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Struggling Through New Beginnings	By : HarryGinny4eva Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 31233 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: Spoilers - I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 36
- 37
- 38
Chapter 38

From the last chapter:

She giggled as his
hand slid up her stomach and his thumb moved back and forth under her right
breast. �What exactly did you have in mind?�

�I can think of a thing or two,� he laughed.

xxxxxx

Their laughter ceased as he leaned over her and his
lips ghosted over hers lightly for a moment. When she sighed and lifted her
hands to slide them under his arms and around his back to pull him closer, he
deepened the kiss, his hard body lying across her softer one. As their tongues
started to glide along one another�s he shifted to the side and slid his hand
up her side to find her breast through her shirt.

When his fingers lightly danced over her, Hermione
gasped and arched up into his hand, even as she raised one hand to tunnel it
through his hair. When he broke the kiss and nibbled his way from her lips to
her ear, she felt a sharp answering pull between her thighs and moaned against
his ear. She then smiled a little as she felt him shiver and heard his
answering groan.

Kissing Draco was like coming home after a very
long day; she felt more centered, at peace. But, quite quickly that comfort
turned to an achy neediness. She was very happy that the nervousness had faded
over the past few weeks. She no longer felt like she didn�t know what to do
with her hands. She no longer wondered if he wanted her to touch him or if he
would mind if she did. She was no longer self-conscious about the way she
kissed or the sounds she made. He seemed to like it all, so she�d stopped
worrying and started enjoying.

As his hand slid slowly under her blouse and he
moved closer to kiss and lick his way down her neck, she sighed in pleasure. It
still amazed her that they�d come such a long way in only a few weeks, but she
knew in many ways they�d been getting there for years. The boy who�d made her
cry had become the man that made her want. He loved her, wasn�t afraid to say
so, and reveled in her responses back to him. Each time she told him she loved
him; she got to see him light up from within. And, she felt the echoing glow
throughout her entire soul.

He was right for her. She was right for him. They
were right.

She felt him still his hand over her bra and then
slide back down her stomach and almost groaned at the loss of his touch. That
thought made her pull away from him for a moment in decision. When he looked at
her with a mix of trepidation and confusion, she smiled softly and leaned up to
peck him on the lips.

�Hold on,� she whispered. Then she crawled over to
her robe, removed her wand and cast a warming charm over the two of them before
tossing the wand back onto their pile of robes. She glanced around once more to
assure herself they were quite alone and well hidden from prying eyes before
she once again met his gaze.

�Do you love me?� she asked softly.

�I do. You know I do,� he answered with a smile,
his eyes almost glowing with it.

�I�m ready for more,� she said even as a blush
crept up her neck.

Draco�s face held confusion as he asked, �What? More how?�

He continued to stare at her and felt a bit of
relief as he realized she wasn�t upset with him for going too quickly. But,
when she moved away a bit further and kneeled next to him he wondered what was
going on in her head.

Hermione swallowed back her nerves, looked him in
the eye and pulled off her shirt. When his eyes widened and he seemed
transfixed on her bra, she smiled proudly and continued. Leaning up on her
knees she unzipped her skirt and wiggled it down to the ground before sitting
down and pulling it off her legs along with her shoes and socks. Left in only
her bra and underwear, she sat back on her heels and looked at him with a
blush, a grin, and a challenge in her eyes.

Draco knew the shock he felt was clear on his face,
but he couldn�t stop it. His girlfriend had just stripped in front of him.
Hermione Granger had just stripped in front of him! She wanted him to show her
how much he loved her and she was half-naked. In her bra and knickers! He knew
she was na�ve, but he was gob smacked that she didn�t know the affect her
actions had on him. She was practically naked and the look in her eyes was not
helping him maintain control. She looked like she was ready for a good shag and he didn�t�

Hermione almost laughed out loud as his emotions
played across his normally non-expressive face. And, when his eyes, which had
been speedily moving over her scantily clad form, bulged almost out of his
head; she knew he�d finally caught up to her�and then passed her.

�Hermione, you�now?� he squeaked.

�No! Not everything yet. Soon, I think, but not
quite yet,� she laughed softly. But, then she took a breath and moved closer,
�But, I�I want to do more than we have. I�m ready for that.�

He cleared his throat and sat up, �Are you sure?�

She nodded, but looked down uncomfortably, �Unless
you, uh, don�t want to. With me, I mean.�

Draco�s breath whooshed out, �Are you insane?!
Of course, I want to! Let me show you how much,� he whispered.

He leaned in and captured her lips with his and she
let the feelings sweep her into a place of bliss.

