Beta and brit-picked by theonewiththeobsessions.
Rhythmic motion
Raw emotion
Infiltrating through
Sweet sensations
Hot temptations
Coming over you
Come on Closer, Jem
It all begins when she and Ronald breakup.
Mind you, it isn't a breakup that comes as a particular surprise to her, him, or anyone else. Their relationship has been through more breaks than even she can keep track of. Personally, she blames the reporters. After all, it isn't exactly healthy for a relationship to constantly be under the eyes of the media, now is it? Theirs can hardly be the exception to such a rule. She knows that, given enough time, their resolves will crack and they will come back together, and all will be as it should be.
But until then, a breakup is a breakup, and Hermione Granger is a single witch. And, well, every witch has her needs. She can hardly consider herself the exception, now can she?
.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say it all begins the day she visits the Ministry clinic.
It isn't a particularly exciting trip. Rather, it's just a migraine. She knows the best solution is fluids and rest, but she happens to be in the middle of a rather important case and cannot spare the time. Anyway, rest is reserved for those with the time.
But precisely because of her migraine, she's distracted when she arrives at the clinic. If she hadn't been, she would have heard the name of healer the nurse gave her. And if she heard that, she would not have been surprised when Draco-Pureblood-Malfoy walked into the room. (And, Hermione would have thought had she been a more clichéd witch, straight into her life.)
.
Malfoy, as it turns out, makes quite the remarkable healer. She supposes it was a necessary skill he acquired back when they were children, during the days of the war. Still, it was never a career she expected him to fall into. Then again, she supposes she never gave much thought to his future back then. Not that she gave much thought to anyone's future. Not when they weren't sure who would live to see it.
It wasn't fair – she's only become more certain of it as time goes on. They were children, barely old enough to apparate, much less fight an entire war. They couldn't have known what they were walking into. Especially him, she realises. Because at least she had a choice in the matter, a choice she imagines he never had. He was dragged in because of his blood; he never had the chance to walk away.
He was just a boy.
.
Although she supposes she can't consider him a boy now, can she? Not after all these years, and certainly not when he's a healer handing her a potion.
But there's more to it than his years and his career. There's a sort of maturity to him now, she thinks, a reserve he hardly had as a child. His smirks and taunts are gone, replaced with quiet glances and short sentences. Even his slicked back hair and pointed features, which are still as present as they ever were, have taken a softer edge. It hardly makes sense, but it's almost as if the war took the cruelty from him. There's an innocence to him now, one she's never seen before.
No, she concludes, he's hardly the boy she knew as a child.
.
They don't engage in any trivial small talk. Times may have changed and they may both be employed by the same Ministry, but he's still Malfoy and she's still Granger. He writes her prognosis, she takes his potion, and that's the end of that.
Only it isn't, and she can't be sure why.
.
Because, you see, after the incident, something changes. What exactly that something is, she can't be sure, but it changes everything.
For some reason she can't explain (and she really can't stress that enough), she begins to think about him. About Draco Malfoy. There's something about this different version of him that's rather curious. Because something about the shine of his hair and the grey of his eyes almost seems to consume her until she finds it hard to sleep at night, because she's too busy tossing and turning, wondering how someone so cruel could seem to gentle.
There's only one logical solution, she realises one sleepless night, she needs to see him again.
.
She returns to the clinic the next morning.
Malfoy raises a brow, but holds the door open for her.
.
They began meeting after that, and quite frequently at that. Sometimes she visits him in the clinic, citing another migraine or the need for an invigoration draught. She tends to limit those visits as much as she can, lest someone begin to suspect something. Not that they do anything worthy of suspicion. Occasionally, they meet for lunch or tea, if she has the time. If she doesn't, for a late night cup of coffee.
No one ever sees them, of course. The Wizarding world may be at peace now, but that doesn't mean there aren't still prejudices, social rules they must follow. Part of her wants to sod the rules, because she has every right to talk to whomever she pleases. It isn't as if she's doing anything wrong. They're only friends, after all.
But she doesn't, because maybe they aren't only friends, and so they continue to meet in secret.
.
She kisses him first, much to his surprise. She's sipping a cup of coffee and he's in the middle of telling her about Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes – a book she read years ago, mind you – but it's late and they've both long day. His normally slicked back hair has begun to loosen and a strand falls onto his forehead. Without thinking, she reaches over and brushes it out of his face.
