Ah… SO sorry for the ridiculously long wait for this chapter. The holidays kept me away. Anyways, I feel so lucky for having readers like you guys! I love your reviews and especially those lovely, long reviews…AND you PM’s too! I'm honoured! I'm really, really glad you like it... Especially as I don't usually like D/Hr, and this is a challenge. By the way here is a little spoiler…next chapter, chapter 7 is… the last chapter of this story. (DUN DUN DUNNNN!) Hehehehe. Still, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and thanks SO much for the reviews. They really make my day.
You know I LOVE you all to death and your reviews mean a lot to me. Enjoy the chapter! Hope it was worth the wait! Thanks for all those lovely compliments. As for the mistakes... *blushes* Sorry, I'll do better next time! Thanks for your reviews! 
#6 For The First Time
Draco had been awake all night. He had run the scene over and over again in his mind, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Everything had been perfect - the atmosphere, the champagne, the candles... Why had Hermione ran away from him? Was it something he, Draco, had done?
It was rare that he wished that Blaise was there. This was one of these times. Blaise was so fortunate: he cared for nothing or nobody, so much like Draco had been before his obsession with Hermione. Blaise had nothing to lose. But he had nothing to love either, and so no real joy in his life.
Draco took another sip of his Firewhiskey and grimaced. It was particularly strong so early in the morning and he wondered if he shouldn't just take a cup of tea instead. But the Firewhiskey soothed him and relaxed his mind as it ran through his blood. He cursed it; it made him seem weak, depending on alcohol like this. And Malfoys were never weak.
He felt a strange longing to go and see Hermione, he had felt it all night. Somehow he knew that she had been awake too, but something prevented him from seeing her. He knew that she needed time to heal, but he wanted her too much. He was impatient and had been so the past year and a half. If not since his seventh year. He needed to be allowed to hold her and to make her feel safe. He needed to know that she was his. He had felt sure that once she was living in the Manor, this want would be satisfied, but it was not, it had only gone stronger by seeing her every day.
She was so bloody perfect. Nobody had the right to be that perfect. Everything she did and said, it felt so correct. Even when she snapped or bit her lip or licked her lips nervously, it was all right, it was all perfect. There was not one thing that wasn't right.
Curiosity overcoming him, Draco rang the bell and instantly, Velva appeared.
'Yes, sir?' the house elf squeaked.
'Is Miss Granger up?' asked Draco, gloomily taking another sip of his Firewhiskey.
'Yes, sir, the miss is up, sir,' squealed the house elf again.
'Have you brought her breakfast?' he said, banging down his bottle of Firewhiskey. The elf unconciously jumped.
'No, sir, we has not, the sir did not give us the order, sir,' the elf squeaked, clearly frightened.
'Good,' Draco pointed towards the door, scowling, 'now get out.'
Seeming only too glad to leave, the elf ran out, leaving Draco in a confused state. He wondered if he should see Hermione or not. Taking yet another sip of his Firewhiskey, he poured himself a cup of coffee and drank it, clearing his foggy mind. Then he retreated to the nearest bathroom and splashed his face with some water. It annoyed him when he wasn't as perfect as Hermione. Cursing himself for not having a spare toothbrush anywhere, he quickly performed a rather unefficient Clean-Breathening charm and let his hair do what it wanted. Then he poured another cup of coffee for Hermione, took his own and walked up two flights of stairs to see her.
It was as he had expected; she had not gone to bed at all, the bedsheets were still straight and the pillows were not ruffled. She was sitting by the windowsill again as he entered, and he stood by the doorway, feeling slightly uneasy. She looked up at him and immediately blushed, resolutely turning towards the window again, though he could see she was staring at his reflection.
'Can I come in?' asked Draco, attempting to be polite. To his surprise, Hermione nodded; he had expected her to throw him out. He walked over to the round table, where she had eaten so many solitary meals, and put the two cups of coffee down. Not knowing what to say, he cleared his throat. 'I brought you some coffee.'
Hermione turned around and thanked him, though her voice was distant and he was sure she was thinking of something else. Draco glanced at Fauve. She was soundly asleep in her crib, making little noises every now and then. The expression on Draco's face softened again, before he turned towards Hermione and noticed her watching him, a confused look in her eyes. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Hermione stood up.
'I'm sorry about last night,' she said, looking nervous. 'I shouldn't have run out like that.'
Draco's eyebrows went up in surprise. He found himself shaking his head.
'No, I shouldn't have... I mean - I knew - ' Draco sighed. 'I knew you weren't ready yet.'
Hermione took a step forwards, looking desperate.
'I don't want you to wait for me,' she whispered, going red again, 'I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready.'
It seemed surreal to Draco that he was having this conversation with Hermione, the woman he loved. He thought that she despised him, yet here she was, telling him not to wait for her.
