Hermione Granger and The Secret Fire

Chapter 13-Envy

"So, Granger, how are we going to handle this?" Draco asked, holding Hermione's hand in a possessive, but protective way as they walked down the hallway. "Can we snog in front of them so I can see the Weasel's face turn that lovely shade of green again? I almost burst out laughing when I saw his red hair with the green face. His coloring looked a bit like a Christmas Holiday ball didn't it?"

"Malfoy, you are going make this as difficult as possible for him, aren't you?" Hermione said in mock anger, "I at least thought that bringing you might make my life easier."

"Come on, even you have to admit he looks funny when he imagines things he finds disgusting," Draco reasoned. "That bloke can't keep his emotions controlled any more than a unicorn can approach a non-virgin!"

Hermione giggled at his teasing.

"You are worried about their reaction, though, aren't you?" Draco asked, turning to face Hermione and drawing her hands up to his chest. They had just arrived at their destination and Hermione's stomach was queasy. "I know that Potty, the Weasel and I have never had the smoothest of relationships, but they are Gryffindors so they are supposed to brave in the face of almost any adversary. Isn't that part of the Gryffindork's code of conduct?"

Hermione smiled at his attempt at humor and rewarded him with a kiss on the tip of his nose.

The truth was, Hermione could not help but be nervous of what they were going to walk into, as she brought Draco to the Room of Requirement. According to Hermione's logic, this could go two ways; either Ron or Harry would accept the change in Draco and her relationship and the changes that would come or they would not and things would become even more strained in their friendship. Somehow, although she wished differently, Hermione knew it wouldn't be that black or white.

"Well, we'll never know until we walk in, will we?" she answered, making certain to be holding one of Draco's hands as she opened the door.

Hermione walked into the room and what she saw filled her with courage. At a long table in front of the fire sat Harry, Ron, Ginny and a person she hoped would be her ace in the hole; Misten.

"Hi gang," Hermione said trying to fill her voice with confidence and hoping not to show any of her apprehension. She gently led a hesitant Draco over to her group of friends.

"WHAT is he doing here?" Ron yelled jumping up so fast he almost knocked the table over on his sister and Misten who were sitting facing the boys, "You made us come up here while you had something to take care of in your room, and then you bring it up here?"

"And you wanted us to come and sit like a good children in the Room of Requirement," Harry interrupted, "all while you were..."

Even though she had just entered the room, Hermione had already heard enough of their ranting. "Draco and I had to take care of some Head business, as I already told you, and now WE are here to discuss this situation. However, if you boys are not mature enough to handle the conversation, then by all means, remain in the dark and speculate what really is going on. That has always worked so well for you in the past."

The look on Ron and Harry's face was precious. Hermione had known exactly what to say to get the two of them to shut up and allow her the time to clarify her and Draco's relationship. Even Misten and Ginny, although smiling, were sitting up at attention awaiting Hermione's explanation.

"Now, if you can ask calmly and politely, I will be happy to answer any question you have," Hermione said.

"Well, almost anything, Hermione," Draco said sliding up next to her and waggling his eyebrows, "I don't want them to know about that time you and I were in the bathtub and..."

Hermione's eyes widened at Draco's lie. She knew he was trying to anger Ron by making up a story. As he spoke, she snuck a look over at the table and saw that Misten and Ginny's eyes had also widened, but in anticipation of some great details. Harry looked like he had swallowed Crookshanks latest hairball, but Ron; Ron looked like he was going to pop a gasket.

"That's enough!" Ron bellowed as he reached for his wand. "Head Boy or not, I am going to hex you so bad that is going to be painful for you to even think of Hermione much less corrupt her mind."

Draco, obviously tired of being threatened, dropped Hermione's hand and reached for his wand, also.

"Stop it! Put those things away. I am not here to listen to you two as you decide who is going to protect me! I am tired of this, Ron. Who I date is none of your concern, anymore. We decided that last year, remember?" Hermione said forcing her body in front of Draco's to avoid any duel the boys had been planning.

"Hermione, I have a question," Harry said, trying to draw the attention off of the rising tension in the room, "but I have to tell you that I think we're a little upset because we didn't know anything about this before it happened."

