The first few weeks of Hermione's sixth year were about as normal as they could be. Harry was still obsessing over Malfoy, but Malfoy's movements were normal. He wasn't wandering the castle at odd times or acting furtive at all. Despite the evidence, Harry was convinced that something fishy was going on.
It didn't help that Hermione couldn't get Malfoy out of her mind since the incident on the train. What had he meant by having changed over the summer? She was watching him almost as much as Harry was. She couldn't figure him out. He stayed out of their way and he didn't even bother insulting Harry and Ron. He was still a prat, he had broken Harry's nose on the train, but he hadn't called her a name or been mean to her at all. It was a puzzle.
She walked to Hogsmeade with Harry and Ron, it was a glorious fall day. The sun was shining and it was warm, leaves were occasionally falling from the trees that lined the grounds and village. A perfect day, Hermione thought. She linked her arms with Ron and Harry as they chatted happily about the places they wanted to visit in the village.
"I need to go to Tomes and Scrolls," Hermione told them. "I have a book on order and I'd like to browse their new section."
"I'm shocked, Hermione Granger needs to go to a bookstore," Ron teased laughing with Harry.
"So funny, Ronald," Hermione huffed at them both, until Harry started tickling her ribs and she laughed. She was so happy Harry was in a good mood today. They were few and far between, and since Malfoy hadn't been acting very suspicious, he seemed to have even relaxed a bit on that front. She grinned as they entered the village and headed to Honeydukes. She needed more Sugar Quills, they were her guilty pleasure. They browsed Honeydukes for a while before making their purchases and moving on. She was in such a good mood that she even went into Quality Quidditch Supplies with the boys. Usually that was the point they would split up, but she was relishing being with her friends today.
When they had finished at Quality Quidditch Supplies, Hermione bid Harry and Ron goodbye as she went into Tomes and Scrolls. She promised them she would be quick. They were planning to meet at Three Broomsticks in a while for a butterbeer and some lunch.
She wandered through the aisles of Tomes and Scrolls, breathing deeply the smell of new books and old parchment. It was one of her favorite smells. She was dimly aware of the door bell tinkling, signaling that another patron had entered the shop. She was in the new arrivals section browsing for a new book on Arithmancy. The longer she studied the subject, the more fascinated she became. She was even considering getting her mastery and making a career of it. She had found an Arithmancy book and was reading the back cover when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked up and saw Malfoy and someone she didn't know heading her way. Malfoy's friend was huge, he stood half a head taller than Malfoy, who was tall to begin with, and he was so broad at the shoulder she wondered if he had to sidle through doorways sideways.
"Watch out, pup, there's a lady in the aisle," the stranger told Malfoy. Interestingly, Malfoy got bright red when he looked up and saw her. Hermione was amused at his apparent embarrassment and raised an eyebrow at them. She breathed deeply, oh, there it was. She had been smelling an elusive scent at Hogwarts for weeks now, it was always just out of range. But now with Malfoy and this stranger standing in front of her it was strong and she could finally identify it. It smelled like spring grass, fresh parchment, spearmint toothpaste, and home. That's strange, why does Malfoy smell like home? She realized that Malfoy had just spoken her name. He had to be playing some kind of trick on her, she narrowed her eyes at him. Why does he care about whether I'm enjoying Hogsmeade? What is going on with him?
"Malfoy. I am. And you? Who is your friend?" She asked him, pulling the Arithmancy book close to her chest with one arm.
"Allow me," the stranger said. He grabbed her other hand and gave it a light kiss along her knuckles. He must have had a static charge built up and he shocked her as his lips touched her knuckles. "I'm Fenrir Greyback. An associate of Draco's." He told her, still holding her hand. His eyes were dark and fierce and his voice was melodic and smooth. Fenrir Greyback? Where had she heard that name before? She knew she didn't know him, had never met him, but the name was familiar. That was when Fenrir abruptly dropped her hand because Malfoy rammed him with his shoulder. Did Malfoy just growl?
"Associate? Are you also a Death Eater?" she asked. She was trying to get a rise out of them both. This was one of the oddest exchanges she had had in the wizarding world. Something was up and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
Malfoy shouted at her then, telling her she wasn't fit for polite company. Ah, here are the insults. This she could handle, she was used to insults. Greyback laughed at Malfoy's reaction and spoke up.
