Left Behind 3: Curses

What is to Come...

Draco felt like his whole being was inside of a pressure cooker and every passing second of silence increased the feeling tenfold.

"Well go on and say something," said Draco. "Do something," he half begged half yelled. "Tell me I'm an asshole, punch me in the face. I don't care what you do to me don't just stand there and do nothing."

Instead of hitting him or lashing out Hermione threw her arms around Draco's neck and her mouth crashed into his.

Bliss.

Colors exploded behind his eyes and Draco FELT Hermione.

With a low groan Draco gave in.

Every ounce of resistance left his body as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed their bodies so close that not light could pass between them.

Draco had no idea where he would go when death came to claim him, all her knew was that heaven could not be better than being here in her arms kissing Hermione for real. Even if it was only in their heads he could feel her she was right there with him. She was just as rocked by the kiss.

For once Draco wasn't worried about how she would feel about kissing him because he could feel, how she felt about kissing him and she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to hold him. Draco felt her tears between their lips. He could taste the sweet salt of them on his tongue as their tongues danced together.

I will never love anything or anyone the way that I love her.

"You are everything," he said aloud. "Promise me you'll make it out alive. Promise me you'll go the second I die," he begged. "I need to know you'll be okay."

"I don't want to leave you."

"You won't be leaving me," he said and kissed her lips gently. "I won't be here to leave behind."

"But I need you," she protested.

'I need you', not 'I love you'. The difference of words felt monumental to Draco.

Draco felt his heart squeeze. She didn't love him, but she hadn't run at his proclamation and he could feel that she wasn't mad about his love.

She didn't hate him and it felt good to be certain of that fact. She cared for him, he could feel it down to his bones, and somehow it was both enough and not nearly enough.

He looked down at her beautiful face and tried to memorize it as if he didn't already know every line and every curve of her face, as if she was not already imprinted on his soul.

"I'm going to kiss you now," said Draco tucking a curl of hair behind her ear. "Because I  have never kissed you," he looked down at her lips.

All the times he had thought about kissing her all piled up in his mind a reminder of the desire that had done nothing but grow with each passing day he spent next to her.

"Yes you have," she protested. "You just did."

"No," he said and gave her a tiny smile. "I've kissed you back," he shook his head. "I know there is some part of you that you that has felt like I didn't want you. A part that wasn't, or maybe isn't sure if I cared about you," he touched the side of her face and then his hand went down to her chin as he tilted her head up. "Well, if this is the last time I get the chance, let me be perfectly clear," he swallowed and closed his eyes.

It's now or never Draco.

"I love you," he said and opened his eyes to look at her. "I love you more than I have ever loved anything or anyone in my life. And I want you. Merlin, I want you so much some days that it physically hurts to think about it. When I go I want you to remember that you redeemed a soul that was lost and you pulled love out of someone who was never capable of it before. YOU ARE my world Hermione Granger. You always will be."