AN: This was my submission for The Fandom Gives Back Autism piece. I have always loved Dramione and wanted to do my own. Here it is, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to my beta Lacym3, she is awesome.
"No. There is no way this can be happening, Kings. I never would have agreed to this. "
Hermione Granger sat in front of the Minister of Magic's desk incensed. The day had started off with so much promise. It quickly disappeared when she learned of her next task as a master potion maker for The Ministry of Magic. After the war Hermione decided that the best thing for her was to finish her schooling. She really was not sure what she wanted to do with her life. Everything had gone so terribly wrong, so many people had been lost. Many things that she had believed in were challenged, some completely obliterated.
She had always felt incredibly guilty for leaving Professor Snape in the Shrieking Shack. Well, she did so after she found out about his innocence anyways. Still, it left a sour taste in her mouth. At school her guilt increased when she realized just how much he had contributed to society. Apparently Professor Snape had been procuring potions for many different institutions (unbeknownst to most). She had no idea how he found time to do all of the potion work on top of teaching and working with Voldemort, plus The Order. Anyways, the point being that upon realizing how much he had done for the magical community, she had decided what her path would be for the future.
It took her five years to graduate as a full-fledged potions mistress. It took another three working at The Ministry to receive the title of Potions Master. The Ministry was not her first choice of employment, of course. The resulting factor in her acceptance of the job was the almost unlimited amount of free reign she had for developing potions of her own. She had high hopes for developing innovative potions to help the well being of the magical community.
The only catch was that she had to, every once in awhile, make new potions that had been requested of her. Usually this involved her working by herself to make a better version of some potion or another. Very rarely did she have to involve other potion makers and/or assistants. Hermione liked working alone. Which is why, when she received a letter this morning describing her new task, she was both shocked and outraged.
"I'm sorry Hermione, I know it's not the best of circumstances, but I'm afraid you really have no choice. If you want to keep getting the funding for your independent research I'm afraid your gonna have to suck it up and work with him." Kingsley Shackelbot told Hermione solemnly.
He knew she would react badly to this, yet his hands were tied. The Ministry needed new money coming in. Even after ten years, the wizarding community of England was still greatly in debt due to the war.
Hermione looked like she had swallowed a lemon. She did not want to believe that she was the type of person to think they were owed a favor for doing public service, but they bloody well owed her for saving this community in the first damn place.
"Why can't I do this alone? You know I am more than capable of handling something as simple as this. Surely it would be a waste of money and resources to bring on another person. Especially Draco, pureblood racist git extraordinaire, Malfoy."
She was grasping at straws and she new it. This particular potion would require more than one person probably. But she would do just about anything to avoid working with Malfoy. She had managed to, so far quite successfully, for over two years now.
"Hermione..." Kingsley ran a hand over his face considering what, if anything, to tell her to calm her nerves when the object of her disdain entered his office.
"Oh, don't stop on my behalf. Please continue on discussing something that involves me when I am not here." Draco Malfoy drawled from the doorway of the Minister's office. He leaned against the door frame and took in the sight of a flustered Granger sitting across from the Minister himself. He should have realized she would be here already. Probably trying to find a way out of this as surely as he was. She turned to glare in his direction at the sound of his voice. He sighed; this was going to be bloody awful if Kingsley did not back down on them working together.
Draco had not been having a good morning as it was. First, he had to deal with his father and all of his sanctimonious shite (like that wasn't enough). Then the twit he had been bedding for the past few weeks, decided it was time to take things a step further. Not bloody likely. He had to let the poor girl down, which resulted in him leaving his house elves consoling the weeping woman. All of that had happened before he had flooed to work. That's when his day really went up in flames.
He had worked very hard since the war to overcome his family's now bad name. He agreed to start at the very bottom in an most unworthy position for one as himself, at The Ministry of Magic ten years ago. He had to work harder than he ever had in his entire life to get where he was today. Most of which was dealing with the most intellectually inept plebeians he had ever come across (except for maybe Crabbe and Goyle, whom he would not speak of, as it was frowned upon to talk about the dead). Which is why he could not believe that they had stuck him with that all-knowing twat to do his latest assignment. Of all the things he had to deal with, she was going to be by far the worst.
"Mr. Malfoy, I was wondering when you would show up." Both Draco and Hermione started to open their mouths to respond but Kingsley was having none of that. He held up his hand to quiet them down. "I don't want to hear it from either of you. I know this is less then ideal circumstances, but you both really have no choice. I am not going to change my mind. Our investors need the best potion makers we have. You two are it."
"But.." Hermione started.
"No, that is final. I suggest the two of you figure out how to set aside your differences and work together to get this done as quickly as possible. It has been ten long years so please, act like the adults, and more importantly the professionals, I know you two to be."
To their merit the pair of them looked thoroughly ashamed at their actions. Although it did not ease their concerns for the task set before them.
"Of course, Minister. I'm sure Granger and I will come up with something suitable for you in no time at all." Draco told Kingsley.
Hermione turned to glare at Malfoy again. How dare he act like the grown up here. She resented it because she knew it was fake, plus it made her look like a child. Oh, how she despised that man. There was only one thing she could do now. Tight lipped, she turned to Kingsley and smiled.