"The pup isn't a Death Eater, don't worry about that Miss Granger. I must be on my way, look for my owl tomorrow, Draco." He gave a short bow and left the shop in a whirl of robes. Pup? What a weird nickname. What is going on?
"What was that about, Malfoy?" She asked looking up at him. When she locked eyes with him she could feel something pulling at her. Oh, he does smell incredible, she thought not for the first time. She missed part of what Malfoy was saying because she was concentrating on his smell, and the heat pouring off of him. She moved closer, not realizing it.
"He wanted to meet you." Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck. Was he nervous?
"Why would he want to meet me?" She moved closer again, trying to keep her voice down. She had a sudden thought that she had been gone too long from Harry and Ron and they would come looking for her. Malfoy muttered something under his breath and tilted his face towards hers.
"What are you doing, Malfoy?" she asked. This was not normal. Not normal at all. Malfoy wasn't nice to her, he didn't go around introducing her to his "associates" let alone his friends. And he certainly didn't get looks like this on his face. He looked like he wanted to kiss her! Oh, I bet he tastes as good as he smells. Wait, what? Where did that come from? She shook her head, trying to focus.
"Are you feeling it today, Granger?" he asked her. He reached one long fingered hand toward her face, she thought he was going to touch her cheek but he must have thought better of it and pulled a curl instead. Then he brushed her curls behind her shoulder. She breathed his smell in, it was exhilarating. She couldn't think straight, she realized she did want him to kiss her. Why would I want that? This was the longest exchange they had ever had in six years of knowing each other and suddenly she wanted to snog? What is wrong with me?
"What is it? I haven't been able to get you out of my mind," she leaned closer and locked eyes with him. His pupils were blown wide, no way he's on drugs. Is he? Aroused?
"It's the bond," he whispered to her. Bond? What bond? She couldn't understand. What was he talking about? He leaned closer and his breath swept over her face, spearmint toothpaste. "May I?" he asked. She nodded and closed her eyes without thinking. He pressed his lips so gently to hers that at first she didn't think he was even touching her. When his hand dived to the back of her neck to hold her there is when she realized he was kissing her and his tongue was seeking entrance. She opened her mouth and darted her own tongue out to meet his as the kiss deepened. She didn't even hear the bell ring, but suddenly Malfoy stepped back from her and she jumped back, startled.
"'Mione? You still in here?" Ron called out. Her lips were tingling, she raised her hand to cover them and looked at Malfoy in wonderment. What was that? She couldn't say she regretted it. It had been an wonderful kiss, maybe even too short. She wanted another go. What? What is going on with me? Since when do I want to kiss Malfoy?
"Granger," he said farewell with a bow and left the store. She stood there a moment more until Harry and Ron walked down the aisle.
"There you are!" Harry called. "Didn't you hear us calling for you?"
"Hi Harry, Ron. Sorry, I was reading this new Arithmancy book," she said vaguely, and turned the book around to show them. She knew as soon as she started talking school they would tune her out.
"That's great, ready to go to the Three Broomsticks?" Ron asked. Hermione nodded and headed to the counter to pick up her book on hold and purchase the Arithmancy book. She was still puzzling over Malfoy. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? And what had been the deal with Fenrir Greyback? Why was that name familiar to her? She was going to have to do some thinking. If only she could remember who Fenrir Greyback was, she would be able put some of the pieces together. She made her purchases and followed the boys to the pub for a butterbeer.
The evening of the Hogsmeade trip Hermione had received a letter from Remus Lupin. She wrote him regularly - he was a trusted adult, willing to write back, and he had the time for her. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were lovely, but they had seven kids to worry after and she didn't want to bother them. She and Remus discussed everything from magical theory to wizarding world history and etiquette. Remus was able to tell her things she wouldn't know about because she was a muggleborn.
She also wrote him to discuss Harry. Since Sirius' death a few months ago, she had been increasingly worried. Remus was his last link to his parents and she wanted both Harry and Remus to stay in contact with each other. They needed each other, whether they realized it or not. Maybe Remus will know who Fenrir Greyback is? She had just completed her letter back to him when she had that thought. She added a postscript asking Remus if he had ever heard of someone with that name and headed to the owlery to send her letter off. Hopefully she would be getting an answer from him soon, before Dumbledore sent him out on Order business again.