'I could wait forever,' Draco said, mentally telling himself not to pressure her. This is it... Be careful...
Hermione blushed even more.
'I - I don't want to be unfaithful to Ron - I'm so afraid of - of insulting his memory, and...
'
Hermione shook her head, and, to Draco's even greater surprise, yet ecstatic pleasure, she envelopped herself in his arms. He felt his heart beat fast with joy, wrapping herself even tighter against his chest... He knew he shouldn't frighten her... But he couldn't stop... She was too wonderful... It was too good a feeling to stop...
'I'm so confused,' she whispered, and Draco's heart leaped even more. She was confiding in him.
'I know,' answered Draco, his throat dry. 'I was too... When I found out I loved you. I had called you mudblood all along and meant it... But it's a farce... The whole pureblood thing is a bloody farce!' his words were slightly agressive, and he calmed himself down. 'I meant it back then, Hermione, I won't deny it. I hated you with all my being, you were everything I wasn't... And then I found out that I hated myself. I still followed the pureblood policy, I still believed in the Dark Lord. He was my leader and I trusted him. A person can't change, they're not capable of it, Hermione. But I still loved you... I still love you.'
Hermione looked up, her eyes searching his. Then she leaned forwards, hesitated, and pressed her soft lips against his. He was surprised at first, even astounded, but as her lips moisted his, he suddenly woke up. He ran his fingers through her hair, and kissed her back, slightly desperate, slightly agressive, but all the same soft and longing and gentle. He held her even tighter before, drawing circles against her back as a feeling of complete ecstasy sprang open in his heart. It spreaded everywhere through him as Hermione kissed him back. He wanted this never to end... Never... And then their lips parted and she looked at him again, though this time her eyes were sparkling. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, before she put her head on her shoulder and they held eachother.
The coffee had gone cold.
Hermione was sitting in an armchair, book in her lap, but her eyes were resting on Fauve, who was playing quietly in the corner of the living room. She was playing with some blocks, and Draco kept handing her different ones and showing her how to build a tower. It was funny how bemused she looked every time he put one on top of the other, as if it was something quite extraordinary to build a tower. She tried doing the same as him, but she only succeeded in knocking the whole thing down. Chuckling, Draco gathered her in his arms, and took two magnets. Whispering idly, he slowly neared the magnets together, till they finally were so attracted that they ended up together. Fauve looked astonished, and hurriedly took the magnets from Draco's hands, trying to do the same, but failing immensely. Draco showed her again, then handed them back to her, until he finally put her pudgy hands in his and manually directed her how to do what. She crawled out of his lap, taking the magnets with her, and waded over to where Hermione was sitting. Hermione smiled, and lifted Fauve up to her lap, lovingly stroking her hair. Fauve laid her head against Hermione's chest, blinking her eyes sleepily.
'You haven't got alot of sleep this night,' Hermione said, feeling Fauve's forehead, 'since you're so tired this afternoon.'
Fauve closed her eyes so that her long, black eyelashes rested against her cheeks. She stayed that way for a long time, until Hermione finally put her book away and, avoiding Draco's persistant gaze, said, 'I think I'll put her down.'
Draco shook his head.
'Let the nanny,' he answered, then rang the bell twice. Hermione looked away, for she felt sure that he knew she was trying to avoid him. The nanny came and took Fauve from Hermione's arms, carrying her upstairs.
Draco kept staring at Hermione, something that made her uncomfortable, and she stood up, walking towards the window once more. The sun was setting earlier than usual, but it was September, after all. The nights soon wouldn't be light and warm; instead, she would sit inside with Fauve on her lap, drinking hot chocolate, and conversing with Draco.
Alarm bells rang in Hermione's head. Why did she keep thinking of a future with Draco? She felt his eyes bore into her back, it made her feel uneasy, and she shifted periodically in her chair. She couldn't stand it anymore, it was all too much... She needed to think...
'I think I'll go check on Fauve,' she said, all too aware of the fact that only 5 minutes had passed. She headed out towards the doorway.
'Don't you think we should talk?' Draco said, and his voice was sharp, unusally sharp. Hermione closed her eyes, then reopened them.
'About what?' she answered, though she knew it was a farce. The whole pureblood thing is a bloody farce!
'Stop it,' snapped Draco; it was the first time he looked really annoyed. 'Did everything I say to you mean nothing?'
Hermione avoided his gaze again and she shook his head. He was closing up on her.
'No... It didn't, but I'm not ready to believe you,' Hermione said firmly.
Draco banged his fist against the surface of a table. He looked extremely angry. He took two steps towards Hermione, and suddenly, they were very close. Hermione took a quick breath; this didn't seem like the gentle Draco he had been yesterday.