"Malfoy is right. Although I'd be loathe to admit it, his skills are adequate enough. I'm sure we will have more than satisfactory results for you sooner, rather than later."
Kingsley was not fooled in the least. There were not two who hated each other more than these two. Even Harry had a somewhat better relationship with the boy than the ever so high spirited Ms. Granger did. However, he had a feeling that once they moved past there initial petty differences, the pair would work together rather well. Hopefully.
"Wonderful. Now, I want you both to utilize the special potions room near the main lab. Whatever you need will be provided. Also, a complete dossier was sent to your individual offices on the specifications for what the buyer wants. That will be all." With a wave of his hand he dismissed them from his office.
Draco walked out first, intent on not having an altercation with Granger in front of the Minister. That would not look good for him at all. He had worked too hard to get where he was today to screw it all up because of her.
As Hermione reached the door, Kingsley's voice stopped her for a minute.
"Hermione."
"Yes, sir?"
"I assume that this will be the last time I hear about this. Correct?"
Hermione gritted her teeth and lifted her chin. She titled her head sideways to look back at him and said, "Yes. Besides, I have dealt with far worse than him. This can't possibly take more than a few days. I think I can handle it."
'If I don't kill the bastard first.' She muttered too low for Kingsley to hear and walked out the door.
Draco and Hermione both remained eerily quiet on their way down to their individual offices. After the war, it had become almost a ritual between the pair that they ignore each others very existence. Of course they said the occasional pleasantries, as was required by society, but avoided anything more substantial that that.
Not that Draco didn't want to add a scathing remark or two every now and again. Especially when the news of the Weasel's breakup with her circulated. That day he had to work extra hard to keep his mouth shut. It was excruciating. He made up for it though, later on, while gossiping like a school girl with Blaise and Pansy. Not being able to say anything was vicious torture, but he'd be damned if he had a slip of the tongue only for her to run on and tell on him. He wouldn't put it past her to do something of that nature. So he remained silent. Except now they would be left alone. With each other. While concocting a new, better improved lust potion, no less. He thought to himself that this has got to be the worst bloody idea ever.
Hermione on the other hand was feeling extremely nervous at the prospect of being left alone with the ferret. So far working at The Ministry with him had been...well not so bad, really. She had expected random taunts from him, slurs about her birth or other such nonsense. Only, she had been mistaken. In a little over three years he had not made one nasty or snide remarks towards her. It was a bit unsettling to be honest. Maybe he was acting like a human being because they had saved his life. Or maybe he had actually grown up a bit and realized how ridiculous all of that was. Somehow she doubted it. No, more than likely he was afraid to say anything that would further hurt his family's already tarnished name.
She worried that now that they would be alone, he would use the opportunity to harass her as he use too. And, while she was a strong powerful witch, he was also a powerful wizard. She couldn't help but be nervous. After all, the last time she had been anywhere near alone with him, she was being tortured in his house by his psychotic aunt. She shuddered at the memory and unconsciously rubbed her arm where she had been carved into so viciously. This was going to be a problem. She resolved herself to the fact that she would need to work with him quickly and efficiently to get this over with as fast as possible.
They made their way down the corridor, both caught up in their individual thoughts. Neither truly noticed where they were going, their minds automatically bringing them to where they needed to go. Draco's office was the closest. As they reached his door, he snapped out of his thoughts. Be pleasant, get this over with, ran on repeat in his mind as he willed himself to talk.
"Right. You should probably come in so we can look at the guidelines together. If we need anything..." he started. Until the bint cut him off. She walked straight into his office like she owned the place and began speaking.
"I already sent off for the supplies that will be required. Unlike you, I arrived early and had time to go over everything before I went to speak with the Minister. I understand that we have no choice but to work with each other, but I believe it would be best if we had as little contact as possible. I think it would be easier on both of us if I did most of the work. Since I am early almost every day, I can have everything set up before you even get to work."
"Stop. Just stop. I cannot believe you are still this condescending." He ran his hands through his hair. They hadn't even started and he already wanted to hit the girl. Draco shut his door before turning around to give her a incredulous look.
"What gives you the right to think that you know what's best? I worked a long damn time to get where I am, and I do not intend to just let you "do" the work. When this potion is finished it will have both our names on it. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make sure that something that has my name attached to it is actually done correctly."
"I seriously hoping you are not questioning my ability to make a simple potion as this." Her face was one of fury.
"Then don't question mine," he yelled. Then his voice turned stony. It made Hermione shiver and question whether or not it had been the right thing to suggest that she do the brunt of the work.
"I'll say this one time, Granger. We will work on this together. Whether you like it or not. I don't give a rats arse what happened all those years ago. I have faced my demons and let them go. I've paid my dues. I will not have you come in here and demean me with your assumptions and know-it-all attitude. We will do this together, and then go back to forgetting that the other exists."
"How dare you. You know nothing of what it means to be demeaned, Draco Malfoy. Do not presume to tell me what I will and will not do. You have done nothing but kiss arse to get where you are today. Not "pay your dues" as you call it. Do not forget why you have had to grovel in the first place. You are the reason that you have had to work so hard just to get people to speak to you like a human being again." She took a breath as she headed for his door. She needed to get out of there. This was doing neither of them any good.
