April 22nd, 1997

Hermione raised a comb through her curls, trying to tame them in some sort of appealing manner. It was a bit past dusk and she was due to meet Draco in the south greenhouse at seven so they could 'discuss the cultivation of fanged geranium,' or at least that's what she had said. She knew most likely she would end up with her hands around his neck, but at least the attempt to study the plant that would show up on O.W.L's was there. As she studied her reflection, she felt a twinge of guilt starting at the base of her head; she had not been honest to Ron, Ginny, or Harry about where she had been going a few nights a week and it was starting to weigh on her.

Carefully, she moved a stick of chapstick along her lips, placing the cap back on to the tube as she rubbed them together thoughtfully.

She knew what they would say about her and Draco. They'd think he was using her, tricking her into allowing him to touch her. That was the furthest thing from the truth.

Wasn't it?

Collecting herself, she smoothed out her pleated skirt and placed a dark sweater over her shirt. Gripping her books, Hermione skipped her way down the stairs of Gryffindor Tower, exiting through the painting's entrance and walked down towards the greenhouse. The air was crisp and she was grateful for bringing a sweater as she neared the semi-glass doors. Through the windows on the building, she could see a faint glow, and she slowed her steps. Someone must have left a candle going and she quickly opened the door, walking inside to find the source of the light.

"Students need to be more careful," she huffed, removing her wand to put out the flame. It only took one lick of a fire to burn the entire building down, it must have been a first year that was too preo--

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she looked at the scene that had been set up and could feel her heart begin to pick up in pace.

There was a thick cushioned blanket laying on the floor near the brewing cauldron and a few black satin pillows on top with candles next to the cauldron, casting a low glow. Draco was kneeling in front of a candle, his back to her as he muttered a charm with his arm extended towards the candle. A flame began from the wick, stretching up and he stood, satisfied. He turned to move and spotted Hermione staring at him. She felt her eyes grow as he looked at her, his face stoney.

"Oh, I didn't..." he coughed. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry I um, I should've knocked," Hermione replied, glancing down at the pillows and blankets, waiting for him to respond. When he didn't, she cleared her throat and asked, "Draco, what's all this?"

He moved off of the blankets, grabbing his textbook that lay on the floor, then sat back down, kicking his shoes off. "Figured this was more comfortable than the hard chairs at the library," he replied, his eyes staring at her neck.

She nodded slowly and looked down at her feet that were still in her shoes. "Should I...?" she whispered, and Draco nodded. Hesitantly, she slipped off her shoes, feeling the cool stones of the floor beneath her toes. Hermione gingerly stepped onto the blanket, then sat down beside Draco as he flipped open his textbook. She mimicked his actions and tried to ignore the nervous shake in her hands.

"So..." she breathed, scanning the page. "Fanged Geranium."

"Right," Draco replied, his eyes on his own book. "What do you want to start with?"

"You."

Hermione felt them both freeze and mentally slapped herself. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Draco turned his head slightly, his blonde hair falling just above his brow.

Maybe she had meant to say it out loud.

"Well, Granger," he said, his voice deep, shutting his textbook with a flip of his finger. "That's all you had to say."

Grasping the back of her neck, Draco pulls her mouth to his, fingers digging into her skin as he explores her mouth. She kisses him back, lifting a hand to his chest and moving her fingers up to the collar of his shirt. Tugging him closer, moving her mouth in a rhythm he knows all too well. He moves his mouth down to her neck, his other hand on her thigh where she can feel his fingers prodding her skin, itching up slowly. Feeling brave, she sat up slightly, her lips still pressed against his, and swung a leg over his thighs so that she straddles him. Her skirt falls around her and he gasps slightly at the sudden pressure, moving his mouth to suck on her neck.

She feels his hands bracing on her hips, combing her own fingers in his hair, tugging the end of the strands, and moving her neck to the side, allowing him to kiss right below her ear.

