Draco sat watching her from across the Great Hall. They had stopped experimenting with what butterflies soft kissing could create and had walked up to the castle with his arm slung warmly, possessively, finally over her shoulders. They were going to have dinner before studying for their last exam. He'd asked her to eat with him, but she wanted to "break it gently to Harry and Ron," as she'd said with a kiss.

She looked up, smiled, and Draco felt those dark brown eyes melt his insides. Harry and Ron did not look particularly surprised by anything she'd been saying.

"Hey! Hey, Malfoy," he was suddenly jarred back to reality. It was Blaise. Blaise was grinning and holding a great fat book, like he'd just gotten back from the library.

"Yes?" Draco asked.

"So, how'd it go?" Blaise smirked. "Went well, didn't it? I told you."

Draco stared at Blaise for a moment, taking in the face that was so like his own, but with the minor faults of being darker and less aristocratic. If Blaise was this excited about it, why shouldn't he be? Draco grinned back at Blaise. "Ya," he said, smacking Blaise's shoulder in an uncharacteristic display of brotherly affection. "It went well. You told me."

Blaise grinned mischievously back at Draco for a moment. Then, he said, "well?"

"Well, what?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes but unable to suppress his smile.

Blaise kept leering at him, his smile now shaped by incredulity and his eyebrow rising suggestively. "Well, you know, did you guys…kiss?"

Draco smirked confidently at Blaise. "We might have."

"So, did you get any-"

"Blaise," Draco scoffed accusingly. "You're supposed to be her friend."

"That doesn't mean I don't want details," Blaise grinned.

"Well, as much as your horny little mind revels in that kind of detail, I'm not going to give it to you," Draco said decisively.

Then Draco turned, to continue studying Hermione from across the Hall, and in the same moment, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode plopped irritatingly across from him, blocking his view. "Draco," Pansy pouted. "Is what Blaise saying true? About you and the Mudblood?"

Draco noticed Millicent-who may not have been half as attractive, but certainly had twice the amount of tact-nudge Pansy solidly in the side. Millicent looked at Draco apologetically. He knew Pansy wasn't trying to be malicious, not entirely. She had learned months ago not to insult Hermione Granger. Except for the occasional slip from idiots like Pansy, Draco had been the only person to use the word for ages. "Parkinson," he sighed heavily, "I've told you countless times not to call her that."

"Old habits die hard, don't they Draco?" Blaise asked waspishly.

Draco turned on Blaise. "I used it as a term of endearment, alright?"

"How sweet," Blaise teased sardonically.

"So it's true?" persisted Pansy.

"Yes, it's true," confirmed Draco.

"Does this mean the two of you will finally stop taking over our common room?" Millicent asked peevishly. "Your screaming has been so loud I've had to study for N.E.W.T.s in my room. I hope you're prepared to hire me as a personal Healer if I don't make enough N.E.W.T.s to get in at St. Mungo's."

"We do not scream," Draco spat disgustedly.

"Sure," said Millicent. "So you'll finally leave? Maybe go up to the Astronomy Tower?" She and Blaise started sniggering while Draco glared at each of them in turn.

"Actually," Draco drawled pleasantly. "I've got Hermione coming down tonight. Arithmancy exam, you know, last of Hogwarts."

"Aw," simpered Pansy, "the two lovebirds are so romantic."

"Shove it," Draco said simply. Instead of just craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Hermione, as he had been throughout the conversation, Draco actually stood up so he could see above Pansy and Millicent.

"What is it?" Blaise asked.

"She's not there," Draco answered. He scanned the Gryffindor table. Her seat was empty but Harry and Ron were still there, talking and eating vigorously. "Where is she? Were you three purposefully distracting me?"

Blaise stared at Draco for a moment. "She probably just went down to the dungeons. Arithmancy, remember?"

"Well, I'd better get down there too," Draco said, getting up to go.

