Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any affiliated characters. I just happened to come up with the plot for this ship. All credit to J.K for her amazing universe that she allows us to play in.

Ihrin is catching up on Accidental Proposal duty. All mistakes are mine. Sorry.

Warning: Rated M. Cursing, sexual innuendos, lemons and fluff ahead. Basically what you would expect from a romance novel nowadays.

Music is my muse:
Song for this chapter: Sweet Child O' Mine; Guns N' Roses
Lyrics: If I stare too long I'd probably break down and cry.

Love of Mate

Chapter 17
Love of Mine

Hermione blinked her eyes and knew immediately she was in a dream, although how she knew that she wasn't sure because it was vivid and real, she could feel the bed beneath her. She looked up and saw Draco above her but he was younger, thinner, had dark circles under his eyes and looked tortured.

"Hermione don't do this, if something happens to me you will always pine for me." He said his voice husky and full of a pain that made her heart ache.

She touched his face gently. "Please Draco, I want to do this, you're not marking me. I want my first time to be with you."

"But you don't understand this magic, Hermione. I don't even understand this magic." He said raggedly running his nose down her neck to her shoulder and causing her to shudder.

"Draco, I want this, please."

As if he couldn't refuse her he took a ragged breath and she yelped as he tour at her school shirt, ripping it off of her.

"Tell me to stop." He demanded as he ripped his own shirt off.

She laughed and moved to slip off her skirt. "No." She defied not breaking eye contact.

"Damn you, Hermione Granger." He said raggedly as he gazed at her in her bra and knickers which she had enchanted to be Gryffindor red. "Red, really?"

She laughed and then laughed harder as he grabbed his wand and after performing the contraceptive charms on both of them he changed her knicker set to Slytherin green. She gave him a condescending look. "Really, Draco, green?"

He lunged at her then and kissed up her neck to her jaw before he devoured her mouth and she forgot all about the color of her knickers as she fumbled with his belt and trousers. Soon he was just in silk pants and his socks.

She giggled as she realized she was in her knee high socks too and moved to take them off causing him to groan and grab her legs to do the job himself before he shoved her under the covers of the duvet and she felt him kick off his own socks, their legs tangled.

"There is no taking this back, Hermione. I won't mark you physically but Veela magic, it can mark your soul."

Hermione leaned up and kissed him. "Draco, I am not going to change my mind and you are killing the mood. I was really expecting more-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence because he let out a rather inhuman growl and she was being kissed and felt her bra being removed and then his hands were gripping her breasts and she was lost to sensation.

Her knickers were shredded and she felt his naked flesh come into contact with hers and finally felt a bit of hesitation.

"I'll be gentle," he whispered sensing her unease.

And just like that Hermione melted into him and wrapped her arms around him knowing that this was everything, he was everything and somehow this would work out.

OooOOooOOooO

She jumped awake tears in her eyes to find Draco watching her his face a bit shocked. "I didn't mean to wake you," he said softly.

Hermione shook her head. "I was dreaming, about our first time but this time I was experiencing it."

Draco nodded and bit his lip. "Yes, you woke me up with your moaning and I dipped into your dream to see, I was a bit desperate wasn't I?"

Hermione laughed and then frowned as memories seem to fall in her head. "No, you were wonderful, you managed to calm yourself and you made it wonderful."

His smile was hesitant. "You remember?"

Hermione nodded as she blinked now at the tears that were falling. "Yes, and you bathed me afterward, so worried I was sore. Draco, you made my first time so special."

Draco let out a long breath of relief. "Things happened rather fast after that and we only had one other time. I am glad to finally hear you tell me it was so special."

Hermione laughed through her tears and hugged him to her cuddling their legs together. "Oh Draco, you are my mate, how could it have not been wonderful?"

Draco sighed heavily and ran his hands down her naked sides. "So many ways, my heart. I was so close to falling into the mating ritual that night and so worried I was too rough."

Hermione smiled into his shoulder. "I guess I didn't realize that, to me it was just, lovely."

Draco bit her shoulder playfully and rolled her under him. "And last night? How does it compare?"

Hermione smiled shyly. "I like knowing I can stay in your arms all night." She admitted and then snuggled into him. "I like knowing I will be here in your arms in the morning and that I don't have to pretend not to notice you in the halls the next day." She frowned as more memories fell in her head. "That was so hard, Draco. Loving you so much and having to just ignore you."

Draco grunted and kissed along her spine rubbing her gently. "I wanted you every second of every day. So many times I almost dragged you into a hallway or behind a tapestry to just touch you. I felt lost because I couldn't claim you."

Hermione let out a small breath and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not moving now. You can touch me whenever you want."

He laughed at that and nibbled at the nap of her neck after moving all her hair out of his way. "You're a terrible tease, Veela like to lock their mates away, but you are a woman who can't be moved. You wish to change the world and I am forced to let you."

Hermione laughed and held onto his arms around her yawning. "True, I would die of boredom locked in your lair."

"Library, I would lock you in the library." He corrected testily.

She just chuckled sleepily and let her eyes drift closed.

Draco waited until she was asleep before he drifted off to sleep with her a smile on his face. Everything was perfect, his mate was in his arms, he had marked her, and he would marry her. His arms moved until his hands settled on her flat stomach and he pictured the future, utterly content. He should have known better than to fall into a false sense of security. He should have known his mate would make his life interesting just by being herself.

