"I will admit the name 'darling' does hold a bit more intimacy than the first one," she explained. "Truthfully, I may not be entirely opposed to it. However, that third name he threw at me just feels different. A good kind of different."
Draco quickly turned his head to face her while wearing a look of pure confusion. "Wait. What third name?" he asked.  
She took her lip between her teeth and bit down. Her blush returned to her cheeks. "'Princess'," she told him quietly. 
She didn't quite understand why his eyes had widened at the sound of that word. The witch fought back at a giggle as the Draco in her dream fumbled over his words. 
"When... When, uh- when did he call you that?"
"Just a few moments before I found myself here," she said calmly. An honest smile touched her lips. "And to be frank, it's not the first time I've heard him use that name on me. If I can recall correctly, you had called me 'Princess' the last time we were here."
He cleared his throat. "And, uh, what are your thoughts about that one?" he asked cautiously. 
Hermione raised her brows and fiddled with her hands in her lap. Her shoulders curled inward, hiding the deeper blush that stained her face.
"I...well, I actually didn't mind it," she said sheepishly. "There was something in the way that he said it just now that made me feel, I don't know...safe, maybe?"  
She felt Draco slowly inch closer to her. His worry appeared to have passed and now he wanted to know more about her thoughts. 
"I can see how it may sound childish, or a tad juvenile, but I find it to be personal. Kinda like when two people share an inside joke with one another," she stated.
"So, you don't find it offensive or ridiculous?" 
She shook her head. "Not in the slightest." Hermione surprised the man next to her by leaning into his shoulder. "I've spent so many years here looking out for others. Mainly Harry and Ron, really those two had me chasing after them, making sure neither one of them got killed."
"But, what about you?" Draco asked. "Who ever looked after you?"
She snorted. "Me? Oh, please. Harry may argue this all he wants, but I'm really nothing more than just the girl who finds all the answers and lives out of books. I mean, yeah, I've had my fair share of danger and pain but no one ever made it a point to ever look out for me. Apart from my parents, who I no longer have, no one has ever taken it upon themselves to take care of me, or put me first." 
Malfoy snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Hermione welcomed the embrace. She'd become quite familiar with the way Draco felt pressed against her. She found that she fit so perfectly in his arms and within his frame. 
Her eyes gently closed and she breathed deeply. Amidst the dismal scenery that circled them, Mione truly felt at peace as she simply sat beside him. 
"Hearing him call me 'Princess' makes me feel oddly warm inside. Like I finally have a protector standing in my corner," she chuckled. "Is that silly?"
"Not in the slightest bit," he answered firmly. Draco brushed the ends of her hair from her shoulders. "Only...would you allow someone like Draco Malfoy to protect you? Would you allow him to stand in your corner, as you say?"
A long moment passed before Hermione spoke. Not because she didn't have an answer, but because the air in her lungs refused to let her. Small specks of tears dotted the corners of her eyes. The back of her throat burned and her hands curled into tight fists. But she couldn't bring herself to look at him.