Draco felt her hands trying to undress him and
pulled back from their frenzied kiss. �Wait.�

Hermione stopped and looked up at him, �What? Why?
Did I do something wrong?�

�No, not at all,� he assured her and leaned down to
kiss her once again before continuing. �But, I want to really see you.�

Hermione blinked in confusion, �Huh?�

�All of you,� he added.

When his eyes flicked down over her, she finally understood.
�Oh. Um, okay. But, do I, uh, get to��

�See me?� When she nodded, he smiled cockily, �Of
course.�

�You go first then,� she said as she sat back on
her bum and crossed her arms over her body.

Draco�s nerves revved up, but he nodded in agreement
and kept the slight smirk on his face. He knew he looked good, enough girls had
told him so, and he worked hard to keep his body fit. But, it didn�t matter
what other girls thought about him, it only mattered what Hermione thought,
because only she mattered to him. He knew she was even more innocent then he
was and he hoped she liked what she was about to see.

As Draco stood up and slowly peeled off his
clothes, Hermione�s face at first reddened, but then took on a more
appreciative look. She smiled as his shirt fell to the ground and she saw his
upper body in the moon light. The shadows played across his chest and abs, and
she saw the makings of what would be a finely sculpted, chiseled look as he
finished maturing. His rigorous quidditch exercise regiment had already given
him enough definition to make her almost purr in excitement. They had touched
and felt one another�s upper bodies quite a bit over the past few weeks, but
she hadn�t really had a chance to just look at him.

Then he dropped his pants and as he bent to remove
his shoes and socks she noticed the way the muscles in his thighs tightened and
she felt a pull in her lower belly that almost made her gasp. The light hairs
on his legs shone in the moonlight and enhanced the long lean look he had. When
he straightened she saw the bulge in his underwear and her breath caught in her
throat.

Draco stopped when he heard her gasp, �Are you
okay?�

Hermione nodded, but never took her eyes off his
underwear, so she missed the full blown smirk on his face. But, then he noticed
how almost scared she looked and stopped with his hands on his waistband.
Kneeling back down he caught her hands in his and waited until her eyes lifted
to his.

�Okay, your turn again.�

She seemed to snap out of her trance-like state,
�What? But,�

�I�m down to my skivvies, here. My turn to see a
bit more of you,� he urged. Then he leaned in and kissed her cheek, near her
ear, before he whispered, �Please?�

Hermione shivered as his warm breath ran over her
neck and ear and could only nod. Thankfully, he kept kissing and nibbling on
her neck and ear, so she felt less self-conscious as his hands quickly undid
her bra and it fell between them on the transfigured cloak that was their
blanket.

Draco sighed against her neck as his hands slowly
slid up her waist to rest on her naked breasts. He�d felt them through her bra
several times, but had not wanted to push her by stepping further over the
line. Now, with one breast in each hand and her nipples poking softly into his
palm, the silky texture of her skin sent a sharp arrow of need straight to his
groin. He finally moved his hands to feel the tight buds of her nipples between
his fingers and heard her moan softly when he pinched them slightly. They
weren�t his first, but a part of him already thought they may be his last and
he slowly pulled back for his first look.

Her idea or not, when he moved away from her,
Hermione immediately wanted to cover her chest with her hands, but the look of
awe and appreciation on his face stopped her. The heat from his eyes scorched
her and she knew she had made the right choice. His obvious pleasure at seeing
her made her heart beat faster and she found herself wanting to touch him
again.

�Merlin, you�re beautiful,� he breathed as he once
again reached for her. But, this time, rather than kiss her lips, he leaned
down and placed a kiss on the top each breast. Then he looked her in the eye
once more.

Hermione could only smile as she moved to lie down
on her back on the blanket. �Kiss me,� she whispered.

Draco stretched out next to her once again and
followed her direction. He kissed her with everything he had, but his hands
continued to dance across her chest, kneading and tweaking her nipples every
few moments. When her hands came up and wound in his hair to hold him closer he
moaned and lay across her more fully.

Hermione moaned in pleasure as his hard chest
rubbed against her sensitive breasts and he deepened the kiss. She let her
hands travel slowly down his shoulders and around to his back, and reveled in
the flexing of his muscles under her fingers.

Draco broke away to kiss and lick his way down to
her chest. He wanted to taste the tight buds that poked at him. He slid down a
bit, took one in his mouth and flicked his tongue against it, even as his hand
continued to toy with the other. She felt like satin and tasted like heaven. He
groaned as he sucked her nipple into his mouth and sent his tongue to swirl
around it.

Hermione couldn�t quite get one thought to stick as
she felt each swipe of his tongue and each pull of his fingers. When he sucked
hard on first one and then the other, she felt the echoing pull between her
thighs and moaned his name.