Hermione returned to Draco's side and turned to Harry to reply, "When did I ever discuss my love life with you before it happened? Now, what is your question, Harry?"

"How long has...this been going on?" he asked, swallowing deeply as his face grimaced at the thought.

"Since last night, so not long. You haven't missed out on any precious details," Hermione answered sarcastically.

"Gods! You're even starting to sound like him!" Harry said with more than a touch of impatience in his voice

Ron's face blanched at the confession. "So, what, you just decided last night that you needed to snog Malfoy?"

"Ron, you should know enough about girls to know that nothing happens overnight. Girls do not act without planning and discussion with their friends," Ginny said looking at her brother as if he was daft.

Hermione felt the body next to her stiffen and heard him suck in a deep breath in surprise at the insight into the female mind that Ginny had just provided. 'Oh, I am going to have to thank her for that little gem' Hermione thought.

"And what about you, Malfoy," Harry said as he turned to face his enemy. "When did this whole thing begin for you?"

"Potter, in case you might have missed it, Hermione already told you this began last night," Draco answered snottily. His tone of voice changed, however, as he added, "But we've been...friendly for a few weeks now."

"Define friendly," Harry challenged. Hermione grabbed Draco's hand in a sign of support.

Draco glanced down at their entwined hands and seemed to gather strength from her show of encouragement. "Hermione has been a good friend to me while I have been going through some...difficulties in my personal life."

"Like becoming a death eater?" Ron interrupted, a malicious grin on his face.

Draco, to his credit, did not react to Ron's words. Hermione was amazed at how easily he was able to put his Malfoy mask to work.

Hermione was also impressed to see her friends balk at Ron's suggestion and yell a few comments of their own to his stupidity. However, Hermione had to defend her choice, too. "Ronald, what is going on in Draco's life has nothing to do with you."

"Yet. You forgot the word yet, Hermione. If his personal life has anything to do with you, it affects me. You are important to me; to all of us," Ron answered, his anger not calming any, "but it's important if he is a death eater, too. That would mean he's sworn to kill my best friend, and that definitely has something to do with me!"

'I knew this wasn't going to be straight black or white; there always is gray with them,' Hermione thought.

"WEASLEY, are you listening to anything she is saying; that we are saying? This has nothing to do with you or your petty, childish, ridiculous insinuations," Draco interrupted, "this is about our friendship becoming something more because Hermione has been patient and kind and supportive; skills I can see are lost on you.

"We are together, not to get back at you, or to hurt you, although that is a benefit," Draco smirked at his own comment. His voice softened as he added, "We are together because we have found something in each other that only we can relate to. We have found something in each other that completes a void left by others in our lives."

Misten, with the biggest smile Hermione had ever seen, said, "That's awful insightful for someone who only starting thinking of the other person in a romantic way 24 hours ago."

Draco turned to Misten, saw her smile and matched it, surprising everyone in the room. "Who said the thinking has only been going on for 24 hours?"

It was Hermione's turn to take in a sharp breath as she stared at the knowing looks between her beau and their friend. 'Draco's been thinking about me? He's been thinking about me as more of a friend? This didn't just miraculously occur last night?'

"Did you two know about this?" Ron said, exploding in anger toward his sister and their housemate. Hermione imagined he knew better than to express that anger to her anymore and had turned it on the only people from which he felt he could still get away with it.

"Oh Ron, you big prat; sit down and listen to what they have to say. I swear sometimes I think you are more of a wanker than Percy ever was, and that is saying something!" Ginny spat at her older brother.

"If it helps, I've always thought he was a bigger wanker, Ginny," Draco said, gaining a huge smile from Ginny.

"You know my name?" she said, meekly. Ginny blushed at the familiarity of her name being used by Malfoy.

Draco put on a face of mock horror and said, "That is your name, right?" He then winked at Ginny, showing the full range of Malfoy charms and Hermione knew the room was tied at two people for and two people against whatever was going on between her and Draco.

Hermione was surprised at how quiet Harry was; expecting quite the opposite. He seemed to be watching all that was going on around him and trying to process it as it took place.

"What else, Harry. What else do you want to know?" Hermione said quietly to her friend.

