Another chapter yay! I got it in before the end of the month. Though it took me all week to finally get it done, I am very proud of myself.

For those of you who are upset because they think Hermione is accepting Malfoy back with open arms: Hold your horses, I haven't gotten there yet!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings.

Lady of the Woods: Chapter 21

Hermione's face filled with heat at the satisfied smirk on Malfoy's face. She had never been more embarrassed or excited to see Malfoy in her life. She glanced down at the floor when his eyes locked with her, trying to hide from the knowing look in his eyes.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry growled not sounding the least bit sympathetic to the boy he had almost killed mere moments ago.

Instead of lashing back out at Harry like Hermione had come to expect, Malfoy crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame his eyes still on Hermione's form. The smirk on Malfoy's face transformed into an amused lazy smile as the Gryffindor boys stepped closer together, blocking Hermione from his view.

"Well, to see my fiancee, of course." He tilted his head to the side, his hair falling over his face in that annoying way she liked. "I'm all better now, in case you were wondering. Not a scar on my perfect self. No thanks to you, Potter."

"You deserved it." Harry snapped between clenched teeth. She could see the tension in his jaw his anger barely contained.

"Harry, stop it." Hermione stepped around the boys before he could instigate another fight. "We're going discuss this like mature adults. Not children."

"He started it."

"I don't care if he started it. I'm finishing it. Right now." Hermione shook her finger at Harry who scowled at Malfoy lounging form. "I mean it Harry. He'll be my husband soon and if you want to be in anyway part of my life, you will have to accept that. That goes for you too Ronald."

"Fine." Harry spat. "But it doesn't mean I have to like him."

"Me either. He'll always be a smarmy ferret to me." Ron pointed at Malfoy with a defiant scowl. "And if you ever do anything like that again to our 'Mione you're dead meat."

"You mean my Hermione. Because from what I know of elven marriages, they are binding. Mentally, emotionally, and … physically." Malfoy wagged his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Why you." Ron gritted his teeth and took a step toward the blonde.

"Forget it, Ronald. He's just trying to goad you." Hermione tossed a glare over her shoulder at Malfoy who only shrugged his shoulders in his defense. "Anyways, we will be leaving soon and won't be back until the New Year, so I expect you guys to be able to handle yourselves while I'm gone. Try not to get killed or do anything else that could get you expelled, if you aren't already." She gave a pointed look at Harry.

"No promises there," Harry muttered a dark look passed over his eyes that made Hermione's insides twist.

What was that all about?

Malfoy pushed off the wall and made his way over to Hermione, sliding his arm around her waist to pull her possessively against his side. "As much as I enjoy watching you dolts get reprimanded like children, I do have a pressing matter to discuss with my fiancee. Alone."

Irritation and desire fluttered through her at his tone. Part of her loved how possessive he was being, but the other part knew he was doing it all for show. Anything that would rile up Harry and Ron.

Harry opened his mouth to retort but snapped it shut at Hermione's warning look. The boy-who-lived tightened his hands into a fist and stepped forward. "Come on, Ron. Let's go see Dumbledore."

Hermione watched as Ron and Harry walked out of the Room of Requirements a sense of foreboding filled her chest. It felt like more than just a door was closing. It was like a chapter of her life was ending a new one, an even more terrifying one, was beginning. One that, at least, she wouldn't have to start alone.

"Finally." Malfoy huffed in her ear.

Hermione spun around in his arms and poked a finger into his chest. "You."

"Yes?" He quirked a brow at her, his lips twitching upward.

"Need to stop baiting them. That's what got you hurt in the first place." Hermione frowned when Malfoy's expression didn't change. Does he not realize what could have happened? He could have died all because he ran his smart mouth. A ridiculously tempting mouth, but smart none the less. The very thought of never seeing his smirking face again made Hermione's chest ache, but the reminder of why he got hurt in the first place caused her blood to boil. She almost smiled when Malfoy's smirk finally dropped at the anger on her face.

Almost.

"What did I do now? I thought all was forgiven? You did say you loved me after all." The arrogance that had found its home on the blonde's face was enough to cause Hermione's fury to break free of its confines.

"Love you? I never said such a thing."

"But I heard you. You said–"

"I wanted to marry you. I know what the bloody hell I said. But that in no way means that I love you." Her finger speared his chest with every one, the wince on his face from the action giving her a small amount of pleasure. "Or that I forgive you for what you did to me."

"What I did?" He grabbed her offending hand in a tight grip. "What about what you did?"

