Beautiful Disaster

Title: Beautiful Disaster
Author: ashleyfanfic
Chapter: 17/??
Rating for this chapter: R/NC-17
Summary: Veela!Draco finds out some interesting information and it leads him and his father in a new direction.
A/N: I have to admit that I wrote most of this yesterday. I got in a sort of mood where it just started tumbling out. There's no need to email me and ask if I plan to finish this fic. I do. No worries. This has become something I can't leave unfinished. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
A/N 2: And thanks to everyone who voted for this fic for the Dragon's Bride Awards! You have no idea how much it meant to me to win it. The fact that you even took the time to nominate it warms my heart and made me determined to give you guys more and as soon as possible. Thanks again and I appreciate all the feedback!
A/N 3: THANKS MUCHLY TO sayyida_jaida for betaing this for me!

***

He met her back in her room an hour later, finding her with her hair still damp and in her terrycloth bathrobe. He sat at the chair at her vanity table thinking she looked adorable as she moved around the room, gathering her clothes and walked back into the bathroom to get dressed. He smiled as she muttered an apology, claiming that she had lost track of time in the bathtub.

He could hear her in the bathroom and took the time to look at the room since she’d come to the house. Everything on her vanity was laid out to how she liked it, very tidy. The cloak he’d lent her still lay on the bed. There were several books placed on the night table beside her bed, and he could clearly see that they were books on Veelas, not the ones he’d given her.

There was a loud Crack as a house-elf Apparated into the room, bowing to him, “Master Malfoy, Mistress would like to see you in her salon and Master would like to see Miss Granger in his study.”

The door to her bathroom opened quickly and Hermione, now fully dressed in a light blue jumper and black jeans, looked at Draco curiously, “Your father wants to see me?”

He could see her trepidation and nodded, “I’m sure it’s just to see if you’re enjoying yourself.”

She chewed on her bottom lip then used her wand to instantly dry her hair. She slipped on her shoes and socks and looked at him nervously, “I know he’s helping the light side now, but…”

He stood and put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing in smoothing motions, “It’s okay. Just relax.”

He took her hand in his and led her out of her room and down the stairs. He gave her a kiss on the back of her hand and then turned to meet with his mother, casting one glance back at Hermione, watching her making her way to his father’s study. He had to admit that he was a bit curious to know what his father wanted.

Hermione knocked on the doors to Lucius’ study and was bid enter. He stood when she walked in and asked her to close the door behind her. Hermione felt a thrill of fear at the idea of being in a closed room with the Malfoy patriarch, but closed the door anyway She knew what he was capable of and it frightened her a bit. He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk and he sat after she had.

“I can only imagine what’s running through your head right now, Miss Granger.”

She said nothing, only furrowed her brow. She was, by nature, a suspicious and curious person and Lucius’ motives in this whole situation still left her with a lot of questions.

“Let me assure you that I am pledging my full support to Dumbledore and that you have nothing to fear from me.” He could see by the look on her face that she was not convinced. “Still a bit of doubt in you, I see. Well, I think I should get to the point, then, shouldn’t I?” He stood and walked to a shelf lined with books and pulled down several texts then walked over to her and handed them to her.

When she didn’t take them right away, he raised a quizzical eyebrow, “I thought you were known as a bookworm,” he said, no malice behind his tone.

She cleared her throat, “Generally speaking, I’m rather fond of reading. However, I know about the diary you gave Ginny Weasley during my second year. Forgive me for being less than open to receiving any book you might hand to me.”

He said nothing at first, then set them on the desk in front of her and walked around to the other side of the desk and took his seat once more, “Miss Granger, I’m sure it is difficult for you to believe that I’d so willingly change sides.” When she said nothing he continued, “Everything I’ve ever done has been for the betterment of my family. They are the most important thing to me. My loyalty has always been to them.”

“Then why follow Voldemort?”

His jaw tightened at the use of the Dark Lord’s name, but he saw that it could help his son in the long run if he was to reveal just a bit to the girl. “I believe my wife and son should have only the best in life, that they should never have to associate with people less than they are.”

“You mean Muggles,” she interrupted, coldly raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. I mean Muggles. You must admit yourself, Miss Granger that being a witch is much more advantageous than living in the Muggle world.”

