Walking down a hallway had never been such an event. With every step the tension mounted between the three as they walked side by side down to the boys' room. Being the Head girl meant that Hermione knew where all of the house dorms were located. When Blaise and Draco turned down an unfamiliar corridor in the dungeons she was confused. As if sensing the pending question the blonde spoke up.
"When two Gryffindors got named the Heads Snape decided to make us the unofficial Heads of Slytherin house. If anyone has any problems they can come to us instead of having to go to him." He caught the look on her face. "No Hermione, as good a Head girl as you are no Slytherins save for the two of us feel comfortable talking to you both because you are a Gryffindor and as a member of Potter's trio. Tell me that Gryffindors would line up to see us if Blaise and I were Heads…" She had to concede that point. "Snape gave us our own rooms. They're just a couple of corridors away if any of the Slytherins ever need to see us." She was a little put out. She had had to make head girl to get her own rooms.
"But which one of you is Head girl?" She was teasing but she wasn't expecting the reply that she received. Both of her companions' minds went strait to the gutter. It really was a situational question. Blaise decided that his line of thinking was dangerous for the tender balance of his control. A glance sideways showed that Draco was obviously thinking along the same lines.
"Well Draco is quite the drama queen…" Draco was snapped out of his reverie involving all of the possible meanings behind 'Head Boy' and 'Head Girl' in relation to the two people next to him.
"If anyone is the girl here it's you Zabini. It takes you longer to decide what tie to wear…" He gave Hermione a playful smirk. "Honestly, stripes or solid, green or silver, the Chinese silk or the Moroccan silk, it's rather ridiculous."
"I only did that for the Christmas ball that your father hosted last year… Hermione, love, don't let him fool you… he purposely tousles his hair." Before she could comprehend the 'love' Draco spoke up.
"Well Blaise thickens his accent on purpose when the situation calls for it." It was startling for her to see these two normally controlled men having such a playful and slightly petty argument.
"Boys! I'm sorry. I was just playing. Why don't we let me be Head Girl for now and you two can discuss it more in depth later." The glares between them softened slightly. There was no reason for either to be having a battle in front of Hermione. They weren't competing for her they were trying to bring her around for both of them. Acting like first years wouldn't help the situation.
They had arrived at a light on the wall. It looked to be exactly the same as every other light that lit the corridor.
"Entri Nel Fuoco" Blaise's deep voice was even more lyrical when he spoke in his natural language. The sound floated over her like a caress and sent her heart beating just a little faster. The flames from the light suddenly sprang to life and skittered over the wall. They curved over the stone and outlined an archway. The stone within the flames shimmered and the archway was suddenly a doorway that opened into a common room.
The room was gorgeous and she couldn't help but look around. This was nicer than the rooms that she shared with Harry, or it could just be that they suited her better. The first thing to catch her eye was a set of large bookcases settled against the wall opposite. She was itching to go over and see what books they had. She was positive that more than a few couldn't be found in the Hogwarts library or even on a shelf at Flourish and Blotts. The guys smirked at each other at the look on her face and the unintentional couple of steps she took towards the bookcases. They took a few steps as well and it allowed the archway to become whole again.
Hermione tore her eyes away from the plethora of books before she settled in and started reading all of them. Instead she looked around the rest of the room. Comfy looking black couches were set up conversationally in front of a huge stone fireplace. Hermione loved stone fireplaces. This one was carved right out of the thick dungeon walls. A mahogany table sat in the middle and had more books stacked on it neatly. Just past that was the entrance to a kitchenette. That confused her. She and Harry didn't have a kitchenette in the Head dorms. There wasn't really a need.
Blaise saw her pondering the kitchen with her gaze. "As fond as I any type of food and the never ending tea resources of Hogwarts I sometimes find that I am in desperate need of coffee or of a good Italian meal."
"Blaise is an excellent cook and I daresay that he has me addicted to his coffee." They moved past her Blaise to one of the couches in front of the fireplace and Draco to the kitchenette. A wave of the Italian's wand had a fire in the grate. She crossed the room and took a seat on the couch opposite him. The intensity of the situation was returning.
"Tea then? Or would you prefer coffee?"
"I'll stick with tea for now although I may have to have a cup of that coffee at some point"
"Mother's Tea D. You know how to make it." She had never heard him refer to the blonde in such a casual way. She assumed it was because they were back in their rooms and had relaxed a bit. Blaise sure looked relaxed with one ankle resting on his knee and one arm stretched across the back of the couch. It had pulled the sweater a little tighter and was showing the lean body off. The sound of the kettle whistling rang through the room. She was trying not to launch herself over the table at the currently silent Slytherin and the loud noise startled her. She took the time to look at the other side of the room. Three doors were set into the wall. Two were side by side. They each had beautifully inscribed lettering on them of DM and BZ. It was obviously the doors to their bedrooms. The other was probably the restroom. The sound of tinkling china brought her to face the man now carrying a tray with three cups on it. He set it down on the table in front of them and took a seat next to Blaise.