Draco was busy talking to the two girls and Ron was stewing over being called a wanker by his baby sister. Harry looked at Hermione and took her free hand. He seemed to look into her eyes longer than necessary thinking of how to phrase his question.

"Are you happy, Hermione? I mean really happy, not just 'I-have-a-new-crush' happy?"

"Yes, Harry; I am. I won't lie and say that I know where everything is going, but I haven't felt this way in a long time. I am excited to get up in the morning and energized just by being around him," Hermione said with a far-away smile sneaking onto her face.

Harry continued to stare into her eyes, seemingly looking for a telltale sign of lying. He sighed, resoundingly, and said, "I don't know if I like it, but I'll support you in your decision."

Automatically, tears sprung to her eyes and Hermione dropped Draco's hand to capture Harry in a hug. He stood to properly take her in his arms and the two rocked back and forth in each other's arms. The conversation ceased in the room as all eyes turned to the friends' emotional outburst.

Ron, however, was not impressed by what he saw going on in front of him. "Great! Now you took her side too, Harry?"

"Wanker...I mean Weasel...I mean Weasley... we have to get along for Hermione's sake," Draco played, causing Ron to fume again.

Ginny and Misten both continued to yell at the Gryffindor, but as Hermione wiped away her tears of happiness at being supported by her best friend, it was Draco that made Ron stop stewing.

"Look...Potter, Weasley, we don't have to like each other and we probably will never be best friends who watch Quidditch together, but we all care about the same girl and, for her sake, I am willing to...start over." Draco spoke in a calm, reassuring tone that impressed Hermione. She was certain that it was very difficult for him to say those words.

"I am just supposed to forget and ignore all the names you've called us; all the trouble you've gotten us into?" Ron asked, although his voice did not carry the same level of anger.

Draco gave Ron a patronizing look and said, "Forgive, not forget; if you need to hold on to the petty abuses of childhood. Remember, though, that trouble went both ways and you caused just as much turmoil for me as I ever did for you. But, I for one, care very much about Hermione and want her happiness above my own."

Hermione noticed that Draco had called them Potter and Weasley. Granted he had paused before saying their names, but it was still progress. She also noticed that he was manipulative in the argument, making it out like Ron wasn't being sympathetic to Hermione's pain. She knew that Ron would bend to that kind of handling and silently said a prayer of thanks to the Gods.

~*~

On their way back down to their private rooms, Draco asked Hermione how she thought the conversation went.

"Overall, better than I thought. I was a bit worried there," she teased, "when you fumbled Ron's name 'Uh, Wanker...I mean Weasel...I mean Weasley.' I thought he was going to hex you before I had a chance to stop him!"

"Did I do all right, though? Did I say the right things for you?" Draco said the words looking forward like he wasn't concerned with her answer. But Hermione could hear the insecurity and unsure tone in his voice. She stopped him where they stood in the hallway and pulled him into a hug with her right arm wrapped around his shoulders, his hands pulled into her left hand and pressed into his chest.

Looking at Draco watching her, awaiting her answer, Hermione felt her stomach flip-flop for the hundredth time since she realized her feelings for him.

'Actions speak louder than words,' she thought.

She stood up on her toes and captured his lips in a searing kiss. His eyes showed his astonishment at her brazen behavior, but quickly closed when, Hermione imagined, the emotion of kissing her took over.

The kiss deepened when Hermione's tongue was granted access to Draco's mouth. Her hand, still covering his chest, felt his heartbeat as it quickened and she had to hold back a moan of pleasure at the excitement she still felt kissing him. Although the change in the relationship was new, she had thought about his kissing skills long enough to be ecstatic that it was actually happening. His mouth slipped from hers and started peppering kisses along her jaw line toward her left ear. She kept her eyes closed in ecstasy.

"You taste so sweet; like...peppermint and...sugared grapefruit," he whispered in her ear, causing goose bumps to form on her arms and a tingle to run down her back. He began suckling at her ear and Hermione felt her knees go weak at the feeling.

A brief "Oh!" escaped her lips at he continued to touch her in all the right places.

"Anyway," a voice interrupted. It was coming from around the corner but it was still loud enough to carry down the hall. "Pansy disappeared earlier and I could not find her anywhere. I think that girl is up to something, with someone, and I would love to be the one to tell that fiancé of hers..." the voice trailed off as the pair talking turned the corner.

