Reunited

Draco tore from the room and was halfway to the marble staircase when he came to an abrupt stop – he had no idea where to look. He spun quickly on his heel and raced back to his dorm. The three Professors were milling around outside the open door and barely spared him a glance as he raced back inside. He stormed in and came to an abrupt halt in front of Ron.

"Where is she?" he growled grabbing the now un-petrified student by the collar and lifting him off the couch, not quite matching him for height.

"I-I …" Ron stuttered looking around for help but receiving none from the other seventh years. Draco felt he had taken too long to answer a simple question and punched him square in the gut making the red-head double over winded and in pain.

"Answer me. Where is she?" he demanded pulling the boy up by the hair until their faces were level again. Ron opened his mouth but only a whimper came out, Draco was so blinded by anger that he pulled back his fist again and hit his face straight on. Blood burst forth as the Slytherin let go of his hair and let him slide to the floor unconscious. He kicked out a foot in frustration catching the Gryffindor's mid section and earning a faint groan in response.

Everyone just stood there in shock as Draco panted with un-suppressed rage. Harry was the first to approach him and lay a hand on his arm; Draco spun his head to look at his old nemesis.

"I think I know how to find her Malfoy" Harry said taking his arm away and pulling a blank piece of parchment from within his robes and handing it over. Draco unfolded it and turned it in his hands a few times looking at it blankly.

"A piece of paper Potter?" he asked annoyed practically looking for all the world like he was going to hit him too.

"Not just any piece of paper" Harry answered and took out his wand tapping it once and saying "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Lines began to appear and the two boys looked over the map intently.

Harry frowned studying the map more closely. "Come with me" he said leaving the room and the confused students behind and practically running through the halls. Draco kept up easily and they stopped by a statue of a one eyed witch on the third floor near the stairs that led to the Entrance Hall.

"This is Gunhilda of Gorsemoor" Harry said taking out his wand once again tapping the witch's head once saying "Dissendium". Her hump swung open and Draco looked down the passage into blackness.

"Hermione's down there?" he asked incredulously, wondering if he really should be trusting the boy-who-lived-to-make-his-life-a-living-hell.

"Well maybe. One thing is for sure, she's not in the castle and this passage leads to the cellars of Honeydukes in Hogsmead, I have a feeling Ron may have taken her there" Harry said pocketing the map and his wand and urging Draco to get in the hump so he could close it behind him.

"Trust me Draco; I care about her just as much as you do. You find her and I will deal with Ron. Just please go, I need to know she's ok" Draco saw the sincerity in his eyes and decided he was telling the truth.

The moment Draco felt he was on solid ground he broke out into a run praying that that bastard hadn't touched her and that she was alright. After what felt like hours but was in actual fact minutes he reached the cellars of Honeydukes, it was midday and the shop was at its busiest so he found it quite easy to slip into the crowds undetected before emerging into the bright sunshine.

Squinting a little he looked around assessing each of the buildings trying to guess where she could be but knowing that it wouldn't be as easy as just walking into one of them and having her standing there waiting for him. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and spun around in a circle once again feeling hopeless; that's when his eyes fell on the one place he would never have thought of looking.

The Shrieking Shack stood there empty and dilapidated swaying slightly in the wind. He set out at a run and reached the top of the hill in record time before attempting to enter the front door but finding it sealed. He ran around and tried the back entrance but that to proved to be impossible to get through. He looked at what must have once been the kitchen window and began tearing at the planks of wood that had been used to board it up.

"Hermione" he yelled hoisting himself up and swinging his legs through the window, his feet felt what must have been the kitchen counter and he used that to get himself through the small opening. He heard a faint muffled sound from the other room and raced in there stopping dead at what he saw.

Hermione was sitting up on a steel framed bed her arms tied above her with a leather belt and a filthy rag secured around her head preventing her from speaking. A large purple bruise was visible and it covered one side of her face from cheek bone to neck. Her eyes went wide when she saw him and tears began to fall in obvious relief.

