Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A/N: Extra long chapter today! Thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows! I'm so glad so many people are enjoying my story!

Chapter 14

Hermione was leaning back on Draco's chest in front of the fireplace in the room she usually requested of the Room of Requirement. It had been a few days since she and Draco had made up and the two had been regularly meeting up every night to perform the spell on the cabinet. On nights like this one, the pair would change the room to the cozy sitting area Hermione liked and they would sit in front of the fireplace for a few hours, studying for their final exams, snogging and well, shagging.

"It's the last Hogsmeade weekend tomorrow." Hermione said as she traced patterns on Draco's legs which she was trapped in between.

"Hm… it is, is it?" he responded dryly, twirling a curl of hers between his fingers.

"Will you be going?" she asked, hoping she sounded casual.

She knew they wouldn't be able to go together or anything but she hoped she would be able to sneak off and see him somewhere outside of the school for a change.

"Wasn't planning on it." he replied. "Will you?" he asked once her shoulders sagged a bit in disappointment.

"Well… yes. It's the last one before the summer break and I figured it'd be nice to go. Take a break from studying…" she trailed off, tilting her head slightly to look at him.

His startling grey eyes bored down into her own and Hermione felt butterflies erupt in her stomach at his intense gaze.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked, tugging on the curl he had been playing with.

"It might be nice." she said, blushing slightly. She hated feeling like she was begging for his attention, and this conversation made her feel like that. She was sure he would laugh in her face and call her stupid for wanting him to come knowing they wouldn't be able to publicly interact with one another.

"Then I'll go." he said simply, smirking when her lips parted in surprise.

"You will?" she asked, excitement clear in her voice. "We can meet up somewhere! I've been dying to pick up a new book from Flourish & Blotts and I know no one will be there because the years practically over and-" she cut herself off, remembering the way Ron had scoffed at her on their last Hogsmeade trip for wanted to shop for some new books.

"I mean… we don't have to go there, we can meet up at Honeydukes or something instead, I suppose-" she began backtracking, not wanting to have him tease her for it as well.

"Flourish & Blotts sounds perfect." he cut her off. "I'd like to see this new book you've been dying to pick up." he said, smirk playing on his lips as she stared at him in surprise once more.

"Really?" she asked hesitantly, eyeing him to see if he was simply toying with her.

"Yes, really." he said firmly, rolling his eyes at her need for reassurance.

"Sorry, it's just… nevermind." she shook her head.

She knew didn't need to explain herself but for some reason she always found herself seeking reassurance when it came to Draco. Years of being teased by him as well as little remarks about her book wormish tendencies from even her own friends had made her feel slightly insecure about her love for books and knowledge. She had grown up believing that education was a very important privilege given to her and when she came to Hogwarts she had also felt the need to prove herself worthy of magical education as a muggleborn. She knew it was silly, but it hurt when Ron or girls like Parvati Patil scoffed at her when she chose to stay in and read a good book rather than head down to the Quidditch Pitch or a celebratory party following a game.

Draco eyed her, a look of annoyance on his face. The bruise and cuts from his fight with Blaise had now faded and his perfect porcelain complexion was back. "Spit it out, Granger." he snaked his arm around her waist and lifted her up slightly before turning her in his lap so she was now straddling him.

She instinctively raised her hands, resting them at the nape of his neck as she toyed with his platinum hair. "It's nothing! Really. I'm glad you'll be coming this weekend." she offered him a smile.

"Say what you were going to say." he demanded, hands resting on her hips.

Hermione sighed, averting her gaze from his own. She knew he wouldn't let this go, Draco Malfoy always had to know everything. "I was just making sure you wanted to meet at Flourish & Blotts. I don't want you to be bored or anything… I know the school years practically over and you'd probably prefer not to be surrounded by more books." she hoped she didn't sound as pathetic as she felt.

Draco slid his hands under the edge of her shirt, his cool fingers now resting on the bare skin of her waist. "Why would I be bored? Do you think I'm daft, Granger?" he raised a brow, though his tone was teasing.

"No! Of course not, it's just… my friends don't usually want to go with me so I figured…" she gasped slightly at his cool touch.

