Here's a little one shot I've been working on because I've been about 10 chapters ahead on Afterlife :) I've probably made some mistakes as I've changed things around a bit, so please don't get annoyed with me! Haha. Also, my summary sucked, so I hope this is better. Enjoy!

From the moment Draco saw the woman across the room, he knew she was different. He knew because as soon as he laid eyes on her he was lost for breath, and as much as he liked to tell himself it was from surprise, the tightness in his pants said otherwise. As if sensing someone looking at her, she glanced up, only to double take when her eyes found his.

Seeing him after all this time, here of all places, took her breath away. His silver eyes seemed to look right into Hermione's soul, and she would know him and his (much better styled) blonde hair anywhere. But, to her surprise, those long-burning feelings of hatred did not bubble up within her. In fact, her heart began hammering in her chest as she saw the look he was giving her.

Her soft brown hair curled to her collarbone and her doe-like eyes were wide as they stared back at his from her table. Without realising, he stood, before he noticed that she had done the same thing at exactly the same time.

Like magnets they were drawn to one another across the cafe, ignored by the other customers in their own little world, before they stood face to face, bodies much closer than they should have been.

"Granger," he whispered.

"Malfoy," she breathed.

"What are you doing here?" he said, still not taking his eyes from hers.

"Holiday," she muttered dismissively. "I - do you want to go for a walk?"

Leaving his half-cold coffee on the table, he nodded and took her hand; he half expected her to snatch it away but she gripped it tightly as they exited the cafe and walked the sloping high street that would lead to the beach below.

"Come on," she grinned, pulling on his hand so they were racing down the tarmac into the dunes below. "Race you!"

Hermione had no idea what she was doing, but all she knew was that the cold smoothness of Draco's hand was sending shivers up and down her spine. As her feet touched the sand, she knew she had to slow down before she lost her balance, but she wanted to run with Draco forever.

Draco laughed beside her as she tried to slow down, and he didn't let go of her when she fell back into a sand dune. He fell with her, landing above her and holding himself up with his arms. He still couldn't take his eyes off her; what was going on? This was Hermione Granger, the Girl-Who-Hated-Draco-Forever.

Unable to resist himself any longer, he dipped his head down and forced his lips against her mouth with a searing heat, which only intensified when he heard her satisfied moan and felt her tiny hands snake around his neck. She returned the pressure with an intense fire, biting his bottom lip and sneaking her tongue into his mouth.

"What are we doing?" she whispered against his mouth.

"I've got no fucking idea," he replied, pulling his face away and staring down at her. She stared back up, her eyebrows knotting in confusion.

"You - you don't want to?"

Draco almost laughed. Under that mask of beauty still lay the clever witch who lacked her self-esteem that he once knew. He wondered if any man had ever appreciated her beauty the way he did right now.

"Granger, I could kiss you for the next 4 years straight and it would never be enough to show you how fucking beautiful you are," he murmured, his lips hovering over hers so he could feel as well as hear her gasp. He wasn't sure whether she would take that the right way, being the Gryffindor she was, but he knew he'd said the right thing when moments later her lips crashed against his again.

Hermione's heart swelled at his words. She had never seriously been called beautiful, and definitely not in a way that caused her to feel the beginnings of desire between her legs. After the war was over, Ron had paid her as little attention as he normally did and all hope she had for something between them had been lost. She hadn't been asked out since and she had been starting to wonder if there was something wrong with her, if nobody had found her attractive in 4 years. But that moment she had seen Malfoy, that moment she locked onto his eyes, something ignited within her that she had not felt since her time spent lusting after Ron; and it certainly hadn't been this strong with Ron.

Draco pulled away for air and felt the corners of his mouth pulling upwards as he rolled onto his back beside her.

"How long are you staying here?" he asked.

She seemed lost in her own thoughts for a moment, before she turned to him and smiled. "Two weeks. What about you?"

"Granger, I live here."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and her grin split even wider. "Oh you lucky thing! Show me?"

He laughed out loud this time at her eagerness and before she could take it the wrong way he jumped up and pulled her to her feet.

"Okay," he said into her ear. "But we'll have to go this way."

Instead of climbing back up the steep road towards the village, Draco led her further down onto the beach. Hermione took off her shoes and allowed her toes to sink into the wet sand every time she took a step. This was the most surreal experience of her life and yet she never wanted it to end.

