Rising early for breakfast this morning, (and wasn't it funny that she called this early, when it was 'on time' the rest of the year?) Hermione was in a particularly good mood. Everything was going to plan, she was making new friends in all houses, and probably best of all, Draco. She wasn't exactly sure what to say about it, but in her mind she called it "The Draco Situation" and she sincerely hoped that it would last past the holidays. He made her feel comfortable, and warm even on the coldest nights. Since she'd begun having feelings for him, she looked forward to seeing him and getting even that slightest touch from him, that softest little kiss. The thought of snogging Draco Malfoy still made her cheeks flush red and the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. And yet it had happened, twice now, and she definitely wanted it to keep happening for as long as possible.
She sat beside him at breakfast this morning, and they went over plans for that afternoon. Every time their hands brushed, or they looked up at each other at the same time, they'd blush and look away quickly, feeling the spark from the interaction, but both of them being too shy to stick it out. In the hours before breakfast and lunch, he helped her gather materials for baking, and find a few recipes. They'd brought everything up to the room of requirement, and baking would start just after lunch. A serious storm was brewing outside Hogwarts, and yet it made the interior feel cozier than ever.
At lunch, a very windswept owl tumbled in to deliver a letter to Hermione. She recognized the scratchy, slanting writing at once to be Harry's. She felt a jolt reading their names on the front - Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley - it had been a strange past few days without them, to say the least, and she'd missed them terribly (though, admittedly, had not remembered to write them even once.) They noted this absence.
Hermione,
You of all people we expected to be owling us daily! What with the difficult start and being forced to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. We hope you're doing alright, I know from experience it can get quite lonely there with only a few students left and nothing in particular to do. Ron and I have just been wasting time away at The Burrow. Molly insists on stuffing us with food, as if we don't get enough of that at school already. Says I look skinnier than I did in the summer, I think it's mental really. We hear Malfoy is staying back for Christmas too... what's that all about? We're looking forward to coming back on the third and seeing that you've hexed him within an inch of death - or at least done something about that smug face of his. We'll be sending our gifts as soon as the weather's better, or perhaps just bringing them back on the train. See you soon.
-Harry
Ron had attached his own little letter.
'Mione,
Please do hex Malfoy. That would be better than any present any amount of gold could buy me, not to mention bring cheer to loads of students everywhere. Mum's knitting you a sweater, it's blue. I'm sure it'll be there tomorrow, blizzard or not. You know her. We miss you. I miss you. And we'll see you in a week and a half.
-Ron.
She smiled at the boys letters, they were exactly like each of them. Harry covering a load of information in no time flat, not bothering with anything important but mostly random drabble, which somehow always cheered her up. And Ron, oh Ron. Couldn't write more than ten sentences to save his life, she'd known that already. But had the thought to write his own letter, that's all that mattered.
Draco was watching her, and as she looked up at him, she stowed the letters in her jacket.
"What?"
"They said they hope I hex you."
"I'd expect nothing less. Are you going to tell them yet?"
"Not yet, no. I think I'll wait... you never can be too sure..."
But Hermione was not just talking about Harry and Ron's reaction. She was also a little worried about this Draco Situation. Who knew if he would even stick around after the holidays? There wasn't much use telling them and upsetting them now if it wasn't going to be worth it down the line. Years of careful planning permitted Hermione to think this way, and she wasn't going to change that at all.
"Alright then. Well, I think we've got everything ready for this afternoon, everyone else seems to be done... I still think baking is the girliest part of the whole thing, but I'll do anything for..."
They both knew that the next word on his tongue was 'you', but Draco was too nervous to say it just yet. He simply grabbed the lists, put them in his pocket, and lead her by the hand to the room of requirement, followed by many cheerful bakers.
"I thought I'd got it right... oh damn, this might take a while to fix.. I'll just start over again. For the fourth time." Hermione had already failed at her first three attempts at making simple chocolate chip cookies. Olivia was blowing everyone away with her mother's recipe for Espresso Brownies - she'd already made three pans full. Hermione was supportive, but frustrated. Never, in her whole life, had anyone beaten her at anything.
"Need some help?"
"I thought I might before, but I think I've got this... I just don't see where I've been going wrong..."
Truthfully, he'd watched her forget an ingredient or add too much of something every time. But correcting her would be pointless - not only would she chastise him for saying anything in the first place, she'd then chastise him for not saying anything before.
"You'll get it right sooner or later. I'm not even attempting, I'd prefer not to burn the castle down..."
She shot him a look and tossed a chocolate chip at him. He skillfully moved slightly to the left, catching it in his mouth.
"I'm impressed. You really can teach an old dog new tricks."
She laughed and he sent a cupful of chocolate chips she'd just begun pouring into the bowl chasing her around the kitchen. That would teach her to mess with Draco Malfoy! He sent them back to the bowl, shaking his head. The worst he could do was levitate chocolate at her now, he was surely in too deep. He came to stand behind her while she worked, momentarily wrapping his arms around her waist. She liked this, but found herself unable to concentrate with his arms grasping her so close to his body...
