she replied once she figured her voice was strong enough, it still came out softer than she had intended, but what could you do? "But that leads me to the second thing I came here today to thank you for," she told him.
Draco's eyebrows furrowed, "There's more?" he dumbly questioned, clearly not believing that there could possibly be anything else for her to thank him for.
Ignoring his interruption Hermione just nodded and continued, "I also wanted to thank you for saving my life."
Blinking silver eyes met hazel in a mixture of surprise, confusion, terror and microscopic hope, "What do you mean?" Draco asked his voice barely above a whisper.
"Every day since you gave me that twin journal back in sixth year you have done nothing but save my life; whether it was figuratively by giving me something or someone to hold on to, to fight for during the war, or whether it was literally, like each and every time you warned me about impending Death Eater attacks and plans," Hermione gave Draco a soft smile, "So thank you Draco, for saving my life."
Draco swallowed tightly, opened his mouth then shut it, then opened it again, "What are you talking about?"
Denial.
Well that was one way Hermione had thought this conversation might go, so she stepped forward as her eyes met his and stopped a mere four inches away from his chest, reached around him, and snagged a brown leather journal she had seen Draco reading earlier from off the desk directly behind him, "I'm talking about this Draco," she stated softly, holding the journal up for him to see.
A pale hand reached out to tug the book from her hands, "That's mine," Draco growled defensively.
"And I have its twin," Hermione replied, jumping out of his reach just seconds away from his hand connecting with the object, "And it's because of this book," Hermione waved the book around, "and the person who wrote in it," Hermione gestured to the blonde who was now following her with his eyes narrowed as she backed away, "that I am still alive today to tease you with said book," Hermione nearly shrieked as Draco suddenly launched himself at her, neither aware of the elf that popped in, saw their activities, grinned, and popped out, taking the tea with him.
Hermione kept running around the room, carefully avoiding getting caught and breaking things, "Face it Draco," she taunted after several minutes of this game she seemed to be enjoying more than he, "I practically owe you a life debt," she laughed as Draco moved closer once again.
"You owe me nothing!"Draco barked finally managing to snag Hermione around the waist, but Hermione turned and pulled the book into her chest, causing him to pull her back closer to his own chest, only slightly aware of how close they were, "Give it back!" he demanded using his free hand to try and reach for the book.
"Not until you admit it was you who was on the other side of my twin journal!" Hermione panted, very much aware of how close they were.
Draco slowed his movements, suddenly becoming conscious of the fact that he was holding Hermione Granger against his chest; Hermione Granger the woman he'd been in love with since third year, was in his arms, her back was pressed against his chest, her body was…relaxing against his? Draco stilled completely, how did he get out of this one? What had she said, admit to owning the twin journal? Draco sighed, that would mean admitting to a lot of things, both good and bad, and he wasn't sure he could do that.
"Fine," he breathed into her ear, surprised to feel her body shiver in his arms, "It was me, are you happy now?" he murmured, finding that he suddenly didn't care one whit about the journal any more.
Hermione whirled around in his arms with a wide smile on her face, "Incandescently," she proclaimed, pressing his journal against his chest.
Numbly Draco reached one of his hands up to grab the journal, reluctantly letting go of Hermione's waist. His fingers absently brushed against hers as he held the journal to his chest as she pulled her own hands away. Tension seemed to build between them until Draco seemed to return to himself by clearing his throat and backing away, his eyes dropping from her form as he headed towards his desk.
"Was there anything else?" he asked gruffly, not looking at her as he tried to appear unaffected.
Hermione looked around the library for something, anything to talk about that would keep her from having to leave him so soon. Her eyes alighted on a potions journal resting on a small table in the corner and a spark lit in her mind, "Are you going to take the potions final?" she asked him suddenly, causing him to turn to look at her out of sheer surprise.
"What?" he dumbly asked.
Hermione's fingers began to tangle and weave themselves together, "McGonagall told me about how Professor Snape taught you everything you would need to know to be a potions master, and how the only thing keeping you from being a full potions master, and thereby perfectly capable of taking over the position of Potions professor, is the Potions Mastery Final. So are you going to take the potions final?"
Draco's gaze hardened, "Why would McGonagall tell you all of that?" he demanded to know, "What gives her the right?"
