Hermione stood there, shocked into stillness and staring back into Draco's mystical gray eyes. For the life of her she could not figure out what to say to his suggestion. The absurdity was laughable... But then why was every nerve in her body screaming for her to lean forward and press her lips to his?

Your body is a traitor, her mind screamed at her. This was Draco Malfoy! The boy who had spent countless hours and days terrorizing her and her friends. The boy who called her a Mudblood nearly every single day. The boy who had cursed her with beaver teeth for Gods' sakes!

The one to help you when you needed it, her heart whispered through the shouting. The one who could have left you to die but didn't. The one who, for all intents and purposes, should kill her right where she stood. The one who was waiting for her permission for a kiss, instead of just taking what he wanted…

Even now he stood there patiently. He gave her the time she needed to work things over in her own head. He didn't rush her. His stance was relaxed as if he had all the time in the world to stand there. Hermione was not an inconvenience to him… If anything he seemed to understand that it sometimes took her a little longer than most to think things out. She didn't like making hasty decisions. They led to avoidable problems, like deciding to go to that party. Look at how many questionable positions she had been put in since that emotion-charged choice!

At that moment she could not bring herself to actually regret her decision though, standing there with this mysterious new Draco. She would have never known about the real him hiding behind the mask if she would not have gone. Tomorrow would probably be a different story. When she would be forced to face the consequences of her actions. The gossip and stares would be bad enough. The anger from Harry (and Ron) would be a literal hell. Why shouldn't she be able to keep this feeling of excitement going for the few precious moments she would be allowed to have it?

Harry! Her mind screamed. Harry and Ron, you stupid stupid girl! How could she betray her two best friends any more than she already had? While they had their issues those boys had always been there for her. They were her anchors in a world so different from the one she had grown up in. And other than Ginny, they were some of the only people who actually seemed to enjoy her company... She couldn't risk their friendship for a simple kiss!

Maybe it wasn't her hormone-riddled body that was the traitor. Even if it was the only reason she could not make the logical choice of running away. Fast! Maybe it was something else inside of her. Each time she thought she had come to the conclusion of telling the boy "no" a chilled feeling of dread came over her. Like his lips were the only thing that would ever make her feel warm again now that the offer had been left on the table. She wanted him to push her up against the wall and kiss her fiercely. Heck, if she was honest with herself she wanted more than that. More than she would ever dare to admit.

Hermione let a soft smile spread across her lips as she looked up at Draco through her eyelashes. He was watching her intently again like he could read her as easily as a potion recipe. She wondered what exactly he saw and if her demeanor changed as quickly as her thoughts raced. Taking a deep breath she nodded slightly. "I... I think you are right. A maiden's token is usually a kiss."

Draco's eyebrows rose higher than she had ever seen them, it was almost comical. His surprise was evident but something like hunger flashed in his eyes. He quickly reigned in the secondary emotion and Hermione couldn't be completely certain... He stepped forward. The movement pushed the tulle against her legs, causing them to itch as the abrasive fabric scratched at her skin. Then the scent of peppermint invaded her senses again and she quickly forgot about her discomfort.

He was so close. She felt his breath on her face each time he exhaled. His eyes were searching hers again and she really wanted to know what everyone kept thinking they were going to find there? She was just another terrified little girl playing at being grown enough to make any kind of decisions, much less ones that involved life and death. An occurrence that had happened so often during her six years of being a witch that it was mind-boggling. No seventeen year old should have to deal with what she'd had to. And it was only going to get worse…

"Are you sure?" Draco asked her cautiously. She could feel his hesitance, not wanting to do something that would cause her to scurry away frightened. He could have been afraid of the rejection as well, but Hermione didn't find that very likely... He was always so confident.

She nodded. Her lips parted gingerly, waiting for him to close the distance between them. When he finally stopped staring at her and pressed his body against hers, she gasped. The warmth of him felt so good. Too good. Her back was pushed against the wall behind her, causing jagged pieces of stone to press into her exposed skin. She barely even noticed. Her heart was beating so loudly in her ears she knew that Draco could hear it too. If by some miracle he didn't, there was no doubt that he would feel it against his chest with the way his body was pushed up against hers.

