Chapter 10

Things started to progress between them during Christmas. Kisses on the lips and hugs become commonplace, something that happened naturally between them.

They were back to who they used to be, except for their bed situation. Draco was still sleeping in the guest room and after months of it, Draco was starting to get outwardly frustrated.

"Darling, we fall asleep together on the couch watching movies and stay there will morning with no recourse."

Hermione felt guilty, she wanted to be able to sleep in the same bad as him too, she was just afraid. Hermione had pushed through fear all her life, but for some reason, this one stumped her. She saw no way around it, not without damaging their finally mended relationship.

"This, it just feels too big."

Draco did not like the defeat in her eyes. It felt like an impossible situation, but he could not keep sleeping in their guest room. He was happy to do it, and give her space and time, but Hermione was unwilling to cross this boundary. He needed to help her do it, ensure her that he was with her no matter what.

"What if intentionally we both sleep on the couch together, then work out way up to the bedroom?"

The couch was neutral, while they would be on top of each other all night due to the little space, it seemed like a good jumping-off point.

"We could try that." She agreed, that night they brought blankets down to the couch and snuggled ready to get some well-deserved rest.

Everything was fine until nightmares pushed their way into her peaceful sleep. Hermione woke with a start and shot up off the couch. She burst into tears, not because of the nightmare, but because she felt disappointed in herself.

Draco woke as soon as she did, he followed her into the kitchen. She had turned on all the lights and was sitting on the counter crying.

"Bad dream?" She nodded.

"I am so angry, what the hell is wrong with me? it's almost been a full year."

"Hey, hey." Draco stepped up and gently took Hermione's hands in his. "It's been eight months. Didn't you tell me Diane said you should be easy on yourself?"

"Yes, but eight months! Aren't you mad too?"

Draco paused, yes he was mad but he had saved those moments for his time with Blaise or even Potter once or twice but never in front of her. He was terrified that if he showed that side of himself to her, she would see "Malfoy."

"I hate them for taking you and for what they did while you were with them. As for what has happened since you've been back, I understand it, as much as I wish you were never taken, we can't change it."

"So you are angry."

Draco bit his bottom lip, "Not at you."

Hermione nodded, "You can share that with me you know. You aren't the only one pissed off."

"I would rather focus on our future than become bitter and angry about the time that was stolen from us."

"I'm so tired of feeling like this." Hermione's forehead pulled together.

"I know baby."

Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Can we go to bed?"

"Are you sure you want to try again, we can try another night later this week."

"No, I'm not going to get used to us sharing a bed again if I keep pushing you away. But let's go upstairs, the bed is comfier than the couch."

Draco took a step back so Hermione could slide off the counter and back into his arms.

"Off to bed. You have a very busy day in the morning, Miss Jr Mindhealer."

.

They slept with a pillow between them and had a couple of rough nights. But as days passed with no incident Hermione grew more comfortable with the fact, that Draco would not touch her without her willingness. She slept more deeply and eventually, they slept without a pillow between them.

Naturally, over time she moved across the bed, closer to him until she was once again sleeping in his arms. Which came with its own setbacks and regressions, but they made it through. Together.

She started her training at St Mungo's and while she learned to become a Mind healer, she was healing her own mind at the same time. Her half a year with Malfoy was slowly becoming fuzzy and less impactful in her own life. She started going out with Harry and Ginny, she and Draco started going out on dates and things in their life started to settle down.

The only thing still not back to 'normal' was their intimacy. They kissed and hugged, but in the bedroom, they slept and Draco never pushed her.

Hermione was more than ready to give it a try, but it had been so long, and she was worried what a bad experience might do to them.

So after a nice picnic out on their lawn, Hermione grabbed hold of her courage and asked Draco what she had been trying to figure out to ask him for weeks now.

Draco reached out and brushed his thumb over her cheek. "Your thoughts are loud."

She looked up, not realizing how lost in thought she had become. Draco was smiling sweetly at her, waiting for her to come back to him. A little glint in his eye, proving that he had been watching her 'think' for a while now.

Hermione straightened up and folded her hands in her lap. "I've been thinking about something. I have been trying to figure out how to bring it up to you, without it being weird like it is now."

Draco moved closer to her, taking her hand. "I'm not feeling weird. You can talk to me about anything, you know you can."

