A/N:

Written for Hermione's Haven Bingo 2019 (HHBingo19)
Square filled: N2 - Fuck or Die

A fun little gift for my good friend, Imtrouble x
Many thanks to the lovely GaeilgeRua for the beta read. Any mistakes remaining are my own

Prologue:

"I'm just saying… I don't believe…" He scrubbed a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't trust him!"

"I know you don't," she said, not unkindly but with a slight tightness to her tone, "but there is really nothing for you to worry about."

"You can't just tell me not to worry! It doesn't work like that!"

"Theo…"

"Don't use that tone, please. I know it's irrational, but I can't help it."

"If you don't trust him, do you think you could trust me?"

Theo sat with his head in his hands, looking at her across the table through his fingers. "I want to, Hermione… but Cormac-"

"Is nothing more than a friend-"

"To you," he muttered.

"-and there is nothing going on between us!" Her voice raised now, more than a hint of annoyance creeping in. "Theo, please! This assignment is important for me, my career. If we can retrieve this artefact before anyone else gets hurt, and before any rogue dark wizards or witches get their hands on it…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know…"

"Don't you take that dismissive tone with me, Theodore Nott!" she spat. "I love you, and I understand where this is coming from, but you are being ridiculous!"

"I'm being ridiculous?" he shouted, leaping to his feet. "I'm concerned that duplicitous snake is taking my girlfriend off to a remote part of the world-"

"It's a job, not a holiday!"

"-staying in hotel rooms together. No doubt there'll be a mix-up, so there's only one bed…"

"Oh, for God's sake, you've been reading too many stories on the internet!"

"He wants you, Hermione! And a week alone with you is ample opportunity for him to finagle his way into your bed!"

"You're absolutely right! Just like that, I simply won't be able to resist his charms. I'll be powerless against him, won't I?"

"Sarcasm," Theo said with a sneering twist to his lips, "good response. Mature."

"I'm being immature!?" she shrieked. "I'm not the one freaking out because his girlfriend is going on an assignment with a co-worker, and automatically seeing the worst possible scenario, and showing no faith in her love for him!"

The room was dim, the only light coming from the harsh electric light outside of the Mexican motel room. The chirp of the night insects was almost the only sound; the place was in the back end of nowhere, and traffic was minimal, especially in the middle of the night.

Hermione stared unblinkingly up at the ceiling, gnawing on her lower lip. Sweat beaded on her bare skin, the air was still and hot despite the late hour. She could feel the artefact in the room, its magical signature reaching out to her and caressing her mind. She ignored it as best she could.

It was a shame that the only other thing she could focus on was the blond man lying next to her, naked, and the feel of the hot liquid trickling out of her.

"Are you okay?" he said quietly, his usual cocky attitude strangely quelled.

She nodded rapidly, drawing in a deep breath. "Yup. Absolutely." She sighed, her cheeks tingling with embarrassment, and glanced at Cormac. She met his bright, green eyes and gave him a wan smile. "Just thinking that my last words to Theo before I left are looking pretty ironic right now…"

One Week Earlier:

"But what if there is only one bed?"

Hermione looked up from the letter she was reading, with an amused frown. "Ha ha, Cormac."

"It's a serious question, isn't it?"

"I would expect you to be a gentleman, and sleep on the sofa," she said, still reading.

"Is that any way to treat your husband?" Cormac said, hand to his chest and eyes wide and earnest.

She gave a dismissive scoff. "'Work husband', Cormac. And I want a divorce: my boyfriend doesn't like you, and he is more important to me than you are."

"Ouch, Granger… I'm integral to your continued safety when we're on these missions, and you know it. Where was Theo when we were trying to retrieve that cursed chalice while fighting off the Pennine Hag?"

"At work, developing a cure for the mental damage caused by the Cruciatus Curse."

Cormac paused. "Touché. But who was by your side, defending you from vicious hexes?"

"Harry. You were being pinned down by the Hag's familiar, a blue Silkie chicken that had been enlarged by an Engorgio charm."

"Savage little bastard," Cormac muttered. "Beak like an executioner's axe… eyes that stared into your soul and made you realise you were little more than an insignificant speck in an unfeeling universe…"

"She called it 'Keith', didn't she?" she said, her lips twitching.

"Just because it wasn't called anything impressive, like… Gigantor, or Widowmaker… or… I dunno, Scourge of the Pennines… that doesn't make it any less monstrous!"

"It shit on your head, right?"

"You see, this is why I don't talk to you before you've had your morning coffee."

"I have told you, many times, not to talk to me beforehand, so really it's your own fault…"

"About that, you realise you're admitting that you're basically a horrible person unless you're under the influence of drugs, right?" Cormac smirked.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "No, Cormac. It means that you are unpleasant to be around until I'm under the influence of drugs."

"This conversation is over, Granger," Cormac said breezily, standing and walking away with his nose in the air. "In the event of a single bed, you can sleep on the sofa."

"You're a real charmer, McLaggen, you know that?" Hermione called after him, starting to giggle as he waved two fingers at her over his shoulder.

"So, tell me true, Granger," asked a silky voice from the desk next to hers, "is there something going on between you two?"

"Me and McLaggen?" Hermione asked, her face screwed up in disgust as she looked at her neighbour. "Eww, Bill, no!"

"That was some pretty heavy flirting going on there…" Bill Weasley said, flicking his long, red hair off of his face, the dragon fang earring twisting from the motion. "I can understand Theo's concern, especially if he's ever seen that…"

Hermione was waving her hands, laughing. "No, no, no, Cormac and I will never be a thing! We joke around, we get on; we're friends, nothing more."

Bill raised an eyebrow in response. "Both of you feel that way?"

"Of course," Hermione said, turning her attention back to the letter she had been reading. "Cormac knows that I have a boyfriend and that I love him dearly. Cormac's my partner in the team, and we go on assignments together. We laugh, joke, and argue with each other. We're friends, nothing more."

"Uhuh. And he would love to make it more than that, I'm sure."

She scowled, huffing an annoyed sigh. "You're looking for something that isn't there, Bill Weasley."

"Oh, I'm sure I am." Bill stood, closing his file. "I have to be off. Need to take my findings back to old Hagglethorn at the bank."

"Enjoy the rest of your day, Bill," Hermione said, her words clipped, eyes fixed on her work until he had gone.

Once sure he had gone, she allowed herself to breathe again. It came in a burst of annoyance, her cheeks pink and warm. First Theo, now Bill! Why did everyone have to see the worst in something innocent? Looking at her watch, she saw it was nearly time to leave. Slinging her beaded bag over her shoulder, she stood and went to find Cormac.

"It's no good," he gasped, "I can't… I'm gonna have to get naked!"

"Don't you bloody dare!" laughed Hermione. "The last thing I need is to be arrested by the Police for wandering around with a sweaty Englishman, exposing himself to innocent locals! I don't think there's an excuse I could come up with that would save you from a Mexican jail."

"Merlin's sweaty testicles, it's so hot here! I'm not used to temperatures like this." Cormac sank to the ground, mopping his brow with his t-shirt.

"Oh for the love of…" Hermione rolled her eyes, waving her wand at Cormac.

A small grey cloud formed above his head and, with a rumble of thunder, began to rain on him. He gave a particularly high pitched squeal as the water slipped down his neck.

"Not what I had in mind!" he shouted, waving frantically at the cloud as Hermione laughed.

The laughter didn't last long. The rainforest on either side of the path was thick and dark, the trees around them, dripping with moisture, swallowed their voices and gave nothing but oppressive darkness back. Cormac shivered, wiping sweat and rainwater from his face.

"Are we there yet?" he muttered. "I really don't like this place. It feels…"

"Watchful," Hermione finished. "Like something is waiting for us."

"I was hoping you were going to reassure me that it's in my head," Cormac said, hacking an intrusive branch out of their path.

"Oh, no," she said with a grin, "you are almost certainly going to be eaten by the cihuateteo before nightfall."

"A see a what-what?"

She snorted at his expression. "Cihuateteo are the spirits of women who died in childbirth. It's an Aztec legend. They haunt the crossroads at certain nights of the year, looking for victims to kidnap." Hermione hid her smile as Cormac's eyes got wider. "They can cause sickness and paralysis in those that see them, driving some of their prey insane!"

"Okay, very good, stop doing that with your voice now. It's not funny!"

Hermione continued, stalking towards him with her eyes rolling back in their sockets. Her voice got lower and rougher until it sounded like a snake sliding over gravel. "They seek out men and possess them, forcing them to do horrible things…"

"Hermione, pack it in!"

"You can tell they're close when you can hear their wailing screams-OH MY GOD, THERE'S ONE BEHIND YOU!"

