Hermione groggily reached out to stop her alarm on her wand, contemplating rolling over and going back to sleep. However, when she remembered the reason she had set her alarm so early, she practically leapt out of bed. It was the morning after the full moon, and the previous evening Draco had gone off to the manor for his transformation. The previous two times he'd returned following the full moon, he'd been raring to go sexually and Hermione was planning on using his increased libido to try and fix things between them. Maybe if she could get him into bed and make him forget about his worries, she could get him to finally listen to sense and get him to see that ending their relationship wasn't the way forward for either of them.
Rushing into the bathroom, Hermione had a quick wash and brushed her teeth before heading back into her room to get dressed, or rather undressed. Hermione slipped into a lacy black and red push up bra and matching knickers, before spritzing herself with a perfume she knew Draco loved. She then made her way into her boyfriend's bedroom and settled herself on his bed.
Since Harry had interfered, nearly two weeks ago, Hermione hadn't been in Draco's room, but she was pleased to find nothing had changed. Even though he'd ended things, and given her back anything he felt she would need from his room, he hadn't totally eradicated her from his room. In fact she could still see several of her belongings lying casually around the room, and a framed picture of the pair of them taken at Severus and Rosmerta's wedding, still had pride of place on his bedside table.
Hermione's attention was soon drawn from the picture on Draco's bedside table when she heard movement from the common room. Calming her nerves, Hermione waited for Draco to come into his bedroom. Sadly, when her boyfriend did enter the room, she didn't get the response she'd been hoping for. Yes, his grey eyes had flicked appreciatively over her body and she saw the tensing of his jaw, but he made no move to approach her.
"What are you doing, Hermione?" He bit out through gritted teeth.
"What does it look like?" Hermione asked, gesturing to her scantily clad body. "I'm waiting for you."
"Why? What are you hoping to achieve?"
"An orgasm or two would be nice," Hermione quipped. "But what I really want is my boyfriend back. I want him to love me the way he used to."
"You know I love you, Hermione," Draco growled. "And you know that's why I can't join you in bed."
"All I know is that you're being stubborn," Hermione pouted as she jumped off the bed and stalked over to where Draco was still standing in the doorway. "What I know is that you've let one moment of rashness from Harry ruin everything. We were fine before we stuck his nose in."
"We were just pretending to be fine," Draco argued, unable to stop himself from gazing at Hermione's exposed skin and remembering what it was like to touch her. "We were just pretending it was normal that I bite you."
"But it is normal for you," Hermione argued. "At least it's normal for you now that you're a wolf."
"But I'm not a wolf at the minute though, am I?" Draco snarled. "I know it's always a part of me, but I need to control it better when I'm with you."
"I don't want you to control it, I love that side of you," Hermione protested, advancing on Draco and pressing her practically naked body against his. "I love your inner wolf," She whispered, nuzzling at his neck.
"Hermione," Draco ground out, using all his willpower not to reach out and drag her to bed as he was so desperate to do.
"You can't say you don't want this," Hermione continued, running her hand down Draco's front and rubbing over his obvious arousal. "I know you want me, Draco."
"Of course I want you," Draco said passionately as he held back a low growl as Hermione continued to tease him. "I've always wanted you."
"Then take me," Hermione pleaded, looking up at Draco with her soulful brown eyes.
Looking down at Hermione, Draco felt his resolve weakening and despite himself he lowered his lips to hers. The second their lips touched, weeks of pent up frustration exploded out of them, and the clung hungrily onto each other as they staggered back towards the bed. Hermione didn't even have time to revel in getting Draco back, as their passions took over. He tore her underwear off her while she ripped his t-shirt and trousers off him, and within seconds they were both naked.
"I've missed you so much," Hermione panted as Draco hovered over her.
"Me too," Draco said quietly.
Leaning forward he connected their lips in a searing kiss before he began kissing his way down her neck, before freezing as her scent entered his nose and he felt the urge to bite spring up on him. The urge hit Draco with a thud and realising he wouldn't be able to refrain from biting Hermione, he hurriedly moved away from his girlfriend and got off the bed.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, hurt pooling in her brown eyes.
"I can't," Draco answered in a tight voice. "Just leave Hermione."
"For crying out loud, just bite me if that's what you need to do," Hermione cried, not moving from Draco's bed.
"No, I won't," Draco answered as he turned away from Hermione. Grabbing his clothes, he headed off to the bathroom. "Just go, Hermione," He called, before slamming the door shut behind him.
