A/N: A chapter of pure fluffy, lemony goodness. If that's not your thing, feel free to skip :) a direct continuation of the previous chapter.


He chuckled at her impatience, but complied with her request. He bent to kiss her briefly, then pulled away. She looked like she was about to protest, but caught herself and pressed her lips together, standing still. He nodded, then turned his attention to her body. He had been able to feel it quite well through her clothes, but the looseness of the garments was obstructing his view.

Carefully, he began to peel away the layers. His long fingers gripped the hem of her hoodie and pulled it up her torso. She aided him by lifting her arms, and he pulled it over her head and off, tossing it behind her. She had only been wearing a simple black bra underneath it, and his eyes raked over her collarbone, her chest, the swell of her breasts, the dip and curve of her waist and hips. He registered the scars that remained - a star-shaped mark on her sternum, the word scrawled cruelly into her left arm, as well as a few more minor scrapes and lines dotted here and there. The skin in between the marks was speckled with small clusters of freckles, and he longed to kiss each and every one. His fingers traced the scar on her chest lightly, and she shivered under his touch. He saw something flash over her face, her eyes took on a far away look for just a beat, and when she returned to the moment her jaw was set slightly, prepared for his comments.

'They show your strength,' he told her quietly. 'I know you may not like them, but I can't help but be grateful for each one of them. They remind me that you're still here, despite everything that you've been through.' Her eyes swam slightly at his words.

'Draco,' she said, but he shushed her and went back to his task. His hands ghosted lightly down her sides, leaving behind small goosebumps on her skin. He reached the waistband of her jeans, and stopped, looking into her eyes.

'This is one of those moments,' he murmered. 'Are you sure this is what you want?'

'Yes,' she breathed without any hesitation, her gaze locked on his. He slid his fingertips inside the jeans and ran them just underneath the material, starting at her hips and meeting in the middle, just below her belly button. He traced the zip slowly, delighting in the shudder that ran over her body, then with a confident flick of his wrist he popped open the button and lowered the zipper. She gasped at the speed of his movement, and watched as he slowly sank to one knee in front of her. He tugged the jeans down her legs and as she stepped out of them he held onto each calf in turn, balancing her. The jeans were slid across the floor to join her hoodie, and he took some time to drink in the whole view of her. Her knickers matched her bra, he noted, and they clung to her skin in the most tantalising way. Her legs were slender, toned, and like the rest of her, a little scarred. He noticed some bruising on one of her shins, and looked up at her questioningly.

'I may have kicked my trunk in anger before you arrived back from dinner,' she muttered, flushing again and avoiding his eyes. He smirked slightly, and reached forward to press his hand to the mark. The usual flash of purple grew against her skin, and when it faded he slid his hand very slowly up the inside of her leg, to the point of pain on her thigh that she'd showed him before. She gasped as his fingers tickled against her skin, and her hands grasped his shoulders to steady herself. He felt her trembling under his touch as he cast the spell.

He stood, removing his hand from her leg to place it over her ribs, once again pushing healing magic into her. His other hand slid up her left arm, wrapping around the word on her wrist, the tingle of his magic there causing her eyes to darken slightly. Finally, he slowly slid his hand all the way along her arm, across her collar bone and up her neck, which he held just as he had the night before. Again, she rested her head back into his grip, allowing him to support her, and he felt almost overwhelmed with his need to show her that she was right to trust him, that he could take care of her like no-one else. Instead, he focused on casting the healing spell one last time, and she pressed herself against him, sighing and taking her lower lip between her teeth.

'You know,' he drawled, raising his free hand to cup the other side of her face. 'That's a terribly distracting habit you have there, Granger.' His thumb brushed over her mouth, and he tugged at her lower lip, freeing it. He lowered his head and ran his tongue against the warm, slightly swollen flesh, pulling a breathy moan from her.