Hermione was still shrieking with laughter by the time Cormac had untangled himself from the bushes he had dived, screaming into.

"Ha bloody ha!" he muttered, pulling leaves and twigs out of his hair.

"Oh, cheer up, Cormac. The cihuateteo aren't real! It's a ghost story to frighten children, nothing more. You're so jumpy."

Their trek continued until dusk, when they found a suitable campsite, just off of the path. The tent was erected quickly with a whisper of magic and Hermione set the cooking pot over the dancing blue flames she had conjured for the purpose. The smell of cooking filled the air shortly afterwards.

"I can't believe this cave is so difficult to get to. Why we had to get a Portkey that landed us so far away, I don't understand." Cormac poked at the fire with a stick as he spoke, the magical flames barely reacting.

"You know why," she replied, handing him a dish of the pasta and sauce. "No one wanted to link the Portkey so close to the site of a potential incident, so it dropped us at the nearest town."

"And we then have to trek through several miles of rainforest, and up a bloody mountain at the other end! Brilliant. We've been walking for weeks!"

"We arrived in Mexico the day before yesterday. It has been two days, and we'll be there in the morning, before lunch I would think. As long as you don't laze around in the morning!"

"I do not slug-a-bed, young lady," Cormac said haughtily.

"You've done plenty of slug-a-bedding, Mister McLaggen, in our time working together! Besides, after what happened in Italy, I would think you would be up and at 'em as early as possible!"

Cormac gave a shudder at that. "Good point, well made." He quickly shovelled the rest of his dinner into his mouth and wiped his chin, dropping the dish on the ground "G'night!" he called, ducking into the tent.

"I'll clean up then, shall I?" Hermione called, rolling her eyes.

"Would you? Thanks, love!"

By the time she got into the tent, Cormac was already fast asleep on his mat. She looked at the minuscule gap between their sleeping mats and frowned, sure that she had put them further apart earlier. Nudging hers further away from Cormac's she pulled the thin sheet over herself and settled down to sleep.

Strange dreams plagued her; a feeling of closeness, as if something was pressing against her and holding her tight. There was no malice in it, but it made her slightly uncomfortable all the same.

She woke in the night, feeling a heavy weight on her hip. Without thinking, she grabbed it then froze, remembering they were in the rainforest and it could be dangerous. It was, however, just Cormac's arm; he appeared to have rolled over in his sleep and flung an arm over her. Hermione sighed, lifting the rogue limb and moving away.

"Would you rather have feet for hands or hands for feet?"

He looked at her over the rim of his glass for a moment before putting it down on the table. "Say that again," he laughed.

"Would you rather have feet for hands, or hands for feet? It's a simple enough question," she said with a shrug, sipping her wine.

"It's a bizarre question!"

"Think of it as a personality test."

"A personality test? Do you often set the men you date strange quizzes to determine their preferences for unusual body amendments?"

"Always."

"It seems a rather... obscure manner in which to determine a man's suitability as a partner."

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but it's something I like to do. And it's not just for men."

There was only the smallest of pauses; the rest of the dimly lit bar, set just off the main street in Camden, didn't notice and all the hushed conversations continued around them without stopping.

"Bold of you to just divulge that with such confidence," he said quietly, lifting his drink and taking a sip.

"I know how the wider wizarding world feels about... that sort of thing-"

"Generally unfavourably."

"-so if that was a deal breaker for you, it would be best to know straight away." She could feel her face flush and was grateful for the low lighting. Despite her confident words, she had never just thrown that information out before, to anyone.

"I am the last person that would want to stifle a soul. Besides, I am no stranger to relationships that are made up… differently." He glanced away for a moment, his eyes tightening ever so slightly. "Men and women, one or more at a time, it doesn't matter." His gaze neatly skewered hers, the intensity in his dark eyes surprisingly strong. "All that is important is open and honest communication between everyone involved."

"How very… modern of you," she murmured, taking another sip of her wine and trying to get her heartbeat under control.

"Well, you are here with me, and I am a man. At the very least you are trying to determine if you wish to pursue a relationship with me, and there would, presumably, be a degree exclusivity?"

"As many people struggle with the logistics of polyamory, I generally aim for monogamy these days, yes. Unless it suits the relationship down the line, of course."

"So then it shouldn't matter to anyone if you have kissed a girl in the past, or if, for example, I have kissed a boy. It is in the past."

"So… Hands for feet, or feet for hands."

"They don't swap, obviously, because otherwise, I'd have it both ways regardless. So you're asking me if I would like two pairs of hands or two pairs of feet."

"Is that second ale slowing your mental capacity by any chance?"

"Ouch," he said with another laugh. "Way to stab at a man's ego!"

"You are prevaricating though. Come on, chop chop!"

Puffing out his cheeks, he sat back in his chair. "Okay… so, logically, if I had hands for feet, I would potentially be like a monkey or an ape. I would have four functioning limbs that could grip, hold, etcetera. My work efficiency would nearly double, once I had gotten used to it, of course. If I had feet for hands, the best I could do is… ambulate a little bit faster? Maybe?" He gave a bark of laughter at the mirth in her eyes. "I'll have hands for feet, please."

"Good choice, that was always my thinking too."

"It's the most practical choice," he said with a shrug. "Though I would have to replace all my nice shoes with sturdy gloves, I suppose.

She took a long swallow of her wine, holding his gaze. "Would you rather go forward in time, or backwards?"

"Can I change anything while I'm there?"

"Yes."

"Forwards," he said immediately. "The future, in my opinion, is not necessarily a fixed stream, precognition allowing one to make better choices and adjust the path. The past should be immutable, as harsh as it may seem; changing things could have potentially far-reaching ramifications depending on your concept of time-travel. I could wipe myself and others out of existence by saying the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time."

"A bit dramatic, don't you think?"

"Not at all. Take the classic concept of changing the past, for example. Say I go back and convince Dumbledore about You Know Who's future. He takes some form of action, and the Dark Lord never rises to power. There's no first war, no deaths, no Death Eaters. My parents are not injured and are therefore able to have children earlier in life. I am born a whole generation earlier, do not meet those I call friends and am not in a position to save the life of a dear friend from a foolish accident."

"But you would have saved hundreds of lives," she said, frowning at him.

"True, but many other lives and loves were forged in the fire of those wars, on both sides, including your own. How soft and blinkered would we have remained as a society without those conflicts? Now we, the younger generations, are riled up, speaking out against the dried up husks of a staid society that has been crumbling slowly into the dust for centuries! We're working towards change, and the old guard are unable to stand against our charge; laws are changing, repressive traditions are being cast aside. It's a brave new world, and only made possible by the events of our past."

"Sacrificing those that died-"

"For the good of the community as a whole. It is an unpleasant choice, granted, but those that fought on the side of light in the war would no doubt agree. There's also the risk of a paradox. What place would there be for me in a world changed by actions in the past? If I was born earlier because of my actions, then I would not be at the place in my life that I am now, in order to make the decision to go back in time. This negates my trip to the past, rendering those actions void, and returning the timeline to its original state. Whether I, or even the entire world, manages to survive the ripple effect of such a paradox would remain to be seen, but I'd rather not risk it if it's all the same to you.

"Alternatively, to use another school of thought, my trip to the past doesn't really change my timeline and simply creates a new branch in time. Then that opens up all sorts of questions about where I end up when I jump forward again; do I go back to my own timeline, unchanged, or do I end up on the new branch with another me running around, and my original timeline carries on without me? Or… well, the possibilities are both endless and slightly terrifying."

She gave an amused huff. "You've clearly given that some thought before now."

"Not at all, it's the first time I've ever been given the choice! Being able to see the future would allow us to adapt to incoming danger, make changes to society for the betterment of all..."

"See next week's lottery numbers," she murmured.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, go on."

"I'm simply saying that terrible things happened during the war, yes, but it is better for a society to learn from the mistakes of the past."

"History always has a way of repeating itself."

"True, but with knowledge of the past and a vision of the future, it should be possible to stop most disasters." He finished his drink and sighed. "Not changing the past would also have the bonus of meaning that my father is still dead, which wouldn't be a bad thing…"

"Wow!" she breathed, giving a nervous laugh. "Are you okay?"

He laughed too. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry, that was something I probably should have saved for our third date."

"Oh, we're having that many dates, are we? Who says I'm enjoying myself enough to give you a second date, let alone a third?"