Draco slowly reached up, his eyes never leaving hers and placed his hands on the sides of her face. His thumb brushed along the curve of her bottom lip. She thought she heard him murmur something about her beauty before he slipped his hands back and cupped her head. His long sure fingers entangled themselves in the hair at the nape of her neck. The whole time his eyes stayed locked on hers doing their hypnotic swirl of emotions that made her feel slightly dizzy.

Suddenly, he leaned forward and smashed his lips against hers. It was almost violent in intensity and her whole body tensed against him. She thought about pulling away for a second but he softened against her. Slowly his lips started to move, coaxing the same from her. Her own muscles started to relax as the kiss turned tender and intimate. His tongue touched her bottom lip and he groaned. The sounds of his pleasure shot a bolt of longing that caused a warmth to spread in Hermione's knickers. With the fingers of his left hand still on her neck, his thumb stroked the skin of her jaw before he pulled away. She kept her eyes closed and tried to lean in for another but he just pulled farther away. Not breaking contact but enough that it was clear he wouldn't let her lips make contact with him again.

Hermione gave a frustrated sigh but opened her eyes. As if drawn by a magnet her eyes instantly found his. He smirked down at her seductively. "Who am I, Kitten?"

She was bewildered by the question. What was he asking her? What did he want her to say? It was obvious that he wasn't asking for his name. That wouldn't make any sense. Who was he outside of that connection to his family? A Slytherin, of course, yet that wasn't the answer he was searching for either. He was all of the things she had thought of earlier; dangerous, cunning, savage, more than a bit bigoted... And also; intelligent, kind, funny, gentle... But none of those things were what he wanted from her. What could it possibly be?

Then it dawned on her and she whispered. "You are my hero."

His lips pressed against hers again and he pushed her even harder into the wall. She could feel his erection pinned between their stomachs. This kiss wasn't anywhere near as lenient as the first. This time he kissed her as if he was a man on fire and water poured from her lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and played a strange little dance with her own. All of this was new to her. The kisses with Viktor could never compare... Awkward and bumbling because she had no idea what she was doing. This wasn't anywhere near that. This was heat and passion and a longing she hadn't even known was there. She never wanted to stop.

So, of course, that was the moment he pulled away again.

Thankfully his lips slid along her jawline as he pulled his hands from the back of her neck. Slowly they moved down her body, feeling the delicate velvet that was like a second skin on her. Down over her collarbone, breasts and stomach. Until they rested on her hips and his lips started working the tender flesh on the side of her neck. She couldn't stop the soft moan that escaped from between her lips as she tilted her head to the side, allowing him better access. Her own hands that had been hanging uselessly at her sides wrapped around his shoulders. Holding him to her, she didn't want him pulling away again when he was in the middle of making her feel so damned wonderful.

Adrenaline pumped in her veins, she was unable to believe this was happening. Not a single thing from this night seemed like it could be reality. Maybe she would wake up tomorrow and it would all have been a dream. She clutched at Draco harder at the thought, causing him to start rubbing his thumbs in circles on the inside curves of her hips, right where the velvet turned to tulle. She moaned again, biting her bottom lip to moderate the volume, not caring about the pinch of pain any longer.

"So fucking sexy." He whispered in her ear before turning his attention on her earlobe. Nibbling and licking the sensitive skin found there. She wished that the skirt of her dress wasn't so full. It was in the way now and all that she wanted was to thrust forward and cause some friction against the one place she needed it most. If they were not in the middle of a hallway she wondered if she would go even further than this already taboo circumstance. If he kept making her feel like this she'd bet that she would go all the way. She didn't even care if that made her a floozie.

Without warning, he tore his body away from hers and took a few steps back until there was a decent amount of space between them. His breathing was harsh as he ran his hand through his hair glancing over at her out of the corner of her eye. Hermione leaned forward at the loss of contact. She hadn't been prepared for him to pull away so quickly. What had she done wrong?

Immediately the reason for the departure made itself known to her senses.

Footsteps...

Someone was coming!