Conventions, Clubs and Caresses

Hello everyone, yes, it's another Thursday update for ya'll!



Thanks goes out to my faithful reviewers:

Clare1984, princesspeach, paigeey07 & sparkyCSI and my newest Camryn



Ch. 14



“Love, I do believe we are going to turn into wrinkled mandrakes if we stay in here much longer” he kissed the side of her neck lovingly.

“Where would you like to go for dinner? Someplace private” he nuzzled her ear. “Someplace loud and fun?” he tickled her sides, hearing her laughter was now like a drug to him, wanting to hear it always.



“Well, since you know where we are I would be happy with anyplace as long as I’m with you” kissing him lightly she stepped out of the tub, Draco watching her every curve as she toweled off her small form.



They dressed for dinner in silence both of them lost in their own thoughts.



Hermione knew she needed to get back to work, but a small part of her never wanted to leave and that concerned her. Could she be happy here with Draco, forever? ‘Yes’ her brain screamed.



She chuckled at the thought, catching Draco’s eye.



“What’s so funny?” he asked wrapping his arms around her waist kissing the tip of her nose.



“Nothing, just thinking of the way things turned out, strange ya know? One day you think your life is heading in one direction and then the next I’m here in Spain with a very handsome man I once hated as a child” her eyes dropped to the floor, not wanting to see the look in his eyes.



“I’m sorry about the way I treated you back then, I was a stupid young boy, Hermione. I hope you know I would never hurt you” placing his finger under her chin he tilted her head up to look at him.



What she saw in his eyes absolutely stunned her. Regret, guilt, desire. . .and love flashed through his eyes as he silently told her how sorry he truly was.



Wrapping her arms tightly around him she pressed into his body and held on for life. She knew she didn’t stand a chance in hell of ever walking away from this man. He held her heart so long ago; without him knowing at the time; and now he was in her life again and she never wanted him to leave.



~FLASHBACK~





The battle raged on for days. Grimmauld Place became a sort of triage for the wounded. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny stayed behind; very much against Ginny’s will; so that they could attend to the wounded.



Several Order members had been missing, few actually survived so the drawing room only held a few occupants at the time.



~*~



Ron & Hermione were backing Harry up as he fought his way through several Death Eaters trying to get to Nagini.



Hermione saw one of the men circle behind Harry trying to hex him in the back. She stepped behind Harry to block him as she threw her hex at him quickly. He was too quick and dodged her spell, firing back upon her ‘Crucio’, she dropped to her knees in agony. The pain shooting through her body, her bones felt as if they were shattering, the blood in her veins was burning like molten lava as she screamed out in pain.



Ron heard her screams but couldn’t get away from the Death Eater he was battling. Firing hex after hex he tried backing up to get to her. Suddenly he was knocked off his feet and thrown twenty feet back, away from Hermione.



Hermione rolled on the ground as the pain struck her again and again like a lightning storm when finally it ceased. She looked up just as she saw the man above her slump to the ground and bound in ropes. She felt strong arms wrap around her body and the squeezing sensation of apparition, the dark sky disappearing only to be replaced with the cracked ceiling of the drawing room, she was back at Grimmauld Place. She crawled into the mans arms now holding her, crying into his chest as he placed her on a cot. Soothing words whispered in her ear ‘your safe now, just relax it’s okay’ stepping back from her she reached out and grabbed his arms ‘don’t leave me’ she pleaded; finally looking into the mans eyes, she saw those beautiful steel grey eyes penetrating her. The conflict evident in his stare. He wanted to stay, but knew he couldn’t.



‘It’s okay, you’ll be safe here’ he slowly backed away from her and walked out the door, glancing back to look at her once more before disappearing.



~*~



It was hours later when she finally awoke. Ginny was sitting beside her with a glass of water and several bottles of potions.



‘Hermione, thank Merlin you’re okay. We didn’t know what happened, Malfoy brought you back but wouldn’t tell us anything except to look after you and make sure you were okay. Here drink these, you’ll feel better’



Hermione told Ginny what had happened, sitting upright in her bed she instantly remembered Harry and Ron were out there still and they needed her. Grabbing her wand off the table next to her she tried to stand only to fall back onto the bed as a wave of nausea hit her.