"I'm not your friend." he corrected as he stared at her. "And they don't want to go because they're idiots. I, for one, enjoy shopping for a good book." he smirked. "Besides… if that's where you want to go, then that's where we'll go. It shouldn't matter if I don't want to."

She stared at him in surprise. "What you want doesn't matter?" she laughed slightly. The egotistical, self-centred Draco Malfoy had just said that what she wanted outweighed what he wanted.

"Don't sound so surprised, Granger." he smiled slightly as she laughed. "I can be a gentleman. Where my lady wants to go, we shall go."

The butterflies in her stomach erupted once more at his words and she blushed slightly at the affection behind them. Draco sure as hell wasn't a romantic but what he had said had left her blushing like a lovesick schoolgirl.

"Your lady." she repeated, fighting to keep the smile off her face. "I think I like the sound of that."

"Good." he smirked back. "And for the record, Granger. You should never let people make you feel embarrassed about what you enjoy."

She stared at him in shock. She hadn't said that. Could he read minds now?

"People can pick fun at you for being the smartest witch in our year all they want, but in the end you'll be the one who they'll all be working for." he continued in a superior tone. "You're better than all of them."

"You, my school bully for the last six years, are telling me not to let what people say about me get to me?" she felt slightly annoyed at him for that.

"That was before." he waved a hand dismissively. "I said what I could to get you all riled up." he shrugged as if it were nothing. "Besides, your intelligence makes you all the sexier." he moved his hands up her waist until he was cupping her breasts through her bra.

She felt her face heat at the compliment as the blasted butterflies went wild in her stomach. When things between her and Draco were going well, they were absolutely perfect. He made her feel pretty, intelligent, wanted and sexy. He made her feel special -different from everyone else. And she absolutely loved it. But when things were going badly… they were absolutely terrible. The way that he was able to switch off his emotions and turn into a cruel, cold bully scared her a bit, but not enough to scare her off completely.

Moments like these -when it was just them sitting and talking about anything and everything- she was able to see the Draco Malfoy that she was so drawn to. And they were worth every bad moment they had had.

She smiled, twirling his hair between her fingers. "So…" she began. "It's almost summer. Will I hear from you much?"

Draco's face went blank and his hands fell back down to her hips. "Maybe. Maybe not." he answered vaguely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she frowned. Was he planning on cutting her off completely once the cabinet was fixed?

"I don't know. I get pretty busy in the summer." he said, going tense under her.

Hermione felt a pang of hurt in her chest at his words. Pretty busy? He wasn't going to be to see her every now and then? Even write to her?

"Well why waste time pretending?" she said after a minute of silence, moving to get off him. "Why don't we just save ourselves the heartache and end this little fling now?"

She felt a bit overly dramatic at her reaction, but she couldn't help it. She was beginning to feel like his dirty little secret… and not in a good way.

He stared up at her as she stood from his position on the floor. "That's not what I meant, Granger." he pursed his lips in irritation.

"I'll see you tomorrow." she said, not wanting to fight with him.

He stood, moving to take her hand in his. "Don't be like that. We just made up." he said, staring at her with the pleading, intense look that made her go weak at the knees.

She swallowed, averting his gaze from his. "I know… I just don't want to get back into this all over again if we're going to go back to hating each other by seventh year." she said quietly. "After what we've done in just the last few days… I can't go through that again, Draco. I don't want to."

Everytime she and Draco had fought over the last few months, Hermione had felt her heart break a little bit more and more.

"I'm going to head back to the Gryffindor tower. I'm getting a bit tired." she said when he didn't respond.

She squeezed his hand before grabbing her bag and swiftly heading out of the room. He didn't follow.


Draco walked down the cobblestone roads of Hogsmeade, Blaise at his side.

"You owe me about five rounds of firewhiskey for covering for you, Draco." said Blaise.

Draco had seeked him out to join him in Hogsmeade earlier that morning, asking Blaise to watch out for anyone who might be passing by while he snuck off to meet Granger. Blaise had taken the news of Draco's secret relationship fairly well. He hadn't asked too many questions and hadn't bugged Draco for going after Potter's right hand woman.

"Yeah, sure." Draco rolled his eyes as they made their way to Flourish & Blotts.