Hearing his name fall from her lips like a prayer
sent Draco almost to the edge. He kissed the tip of her breast one more time
before he pulled back and fought for control as he breathed heavily over her.
Just as he regained it, Hermione ran her hand over his hair and moved her hips
restlessly under him and his body demanded he get back to business.

�Can I?� he asked as he put his fingers to the
waistband of her plain blue panties. When she nodded he pulled them down and
grinned at her when she lifted her hips to help him. Then he looked down and
his breath caught. �Gods.�

Hermione squirmed under his intense stare, �Draco?�

He didn�t stop staring as he whispered, �Can I
touch you?�

�Uh, yes?� she half asked half answered; and unsure
of what else to do she looked up at the moon. The warmth that had been
spreading through her body quickly dissipated as nerves took over and her brain
went into overdrive.

I should have made him go first again. Now, what do I do? What was I
thinking starting this? Am I really ready for this? I want him so badly I ache
sometimes. Should I just let it continue and be done with it? What is he doing
down there? Why is he so still? Should I just lay here? Am I supposed to be
doing something? Does it look disgusting? Why is he so quiet? Should I be
looking at him? When did I do my last shave charm? Why did I start this?!
What�s he doing down there? He asked to touch me, why is he just looking? Does
it look weird? Is it different from others? I wonder how he�ll touch me. Will
he use his hands only? Or, will he�EEP!

Hermione�s thoughts scattered as Draco leaned down
and nuzzled his nose in her short curls and ran a finger from there down to her
entrance. Then he kissed her softly and moved his finger back up before
repeating the move. She felt the heat flood her once more as her thoughts
scattered; and when he traced small circles around her sensitive button she was
quite suddenly back on fire. She�d gotten to know her body enough to know what
she wanted and opened her legs a bit further as she lifted her hips to force
his finger more firmly against her aching nub.

Draco groaned when she moved against his hand and
he felt his body tighten in response. He wanted so badly to taste her, but he
didn�t think he would last long if he did. So, as to not embarrass himself, he
lifted his head from her and looked at her flushed face, even as he kept his
fingers moving around her now slick opening.

Merlin she feels good. And, she is so beautiful slowly losing control
like that. How far is she going to let this go before she stops me? I just want
to bury myself in her tight warm�NO! Quidditch! McGonagall
naked. Snape naked. McGonagall
and Snape naked. No, too much. Don�t get carried away�Oh Merlin, I love
that sound she makes when I slide my finger in like that. Gods she�s tight,
time for two fingers. I hope I don�t hurt her too much when I finally get to�

�Dracoooo,� she moaned.
�Oh, God, don�t stop, don�t stop.�

He looked up at her flushed and shining face and
felt her body tightening around his finger. Her hands moved restlessly between his
shoulders and the blanket, and her eyes were tightly closed as she fought her
way to release. His own urges took a backseat to his overwhelming desire to see
her lose all control at his hand. He moved his hand so he could continue to
stroke her as he rubbed her sensitive nub with his thumb and was rewarded by a
high pitched keen and her hips moving a bit faster against his hand.

Then she came. Hard. He
was surprised to watch as both her legs and her upper body lifted off the
blanket and her entire body shook as she let out a low pitched groan. He smiled
hugely when she released a low long moan of his name and fell back against the
blanket with a bemused smile, her body shaking with the force of her release.

�Wow,� she laughed a little. �That was��

�Amazing,� he smiled in awe as he whispered,
�You�re absolutely gorgeous when you��

�Draco!� she admonished as she blushed.

�Are you seriously getting embarrassed now?!� he
laughed. When she shrugged, but giggled, he moved up to kiss her and she slid
her hands up his sides and around his back.

Hermione sighed as his body half covered hers and
his weight pressed her into the blanket. She felt him pulsing against her hip
and decided it was time for her to return the favor. She broke the kiss and he
continued down her neck she whispered, �Your turn,� and bravely put her hands
to his boxers.

Draco didn�t even pretend to argue as he shimmied
out of the barrier. He groaned when her fingers grazed him lightly and bucked
against her hand. �Hermione.�

She smiled up at him and then pushed his shoulder
to get him to roll off her to the side. It was her turn to look and she leaned
up on her elbow to shyly, but resolutely, look down.
What she saw surprised her. She�d seen many pictures, some magical and thus
rather realistic, of the male anatomy in books, but seeing it attached to a
real body gave her pause. It looked bigger, less artistic, more�real.
She took a breath and reached out to touch him.

When she experimentally wrapped her hand around him
and he hissed her name, she felt a thrill of feminine power flow through her.
Moving slowly, she slid her hand up to the tip and
ran her fingers over the top. She looked up in time to see Draco close his eyes
as he arched into her hand, and she slowly moved her
fist back down to the base.