"Well, I can see that you're enjoying yourself; you're smiling, laughing at my jokes. You're intrigued by my thoughts on time travel, and want to keep trying to work out who I am as a person and whether we're a good match before you make any rash decisions. You wouldn't want to pass up the opportunity to pick my brains about my research in spell damage either, which I certainly won't talk about on a first date. You came here planning on only the one drink, keeping the initial date short: more of an introduction than a real date, I suppose. You found yourself accepting my offer of a second drink without hesitation, however, and you definitely want the third I'm about to order. In addition, you're too polite to not go for a second date, if only to satisfy your curiosity about whether or not the more interesting facts you may have gleaned from our conversation are true. How am I doing so far?"

"Presumptuous and arrogant, I think," she said with a smirk, sitting back and crossing one leg over the other.

"Well then, let's not slow down, as you seem to be enjoying the experience," he said leaning forward, his fingers steepled before him as the barman placed a fresh pint of ale and glass of red wine before them.

With an eyebrow raised, she stared at him impassively. He didn't look away, his expression unchanging other than the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as she finally reached out to pick up the glass and take a sip.

"Maybe you are as clever as they say," she mused.

"Possibly. Or maybe I can just think pretty fast on my hands," he said with a wink.

Her sudden cackle ripped through the bar, silencing several conversations. Heads swivelled to look at the pair, and she flushed, biting her lip and looking away from the curious eyes.

"I never do this," she moaned into his mouth half an hour later, pushing him against the side of the bathroom stall. A charm sealed the door, and her wand clattered into the sink. Lips were locked onto his, giving him no chance to respond, feverish hands pulling at his clothes.

Turning to press her against the wall, he pushed her skirt up, bunching it around her waist. His hands gripped her buttocks, pulling her tight against him.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" he managed, pulling away from her for a moment.

"I'd rather you didn't fight me on this!" she hissed, shoving his now unbuttoned shirt open and skating her fingernails over his bare chest.

"You're in charge."

Their eyes never left each other as he pressed both of her wrists against the tiles above her head. Her breathing caught as his free hand unbuttoned her blouse, then unclasped her bra and pushed the material up and off, dropping it to the floor. The calluses on his fingers scraped across the sensitive peaks of her nipples, and a whimper burst from her as he tweaked them.

Tongues met, the kisses hot and fervent as she trembled beneath his touch. Deft fingers unbuttoned her skirt, the dark material slipping to the floor and he pulled the material of her knickers upwards, sweeping it gently from side to side. The pressure against her engorged clit was amazing, a deep growl rumbling in her throat. The growl became a gasp as he ducked his head and swept his tongue over her nipples, kissing his way down her body, mouth touching as much of her as he could.

The metal hand dryers on either side were cold against her skin as she hung onto them, her eyes fluttering closed as she felt the thin elastic of her knickers slide down her legs, the material replaced by his kiss. Her hips were tugged forward to allow him better access to her core, and she tangled her fingers in his hair, giving herself over to the bliss his touch promised.

Morning was a hot and sweaty affair, and not in a good way, Hermione thought to herself as she struggled out of the blanket that seemed to be trying to strangle her. Her hair stuck to her forehead and her clothes to her skin. Cormac could be heard bustling around outside, so she took advantage of the privacy and cast a cleansing charm on herself, changing into fresh clothes. When she left the tent, she felt almost presentable again.

"Morning," Cormac said cheerily, handing her a bowl of porridge.

"You're bright this morning," she said, wasting no time in tucking in.

"Slept like a baby. A sweaty, moist baby."

"Ugh, don't use that word," she muttered with a grimace.

"Sweaty, moist, or baby?"

"The worst one, obviously."

"What's wrong with moist?"

"Just… stop." She pointed her spoon at him. "I mean it! Don't be all funny and keep saying it, now you know I don't like it. Just be respectful, and I won't have to hurt you."

He held his hands up in mock surrender. "No problem, but I had no idea that you, Hermione Granger-bookworm, giant nerd, and brainiac-had an issue with any word. Let alone-"

"Cormac!'

"-the perfect word to describe a cake," he finished with a wink.

"Dick," she muttered, sticking her tongue out at him.

Silence fell for a moment as they ate, but after a short while he asked, "What's wrong?"

She looked up in surprise. "Me? Nothing?"

"Then why do you have that look on your face? A look that says, 'even though this porridge is delicious, I am still filled with sadness.'"

"I do not look like that!"

"Yeah, you kinda do, so spill."

An annoyed sigh burst from her. "I miss Theo," she admitted after a moment, scowling then as he scoffed. "What? I do!"

"It's been a day and a half! I knew you two are sickeningly loved up, but still…"

"We just left on such bad terms, and it's been on my mind a lot."

"You guys had a fight? There's trouble in paradise?"

"Okay, you can stow the sarcasm, mister! I know you two don't get on, and, by all accounts, never have."

"Not true," Cormac said, then looked away. "It was a long time ago though, and it's not my place to dredge it all up again..."

"You both fancied Daphne, fought over her, and she chose Theo. She changed her mind after a few weeks though and cheated on him with you. When they split up over it, and she dumped you as well-because she was only with you for the illicit sneaking around, not a genuine relationship-you both ended up having a massive fight in the Ministry cafeteria, resulting in both of you being suspended for a fortnight." She simpered at his shocked face. "That about right?"

He snorted. "That's one version of it, yes. The one that paints me as the bad guy."

"There's a version where you didn't shag his girlfriend behind his back?"

"To be honest, he wasn't enough for her…"

It was Hermione's turn to scoff. "The girl must have the biggest fanny ever because I can assure you that he is more than enough..."

"Well, thank you for that unwanted and unsolicited reminder, Granger, but I wasn't talking about… that…" He grimaced. "Look, I'm not going to say anything else about it. It's not something that either of us wants to talk about ever again. Neither of us came out of it smelling of roses, so can we just change the subject?"

"Okay," she said slowly. Their eyes met briefly, but he was the first to look away.

"So, you finish up, I'll clear away, and we'll get moving again."

He couldn't help but look at himself in the mirror, set in the middle of Daphne's dressing table. No matter that he hadn't played Quidditch professionally for a couple of years, he still had the physique. The light sweat he was working up was just adding to the wonder that was him.

Grinning, he put his hands on his head, flexing slightly as he moved his hips, thrusting gently in and out of her mouth. Her fingernails dug into his buttocks as she took his cock as deep as she could down her throat.

"Turn around," he said after a while, helping her to kneel on the stool. With a firm hand, he pushed her down, bending her over the dressing table. Her hands gripped the edges as he slid into her, her moans of encouragement spurring him on. Makeup and perfume bottles rattled together as the table rocked back and forth, faster and faster.

He was close, and so was she if her cries were anything to go by! Gripping her shoulders, he thrust harder into her, the whip crack of flesh on flesh loud in the night. His hands slid over her back, hips and sides, a slap on her buttock, instantly turning the pale flesh pink. Her squeal caused a tightening in his balls, and he prepared to strike again.

Someone moved in the mirror, and his heart jumped as he made out the shadowy figure stood in the doorway, watching them.

"Fucking hell!" he gasped, staggering backwards, slipping out of her.

"Your own bedroom?" The shadowy figure ignored him, speaking directly to her, walking forward slowly as Daphne turned to sit demurely on her chair. "Did you want to make it easy for me to find you?"

The sky was a bowl of the deepest blue water above them, white bubble clouds serenely floating across the surface. The trilling song of the birds and the hum of cicadas were almost the only sounds. Their destination, a large cave mouth, was ahead, about a hundred meters upslope. It appeared to be little more than a gash in the rock, the darkness beyond the opening almost pulsing with menace.

He knew he had slipped up. He had let her draw him on the subject and said too much. Speaking about Theo being man enough had clearly touched a nerve, and he was regretting their entire exchange this morning, which was probably why he had barely said two words to her since they had started out.

The slope of the mountain wasn't steep, but it was persistent; so much so that, after a couple of hours Hermione didn't have the breath to quiz him, even if she had been determined to push for more information. Cormac was forging ahead, determinately staying ahead of her and avoiding any chance of conversation anyway; sweat pooled between his shoulder blades and darkened the back of his t-shirt.

"Cormac," Hermione called, her hands on her knees, the sun peaking above them, "slow down a minute. I need to breathe."

"No time!" he called over his shoulder. "We have to get there soon."

"No, stop! We can't go barging in unprepared."

"It's calling… Can't you hear it?"

Hermione jolted upright. "Cormac, stop! Now!"

He played Quidditch with the office team in his spare time. He was fit and healthy, strong and energetic. There was no way she was going to catch up with him!

"Shit…"

"Do you love me?"

Night's shadow threw her profile into sharp relief against the window, the streetlights out in the town beyond providing the only illumination in the bedroom.

"I think I could love you."