She shook her head in disagreement. “Muggles have their own ways of doing things. They can’t Apparate from one place to another but they have their own means of transportation. They don’t have spells to doing their house work but they’ve come up with appliances to make life easier. And our way of sending messages to one another is a bit out dated, and they’ve become far more advanced with the use of the telephone, fax machine, and the computer. They’ve come a very long way for you to give them so little credit.”

“And you think all of that makes them equal to us?”

She nodded, “At the very least they deserve our respect and understanding.”

He shook his head, “And yet, they’ve shown so little respect to us in the past. They’ve tried to burn us at the stake, killed us in droves. Are we supposed to forgive and forget?”

“Isn’t that what Voldemort is doing now? Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

He waved off her comment, “I have no desire to argue politics with you, Miss Granger. Clearly this is an issue you and I will always differ on. However, even if I have distaste for your heritage, you’re going to be part of this family.”

“I’m sorry my bloodline offends you, but I like that I’ve seen both sides of the world.”

He wondered what sort of effect, if any, her thoughts would have had on his son. Draco was still very impressionable, and many of his views could be traced back to others. It would be a very difficult thing to persuade him that Draco’s views wouldn’t change over time given this witch and her obvious voice on subjects.

“Be that as it may, you’ll become part of this family. I would like to believe that you know I have no desire to hurt you, as my son would then hurt me. So, the books in front of you are for your research purposes. They’re spells that aren’t commonly known that can injure an opponent, a few blocking spells, but mostly spells that will help render them unable to function.”

She eyed them, “Why are you giving them to me?”

He cleared his throat, “Because you will be able to give them to Potter through your little sessions of practice. I truly believe that you’ll find several things in those books that you’ll not find anywhere else and that Potter shouldn’t sit back with defensive spells only. He should take on the fight with new information and things that…not even the Dark Lord knows about.”

She furrowed her brow, “How is it that no one has heard of these spells before?”

He let a small smile grace his features, “They’re spells invented by the Malfoy family. Draco knows them, as do I. But you’ll not find another person alive that knows the incantations and what they do.”

She shook her head, “And you’re giving them to us?” She looked up at him, “Thank you. I know…that it has to be hard to part with that sort of information, especially to people you don’t like.”

“I dislike Potter immensely, but I’d like to know that my son’s mate will be protected. Draco and Narcissa are my greatest assets and should something happen that upsets them it would upset me. I would like to spare my son the misfortune of wallowing in misery for the rest of his life over a mate that went heedlessly into a battle she wasn’t quite prepared for.”

She took the books, large books in length and width, but rather thin in pages. She opened them and noticed the neat penmanship that graced the pages. She looked up at him and sighed, “Honestly, Mr. Malfoy, thank you.”

He nodded, “You’re welcome. Make good use of them, Miss Granger.” He said as he turned to the side and lifted the Daily Prophet and began reading it. She took that as her cue to leave, and walked out of the study with the books and made her way to her room. She set them on her nightstand and went in search of Draco.

***

Draco stared out the window of his mother’s study as she dictated to her house elf her plans for the next couple of days. He looked back at the doors and frowned again, anxious to talk to Hermione and find out what the conversation had been about.

“That’s all, Tinky.” The house-elf popped away as Narcissa took a sip of her tea and cleared her throat, trying to get her son’s attention. She tried again, but still had no luck. Finally, she sighed and said, “Draco.”

He looked at her, both eyebrows raised, “Yes, Mother?”

“Relax, darling. They’re just talking.”

He nodded, “I know, but I can feel her unease.”

She smiled, “I know. You’ll learn to gloss over it after a while, I’d wager.”

He thrummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, his foot bouncing nervously, “I just, I know how she feels about Father, and while you and I can easily accept the change he’s made, she’s still incredibly reluctant.”

Narcissa nodded, “I understand that, darling, but it goes back to her learning to trust you. You’ve told her about your father now working for Dumbledore’s side. If she trusts you, then she shouldn’t need to be told more than once.”

He eyed his mother for a moment, “You’re okay with all of this?”