Draco had dropped his hold on Hermione and pulled away from her mouth, panting, as soon as they heard the voices. For one brief moment, Hermione could see panic on his face. He seemed to be fearful that the people attached to the voices would become aware of her new place in his life. When the pair turned the corner, Hermione partially understood Draco's response. Slytherin Prefects, Millicent Bulstrode and Theodore Nott, stood in front of them in the middle of completing the early rounds.

"Well, well, well," Millicent began, "what do we have here? What are the Head Boy and Mud...I mean Girl doing here?"

Hermione noticed Draco's eyes narrow at the 'slip' of her words, but he said nothing about it.

The Malfoy mask quickly slipped back into place and Draco easily steered the conversation away from his companion. The two Slytherins had not seen anything but still had a hard time hiding their anger and resentment at the two Head's being together. Draco laid into the Prefects, questioning their slacking on their duties and the paperwork that went with it. Hermione knew, as she was certain Draco did too, that the Slytherin Prefects had not been negligent regarding their responsibilities. She imagined he must have been using it as a tactic of going on the offensive before being forced on the defensive.

The distraction, however, was enough for Hermione to realize that Draco was not ready to share their relationship with the Slytherins, even though they had just done that with the Gryffindors. She had risked her friendships with the only people who she could call friends, and he wasn't able to make the same commitment to Hermione.

'We are in the middle of the hall,' she chided herself. 'How can I expect anything else? My housemates are my friends. How many times has he told me that his housemates are not his friends?'

But the truth was it still hurt.

Hermione excused herself from the group of Slytherins, where she obviously did not belong, and ran back to the common room for some privacy. After waiting several hours for his return, she fell asleep in her bed wondering what happened to the man who had accompanied her to the Room of Requirement.

~*~

The next morning, Hermione found that Draco's room was warded although she had tried to wake him by knocking and calling his name.

'Either he's a sound sleeper, or,' Hermione thought in dread, 'he's ignoring me.'

Hermione went about her day as if nothing was wrong. She saw Draco at meal times, where he'd catch her eye but look away. Thankfully, she had no classes with him that day.

As dinnertime approached, Misten arrived in the library and said, "There you are, Hermione. I've been looking for you."

Hermione smiled her best fake smile at Misten. She did not want to explain her mood to anyone at that moment, as she was unsure what she was feeling herself. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I need to borrow your Transfiguration notes from yesterday. I seem to have misplaced mine. Oh, and I saw Draco and he needs to talk to you. He asked me to tell you that he'd be waiting for you in your private rooms, if I saw you," Misten answered smoothly.

Hermione's dread reawakened in her stomach as she dug out her notes for Misten.

"Um...I am quite hungry. Lets go to dinner, shall we?" Hermione said.

Misten cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brows. "But you need to go see Draco."

"Yes, well, I am sure it can wait," Hermione said dismissively as she gathered her things. "My hunger is more important right now."

Misten continued to look at Hermione as she said in a tone that led Hermione to believe that she knew more than she was letting on, "Go to him, Hermione. He needs to talk to you. Go to him, now."

~*~

The walk from the library to her common room had never seemed so short. Before she had time to blink, it seemed, Hermione was back in front of the portrait of the Mime Priestess.

Hermione took a deep breath and resolved to be strong and confident. He had obviously changed his feelings for her, even though they had just had that talk with her friends. Were the Slytherins that powerful that they could change his feelings in a matter of minutes? She would not cry in front of him; she would not beg for another chance.

Walking into the common room gave a surreal feeling to Hermione. She had expected Draco to be sitting on the couch awaiting her arrival to break her heart. Instead she found him in his best dress robes and the room lit with more candles than she had ever seen.

Draco was holding a bouquet of some rare wild Cylamen flowers, which were some of Hermione's favorites. She knew, from reading countless books on the subject, that some woodlands in Kent, England were probably the only places where the Cylamen was still a wild plant. There were many types of Cylamen in gardens but it was a rare find in the wild. Because the attractive flowers were certainly not as plentiful as they once were, unless you were the landowner, it was against the law to collect them. This fact only made them all the more precious to Hermione.