A cat yowled outside, joined by another. Some sort of feline territory dispute was probably about to occur and shatter the night with shrieks and hissing.

"I don't believe either of us has been very successful in love, but I think that what we've found in the last few weeks could be more than just two people having fun. I haven't had a chance to really think about it, but I think a simple, uncomplicated relationship sounds wonderful, compared to my last."

It was an uncharacteristically warm and muggy night; unusual for March, even in London. Night clothes were limited, if only to avoid either of them overheating.

"It's probably a conversation we should have in the morning."

She shifted slightly away from him, facing towards the window.

"Middle of the night is not the best time for these sort of confessions, I guess."

He gently reached out and tucked his thumb into the waistband of her thin pajama bottoms, still slightly surprised that both of them had decided to sleep together; actually just sleep for a change. It meant a shift in their relationship as far as he could see. His fingers splayed across her hip, gently stroking in a comforting way.

"I suppose it also helps if both of us are awake too," he murmured wryly, "not making confessions in the dark to someone who has been asleep for the last half an hour."

With a soft kiss between her shoulder blades, her bushy hair tickling his nose, he settled into his pillow and was quickly asleep.

In the still night, she opened her eyes, a soft smile on her lips. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she snuggled closer to his sleeping form.

Hermione's wand glowed brightly as she crept forward, hissing Cormac's name every so often. The cave was pitch black, even the Lumos barely illuminating more than a few feet around her. She held the wand higher, trying to reveal more of the area.

The oppressive heat inside the cave seemed worse than that outside. It was muggy and damp; the mountainside had been dry, and a very light breeze had stopped it from being overwhelming. Here though there was no breeze, not even the whisper of movement in the air.

"Cormac! Damn you," she hissed, her voice climbing higher as she spoke, "if you've fallen down a bloody hole and broken your neck, I will point at you and laugh, I swear to Merlin!"

A flutter of something approaching hysteria was filling her chest.

"Don't be dead, you idiot," she muttered, wiping the sweat from her palms, and gripping her wand tightly as she ducked through a smaller opening in the wall.

It had been scary outside, seeing Cormac power on ahead, hearing the strange tone in his voice. Hermione had a feeling the artefact had him in its grip already. The fact that it could affect someone, from that distance, was frankly terrifying! They had to deal with it quickly. She had to find it first though.

A soft glow broke the darkness; a torch, the flame burning somewhere just out of sight. A female voice, ethereal and beautiful, was speaking.

A silencing charm muffled her footsteps, and she dashed closer, peering around the corner. The words were indistinct, the speaker still out of sight.

Cormac was knelt on the stone floor, his back to her. Just visible over his head, was an urn, beautifully decorated in strange, swirling symbols that made Hermione's eyes ache when she tried to focus on them. Two torches sat in iron sconces on the walls of the cave. There was no sign of the woman speaking though she seemed to be in front of Cormac, somewhere in the shadows beyond.

A feeling of magic swirled around the small chamber. It slid over her skin, a feeling of foulness tugging at her; it grated against her senses, a crusted over scab within her skull. It was so different from her own, from the magic that she was used to. Corrupted. Squinting her eyes, she saw thin tendrils of inky, purple light surrounding Cormac, sinking into his skin. It came from a shadowy figure in a white dress; a woman. Hermione stifled a gasp as the features became clearer to her.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The silvery otter burst from her wand, a wave of light spreading outwards from it like a sonar pulse. The darkness was shoved back forcefully, and Cormac jerked slightly as the threads of darkness were yanked from his skin. The otter's tail swished defiantly as it swam around his head, warding away the darkness.

Hermione ran forward, hearing hissing in the shadows. Her heart leapt into her throat as something moved beyond the circle of Patronus' light. As quick as it appeared, it was gone again.

"Cormac!" His head lolled slightly, his eyes were unfocused as she knelt in front of him. Sweat dripped from his skin and blood bloomed across the front of his shirt, above his heart.

There was nothing moving in the shadows. The Patronus continued to circle, its little silvery face turned outwards.

Cormac was muttering under his breath. Hermione leant closer, trying to hear the strained words.

"That's not what happened, that's not what happened... I can't do that, it's not right…"

"Cormac, snap out of it!"

His head was turned by her slap, his eyes suddenly focusing and fixing on hers intently. "Get out of here… now!"

She recoiled from his gaze, eyes burning hot. Lustful. "Pull yourself together, man!" she stammered, preparing to slap him again.

The silvery otter surged past her, over Cormac's head, as a shadow rushed, screaming, from the shadows. Her heart stuttered, seeing the tattered, grubby white dress, clutching fingers and ragged nails. The wide circle of the apparition's mouth threatened to swallow her whole.

A shock of magical feedback rocked her body as the Patronus was swatted aside, bursting in a shower of silver blue sparks. Then she was being lifted and slammed against the wall. Sharp rock dug into her back, and light flashing in her eyes as her head connected with the rock face.

All that faded to insignificance as she stared in horror at the...thing holding her. It was gaunt, almost skeletal. The grey skin was stretched thin across its bones, broken teeth visible within its maw. Thin, wispy hair stood out from the skull, waving independently in the still air. It was the eyes that stopped Hermione's breath, however. They burned with a pale, sickly light, staring into her very soul.

Her words failed as she tried to shout, her wand falling from nerveless fingers.

Your lust… The voice slithered over her brain without bothering to use her ears, leaving a greasy trail behind it that made her skin crawl. Make your choice…

"I can't," Cormac gasped out, his voice shaking. "I won't!"

"Cormac, no!" Hermione struggled against the creature's strength. She kicked out at it, but her foot went through its body, unhindered; there was a suspicion in her mind about its true nature, and if she was right…

"I can't do what it wants!"

"She'll kill you if you don't, you idiot," she spat.

The creature dropped Hermione to the floor, turning towards Cormac, one clawed-like hand reaching for his neck. Then die… with something approaching honour...

"So be it!"

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Hermione snarled, snatching up her wand. "I have a say in this too!"

In a flash she had grabbed hold of the urn, trying to ignore the chill sensation that burned her palm. Lunging across the cave, avoiding the creature's grasping hands, she clamped a hand onto Cormac's shoulder with her destination fixed firmly in her mind.

The crush of Apparition surrounded them both, and the monster's frustrated scream chased them as they escaped.

"What the hell were you thinking!" she spat.

Cormac didn't reply. His eyes followed her as she paced, back and forth across the motel room's floor. He had tried to talk once, but his body wouldn't obey his commands, and he could only shiver on the bed. The trembling had caused him to bite his tongue once already. Now he simply watched.

"You let her in, this is your own stupid fault!"

She spared a scathing glance at the urn, sat on the desk next to the television, before she continued to pace; six steps one way, six back again. The chirp of the cicadas and the buzz of the electric light outside their room were the only other sounds.

"She'll be coming for you now. God only knows how fast she can travel..."

"N-n-not… not my f-fault…" he managed.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course, it's your fault!"

He shook his head, vigorously. "Daphne."

"Are you that arrogant that you want to land all the blame for your crappy affair on her shoulders? As if you had nothing to do with it!?"

"It was a game… we all ag-g-greed."

"'All'? All who?"

"Daphne, Theo, and me."

Hermione dropped down onto the second bed. "Theo said you ruined his and Daphne's relationship. He never said anything about your involvement being a game."

He didn't reply, simply looked at her, mouth hanging open slightly as he breathed heavily. The shakes were lessening, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"Tell me the truth."

Cormac watched as Theo stepped out of the shadows and walked towards them. Daphne turned to settle herself calmly on the dressing table seat.

"Did you want to make it easy for me to find you?" Theo said.

"I thought that it was so obvious you wouldn't think of it," she replied with a smirk. "Did you want a prize?"

Theo grinned, pulling her to her feet and pressing his lips against hers. Her hands began to undo his trousers, pushing them down his legs. Within moments she was stroking him to hardness. Cormac stepped around, pressing his naked body against Theo, his mouth feathering across the back of his neck; a sensation that never failed to turn Theo on.

"So," Cormac whispered, "what do you want?"

Theo turned his head, capturing Cormac's mouth with his as Daphne sank to her knees and took his cock into her mouth. "I don't know if it will work, or if one or more of us will end up in the hospital, but…" He held up a strap on, laughing as Cormac's eyes widened. "I want to see if we can all get off at the same time."

Cormac frowned, working out the position needed. "So is she fucking me or you?"

"I'm in her, she's in you, and I'm sucking you off."

"You kinky fucker," Cormac said with a laugh.

Theo's cock slid out of Daphne's mouth with a pop as she looked up at her boyfriends. "I cannot see this ending in anything but disaster."