'Draco, please ... '

'I know. Soon, I promise. But I'm not finished enjoying you just yet.' Words from his weeks of fantasies were now tumbling easily from him, all the apprehension and insecurity from the day long forgotten. Her speech about meeting expectations had done something to him, and he could already feel it lodging in his brain, challenging ideals that he'd been fed his whole life. This incredible, intelligent, impossibly brave woman in his arms deserved so much better than he could ever hope to be, but for some reason she seemed to be choosing him. And he wanted to ensure that she would never be disappointed, never be lacking for anything, for as long as she allowed him to be by her side. He smiled darkly to himself as he thought about the fool his younger self had been, to ever have denied his instincts about this woman in favour of the bile that his father and so-called friends had been spouting.

'Draco?' He returned to the moment suddenly, pulled back by her voice. He looked down and met her gaze, concern evident in her eyes. 'Where did you go?'

'Just reprimanding myself for being a blind idiot all these years,' he answered honestly, and she rolled her eyes at his discription. Before she could respond, he pulled her closer against him and lowered his head to her ear. 'But at least I had a reason for my idiocy. Weasley has no excuse for letting you go without showing you just how worthy you are of worship.' He ran his nose against the soft skin of her throat before replacing it with his tongue, nipping softly at her with his teeth, growing harder at the way she rolled her hips against him in response.

'And that's what you plan to do, is it? Worship me?' she panted breathlessly. He grinned at her ability to meet his banter, even in this state.

'Oh, Princess,' he chuckled, his lips vibrating against her collar bone, drawing another shudder from her. 'You don't even know the meaning of the word yet.' With this, he suddenly bent and scooped her up, one arm at her back, one under her knees. She squealed in surprise, hands gripping the back of his neck to steady herself as he carried her over to his bed and lowered her down to sit on the edge of it.

'You could have just asked me to walk,' she said, a false glare barely hiding the twitch of her lips as she fought away a smile.

'Nonsense,' he declared, waving a hand to dismiss her words. 'And besides,' he continued, his voice now low, husky, as he stood over her, staring down at her intently. 'Where would be the fun in that? Now, you be good and don't move from that spot.' He stepped away and observed her for a moment. The realisation that Hermione Granger was finally sitting on his bed, in her underwear, after all this time, made the pulsing in his groin more insistent, but he forced himself to ignore it for now.

His long fingers made short work of his tie, jumper and shirt, tossing them behind him to join her clothes. He bit back a groan as he watched her scan his torso with what he could only describe as a hungry look on her face. His fingers reached for the button on his trousers, and her eyes immediately focused there. She leant forward slightly, almost as though she intended to stand, so he stilled his movements. She looked up at him, confused, but he just raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes again, but sat back, resuming her previous position.

'Good girl,' he purred, enjoying the slight blush that entered her cheeks in response. His fingers moved again, opening his trousers with the same confident action he'd used on hers. He allowed the material to fall away, and she let out a slightly strangled noise as his tented boxers were revealed. He knew she could see his length, straining to be free, and he waited, wanting to be sure that she was still OK with this. Finally she raised her eyes to his, and he almost stepped back at the intensity of the desire he saw there. She held his gaze and slowly, deliberately, she bit her lower lip. Daring him.

'Fuck,' he grunted, stepping towards her quickly and dropping to his knees before her. He slid his hands up her calves, over her knees and to her thighs, tightening his grip around the soft flesh there. Her eyes continued to burn at him, and she only released her lip when he swiftly pushed with his hands, opening her legs wider in front of him. He crawled forward on his knees until he was flush against her, and she wrapped her legs around the backs of his, holding him close. He knew she could feel his arousal against her centre by the way her eyelids flickered, but she fought to maintain eye contact. He rolled his hips once, and smirked when her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

'So spirited,' he murmered as she forced her gaze back to his. 'I look forward to bending you to my will once tonight is over.' Again, he was voicing one of his deepest desires, and he paused for her response, hoping that he had correctly interpreted the subtle signs and reactions she'd been giving him. He was reassured when her head fell back at his words and the jump of her hips against his seemed almost involuntary. He smiled to himself as he ran his hands up her legs, her hips, her ribs. He lightly brushed against the undersides of her breasts, thumbs barely touching the slight protusions of her nipples through her bra. Her hips bucked again.

