A/N: and one more before work!

Ch. 5

The day seemed to welcome the upcoming ball. Temperatures steadily dropped all week and finally the first snowfall blanketed the entire castle grounds and the surrounding area. Inside the castle, the atmosphere was cheery. Other students and most of the teachers had gone home for the holidays and without classes most students were just enjoying each other's company. Today was a little different, though. As the day drug on, more and more females disappeared from the halls.

Draco walked up and down the main steps, impatiently waiting on Lara's arrival. As he reached the bottom and turned around his breath caught in his chest. Lara was walking down the steps towards him with a shy smile on her face. Her hair spilled around her shoulders with small red jewels threaded through out. Her dress was a beautiful crimson with a low neckline and an open back that hugged her body closely.

"Draco?" Lara's voice was uncertain relaying in that one word just how anxious she was.

Mentally shaking his head, Draco raced back up the steps and laid her hand on his arm. "You look beautiful," he murmured softly. Lara graced him with one of her smiles that lit up the room. "Shall we go dance?" At Lara's answering nod, they strode into the Great Hall.

The dance was everything that it was made out to be. Only about a hundred and fifty students from the school were there and with so few students it was easy to leave before it go too late. Knowing most of the Slytherins would be gone, Draco decided to surprise Lara. Forestalling her questions as they snuck out of the ball, he led her quickly down the dungeons.

"Draco! Won't we get in trouble for this?!" Lara whispered out between giggles.

He just gave her a sly wink. "Only if we get caught, baby."

Lara laughed out as she grabbed Draco's hand and sped up through the corridors. Before they could reach the entrance to the dungeons a voice stopped them. From beside a door, David Laurant stepped out of the shadows.

"Figures I'd find you sneaking off to be with the snake." His voice was snide and an ugly sneer was plastered on his face.

Draco's hands tightened into fists. "Who Lara is with is no concern of yours, Laurant." His voice was shaking from his anger. What he had attempted to do to his relationship was still very fresh in his mind.

"She should be with someone whom soul is good. Not someone responsible for the deaths of twenty people just from this school." David had closed the distance between the couple at this point and had his face inches from Draco's. He was almost his height, but Draco had to maintain his image for his family name and had lean muscles that made him look smaller than he was. "You need to go back to the dance before he taints you further, McConnell."

Lara's face spoke of her insulted indignation at being bossed around by this arrogant boy. She knew he was trying to protect her in a chauvinistic way, but he had sparked her temper by ordering her around like a young child. "I will not be going anywhere." Lara went to place her arms around Draco's waist to attach herself to him in a way to show her seriousness, but before she could David had grabbed her arm and pulled her away. With a rough shove, Lara fell to the ground.

Before the scene could fully register with David, Draco had given in to his impulses and punched him solidly across the jaw. The blow took the boy's senses and knocked him off his feet. David stared at Draco from his seat on the castle floor as Draco came to stand over him. "If you ever lay a hand on Lara again that punch will seem like a love tap."

When Draco faced Lara, his face had lost any trace of his anger. Instead it held only concern and kindness as he bent to help her off the floor. With sure hands he checked her for any injuries. By the time they turned for the dungeon doors David Laurant had disappeared.

"He might go get a professor," Draco mused outloud.

"Then we should go," Lara said with a touch of mischief in her eyes and voice.

Draco gave her a half smile before grabbing her hand and heading down into the dungeons. The way was long and confusing. Lara soon lost track of the amount of times they had turned. Suddenly Draco took a quick right and stopped in front of a statue of a large coiled snake. "Parseltongue" Draco said quickly, his excitement and anxiety rising. The snake raised his great stone head, his tongue flickering. Slowly, it began to uncoil up the wall into a large circle leaving a large opening to walk through.

Draco gestured for Lara to go through and as she walked through she grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her. Quickly they headed into the common room. Lara ran her hands over the silk green and silver couches. She walked around looking at the pictures of famous witches and wizards that hung on the walls and had a grin on her face the entire time.

"This place is beautiful, Draco. I thought Slytherins were a dark lot?"

"Yes mostly, but we generally appreciate nice things as well. Most of us are purebloods so we are used to higher living." Draco was just watching Lara as she examined everything in the common room.

"Are your sleeping rooms like ours too? I hear the boys have about six to a room, but the girls are only two or three to a room."