Hermione stood her ground and gazed levelly back at him even though he had his mask firmly in place, "She offered me the position of Transfiguration professor that day we met in her office, and I accepted right away, ready and eager to take the job. Minerva then asked me why you couldn't be that eager to take the potions professorship, to which I responded by saying that I didn't know you were a potions master; she told me you weren't but all that was standing in your way of being one was the potions final."
He seemed to be glaring at her, Hermione sighed, this was not at all how she thought the conversation would go, she should have kept quiet about the whole Potions Master thing.
"No," he growled, "I am not going to take the potions final."
Hermione blinked, that's it? No reasons or explanations; no excuses? Just, 'no I'm not going to take the final thank you, now leave!'? Obviously that wasn't going to sit well with Hermione, so naturally she let her curiosity get the better of her, "Why not?" she asked bluntly.
Draco obviously hadn't been expecting her to question him, though for the life of her she couldn't fathom why he hadn't. Draco seemed to contemplate his answer to her question for a moment before shaking his head and hardening his eyes as he looked at her, "Because sometimes people just don't get whatever they want!" he finally exploded.
Again Hermione found herself blinking in confusion, "What do you mean?" she questioned out loud.
"I mean, that just because I want something doesn't mean I will get it," Draco ground out, becoming perplexed by her unafraid curiosity.
Hermione frowned, "So you do want to be a Potions Master?"
"Yes!" Draco shouted, "But just because I want it, I know I won't get it! I –" Draco trailed off and seemed to slump in defeat, once again resting against the desk with his arms folded defensively across his chest.
Timidly Hermione stepped closer to Draco, stopping several feet away from him, "What do you mean you know you won't get it?" she inquired, truly not understanding what he was saying, or trying to say, "You're Draco Malfoy, you always get what you want," Hermione was honestly confounded by his defeatist attitude.
"Not since third year," Draco murmured, slowly lifting his head to stare at her meaningfully, "Not since you hit me in third year have I achieved, received, or gained anything I really wanted," Draco emphasized the last word in a gruff voice, unfolding his arms as he shoved himself off of the desk and walked around to the other side to study the books on the shelf behind the desk as if he had never seen them before.
Hermione watched him in silence, trying to comprehend what he was saying, and more importantly, what he wasn't. Finally she gave a small sigh, deciding that the only person who could translate Draco Malfoy for her would be Draco himself, "Like what?" she asked him softly, "What else have you wanted that you didn't get?"
Draco remained silent just long enough for Hermione to begin to wonder if he had even heard her before his deep voice floated over to her ears in a quiet voice, "At first I just wanted a smile, a smile that gave me the knowledge that you saw me as a close friend, or at the very least someone you didn't hate. I wanted to hate you, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to understand you, the things that made you happy, the things that made you sad, or angry, or eager to learn. I wanted to know your favorite color, your favorite book, your favorite everything."
Draco went quiet and Hermione watched stunned with her heart pounding in her chest as his head dropped to his chest, his gaze retreating from the thick tomes of knowledge before him to the comforting soft dark grey carpet at his feet, "I wanted to be able to walk up to you and take your hand, to hold it for everyone to see that you were with me. I wanted to know if you felt the same need to be close to me as I felt for you. I wanted to prove to you that I was worthy, that I was good enough. I wanted to stop being on the dark side of the war to show you just how much you meant to me. I wanted to be able to pull you into a hug so many times I couldn't even count them if I wanted to. I wanted to beat Weasley each and every time he brought even the smallest frown to your perfect lips."
Slowly Draco straightened his shoulders and turned to look Hermione square in the eye, "I wanted you," he told her gently, swallowing harshly, desperately trying not to look away from her expressionless face, "I want you," he amended, his eyes blinking rapidly for a second as he fought again not to look away from her, "I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how you should be loved. I want to be able to kiss you every second of every minute of every day for the rest of our lives. And more than anything," Draco stepped around the desk to stand three feet in front of her, "I want to be able to know that you feel the same way, with the same passion and need that I do."
Neither moved for a long time, seconds, minutes, hours, neither could say. Hermione's eyes were beginning to grow a little watery as she comprehended the words Draco had just spoken and the undertone of need and hopeless longing that hid just beyond his words. Suddenly those moments Hermione thought she saw a desperate longing in Draco's eyes over the years began to make sense.
