Okay, so ya'all suckered me into a sequel. If you haven't read PINNED, it's recommended that you read that one first. It'll just flow better.
Let me first say that the reviews for Pinned were awesome. Thanks to all who took the time to say a few words of encouragement…it has inspired this sequel.
Well, here it is. Just so you know, Draco and Hermione become a bit more OOC in this one – but I tried not to go over the top with it. Believe me there was more to the ending, but I decided after some helpful advice from my sister, to save some things for later. And hey, that might mean a sequel to this sequel. As always, please review and let me know what you think.
JK Rowling is the keeper of all that is Harry Potter. I own nothing…damn it.
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TRAPPED
As soon as the heavy double doors closed behind her, Hermione flat out ran to her dormitory. She needed to get away. With favorite book and blanket in hand, she left her room and was scurrying back through the portrait hole in all of 5 minutes, almost knocking down Harry and Ron returning from Quidditch practice. She didn't look back, not even when Ron inquired if she was okay; just a quick "Not now Ron, I'm late for…something," was all they heard before she disappeared down the staircase.
"What could she possibly be late for? It's Saturday."
"Who knows," Harry answered. "Come on mate, let's get the Flitwick essay done tonight so we can actually have a day in Hogsmeade tomorrow."
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Hermione quickly grabbed a snack in the Great Hall and left the castle making her way out to the lake. She could barely breathe. The walls seemed to be closing in around her; she had to get out. She reached the lake without seeing anyone. Most of the students who were out here earlier had gone to the Great Hall for lunch. Heading towards the far side of the lake where it bordered the dark forest, she found a comfortable and secluded spot, spread the blanket and sat down leaning against a tree. One deep breath, then another….'Calm yourself Hermione…it meant nothing…absolutely nothing.'
She closed her eyes and just sat there, book forgotten; sat and listened to the birds chattering in their nests, hoping it would block the confrontation that occurred between her and Malfoy. Unfortunately, it proved to be more difficult than she thought. And the birdsong became more of an annoyance than a distraction. Not at all as therapeutic as she hoped.
"You stupid…stupid…stupid girl," she berated herself quietly while she banged the back of her head against the tree. 'What have you done and why…why did you do it?'
"Better take it easy Granger, if you keep banging your head like that all your clever brains might spill out." Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the familiar drawl. He was standing in front of her, hands in his pockets, looking down at her with that trademark smirk of his. She quickly scrambled to stand and backed away a few steps. Hermione wanted as much distance between them as possible. "What do you want now?" she asked trying to keep her voice from trembling.
"I don't want anything Granger. I'm just out for a walk enjoying the lovely afternoon," he said taking a few steps closer to her. Hermione mirrored his steps, retreating slowly. "Who knew spending the morning cooped up in the library finishing my paper was going to be so…physically trying?" He was still advancing on her, but not in a threatening way. Though he did manage to back her around to the other side of the tree.
"Malfoy, I came out here to be alone. So if you wouldn't mind leaving..."
"Oh, I would mind. I have a right to be here, same as you."
"But I was here first," she said lamely.
"What if I told you this was my most favorite spot by the lake? I always come here after a rigorous bout of…studying." Suddenly, Hermione ran out of room and found herself completely backed against the tree. He continued forward so that he was standing directly in front of her.
"Please go," she pleaded softly.
"Nope." He leaned against the tree, trapping her between his arms. She had nowhere to go.
"Fine, then…I…I'll find someplace else." She started to move away from him, but he pushed her back, trapping her once again.
"You're not going anywhere."
"Malfoy…please." His actions and nearness were making her uncomfortable.
"Not until we get something settled."
"And what's that?" she asked trying to look and sound defiant.
"Some things need to be clarified, my little Gryffindor. Back in the library…I may have said you were as good and me, but I didn't say you were better than me."
"Not this again Malfoy. Can't you just let it go? I already proved…"
"All you proved was that you could keep up with me. I'll give you points for taking me unawares, but that doesn't mean you're better."
You're being ridiculous, Malfoy," she was getting annoyed by his continued harping on their earlier conversation in the library.
"Am I? Name one thing that you're better at."
"I get better grades," she said squaring her shoulders.
"Nope, try again."
"What? Yes I do. Ask anyone."
"Our grades are equal Granger, we both got the same number of Outstandings on our OWL's.
"Friends…I have better friends…"
"Ha! I'm going to have to disagree again. How good a person's friends are, is a matter of one's own personal opinion. I think your friends stink. As I'm sure you think the same of mine – so we are at an impasse in the friends department. Anything else?"
His nearness was making her uncomfortable. She couldn't think. Even though she knew it was a lie, she didn't know what else to do but admit defeat. She took a cleansing breath and spoke softly and calmly. "Fine. You want me to admit that you're better than me? Okay, you're better than me...at what – I have no idea, but if me admitting it helps you sleep better at night, well then, there you have it. Can I go now?"
