Deny

Draco woke up to a blinding light flooding the room. He stuck his hand up to shield his eyes, and then realized something. The window was on the other side of the room - it couldn't be the sun shining in his eyes. He moved his hand and saw that the lights in the room had come back on. Smiling stupidly to himself, he turned to look down at the sleeping figure by his side.

She looked glorious, with her hair splayed across the carpet like that. Her cheeks were rosy, and her skin was almost luminescent. His smile softened as he studied her. He hadn't meant for things to go as far as they had, but he couldn't say that he regretted it. She had been a wildcat, and he had thoroughly enjoyed every moment they'd shared.

He reached out and brushed a curl away from her face, causing her to stir slightly. Rising stealthily from his place beside her, he switched the light off and returned to her side. He stretched out beside her and draped his arm possessively over her slumbering form before drifting back to sleep.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Hermione sighed happily as she nuzzled against the warm body in front of her. His scent filled her nostrils - a clean, spicy smell that shot straight to her core and made her toes tingle. She smiled against his chest before placing a tiny kiss there. He chuckled softly.

"You keep saying you're no feline, but I'd swear you were purring like a kitten just now," he said, his voice thick with amusement. Her eyes flew open and she sat up quickly, clutching the blanket to her chest. She turned and stared down at him, her mouth open in surprise.

"You-" she struggled to find her voice. "You're really here?" He propped himself up on his elbows and arched an eyebrow at her.

"I'm really here," he said cautiously. She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"I thought it was all a dream," she said incredulously. His eyes narrowed.

"A dream about me, or about someone with red hair?" She was instantly stung.

"Wasn't that what you were thinking about?" she asked defensively. He sat all the way up.

"Of course," he said coldly. He turned and began looking for his pants, but stopped when he felt her hand on his arm. He turned to look at her.

"I wasn't thinking of Ron, Draco." He relaxed a little.

"You don't have to lie to me."

"I'm not lying. I wasn't thinking of him."

"Why didn't you think I was real, then?" She blushed and turned her face away from him. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and his mouth formed a smirk. "You've had dreams about me before, haven't you?"

"No!" she said quickly. She stood up and wrapped the blanket tightly around herself.

"You have," he said, his eyes sparkling. "Was I everything you imagined, and more?"

"You stupid git," she said, her voice shaking with embarrassment. She moved to leave the room, but he grabbed the bottom of the blanket and yanked on it, causing her to fall. Once she was on the ground, he crawled on top of her and grinned down at her.

"Tell me you dreamt about me," he said. She turned her face away and refused to look at him.

"I'll tell you no such thing," she said hotly.

"Tell me what an earth-shattering experience it was for you," he teased. She snorted and still refused to look at him.

"Right, and stroke your ego? No, thanks. If your ego got any bigger, I'd have to move out of my own house - it would suffocate me!"

"Defy me all you like, kitten, but you were purring just now." She flushed and met his eyes.

"It was nice," she admitted hesitantly. He looked surprised.

"It was?"

"The waking up next to someone, I mean," she said, nodding slowly.

"It was." His grin faded and the look on his face made her heart pound wildly. "It was."

"You already said that," she pointed out softly.

"I did."

"Yes." He was quiet for a moment, content just to look at her face. When she finally gave him a nervous smile, he cleared his throat.

"You look horrible in the morning," he said, his eyes sparkling. She pulled a face at him, and he laughed.

"You're no peach, yourself."

"Really?" He feigned surprise. "I've never had any complaints before."

"Did all of the other women wake up to you in the dark?" His jaw dropped open, and she laughed.

"Are you always this feisty the morning after?" Her cheeks turned pink again, and she averted her eyes, though her smile stayed in place.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

He was quiet for so long that she wondered if she'd said something wrong. When she turned her eyes back to him, the look on his face made her feel flushed all over. He lowered his head and pressed his lips gently to hers. She sighed, and he deepened the kiss. Before she realized it, he'd removed the barrier of the blanket, and they were skin to skin once more.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

When Draco finally got out of the shower, Hermione was standing in front of the window in the kitchen, staring out across the back yard as she sipped her coffee. He poured a cup for himself and moved to stand behind her. He was so close that Hermione could feel the heat from his body on her back. She smiled to herself.

