Draco sprints faster than he ever has before. The pounding of his steps matching the pounding of his heart.
He stops when the voices behind him penetrate into his consciousness.
He drops to the floor, leaning against the wall panting as he tries to regain his breath.
"Draco, mate wait up. We weren't built for this shit," Blaise calls panting. He slumps down next to Draco, his face going to the floor.
"It's too hot to run you bastard," Adrian gasps, clutching at his side.
"Sorry. I had to get away," Draco says, banging his head back against the stone.
"Bitch," Blaise mutters from his place on the floor. "Ambushing you like that just wasn't fair."
"I get why she did it," Adrian says recovering first.
The other two men look up at him from their place on the floor.
"There's always been heat between you both," Adrian starts, "you just used to use it to verbally abuse one another."
"Verbally," Draco scoffs hand going to his cheek.
"Usually verbal. All you have to do is redirect that energy," Adrian shrugs.
"You say that like it's easy," Draco groans.
"She didn't seem unwilling," Blaise says.
"I'm hoping for a little more than 'not unwilling' from our... interactions," Draco sighs, dropping his head to his hands.
"Don't you think you're being a little hard on yourself. Just fuck her and deal with all the emotional crap afterwards," Blaise says.
All three of them look up hearing the approaching footsteps.
"That is the worst advice I've ever heard Zabini," Theo laughs as he walks up to them. "Just write the girl a letter."
"A letter?" Draco repeats dumbly.
"Yes a letter. You know that way of communicating without having to see, speak or be near the person. All she wants is to know where she stands with you. For all she knows, you hate her. Something that is clearly not the case. So, write a letter and tell her exactly why you don't hate her and go from there," Theo explains patiently.
"Fine but you're delivering it," Draco says getting to his feet.
"Me? Why can't you just use an owl?"
"You can take it to her as soon as it's done. Tell her you've been told to wait for a response but what you're actually doing is watching her read it. Then you can tell me her actual reaction as well as making sure she doesn't just toss it in the fire," Draco reasons.
"Fine. But let's get back to the common room yeah?" Theo suggests as they look down at Blaise.
"If running killed you that badly, how do you have any stamina for sex?" Adrian asks him.
"Fuck you," Blaise mumbles getting to his feet.
"Hmm rather not. You're so out of shape I bet you can't even last three minutes," Adrian winks making Draco and Theo laugh.
"Ha-ha very funny. Bunch of tossers you lot," Blaise mutters.
"Well, it is the only way to deal with this damned heat, the Fever and witches that glare at you," Theo mutters.
"Yeah at least your witch has some idea of who you are. Mine just glares at me and the scar on my arm," Adrian tells Draco.
"I didn't think... You've been so busy helping me..." Draco splutters.
"Helping you does help us. Where she goes, they follow," Theo says.
"Huh?"
"If you fuck this up and Granger ends up dead set against you, what do you think will happen to us?" Theo asks indicating the three of them. "Do you really think any of those girls will willing accept us. Greg is a lucky bastard. Hufflepuffs are so accepting and ready to give a second chance."
"Shit," Draco says sudden pressure falling on him. "Okay. Letter," he storms off to the common room to write one of the most important letters of his life.
An hour later, the girls have joined them and fed them. Broken quills and scraps of parchment litter the floor.
"You're over thinking this," Theo groans.
"Go for a shower," Adrian suggests.
"Go for a wank," Blaise tells him.
Draco turns to glare at him.
"That's not a bad suggestion," Theo mutters reading the most recently discarded parchment. Draco snatches it back.
"Fine. Maybe a shower will help," Draco mutters leaving his friends snickering behind him.
Draco slams the bathroom door shut behind him. Blaise's suggestion is probably the best, he supposes Blaise has to manage to get something right at some point. He turns on the shower, stepping out of his clothes, standing under the spray.
He lets the water run down his body as he fails at trying not to think.
He could have had her. He could have taken her right then and he probably couldn't have been blamed for it either.
Draco slams his fists against the wall.
He'd never seen so many expressions flicker across a face as he did when he was leaning over her. Fear, shock, hesitation, appreciation, and... and heat.
Was that just the Fever or did she want him? How was he supposed to convince Hermione Granger that he was worthy of her time?
