Summary: Every great love story has a beginning…this is theirs. Draco Malfoy doesn't go home for the Holidays and neither does Hermione Granger. Draco is restless one night and decides to wander the halls of Hogwarts…Smut with a story! Told in Draco's POV.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Wish I owned Draco in real life, but alas… Be forewarned! Heavy literary erotica combined with an actual (if not somewhat AU plot) ahead! Continue at your own risk… ;) The story takes place during their 6th year.

Author's Note: This story started out as a one shot ("Or What?"), then I wrote a sequel to that one shot ("The Morning After"), and now Draco and Hermione have decided they want to play with my mind a bit more, the result being the merging of these two stories into a brand new story entitled "The Beginning of Us" (with some minor edits for grammar and such) and the addition of even more chapters. Thank you to all my wonderful readers and reviewers for encouraging me to keep going with this! We'll all be on this journey together for quite a while I hope. Please send me your thoughts and suggestions. Would you like to see anything in particular happen? I'm all ears! Let's see what Draco and Hermione have in store for us…

ENJOY!

Always,

Dragonflies

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I tossed and turned in my bed for the hundredth time that night. I was restless, and it was too quiet. The silence almost deafened my ears with its heaviness and I sighed in frustration, turning onto my back and propping myself up with my elbows.

Sleep wasn't an option tonight.

I cursed into the darkness and sat up, rubbing my eyes wearily. Sleep never came easily to me; I don't know why I was surprised. It was Winter Holiday, and everyone was gone from the castle, save for a few stragglers who like me had decided to stay at Hogwarts over the break for one reason or another. My reason was simple enough; my father. The last fight we had, as always, centered on my inability to be perfect. I would never be able to live up to his expectations; I understood that and almost accepted it now. But his innate ability to strike me at my very core, to pick at my insecurities until they fell at his feet like useless pieces of paper; he was a master at it. And for the first time in my life, I had made the choice to walk away. I can still hear his voice, booming and vicious as he yelled for me to come back. When I kept walking with no signs of stopping, I heard him whisper an incantation and then say "Don't bother coming home. Goodbye Draco."

I sat up now, shaking my head as if trying to shake the memory of my father's voice, dripping with anger. Turning to set my feet onto the cold floor of my dormitory, I ran my fingers through my hair and twisted my neck from side to side, trying to relive the tension in-between my shoulders. I chuckled; it was useless.

I stood up and searched for my wand on my nightstand. Fumbling for a few seconds in the dark, my fingers finally grasped the feather light wood and with a flick towards the fireplace, crackling flames appeared and lit the room in a soft glow. I searched for a robe and my slippers next and put them on quickly, a shiver running through my body. Bloody hell I was freezing. Moving towards the fire I cupped my hands together and breathed into them, hoping the quick blast of hot breath would take away the pins and needles feeling for a few moments. No such luck. Why the bloody hell was I always so cold? I chuckled at myself. It's my nature, I suppose. Makes sense that my body would mimic my soul.

Cupping my hands again, I began to pace back and forth in front of the fire. A quick glance out the window told me it was still very late. Or, very early depending on whom you asked. Regardless, it was going to be a very long night.

Feeling adequately warmed, I grabbed my wand off the bed and tucked it into my thick, forest green robe (bearing the Slytherin insignia of course) and quietly padded out to the hallway. A blast of cold air hit my body straight away and I cursed again underneath my breath, "Bloody old castle with its bloody drafty hallways." A quick command to my wand and it served as a light for me. I peered right, then left, trying to decide which way to wander. The portrait directly across from me, an old, frumpy man with glasses wearing a gray wool suit and proudly holding a flag with his family crest upon it, coughed and glared at me.

"Boy, what are you doing awake! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep? What impertinence! What time is it? It is entirely inappropriate for you to be wandering the halls at this hour. Get that light out of my face!"

"Oh, shut up old man!" I hissed, pointing the tip of my wand in between his eyes.