'Draco,' she whispered, her eyes now fixed on him, pleading.

'Patience, love,' he replied, trying to keep his voice steady as the sparks of their connection crackled under his hands. He traced back down her torso, her stomach, and came to rest at her knicker line. He stopped. 'I need you to tell me that you still want this.'

'Yes, Draco, I still want this. Please.' Her voice was firm. He sat back on his heels, wrapped his fingers into the elastic of her knickers and pulled. She raised her hips from the bed, and he slid the fabric down her thighs, her knees, her calves, her feet, then off. They were sent in the general direction of the rest of their discarded clothes as he took in the sight before him.

Between her legs, Hermione's mound was covered in closely trimmed brown curls. He could already see a slight sheen of moisture on her folds, which caused his hips to jolt slightly. He took a moment to regain control of himself, then his fingers were on her legs again, tracing the path her knickers had just taken in reverse. He kneaded the flesh of her thighs, pushing them even wider so that he could truly see her spread before him. He licked his lips, and looked up to find her watching him, somewhat apprehensively.

'Beautiful,' he murmered, and lowered his head to kiss the scar on the inside of her thigh. He heard her sigh and felt her relax under his hands and lips, and when he looked up again she had leaned back on his bed, propped up on her elbows so that she could still see him. Without breaking eye contact, he kissed slowly up her thigh, inching closer to her core. Her breath hitched when he reached the crease between her thigh and her mound, then she let out a breathy giggle when he backed away and pressed his lips to the inside of her other knee.

'Tease.'

'Worship, Hermione.' He stared at her levelly, causing her to blush again. 'Learning your body. Finding out what you do, for example, when I do this.' He suddenly nipped at her thigh with his teeth and she whimpered, her legs tightening slightly round his head. He continued as though nothing had happened. 'Call it research, if you will. And I hope you've realised by now that when I research something, I like to be extremely thorough.'

'I won't question your methods,' she gasped, hands winding into his hair as he moved up her leg again, pressing kisses to every inch of bare flesh that he could reach. 'As long as we come to the same conclusion.'

'Oh believe me, we will,' he growled, their banter and her fingers tugging at him both stoking his need. 'But we're a long way from that point yet.'

She moaned at his words, then again when he pressed a kiss to her mound, above her slit. He kissed lower, lower, until his lips met soft, wet skin. His tongue dipped between her folds, gathering some of her juices. He groaned at the musky, sweet taste of her, wondering hazily how quickly you could become addicted to something. His tongue continued to explore, tracing patterns up and down, until her hips jolted and she cried out. He ran his tongue over that same spot, and her reaction confirmed that he'd found his target. He released her thighs, slid his right arm under her left leg and wrapped it over the top, laying it over her hips to help steady her. His left hand replaced his lips at her core, and his fingers spread her before him. He ignored the voice in his head that screamed at him to just bury himself into her to the hilt, and instead blew a soft breath against her exposed, wet cunt. She keened, hips rolling uselessly against his forearm, and he chuckled darkly.

'So responsive. Has no-one ever touched you here before, Hermione?'

'N-not like th-this,' she whispered. He pushed aside the swelling of his ego at her words, and slid his fingers up and down her folds, coating them in her juices. He carefully eased his middle finger just inside her, and waited for her to look at him again. 'Yes,' she breathed, not giving him time to ask. He pushed forward slowly, biting the inside of his cheek against the roar that threatened to burst from his chest as he felt her closing around him, hot, wet, wanting. Wanting him. She rolled against his hand, desperate for friction, and he set up a slow pace of pulling in and out of her, watching how her body responded. After a minute or two he eased another finger inside, and she clenched around him in a way that nearly made him cum in his boxers. He gritted his teeth, willing himself back under control, then continued his movements. Once he could trust himself, he leaned forwards and flicked his tongue against her clit.