‘You need to rest, you can’t go back out there, they’ll be fine’ Ginny whispered the last part, looking away. She hadn’t heard from anyone since Malfoy had come back, she had no idea what was really happening out there.



‘Ginny, come help me’ Molly Weasley hollered through the hallway. Ginny leapt up and ran out the door to see several people carrying what looked like a bloodied and battered Malfoy in their arms.



‘Take him into the drawing room’ Molly instructed the others. She ran back to the kitchen to get more potions.



They placed Draco on the cot next to Hermione. She gasped when she saw who it was and the condition he was in. ‘What happened’ she asked those who carried him in.



‘He took on three Death Eaters by himself trying to protect Harry’



Hermione’s eyes widened at hearing this. He almost died, trying to protect her best friend. She slowly sat up, not wanting to experience another bout of nausea. Molly came rushing in with potions, cleansers and several towels.



‘Out of the way’ she ushered everyone except Ginny out of the room. ‘Ginny, start cleaning him up’ Molly hovered over the different potions trying to find the one she needed.



‘Here, help me sit him up so he can drink’



Just then the door burst open and more people were brought in. The room was now full of wounded. Molly instructed Ginny to help the others.



‘Hermione dear, would you mind looking after Mr. Malfoy? I need to attend to the others’ She dashed to the other side of the room to determine everyone’s condition and decide who needed immediate attention.



Hermione slid off her bed and kneeled over Draco’s form, lifting his head gently she placed the potion at his lips. He tried to turn his head and push her hand away. Putting the potion down she grabbed his hands and held them down, whispering in his ear as he had done with her ‘it’s okay, you’re safe but you need to drink this’

He turned his head to look at her and she froze, it wasn’t the nasty glare she was used to seeing in his eyes. He looked over her form and sighed in relief that she was okay before passing out.

She continued to clean his wounds while he slept. His shirt was in rags and she had to remove it to continue with her ministrations. Waving her wand over him, his shirt disappeared. Her hand flew to her mouth as she saw the large diagonal gash running across his chest.



Molly had appeared at her side, seeing the wound she quickly waved her wand over it, sealing it before her eyes. Hermione slowly wiped the dried blood off his chest. A single tear running down her cheek. Lost in her work, she felt a strong hand wrap around her wrist, halting her progress.



‘Thank you, Granger’ he looked into her eyes once again. Seeing the tears run down her face he brought his hand to her cheek, wiping them away. ‘Don’t cry, it’s over he’s gone’



‘What?” she whispered.



‘Harry!’ she heard Ginny yell across the room,. The red head ran straight into his arms before he collapsed on the floor.



~*~



It had been three days and Draco had been moved into his private quarters, giving his cot to the wounded as they came in. He was still very sore and his body was not yet strong enough for him to move around freely. Hermione had volunteered to take his meals and potions to him. She knocked on the door softly before hearing him call for her to come in.



‘Are you hungry, I’ve got breakfast’ She walked over to the nightstand placing the try down before sitting beside him on his bed. She pulled out a small bottle of potion from her pocket and handing it to him.



‘This stuff is bloody awful’ he cursed as he drank it down.



‘Well, it’s the last day you’ll need to drink it. Molly says you should be feeling much better by tomorrow.’



She paused to look at him. His wounds were completely healed she noticed as he sat up in his bed, shirtless. Blushing when he caught her eyes, she turned from him.



‘Malfoy, I just wanted . . . to say. . . thank you. . . for saving me’ she whispered almost inaudibly. She was looking at her hands, twisting and grasping her fingers as she spoke.



‘I didn’t do it to save you’ he looked away from her. ‘I saw a Death Eater and hexed him that’s all’ he swallowed the lump in his throat.



‘I don’t need your help anymore, you can leave now’ he spoke slowly and clearly.



Hermione clenched her jaw. Standing stiffly she turned without saying another word and stormed out of his bedroom, closing the door firmly.