He wasn't sure that Geanger would show up after she had left him in the Room of Requirement last night, but he figured he would still head over to the bookshop. He had promised he would.

The two Slytherins stepped into the deserted shop, greeting the shopkeeper with a small nod before they made their way further into the shop. Draco felt a wave of relief wash over him as he spotted the head of curly chocolate hair up ahead between two shelves of books.

The light from the window next to her was hitting her face perfectly, illuminating the soft skin and casting a golden glow around her head. Draco paused in his steps before she could turn and notice them, contemplating what to say when he reached her.

He hadn't meant what he had said about seeing her over the summer. With the task he was expected to complete by the end of the month and the return of his father, Draco knew he wouldn't be able to contact Granger over the summer. And once she discovered what he was going to do, she wouldn't want to contact him either.

Blaise elbowed his side as he paused, throwing him a sly smirk before he brushed past Draco, heading over to Granger.

"Hermione." Blaise greeted, causing the Gryffindor's head to shoot up.

She stared at him in surprise before glancing around Blaise and staring at Draco. "Blaise." she returned her focus on him, offering him a smile. "Nice to see you again."

"Likewise." he smirked, taking her hand and bringing it to his mouth, pressing a light kiss to the back of it.

Draco scowled, taking a few steps forward until he stood next to them. "Fucking Italian prick." Draco said as Blaise dropped her hand, shrugging.

Hermione let out a small laugh at the insult, letting her hand drop back to her side. "You came." she addressed Draco, now completely ignoring Blaise.

"I'll see myself out." Blaise rolled his eyes, nodding to Draco before he headed back the way they came.

"Bye, Blaise," Hermione called halfheartedly after him.

Draco stared at her for a few seconds before glancing at the shelf next to her. "The book you've been dying to get ahold of?" he asked, gesturing to the shelf.

"What? Oh, yeah." she nodded, pulling a maroon book from the shelf.

"I'm… sorry. About yesterday." Draco said uncomfortably, the apology feeling foreign in his mouth.

She blinked in surprise. "It's… it's okay." she said, shaking her head. "I may have overreacted. We just got back into the swing of things and I was getting a bit ahead of myself."

"I don't want to go back to hating you next year." he said, staring down at her. "But… there are things you don't know."

The words left his mouth before he could stop them. "I don't want you to look at me differently. I don't know what will happen with us this summer."

She frowned in confusion. "What things?" she asked, reaching out to take his hand. "You can tell me. We'll figure it out. I want this to work." she rushed out her words.

Draco mentally fought with himself, tightening his grip on her hand as he did. If he told her… about the Dark Mark… about the task. She would try to talk him out of it, tell him to go to Dumbledore and seek his help. Or perhaps she would slap him for lying to her and using her to help him fix the cabinet under false pretences. Or maybe she would run off to Potter with the information and get him locked away in Azkaban.

There was too much at risk. He shouldn't have let it slip that he was hiding things. She would be suspicious now. She would push him away, no longer trust him. But what if she didn't… what if she did find a way to help him out of the mess that was his life? What if he didn't have to complete the task? Was there a way to ensure his and his mother's safety?

Just then a loud bang was heard from outside the shop, causing both of them to snap their heads towards the front door. Draco felt her pull her hand from his, immediately reaching for her wand and drawing it out.

"Hogsmeade is under attack!" Blaise showed up around the corner, his own wand drawn as his eyes locked with Draco's.

Hogsmeade? Under attack? Draco drew his own wand from his pocket, silently exchanging words with Blaise. It was a Death Eater attack. It had to be… but why hadn't Draco been warned of it?

"Take her." Draco said quietly, stepping forward and closing the distance between him and Blaise. He stared intensely at the Slytherin, silently begging him to do as he was told.

Granger was a muggleborn and Potter's best friend. He couldn't risk something happening to her if the Death Eaters got to her.

"What?" she exclaimed behind them, reaching her hand out to push Draco aside. "No! I have to go see what's going on! We have to make sure everyone is okay!" she shook her head, making her way to the exit.

Draco gritted his teeth at her nobility. "No. You're going back to the castle. Now." he hissed, reaching out to grab her bicep firmly.

She flinched, attempting to pull her arm from his grasp. He tightened his hold. "Go. Take her kicking and screaming if you have to, Blaise." he pulled her back before shoving her into Blaise's arms.