"What I did!" Hermione screeched, causing the room to shake. "What I did is nothing compared to you going off with that slag after our fight! You couldn't have just talked to me, you had to go and bury your pureblood cock into the first thing with tits that'd have you. Which by the way must have been hard enough to find since as you said no one really even likes you!"

"Wait. What? My pureblood cock?" Malfoy dropped her hand and busted out laughing, causing Hermione's eyes to narrow into thin slits. How dare he laugh at a time like this?

Hand balled into a fist, she raised it up ready to give Malfoy something to laugh about, when all of a sudden his laughter stopped. The intensity of his eyes on her caused her to drop her arm, her anger only half mast with her curiosity shoving its way in.

"You're serious?" It was more a statement than a question. "Hermione, I swear to Salazar that I do not know what you are talking about."

"But I saw you with her. In the Astronomy Tower."

A light lit up in Malfoy's eyes at mention the Astronomy Tower and then those eyes narrowed on her in a flare of anger of his own.

"You were spying on me?" His jaw line tightened with his words.

"Really? Are you surprised? With your track record, there was no telling what you would have done with the information you had to get back at me. I had to be sure you weren't doing something stupid. I didn't think I had to worry you'd be doing someone stupid instead."

"That's what this is about? You're jealous?" Malfoy stepped toward her, the dangerous glint in his eyes forcing her to take a step back. "Let me remind you, mudblood, for you forget your place." Irritation filled Hermione's face at the word and she opened her mouth to protest but snapped it shut when her back bumped against the wall. She hadn't even realized she had moved.

Malfoy placed one hand on either side of her, trapping her in. "We are not dating. Hell, I didn't even know I was engaged to you until recently. Which, by the way, only happened today! You do not own me. What I do or do it with is none of your concern. But since you are so concerned with the whereabouts of my pureblood cock, it was never even close to being buried in her. She came on to me not the other way around."

"Oh, and you were just in the Astronomy Tower to get some air and not for the purpose of hooking up? I find that hard to believe." Hermione snarled into his face, no longer intimidated by Malfoy's rage.

"That's just – I was – " Malfoy stumbled over his words, then gnashed his teeth. "You know what I don't have to explain myself to you. Believe what you want."

He shoved off the wall and stormed toward the Room of Requirements door. The moment he jerked open the door, Hermione flung her power at it slamming it shut again. Practically floating on a wave of rage, Hermione fell upon Malfoy, this time trapping him like an animal against the wall.

"Let me remind you of your place, ferret." She spat the word in his face, her skin beginning to glow out around her. "You are but a mere spit on this earth. A flea among God's who have only taken an interest in your poor excuse for a life because of the ramification your actions will have on the masses."

To Hermione's disappointment, her display of power did not have the desired effect on the Slytherin. In fact, it had quite the opposite. When her body had lit up with the magic of her people Harry and Ron had quivered with fear. But with Malfoy, he seemed in awe and judging by the change in the heat in his eyes, a little turned on. Her speech caught in her throat as her anger melted into irritation and with it the fiery glow of her skin faded away.

"Why'd you stop?" Malfoy's voice rumbled deep in his chest, her effect on him still lingering in his voice.

"It's no use if you're not afraid of me," Hermione grumbled, dropping her arms and glaring at the floor.

Malfoy tipped her face up to look at him. "You're forgetting who is currently residing in Malfoy Manor. A bit of glowing skin is nothing compared to what I've witnessed in my own home. Besides," His voice lowered to almost a whisper, "you are always so sexy when you're angry."

"Wha–" Before the word left her mouth Malfoy's lips covered hers. She brought her hands up to his chest to shove him away, her anger still just beneath the surface, but she was tired of being mad, tired of fighting about what they had done to each other. They had years of fighting ahead of them. With their personalities, there was no doubt that there would be more. One of them had to be the bigger person and it seemed like for once someone else beat her to the punch. So, instead of pushing him away she drew him closer, curling her hands in the front of his shirt and giving into his kiss.

On her surrender, Malfoy wrapped his arms under her thighs and lifted her up, urging her to wrap her legs around him. Hermione dug her fingers into his hair holding his mouth to hers in a clashing of lips and tongues before yanking on his soft locks to dislodge his mouth from hers.

"I'm still mad at you." Her voice ragged from the need to breath.

"When are you not?" Malfoy smirked, sliding his hands up to hitch her skirt up over her thighs. The press of her heat against him caused her to moan as he caught her mouth with his once again. His hands found the curve of her bottom and griped her tightly against his hardened length causing them both to gasp at the contact.

