Taking Advantage

So here goes. I\'ve never done this before. Well, I\'ve done it, of course. I have children, after all, but I\'ve never written a kiss before. Thank you, everyone, for the lovely reviews. They\'ve been very encouraging. I\'m going to need some serious reassurance after this chapter, though. It made me more nervous than I had thought it would. I positively dread the post-wedding scene.



I looked back over previous chapters this morning and was appalled by some of the errors that made it in. I do, very briefly, proof-read, but I\'ve got to admit that it is haphazard at best, mostly happening during the five minutes here and there when my kids are getting along and entertaining one another. I\'d like to say I\'ll do better, but that wouldn\'t be very honest. I\'ll probably go on about as I have been and hope you aren\'t the critics that I am. Thanks for reading!



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After a nice soak in the tub and a bit of pampering, Hermione was feeling a bit less stressed. Yes, at first she had been shocked at the speed with which Draco (doing a great job with that, Hermione) had moved, but all he was really doing was facilitating wedding planning. He was working to achieve their plan, and she was busy freaking out because it was all happening so fast.



She told herself that she needed to relax and go with the flow while she pinned her curls into a loose bunch at the base of her neck. She told herself that she needed to relax and plan her wedding while she brushed on a coat of mascara. She told herself that she needed to relax and say her fiance\'s given name without clinching every muscle in her body while she applied a shimmery lip gloss. She told her that she needed to relax and admit, to herself at least, that she wasn\'t exactly dreading getting naked with Malfoy.



As much as Hermione might like to pretend to herself that Ginny was the only Gryffindor who had ever noticed Malfoy\'s sex-appeal, she was attempting to be more honest with herself this evening. What better way to prepare for a talk that would no doubt result in her best friends in the world grilling her mercilessly. Oh how she was dreading that talk. Ginny wouldn\'t be a problem at all. She was so head-over-heals for Harry that she thought everyone should try the love-and-marriage route. Even Harry wasn\'t going to be too much of a prat about Hermione\'s decision. Yes, he would be worried and confused at first, but deep down, he trusted Hermione\'s judgment in a way that flattered and awed her. Harry would be right behind her on the day she married his child-hood enemy.



Ron was the problem. To say that their relationship was complicated was like saying Voldemort had been a touch eccentric. Ron\'s feelings for Hermione were nearly as crazy as the now dead dark wizard. He loved her; he couldn\'t stand anything about her. He wanted her; he wanted to punish her by flaunting his relationship with another woman. He was jealous of her; he wanted her to be jealous of Lavender. Name it, and Ginny and Hermione had speculated that Ron felt it for Hermione.



Meanwhile, Hermione\'s feelings were a bit less confused. She wasn\'t sure it was capitol L love, but she did care for Ron and want a chance to explore those feelings. She was jealous. She was hurt. She wanted him to break up with Lavender and grovel. Still, when Hermione was very honest with herself, as she was attempting to be at the moment, she had to admit that she would rather leave Ron entirely out of her feelings about her wedding. She didn\'t want to discuss her plans with him, and she certainly didn\'t want to debate her plans with him. Nonetheless, you couldn\'t be friends with someone for fifteen years without knowing at least in part how a serious discussion was going to play out. Ron was going to be angry. He was going to shout. He was going to storm out. This decision might well be the final nail in their friendship\'s coffin. Lavender had done most of the prep-work, but Hermione was fairly certain that she was going to have the privilege of personally driving that last nail home tonight.



Hermione had just put the final touches on her make-up and was spritzing herself with her favorite perfume when she heard Malfoy\'s... Draco\'s voice calling from the hearth.



“Is it alright for me to come through?” he asked before fluing into her living room.



“Certainly,” she responded. “I\'ll be out in a moment.”



“No hurry,” she heard from her flat\'s small living area.



She gave her appearance one last critical look and had to admit that it was as good as it was ever likely to be. Her hair was shining, and a few tendrils curled around her face and neck beside the stylish knot at her neck. The dress, which looked more emerald than hunter green in this light, was perfect. Her skin was luminous. She told herself to stop stalling before opening the door and walking through her bedroom to greet her fiance.



“Wow, Granger,” Draco gasped, deciding to try for a teasing tone to hide his reaction to her appearance. “Who knew I could get this sort of result from a couple dozen roses and a box of chocolates.”