�Oh Merlin,� he groaned when she moved her hand
faster and tightened her grip a bit. Hermione was technically mostly innocent,
but she�d heard enough from the other girls in her year, and from Ginny, to
know what she was supposed to do. She�d never wanted to do it with Ron, as she
thought it would be disgusting and a bit disturbing. And, Ron, bless him, had
never pushed her. But, when faced with the chance to make Draco feel as good as
he�d made her feel, she could only feel a yearning eagerness.

Leaning over so that her hair trailed behind her,
she kissed her way down his chest and licked at the light sheen of sweat on his
body. She kept sliding her hand up and down in a steady rhythm and smiled
against his skin as he moaned her name over and over again. Moving closer to
her goal she kissed the line where his hip met his leg and nuzzled her nose
against him like he�d done to her. She was rewarded with a hiss of his breath
and an explosion of her name once again.

Settling more comfortably between his thighs, she
finally took him in her mouth. She hadn�t known what to expect, but the feel
and taste of him, pulsing warm steel covered in soft, smooth deliciousness,
made her moan against him. She ran her tongue from tip to base and back up
again before taking him in again and sucking enough to make his hips rise from
the blanket.

Draco was in heaven. He�d had his share of girls go
down on him, but none with such thoroughness, such devotion to his pleasure. He
knew this was her first time, and thanked Merlin she was a fast learner as he
grabbed the blanket to keep from grabbing her hair and holding her against him.
Her warm mouth, hot wet sweeping tongue, and the non-stop movement of her hands
were quickly driving him crazy. In that moment he would have gladly promised
himself to St. Mungo�s Experimental Research
Department for life if only she would promise to not stop. Every time he
released a moan or groan of pleasure at something she�d done, she repeated the
action with renewed vigor, causing him to moan again. It was a pleasure cycle
he didn�t want to end.

Too soon in his opinion his body proved to have
other ideas and he felt the telltale signs of release coming on too quickly to stop
it. He pushed at her shoulders with his eyes tightly closed as he grunted, �I�m
going to�Hermione�you shou�oh��

Then his body took the ride that was better than
any broom flight and he saw stars. When his release was complete, leaving him
panting in the night air, he finally opened his eyes and saw her wiping her
hand on the grass beside them. Her captivating eyes were wide in surprise, but
her smile was soft and proud.

Hermione was in awe. She hadn�t expected to feel an
answering pull in her own body as he�d reached nirvana, her body aching to
experience it with him. She didn�t know how wonderful she would feel knowing
she was the one to take him there. And, she hadn�t given a thought to how
beautiful he would be, his naked body arched in the moonlight, her name ripped
from his lips.

�Merlin, Hermione,� he gasped as he reached for her
and pulled her up to rest on his chest. Their lips met and both sighed in
happiness.

Draco couldn�t hold his head up any longer and
ended the kiss as he let his head fall back and closed his eyes. He held her
close as he tried to breathe more evenly before once again opening his eyes to
peer up at her. He almost laughed at the look on her face. He could read her so
clearly and almost answered the question before she posed it, but held his
tongue to wait her out.

Hermione rubbed his chest absently as he breathed
under her and the sexual haze faded and her brain took control again. She
didn�t want to ask, as she felt it would make her look silly. It was obvious he
had enjoyed himself. But, a part of her wondered if she should have done
something else; something more. She knew he�d had previous experiences and she
wasn�t sure if it was jealousy or competiveness that made her so unsure of
herself. But, she had to know.

�Was it�was I��

�A perfect O, Ms. Granger,� he teased with a light
laugh. �In fact, I would say an O+++.�

She blushed, smiled, and put her head down on his
chest as he continued to run his hands lightly over her back. They were then
content to lie quietly in each other�s embrace, their thoughts following a
similar path to the next time. Draco, wanting to ensure there was a next time,
and the possibility of more sooner than later, finally broke the silence.

�I love you.�

�I know,� she smiled playfully as she lifted her
head to look down at him.

�And?� he prompted with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione grinned and rolled off of him as she
reached for her clothes, �And, what?�

She squealed when he reached for her and pulled her
back against him to tickle her sides until she responded properly. But, when
his hands slid up and landed on her breasts, they both stilled and fell into a
kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. When the kiss broke she looked up
at him and smiled tenderly as she pushed his hair out of his eyes.

Draco looked at her and waited to hear the words
he�d grown addicted to come from her deliciously swollen lips. He ended up
growling and attacking her once again though, when she instead grinned cheekily,
�I guess I might like you a fair bit, too.�

xxxxx

Two
days before the ball, everyone once again entered Potions class and quietly
took their seats. Their silence was, in part, because of Snape�s menacing
figure standing in front of the room with his arms folded across his chest as
he stared hard at each student that made any noise. But, the other reason was
that everyone was busy chancing glances back at Draco and Hermione. No one had
forgotten their last class, or the declarations of the school�s most unexpected
couple, and most waited to see if they could add any more information to the
gossip mill. Everyone snapped to attention, facing forward, when Snape began
his directions for the day.