Grinding against Malfoy, little ripples of pleasure spread through her, her thoughts becoming a foggy mass of sensations. The peaks of her breasts becoming tight from the friction of their movements adding to the zings pooling in her core, all while he ravished her mouth. He nipped and suckled on her lips, pulling her tongue into his mouth to stroke it in time with the dancing of their hips. She could feel herself getting close to the edge and threw her head back to lean it against the door, her eyes tightly closed.

"That's it, Granger." Malfoy coaxed her. "Almost there."

His words ignited something deep inside of her, her thoughts completely rendered useless until she heard the sound of his zipper and his hands slipping her underwear aside. Her eyes snapped open when the tip of him brushed her entrance. Her eyes still clouded with need, she pushed at Malfoy's hold on her.

"Wait. Stop. We can't." She hated saying it even though it was true. She wanted nothing more than to sink down onto the gorgeous Slytherin's length and become lost in him, but there would be plenty of time for it later. After the ceremony.

"What?" Malfoy leaned back, confusion etched across his desire filled face. "Don't you want to?"

"No. I mean, yes. I do. But we have to wait." She blushed at her words, feeling silly for saying it.

"Wait?" His grey eyes filled with amusement when it dawned on him what she meant. "Of course, the Gryffindor Princess wants to wait until marriage."

"It's not like that." She dropped her legs from his waist, brushing her skirt back over her thighs.

Malfoy placed a hand on either side of her, caging her in. "Really? You didn't stay up late dreaming of your wedding night? Of your first time being with your husband?"

"No." She bristled. "It has nothing to do with something so sentimental and everything to do with the long haul."

"I have something very long you can – haul." His fingers slid along the curve of her face, his voice becoming husky again.

"I'm sure you do." Her eyes rolled at his innuendo and she brushed his hand away.

"Fine." Malfoy straightened up, taking a step back. "What do you mean then?"

Hermione pushed passed him into the Room of Requirements, getting some distance from his ever tempting form.

"Our marriage won't just be a magical contract, breaking all other contracts." She paused, biting her lip at the thought of the ceremony. "Well, it doesn't have to be anyways."

"You mean the whole, death do us part bit? Where we combine not only ourselves but our magic. The one that can either make my life longer or yours shorter? You mean that part?" Malfoy's lips curled up at Hermione's gasp of surprise.

"You know?" She placed her hands on her hips, her eyes hardening.

"I can read you know." Malfoy strolled over to her, his arrogance leaking out around him. "Once I knew what you were I did a bit of research."

"So then why did you…you know." She glanced down at the ground and then back up at him under her lashes, becoming weirdly nervous.

"Try to consummate our marriage right here?" He chuckled, sliding a hand around her waist, drawing her to him. He bent his head down brushing his lips against hers, the flame of desire that had settled flaring up again. Damn him, she thought, but only could manage a, "Mhmm," in response.

"Besides the fact that I just plain wanted you." He muttered against her lips, his hands doing wicked things with the skin where her shirt and skirt met. "I needed to know if you wanted forever."

"And if I hadn't stopped you?" Her breath was coming in pants again, a mixture of nervousness and need. "Would you have…?"

"Shagged you against that wall?" His grip on her tightened, becoming more aggressive. "You better believe I would have. I won't spend forever with someone who doesn't want me in return."

"And do you?" Hermione tangled her hands in his hair holding his head in place to look her in the eyes. "Want forever?"

"Only if it's with you." He growled before capturing her mouth with his again, his hands grabbing at her hips preparing to assault her again when a throat cleared.

"Miss Galadhrim?" Dobby's voice piped up next to them. Disentangling, herself from Malfoy's grip, Hermione turned to the House elf.

"What is it Dobby?"

Dobby glanced between Hermione and Malfoy, disapproval clear on his face. "The Headmaster wishes to see Miss Galadhrim and Mister Malfoy. Says the Lady wishes for Miss Galadhrim to return home." He hesitated for a moment. "With her intended."

"Thank you, Dobby. You can tell him we will be on our way shortly." Hermione nudged Malfoy in the stomach when he started to grumble something unsavory about the house elf and was relieved when Dobby left with a snap of his fingers.

"Well, I guess it's time to go get married." Malfoy took hold of her hand and led them to the door. "Are you ready to become a Malfoy, Granger?"

"You mean, are you ready to become a Galadhrim?" Laughing, she pushed passed him to exit the Room of Requirements leaving a stunned Malfoy in her wake.