Draco was standing next to a table with a place setting for two and a smile on his face that would have warmed Snape's heart. It was obvious that he had gone through a lot of work to put together the surprise.

Hermione took the flowers extended from Draco's hands and inhaled their fragrance deeply. It reminded her of home; of some place less trying.

They looked at each other for a long moment after she thanked him for the flowers and Draco took her hand to graze her fingers with his lips. He kissed each fingertip and closed his eyes at the simple pleasure of touching her hands.

Hermione's lower lip trembled with the apprehension and desire to take him and do something so completely out of her character. She wanted to push him against the wall and kiss him again like she did last night.

"Hi there," he said, bashfully. "We have dinner in the food box, compliments of the house elves, but I thought you might like a glass of pumpkin juice first."

Hermione watched as Draco poured her a glass of the juice. She also saw that his hands shook, almost imperceptibly, as he did it.

'Is he nervous?' she thought. 'Could he be as scared as I am when we are together?'

Draco had created the perfect night for the two of them. Although Hermione's fear and insecurity were not far under the surface of her emotions, she tried her best to get pleasure from the evening with the 'Slytherin Sex-God'; as that was what he was acting like that night. She knew she was getting his best behavior, and his best social graces. After a fantastic dinner where they laughed and enjoyed each other's company, Draco cleared his throat.

"Let's have a seat on the couch, shall we?" Draco asked in his best socially trained tone.

They sat on the couch and Hermione thought she had better start by clearing the air.

"Draco, I..." Hermione began.

"Hermione, I..." Draco said at the same time.

They laughed at their ability to talk over each other.

"You first," she said, thankful that she did not have to speak immediately.

Draco looked into her eyes and said, "Hermione, it's regrettable that I had to leave you last night. But I do not want you to think that I was gone because of something you said or something you did. I had to accompany the Prefects back to the Slytherin common room because I was concerned for Pansy's safety by what they were claiming to know."

Hermione, who had been touched by the effort Draco had gone through to create a warm atmosphere, found her anger returning at his words.

"So wait, let me get this straight. You can't even apologize for ignoring me last night? You just find it regrettable? You sound like Professor Snape, now. And this was after I went out on a limb for you in front of my friends and I kissed you, which, by the way, is not in my character."

"I know," Draco said, trying to take Hermione's hand into his own.

But she was not going to allow him to treat her like that. "No, Draco, I don't think you do. You traded my happiness for your housemate's happiness, even though you have told me that they do not mean anything to you. How could you be so cold to me?"

Draco sighed and answered, "Sometimes I find it's easy to be myself. But sometimes, I find it better to be somebody else."

"You sound like Professor Dumbledore, now. What kind of cryptic bullocks is that? What does that mean?" she cried.

"It means," he answered back in an icy tone, "that I cannot always act like myself in front of everyone. Sometimes I have to be somebody else to protect those I love and often times, myself."

Sighing, Draco tried again, "Look Hermione, I don't want to have a row with you. I just wanted to tell you that I have not forgotten what happened between us last night. And, I don't regret that."

"Can you at least tell me what happened last night with Pansy? I think I would understand better if I felt you were being honest and upfront with me," Hermione said. She knew Draco was trying to get at something deeper and she wanted to go there with him, but she could not let go of the resentment she felt at being left alone after such an important moment in their new relationship.

Draco looked confused at her attempt at directing the conversation where she wanted it to go. In an annoyed tone he said, "Hermione I don't want to, but I am beginning to lose my patience with you. I don't understand why you keep leading our conversation back to something as insignificant as Pansy Parkinson."

Instead of getting angry, as she wished to do, Hermione decided to try a new tactic and told him what she had been thinking.

"Please don't feel resentful, Hermione. It is the last emotion I want to draw out of you. I guess what I am not making clear is my real intentions," he said.

"And what are they, Draco?" Hermione asked as she felt her head fall to her shoulders waiting to hear him say he did not want her around him anymore. She just knew he was going to break her heart.

Draco lifted her chin and closed in on a kiss. Their lips met and danced with electricity. Hermione's breath caught in her throat as Draco massaged her tongue and her lips with his own.

Having to come up for air, Hermione stopped to be able to ask the question again. "What are your intentions, Malfoy?"

