March 1997

The meetings with Malfoy in the evenings increased from two nights a week to nearly four, sometimes five. They still studied and worked on homework some of the time, but the majority of it was spent snogging. Harry and Ron didn't seem to notice that she was gone so much, but she found she didn't quite care—it meant less questioning about where she was, though they probably assumed the library.

It never went any further than that and Hermione wasn't sure if she should initiate something more or if she should wait to see what Malfoy was comfortable with.

Classes with the Slytherin felt exhilarating most days as well. They didn't want to let on that something was happening between them, but neither could help accidentally touching the other when passing by or giving the other a hidden smirk.

Daphne was the only one to know what had transpired between Hermione and Draco. Knowing she'd be the only person in the whole castle who wouldn't judge her, Hermione told her before one of their shared classes.

"I knew it!" she half-whispered excitedly, making sure to keep her voice down as other students filed into class. "I knew something was going on between the two of you."

"Nothing was going on until just recently," Hermione justified. Then she groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Gods Daph, am I insane for liking him? There's so much history between us…"

An arrival into the classroom had the two girls looking over at the door as Malfoy entered. His eyes roved around until he found Hermione's. He gave a nod in greeting as he made his way to the desk next to them. The girls turned to each other and giggled quietly.

"I think it's safe to say he likes you too," Daphne whispered knowingly but then Terry entered the room and shot Daphne a wide grin. "Well, I'm going to go sit with Terry. See you!"

Hermione watched as Daphne went over to her boyfriend, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he took her hand, and led her to their table.

Hermione glanced over to Malfoy, who was sitting at the table to her right, and for the first time wished he'd sit with her as openly as Daphne did with Terry.

However, since they were no longer partnered up with a project it wouldn't have made sense if he sat with her now—not without raising questions anyways.

He glanced her way and lifted a brow in question and she answered with a slight shake of her head. She turned her attention to the front of the room, getting ready to take notes on the lecture, when the coin in her pocket warmed.

Confused, she pulled it out and read the message.

I want to kiss you.

Hermione felt her cheeks grow hot and tried not to glance at the wizard next to her as she responded.

This is not what the coin is for.

Seeing you blush was worth it.

Her face grew even hotter as she stowed the coin away, but for the rest of class she couldn't get rid of the small smile that was across her face.

News of Ron's poisoning and subsequent hospitalization swept through the castle. Hermione, who had planned to spend most of the day avoiding the redhead on his birthday, rushed to the hospital wing in search of answers.

Harry explained what happened several times throughout the day and each time brought Hermione more and more guilt.

How could she have let something as silly as him getting a girlfriend ruin their friendship? He'd been her friend for nearly five years; that had to account for something!

The coin in her pocket warmed.

In the room. Where are you?

At the hospital wing.
Ron was poisoned!

Malfoy didn't respond, which she took to mean that he knew she wouldn't be meeting up with him that night and went back to waiting outside of the Hospital wing doors diligently until Pomfrey let them in.

She held back the tears as she watched Ron lay in the bed and she vowed she would make an effort to try and restore their friendship when he woke up. No more petty arguments or other relationships should get in the way of true friendship. She even vowed to be nicer to Lavender.

Thankfully, when Ron did wake up he was in good spirits. Hermione was thankful he was speaking to her again and he as well seemed just as relieved that their friendship was on the mend.

That evening, when Hermione went to the Room of Requirement, she found the same two Huffepuff girls that were there before. After shoo-ing them off, she tried to gain access to the room but found that the door would not materialize no matter how much she tried. Frowning, she looked around to make sure the girls were truly gone before she sent a message to Malfoy's coin.

Are you in the room?

Yes.

Can I come in?

Not right now.

Later?

Maybe.

Still frowning, Hermione made her way to the library to work on homework, pondering why those Hufflepuff second-years were always around. Perhaps Harry wasn't the only one stalking Malfoy, though they were probably doing it because they just had a crush on the Slytherin blonde, not because they thought he was up to something.

Not that she could blame them—he was very fit.

Thinking about him made her smile to herself and she buried her face in a book to hide her blush.

She waited two hours for Malfoy to let her know that she could come, but he never did, and when she asked him again on the coin, he didn't respond.

