Saving Each Other - Dramione

Together

Hermione's POV

Draco seems pleased when he walks into arithmancy but Professor Vector begins the class just as he sits down so he says he'll tell me later.

My morning lessons drag on as we are mainly revising things we learnt earlier in the term in the hopes that we don't forget everything over the Christmas break. It's going to be weird going home this time. I will be glad to see my parents but I've been through so much that the just won't understand. I don't know whether or not I'll tell them about Rodolphus. They'd freak out if they knew but I'd feel terrible lying to them, especially after what I did last year. Possibly the biggest change is going to be not having Draco. We've only officially been together for just over a month now but over this whole term, I've come to rely on having him there. Hopefully, we'll be able to see each other sometime over the two weeks.

Draco is already sitting opposite Harry and Ginny at the Gryffindor table when I walk into the great hall for lunch. As I approach, the three of them start laughing at something Draco has said and I can't help but smile.

I sit down with them and Draco slips his arm around my waist.

'So what did Blaise want to talk to you about at breakfast?' I ask him.

'Well, he wanted to talk about what happened last night. He really does seem to be against Lucas and his friends and he seems to have learned from his mistakes, kind of like I did. Unless he's lying, and he's a Slytherin so I wouldn't put it past him, he wants us to be on the same side.'

'When he says us does he mean all of us?' I nod towards Harry and Ginny.

'Well he talked about how he agreed with what you were saying 'Mione and if he likes you I suppose he can put up with a few more Gryffindors.'

I look over to Harry to see what he thinks. 'As much as I dislike the idea of being overrun by Slytherins, we are meant to be the ones promoting inter-house unity,' he says. 'With all the stuff that's still happening, we can't afford to drive ourselves apart like last time. We can't afford another war. We'll have to see how it goes as far as being friends but if he says he's on our side I think we have to trust him.'

'He really did seem sincere,' Draco tells us.

'Maybe your whole changing thing is catching on,' I laugh.

'Well there was really a whole group of us who were in the same situation,' Draco explains. We were told our entire lives what we were meant to be and we never really knew any different. It just took a war for some of us to snap out of it.'

'Guys!' Ginny exclaims. 'After Christmas, we absolutely have to have some sort of like party or dance or ball to promote inter-house unity. You two are head girl and boy so I'm sure you'd be able to work something out with McGonagall and I'd be more than happy to help plan it.'

'That's such a good idea! Of course Draco and I can talk to McGonagall about it and I'm sure she'll say yes.'

The boys both nod in agreement.

***

Later, Draco I are sitting on the couch in front of the fire in our common room. His arm is wrapped around my shoulders and my feet are tucked up beside me. We listen to the sound of our breathing and the crackling of the fire.

'Hermione?' Draco saying my name breaks the silence.

'Yes, Draco?'

He shifts himself into a more upright position so that we can look at each other.

'So I meant to ask you about this ages ago but then everything happened and I completely forgot about it.'

I notice he starts playing with his sleeve where it covers the scar he has from cutting off his dark mark but I don't say anything and let him keep talking.

'On the night I...' He glances down at his scarred forearm and I know he's talking about the night I found him in the bathroom lying in a pool of his own blood. 'Anyway, a while ago I got a letter from my mother asking me if I would come to watch my father's trial. It's just after Christmas and I know you probably want to be with your family and it'll be really awful to watch and you'd probably hate it and...'

I reach out and put my had on his cheek, cutting him off.

'Do you want me to come with you?'

'I wouldn't have asked you but I needed someone and I didn't know who else to ask.'

'It's fine I'll come with you.'

'Wait won't it look really bad though. Hermione Granger showing up to a death eater's trial with an ex-death eater. I could always ask Blaise now that...'

'Shh,' I calm him as I twist my fingers through his hair. 'I really don't care what people say about it. I'm going okay.'

'Thank you,' he smiles.

Even though I've done this before, my heart starts to race as I inch my head closer towards Draco's. I use the hand twisted in his hair to pull him towards me, closing the distance.

My other arm slips down around his waist and I can feel his hands on my body but I am too focused on our lips to really take notice of anything else. It is gentle at first, just our lips moving against each other but soon our tongues join in.

It is fiery and needy, passionate and desperate. I want every part of my body to be as close to his as possible as if somehow, our connectedness will stop both of us from falling apart. Right now, I have never felt more whole. Every touch of his lips pulls me apart but at the same time, puts me back together. I feel like I am floating through the heavens but also grounded. Not only do I feel alive but also like there are so many things to live for.

Draco moves from my lips to my jaw, tracing the line with his kisses before selecting a spot on my neck. Surprised, I breathe in sharply when he starts to suck on the tender skin and my next breath out is somewhere between a sigh and a moan.

Realising the Draco's hands are no longer on my body I look down to see where they've gone and find them fiddling with the top button of his shirt. Suddenly, making out with a topless Draco sounds like a very good idea. I reach out to assist in the removal of the shirt, pushing Draco's hands away so he can go back to kissing my neck. I fumble the buttons but manage to get all of them undone.

'Damn,' I breathe, brushing my fingers against Draco's abs.

He detaches himself from my neck and smirks but doesn't say anything. We both just sit there breathing heavily as he removes his shirt painfully slowly. I expect him to start kissing me again as soon as the shirt is on the floor but when he leans back in he just places a hand on my cheek and rests our foreheads against each other.

Then he is pushing me back and I am lying on the couch and he is on top of me. Now our bodies are so much closer but he still holds his weight off me. Our lips collide again and this time it is just so much more in every way. My hands try to touch every part of his exposed skin.

Draco shifts himself onto one arm and I watch his other hand find it's way to the top button of my blouse. He pauses and looks up at me, asking for permission. Part of me desperately wants to remove every layer of clothing that separates us but the rational part of my brain that had been pushed to the back manages to make itself heard. I know I'm not ready for that and I know if I let this keep going I won't be able to stop it.

I move my hand to cover his and pull it away from my shirt.

'I don't think so,' I tell him.

'That's not fair,' he pouts. I think he's joking but I can't be completely sure.

'Life isn't fair,' I retort but still trying to keep it lighthearted. I hold my breath, I don't want this to end awkwardly.

I'm sure he'll say something smart back but all I get from him is 'alright,' and he refocuses his attention on my lips.

We stay there like that until we grow tired and go up to bed.