"Scorp?"

"What?"

Draco smirked at the sharp response; Scorpius was most definitely his son. "Can you come here please?" He called from the kitchen and shook his head at the frustrated groan, and the following huff of breath.

They were winding down their day; Draco cooking dinner and Scorpius sitting at the window, staring out into the snow that had been falling since midday, eagerly awaiting Hermione's arrival. Much to Scorpius' disappointment they'd not stayed at Hermione's the previous night, parting ways at Harry and Ginny's, both she and Draco deciding that while they had talked and things were much clearer between the two, a little more breathing space might be a good idea.

But Hermione had reassured Scorpius that she would most definitely see him the very next day. Her promise of two days ago to help decorate their flat on the coming weekend had been moved up to that night and he was becoming frustrated that she'd not arrived yet, no matter how many times Draco explained to him that he needed to be patient because the book shop was open later than school.

Scorpius shuffled into the kitchen, a scowl on his face, "Yeah?"

"Pull up a seat," Draco told him, pointing towards the stool opposite the one he was sitting on, "And I'd appreciate it if you would drop the attitude."

Scorpius' cheeks went pink, and he lowered his head, pulling himself up onto the stool and finally looking up at Draco said, "Sorry."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Draco asked, not having to explain what he was asking about. With everything that had happened over the past two days, he'd not had the chance to talk to his son about his running away, and he was certain that Scorpius had thought he'd forgotten all about it.

While he tried to be open and honest with his son, allowing him the opportunity to have an opinion and to ask questions, giving him the life Draco had never been afforded, running away was not acceptable.

Scorpius huffed out a breath and leaned forward on his elbows, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Draco gave him a disbelieving look, "I find that incredibly hard to believe. You don't run away for no reason."

"I wanted to see Hermione," he explained.

"So you said," Draco said, "And I'm relieved that you went to her, but why did you think that it was okay to do that? Why didn't you ask me to take you?"

"You were angry at her, dad." he said and Draco didn't miss the implied d-uh!

"I was angry at her. But that didn't mean I wouldn't take you to see her. When have you ever not been able to ask me anything?" Draco questioned him.

"Never," he answered after a few beats.

"So why did you think I wouldn't bring you to see her?"

His brows knitted together, and Draco watched, could almost see his son's brain ticking over, working out an answer. But Draco didn't say anything, remained silent, waiting. Scorpius finally let out a frustrated 'aargh!' and thumped his head into his hands in an overly dramatic display that almost had Draco laughing. "I don't know dad." He exhaled a loud sigh, "I don't know why."

"Were you angry at me?" Draco asked and the look that flashed across Scorpius' face told him, yes, he had been angry at him, "Because if you were angry at me, that's fine. I would completely understand if you were."

Scorpius looked thrown. Draco knew he wasn't expecting that, "Yeah. I was mad at you. I didn't know why you were angry at her and I thought we'd never see her again." He frowned, "I thought it was grandpa's fault. Not yours."

Draco nodded, and there it was. Scorpius was confused as to why he and Hermione were arguing when he had put the blame squarely on his grandfather. He had only heard the heated discussion over dinner and had not heard the argument between Draco and Hermione since he'd been asleep. And since Draco had been so sullen, Scorpius had obviously been too scared, and probably too confused, to talk to him about it.

Draco took a deep breath, "Yeah, you're right. It was mostly grandpa's fault. But both Hermione and I were as much to blame. We shouldn't have gotten as angry as we did and we should have talked to each other instead."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because we let our tempers, and our frustrations, get the better of us." He said, "And being upset with someone and not talking to them about it is never a good thing, is it?"

Scorpius shook his head in agreement, "No. And I should have talked to you too. I'm sorry dad."

"I know you are, and I'm sorry too." Draco told him and took both is hands in his, "No matter how angry I am, you can always talk to me, yeah?"

"Yeah," Scorpius nodded, "Will Hermione stay with us forever now?"

Draco took a breath and explained, "I honestly don't know. I certainly hope she will, but we know that forever is never for certain."