"Right now they are to snog with you a bit longer," he answered in a husky voice and leaned in to kiss her again. She ran her hand up his stomach and began rubbing his chest with her fingers. She heard a sharp intake of breath and felt his pulse race even more under her touch. She felt a surge of satisfaction from Draco's response, her feminine honor encouraged by her ability to make him respond so deeply to her light touch.

Hermione found that she was quite excited by Draco's noises and ability to make her crave him. As much as she wanted to continue, she was afraid that if she did not stop him now, they would go to far and she would not be able to respect herself, much less him. So she broke the deep kiss and took a deep breath, trying not to sigh in satisfaction.

Without opening his eyes, he whined, "Why do you always stop us when we are getting to the good part?"

But Hermione could see a smile playing on his lips and she dotted the smile with a brief kiss.

"I have to know something, Draco," she began in a shy voice.

"Why am I not surprised that we stopped snogging so the incurable know-it-all could know something else?" Draco asked with all bark but no bite. His eyes opened to look into her eyes and watch her respond to his teasing.

"But this conversation will be fun! I promise," Hermione said excitedly. "There is a reward for each correct answer and..."

"A punishment for each wrong one?" Draco asked hopefully, quirking his left eyebrow.

"Nope! Only good consequences in my game," Hermione laughed at his silliness.

"How Gryffindor of you," was the response she got.

"Okay we are going to play a little game of 'He said, She said'. How this game works is that you may ask one question. If I chose to answer, it is my turn to ask. And it is then your turn to decide whether or not to answer the question I ask. However, if I choose not to answer, then the next question can really be two questions and MUST be answered even if it is more personal in nature.

"If I like your answer, you get a kiss. If I don't like it, then we go on in the game. Ready to play?" Hermione asked suggestively.

"Sure, me first, though," Draco said getting comfortable on the couch facing Hermione.

"Have you been kissed before you kissed me?"

"Yes. Okay, my turn..." Hermione said quickly.

"Hey!" Draco interrupted. "That was a cheap answer. I didn't really get anything out of it."

"You'll have to learn to phrase your questions better, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione said trying to imitate a teacher's voice. "Hmm...my first question is, who was your first kiss with?"

"I need to learn to phrase my questions better? Whatever," Draco mumbled. "My first kiss was with Greg Goyle."

Hermione almost jumped out of her seat at his answer. "WHAT?" she asked.

"Just kidding," Draco answered with a sly smile. "You ought to know better than to correct my question phrasing skills!"

Hermione smiled deviously and said, "Fine. I'll take that as a refusal to answer and now you must answer my second question, no matter what it is."

"Bring it on, Granger," Draco said with conviction.

"Are you a virgin, and if not who did you lose it to?" Hermione asked looking like she had just remembered the answer to the million-dollar question.

"What? No. I am not answering that. That is way too personal. No way. Uh-uh," Draco said jumping off the couch and storming around the room. He walked over to look in the fire, but the heat was literally and figuratively too much, so he wandered over to their dinner table.

"What happened to 'bring it on, Granger,'" she asked sarcastically.

His face darkened, but he took the seat next to her again. "All right. I'll tell you, but it has to stay here. This answer does not leave this room."

She agreed and he continued, "I...have not lost my virginity." His head fell forward into his hands and he covered his face from the humiliation of his words sitting out in front of him.

Hermione's eyes went wide in surprise. She had been sure Draco was not a virgin! She wanted to know whom his first time was with, that being the heart of her question.

Draco's head bounced back up as he thought of the next question he wanted to ask. With a feral grin he asked, "Okay, how many different people have you kissed before me?"

'Bastard,' she thought. 'That's phrased much better!' Hermione thought about lying but she knew she couldn't, as it was part of the game to be honest. "Six."

"SIX?" Draco asked in shock.

"Why, how many did you think I had kissed?" Hermione quickly responded.

"Two, possibly three," was Draco's answer, "was Potter one of them?"

"Not your turn, Malfoy," Hermione smirked.

"Yes it is. You answered my question and then asked how many I people thought you had kissed. THAT is a question," Draco said triumphantly.

Hermione knew that she had been played and couldn't help but laugh at how happy Draco was to have caught her mistake before she did. "No, Potter was not one of them. Why haven't you lost your virginity?"

