Draco stared absently out the window as rain plummeted in sheets, leaving ripples across the surface of Black Lake. The sky was a dismal shade of grey and the clouds hung low. He could almost see lightning forming. Fog had been forming over the ground. He shifted his leg, trying to restore the blood flow after sitting awkwardly on the window sill for hours. His mind kept turning over and over itself, driving him mad as it replayed the entire encounter. He closed his eyes for a second and the look on her face after he told her what he wanted to do to her appeared in his mind's eye. He ran a hand over his face and lurched to his feet. He hobbled over to the bathroom and turned on the sink. He splashed his face a few times and leaned on the basin, letting the water drip off.

Am I getting soft? he thought, What makes it different now? I could have done so many things to her… His eyes misted over for a second but he shook his head. Dammit, why is this difficult? He refused to believe he was developing any sort of feelings for her. Feelings beyond lust and, at the very most, companionship.

The first flash of lightning streaked across the sky and a loud crack echoed through the castle. Draco stepped back from the sink and went back to his window. Droplets of water raced down the glass pane and pooled on the stone ledge outside. Another flash of lightning was swiftly accompanied by a clap of thunder. The fire sputtered as stray raindrops fell down the chimney

Amid the sounds of the storm, there was a quiet knock on his door, so quiet he almost missed it. He opened it and a pair of wide gold eyes greeted him. Hermione was shaking under the red, down quilt off her bed that was now wrapped around her shoulders. She looked down at her feet awkwardly for a second and he could see her cheeks turn pink.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… bother you. It's just-" Another thunderclap cut her off and she jumped with a squeak. She pulled the quilt tighter around herself, still shaking. Her eyes were still red, but (at least he'd hoped) she'd stopped crying. Her lip quivered and he felt a tug at his heart. "I'm sorry," she mumbled again.

Internally, he scrambled for the proper response, staring blankly at her for two seconds. He could think of no reply.

"Are you alright?" he finally managed, mentally kicking himself for such a lame answer. Surely he could come up with something more charming and witty…

She opened her mouth to reply, then jumped when lightning struck and thunder boomed again. He now realized her eyes were wide with fear and her tremors were not from cold. She shook her head quickly, hair flying in her face. A smaller flash and bang made her start.

"I'm sorry. It's just the storm. It's…"

"You're afraid?" He tilted his head curiously, ignoring many "confused puppy" references that were forming in his head.

She blushed deeper and ducked her head, nodding quickly. She pulled the quilt higher around her shoulders and shifted uncomfortably. He only stared at her as the storm raged.

"Just forget it," she finally said, turning away. The fire popped and she jumped. Damn, she was skittish.

"Wait," he said quickly, reaching for her. He grabbed the quilt and slid off her body a bit, bearing her shoulder. The think black strap of her tank top stood out against her pale skin. She looked back at him curiously. "Why don't you come in?" Her face brightened and she almost dashed into his room. He closed the door, shoving one hand in his pocket. She was looking around, eyes wide and a smile pulling at her lips. He felt self-conscious for a moment, wondering what she thought, but she looked back at him. In the back of his mind, he remembered teasing her for wanting to see the "infamous" interior of his room.

"Thank you."

He shrugged, leaning against the wall beside the door.

"You're afraid of the storm?"

She pursed her lips and inched closer to the fire.

"I've always been scared of thunder…" she finally whispered, turning her gaze to the flames. She sank so she was sitting cross-legged on the floor. She looked so out of place; a delicate woman shrouded in red, surrounded by a sea of green. "I don't know why, it just… It just seems like something's coming… something bad."

He sauntered over, settling down in front of the fire a foot or so away from her. Her fear wasn't completely irrational, merely misplaced, he thought. After all, war was brewing. Far from Hogwarts, perhaps, but still.

"Makes sense." He set his forearms on his knees and clasped his hands together. What else could he say? What else could he do, really? His mind flashed images before his eyes, all suggesting the one thing he could definitely do. He shook his head. "Why come to me, though?"

"Well…" She plucked at the quilt and it slid further off her shoulder. "You were nice to me earlier. I mean, you cared, right? And what you said, about being a good guy… I guess I feel like I should at least give you a chance and trust you."