"It's black. That's how Blaise and I take it. We have cream and sugar as well though." He loved the way she looked in their room. It would be easy for he and Blaise to release their pheromones again, and Merlin knew their incubi wanted them to, but he found himself wanting her to want them as them, not for their incubi capabilities. He already knew that she valued them for their intellect and they were all now 'friends', he just wanted to make sure that she wanted the men before her as men and not as a byproduct of a chemical reaction.
"Black is fine." She wasn't making it easy for his stance on taking the high road. She blew across the surface of the tea to cool it and in the process sent their minds spiraling. The action definitely drew attention to her lips that were dark and swollen from her teeth's worrying of them. The two warlocks watched intently as she lifted the cup to her lips.
Her eyes drifted shut for a moment. The warm liquid seemed to soothe some of the tightness within her. Her mind was calm and clear. She floated on the feeling for a moment before remembering that she wasn't alone. She opened her eyes to meet two calculating stares.
"With mid-year exams not too far away mother sent us this tea. It's infused with a calming potion as well as one to clear your head. It's wonderful after studying or an exam."
"I would have to agree. This tea is quite useful." She took another sip and relaxed back into the plush cushions behind her. By now the contrasting pair had also picked up their own cups and drank. For them the calming agent was also working against their rowdy incubi who were calling for them to make use of the comfortable couches. "I don't understand why, out of all the girls at Hogwarts who would readily kill for either of you to say a word to them, that you would choose to spend two afternoons and an evening with me."
Blaise and Draco nearly choked on their tea. They would have thought they imagined it if not for what she said next.
"I had a dream about you two. You two and me. I mean there you are all perfect in those sweaters. That table isn't much of a barrier to be honest. A simple moving spell and it would be out of the way…. I really can't decide who I like better. You're both so pretty…" Both of their minds metaphorically exploded. Here was the verbal proof that she did in fact like and want them. And apparently she had a thing for their sweaters.
"Hermione are you feeling all right?"
"Mentally and Health-wise yes. Physically kind of. I feel warm and tingly."
"What did you put in her tea Draco?" Brown eyes bored into his as though trying to rip the answer out of him.
"I didn't put anything in her tea, git. I wouldn't do that." He knew better than to take offense at that. The situation dictated the question.
"Then what's going on?" Blaise hissed.
"I have no bloody clue." The blonde hissed back.
"Merlin you two are sexy when you're angry. You should really think about getting really angry at each other and then kiss in the middle of the argument. If you record it you could make a lot of money." Her voice drifted off and her eyes glazed. It was easy to see that she was imaging the situation that she had just created with her words.
Said angry men were startled enough to stop and just goggle at her. They had never imagined her saying anything like that. Ever. They looked back at each other, their heads tilted in confusion. Something was going on. This definitely wasn't the girl that they knew. Apparently the incubi weren't inclined to argue over petty things like whether she was in her right mind. The human sides of them were starting to be swayed by the whispered temptations.
"Draco when you're calm what happens?"
"Blaise… what?" He really wasn't in the state of mind to be answering questions. Distractions from his tenuous grip on his control wasn't a good idea at them moment.
"Being relaxed lowers your inhibitions. The tea has an affect that lasts a while. Her inhibitions are practically gone. We never noticed the effect because we're not exactly uptight around each other." Made sense to Draco. And now that he knew that it was nothing but lowered inhibitions he had no qualms in taking control of the situation.
"Hermione," After drawing her attention away from her mental musings and onto himself he continued. "I would like to inform you that your dream could become a reality if you so desired." He let that sink in for a moment. Then in pure Draco style he resorted to action more than to words. Reaching over he grabbed Blaise and before the darker haired man could protest sealed their lips together. It was quick but enough to prove the heat that resided between them. After he had released his hold he quickly drew his wand and swept his arm moving both the unoccupied couch and the coffee table between them further into the center of the room and unobstructing his path to her.
She didn't really notice him walking over to her. Her eyes were still glued to the spot where the two warlocks had kissed. It was as though she were still watching it in her mind. Her aura had been steadily increasing since drinking the tea but it had spiked and was now a red that he had previously only seen surrounding himself and Blaise.