"Like mum?"

Draco smiled, and nodded his head, "Yes, just like mum."

"But Hermione is your girlfriend now, right?"

"I guess she is," Draco said, and then his eyes went wide and he teased, "At least I hope she is."

"Oh, she is. She said so." Scorpius assured him and Draco grinned.

"You like her, yeah?"

Scorpius shot him the same beaming smile he'd given Hermione, "I do dad, I really do."

"I'm glad, because I really like her too." Draco said and scruffed his hair, "Okay, so here's the deal, since there's nothing more important to me in the world than you, you don't get to runaway again. No matter how angry or upset you are and even if in the future Hermione and I get angry each other, okay?" Scorpius nodded and Draco continued, "And if Hermione and I ever decide that maybe we're not meant to be together, you can still see her anytime you want. You just have to ask."

Scorpius gave him a thoughtful look and then shook his head, "No, I'll see her all the time, because she's awesome and she will be with us forever, I just know it."

Draco grinned at his son, "I hope you're right."

"But Hermione said she gets really cranky sometimes."

"Well, if she's going to be around forever, maybe we should stay out of her way when she does." Draco arched his eyebrows and grimaced, making Scorpius laugh,

A knock at the door interrupted them, and Scorpius' eyes lit up.

"She's here! She's here!" Scorpius exclaimed leaping down from his seat and ran down the hallway, skidding to a halt in his sock cover feet and wrenching the door open, "You're here!"

"Is this how I'm going to be greeted every time I come over?" Hermione was laughing.

Scorpius engulfed her, his arms wrapping around her waist hugging her tightly, "Are you staying? Did you bring your pyjamas?"

She held up the small overnight bag she was carrying and he let out a loud woo- hoo and took the bag from her, telling her he'd put it in Dad's room for her. She followed Scorpius as he took off down the hallway, turning towards Draco's room to deposit her bag safely, ensuring that she'd be staying.

"Smells great," Hermione said entering the kitchen. She smiled at Draco and the total ease at which he moved around the space, enjoying the mingled aromas of Draco's cooking and the fresh scent of pine from the tree that was standing in the living room waiting to be decorated.

Draco bent towards her and brushed his lips over hers. "Hey there."

"Hey yourself," she said, kissing him back, taking a moment to just look at him before Scorpius came back. Their eyes locked and they both smiled, and she noted that it was the same smile that caught her attention on that first day; the smile that reached his eyes, the one that she had wished instantly that she could see every day.

"We missed having you here."

"I missed being here." She told him, kissing him again, "It's okay if I stay?"

"Ewww," Scorpius said scrunching his nose up at them, "Are you always going to be kissing?"

"As much as possible," Draco told him and Scorpius looked less than thrilled. "And yes, it's okay that you stay."

"I didn't want to be presumptuous."

"Presume away," Draco told Hermione and then kissed her again, earning another over exaggerated groan from his son.

"Maybe we should back of a bit when he's around," Hermione said and looked at Scorpius, "Sorry, we'll try to be better behaved."

Scorpius was watching them closely. He cleared his throat and shot them both a meaningful glance – a glance that Hermione knew was meant to be serious, but was so sweet that it almost had her noting out loud just how adorable he was. "I think that's a good idea." He told them in his best gruff voice.

Draco chuckled, "Please accept my most humble apologies, good sir."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Is dinner ready?"

"Almost," Draco told him and glanced at the timer on the oven, "About twenty minutes."

Scorpius' serious glare turned quickly into a grin, "Can we start on the tree?" He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his excitement palpable.

"We sure can," Draco told him and he whooped with delight, grabbing Hermione's hand and pulling her towards the tree.

When the timer on the oven buzzed twenty minutes later, Scorpius pleaded with Draco to let them keep decorating, because they had hardly even started. Draco had relented and allowed them to eat at the coffee table, sitting on the floor surrounded by half unpacked boxes of decorations and tinsel and what Scorpius explained to Hermione was his collection of Santa's, his grandparents giving him a new one to add to it each year. And that at their old flat they always sat on the mantle above the fire, but since they didn't have a fireplace at their new flat, he planned to put them on the table in the hallway near the front door, and then everyone who came to visit would know it was Christmas.