"Oh baby" he murmured moving toward her and gently undoing the leather belt. She let her arms drop and immediately pulled the rag from her mouth letting it fall around her neck; he noticed her wrists were bloody where she had obviously strained against her bonds. Before he even had a chance to ask if she was alright she had flung herself against him holding on for dear life.

"It's ok I'm here now" he whispered in her hair wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He dropped his arms immediately when she cried out in pain.

"What is it?" he asked in alarm, pulling back and holding her at arms length.

"I'm just a little sore is all" she sniffed trying to hold back her tears unsuccessfully. Without asking he unzipped her pale blue jacket then lifted the sleeveless white shirt over her head wincing when she hissed in pain.

Draco saw red when he observed her torso which was covered in black and blue marks. "I'm going to kill him" he muttered darkly turning her around and scowling when he saw how much worse they were on her back.

"It's not what you think" she said quietly catching his face between her hands and forcing him to look her in the eye.

"Don't you dare try to defend him, not after what he's done to you" Draco said solemnly.

"I wasn't. But Draco when he burst into our dorm I didn't expect him to petrify me and then when he was levitating me down the marble staircase something made him loose concentration and he dropped me; I remember falling down the stairs and then next thing I remember was him tying me up here saying how sorry he was and that this was all for my own good." Her eyes implored him to believe her and he felt some of his anger give way to overwhelming relief.

He pulled his wand from his Quidditch robes and pressed it just above her chest to her pulse point murmuring "Livere Slaikhwon" her bruises began to fade until her skin was once again back to normal, she sighed in relief. The moment this was done he pulled her back into his arms in a crushing embrace.

"Draco I can't breathe" she gasped a moment later and he eased his grip but refused to let her go. He felt tears prick the back of his eyes; she saw this and melted into him.

Their lips met in a tender almost tentative kiss that seemed to go on forever; Draco slowly lowered her back to the bed still afraid she was in some pain but Hermione was too lost to the feel of his mouth on hers to even notice that she was now lying topless on an ancient bed in a drafty shack that was probably only still standing thanks to magic.

He moved his hands from within her tangled hair down her shoulders to massage her breasts eliciting a moan from deep in her throat. Hermione became restless and began pulling his robes from him in an effort to feel his skin on her own. He broke apart and pulled off his remaining clothes before returning to her; both gasped at the intimate contact. His lips moved to her neck and her hands were roaming restlessly across his chest and down his abdomen.

Shifting lower his lips tasted her salty sweet skin, circling her breasts before taking one ripe nipple in his mouth and suckling. Hermione's hips bucked in reaction and he shoved a knee between her thighs letting her rub against him as she tried to gain more friction. She practically purred when his fingers found her aching core and she arched her whole body into the touch whimpering slightly as sensations increased.

Her own hands dipped lower and he cried out against her breast as she began to slowly pump him in rhythm to his fingers. He recaptured her mouth and their hands continued to pleasure each other until he couldn't take it anymore.

"I need you" he whispered harshly against her lips and she nodded her consent. He wasted no time positioning himself against her moist opening and captured her gaze as he slowly entered her. Her breath hitched and she once again arched into him as he slowly filled her inch by inch. He paused and looked down at her; her hair was in a disarray around her head on the bare mattress and her chest rose and fell as she panted with need and he couldn't remember ever seeing anything more beautiful in his life.

"I love you" he whispered but before she could reply he withdrew slowly making her mouth open and her eyes drift shut in pure ecstasy. He plunged back in a little faster and set up a steady pace thrusting harder and faster in response to her moans. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his torso changing the angle slightly causing both of them to cry out.

Draco sensing how close she was increased his pace and she began to match him thrust for thrust as he sank deeper into her each time. He felt her inner walls begin to tighten to an almost painful grip around him and he groaned in pleasure.

"I love you Draco" she cried out her nails scraping down his shoulders leaving scratch marks along his back as her whole body went tense and clasping spasms began to milk him causing his own release. They practically devoured each other as their orgasm seemed to go on for endless minutes until Draco finally collapsed on top of her resting his face in the crook of her neck trying to catch his breath.