She couldn't say why she was suddenly getting all of these unexplained and unexplored feelings for Draco Malfoy, but she felt like one of those beautiful girls in movies that see someone and suddenly fall for them. She used to scoff at this "love at first sight" nonsense, thinking you had to know someone as a friend for months first, but Draco Malfoy was certainly never her friend and she had not seen him for four years, and she was so attracted to him.

When Malfoy motioned to his house, Hermione's mouth dropped open and she felt him nudge it shut with his finger, laughing.

"Welcome home, Granger."

"Go and get that right now, Draco Malfoy!" Hermione ordered, pointing and raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, Professor," Draco muttered, trying to hide his smile as he fake-glared at her and waded after the tennis ball bobbing up and down on the waves. "Catch!" he yelled suddenly, snatching up the ball and throwing it so it landed right in front of her face, sea water splashing all over her.

It had been three days since they had met in the cafe, and Hermione had not left his side. She felt like a giddy teenager all over again, and this most definitely felt like a holiday romance.

It was raining. She and Draco were out in the ocean throwing the tennis ball to one another, but Hermione kept getting distracted by his toned chest, on display as he was in his swimming trunks. Of course, she would never let him catch her staring, but she most certainly did stare when she got the chance.

Being the insecure woman that she was, Hermione had been reluctant to put on her bikini. She had put on weight since Hogwarts; her stomach was a little flabby and her thighs rubbed against each other when she walked, but she wouldn't say she was fat exactly.

Draco thought she was perfect.

He had no idea what all these girls were on about nowadays with their pointy elbows and visible ribs but they did absolutely nothing for him. When Hermione had shyly told him why she was debating whether to wear the bikini or not, he had slipped his arms around her waist and grabbed a handful of her ass in both his hands, pulling her to him.

"Shut up, Granger, you're perfect. I love having something to hold on to," he added, winking and squeezing her flesh in his hands roughly before kissing her and leaving her panting heavily in the bathroom.

Hermione didn't really have any experience when it came to men or sex, but when she had felt his hands kneading her behind roughly she had wanted to moan in pleasure, especially when he had forced her hips closer and she had felt his erection pressed against her knickers. When he left her stood there she had to calm herself down for several minutes before she could get changed.

As the ball fell in front of her, Hermione spluttered as the salty sea water entered her mouth and spat it out, turning away and wiping her eyes and her face. Draco suddenly had that sinking feeling when you know your fun has gone too far.

"Hermione? Are you ok?" he called softly, trying to make his way through the water to get to her, but suddenly, she ducked her head under the water and was gone.

"Fuck! Granger, where are you? Hermione? Shit!"

He turned in the water, round and round, trying to catch a glimpse of her creamy white skin, but the water was too dense and he could barely make out his own legs.

Hermione giggled to herself under the water as she swam towards the direction he had been in, hoping he wouldn't see her in the dark water. She had definitely noticed that he had used her first name, and it had made her heart flutter a little to hear him sound so concerned.

Continuing with her plan, she saw the back of his legs looming out at her from the darkness ahead, and in a sudden and swift movement, she grabbed the sides of his trunks and pulled them right down.

Emerging from the water and taking a gasping breath for air, Hermione was laughing uncontrollably, especially when she saw Draco with his hand to his chest, looking as if she had given him the fright of his life. He spotted her in hysterics and narrowed his eyes.

"Come here, you," he ordered, and she drifted closer to him. "Just what did you think you were doing? You scared the shit out of me. I had no idea what happened to you, you could have died or something!"

Hermione's heart began to sink; her joke hadn't worked.

"And because you nearly made me shit myself, I think you need to pay for it," he continued. Hermione paused; was he really angry, or was he joking?

"Your punishment, Granger," he said, raising his eyebrow, "is to pull those back up."

Hermione's heart leapt suddenly, terrified. She had never done anything like this before, but she really wanted to. She didn't think he wanted her to do anything, but she wanted to show him she wasn't some silly schoolgirl any more.

Moving so she was right in front of him, she gazed up into his stormy eyes and put her hands on his chest, sliding them slowly down across his abs and into the water, tracing his pelvic muscles. His eyes betrayed his surprise for only a fraction of a second before Hermione kissed him.

