It hadn't taken long for him to reach out after the student body reconverged on the castle. Approximately two hours into lounging in front of the fire and pretending to listen to the conversations between the Gryffindors that came and went, Hermione felt the metal between her cleavage heat against her skin. She had quickly excused herself from observing the playful debate between Harry and Ginny over which Holyhead Harpy was a better chaser- Wilda Griffiths or Gwendolyn Morgan.

Once she was safe within the confines of her closed bed curtains, she finally pulled the locket from her shirt. Her hands shook from the sudden adrenaline rush as she opened the tricky clasp and she had to take a deep calming breath to fill her lungs before she looked down. Hoping for some type of apology for his negligent attitude, what she got instead was a simple request...

Tonight?

She was instantly annoyed at the assumption that he would be forgiven that quickly.

No

Tomorrow?

No

Wednesday?

As she sat there and wondered if five days was long enough to teach him any type of lesson, the cooled metal burned momentarily in her hands.

Please?

The word caused her to pause. It wasn't like him to beg. What if… What if his persistence meant there was something important he needed to tell her?

...Okay

She knew deep down that the excuse was her subconscious coming up with any way to sedate her vexation. On principle, her pride stopped her from immediately consenting to his summons. But the less ego driven parts of her didn't want to drag out their reunion... If he had been a decent human being and fulfilled his obligations, she could have been rushing to his arms at that very moment.

Alternatively, she decided that she was going to use their next meeting to get answers for some of the harder questions that had nagged at her over break. Not all of them, of course. Just the more pertinent ones that had the potential to change everything for her.

He owed her that much…

-/\- -/\- -/\- -/\- -/\- -/\- -/\- -/\- -/\- -/\-

Late Wednesday night, Hermione stood under the too-warm cloak, her muscles straining against the need to shift her weight as she waited for Draco to open the door to the room. The pitch black of the passageway was nearly impenetrable with the naked eye and she could have sworn she had just heard something shuffle to her right. Not that any of the more concerning explanations wouldn't have also been hidden behind powerful magic, but she couldn't risk outing her position to Harry or the house elves who helped him. No matter how likely it was to be something innocuous, such as a mangy rat… Or an animagus pretending to be a rat.

Her thought process did little to slow the anxious beat of her heart. The vital organ pumped the required surge of hormones throughout her body, sending the signals to run through her limbs. She had to remind herself that it was a biological reaction to unexpected stimuli so she wouldn't follow the incessantly loud command.

Each second felt like an hour as she fought to keep her breathing paced and inaudible. An eternity seemed to pass before the grip of fear relented and she sagged with relief. Nearly buckling to the floor, she was able to lock her knees at the last second and keep standing. Where she stayed until the telltale sound of Draco's shoes against stone sounded at the corner, announcing his approach before her eyes could discern any movement.

He called forth the door and hesitated for a moment, looking over both his shoulders as if to make sure he was alone. The act of suspicion gave her enough time to step up to his side and quickly slip inside the crack of light. Once inside the confines of the room she peeled the invisibility cloak from her shoulders and flung the offending fabric over the chair that had become her accustomed storage space.

She was thankful that she'd had the forethought to remove the robes and sweater of her uniform after rounds. Harry didn't have the faintest clue how lucky he had it sometimes… He didn't have to chance heat stroke while spending hours out there waiting for some glimpse of Draco…

Hermione heard the door click shut behind their shared obsession and couldn't help the smile that slipped onto her lips when he pressed up behind her. She turned before he could wrap his arms around her and tilted her head to the side as she stared up at him. "Hi."

Instead of responding, he reached up and cupped the sides of her face. Only to stare down at her for a long moment. Taking in the way her lips instinctually parted for the kiss that was delayed by his intense studying.

Ever so slowly, he brought his hands down over her throat. His touch was firm but not menacing as he continued the descent across her shoulders until he could wrap his fingers around the tops of her arms. Holding her firmly in place, he finally brought his lips to hers.