When they were stuffed to almost bursting – Draco's vegetable lasagne had been a big hit, even with Scorpius - the decorating had continued, and much to both Draco and Hermione's amusement, Scorpius took charge, directing them both as to exactly where he wanted everything to go. Hermione reached for what she assumed was the last remaining decoration, a single box that had been set aside when they'd started, but Scorpius told her No, I do that one. She handed the box to him, intrigued as to what exactly was hidden away inside it. He placed it gently on the coffee table and carefully opened the box.

"This looks very special." She noted, smiling at the deliberate way he was going about opening the box, "What's in there?"

Scorpius took the large, pink and gold bauble from the box, and held it up to Hermione, looking up at her with a wide smile on his face, "It's this!"

"Oh, it's beautiful," she gushed with complete sincerity.

Scorpius nodded, "It is. This one's for mum. Dad says her favourite colour was pink, so we got this for her."

"Well, then it should be right at the top, right under the star." She told him.

"We never put it there." He told her frowning, "I always put it where I can see it."

Hermione clenched her jaw; shit, she thought, and reminded herself that not everyone's Christmas traditions were the same as hers.

Draco squeezed her shoulder, and smiled, nodding his head slightly to let her know it was okay, "I think it's a great idea."

Scorpius was still frowning, "Why?"

Hermione crouched down beside him and gently cupped the decoration in her hand, "I have two of these at my house, one each for my mum and dad, and I put them at the top of my tree so they can watch over me. So if you put yours up nice and high, your mum can be right up there with the star and watch over you and keep you safe." She smiled at him and added, "But only if you want to."

Scorpius looked up at the star atop the tree, and his face broke out in a huge grin, "That is a great idea! Thank you Hermione!"

She gave him a quick hug, and told him you're welcome, before Draco picked him up, lifting him so he could place the decoration right where Hermione had suggested. Scorpius looped one arm around Draco's neck, steadying himself and reaching over to hang the bauble under the star.

"I think she'd love it Dad." Scorpius said nodding his head in approval.

"I think you're right," Draco said, giving him a tight hug.

"She can watch over you too, Hermione."

"Thank you Scorpius, I'd love for her to do that." Hermione said rubbing her hand over his back, "Thank you for letting me help."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile, and then squirmed out of Draco's arms, "Can I turn the lights on now?"

Draco nodded, and held his hand towards Hermione and she took it, smiling at him as he gently squeezed her fingers. He wanted to kiss her for her suggestion, to thank her for allowing Scorpius to see that his mother was important and not to be hidden or forgotten, but his son's aversion to their displays of affection, no matter how chaste, had him holding back not wanting to ruin the moment with another groan of disgust. So he lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her fingers instead.

The tree flickered to life and Scorpius yelped in delight, "This is the best tree we've ever had!"

"Really?" Draco said, tilting his head to the side giving the tree the once over, "Are you sure? You did say the tree we had last year was the best."

"Yep," Scorpius said with a single nod of his head making Hermione laugh, "This one is the best tree ever."

"Did you want Hermione to read to you?" Draco asked as he began clearing plates from the coffee table. He hated leaving mess, but had put it to the back of his mind, completely caught up in his son's excitement.

Scorpius shook his head, "No, it's your turn Dad."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he answered, "Sorry Hermione, but we have to take turns, it's only fair."

"Of course," Hermione told him, "That seems perfectly logical."

Draco narrowed his eyes at her and ordered her, "Do not clean up."

"Well, that wouldn't be fair now, would it?" she asked, him using his sons words against him, deliberately taking the plates from his hands and shooing them both away.

"Fine," Draco huffed and turned to follow his son.

"Besides," she called to his retreating back, "Am I still considered a guest here?"

