Chapter 7 - Will you have me?

Hermione arrived at the Australian Ministry of Magic and knew she had to go and see Draco.

She realised that thanks to time difference, it was just after midnight, but she didn't want to wait until morning.

She apparated straight to his place, arriving in the living room. The apartment was in complete darkness. Presuming he was in bed, Hermione quietly made her way towards the bedroom.

She was shocked when she opened the door and saw an empty bed. Hermione moved through the apartment looking for any sign of Draco, or where he could be, but she could find no trace.

Feeling dejected, Hermione headed out onto the balcony. As she looked out at the beach below, she saw a lone figure sitting in the sand, watching the waves. She knew instantly that it was Draco.

Hermione headed out of the apartment and across the road to the beach, and made her way towards Draco. It was a beautiful night, there was a clear sky so the stars were shining bright, and there was only a very gentle breeze off the ocean.

Draco didn't hear her approach him. She looked at him as she got closer and she realised he looked sad and empty. He looked like the Draco she remembered from their last year at school.

"Draco" she said softly when she reached him.

He looked up and she saw the hope glisten in his eyes when he saw her standing there.

"You came back"

"Yes" she said as she sat down next to him. "I just had to figure somethings out. I'm not always as smart as everyone thinks I am" she said with a smile, and then noticed that Draco hadn't smiled back.

Fear was engulfing Hermione, what if he didn't want her anymore.

"Why did you come back" he asked, still not looking at her

Hermione moved so that she could reach out and gently turn his face to hers, "Because I love you" she said "and I want you too".

Draco looked at her and he could see in her eyes that she meant every word. He smiled and Hermione's heart swelled.

"You love me?"

"I love you and I'm sorry I didn't say it earlier, but I mean it. I love you Draco Malfoy and I want you in my life, if you'll have me" she asked, her hand still caressing his cheek.

Draco moved his hands to her face, then her hair as he leaned in and kissed her, just as he had done the first time they kissed, except this time Hermione kissed him back straight away.

The kiss was soft, tender and full of want. Draco pulled Hermione closer to him, he didn't want her to disappear again, and they fell backwards onto the sand, with Hermione on top of Draco.

They broke for air and Hermione whispered, "take me home".

Draco smiled and the pair got up, Draco then picked Hermione up, threw her over his shoulder and ran back up the beach with her screaming at him.

He put her down when they reached the edge of the beach and kissed her again, before grabbing her hand and leading her back to his apartment.

Once safely inside his apartment, Draco and Hermione kissed again, this time with more passion. Hermione broke the kiss, grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him towards the bedroom.

Hermione kissed Draco again, their hands exploring each other's bodies. Hermione tugged at his t-shirt, and broke the kiss to pull it over his head.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked

"Yes, are you?" Hermione replied

"Yes" he said as he pulled her t-shirt off and kissed her again.

Draco gently pushed Hermione back towards the bed, before guiding her down onto it. The rest of their clothing was removed and they spent hours kissing and exploring each other.

Draco woke up later that morning and saw Hermione curled into his chest, her hair everywhere. He smiled and gently reached down to pull her hair off her face, allowing him to look at her peaceful face.

Hermione stirred and moved her head to look at Draco. "Morning" she smiled sleepily.

"Morning" he replied, before leaning down to kiss her.

It wasn't long before the pair were lost in their kisses and their love for each other.

Draco and Hermione eventually got up and were sitting in his lounge room eating a late lunch.

"Draco, I think there are somethings I need to explain" Hermione said nervously.

Both knew that they needed to have a conversation, but both had been ignoring it, wanting to enjoy the fact that they loved each other, no matter how they got there.

"I know" Draco replied, "but I only want you to tell me if you are ready to"

"I am and I need to"

Hermione moved from her seat to sit next to Draco on the sofa.

"For a long time I didn't think that I would fine anyone to love me, or that I deserved it. Even before Hogwarts, I was always the bookworm know-it-all, and you remember how I was treated at school. Even hanging around with Harry and Ron didn't always help. I was never one of the popular girls, never one of the pretty girls" she explained

Draco smiled at her and took her hands in his "only cause we were all too stupid to notice" he replied kissing one of her hands.

She smiled at him, "maybe, but even after school that didn't change. I had fallen in love with someone and he didn't love me back. In fact he said I wasn't the type of girl you would have as a girlfriend'.

Draco could see the tears forming in her eyes now. He squeezed her hand to reassure her that he was there for her.

"I asked my friends if they agreed and they did. They all said they loved me but that I just wasn't that type of girl. Plus in all the media after the war, I was always referred to as the brains or the intelligence of the golden trio, or the brightest witch of my age. No one ever called me beautiful"

Tears had started to trickle down her face. Draco let go of one of her hands to wipe them away.

"Ginny and Luna always told me that I'd find someone, but I became convinced that I wouldn't." she said in a soft voice.

"Ginny and Luna were right" he said, still stroking her cheek.

"I know, now" she said quietly.

"I went to see him, Charlie in Romania. I needed to tell him how much he had hurt me and the self doubt he had caused. He was sorry and I think we'll be friends again, in time" she said feeling more confident.

Hermione looked into Draco's eyes, holding his hands in hers, "when you told me I was beautiful, no one had ever said that to me before. It scared me. Then you said you didn't know why you didn't notice me sooner, and all my self doubt came back and I got scared that if you did notice me you'd see that you wouldn't want me."

Draco could see the fear and honesty in her eyes as she spoke.

"Hermione" he said, releasing her hands so that he could move his hands to her face. Holding her face, so she was looking at him, he continued, "you are beautiful and amazing and smart and most defiantly the brightest witch of our age, and I love you and I promise I am never letting you go."

Draco then leaned in and kissed Hermione with all of the love that he felt, he then pulled back, still looking in her eyes and said "besides I'm just as scared of you realising you don't want me."

She could see that he meant those words, "Draco I love you, I love the person you have become, and I know you are not the person you were. I'm never letting you go either", she said before leaning in to seal her words with a kiss.

Draco and Hermione both knew that they had self doubt to overcome, but all of a sudden they weren't so scared. They knew they had each other and their love and that was enough for them. The rest they would deal with together.

AN: Ok so I'm not sure if this is the end of the story or not. It kind of feels like it should be, but it also feels unfinished...

I guess I'll give it a few days and see if anything else comes to me :)

Pls review and let me know what you think :)