Bracing both hands against the cushions on either side of her head he leaned down and kissed her like he had just kissed Blaise. It held all of the heat and intensity as the one that he had just broken except that he held this one longer. It rocked him to the core. Something within him recognized her and whether it was the meeting of two powerful auras or whether it was just chemistry something sparked at the meeting of their lips. Somewhere in his mind he recognized the feeling as the same one he had experienced the night of the dinner party, he had just been too caught up in the moment to really comprehend it. As breathing became an issue again he eased pressure on her until their lips parted. Her eyes were shut now and it didn't look like she intended to open them anytime soon.
"Hermione?"
"Whoa."
"He's an incredible kisser isn't he?" Neither Draco nor Hermione had been noticing Blaise since the blonde had stalked over to the curly haired witch. Now he was right beside them. Hermione could only nod her assent before looking over at the Italian. Being open to suggestion he interpreted the look as he wanted to. That interpretation meant taking a seat next to her on the couch and turning her towards him. He started off barely touching their lips together. She was finally back into reality and tried to scoot closer to the teasing form beside her. He added slightly more pressure and cheered in his head when she tried to deepen it even more. He loped his arms around her and drew her even closer. Eventually he let the kiss reach the same intensity as the one she had had with Draco. The same electricity the same connection was there with Blaise as well although each varied with imprints of the owners.
At this point her mind had completely shut down. She knew in the back of her mind that something was completely off but she couldn't seem to hold onto the thought. She couldn't hold onto any thought. Blaise finally broke the kiss and stood back up taking her hand and tugging her up with him. She found herself pressed between them and once again face to face with Draco. Well not exactly face to face. He had a good number of centimeters on her.
The incubi were going crazy at this point. They could taste the power that surrounded her and their hosts. It was the most potent of drugs. All three of the students were getting high off of the connection that they held with each other. Draco was an instant from once again reaching her mouth and embracing the jolt of another kiss. He could feel the warm breath against his lips. Her amber eyes were cloudy and dark. Her face was flushed…
Then the fire roared in the grate and all three jumped away from each other as though Zeus himself had stuck them with a lightning bolt. The imprint of the face of Severus Snape looked out at them from the flames. He summed up the situation in his usually efficient manner. Knowing that the situation was delicate and not sure of the actual parameters he chose to be careful.
"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Zabini, I need to see you in my office." His head popped back out of the grate with another roar of the fire.
Outwardly silence reigned supreme. Inside of their heads however heartbeats pounded out unsteady rhythms and thoughts ran rampant. Blaise and Draco stared at Hermione and she stared at them. The males were trying to determine if she was going to bolt for the door. The female was mostly trying to determine what in Merlin's name had just happened. She couldn't seem to get that upset about it though a small voice in the back of her head was definitely touting that option. Every time she tried the thoughts just floated away from her.
When the two men determined that she wasn't going to run they looked away from her and at each other. They knew that Snape wanted them and was expecting them to have left immediately after his summoning. Now the issue of what to do was rising. They needed to leave immediately if they were to avoid Snape's wrath. At least whatever wrath he would show to his two favorite students. It was Blaise who came up with the plan. Draco was much too involved with talking himself out of telling Snape to go get the stick shagged out of his ass and resume his previous activities to be trying to come up with a plan.
"Hermione love, I think we all need to talk. Draco and I have to go see to what Professor Snape wants and then we'll be back. Why don't you stay and look over the books that you were staring at earlier. We'll be back shortly I assure you." Leaving no time for argument or discussion he half dragged his counterpart out of their common room leaving the startled witch to her perusal of their library.
The dragged had no idea what happened until he was outside in the hallway. His incubus was screaming at him when it discovered what had happened. They had been so close. Now he was being tugged down the hallway towards Snape's chambers and farther away from the common room.
When he had Draco sufficiently far away from the common room the Italian stopped and released him. When the darker noticed the flash in the lighter's eyes and the pulsing aura he knew the situation was precarious. Each of them had been in situations like this before. One of their incubi would override their control and the other would have to talk them down. Appealing to the incubi traits of possessiveness, greed, and/or self-preservation was the only way to do it. Blaise would have to tread carefully however. If he said the wrong thing the other incubi could turn against him.
"She'll be there when we get back." Clearly Draco's incubus wasn't impressed with this declaration. "Would you rather that Snape come to us? That's what would have happened had we ignored him." He could see the wheels start to turn. He was almost there. "He would have come down and kicked her out of the common room, probably have walked her back up to the main castle so that we couldn't follow her…" The anger that had been directed at him died slowly as the full ramifications hit the other man.