"What are we looking at?" he asked.

"Don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"It's going to snow today. It's in the air. I can smell it."

"Smell it?" he asked uncertainly, sniffing gingerly. "All I smell is soap and coffee."

"Not an unpleasant combination," she said, smiling. "But I can still smell it."

"Is there going to be much, do you think?" he asked, peering at the gray clouds that hung low in the sky.

"I don't know. There could be - why?"

"Snow makes me nervous."

"You're kidding," she said, turning to look at him. His expression was sober. "Why?"

"What if we're attacked when there's a lot of snow outside? It's difficult to be mobile in the snow, especially without wands to help us."

"No one knows you're here but Dumbledore," she protested. "And we haven't used any magic, so there's no reason anyone would suspect that you're here, either."

"What if someone saw us out shopping?" his voice was full of concern, and it frightened her. She'd never heard him sound so vulnerable before.

"They wouldn't be any wiser," she said, shaking her head gently. "I'm sure they wouldn't recognize me, so if they saw us together, they still wouldn't know where you were. But I don't know many Wizards who frequent Muggle malls." He seemed to relax at this, and nodded.

"You're right." She turned back to the window.

"Tell me something I don't know." She gasped as she felt his fingers pinch her behind.

"You're a smart ass."

"Again, tell me-"

"If you say it again, I won't just pinch you. I'll smack your bum, good and proper." She laughed.

"Stop it, you're going to make me spill my coffee." He shrugged and went to the refrigerator to find something to eat. She stared out the window the entire time he was cooking, finally becoming excited when she saw the first few snowflakes. "Look, Draco," she breathed.

The awe in her voice was enough to make him curious, and he moved to her side. "What am I looking at?"

"The first snow of the year," she said, her eyes wide. "It's magnificent, isn't it?" He glanced at her and saw the rapturous look on her face.

"It's beautiful," he agreed, never looking outside. She turned at the strange note in his voice and caught him looking at her. Her cheeks barely flushed as she gave him a shy smile, then reached out and caressed his smooth cheek with her fingertips.

"You'll want to learn how to do it today, I expect," she said softly, letting her hand drop back to her side. He looked confused for a moment. "The wandless magic, I mean."

"Oh, yes," he said, feeling flustered. He turned and went back to the stove, where he was making pancakes.

"Do we even know if it's something that can be learned?"

"It is, although I think I've read somewhere that it can take a long time to learn."

"Bollocks," she said, frowning. He grinned to himself. She was already starting to sound like him. "You're smarter than all of those other Wizards. You'll pick it up in no time." He turned and gave her an incredulous half-smile. "What are you smiling at?"

"That's the first time I've ever heard you compliment me without some sort of negative comment tagging along behind it." She smiled and stared down into her mug.

"That doesn't say much about me," she said. "But you are smart; you didn't need me to tell you that."

"It's nice to hear it," he said honestly, turning back to the stove before the moment got too personal. Either she understood his need for distance or felt it herself, because she stopped talking and went into the other room.

It was nice, he thought, this being with someone and not feeling like he needed to win anyone else's approval to be with her. With Ginny, there had always been her parents to win over. With Hermione, it was only her. No family left, no friends left. Just her. He felt a moment of sadness for her that she had once been so loved and had come to be so isolated.

Then again, it was just another thing that they had in common. Sure, his mother was still alive, but for all intents and purposes, she was nothing but a vegetable. She didn't talk, she didn't smile, and she didn't even recognize Draco the one time he'd been to see her. He was alone, too.

He sat down at the table and began to eat when he heard music. He concentrated on it for a moment, trying to make out what it was. When he heard the words, he grinned to himself. She was already listening to Christmas music!