'Gods, Draco,' she cried, hands in his hair again. He grunted as his name on her lips flooded him with need, and his pace sped up slightly. She began to pant as he reached deeper into her, and he had to hold her hips tighter when he closed his lips around her clit and sucked lightly. Her fingers in his hair were almost painful, but it just drove him on, desperate to see her release. He looked up again to watch her as he turned his fingers inside her and pressed upwards against the softer area of her inner walls, his teeth grazing her clit.

She looked wild, curls escaping the pony tail, eyes closed, cheeks and chest pink, that damned lip between her teeth once again. He growled against her at the sight, and the vibrations seemed to tip her over the edge. She clenched around him, her thighs tightening around his head, hands gripping his locks to hold him in place. Her back arched up from the bed as he continued his onslaught, driving the wave of her pleasure higher and higher until with a choked scream, it broke inside her. Only then did he still, as she began to relax against the bed, legs lowering, fingers untangling from his hair to grip her own. He cleaned her with a few languid licks, careful to avoid her overly sensitive bud, then sat back to watch her come down. The hand that hadn't been inside her stroked her leg softly, so that she would know he was still there, supporting her. When she finally looked down to where he still knelt between her legs, he offered her a small, knowing smile.

'Alright?'

'Better than alright,' she said, returning his smile. She held her hand out to him, an invitation to join her on the bed. He cast a wandless cleaning spell over his hand, and crawled up beside her, rolling her body against his. She traced lazy patterns on his chest as she enjoyed the aftermath of her orgasm. 'I think that may have been my best one to date.'

He chuckled as he reached behind her to her hair, his nimble fingers plucking out the now redundant hair tie from amongst her curls, taking his time to unwind her hair from around it rather than tug it out. 'To date. I'll ask you again next week.'

She swatted at his chest as he ran his hands through her hair, carefully detangling her curls. She closed her eyes. 'Mmm, that feels nice.'

They lay pressed against each other for a while longer, him playing with her hair, her moaning and purring at the sensation. Each noise shot arousal to his shaft, however, and soon he was achingly hard, pressed against her stomach, and he knew she would be able to feel his pre-cum soaking through the thin material of his boxers. She turned her head up to him, tilting her chin slightly to angle herself and pressed her lips to his. It was a gentle kiss, but she laced just enough promise of more through it that he followed her mouth as she pulled away. Deepening the kiss, he rolled her onto her back, one of his legs between her thighs. His cock pressed against her hip bone, and she broke their kiss to look up at him, a heady mix of mischief and lust dancing in her eyes.

'Another tool of worship?' she teased, rolling her hip slightly.

'Only when used properly,' he quipped. Then a thought struck him and he stilled, his face now serious. 'If we're going any further, I need to cast a -'

'I'm taking the potion.' He shouldn't have been surprised - she'd told him she'd had sex before, why wouldn't she be taking a contraceptive? He tried to push away the pang of jealousy, of possessiveness that he felt, distracting himself by turning his attention back to her body.

He rubbed his length against her side and dropped his head to her neck, sucking and kissing her pulse point. Her fingers wound into his hair again as his mouth moved lower, and she moaned as he lapped at the tops of her breasts above her bra. Suddenly she pulled his hair, dragging his head up to look at her again. All mischief was gone from her eyes now, only a burning desire left behind.

'Show me,' she demanded.

'Your wish is my command,' he grinned, then rolled away from her to strip his boxers off and drop them over the side of the bed. When he rolled back, he found that she had removed her bra. Her breasts were round, not large but by no means small. They were perfectly tipped with her darker areolas, and in the centre her nipples stood erect. His eyes flicked back up to her face. She was focused on his erection, blatant want etched over her features. She looked up to find him watching her and blushed lightly at being caught staring, then grabbed his shoulders and pulled, rolling him back on top of her, between her legs. As he sealed his lips to hers, he suddenly felt her small hand snaking between them, reaching -

He grabbed her wrist, stopping her movements. Disappointment flooded her face, along with a little hurt.

