Redemption.

Chapter 18

"Miss Granger, would you please care to listen?" It was potions, and Professor Slughorn was in a particularly bad mood today. Not only had his first years ruined his expensive robes by spilling armadillo bile all over them, but two of his favorite students were now chattering in the back of his class. And he was hungry.

"Sorry Professor." mumbled Hermione, clearly embarrassed at being caught talking. She directed a glare towards Draco, who smirked in reply.
As the weeks went past, Hermione was sensing Draco coming out of his cocoon slowly, his older self resurfacing bit by bit. He smiled (smirked) more often, and he definitely pissed her off on a daily basis, although at night he was incredible in bed.

As Professor Slughorn grumbled on about Veritaserum, Hermione's mind was far, far away. She'd been drifting off in classes lately, her mind preoccupied on a certain Slytherin. Sometimes she was terrified that it would pull down her grades but she needn't have worried. She was still the 'cleverest witch of their age'.

It was almost a month since Hermione had lost her virginity...a small smile played at her lips. She and Draco had sex almost every night, unless they had a lot of studying to do. They were N.E.W.T students after all. Hermione couldn't believe the appetite she had for sex and a laugh rose to her throat remembering all the places they had shagged together...the heads common room, broom closets, empty classrooms as they patrolled the halls together at night, the prefect's bathroom, behind stone gargoyles...

"Anything funny ?" Professor Slughorn snapped. "Care to share?" Hermione blushed furiously as her fellow classmates snapped their eyes onto her. Never, in her entire life, had she looked like a giggling idiot in front of her entire class. She bowed her head, wishing for the class to end.

Next to her, Draco sniggered. Blaise, who sat in front of them with Luna on next to him, raised his eyebrows at his best friend. But Draco didn't notice. The entire class noticed that something was definitely wrong with the two of them.

Professor Slughorn was just readying himself to (unfortunately) give them both detention, when the bell rang signalling lunch.
"Class dismissed." Slughorn said, and he was the first one out of the class,his stomach rumbling.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other, challengingly. The class waited eagerly to see what would happen next.
"Well Granger," Draco drawled. "seems to me like you're losing it. Giggling all by yourself in class."

"Ha ha." Hermione snapped. "No thanks to you, Malfoy, Professor Slughorn almost gave me a detention." Everybody missed the way their hands brushed under the table. Softly. Intimately.

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Funny, how I don't seem to recall what I've done this time."

"Whatever." she huffed, and breezed past him. Draco watched her walk away swaying her hips slightly, teasing him. Mocking him. Oh she would have it tonight...

Draco looked around. It was only him and Blaise left in the dungeon classroom. "Lunch?" he asked Blaise, and swung his bad over his shoulder, stalking out of the room. Blaise hurried to catch up.
"What's going on between you and Granger?" Blaise demanded. Draco grit his teeth. He had been hampered by Blaise every day, with the same question again and again, so that this time, the answer rose readily to his lips.

"Nothing, Blaise. How many time do I have to tell you?" he snapped. That I'm Granger's lover by night, he thought to himself.

"Do I look stupid?" Blaise said as they entered the Great Hall, filled with mild chatter.

"Yes. Why?" They sat down next to each other, facing the Gryffindor table. Like usual, Draco's eyes roamed over and stopped on his brown-eyed angel. She looked up and met his eyes. Draco sent her a dark, promising look, and saw with satisfaction that it made her shiver.