"Careful," Draco whispers, helping Hermione to her feet from the bed a few days later, his arm under her own as she kept her arm on his shoulder for support, both of them forgetting that they weren't supposed to be this close. They had a mission first that they had to complete. They could worry about not wanting to touch each other later, when Hermione could actually stand up on her own to go to the cafe and eat again instead of Draco having to bring food back to the Shrieking Shack on his own, which he complained, saying he wasn't a servant and Hermione constantly critiquing what he ordered and brought back. "Apply your weight slowly."
Hermione nodded her head, flinching in pain as she did as she was told. She bit her lip, fighting back the urge to cry as she felt the familiar ache amplifying from her calf. She tried applying weight to the leg slowly, fighting the pain radiating through her leg, causing it to burn. "It hurts." She whispers, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Fight it." Draco answers, the cockiness in his voice returning immediately, a sense of arrogance appearing once more. "You can't sit here and baby it all day. Or is that what you mud-bloods do?"
"Funny of you to be the one to mention babying a wound." Hermione backs back in both frustration and discomfort. "I didn't exactly see you manning up whenever Buckbeak attacked you!" She bit back, leaning back towards the bed to sit back down.
Draco gave in, allowing Hermione to sit back on the bed as she propped her leg back up. "Pathetic." He said, the usual pompous sound in his voice as he snarled his nose looking down at her.
"What's pathetic?" She bites back, imitating Draco perfectly with a defensive tone in her voice. "I'm sorry that I can't walk right now Draco, but in case you haven't noticed, I got attacked by a Blast-Ended Skrewt."
"I realize that." Draco answers, "but you can't exactly walk into Borgin and Burkes as my mother if you can't even walk. What do you think? No one will question a Malfoy in the amount of pain your face is showing? It's about time you either suck it up and deal with it hurting or I'm going to have to do this on my own." He says with spite.
"Your own?" Hermione asks, sass in her tone as she raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"Alright fine," Draco answers, giving in to what Hermione was saying as he knew that she was right. "I can't….I need you for this Hermione." He said, his eyes meeting hers.
Hermione nodded her head, looking down at her hands, unable to believe Draco had just confessed that. "We…" She stopped, sitting back up as she patted the bed beside her, signaling for Draco to sit down next to her.
Draco did as he was asked, not mentioning anything about how Hermione was, once again, telling him what to do. He didn't say anything about how she needed to respect her superiors or how she needed to be stronger, this wasn't the time or place. Instead, he simply sat down beside her on the bed, looking down at his own hands.
Hermione sighed heavily before wrapping her arm around his neck as it had been before, taking a deep breath as she braced herself.
"What are you doing Granger?" He asked in confusion, looking at Hermione's hand on the opposite side of him.
"Shut up Draco." Hermione answered firmly, causing Draco to stare at her in awe, shocked that she would say such a thing to a Malfoy. Hermione didn't give him a chance to reply with a snarky comeback, with any kind of a comeback really, as she pushed herself up off the bed onto her feet. Squeezing her eyes shut as the overwhelming pain overtook her, radiating from her leg, Hermione knew she had to prove Draco wrong. She had to prove to him that she could handle anything given to her.
Draco stood up with Hermione, supporting her in shock and amazement as she moved her good leg forward, her bad leg following directly behind it as she walked slowly, Draco following along beside her until she made it from one bed to the other.
"Brilliant." Draco answered, his voice cold and hardened as he tried to hide his amazement in the girl's strength. Looking down, Hermione looked back up at Draco in shock, her eyes resembling that of a House Elf as she suddenly noticed his own arm wasn't under her own supporting her as it had been during her first attempt, but around her waist instead.
"Is something wrong?" He asked, it now being his turn to raise an eyebrow at Hermione in doubt.
Hermione softly shook her head, feeling the familiar warmth of a blush returning to her cheeks as they walked back over to the four-poster bed where she had been resting for the past couple of days, unable to move any more than the occasional rolling over or sitting up.
"Didn't think so," Draco answers, feeling for the first time since they had slept together less than a week ago, the confidence with women that he had once held. He remembered what he had told himself. Whatever happened here, Draco couldn't let her get hurt again. He had to keep her safe. But why? It made no sense in his own head why he would want to protect a mud-blood as he slowly moved closer to her. It made no sense why he would even care what happened to such filth, less than a House Elf, as he softly pressed his lips up against hers, embracing the feeling of her soft mouth on his. It made no sense how he could want something, someone, so much whenever he had spent the past five years pushing her to hate him as he leaned against Hermione, pushing her back onto the bed, his mouth guiding her way.
Hermione didn't fight the kiss as her heart fluttered up into her throat in a blissful lust. She didn't try to argue reason with him, or with herself rather, as she gave in and let her hand explore the nape of his neck, kissing him back with every ounce of precious emotion she carried.
Slowly Draco moved on top of her, his own body surrounding hers as his elbows rest on either side of her head and he kissed her gently, so much unlike the first time their bodies had met, and so much more like the bodies of lovers would meet in a passionate lovemaking. He was gentle with her, careful not to offend a woman as delicate, and yet strong and proud, as Hermione was. For some reason, one Draco couldn't explain, he wanted to satisfy her, to please her, but most off to make sure that in no way, shape, or form, did he offend her as his mouth left her own, moving down to her neck as he kissed her neck with the gentle touch Hermione had not only been craving, but expecting to feel from a man.