�As
our last class was disrupted,� here he sniffed disdainfully and his eyes
flicked to Draco and Hermione in the back corner.� �I have decided that today, instead of making
a potion, we will test your knowledge.�

When
murmurs of complaint began, he simply glared at the room at large and very
effectively silenced the lot.

His
sneer remained as he continued, �Headmistress McGonagall has instructed all of
your professors to show more examples of the muggle world in our teachings. As
such, we will begin to mix into this class two things I have found to be useful
enough. The first we will begin after the holiday break. You will begin to add
to this class some of the information from the muggle counterpart to this
class, known as chemistry.�

The
muggle born, as well as some of the mixed blood students almost smiled in
anticipation. This was not the worse news they could have heard. Many knew of
the subject from friends at home, and were actually looking forward to learning
some of it. The pureblood students looked confused, but as none of the other
students seemed to be freaking out about it, they figured it wouldn�t be too
awful.

Snape�s
next words wiped the tentative smiles off of everyone�s faces.

�The
other item I have chosen to utilize in this class is not one I have tried
before, as it didn�t seem relevant. But, as Professor Mills has explained the
benefits of it to us, we have all come to believe in its merits.�

The
smile that lit his face was one of the more horrifying things the students had
seen. When Neville let out an involuntary groan, a sound that normally caused
laughter and derision, it was proof of the level of fear in the room that even
a few Slytherins looked at him in pity.

�As
of today, we will begin having what is most commonly called a pop quiz.�

For
the pureblood students, this statement conjured pictures of enlarging potions
and bodily explosions, and they looked at their Professor in horror. But, it
soon became clear to them that none of the other students were upset. Even
Neville had let out a breath of relief.

Snape
saw the looks pass from student to student and almost yelled in frustration.
When Peyton had explained the idea of the pop quiz, she had given the teachers,
most especially him, the idea that the students would quake with fear upon
hearing the words. She�d led him to believe it was akin to a muggle teacher�s
torture device. He would have a word with her after the class about what
constituted torture, but just then he needed to finish the class.

He
let his displeasure with the class� reaction show on his face and be heard in his
voice when he hissed, �Everyone stand and move to the back of the room.�

No
one questioned him as they scurried to the back; they didn�t want to draw his
wrath. They stood quietly as their professor quickly levitated the cauldrons and
desks to the sides of the room and then lined the chairs up in straight rows
facing the front of the class.

�Each
of you will get three chances to answer and one point will be awarded per
person for each correct answer. Wrong answers will lose your house two points
each. All partners who have sat on the left side of the table will sit on the
left side of the room. The rest of you on the right. Move!�

He
waited until they had all taken a seat and then pointed at one student on each
side, �Ms. Patil. Mr. Thomas. Stand!�

When
both lurched to their feet he continued, �As Ravenclaw has one less student,
for this round only, you, Ms. Patil, will earn 4 or
lose 8 depending on your answer. The first person to touch their wand to the
stone on the table in front of you gets to answer. The other will lose one
point and have a seat. Questions?�

No
one uttered a word and he took that as consent. �So, we begin. In what potion
would one use knotgrass?�

Padma�s wand beat Dean�s by less than a hair and
she answered, �Polyjuice Potion.�

Snape
barely nodded, but her smile bloomed in victory and the other Ravenclaws in the
class let out squeaks of joy. Dean realized he�d just lost the Gryffindors a
house point and accepted the pats on his shoulder with an upset shrug.

�Oh,
one more thing,� Snape hissed over the growing chatter. �The order each house
finishes in today will be the grade you receive for the day. Each student in
the house with the highest number of points won will receive an O for the day;
second and third, an E and A, respectively. And, everyone in the house with the
lowest number of points won will receive a P.�

He
smirked when several of the happy smiles fell from the students� faces. �Granger. Zabini. How EXACTLY would
one cut the ginger roots in a Wit-Sharpening Potion?�

Blaise�s
wand hadn�t even left his side when Hermione�s tapped the stone. She heard his
huff as she gave her answer, but refrained from looking in his direction as she
went back to her seat with a small smile.

Questions
continued with each house gaining and losing points throughout the first two
rounds pretty evenly. But, by the third round the questions had gotten more
complex, more reflective of their upcoming N.E.W.T.S., and the tension rose
dramatically. By the time they�d gotten through the first of the five rows, the
winning house had dropped to third and the losing house was in first place.
Even Ginny, Hermione and Draco�s confidences had been shaken by having only
received a half a point for their last answers.