Feeling the tears of frustration and helplessness pooling in her eyes, Hermione hurried back to her room without bothering to pick up her underwear. Through her tears she threw on some clothes and yanking on her boots and jacket, she ran from the head dorms. Even though it was still ridiculously early and it was November and the air was freezing, Hermione still headed outside and sat down beside the Black Lake, where she buried her head in her hands and began to cry.
Hermione was still sitting out beside the lake, although the tears had long since stopped, a few hours later when Harry suddenly appeared behind her. Without saying anything her nephew removed his own coat and wrapped it around his freezing aunt. He then joined her on the cold grass and stared out at the dank and dreary looking lake.
"I'm sorry," He ventured eventually. Over the last few days, since their family dinner, Harry had been trying to put things right between Hermione and Draco, but Hermione wouldn't talk to him and Draco was adamant he was doing what was best for Hermione.
"So am I," Hermione replied in a whisper. "Everything's ruined Harry, and I don't know how to fix it," She confessed in a broken voice.
"It'll be okay," Harry soothed, pulling his aunt closer to him as he gave her a hug.
"It won't," Hermione sobbed. "Draco won't back down. I've lost him, Harry."
"No, you haven't," Harry insisted firmly. "I won't let this happen."
"It's too late for that, it's already happened," Hermione snorted as she suddenly pulled away from Harry and glared at him. "Thanks to you."
"I know, I'm to blame here and that's why I'm going to fix things," Harry said.
"You can't fix things, Harry," Hermione spat as she got to her feet.
"Watch me," Harry replied. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed Hermione by the hand and started to drag her back to the castle.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hermione demanded, trying to break free of Harry but finding her nephew had too strong a grip on her hand. "Where are you taking me?"
"To fix the mess I created," Harry answered.
A few minutes later, Hermione knew where Harry was taking them as he reached the head dorms. Hermione got them entry with the password and when they entered the common room, Harry finally let go of Hermione. However, before she even had a chance to open her mouth to complain, he'd shot a spell at the door, making it so that no-one but him could open it again.
"Sit down," He ordered sternly as he turned towards the bedrooms. "Draco," He called loudly. "Draco, get your arse out here, now."
As Hermione sat down she didn't think Draco was going to show his face, but when Harry continued to make a fuss, the blond Slytherin reluctantly put in an appearance.
"What's going on?" He asked warily.
"I'm going to fix the mess I created," Harry said, grabbing Draco and practically throwing him at Hermione. "Now sit down."
"You can't just order us about, Harry," Draco said snappishly.
"I can and I am," Harry replied with a shrug. "I will use force if I have to. Now sit down Draco and we can talk about this like adults."
"There really is nothing to talk about," Draco insisted as he sat down next to Hermione.
"Yes, there is," Harry said, perching on the coffee table opposite the couple. "First of all, I need to apologize. I was out of line with everything I said the other week. You're my best friend, Draco, and I trust you implicitly. I know you would never hurt Hermione."
"Except I have," Draco whispered. "You were right Harry, we were being careless and selfish. Just because the biting felt right, doesn't mean it was right. I never should have put Hermione in such a position."
"Excuse me, but I am here," Hermione interrupted. "And you didn't put me in any position I didn't want to be in. Do you really think you could have bitten me more than once if I hadn't wanted you to? If you were doing something I really disapproved of, I would have stopped you."
"She's got a point," Harry said with a soft smile. "Hermione would have hexed your balls off if you'd done something she wasn't comfortable with. I should have understood that before I made my mouth go."
"Just because you didn't object, doesn't make it right," Draco said, turning to face Hermione. "You might not mind if I bite you, but I mind. I don't want to do that to you."
"And if that was the case, you would have stopped after the first time," Hermione argued. "You were fine with it, until Harry caused a fuss."
"I was never fine with it," Draco admitted. "I just didn't want to lose you. I carried on even though I wasn't sure, because the alternative was to stop and lose you. I should have been stronger. I should have stopped this before it even got this far."
"Before it got this far," Hermione whispered, understanding beginning to dawn on her. Draco's recent actions wasn't anything to do with the biting, he was just using that as an excuse to end things because of his condition. "You don't want to be with me anymore, do you?"
"I do," Draco answered. "But we all know it's better for you if we call it a day. We all knew it over in the summer, but we just didn't want to face it. What sort of life can I offer you, Hermione?"