She sighed, “The truth, Draco? I was a bit shocked when you’re father told me of his plans. He’s been a bit more anxious lately because of his choice, but I’m fairly certain that it will all work out for the best.”

“What are you thoughts on the Muggle thing, mother?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know, Draco. Clearly we misjudged them a bit, didn’t we? Miss Granger is proof enough of that. She is an intelligent and capable witch from what I’ve heard.”

He frowned, “I guess we did a bit. Do you think Father would ever admit to such?”

She was silent for a moment, “Don’t you think he has admitted it to some extent if he’s willing to invite her into our home? That, to me, speaks volumes.”

“I suppose.”

She titled her head at him and gave him a soft smile, “Don’t worry so much, Draco. You’re far too young for it.”

He nodded, “I know.”

“The piano is back,” she said, smiling at him. “I thought you would like to know.”

He returned her smile. “Would you mind if I excused myself?”

She shook her head, “Not at all. I have tea planned with your father in ten minutes.”

He stood and left his mother to ‘have tea’ with his father. He knew exactly what they were going to do. He walked into the great room, noticing that the study his father used still had the doors shut. He smiled when he saw the grand piano in its place and moved to the small seat. His fingers strummed along the keys, testing it before he began playing.

***

Hermione heard the music coming from the Great Room and bypassed Narcissa’s study in lieu of finding out who was playing. She smiled when she saw him seated at the piano playing Beethoven without the sheet music. She leaned against the door frame and watched as he became fully enthralled in what he was playing. It was interesting to see him play a piano. It was just like everything else he seemed to do; he devoted all of his attention to it.

She decided to take his attention away from the piano and walked over to him, leaning against the piano as he finished the piece. He looked up at her and smiled, “Hey.”

She smiled back, “Hey yourself.”

He pointed at the piano before he said, “Just…playing a bit.”

She nodded, “I heard. You’re amazing. You have the music memorized?”

He nodded, “It’s my favorite.”

She gestured back to the piano, “Please, don’t let me stop you.”

He looked up at her, ignoring the instrument, “What did my father want?”

She shrugged, “He just wanted to give me some books to help in the fight against Voldemort.”

He furrowed his brow and looked at the keys in front of him. “It’s strange to hear the words ‘against…the Dark Lord’ and ‘my father’ in the same sentence. He was so devoted for so long that it still strikes me as strange that they’re on opposite sides now, only the Dark Lord doesn’t know it.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder, “But he’s doing it for you. He told me so, just now.”

He nodded, “I know. His family is the most important thing to him. It’s part of the Veela inheritance. Nothing is more important than family.”

She smiled, “I tend to agree with that.”

He took her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, “I suppose that’s why he’s giving you the books to help. He’s considering you part of the family.”

She shook her head, “No, he’s still doing all of this for you.” She moved closer to him and brushed her fingers through his platinum fringe, “He doesn’t want you to be unhappy and he realizes that should something happen to me…”

“I would be devastated.”

“Actually, he used the words ‘wallowing in misery’.” She sighed, “It’s very strange to hear your father talk about you and your mother being his greatest assets.”

He smiled, “But it’s truly what he feels, only people will never know that. It helps to keep my mother and I protected. By putting on the façade, he’s able to pretend total indifference to us both and no one has a reason to try and hurt either of us to get to him.”

She furrowed her brow, “I suppose. What did your mother want?”

He smiled, “To distract me while you talked to my father.”

She looked down at the keys of the piano and ran her finger over a few of them, “And how did that work out?”

He shrugged, “Terribly until she told me the piano was back.”

She smiled at him, “So, a piano can distract you from thoughts of me?”

He shook his head, “No. I was actually thinking of you as I was playing.”

She lifted an eyebrow at the way his eyes were changing color. They were just casually flirting, but she guessed that Draco was getting a bit more from it than that. “And what were you thinking?”

He narrowed his eyes and gave her a slow smile, “Lewd things.”

Both eyebrows shot to her hairline, “Draco…”

He stood suddenly and she was stuck between him and the piano. He leaned in dangerously close, his lips hovering over hers. She was a bit nervous having him so close, but her body was screaming at her that nothing else had ever felt so right. “You owe me a kiss,” he said softly, his breath dancing across her parted lips.