Draco suddenly turned away from her and fled behind the desk again, almost as if placing the object between them would make what he thought was her inevitable rejection easier. Hermione's eyes widened as she watched him walk away, suddenly realizing just how long she had been standing there without saying a word.
A small tremulous smile tugged at the corners of Hermione's lips as she spoke up softly, "Who said you couldn't have all of that?" she asked gently, her eyes resting lovingly on his back.
Slowly Draco turned around to frown at her, "Well for one thing you're with Weasley and you aren't the kind to cheat, and I'm not the kind to share."
"Was," Hermione corrected, interrupting his second comment, at his confused stare she elaborated, "I was with Weasley…Ron. I'm not anymore."
Draco was surprised when the words, "Why not?" escaped his lips without his permission.
Hermione snorted lightly, "Do you even have to ask?" she scoffed, "The rumors were a result of a horrible date we had that weekend, he had asked me to marry him," Hermione felt a small amount of selfish internal glee as she noticed Draco's frown deepen as his eyes glared at the wall behind her shoulder, "I told him that I had to think about it, he pretended to be okay with that, but when we arrived at my apartment he practically accosted me, tearing at my clothes and just generally being a jerk. I hexed him to kingdom come and told him to get out of my apartment. All of this you know from the journal," Hermione lightly tapped the cover of said object as she began speaking again, "Monday rolled around and I had made my decision to turn him down, but for some unfathomable reason I was going to stay with him, figuring I just wasn't ready for marriage yet."
Draco actually growled when he heard her words, making Hermione feel some elation at his protective feelings.
"But when I saw you roughing him up a bit, and heard the lies he was spouting to Harry about how Neville was daft and you should be in Azkaban I decided there wasn't any way I would be able to stay with the git. I turned him down, hexed both him and Harry, and then went back to my own office, where my department manager, who just happened to be another Weasley, yelled at me for spreading rumors about myself. I told him to sod off, and he fired me," Draco seemed confused that Hermione didn't appear more upset about this than she did, so she explained, "I was beginning to hate my job anyway, he just helped me do something that I should have done a while ago."
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to assess whether her words were having affect on Draco other than his protectiveness, "I went home where Ginny promptly began yelling at me and demanding that I move out that instant. I refused, considering the fact that I was the one who was paying for most of the flat anyway, and Ginny decided to leave instead. Now I have been alienated from the entire Weasley clan with the exception of George and his girlfriend who feel that the Weasley's are being ridiculous. So in short, I am no longer with Ronald Weasley."
Draco turned to look directly at her with questions in his eyes, seeming to ponder which question to ask first. He finally appeared to settle on one when the words escaped, "Why were you ever with that git anyway?" almost immediately after the words were out Draco's eyes widened and he looked as if he wished he could retract them.
Hermione gave a wistful smile and shook her head, "Because I couldn't have you," she responded, "I was only with Ron because I was absolutely certain that there was no way you would ever feel the same way about me as I felt about you," she gave a humorless laugh, "Especially not after I hit you in third year. I chose Ron because he was just about as opposite of you as one could get, though ironically it seems that you and Ron seem to have switched personalities from our second year. Now Ron's the one calling me names and you're the one who's defending me."
"You were only with Weasley because…" Draco trailed off, once again moving around the desk to stand in front of Hermione, his eyes locked with hers once more and the world fell away as it always did whenever their eyes met.
"Because I thought I couldn't have you," Hermione whispered, very aware of how close Draco was becoming, her head tilting further back as Draco finally came to a stop just inches away from her.
Draco bent his head to bring their faces closer together, "So you…"Draco breathed, unaware of his hands moving up to slide gently into Hermione's soft curls.
"So I…" Hermione murmured back, trying her best not to just close the few millimeters between their lips.
"You want…" Draco stared closely into her twinkling eyes.
Hermione's eyelids fluttered shut, "Kiss me all ready Draco will you?" she demanded breathlessly, waiting eagerly for that moment when his lips finally connected with hers.
If she thought the world stopped before when they were simply staring at one another, the entire universe must have frozen as Draco's lips finally pressed gently against her own willing and waiting lips. She gasped as she felt the magic zinging through every vein in her body, making her feel more complete than she had ever felt in her life. No one had ever made her feel this content, this loved, this—all thought was cut off as Draco tilted her head with his hands to kiss her more deeply; his tongue gently pressing against her lips, a low moan reverberating through his chest as Hermione opened her mouth to tangle her tongue with his.