She's breathing deeply, feeling the excitement bubbling in her chest like a kettle, and he begins to move her hips slightly against him.

She feels a protrusion against her center and yelps when Draco's movements cause her to rub against him, a delicious sort of spark emitting from the contact.

"Do it again," she breathes, removing her hands from his hair and pulling at his collar, tugging his face to hers.

"This?" he mumbles against her lips and grinds her against him once more.

Hermione lets out a low moan, appalled at her own actions, but quickly disregards that thought as she feels Draco's hands move up her skirt, his fingers playing with the seam of her panties on her hips.

Draco pulls away from her slightly, his nose touching her own as his silver eyes stare at her with wonder. "Is this...okay?" he asked and she bit her lip. He sighed, squeezing her thighs lightly. "Don't bite your mouth."

She had never had sex before. The closest she had gotten to it was a rowdy night with Ron in the Astronomy Tower, his fingers up her skirt as he had clumsily attempted to get a rhythm. Eventually, she had pushed him off her and settled for a breathy hump session, but she never got over the fact that she hadn't even been aroused, more embarrassed for him than anything.

Not like now; right now, she was very aroused.

Draco looked at her expectantly, massaging the part of her thighs where it creased and she sighed against him.

"I-I am a...I've never done...this, anything of the sorts," she rambled, feeling the heat rush to her face at the lack of sexual knowledge she just admitted to.

Draco blinked once, twice, and his mouth spread into a smile. Wrapping his left arm around her torso, he spun her around so that she landed on her back, her thighs open as he pressed into her, kissing the top of her chest. "I always thought it'd be Weasley," he murmured against her skin, and she rolled her eyes, her breath catching when she felt him tug at the hem of her sweater and in one swift moment, removed it from her frame.

Now in her cotton top, he stood up on his haunches, unbuttoning the first three buttons before she reached up and grasped his fingers.

"Wait," she says, eyes darting between his face and his slightly exposed chest. "Let me." As she began to unbutton his shirt, she could feel his eyes on her, watching her movements as she undid every single one. His skin was smooth, and she moved to push the shirt off his shoulders as he placed both hands on either side of her frame.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, his face close to her own. "Because...once you do it, it's over. The first time...it should mean something to you."

"It...it does," she whispered, afraid of saying too much, of scaring him away as his eyes widened. She leaned forward tentatively and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of mouth, and Hermione held her breath.

"I want this...with you." Draco muttered against the corner of her mouth, and she felt him stiff against her. "I know I don't deserve it. But I still..."

She placed her hand against his face as he trailed off. "Touch me, Draco."

She tentatively took his hand, placing his fingers against her bottoms, and she held her breath as he began to remove the article of clothing.

This was far from how she thought she'd lose her virginity. She'd always thought it would be clumsy and uncomfortable, in a broom closet somewhere hidden in the castle.

Not on a blanket surrounded by candles with Malfoy.

With Draco, she corrected herself.

The cool air caressed her bare skin and she shivered, trying to avoid his eyes as she slowly removed her top. She was bare now, her heart beating loudly in her ears, and she covered herself with embarrassment. Draco grabbed her hands with his fingers lightly, pulling her arms away and pushing her beneath him softly.

"I'll be gentle," he assured her, his voice so small that Hermione strained to hear him. "My first time was...poor and rushed. I want it to be better for you."

She nodded, wondering who he had lost it to and why it had been awful enough for him to want her experience to be better.

"Draco?"

"Hm?"

He was so close, his face a few meters from hers, and she could hear him undoing his belt. She swallowed hard, anxiety pooling in her stomach, but she could feel something else, something warm and needy and foreign to her, pooling low as well.

"Can you go...slow?"

His mouth curved into a smile, not a sneer like the one the boy she had known in third year would give her, but a genuine one, a grin that made her wonder if she really knew him at all.

Leaning over her, Draco nudged her thighs open, and they fell against him as he aligned himself. Hermione held her breath, squeezing her eyes shut and her left hand held onto the flesh of his shoulder, her nails digging in slightly.

