Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 16
Hermione sat in the Great Hall, Ginny next to her and Harry and Ron across the girls. Things with Ron had been awkward ever since their short relationship and breakup. He had been avoiding her and at times even ignoring her when she had tried to talk to him. She didn't exactly blame him since she had broken up with him, but she had to admit that she missed having him as a friend.
"I have a bad feeling… this year has been a bit too uneventful knowing our luck." grumbled Ron as he ate his lunch. "There's a couple days left of the year before we leave for the summer! First year was the whole mess with Quirrel, second year the Chamber of Secret, third year we found out about Sirius," he glanced over at Harry at the mention of his late Godfather. "Fourth year was the Triwizard Tournaments and the return of You-Know-Who and last year we had Professor Umbridge!" Ron finished, making sure not to mention Sirius' death the previous year.
"Don't jinx it Ron! Ending the year without having to deal with another death or attack is a good thing!" Ginny scolded her brother.
"I'm just saying… something doesn't feel right. It's just too good to be true." Ron said firmly.
"What are you saying?" Harry finally spoke. "You think all hell is going to break loose in the next few days?"
Ron shrugged. "I don't know, mate." he shook his head.
Hermione bit her lip as she listened to the conversation. She had to admit, she had been thinking the same too. Considering the fact that Voldemort's return had been accepted by the Wizard World at last, not much had happened. Sure, Harry had been meeting up with Dumbledore every now and then to discuss Tom Riddle and his horcruxes, but that was still fairly safe work. Other than the expected Death Eater attacks across Britain, Harry, Ron and Hermione had not dealt with anything very out of the ordinary.
Well, Hermione had dealt with something out of the ordinary. She had gotten tangled up with Draco Malfoy over the last few months; though that wasn't a bad thing. Draco had changed…
Her eyes sought out the Slytherin who had taken over her thoughts lately. He sat at the Slytherin table on the other side of the hall, his face towards her. She felt her breath hitch as she noticed the dark reddish purple circles under his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well. He had also been acting a bit odd ever since they had repaired the cabinet.
Hermione had expected him to be relieved, happy even that they had finally successfully repaired it. He would now be given the Malfoy fortune! He was now able to show his father a major success of his! Instead, Draco had been distracted and not really present in their conversations. His appearance proved that he was dealing with sleepless nights. She often found him staring at her for minutes without pause, and he only seemed to snap out of it when she pointed it out.
Just like he was right now. Blaise was seated next to him, eating his lunch while Draco sat, silver eyes boring into her own from across the hall. Her eyes flickered down to his plate, only to find it empty. Was he even eating?
She bit her lip, about to gesture for him to meet her outside the hall when she heard her name.
"What do you say, Hermione?" Ginny asked, nudging her friend. "Come over to the Burrow over the summer? Harry will be coming as well."
Hermione quickly averted her gaze from the Slytherin table, instead glancing over at Ron. Would he want her to come? Ron's blue eyes locked with her own before he shrugged, offering her a half smile.
Her face split into a grin at the gesture, glad to receive any sort of indication from Ron that he didn't hate her. "Yeah! Of course, I'd love to come." she agreed, looking between her friends who all beamed at her.
"Have you lot started packing your things up?" asked Harry.
Ron snorted into his juice, causing Harry to snicker. "I've started." Ginny nodded, crinkling her nose at her brother.
Hermione gasped. She had been so caught up with Draco and success of the cabinet that she hadn't even begun packing her things. She always made sure to start packing at least a week before term ended to ensure she hadn't forgotten anything.
"I haven't!" Hermione shook her head as her friends shot her surprised looks. "I think I'll head up now and start." she said, finishing off her glass of water before standing and heading for the door.
She glanced over at the Slytherin table once more, her eyes locking with Blaise Zabini's dark eyes instead. She discreetly watched as he elbowed Draco, who turned to look at him with a scowl. Blaise nudged his head in her direction and Hermione felt the familiar butterflies erupt in her stomach as Draco's gaze landed on her. He slowly stood before following her out of the hall.
She made her way down the corridor, the hairs on the back of her neck rising against the skin as she felt his gaze on her back. She turned a corner before slipping into their usual classroom, leaning back on a nearby desk as she waited for him to follow, a small smile on her face when he slipped through the door.
"Hi." she said softly as he shut the door behind him.
"Hi." he repeated, making his way over to her. "You and Weasley are friends again, I see." he said, and her eyes widened as she looked at him.
Would he be upset? Would he yell at her?
She was surprised by the fact that he didn't look angry. Not at all. She remembered the way he had jealously reacted to her relationship with Ron back when they had briefly dated. He had been so upset with her. But now he just looked purely and utterly tired. His tone of voice did not hold any vindication and his body language was not stiff and ready to lash out.