Hermione moaned out softly as Draco's hands worked their way down her side, making sure not to touch her breasts as he wanted to show her, for reasons he couldn't figure out in his own head, that he wanted to focus on her first. Instead, his hands grazed down her sides to her hips, where he softly made his way to her center, right below her naval, and unbuttoned her jeans, slipping them off of her perfectly toned legs, taking extra caution not to rub the blue jean material against her sore leg. His mouth met hers once more as he rubbed the outside of Hermione's knickers, the warmth of her wettened lace now almost a soothing feeling against his fingertips.
Hermione's fingers grazed the bottom of Draco's shirt as their lips met, their mouths exploring one another in a feeling neither had ever felt, Hermione wanting to sacrifice everything she had to Draco, and Draco wanting to do whatever he could to please Hermione. Their eyes met momentarily, Draco's grey eyes searching deep into Hermione's chocolate eyes, his eyes asking her the question his lips were scared to speak as the warmth of Hermione's answered, granting him permission to do what they both had wanted so desperately to do the first time they were together. In case her eyes weren't enough of an answer for Draco, Hermione reached down, quickly pulling his shirt off over his head, exposing his firm, built chest.
Draco took the invitation, returning his mouth to Hermione's neck as he felt her gentle, racing pulse against his own lips. His hands explored their way back down, gently pulling off her knickers, exposing the beauty of her womanhood as Hermione fumbled with Draco's belt, moaning out at the feel of his hand exploring her core, rubbing it gently.
"Brightest witch can't figure out how to unbuckle a belt?" Draco asked, his voice now showing a more loving teasing than before as he stood up in front of the bed, ready to take them off himself as Hermione smiled up at him.
"Accio pants," Hermione answered raising her wand, laughing as Draco's jeans, belt, and boxers ripped off of him, flying at her, exposing his now-naked body for her to see as she threw his clothes to the ground. Draco climbed back on top of her, kissing her as he surrounded her body with his own, his kisses telling her he wanted to make sweet, delicate love to her as Hermione raised her legs, slowly allowing Draco to enter her as he moved slowly inside of her. Her warmth seemed different this time, more inviting, nearly perfect as Draco continued with the soft, gentle strokes, making sure to give Hermione the love she wanted as his lips covered hers in a passionate, loving kiss.
The young couple put all their emotion into the lovemaking as they continued to move perfectly in sync with each other, Hermione's hands exploring Draco's back, her fingers tracing his shoulder blades, his biceps, as Draco's mouth returned to the gentle dip in Hermione's neck, where her shoulders dipped right before meeting her neckline, her pulse exciting him only more as he moved inside of her, making sweet love to a woman he had never imagined himself falling for.
An hour later, as Hermione curled up, laying her head on Draco's sweat covered chest, she couldn't help but laugh, causing Draco to laugh in return.
"Well, I didn't think I did that bad this time." He said, pulling her naked body closer to his own.
"I just…." Hermione answered, trying to come up with the words to answer with as her mind, still fuzzy from the explosions that had just occurred in her own body as he spilled his seed inside of her. "I can't believe we just did that…again." She answers, laughing.
"We did." Draco answers, kissing the top of her head softly, "You can believe it."
"Where do we go from here?" Hermione asked, wondering if this made it official. If this meant that they were considered serious. This wasn't as it had been before, this was different. This wasn't them having a lustful night of hatred and arguing that led to tension-relieving sex. Draco Malfoy, the same person who had been harassing her for the past five years, had just made deep, passionate love to her.
Draco thought about the question as Hermione drew circles with her finger on his muscled chest, trying to ignore the amazing smells his body held only able to remind her of fresh parchment as her lips still held the taste of spearmint from where Draco had recently brushed his teeth. He thought about what to tell her. How could he break the news to her that once they returned, they couldn't be together? How could he break the news to himself that once he told Hermione that, he would never be able to feel her lips on his again? And yet, he couldn't lie to her. The old Draco could, the Draco that believed her to be nothing more than a mud-blood, a disgrace to the wizarding world. But Draco as he was now saw her for so much more than that. He saw Hermione for what she really was, the brightest wizard of their age who was so much more than her brains, who was fun to be around and always seemed to know the perfect thing to do in a tough situation. Draco couldn't lie to a woman like that. He couldn't tell her everything would be ideal once they got back, so instead he simply sighed.
"Well," He answered with sarcasm, "First, I see mass hysteria, dogs and cats living together in harmony. Gryffindors and Slytherins holding hands as they all plan together and everyone refuses to win the House Cup out of compassion. You-Know-Who will apologize to Potter for killing his parents, despite how pathetic Potter is and my Auntie will turn herself back into Azkaban. After that, no one will think anything of the fact that we are holding hands walking down the corridors." He said, pulling her closer.
Hermione chuckled softly to herself. "I'm being serious Draco." She answers with a laugh.
"I suppose," Draco answers, thinking more about the question and how to answer it. "The next place we should go is to Borgin and Burkes, destroy the cabinet like Dumbledore asked, and then return back to 1996 and go from there." He says, still trying to play it out in his own head.
Hermione couldn't help but be content with Draco's answer, laying her head on his chest once again as Draco placed his hand on her lower back, holding her close as he wondered himself what he was going to do once they got back.