OooOooOoOOooO

The next morning broke with him groaning as he felt his warm mate slip out of his arms and head towards the shower.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to go to work," she called back with a yawn.

Draco groaned into his pillow and slammed down a hand as he got up and met her in the bathroom backing her into the shower.

"Take the day off."

She smiled at him and ran her hands down his back as she kissed along his jaw. "No."

Draco tilted his head back and hissed as she sucked on his throat, hopefully leaving a mark he would wear proudly all day. "Why not?"

"Because I have a lot of things to do, are you staying home from work?"

"I will if you will." He said seriously.

She laughed. "I have a lot of things to make up for after the craziness of all the guards."

He groaned and kissed at her mark causing her to shiver even as the warm water rained down over them. "You were just remarked. We made love three times and you lost your virginity in your dreams why are you even out of bed?"

Hermione giggled as he hitched her up and wrapped her legs around his waist hissing as he entered her sore channel. "I am a Veela mate, we are made of stern stuff."

He groaned and pushed her back against the wall as he sucked at her mark causing her to let out a cry of desire before he pounded into her until they both sank down the wall panting from their joint orgasm. It had not been gentle at all but full of passion and desperation.

Hermione hit at his shoulders. "You did that on purpose to try and keep me from work."

Draco grinned not even repentant. "Of course I did, it wounds my pride you are even walking after our mating."

She flushed remembering their previous mating at the castle. "I couldn't last time, if that helps. I got to my dorms and passed out for a solid day. Ginny was worried sick, I had to pretend I had a cold."

He groaned and licked at her mark which was a slowly healing wound and she groaned as she felt him go hard again.

"Draco-"

He cut her off with a kiss and with a surge of energy stood up and slammed off the shower carrying her back to the bed. "No, today you are mine. Tomorrow we can renegotiate if the world can have you back."

Hermione moaned and allowed him to roll her so that she was on top and let him set a slow even flow to their love making before she passed out on top of him not noticing his very pleased smirk as he pulled the sheet over their naked bodies.

OoOoOoOoO

When she woke up again it was to find him dangling grapes in front of her mouth. She smiled and let him feed her. "What time is it?"

Draco shrugged. "No idea, but an elf left breakfast. Hungry?"

She nodded and sat up taking the small bunch of grapes while he settled a tray over his lap and offered her bites of food as she cuddled into him.

"Draco are you keeping me in bed because of the mating?" She asked after they had finished breakfast.

He grunted and nodded cuddling her into him letting her feel his hardness. "I will stay like this for about twenty four hours, dealing with it without you last time was torture."

Hermione shivered and kissed his chest. "Sorry."

He smirked and rubbed circles on her lower back. "Don't be, my pheromones are the only thing keeping you from falling into exhaustion. It's why I attacked you in the shower. You would have made it to work and crashed at your desk."

Hermione giggled. "Ginny would have found that hysterical."

Draco ran his hands up her back tangling his hands into her hair. "It's dangerous though. We are both vulnerable the first twenty four hours of the mating. We both need one another as the bond settles."

Hermione sighed. "I wish the memories of all the research I did would fall in my head."

He laughed huskily. "You didn't know that I think, I didn't even realize it until after we mated and I almost broke into Gryffindor tower to get to you."

Hermione sat up stunned. "You didn't!"

He sobered and kissed her nose. "I did. So lay back down and just let me hold you."

Hermione sighed and laid back down closing her eyes with a slight smile. "Don't think you are going to keep me in this bed indefinitely Draco Malfoy, I do have to go to work eventually."

"Of course you do, my heart."

She swatted him knowing he was planning ways to keep her in bed for at least another three days. "I can read your thoughts too you horny Veela."

He laughed and kissed her hungrily rolling her and entering her knowing she was full of his seed and her own cream. "I have missed you, I think you can spare me a few days."

Hermione arched back at the sensation of him inside of her and then let out a ragged breath. "I think I can spare a few days." She agreed as his pheromones washed over her and he pressed his teeth to his mark. "But just a few days," she said warningly.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Three days later Draco kissed her hungrily as he stood outside of her office before he reluctantly let her walk in and nodded at the hit wizard he had to watch her who, thankfully, was much better at blending in then the Ministry Auror's the girls had bothered so much. They had come to an agreement, a tense one, but an agreement none the less about her protection. He had called in his mother for backup and finally gotten Hermione to agree that some protection was warranted, especially after his mother pointed out that she never left the house without a guard.

Hermione might not like having protection but she had at least promised not to harm the wizards tasked with keeping her safe. Draco turned on the spot and grinning sent her a picture of them in the shower that morning. Laughing as she tripped right as she walked into Ginny's office and flushed.

"That was horrible of you," she said through their link, but she was laughing in her head as she attempted to explain away her flushed cheeks to Ginny.

"But so much fun, my heart," Draco said as he apparated away.

Author Notes:
And my muse is back from her time traveling plot bunnies to give us this chapter. Tink tossed an idea at me ages ago about this fic and I am seeing if my muse still takes up the idea. So, we can have a wedding a happy ever after or a bad ass Hermione story. What would you rather? Maybe your thoughts on this will tempt my muse one way or the other.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I know it's a bit short but this is where my muse went and I am just along for the ride. Odessa, is her name by the way.

As always please feel free to follow me on Instagram: CrystalJeanRed where I post story updates and life updates and generally make you super glad you're not living my life. Ha!

Cheers

Cjean