Draco kissed her back with fervour, tracing her neck with his fingers. The kiss was broken momentarily as he gasped, feeling her hand moving even further south, but she busied his mouth again to braven herself for her exploration.

She found what she had been looking for and he moaned into her mouth. She gained confidence, trying something new and drawing out a growl from Draco's throat.

"What the fuck are y-" he began.

"Shut up," she hissed, biting his tongue and then swiping hers across his bottom lip.

Draco was astounded. He was pretty sure that Granger was still a virgin, and had no idea if she'd done anything like this before, but it certainly wasn't showing if she hadn't...

Biting into her collarbone with his arms wrapped tightly around her, Draco came into Hermione's hand and he shuddered with pleasure. They stayed like that for a few minutes, before Hermione slid away from his arms and sank her head under the water again, finding his trunks around his ankles and pulling them back up around his hips.

Draco was staring at her like she'd come from another planet, and she couldn't tell if it was a good thing or not. All she knew was that she was squirming underneath the water, trying to contain herself after her sudden bold actions. Embarrassed suddenly, she felt heat rise in her cheeks and began to swim away, but Draco pulled her back.

"Hey," he said, tilting her head around to look at him. "What are you embarrassed about?"

He kissed her again, trying to put into it how much he liked her and how much he liked what she had just done.

"You're amazing."

Draco's house was the most incredible thing Hermione had ever seen. It was like a pier, although smaller, sticking out above the sea so that the waves crashed beneath it. It was made of wood, and just like a cabin in the woods, except above the ocean. The warm fires inside were just the perfect thing for warming Hermione up when she and Draco had been for a swim, which they did every day.

Hermione was surprised to hear that Draco never usually went in the sea. He didn't seem too fussed though when she questioned him on it.

"It's not that fun when you're on your own," he shrugged with a half-smile. Oh, those half-smiles; they made Hermione's insides melt.

It had been a week since they had met in the cafe. They were curled up together under a blanket on the sofa in front of the fire and Hermione had another moment when she realised what was happening was really quite strange.

"I'd have never thought I'd ever be here with you," she said, smiling.

"Me neither," said Draco, stroking her hair softly. "I moved here to get away from everyone, even though my name was mostly cleared. You were the first person I'd seen since I left."

"I couldn't believe it when I saw you," she whispered. "I thought I'd want to curse the balls off you, but I couldn't take my eyes off you."

"Oh really," Draco smirked, raising an eyebrow. "How kind of you to say, Miss Granger."

"Oh shut it," she said, swatting his arm.

They spent a few minutes in silence, and Hermione's brain was working as fast as ever.

"Where's your wand, Draco?"

Another silence. Hermione tensed, wondering if she had gone too far and he was going to get annoyed at her, but he felt her tense and slid his hand across her waist to rest on her hip.

"I don't use it any more. I put up all the regular protection spells when I moved in, and charms to stop the fires ever getting out of control and such, but it's been in a drawer ever since."

She didn't press the matter; in fact, she was slightly shocked. She hadn't locked it away or anything, but Hermione barely used her own wand for anything either, preferring to do things the Muggle way. Harry and the Weasleys couldn't understand it, but they let her be. She didn't have her wand with her on holiday; she had left it at home.

"Where's your wand, Hermione?"

"I don't use it any more," she said, mirroring his words. He seemed surprised too.

They fell asleep there, in front of the fire, their bodies moulded together perfectly. Hermione wasn't used to waking up next to someone, and she took her time to study his sleeping face when she woke up before him. His blonde hair had fallen across his pale face, and he almost looked angelic.

"It's rude to stare, Granger," he muttered, not opening his eyes. Hermione sighed dramatically and rolled over to get up off the sofa. "It's also rude to leave me in the cold, get back here."

Hermione giggled and snuggled up to him again, relishing the warmth of his chest against her fingertips. She really did like him.

She had wondered a couple of times whether this was just going to be a "holiday romance", but seeing as they already knew each other she had hoped that, even when she returned home, what they had might continue. Not that she mentioned any of this out loud.

Draco wanted nothing more than to have Hermione Granger as his, even after she left, but he only had one problem. He didn't think he was good enough for her. He was an ex-Death Eater, he had been the biggest dick imaginable to her for several years of her life, and she was just... perfect. She was beautiful and smart and witty and just...

Too good for him. He savoured every moment he spent with her wrapped up in his arms, because he knew that somewhen, it was all going to come crashing down.