"I… we've been friends for years. We can't just let all that go." she explained as he stopped in front of her.
She raised a hand, cupping his cheek and swiping her thumb across the bag under his eye. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. "You've been behaving oddly and you look like you haven't slept in days."
He seemed to relax under her touch. "Just not looking forward to being home for the summer," he muttered.
She had read in the papers that Malfoy Manor was being raided every week and Narcissa Malfoy was being questioned on the whereabouts of her escaped convict husband. Draco was lucky he had been safely behind the walls of Hogwarts, keeping him from being exposed to the public eye as well. But now that he was going home for the summer… of course he wasn't looking forward to it.
"Do you have to go back home?" she asked, already knowing the answer. "Maybe… maybe you can stay with me in the muggle world for a bit." she suggested.
It was a good plan… no one in her world would recognize him as the son of Lucius Malfoy. He wouldn't have to worry about running into his father like he had at Hogsmeade during the attack. And he could be with her. She thought it was perfect.
He let out a dry, humourless laugh. "Me in the muggle world?" he asked, brow raised. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Granger. I've just gotten accustomed to the fact that you're not some dirty, unworthy excuse of a witch."
She felt a bit hurt at his words, though she pushed it aside. It wasn't about her right now. "Well… the offer still stands." she crossed her arms over her chest.
He eyed her for a few seconds before reaching into the pockets of his trousers. Despite the hot summer day, Hermione noticed that he still wore his usual black trousers and button down shirt. Granted, the trousers and shirt were probably made of the finest material, but still. Had he never heard of a summer wardrobe? Ever since classes and her exams had finished she had been wearing her muggle summer clothes consisting of shorts, t-shirts, tank tops and even the occasional sundress. She couldn't imagine walking around covered to her wrists and ankles like he did.
"I have something for you." he said suddenly, and she stared at him in surprise as he withdrew a small box from his pocket.
"You do? Why?" she asked, feeling slightly bad that she hadn't gotten him anything.
He shrugged, handing her the box. She opened it, her jaw dropping when she saw the beautiful piece. Sitting on the velvet of the box was a thin, elegant gold chain with a tiny dragon pendant hanging from it. The dragon was covered in emerald stones and Hermione gasped as she picked it up out of the box. Each emerald shined brightly as it hit the light coming from the classroom window. She could tell just by touching it that the gold was of the finest goblin make and the emerald stones probably picked from the mines just for him.
"Draco… I can't accept this!" she insisted, shaking her head as she thrusted it back in his direction. "It's far too much." The necklace probably cost a fortune and Hermione didn't feel right carrying it around her neck so casually.
"Yes, you can." he scowled, taking it from her hands and carefully unclasping it. "Don't you know it's rude to deny a gift?"
"I know… it's just… that probably cost a lot of money and I-"
"Shut up, Granger." he muttered, placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing her to turn her back to him.
She felt him push her long curls to the side before he reached around her to fasten the necklace on. She gasped as she felt the cool pendant fall just below her collar bones and she instinctively reached up to take the pendant between her fingers.
"It's beautiful…" she murmured.
He turned her back around to face him, eyeing the pendant on her skin. "It is." he agreed, though when she glanced up at him he was staring at her and not the necklace. She blushed.
"A dragon, huh?" she smiled slightly. "Subtle."
Draco shrugged. "As long as you're wearing that necklace, I'll know you're still mine." he explained and she felt her heart skip at his words.
"I won't take it off." she said, fighting the urge to jump on him right then and there.
He eyed her with a serious expression at that. "Never?" he asked and she frowned in confusion. "You'll never take it off? You'll always be mine?" he pressed, reaching out to grip her upper arms.
She stared at him wide eyed before nodding. "Y-yes."
He stared down at her with those beautiful intense eyes and Hermione felt her mouth go dry. "Good." he muttered, releasing his hold on her. "Come see me in the Room of Requirement on Sunday?" he asked, a slight edge to his voice.
She frowned. They had been seeing each other every night for the past month so why was he asking her to see him on Sunday in specific? She had assumed it was already planned that they would meet.
"Yeah… of course." she nodded.
She watched as he nodded as well, his gaze dropping to the necklace around her neck. Without another word, he turned to leave.
"Draco!" she called before he could go. He turned, his hand resting on the knob of the door. "I...I love you."
She hadn't repeated the words to him since the first time because she hadn't wanted him to feel pressured to say it back but now… it just seemed fitting. She knew he was feeling down and after he had given her her beautiful necklace she couldn't help it.
He stared at her, expression unreadable as always. The muscle in his jaw twitched slightly before she noticed him swallow hard. Without another word, he pulled open the door and slipped out of the classroom.