He looked back over his shoulder and grinned, winking at her as he disappeared into the hallway.

Seconds later Scorpius came racing back, "I didn't say good night Hermione."

She scooped him up, his legs dangling freely as she spun him around, "Good night Scorpius."

He laughed and kissed her cheek, "Good night Hermione." She placed him back on his feet and he scampered off.

Hermione breathed deeply, and smiled on the exhale, laughing to herself and thinking that James now had some competition when it came to her heart. Scorpius had certainly moved right in.

She found herself moving as easily around Draco's kitchen as he did; loading plates and cutlery into the dishwasher and putting everything away in its right place, listening all the while to the murmured voices filtering down the hallway. She set the coffee to brew, the percolator, she was sure was left over from Draco's university days; it was old, and sounded like a jumbo jet taking off.

She leaned back against the counter, her hands gripping the sides and she stared at the coffee pot as it sputtered and dripped. Her mind wandered to Draco, thinking how good it felt to be back in his flat, how good it felt to be here with him – with them. Regardless of the fact that Draco had not spent the night, she had woken that morning with a feeling of contentment, with a touch of blissful happiness thrown in for good measure. She slept the night through – the first time in a week without Draco in her bed that she had done so.

Hermione thought it fair to think that after everything that had happened over the last two days they were on the same page now. She knew she wanted to be with him, and denying it to herself would be pointless. And she also knew that she had never experienced any of the feelings, or the complete rampant desire she felt for him, with anyone before. Oliver would kiss her goodbye and leave for work, and she wouldn't give him another thought until he arrived back home in the evenings. Draco was in her head constantly.

She'd never been one to obsess over anyone or anything. But this was different, he was different. Her mind was filled with him, everyday, even before their fight he would filter in and out of her head throughout the day. But no matter how much she thought about it, how much she tried to analyse what they had, what they might have, she always came back to the same thought; It wasn't just that he was gorgeous, and charming and patient, Draco was the first person to expect nothing from her, nothing more than what she expected or wanted for herself.

She sighed, relief washing over her. He wanted her, it was that simple. And she'd almost screwed herself over. Almost ended this before she truly gave them both the chance they deserved. The chance they both needed. She pushed away from the counter, her heart much lighter now that she had made her mind up, aware completely of how she felt about him.

Reaching out, she filled a mug with coffee and made her way to the couch, listening to the steady murmur of Draco's voice, and the occasional giggle from Scorpius, indicating it would be a while before he would be asleep. Picking up the book that was sitting on the coffee table, she curled herself onto the soft cushions, opened the first page and lost herself.

Draco gently cradled his sleeping son's head, bending down to kiss his forehead and whispering good night. As always, he marvelled at the fact the Scorpius was his. Most days it was like looking in mirror, but there were days when Astoria would come out in him; his son's kind and caring nature, his beaming smile, his infectious laugh, all were his mother. He stepped away quietly, pulling the door behind him, leaving it slightly ajar.

Draco paused. He stood watching her as she read quietly from the book he had left on the coffee table. She was curled on the couch, her back leaning against the armrest, her knees curled to her chest. Her head was tipped forward, her shoulders hunched and tense, and he was sure if he could see her face, her brow would be creased in concentration.

Scorpius had taken longer than usual to fall asleep. The excitement of the tree being up and decorated had stirred him up into a bundle of energy and bed time had stretched into well over an hour. He just hoped that Hermione wasn't pissed at it taking so long. He had told himself that it was a stupid concern, he knew she wouldn't care, but there was still an underlying niggle in the back of his mind that she would care and be annoyed.

He stepped up behind her, his fingers touched her neck, and she barely even started, the feel of him becoming so familiar. She closed her eyes as he rubbed slowly along the tense muscles and she murmured a hmm of satisfaction at the magic his fingers were performing. He remained silent, just the muted hum of the dishwasher and the heady aroma of freshly brewed coffee filling the room, as he continued his ministrations, watched as her shoulders began to relax and a whisper of feels good left her.