It had been 10 days since they had met in the cafe. The weather had brightened up and it had stopped raining, and people from the village were having a big party on the beach for the evening. Someone had built a fire, several people were playing with an inflatable ball in the waves, and Steve who lived on Park Street had brought a huge barbecue.

Hermione and Draco were sat around the fire, toasting marshmallows on sticks. Hermione liked to catch them on fire, watch the flame roar for a second, and then blow it out, leaving it crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. Draco, however, went for the slow approach, turning it around evenly above the fire.

"But it takes so much longer that way!" said Hermione through a mouthful of goo.

"What was that?" Draco teased. "I'm not quite sure I understood. Say it again?"

Hermione had just that second put another marshmallow in her mouth, and she glared at him as he tried not to laugh.

"I said," she repeated, her mouth full again. "It takes so much longer that way!"

"Nope, definitely can't hear you," Draco said, hiding a smirk, and Hermione swallowed her mouthful before poking Draco in the side with her stick.

"Hey!" he said, mock-serious. "You'll get gooey stuff all over me."

Hermione smirked, and then wiped the goo off her stick on his face. He looked stunned for a moment, before raising his eyebrow and hiding a grin.

"You're going to have to wipe that off now, Miss Granger," he smirked.

"With pleasure, Mr Malfoy," she smirked back, and she leaned across towards his cheek. Slowly, she drew close and dragged her tongue along the porcelain skin, cleaning up the sticky residue of the marshmallow. His eyes closed and he leaned his face towards her.

"Like that, do you?" she whispered, before turning his head and capturing his lips in a sweet, sticky kiss.

Draco pulled her closer, one arm sliding around her waist and the other trailing up her neck as he bit down on her lower lip playfully, eliciting a growl from deep in her throat. He pulled away.

"Did you just growl at me, Miss Granger?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"So what if I did?" she challenged. He raised the other eyebrow too.

"You continue to surprise me, you know. It just makes me want to kiss you again."

"Why don't you?" Hermione whispered.

"I plan to," he whispered back, leaning down again to feel her lips against his.

"It's my final night, Draco," Hermione muttered as they lay together on Draco's bed, her head resting on his chest.

"I know," he murmured back. "I don't want you to go."

Her head whipped up. "You don't?"

He turned to meet her eyes, his eyebrows raised slightly. "Of course I don't, Hermione. If I did, would the last two weeks have happened? It's been amazing. The best two weeks of my life."

Hermione almost felt tearful at his confession. She felt the same, but hearing it from Draco melted her heart. She smiled. "The best two of mine," she whispered back.

Draco's grey eyes darkened with what Hermione could only recognise as lust, and he kissed her forcefully, pushing his tongue into her mouth and swiping her bottom lip. She loved his strength, his control, and he looked so beautiful with his darkened eyes.

He rolled her over, one of his knees between her legs, his arms holding himself up on the bed beside her. She tugged his hair gently, and she could feel his erection pressed against her. With a sudden, unexpected movement, he rolled his hips into hers, pushing himself against the sensitive skin between her legs, and she let out a deep, wanting moan into his mouth. He seemed almost surprised at the strength of her reaction, and he drew away his lips from hers to look her in the eyes.

"Hermione, are you a -"

"Yes," she said quickly, before he could say the word. Her face flushed.

"Hey," said Draco, brushing a lock of hair away from her face and giving her a chaste kiss. "Don't be embarrassed. There's nothing wrong with that."

Hermione was still flushed. "I've just never found the right person," she said defensively.

"I know, I know," he said, his eyes on her beautiful face, studying her features. "That's a good thing, nothing to be asha -"

"Until now," she said quickly, cutting him off again.

Draco's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You want to - are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything," she replied, her heart hammering in her chest.

As Draco moved his mouth against hers once more, Hermione knew that she never wanted to leave. She wanted to stay here forever, with Draco. Screw work. Screw her friends. This is what she wanted and her body readily agreed.

Hermione had thought that her first time would be awkward, that she would be incredibly embarrassed and most likely not enjoy it, but she hadn't counted on her first time being with Draco Malfoy. He was gorgeous, and as he revealed more of his smooth pale skin to her she felt desire coursing through her like an electric current. She had, of course, been a little shy about taking her clothes off, but Draco made her feel beautiful and kissed her all over, distracting her from any thoughts she might be having anyway.