"Maybe, but it'll be fun trying, right?"

"Yeah," Cormac laughed, "until we have to explain what happened to the Healer!"

"Wait, what?" Hermione said, interrupting Cormac. "You were… all together?"

Cormac shook his head. "Daphne and I were a couple, and Theo and Daphne were a couple. Theo and I just liked to fuck occasionally, when we were all together. We were happy."

"But you had an affair with Daphne! You ruined their relationship!"

"Ruining a relationship, and having an affair, are two very different things, Hermione, and I'm still not taking the blame! Now, am I telling this story or not?"

"No, we'll have to take this up later! It's more important to work out what we're going to do here because that damn monster will be here any minute!"

"Just let her kill me and be done with it! I was a fool to think I could ever get back what I had."

"And what's that supposed to mean? Did you set this up?"

"What? No! How the hell was supposed to set this up?"

"Fine," Hermione said, folding her arms over her chest and resuming her pacing. "I'm not letting her kill you. If what you're trying to say is true-"

"If?"

"-then there's no reason for her to kill you. She's some kind of vengeance spirit, I'm guessing, a temptress that murders men who stray. Not a cihuateteo, now I've seen it… maybe something like La Llorona? …but there aren't any children involved, and most of her stories centre around them… Could it be La Sayona? Her legend is supposed to be more vicious…"

"What are you talking about?"

She threw up her hands and let out a grunt. "What I wouldn't give for a library right now, or even a decent internet connection!"

"Why would books help at a time like this?" Cormac said, sitting up.

"Because then I might have a chance to work out which of the many hundreds of South American legends and monsters is currently trying to kill you, why, and how to stop it! What did it want you to do?"

Cormac looked at her, mouth open, but no words came out. "Uh…"

"Cormac!"

"It wanted me to have sex with it…"

"Why? Tell me exactly what it said."

"I can't remember… there weren't really words, as such. It was such a weird feeling, like it was talking but its mouth wasn't moving, and I could feel the words rather than hear them… does that make sense?" He grimaced as Hermione nodded impatiently, gesturing for him to continue. "It wanted to prove that I would cheat and break up another relationship if given the opportunity."

"But you're single, you aren't in a relationship to break up."

He looked away, staring towards the window with unfocused eyes.

"It wasn't her she wanted you to have sex with, was it. That's why she looked like me."

His head whipped around at that. "You saw…? Hermione, I… I wouldn't do that… Me and you, we're friends!"

"Damn it, Theo was right, wasn't he? You do fancy me!"

"No! Well… yeah." He deflated with a sigh. "Yeah, I do. Have done for months."

"Dammit, Cormac!" she groaned, turning away with her hands over her eyes. "I love Theo, you know this."

"And I love him too! Even though he still hates me for what I did, I can't help how I feel." His legs were only shaking a little as he pushed himself to his feet, emboldened by her silence. "I wanted to ask him out before it all went to shit. He's a great guy, and I wanted our relationship to be more than just fucking."

"So this thing wanted you to have sex with me, to break up Theo and I, just to prove… What?"

"It doesn't understand what Theo, Daphne, and I had… How our relationship worked. It thinks that I was a third wheel in Theo and Daphne's relationship…"

"No."

"... Pardon?"

"It's not misunderstanding the concept." She turned towards him, sparing a single glance at the urn. "It's picking up on your thoughts and emotions. It took on my beliefs about your situation too. It doesn't not understand polyamory; it simply read your guilt over the situation, your… feelings for me," she said, only stumbling slightly over the words.

"I am not to blame-"

"So you keep saying," Hermione said, raising her voice over his, "but this thing is certainly acting like you're guilty, and the only thing she's had to go on is our memories and thoughts. It's dropped into your brain, picked up on your guilty feelings, and formed a story. I've then come in, and she's picked up on what I know about it. Rightly or wrongly, this creature believes that you destroyed a relationship, and now wants you to destroy another."

"I won't do it. It can bloody well kill me." He fell backwards onto the bed, covering his eyes. "As soon as it gets here, it can finish the damn job."

Hermione sighed gently and sat beside him on the mattress, taking one of his hands in hers. "You do feel guilty, don't you?"

"I…" He swallowed, turning his head and staring at the far wall. "I think about it every day."

"This creature… It said it would kill you if you didn't… if we…" She cleared her throat delicately. "What will it do if we… do."

"Hermione, I'm not going to force you-"

"I know because if you tried to force yourself on me, I would break your penis off and shove it up your arse." She smoothed the material of her blouse, trying to keep her breathing under control. "Look, if I am going to let it kill you, I would like to at least know the full consequences of the situation. For the report." She was glad the room was dark as she was sure her face was bright red; she could feel Cormac's eyes on her and firmly kept her face turned away from him.

He sighed. "It was going to brand me and curse me with something particularly unpleasant."

"Damned if you do, and damned if you don't then," she muttered.

"I'd rather die than hurt you or Theo."

"And I would rather still have my friend alive than watch some monster kill him." With her eyes still on the far wall, she began to unbutton her blouse. "I'm sure we can come up with some sort of plan to deal with it when it gets here, but we have to take one of the options off the table straight away."

"What are you doing?" he said quietly, noticing her movements.

"I can't save your life if it comes in and kills you straight away," she said, tossing the blouse aside and standing to undo the button on her trousers.

"Hermione…"

"Take your shirt off."

"But Theo…"

"Look," she cried, "I don't want to hurt Theo any more than you do! I am more than five thousand miles away from him, our Portkey won't leave for another two days, I can't summon up a happy thought because this situation is too stressful, and as we're in the middle of nowhere in the Mexican outback I find myself bereft of any bloody owls!" With a shuddering breath, she lowered her voice again. "As much as I would love to consult with him, all I can do is try to save my friend's life in the best way I can, and deal with the consequences later, whatever they may be. I can only hope that he can find it in his heart to forgive me for this." She dropped her trousers to the floor, stepping out of them and slipping her shoes and socks off. "Now, get your clothes off."

"I, uh…"

"Take your damn t-shirt off now, or I'll take it off for you."

A sliver of Cormac's normal attitude reappeared as he smirked. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad."

"You always have to be a dick, don't you?" Hermione muttered, rolling her eyes. In two strides, she closed the gap between them and pushed him down onto the bed, straddling him and folding herself over his body.

His arms tightened around her, fingers splayed across her bare back, their faces a breath apart. Hermione's hair hung around them, her fingers gently touching his cheek. A quiver of excitement surged through her core, and her breath caught in her throat as she felt something firm twitch against her thigh.

"There's no going back after this," he whispered.

"I'm aware of that," she replied quietly, her eyes searching his.

Their lips met slowly, almost delicately. This wasn't how Hermione had expected it to go. It was supposed to be an abrupt thing; a short sharp shag, and it would be done, and they could move on to keeping him alive! The kiss deepened, and she couldn't stop herself from leaning into it, opening her mouth to invite his tongue in, meeting it with her own. His lips seemed to pull all the oxygen from her lungs as he sucked gently on her bottom lip. Light flared in her brain as they parted and she gazed into the bright green eyes, seeing nothing but love and affection there.

"Damn it," she breathed. That kiss had been anything but short and sharp.

"Yeah, I felt that too."

"You didn't choose this," she said firmly. "No matter what is said, I made this decision."

"I certainly don't feel in control," he said with a grin.

"Good," she said, capturing his lips again.

Fire lit her nerve endings as Cormac cupped her breasts through her bra, stroked his fingers over her sides and back, squeezed her buttocks. Their kiss became more heated as she felt him unclip her bra, the warm air ghosting across her sensitive nipples. A sigh escaped her as they rocked upright, her groin grinding against his obvious arousal and his mouth sucking on one, then the other breast, lapping and biting softly.

"I want to taste you," he moaned into her mouth, causing her heart to leap into her throat.

This wasn't supposed to be about pleasure. This wasn't supposed to be enjoying each other. This was self-preservation, nothing more.

She was flipped then, landing on her back with him above her. She tried to focus on the slightly scratchy sensation of the cheap duvet beneath her back, the cracking paint on the walls and ceiling. Anything to draw attention away from the feeling of her knickers being dragged down her legs and Cormac's mouth…

"Oh... fuck!" she gasped at the cracked ceiling, her fingers convulsively digging into the duvet. His tongue was hot and firm against her clit, pressing and flicking it, before plunging inside her. His teeth gently brushed her clit, and she didn't bother to stifle the shout that burst from her.

They didn't have time for this, she knew, even as she revelled in the sensation of his hands stroking everywhere they could reach and his mouth never letting up. She had no idea if this would be enough for that creature, but instead of stopping him she found herself tangling the fingers of one hand in Cormac's hair and pulling him closer, grinding herself against his face as she came. Her cries were little more than rasping breath as her whole body locked up.