Blaise wrapped his own hand around her arm, much gentler than Draco. He nodded at Draco before pulling Hermione towards the exit. "See you back there, mate." Blaise's eyes knowingly flickered to Draco's covered forearm.


"Blaise!" Hermione exclaimed, fighting against him as he led her away. "My friends! Please, I have to see if they're okay." she pleaded.

"They're fine." Blaise said, shaking his head as they walked. "Potter and Weasel didn't come to Hogsmeade today. Me and Draco checked before we came." he explained. "Couldn't risk running into them on your little date, could we?"

She relaxed slightly against him at his reassurance. But still, all of the other Hogwarts students… she couldn't run away. "I still need to-"

Blaise pulled her into a nearby alley as they heard another explosion up ahead. "Listen, Granger. I don't want to babysit you. I'm doing this for Draco. When he says to do something serious like this, it's probably for the best. He knows more than we know and he'll lose his mind if I let you run off right now." he snapped, staring down at her. "Just please. Come with me. I don't want to take you kicking and screaming but I will if I have to. The professors are here. Aurors are here. Everyone will be okay, we just have to get out of here."

Hermione frowned. What did that mean? Draco knew more than they did? "What? What about Draco? Why didn't he come?"

Just then Blaise pulled her flush against him, slapping a hand over her mouth as he pulled them into the shadows of the small alley. A small group of Death Eaters marched down the cobblestone road, and Hermione's heart stopped as she saw the long silver hair peeking out of the silver mask of a Death Eater leading the group.

Lucius Malfoy. Of course. Her heart rate quickened as she thought about Draco. Would he run into him? Would they talk? Would Lucius take Draco away? What was going on?

Blaise and Hermione stood for a few minutes until they were sure the Death Eaters were far gone. Blaise released his hold on her before wrapping his hand around her bicep once more and speedily leading her back towards the castle, glancing cautiously over his shoulder every now and then.

Hermione swallowed hard as she glanced over her own shoulder. Draco would kill her if she tried to go back. But she didn't want to leave him back at Flourish & Blotts while his father and his pals were causing havoc around the village.

"Blaise… we can't leave him." she said, clawing at his hand around her arm.

Blaise scowled over at her. "Stop with the Gryffindor shit, Granger. Draco's a big boy, he can hold his own. If you think he needs saving, go ahead and get yourself killed. If the Death Eaters don't get you first, Draco definitely will."

She stared at him, wanting nothing more than to punch his perfectly sculpted face. He was right though… Draco would be furious with her if she turned back when he specifically asked that she return to the castle. Lucius Malfoy was cruel but surely he wouldn't let his only son die in an attack.

She slowly stopped her clawing and he sighed in relief before tugged her back towards the castle.

"Trust me, Granger. He'll be fine." Blaise muttered as they made their way up to the castle.


Draco stepped outside the bookstore and into the deserted street just as the group of Death Eaters rounded the corner. He eyed the masked faces, hand clutched loosely in his hand as his Aunt Bellatrix flicked her wand, setting fire to a nearby shop and shutting all the blinds to nearby windows with another flick. She was the only one without a mask.

"Draco!" Bellatrix cooed in her manic voice, brushing past the group of Death Eaters and heading over to him.

Draco gritted his teeth as she stopped in front of him, reaching out to drag her fingers down his cheek. "Growing into a man, are you Drakey?" she purred before cackling at Lucius over her shoulder.

Lucius reached up, pulling the silver mask from his face as he eyed his son. "Draco." he greeted, taking a step forward and then another until he stood next to Bellatrix. "I never received a welcome home letter following my… departure from Azkaban." he said, coldly addressing his son.

"I've been preoccupied." Draco muttered, hoping the hate in his eyes didn't show through as he analyzed his father's hollow face.

Azkaban had treated Lucius Malfoy horribly. His once long, lean frame was now sickly thin, his robes hanging off his body awkwardly. His cheekbones stood out sharply against his skin and his lips were dry and cracked. His complexion was now a sickly shade with purple undertones and his long, platinum hair sat thin and limp against his scalp.

"I see." Lucius raised his chin slightly. "Your task is coming along nicely, I presume."

