CHAPTER SEVEN

Draco woke up sick to his stomach. He supposed he drank a little more than he thought last night. Everything was kind of hazy. He rolled over in bed and saw that Hermione was still sleeping. The sight of her jogged his memory a little. He remembered what she had felt like in the bathroom stall before they had been caught. He laughed at the memory. He didn't expect her to be so wild. All she was wearing under the covers was her little lace underwear from the night before. Those he remembered pretty clearly.

He reached over, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her closer to him. She felt so good pressed up against him. It was as if they were two perfect puzzle pieces. Draco began to doze off again but he woke up to a tapping on Hermione's window. He went to the window to find his eagle owl holding a letter. He slid open the window seal and took the letter from it.

Draco,

Come home soon so we can further discuss the execution. We trust that you've gathered enough information by now.

Love, Narcissa

Draco crumpled up the parchment and tossed it into the waste bin. He couldn't risk Hermione seeing that and questioning him about it. He didn't know whether to write back or just show up in a couple of days. He needed to think of something quick. He hadn't really thought about the plan since he arrived at the shack. He sent the owl away and left the bedroom.

Draco wandered around the house checking out the rooms that he hadn't seen before. Across the hall from Hermione's bedroom was the bathroom. It was small and the three of them shared it. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while and the bathtub hadn't been drained. The sun crept through a small window exposing dust particles. It was dirty but still smelled like shampoo and rose petals. He guessed it was from a candle that lit. It was bewitched to never go out. He thought that was a very clever thing to do.

The next room was Ron's. He got queasy thinking about how close it was to Hermione's. He had to push the door open as there were piles of clothes blocking the doorway. His room was a disaster. He could hardly see the floor. His bed was in shambles and his window was broken. On his wall, pictures of his family were taped up. There was a picture of Charlie with a dragon and multiple of them all on Christmas. They all looked identical besides the new sweater that Molly had made them that year. On his bedside table was a picture of Fred and George. There had been a heart drawn in marker around Fred.

Draco thought about doing a spell to clean up the place but maybe that wasn't such a good idea. He probably would've gotten upset that he received a favor he didn't ask for. He turned around to leave and shut the door behind him. He then walked down the stairs. They creaked with every step he took. He always worried that he would take a wrong step and he would fall right through.

The door at the end of the stairs was Harry's. It was the cleanest out of all of theirs. He had the same Gryfindorr memorabilia that Hermione had on her walls. On his desk there was a scrapbook of his parents. Draco recognized Lily right away. His father always derided her for being a mudblood. The picture moved as they laughed and hugged Harry when he was a baby. Draco always felt kind of bad for him. Even if his parents were horrible, at least he had some.

He rummaged through the drawers of his desk and nightstand looking for anything that would help him with his task. He found nothing but empty pill bottles and baggies hidden away. He walked over to the window and looked at the beach where Hermione and him shared their first kiss. He found himself starting to really like her. His parents would kill them when they found out. Even worse, she would hate him when she found out about them and their plan.

He thought about her struggles with alcohol. He really did hate seeing her like that. He missed the old Hermione. The girl who would raise her hand to every question a teacher asked. The girl who was reading a new book everyday. The girl who was always in the library. He wanted to help her.

Draco looked through every cabinet and cupboard looking for any trace of liquor so he could dispose of it. If there wasn't any around, maybe she wouldn't drink. Once everything looked like it had been taken care of, he sat on the couch to read the paper.

Hermione came down the stairs in a rampage. She headed straight for the kitchen again and began to look for another bottle that wasn't empty. Draco peered at her from above the paper. He cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned around frightened. She didn't notice him when went into the kitchen.

"Looking for something?" Hermione almost forgot about what she had promised Draco last night.

"Um- no. It's nothing." she stammered and gave Draco a forced smile.

"I hope so." he put the paper down as she walked over to sit by him. She was shaking her leg and sweating when he got a closer look at her. "I don't know how to tell you this so I'm just going to say it." She looked at him and waited for him to speak again. "I don't know what it is but there's something about you. I feel like I know you. I know that sounds crazy but I really have enjoyed spending time with you." He rambled on until he collected his thoughts. "What I'm trying to say is that I like you. I care about you." He was shocked to hear those words come out of his mouth.

"What's your angle, Malfoy?" Hermione liked him too but couldn't get too close. She knew she was the one with the problem this time and didn't want to hurt him when she would relapse.

"I feel like I don't really know the real you. I have yet to be around you sober."

"Are you trying to give me an intervention? I don't need your sympathy."

"It's not a- no. I just don't want to find you dead in a ditch is all." His tone turned cold. "Could you even go one day without drinking?"

"Of course I could!" she was pissed that he was accusing her of being an alcoholic again, even if she knew it was true.

"I'd like to see that." Manipulating was one thing he was good at. "I bet that you won't last one week."

"I could last a month!" she lied to him and herself.

"Wanna bet on that?"

"What do I get when I win?"

"An all paid expense trip to the destination of your choice." He could afford it so why not.

"And if I lose?"

"I'm bringing you to a rehabilitation center." Hermione felt her heart drop as she forced out a laugh.

"Seems easy enough. You're on." she held out her hand to shake. Malfoy accepted it. Her hand was limp and she pulled away quickly.

***

Three days went by and Hermione didn't have one drink. Besides the constant vomiting and the insomnia, she felt pretty good. Draco stayed in her bed with her every night helping her with her night sweats and calming her tremors. He felt as if he had been inside her bedroom a thousand years as he wasn't getting much sleep either. He didn't mind taking care of her though. He just wanted her to start eating again. He would run her showers in the morning and hot baths at night. He would also hold her hair back when she would get sick in the toilet.