It didn't take long before she had to push him away, groaning, "Enough…" weakly.

There was a pulse of magic from inside the room, and the urn rattled slightly. An oily sensation crept over their skin, and they froze in fear, staring at the artefact in horror.

"She's close," Cormac whispered.

In a flash, Hermione sat up, dragging Cormac's belt open, and shoving his trousers down his legs. His briefs followed, and she allowed herself a moment to wrap her hand around his hard shaft, admiring the girth. The tip glistened in the dim light, and she wanted nothing more than to taste him in return.

"No time," she said firmly, more for herself than him.

"Shame," he said, pulling his t-shirt over his head and casting it aside. "Might be our only time."

"Will be," she said firmly.

"Then I have to make sure you can't forget how good I was."

"Always the arrogant dick," she said, pulling him towards her and kissing him soundly, tasting herself and revelling in it. "And you'll never forget how good my cunt tasted, will you?"

She saw the effect her dirty words had on him, the twitch of his cock and hitch of his breathing. Then he grabbed her up against him, spun her around and pushed her face down onto the bed.

There was only the briefest of pauses before he was pushing her legs aside and plunging his cock into her wet pussy. She was so aroused by this point that it met no resistance whatsoever, sliding deep inside her and stretching her walls.

Lifting her hips slightly, she made his access easier, feeling him touch deeper inside her with each thrust. Theo was longer than him, but Cormac's width was something else entirely. He was thrusting uncontrollably now, his excitement so much she knew he was moments away. The motion ground her abused clit against the rough duvet, and she hung onto the top of the mattress, a mouthful of that questionable duvet between her teeth.

Pants and moans rose to a crescendo as Cormac gave an almighty shout. Hermione tucked her legs around, pushing him deeper inside her with her heels against his buttocks, feeling his cock twitch against her walls. Then he collapsed on top of her, doing his best to avoid flattening her with his weight.

The sensation wasn't oppressive though, and she held onto him when he tried to move. Just a moment to savour this… to remember it. Especially if they would never have this again.

After a time they lay side by side, Hermione staring up at the ceiling again, worrying at her lower lip. The gravity of what they had done was sinking in now, and she didn't know if she could ever look either man in the eye again. She could feel the artefact in the room, its greasy magic reaching out to her and sliding over her nerves, and she shivered.

"Are you okay?" Cormac whispered.

She nodded quickly. "Yup. Absolutely." She sighed, her cheeks burning with shame as she glanced at him. She smiled briefly at the worry in his eyes. "Just thinking that my last words to Theo before I left are looking pretty ironic right now…"

"I would have to agree."

Cormac swore loudly, and Hermione gave a small squeak of mortification, scooting back against the headboard and clutching the pillow before her like a shield, as a figure stepped out of the bathroom.

"Theo," Hermione gasped. She couldn't get any more words out. Her throat had closed up; embarrassment, fear, heartache. This very confrontation-having to tell Theo what she and Cormac had done-had been dancing around in her mind for the last few minutes, and she was not ready to face him right now!

"Merlin's nutsack, Theo," Cormac muttered, "you scared the shit out of me!"

"You should be used to me walking in on you by now, McLaggen." Theo's voice was smooth and even, but Hermione knew him well enough to know that he was holding onto his temper by a thread.

"It's been a long time since we spoke…" Cormac stood, taking a tentative step towards him. "Certainly didn't expect to see you in Mexico…"

"Luckily, someone in your office is susceptible to brown eyes and long eyelashes. I found out your itinerary quite easily, but it still took me several days to get here. First time on a Muggle aircraft. Not an experience I would care to repeat!" He looked over to Hermione, his eyes glinting in the darkness. "Why so silent, Hermione? You weren't so quiet a few minutes ago."

"This isn't her fault, mate…"

"And I suggest you stop talking," Theo snapped, "and put your pants back on, for Circe's sake! You never did mind walking around with that thing flapping about."

"It never used to bother you, once upon a time," Cormac said quietly.

Theo opened his mouth to speak, changed his mind, and looked away. Hermione could see the tendon in his jaw jumping. She wanted to speak, to apologise, to beg forgiveness, but nothing would come out. Most of her wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and die of embarrassment.

"Come on, Theo," Cormac said, his trousers now held in front of himself, "I know you still hate me but don't take it out on her… if you knew everything, you'd understand-"

"I heard everything you said, and did, from the moment you got back here," Theo muttered.

"So you know it wasn't a decision we made lightly."

"I warned you, Hermione!" Theo cried, his voice cracking. "I told you he was after you, and you said I was being paranoid!"

Her heart ached at the tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Theo," she managed, her own tears spilling down her cheeks. "I didn't mean for this to happen, I promise you! I had no choice!"

"There was always a choice!" Theo yelled.

"The 'choice' was to let Cormac die!" she shouted back. "You cannot say you wouldn't have made the same decision as I, given the circumstances!"

Theo's arm shook as he gestured silently, then spun around and shoved the small, boxy television off the chest of drawers. "Fuck!"

They stayed frozen in the silence that followed the crash of the breaking television; Hermione curled up on the bed, biting her hand, the pillow clutched against her body; Theo stood with his back to her, fists on his hips; Cormac stood between the pair, trousers held poised ready to put back on.

He was the first to move in the end, swiftly yanking his trousers back on and reaching out towards Theo's back. Sensing the motion, Theo held up a hand, leaning away from him.

"Don't. Touch. Me."

Cormac backed away, hands held up in apology.

"I need you to admit that this… whole situation… admit that this is what you wanted, McLaggen. You're trying to get back something you lost."

Hermione frowned at that. Cormac was already shaking his head. "I promise you, Theo, this was not planned, by either of us! I would rather die than hurt you, either of you!"

"Not doing a good job of that promise, are you?"

"I deserve that," Cormac muttered with a rueful smile. "Okay, I'll admit…"

"Look," Theo interrupted, "I don't… I don't hate you, Cormac."

Cormac froze. "You… don't?"

Hermione could hear the hope in the man's voice, and though she wanted answers-to know the full truth of what happened between these two-she stayed silent, her lip between her teeth.

Theo sighed and turned to face them. "I still blame you, don't get me wrong, but it's all in the past. I have moved on, and I am happy. I love Hermione…" He stopped, his eyes flicking up to meet her wide-eyed gaze. She could see the faint blush that coloured his cheeks.

"You've never said that to me before," she whispered, her heart practically leaping from her chest and cartwheeling around the room.

"This isn't exactly how I pictured it coming out," he said quietly.

"I know," Hermione said, brushing a tear from her cheek, "and I love you too. I never wanted to hurt you, I promise."

"I am angry," Theo said, "but I also heard everything you said before… it happened. I should have come out of the bathroom then, then we could have had that talk you wanted. I'm not blameless here, so I'm sorry too."

There was a pause as they looked at each other, sheepish smiles on their faces. Cormac grinned. "This is great, a lovely moment in difficult circumstances. You both need this after what happened…" He paused as they both looked at him. "...and I'm ruining it, aren't I? Yup… sorry about that."

Theo rolled his eyes as Hermione shook her head. "Dick," they both muttered, and the three of them laughed, shattering the tension in the room.

The urn trembled, and Cormac clutched his heart with a cry of pain. He dropped to his knees as Theo went to his side, Hermione leaping to her feet and snatching her wand up.

Instinct more than anything made Hermione throw a shield charm around the three of them, and the razor-sharp needles of glass that burst from the shattering window rattled off of it in a burst of sparks. Protected as they were, she still gave a scream of fright as the hideous creature burst into the room through the broken pane, streaking across the room to snatch Cormac out of Theo's grasp and slam him against the wall.

"STOP!" Hermione screamed.

Theo blanched as the monster turned its dead gaze upon them. Hermione was stood at his back, wand raised, unconcerned at her nakedness before the ghostly figure.

"You cannot harm him! You told him to do this or die; he did what you commanded."

Then he will live… and be marked…

The hideous voice made all three of them shudder, its greasy magic fouling their senses.

"No," said Theo, standing now. "Your intention was that he cause a break-up, and that will not happen here."

Hermione reached out and took his hand, smiling softly as he squeezed it gently.

Infidelity…

"Not from him," Hermione said, raising her chin defiantly. "I made him. I gave him no choice!"

"And I do not blame her for what happened," Theo added, slipping his wand out of his pocket.

"I suggest you get back in your box, creature, or we will destroy you here and now."