The rest of the weekend was a flurry of homework, and then it was Monday again. They had double potions with the Slytherins first thing on Mondays. Potions was a class that Hermione had typically looked forward to, despite Professor Snape's poor treatment of Gryffindors, particularly of her, Ron, and Harry. Hermione didn't have much of a knack for potions, but she was fascinated by the subject. She had to work hard to maintain a good grade in that class, and that didn't change with Professor Slughorn now teaching potions. Harry had found a book, apparently owned by someone calling themselves the "Half-Blood Prince", whatever that meant. It seemed like a brilliant potions manual, allegedly improving upon many of the recipes. Harry was beating Hermione in potions and she could hardly stand it. She had tried telling him to not trust a book, look what happened to Ginny back in second year! She had shouted at him one night. Harry had brushed it off, insisting he was just following the updated directions on potions, not anything else. That is, except for the Muffliato spell, but that was dead useful. Even Hermione could agree to that, despite her feelings of unease about the whole situation.
When they walked into the potions room, Professor Slughorn had three cauldrons set up in the front, each had a potion in it. Professor Slughorn called on the class, asking if anyone knew what any of the potions were. Hermione raised her hand, she recognized them as Draught of Living Death, Amortentia, and Veritaserum. Professor Slughorn talked a bit about each of the potions, then he asked Hermione to smell Amortentia and tell the class what she thought it smelled like. He told them that it would smell differently to each of them.
"It smells like fresh parchment, spring grass, spearmint toothpaste, and-" Professor Slughorn cut her off.
"Excellent, Miss Granger, excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor," he continued on with his lecture, then had the class make the Draught of Living Death. Hermione had a bit of trouble with her potion, Harry's was perfect of course, due to the Half-Blood Prince's instructions. In the end she was able to finish the potion with an Acceptable.
While she was brewing she concentrated fully on the potion. But now that it was lunchtime she thought over what Professor Slughorn had said about Amortentia. He said it would smell like your 'true love', she hadn't finished what she was going to say in the classroom and she was glad that Professor Slughorn had stopped her. She had been awfully close to saying Malfoy's name, because the other scent she smelled in the Amortentia had been the smell of Malfoy's cologne. Was this because of the kiss they had shared? How did one kiss make Malfoy her 'true love'? It didn't make sense. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about him and the kiss they shared most of the weekend. She had so many questions and not near enough answers. What bond had Malfoy been talking about? And why did Fenrir Greyback call him a pup? Who was Fenrir Greyback? Who was he to Malfoy? Why did he want to meet her?
She let out a low growl of frustration. Hopefully Remus knew who Fenrir Greyback was and would reply to her quickly. She felt that this Fenrir Greyback was the key to unraveling the mystery with Malfoy. Gods, I hope this thing with Malfoy is temporary. She didn't even want to begin to contemplate the ramifications if Malfoy turned out to be her one 'true love'. How messed up was that? She wasn't even sure she believed in this 'true love' nonsense. Pure-blood king of Slytherin himself, meant to be with her? The idea was laughable, absurd even. And yet, that kiss had been divine. Hermione wasn't overly experienced, but she had been kissed by a few different boys. And none of them had felt like Malfoy's kiss had. She had also never obsessed over another boy like she had been obsessing over Malfoy the last few weeks.
A few days later, Hermione had received a reply from Remus and everything clicked into place. Fenrir Greyback was the werewolf that bit Remus. Which meant he called Malfoy pup because he had probably bit Malfoy. And that could explain why he wasn't a Death Eater yet, because he had either been assigned a different role or something. She hadn't quite worked that part out yet. Remus was curious as to why Hermione was asking about Greyback. She didn't want to worry him, so she planned to tell Remus she had heard one of the Slytherins was talking about him in the hallway. The timing was good, it was a full moon tonight, so she would just have to see if Malfoy showed up in any of their classes or for meals tomorrow. If he didn't, he was probably a werewolf.
