The Marriage Decree

Chapter 42: You Were Mistaken

Hermione's lying in bed, reading a book, when Draco finally vacates the bathroom, wearing his pyjama bottoms and a towel around his shoulders. He perches on the edge of the bed, throwing his head down to dry his hair with the towel.

"I'm tired of this hair." He mutters as he roughly dries his hair.

"Come here." Hermione sighs, placing her book on the bedside table and crawling over to Draco.

Taking the towel out of his hands, she kneels behind him and gently massages his head with the towel, drying his hair. Draco breathes out deeply, relaxing under her touch.

"Wait a second." She tells him, climbing off the bed to rummage through her toiletry bag for her argan hair oil. She pours a few drops onto the palm of her hand before returning to Draco. "This will help make your hair softer and silkier." She mentions as she instructs him to throw his head forward.

Slowly, Hermione massages the oil from the roots of his hair to the tips. Draco purrs softly once, stopping her in her hand movements for a split second before she carries on with a smile. When she's finished, she wipes her hands on the towel before grabbing her wand and a comb to complete the drying process. She gently combs his hair back as her wand emits a soft, warm wind. Once she's done, she runs her hand through his now dry, soft hair, leaving it at the nape of his neck.

Draco lifts his head up to meet Hermione's eyes and is taken aback by the fondness behind them. He watches as her eyes flutter from his own to his lips then back again. Taking that as an invitation, he leans up, capturing her lips with his own. She gasps, probably not expecting him to make a move, and he makes another bold move by tentatively licking where their lips meet. He's met with an approving noise so he continues, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other up her back and into her hair, pulling her closer.

Shocking Draco, and maybe Hermione herself, she takes the lead, pushing him back down onto the bed. She follows him by climbing onto the bed and running her hands up his bare, scarred chest as she straddles his lap.

"I've been too afraid to ask how you go these." She mentions, tracing the longest on from his left shoulder to near his bellybutton.

"You don't need to know." He mutters, self-consciously covering his chest with his arms but she takes a hold of his wrists, pinning them above his head.

"I want to know." She mutters, leaning forward kiss chastely kiss his lips. "Please." She adds.

"It was our sixth year," He starts with a sigh, avoiding eye contact by staring at the ceiling. "I was in the bathroom when Harry came in. I didn't recognise the spell but it was definitely Dark Magic."

"This is what Harry did to you?" She stares down at his chest, taking one hand from his wrists to run up and down the scares. "He told us about it. I didn't realise it had been so serious." She mutters.

"I ended up losing a lot of blood and had to be sewn shut at St Mungo's." He explains. "I deserved it." He adds quietly.

"You deserved something but you didn't deserve a near-death experience." She tells him. "A good bat bogey hex would have done the trick." She adds with a chuckle, making him smile.

"I've heard those are Ginny's speciality. Would he have set his girlfriend on me?" He jokes with a smile.

Hermione chuckles, resting her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for telling me." She mutters, kissing his shoulder.

When he shivers, she kisses her way towards his neck and along his jawline. Draco hums happily as her lips meet his once again in a slow kiss. Her hands make their way through his hair, gently pulling at the strands that catch in her fingers. Draco takes the opportunity to run one of his hands down her thigh, pulling her closer to his body. Taking the hint, Hermione presses her body harder against his, eliciting a groan from him. Arching his back, Draco presses his bare chest against Hermione's clothed one, wishing that wasn't the case. Wishing he could feel the heat from her chest, skin on skin, but not wanting to push them too far.