She lightly pushed him away. "Let me finish baking first." She smiled at him and he sat in a chair and picked up a book, not fifteen feet from her. He pretended to read, but instead peeked over the top of the pages to watch her. She was adorable, with the way she carefully measured each ingredient now, double checking her list to make sure she'd done everything right - and this time, she had. She mixed everything together slowly, humming a low melody to herself as she worked, unaware that he had his eyes on her the whole time. He admired her, he realized, for being able to do so much. And as he went down the list, he realized other things he admired about her, like the way she always had some witty comeback for him, or she could always take a good joke, or the way she'd flit her eyes up to look at him, and then blush when he caught her looking. He adored the way she always cocked one hip to the side, everywhere, and how her hair would fall in her face, but he'd push it back.
He admired the curve of her body, pausing only now to see it entirely. She was short, yes, definitely classified petite. While her breasts were not large, they were not particularly small either, and he grinned devilishly as he remembered brushing his hand against them two nights before... her flat stomach made apparent by the blue sweater pulled tight across it. She had thin legs, and a particularly cute bum, not big but not non-existent to say the least. He smirked. He really liked her, and she seemed to like him too, and he never realized before how gorgeous she really was, with her porcelain skin, rosy cheeks, large dark eyes, long eyelashes, and full lips. He watched her mouth curve up in a satisfied half-smile. She set the bowl down in front of her and turned away from him, taking a step and bending over slightly to grab the cookie sheet off the bottom shelf... his pulse raced watching just that. He'd never been so focused on a woman's movement before, and she was just that - a woman.
She set the sheet down on the counter and pulled the spoon out of the bowl. But before she pulled out the dough, she changed her mind, setting the spoon down. She smiled a self satisfied smile at remembering to taste the raw dough - she'd always loved it as a child, and now that she was sure she had the recipe right, it would be fantastic. She looked around her quickly, making sure no one would see her, and then stuck her finger into the cookie dough, scooping a bit of it up.
She was not. Oh god, she was not. Draco felt his breathing quicken at the thought of Hermione sucking the dough off her own finger, he had to look away for a moment just to calm himself down. But it did no good - as soon as he returned his gaze to her, she raised the finger to her mouth, letting the dough rest on her lips for a split second before pushing it past her full lips. She parted them slightly, he almost died when he saw her tongue flick at the dough in short, slow movements. She closed her eyes, relishing the taste of sweet chocolate and sugar. He could not look away. She stopped licking at it and closed her lips halfway down her own finger, suckling on the tip to get every bit of dough off. Blood rushed downwards to his groin, and he nearly grunted aloud. He could not allow this to happen now. He must control himself. But her back arched slightly as she finished the dough on her finger, and he was lost. He quickly pulled off his jacket and set it on his lap, attempting to look at anything but her, but this sweet sight, it was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen, and yet the simplest. How she could turn him on just by tasting cookie dough off her finger he did not know, but immediately images began forming in his head, of the two of them alone, together, with no chances for interruption.
His breathing became shaky as she pulled her finger from her mouth, the faintest moist trail of saliva glinting in the lights hung above her head. It was ethereal. He could not breath. Her fingertips rested lightly on her lips before she smiled again, the slightest smirk, and let out a breath, glancing around once more to make sure nobody had seen her take this forbidden taste.
He felt as if he might as well have been watching her in bed at night, doing things he could barely imagine...he looked down to find that his jacket was still slightly tented, but that the book would now provide nice cover as well...
"Draco?"
She pulled a few cookies off a cooling rack, and poured a mug of cocoa for Draco and a glass of milk for herself. Not being able to carry them all by hand, she levitated them towards the couch on which Draco was now resting.
"Aren't you freezing? Put your jacket back on, and I'll grab us a blanket or two." She magically set them down on the table in front of him, returning moments later with one very large plush blanket. "Ah, there was only one left, we'll have to manage..." She winked at him, and he almost burst at the seams. No, the thing in his pants no longer resembled a lightning rod, or a wand, or some other strange thing, but his pulse had not slowed down one bit. He had one leg on the couch, one on the floor, and she settled herself between them, pushing herself backwards into him and resting her back against his chest. He pulled her by the chin lightly to kiss him again, and it was a long, quiet moment. Everyone else knew by now for sure, if they hadn't known by the day before. There was definitely something going on between the two of them, though neither of them might openly admit to it being anything serious - yet.
While Hermione was relatively calm, the rest of the room was in near chaos. On the far side, students had wrapping things everywhere, small bits of paper and tape scattered throughout the carpet and even on the walls in places. There was plenty of mess, not enough quiet, and yet, Hermione was strangely at ease. While normally she might be cleaning up everyone's mess or sorting out an argument, tonight she did neither, and settled for snuggling here with Draco for an hour or two of bliss. Outside, a storm may be raging against the castle and everything else for miles around, and a storm of other sorts might be taking over the other students, but all was safe and warm for Hermione while she was in his arms, and that was all that mattered.
That night, she wrote back to the boys.