"Granger," Draco said, and she opened one eye. He was smiling again, and he brushed her hair from around her neck. "Hermione."

"Yes?" she whispered, enjoying the way he said her name, as if she were important.

"Keep your eyes open. Like I said before, I'll be gentle."

"You, gentle?" she snorted, and was about to comment some more when she felt him push at her entrance. She gasped harshly, the pressure tight as he slowly pressed into her, his chest moving steadily and his breath fanning against her face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, pausing his movements. She nodded feebly, tightening her hold on his shoulder. "Want me to stop?"

"No," she almost yelled, then took a breath. "Keep going."

He looked pale, his blonde hair falling into his eyes, and he began to move once more. There was a sharp pain in her lower abdomen, gritting her teeth as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Breathe, Granger."

She nodded, staring up into his pool of silver as he pulled out slowly, then entering inside her once more. He continued his movements at the same pace, and she studied his face. He looked rather strained, like he was extremely focused, and she cupped his cheeks.

"You can move faster now," she whispered, letting out a low groan as he hit an area no one had ever touched before.

Draco dropped his head into the curve of her shoulder, his chest slick against hers, and his hips snapped. "I don't...want to hurt you," he mumbled into her shoulder, causing her to almost laugh.

She knew about sex, reading about it in many books and knowing how it was supposed to feel. Her books had never explained this to her, though, the feeling of admiration that was growing at the base of her brain.

He didn't want to hurt her. So, what did he want to do to her? Pleasure her?

Using his left hand, he gripped underneath her knee, dragging it up slightly and a moan left her lips at the new angle. He looked up at her through his lashes. "Is that good?"

She could only nod.

Draco hissed slightly and continued to thrust deep inside her. The angle of his hips, the intensity in his mouth as he pressed his to hers-she whimpered against him, and his paced faltered as he looked at her face. He slid his hand into her hair and gave several hard strokes as his fingers pulled at her hair, then his hips jerked, letting out guttural moans. His head dropped into her shoulder again and she could feel his teeth graze the skin, panting against her.

Hermione remained frozen beneath him, suddenly aware of how warm he was pressed against her, and she slowly moved her right hand up, brushing his hair.

"Sorry, it, um..." he mumbled in her shoulder. "It snuck up on me."

She didn't reply, but continued brushing her fingertips in his hair. He was still inside her, where a dull ache pounded between her legs. After a few moments in silence, Hermione cleared her throat slightly.

"We probably shouldn't stay here long," she said, trying to sound casual. "We wouldn't want anyone to see." She could feel him tense against her, to which abruptly he stood, his expression drawn. Machine-like, he pulled on his pants, and Hermione sat up slowly, watching his movements. His expression was tight, and almost looked horrified. "Draco?" she was suddenly aware of her nakedness, and summoned her top to her, pressing it over her chest.

"What?" he spoke up, dragging his fingers through his hair and grasped his wand. He waved it, making the candles disappear, enveloping the room in darkness.

"I'm sorry if that wasn't...great," she faltered, feeling like she was lost, like she said the wrong thing.

In the darkness, she could make out his silhouette, watching as he pulled his shirt on.

"Don't be."

Hermione felt bewildered, not understanding how this all was adding up. Why would he say it was important and then act so withdrawn after, so cold? She tugged on her sweater, her hands shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, and she tried to peer at him through the darkness. She could only see his outline, squinting as she attempted to see his face, hoping his eyes would give him away.

He stood up and she did the same, rapidly pulling on her clothing. She felt too exposed, her legs wobbly as she straightened her skirt. She stood off the blanket as she pulled on her shoes, watching him flick his wand, the set up disappearing.

"Draco--"

"I'll see you in class, Granger."

She watched him stalk out, holding her breath, hoping he would turn around and tell her what had suddenly changed. What had gone wrong.

He didn't.