Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Not mine, but it's fun to use these characters, huh?

This was written for my friend, Soul_Bound. She adores this ship, so I thought I'd have a bit of fun with it for her.

Thanks go to CocoaChristy for the quick beta.

"What are you doing up?" Hermione asked when she saw Draco passing by the open doorway of the library.

"I couldn't sleep and thought maybe I could see what's in the kitchen," he replied, not stopping very long, obviously not wanting to converse with her.

She lifted her lit lantern and followed him into the kitchen, placing it on the table and extinguishing it. "Sit. I'll fix sandwiches. I wouldn't mind a snack either."

He sat but looked at her in annoyance. "I am capable of finding my own food. I don't need someone waiting on me."

"Aren't you used to it, someone or something at your beck and call?"

"Not any longer," he said, voice lowering to a whisper.

When she straightened to gaze at him, he looked away. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I'm sorry." She went back to making sandwiches, cutting them in wedges and putting them on a single plate. As she faced him again, she saw that he was watching her, face pinched in thought. "What's wrong?"

"I never did like you," he blurted.

Her face reddened, but she chose not to say anything, having a feeling he'd be saying more. It wasn't as if she'd ever liked him either. Placing the plate in the middle of the table, she sat down and Summoned a pitcher of pumpkin juice and two glasses.

"So many things that I thought were important aren't now. In fact, they seem downright ridiculous," he said softly as he began eating.

"I know what you mean," she said absently, reaching towards the plate.

"How could you?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, maybe I don't know what it's like for you, Malfoy, but things that I cared about, such as my goals, have been pushed aside...N.E.W.T.s for one. It just seems so trivial to worry about something like that when there's something so much more important taking place."

"You're right," he said with a sneer. "You don't know what it's like for me. It's so much more than bloody test scores that I'm talking about here."

She paused mid bite to glare at him before chewing vehemently.

"Doesn't pay to look at me like that," he said, curling his lip slightly before taking a large bite from his sandwich. Chewing with his mouth full, he added, "And why are you still up? Is it your turn to stand watch to make certain I don't slip off? Scared I won't lead you lot into my family home, eh?"

Slowly sipping her pumpkin juice and swallowing it completely, she tried to calm her anger. His words stung, and she truly wanted to lash out at him, but part of what he'd said was true. They didn't exactly want to alienate him when he was possibly the only person who could get them into Malfoy Manor and enable them to get the next Horcrux they needed, which was likely in Lucius' dungeons, hidden and waiting for its master.

Before she could speak, he commented again. "What's wrong? Kneazle got your tongue? Oh, hey, that's right. You do have a bloody cat. Where's it at?"

"He..." She looked away. "Crookshanks was killed...pure accident."

"You're not going to cry, are you, Granger?" He snorted. "The fat beast is probably better off. What did he do? Commit suicide to be rid of you? Run out in front of the Knight Bus, eh? Take a poisonous potion?"

Hot tears stung her eyes. She knew he was just being a git, but he'd gone completely too far. "I won't even justify that with a response, Malfoy. Why don't you just leave off? I've done nothing but try to be your friend..."

"Heh... friend my arse!" he interrupted.

Suddenly, Hermione stood and knocked her half-full glass of juice over so that it splashed him. "You're despicable! I don't know what I ever saw in you!"

"What you ever saw in me? What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, wiping at the wet spots on his tatty dressing gown.

"Nothing." She turned and fled the room, not wanting to spend another second in his presence. He was a complete arsehole. She'd always hoped that some part of him was good, that he'd somehow change his hateful ways, and finally, he was in a position where he was certainly humbled, yet he dared to still act like he was superior. It just bothered her that he had such potential to do something good with his life, and even now, he was too bitter to even really try to start anew.

Just as she tossed her dressing gown aside, leaving her clad in her short, cotton nightgown, she heard her door open. Turning around in shock, she saw Draco standing there, gazing at her legs first and then slowly moving his eyes up her body towards her face.

"G-Granger, I just..."

She crossed her arms and arched one eyebrow. "Yes?"

He entered completely and closed the door behind him softly, slowly walking towards her. "Back there in the kitchen. I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm taking things out on you. I know you're just trying to help me. It's just so hard."

Hearing the slight tremor in his voice softened her resolve to appear angry and indignant about his entering her room uninvited. "You may have had a point. I don't truly know what it's like to be in your shoes, but I can try to imagine what it might be like."

"What did you mean when you said what you said?" His words lowered to a whisper. "It's not often people try to see anything other than what I show them. You're the second person to say that to me."