He was right because as time went on, Hermione shared things and explained her reactions to things. Never going into detail, that was for her, but enough so that he would understand.

"I want us to be intimate again, sexually. I thought about just starting things after our date the other night, but decided against it."

"Why did you decide against it?"

Draco wanted to understand because, on their date night, he had felt it too. That energy shift, but he was in no way going to initiate anything, not until it was commonplace between then again. He felt it rise and clung to it until it fell and things ebbed away into the night.

"Despite the weirdness of talking about sex with you, even after having a regular sex life. It just felt like we needed to have a conversation. I'm nervous it will set us back and I'm worried that I will hurt you in the process."

Raising her hands between them, Draco kissed every one of her fingers.

"We have navigated our setbacks together. You are not the only one having them Hermione."

She frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Our first night out together, when you would go off without me or even while you were by my side. I was constantly looking around, waiting for someone to show up and disappear with you. When you go to work or out with Potter, it's all I can do to hold myself back and not act like a possessive asshole. Because I want you to go out with your friends and I want us to go on dates and events together. But I am deathly afraid of losing you."

Hermione started to speak, but he was not finished.

"I never said anything to you, because any happiness you found yourself in, I wanted you to be able to hold onto that feeling for as long as you could. I have been struggling too. All I want in life is for you to be happy, happy with me. These 'setbacks' aren't damaging to us, they bring us closer. We handle them together."

"What if I can't go through with it?"

"Then we stop, and we cuddle and watch a movie, or I go make some tea and give you some alone time." Draco smiled, "When you first got back, you said it all felt impossible, but little by little you broke it down and reclaimed your life, this, is just like that. We can go slow, stop whenever you want, or not. I'm in no rush, Darling."

"I love you." Hermione rose to her knees to pull him into a hug.

"I love you," His warm arms wrapped around her waist.

They did not have sex that night, or even that week. Hermione could not help but feel relief that longer she waited. Not because she was not anxious to get into bed with him, but because he never pushed. Draco kept to his word, like he always did.

The night they went out with their friend Hermione knew it was the right time. She could not take her eyes off her handsome boyfriend's face. He smiled and laughed and seemed like he felt right in his body. She may not have said it out loud, but Hermione had noticed the changes in him when she got back. At first Malfoy and Draco blended together.

It was hard to remember which behaviour belonged to which man. As she got more distance she could see where her disappearance had forced him to harden. Now it seemed he was the Draco she loved through and through, and she wanted all of him.

As the night dwindled down and they took their leave, Hermione relieved to him of what she had hidden under her dress all night.

Draco's breath caught as he watched Hermione let her dress drop to their bedroom floor. He forced himself to remain still as his blood rushed to his dick, leaving his brain starved of clear thought.

"Are you going to stand there looking or are you going to do something about all this."

Draco smiled, he moved forward grabbing Hermione up and reviled in her laugh as he brought them over onto the bed. Her smooth legs were wrapped tightly around her waist. Instead of laying her down on their bed, He sat back keeping her in his lap.

They kissed and touched each other. Hermione slid her hands over his chest, popping buttons open as she went.

"Where'd you get this little number?"

Hermione looked down at her black outfit, the lace Slytherin green.

"I bought it a couple of months ago, I've just been waiting for the opportunity to wear it."

Draco chuckled against her chest. "So you wear it to a gathering with our friends."

Hermione smiled, "You have a problem with that?"

As he spoke, Draco was undoing the lace of Hermione's bodice.

"Yeah, I have a problem. If you are willing to wear something this mouth-watering in front of our friends, what are you wearing on any given day?"

Hermione pulled the shirt from his shoulders, "Then I guess you'll just have to start undressing me at the end of the day to find out."

"With pleasure." He groaned claiming her mouth.

Hermione rolled her hips into his. She could feel the slight hesitation Draco was trying to hide from her and it made her heart flutter. She did not want this to be a practice on restraint, she wanted all of him like she always did.

Licking his ear she whispered, "Don't hold back."

Draco pulled back, her nipple falling from his mouth. He looked into her big brown eyes and saw nothing but love and security looking back at him. Pulling her tight to his chest, Draco flipped them, Hermione's hair sprawling out on the bed.

Hermione pulled him over her body, hands sliding over his shoulder blades. He settled between her legs and Hermione pulled back when she felt his hard dick against her panties.

