~~**Hey, sorry for lack of updatement. I will make up for it with new chapters! But I hope you understand I sort of lost interest in the whole Draco/Hermione thing and I wrote the last chapter with extreme difficulty, but hopefully my love for the two of the most unlikliest of couples will go on and I can finish this story. Please read and review as you do. Thanks for keeping up with EXTREMELY SHORT ATTENTION SPAN! Love you all!~~**

Chapter Nine--The Aftermath

   "I'm sorry."

   His voice made her suddenly feel very small. She let her eyes wash over him as he sat hunched up, not daring to look at her. She allowed herself a small smile. "Hey, it happens to everybody." But it shouldn't, a small voice told her.

   "Not to me."

   She lay a hand on his shoulder and felt him tense up at her touch. She jerked her hand away and looked at him with a hurt expression in her eyes. "Draco ... did I do something?"

   He let out a short laugh. "Hardly. You were ... you were perfect, and I'm ... I'm those guys who had to pay girls to go out with him. I fucked up ... big time."

   "It's just sex," she told him. No, it's not, the same small voice said, I was about to sleep with a Malfoy ... and then ...

   Draco remained silent. He seemed pensive, thinking. Hermione smiled to herself. "This is a story to tell the grandchildren ... Draco Malfoy just couldn't get the mouse out of the house." She waited for a response. None. He either couldn't come up with a classic comeback or he was more embarrassed and upset then she thought he was. "Didn't you buy the 'How To ...' booklet Seamus was giving out years ago?"

   "I wrote the 'How To ...' booklet Seamus was giving out years ago."

   "Oh."

   He looked at her suddenly. "You won't tell anyone will you?"

   Hermione frowned at him. "No! Of course not."

   There was a short pause and Draco shrugged to himself. "It's probably a good thing, you know ... I didn't have any condoms anyway."

   "I did."

   Draco looked at her.

   "Aw, come on! You must know by now I don't believe men should have all the responsibilities."

   He nodded. Then he laughed. It was the first time Hermione had heard a genuine laugh from him in ages. "It's funny, you know. I hated you at the start of this year-"

   "-and let's not forget I hated you more-"

   "-and now here I am. You're sitting on my bed and I'm sitting here apologising to you 'cause my dick went limp."

   "Ha!" Hermione snorted into her hands. "Has it - has it ever happened before?"

   "Once. But it was Pansy, so ..."

   "Understandable." She nodded. "Wait. If you ... couldn't perform with Pansy and could do it with anyone else ... why ... me?"

   Draco sighed. "I shouldn't have told you that."

   Hermione's eyes narrowed. "No, I think you should've."

   "You wanna know why?"

   "Yes, I do."

   "I don't know why!" He stood up and looked at her. "You were there! And you were - God! And I ... I was an amateur. I'm not a fucking virgin! I know how to have sex! I know what to do."

   "Well, so do I!" Hermione stood up too. "And that's not supposed to happen! So, tell me, Draco! Please!" She took a step closer to him and hissed in his ear. "Tell me. Why didn't you fuck me? Why wasn't I one of your bitches?"

   He shuddered at the closeness between them. "You're mad."

   "I'm pissed is what I am! I was fucking drunk and I'm the one who's not supposed to know what to do! I'm the one who was supposed to fall asleep while you're trying to rid all my innocence. I'm-"

   "SHUT UP!"

   She stopped. She looked at him, her face glowering.

   "Granger, shut the fuck up!"

   He pushed her up against the wall and pressed his lips against hers. "Let's go for round two."

~~**~~**

   It had been a week since her encounter with Draco and things hadn't changed between them one notch. Except for the fact that they managed to fit in a few quickies between Potions and Transfiguration.

   They were currently in Defence Against The Dark Arts with their final DADA teacher for the year. Professor Nollin stood before them re-teaching Professor Moody's dark fascination with the unforgivable curses they had learnt in their fourth year. When we couldn't possibly been doing what we're doing now, Hermione thought as a blush crept over her face. They had already completed the 'How To ...' as well as many others Draco had stolen from several perverted Slytherin bedrooms. Including Goyle's, Hermione shuddered.

   Finally, Professor Nollin dismissed the class insisting they try as hard as possible not to be under one of these curses or perform them on any other student. Hermione nodded at her professor and hurried off to her next class.

   As quick as a flash a strong arm pulled her into one of the utility closets. "Late, are we?" a voice asked. "Now, I believe they give you detention for that." He began to nibble her neck. "Perhaps I'll join you."

   Hermione sighed (with both frustration and pleasure) and turned. "Draco ... I - I have to go."

   He gently tugged on her earlobe. "What class are you late for, Miss Granger?"

   "Potions."

   "Even better."

   His mouth travelled down to her neck and gently sucked on the soft skin there. Sure to leave a mark, he thought with a smirk. "Now, Miss Granger, do you know what Snape makes you do in his detentions?"

   "Cleaning windows?" she guessed.

   "Exactly. And you never know how much fun you can have with a sponge - until you try it."

   Hermione groaned and pushed him up to the back of the closet, where she began to kiss him fiercely. She wrapped a leg around his waist and her lips left his before travelling downwards. "My turn."

   She kissed his neck and began sucking on it. He moved in protest and she pushed him with her hand. "You didn't think I didn't notice?" she asked.

   He directed her lips back to his and kiss her. He tugged on her bottom lip and used the distraction to slip his tongue into her wet, warm mouth. She moaned and began to massage his tongue with her own. "Payback," she muttered. "You know I like to take control."

   "What the fuck are you doing?"

   It soon became obvious to the two that Ginny and several Gryffindors were watching them. It was not obvious, however, for how long. All they knew was that they were in a rather tight situation and that this one could not be solved by the same book that helped them out of the extremely painful position they had tried a few days before.

   "Oh dear."