"Just dandy." he spat, and Lucius chuckled humourlessly.

"Now, now, Draco. That isn't any tone to take with your father." he tutted as Bellatrix grinned next to him.

"Draco will restore honour to the Malfoy name." Bellatrix said gleefully, reaching out and patting her nephew's cheek with a bony hand.

"If he can do it." sneered Lucius.

Draco felt a ball of rage rise within him at his father's words. How he would love to curse the sneer off the man's face. He was the reason Draco was in this mess and he had the nerve to question his capability of completing the task.

"I will do it." Draco responded back sharply.

Fuck all that hesitation he had felt when he had almost told Granger. He wouldn't seek her help. He would complete the task, even if it was just to rub it in his father's face. He would prove to his father that Lucius was the Malfoy fuck up -not him.

He would do it for himself and his family name. He would do it to restore his mother's reputation in pureblood society. He would do it to ensure their survival. There was no more time to regret anything now. It was too late.

"Run on back to the castle, nephew." Bellatrix said. "We'll be seeing you again soon enough."

She gestured to the group of Death Eaters and with a final cold look from Lucius, the group brushed past him to continue their path of destruction.

Draco stood there until the sounds of their footsteps faded off. He fought the bile rising in his throat as he tightened his hold on his wand and sped off back towards the castle.


Hermione sat in the Room of Requirement that night, nervously twiddling her fingers as she sat in front of the fire. She had performed the spell on the cabinet and was now waiting for Draco to turn up. She hadn't seen him since she and Blaise had returned to the castle and she was dying to see him.

"I should've went back." she muttered to herself.

"No. You shouldn't have." she heard his cool voice behind her and she jumped, whipping around to face him.

"Draco." she let out a breath of relief as he collapsed into the chair in front of her.

"What happened? Why did you tell me to leave? What's going on?" she immediately attacked him with questions.

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb, the familiar muscle in his jaw twitching as he did. "Just… a message from my father. He wanted to say hello." he said bitterly.

She stared at him, mouth falling open. "You need to report this. To Dumbledore." she crawled over to him until she was kneeling next to his folded feet.

Draco glared at her. "Fuck off, Granger." he muttered, shaking his head.

She huffed. "Hogsmeade was attacked! Any leads will help-"

"I'm not fucking reporting it, Granger." he hissed, cutting her off. "So Dumbledore can enlist me as his little spy? So the ministry can throw me in Azkaban for associating myself with my escaped convict father?"

Hermione faltered, biting her lip as she thought over his words. Would that happen? Would she want him to risk it happening if she encouraged him to seek out Dumbledore?

"What were you saying? Before Blaise showed up. You were saying there were things I didn't know." she asked instead.

Draco paused, glancing over at the crackling fire. "I just meant that we come from two very different worlds. You know who my father is. You know who my family is." he muttered, looking more stressed than she had seen in a long time. "And you're… you."

She knew what he meant. They were destined to fight on opposite sides of a battle. They were destined to hate each other. They were never meant to last. So he was right… they didn't know what would happen over the summer. But that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"It doesn't matter." she raised a hand to rest on his thigh. "We'll make it work, right?" she asked desperately.

Draco eyed her for a few seconds before sighing and leaning back against the couch, running a hand over his face. "Yeah. We will." he muttered dryly.

She frowned at his hesitance, dropping her hand. "Yeah." she muttered just as dryly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound in the room being the crackling of the flames.

"Let's not worry about the future yet." he finally said, sitting up in his seat and leaning forward towards her. "We're good right now. This is good. Isn't that enough?"

She stared at him before sighing. "Yes. You're right, we are good right now." she said softly.

Whatever the future held, they would cross that path when they got to it. Right now they had a few weeks left together before the summer break and she didn't want to waste that time.

Draco offered her one of his rare, genuine smiles. The dimple in his cheek made her heart rate quicken as she reached out to take his hand, pulling him down from the couch and onto the rug in front of the fire next to her.

"Let's enjoy the next two weeks together." she said, reaching up to stroke his cheek gently. His eyes shut as she did and she smiled as she noticed him lean into her touch. "I don't want to waste time fighting. We'll deal with the summer and seventh year when we get to it. I want to be with you now. Just me and you…"

His eyes snapped open at her words and his grey eyes darkened. "Just me and you." he repeated appreciatively. "I like the sound of that."

He closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a soft kiss as he pushed her back slightly so that she laid back on the rug under them. He moved so that he was holding himself up on his elbows on top of her.

He peppered kisses from her lips and down to her neck and Hermione gasped at his gentleness. This was… different.

His hands reached down to the edge of her t-shirt before he pulled it up and over her head, exposing her body to him. He swiftly unhooked her bra and pulled that off too before he continued his trail down her neck and to her breasts. He gently pinched her nipples between his fingers until they were hard peaks which he quickly took in his mouth, licking and sucking at them.

Hermione gasped, letting her head fall back on the rug as she arched her back into him. He slid his hands down her stomach, unbuttoning her jeans before he slid those down her legs too, followed by her panties.

She squirmed slightly as he pulled back to observe her in all of her nakedness. "Perfect." he whispered as he trailed a finger down the curve of her waist leading to her hip.

He bent his head, continuing his kisses down her stomach until he reached her core. He moved his body down until he was level with her most private area. She felt her face heat up in embarrassment and was glad that her mom had allowed her wax herself regularly since she was 13.

She bit her lip as she watched him lift a hand, spreading her lower lips apart as he gazed hungrily at her.

"Such a pretty pussy." he said with hooded lids before he leaned forward, swiping his tongue over her slit.

She jumped in surprise, her knees instinctively trying to close. He raised his hands, wrapping them around her thighs as he eased her legs apart.

"Relax." he whispered. "You'll enjoy this."

She didn't have time to respond as he leaned forward once more, circling her clit with his tongue. She let out a moan as he repeated the motion before slipping a finger into her wet opening. He fell into a rhythm as he repeatedly thrusted his finger in and out of her while his tongue licked and sucked at her sensitive clit.

Her hands reached down to tangle themselves in his hair as she arched herself into him, her back curved off of the rug under her. She moaned aloud as he sucked at her clit while raising his free hand to palm her breast. She felt over stimulated -he was everywhere all at once.

"D-Draco…" she stuttered between moans as he pinched at her nipple. "I'm…" she trailed off as he quickened the pace of his tongue, swiping at her clit furiously with it.

She clenched her thighs around his head, effectively trapping him between them as her hands pulled on his hair desperately. She let out a whimper in pleasure as she felt herself come undone for him. He pulled his finger from her and she gasped when it was replaced by his tongue. He licked at her as she came on his tongue with a final moan.

Her legs remained locked around his head for a few seconds as she panted, recovering from the intense orgasm. She jolted them apart when he swiped at her overly sensitive clit once more with his tongue.

"Oh!" she cried out.

He smirked smugly, licking his lips as he rose up and onto his knees. His eyes ran over her naked form once more and Hermione pulled her knees together, blocking her most intimate area from his view.

He raised a brow as he began unbuttoning his shirt. "Feeling shy now?" he said haughtily, shrugging his shirt off before he reached down to unbutton his trousers.

Hermione watched as he pulled his trousers down with his boxers, exposing his hardened length to her. She eyed it, feeling her stomach stir in anticipation. He moved until he was holding himself up on top of her, their noses nearly touching. He closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a soft, passionate kiss.

She gasped against his mouth, returning the kiss with ease. He was being gentle, slow and Hermione felt like it was her first time all over again. This was how it should have been. This was the storybook first time experience that she had always wanted. But it wasn't her first time. And Hermione didn't mind it one bit. She wanted both sides of Draco -the rough and the gentle.

He slipped his tongue into her mouth and Hermione tasted the tiniest remnants of herself on his tongue. She moaned slightly as he reached between them, sliding his hand on her thigh and lifting it to hook around his waist. He swiftly lined his cock up with her entrance before thrusting himself into her warm opening.

He immediately let out a low groan against her lips, his grip on her thigh tightening painfully. "Take my time…" he muttered, and Hermione was sure he was speaking to himself.

He slowly pulled back before thrusting in once more and Hermione raising her hands to rest on his bare back. She felt the muscles flex under her hands and she let out a soft gasp as he rhythmically thrusted in and out of her at a slow, steady pace.