Draco blinked a bit owlishly. "You share rooms? We are in the dungeons. We each have our own room. It's not as big as my room at the house, but it works."

"Can I see it?" Lara's innocent question left her mouth before she even had time to really think about it.

Draco bit back his surprise quickly. Noticing the bright spots of color on her cheeks, he grabbed Lara's hand and brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. "It's right here. Seventh years get the closest rooms to the common room." Leading her by the hand, Draco brought Lara to the second room on the right.

Walking in lit the torches in the four corners of the room to show off the sparsely decorated room. On his desk sat a picture of an austere woman that Lara assumed was his mother. She had a hard look to her face until she looked at her son and a small smile touched her lips and eyes. A Firebolt broomstick stood in the corner of his room with a just waxed shine, but that was about it for personal touches.

"It's huge, Draco. My room isn't half this size and I share with two other girls." Lara walked over to the bed and ran her hand across the duvet before sitting down.

"Maybe this was a bad idea, baby." Draco's voice was hesitant and nervous. Lara just looked at him without understanding. Slowly, he sat down beside her and ran his hands up and down her arms with light touches. Comprehension began to dawn in her eyes and Draco saw fear begin to grow there too. "No, no. I'd never push you into this, but I'd like to hold you if you'll let me."

Lara watched him closely for a moment or two, unsure what she would do. "I'd like that, but I have one request." Draco raised a brow in question. "Will you hold me all night?"

Draco gave a small smile. "As long as you can behave, Miss McConnell."

Lara laughed softly. "I wouldn't know how to misbehave, Mr. Malfoy." Her cheeks grew red as Draco's hands stopped their tantalizing movements. "I'm a virgin, Draco."

Draco gaped at her in silence for a minute before standing up. "Well, I can't say I'm not happy about that, baby. Means I don't have to compete with anyone," he was rummaging through drawers in the single dresser as he was rambling on. Lara watched him a little wary. "But, that's not right now and that's what we are doing tonight. I know you can't want to sleep in that dress though. I'm going to go change in a different room and here." He tossed her a black button up shirt with a grin. "I'd still like to see you in this." With a quick wink, Draco disappeared carrying his clothes.

Lara laughed at the easy way he took her secret. It made her feel better to know he didn't immediately try to jump her for the chance to deflower her. With sure fingers, she undid the zipper on the side of her dress and slipped out of it. As she did up the last button on the black shirt, a soft knock sounded on the door. Smiling, she walked over and opened it.

Draco had never been one to gape openly at much of anything, but the sight of Lara standing in his black shirt that barely reached her thighs had his jaw dropping. She beckoned him inside and shut the door. Not two seconds after, she found herself with her back pressed firmly to the door as Draco began to kiss her passionately. Their breathing became ragged and harsh in their need for air. Lara gulped air into her starving lungs as Draco began to pepper butterfly kisses down her neck to her shoulder. Before she could think of a protest, he had lifted her bridal style as if she weighed nothing and laid her gently on the bed. His body lay to the side of hers again as they resumed kissing. Draco's hands ran along Lara's waist always staying in a safe area until he moved to her thigh. Right as she felt she might have to stop him, his hand moved back. Lara was taking this opportunity to roam her hands over the naked expanse of his chest. She didn't have time to fully register his sleeping pants or shirtless state, but now she took advantage of what was offered. Taken over by the sensations Draco was causing, Lara let out a throaty moan causing him to still instantly.

Draco kissed her softly on the lips once more before pulling a sheet and duvet over her. He pulled her close to his body and she realized that the sheet separated their bodies from fully touching. "Did I do something wrong?" The question slipped out before she could contain it as tears pricked her eyes.

"What? No, baby. That moan, though? If I hadn't stopped then, I don't know if I could have and you would have been beyond wanting me to. So, like I promised, we are going to lay here and sleep. It's Christmas in the morning." He kissed her hair and pulled her a little closer. "Go to sleep, Lara."

Lara mumbled slightly in her already half asleep state. "I love you."

Draco's eyes popped back open and he sat up slightly to look down on the sleeping woman in his bed. A tenderness touched his heart that was sharper than anything he had ever felt before. "I love you." He whispered so softly right next to her ear. He watched as a smile spread across her face before sinking beside her and falling asleep.

They were so wrapped up in their feelings for one another that neither noticed that his mother's picture was blank.