"Oh, Draco," she began, but her words were cut short by his lips pressing against her mouth. What in the world?

Hungrily, he devoured her lips, nibbling and licking, prying her closed lips open with his tongue, tangling it with hers. His hands roamed over her body, one moved around her and slid down to grip her arse tightly while the other found one of her breasts through the low collar of her nightgown, eliciting a small moan from her. His hands felt like warm, rough magic against her flesh, and his kiss was intoxicating.

But what the bloody hell was going on? How'd they get from having a row to snogging? And, dear Merlin, he moved her towards her bed and pushed her down, moving over her, his mouth leaving hers to become familiar with her neck and shoulder. She wriggled beneath him, trying to find purchase on the bed to slide away, but he pressed against her more firmly, holding her in place.

As she opened her mouth to tell him that things were moving too quickly, he whispered her name as she'd never heard it uttered before. "Hermione..." It was only a word, but the syllables were drawn out in a long, sighing breath.... It was as if she was his savior or everything he needed at the moment. How could she deny him this moment? He obviously needed release. He'd watched his girlfriend be murdered, had been on the run for many months, needed someone...her...to let him know that things could be all right again.

When she felt him frantically shifting to pull up his dressing gown, she tugged at her nightgown to lift it up, granting him a view of her knickers. When he realized that this would indeed be happening, he gazed at her for an instant, gray eyes smoldering, and then quickly pulled the fabric down and away from her body, easing back between her thighs smoothly. As he positioned himself against her, he lowered his head to rest against her heaving chest, his soft locks tickling her face.

"Fuck," he said while exhaling as he pushed into her tight, hot body.

"Unh..."

"Mmmm. Yeah." His thrusts were quick, nearly frantic, and he hadn't much rhythm, simply trying to plunge as deeply as he could into her while hurriedly pulling back to slam in again, creating that hot friction that lured one into orgasmic bliss.

Wide-eyed, she stared at the bouncing blond hair on his head as it shook in time with his thrusts. She didn't dare try to match his pace and simply allowed him to have his way, though she did enjoy the way he filled her. She'd had sex before, but it hadn't been something so intense, so rushed, and so needy. Part of her wished that she had been aroused and just as needy as he so that she might give over to abandon. As it was, things had just happened so quickly that she hadn't had time to think about what would happen after. She'd only meant to soothe him.

"You... on the... potion... for... contraception?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yesssss," she said, sounding more like a hiss at that moment, as he began to grind his pelvis bone against her when he pushed all the way in, stimulating her. "Don't stop," she moaned, but she needn't have wasted her breath. He hit climax just at that moment, his thrusts becoming slower and jerky.

Finally, he collapsed on top of her, simply breathing heavily. When he spoke, he said, "It was Pansy. She said that to me. Said that I turned out to be nothing like she'd dreamed of and that she had no idea what she'd seen in me. So..."

Hermione frowned. "So, you came here to me because my words reminded you of Pansy." She felt completely offended suddenly, even though the sex had only been sex to her...and not exactly good sex either.

"Didn't mean it to sound that way," he said, rolling off of her and lying on his back, staring up at her ceiling. When she said nothing, he quietly asked, "All this time, I thought you hated me. How long has it been then?"

"How long has what been?" she asked in confusion as she reached down to grab her knickers and pull them on.

"That you've fancied me."

"Sorry?"

"You said that you didn't know what you'd seen in me." He sat up and gazed at her, brow furrowed. "I thought, you know..."

She sat up as well. "So," she began angrily, "you thought you could come in here and exploit my feelings for you, though you don't return them!"

"No, I mean, yes. I don't..."

"How dare you!" she said, getting out of her bed. "For your information, I have not ever, do not, and will not ever fancy you! That's not what I meant at all! I just meant that you have the potential to be such a good person if you'd just let your prejudices go. Furthermore, I..."

"What?" he yelled, jumping out of bed. "If you don't fancy me, why did you let me fuck you? What sort of game are you playing? Is that part of your plan? 'Oh, let me fuck poor pitiful Draco Malfoy, and he'll not go back on his word about helping us.'" He sneered hatefully.

"It wasn't like that! You just looked like you needed me, and..."

"A pity shag then!" he said sarcastically. "Hermione Granger, the girl who gives a fuck when she thinks you're down. Pun intended." He angrily stormed towards the door before spitting, "Don't do me any more favors in the future, Granger. It really wasn't anything I couldn't have felt with my hand and some lube."

When the door slammed shut behind him, Hermione slid to the ground and sobbed, full of regret, shame, confusion, and disappointment. What had she done?

Southern's Notes: Misunderstandings suck!