"Fuck, Granger. You're so fucking tight." he groaned, his short nails digging into the skin of her thighs as he restrained himself from slamming into her.

Hermione moaned at his words, lifting her hips slightly to meet his every thrust as she wrapped both of her legs around his waist. His hand slipped in between them and he began to gently flick at her clit, causing her to tighten her legs around him. His head tilted down once more to press his lips to her own as he kissed her.

The fire next to them crackled steadily as he thrusted in and out of her. Hermione's hand slid up to the back of his neck and she held him close to her, desperately returning the kiss.

"Draco, I…" she began against his lips as she rocked to the rhythm of his thrusts.

"You what, Granger?" he pressed, his thumb swiping at her clit over and over.

"Oh gods," she whimpered as she felt him deep within her.

Her hold on the back of his neck tightened as she felt herself grow closer and closer to release. His thrusts quickened slightly as he noticed her reaction, his free hand reached up to wrap around her throat.

"Fuck." he muttered, squeezing his hand around her throat.

She gasped at the sensation, letting her head fall back and granting him full access to her neck. He groaned at the action, his thrusts growing a bit more frantic as he felt her tighten around him.

"I love you." she breathed out between her gasps and she felt him stiffen on top of her.

Her eyes snapped open as she realized what she had said and they stared at each other for a few seconds. "I…" she didn't know what to say. Had she meant that?

He continued to stare intensely at her before his grip on her throat tightened almost painfully and he resumed his thrusts. She was instantly pulled back into him as his thumb swiped quickly at her clit, matching the pace of his thrusts.

"Say it again." he muttered as he slammed into her.

"I… love you." she gasped out, raising a hand to close around his wrist at her throat.

He groaned as he thrusted into her at a punishing pace and she cried out as he repeatedly hit the perfect spot deep within him. She whimpered, her nails of one hand digging into his wrist and the nails of the other scratching desperately at his back. If it hurt, he didn't show it as they came together, her back arching up into him so her chest was pressed flush to his. She felt him release deep into her and she gasped at the feeling as they rode out their orgasms.

He collapsed on her, his hand releasing her throat and Hermione took a few desperate breaths, trying to get the air back into her lungs. Her vision was a bit blurry at the loss of oxygen combined with her second orgasm of the night.

She let her head fall back as she regained her composure. He slowly lifted himself from her and she gasped as his weight lifted from her. He rolled over so that he laid on his back next to her as they silently listened to the fire crackle next to them.

Would he bring up what she had said? Should she bring it up? Was he going to say anything about it? She felt a bit hurt that he hadn't returned her confession, though she knew she might've been getting ahead of herself.

They had been enemies longer than they hadn't… why would he suddenly confess his love to her after a few good shags?

Why did you? A voice in her head asked herself and she shut her eyes, trying to push the thought away.

"I don't know what to say." he finally said, breaking the intense silence. "I've never… I don't think I've ever…" he trailed off and Hermione tried not to feel hurt at his words.

He'd never loved anyone? He'd never told anyone he loved them? She wished she could read his mind.

"How do you know?" he asked when she didn't respond, his head turning to glance over at her.

"How do you know that you love someone?" she asked, fighting the blush that she was sure was rising on her face. "I… I don't know. You just do. When you think of someone constantly, when you worry for them and you want the best for them no matter what. When just looking at that person gives you butterflies in your tummy. When you don't want some despite every flaw and imperfection they have, but rather because of every flaw and imperfection. I… I don't know." she finished lamely, stubbornly staring up at the ceiling of the room.

"You feel all that? About me? You love me?" he asked, and Hermione felt her heart twist in her chest at the hopefulness in his tone. He almost sounded like a child asking his mother if she loved him.

She finally tilted her head to look at him. "Yes." she whispered.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. Although it wasn't an answer she was hoping for, the kiss was still an answer. It told her that she hadn't scared him off with her confession; that he didn't think of her as too clingy or as jumping the gun.

She knew love was a difficult emotion for him to grasp given his history, and so she would wait. She would show him what love was.

A/N: I considered splitting this chapter into two but I thought everything fit together nicely! Please let me know what you think! The end of the year is coming fast... will Draco follow through with his task?