Weakly Hermione twined her arms around Draco's neck, just in time for her legs to collapse from beneath her. Draco smiled against her lips kissing them once more before slowly moving to kiss a pathway down her neck until he buried his face in her shoulder, his hands sliding down her back to pull her fully against him.
"I've wanted to do that for years," Draco murmured minutes later, his low husky voice causing small shivers to fly throughout Hermione's body.
Hermione pulled back and let Draco stand up straight once more before rising on her tip toes to press her lips firmly to his in another passionate kiss, "I've wanted you to do that for years," she whispered back, her lips barely separated from his.
Draco kissed her once, twice, three times more before moving his hands to his shoulders where they found Hermione's and twined their fingers together. He smiled down at her with so much love that Hermione found her breath momentarily stolen away. Gently he tugged her hands down from his shoulders to pull her towards the chairs and sofa. Hermione followed him closely, absently wondering if her eyes showed as many emotions as his did.
Draco lowered himself down onto the sofa, pulling Hermione so that she sat closely next to his side with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Hermione turned her body slightly to lean her head against his chest beneath his chin and wrapped her arm around his waist. A smile graced her features when she felt him sigh in contentment and kiss the top of her head.
The two sat comfortably for several minutes in silence, contemplating what this would mean for them. Hermione felt Draco shift slightly and knew instinctively that he was about to speak. Sure enough seconds later Draco's deep voice caused vibrations to echo through his chest, "How long?" two words, yet they held so much.
Hermione gave a sigh and went to move to sit up, but found Draco's arm was holding her in place causing her to giggle, "I just want to see you while I talk to you," she laughed, waiting until Draco gave a mockingly heavy sigh and lifted his arm. Hermione smiled and sat up, pausing for just a second before standing, causing him to frown for just a second before she turned and sat sideways on his lap, resting her back against the arm of the sofa and spreading her long legs out on the couch. She leaned her shoulder against his chest and smiled at him.
"You're right," Draco sighed with a smirk, "This is much better," he wrapped an arm around her waist and hugged her tightly for a moment before letting go, "Well?" he pressed, reminding her of his previous question.
"Oh," Hermione smiled and ducked her head, piquing Draco's interest, "I think it was somewhere around the first few minutes we met."
Draco's eyes widened comically, "Really?" he exclaimed, "that was fast!"
Hermione gave a small laugh, "Well you weren't really horrid to me until after we were both sorted, so I only met the well trained, polite side of Draco Malfoy."
Draco's grin dimmed significantly at her words, and he seemed to hesitate a moment before speaking his mind, "I meant what I said to you during those first three years we were at school together," he told her regretfully, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see her hurt, "I really did believe you were less than I was and it just made me so mad that you didn't seem to know it; always beating me in everything but quidditch and flying."
Hermione gave a soft smile as she lifted her hand to cup Draco's cheek gently, smoothing her thumb in small circles feeling a few of his whiskers that were just beginning to appear, "I know," she murmured, pleased when Draco unconsciously leant his head into her hand, "But even then part of me wondered if it was simply the little boy syndrome," she said the words seriously as if it were life threatening.
Draco opened his eyes but didn't move away, "Little boy syndrome?" he repeated curiously.
Hermione nodded, "It's a muggle thing that little boys have. It occurs when they like a girl, but don't know what to do about it. Little girls have it too," she added, "It demonstrates itself in hurtful acts such as hair pulling and name calling."
"What are other symptoms?" Draco asked with a small smile, recognizing the disease as fictional.
Hermione pretended to think, "Well, often the little boy or girl will feel bad for how they treated the object of their affections afterward. But their concern only manifests itself in even more hurtful acts," Hermione paused, "I know you meant what you said every time you insulted me up through most of third year, but after I hit you," she trailed off, "Well…"
Draco rolled his eyes, "I can't explain it," he began seeming exasperated with himself, "But you hitting me was like the final blow to my pureblood supremacist defenses. For years you had been beating me when my beliefs said that it should be me who was beating you. Your magic was stronger and more controlled; you knew more about anything and everything than anyone I had ever met, perhaps even more than some of them combined. You somehow managed to continually get yourself into and then back out of trouble without much damage, and you never let the fact that you were superior to everyone else get to your head. Then when you hit me, well, I already knew you were better with magic and knowledge but then you proved to me you were stronger and better at physical fighting as well, it was the only thing I had left. It left me puzzled and intrigued."