"What?" Blaise drawled with a sly grin. "Not going to get any studying in before you meet her to, you know, get an edge?"

"Ya, right," Draco returned, and walked swiftly away from the Slytherin table, out of the Great Hall, and down toward the dungeons. He walked through the common room and toward his private room, to get ready for when Hermione came. Draco pulled the door open silently and froze. It was like twenty fantasies coming true at once.

Hermione was lying on his bed, her outer-robes gone. She was lounging in her comfortably-fitting uniform. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling toward the far wall, obviously not expecting company anytime soon. Draco understood why she was there, lying on his bed. He would have done the exact same thing if he'd been waiting for an indeterminate amount of time in her room. He might even have done it before today, before those words and kisses that had changed everything. Still, understanding why she was reveling in such personal territory, and enjoying the situation, judging by the serene smile on her lips, did not keep Draco from being completely stunned and mesmerized.

The loosened tie-everyone had wanted to look sharp for the exam proctors-that rested around her throat contrasted strongly with the covers on his bed. The colors-red and green-were complementary, but red seemed so foreign in his room. Then, Draco's eyes were drawn to far more interesting things.

Hermione stretched.

His eyes traveled down the length of her body, from that wild hair sprawling across his pillows, over her chest and torso, and down to her feet. His eyes settled on her toes. Her stocking-clad feet were drawing all of his attention. Her shoes were sitting neatly on the ground near the bed and as Draco watched, her toes curled. Her toes curled and her feet rubbed against each other as she stretched. He could hearthe soft brushing of cotton. Draco suddenly had twenty more fantasies blazing toward the front of his mind. It was like whatever tension she'd released by rubbing those little feet together had jumped across the room-straight to his groin.

He watched-utterly fascinated-as she settled again, her body relaxing after the stretch. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice was saying Stop gawking, you idiot! You must look like Neville Longbottom, seeing a girl for the first time. For God's sake, you've seen girls naked before this, so shove your eyes and tongue back in your damn head! But it was no use. The only word the rest of his brain had heard was naked.

He watched, still fascinated, but with growing horror, as Hermione's eyelids opened slowly. She smiled at the wall for a second before he caught her eye. She stared at him and then shot up into a sitting position, her blissful smile gone and her cheeks reddening furiously. "Oh God, I'm sorry Draco," she mumbled quickly. "I just got carried away and I thought you were busy talking to your friends. I decided to wait for you in your room because I'd never actually been in here before…" she trailed off. She stared at him more closely, seeming to recalculate the expression he was wearing. Draco knew she must be noticing the heat in his face. He managed to get his mouth shut before she said, sounding rather pleased, "You were ogling me, weren't you?"

Draco did not answer. He closed the door, walked over and joined her on the bed, pulling off his shoes and throwing off his outer-robes as well. He drew close to her, sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"Tell me how it is you managed to get your own room when you aren't even Head Boy," Hermione demanded suddenly.

"We Slytherins," he drawled softly, taking hold of one of her hands, "know how to get what we want." He held her hand up to his mouth, kissed her palm, and then grabbed her chin to bring her mouth to his. They kissed just as softly as they had outside, in the warm summer air, and even though they were now in the dank cold of the windowless dungeon, when her tongue flicked across his upper lip, Draco felt himself growing just as warm as he had been outside.

A good deal later, with thoughts of N.E.W.T.s wiped permanently from his brain, Draco closed his eyes and listened to Hermione turning on her side, to study him. He felt the corners of his lips twitch upward, knowing that those dark eyes must be gazing at him intently. He felt her rustle around a bit on the sweaty sheets of his bed and felt her chest swell a little as she took a breath to say "you see, this is just another example of what we leave to house-elves to clean up."

Draco grinned despite himself. This was so real, to have her complaining about those damn house-elves at such a time. He opened his eyes and turned his head, looking into her very serious, very content face. He kissed her quickly, just a peck, and pulled her tighter against him. "I love you, Hermione."