Chapter One:

She let her hands slide through his silky, golden locks slowly, reveling in the way it felt between her fingers. It was so soft and clean and unlike anything she had ever felt before. Even Ron's hair, fiery and soft as it was had nothing on his hair.

"Draco.." his name left her mouth as a hiss as his lips, feather soft and warm, left a gentle trail down her neck and his hands, strong and warm with thin fingers, burned a path up and down her sides through her shirt. Whenever he touched her, whether it be their hands accidently brushing when they reached for the same thing in Potions class, or his hands running over her when they were tangled together in the Room of Requirement, her body was always on fire and her senses alive.

"Mione…" he muttered into her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist. She loved how his voice sounded when they were caught up like this. Deep and rich, and gravelly, filled with passion and lust and love… she moaned and pulled on his arms, clawing into his skin with her fingernails. Begging him to give her everything he had and more, wanting to feel his skin on hers. Wanting to be a part of him, even if it could never happen again, she wanted one moment, where she was the only thing on his mind, where she was the only girl in his world.

That's all she had wanted since the first day of their seventh year on the Hogwarts Express. The summer had done the young Malfoy good when it came to his looks, and it seemed as though he wasn't as cold hearted as he had been in years past, which seemed odd to her at first, but as she gazed at him over the top of A History of Magic, it didn't seem as odd to her for some reason. Something about him was different. Something important had changed, and she wanted to know what it was.

He seemed happier, with a nicer attitude, and more charm. And when he smiled, it lit up his whole face, and reached his clear gray eyes. It was as if everything was alright, and it was being shown by the sparkle his eyes.

They had talked that day; really talked they talked about everything, without throwing one insult at each other. Not one "Mudblood" or "slimy ferret" had passed their lips. He apologized for all of the years of insults he had sent her way, and she did the same. A sort of truce had passed between them that day. They had to live together for the whole year, so they needed that... the calm before the storm.

His soft fingertips found the rim of her shorts, and slipped under the fabric slowly, starting to pull them down carefully. His lips found the soft skin of her thighs gently, and she moaned. She loved the feelings he gave her. It was like a mix of love, passion, lust and happiness all wrapped into one intense feeling that burned inside of her, like a light from a Deluminator, warm in her stomach and heart.

"Mm... Draco..." she moaned, closing her eyes slowly as he slid her shorts off. They were his green and silver silk boxers with the Slytherin emblem embroidered onto them. She loved those boxers so much.

"The Gryffindor Princess doesn't wear panties?" he said, a smirk in his voice as he let her shorts drop to the ground. "I'll have to remember that in Potion's class."

"Mm..." she said, a small smile gracing her lips. They sat together in Potions and the way the tables were set up... "Please..."

"Please what?" he asked, teasing her with his fingertips gently, smiling and kissing her thigh again.

"Make love to me." she moaned, pushing herself down against his hand and arching her back. He pushed her back down into the pillows, and she pulled him back up her body, using his sliver and green tie as a lure.

"You're mine, Mione." He mumbled, kissing her neck as she loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. "No one else can have you, because you're mine."

She pushed his shirt off his shoulders, and slid her hands down his smooth back slowly, loving the way they fit together, like a puzzle piece. Every curve matched his every angle perfectly, like they were carved from the same stone, and separated down the middle.

He started to slide her shirt up as she worked at his belt, and pulled down his zipper, sliding down his pants and boxers. He lifted her arms above her head, and she slid her feet up, letting them finish sliding his pants down.

"Miss Granger, no bra either?" he mumbled, pulling her shirt over her head. "Ten points from Gryffindor for inappropriate exposure."

She laughed softly, and he spread her legs carefully, laying in between them. He raised himself on his forearms and kissed her lips softly, pushing against her. She kissed him back, and as he slipped inside of her slowly, she dug her fingernails into his shoulder blades, crying out in ecstasy.

Hermione's eyes shot open, and darted around her room. Her dream had been so real, she would've believed it if she had woken up to the stone walls and ceiling beams of the Head's Tower. But instead, she woke up to her angled ceiling with plaster covering sheet rock.

She laid back into her pillows, sighing in disappointment, and tracing the striped pattern on her blankets slowly. She had wanted the white one with the pretty little purple flowers on it, but Ron had refused, and argued that he didn't want to seem "Colorful." To which she responded with "Honestly, Ronald, no one will even be in our room except for us, and maybe the kids." But he kept fighting against it, and finally, she had just gotten tired of arguing with him, and given in. Even though he was satisfied, it wasn't what she wanted.

None of this was what she wanted.

She looked down at the engagement ring sparkling on her left hand. The large diamond winked up at her, shining in the moonlight that was streaming through the window of their tiny cottage. The diamond seemed to be saying "now that you've said yes, you can't take it back." No matter how much she wanted to, she made a commitment, and she always honored commitments.

But was love a commitment if she didn't share the feelings Ron had for her? Because if it was, then she would honor it, and marry Ron. But if it was a matter of her happiness, she had to do something.

She looked over at the slumbering red head next to her, and sighed. She knew that he wasn't the one for her. There was only one man that she wanted, and she had no idea where he was. He had been taken prisoner after the war, because of his Death Eater status. He wasn't in Azkaban though, she knew that much. Her job at the Ministry allowed her to access the list of prisoners being held in the isolated Azkaban. He was not on that list.

Unable to fall back to sleep because of the thoughts filling her head, she sat up in bed, and looked at her clock on the night stand. Three a.m. She had to be awake in two hours anyway to see Ron off on his business trip he was taking with George. Then she had to get ready for work, so why bother going back to sleep?

As she swung her legs around the edge of their bed and wrapped a blanket around herself, Ron let out a soft snore, and rolled towards her, his hand landing on her empty pillow. She sighed, and stood up before heading out of their room, listening to her feet pad across the floor slowly. It was a small comfort in the silence of their house. Usually, Pig was flittering about in his cage, but tonight he and Abraxas, Hermione's handsome Great Horned Owl, were out hunting. Ron had let them out, in hopes of a good night's sleep before he had to leave. Little did he know, the owls helped Hermione sleep.

She walked into the kitchen, and opened up the window over the sink, looking out into the dark December night. Little bits of snow were beginning to fall, standing prominent against the dark night. She smiled. She had always loved snow, ever since she was a little girl. It was just magical, in a way, and remarkable how no two snowflakes were alike. Like people, everyone was different, no two people were exactly the same.

She flicked her wand, which she had left on the kitchen counter (a stupid mistake on her part) and made a plate of warm cookies and a cold glass of milk appear. Normally she would reprimand this, but after a dream like that, she needed some comfort food.

As she munched on a cookie, she slipped her engagement ring down off of her finger and studied it carefully. It was gold, she hated gold, with a large diamond in the center, surrounded by other diamonds. It was lovely, and it cost a pretty Galleon, but she wasn't very fond of it. Ron had wanted to prove how much he was making as an Auror, and found a ring that represented that well. She understood, but she wasn't one to show off money.

There was a loud screech, and her owl flew through the open kitchen window with a small envelope clenched in his beak. The envelope bore the Malfoy family crest on it, something she hadn't seen in years. Her heart immediately started pumping faster. She was getting anxious, and her hands were starting to shake.

She took another sip of milk, trying to ease her shaking hands a little before she picked up the letter. She broke the seal carefully, and opened the intricate folds. Inside, there were only two words written.

Help me.