Draco shrugged and gave a small sheepish grin, "I even asked my father how certain he was that purebloods really were better than muggleborns, when he told me firmly that it was a simple fact of life, I asked how it was then that you seemed to beat each and every pureblood at Hogwarts, if you were only a muggleborn. He had no answer, but told me that I was never to speak of you so highly again," Draco smirked and pressed a kiss to Hermione's jaw, surprising her, "My father always had answers," he told her, "so when even he didn't know why you were better at everything I began to wonder if maybe everything I had been taught, everything my father and mother had been taught and their parents before them and so on, maybe it was all wrong."
"Did you tell your father about me hitting you?" Hermione asked curiously, gently brushing her fingers over the side of his nose where her fist had collided with his skin.
Draco scoffed, "Why would I do that?" he mocked her, "He would have had my hide for allowing a muggleborn, and a girl to boot, to hit me. No, I didn't tell him, he was better off not knowing," Draco stared off at the heatless fire in the fireplace for a second before looking back at the brunette, "I have to admit I practically stalked you for the rest of our years at Hogwarts," he admitted with a small smile, "I was covert about it, but I couldn't stop watching you, wondering what your favorite color was, what your favorite book was, why you liked to read so much…all those things I said I wanted to know earlier, I tried to discover the answers through studying you, but alas, I wasn't able to figure it out, and I couldn't exactly just ask you, so I watched instead."
"Green, like I told you earlier, is my current favorite color; though while we were back at Hogwarts the idea of Harry and Ron finding out that I loved such a Slytherin color made my favorite color a royal purple. My favorite book is Hogwarts: a History. And I love to read so much because sometimes the places and things in the books are just so much better than my current reality. In books the heroine always gets her Prince Charming, and they always live happily ever after…"
Draco looked confused, "Prince what?" he asked curiously.
"Prince Charming," Hermione repeated, "He is a Prince from a muggle fairy tale that basically is the epitome of what every girl wants in a man," she nudged him, "You for example, are my Prince Charming," Draco looked down right pleased with the idea before his face began to darken once again. Hermione sighed, "What now?" she asked him softly, her hazel eyes peering into his own silver eyes searchingly.
"I was just thinking about all the things I did while you and I weren't at Hogwarts," he murmured, his fingers tracing absent patterns on her waist, "I wasn't a good person then Hermione," he moaned, "I was horrible, I did anything I was told to do…I had no choice."
Hermione gave a comforting smile, "Exactly, you had no choice Draco," she leaned forward and kissed him deeply, "Do you remember back in our sixth year when I found you in Myrtle's lavatory?" she asked him softly, her fingers sifting gently through his hair.
Draco nodded, "How could I forget, that night changed my life," he told her, his head swaying with the strokes of her fingers, "I don't know what I would have done during the rest of the war if you hadn't found me that night and said what you did."
"I meant it too," Hermione added, "You weren't evil then, you aren't evil now, and you most certainly weren't evil during the war."
His head was already shaking, "How could you possibly know that?" he demanded to know, "you weren't there!"
Hermione's hand trembled a little as she moved it from his hair to smooth over her forearm revealing the unbecoming scars that formed the word Mudblood, "I was there when Harry, Ron and I were brought to Malfoy Manor," she murmured softly, "You didn't sell Harry out like you would have if you were evil. You didn't really try to duel Harry when we were escaping. And not once, during any part of the war did I see evil in your eyes Draco; not once," Hermione waited, but Draco said nothing, "I think you more than made up for whatever you did wrong during the war by helping me and warning me through the journal. You weren't evil Draco, you aren't evil."
"I got Dumbledore killed," Draco snapped, attempting to push Hermione off his lap to stand, fortunately Hermione had expected this and had maneuvered herself to hold him down. Once he stopped struggling Hermione moved one of her legs so that she was now straddling the distraught blonde. This was obviously something that had been bothering him for some time.