She looked up at him with hooded eyes, “I know.”

His tongue came out to lick his lips and barely brushed hers they were so close. She released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, the anticipation of the kiss driving her mad. He decided to end her suffering and lightly brushed his lips against hers. He was barely touching her at first, but when he deepened the kiss, allowing his tongue to slide inside, she moaned. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer, her entire body pressing against his.

She felt at home, as if she everything was exactly the way it should be in the world with his arms wrapped around her and his lips pressed to hers. She believed she was going to burn up from the inside out, and wondered if it was possible for a person to spontaneously combust. It was as though every nerve ending was on fire and aching for his touch.

She had been so lost in the sensation that she wasn’t sure when they had moved, but he was laying her back on the sofa and his lips were moving slowly down her neck. Her hands clutched at his shoulders before tugging on his jumper, wanting to feel his skin beneath her fingers. He sat back and pulled it over his head, revealing perfect pale skin. She shyly moved her fingers over the dips in his abdomen as he reached into his pocket for his wand and used it to close the doors.

When her fingers reached his flat male nipple, she brushed her thumb over it.

He was on her, again, in an instant. His lips melded with hers, their tongues brushing against each other. He shifted on the sofa, and slipped his knee between her thighs as she pressed down against it, moaning into his mouth once more. He slipped his hands beneath her jumper and moved along her soft skin before he sat back and helped her remove it. His mouth watered as he saw her breasts hidden behind baby blue lace. He ached to taste them, to roll her perfect little nipples between his lips and fingers. He trailed kisses along her neck and down to the top of the lace that was barring him from his prize. He flicked his tongue over her nipple through the fabric of her bra and looked up at her as she moaned.

He slipped his hands beneath her to undo the clasp of her bra, only he didn’t find one. She reached to the front and smiled at him, “It’s on the front,” she whispered, afraid that talking any louder would end their euphoria. He groaned when her breasts spilled from the lace. He brought one hand up to her breast and rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger as his lips latched on to the other. Her hands came up to fist in his hair, holding his head to her as he ran his tongue over her. She moaned and ground herself against the leg between her thighs. “Don’t stop,” he gasped as he switched to the other, giving it the same attention as he had the other.

He slid his hand down her abdomen to the button of her jeans and unfastened it. This time, she didn’t tense up or grab his hand like last time, so he ventured a bit further, his fingers slipping beneath the denim and beneath the silk of her panties to find the soft thatch of curls guarding her sex. He moved back up to kiss her as he ran a finger along her slippery folds and groaned. She broke the kiss and gasped as he touched her. He brushed his thumb along her slit before slipping forward and brushing against her clit.

She came then, surprising the both of them as her release rocketed through her. She shivered beneath him and pressed against his still moving thumb. She closed her eyes and tossed her head back, a soft moan escaping her lips. He was so turned on by the sight of her coming apart in his arms he stilled his hand. He licked at her lips and kissed her again as she thrust down against his hand, signifying that she wanted more, to which he was happy to oblige. He pulled back from her for only a moment before moving down to lave kisses along her throat.

He moved to begin tugging her jeans down a bit, giving him better access to her when she stopped him, her lip tucked between her teeth, “Wait.”

He released a frustrated sigh, wanting to continue to pleasure her, to watch her come again. She clasped her bra once more and he removed his hand from her knickers, a frown on his face. She tugged her jumper on again and ran a hand through her hair as she watched him slowly pull his own over his head. She stood, once he’d finished and took his hand. He raised an eyebrow at her and tilted his head slightly, “I…I don’t want to do that here.”

Both eyebrows shot into his hairline as a slow smile spread across his face. He stood and led her out of the room and up the stairs to his bedroom. He ushered her inside and closed the door behind them. She held her head high as he slowly approached her, “I’m not ready for sex.” She shrugged, “But I do…I want to try things.” She saw him smile and added, “And don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” he queried.

“Like you’re going to devour me,” she said haughtily.

He grinned, silently saying that he was going to devour her and she would enjoy every second of it. He shrugged and wrapped his arms around her, “You’ll enjoy it,” he said as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. She could feel herself falling into a lust-filled haze, enjoying the feel of his lips against hers and his hard body pressed against her.