The kiss was gentle at first but quickly built to the point that Hermione forgot all of her plans for evening. She tried to wriggle out of Draco's grip so she could press herself against him, but it was resolute. Just as she was about to complain, his lips moved from hers and started along her jawline. Any thoughts of criticism were immediately quieted when he reached the tender flesh of her neck.

Content to relax into the erotic feelings his lips brought on, she finally relaxed into his hold. Which was welcomed by him loosening his tight grasp on her arms, so his hands could travel back the way they had come. Inching up, he moved over her shoulders while continuing the reverent assault with his mouth.

When his fingers found the collar of her button-down, he simultaneously worked at the top disk and nipped at her earlobe. Pulling her further down into the pool of their shared desire. Unable to control herself any longer, Hermione reached up and fisted her hands in his soft blonde locks. Grateful for the long moan that the endeavor elicited, she experimented by giving a soft tug to pull his lips back to hers.

They stood there, entangled together, for an infinite measure of time. Teasing each other as he made his way down the row of buttons, slowly exposing her heated skin to the air. He was careful not to touch her skin with his fingers until the shirt was completely unfastened. Only then did his hands slip under the fabric to grasp the tops of her hips. With a quick jerk, he pulled her forward, closing the short distance left between their bodies.

The second his half hard member pressed against her stomach her brain registered just how far they had gone. She stilled long enough to contemplate if proceeding would be worth the annihilation of her self-respect. A seemingly small price to pay in the moment... Despite how badly she wanted to continue, there were questions she required immediate answers for.

Not to mention the lessons that still needed to be learned…

Draco must have felt her hesitation because he reluctantly pried his lips from hers. He gave her one last chaste kiss before rising to his full height so he could stare down at her. His voice was husky with his need as he asked, "What is wrong, pet?"

"Nothing. I…"

As soon as the dismissal was past her lips, Draco slipped a hand from her side, running the tips of his fingers along the ticklish skin above the waistband of her skirt. When he reached the slit of naked flesh that was bared by her open shirt, he started to travel up excruciatingly slowly, watching every involuntary twitch and soft pant that his touch elicited from her.

Once again, Hermione found herself teetering dangerously close to losing all reason. "I… I think…"

Two of his fingers hooked around the ribbon of fabric that held her bra in place and he suddenly tugged forward, causing her to lift up onto the tips of her toes so that the material would not snap. The new position arched her back slightly and his eyebrow rose at the provocative display. "Do speak up."

She swallowed hard as her bra straps dug into her shoulders, helping to center her enough to make a final decision. "I thought that we could continue your musical education."

He stared at her lips as she spoke and leaned in so he was towering over her. "It cannot wait?"

"I would rather it didn't. A well rounded education is important after all."

"I suppose it is…" A smirk played at the corners of his lips as he responded. He unhooked his fingers, allowing her to settle back onto the soles of her feet.

"Temperance is also a virtue, Draco…" She gave as a reminder. As much for herself as for him.

His smirk deepened and he took a step back before muttering, "I could use a drink."

"Not the carnal sin I thought needed to be curbed, but still fitting advice nonetheless." Hermione avoided looking him in the eye by fastening two buttons situated in the middle of her shirt. The deliberate choice left her cleavage uncovered and allowed for peeks at the skin of her stomach.

Draco's jaw clenched at her teasing, but he gave a noncommittal shrug as he closely watched her lax attempt to cover herself.

"Fair warning…" The smile on her lips was innocent, but she knew exactly what she was doing when she closed the space between them and ran the palm of her hand along the curve of his covered erection. "My questions will be much harder than last time…"

She felt the twitch from his member and couldn't stop her smile from morphing into a smug little smirk as she turned away. There was no guilt as she made her way over to the radio and sat down. After she had the musical line-up organized to her liking, she finally looked over to where he had settled on the couch. The look on his face told her that he'd come to the same realization that she had the other night, once the anger she had known she should feel after his letter had finally taken hold...

He wasn't the only one who could play head games whenever they wished...