Her legs slid from around him only to twine around his legs; their sweat soaked bodies still joined. She caressed his platinum hair as they both floated down from the clouds. He lifted himself off her and propped himself on his elbows to stare into her eyes once again.

"I knew you would find me" She whispered kissing him lightly.

"I was so worried … I thought he might have …" he couldn't finish the sentence but she seemed to understand as she pushed his damp hair from his face and kissed his cheek.

"I don't think he really wanted to hurt me, just get me away from you" she said gently "He's also smart enough to know that if he had tried to … you know … that his life wouldn't have been worth living"

Draco swallowed a few times thinking how lucky he was to have such a beautiful, intelligent, strong, and forgiving woman who loved him. He also knew that she had just broke of one of her closest friendships for him after all she could have left him a month ago knowing how upset it made Weasley and how un-accepting he was of their relationship he was but she had chosen him and for that he was grateful.

Hermione knew in her heart she would never be able to forgive Ron for what he had done to her and what he had tried to do to Draco; she had been shocked to hear of his plans as he tied her to the bed and even though he said he was doing it for her own good and honestly believed she was making a mistake she also knew that what he had done had had truly selfish motives. His infatuation for her had been evident since their third year she just never expected it to escalate to sabotage and kidnap.

Draco leaned down and kissed her again his love shining bright in his eyes and she realized she had never felt more loved in her entire life.

It was late afternoon when they finally made their way back to the castle Draco explaining along the way all that had happened when from the time he had entered his dorm to find Pansy there to when Harry had entered with Ron and Colin and finally the boy wonders help in showing him the one-eyed witch up until he had arrived in Hogsmead.

Hermione was angrier at Pansy having tried to seduce Draco in her body than she had been about Ron kidnapping her and by the time he was helping her out of the statue's hump and onto the stone floor of the third floor corridor Draco feared she may use one of the unforgivable curses against the Slytherin girl.

They were heading toward the marble staircases when the noise from the Great Hall caught their attention. It was too late to be lunch and too early for dinner meaning this was not the reason that it sounded like a Quidditch match was taking place. Normally on weekends students tended to wander the grounds or stay in the dorms so the head students decided to investigate.

Hand in hand they entered the hall unnoticed; the entire student body's attention was preoccupied over something they all seemed to be discussing excitedly. Hermione noticed that at the front of the hall where the teacher's bench which usually stretched from one side to the other was missing and in its place were three empty chairs and not a Professor in sight. Harry spotted them immediately and quickly made his way over.

"Hermione you're alright" He cried flinging himself at her. She let go of Draco's hand to hug him back.

"I'm fine. What's going on?" she asked pulling back.

"You just missed it. The whole school was called here not long after Draco left. Ron, Colin, and Pansy were tied to those chairs when we arrived and Snape gave them all Veritisium" he said in one breath flinging an arm back to indicate the empty chairs at the front of the room.

"What?" The two head students cried in unison.

"Yeah they were made to confess everything in front of everyone. You should have seen it; I've never seen Dumbledore so angry. They were taken away just a minute ago"

"What do you think is going to happen to them?" Hermione asked worriedly once again taking Draco's hand in her own. Harry didn't get a chance to answer as a sudden cry went up and some of the students noticed Hermione and Draco standing there.

They didn't expect what happened next. One by one people began to stand up and clap and within seconds the whole hall was cheering for them. Hermione looked from everyone else to Draco who was smiling down at her.

"I guess it's not a secret anymore" he said shrugging.

"No" she said faintly moving a little closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder hugging her close.

"I don't think it will be so bad now that it's out" he whispered so only she and Harry heard him.

"Why's that?" she asked just as quietly. Draco gave Harry a knowing wink and Harry chuckled catching on. Hermione looked between them blankly before frowning in confusion at Draco.

"Because now I can do this whenever I feel like" he answered and before she could ask what his head lowered and his lips captured hers in a kiss that spoke volumes. It was clear to the residence of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that they were truly madly and deeply in love.

The End

Please Review!