"Absolutely not."
"Ugh!" she cried in frustration, "what do you want from me Malfoy?"
"That's a loaded question if I ever heard one."
"You're a walking contradiction, do you know that?" she suddenly said, completely changing the subject.
"Really?" he said intrigued inching a little closer. "In what way?"
"Not 2 hours ago, you said I was useless and an inconvenience to everyone. If that's the case, why did you waste your time in the library asking me questions about my personal life that you couldn't possibly care about? And what's with all the questions now? You should be as far from me as possible."
"You of all people should understand wanting to prove a point."
"This goes a little beyond proving a point, Malfoy. I'd wager that you weren't just out for a walk by the lake, I think you sought me out. Why? You've hated me for years so, why would you waste your precious time keeping me in this uncomfortable position pinned to a tree like some animal caught in a trap?"
"Lord, Granger," he said sighing heavily. "Do you always have to debate a topic to death?"
She stared at him, brow furrowed, unsure how to proceed. "I have just one last question Malfoy, and this time I want an answer."
"Oh, all right," he said as if bored. "Which one did you want answered? There seemed to be a quite a few in that little tirade…"
"Why did you kiss me?"
"What? I didn't kiss you Granger, you kissed me."
"I kissed you the first time. But then you kissed me."
"No I didn't," he said pretending shock from the accusation.
"Oh, yes you did. And don't even try to deny it, I was the one being kissed. I may not have as much experience as you, but I have been kissed before. I'm sure I even have the bruise on my neck to prove it." She lifted up the hair from her neck and showed him.
"I don't see anything," he said innocently.
"I can feel the soreness, Malfoy. You grabbed my neck and pulled me to you…hard."
"Perhaps I should take a closer look, hmmm?" He leaned in and tried to nuzzle against her neck.
"Get off of me you stupid git." She pushed against.
"Now, now. If you're claiming that I hurt you, it's only right for me to take a look and do whatever I can to heal you." He leaned in again. "Is it here?" he said softly against her neck then kissed her pulse point.
"Stop that," she said trying again to push him off her.
"Or here?" this time he placed a kiss a little further up behind her ear. She shivered and tilted her neck involuntarily. Malfoy tutted softly. "I really don't see a mark here Granger, but we can most certainly remedy that". Moving his lips back to her pulse point he began licking and kissing and sucking on her neck. Hermione moved her hands to his shoulders not sure if she was trying to support herself or if in a feeble attempt to push him away. Malfoy held onto her waist and spun them. She hadn't expected it and a gasp escaped her lips. Now his back was against the tree, giving him better access to her neck. He pulled her against him, tightly snaking his arms around her and holding her close. As he continued to suck on her neck, Hermione resisted less and less.
"Please Malfoy," she begged. The sensible side of her brain was hoping he would let her go. The wanton side of her brain was hoping he wouldn't stop. Her hands moved of their own volition – she was now holding his head to her neck, her breath increasing to a pant. If Malfoy had been a vampire, she'd have no blood left. At last he pulled away and looked at her completely satisfied.
"There now, that's a mark to be proud of," he said mischievously.
"What!" she put her hand to her neck and backed away. "You didn't."
"I sure as bloody hell did."
"You are such a….a…."
"More definitions, Granger? Where does your excessive vocabulary end? You should be thanking me – that mark will do numbers for your non-existent reputation."
"I don't want a reputation."
"There in lies your problem Granger."
"Why did you do that?"
"It's fun to piss you off?" he said enjoying her discomfort.
"Ha! I don't think so…that's the second time you voluntarily kissed me. What's going on with you Malfoy? Tell me the truth."
"Everyone else is busy with their homework or at lunch…" examining his impeccable manicured nails, "I had no one to play with." He was trying his best to play at being a sad child who lost his favorite toy. She didn't buy it.
"Come on Malfoy." She had her arms crossed over her chest, her head tilted and a glare of death shooting from her eyes. Ah, the feisty Granger was back – he liked her this way.
"Alright, alright…what happened in the library…it got me hot, okay? Even you and your lack of experience should have noticed that. I believe you even used it to your advantage. But at the same time, I found it, shall we say, unfulfilling. I think you should finish what you started – or do you want to be labeled as a tease?"
"You're the one who started it with the 'I'm better than you crap'."
"Ah, which brings us back to your still unanswered question – How are you better than me?"
They were speaking in circles. "I already admitted…" she began then changed course. "I have feelings, which, clearly you don't", she answered rubbing the spot on her neck, hoping that would make it disappear
"I do so have feelings. And right now I feel like a good snog, and since you're the one who got me all randy to begin with and since you're the only one around, I thought…"
"Go find Pansy – I'm sure she'd be more than happy to satisfy you're feelings."
"Nope. I find the prospect of your uncharted territory much more appealing. And if you play your cards right, you just might learn a thing or two."