'Why do you think I brought you here, Hermione?' Draco asked, trying to catch her gaze, but she was avoiding him. He placed his hands on her shoulders to make her look at him, but she merely shook her head and continued to survey the floor. She tried to back away, but his grip was firm, though not painful. He tilted her chin backwards so she would look in his eyes. His voice softened. 'Do you really doubt me?'
Hermione, who had tried to avoid his gaze, to avoid the truth, found herself forced to look into the depth of those grey, mysterious eyes, and she knew - she knew that he was telling the truth, and that she couldn't force herself to believe anything else. She turned red and felt ashamed, guilty, opened her mouth to say something, but before she had gathered any words, Draco forcefully pressed his lips against hers, as if to prove his last sentence. He kissed her hard, but not painfully, forcing her to acknowledge the truth: that he loved her and always would. She resisted at first, but the temptation was too strong, and she gradually surrendered and kissed him back. The kiss was neither gentle nor soft, but his intentions were both and she felt safe, and happy, and everything that Draco wanted her to be. She allowed herself to touch his hair and almost clung to him as he kissed her.
Then he drew away, breathless and flushed. His eyes were sparkling with wonder at his nerve, but he had needed her so badly. He was past the point of allowing her to avoid him; he had let her have her moment, but he wouldn't allow her deny any emotions regarding him. She slowly opened her eyes and realised that she had never been kissed like that before, not even by Ron.
'You see,' Draco whispered in her ear, 'this is what it's like. This is what the past years have been for me.' And he kissed her again, this time softer and more gentle, as she fell slump in his arms.
She pulled away from him, and it was as if a new fire had ignited inside her.
'I love you, I love you,' she whispered, closing her eyes and kissing him again, allowing pleasure to run through her body. Draco didn't even question her last words, only picked her up and carried her to his bedroom.
Hermione woke up the next morning in a completely unknown room. She had never been here before, and, for a moment, she felt just as strange as the first time she had woken up in the Malfoy Manor.
But she was comforted by the fact that the bedsheets felt the same and she knew that she was in the Manor. Turning around to doze off again, she gave a startled cry as she saw Draco, soundly asleep next to her. She shifted uncomfortably, but she was unable to take his eyes off him. The memories of last night came back to her, and she sighed unconciously, remembering how happy she had felt - how happy she felt.
She reached out towards Draco's hair and allowed herself to run her hands through it. It felt like silk; he probably spent hours combing it and washing it. Perhaps he even had his own hairdresser? There were so many things about Draco she didn't know... And yet - and yet she felt she did know him.
She gave a surprised yelp as she felt Draco's warm hand catch hers. He had woken up and turned around, gazing at Hermione with the warmest, calmest, most loving look. She melted.
'Hey,' he said, his voice dry.
Hermione smiled.
'Morning.'
Draco surveyed her for a moment.
'Are you - I mean - are you OK?'
Hermione nodded, then leaned forward. Kissing him slightly on the lips, she cuddled even closer to him. He put his arms around her.
'I'm OK. I'm perfectly OK.'
They stayed that way for quite some time, staring at eachother and saying nothing. It seemed that nothing needed to be said; their feelings told them everything. They were still lying that way when someone knocked on the door, and the nanny came in with Fauve in her arms.
'I beg your pardon, sir,' she said nervously, 'but Fauve couldn't rest until she had seen her mother and father, sir.'
Draco nodded. Hermione didn't even protest to the nanny's last words; mother and father. The nanny put Fauve down on the ground, and she ran towards the bed, managing to climb up on it and crawl over to Draco and Hermione. They didn't even notice the door close, as Fauve put her arms around them both and gave Draco his usual kiss.
'Goodmorning sunshine,' he said, playing with her short hair. Hermione stayed still. 'You're causing trouble, I hear? A true Malfoy.'
Hermione fidgeted, but Draco gave her a reassuring smile, and she calmed down.
'She probably needs some breakfast,' Hermione said, resting her head on Draco's shoulder. Draco kissed her forehead.
'I don't want to move from this spot,' he sighed. 'I feel perfectly content right here. With my family.'
Hermione closed her eyes, trying to enjoy the happy sensation in her stomach as much as possible.
'It's the first time I feel like a complete man,' Draco said, once more kissing Hermione's forehead. 'I love you, I love you so much.'
Hermione grinned, opening her eyes.
'And I can truthfully say that I love you too,' she answered, then thoughtfully gazed at Fauve. 'D'you think... I mean... If I hadn't spent two years here - d'you think I would've fallen in love with you.'
Draco fell silent. He didn't want to answer that question.
'Never mind,' Hermione mumbled, then sat up. 'Come on Fauve. Time for you to have some breakfast.'
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Christy 
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