Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Heart and Soul ❯ Chapter Six ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Heart and Soul
By: Tassana Burrfoot


Chapter Six



Hermione slowly blinked her eyes open. She knew she was facing the bulk of the room for the sun was shining in her eyes. A soft smile played momentarily on her lips. Last night had been wonderful, dreamlike. The music, the dancing, the laughter played over and over in her mind. The kiss. Or, rather two kisses. Those had been the climax of the evening.

Her smile faded when she realized an arm was draped over her waist. It wasn't her arm, but she knew the arm. She had felt that arm around her waist constantly last night. Felt it as it guided her across the dance floor and held her close.

Careful not to wake him, she gently turned in the bed, until she came face to face with the owner of that arm. He looked so peaceful lying there next to her. In fact, it was the first time she had ever seen him look peaceful. Even when he was incapacitated, he had been troubled; his face contorted in agony or misery, sometimes a mixture of both.

Now, he looked completely serene. Almost angelic, the way his white blonde hair fell over his pale face. He was happy, content. He seemed as if nothing in the entire world could plague him at the moment.

Ever so carefully, she lifted his arm and placed it across his side. Though she liked the way he held her, she wasn't sure she was ready for such closeness. She was still shocked she had agreed to stay at all.

Hermione had never been with a boy before. Never felt love's first passion. She had never been ready. Had never met anyone she was comfortable with.

"Stay with me," he whispered into her ear outside his bedroom door.

She looked up at him and shivered. She wasn't afraid. She just wasn't ready. "Draco, I've never..."

He placed a single finger over her lips. "I wouldn't ask it of you," he assured her. "I've never either. I just want to be with you, to hold you. I promise I will not do anything you don't want to do. I'm just tired of being alone."

At first, she was skeptical, thinking it might be some kind of trick. Then, she looked into his misty gray eyes. He loved her. Genuinely, truly loved her. She knew his words spoke true. She could see it in his eyes as easily as she could see the love he held for her. And she knew that when she was ready, he would be gentle and patient. He didn't want to hurt her.

She gently brushed a stray white lock of hair from his forehead. It was odd sleeping with another person, especially a boy. She had been nervous, but it turned out to be not as bad as she thought. He didn't snore nor did he attempt to kick her. He shared the covers, rather than steal them. He just slept there, content to have his arm around her.

He opened his eyes at her feather touch and she smiled at him. "Good morning," she breathed, gently.

He returned her smile and kissed her on the forehead. He rolled onto his back and, taking her hand into his, rested both of their hands on his chest.

As she started to scoot closer to him, he stopped her. "Wait," he whispered huskily. He repositioned himself slightly. "Okay, now you can move."

Confused, she tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. His blush almost made her laugh. "It's a guy thing," he answered her silent question. "It tends to happen a lot, especially in the mornings. Though, with you, I've been having to deal with it a lot more."

She knew she was blushing, most likely as bad as he was. She had read about men experiencing those things, and she was immediately reminded that while he was still young, he was still male. And males were men. "Do.. does it hurt?" she asked, innocently.

The look on his face did make her laugh. All the colour, or what colour there was, had drained until he was almost a pale white. She shook her head as she tried to stifle her laughter. "I'm sorry. I had read about what you're going through. Made me curious to know if it really did hurt, like it says in the books. I've never been able to ask a guy before."

He just stared at her. "You are a strange person, Hermione Granger," he told her. "Beautiful and interesting, but strange."

Sighing, he sat up in bed and began rubbing his eyes. The sheets fell from his upper half revealing his bare chest. Hermione had to stop herself from sighing as well. A month ago, if someone would have told her she'd be swooning over Draco Malfoy's bod, she'd call them crazy. Now, she couldn't get enough of it. His pale skin was smooth and taunt over well muscled arms and chest. Though he did not have a six-pack, yet, a smooth line dipped itself into his navel.

Suddenly realizing what time it was, she jumped up. She threw her legs over the side of the bed. "I should probably go to my room," she said. "If my mum and dad catch me in here..."

"They already know," he replied. "Your mum came in here last night while you slept to check on us. Said she didn't see you in your room so assumed you were here."

She stared at him in horrid shock. "What?!" she hissed. "What did she say? Why didn't you wake me?"

He shrugged. "She didn't say anything. She asked what happened and I told her the truth. Then, she left. I didn't wake you because I didn't see the point."

She jumped out of the bed and threw a pillow at him. "You should have woken me up!" she reprimanded. "Do you know how much trouble we are in? Sex or not, we shouldn't have been sharing the same bed. Merlin's beard! My dad's going to be so angry. He'll probably want me checked for pregnancy and then put on birth control."

"Nothing happened," he said, looking a bit agitated. "If they want, they can check. You're still in tact. I don't see what the big fuss is anyway."

"You don't see..." she couldn't finish the sentence. She gave a frustrated growl. He was a Malfoy, through and through. He didn't see what the fuss was?! Oh, of course he didn't! He was a Malfoy! She stormed out of the room.

"Hermione!" her mother called from downstairs.

Oh, no. They were up.

Preparing herself, she began to walk down the stairs. She felt someone behind her and knew it was Draco. She threw him a quizzical glance. "I'm not letting you do this alone," he whispered in her ear.

She was surprised by his uncharacteristic bravery. Grateful, as well. He hated punishment probably more than she did. When they reached the bottom of the stairwell, he took her hand into his. Together, they walked into the dining room. Hermione's parents sat next to each other facing the teenagers. Across from them were two empty seats.

As the teenagers took their seats, Hermione's father folded his newspaper and placed it on the table. He stared hard at them, his gaze traveling back and forth from Draco to Hermione. Finally, he settled on Hermione. His disapproving glare was enough to make her eyes water. However, it was his words that truly hurt her. "I am so ashamed of you right now. I've always prided myself on how smart you were. You've always been capable of making the right decisions. And yet, here we sit. I cannot believe you would do something so... so..."