‘your welcome’ he whispered at the closed door. He sat there contemplating his thoughts. Why did he save her? He didn’t care if a muggleborn was hurt. Did he? Especially not her. He hated her, right? Then why do I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I see her? He rolled onto his side and stared out the window. Ever since he’d arrived, he couldn’t get her out of his thoughts. It irritated him to no end. He didn’t want to think about her. He had just wanted the war to end so he could have a normal life.



Outside his door Hermione leant against the wall, her head in her hands. Why does it hurt so much? Who cares what Malfoy says, he’s always been a git. Why should it bother me now? She slid down the wall to sit on the floor as tears fell down her face.



‘Mione, you okay’ Ron had stepped out of the bathroom and seen her sitting on the floor, crying.



Wiping the tears away she looked up into his blue eyes, she smiled before standing up and hugging him. ‘I’m fine, are you ready for breakfast?’



They headed downstairs, unaware that the door had opened behind them to see the two in a loving embrace.

His stomach clenched tightly as he quietly closed the door and went back to bed for the rest of the day.



~*~



It was two weeks later that Malfoy was ready to leave Grimmauld Place forever. He was packing his bags in the solitude of his bedroom when the door opened. Remus Lupin was standing before him with a grave look on his face, clutching a parchment in his hand.



‘Malfoy’ he started, not knowing how he could tell this young man such awful news. ‘We’ve received word of your mother, I’m sorry, some how they found out where she was’ he paused trying to catch his breath. ‘she’s been killed’ he watched the emotions roll across Malfoy. Shock, Hurt, Rage, Fear, Sadness. He fell back onto his bed. Unable to breath. The only family he had left, and now she was gone.



‘If there’s anything we can do for you. You’re more than welcome to stay here if you’d like. In fact, it might be safer for you if you did stay.’ Remus tried to approach him before Draco stood up, grabbed his bag and stormed out into the hallway, only to stop at seeing Hermione standing outside with a sad look on her face.



‘Malfoy, you’re leaving?’ she asked him hesitantly. ‘I’m sorry about your mum’ she whispered, taking a small step towards him. Placing her hand on his arm, he stiffened at her touch. She pulled back and looked down before turning and walking back to her room, silently closing the door.



‘I don’t think it’s safe for you to be out on your own just yet, my offer still stands, you can stay here as long as you like’ Remus clapped his shoulder, gave a tight squeeze and headed downstairs, leaving Malfoy to stand in the hallway. He dropped his bag and slowly made his way towards Grangers door. Placing his hand on the wood he leaned his head against the door. His eyes closed tightly. He wanted to see her, talk to her. Stepping back from the door he picked up his back and silently made his way back towards the room he’d spent the last two months in. Closing the door behind him he cast a silencing charm before he broke down on the floor.



Hermione sat in her room not wanting to see anyone at the moment. Why did it bother her that Malfoy was leaving? Why had it hurt when he reacted to her touch like he did? She could never have feelings for him, he was the bane of her existence since the first day she stepped into Hogwarts. He made her life hell for the last 6 years. Just because he had saved her from an excruciating death didn’t mean he was the good guy now. Did it? Why did he save her?



A small knock at her door broke into her thoughts. Her feet slid across the floor as she opened the door to see him standing outside of her door. His hair was falling into his reddened eyes. He didn’t look at her, he looked around her, over her shoulder, past her to her room as if examining it. Trying to catch his eyes, she stepped into his line of vision. Her breath hitched when he finally made eye contact with her. She couldn’t determine what she saw before it flickered away.



‘I just wanted. . .I didn’t mean. . .sorry’ he mumbled before stepping away from her and back towards his room. She reached out to stop him, grasped his arms lightly, halting him in his tracks.



‘Malfoy, if you need anything, I know I’m not the first person you’d come to, but I’m here for you’

He nodded his head almost imperceptibly before moving again. Her grasp tightened on his arm as he felt her pull him around and grip him in a tight embrace before releasing him and closing her door.



Her heart was pounding, had she just hugged Draco Malfoy? What was the world coming to?



~*~