"You trust me?" He didn't scoff.

She ran a hand through her hair, sending the already wild curls into disarray. She didn't say anything for a minute or two, and when she did, she skirted his question.

"That thing you said before… Was that true?" She jumped when the thunder roared, sounding even closer.

"What thing?"

"You know…" She squirmed uncomfortably. "After all the other… After…" She chewed her lip and he felt his skin grow hot. "After we… kissed." She whispered the last word, barely audible over the rain.

He watched her for a few seconds before he leaned over and took her face in his hand. Before she had looked at him, he kissed her gently.

"Like that?" He saw her blush spread down her neck and she nodded. "Every word of it." His words ground themselves out from somewhere deep in his chest. His hand down her neck and over her bare shoulder.

"Why?" she finally breathed. The firelight made her eyes glow and he couldn't help but gaze into them, wondering if it were possible that, perhaps, hers did lead to her soul. "I thought you hated me."

"We've already been through that, love," he murmured, fingertips ghosting over her collarbone and up her neck. She trembled. "I don't hate you." She opened her mouth to reply but he put a finger over her lips. "Why do you want to know?"

She let go of the quilt and it pooled around her on the ground and she took his hand in both of hers. She ran her fingers delicately over his knuckles, watching them, not him. He took that opportunity to admire her. Though he'd seen her in much less, he still liked what he saw. He felt his pants grow tighter and bit down a moan.

"Because…" she finally said, "if you meant it…" She let her sentence trail off, glancing up at him through her eyelashes.

"I… I don't understand…" Another thunderclap made her flinch and he reached out with his other hand. He tilted her chin up to look at him.

"Y-You said th-that-"

"I know what I said," he interrupted.

"W-Well… I mean… W-Would you? If… If I…"

He cut her off, his lips stilling her own. His hand fell from her face to her waist and pulled her closer. Her body bent to his and she dropped his hand to grab his shoulders. He pushed her back so she was lying on top of that infuriatingly Gryffindor-red quilt of hers. When he pulled back from her lips, both their breathing came in erratic puffs. She propped herself on one elbow, eyes searching his. But his searched her body, sliding down her neck, her chest, and then back up. A smirk spread across his face and she looked momentarily alarmed. Until he smoothed her hair with his hand, cupping her cheek again. She leaned her face into his hand, her eyes falling closed. He kissed her again, softly, again and again with steadily more pressure. His tongue brushed her lip insistently and she let him in. He tasted as much as he could, letting his hand wander up and down her waist, and she didn't stop him. In fact, she indulged him, sliding her ankle up his calf and looking her leg over his hip. Where, oh where, had this Hermione come from?

He pushed the straps of her tank top off her shoulders and tugged it down, inch by inch. Her hands went to his hair and he bit her lip lightly. She hummed appreciatively and he forced her shirt down around her waist. He groaned when he felt the hardened peaks of her breasts through his shirt, praising every deity for her lack of a bra. She slipped her arms out of it, gripping his hair again as he traced the curve of her breast.

"Draco…" she murmured through swollen lips, desperation coloring her voice. He growled, bending his head to bite her neck. Her body arched to his and he had to resist the urge to fuck her right then. His thumb traced light circles around her nipple, making her whimper helplessly. He sucked hard on her neck and she gasped. He groaned, letting his fingers brush the sensitive peak. She moaned and he gave it a light pinch, rolling it between his fingers. She squirmed under him, tugging his hair as he worked to mark her neck. He brought his lips back to hers and she kissed his hard. Her lips grew more and more frantic, her kisses more passionate, as he kept teasing her breast. She rolled her body against his and he moaned, pulling back from her.

"Shit, Hermione," he growled, looking down at her. She smirked back at him, panting. The dramatic rise and fall of her chest caught his attention and he bent his head, taking her forgotten nipple in his mouth.

