The Internal Devices

Chapter 37

Crack.

It was Hermione. It was her, she was here, she came back, she came back, she came back. Draco inhaled raggedly as he stared at her. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair was a disaster. There were dirt stains on her jeans and a stray leaf on her shoulder. He had never seen anything more lovely.

They didn't speak, and neither of them moved a centimeter. Her eyes were wide as she took in his frazzled appearance and she swallowed slowly. Draco was afraid that if he blinked, the electricity in the air would surge, and she would fizzle out, proving to be a hallucination after all.

Seconds ticked by.

"I'm sorry–"

"Forgive me–"

They spoke at the same time. Normally, they would have smiled at their awkwardness but today they simply gasped for breath. Hermione's eyes slowly drifted down his body, then made their way back up to his eyes. Her expression softened from panic into something more delicate, mouth parting. Draco knew he couldn't temper the desperation in his eyes, and for once, did nothing to try. He wanted her to see the truth of his predicament–that he was wholly and unquenchably bewitched by her. She made a small noise in her throat, and in a moment, the tension shattered.

They rushed toward each other. Hermione acted first, tugging him by the shirt so forcefully that his chest slammed into hers, propelling them back against the wall. Draco braced his hands on either side of her and gaped openly at the fire in her eyes.

"Hermione," he murmured in wonder, not entirely certain of what was happening. She gripped his cheeks firmly.

"Is it true?" She demanded. Draco couldn't speak, his mind wasn't cooperating. He only nodded slowly, never breaking her gaze. Her eyes flashed, and it sent a shiver down his spine. Hermione smirked. "Thank Merlin," and then her lips were crashing into his with so much feeling Draco couldn't tell if his heart was breaking or being molded back together. After his initial surprise wore off, he pressed himself against her, hands sliding down to grip her waist. This kiss was so unlike the one they'd shared before. That first one was anger, it was fear, and it was anguish. He'd wanted it to hurt her because she had terrified him that day, but this...this was entirely different. This kiss was a declaration, a severing of lines drawn between them. It was the answer to a question that had plagued him and the remedy for the ailment in his soul. Draco trembled and sank his head onto her shoulder, pressing his lips to her collarbone lightly.

"I always thought my life would be over when Theo's ended. I never expected there to be anything more for me, never intended to do anything but take up a hobby of drinking and slowly fade into numbness. I even wanted that. I was so tired of watching my brother die, so tired of losing every person I cared about. I had decided that once Theo was gone, because I knew he would eventually leave me, that I was done." Draco's voice wavered, and he took a moment to steady himself. Hermione gently brushed the hairs off of his forehead and waited for him to go on.

"And then you stumbled into my life, and you were horrible. You wouldn't leave me alone at the breakfast table, wouldn't shut up about your ridiculous novels and ideas. You wouldn't stop hoping, dreaming, pouring light back into my life. You wouldn't stop making me smile. You wouldn't stop challenging me to be better. You wouldn't stop being so irresistible that most days I couldn't even think straight standing next to you. Before I knew it, I had fallen for you, Granger, and my affections have only grown. I know I'm not Theo, and I know I never could be, but I promise I can take care of you. I can love you. I can make you happy. You will never be alone and you will never feel unseen ever again. You must believe me." His voice was pleading, and it was raw. He waited with bated breath for her response.

Hermione leaned into his ear. "I love you Draco Malfoy, and I'm so sorry it took me this long to realize it. But I'm here now. I'm here, and I see you, and I love you." Draco felt a tear trickle down his cheek and splash onto her perfect skin. He squeezed her even tighter and she continued. "I'm sorry I left, even after I promised not to. I was startled. I know it is a weak excuse, but it is the truth. I hadn't yet examined my own feelings, and to hear of yours so openly was alarming. I've been so incredibly foolish, Draco, and couldn't see that after all this time, you have become the cardinal object of all my desires. It is you whom I want to spill all of my secrets to, you to whom I wish to voice my fears. It is your smile that I dream about, and your arms that I long for. A life without you...well, I simply cannot imagine it. It's unthinkable. I'm yours, Draco. Totally, and completely yours."

"I love you," he whispered, pressing another kiss into her skin. "I love you more than anything. I love you more than the stars that gave me my name. You are my everything, Hermione. Everything." She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Draco picked her up gently. He carried her to the bedroom, laying her carefully on the covers. Hermione looked up at him slyly and cocked her head to the side. It was a movement so intrinsically Slytherin that he couldn't hold back his grin.

"What are you waiting for, ferret?" Hermione quipped wickedly. Draco barked out a laugh and crawled on top of her. He had waited his entire life for this moment, for this woman before him. Draco was almost undone by the tenderness in her expression, awed by the fact that it was all for him. For her, he would do anything. For her, he would burn down the world. When he was finished with her tonight, she wouldn't even remember her own name. And that was a promise.