He winced and stammered, "Alright! Alright! No need to be hasty there boy! I'll just…I'll just close my eyes, shall I? Yes. Eyes closed now. No harm done."

His voice trailed off and his shoulders slumped, sending him into a deep sleep once more. I shook my head, annoyed, and pointed my wand down the hallway and began to walk.

The cold and drafty breezes passed right through me as I wandered the long and empty corridors. Soon my eyes were accustomed to the darkness and I whispered a simple spell, my wand slowly dimming until the light was gone.

Stuffing my hands underneath my arms I walked down to the main hall, a few portraits protesting my presence this late in the evening. I ignored them, muttering underneath my breath as I passed by and soon I found myself in front of the doors for the Community Common Room.

During the school year, it was a place where all the houses could sit and chat together. Yes, every house had a common room of their room, but it seemed most of the students enjoyed the opportunity to leave their respective groups and mingle with each other. I never quite understood the appeal of it, and had only been to the Community Common Room a handful of times, (mostly to find some poor sod to make fun of, or sometimes to pick up a girl to snog), but I never stayed for very long. Didn't interest me.

My hand poised on the door to open it, I stopped and glanced down; a small flicker of light underneath the door. Interesting... Was somebody here? I gently turned the doorknob to the right and heard it click softly, stepping halfway inside and peering around the room. The fireplace crackled with flames, playing shadows on the walls and down onto the big burgundy velvet covered couches. I didn't see anyone. The room was warm. Very warm. It felt fantastic on my face and hands and I felt myself immediately relax. Whoever lit this fire had done so awhile ago. It would take a few hours to warm this room so completely.

I walked slowly towards the fire, one of the biggest couches in the room directly in front of it, it's back to me. If anything I could sit here for a few minutes and warm my legs. Bloody hell, I could barely feel my limbs anymore. This damn old castle and its drafty hallways.

I wearily turned to sit, and nearly yelped.

"Bloody hell!"

The body on the couch stirred slightly and groaned. I curiously let my gaze roll over it, taking in the mass of brown, chocolate curls, the slight turn of a hip, the small sliver of pink skin peeking underneath the pajama shirt. The blanket was wrapped around her waist, obstructing my view of her backside.

Pity.

One leg was slightly bent, the other laid straight out, the pajama pants hitched up exposing a curvy calf muscle. I raised an eyebrow. Her toes were painted a deep, rich burgundy, almost matching the velvet fabric of the couch perfectly. Smirking, I stood there, watching her wake up.

This ought to be fun.

Groaning again, she twisted in the thick blanket to lie on her back. Her hair slowly fell away from her face, the top of her pajama struggling against the swell of her breasts. She arched her body to adjust and then rubbed her eyes wearily, opening them slowly, focusing. I stayed very still, but the anticipation was nearly killing me. She was still half asleep. My lips curled into a half smile and I leaned over her, my voice barely a low rumble.

"Granger…"

She stirred. "Hmm?" she asked sleepily.

I tried again.

"Graaaangerrrr…"

Her eyes opened and she smiled lazily at me. "Oh." She sighed. "Hello, Malfoy."

I waited. Grinning.

Suddenly, her eyes locked onto mine and she scrambled to sit up, fumbling with the blanket to cover herself, but only succeeded in hiking up her top even more, exposing a large patch of her belly, rosy pink in color.

"Malfoy!" she yelped. "Wh-What's…What are you doing here!"

I sat down on the couch, causing her to shrink back, her burgundy toes peeking out from under the blanket she now had wrapped around her completely.

"And a good evening to you as well, Granger," I chuckled.

She rolled her eyes at me, still trying to gain her composure. "How long have you been standing there, watching me?" she asked warily.

"Oh, who can say?" I replied with mock innocence.

She sighed in disgust and turned her head away from me. "You're pathetic", she whispered.

My smile faded and I turned my gaze from her to the crackling fire, scoffing at her retort.

"Clever." I muttered. "Clever little Mudblood."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her turn to me, her eyes blazing with anger. "Don't", she said in a growling voice.