"Faced your demons? Ha, that's a laugh. If you had, you wouldn't have started talking about them the first chance you got." Even more quietly she added "You are one of my demons. Consider that the next time you attempt to speak to me. Good day."
With that she stormed out of his office, leaving a seething Draco behind her.
Draco picked up the nearest thing to his hand, and threw it all the wall as hard as he could. Ironically enough, it was a picture of his parents. His father's grim face stared up at him from the corner where the glass had shattered. He should use his wand to clean it up, but right now he couldn't be bothered. Instead he sat down in his chair, resolutely not thinking about what just happened.
So much for being pleasant, he thought. He refused to think about how he would be working with her whether he wanted to or not. He refused to think about the things that she had said. He refused to think about the implications of what she said or the twinge of guilt that arose because of them. And he definitely refused to believe that maybe just maybe all she had said was true.
It had been a week since the fight in Malfoy's office. Immediately following the fight Hermione ran back to her office where she cried, as silently as she could, for at least twenty minutes. She realized the day was lost, so she took the rest of it off. .
She knew this was a bad idea to put the two of them together. They hadn't even been together for more than five minutes before they started arguing. She'd tried to help. Which thinking back could have been considered as a bit condescending, but that's entirely not the point. He got defensive and in turn she also got defensive.
She still couldn't believe she told him he was one of her demons from the past. How moronic could she be. Allowing him to have the knowledge that she considers him a demon of her past implies that he has some type of power over her. She refused to look weak to that man. Then again, the way he had tried to convince her that he had done some sort of penance for all the wrongs he did to the world. Did that not imply that he still had some issues of his own? It was way too much for her to think about. Instead she decided to let him dictate how their future interactions would play out. If he behaved then so could she.
Day One
All potential ingredients have been stocked and organized in terms of their usefulness. The lab has been made sufficient to the requirements Mr. Malfoy and I have specified. Today we will begin our effort to make a suitable base for the lust potion. This should be relatively easy, however we are going to need to make a small change from the original potion base. We need to fit the right ingredient that will give the potion a bit more longevity in terms of length of effectiveness. All conclusive evidence will be recorded.
So far Draco had been pleasant enough. It seemed that they had an unspoken agreement to not talk about their argument. Hermione was more than happy to play along. The two had even agreed on how the potions room should be set up. Hermione was surprised that Draco suggestions came so very close to her own. It made it easier for her to look on him in a more professional light. She wasn't quite sure if she liked that or not.
The first day went by without much incident. The base was well on it's way towards completion.
"Well, Granger. Everything looks to be in order. I'm going to head off for the night. Tomorrow we can start on the longevity charm work. Do try to get some rest. I don't fancy having a sleep deprived partner for the spell we are doing." Draco stated as he started to put on his outer robes.
"I'll have you know that I have had less sleep than this, and still came off with better potions than most people make. And what do you mean charm work? I thought we agreed that we would be trying a natural ingredient to get better long lasting effects. Do you have any idea how short the actual shelf life is for charms? If we are going to make an effective lust potion we will need something more substantial than a simple charm."
"I didn't agree to that. You made that decision all by yourself. I think it's important to cover all bases. A simple charm would make more sense than sifting through various ingredients before we find the right one. I have found that varying charms, especially longevity charms, help with potion effectiveness. Yes it gives them a shorter shelf life, but that just makes the company more money doesn't it?"
"While that makes some sense, you know that in order to get the best results we must do trial and error. I'd rather.."
"Exactly. Trial and error. Which is why the best decision would be to start off with the simplest solution. Which would be the extension charm. Then if that doesn't work, we can move on to other choices."
"But..."
Draco sighed. "This doesn't have to be difficult, you know. You can at least pretend that you are not the only one who knows what they are doing around here."
"Fine. And when, not if, the charm doesn't produce the results we need we will do it my way first from now on," Hermione told him.
She was sure that her way was better. After all, she had done research that suggested this was the best way to go. Still, Draco had a point. There has been some success with charms on potions. They were actually quite reliable. She hated to admit it but after watching him work today, he did have good work habits. He obviously knew what he was doing. Mostly.
"Whatever, Granger," Draco threw over his shoulder as he headed out the door. He was actually in shock that she had agreed so readily. He had been prepared to fight longer to have his opinion heard. Of course he had to endure hours of her nonstop lecture about things he already knew. For the most part he stayed quiet. He was unwilling to have a little spat with her again. He couldn't wait to smirk at her tomorrow when his suggestion worked.
Day Two
Today Mr. Malfoy and I will attempt to perform a longevity charm on our original base. If unsuccessful, we will attempt other ingredients which may or may not include pomegranate juice and/or belladonna. All results will be recorded.
Hermione sat next to the still-boiling cauldron feeling extremely smug. She knew that the longevity charm would not work. However she had agreed to let Malfoy try. And try he did. Just remembering how frustrated he got after each failed attempt... It brought a giant smile to her face.
"What are you smiling at? It's not like I saw you helping any. Or offering any good ideas," he ranted. "I just don't understand why it wouldn't work."
"Well, I did try to tell you that.."