'Don't you -'

'Very much so,' he stated firmly, and the hurt disappeared from her eyes. 'But I told you that I would spend tonight exploring your body and learning how to fulfill what you need. There will be plenty of other nights for you to do the same, if you so wish. But tonight, all I need is your pleasure.'

He waited until she'd nodded her acceptance of his words before releasing her wrist and returning his attentions to her breasts. He fell to them, laving his tongue across the exposed skin, nipping and sucking at her nipples, basking in the sounds she made at his attentions. When the grinding of her hips against him became impossible to ignore, he released her flesh and leaned up on one arm, grasping his rock-hard length on his other hand. He moaned quietly at the friction, and couldn't resist pumping himself once, twice before preparing himself by slicking his pre-cum over his pulsing head and angling himself towards her entrance. When he was in position, he raised his eyes and asked her one last time, 'Are you sure you want this?'

In answer, she hooked her leg around his arse and pushed with her heel. It nudged him forwards, and they both gasped as he entered her, stretching her slightly. He continued the movement, gradually filling her, pressing against her clutching walls until he was finally sheathed completely inside her. He paused to gather his breath, and to check that she was OK. She cupped his face with her hand and dragged him down to kiss her. He pulled out, then pushed back in, causing her to whimper into his mouth as his tongue sought hers. Their kisses were deep, languid, as where his strokes while he allowed her to adjust to him. When her heel dug into him again, he sped up slightly, rocking into her and creating more friction between them. He broke away from her lips to watch her face, to take in the image of her under him for the first time and imprint it in his memory forever.

'Draco,' she whispered, and he groaned as he throbbed inside her in response.

'Say it again,' he breathed, trying to hold himself back from ploughing into her. A smile curled the edges of her lips upwards and her eyes were warm.

'Draco,' she said, louder, more confidently. He groaned and closed his eyes, struggling to retain command of himself.

'Tell me what you want,' he grunted, the last thread of his restraint pulled taught.

'Harder,' she whispered. His eyes snapped open and he found her looking at him, resolute, no doubts evident on her face now.

'Hermione ... ' She clenched around him, and his tether snapped. This time he couldn't contain the roar that escaped him as he slammed into her, channelling all the pent-up need and tension of the last few months into his thrusts. His head dropped to her neck and he latched on, not caring that he might mark her as he sucked her skin into his mouth, between his teeth.

'Gods, yes, Draco, I - ' She gripped him once more as she cried out her release, pulling him against her as tight as she could. The feel of her rippling around him was too much, and with a few more strong, erratic thrusts he was spilling into her, white spots in his vision from the force of his orgasm, her name on his lips. He tried to move away, but she held onto him, and he didn't have the strength left to fight her. He collapsed onto her as carefully as he could, his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent of her jasmine shampoo. He could feel her heart beating against his chest, and it was almost as fast as his. She stroked his back as he recovered, and turned her head to kiss his temple softly.

When he could breathe again, he gently disentangled himself from her arms and rolled away, reaching over the side of his bed for his discarded boxers. He turned back towards her, and registered the look of surprise in her eyes. Almost as though ... she hadn't expected him to return?

Once again, he felt anger flare in him. Her past lovers had clearly been completely incompetent, out of their depths, and he was furious that it had affected her self-esteem so badly. He would make things right.

The hand holding his boxers dipped between her legs, and he carefully wiped her of his residue, being gentle so as not to risk hurting her. Her eyes were wide and grew wet as she realised what he was doing, but she didn't say anything. He also wiped himself, then dropped the boxers back on the floor. He lay on his back next to her and opened his arms, and she fell into them, partly lying across him, her head on his chest, one leg settling over his. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, kissing her head gently as his fingers drew patterns across her back.

'I think I'm going to like being worshipped,' she murmered.