"I don't want to learn anything from you. Besides, one way or another you'd probably end up holding it against me."
"Holding something against you can most definitely be arranged, Granger – but don't get ahead of yourself. You have plenty of things to learn before you go giving it away."
She was astonished. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but all she could get out was a few squeaks of outrage. She couldn't believe what he had just implied.
"Come on Granger, not everything can be learned in a book. It's not every girl that gets an offer like this from me." Hermione burst out laughing and turned to leave. He caught her wrist and spun her back to face him.
"Don't walk away from a win/win situation, Granger. You'll gain the sexual education of a lifetime and I'll get satisfaction of having been the one to teach you, instead of your two asexual friends."
"I don't think so Malfoy", she started to pull away, but he tightened his grip and pulled her to him so that her back was against his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Whispering in her ear he said, "Tell me you didn't like the feel of me underneath you…and don't lie," he added quickly when she opened her mouth to deny it. "I heard you moan at the feel of me between your legs." Hermione blushed and looked away. "Being bad feels pretty good, doesn't it?"
She didn't comment. Too many thoughts were running through her mind. Learning from Malfoy…it scared her and excited her at the same time. If she didn't, would he force her? If she did something wrong, would he laugh at her? And what if he used this experience to ruin her reputation. What if he told Harry and Ron, what would they think? Would they still be her friends?
She looked over her shoulder at him, eying him suspiciously. "Why would you do this for me? With me?"
He hugged her tighter, and she instinctively rested her arms over his. "I think we found some common ground in the library earlier. Perhaps that can be developed a bit. It would definitely help the inter-house unity that Dumbledore keeps prattling on about."
"What common ground?" she asked suspiciously.
"Well, we found that you have a nasty streak buried somewhere beneath your goody-goody image. That side of you appeals to me…makes me curious as to what other personality traits you have hidden away which I might enjoy. We also found out that I didn't throw up after you kissed me, so you're obviously not as vile as I've always imagined."
"What you see is what you get, Malfoy."
"Hardly. If you hadn't shown me your forceful side, I never would have kissed you back. Sure, in the past you've been easily angered, but this time – you took it a step further – you crossed over a threshold, one that we both may have been unconsciously teetering on for a long time. Bully for you for having had the guts to cross it first."
"But you were the one who pushed me to…"
"I may have taunted you, but you took the initiative and kissed me first. You're just pissed and scared because you got off on it."
"I don't even know why we're discussing this. I..I didn't like…this is ridiculous. I will not do this."
"If you weren't interested in my proposition, you would have walked away from me by now." He practically purred in her ear.
"I tried…you wouldn't let me…"
"Go?" He let go of her. "I'm not forcing you to stay. You can walk away anytime."
"Why am I even considering this?" she asked looking at the sky as if trying to find an answer.
"You…liked…it," Malfoy said simply. "You enjoyed what happened between us in the library, just admit it and we can get started. Lord Granger, I didn't think this afternoon was going to end up in debate…and if anyone should be questioning his or her sanity Granger, it should be me. Just goes to show how much our little encounter effected me." He shook his head in disbelief, thinking back about what happened. "I would have pegged you for a submissive in the bedroom."
"And I would have pegged you as the demanding and dominant one."
She was coming around and he knew it. All he had to do was seal the deal.
"I am, but in this case, I'll make an exception…purely educational, you understand?"
"If this is some sort of trick to humiliate me, I swear on all that is magic – I will kill you. Do you understand?"
He smiled a condescending smile, "do you really think I'll go bragging to my fellow Slytherins? I'd be ostracized by my whole house - not to mention what Father would do to me if he found out…"
"What about Harry and Ron? I'm sure you'd just love to tell them."
"True, I would love to rub it in their faces…but then it would get back to my housemates and then you know, the ostracized bit."
"Do you swear this isn't some sort of a trick? – that you will never hurt me or humiliate me – publicly or privately." He nodded. "Cross your heart and hope to die?" It came out a little more childish than she planned, but he understood her meaning perfectly. Malfoy took out his wand, held the tip over his heart and made a crossing motion while repeating the phrase. Satisfied, she nodded her consent.
"Now, where do you want me?" he asked as if getting down to business.
"Out of my site." She turned and started to walk away.
"What?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'She was just going to walk away from this proposition…from me? No one walks away from snogging a Malfoy! Is she totally insane?'
"One day I may take you up on your offer Malfoy, but one thing is for certain…today is not that day. I'll seek you out if I ever decide to join you on the other side of that threshold." Hermione walked back to the castle trying desperately not to break into a run. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might burst through her chest.
Malfoy crossed his arms, leaned against the tree and watched her go. He never thought he'd see the day where a girl, any girl, would play hard to get with him…let alone Miss Hermione Granger.
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Sooooo? What do you guys think? I have more…do you want more?
The quote: " Being bad feels pretty good" was borrowed from The Breakfast Club.