Her heart ached as she watched him go, the feeling of rejection she couldn't help but feel rising within her. She raised a hand to pick up the pendant around her neck, tilting her head to look at it.
"As long as you're wearing that necklace, I'll know you're still mine." She heard his words replay in her mind and she smiled slightly. Of course she would still be his… but why did he doubt that?
She toyed with the pendant around her neck for a minute before she shook her head. She had to stop overthinking things.
Hermione laid next to Draco on her side so that they were facing one another. Her fingers were tracing the perimeter of his face before going over his nose, lips, brows and eyelids. She didn't know when they would see each other again once they left Hogwarts for the year and she didn't want to forget a single inch of him or how he felt.
"Almost time to head home for the summer." she murmured as he laid motionlessly next to her. It was Saturday and the Hogwarts Express was set to leave on the morning of July 1st which was this coming Tuesday, leaving them little time together.
The bags under Draco's eye were starting to disturb her but he seemed to grow irritated with her whenever she brought them up. Although they had spent the last few days together, Hermione had noticed the continued change in Draco's demeanour. Along with his intense stares and lack of conversation, he also seemed very defensive. When she questioned his whereabouts or his lack of energy he often snapped at her, leaving them to sit in an uncomfortable silence until he pulled her into a rough, frantic kiss which soon after led to their rough, frantic shagging.
Which was exactly what had just happened between them now. He had shown up to their scheduled meetup late and when Hermione had tried to inquire about where he had been, he had sharply told her to mind her own business. She had huffed and pouted and crossed her arms over her chest but he had easily pried them away to be replaced by his hands kneading the mounds of her breasts. One thing had led to the other and now they laid next to one another, clothes disheveled, her underwear lost somewhere in the room and her summer dress hiked up high on her thighs.
Draco trailed a long cool finger down her exposed thigh, watching as goosebumps rose under the skin after his touch. "Just a few more days..." he muttered.
"I was thinking maybe we could sneak away on the Hogwarts Express before we meet our families-" Hermione began.
"No!" Draco withdrew his hand as he cut her off, staring at her with hard eyes.
"What?" she frowned. "Why not?"
He hesitated and she noticed him swallow hard. "Just...no." he finished lamely and Hermione pursed her lips, reaching down to shove the skirt of her dress back down before she pulled herself to her feet, staring down at him with angry eyes.
"Fine. Let's just say our goodbyes now then, shall we?" she hissed, unable to fight the hurt rising within her at his rejection of her proposal.
He slowly rose to his own feet, staring down at her with his usual unreadable expression. "Stop behaving like a child."
"I'm not! You've been giving me the cold shoulder ever since we fixed that cabinet! I thought maybe you were finished with me after the cabinet but after you gave me this necklace I thought I was being silly!" she took the pendant of the necklace between her fingers and his silver eyes darting down to the necklace.
"Clearly I was wrong." she finished, dropping her hand.
They glared at each other in silence for a minute before he sighed. "You weren't. You weren't wrong. I'm never going to be fucking finished with you, Granger."
Maybe it was the fact that he had already ticked her off, but Hermione felt herself grow even more annoyed at his use of her surname.
"Why do you call me that?" she asked suddenly and he blinked in surprise at the sudden change of topic. "Granger. Why do you still call me Granger? Why not Hermione? Hermione is my name."
He stared at her, confusion written all over his face. "What the fuck are you talking about, Granger?" he asked, scowling at her.
"I call you Draco. Because that's your name. So why do you still call me Granger?" she repeated, growing more annoyed with the fact that she had to repeat herself.
"I don't know. Habit?" he replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Well… stop." Her hands were now resting on her hips in a very Mrs. Weasley-like fashion.
A small smile formed on his lips and Hermione felt her anger diminish at the sight.
"Fine. Hermione." The name sounded strange coming from his mouth, but she found she loved it.
"Good." she muttered, surprised by his lack of a fight. She unconsciously reached for the pendant around her neck, turning it over in her fingers as her eyes flickered towards the fire.
He reached out suddenly, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her into him. She gasped as he pressed his lips to her own in a wet, demanding kiss. She returned it with equal force and she heard him growl against her lips.
Feeling encouraged, she fisted the front of his shirt in her hands to keep him from pulling away as she bit down on his bottom lip. He groaned into her mouth and she pulled back, kissing along his jawline and down his neck. Her fingers worked to undo his buttons and she ran her warm fingers down the muscles of his chest when his shirt was opened.
"Ready for round two?" he purred into her ear and she whimpered as his lips grazed the shell of her ear.
He moved them over to the couch and Hermione moved to sit only to be stopped by his hand around her arm. She glanced up at him in question but he simply smirked, moving them to stand at the end of the couch. He bent her forward and her hands reached out to grasp the armrest of the couch. She blushed as she felt his hardened cock rub against her bum through her dress and his trousers.