So what did that have to do with a bond? There wasn't much written on werewolves, she had scoured the library back in third year when she figured out that Remus was a werewolf. All she had found was the same dry facts touted in her Defense book. There had been more written about Veela's and Vampires than she could find about werewolves. She had asked Remus a few years ago, but he hadn't known any more than her. From what she remembered, Remus had said that Greyback was a very angry man. He had said that Greyback's goal was to create a werewolf army so large that it would be able to overthrow the wizarding world. Hermione shuddered at the thought. Werewolves during the full moon were terrifying creatures. She remembered all too well in her third year when Remus had lost track of time and turned. Had Greyback's goals changed? What would have made them change? While some of her questions were answered, she just had more.
There was nothing for it, she would have to wait and see what happened tomorrow. She didn't have any classes with Malfoy today, so she only saw him at meal times and was too far away to see if he looked as tired as Remus usually did before a full moon. After dinner, she spent some time in the common room with Harry and Ron before heading up to the girls dorm to get ready for bed. She liked to get up to her dorm well before Lavender and Parvati came up, it gave her time to dress in peace and take her potions without any more questions. She had about another month of potions to take and as long as she was cleared by Madam Pomfrey, she'd be done. She couldn't wait to be done. It felt like she had been on potions half her life, when it had only been half a year. Still, she should be thankful she was alive. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape still weren't able to identify what curse she had been hit with. Professor Snape assumed it was a curse Dolohov had created himself. Which meant there was likely no known counter-curse.
The day after the full moon dawned bright and clear. It was a completely normal day in all respects, except that Malfoy wasn't in any of her classes. She was pretty sure this confirmed her suspicion of him being bitten by Greyback over the summer. She planned to go to the infirmary after dinner and see if he was there. Remus usually slept most of the day away, only rising at dusk. Hermione assumed it would be similar for Malfoy.
After dinner was over, she told Harry and Ron she had to run an errand and she'd meet them in the common room. She copied her notes for the day with the Geminio charm. When she entered the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey wasn't in sight, but there was a curtain pulled at a far bed. She peeked behind it and found Malfoy sleeping peacefully. She sat down in the chair beside the bed to wait for him to wake up. She hoped she would be able to get at least a few answers out of him.
It had only been a few minutes when he started to stir. She stood quickly and helped him into a sitting position, moving some pillows around and pouring him a glass of water.
"How long have you been here?" His voice was hoarse, probably a combination of sleeping all day and screaming during the change. She had only ever seen Remus change once, but it had looked incredibly painful. And if she was right, Malfoy had only been a werewolf for a couple of months. He was probably not used to it yet. Despite the rough night he clearly had, he was still Malfoy, which meant he was good to look at. His hair was brushed back from his face and was longer than it had been the last time she was this close to him. It was getting to be just below his ears. It looked soft and silky. The exact opposite of her own hair, she wondered what it would feel like to touch it.
She told him that dinner had just ended and that she noticed he wasn't present for any classes or meals during the day. She wanted to see what he would say to that. Would he try to lie to her? He evaded instead.
"Why are you here?"
She wasn't going to let him get away with evading her that easily. "Is this what you meant when you said you had a 'hell of a summer'?" Clearly, she needed to be more direct with him.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Granger," Malfoy started, but she cut him off.
"It's the day after the full moon, Malfoy," she worked hard to keep her voice calm and her face blank. He snarked back at her about an astronomy lesson. That's when she lost her patience. She offered him a copy of her notes from the day in a huff. If he wasn't going to have a productive conversation with her, she wasn't going to stick around.
She handed him her notes and stood to leave. Before she walked through the curtain she faced him again. "I'll give them to you next month too." And walked out of the infirmary.
She couldn't be more clear than that without outright calling him a werewolf. Hopefully, he would figure that out and they could have a conversation in the next few days. He looked surprisingly better than she had expected him to look. Maybe it's because he was younger than Remus? Or a younger werewolf as it were? If she and Draco ever progressed their relationship far enough, she'd have to ask him about that.
Relationship? Hermione, you daft bint. You don't have a relationship with him! You snogged once! Once! That doesn't make a relationship! She scolded to herself as she walked back to the common room. What was she doing? Giving Malfoy her notes? Why? I mean, she would do it for anyone else, but why Malfoy? Why could she not get him off her brain?