She tried not to sulk—after all, they never said they were meeting that night, and it wasn't like they were in a relationship, but she couldn't help but feel a little hurt that he wasn't wanting to see her.

The thought made her miserable.

The next day Hermione noticed that Malfoy was avoiding her and she hated it. He wouldn't even make eye contact with her in any class, in the halls, or even the Great Hall. Instead of going back to the Tower after dinner, she went straight to the Room of Requirement, knowing Malfoy was still in the Great Hall, and hoped he would come.

He never showed up that night.

Or the night after.

Nor the night after that.

It had been a week since Ron's incident and she had yet to talk to Malfoy. Hermione's mind whirled at all the possible reasons why:

Was he working on the task from Voldemort? Maybe his family was urging him to work on it more before something bad would happen to him?

Was he hanging out with someone else instead of her? She tried to taper down the jealousy that was starting to form at the thought.

Maybe he was just tired of her? After nearly six years of teasing and bullying her to now becoming more, perhaps he wanted to move on to someone else?

Even though they weren't officially anything, she still felt she deserved an explanation from him if he wanted to end things

She finally had enough and messaged him on the coin once more.

PLEASE meet me at 7.

Even though he didn't respond, Hermione made sure to go to the Room of Requirements just before seven to set up the room. The butterflies in her stomach intensified when she heard the door open and Malfoy stepped in.

They looked at each other, neither one of them moving closer or saying anything.

"Hi," she finally broke the silence, unsure of what else to say or do.

He gave a nod. "Granger. You wanted to meet?"

His voice was stilted and cold.

Hermione let out a sad sigh. "Did…. Did I do something wrong?"

He shifted on his feet before looking away. "No."

"Then why are you avoiding me?" she asked, hoping the tears she felt forming wouldn't spill.

He shook his head as he walked into the room some more. "Because you don't need me anymore," he said as he looked towards the fireplace, still not meeting her gaze.

"Don't need you?" she repeated. "What—?"

"You and Weasley have made amends, yes?" he asked, finally looking at her.

"Yes, but what does that have to do with us?"

He scowled as he dropped his bag to the floor and walked over to tower over her. "There is no us, Granger. There never was. I was using you, alright? I wanted to see if I could get the swotty Gryffindor Princess to loosen up a bit."

She shook her head as a tear slipped down her cheek. "No, you're lying. You wouldn't do that."

"I did!" he shouted. "I took advantage of you because Weasley broke your poor little Gryffindor heart. But now you got your revenge, I had a bit of fun, and you're back with Weasley. Happy now?" He stalked away from her, going over to the fireplace.

Hermione wiped angrily at another tear and followed him. "I don't believe you. Because if that were the case, you would have kissed me back in November when the hurt from Ron was fresh. Instead, you waited until months later when you had to have known I wasn't interested in him anymore."

When he didn't say anything, she grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face her. What she saw made her anger dissipate.

Hot, angry tears fell down his face. "I'm no good for you, Granger. Just leave, alright?" He pointed towards the door. "Go back to your Gryffindors where it's safe and uncomplicated and where you don't have to sneak around to just talk to them."

"Draco…" she said softly and cupped the side of his face.

He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "You're better off being with someone else. Anyone else. No good can come to you if you stay with me."

She lifted on her toes and kissed him softly. "I don't want to be with anyone else," she said and kissed him again. "I like you, Draco Malfoy. As complicated as being with you is, I choose you."

He shook his head. "It can't last," he whispered.

Her heart broke at the realization and nodded sadly. "I know. But, I'll take what time we can have. Anything is better than nothing."

His arms wrapped around her as he pulled her close and crashed his lips to hers, kissing her feverishly.

"You're the best fucking thing that has happened to me in a long time," he said as he rested his forehead against hers.

They stayed like that for a few moments, standing in front of the fire, forehead to forehead. Finally, Hermione took his hand and led him to the couch to sit down and snuggled into his side.

Draco sighed tiredly as he rested his arm across her shoulders and his fingers played with the ends of her curls.

"I thought you were back with Weasley," he admitted. "The way Brown kept complaining to anyone who would listen how often you were visiting him in the hospital wing and all that."