"I don't want to bloody well hear another one of your lectures! You wanted this to happen so I would have to do things your way from now on. Well bugger that."
Draco shoved his wand into the pocket of his robes and stormed out of the door leaving Hermione giggling, very unprofessionally, behind him. She probably should be angry that he was leaving her all alone to finish the rest of the days work. But since she had proven him wrong, she decided to be amused by his childish behavior instead.
"Does that mean that I can add the pomegranate now?" she shouted down the hall towards his retreating steps.
"Bugger off, bookworm," was his reply before he reached the end of the hall and disappeared from sight.
Draco had not returned after his little hissy fit that day. Instead he went home and got pissed. It sounded like a great plan until the following morning when he had to take several potions to get rid of his massive hangover. He showed up late to work that day and was surprisingly quiet. He would never live this down.
Hermione tried very hard not to rub it in his face. She figured that to do so would only aggravate him further. She preferred to keep the peace between them as much as possible. She did not even brag to her friends about it, no matter how much she wanted too.
They continued to work together fairly well. Each doing his or her part to correctly make, test, and label the bases they would need to continue. Now the real work would begin.
Day Five
The base is now complete. Several batches all consisting of different strengths have been labeled and set to the side. Today we will be discussing the more common ingredients that we will be keeping from the original lust potion. From there we will make a plan on how to proceed.
"Malfoy, have you looked over the list of ingredients I suggested?" Hermione asked as she looked up from the desk that stood between them.
Jars upon jars of various magical plant and animal parts, laid out upon the desk, separated the two. Draco was busy resorting what was already there.
"I have. It seems suitable. However I think we need to go over the requirements of this company and decide if we want to follow it to the letter, or improve upon it."
Hermione nodded. "I agree. What they gave us to work with was less then I was expecting. And to be honest, not much different than the current lust potion. What were they thinking anyways? How could this possibly be as profitable as they say?"
"I think they believe it will help with an increase in childbirth," Draco replied. He looked up at her when her silence became noticeable. One look at her face and he could tell she didn't believe him.
Hermione gave him a very skeptical look.
"No really. It's been ten years, right? How many new births do we have each year? Think about it. Too many people died. The rest of us had to deal with the aftermath," he said with a haunted look in his eyes. He turned away from her, refusing to see the accusation in her face.
Hermione studied Malfoy closely. What he said made sense actually. But what struck her most is the way his heart seemed to sink as he talked about the years after the war. She had no idea what it was like for him after Voldemort fell. She never really cared. She was too caught up with her own grief. But now that she thought about it, it was most likely a very difficult time for him. Her curiosity was peaked and she really, really wanted to ask questions. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. It was none of her business.
"Well, that does make sense. Though I disagree with having to use a lust potion to get people together to have children. This raises serious questions about the use of the potion they want us to make. I refuse to aid in creating something to force unsuspecting women to have sex with men."
"Agreed. Yet I'm not sure that is the reason. The Ministry would never sign off on something to force women to make babies."
Hermione snorted at that. Of course The Ministry would do something like that. Her trust in the institution she worked for has never fully recovered from her teenage years. Draco caught on and grinned, a little.
"Let me clarify. Kinsley would never sign off on something like that. Regardless this is our potion so all we have to do is make it how we want it."
"In order to decide what we should do for the new one, we should test the old potion."
"What?" Draco exclaimed.
"Malfoy," she sighed, "we need to know exactly how one feelsusing the original potion. Then we can improve it from there. We will probably need to test our potion on ourselves as well. I think trial and error will be the only way we can ensure a potion that we both will be satisfied with."
"What about test subjects? There has got to be a way we can do this without having to take the potion ourselves. Have you ever even taken a lust potion? Do you have idea how effective they can be? I doubt you will want to be in the same room as me when the potion takes effect."
Draco shuddered at the thought. He had been the unfortunate victim of a lust potion gone wrong. There were things he did that day...ugh. He refused to think about it. He had almost begged someone to obliviate him just to rid himself of the memories. The only thing that stopped him was the idea of acknowledging that it had happened in the first place.
"You've taken a lust potion before? How was it? What did it feel like? What was the reaction time? How long did it last?"
"What? I- I didn't. I've never taken a lust potion before. It was..a friend. He told me about it." he stuttered as he turned his head to the side desperately trying not to make eye contact with her.
Hermione looked at him skeptically. It certainly seemed like he had taken one before. The way he talked about it...
"Are you certain?"
"Of course I am."
"Alright. Well since you haven't taken one I think it only makes sense that we test it on ourselves. I am not particularly fond of trying to find people for a study. It will take too long, and frankly I don't wish to rag this out longer than necessary. Unless you have another idea."
Draco thought about it and realized she was right. It would take much longer to get test subjects. Plus there would be extra paperwork involved. "I suppose your right. How do you want to do this, then?"
"Hmm, I suppose we can take turns. That way the other can monitor and control the situation. That way it wont get out of control. I'm certain you don't want me coming on to you, or vice versa. However we need to make sure that we are under the influence of it long enough to document the effects correctly."
Hermione frowned. This was going to be a lot more work than she originally thought.