"Fine then." It came out as more of a snarl than two actual words but Blaise took it. As Draco came back to himself again the apology was written on his face. Neither of them apologized for these lapses anymore after both having dealt with numerous ones from each other but guilt still shone in each other's eyes in the aftermath of one.
Silently they turned and continued on the way to Snape's quarters.
"Think she knows she's stuck in there?" The black haired man mused aloud. He was thinking of their dorm which had the added safeguard that you needed the password and whereabouts to enter but also a different password to exit.
"Not a chance." answered his companion.
Hermione stood unmoving for several moments. Draco and Blaise had kissed. Then Draco had kissed her. Then Blaise had kissed her. Then they had sandwiched her between them. Then Draco had almost kissed her again. Then Snape had interrupted. Then they left. The sequence of events ran through her head over and over.
She was alone. In their room. Her first reaction was to bolt for the door and hope that she could remember the route back to the main part of the castle. She almost put that into action then remembered that she wasn't far from the Slytherin common room that held some of the more unseemly members of the house. Her decision to stay made she turned to survey the bookshelves that had captivated her earlier. There really was no point in barraging herself for what had happened until they got back and they could all talk.
She barely knew where to start. The extensive collection was sorted into categories and from there alphabetically. It seemed as though they, much like her, had kept all of their schoolbooks from previous years. She had seen and admired many of the additional books that they had on each of the school subjects. Potions, DADA, and surprisingly Charms were the biggest categories. Not surprising was the number of quidditch books that rested within easy reach. She let her eyes skim over the titles as she walked the length of the shelves. She came to the end and it was here that she took her time.
'Various' was the over-generalized category that she found herself in at the end of the shelves. She realized that this section was actually broken down into sub-sections. Approval swept through her. She glanced at the book titles intending on going back to a charms book that had caught her interest. The Business Practices of Goblins, Making Money the Muggle Way, Necessary Negotiations, Practical Practices for Wizarding Businesses, Magical Meals… Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it reached out and felt a certain book slide into her hand of its own accord. The Hogwarts library used the same spell. Once you narrowed in on the book you wanted it slid out to you. This particular book had caught her interest when it lacked a title on its spine. For Hermione it was the ultimate tease. She just had to know what it was. There wasn't a title on its cover either. She didn't feel any spells or protection on the book to ward off readers.
The book looked new enough but the pages were spread slightly from numerous readings. Now her interest was really piqued. What was it that they read so often? She drew the cover open only to stare, stunned, for long moments. There written in a beautiful flowing script were two words. Kama Sutra. She had been sheltered as much as her nature would have allowed her parents to do. She had however heard of the Kama Sutra. Written by a muggle in India as a guide to virtuous living, the only part known by the majority of the world was the second part that detailed various sexual positions. At the bottom of that first page had two more words in smaller writing. Magical Edition. Magical Edition? Sex was something that occurred the same way whether you were magical or muggle. Why would you need a magical edition?
Curiosity got the better of her. As uncomfortable as she might feel snooping through a sex manual she was still curious about the book. Turning the page she didn't find the table of contents that she had anticipated. Instead laid out before her were two figures, nude, and standing next to each other. As she watched they moved. She stared fascinated as the two figures showed how to get into the classic missionary position and then began to move together to show how the position worked. She assumed that this must be why it was the Magical Edition. The pictures moving seemed like it would be convenient as a reference tool. She went to turn the page but discovered that it would not turn.
The figures gave her the answer as to why. As she watched the figures moved again, this time the male figure had hooked one arm behind the leg closest to Hermione's view and raised the knee almost to the woman's chest. The title of the page re-wrote itself to say The Plough. Crossing the room and still absorbed in the book Hermione sat down in the spot vacated by Blaise and continued to absorb the book.
Only years of etiquette training under their mothers had Draco and Blaise not outwardly pouting and angry at the untimely interruption. Still their mood projected and anyone not at least in sixth year was sent fleeing in a different direction while the upper years forewent their usual greetings and just went about their business not daft enough to incur their attention.
Their head of house didn't seem to share his house's cautiousness with the two as he continued to finish grading a third year's essay which as per usual with most of the school wasn't up to his standards. Finally placing the completed essay aside he looked up to find the only evidence of their impatience, as always, in their eyes.
"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Zabini, I have a couple of things that you two need to be aware of and see to. The first is that Professor McGonagall has asked that we find the persons responsible for the turning of the corridor leading to the Gryffindor common room green and silver with the Slytherin seal just before the Fat Lady's portrait. I assured her that we will as always do our best." All three knew that a particularly ambitious Fourth year had been behind the prank and that he was being amply praised by the entire house for his efforts.