"No," Hermione stated firmly, "Dumbledore got Dumbledore killed," she told him, seeing his eyes widen in confusion and pain Hermione tried her best to explain, "Dumbledore knew all along that Voldemort had given you the mission to kill him. He also knew that though you would try, your heart wasn't really in it, you didn't really want to kill him. It wasn't in your eyes," Hermione hesitated a moment before speaking again, "What do you know of Horcruxes?" she asked him.
He shrugged, thrown off guard by the change of subject, "They are pieces of a person's soul that allows them to live for a long time, it is very dark magic;" he told her, "Why do you ask?"
"Voldemort had made six of them, it was how he managed to come back after Harry killed him the first time," Hermione explained, "That's what Harry, Ron and I were hunting during that time everyone thought we were in hiding. We were searching for the Horcruxes and a way to destroy them. Harry had destroyed one, Tom Riddle's diary, in our second year in the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore found and managed to destroy a second Horcrux that was in the form of Marvolo's ring. But in the process of destroying the ring the magic began to kill Dumbledore."
Now Hermione paused to take a breath, "Do you remember the speech Professor Snape gave to us in our first potions class?" she asked Draco.
He nodded, "I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even…put a stopper…in death…" Draco quoted dramatically in an imitation of Snape's voice.
Hermione nodded with a small smile, "Well Professor Snape put a stopper on Dumbledore's death. He was already dying Draco," she informed Draco emphatically, "Anyway, because Dumbledore was already dying and Professor Snape knew about it, Dumbledore asked the professor to kill him when the time came. He knew your soul wouldn't be able to stand the torment that came when you killed someone, and Snape needed to secure his position in Voldemort's ranks in order for Dumbledore's plan to finally be fulfilled."
Draco shook his head, "Snape worshiped the Dark Lord," he argued, "He wouldn't do something that would ultimately lead to his demise."
"He would if he actually hated Voldemort," Hermione responded, "Voldemort made the mistake of killing Lily Evans Potter, Harry's mother, and the woman Snape had been in love with for years. It was the final straw on the camels back so to speak, and Snape turned to Dumbledore and became a spy on the Dark side."
His eyes distant, Draco shook his head again, "He would have told me," he muttered to himself, "Didn't he trust me?" he asked her rhetorically, "I could have helped him, I knew occlumency, I could have—"
"Did Snape ever speak about blood purity with you Draco?" Hermione interrupted, when Draco paused then shook his head, so Hermione continued, "Did he ever give you personally any indication that he worshiped Voldemort?" she questioned, "He taught you potions, why? There wasn't time enough for it to take precedence over everything Voldemort must have demanded he do. Snape cared about you, and he protected you in the only way he knew would result with you and your family still alive by the end of the war. He never nurtured your Pureblood ideals, he never tried to persuade you to believe as the rest of the Death Eaters did, he simply let you be who you needed to be, while being the support you didn't know you needed."
Draco's eyes showed he wasn't sure what to think, "So I didn't get Dumbledore killed?" he clarified disbelieving.
Hermione shook her head and pressed her forehead to Draco's, "No, Dumbledore was dying long before you were given your mission; you couldn't have done anything different."
"I almost listened to him you know," Draco murmured, relief flowing through him as he closed his eyes and simply absorbed her closeness, "Dumbledore I mean, he was offering me a way out, another choice, and I almost took it, but then my aunt showed up and I just—"
Hermione shushed him, "I know, Harry was there the entire time and saw everything. Even he saw how you were wavering about which side to take. But all of this has nothing to do with us now, it's all in the past, I know you weren't evil and you know that I know it, so I think we should just let it go…you should just let it go," Hermione kissed him softly for several long moments, pleased that each kiss felt just like their first, like she had finally found the one place in the world she absolutely belonged, "I might be dead today if it hadn't been for you being where you were, feeling like you felt, and writing to me about it all."
This gave Draco pause; he hadn't thought of it that way, "Really?" he asked her, part of him feeling liberated by knowing this.
With a nod and another kiss Hermione smiled, "Really," she told him, "Now I think the real question is…are you going to take that potions final now that you see that you really do get everything you want?"
Draco laughed, "I suppose so," he agreed, "McGonagall needs to take some lessons on how to be Slytherin-like from you it seems," he told her affectionately, brushing some curls from her face.
Hermione looked put out, "What do you mean?" she demanded to know.