Over the last year, he's seen enough blood spilt to know there's no difference. It was a hard lesson but one he learnt well.
The girls that came to him before, did so because of his position. He knew that now. His pride crumbles down around his ears. Kneeling before a madman taught him humility. He never had to try to get laid. There was always some girl willing to spread her legs for him in the hopes of getting close to the Malfoy fortune. The last year, it was the mark on his arm they approached him for. None of that would entice Granger.
He'd had hopes, plans for coming back to school in September. He was going to show her slowly that he'd changed. Maybe, just maybe become her friend. He'd had plans. This damn Fever had wiped them all away.
What could he offer her that she didn't already have?
She has been checking him out though, he thinks to himself hopefully. That may have been the Fever though. Doubts slide in. Except... in the lake. After a time, they'd barely felt it. For at least an hour, he hadn't even been hard at all. It had been a relief. Yet still her eyes had been on him. He'd felt the heat of her gaze every time she'd looked at him.
He runs his hands through his hair, checking the shampoo has rinsed away. He looks down at his own body, flexing the muscles in his stomach.
Girls had told him all the time he was hot but those girls always had a motive, a reason they were pursuing him. He slides his hand down his body. He wasn't deathly skinny anymore but he definitely had some definition.
Draco's hand slides lower to finally wrap around his aching cock. He lets out a shuddering breath as he begins moving his hand up and down his generous length.
The one thing in did have confidence in his own ability was sex. Like most of his peers, he'd been at it for about four years now. He definitely wasn't a novice.
Had he really told her that she had a delectable body? They all been stunned when she stepped out if the water. It had near killed him that Theo got to be so close to her, to touch her when he couldn't.
Draco holds his hand, still as he thrust into it. Doing to his hand what he was so desperate to do to Hermione earlier. His thrusts become irregular as he gets closer. He squeezes his eyes closed as he cums all over his hand. He opens his eyes to watch as the water washes it away.
He groans in frustration as he looks down at his semi hard penis. The arousal never fully goes away.
It's hot, uncomfortable, and it's pissing him off. He shuts off the water. The only relief he's going to get is when he buries his cock in his witch. He dries himself off, grabs a pair of pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt and goes back to his friends. He has a letter to write.
Back in the common room, he stops as he enters. Horror freezes him to the spot. Each one of them is holding an un-crumpled piece of parchment.
"No," Draco breaths as he realises what they're reading. Pansy's giggle jolts him into action as he attempts to reclaim his rubbish.
Everyone manages to keep hold of the parchment they have.
"Those were private," he sulks dropping down into a chair.
"Private doesn't get left, screwed up, on the floor of the Slytherin common room," Theo tells him.
"This is ridiculous," Blaise says waving his, "you say 'you're eyes are like sapphires' aren't Granger's eyes brown?"
"It sounded pretty and it rhymed," Draco pouts blushing hard.
"This is absolute filth," Theo says reading intently, Blaise tries to snatch it.
"You mean you got a fun one and I got this losers attempt at poetry," Blaise sulks.
"I got poetry too," Daphne says. "It's good. I think it's quoted."
Theo takes her piece of parchment as Blaise snatches the one out of his hand.
"You are quoting, 'Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey'. Byron? Really Draco? You couldn't come up with better than this?" Theo asks exasperated. Blaise and Adrian are huddled over the attempt that came out highly sexual, giggling like little kids. Theo rolls his eyes at them as Draco glares.
"Well I don't know, do I?"
"You could try some honesty. It wouldn't kill you," Theo sighs pinching his nose.
"Hmm not sure. Sounds risky. Best not," Draco laughs.
"Just try again," Theo pleads.
Draco gets up and goes back to the desk.
"Why is my quill glowing?" He asks suspicious.
"Just a little charm to help you out," Theo replies innocently.
Draco picks up the quill carefully and gasps.
"Bastard," Draco mutters as he begins to write. Once the quill stops moving across the page, Theo takes the parchment before Draco can read it back. Theo shoves it into the envelope.
"Seal it," Theo demands, shoving it in front of Draco.
Draco sighs picking up the wax and seal to finish it. He's only vaguely aware of what he wrote as Theo strides out the door, letter in hand.
Draco spends the next two hours staring at the door. None of his friends attempts to distract him work. Draco's not interested in anything but Theo's return.