He slid his hands down her form until his fingers found the hem of her skirt which he pushed up around her waist. He palmed the skin of her behind and she yelped when his hand reached back before coming back down hard on her soft skin. The sound of the slap was amplified in the quiet room and she moaned softly when his cool hand rubbed at the tender skin.
"You look fucking perfect bent over like this." he muttered and she heard the zipper of his trousers go down.
"Draco…" she gasped when she felt the soft skin of his cock slap against the sore skin of her bum.
She felt him line himself up with her entrance from behind her before he thrusted in. She cried out at the deep angle and he groaned, his fingers digging into the skin of her hips. He pulled back before thrusting back in, creating a steady pace and her fingers curled tightly around the armrest of the couch before her.
He bent over her so his front was flush against her back and his cock was snugly within her. His hands slid up from her hips and he palmed her breasts under her, causing her to moan.
"You like that, Granger?" he whispered in her ear, squeezing her breasts in his hand as he began thrusting into her again.
"Y-yes." she whimpered as he pulled down the neckline of her dress to expose the skin of her breasts to his cool palms.
He continued kneading her breasts as he thrusted hard and fast into her wet walls. "Always so tight." he whispered in her ear, and her eyes rolled back at his words.
His fingers found her nipples and he pinched and pulled at them with every thrust. She felt him slide a hand up from her breast and up to her throat before he enclosed his hand around her neck, squeezing. She gasped as he pulled her up so she was standing on the tips of her toes, his cock still lodged deep within her.
"I'm gonna miss this…" he muttered as he tightly gripped a breast in one hand and her throat in another, using his hold on her to keep her up.
Her head fell back onto his shoulder and her body rocked as he thrusted up into her. "Come with me." he whispered as his hand withdrew itself from her breast to slide down her stomach until it reached the nub of her clit.
He rubbed it at every thrust and she moaned aloud at the sensation. She felt his hold on her neck tighten as he continued to pump into her and her orgasm rose more and more within it at every swipe of her sensitive clit.
"Come for me, Hermione." he whispered into her ear and her eyes snapped open at the use of her name just before she felt wave after wave of pleasure.
"Oh, Draco!" she cried out as her orgasm took over.
He groaned into her ear as her walls clenched tightly around him while she came and with another thrust he came with her, his hand tightly enclosed around her throat. She arched her back against his front as they came together, riding out their highs.
He released his hold on her throat and she began to fall forward, her body limp. He reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back upright. "Easy, there." he said, breathing heavily.
She nodded, turning her body so their fronts were now facing each other. She reached out, wrapping her arms around his middle and leaning into him as she caught her breath. She shut her eyes, resting her cheek on his chest as she listened to his quick heartbeat.
They stayed like that for a few minutes until she heard his heartbeat return to a slow, steady pace. She slowly pulled her head back to look up at him. He looked beautiful, as always. His porcelain skin had a slight pink flush to the cheeks, his pink lips were a bit swollen from their kisses and his intense silver eyes bored deeply into her.
"I'll see you tomorrow…" she whispered, sliding her hand down to enclose around his.
His grey eyes flickered down to their connected hands before he nodded slightly. "Yes… tomorrow."
She nodded, dropping his hand to fix her dress before she picked her wand up from the floor.
"Meet me by the Black Lake." he said suddenly and she glanced over at him, brows furrowed in confusion.
"The Black Lake?" she repeated. Why would they meet there? Anybody could see them!
"After dark. Sneak out. I know you can… I know a spot just by the lake." he explained as he buttoned up his shirt.
"I don't know, Draco… Aurors have been patrolling and-"
"Please." he cut her off and she faltered slightly. Draco Malfoy had said please?
"It'll be our last night to be together. Please." he continued when she didn't respond.
She frowned. Tomorrow wouldn't be their last night together. The train was leaving on Tuesday morning so they still had tomorrow and Monday night to spend together.
"Say you'll be there." he insisted, staring down at her with his intense gaze.
She lost her train of thought as she unconsciously nodded. "Yes, okay." she agreed. "I'll… I'll be there."
He seemed relieved at her response as he nodded before bending his neck to place a firm kiss to her lips. She smiled against his mouth, leaving into his touch.
"See you then." he whispered when he pulled back.
Without another word he turned and left the Room of Requirement. She lifted a hand, letting her fingers brush against her lips which tingled slightly from his kiss.
"See you." she called after him, her mind drifting back to his plea. Why had he said tomorrow would be their last night together?
A/N: Shits about to get real in the next chapter! Who's ready? 50+ reviews to unlock the next chapter!