He was gentle with her, kissing her face as it screwed up in pain, continuing at his slow pace until the pain subsided and Hermione started to feel all the right things. She clung to him, pleasure building within her until they both cried out, and the words fell from her lips before she could stop them.

"I love you," she panted, her eyelids heavy.

Draco didn't know what to say - Hermione Granger loved him? And then, with a pang, he realised that he loved her too. He turned to say it back, but she was already asleep beside him, her legs tangled in his and her head on his shoulder.

Draco untangled his limbs from hers and stood, collecting up his clothes and putting them back on while checking to see that she was still asleep.

Last night was the best night of his entire life. Sure, he'd slept with girls before. But none that he liked so much, none that made him so happy, none that he could imagine staying with forever. She was beautiful, especially when she blushed, and he knew so many ways he could bring that blush to her cheeks.

He recalled those last words before she fell asleep. "I love you." They had shocked him, and by the time he had processed what she had said she had fallen asleep. How on earth had he managed to get Hermione Granger to love him?

He could imagine her telling Potter and the Weasel that she had fallen in love with him - they'd probably corner him and threaten him with unpleasant curses until he told them what kind of Love Potion he'd used to trick their best friend into loving him. Nobody would ever believe that she'd fallen in love with him, and if they did, he didn't want them to judge her for it. And they definitely would.

What hurt him the most was that he wanted to return those three words more than anything and get her to move in with him, but he knew he wasn't worthy of her. He still had that disgusting mark on his arm, which he had seen her eyes flicker over several times over the last 2 weeks. He had tried to cover it up each time without her noticing but she always distracted him with a kiss.

He knew, looking down at her angelic face, that he could not make her deal with what he had to - the reason he had moved to the middle of nowhere was because he was getting death threats daily, along with attacks and punches, even though he had been cleared. He knew that Hermione would get that widespread dislike for even going near him, and so he made up his mind; he had to put a stop to this. He knew that if he tried to say these things to her she wouldn't go quietly, but his idea was cruel. And he knew that he had to do it.

Draco would always pass Mrs Sparkes on his morning runs, and it was of no surprise to him that he saw her that morning, putting out her bins.

"Good morning, dear!" she called, waving at him.

"Hello, Mrs Sparkes!" he called back in a cheerful tone. "Just off for a morning swim!"

Her old and wrinkled face screwed up in concern. "You be careful, young man. There's a storm coming!"

"I will be, Mrs Sparkes," Draco smiled. "See you later!"

And as soon as he got to those secluded sand dunes right at the bottom of the beach, he took his wand out of his pocket and felt the weight of it in his hands like it was an alien object, before turning suddenly and Disapparating on the spot.

A week should do it. He could come back in one week, and she would have gone, never to return.

He let out a choked sob.

When Hermione awoke, she was surprised and a little disappointed to find the cold empty space next to her. Where was Draco?

She was sure that he couldn't have regretted last night. It was the single most incredible experience of her life, and although she had been scared at first, now she truly understood the idea of making love. Not just having sex, not shagging, not fucking. Making love.

Because she loved him. In those two weeks, somehow, Hermione had given her heart to Draco Malfoy like she had no other, and she didn't want to leave here.

Searching the house, she found no sign of him. She didn't know why, but something felt off. Something felt wrong, and after washing and pulling on her shoes, she left the house and ran to the end of the jetty and onto the sand.

Hermione saw a few people she recognised as she walked through the village. They recognised her too, from her two weeks spent here with Draco, and she had already begun to feel like a part of the family. There was Steve-with-the-barbecue, on his way to work (he must be late, thought Hermione - it was well past ten thirty). And walking across the street was Albert, an old but incredibly funny man whom Draco was very fond of.

A crash of thunder suddenly erupted from the sky, and Hermione knew that it was going to rain. Hard. There was no point in rushing back now - she'd still get completely soaked either way, and she wanted to find Draco.

And there in her front garden, with gardening gloves on and a trowel in her hand, was Mrs Sparkes. She was looking up at the dark grey sky with a weary expression on her face, and sighed before catching sight of Hermione.

"Hermione, dear, it's going to be a big storm! You should hurry back as soon as you can!"

Hermione smiled politely as the first drop of rain fell.

"I will do, Mrs Sparkes," she said. "But have you seen Draco? I can't find him this morning."