"Sounds appropriate. Well as appropriate as it can be. So you're up first, yeah?"
"Me?" she spluttered. "Why must I go first?"
"It was your suggestion, Granger. What's wrong? Afraid of a little lust in your life? Won't be able to resist my natural charm?" he laughed.
"You- you unbearable pig!" she yelled. She knew that his old self was in there somewhere. Just for him to insinuate that she, that she...
"Calling me dirty names now are you? Can't wait to see how dirty you can be."
Draco never even saw her hand coming. He felt it though. He should have know she was going to slap him. He had to admit he deserved it. He just couldn't resist taunting her. She was so easy to rile up. It was quite amusing. Although his face hurt somewhat, he wore a big smile just the same; he realized, as the door slammed shut behind him, that it was Granger who did the walking out today.
Taking a lust potion was a bad idea. A very bad idea, Hermione realized after she recovered from her "experimentation". She damn near mauled Malfoy. As if that wasn't emotionally damaging enough, she actually felt him up. At some point she got around his protests and grabbed him through his trousers. She hung her head in shame as she sat in her bedroom.
He had to physically restrain her. Neither of them had thought to take her wand away from her before she had taken the potion. Before he knew it she had taken his wand, stripped him of his outer robes, and had his feet stuck to the floor. It was the most embarrassing moments of her life. The look on Malfoy's face as she...She had no idea how strong the potion would be. Why did these things happen to her?
She took the time to stare at herself in the mirror. She had not changed much from her teenage years. She was still thin and her breasts were slightly larger. But other than that, her hair was the only major change. Ginny had convinced her to change it after her horrendous breakup with Ron. She kept the length but had had it thinned a bit.
She didn't even want to think of how she looked to Malfoy today. The years had been kind to him. His physique was much more impressive now that when he was a gangly teen. She could tell that he worked out. Probably Quidditch, she thought. And his hair was much better. No longer being plastered to his head made him almost pleasant looking. She could only imagine that she frightened him somewhat. After all he was used to dating far prettier women than herself.
She picked up her brush and ran it through her hair roughly. What was she doing? Comparing herself to other woman he had dated. And actually thinking that he was pleasant looking! She sighed. The lust potion must still be in her system somewhat. That's the only explanation.
Sleep, sleep is what I need, she tried to convince herself. She dreaded the thought of going into work the next day.
As she lay down in her bed, she tried very hard to ignore the events of the day that seemed to be on nonstop repeat. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't quite erase the feel of him in her hand.
Draco was also having a hard time not thinking about the days events. Literally. He could not get the image of her hot little body pressed up against his out of his mind. He didn't really understand it. He had never thought of Granger in that way before. To him she was just an annoying girl that had always been there in his life. Never to be noticed other than to throw nasty words at. Someone to spar words with. Not a woman to...
A woman, that's right. She's a woman, and I'm a man which is why I reacted the way I did. Yeah, that's it. Plus it had been over a week since he had last gotten any. That probably helped with increasing his sexual tension as well. Not to mention that she was stroking you nice and firm through your pants. Which you thoroughly enjoyed.
Damn, it was true. He almost didn't want her to stop. Except at the last moment reality kicked in and he threw her off of him. It took him only a moment to call for his wand so he could stun her. The awkwardness that resulted afterward was palpable. His cock however had no such worry about embarrassment. It stood loud and proud, so much so that he had to excuse himself from the room.
A quick wank in the bathroom didn't help solve the problem much. Not with these thoughts running through his mind. He ran his hand over his face roughly. He sat up and stared down at his hard problem. Might as well take care of this now, he figured.
As his smooth hand glided over his hard cock, he desperately tried to think of anything other than the woman he would have to see in less than eight hours. Yet he was unable to stop the flash of brown hair that his memory produced as he came, forcefully, all over his stomach.
This was not good. Not good at all.
Day Ten
Testing of the original lust potion was a success of sorts. We have correctly identified what we wish to keep and what we wish to change. The original potion seems to give the drinker a false sense of attraction. The feeling of extreme attraction may or may not already be implanted in the drinker's psyche. This is not acceptable as it may be used as a way to control and/or abuse another person. We are sorting through the various ingredients we have at our disposal that will give the drinker a way to reject unwarranted attraction. We plan to start testing by the end of the week.
"Ooh, Draco. I think I just found the perfect thing to give the mind some clarity while at the same time allowing the feeling of attraction to set in. We will of course have to mix in a rather strong additive to create said attraction, but still I believe it will...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Hermione was confused. He was giving her this stare like she had lost her mind. Did he not think that she had a good idea? It was strange the way things had been between them ever since she went completely barmy and attacked him while on the lust potion. They were far more careful around each other from then on.
Even when he took the potion himself, Hermione made sure that it did not get that far. Plus, she had taken away his wand before hand. That seemed to make all the difference in the world. She had even been able to question him through it. Her cheeks reddened at the memory of some of the things he had said to her. What he wanted to do to her.
"You. You said my name is all."
"What?" she asked coming out of her daze. Of course she said his name, she had been speaking to him after all... Oh. "A slip of the tongue really. Besides, we've been working together relatively well for the past two weeks. I figure we could probably use our first names now."