Draco answered so quickly that Hermione knew he was telling the truth, "I have not been in love yet."

Her shock at his answer took a moment to get over. However, he was already on the offensive.

"Was Ron one of the people you kissed?" Draco asked, his face drawing dark at the thought.

"Yes, but you already knew that I dated him last year!" answered Hermione. Although she wanted to ask him why it was important for him to know whom she kissed, she did not want to waste the question.

"Is it important for you that two people be in love before sharing the act of making love?" Hermione asked, almost scared of the answer.

"Yes, Hermione. I think it is very important." Draco sighed, rolling his eyes and said, "You know, I haven't gotten any rewards for my answers."

Hermione leaned over and began passionately kissing the boy in front of her. Draco started to really get into the act when Hermione pulled away with a devious smile. "Your turn for a question."

Draco looked at her like a lost little boy. However, a moment later Hermione could tell he had a question to ask but was very hesitant to do so. His apprehension made her anticipate the question before it was asked. She already did not want to answer the question. "Are you a virgin?"

Hermione had to smile at the fear and intimidation she heard in Draco's voice. She could answer yes and make him feel confident again, or she could mess with him and say no, which would surely screw up his psyche. In the end, the truth rang out. "Yes, Draco. I am a virgin because I want to wait for that special person."

The relief that flooded his face was almost palpable. Hermione knew he was glad to not be the only virgin in the room and to know that she would not think less of him for his answers.

"How far have you gone?" Hermione asked. She blushed, as she knew what question he would ask next.

"Not far enough," he laughed. "Only as far as over-the-clothes touching."

"How far have you gone?" Draco countered.

"The same. And before you have to wait to ask, it was with Ron, not with Viktor Krum, like everyone seems to think."

Draco practically collapsed on top of Hermione as he took his victory snog at getting two answers for the price of one question. She found herself pinned under his weight as he caressed her head between kisses.

The snogging session went on as Draco began lightly touching parts of Hermione's body. He started with running his hands down her arms and then up her torso. But his bravado took over and he started to really feel his way up her body.

Hermione was surprised to discover that his actions did not make her uncomfortable the way she had felt when Ron had tried them. With Draco she felt more real; more alive. She began to rub his back, roaming the area with her hands as his explored her body.

With a moan of need, he shifted his weight and Hermione felt a rush of pleasure when she discovered his erection was pressing into her thigh. Oh how she wanted to touch it, to grab it. She wanted to feel it in her hands.

However, the truth was, she was too terrified to even begin that kind of physical relationship. She had been happy enough in the past with just snogging and that was all she was going to get from Draco, too.

'At least he won't be pressuring me to go further than I am ready to go," she thought.

Just then a screeching noise came through the window. Draco jumped up, eyes roaming wildly around the room. They settled on a large bird that had managed to push open the unbolted window.

"It's one of father's owls," Draco said in an alarmed voice. "Come here, Dixie. Let me see that parchment."

Draco untied the note and read it. Hermione waited in anticipation for him to let her read it or at least tell her what the note contained. She saw him read the note several times before he pounded his fist down on the table and crumpled the letter, holing it in a tightly closed fist. He shoved the letter into his pocket.

"Damn it!" Draco yelled, his face contorting in anger. "Damn you, father." He turned to face the fire with one hand resting on the hearth holding up the rest of his body.

Hermione stood up and walked over to him to try and bring him some comfort. She had just slipped her arms around his middle when he recoiled from her touch.

"Don't...don't Hermione. Not right now," Draco's voice came out strained.

Backing up to stand behind him and taking a deep breath to make sure there was none of the anger she was feeling at being left out of this in her voice she began, "Draco, I..."

However her words were lost under the scream that came from Draco. She looked at him as he fell to the floor in agony, clutching his left forearm.

"Oh, shit. Not now," Draco cried. "Not fucking now."

Hermione stared, not sure what to do.

"How could he send me a fucking letter like that knowing we would be called tonight? Is this a joke or a test? Damn it!" Draco howled aloud to no one in particular.

As soon as he was able, he stumbled to his room and grabbed his mask and cloak. Hermione watched in horror as he left without another word.