Hermione shook her head. "Ron and I are just working on mending our friendship, that's all. Even if he'd break things off with Lavender, nothing will change between him and I. And if he does end up asking me out, I'll just tell him no,"

He moved his head to look at her. "And if he asks why?"

She shrugged. "I'll tell him I think he and I are better off as friends."

He kissed her forehead before he rested his head atop of hers. "I'm so bloody tired," he said. "I don't think I've slept properly all week."
"Me either," she admitted.

Draco shifted until he was lying down then tucked Hermione between him and the couch cushions.

"Is this okay?" he asked once they were settled.

"More than," she responded.

She was tired, but lying so close next to Draco, with his arms around her, had stirred something inside of her. She only had to tilt her head up slightly to press her lips against his neck and when Draco simply hummed in response, she did it again, this time suckling his skin slightly.

"Granger?"

She kissed his neck again. "Yes?"

"I don't think I'm nearly as tired as I thought I was."

She smiled against his neck. "Me either."

He moved so fast that she only had time to let out a squeak of surprise before she was on her back with him hovering over her. His eyes roamed her face for a moment before he leaned down to kiss her softly and slowly.

Her hands worked their way up to his hair, her fingers threading through his impossibly soft strands. The action seemed to encourage him as he kissed her more firmly and prodded her lips with his tongue. She happily obliged, opening up to him to deepen the kiss.

After a few heated moments, Draco moved to kiss down her neck and collarbone.

Hermione used this opportunity to sit up slightly and push him up into a seated position. Before he could question what she was doing, she straddled his lap and brought her mouth to his. His hands went to her waist where they gripped her tightly right above her skirt, as if he was unsure to place them anywhere else.

She pulled back and without breaking eye contact, began to undo her oxford.

Draco licked his lips as he watched her fingers undo button after button. He lifted a hand to still her movements. "Are you sure?" he asked quietly.

Hermione nodded. "I want you to touch me," she said boldly as she resumed her task. When she got the last button undone, she slipped her oxford down her arms until she was just in her brazier. It was cotton and plain looking, but with the way Draco was looking at her chest, one would think she was wearing silk and lace.

She took his hand and placed it on one of her breasts.

He squeezed experimentally then rubbed the pad of his thumb over her nipple. When it pebbled and hardened, he smiled and brought his other hand up to do the same to her other breast.

Hermione closed her eyes as Draco explored and touched. When his hand reached behind her back, she didn't stop him when he toyed with her clasps, undoing it with little trouble.

Light as a feather, his fingers pulled the straps of her bra down her arms, eliciting goosebumps along her skin.

When she was bare in front of him, she waited a moment before she opened her eyes.

He was looking at her again, with a mixture of awe and uncertainty. "You're bloody gorgeous," he said huskily then leaned forward and took one of her pert nipples in his mouth, sucking it softly.

Hermione let out a soft moan at the new sensation, which only seemed to spur Draco on. One breast was fondled and squeezed while the other was suckled, licked, and nipped before he switched sides and resumed his actions.

Her hands found purchase in his hair as he explored and touched, finding all the spots that made her breath hitch or let out a soft moan.

He didn't argue when she undid his own shirt and when his chest was exposed, she ran her hands up and down his chest, using her nails to softly scratch his skin.

Their lips met again and he squeezed and kneaded her breasts harder as their kissing deepened. When she instinctively ground herself against him, he froze.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think," he swallowed thickly. "As much as it pains me to say this, I think we need to slow down."

"Oh.."

Before her mind could spiral into reasons why he didn't want to go any further, he cupped her face and kissed her softly. "It's not that I don't want to. Trust me, I do. I just think we should wait."

Hermione nodded. "You're right." She bit her lip and looked at him. "We can still snog some more, right?"

He answered her by pulling her close and kissing her. Lips still together, they shifted on the couch until they were laying down, facing each other, her bare chest against his.

Their kisses started strong then slowly tapered off, until it was just a few brushes against each other. When Draco's lips stopped moving against her own, she opened her eyes and saw that he had fallen asleep.

With a smile on her face, she kissed him once more before snuggling in, her eyes fluttering shut with sleep a moment later.

