AN: It took a little time but with next week being my last work week of the year you can imagine I've been busy along with getting out my Ron/Luna oneshot for all the Can We Make It fans out there. I hope you guys like this and send me reviews, I do love to get them. Not beta'd yet as Astarte_Lydianna is struggling with the horrible vomiting side affect of pregnancy so I think we can cut her some sack at the moment. She's got a Snape/Hermione fic going on and it's getting really interesting so I do suggest checking it out.
Disclaimer: All recognized characters and situations belong to J. K. Rowling. I own nothing in the Harry Potter universe and make no money from this.
They apparated back to Hogsmede from under the protective cover of the back porch after Hermione re-enforced the wards and gave her parents her DA Galleon.
Once they got to Hogsmede they began to walk up the snow-covered hill towards Hogwarts.
Hermione was silent and Draco noticed her wiping stray tears from her face as they made their way back, the tension could be cut with a knife.
Draco decided that they had to have some conversation before they were accosted by everyone else, and he knew asking how she was would be insensitive so he decided to stick with a safer subject.
"What did you give your mother just before we left?" he asked.
"My DA Galleon" Hermione answered quickly.
"Would you care to elaborate" Draco prompted.
Hermione almost laughed at herself, she had literally forgotten for a moment that she was talking to Draco Malfoy and he would not know much about Dumbledore's Army or anything else she had done with Harry and Ron over the past seven years.
"It was the way that I used to contact all the members of Dumbledore's Army when Umbridge banned all after school activities" Hermione explained. "I would spell it to give each member the time and date of our next meeting"
"I assume you came up with that little piece of magic my clever little witch" Draco smirked at her, easing his arm around her tense shoulders.
"But your parents can't do magic, so what good is it to them?" Draco asked.
"I've modified the spell, either one of them only needs to rub it and the one I carry around with me will let me know that something is wrong and that they need me" Hermione clarified.
"Hermione, I'm sure they will be fine. Everyone I knew to be death eaters either died in the final battle or is in Azkaban" Draco reassured her, tightening his grip just slightly.
"I know. But I feel better knowing that they have that connection to me" Hermione mumbled.
"I understand. And I have to say, that is a brilliant piece of magic"
Hermione smiled a little at Draco's praise and they stopped at the gate's into Hogwarts to wait for Hagrid to let them in.
"Youn' 'ermione, Professor McGonagall says that you are to go straight to your room along with Malfoy 'ere and to wait for her" Hagrid told Hermione as he took the trunks Draco had enlarged while they were waiting.
"Why, what's wrong?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know, just tellin' ya wha' she said" Hagrid boomed as they walked up to the front doors of the castle.
They left Hagrid in the entrance hall and went straight up to the head dorms as they were asked.
Not five minutes after they got there the portrait swung open and their headmistress entered.
"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, I assume your Christmas holidays went well and your trip was successful?" Professor McGonagall asked.
Hermione thought the question might be rhetorical but nodded anyway.
"Good. Now as for the reason I have asked you to meet me here. During the Christmas break Mr Longbottom asked to relinquish his head duties"
Hermione interrupted before she could stop herself, "but that's crazy. Professor don't let him please, take it away from me instead"
"Miss Granger do try to calm yourself. After a long conversation with Neville I believe I have come up with a solution to the problem"
Hermione waited, feeling even tenser, she had really hoped she wouldn't lose Neville but now it was becoming clear that she had no choice.
"He was adamant that he would not be able to stay in these quarters and therefore would need to give up his duties" the Professor continued.
"I made it quite clear that I would not accept his resignation, nor will I accept yours. I have given him new quarters and he has already moved his belongings"
"Professor I'm so sorry for all the hassle this has caused" Hermione began.
The Professor put her hand up to stop Hermione and the young witch instantly closed the mouth.
"I understand that you and Mr Malfoy have a relationship, and I have no problem with it under a few conditions"
Hermione and Draco both nodded for her to continue.
"I am by no means naïve enough to believe that either one of you would listen if I said that Mr Malfoy could not come here, so I am not even going to try, however you are Head Girl Hermione. Keep it discrete. No one is to know otherwise I will hear about it from everyone including the school board and that is unacceptable"
Hermione and Draco nodded their agreement.
"If anyone finds out that he is in here at any point during the school year there will be a serious punishment, Am I understood?"
"Yes professor" the young coupled said at the same time.
"Hermione, walk me to the portrait" the Professor said.
With a quick glance at Draco, Hermione followed the Professor to the portrait.
Professor McGonagall lowered her voice, "Hermione, please be careful. I know it's exciting when you are young and in love but mishaps can and will happen and I would truly hate to have to make you leave the school because of a forgotten spell or potion"
Hermione nodded for what felt like the hundredth time and after closing the portrait went back to sit with Draco, the first genuine smile in a few days plastered across her face.
