I know that practically promised you all a sequel, but when I started writing it, it was just no good for me. I didn't really have a sense of direction. I had no plot and no story line. And I really didn't want to just make a long, fluffy story with nothing else than kisses and touches. That just wasn't fair to this story, I felt. But then again I knew how much you all were waiting to hear more about your favourite couple, so decided to make a compromise. Therefore I give you the EPILOGUE to 'If We Weren't Enemies'. Please enjoy and tell me if you like it.
Epilogue
Draco raised himself on one elbow and studied Hermione's face. She was utterly beautiful. Once again he wondered why on earth he had ever hated her. He could no longer remember what that hate had been about. She was perfect. She had no flaws what so ever. If anyone had flaws it was him. His biggest flaw was not his pride, his stubbornness or his arrogance. It was his inability to give himself fully to the woman he loved with all his heart.
Hermione twisted a little in her sleep. The pale moonlight fell gracefully on her face and gave it a heavenly glow. Draco sighed peacefully and stroked her cheek gently. A little smile formed on Hermione's lips and she unconsciously pressed her cheek to his fingers.
What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just give in and let her love him as he loved her? Something was holding him back, but he could no longer put a finger on what it was. For the first two years of their relationship he had excused himself by saying that he wasn't ready yet to give his life to someone else. He wanted it to be his own for the first time in his life. Hermione had selfishly accepted that explanation and never asked anything else from him. She had never pushed him to do anything, and it only made him love her that much more. The last year, the third year, of their relationship he realised that the explanation of independence no longer worked. It wasn't true anymore. And yet he couldn't surrender completely. He battled an internal battle that he never told anyone about. As he watched her sleep the fight started once again.
'Why don't you just give in?!' his brain screamed at him. 'You know it's what you really want. It's the only thing you really need to be truly happy.'
Draco shook his head and sighed again. Hermione's eyelids suddenly started fluttering, and she opened her big, brown eyes to watch him.
'How could you ever have felt disgusted by those eyes?' Draco mentally scolded himself. 'There is no sight in the world better than those eyes. When I look into those eyes I see all that is good in me and I'm happy.'
Hermione smiled at him and stopped his thoughts in their tracks. Her smile was even more enticing than her eyes.
"Is it you sighing ever so loudly?" she whispered teasingly and grabbed a hold of the hand he still held to her cheek. She squeezed it lightly before kissing it.
"Who else could it be?" Draco smirked back and leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was as sweet and loving as their very first. His kisses could still surprise Hermione from time to time. He was such a passionate man, but as flaming and headed as his touch and his kisses could be sometimes, they could also be as tender as nothing else she had experienced.
"There could be no one else than you, Draco," Hermione whispered when the kiss ended. They were both aware of the double meaning of her words, and Draco felt happiness swelling in his stomach.
'Now is the time!' his mind was yelling at him. 'Now is perfect!'
"Hermione," Draco whispered, suddenly grave. "Hermione."
"Yes, that's my name," she answered, trying to make it easier on him. It was always hard for her to watch the ever confident Draco Malfoy struggle to find his words.
"You know that it's your anniversary," he started saying.
"I'm very well aware of that," Hermione said with a sated smile. "We've spend the last three hours in this very bed celebrating."
A sexy smirk formed on Draco's lips.
"And what a celebration that was! But there's something else I want to talk to you about." He paused, clearly not at all sure of what to say. Hermione reached out and cupped his face in her hands.
"Whatever you have to say," she whispered reassuringly "know that I'll always support you."
Draco gulped back the lump forming in his throat. It was now or perhaps never, he knew.
"I'm ready," he finally said.
Hermione frowned in confusion.
"Ready for what?" she asked him. "I don't understand."
Again Draco had to fight to find the right words. They were words he never thought he was going to say. Never thought he would even want to say. And now he was struggling to say them, not because he was forced to do it or because he felt it was his duty, but because they were the only thing he knew would truly make his life complete.
"I'm ready to be yours."
Hermione gasped when the meaning of his words hit her. Then she sighed and shook her head.
"I already have you, Draco," she whispered. "You don't have to do this just to make me happy. I'm fully content with the way things are now."
Her words froze his heart. A part of him was offended, that when he finally gave in and offered her all he had to give, she declined him. But another part, luckily that was the big part, was incredibly happy that she was willing to give up all her dreams to just be with him. But he wouldn't let her do that.
"I'm not doing it for you," he whispered. "You know me Hermione, I'm a selfish creature. I'm doing this for me. I want to be yours. Fully. Completely."
He took a hold of her hand and kissed each of her small, thin fingers. He kissed them all the way from the tip to the root. He was surprised to feel tears forming in his eyes as he prepared to continue.
"Hermione, I want to move in with you. I want to marry you. I want to have children with you. I want to grow old with you. I want to have grandchildren with you. I want to die knowing that I have loved you truly and with all my heart and all my being. That would make me more happy than any other man in the world."
When he finally dared to look up from her hand and meet her eyes, she was crying. The tears weren't tears of sorrow or misery. He saw that immediately. They were tears of joy and happiness. Her whole face was aglow and she was grinning brightly.
"Hermione Jean Granger, would you do me the honour of being my wife?" Draco whispered, knowing that he was crying freely as he spoke the words. "Will you marry me?"
Hermione hesitated for only a second before she threw her arms around his neck and cried into his hair.
"Yes!" she nearly screamed in her happiness. "By Merlin and all that is Holy, yes!"
She pressed small, hot kisses against his neck, but they weren't enough for either of them. Hastily their lips claimed each other's. This kiss was passionate and fiery hot. Their lips were pressed together and their tongues joined the heated dance. When the kiss finally ended they were panting loudly, laughing and crying all at the same time.
"Oi!" they suddenly heard Harry's voice from down below, making them both jump. "If you're going to have loud sex can't you please put a silencing charm on your room? The boy is trying to sleep!"
Draco and Hermione broke down, laughing hard, holding on to each other. Draco simply couldn't keep the news to himself. He was souring on a pink cloud, no matter how cliché that sounded, that was exactly how he felt, and he yelled at the dark-haired man down below, "We're celebrating!"
"I know it's your anniversary, but please!"
"It's not that," Draco yelled back. "We're engaged!"
No reply. The silence was thick and heavy for a minute. Then Harry shouted back, "About bloody time, that was!"
Draco and Hermione started laughing again, both silently agreeing with Harry. About time. But also just the right time.
So, happy with what you got? I thought it was just right, but perhaps that's just because I wrote it.
