Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, even Draco.

Ch. 2:

It had been a week since Hermione slapped him and Draco was going mad. He suddenly found himself strangely attracted to Granger. It he had to be completely honest with himself, he had always found her attractive but over the years, she really had grown into a very fascinating and beautiful woman. His mind replayed the way she bustled away from his before disapparating, her pale ankles shimmering under her stockings. He remembered the way her breasts heaved when he asked her who had been pleasuring her the night before. He already knew the answer, of course he did, but that didn't stop him from enjoying her hysterical reactions. And was it his imagination or had her eyes turned darker when he grabbed her wrist-

"Mr. Malfoy," a shrewd voice hissed in his ear.

Draco jumped, knocking the stack of books off the table and all across the floor. Mrs. Figg tutted to herself and turned back to the shelves, reorganizing the books as she saw fit.

Draco was forced to work in of all the Ministry of Magic, the library. Day after day he had to organize and reorganize books on tall shelves for giants and short shelves for goblins. He begrudgingly picked up the stack of books by hand (they were very particular about when Draco could use magic at work) and shoved them back onto the table, handing each book accordingly to Mrs. Figg. Everyone loved Mrs. Figg. Despite the fact that she was a Squib, she was a very kind and warm hearted woman to everyone. And the fact that she used to be Potter's neighbor didn't hurt her reputation either. Deep down, draco adored her but he never showed it.

"Dearie, why don't you go help that young lady over there? What's her name again?"

Draco followed Mrs. Figg's gaze and choked.

Hermione was walking towards them obviously in search of a book because she was muttering underneath her breath and checking every other shelf.

"I wouldn't go over there if my life depended on it."

"Well, lucky for you, it doesn't, dearie. Now go over there and help the poor girl."

"No, I really don't like her. She abuses me."

"No excuses, Draco. Get your butt over there."

She shoved Malfoy out from where they were hidden in the bookshelves, causing him to run into Hermione, tripping her and making her shoe fly off and skirt rip. Without thinking, Draco caught her, hands clutching her against his chest and accidentally grabbing her bottom, pressing her hips to his so she wouldn't fall.

Hermione saw a shock of blonde hair before colliding into a warm, dark suit occupied by-

"Malfoy!" she shrieked, clawing herself away from him.

"Your welcome, Granger," he sneered.

"I don't believe this. First, I see you where I live and now I see you where I work. it's as if you wanted to see me."

She spat.

He guffawed.

"As if I'd want to see you. The very thought of you makes my eyes burn."

She bristled and muttered a repairing spell to her skirt. Draco's eyes followed the hem of her skirt up to her knees and imagined the rest. He really shouldn't be doing this; she was a Muggleborn.

And yet she intrigued him beyond anything he had ever known.

"Well, I'm going to go and find someone who knows what they're doing here-"

He smirked broadly at her.

"I work here."

Her face flushed.

"You-you work here?"

Hermione was in shock. Of all the things to happen today…

"Are you here for business or pleasure?" he said jokingly, turning to stand next to her and shoving his hands in his pockets. Why were they now sweaty?

Hermione suddenly noticed a distinct scent of masculinity permeating around her and realized it was Malfoy.

She gulped.

"Business, of course. I don't slack off on work. Unlike you."

He clucked his tongue.

"One mustn't insult their coworkers, Granger. It isn't a nice habit. No one will like you if you continue down that path."

She gritted her teeth and began to get angry.

"I don't recall you ever liking me, Malfoy and I have no intention of ever liking you so I really don't understand why the hell you are so interested in making conversation with me."

"Oh, saucy. Is that how you were talking when that man was in bed with you?"

She halted and narrowed her eyes at him, settling inches in front of him. She tipped her head back so she could stare into his eyes.

"Why are you so interested in my love life, Malfoy?"

He leaned towards her, gray eyes cold and calculating, eating at her strengths and weaknesses.

"Because I know that you don't have one."

He cocked up an eyebrow.

"You want to mock me, do you?"

