Tonight's The Night

HERMIONE CAVES

When she realised that, yes, she was going to allow this to happen, she closed her eyes and grimaced - waiting for the inevitable clamp of his lips on hers and his disgusting tongue snaking down her throat.

So she was shocked when all she felt was his finger under her chin as he tilted her head gently upwards, and the pad of his thumb stroke wetly over the swell of her bottom lip, causing her, ever so slightly, to part them.

She didn't dare open her eyes. She was aware of him bending towards her and her head began to buzz with anticipation of the kiss.

She felt a ghostly touch on her lips as he brushed hers with his own, kissing her so softly, she wondered for a moment if she had imagined it. It left her whole body tingling, waiting for him to kiss her properly. When his lips finally made full contact with her own, it felt gentle, warm and unexpectedly soft, sending extremely pleasant sensations fizzing down through her body.

She realised that she had begun putting her own pressure into the kiss and when eventually she felt the tip of his tongue brush against her lower lip, she parted her fur further, inviting him in.

A soft moan escaped her as the invitation was accepted. His tongue came into her mouth and she met it with her own; circling, caressing - almost making love to each other. She heard a clatter as she dropped the wand. Her arms went up around his neck, pulling herself further, harder into the kiss.

He responded by stepping closer, so that his body now pressed up against hers and she could feel the heat fusing through her dress. His arms came around her back and the touch of his fingers on her bare flesh sent fresh sensations down, down through her body, having such an effect between her legs, she felt her knickers suddenly become very damp.

Oh, God, this is Malfoy! She thought to herself through a haze of desire. This can't be happening. This just can't be happening.

But it was happening, and what's more, she realised with a mixture of delight and dismay, that she didn't want this kiss to end - not yet, not on this side of the door.

Putting a trembling hand behind her back, she fumbled for the door handle, found it; turned it.

They both stumbled into the room, still kissing.

Hermione stroked her hands down the front of his shirt and then up underneath his jacket, pushing the cloth over his shoulders so that, when manoeuvred, his arms came out of the sleeves and the jacket fell to the ground. When her fingers moved back to the buttons on his shirt, he pulled away slightly.

"Whoa, whoa." He looked down at her. "Um...I'm getting mixed signals here - am I staying or going?" He grinned.

"Shut up," she said, blushing furiously. "How can you be so good at this?"

"Just a natural talent, I guess. I do warn you, it gets better."

"Insufferable..."

"However, I do have a few rules..." He bent down to pick up his jacket and folded it across the back of a chair. Hermione bit her lip when she realised how much notice she was taking of his body moving under the silk shirt.

"...I'll just retrieve my wand which seems to have been unceremoniously dumped in the hallway...OK..." He came back into the room and shut the door.

"Firstly," he pointed his wand at the torches on the walls, whispered a word and they dimmed to a soft, flickering, candlelight. "Secondly," He waved his wand again and music drifted out from the walls; gentle, sensuous, steamy music, oozing romance. "Thirdly," he threw the wand onto the bed and held out his hand to her. "Would you care to dance?"

"I remember what happened the last time I danced with you." she said.

"Hmmm. Embarrassing on a public dance floor, but rather an advantage on this one, given the circumstances, wouldn't you say?"

"Listen, um...Draco..."

"Uh uh. No first names. Too tied to the emotions. I am Malfoy; you are ger.ger."

"Malfoy. Listen, I don't deny what happened just now was very nice, but I'm not going to..."

"I shall just point out that you haven't given any promises," he said, taking her hands and pulling her to him. "You have not led me to believe I'm entitled to expect anything of you tonight. However, I have made promises and I intend to keep them. Any time you want this to stop, it will. Anything you don't want me to do, I won't. All I ask is that you dance with me, and see where we go from there..."

Hermione looked at him, wanting and yet not wanting.

"One dance and then you'll go?"

"One dance and then I'll go. If that's what you want."

She put her left hand on his shoulder. He took her right hand and closed the gap between their bodies, slinking his arm around her back.