"Wait." Draco pulled back immediately, but her legs tightened around his hips. "My wand."

She reached over her head to her bedside table, pressing the tip to her bare stomach she uttered the contraception spell. A little warmth spread through her stomach and she sighed, now she was ready.

Draco placed her wand back on the table for her. He pressed back into her and groaned as Hermione's hips rolled eagerly against him.

"God, you are gorgeous."

"I want you." Hermione kissed and sucked at his neck.

Draco's hands slipped under her panties and into her warm lips. Hermione breath stuttered and her hips chanced his fingers. His lips sucks and licked at her breasts, smiling as she arched and squirmed under him.

"You want my fingers?" Hermione nodded.

"Yes." She licked her lips, her hands working on his belt.

Two fingers pumped and twisted inside her. Hermione whined, Draco grunted and whispered sweet words into her skin. His mouth moved lower sucking little bruises onto her stomach and hips. His eyes flicked up to watch Hermione as he blew on her and she clamped down around his fingers.

"That's my girl." He licked his fingers clean.

Falling back over her, they lay there and made out. Hermione tried to catch his breath and Draco continued to steal it away with his lips.

Hermione spread her legs wider and rolled her hips along his shaft. She knew what he was doing, he was allowing her to decide what happened next with them.

"Don't stop."

Lifting his hips to give him enough of an angel to slide into her Draco's balls jumped when Hermione reached down and took his dick in her hands. She directed him into her, feeding inch by inch. While she was looking down at their bodies, he was zeroed in on her face.

If he were honest, he didn't know how far things were going to progress between them tonight. But he knew he only wanted to do this if she did, and the fire in her eyes was undeniable.

So he took her hands and slid them up over her head, placing both of hers into one of his. His free hand caressed her sides and grabbed at her thighs.

Hermione's body arched, winded and took him like a goddess. His mouth licked, sucked and lavished at the skin he could reach.

When she came around him, his goddamn head exploded and he rutted against her triggering his own climax.

Hermione trembled eyes unfocused on the ceiling, Draco's forehead pressed against her shoulder as they panted.

After some leisurely shoulder kisses, Hermione grabbed Draco's dress shirt and headed into the bathroom to clean up with a smile on her face. Draco rolled from his bed grabbing his wand and casting several skills in quick succession.

Grabbing pants and a shirt he positioned himself in the middle of the room. The door cracked open and the glow from the bathroom backlit Hermione, his heartbeat like the wings on a snitch.

Hermione smiled at herself in the mirror, turning on the tap to drown out the sound of her giggles. Something she thought so impossible, had been sweet and perfect. Hermione loved her parents and her friends, but this was different. She never felt this full of love than she did right now.

Not want to worry Draco by spending more time than she had to in the bathroom. Hermione buttoned up the dress shirt and washed her face before heading back into the bedroom.

Her toes almost brushed the peddles of a peach rose. As she looked up her eyes were inundated with roses and floating candles. Her boyfriend was on his knees in the middle of it, A ring in hand.

Hermione's eyes fluttered quickly, her heart racing like a hummingbird. She knew exactly what it was but had not in her wildest dreams been expecting it.

Draco held out his hand silently, asking for her to join him.

In that moment, those painful several months shattered. Because this man, the one kneeling like a muggle would in the request of marriage, the one who was patient and kind, protective and loyal, he was her Draco Malfoy. The man she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life honouring.

In his dress shirt, she walked toward him. Rose peddles tickling her toes and candles floating out of the way as she moved.

"You Draco Malfoy are unbelievable." She took his hand.

"I never pictured a life where I would get to choose to love someone, let alone marry that woman. Our lives weren't made up of choices Hermione, they were made of obligations, threats of life and loyalties. I want our lives to be nothing but choices, love and happiness. I want it all with you, to wake up and choose each other every day, to choose happiness."

Hermione blinked the tears from her eyes, her throat thick with emotion.

"Yes."

Draco kissed her bare finger before sliding the ring he bought from a muggle jeweller. He worked together with the old man to build the perfect ring for her delicate hand.

Hermione dropped down onto her knees and hugged Draco. Both of them hide their tears on each other's shoulders.

They were not even thirty yet and it seemed like they had already lived more than their fair share of lives. Now, maybe they could restart together, and build the life for themselves that they always should have had. Together.