Chapter 13

The next morning, Hermione woke feeling awkward. Narcissa's room was just down the hall, and Hermione had just spent all night shagging the woman's son. She knew Draco said that his mother didn't care, but she still felt uncomfortable.

The only serious boyfriend she'd ever had before this was Ron, and they had never spent the night together. She wasn't sure exactly what the protocol was here.

Draco was spooning her in the bed, her back pressed against his broad chest, their legs tangled beneath the sheets, his arm around her, possessively cupping her breast. She eased away from his grip, careful not to wake him, and padded from the bed to get her beaded bag. She was still naked from the night before, and quickly found some clothing and dressed, then used the connecting bathroom. By the time she came back, Draco was just sitting up, rubbing his eyes and looking sleepy. Her greedy gaze took in his muscular chest, disheveled blond hair, and handsome features as he smiled at her. "Good morning," he said groggily.

"Morning," she replied breathlessly.

"Granger, if you keep eye-fucking me like that, we'll never leave this bedroom," he drawled, but she could see the heat in his eyes.

She blushed and looked away. "We can't, Draco. Your mother is probably waiting to have breakfast with us."

"I doubt it." Still, at her look, he sighed. "Fine, I'll get up."

Fifteen minutes later, they had walked together down to the dining room. To Hermione's dismay, Narcissa was indeed sitting there, eating her breakfast. The older woman looked up at them with a serene smile, seeming to feel no awkwardness. "Good morning, Draco, Hermione. I hope you slept well?"

As Hermione tried to stammer out a response, Draco said, "Very well, Mother. And you?"

"I slept well, thank you."

He stepped forward to kiss her cheek. "I hope you left some breakfast for us?"

"There's plenty. Please join me."

Hermione sat, still red in the face. Draco served himself and she followed suit. By the end of the meal, all her awkwardness had faded. Narcissa seemed to think nothing of the fact that Hermione had spent the night in her son's bed; in fact, she seemed delighted that Hermione was there; so the younger woman resolved not to be embarrassed any more.

She had finally relaxed completely when her embarrassment spiked again as there was a whooshing sound and Blaise Zabini stepped out of the fireplace.

Fuck.

Draco cursed to himself as Blaise appeared at the exact wrong moment. Blaise had been gone in Switzerland for two months on holiday, so he knew nothing about recent developments. Draco had wanted to tell his friend about Hermione privately, so that any negative reactions the other Slytherin might have about the muggleborn would not be witnessed by his girlfriend. Blaise had not been a follower of Voldemort, but he was still a Slytherin, and had pureblood notions.

Blaise stared at them with wide eyes. "Mrs. Malfoy, it's good to see you looking so well. Draco told me you were to be released last month."

Narcissa nodded politely and smiled. "Yes, I'm doing well, thank you, Blaise. I believe you're acquainted with Miss Hermione Granger?"

Draco cursed to himself again to see Hermione give Blaise a hesitant smile.

"Er, yes. Hello, Granger," Blaise said awkwardly. "Uh – why are you here?"

"Blaise, maybe we could talk privately," Draco said firmly, standing up to grab his friend's arm and pull him forcibly out of the room. Fortunately, Blaise didn't protest, but followed him until they reached Draco's bedroom. Blaise looked around him with confusion and dawning amazement, and Draco realized with consternation that he must see evidence of Hermione's presence there. He wished he had had the sense to bring Blaise to another room. He could only blame the fact that he had been too flustered to think straight.

"Draco," Blaise stammered in confusion, "are you – are you fucking Hermione Granger?"

Draco clenched his teeth, not liking Blaise's tone. "Hermione and I are dating, yes."

Blaise let out a disbelieving laugh. "I thought you hated the little mudblood!"

"Don't call her that!" Draco snapped.

Blaise stared at him in amazement. "What the fuck? You're in love with her!"

Draco put his head in his hands, not denying the statement.

Blaise sat on the edge of the bed, looking around him in a kind of dazed astonishment. "I never would have believed this," he said. "What the fuck happened while I was gone?"

Draco sat down and told him the whole story – his mother's grievous condition upon her release from Azkaban, Hermione's untiring care and compassion, Draco's burgeoning feelings, and their recent romantic relationship. At the end of it, Blaise just looked at him thoughtfully.

"Well, I can see how it happened."

"You – what?" asked Draco, surprised that his friend seemed to be accepting this so easily.

"You two always were the smartest ones in our class, and you've been extremely isolated since the war ended. Plus, she took care of your mother for so long, saved her life. It makes sense that you'd find consolation with her."

Draco was outraged at the idea. "This isn't some kind of pity thing!" he insisted.

Blaise just quirked an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Tell me one thing," he said, then paused, and Draco nodded for him to continue. "Is she good in bed? I always thought she would be a little wildcat."

Draco growled at him. "That's none of your fucking business."