Hermione really didn't mean to call him Draco. She hadn't even known that she had said it. This assignment was getting to her more than she thought.
Draco wasn't sure how to feel about her calling him by his name. He was so used to hearing her address him as Malfoy. It's not so bad. Sounded a bit sexy when she said it, he thought to himself.
Draco wanted to hit himself in the head with a bludger. Those were the thoughts that would get him into trouble. It's not like he needed another reason to think that something else she said was sexy.
"I don't care what you call me, but I think I'm going to stick with Granger. I'm too used to it now to change. Anyways you mentioned you had a good idea? I'm all ears."
Hermione tried to hide her disappointment of the fact that he refused to call her by her first name. It's not that bad a name, after all. She decided to let it go. Instead she filled him in on her plan. It was simple. Well no, that wasn't true. It would be difficult. But all they had to do was figure out the right amounts of everything for it to be effective.
They stayed for many hours after work ended, going over many different possibilities. They were both so hard headed that they constantly fought over every little thing. Both thinking they knew better than the other. By the time they were ready to head home, they were both incredibly irritable and exhausted.
Another five days had passed before they finally came up with three different variations of their lust potion. Each one consisting of different strengths but with identical ingredients. It took another five days after that that the potions were made and bottled. The only thing left to do was test them.
Day Twenty One
Today I, Hermione Granger, will be testing the first batch of our potion. Potion A will be the first to be tested. This version has a heavier amount of ashwinder eggs, used to give the allusion of deep affection.
It is being used to counteract the armadillo bile which will help the drinker keep a clear mind. We wanted to be able to let the drinker feel lust without it being overwhelming. Lovage has also been added to assist in spontaneity, which is often needed for these types of things. It also contains peppermint to add both taste and as a counter effect to too much excessive behavior. If unsuccessful, we will continue with the testing in two days time.
Okay, you can do this, Hermione told herself. She had been giving herself a pep talk all morning long. This will work and you will be able to control yourself. She figured if she kept saying that, then it would be true.
Still it never hurt to be prepared. She made extra sure that she wore clean clothes. Plus she may or may not have used potions to strip her of extra body hair, just in case. Her teeth had been brushed three times, and her body was scrubbed squeaky clean. If she did get around Draco she'd be damned if she attacked him while all sweaty and...She stopped that thought dead in it's tracks.
"Bottoms up Granger." Draco spoke softly, very close to her ear, which caused her to jump into the air terrified.
She turned to glare at him. She was already flustered, and did not need him sneaking up on her. And she definitely did not need him moving so close to her that she could smell him.
He laughed at her expression. He couldn't resist the temptation to tease her a little. After last time she had to be a bit worried about the effects of this one. He wondered what she was going to do. Whatever she did it was bound to be interesting.
"Blast it all, Malfoy. Don't sneak up on me like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"You're no fun Granger. It does no one any good to be that uptight."
"I am not uptight, you pretentious prick," she stated heatedly while reaching for the bottle of the test potion he had clutched in his hand.
"Ah, ah, ah no grabbing. We both know how your hands like to roam. Ask nicely and I'll give it to you." He was enjoying himself, that much was certain.
Hermione however was not as amused. She decided enough was enough and reached for her wand to summon the potion to her. "Accio Potion A!" she yelled.
The bottle flew out of Draco's hands despite his attempt to hold on. Hermione smirked at him before downing the potion in one go. Now they would have to play the waiting game.
Draco glared at her before promptly plucking her wand out of her hands. "I'll take this, thank you very much."
"Fine. And again, I am not uptight. I am just a little stressed that's all."
"Afraid your going to attack me again?" he smirked.
"What? No! And I didn't attack you."
"Yes,you did, and you bloody well know it."
"Well what about you, huh? You seemed awfully keen on, what was the term you used? Oh yes, to shag me so hard that no other wizard would ever compare. Or that you thought I smelled like sunshine and you wanted to bask in my soft glow. So who should be more embarrassed Draco?"
Damn, he couldn't believe she remembered all of that. What a right prat he was that day. Except the part about him shagging her hard. That part was okay.
"Point taken. Right, well I suggest we sit down and wait. How long do you think before the effects start to take?"
"Not sure. I don't feel anything as of yet. I expect we'll know something within five minutes, though. Best to wait a full hour before giving up on it altogether."
Fifty minutes later
"Anything yet, Granger?" he asked in an almost bored voice. He had expected something to happen already. If this didn't work then he was going to have to go through with his little taste test tomorrow.
"No" she said sounding rather disappointed. "I dunno what could be wrong. Maybe there wasn't enough ashwinder egg powder in it. I don't understand. I don't even feel the least bit tingly. Let's give it another ten before we call it quits, alright."
"Whatever you desire, Granger."
Hermione shook her head. She must have misunderstood what he just said. It sounded so, so sexy. Hermione took the time to stare over at Draco. He was sitting in his chair slightly slouched, head leaning back. His black pants and shirt were tight against his skin. His hair contrasted rather nicely to the dark look he was trying to pull off. She had never noticed how clear his skin looked. It looked so soft she wanted to touch it.