He took several very slow steps towards his bed as his lips moved against her. He nipped at her bottom lip before sliding his tongue against hers. He removed her jumper and tossed it to the floor as she tugged upwards on his jumper sending it to join hers. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his hips.

He began placing kisses along her neck and stopped at the top of her breasts. He climbed onto the bed with Hermione still wrapped around him, and laid her against the pillows. He unclasped her bra and tossed it to the floor with their growing pile of clothes and started a downward path from her breasts, making sure to pay attention to her aching nipples before moving farther. He slowly slid his lips along her skin, noticing with every movement that she seemed to take a deep breath.

She kicked her shoes off, one landing on the bed, the other thumping to the floor. Her fingers stroked through his hair, clutching it in her fist whenever he’d hit a particularly sensitive spot.

He unbuttoned her jeans and slid them from her hips before tossing them to the floor, leaving her in her pale blue panties. He nipped at the skin of her hip before he slid his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties and tugged.

She felt the sudden urge to cover herself, but forced herself to remain brave. He knew her mind, knew that sex wasn’t going to happen that night, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy exploring one another.

Draco was anything but a virgin, but Hermione had yet to surrender her virture, and whether it was in his Veela nature to take his time or if it was just his own understanding of women, he was going to do everything he could to make everything about sex enjoyable for her.

He moved back up to lay beside her and kissed her soundly on the mouth. He could feel her anxiety as well as her arousal. She was nervous about what he thought and what they might do, but she was doing her best to be brave, if for no other reason than to just enjoy learning something new. His hand explored her body, stopping to toy with her breasts and skim over the soft skin of her abdomen.

When he reached the damp curls guarding her sex and slowly stroked over her outer folds she grasped the coverlet in one hand as her other captured his wrist and moved his fingers where she wanted them. He smiled before he leaned in to kiss her again and slipped his middle finger inside of her to the first knuckle.

She broke the kiss to gasp for air, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as she squirmed beneath him.

He moved his finger in deeper, taking great care in rubbing the heel of his hand against her engorged clit as he began thrusting the long digit inside her. She started moving her hips in time with his thrusts and opened her eyes to see him staring at his finger as it slid inside her. He looked at her suddenly and gave her a slow smile before he leaned in and kissed her once. He pulled away and began sliding his lips down her body.

She propped herself up on her elbows as he slipped between her parted thighs knowing she should feel shy, as she’d never been with anyone like this. But when he looked up at her with eyes the color of a stormy sky partially shielded by dark lashes, she couldn’t find it in her to be ashamed or embarrassed, and when he lowered his lips to the soft skin of her inner thigh and licked, she shivered in anticipation.

He removed the finger that had been thrusting inside her and spread her open before him. He groaned as he looked at the delicate pink folds. She was wet, hot, and inviting and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her and consummate their bonding the way the male Veelas of his family had been doing for generations. However, she wasn’t ready for that and he was content, for the time being, to thoroughly explore her supple body. He gave her wet passage a slow lick and brought his tongue back into his mouth, loving the taste of her. It sent a surge of possessiveness through him to know that he would be the only one to ever taste her. He then flicked his tongue over her clit several times and noticed how she thrashed beneath him. He sucked the nub into his mouth and gently worried it with his teeth making her come hard and loud beneath him.

The feeling of his tongue on her then his teeth sent jolts of pleasure through her as her orgasm washed throughout her body, starting in her center and moving outward to her extremities. She wanted to touch him. She wanted him to feel the same unbelievable pleasure that she felt at that moment, and the thought was replaced with more bliss as he released her clit and began lapping up her wetness at her entrance.

“Oh, Draco!” One of her hands fisted in his hair as she thrashed around beneath him, “I…I want to touch you,” she said through clenched teeth.

He looked up at her again and brought his tongue back to her clit once more before he slowly climbed up her body, stopping at her breasts to lick and suckle at her hard nipples before moving up to her lips.

She did not want his kiss at first, and Draco seemed to know why. He licked her lips, allowing her to slowly become accustomed to tasting herself on his lips. Her pink tongue slipped out, taking a small taste. When she found that it wasn’t horrible she allowed him to kiss her.