The following day was nothing short of a disaster. Harry had his skull cracked open by Cormac during the Quidditch match with Hufflepuff and was now in the hospital wing along with Ron. When she went to visit him, he was still passed out and continued to be even when Madam Pomfrey ushered her out after visiting hours were over. She told Ron that she'd be back in the morning to take them down to breakfast.

She met with Draco, who greeted her with a searing kiss the moment she walked into the room.

"I can't stay long," she informed him. "I just came to say hi."

He grinned against her lips. "You came for a snog, admit it."

She huffed indignantly, but couldn't stop the smile. "Alright, fine. Maybe that too."

Draco glanced at his watch. "Ten minutes then?"

"That ought to do," she agreed, then rose up to kiss him some more. "Though, I did notice that your little fan club wasn't out there today," she teased as she nipped his lip.

Draco founded. "What fan club?"

"Oh you know, those second year Hufflepuff girls that are always around, waiting for you it seems."

Draco winced slightly as he ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, them. Well, I have an explanation for that…"

Hermione raised a brow. "Oh?"

"They're not really second year girls… They're actually Crabbe and Goyle. I've been brewing Polyjuice potion in my dorm and giving it to them."

Hermione's mouth dropped open as she stepped back. "What?"

"I've been using them as lookouts," he explained with a shrug. "Though not a lot of good they can do when you or I keep shooing them away I suppose."

Hermione thought about how Draco's friends must be feeling, having to be stuck at girls for hours at a time. The thought made her giggle.

The times Hermione and Draco met up were spent more on each other than studying nowadays. She still made sure to study, of course, usually in the library with Daphne and Terry, or Ginny and Luna, but when she left the common room in the evenings, under the guise of going to study some more alone, she used that time to spend quality time with a certain Slytherin.

She was briefly concerned when she found out that Harry was having Kreacher and Dobby follow Draco around to see what he had been up to, but thankfully they didn't figure out that the two of them had been meeting up. Once Harry realized Draco was using the Room of Requirements, as well as Crabbe and Goyle as Polyjuice girls, she made sure to act surprised at all the new information. However, now Hermione started using their communication coin more before meeting up, just in case.

The day before they had to leave for Easter holiday, Hermione was able to sneak to the room and meet Draco, who happened to come in right behind her. With a squeak of surprise, he spun her around before lifting her and set her on top of the large desk.

He tangled his fingers in her curls as he kissed her deeply and she gripped the front of his oxford to tug him close.

"Hi," he said finally when he took a breath.

"Hello to you as well," she said with a grin. "Are you ready for the Easter holiday?"

Draco groaned as he stepped back and helped her off the table. "Not really," he said, linking his fingers with hers as he led her towards the couch. He sat down and tugged her into his lap with ease, his hand resting on her leg.

"How come?" she asked.

"There will be visitors there that I don't really like," he said grimly. Then his mood shifted as he looked at her and gave her half a grin. "Congrats, by the way," he said as he let his hand run up and down her leg softly. "For passing your Apparition test."

Hermione ducked her head down shyly. "Thanks. Oh! That reminds me." She hopped off his lap and went over to her bag. "I got you something from Honeydukes."

She handed him an assortment of chocolates from the shoppe and sat down next to him. "Ron gave me a funny look when I purchased all of these, but I just told him I was on my monthlies and he shut right up," she said, giggling.

"Smart," he said, biting into a cauldron cake. "Want some?" he offered.

Hermione leaned forward to take a bite and a bit of the gooey chocolatey center fell and landed just above her cleavage, just missing her shirt.

"That was close," she said, but before she could wipe it off, Draco leaned forward and licked the confection away, sending a chill up her spine.

"Maybe you should take this off," he said as he started undoing her buttons. "Don't want to get stained with chocolate.""Hm, no, that wouldn't be ideal," she agreed sagely, then hissed out a breath when his teeth grazed her nipple through her bra.

A/N: LOTS happening this chapter! Feelings being acknowledged, secrets being reveled, something more than snogging happening. Plus, I think this was one of the longer chapters I've posted so far! Hope you're all enjoying the ride! See you next week. xoxoHufflepuffMommy