"Draco?" she asked, before a worried expression began to dawn on her face. "He said he was going for a morning swim, dear. I told him to be careful as there was a storm coming and the water is very rough this morning, but I would have thought he'd be back by now."

Panic began to settle in Hermione's stomach. "What time was this, Mrs Sparkes?"

"Well," she began, taking a large breath as she glanced at her watch. "I was putting out the bins, which I always do before breakfast so I don't forget, so it must have been around six thirty - yes, I never put the bins out later than that, so six thirty. Four hours ago."

She looked a little more concerned, but tried to cover it up as Hermione's forehead creased with worry.

"But I'm sure he's fine, dear, you must have just missed each other... What time did you leave the house?"

"Ten minutes ago," Hermione whispered, forcing away panicky tears that threatened to sting her eyes.

Mrs Sparkes' optimistic face fell and she abandoned all pretence. The rain was starting to get heavy now, and Hermione didn't join Mrs Sparkes as she sheltered under her large porch.

"Hermione, I'm going to call the coastguard, ok? Don't panic, but I want you to run as fast as you can to check he's not back at the house. I'm going to get some others too, and I want you to meet us down by the dunes in 10 minutes, ok?"

Hermione nodded once, trying to ease the tightening muscles around her heart that had tensed at Mrs Sparkes' urgent tone. She turned, and her feet began to pound the streets, splashing into already deep puddles and soaking her legs. She didn't care. The rain was blasting down in sheets now, so heavy she could barely see 10 meters in front of her, but she continued to run. When she reached the sand, she slipped and nearly twisted her ankle, but powered on until she burst through the front door, dripping rainwater all over the carpet.

Still panting, she drew in a huge breath and shouted, "DRACO?"

Her call echoed around the house and was her only answer. She checked each of the rooms and bathrooms individually but she couldn't find anything. She stifled a sob, before running back outside and along the beach to meet Mrs Sparkes.

When she got there, there were about seven people all dressed in thick, warm waterproofs and stood under golf umbrellas. Hermione was still in her soaked cotton summer dress.

"I didn't think you'd have time to change," Mrs Sparkes said kindly, and she held out a long, thick waterproof coat that Hermione suspected belonged to Mr Sparkes. "Put this on, we don't want you catching pneumonia."

Hermione dragged it on gratefully, doing it up tightly and pulling up the hood. She recognised all of the people around them, including Steve, who Mrs Sparkes must have caught on the way to work, and Jessie from the library.

"We've all got these walkie-talkies," said Steve, holding one up. "We're going to split up into pairs, just to be safe, and check along the coastline. We've told the coastguard and they're sending out a helicopter as soon as they can. Veronica, you're with Jeremy," he said, pointing at Mrs Sparkes. "Jessie, you go with Hermione. Pauline can go with you, Smithy, and Sue, you can come with me. We've got to find him. In this weather and these conditions, it's vital Draco is out of the water. Keep hold of your walkie-talkies, and stick to your section of the beach. Let's go."

Hermione and Jessie searched the beach for hours, checking now and again with the others via the walkie-talkies as to whether or not they had found anything. Nothing. Hermione desperately screamed his name over and over, staring out into the waves as her voice became lost in the wind.

Hermione didn't know how many hours later it was, but the storm had gone and the sky was cloudless, the sun beating down on her back where she had removed the coat.

"Hermione, I think it's time we went back to meet the others," said Jessie kindly.

"No! No, I have to find him!"

"Hermione, we're not going to find him now just by walking along the beach. We need to go back and meet the others, ok? The coastguard should be there too."

Reluctantly, Hermione agreed. Her face was swollen and blotchy from her crying, and her hair had frizzed in the rain, but she didn't care. Her heart was heavy with dread.

Nobody had found a thing. The coastguard told them that the helicopter was still out looking, but if nothing was found by midnight, Draco would be declared a missing person and lost at sea.

All night Hermione slept in Draco's bed, crying every time she caught his scent. She watched the clock on the bedside table tick down to midnight minute by minute, and when the hands aligned, she burst into hysterical sobs.

Her Draco, the Draco she loved, was lost at sea.

Lost at sea. And never coming back.

As Hermione's shoes pushed into the wet sand, she contemplated why she was here. Why did she want to bring up those memories, those two weeks that they had before all had been lost forever? It made her heart ache to realise the weather was the same as it had been when he had disappeared, the memories flooding her brain.