"Before when McGonagall offered the job to me, I got nothing in exchange but a bunch of students who would be constantly blowing up their potions. You on the other hand have given me something in exchange that I value very much," Draco kissed her.
Raising her eyebrows Hermione smiled mischievously, "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"
"You," Draco replied simply, one hand tugging her closer so he could kiss her ear and the hollow beneath it, and her neck and…Hermione gasped, that felt fantastic. She had never allowed Ron such liberties, nor had she ever really sat on his lap, she realized, it had always just felt wrong to even think about it. Hermione contemplated this, a lot of what she had with Ron had felt wrong, like something was missing, it was part of the reason she had turned down his proposal.
Hermione's eyes widened as she found her mind wandering to images of her and Draco years from now, little curly blonde haired children with hazel eyes wandering around with a dog playing hide and seek in this very house. It was something she had never been able to see with Ron, part of her had known that she would never be able to have that with the red headed man, but now, with Draco, it all seemed so simple, so perfect so… right.
"Oh is that all?" Hermione breathed seconds after his statement about having her, "I thought you would have valued something more, like my never ending love for you, or the fact that I was willing to promise to love you and only you for the rest of eternity, or, maybe even the fact that I was willing, perhaps even eager to wear something that Neville told me you had hidden in your bedside drawer."
Draco jerked back from his assault on her neck, "What?" he exclaimed, his mind processing her words, "You love me?" he repeated.
Hermione laughed quietly, and traced a finger from his chin across his jaw and down his neck to slide her hand into his hair at the back of his head, "And I am willing to marry you if you ask nicely."
"Really?" Draco murmured dubiously, his eyes searching hers for something, "You'd be willing to marry me? I thought you said you weren't ready when you turned down Weasley."
Her head tilted as she shrugged, "That was almost two months ago," she joked, "And I wasn't ready to marry Ron, I was never going to be ready to marry Ron. But I am however, ready to marry you. Because unlike Ron, I love you."
The small glitter of hope in Draco's eyes increased until it began to show on his face, a rare occurrence, "I love you too," he whispered pressing a few quick chaste kisses to her lips, before giving her the most passionate and loving kiss she had ever experienced. When he was done kissing her for a moment he reached his hand off to the side to grab a small dark blue almost black velvet box with a silver M etched into the top that had appeared out of nowhere. Opening it he revealed a lovely ring. There was one large clear diamond set in the middle of two gorgeous emeralds with smaller diamonds circling the rest of the white gold band.
Draco slowly extended the ring to her, but was surprised and a little hurt and horrified when Hermione shook her head and stood up, "Not that easy Charming," she teased, using her new nick name for him, "First you have to get down on one knee and ask me, I'll say yes, then you stand up, place the ring on my finger and kiss me senseless."
Draco paused, understanding, he never really asked her to marry him. Shaking his head he gave her a small smile and slid off the couch onto one knee, "Hermione Jean Granger," he stared, surprised to hear her give a small giggle, and cover her mouth with her hand, "Will you do me the honor of giving me one last thing that I want more than anything and become my bride?" he asked her.
Hermione felt something hot and wet slide down her cheek, one hand reached up to wipe at it, finding it to be an unexpected tear, "Yes," she breathed, nodding her head vigorously, "Yes."
Draco shot up and gently took her hand in his, sliding the ring onto that significant finger with a wide smile, "I love you," he murmured, just before pressing his lips tightly to her own, picking her up and spinning her around. They kissed for who knows how long until Draco finally pulled away, "I recognize that even though I've been in love with you for years, I barely know you," he told her softly, his lips moving against hers, "But I promise to spend every day of the rest of my existence getting to know everything about you that a person can know."
"I know you will Draco," Hermione smiled again as Draco shivered at her use of his name; "I love you."
He pulled back a little and she looked up at him. Their eyes met, and the rest of the world simply faded away.
FIN
A/N: …so maybe the marriage thing was a little fast, but it seemed to work for me. What did you think? Were the loose ends wrapped up enough, or is there still something missing? Many of you seemed to think that there was some much needed revenge on the Weasleys and Harry that I didn't necessarily write. But if people would like to see more, let me know…it may take some time but I am willing to try and appease your thirst for revenge…lol! Let me know what you thought and leave a review! Thank you so much for reading!