"What's got you so tense?" He asked quietly after a few minutes, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

"Crappy week," she murmured and he smiled.

"And what are you thinking about now?"

She tilted her head back to look up at him and her mouth twitched when she said, "You."

His lips landed softly hers, gentle and sweet, "Interesting," he murmured against her mouth, "What exactly about me are you thinking?"

Hermione grinned, "Right now? I'm thinking I really don't want to be looking up your nose."

Draco laughed and kissed her again, "How fresh is that coffee?"

Hermione glanced at the clock, surprised at how much time had passed, "About forty five minutes."

"Sorry," he said pouring himself a mug of coffee.

She frowned as he crossed back to the couch to sit beside her, "For what?" she asked.

"For taking so long with Scorp."

"Don't ever apologise for time spent with your son. He comes first. Always." She shook her head and touched his arm, "You weren't seriously concerned about that, were you?"

Draco shrugged, "Maybe a little." He reached over and linked his fingers with hers, "I know you're fine with it-"

She cut him off, "Then leave it at that. Be fine with it, and don't give it another thought. I was quite content out here on my own." She held up his book too him and smiled, "I'm easily entertained."

Draco's eyes went wide, "Oh really?"

"Really. It doesn't take much to entertain me at all." Hermione laughed at the somewhat amused expression on his face and pulled her hand from his, poking him in the arm, "And don't get any idea's mister."

He shifted, his sudden movement causing her to fall back to the soft cushions. He moved over her, his hands gripping the arm rest either side of her, "I have no idea what you're talking about. If all you need is a book, how could I possibly entertain you?"

Hermione wriggled beneath him so he was cradled between her legs, her hands curving around his neck and her fingers tracing along the base of his skull. She smiled sweetly up at him, "Well, maybe we could get a pole in here and you could dance for me. That would easily entertain me."

Draco's head dropped to her shoulder and his entire body shook with laughter. Hermione pressed her lips to his temple and he lifted his head and arched and eyebrow at her, "Just so you're aware, I won't ever be doing that."

"Oh come now," Hermione laughed, "You in a tiny pair of leather shorts? Mmmm, that would be delicious."

He lowered himself to her, pressing them together until there was no space between them. He pressed hot kisses along her jaw, flicking her ear lobe with his tongue, "Maybe you could dance with me?"

Her hot breath against the bare skin on his neck sent a shudder down his spine, her voice was low and sultry when she asked, "Would that entertain you?"

He ran his mouth over her thumping pulse, his hand slipping down over her shoulder, brushing along her ribs and reaching back to pull her thigh over his hip. His heart was pounding in his chest – Christ on a cracker, what her voice did to him, his body instantly getting hard and tight. He swallowed before choking out an incoherent sound.

She had shifted beneath him, tilting her hips to his and pressing her nose against his throat, inhaling in his scent, "Hmm," she murmured, her tongue flicking out to taste him, "Delicious."

He tilted his head back, allowing her better access to his throat. Her hands tugged at the hem of his shirt while her mouth continued suckling upon his throat, her fingers pressing into the hard flesh of his lower back, grinding her hips hard against his.

"Fuck," he groaned, "I will dance for you if you keep doing that."

Hermione sniggered, "I'll hold you to that."

He shifted his position, moving to lay beside her and she whined in protest at the lack of contact, "Shh," he whispered against her temple, "I'm about to entertain you."

He unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, his mouth dipping down to the hollow of her throat, his hand cupping her breast, rolling and squeezing the mound of flesh in his palm. Her own hands carded through his hair and a quiet, sexy sigh had his stomach clenching. He loosened the remaining buttons on her shirt, groaning in pleasure at the sight of her hardened nipples pressing against the white lace covering her.

"Seriously?" he whispered, staring down at her.

Her eyebrows knitted and she looked up at him, "Is there a problem?"

"God, no," he assured her, and traced a line along the lace, "But white? By far my favourite."

Hermione bit her lip, "I thought you said you liked red?"