"The life I want," Hermione replied as Draco got up and wandered over to the window. "All I want is you, Draco. I don't care about anything else."
"You will in time," Draco said sadly, not turning back to face his girlfriend. "My condition is a secret now, but it won't be forever. Sooner or later people are going to discover I'm a werewolf, and when they do, I'll be treated differently. You'll be treated differently as my girlfriend. We'll never have a normal life."
"We were never going to have a normal life," Hermione snorted. Getting to her feet and walked over to her boyfriend and spun him around to face her. "In case it slipped your attention, I'm the daughter of The Dark Lord. My life will never be normal. No matter what I do, or what my father does, there will always be people who'll hate us. People will treat me differently because of who my father is, and you'll be treated differently because you're with me."
"That's different," Draco argued. "Some people might not like who you are, but they wouldn't dare ostracise you."
"And no-one would dare do the same to you," Hermione said fiercely. "I wouldn't let them. Together we can prove that being a werewolf isn't a bad thing. We can prove that just because you're part wolf, doesn't mean you're a monster. We can re-educate the world."
"I wish it worked like that," Draco said with a sigh.
"Why can't it?" Hermione asked. "The only person stopping things being that way, is you. I know you think you're trying to do the honourable thing by me, but you're not. It's not honourable to break the heart of the witch you love."
"I don't want to break your heart," Draco confessed.
"Then don't," Hermione urged, taking hold of Draco's hand. "Let me back in Draco. Let us deal with everything that comes our way together. Stop running and let me help you."
"Please, Draco," Harry said softly as he watched the couple. "Don't let one foolish remark from me ruin the rest of your life. You two are meant to be together, we all know that. Wolf of not, you're the best wizard for my aunt. No-one will ever be able to love her as much as you do, and no-one will ever love you as much as she does."
"He's right you know," Hermione said. "We're meant to be together, no matter what life throws at us."
"I don't want to hurt you, Hermione," Draco whispered. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you."
"I've told you, the biting doesn't hurt. If anything, I love it. I love the way you stake your claim on me," Hermione said. "I'm yours, Draco, and nothing can change that. You can bite me all you like, you can even turn me and nothing would change."
"I don't want to turn you," Draco argued. "I admit, I love being a wolf, but I don't want that for you. I want you to have a normal life, or as normal as your life can ever be."
"Prove it," Hermione said with a slow smile. "Give me a normal life by marrying me."
"What?" Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his head at Hermione's suggestion, and sitting on the coffee table, Harry's reaction was almost as shocked.
"Marry me," Hermione repeated.
"We can't just get married at the drop of a hat," Draco protested.
"I'm not talking about right now," Hermione laughed. "I meant once we finished school. We can get married and live the most normal life we can manage being the daughter of The Dark Lord and a werewolf."
"And what about your family?" Draco asked. "I can't see them wanting you to marry a werewolf."
"Yes, we do," Harry called happily. "We all want you both to be happy. Say yes, Draco."
"Well?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Draco answered.
With a squeal, Hermione launched herself at her boyfriend, almost knocking him off his feet. "I love you Draco."
"I love you too, Hermione," Draco replied as he buried his head in Hermione's hair. "But if we're doing this, we're doing it right. I need to speak to your father, and if he agrees to our union, I can propose properly."
"Are you saying my proposal wasn't proper?" Hermione demanded with a teasing glint in her eye.
"It was hardly traditional," Draco returned.
"Damn the traditions," Hermione snorted. "I'm a modern girl, and if I want to propose to my boyfriend, I bloody well can."
"I think my work here is done," Harry said with a grin as he got to his feet. "And I'm really sorry for all the trouble I've caused."
"Don't be," Draco answered. "You just triggered something that was always going to happen. I was always going to try and save Hermione from a life with a werewolf."
"And I was never going to let you get rid of me," Hermione said, wrapping an arm around Draco's waist. "You need to accept that I want a life with a werewolf."
"Even if you can, and probably should, do better," Draco said.
"Draco," Hermione warned in a low voice.
Leaving the couple to it, Harry left the head dorms feeling slightly better. He doubted things would instantly go back to how they were, and he suspected that Draco and Hermione still had some issues to get past, but at least things were back on track. Things were getting back to how they should be, and he was hoping that the drama was all behind them and the rest of the year would be plain sailing.