When he'd finished eating and washing his plate and fork, he went into the living room, where she was sitting in front of the blazing fire, wearing a turtleneck. He laughed, and she turned around. His laughter faded when he saw her carefully applied lipgloss and her hair pulled up in a neat ponytail. She blushed.

"I look ridiculous, I know," she said, shaking her head. "But I can't help it. I used to watch these old movies where the women all looked so glamorous in front of the fire, and it was always snowing outside. I do this every year when it first snows."

He stood rooted to the spot, his gaze locked on her. She cleared her throat nervously. "I didn't mean to surprise you, or anything. I can go in the study, if you want the television - there's a fireplace in there, too." She rose to her knees before he spoke.

"Don't," he said, his voice unsteady. She looked at him, her eyes full of uncertainty.

"Are you sure? You look pretty spooked."

"I'm not spooked, just surprised," he said, sitting next to her on the rug. She relaxed and resumed her seat, and they stared into the fire in silence for a while, just letting the Christmas music play.

"I used to love Christmas, you know," he said quietly. She turned to look at him, and watched the way the flames cast shadows on his face. "My mother and father would always be the first ones awake, and they would come and wake me up while it was still dark outside."

"That sounds lovely," she breathed, not wanting him to stop talking. It was the first time he'd told her anything so personal.

"It was," he admitted, a faint smile crossing his face. "It was always the highlight of my day, to wake up and see them together like that. Father was always gone on business, and it was rare that they were together in one room of the Manor. But at Christmas, they were never apart. We were always together, as a family."

She didn't say anything, just watched him as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Mother used to insist that we open all of our gifts in the parlor in front of the fireplace. She loved the snow, too." Hermione turned away from him to stare into the fire again. "I never thought I'd meet another person in the world who would remind me of her like you do." She turned to give him a look of surprise, and he turned to meet her gaze.

"I remind you of-?"

"My mother, yes," he said, nodding. She was quiet for a moment as they simply looked at each other.

"Thank you." He gave her a curt nod and turned back to the fire. "Christmas isn't too far away."

"I know, it's closer than I thought."

"You know, if you don't have anywhere else you'd rather be..." her voice trailed off, and she looked down at her hands. "I mean, if you didn't mind..."

"Are you trying to invite me here for Christmas, Hermione?" His lips curled up in a very amused smile.

"I think so," she said, nodding.

"Assuming that I make it through this current ordeal alive, I'd love to." Her head shot up and she gave him a breathless smile that made his chest swell.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. But don't expect any big, fancy gifts from me - I'm poor now, remember?" She laughed.

"I didn't ask for you to bring a gift," she said, shaking her head. "It would just be nice to have you here. We could sing carols, watch cheesy old movies, eat until we pop - you know, the usual things you do on Christmas."

"I will not sing," he said, half-laughing. "And you can't make me, either."

"Come on, Draco," she said, bumping her shoulder against his. "I'm sure you have a lovely singing voice."

"I want to hear yours first."

"No way," she said, laughing. "All right, before we waste the whole day away teasing each other, why don't we get started on the wandless magic?"

"Are you telling me that you don't like sitting here with me?"

"I'm not saying that at all," she said. "It's very..."

"Seductive?" he offered. She laughed.

"Romantic." He stood and reached his hand out to help her up. When she slid her hand into his, a tiny thrill went through him. When she stood up, she was standing so close to him that she thought for a moment that he might kiss her. Instead, he turned and headed toward the study. Slightly disappointed, she followed him.

"So," he said, turning to her. "Where should we start?"

She frowned. "I'm not really sure. We haven't been able to find any reading material to prepare us, so we're going to have to improvise, so to speak."

"You just started when you got really angry, didn't you?"

"I think so."

"Fine," he said, lowering himself onto the sofa. "Get me mad, then."

She sat down in the armchair and tucked her legs beneath her. "I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can," he said, shaking his head. "It's what we do best, remember? Fight?"

"Right." She took a minute to think, then frowned at him. "But will it work, if you know I'm just saying things to make you mad? You'll just think it's funny."