"I never said I liked red, I simply said red looks good on you," Draco told her, "But white? It's positively virginal."

Hermione tongue trailed along her bottom lip, "Virginal huh?" she ran her fingertip along his jaw, "Is that what you like? Something tight and untouched?" She cupped his face, giving him a serious look and shaking her head, "Because if it is, I have to tell you, that ship has long since sailed."

Draco's resolve broke and he burst out laughing, curling his arm across her waist. He planted a kiss on her cheek, "You're too much, you know that?"

"No," she replied with a tiny shrug, "I think I'm just enough."

He kissed her gently, "No, you're more than that." She smiled up at him, and he brushed his fingertips across her jaw, "Thank you."

"For?" she asked slightly perplexed.

"For everything tonight. With Scorp." His eyes flicked to the tree, "You made his mother a part of his Christmas. He may not have recognised it, but I certainly did."

"I told you I don't want to replace her," Hermione rolled to face him, bringing her knee up and hooking her leg over his hip. "She's important and should be in his life every day. And even more so at Christmas."

"And I know she'd love you for that," he said quietly, suddenly serious, and Hermione's heart stuttered. "She would love that you love her son, and that he loves you back." His hand cupped her jaw, his thumb stroked gently across her cheek, "And she would love that I have found someone who fits so easily into our lives, and someone who has let us fit so easily into hers." He leaned in and kissed her a slow, unhurried kiss.

Hermione's heart was racing and she was sure that he could feel it pounding against him as he pulled her closer. Surely he wouldn't? He wouldn't say it. Not yet. They'd not been seeing each other long enough. Had they? She knew her feelings for him extended much further than like. They extended much further than just a phenomenal shag. But she wasn't sure that she quite ready to express how she felt out loud.

He nuzzled her neck, inhaling deeply, her light fragrance filling his nose and his senses already recognising that the soft scent was all her. He let out a soft sigh, and pulled her closer, and her breath caught when his lips pressed against the soft skin on her throat. The heat of the last few minutes had dissolved into something much quieter, much more serious, turning into a slow trade of kisses and gentle touches.

He pulled back and she slowly opened her eyes to look at him. A small smile curved at his lips and he placed his hand over her heart, "You okay?"

Hermione nodded quickly, her heart slamming harder into her ribs. A flicker of concern crossed Draco's face, "Where are you right now?"

"Nowhere," she murmured, "Right here, I just-" She leaned in and captured his lips, kissing him deeply.

As they pulled away, her eyes met his and in that moment, his face told her everything she needed to know: he was it for her. Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked rapidly in an attempt to hide them.

"Hey," Draco whispered, "What's going on?"

Hermione swallowed hard, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and she buried her face in his throat.

"Hermione?' Draco's voice was slightly panicked, "Talk to me."

Hermione trembled and her breath came out in gasps. Draco simply held her, rubbing his palm back and forth across her back, waiting for her to calm down. The silence stretched between them, and Draco wondered if he should say something, tell her how he felt about her. But he stopped himself, not sure exactly what was happening. He pressed tiny kisses to her neck, his hand still moving over her back with a soothing affection, waiting for her to sort out her thoughts.

After several long minutes, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at him. She traced a finger across his brow, her eyes finally locking onto his, "I love you," she blurted out, "I have been falling in love with you from the minute I first saw you, and it scares me how fast this is moving. And it's okay if you don't feel the same way, we can just forget that I said it. I mean, we were barely speaking last- "

Draco pressed his finger to her lips stopping her rambling. He was astonished. He had been prepared to lay his own feelings on the line, to tell her how he felt but had held back; two and a half months wasn't a long time and he had thought he would scare her off, but he knew that he loved her, and his heart soared at the fact that she was now admitting the same to him.

He let his hands still on the small of her back, pressed his forehead to hers and whispered, "I have a confession to make: I love you too."

"You're not scared?"

"A little," he said, smiling at her and gripping her hip tighter, "It's been a long time since I've felt like I do, but I know what I feel and I've already told you that I want to be with you. I think that being scared is only natural, for both of us."