His tongue slid against hers and she groaned, realizing that it was only turning her on more to taste herself on his lips. She slid one hand down his chest to his grey slacks. Her fingers slowly danced over the bulge in his trousers and it was his turn to pull away from the kiss and gasp for air. She watched carefully as his eyes closed and her name escaped his lips.

She felt a sense of power at seeing such a reaction. As her fingers grew bolder and began tracing over the bulge, she began to see why Draco enjoyed giving her pleasure. She was enjoying the look of bliss on his face and knowing that she was the reason it was there. She also liked knowing that if she gave it to him she could take it away just as easily. She would think later what that meant concerning her personality. She worked quickly on his belt then the button of his slacks. Tentatively, she slid her fingers along the waistband of his boxers.

He groaned, “Don’t tease, Hermione,” he said through clenched teeth.

She pushed him to his back as he removed his shoes and toed off his socks. She pushed at his pants and he kicked them off as well, leaving him in only his boxers. She noticed a wet spot forming on the grey silk and brushed her thumb over it, causing him to hiss in a breath. She looked at him seriously before she whispered, “I-I don’t know what to do,” she said, keeping her eyes from his.

He opened his eyes to look at her and knew that this was a big step for her. He could tell she was nervous and was confiding in him that she didn’t know how to do something. He was more than willing to be her teacher in any area, but that was especially true for this one. He pulled her lips to his for another kiss and released her, “What do you want to do?”

She toyed with the top of his boxers and shrugged, “I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.” She chewed on her bottom lip, “I-I want you to come apart like you made me.”

He closed his eyes as he listened to her words then opened them to find her nervously staring at the bed. He took her hand in his and kissed her palm. She looked at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. He kissed each finger tip then slid her hand over his throat and he shivered as he tiny nails grazed along the pulse. He moved her hand lower, over his sternum to his flat nipple. Her thumb ran over it and he felt himself harden more at her caress. He could see her resolve as she seemed to decide to take in the experience and learn as much as she could about what he liked. He released her hand as her thumb stayed at his nipple and quickly shed his boxers.

She cast a nervous glance as his erection and then met his eyes. She was a bit anxious, afraid that she would do something he didn’t like. But he hadn’t seemed to dislike anything so far, which helped her continue on.

He took her hand in his once more and slid it down the ridges of his abdomen, her eyes following her hand.

When she finally looked at his hard cock, she tilted her head, studying it as she would any new thing. He groaned as he took the palm of her hand and ran it over the leaking tip, then made her own hand make a fist over his shaft, spreading the liquid over his skin. He showed her how to move her hand over him, lightly squeezing. She pushed herself into a sitting position beside him and watched as she moved her hand over his cock. She found that there were certain places that, when she moved her hand in just the right way, he’d make a sound that was almost a growl.

He was going crazy because of her hand. He groaned as she used the pads of her fingers to caress the small area where his cock and sac met then moved her hand back up to swirl her thumb over the head. He was amazed at how fast she seemed to pick things up. She had no idea what she was doing to him, and he didn’t know if he could even put it into words. He could feel his orgasm building as her hand pumping his heated flesh quickened. He dared to look at her face, her expression one of intrigue and concentration. She switched hands and the tips of her fingers now grazed the underside of his cock as her other hand cupped his sac and gently caressed the flesh. He couldn’t keep his release at bay any longer and came as her thumb swirled around the tip for the last time.

She watched his face, finding him beautiful as he went over the edge. She’d never seen anyone look like they were in pain and happy at the same time. His eyes were tightly closed and he lay gasping for breath. She brought her hand up for inspection and furrowed her brow. He opened his eyes in time to see her bring a finger to her mouth and lick his come from it. He groaned and she looked at him once more, a small smile on her face, “It’s not like I thought it would be.” She brought another finger to her mouth and tilted her head at him, “It’s…salty. Not bad, but not something I’d want to have everyday.”

He laughed at her frankness, it easing any of the awkwardness that could have ensued from her openness. He managed to roll over and reached for his wand to clean them both up and pulled her to lie against him, “Anything else?”

She smirked, “You sort of growl when you…”

He raised an eyebrow, “Do I?”