"I won't think it's funny," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He closed his eyes.

"See? You're already getting frustrated with me, and we haven't even started yet."

"If you'd just get on with it, and quit stalling, I'd be all right."

"Get on with it?" She snorted. "You mean like last night?" His eyes flew open.

"Excuse me?"

"Just get on with it and get it over with seemed to be your motto last night," she said, her voice full of bitterness.

"It was not!"

"It was," she said, nodding. "I could tell that it wasn't me you were really with last night - you were a million miles away."

"Look," he said angrily, his eyes glittering. "I told you I wasn't thinking of Ginny, and I meant it!"

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "Just like I wasn't thinking of Ron." His eyes narrowed, and the lights flickered. She gasped.

"So you were thinking of him this morning," he hissed. She held up her hands in surrender.

"Draco, please," she said, glancing at the lights. They were still flickering.

"Both times?" he asked.

"Neither time," she admitted softly. The lights stopped flickering, and his jaw unclenched. He stared at her for a moment, then his jaw dropped.

"You- you were baiting me!"

"I couldn't say something that you knew I didn't mean," she explained softly, her cheeks turning pink. "It wouldn't have worked."

"I don't know if I can keep doing this," he murmured, his eyes fixed on hers.

"Why not?"

"Just the thought of you picking a fight with me and baiting me so ruthlessly turns me on."

She gave him a nervous laugh. "You are such a masochist!"

"Masochist? Why do you think that?"

"You're just asking for the big hurt, aren't you, desiring women who are destined to betray you?"

"What?"

"Someone who baits you and lies to you like that is only going to use you and walk away."

"I don't mind being used." She frowned at his calm expression.

"You don't? You don't mind a woman using you for sex and then just walking away from you?"

"No one has ever done that to me before," he said, shrugging.

"Yet," she added.

"I hope you're not insinuating that you'd be the first."

"What would you care if I was? You don't care about me, and you wouldn't hesitate to walk away from me. Why shouldn't I be the same way?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

"It's not in your nature to be so cruel."

"It's self preservation, Malfoy." His eyes narrowed to slits.

"What?"

"Self preservation," she repeated, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. She rose to her feet. "I won't give myself to you just to have you walk away and break my heart." She moved towards the door, hoping that he was taking the bait.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. We're through talking."

"You're damned right we are." She stopped and turned to look at him, only to have his lips crash against hers. She was so surprised that she didn't think to fight him; she just went limp in his arms.

Suddenly they were in her bedroom, and he was pushing her down on the bed. She didn't have time to register her surprise before she realized that all of her clothes were gone, as well as his. When his lips descended on hers again, she gave up all hope for rational thought, and allowed herself to be swept away.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

They were lying on the bed and trying to catch their breath when she finally spoke. "Do you realize that your power surpasses mine?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows and looking at her.

"When I get mad, I don't transport both of us into the bedroom and remove all of our clothes," she pointed out. He thought about it for a minute, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

"No, but it'd be a lot more fun if you did." She smiled and pulled the sheet up, tucking it beneath her arms. He moved closer to her and planted several feather-light kisses on her shoulder, making her shiver.

"We'd never get out of bed if we wound up in here every time we fought," she whispered, smiling softly.

"An interesting theory. Why don't we try it out?"

"You're awful," she said, laughing. She swatted gently at him. "Don't you want to practice more?"

"Why did you call me that?" he asked curiously. Her smile faded.

"Because I knew that it was the one sure thing that would get you angry with me."

"Surprisingly enough, it wasn't what made me angry."

"It wasn't?"

"No."

"Then what was it?"

"I'm not going to tell you, because then you might tell me that you didn't mean it, and if you say it again, it won't work." She nodded at this answer, seeing its logic. What he didn't tell her was that he was more afraid that she would tell him she did mean it - that she would walk away from him without looking back. He'd told her he would do it to her, but that was before they'd shared a bed.

He wasn't so sure it would be so easy now.