She moaned loudly and let her hands slide down his back. She dragged her nails across his back and he could feel it through his shirt. His teeth grazed the rosy nub and she whimpered out a moan, pulling his as close as she physically could. He sucked hard and her body arched up. Her cries of pleasure were a high-pitched keen in his ear and he could feel her fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. He released her nipple with a pop and shrugged out of his shirt. She stared up at him, flushed and panting, her hair fanned out around her head. Her hands strayed over the planes of his chest and down his torso. She hooked her fingers in the top of his trousers and gave them a playful tug forward. He clenched his teeth, biting down his instinctive urge to demand more from her. He hooked one arm around her back and lifted her up to him, kissing her fiercely. She tugged his trousers so their hips were flush and he moaned against her lips. He felt delicious friction everywhere, her breasts against his chest and her hips pressed to his. He was sure she could feel how hard he was.

"God, Draco," she moaned against his lips as their bodies ground together. He growled and bit her lip, slipping his tongue past it to fight with hers. She was so pliant under his hands. He gripped the back of her thigh, his over hand sliding over her arse, giving it a squeeze. Her fingers dipped lower in the top of his trousers and he shifted both of his hands to her arse, kneading it and kissing her urgently. His breath came out as a hiss between his teeth when one of her small hands snuck into his trousers, feeling his length through his boxers.

"Hermione…" he growled and she gave him a sly smile and his cock a squeeze. "Fuck, little minx…" She grew more confident, openly stroking him, her gaze almost challenging. He gripped her arse and lifted her, standing himself. She hooked her legs loosely around him, her hand still down his pants. He almost dropped her onto his bed and she scrambled to her knees, pulling her hand free. He only watched as she undid his trousers, tugging them down off his hips. She eyes the tent in his boxers appreciatively, licking her lips in anticipation. He knotted his hand in the hair at the back of her neck, pulling her up into a hot kiss. She absently tugged his boxers down and he sprang free. He pushed her back onto the mattress and pulled her his to the edge. He jerked her shorts off her body and her cotton panties came away in shreds. Her eyes were locked on him, clouded with lust as she lay, flushed and panting, under his smoldering stare. She bit her lips as he rubbed her thigh distractedly.

"Hermione, just stop me now," he panted between light kisses up and down her neck, "Either you stop me now, or I won't stop at all." He had expected her to hesitate at the very least, but she didn't. Instead, she shook her head, murmuring her slightly-incoherent approval.

He entered her in one swift motion and she screamed, hands knotting in the sheets and her head falling to one side. Pain forced a few tears down her face as she tried to breathe evenly. He rubbed small circles on her sides, trying extremely hard not to pound into her. He should have known she'd be a virgin. After a few seconds, he rolled his hips against her and she gasped.

"Fuck, Hermione," he gasped, fingers digging into her hips to hold himself up as his knees buckled, "you're so fucking tight!" She whimpered out a moan as he rolled his hips into her again and again and he pulled out a bit further before thrusting back in.

"Shit, Draco," she moaned, body arching off the bed. Her moans and cries of pleasure made all the blood in his body rush to his cock. He pistoned in and out of her heat, slowly picking up his pace. He lifted her hips, hooking one of her legs over his shoulder and he could feel himself go deeper. She tried to stifle and scream and instinctively he stopped. His eyes were wide with concern.

"Merlin, Draco… Do that again…"

He grinned wolfishly and pulled almost entirely out before sheathing himself deep in her folds again. She screamed, not bothering to hold it back, again and again as he thrust deep and he knew each of her screams brought him closer and closer. His hand snaked between them, searching until he found her clit. Her screams rose and octave and her breathing was nothing more than a bunch of short pants.

"Cum for me, Hermione," he growled, pace now frantic, "I wanna hear you scream my name when you cum."

A moan escaped her lips and he swooped down to catch them in a fiery kiss before leaning back to watch her face. Her eyes were hooded and unfocused and her head thrown back. Another moan was pulled out of her rosy lips. He rubbed her clit in small, fast circles and she screamed again.

"Oh Merlin, Draco!" she screamed, body arching up as every muscle in her body tightened around him.

He ground his teeth and kept moving in and out of her, riding out her orgasm until he exploded inside of her. He fell onto his forearms, holding his weight barely an inch off her. Tiredly, he scooped her up and moved her to the top of the bed, snuggling up to her back and burying his face in the crook of her neck. She mumbled something indistinct and he tightened his arms around her middle, enjoying the feel of her curves pressed against him as they both fell asleep.