She guessed she wanted some kind of closure. She had not been back to the place since, had no idea what had happened to his house, or who owned it now, but she found herself irrevocably drawn towards it as she walked the length of the storm-ridden beach. Close to it now, she stared up at its retained grandeur and knew that somebody else still lived here.

Paddling through the very tips of the waves in her tiny wellington boots, Aurora Malfoy looked every bit like her mother. The same heart-shaped face, the same doe-like eyes, even the same shaped mouth... But even though she had inherited the curly hair, the blonde was definitely not from Hermione. She was not a peroxide blonde like her father, but a golden honey colour.

Hermione never made a point of telling anyone Aurora's last name. Nobody ever asked, assuming it was Granger, and she never corrected them - think of their shock if they were told otherwise.

Suddenly, a cry broke her from her reverie, and she whipped around to see Aurora engulfed by a wave bigger even than Hermione, and when it pulled away, Aurora was nowhere to be seen.

"Aurora!" Hermione shouted, running immediately into the waves.

She couldn't see the little girl anywhere, and waded desperately though the water, turning, hoping to catch a glimpse of the blonde hair.

Hermione felt a swell behind her, and turned in the water to see another wave as big as the last one crash right over her head, pulling her under the water without any time to even draw breath. She struggled for what seemed like hours against the currents of the water, before she felt another body crash into her, and clung onto it for dear life.

Feeling her little girl in her arms, Hermione gathered all her strength and pushed her upwards so she would be able to breathe out of the water. Hermione was beginning to feel dizzy from her lack of oxygen, and knew that she had to get her little girl out somehow, but she didn't know which direction was which from under the choppy water. She had seen a flash of the fisherman's ladder built against the jetty of the house a moment ago that she could cling on to and climb up, but now she was lost in the swelling sea.

Hermione felt Aurora slipping away suddenly, as if she were being pulled out of her arms, and she tried to cling onto her but she couldn't. Her arms weak and black spots dotting her vision, she began to float downwards, her limbs numb and useless, her mind fogging over as she felt something against her wrist...

When she awoke, she vaguely realised she was laid on a rug in front of a roaring fire before she tried to scramble up.

"Aurora?" she called, her voice hoarse and scratchy.

"She's fine," a male voice said. "She's sleeping."

Hermione knew that voice anywhere. She turned to find the source stood nervously in the doorway, his grey eyes flooded with concern. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"You!" she yelped angrily. "You!"

He moved into the room, visibly worried, and moved towards her.

"No!" she cried, her voice breaking. "No. You're supposed to be dead! You stay away from me! Stay away. Stay..."

She couldn't finish, her knees weak and her voice scratching its way out of her throat. Her legs gave way and she began to fall, but Draco dived forwards and held her up. As much as she didn't want to, she clung to him for dear life and sobbed.

"How could you?" she cried suddenly, pushing him away roughly. "How could y - I - my heart - you broke my heart, and I've never fixed it!"

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, a tear trailing down his cheek.

"Lost at sea? Lost at sea? What kind of bullshit is that, Draco? Tell me! Did you stand there watch as I called out to you, tried to find you? Is that what it was, the whole thing? Some kind of Slytherin joke?"

"No! God, no, Hermione, no," he said desperately. "I love you."

She didn't move, or say a word. She just stared. How could he ever say something like that to her after what he had done to her? How did he think himself worthy of it?

"How could you say that to me?" she breathed. "Is that some kind of taunt?"

Draco knew it was the very last thing she had said to him 5 years ago, before she had fallen asleep, but he couldn't understand why the concept of someone loving her was so alien to Hermione.

"God dammit, Hermione, no!" he said. "Please, listen to me. I love you. I have all this time."

"Love me? You love me," Hermione scoffed. "Please, go ahead and tell me how making me think you were dead and breaking my heart is loving me, Draco! I mourned for you for 5 years!"

Draco was torn between whether to tell her the truth or not, but knew he could not come up with an acceptable lie. The internal struggle was clear on his face as he looked at her pleadingly.

"I'm not good enough for you, Hermione," he said. "You're smart, and funny, and beautiful, and good, and I've still got this on my arm. Look. Look at it!" he hissed, dragging his sleeve up and thrusting his arm towards her. "I will never be good enough!"