Blaise's eyebrows shot up his forehead in surprise. "You've never had a problem boasting of your conquests before."

"Hermione's different. Those other girls were social-climbing sluts who only fucked me because they wanted a rich, pureblood husband. They didn't really want me. Hermione does."

Blaise still looked skeptical but smiled. "All righty then. You seemed determined. Far be it from me to dissuade you."

"You will be polite to Hermione," Draco commanded.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "As I recall, I wasn't the one who bullied her for years."

Draco flinched at the reminder of his cruelty towards Hermione. "I've realized how wrong I was. I apologized to Hermione, and she's forgiven me."

Blaise smirked. "Typical Gryffindor. You know that if she'd been a Slytherin, she would've had you groveling for months, if she even forgave you at all."

"Too true," he said with a quirk of his lips. "I guess I should be glad she's a Gryffindor."

They smiled faintly at each other. Draco was relieved that it hadn't been harder than that. Even if Blaise wasn't convinced that Draco's feelings for Hermione were genuine, he would be in time. The important thing was that he would be polite to her. "You should go now," Draco said. "You can come back another time. I know you're used to showing up whenever, but maybe you should start checking with me first before you just pop into Malfoy House."

Blaise rolled eyes. "Sure. I wouldn't want to walk in on you two shagging." But Draco could see that Blaise wasn't truly annoyed.

They walked toward the fireplace. "How about tomorrow night?" asked Blaise. "Will you be available then?"

"Sure. You can come at seven."

Blaise's lips quirked. "Okay. See you then, loverboy."

Before Draco could respond, Blaise disappeared in a swirl of laughter.

Shaking his head, Draco returned to the dining room to curious looks from Hermione and his mother. "Blaise had to go."

"I hope he didn't leave because of me." Hermione looked concerned.

He shook his head. "We're going to catch up on Sunday. He's been on holiday in Switzerland. He wanted to tell me about his trip."

"Okay then." Hermione didn't look convinced.

Draco strode to her side and took her hand, bringing it up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. "Are you done eating?" he asked.

Hermione blushed. "Yeah."

"Good. I have plans for you today."

Hermione's colour deepened, but she wished Narcissa a good day as she followed Draco from the room, still holding hands.

Hermione laughed as her phone dinged and she read the newest text message.

Draco: Want to meet for Mexican for lunch? I've been salivating over those enchiladas since we last went there.

Hermione quickly typed out a response.

Hermione: Sounds good. My break starts in an hour. Want to meet there?

Draco: Sure thing. See you soon.

He followed it with a heart emoji.

Hermione shook her head with a fond smile. Draco had become obsessed with his new phone ever since Hermione had given it to him three weeks ago. He texted her constantly, and called her every evening once they were both home from work. He'd become especially fond of using emojis, and she laughed at some of the bizarre ones he would employ. He'd also started to enjoy the muggle foods she introduced him to, hence his request for enchiladas.

Her and Draco's relationship was progressing at a rapid rate. She supposed she should have been concerned, but she was enjoying it too much to worry. He was an intelligent and witty companion, a passionate and generous lover, and a tender and chivalrous boyfriend. She had never thought that she would enjoy his company so much.

When she returned home that Friday evening to prepare for their date, she went to the living room to find Harry looking at her in concern. "Another date?" he asked.

Hermione would have bristled, except for the clear concern in his voice. "Yeah."

Harry hesitated. "You've been seeing a lot of Malfoy over the last month. Things must be pretty serious between you two."

She shrugged. She supposed they were. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Don't you think you're moving rather quickly?"

She sat down beside him with a sigh. "I don't know. I've never exactly had a normal romantic relationship before."

"You were with Ron for six months."

"Yeah, but Ron and I had been friends for years before that. Besides, I was never attracted to Ron the way I am to Draco. It's different."

Harry looked a little queasy as her mention of attraction, but brushed it off. "I just don't want you to get hurt, Hermione."

"You don't think he's serious about me?" she asked, concerned.

Harry shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know him well enough to tell one way or the other. We've been cordial since you started dating, but no more than that."

Hermione thought about that. "I'll be careful," she said. "I don't want my heart broken."

Harry nodded. "That's a good idea. I'm not trying to be nosy; I just worry about you."

She gave him a hug. "I know. I love you, Harry."

"Love you too, Hermione."

When Draco came over that evening for dinner, Hermione watched him as they chopped up chicken and vegetables for a stir-fry. She was sure that Draco liked her; she knew he liked making love with her. Every word and action spoke of his affection for her. He was thinking of their future together as long term, wasn't he?

Then again, was she? She didn't really know where this relationship with Draco was going long term. She couldn't say she was ready to settle down with him and have his babies, but she wasn't prepared to give him up either. She enjoyed his company too much.