What was she thinking? She didn't want to touch Draco. Except, she thought that maybe she did. She had once. She remembered how she could feel his member harden due to her touch. It has to be quite large, she couldn't help but thinking. She wondered what it would look like. Would he be circumcised? She doubted it. It wasn't a big practice in the wizarding world.
"Granger? Hello, Granger?" he snapped his fingers in her direction. She was staring off into space again. He almost wondered if she had fallen asleep. "Hermione!" he yelled a little louder, hoping to get her attention.
"Hmm, what? Oh, I'm sorry Draco. I must be more tired that I thought."
Draco was not sold on her excuse. Something was wrong. "Are you sure? You look a little flushed. Is the potion working at all?"
"I'm fine, Draco. Really, I'm okay. I think I just to go home and have a lie down. We can continue tomorrow for your turn."
Hermione stood up and started to go for her robes, which were near the table Draco was sitting at. But as soon as she got close to Draco an unexplainable rush of heat surged through her. It felt as if she had been taken to the brink of orgasm before being denied the fulfillment of finishing. It was desire, her desire for one thing; which would be the man sitting in front of her.
Draco could see the change in her immediately. Her eyes had a wild, almost predatory gleam to them. He stiffened in his chair, unsure of how to proceed. He had to make sure she was still in there somewhere, or if the lust was overwhelming her.
"Granger, maybe you should just lie down here. You look a little flushed and I can conjure up something comfortable for you to sleep on. Besides we need to finish up, I need you to describe me everything that you are feeling now. You know, to cover all our bases in our research."
He was trying to buy time. He couldn't let her leave here. Not like this. Who knows if she would jump the nearest bloke for a shag somewhere. The problem was that they didn't have an antidote for their potions yet. They decided on a stunning or a binding spell if things got out of hand. Unless what she was feeling was actual desire. 'Hmm, that could be interesting,' he thought.
Hermione walked closer still. She stepped right up to his chair and leaned down to whisper in his ear. This of course left her chest at eye level for Draco. He was having a very difficult time staring at anything other than her breasts.
"You know Draco, it almost sounds to me like you wish to keep me here. Conjuring a bed? You are a naughty boy," she said as she let her lips brush against his ear.
"Oh, we both know I am naughty but that is neither here nor there. Come on Granger, I want you to sit down and discuss with me what you are feeling. You are the most detailed oriented person I know. Don't want to miss an opportunity like this, do you?"
She thought about it and supposed he was right. She would indulge him for now. She knew she had an effect on him. She had noticed how his breathing changed when she got near him.
He expected her to go back to her seat to sit down. She didn't. Instead she hopped up onto the table, which was recently cleared off. Her skirt rode higher on her thighs which made Draco's senses go on high alert. The little minx was messing with him.
He looked around for his quill and parchment only to find that she was sitting on it. Yes, she was definitely messing with him. "Granger, luv. You're sitting on my parchment. How am I supposed to write down your answers if your bum is on it."
Hermione got a coy smile and looked down "Am I? I didn't even notice."
She tilted to the side lifting half of her arse off the table just enough for him to reach the items. He said nothing as he quickly grabbed them from the desk. His mouth probably wouldn't have worked right anyways. She had left him a little speechless.
At least she isn't trying to rip your clothes off like last time. Somehow he was a little let down with that thought.
"Right, um. Can you describe for me how you are feeling right now. Please give as many details as possible."
Hermione shifted on the desk a little so she could face him more fully before she answered. "I'd say I feel pretty good. No headaches, no pains anywhere. I do however have this feeling of heat surging inside of me."
Draco scribbled down everything she had said to him so far. He figured he knew where she was going with this, but Merlin help him, he could not make her stop speaking. Not only was it making him want to take her on the floor right here, right now, but it was also sounding more and more like a success for their potion.
So far she seemed to have her wits about her. Mostly. Plus, as he said before, she hadn't jumped him yet. That was also a good sign. Whether he could manage to get out of this without having his way with her was yet to be seen.
"What type of heat are you experiencing? Does it hurt? Is it localized to just one area or are you experiencing it all over?"
"I can feel it everywhere. It feels so good, Draco. I feel it the most deep down in my belly. It just seems to spread lower and lower. It's like I'm tingling all over."
Hermione let her hands rub down her body to show him exactly where the heat was going. She watched his eyes follow her every move. He seemed to shift uncomfortably in his chair. She smiled as she dipped her right hand just into the inside of her skirt on her thigh. She wanted this man so much she could taste it.
"Touch me, Draco. Do I feel hot to you?"
Draco's breath hitched as he watched her put her hands under her skirt. His prick began hardening without his say-so. He couldn't take this anymore. He had to have her. He knew it was wrong. So very, very wrong. She was under the influence of a potion. A potion they had made. He was going to hell, or Hades, or wherever a perverted wizard such as himself landed in the end. He might even loose his job. But at this point it didn't matter anymore.
"You're such a dirty girl, Granger," he said as he stood up taking his place in front of her. "Do you want me to touch you? Like you touched me that day?" he asked.
"Merlin, yes," Hermione breathed out.
"You've been thinking about that day, haven't you? You had me all helpless, Hermione. I could have been your slave that day. I only stopped you because I knew you would regret it happening then. But you won't now, will you?"