“Thank you, Ma... Draco,” Hermione replied pointedly. “I\'m making an effort in more ways than one.”



“So I see, Hermione,” purred Draco, a bit taken aback at how much hearing his name on her lips affected him. “If you don\'t mind slight delay in our departure, there are a few things we should discuss before we go.”



Seeing her nod, Draco continued. “I had to put the bride-gift back into the contract. If I hadn\'t, the ministry officials who are also members of the higher echelons of society would know instantly that we were up to something. They couldn\'t even pretend not to realize that we weren\'t serious about our marriage.”



“But, Malfoy,” Hermione interjected, “I\'m very uncomfortable with that aspect of the contract. I\'d rather...”



“Skipping it is not an option, Granger,” he repeated. “I don\'t typically give away that much money without thinking through the reasons. Trust me on this.”



“If you insist, Draco,” she allowed. “What\'s next?”



“The wedding. I\'ve taken the liberty of setting up a few accounts to make arranging things easier for you. We need to get things moving if we want to be married before weekend.”



“I noticed,” she answered with a grin. “I visited Madame Malkin\'s this afternoon.”



“My compliments on your selection,” he replied. “Wearing my colors was a good thought. I\'m sure Skeeter will take note of that detail in the article she\'s going to write about our evening.”



“Rita Skeeter?” Hermione gulped.



“Oh, don\'t worry, Granger,” Draco laughed. “I know you have had your differences with her, but she knows not to cross me. She\'s going to be dining at L\'Orangerie this evening at a table with an excellent view of our own. She\'s going to see and hear exactly what we want her to see and hear. We\'ll make a better story if Skeeter writes how in love we are, and she knows it, so even if she wanted to punish you, she\'ll do the practical thing and sell papers while keeping big, scary me happy.”



“You have a point, Draco. Was there anything else we need to discuss before we leave? I have Harry, Ron and Ginny scheduled for a visit at 9, so we need to get moving so I can be back here in time to talk to them.”



“There is one more thing, Granger,” Draco drawled. “Skeeter\'s going to be expecting displays of affection. I don\'t think our first kiss should take place before an audience. I suggest we take a bit of time now to practice being ... affectionate.”



Hermione gulped. “Ummm, of course. That\'s very logical of you, Malfoy. It\'s a bit awkward, but you\'re quite right.”



“This need not be awkward, Hermione,” Draco whispered drawing closer to his future wife. “We\'re going to be doing a lot more than exchanging a few kisses before the week is out. We\'re both attractive. We both have needs. I hope that our encounters don\'t have to be an unpleasant chore we endure. There\'s no reason we can\'t relax and enjoy ourselves. If we don\'t, we\'ll only be punishing ourselves.”



While he had been talking, Draco had drawn closer and closer to Hermione until there was barely a millimeter between them. Hermione had found herself oddly mesmerized. The scenario Draco described sounded infinitely more pleasant than closing her eyes and thinking of England. Why not make the most of a bad situation? The girls at school had always whispered about Draco\'s skills in the bedroom. Why shouldn\'t Hermione take advantage of a learning opportunity like this? To do anything else would be completely out of character for a curious witch, she decided, giving herself permission to enjoy her soon-to-be husband.



With that thought, Hermione tipped her head back and looked Draco straight in the eye. “I couldn\'t agree more,” she announced, leaning forward to close the space between their lips.



It took every ounce of control Draco possessed not to immediately drag Hermione\'s warm body against his and deepen the kiss beyond what she had offered. “Don\'t push her; don\'t push her; let her come to you,” he mentally chanted.



Instead he gently took what was offered, slipping his tongue out to taste her only when she parted her own lips. She would get suspicious if she had any indication how much he wanted her. She might back out of their deal entirely if she knew. He satisfied himself with the feel of the silky skin on her back, bare under his broom-calloused hand. He stroked her back once, then twice, before tightening his hold to bring her closer and crush her breasts against his broad chest. How could he wait until Thursday to have her, he wondered, feeling a little out of control.



Because he had to wait, he told himself. He could wait because he was so close to having everything he wanted, or close enough. Hermione in his life, in his home, in his bed, in his heart.



Taking a step away from Draco, Hermione stared at him wide-eyed and reached up to touch her lips.



“I think we\'re going to do just fine together, Granger,” he smirked, and with that, he wrapped his arms around her once more and apparated them straight to their destination.