"I saw it plenty of times in those two weeks, it didn't bother me then!" Hermione yelled, her eyes falling upon his Dark Mark. "And who are you to decide who is good enough for me, Draco? Don't you think that's for me to decide?"

"See? See what I mean? I can't do anything right," he said, exasperated. "When I came back, I felt terrible. I had to lie to everyone, I told them a ship had found me and taken me aboard, then taken me to where it was docking, and I'd had to make my way back from there. I told them that I'd let you know I was ok. They were so happy to see me alive, they threw me a party, but I felt awful. What they said about you, how desperate you were - When I got into bed that night, there were your make up marks on my pillow from where you'd be crying. My sheets smelled of you; I never wanted to change them. I wish I hadn't been so stupid. I should have just faced all the shit that was going to come my way, but I wanted to protect you from it.

"Please, Hermione. I can't bear to be without you, I thought I could but I can't, not now you're here and I've seen you, I just can't -"

"How can you ever prove you love me now?" Hermione laughed bitterly, wiping her cheek.

Draco's shoulders slumped, dejected. She was right. He had faked his own death to her. How on earth could he prove to her that he loved her now? That he was doing it out of love? Even he could see how ridiculous that sounded.

"I've not so much as looked at another woman in 5 years, Hermione," he said quietly. "I couldn't. I hoped that for some reason, you would come back, and none of this would have ever happened, and we could be happy together. I've been living some delusion in my mind, but I - I just want you."

Hermione's heart twinged. She was trying so hard to be angry at him, which wasn't that difficult, but she knew he was her weakness. She knew everything he was saying was probably true, but surely there would always be that little doubt in her mind? Or could he persuade her otherwise?

"You want to prove to me that you love me, Draco? Short of begging on your knees?"

"Anything," he breathed, stood as close to her as he dared without her attacking him.

Hermione took a deep breath before she revealed what she was about to say. She was fairly sure that he had a right to know, but she didn't expect him to be that bothered; he was a Malfoy after all, and even after they'd declared 'love', plenty of men decide that actually, they weren't really in 'love', and bugger off to find someone else.

"I haven't slept with anyone else in those five years either, Draco. She's yours."

It was as if time had stood still. Draco had frozen on the spot, staring at her and unable to speak. The little girl - Aurora? - that was his little girl. God, what had he done? He'd left Hermione alone in her pregnancy and in bringing up their girl all by herself - if this didn't just prove that he wasn't worthy of her, he didn't know what would.

Hermione couldn't bear to look at his frozen face any longer. He had not said a word, and that was all she really needed to know. Turning to hide her oncoming tears, she tried to make her way to the guest room to fetch Aurora and leave, but Draco latched onto her hand and spun her back to face him.

"Is it true?" he breathed. "Promise me. Promise me it's true."

He was slightly stooped so that his eyes were level with hers, and his hands clutched her upper arms desperately as he watched her face, begging her to answer. She was freely crying now, tears spilling down her cheeks with increasing pace.

"Of course it's true, Draco, I -"

That was all he needed to hear. He cut her off with the most passionate, the most loving, the most heartfelt kiss that Hermione had ever had; she didn't even know a kiss could truly display such raw emotion like that, but she could feel it. She could feel his desperate love and what he was trying to show her without words.

He was happy. He was happy that Aurora was his - Hermione had not expected this, and while she knew it was through her own insecurity, she felt bad that she had misjudged his character in such a way, before she realised that he was supposed to be dead and he probably deserved the misjudgement. But he wanted to know his daughter.

"There's nothing I want more than you, Hermione," he said, his hand lost in her curls. "You, and our daughter. Our daughter," he added, with a bemused but ecstatic laugh. "Be mine."

"I was always yours," Hermione whispered so quietly she presumed he would miss it, her eyes closed and heart beating ten to one.

He must have heard, because he suddenly gave her another of those kisses, his tongue dancing with hers like no other could, and she knew that right now, there was nothing more in the world she wanted than to be with him forever.

As they drew apart, breathing heavily, Hermione twined her arms around Draco's neck. Draco looked into Hermione's eyes and tried once more.

"I love you."

Hermione leapt up, wrapping her legs around Draco's waist and kissing his cheeks, his nose, his neck, his lips.

"No, Draco. I love you."

And there it is, I hope you like it :) please review if you enjoyed it!