Then,
as Neville, having lost his first two rounds, stood quaking in front of Snape
waiting for his final question, the inevitable happened. His arm shot out
before Snape had even opened his mouth to voice the question, and a spark shot
out of his wand directly at the teacher.

Snape�s
shock was complete when, before he could raise his wand or attempt to dodge the
spell, he felt himself enveloped in a protective
warmth and watched the spell bounce off of the shield and burn a whole in his
blackboard. He quickly looked to those of his house to see who had achieved
such a perfect Protego spell, but his eyes found
those of Harry Potter as the younger man lowered his arm.

The
class held its breath when Snape ended the spell and stared at Harry.

The
words the professor uttered next would still be talked about months later, as
the shock had yet to wear off of anyone who had heard them.

�Mr.
Potter! Ten points to Gryffindor. Class dismissed!�

xxxxx

�I
was there, remember? Potter got points from Professor Snape. Yippee. Give it a
rest already!� Draco grunted from his place at the table in the all house
common room. As their friendships had grown, most of the group had taken to
meeting after dinner there to study and talk about their days.

The
hot topic for the remainder of the day, as it was passed from student to
student, was how Snape had actually awarded points, not only to Gryffindor, but
to Harry Potter. As it was a first, even some of the teachers had been heard
talking about in the halls between classes. As the day had progressed though,
some of the students, mostly Slytherins and Ravenclaws, had gotten very tired
of hearing about it. Even without Harry in the room, everyone seemed to be
talking about it.

Hermione
knew Draco was reaching the end of his patience, so despite her own exuberance,
she reached over and put her hand on his knee.

�Sorry,
hon,� she answered softly near his ear. �But,
honestly, I don�t think it�s near over. Whether you like it or not, it�s pretty
big news.�

�Yeah,
whatever,� he answered sullenly. Then he kissed her on the cheek and asked,
�How about I meet you back here in a couple of hours? We can finish studying
then.�

Hermione
nodded and helped him pack up his bag as she asked, �But, what about you? Where
are you going to go? Back to your room?�

Draco
laughed at her rapid-fire questions and then silenced her with a kiss that
earned them catcalls from their friends. When he pulled back and looked down
into her flushed face he smirked and winked.

Then
he grabbed her hand, �Walk me out?� When she nodded he led the way through the
room to the doors and outside.

No
sooner had she cleared the doorframe than she found herself pressed against the
wall beside it, Draco�s lips once again on hers. With a happy sigh, she slid her arms around his waist and held on for the ride.

Minutes
later, when Draco felt himself getting too into things, he pulled back. He
smoothed her hair out of her face as he whispered, �Two hours and we pick up
where we left off.�

Hermione
moaned at the loss of contact, but straightened with a nod. �You never answered
my question. Where will you be?�

Draco
smiled as he traced her lips with his finger, �I�ve got some family stuff to
do.�

�Like
what?� she answered as she kissed his fingertip.

Draco
rolled his eyes dramatically and sighed, �I promised Tonks I would come by
again sometime this week. She said Teddy misses me.�

Hermione
smiled, �Oh. How swee��

�Don�t,�
he cut her off with a laugh. �Just meet me back here in two hours.�

Hermione
tried to turn down the wattage of her smile and nodded.

Draco
shook his head, gave her a quick peck and turned away to go see his cousins.

Hermione
watched him walk away and smiled at the pep in his step and the contented smile
on his face.

xxxxx

Harry,
never one to like notoriety, had fled the main halls as soon as possible after
class. He had planned to go back to his room and get some studying done. He was
a bit hungry, but didn�t want to hear his story retold over and over and
figured one missed meal wouldn�t hurt. Besides, they kept snacks in the common
room kitchenette and he could make a meal of them. Halfway
back to his room though he ran into Remus who invited him to dinner with their
family. Harry had accepted and the two had gone to find Tonks and Teddy.

Dinner
had been filled with laughter as Remus regaled them with tales of his
adolescence with Sirius and James. Plus, it was fun to watch Teddy try to
maneuver his new spoon around in his peas and mashed potatoes.

After
dinner Remus took Teddy to the bathroom to clean him up a bit and Tonks made
some tea for the three of them. Harry accepted his cup and leaned back against
the sofa as Tonks sat in the chair across from him.

�So,
The Great Bat, finally cracked, I heard,� she laughed into her tea.