She exhaled, her breath shaking.

"Hey," Draco said, staring into her dark eyes, "It's okay to be scared. And I promise to do my best to not do anything stupid and fuck this up."

Hermione's lips twitched into a smile, "I best promise the same then."

"Now that's out of the way, where were we?" His hand travelled down her waist, his fingers deftly opening the button on her jeans and sliding the zipper down. He glanced down and grinned, "Positively virginal."

Hermione snorted a laugh, "Positively not."

Draco laughed as his fingers travelled over the outline of the white lace, and then dipped lower, tracing across her centre and slipping his fingers over her soaked flesh.

Hermione bit her lip, acutely aware that Scorpius was sleeping just down the hall, but she didn't want to stop this by insisting that they move to the bedroom. Clearly Draco read her mind.

"Can you be quiet while I do this?" he hummed against her breast, her shirt having been opened completely and the cup of her bra shoved aside. He stroked his fingertip across her clit, and she clenched her jaw, and nodded.

"Are you sure?" he teased, his fingers speeding up, pressing harder.

"Yes," she hissed, her hand grappling at the button of his own jeans, growling in frustration when her hand fumbled and slipped.

Draco shifted his hips, giving her more room, and she managed to free him from the confines of his jeans. Her hand surrounded him, sliding over his warm flesh, feeling him grow harder with every stroke. She gasped and her hand stuttered when Draco's fingers dipped lower and circled her entrance. He trailed a hot path of kisses across her jaw, along her neck, dipping his tongue into the hollow at the base of her throat. He slipped two fingers inside her, and she hummed a small moan of delight, increasing her grip on him when drew his fingers slowly in and back out of her.

Draco gritted his teeth at the sudden vice-like grip on his cock. He hadn't realised he'd stopped moving his fingers until Hermione giggled and said sorry.

Her grip relaxed and he let out a breath, "Are you sure you've done this before? Because if you want to continue this, you need to treat him with a little more respect."

Hermione gave him a decidedly innocent glance and stroked him gently, "Aw, poor baby, did I hurt you? Did you need me to kiss him better?" Draco choked out a strangled cough of surprise, and Hermione sniggered, "I've done this before."

"Clearly," Draco said, resuming his ministrations between her thighs. He wrapped his mouth around her nipple again, his tongue mimicking his rhythmically thrusting hand. His fingers moved in and out of her with increasing with speed, pulling small, quiet gasps from her and she was writhing beneath him.

"Draco." She whispered, "I need you, please."

It was quick and quite, still half clothed; Hermione's jeans hanging off one leg, Draco's shoved to his knees.

"I love you," he said as he pushed forward, entering her. They both groaned as he settled his weight down onto her, leaning down on his forearms, wanting to watch her face as he began to move. His eyes never left hers as he slid through her heat, her tight walls welcoming him without resistance.

He felt the pressure rising in him, higher and higher, the familiar pull behind his navel. Her inner muscles began to spasm around him, pulling him deeper, until it was too much. She clamped down hard arching beneath him, her jaw clenching shut, resisting the urge to cry out as his body tensed. Unable to stop himself, he let out a low feral growl as he emptied himself inside her. He collapsed onto her, both breathing hard. Her hands slid into his sweat soaked hair, laying in the aftermath, silent and calm, a tangled mess of limbs.

"Hey," Hermione said softly.

Draco lifted his head and saw her smile. The smile that he had been missing this past week, "Hey," replied, pulling out of her and rolling them both to their sides. He ran his thumb across her lips, "I missed you."

"I'm back now."

Draco reached behind him, pulling the throw rug from the back of the couch and covering them, "I'm glad" he said kissing her, "I've missed everything about you."

"I mostly missed that," she grinned at him.

He snorted a laugh, "Well, I guess my work here is done." He moved to stand, but she pulled him back down, laughing. He grinned at her, "I love having you back."

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Don't be." He told her, "But please don't leave me again."

She kissed him, "I won't."