"Second, Mira has been falling behind in her work. I'm sorry to say that I think it has to do with the McMillan boy. If you two could possibly divert her attentions onto both someone more suitable and possibly encourage her academic pursuits it would be highly appreciated." Draco and Blaise were particularly adept at knowing who would be good with whom. Blaise already knew that Sylas Bennett had been after her since the beginning of the year. It wouldn't be hard to give the fifth year some friendly advice so that he would finally ask her to Hogsmeade. He was confident that Mira would like Sylas if he finally talked to her… or just talked at all.
"Finally, I want you two to be careful. Ms. Granger is a public figure both as a representative of this school and as a member of an elite family. I was wondering when the two of you would finally realize what's been in front of you for six years. Now that you have, it's imperative that the situation be handled with grace and discretion. Be careful with her. You're excused."
As though nothing momentous had just occurred he chose another essay off the stack and began measuring it.
Quickly his two students exited the office. Once they were well away from Snape and still away from the Slytherin common room they turned to each other in tandem.
Hermione didn't even notice the flames that sprung up behind her as the wall melted away to reveal the two men prominently in her thoughts. They didn't announce themselves as they entered preferring to take her in before she guarded herself in their presence. They were also relieved that she was reading instead of anticipating their return upon finding out that she was technically trapped. It was Blaise who took discreet pleasure in finding her in the spot that he had been in before.
Draco walked forward intent on letting her know of their presence. He wasn't paying enough attention because he missed the pulsing red aura that surrounded her. His eyes landed on the page of the book she was engrossed in just a second before his hand came down on her shoulder. The implications of her reading slammed into him at the exact time that the contact point between them sent a shock up his arm and down his spine.
Hermione jumped violently, the book flying out of her hand, and a turned around with a scream of surprise. Blaise was across the room and standing next to Draco before the scream had finished echoing in the cavernous room. He had been paying attention and Draco's aura's shift from the calmer cooler color to the sudden violent red had him wondering what was going on.
Hermione's face was approximately the color of Draco's aura. Glancing down to where the book had landed the Italian was quick to leash in his own reaction. He couldn't imagine the witch in front of him had actually looked through it. Draco had given him the rare book for his last birthday with the inscription 'Let's Get Inspired'. The book was definitely inspiring. Right now he really wanted to see just how it had been 'inspiring' Hermione.
In a moment that was reminiscent of the one the three had shared before the boys' hasty departure they all just stood and stared at each other for long moments. There was absolutely no way that Hermione could have been more embarrassed. She had meant to put the book down as soon as she discovered what it was. Instead she had allowed herself to be drawn in and as a result had not heard them return or for that matter had no idea how much time had passed. Her mind was reeling for a way to extricate herself from the room and then avoid them until they all graduated.
"Found something of interest in our library did you Hermione?" Blaise's voice held a slight husk to the silky richness that rubbed her senses into a hyper sensitivity. Gathering the shreds of her dignity she managed an answer even as her knees were threatening to give way at any moment.
"Yes. I did. I apologize if I wasn't intended to see it." Stormy eyes flashed and a pale body tensed at her words. Draco was practically shaking in an effort to restrain himself.
"Hermione let's be clear." The blonde's voice held an edge to it that had his intended audience licking her suddenly dry lips. "That's the one book in our collection that we, rather ardently, encourage you to read, study, and learn from whenever you feel the compulsion. As I'm sure you've discovered it changes and adapts to the level and preferences of the person. In fact I'm rather curious as to what exactly it was showing you that we missed."
Images assaulted all her of the pages and the figures in them transforming in her mind to reality and the three of them in those positions some of which had made her curiosity burn as to the practicality of them. Before she knew that it had happened or that it had come from her a low moan escaped her throat.
In a seemingly choreographed move the two men were on her side of the couch and closing in on her before she could register any of it. Snape's words of caution were the farthest thing from their minds at that point.
"Cara, we want you." Through the spinning in her head she could only nod. She felt like she was drowning in the force of their nearness and even now they just kept coming. Her embarrassment was gone. Replaced with an increasing hum of anticipation. She felt like she was going to jump right out of her skin. The looks on their faces was intense and hungry. She vaguely recalled the films they had shown back in muggle school on the cats like leopards and panthers that were so beautiful and powerful and dangerous that you couldn't take your eyes off of them.
"Hermione now's your chance to say no." They paused poised on the balls of their feet. Waiting to pounce. Their incubi were clawing at the inside of their minds. Screaming at them. Somehow the moment was too important to let that side of themselves rule it.
"Yes." She made the decision without even contemplating it very hard. She had made up her mind before they even stated the need for an answer.