"We don't know what they've done yet, dear," her mother interrupted. She didn't look happy, but she was giving her daughter the benefit of the doubt. She sighed, "Would you mind explaining to us what could possibly possess you to sleep in Draco's bed?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but it was Draco who answered, "It's my fault. I asked her to stay."

"Nothing happened," Hermione quickly added. "We just slept. We came home from the party and were exhausted."

"Am I to believe you were so exhausted that you couldn't finish the walk to your room?" her father inquired. "Especially seeing that your room is right next door to his."

"You're right," Hermione admitted, looking down at her hands. "There's no plausible explanation for us to have slept in the same room, much less the same bed. It was a complete lack of judgment on both our parts."

She did not look at him, but she knew Draco was shaking his head. "You can't blame her. I wanted her to stay. I asked it of her. Yes, I shouldn't have, but I wanted her there."

"And nothing happened?" her mother questioned. "The two of you just slept through the night?"

Both teenagers nodded. "It was wrong of me to ask her to stay, and I admit that," he told her. "I won't apologize for it, however. I wanted her there and I asked her. It was a bad judgment call, but I don't feel sorry for it. Being with her brought a joy to me that I have never felt. When I woke up this morning, I woke up to seeing her next to me. It was right. It felt right. And I won't apologize for something that feels right. I'm in love with her."

A stunned silence fell over the room as all three Grangers stared at him. Though he had told this to Hermione last night, to hear him announce it to her parents... She could feel the tears threatening to pour from her eyes.

Hermione's father straightened his throat. "Well, Mr. Malfoy, have you spoken to my daughter about these feelings?"

Draco nodded. "I have. I told her last night," he confirmed.

"Hermione?" her mother inquired. "Do you feel the same, dear?"

Hermione looked from her parents to Draco. It was confusing to see him there, to hear those words come from his mouth. He was Draco Malfoy. For five years he had treated her as if she were a disease. Now, he was professing his undying love to her. She wanted to deny it. Harry and Ron would never understand. Draco was the enemy. Or, at least, that's what they would say. His father was a Death Eater and Draco was walking down the same path.

Regardless of all of these facts, she couldn't deny herself. Unwittingly over the past month, she had fallen for him. She wasn't a fool, or maybe she was? If she were a fool, she was a fool in love. And so, she confessed, "I do. Very much so. I don't know how or why it happened. But, yes. I am in love with Draco Malfoy."

She had said those words while looking directly in his steel gray eyes. All the love she felt for him in that moment was mirrored in his eyes. She couldn't help but smile at him. It felt odd, confessing such a thing as love. It felt incredible; like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she sprouted wings. She wanted to kiss him, to show him her love. It was a feeling she had never had before.

As if he could hear her unasked request, Draco pulled her close and kissed her passionately. For a moment, she forgot her parents were in the room. Only Draco and she were there. And he loved her. And she loved him. It was a union that.. well, probably damned them both, but neither cared.

The sound of her father straightening his throat broke the kiss. The teenagers blushed sheepishly as they looked at the adults. The older man sighed, "I guess this means we need to inform the Malfoys..."

Alarmed, both teenagers shouted at once, "No!"

Draco quickly explained, "They don't need to know. Not right now. My father is still in Azkaban. Neither of my parents will approve of this development. I'd rather wait and tell them myself... later. After I've regained my magic... Much, much later."

Hermione couldn't agree more. "There's so many things the two of us need to do. We can't risk it leaking out that we are a couple," she added to Draco's statement.

Draco nodded and added more. "Once we've done what we have to do, then we'll make the announcement. Until then, this has to remain between us."

"Am I to assume there are those who would object to this union?" her mother asked.

"Not only would they object, Mother," Hermione answered, "they would try to stop it from occurring. Draco is from one of the oldest pureblood families in Britain. They are very strict, as well."

"You're not getting yourselves into trouble, are you?" her father questioned.

"Of course we are," Draco replied with a typical Malfoy smirk. "But we'll be okay. We'll plan out everything. If we stick to our plan, nothing bad should occur."

"Is marriage in your plan?" Hermione's mother asked.

Hermione blushed. "We just discovered we had feelings for one another. We're only sixteen. I'm sure it'll be some time before marriage becomes a subject for us to explore."

"Which brings us back to you sleeping together," her father pointed out. "I'm not sure it's a wise idea."

Her mother agreed, "Even if you do not intend on doing anything, the temptation is still there. Especially late at night when you're tired and judgment is a bit wane."

"That's not saying we don't trust you're judgment, Hermione," her father assured her. "Though you've put it to question last night, we do trust you. We just don't want to see our daughter end up being an unwed mother."

"It's not an easy world out there," the older woman explained. "If you think people will shun you because he's pureblood and you're Muggle-born, imagine what will happen if you end up illegitimately pregnant with his child."

Draco nodded. "We understand. I can assure you she won't become pregnant. Even if we... become more intimate, we will take the necessary precautions."

"But we don't intend on becoming more intimate at this juncture," Hermione expressed. "There's just too much at stake. Regardless of whether I were to become pregnant, we cannot let anyone find out about us. Not right now."

"As long as you know the risks and know what precautions to take, I'll be okay," her mother told them. "I'll worry. It's a parent's right to worry. But, I trust my daughter to make the right decisions."

"I want an assurance from you, Malfoy," her father said. "If my daughter does become pregnant, you are to take full responsibility. I don't care what your parents or anyone else says. You will be a father to that child and a husband to it's mother."

To Hermione's amazement, Draco nodded his head in agreement. "I understand. Nothing would make me happier, Mr. Granger."