Harry,
who had avoided the conversation all day, finally laughed freely, �I would
guess so. He was so shocked that Neville almost killed him that his eyes were
almost as big as his nose.�

Tonks
giggled with him, but Remus� voice interrupted from the bathroom, �Would you
two show a modicum of respect. He has earned it, don�t you think?�

Harry
laughed into his sleeve when Tonks yelled back, �Oi! Who
was starting fights with him at the dinner table just yesterday?�

When
only silence was heard from the bathroom, both she and Harry dissolved into
laughter once again.

A
knock on the door to their suite interrupted their laughter and Tonks got up to
answer the door. Using her wand she performed the spell to reveal who was on
the other side of the door and without thinking flung it open.

�Wotcher, cousin!�

�Hey,�
Draco answered with a grin. �You said I should come by this week.�

�Of
course,� she smiled. �Glad you did. Come on in. Harry and I were��

An
awkward silence filled the room and Draco stilled half in half out of the
doorway.

Before
anyone could say another word, Teddy squealed from the bathroom doorway and
clapped his hands. Remus held onto the squirming child as he began to chant, �Dwake, Dwake, Dwake,�
and tried to wriggle out of his father�s arms.

Despite
the circumstances, Draco smiled, �Hey Teddy.�

Tonks
put her hand on his arm and pulled him further into the room, �I asked Draco
over.�

Remus
nodded stiffly and walked over to sit next to Harry as he spoke, �That�s fine.
Harry, Teddy and I will just stay out of your way then.�

�No,
I can go,� Harry said as he made to get up.

�No, stay,� Remus urged. �We can go in the
other room and play a game of Wizard�s Chess.�

Draco
took a step back, �That�s okay. I can come back another time.�

Harry
tried to pull out of Remus� strong grip, �No. It�s fine. You�re family and I
should��

�You
are my family!� Remus grunted.

Tonks
huffed loudly and put her hands on her hips, �Oh, grow up all of you! Teddy,
who is chewing on his own fist at the moment, is acting more mature than the
three of you.�

When
all three men had the good sense to look chagrined, she continued, �We�ve been
dancing around this for weeks, boys. Remus, you�re the adult, start acting like
it! Harry, Draco is Teddy and my cousin, he will be around, deal with it! And,
Draco, Harry is as much a part of this family as Remus, Teddy and I are, so you
deal with it! Now, everyone sit down. You will not bring Teddy into your
fights! My son will grow up knowing his ENTIRE family and not with the
prejudices of the past to mar it! Now, I am going to make more tea.�

No
one spoke as she stomped out of the room; even Teddy stared from one man to the
other in confusion. Finally, both Harry and Draco spoke at the same time.
�Sorry.�

�Same,�
Remus sighed as he fell back on the sofa.

Harry
sat back down next to him and Draco sat in the chair Tonks had vacated. None of
them looked at the others until Draco cleared his throat and looked at the
professor.

�Um, Professor Lupin? Does she always
pick green?�

�Remus. Call me Remus, at least in here,� the
older wizard sighed. Then he nodded, �Yes. When she�s angry it�s green, happy
is pinkish red, hurt white or yellow, depending on the level of pain, and
orange, which I rarely see, seems to be fear or worry.�

�Don�t
forget black and brown,� Harry laughed a little to ease the tension.

�Oh
yes, mustn�t forget those,� Remus grinned with a wink. Then he seemed to notice
that he and Harry were leaving Draco out of the conversation and turned to the
blonde man. �At our wedding she was very nervous; excited, but nervous. Her
hair was brown most of the day.�

Draco
couldn�t stop the question that followed, �And, the black?�

Remus
blushed a bit, but Harry looked at Draco with a smirk, �Started the moment she
remembered they would have a wedding night.�

Tonks
came back in to see the three of them laughing and smiled, �Better not be
laughing at my expense.�

All
three sobered a bit, but when their eyes met, they broke out laughing again.
For the first hour Harry mostly played with Teddy and let Draco spend time with
Tonks. Remus sat quietly drinking his tea and grading papers. The second hour,
by silent agreement, they switched places and Draco got down on the floor with
his cousin, while Harry and Remus played a game of chess and Tonks went to
straighten up and then take a long bath.

When
she came back out, Teddy was sprawled across Draco�s chest and slept with his
tiny thumb in his mouth. Draco was softly rubbing the child�s back as he
silently watched the end of the chess game. Not too long afterward, Harry and
Draco were saying goodnight, making promises to come by again soon, and walking
down the long hall together.

Neither
spoke, but both had a lot of thoughts running through their heads about where
this left their mutual dislike. As the question seemed to be too big to answer
or resolve in one evening, they simply continued to the main corridor in
silence. When they reached the point where they would part company they stopped
and faced each other.