The moment stretched out, and Hermione could feel the nervous sweat trickle between her shoulder blades; if it attacked her, she had no idea how she would defend against it without knowing it's true nature!

There was a sound, like a scream or the hiss of steam in reverse, and the monster evaporated. The mist left behind drifted rapidly to the urn, vanishing inside with a rush of noise.

As Cormac collapsed to the floor again, Hermione rushed forward, casting charms and curses over the urn, sealing it as tight as she could. Theo helped Cormac up again, half carrying him to the bed. He lay there, coughing and massaging his abused throat.

"That should hold her… at least until we can get this thing home."

"Good work, darling," Theo said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. He started to pull away but was stopped by her hand on his hip. She lifted her mouth to his, their bodies moulding to each other with a sigh.

"I think we all need to have a proper talk when we get home," she whispered, and Theo nodded, resting his head against her shoulder.

"We'll be okay though," Theo said. She smiled up at him, drawing his lips to hers again.

"I'm fine too, by the way," Cormac called from the bed, "just in case you were worried about me."

"For Circe's sake, McLaggen," Theo groaned against Hermione's mouth as she laughed.

The stairs barely made a sound under his feet as he stole up them slowly. He had followed the trail of clues from the flat to the bar. A discrete conversation with the barmaid had given him some hints, and though the first of those hadn't panned out, the second had led him to a small hotel on the edge of town. It hadn't taken much more than a whisper of magic to Confund the receptionist and steal the man's keys.

It sounded like Daphne and Theo were having a raucous good time in the room, and Cormac quietly inserted the master key into the lock. Slipping into the room he padded towards the bedroom, smiling at the opportunity to jump out on Theo for a change; normally they heard him coming, saw him before he got to them, but Theo must have been very distracted tonight.

He peered through a crack in the door. For the moment he could only see Daphne laid on the bed, gripping the bedposts, her breasts bouncing in time with Theo's thrusts. The sight and sounds served to make him hard.

He shoved the door open. "Surprise, shitheads… What the fucking hell is this? Who the fuck are you?!"

Cormac stared as the person fucking Daphne staggered back in surprise, her large breasts glistening with sweat, the strap on bouncing slightly as it slipped out of Daphne's slit.

"Jesus…" she squeaked, "who is this Daph?"

Daphne grinned at Cormac. "Surprise yourself, lover boy."

"The hell… What the fuck, Daphne?" Cormac raged. "This isn't the game, at all. Where's Theo?"

"Who's Theo," the other woman asked.

"You shut the fuck up and sit down!" he roared, feeling a flash of remorse at the look of terror that crossed the young girl's face. Fuck me, she's no more than eighteen, if she's a day!

"Now now, Cormac, don't be mean to Cheryl," Daphne tutted, "she's my girlfriend now. You boys can have some man on man love, why can't I have some girl on girl?"

"That's not how this works, you cheating cow! You don't get to go off and fuck someone else without consulting the two of us!"

"I have to run my choice of lovers past you two? Controlling much?" Daphne sneered.

Cormac ran a shaking hand through his hair, desperately trying to pull back his urge to slap her or break something in the room. "It's not about control, it's about honesty! You and me, we're a couple… I thought we had some sort of trust! You and Theo are a couple too! Does he know?"

"No, you're the lucky winner of tonight's prize. And trust? That's how this polyamory should work, in my opinion: we get to sleep with whoever we want, and sometimes we can all sleep together too." She shrugged, unconcerned at Cormac's clenched fists.

Cormac lost his temper completely, smashing his fist into the wall. Luckily for him, it was plasterboard, and his fist dented it inwards. "If you're in a relationship," he yelled, "and you go and fuck someone else behind your partner's back, it's called cheating, you fucking bitch!"

He sighed, the hand over his eyes shaking slightly. "I think I said some other things that I'm not proud of that night. I have no idea what… I just saw red."

Hermione lifted a hand out from under the sheet that covered her, resting it on his arm. "I'm sorry you walked in on that, Cormac. It must have been horrible."

"I remember telling her that Theo and I were done with her." He looked past Hermione at the man in question. "Sorry for speaking for you, but I was so angry I wasn't thinking straight."

"It hardly matters at this point," Theo replied with a half shrug, his eyes unreadable. He lay on the other side of the bed with his head propped on one hand.

"What happened after that?" Hermione said, resting her other hand on Theo's on top of the sheet.

"Cormac came and found me," Theo said, picking up the story. "I was angry as well when I heard, for the same reasons, and I went to talk to Daphne." He took a sip of his drink, the three of them silent for a moment, lost in reflection. "I found her and this Cheryl. We talked, I... said some hurtful things too. Not my finest moment."

"Probably the politest dressing down she's ever had, considering you hardly ever swear," Cormac laughed. "Try and get him to say 'fuck', Hermione, go on. It's almost impossible! A gentleman on the streets-"

"Yes, thank you for that," Theo said firmly.

Hermione tutted at Cormac. "So what happened after that," she said to Theo.

"Nothing. After I had said my piece, I left." Theo gave another half shrug, but he didn't meet their eyes. Twisting slightly, he plucked his drink from the bedside table and finished it with a flick of his wrist, hissing as the whiskey burned.

"That's the first time I've heard you lie directly, Theo," Cormac said quietly.

Hermione frowned at Cormac but didn't miss Theo's glare.

"What does he mean?" Hermione said. "I told you I wanted to know the truth. All of it, even the ugly parts."

"There's no way that's the whole truth," Cormac said, folding his arms over his chest. "Sure you probably said some things, but when you came to me the next day, you said that I had ruined it for you. You were angry and fired up the night before. How did that change to me being the cause?"

"Alright, dial the smug git act down a little," Theo said, rolling his eyes. "I wanted to get to know Cheryl, see if Daphne and I could still make a go of it." He had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Theo…" Hermione sighed.

"Ha! I knew it!"

Hermione casually slapped Cormac's shoulder. "Why? That's… I'm sorry, love, but that is very weak of you..."

"You basically said 'sure, shag my woman, as long as I get to meet you afterwards it's all fine!'"

Hermione slapped Cormac again, harder this time. "Do try not to be a complete dick for once, please." Cormac gave her an offended look, massaging his shoulder, but she ignored him. "I'm very aware that it's a tad hypocritical of me to say that considering…" She coughed delicately "...everything, but back then… Why would you do that?"

"At the time?" Theo stared at the ceiling, his expression clouded. "I was in love or thought I was. I didn't want to lose her, what we had. I thought that it could be salvaged."

Hermione nodded. "And she turned you down."

"She laughed in my face. She told me that, after what Cormac had said to her, we could both go and jump."

"Which led to you and Cormac having a screaming match in the Ministry cafeteria all that time ago?"

"I'd hardly say it was a screaming match," Theo muttered, not looking at either of them.

"Pretty sure you called me," Cormac cleared his throat and put on an overly polite voice, "an 'unwelcome pimple on the anus of society', and that it was 'impossible to underestimate me'. I didn't think that one was too bad until I'd thought about for a bit."

Hermione gave a snort of laughter and quickly covered her mouth. She glanced at Cormac's grin and then at Theo, who was determinedly not looking at either of them. There was a hint of pink on his cheeks. "A pimple on the anus of society?"

"Not my best retort, I'll admit."

"I just called him a fucking moron who couldn't see the truth if it slapped him in the dick," Cormac said with a wide smile.

Theo sighed. "Yes, well, your delight at vulgar language in public has always been a constant problem."

"You swear, " Hermione stage-whispered. "A lot."

"Yes, thank you, Hermione, I understood that one!"

"And so you shouted that Cormac was the reason for the break-up, Cormac was saying that Daphne was the reason, and everyone hearing only half the story figured that Daphne cheated with Cormac."

"Pretty much, yeah," Cormac said, "and because the rest of our society feels that people with more than one partner are freaks and weirdos there wasn't really a chance for me to clear my name. Besides, the only person I actually cared about getting forgiveness from was you, Theo."

Theo glanced over at Cormac, meeting his eyes and holding them. Hermione subtly leant back into the soft material of the headboard, trying to avoid getting between the two men. Inwardly, she smiled at the expressions on their faces; there was a chance that things were about to get very interesting here. More than ever, she was glad that the men had come around tonight, that Theo had used the key she had given him. And that, instead of letting her get out of bed where she had been happily reading, they had simply helped themselves to a couple of drinks, kicked their shoes off, and lay down on either side of her. She was especially glad that she had decided to have a bath and shave her legs tonight, rather than wait and just have a shower in the morning!

"I can see, now that enough time has passed, that I misjudged your heart," Theo said. "I know you were as hurt as I was, and I took my frustration out on you. It was unfair of me to do that, and I apologise."