It wasn't until they sat on the couch together later that evening when he realized how well she was actually doing. They had been playing board games and listening to the radio a lot lately. That really helped her get her mind off things. They laughed as they played their game when a special song to Hermione came on the radio. It was the same song that they had danced to at Slughorn's Christmas party. Hermione closed her eyes and hummed along with the music. Draco tried to remember where he had heard this song before. It was like it was constantly playing in the back of his head whenever he was with her. It must've been a coincidence.

Draco stood up and brought Hermione to her feet. He led her to the middle of the living room. He spun her around and then brought her close. She felt her cheeks get red as grabbed her waist. It was different dancing with him now that she was sober. She could actually focus on the steps. She could also focus on his eyes. She longed for the day he would come back to her and here he was. She rested her head on his chest and they just held each other. All time seemed to stop when she was with him.

He lifted her chin up with his fingertips so he could get a better look at her. She batted her eyelashes at him innocently. The life in her eyes had finally come back. Draco reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Everything he felt when he looked at her was new but all familiar at the same time. He held her cheek with his hand and placed his lips on hers. He was so gentle. He acted as if she would fall apart if he pressed too hard. He wished he could tell her how he really felt. She knew he liked her but he had a million other ideas on his mind. He wanted to buy her flowers and have her meet his mother. The thought of this would normally disgust him. But she was so different. It was like he knew her in another life or something.

Hermione was quick to kiss him back. She pressed up against him trying to get him to be more forceful. Her mouth opened for him begging him to taste her. Their tongues met each other. Draco responded and grabbed the back of her head. They could hardly wait to undress each other. They haven't experienced this without the help of alcohol yet. Draco reached down her sides and pulled her shirt over her head. Hermione went straight for his belt and backed him up to the couch. He sat down and then she straddled him. She rubbed herself against his bulge and leaded down to kiss him again. Draco slipped his tongue back into her mouth. He thought about how nice it was that she didn't taste like liquor this time. He grabbed her waist and made her hips go back and forth.

Hermione reached behind Draco's head and held onto the couch for support. Draco couldn't help to notice the mark on her arm when it passed. He turned his head, grabbed her wrist and kissed her scar. Tears began to coat Hermione's eyes. Was this his idea of an apology? For letting it happen? She was overwhelmed by the hate and embarrassment she felt for it.

Draco wiped her tears and laid her down so she didn't have to look at it anymore. He gave her deep passionate kisses as he grasped her breast. Hermione was drowning in her emotions she could hardly breathe. She watched him as he kissed down her stomach. He looked so good and it felt so right. She couldn't help but to let it happen. Draco pulled down her pants and looked back up at her.

"Is this okay?" He asked. Hermione nodded. It always surprised her how gentle he was with her. She never thought Draco would be asking her for permission. Her bitter feelings were replaced by infatuation. She would never picture herself with anyone else again.

Draco slid off her underwear and put them to the side. He always stopped and stared after he did that. Hermione blushed. Draco began to pull down his pants and Hermione stared back. He was skinny but lean so his skin enhanced his muscle tone. He was about to position himself when paused. He looked into Hermione's eyes. She was confused why he stopped. He leaned over to kiss her one more time. In that moment he felt love for her. He had forgotten about everything except for her.

He then pushed his way in. It was nothing like the night at the pub. This time it actually meant something. It was more than just hooking up. Draco took a deep breath as he went out and let it out as he went back in. He tried to hold back his moans but she felt so good. Hermione wrapped her legs around him begging for more. Her eyes filled with pleasure as she arched her back for him. She wanted to be as close as possible.

Draco grabbed her waist and began to pound harder. Hermione let out a squeak every time he impaled her. She grabbed a hold of his back and dug her fingernails into his skin. This turned him on even more. He flipped her over so she was now on all fours. He entered again and wrapped his hand around her hair tightly. When he pulled, she moaned loudly. He never would've guessed she liked it rough. He couldn't get enough and went back for more. The sounds that came out of her mouth sounded angelic to him. She gripped the arm of the couch as he went deeper.

Draco grabbed the back of the couch as he felt the build up. He wished she would've come first but he couldn't resist much longer. He felt the pressure release as he let himself finish. He tried to catch his breath as he let go and plopped onto the couch. Hermione sat down too.

"Sorry." Draco said, panting.

"That's okay. It was still really good." Hermione grabbed her shirt and put it on. Draco felt confidence from her compliment. They got themselves dressed and sat back down on the couch. The second Draco stopped thinking about what just happened, he remembered that he had to get going.

"I got a letter from my parents the other day." He mumbled. "They want me to come home." He left out the other details.

"That's good, isn't it?"

"Well I was thinking about telling them about you." Draco thought that maybe if they found out he was seeing a mudblood they would disown him and he wouldn't have to listen to them anymore. That was if they didn't kill him first.

"I really don't think that's a good idea."

"I don't care. I'm tired of keeping secrets. I've been living for my parents for as long as I can remember. I want to start living for myself." Hermione saw anger build up in his eyes. She was worried about him.

"I'll come with you-"

"No!" He was quick to cut her off. "My parents can be… unpredictable." It was the best description he could come up with. "I'll be back in a day. If not, just assume they killed me.

"Don't be ridiculous. They're not going to kill you."

"I wouldn't put it past them." Hermione couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Draco got up and grabbed his jacket. "I'll see you later." He tried to relieve her stress. He kissed her goodbye and left the house.