She nodded, “Yes.” She rested her head on his shoulder, “I like it.”

His hand toyed with her hair for only a moment before he rolled over to face her, “Did you like everything?”

She nodded, “Yes.” She looked away, “Did you?”

He tilted her face back to his, “Very much.”

She smiled, rather satisfied that she had achieved something else. “Well, that’s good.”

“You’re a quick study, Hermione.”

She shrugged, “They don’t call me the brightest witch of my age for no reason at all. I’ll have you know that I excel at most things.”

“Why is that?”

She sighed, “Because, I think if you’re going to do something you should learn how to be the best at it.”

He smiled, “Lucky for me.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Don’t be so perverse.”

He shook his head, “How can I not be when we’re laying in my bed naked?”

She leaned forward and kissed him, “If you feel you can’t say something that isn’t perverted then maybe you shouldn’t say anything at all.”

He moved his lips along her neck, “I like the way you think.”

Hermione pushed back on his shoulder, “Draco, it’s almost dinnertime.”

He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips, “I want dessert first.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled in spite of herself, “Well, I’m actually hungry for food.” She sat up and climbed off the bed, quickly dressing and noticed that he had only shrugged his boxers on and was watching her. She turned when she was finished and put her hands on her hips, “You don’t have to gawk at me.”

He chuckled, “I was enjoying the view.”

She folded her arms over her chest, “You know what your problem is?”

He tugged his pants on and sighed, “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“You think you’re charming.”

He pulled his jumper over his head and smirked. He didn’t say anything as he pulled his socks and shoes back on and took her hand to lead her to dinner. She ran a hand through her disheveled hair and bit her lip, “You don’t think they’ll notice do you?”

He looked over at her and furrowed his brow, “Notice what?”

“That they’ll be able to tell what we’ve been doing?” she whispered as they made their way down the stairs.

He shrugged, “I don’t know.” He frowned, “Why do you care?”

“Well, I am a guest in their home. I don’t want them to think I’m some sort of…harlot.”

He laughed and shook his head, “Hermione, they know you’re not a harlot.”

“Yes, but if they think I’ve been shagging their son…”

He sighed, “Don’t worry about it. Trust me.”

They entered the dining room to find Lucius pulling the chair out for his wife. Draco did the same for Hermione. Narcissa’s eyes met Hermione’s and the younger woman blushed from the scrutiny. The former raised a pale eyebrow at her husband and smirked slightly. Apparently, Draco and Hermione had been getting on better than they’d thought.

Narcissa spoke first, cutting through the silence, “I’m terribly sorry for this morning, Ms. Granger. I hope there were no hard feelings with my terseness.”

Hermione shook her head and smiled, “None at all. I’m sorry I wasn’t a more understanding as well.” She wasn’t really sorry, but she knew the sentiment would go a long was with both Lucius and Narcissa. She wasn’t actually there to make them like her, but it would make things easier in the long run if they did. She looked to Draco who was staring intently at her. He had that same look in his eye from earlier, and she worried that he might throw her onto the table and have her for dessert first anyway.

Lucius decided to break through their lust fog and began carrying on a conversation with Draco. Hermione worried that he was beginning to have too much of an effect on her. She liked him, found him to be a fairly nice person when he was here, but the secrets they would have to shroud themselves in once they returned suddenly hit her. Her earlier euphoria faded as she thought about not being able to spend this much time with him. His usual nastiness towards her would have to come back when he was around others, and she would have to pretend that she had just another boring holiday.

The truth of the matter was that she had only been there a few days and she was having a wonderful time. She knew her dread would only build the closer they got to their leaving date, and she didn’t want to think about what it all would mean.

Draco could feel her anxiety and sadness suddenly. It felt like a weight, sitting in the middle of his chest, and he wondered what could make her change so quickly. He looked at her and saw the deep frown that was set on her lips. He was actually completely surprised by the events of the evening. He had no idea that any of that would be possible. He thought at the most he’d be able to swindle out of the kiss would be light petting, but he’d received so much more. She’d showed a new trust in him, one that caused a stupid smile to form on his face. He couldn’t help his thoughts. He wanted to see her spread out on his bed, screaming his name, and he’d got it. It had been better than any fantasy and she had tasted better than anything he’d ever had. She was perfection and she belonged to him. It caused a feeling of pride as well as lust to know that she was his and she would never know another.