"You know," Cormac said, just as quietly, "there was a time that I planned on asking you out, making our relationship more than just getting together to have sex with Daphne."

"I'd probably have said yes to that," Theo replied, his cheeks bright red but still gazing into his eyes.

Cormac was leaning closer now, and Hermione's fists were clenched in the sheet, her lip held firmly between her teeth, eyes shining.

Cormac noticed and frowned at her. "What's up with you?"

"If you two don't kiss each other right now, I swear I'm going to scream!" she cried.

"We… wait, are you okay with that?" Theo asked. "I mean, after everything, do you think it's a good idea?"

"Theo, I love you," she said, leaning forward to kiss him softly. "You also know that I am not averse to a polyamorous relationship. I just never found someone who felt the same, nor understood the concept fully. Cormac," she turned to him and grinned, "you're an uncouth pain in the arse, but kind of sexy when you make an effort. I would be more than happy to talk about you two being a couple if that's something you both want." She lifted her arms, cupping both their cheeks. "This anger and resentment that you've both been holding onto needs to be purged, and I think a nice kiss would go a long way towards that…" She sat back with a smirk on her face. "Now come along, there's a good boy."

Theo turned towards Cormac, about to speak, to question him, but found the other man's lips already on his. The kiss was heated, hungry, and Hermione felt her body respond to the raw passion.

"Oh my," she whispered as Theo gripped the back of Cormac's head, fingers tangling in the blond hair. Cormac was already undoing Theo's shirt, the pair of them now knelt on either side of her. Neither of them seemed to notice as she gently ran her hands over their backsides.

Cormac pushed Theo's shirt off his shoulders, tugging it free of his arms and throwing it aside. Theo stopped him then. "Wait, Cormac, we're in Hermione's home, this is probably not something-"

"If you two stop," Hermione interrupted, "I will not be happy. You've got me all turned on with your antics. I don't want you two to leave and then have to deal with it by myself!"

"You hear that, Theo? As a gentleman, there's no way we can leave the poor lady in such distress!"

"Are you sure-" Theo began.

"I really do wish you'd stop fighting me on these things," Hermione said, rolling her eyes, pulling him down towards her and claiming his mouth for a fierce kiss. "It's much easier that way."

"Far be it from me to stop you from doing what you want, my dear, but I would hate to think that we didn't have your consent-"

"Oh, you have it!" she said, grinning mischievously. "Full, unequivocal consent!" She nodded her head towards Cormac. "I may not want to be his girlfriend-"

"Rude," Cormac said, shifting to strip the sheet away from Hermione's bed.

"-but I am more than happy to join in with play time, as and when you want me." Free of the sheet, Hermione sat up and kissed the men in turn, then pushed them towards each other again. "Now, kiss nicely while I have a little fun."

In short order, while Theo helped Cormac out of his t-shirt, Hermione had undone their zippers and freed their hardening cocks. Kneeling on the bed, she took first one, then the other into her mouth, her hand working the shafts rapidly. It didn't take long for the men to turn their attention to her as well; even as they continued to kiss, their hands were pulling her nightgown up, revealing her arse, hands slipping between her buttocks and down to her thighs, skating over sensitive flesh.

Theo kissed his way down Cormac's body, tongue dipping briefly into the man's naval before sucking gently on the head of his cock.

"Fuck me, I've missed that," Cormac muttered, staring down at Theo and Hermione. The pair took it in turns to suck on his length, kissing each other as they worked Comac's cock between them. Cormac's fingers slipped inside Hermione's wet slit, producing a sighing moan from the witch.

"Bedside cabinet," she said, tapping Theo on the arm and gesturing. A quick rummage produced a clear bottle, filled with a gelatinous liquid. "Lubricant," she whispered, pulling Theo down in front of her.

Smiling at her excitement, Theo spread his legs and let Hermione pump a generous handful of the fruit-flavoured liquid into her palm, before working it slowly over his cock and down between his buttocks. He lay back with a contented sigh as her tongue and mouth continued to pleasure the head of his cock and her fingers massaged and pressed against his arsehole. As she slipped her first digit past the tight circle of muscles, she gave a shuddering moan, her head rearing back: Cormac had gripped her hips and slid his cock inside her with one smooth motion.

"Oh shit," she gasped, "warn a girl before you do that!"

"Where's the fun in that," Cormac said with a laugh, setting a steady rhythm. "Fuck, you are so wet."

"And where are you going?" she asked Theo, as he shifted about on the bed, snagging the bottle of lubricant. Her eyes lit up as he spun around and shuffled his way underneath her.

His lubricated fingers began to stroke her clit, and the sensation of the two men working in tandem on her made her eyes roll up in her head. She tried to maintain a regular rhythm on Theo's cock, stroking and squeezing, but the intensity was building fast. Her excitement from earlier meant her orgasm was close already. Very soon she could only hang onto the mattress, fingernails digging into the fabric. Her body tensed. The wonderful feelings shot through her body, quivering and trembling, Theo continuing to flick her clit back and forth with his tongue. All too soon she couldn't take it anymore. With an inarticulate cry, she pulled away, collapsing onto her back further up the bed and panting for breath.

She lost track of time as the post-orgasmic glow ebbed away. Soft moans made her stir after a while, and she opened her eyes. They were spooned up against each other, Theo's cock slowly sliding in and out of Cormac's arse. She lay back and simply watched, enjoying the erotic display with a smile on her lips. Cormac was in a state of euphoria, eyes closed, mouth hanging open. Theo noticed Hermione watching and locked eyes with her, grinning as she crawled towards him.

He leant his head back as she kissed him, their tongues slithering and sliding across each other as he began to pick up the pace, prompting louder moans from Cormac.

"Make him cum for me, Hermione," Theo murmured against her mouth.

With a delighted laugh, Hermione shifted around to Cormac's front. Laying upside down to his position, she kissed him hard, before guiding his mouth to her breasts. Gradually she slid herself down his body, letting his mouth touch every part of her, before gently sliding the tip of his cock into her mouth. Theo's thrusts slid it in and out, in and out, deeper and deeper. Cormac's cock slipped out of her mouth as she reared back, taking a deep breath. Saliva made it slick, and her free hand slid along it quickly and easily.

She felt Cormac's hands grip her thighs, dragging her crotch against his face. His mouth sucked and lapped at her wet slit, rubbing deliciously against her sensitive clit, before plunging his tongue deeper inside her. Thighs tightened, and calf muscles pulled as her leg wrapped around the back of Cormac's head and pulled him closer. Stars flashed behind her eyelids, and Cormac's tongue began to wet her arse, sliding over and around her tight hole. A simple shift of position-pushing her hips forward-gave him easier access, and he wasted no time in pushing his tongue into her arse, encouraged by her loud cries.

It was a race to finish, it seemed; Theo thrusting faster and faster as Hermione stroked and sucked Cormac, and he, in turn, shifted his focus to her clit and brought her closer and closer to another mind-blowing orgasm.

In the end, Cormac came first, filling Hermione's mouth and splashing her chest. Theo gave a shout a moment later as Cormac tensed, the additional pressure helping to drive him over the edge. Hermione thought her orgasm was going to slip away as Cormac's rhythm faltered, but he rallied quickly, pushing her onto her back and spreading her legs wide. His mouth covered her clit, sucking and lapping.

She didn't last much longer.

Hermione stirred, opening her eyes and finding herself alone in the bed. The sheets were fresh and clean, and she had her nightgown on again. She must have slept very soon afterwards, because she didn't remember much after a certain point. It was just this warm fuzzy blackness.

Looking around, she saw Theo and Cormac sat on the small balcony outside her lounge. Both were dressed and holding large mugs, steam rising from the contents. They were smiling and laughing at whatever it was they were talking about.

With a stretch and a contented sigh, Hermione moved to join them.

The sun was coming up over London, and a new day was beginning. In more ways than one, she thought with a grin.

The End

A/N:

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it!

For those interested, more details about the South American legends referenced in this fic can be found on many different websites. This is not a definitive list, as I used several different sources in my research, but it's a decent enough starting point for the curious:

en. wikipedia wiki/Cihuateteo
en. wikipedia wiki/La_Llorona
en. wikipedia wiki/Sayona

Also, for those interested in more of my nonsense and would like sneak peeks of upcoming projects/fics etc-or even have an occasional say in what I'm writing-please join my Facebook Group - Writing, Music, Weirdness: The Nathaniel Cardeu Show ( www. facebook groups/167360040709268/?ref=bookmarks). I'd be delighted to see you there!

** As FF doesn't allow weblinks, just copy and paste into your browser window, delete the spaces and the links above should work :)