Harry
was the first to straighten his shoulders and offer a grunt of, �Bye, Malfoy.�

Draco
nodded, �Potter.�

Uncomfortably,
they both waited to see if the other would speak. But, when neither did, they
simply turned and walked away. Uncertainty and confusion
warring in their bodies.

xxxxx

Author�s notes � 1) This chapter
was written especially for�someone who I am sorry to say, I don�t remember.
Sigh. When I wrote my last story someone asked me to write an outside sex
scene. It stuck with me, but didn�t fit in that story. It was perfect for this
one though. Whoever you are, I thank you for the inspiration.

Author�s notes � 2) Thank you all
once again! There were a couple of people that wrote to say they were
disappointed in them declaring their love so soon. I am sorry for that. I guess
I see it two ways. First, I wrote this story over an 8 month period, so it didn�t
seem sudden to me at all, plus I was already planning the sequel. Second, they�ve
known one another (whether they liked each other or not) since they were 11
years old. Many of the things that happen during the �in lust/infatuation�
portion of a relationship, they skipped. Also, they have been circling this for
almost two months at this point; and at 18/19 years old that is forever. Sorry, if it seemed I let you
down and I hope you still enjoy the rest of the story.

LadyBlueEyes: Thank you for the
compliment. I am really glad it felt natural for them to be, in a very strange
way, on the same side of things and see eye-to-eye. It was also quite funny to
me personally. lol Yes, there is going to be a sequel.
So, while it may be over soon, it won�t really be over. So, what did you think
of Draco and Hermione�s relaxation techniques? (snicker)�
You and I see Luna the same way. I absolutely adore her. Thank you hon! Hugs back to you. Now, get to writing, young lady. You
have an Hermione to fix! lol

Qui: You got your wish
of smut. Was it okay? I know it wasn�t complete, but that will come soon, too.
;-) I am glad you enjoy the rest of the story, too, though. lol
Blaise needs to learn to love himself before someone else can love him, but he
will get there eventually. I thought Quirke�s dislike of Hermione was �effing priceless!� too. Thanks! I love to make people laugh
and I am glad I could get a giggle out of you. Thank you!

marie: Thank you for
mentioning the adults. They need to learn and grow, too, and it was about time
they realized it! Much like Molly, they needed to get direction from the
younger set to realize how set in their ways they were becoming. lol Thank you, hon!

kazfeist: I didn�t even
remember Orla from the books. lol
I looked up a list of Hogwarts students and then made a list of all of the 6^th
and 7^th year students. Then, I just really liked her name. :-) But,
I am really glad you enjoyed seeing her. Thank you!

Dreamweaver: You are so welcome.
The only thing that could have been better would have been for you to actually
have taken a picture of yourself when you read it, so I could see your
reaction. I don�t know where it came from, but once it got stuck in my head, I
came to realize you needed to read it, too. lol Really
glad you liked it. :-D Glad you liked your description, too. lol

And,
�Now for the serious stuff�� tee hee hee I loved that. ��something I like about Harry, he gets
angry, he lets loose but then he gets over it and deals.� Exactly! That�s how I
see him, too. Even in book 5, where he was so angry, he still handled it.
I couldn�t leave the teachers out completely, even though they aren�t
completely integral to the plot. Growth needs to happen in all of them. But, even
in my most fevered imagination, I can�t picture Snape and Remus as pals. lol You�re right! Ginny does need some love and relaxation, doesn�t she? LMAO! I see Luna as lovely, not
Looney. She�s really smart and brilliantly intuitive, but still flighty and
funny. LOVE HER! Now worries on not remembering Orla.
See my confession to kazfeist. ha
ha ha But, thanks. Okay, am
I missing an Aussie reference with the �Beans and Quirke�? You will find out
Blaise�s date soon. I admit ahead of time to being a little evil to him. tee hee hee
Sorry about the cliffy, but the chapter would have been WAY too long if I had
let it continue to this one. Lol Plus, I am putting the story on ffnet and hpff, so I had to break
it where I could clean it up for them. Sorry, luv!
And, thank you!!

margaritama: Glad you like the
excerpt. It came to me and I had to write it. lol I
love how you pick out the theme in each one that I didn�t even see when I wrote
it or broke it down. The theme of love and friendship for this one was so perfect!
Thank you. And, I loved their internal monologues. ha ha ha They were pretty much
exactly how I see them, too. :-) A �flutter of funness�,
that was a great description. Thank you! Just so you know, I agree with you,
Remus was out of line, even if he was doing it in the name of looking after
Harry.� But, I always saw him as a little
less �nice� than he was made out to be, I guess. Actually though, I think
Hermione got it, just as much as Draco did, she just can�t quite accept it yet.
ha ha ha
I am really glad you liked it. I am also quite pleased you like the newly
constructed Draco. ;-) I like the way you think! Hugs, flowers, and candies to
you!
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Struggling Through New Beginnings