My lips curled into a sneer and I turned to her slowly, daring her to look away from me. I crawled closer to her, feeling her inch away as far as she could, until she was curled into a tiny ball into the corner of the couch, with nowhere to go. I placed an icy cold fingertip on the exposed skin of her ankle. Her skin felt warm and soft, almost pleasant. She flinched. I curled the rest of my fingers around the skin there, shuddering at the stark contrast between the ice of my hands and the fire of her flesh. Raising myself up to meet her face, my long and messy golden hair fell over my brow. Her eyes were wide with fear and yet I saw a glimmer of…anticipation? Hmmm…Could she maybe be…enjoying this? Moving impossibly closer to her, I opened my mouth slightly and lowered it to hers, hovering just enough for her to feel my breath on her face. Raising my silver eyes to her deep brown ones, I whispered.

"Or. What."

I could feel her struggle to keep her composure. She glared at me from underneath her thick eyelashes and I waited patiently. I removed my grip from her ankle and placed both my arms on either side of her, my hands sinking into the couch underneath my weight.

She didn't move.

But I heard her swallow.

Hard.

It was all the encouragement I needed. Tilting my head slowly, from side to side, I grinned, my mouth still open, exposing a perfect row of teeth. She was no longer looking at me. She was trying to focus on the wall behind me, the shadows dancing, rising and falling, flickering and teasing.

I tried again.

"Or. What?"

My voice rumbled dark and low and she closed her eyes tightly, trying to wish me away. I chuckled.

"Malfoy." her voice was barely a whisper. "Just please. Please leave me alone. I don't want to fight with you."

"Fighting? Who's fighting?" I whisper back. "Granger, you take things entirely too seriously."

Her eyes narrowed on mine again, "I don't like it when you call me Mud-…that." Now her voice was stronger.

I nodded, acknowledging her. Of course I knew she didn't like it. That's precisely why I did it.

She took a deep breath and turned her face away from mine, "Leave. Please." She lay back as much as she could, and with a heavy sigh tilted her head to the side, the long column of her neck bare to me now, her long hair tumbling over the side arm of the couch.

I wondered just how far I could push this.

I certainly didn't want to leave. This was entirely too much fun. And the warmth of the room, coupled with the heat radiating off her body by being this close to her...There was no way in all the Wizarding world I was going to leave.

Before she had a chance to even process what I was doing, I quickly grabbed her wrists and held her hostage underneath me, my chest pressing against her legs which she held tight against her. She gasped and tried in vain to move. When she felt the brush of my lips against the visible pulse on her neck, she froze. Somewhere in the back of my head, my mind screamed at me to stop. What was I doing? I frowned at my moral conscience for choosing a very inappropriate time to speak up, and instead concentrated on the patch of heated skin beneath my lips.

Before my mind could protest again, (and before Granger could come to her wits) my lips closed in on the spot I had been hovering over, and I gently kissed her. I heard her gasp quietly, her wrists making an effort to escape my grasp.

I tried again, kissing the same spot with more pressure. Her fingers were now wiggling helplessly, making a half hearted attempt to try and grab onto my thick robe, which was just in reach.

Again. Another kiss. The tip of my tongue darting out cautiously to taste her.

She stopped moving completely.

Her breathing was ragged, and as I glanced up, her eyes were still shut tightly, as though resigning to the fact that she was not going to soon leave my hold on her, and that she would have to endure it.

My own body felt warmer than it had in days. And a sweet aching in my lower belly began to pulse softly. I continued.

Kiss. Against that spot once more for good measure.

Kiss. A little higher now, a little more pressure.

Kiss. Now underneath her earlobe, making a mental note that she smelled like cinnamon and honey.

Lowering my mouth to the shell of her ear, I paused, taking in the erratic rise and fall of her chest, the red marks I had left on her skin, her mouth open in a silent sigh. I whispered, smiling against her so intensely I knew she could feel it.

"Or…what."

When she responded with a soft moan, I smirked.

No way in bloody hell I was leaving this room tonight.