Harry and Ron,
I've no time to write separate letters to the both of you, there's much too much going on here. I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own Christmas festivities with the remaining students here. I must say, it has turned out quite wonderfully. I'll let you see the room of requirement when you've returned, it's absolutely dazzling. It would have cost a pretty penny, if not for a not-so-mysterious someone you may have mentioned in your letters. (Ron, you might not know the muggle expression. Have Harry explain it to you.) We've been baking and sledding and getting each other gifts, and enjoying cocoa and a large warm fireplace, even while the storm rages outside. I was glad to hear from you, I would have written sooner if I hadn't been so busy.
But alas, I'm busy again now. I've got much to do before tomorrow and the next day, and I just spent every second of my free time filling the two of you in on what's been going on here. Ron, your mum's sweater must have come in just an hour after your letter, I found it in my dormitory when I returned. Tell her thank you, it's lovely, and I'm wearing it now to keep me warm.
Love,
Hermione
There was one truth and one lie in this letter, though they may as well know the whole thing to be true. Yes, Molly's sweater was lovely and warm, thought she was not actually wearing that at the moment, but a blue button up sweater and jeans. However, not every second of free time was spent writing to the two of them, as much of it was actually spent snogging Draco in dark corridors when everyone else was busy. She began remembering a particular moment in the room of requirement, just after everyone else had left for dinner...
*Flashback*
They'd been laying in the same place for hours, with no reason to move. At this point, they were spooning on the comfortable couch in front of the fire. Students were trickling out of the room, vanishing their messes and putting things away. When the last voice finally faded out the door, something clicked in both of them. They were alone. Again. And this time, they knew what they felt, exactly.
Draco was having flashbacks of Hermione's tongue licking cookie dough off her finger, Hermione was remembering her slight surprise when she'd smacked him that day and felt all that hard muscle of his abs... he crawled on top, towering over her small frame. She giggled, tangling her arms around his neck. "Draco... we're alone again. This could be trouble..." He grinned a wicked grin at her, one she was coming to recognize as being sneaky, and surprising, and yet utterly fantastic.
"Maybe I like trouble." He kissed her suddenly, and she squealed, kissing him back. It wasn't frantic, no, more like passionate, and just craving each other. His movement had pulled the blanket off them slightly, and the cold of the room made her shake slightly. He looked down at her, resting back on his elbows for a moment. But peeking up at him, besides her lovely eyes, were two perky buds, pushing against the fabric enough to make a mark on her thick sweater. She noticed his stares and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ah, ah... no shyness." he pulled her arms back, pinning them up slightly over her head with one hand. After a moment, he pulled his hand away, and whether she noticed he wasn't pinning her down or not, her hands stayed in place. He supported himself with one hand and tangled the other in her hair, biting her lip softly. She groaned. It was the little things like this that would drive her mad. Realizing her hands were free, she reached up to grab at him, running her fingers through his hair and pulling his head closer still to her own. He groaned in return. This new Hermione was quite a little troublemaker. While their lips played across each others, his free hand ran down and began undoing the buttons on her sweater. There were not many of them, and he was glad of this. He pushed the fabric away, and off her shoulders, and then there were the complications of a bra... but it was a fire engine red silk bra he almost drooled on. He had not actually seen her breasts, just the shape of them, as she usually wore full coverage tops. This was magnificent. She was marvelous. She reached around quickly to undo the clasp, and was not sad to see the material go. Probably just under a c-cup, her breasts were full and round on her small frame, they were absolutely perfect. Her nipples stood hard against the cold in the room, and he flicked his thumb softly over one. She let out a shaky breath and reached down, finding the hem of his own shirt. It was off him in seconds. He released support, settling himself on top of her, and the feeling of skin on skin was the best he'd ever felt. Their legs covered in denim tangled on the edge of the couch were pulling each other in closer, not wanting any amount of space between them. The kiss deepened even farther, she moaned softly against his mouth. He raised himself above her again, supporting himself with one hand and squeezing her left breast softly in his large, slightly callused hands. The rough feeling on her skin was unexpectedly nice, it created a nice friction between the two. He began rubbing her nipple in circles with his palm while he squeezed, and she moaned against him again. He chuckled slightly, and used his thumb to flick her nipple softly back and forth. She'd never been with a guy like this, and contrary to popular belief, he'd never been with a girl like this either. They let out low sounds between each other, feeling the vibrations in each others chests.
After what might have been quite a long time, or merely twenty minutes, the pace slowed, and they found themselves hungry once more. Both of them knowing that cookies would not satisfy them, they dressed again quickly, and he carried her all the way down to the Great Hall, setting her down for everyone to see - she was his now, that was that. As pudding came out, he nudged her slightly and put his arm around her. When she looked up at him, he was grinning that grin again - the one that could only mean he was up to something no good... or was that very good, now? She winked back at him, feeling coy. However, a nagging feeling hit Hermione when Draco mentioned school resuming. There was always the possibility that he might turn his back on her, or do something stupid. But she'd just push those thoughts away until they needed to come up, if they ever did. There was still plenty of time for making him realize he would want her to stick around long after second term. And plenty of time for late night snogging, as well...
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