Draco started gradually running his hands down her body. He started at her neck, caressing it, feeling her pulse beneath his fingertips. Then down her shoulders, then arms, then lightly gripping her hips before moving on to her legs.
"Will you, Granger?" he asked again. He wanted to hear her say it. He leaned back to look into her eyes as she answered. She was beautiful.
"I wont regret it, Draco. All this sexual tension has been killing me for weeks. Just take me already," she demanded.
Draco roughly pushed her knees apart, pushing her skirt up further on her thighs. His directed his hand to rub over her panties. He could feel the wetness there, and the heat. "You really are a dirty girl. So wet. You do realize we are at work right now? At any moment, anyone could walk in."
Hermione moaned in response, pushing her hips towards him. She reached up with her left hand to bring him down to kiss her. Their kiss was one of intense passion. All their years of hatred poring into it, allowing it to change into to something new, something better.
His hand left her pussy to rip open her shirt. Buttons went flying all over the lab room. He didn't even bother taking off her bra, only shoving it down so he could suck and bite on her pert little nipples.
Hermione felt like her body was exploding. The potion made her feel things in new ways, it made every touch that much more sensitive, more powerful. She used her hands to grasp hold of him, letting her nails rake down the back of his shirt.
Draco's hand worked it's way back down towards her pussy. He felt around the edges of her panties and shoved them to the side. He was a little surprised to find her bare. The thought that she had prepared for something to happen between them today raced through his mind. He was a little busy however, so he decided he would think about that later on.
He ran his fingers along her tight quim, dipping his fingertips in shallowly before moving up to gently rub on her clit.
"Oh, Draco. Don't stop, please don't stop." Hermione loved the feel of his fingers on her. His mouth had moved back up to her neck and the sensations from his sucking was sending shocks of pleasure all the way down to her toes.
He was finding it increasingly difficult not to shove his cock into her. He needed to be in her now. Not messing around anymore, he tore himself away from her. He reached down to unzip his pants, finally releasing his cock from it's prison.
Hermione admired the sight very much. She was panting and had to brace her arms behind her back to keep herself upright. She couldn't believe that this was happening. If someone had told her ten years ago that she would be having an afternoon shag with Draco sodding Malfoy someday, she would have hexed them. Now staring at his well formed body(that was still clothed for the most part), she could not believe they had not done this sooner.
Draco grabbed for Hermione again, pulling her by the neck towards him for another kiss. He used his free hand to push her skirt up around her hips, then pulled her panties off , before stepping back in between her legs.
"I'm going to fuck you so hard, Hermione. I'm sorry about the lack of foreplay, though. I'll make it up to you next time." With that he rammed his hard prick into the woman he thought he would never want.
Hermione screamed out in bliss as he filled her for the first time. It had been too long since she had last had sex. He never slowed down, never stopped his forceful thrusts. He only seemed to go harder and faster as the minuted ticked by.
The desk kept being forced back, causing him to readjust his footing almost constantly, but he refused to stop. All that could be heard in the room were the sounds of the wood scraping against the floor and their loud cries of ecstasy as he took them over the brink towards orgasm.
Several minutes later found the pair spread out on the floor. Draco had used his wand to conjure up some blankets for them to lay on. Neither seemed to know what to say.
"That was amazing," he blurted out too lost in his post coital stupor to say much else.
Hermione sat up and smiled down at him. The effects of the potion seemed to wear off after she had came. "I've had better," she stated.
"What?" he askd, sitting up quickly, thoroughly insulted by her remark. "What do you bloody mean you've had better?"
Hermione just stood and started to put her clothes to rights. She reached for her wand and cast a quick cleansing charm. One wave of her wand and the lab went back to it's original state of cleanliness. This only pissed Draco off. Hermione's smile just grew larger.
"Granger? Come on, Hermione. Wait. How could you possibly," Hermione started to walk toward the door while he was in mid sentence. He reached to grab her arm before she made it out of the room.. "Where the hell do you think you are going? You're not regretting this are you? I know you were under the influence of the potion, which by the way seems like a screaming success, but.. I know you wanted this as much as I did."
Hermione turned back to look at Draco one last time for the day and said, "You know Draco, for a man that was just had a fantastic fuck, you sure seem to be a bit uptight. I've heard foreplay helps with that. It's a shame we never got around to it today. Maybe there is a flaw in the potion, do you think? I wonder if we should try it out again tomorrow. See if we could knock out any problems there might be. Perfect it, if you will."
Understanding dawned on Draco, and his normal sexy smirk appeared on his face. "See you at work tomorrow, then?"
"Goodbye, Draco," she waved to him as she disappeared down the hallway.
He leaned against the wall as he closed the door and couldn't help but think that the two of them working together had been the best idea ever.
End note: To anyone who reads my other stories, I must deeply apologize. I am working on them. The last two years have been utter hell. My son had surgery which lead to tons of therapy for him to recover. My daughter entered fifth grade and is acting the part of a pre teen all too well. I am mostly done with the third chapter of Separation Anxiety and have already started on the fourth. I wont post the third one until I am done with both chapters, which will hopefully be done within the next month or so.
I hope everyone liked my Dramione story. Please review and let me know what you think.