After dinner, they sat on the couch to watch a movie. Ever since their muggle date, Draco had loved movies, and they watched one at least once a week. Usually Draco watched with complete attention, but this evening he was obviously feeling frisky, running his big hand over her thigh and arm, threading it through her curls, pulling her close to snuggle at his side. By the time the movie was over, she was feeling hot and bothered, and practically dragged him into her bedroom.

He laughed as he followed her willingly. "I'm glad to see you so eager for me," he teased as he undressed.

Once they were both naked, he tumbled her down onto the bed and rolled on top of her to kiss her. They kissed for a few minutes, becoming more and more heated, until Hermione pressed on his chest to roll him over. Draco went easily, trying to pull her on top of him.

"No, wait a minute," she said, trying to steel herself to put her plan into action.

"What is it?" he asked, brushing her hair back from her forehead.

"I want to try something," she said, reaching down to take his cock in her hand.

He let out a moan at the feeling of her soft hand wrapped around him. "I've been curious about what it would be like to put my mouth on you," she admitted.

Draco groaned, obviously aroused by the idea. "You have?" he said huskily.

"Oh yeah," she said. "You do it to me so often. I want to return the favor."

"I'd be happy to accommodate you, madam," Draco tried to tease, but it was ruined by a moan as she leaned down to lick the head of his cock.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed, and she couldn't help but smile. She loved to see him lose control, which happened practically anytime she touched him. It was such a heady feeling.

"You might have to help me with this. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I'll love whatever you do," he replied, panting. "You won't hear me complaining."

Still feeling rather nervous despite his reassurances, she leaned down and took the length of him into her mouth and swirled her tongue around the tip.

Draco's whole body tensed as he let out a choked sound, fisting his hands in her hair. His hips thrust up slightly, but then he stopped, clearly forcing himself to stay still.

Hermione was thrilled at his response, and tried to set up a rhythm with her mouth and hand, since he was too big to fit all the way into her mouth. She hadn't seen many human penises, but she thought Draco's was probably exceptionally large.

Her technique was undoubtedly awkward and uncertain, but Draco was clearly overcome by her ministrations all the same.

"Fuck, Hermione! So good – that's right, take me deep. Shit, your sweet mouth is so hot –"

He had started to lose control, holding his hands in her hair and thrusting up into her mouth until he almost hit the back of her throat. She let him, thrilled by the way he had so quickly lost control.

"I'm going to come! Are you going to let me come in your hot little mouth, Hermione? Will you swallow every drop of my seed until you've drained me dry?"

Wildly aroused by his dirty talk, Hermione moaned around his cock, and that was all it took for him to come hard with a guttural groan. He spurted down her throat, and she did her best to swallow it all. The taste wasn't unpleasant, she was glad to discover. She would definitely enjoy doing this to him again.

She let go of his now flaccid cock and crawled up the bed to lie in his waiting arms as he recovered. He was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"That was fucking incredible," he managed to say. "Thank you so much, Hermione."

"I liked it," she admitted, squirming a little bit at the feel of his hard body next to hers.

Draco could obviously tell she was aroused. "Did that turn you on, Hermione?" he asked in a seductive voice. "Do you need to come?"

She moaned. "Yes, oh Draco, I need to come so bad!"

He picked her up and placed her so that she had one knee on either side of his head and her pussy was right over his face. She grasped the headboard in surprise, trying not to crush him. "Draco! What are you doing?"

He didn't answer, just gave her a slow lick.

She was shocked and titillated by what he was doing. She'd never imagined a man could pleasure a woman in such a position. She was so aroused that she soon lost any self-consciousness she might have felt, and began to grind herself into his face as he sucked and licked on her sensitive folds and protruding clit. She came with startling swiftness, shuddering and crying out as she gushed onto his face. She fell to the side next to him, careful not to smother him.

It took her several long moments to recover, before she rolled herself into his arms. "That was amazing. Thank you, Draco," she panted.

"It was my pleasure, madam," he teased her. "I am ready and willing to accommodate you at any time."

She just laughed. "You dork."

She was dozing off when she felt Draco's warm body tense beside her. She looked up at him, blinking, to find him gazing at him with an earnestness she had never seen on his face before. "What is it, Draco?"

"Hermione, I wanted to tell you something."

"Yeah?" she prompted when he didn't continue.

"You should know that – that I've fallen in love with you."

She was shocked into speechlessness, even as delight filled her. "You – you love me?" she whispered.

He nodded, looking at her with intense earnestness. "Yeah. And it's okay if you're not ready to say it back. I don't expect that. I just wanted you to know that I love you and that that will never change, even if you never love me back."

Hermione didn't know what to say. That such a passionate, intelligent, sexy man would love her was incredible to her. She hugged him close and leaned over to kiss him.

Maybe Harry was right. Maybe their relationship was moving too fast.

In that moment, Hermione found she didn't care.