It's a rather amusing, his reaction. He freezes, his eyes locked on her hand, which still lingers against his face. A smile tugs at the corners of her lips and it's almost as if he hears it, because his gaze shifts to her. He doesn't move, doesn't breathe, just watches her with uncertainty and curiosity, waiting to see what she will do next.
So she kisses him.
.
He stands there frozen at first, stiff with surprise, she supposes.
But then, slowly at first, he kisses her back. His arms slide down her back, eventually wrapping around her waist. Her hands begin by cupping his face, but then move to his head, her fingers setting free the very hair that began all of this. By the time he breaks away, his breath heavy, they've settled on his neck. He presses his forehead against hers and rests there for a moment, his eyes shut, the sound of his breath mingling with hers. He doesn't see her smirk.
Because, you see, Hermione Granger always gets what she wants. Why should Draco Malfoy be the exception?
.
However, things don't exactly move at the speed she expects. Between the secrecy and her work and his work, their meetings prove to be rather difficult. It was one thing when their meetings meant conversations, but intimacy? Well, that's something else entirely, isn't it? Still, those excuses only work so far. Schedules and discretion aside, they are legally consenting wizards with their own flats; they should have plenty of opportunities. But nothing ever seems to happen beyond kissing and some heavy petting. And while she is certainly is not opposed to that, it's hardly enough to keep a grown witch satisfied.
Until – one day, when they're hidden away, having lunch in his office – it occurs to her. And it's such a simple solution that she wonders why she never thought of it before. She tilts her head and gives him a curious look. Before he can even inquire, she interrupts him.
"Malfoy," she says slowly, failing terribly at hiding her amusement, "are you a virgin?"
.
In all her years of knowing him, she doesn't think she has ever seen him so offended. Suddenly it's as if the annoying prat from Hogwarts is back and she half expects him to tell her his father will hear about this. He won't, of course, but the thought only makes the urge to laugh that much stronger.
He scoffs at her and tells her that of course he has. He doesn't give her any specific details, but he doesn't need to; he's already given her all the information she needs. But, she asks in a way that isn't exactly a question, that's it, isn't it? He's never been with anyone after that. He doesn't respond.
The boy is gone and the quiet adult wizard is back.
.
She wonders if she's crossed a line. Gone too far in the trust she's gathered from him. But she can't bring herself to feel guilty, because it's as if she's uncovered a new part of him that she's never seen before. One she's fairly certain only she knows about. Another secret, a part of Draco Malfoy, that belongs only to her.
Okay, she tells him, placing her hand over his. His head shoots up and he stares at her as if she's just declared herself a pureblood. They stay that way for a minute, eyes locked, for, well, she doesn't know for how long. But, in the end, he nods. Neither of them say anything else, but they don't need to. They both understand.
After all, Hermione knows patience pays off in the end.
.
Unfortunately, that's when things begin to complicate themselves. Because, you see, it's only about then that Ron decides he's come to his senses and realised he still loves her and is ready to give them another chance.
And it isn't as if she's suddenly changed her mind and given up on the relationship she's invested years in, because that would be ridiculous. She loves Ronald; he's her future, her happily-ever-after, the wizard she knows she'll marry. And Malfoy? Well, Malfoy's something else entirely. He's the one temptation that she thinks maybe she should try harder to resist. But he's under her skin, in her veins, an addiction that's suddenly crept up on her.
One she's not ready to give up just yet.
.
So she tells Ronald she's not ready to jump back into that just yet, to have her personal life under the scrutiny of every wizard with a camera. It isn't fair to her, him, or their relationship. They've never had the chance to be together without the pressure of the world watching them. He agrees, so they come to a compromise: return to their relationship, but not let anyone, not even Harry or Ginny, know.
And it becomes their little secret.
Her little secret.
Note: I noticed that a lot of fics portray Draco as this sex god who plays the blushing virgin Hermione while still dating Pansy/Astoria, and I realized that I'm not really a fan of that plot. I think Hermione would be the more manipulative one who has to whoo Draco. So after a conversation with Laura, she convinced me to write it. This is a stress reliever fic, so I'm not sure how often it will be update,