"What was that about?" Draco asked, smiling at the look on Hermione's face.
"I think Professor McGonagall might have just reminded me to make sire I use contraceptives" Hermione laughed.
Draco leaned into Hermione's side and whispered "I would be more than happy to put using contraceptives into practise right now" before sucking on her earlobe.
"Draco we've spent the last few days travelling across the world, don't you want to sleep?" Hermione said, batting him away and standing up, heading towards the staircase.
"I slept on the plane, now I want to make love to my beautiful girlfriend" Draco whispered sultrily in her ear as he pushed against the wall and trapped her by holding her hands by her sides.
"Sorry love but I need a few woman days off" she answered an then waited for Draco to understand.
When his face suggested that he got her meaning she spoke again, "but you know if we are very very discreet, you don't have to leave me tonight" she said, leading him upstairs to bed.
…
The next morning Draco woke up to the best feeling in the world as far as he was concerned. A feeling that he had gotten used to during the Christmas holidays.
Hermione as snuggled into his side, her slow steady breathing brushing across his neck as he held her close.
He decided that he would be more than happy to wake up like this every morning for the rest of his life and was almost certain that even after only three months that some day he would marry this witch.
Hermine began to stir and groaned, curling into a ball in pain. Draco immediately began to panic and try to check her over for sign of injury, when she batted his hands away irritated and left the warmth of the bed for the bathroom.
Draco knew after spending the last three months with Hermione that she could be very testy at this time of the month, he stifled a laugh at the thought of the poor student that crossed her today…he just had to make sure it wasn't him!
By the time Hermione emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed Draco had left and she found a note on her desk along with a vial of her pain potion from her personal stores and a single red rose.
Gone to get read for the day.
Thought it would be more "discreet" to
Come to breakfast from my own common room.
Love you
DM
Hermione wasn't sure if she should think Draco sweet or annoyingly interfering for getting the pain potion from her trunk, so took a moment and decided to go with grateful for the thought and after smelling the rose, left her now private dorms for breakfast.
The first person Hermione saw at the Gryffindor table when she entered the hall was Ginny.
She steeled herself and did her best to tell her temper to bugger off and went and sat next to the red head.
"So still not talking to me?" Hermione asked, deciding to just get it over with and find out where she stood.
Ginny place the piece of toast that was halfway to her mouth back onto her plate and turned properly to face Hermione.
"I guess I was being a bit of a prat, wasn't I?" Ginny said and laughed.
"Yes you were" Hermione agreed and smiled back.
"I'm sorry 'Mione but I was scared. And still angry, and mourning Fred and missing Harry and I guess I took it out on you" Ginny explained, blurting out everything she had been thinking over Christmas.
"Okay, let's just forget the last three months and move on" Hermione suggested, holding out her hand to shake on it.
"Hermione have you gone mad? Give me a hug" Ginny exclaimed.
"I think I spend too much time with boys" she laugh and allowed herself to be pulled into a very typically strong and forceful Weasley hug.
"And by the way…..Merlin's sweaty balls is that ring gorgeous. I assume it's from Malfoy?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah it's a promise ring" Hermione replied, fiddling with the ring.
"Promise? What's the promise?" Ginny enquired.
Hermione hesitated as she felt that the ring and the promise were very personal to her and Draco, but she was so glad that she and Ginny were getting along again that she didn't want to hold back and risk unsettling the delicate balance of their friendship again.
"It as his promise to me that he wouldn't go back to being the horrid guy he used to be" Hermione explained, blushing as she remembered what happened after he gave her the ring on Christmas Day.
"'Mione why are you blushing? Oh My God, did you and Malfoy…you know?"
Hermione nodded unable to hold back her smile.
Ginny squealed, causing Hermione to blush even more.
"And?" Ginny asked.
"Ginny" I'm so not going into details" Hermione protested.
"Oh don't be such a prude 'Mione. Come on is his 'Slytherin Sex God' nickname deserved?"
"Gin, forget it" Hermione put her foot down.
"Come on 'Mione please, I need a girl to talk to as well" Ginny hinted, trying to spark Hermione's interest.
Hermione almost took the bait, her need for some female company peeking through, until she remembered whom Ginny was dating.
"Merlin Gin, I don't want to hear about Harry doing that" He's like my brother"
Both girls laughed and ate the breakfast, as the rest of the student body began to enter the hall to start their day.
AN: Well what do we think. I think it's great that Ginny has finally come round, and wouldn't it be great to have a teacher like Prof. McGonagall!