Her face blushed a bright pink, voice shaking, and she couldn't help noticing how wide his shoulders were suddenly. She caught her breath as her eyes traveled down to his feet. The Malfoys always did have nice shoes and Draco was no exception. Genuine Italian leather, she knew that much. And were those green soles on the bottom? Always a Slytherin, she thought to herself. Why was she just now noticing how wonderful he smelled? His trouser leg was caught on a shelf, revealing a sliver of his ankle. Hermione felt her core heat up as she imagined what the rest of his pale, elegant body looked like. She licked her lips before she spoke.

Draco didn't fail to notice.

"I haven't heard any headlines on the Malfoy Bachelor settling down with any one either."

He cocked his head and dropped his gaze to her lips and then lower to her throat.

She gulped and subconsciously scratched her collar bone in embarrassment.

"Well, maybe you haven't heard anything because I haven't made up my mind."

"Oh, why is that?"

Their eyes met slowly.

"If I settled down with the person I really wanted to settle down with, it would be considered taboo."

He quirked an eyebrow at her, a wolfish grin spreading across his handsome face.

She spotted a little stubble on his jaw and she had the sudden urge to feel it against her thighs.

"Well, what people think has never stopped you from doing things before."

He chuckled and backed away from her face, already missing her flushed cheeks and dark eyes reflecting in his own.

"What book are you looking for, Granger?"

"I can find it."

He smirked and started walking again.

"I'm the one working in the library, not you, remember?"

"I know my way around, Malfoy."

"I don't doubt that, Granger. But what's the book? I probably just put it on the shelf."

She paused and inhaled, breasts swelling from the thought of Malfoy actually working, in the Ministry library no less.

"Goblin Mating Rituals."

Draco's eyebrows shot halfway up his forehead. Then he smirked and turned around, running his fingers across the spines of the books. Hermione shuddered and strangely felt herself wanting him to do that to her. he picked out the book, blew off some dust, and handed it to her, fingers brushing against hers.

"Already mastered the human ones, Granger?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she bristled, shoving the book into her jacket pocket.

She began to walk away but Draco grabbed her by the wrist again and tugged her back.

Malfoy had the horrible urge to touch and taste and claim Hermione as his own.

"Are you always going to walk away from me like that?"

His eyes glistened in the slow darkening of the library.

She caught her breath un her throat as he came closer, softly pressing her into the book shelves. She felt his body inches from hers and resisted the urge to arch her body against his. Warmth radiated off his body and she so wanted to wriggle into him, leaving an imprint of her body on his skin forever. She was suddenly so cold and lonely, flesh frowning and pounding in isolation. She wanted him buried inside of her, slowly stroking her aching as he slammed into her again and again. She wanted to see him naekd and touch him, every part of him. Memorize every freckle and scars and even, she gulped, kiss his Dark Mark. She parted her lips and murmured-

"Are you always going to call me Granger?"

He smirked darkly, his shadow outlined on the floor from the purple sunlight pouring in from the window above.

"You'll always be Granger to me."

Her breath hitched and she glanced up to meet his eyes.

They were dark and cloudy and looked like heather and she couldn't bear to look away and yet she had to- he was too powerful, too royal, too overbearing and questioning. And suddenly she was afraid. Of him, of this feeling he evoked from within the very soft ruffles of her core and the buried curves of her mind. The caves of her sense crumbled into the sea and all she could think about was how captivating his eyes were and how she had never noticed how strong and solid he was in front of her, always asking and wondering and prodding further into the abyss of her soul. She was afraid of the way her body reacted to him and how she liked him, her former tormentor who glowered her way and spat the worst kind of insults. But now the only insult he could hurl at her was not paying attention to her, ignoring the fact that her breasts were flushed pink from the thought of his hands on her and her quivering legs, core pulsing and buzzing and coated with her womanly juices just from his gaze and the way he stood in front of her so nonchalantly, ankle still showing and rough hands shoved into his pockets-

Hermione slapped him across his right cheek and pushed him out of the way, running.

When he emerged from the shelves, she was gone.