They made it through dinner with little talk. And once dinner was finished, Lucius had escorted Narcissa from the room quickly. His parents were two of the horniest people he’d ever seen. He’d walked in on them countless times shagging all over the house, and each time he’d tried to block it from his memory. He looked over at Hermione who was staring at her empty plate and smiled, “Knut for your thoughts?”

She looked up at him and smiled, “Just thinking about things.”

“Obviously, but what in particular?”

She sighed, “That this will end soon. You’ll have to go back to being nasty to me and I’ll have to go back to loathing you. We won’t be able to spend as much time together. Things are only going to get harder before they get better.”

He should have known she was thinking such things. They’d been on his mind recently as well. He didn’t like thinking about them, though, as he preferred to enjoy their time together instead of dread their time apart. He tilted his head and frowned, “It doesn’t do much good to worry about the future.”

“So, are you telling me not to think about it?” she asked, a bit irritated at his cavalier attitude.

He shook his head, “Not at all. I was just saying that…instead of worrying about it we should concentrate on the fact that we are able to be together now. Really get to know one another. For as long as we’ve known one another, we don’t really know all that much. But I believe we’ve been learning and growing. Think about how things have already changed and grown since you’ve been here. I find that rather encouraging.”

He wasn’t sure that she was going to go for it, and Hermione knew that it was his attempt at trying to make her feel better, but she smiled. He was right. Dwelling on the future, when the present was so much more inviting, wasn’t going to do either of them any good.

She pushed her chair out and Draco stood as well. She took his hand in hers and smiled, “I want to look through your library.”

He released her hand in order to wrap an arm around her shoulders, “This way, love.” He knew she’d eventually want to search through the stacks and enjoyed her enthusiasm as she found several texts she had been looking for but unable to find anywhere else. He was seated on a red settee, waiting for her to tire of searching through the books. He should have known that setting Hermione loose in the Malfoy library was like allowing Weasley to watch over your dinner. Not a good idea.

It was three hours later, and he was drifting off to sleep on the settee when she announced that she was finished for the day. She had a stack of books loaded in her arms and he took them from her and escorted her upstairs to her room. He deposited the books on her night table and looked at her, noticing her smile. “What?”

She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, “You didn’t whine once about me taking too long to look at books.”

He furrowed his brow, “Why would I?”

She smiled, “Everyone else always does.”

He leaned down and kissed her, “I’m not everyone else.”

She returned the kiss before she pulled away, her hands sliding over his shoulders to rest on his chest. She covered her mouth as she yawned and smiled sleepily up at him, “I didn’t know how late it was.”

He looked at the clock that was on her night table and saw that it read just a little after twelve and he too could feel exhaustion setting in. He placed another kiss on her soft lips before he pulled away. “I’ll let you get some sleep.”

She caught his hand before he could leave the room and she smiled, “Why don’t you stay with me?”

He raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

She smiled, “I’m far too tired to do anything you might have in mind, but when it comes to sleeping, yes, I’m sure.”

He nodded, “Tinky,” the elf appeared immediately, “would you fetch my black silk pajama bottoms, please?” They appeared an instant after the elf disappeared.

Hermione rolled her eyes as she walked to her armoire and removed a tank and pajama bottoms. They both undressed and dressed rather quickly. Hermione slipped between the sheets and Draco crawled in on the other side. She lay against him and rested her hand over his heart, “Thank you,” she whispered, as the lights dimmed.

He brushed his fingers through her hair and sighed, “Why are you thanking me?”

“For today. Even if we spend the rest of my time here at each other’s throats, I want to thank you for making today so wonderful.”

He smiled in the darkness, “I didn’t really do much.”

She shrugged, “You may not think so, but I do. So, thank you,” her eyes drifted closed as exhaustion finally started to take over.

He could feel himself drifting off as well as he whispered, “You’re welcome.”

***

To Be Continued...

Ending A/N: Please read and review. I've tried to respond to a lot of you, as I'm working my way through the replies, and I'm glad you've all enjoyed it thus far and will stick with me to the end!