She stomped into the common room with a growl in her throat. She couldn't figure out Malfoy, she couldn't figure out why she cared about Malfoy, and she couldn't figure out how she could stop thinking about Malfoy. She thought about him almost as much as she thought about her homework. Almost.
The week after the first full moon of the new year found Hermione on prefect rounds with Hannah Abbott, one of the Hufflepuff prefects. They were chatting quietly as they finished up. It was their last sweep, and it was almost curfew for the fifth, sixth, and seventh year students. Hannah and Hermione parted ways at the Entrance Hall to head back to their respective common rooms. Hermione only had ten minutes to hoof it up to the seventh floor and the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. She was thinking about a difficult Arithmancy homework problem from Professor Vector and didn't notice that a classroom door had opened up halfway down the fifth floor hallway.
Suddenly a hand reached out and grasped her right arm. She was pulled into an unused classroom and the door banged shut loudly behind her. She whipped out her wand and had it under the chin of the person still holding her arm. The grip was firm, but not crushing. She shook her head to clear the hair from her eyes and found herself looking into Malfoy's silvery eyes. He was gripping her with his left hand, and his right hand was palm up, showing her he wasn't armed. She pulled herself away from him and lowered her wand.
"What can I do for you, Malfoy? It's almost curfew," she told him as she backed away toward the door. She wasn't sure what she was feeling at the moment. Apprehension at the look in his eyes certainly, maybe even a little fear. Had he grown again? He looked so much bigger standing there in front of her than he had last week in the hospital bed. He pulled out his wand and with a muttered Lumos the torches on the walls lit up.
"Granger, you aren't stupid. You know what I am." It wasn't a question. Hermione raised her eyebrow at him. He wanted to be blunt today, did he? She nodded, but didn't elaborate.
Malfoy stared her down like he was waiting for her to comment. She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. She was getting impatient with him as he studied her. Finally, he spoke.
"Do you know what a mate is to a werewolf?" She frowned at him. Now, why was he asking her that? She knew he was a werewolf. He had just confirmed it. Does he have a mate? Was she his mate?
"I don't. I'm not sure I want to know why you are asking me that question," she replied. She wanted him to admit it, if she was his mate. That had to explain his behavior, right? He hadn't been mean to her all year, and a week ago they had kissed. Kissed! She still couldn't believe she had kissed Draco Malfoy, Slytherin extraordinaire, the pure-blood prince himself!
Malfoy groaned and ran his hands through his hair. She could feel the frustration pouring off of him in waves. He paced the room for a few minutes, he almost seemed to be arguing with himself about something.
"Malfoy, clearly something is going on that involves me. Tell me what it is. I have a right to know." She thought if she laid out the terms to him, maybe that would make up his mind and he would start explaining. When he started talking, he surprised her.
"Werewolves only get one mate. Did you know that? If a werewolf is even lucky enough to find his mate. My pack has nineteen wolves in it, and only Fenrir has ever had a mate. Out of nineteen wolves, one has found his mate. Until me. I'm barely a werewolf, I've had three transformations. I'm still a pup. And here I am with a mate." He chuckled a bit to himself. "And the funny thing is, Granger? I don't even mind that it's you. With everything else going on this year, I don't mind that it's you." He stopped pacing and looked at her. His arms hanging at his sides like he didn't know what to do next.
Hermione felt sorry for him. He sounded so frustrated and confused. She couldn't imagine having her life turned so upside down in the span of one summer. At the beginning of the summer, he was a normal sixteen year old kid, and now he was a werewolf! And apparently, she was his mate? What did that mean?
"Alright, you get one mate. And I'm it. What does that mean? What does it mean for you and what does it mean for me?" She asked him. She walked to the front of the room and cast a Scourgify at the teacher's desk and sat on it. Then she locked the room and cast a Muffliato on the room. It seemed they might be there for a while and it wouldn't do to be caught out of their common rooms after curfew.
Malfoy sighed and sat next to her on the desk. "It means that no matter what happens, I'm going to be driven instinctually to want you, to protect you, to be with you. It's not something I can help according to the elders in the pack. My pack. It's been hell trying to stay away from you since start of term."
Hermione was surprised by his candor. She didn't think he would be so honest with her. "Ok, so it's instinct driven. And since you are a werewolf you're basically ruled by your instincts, correct?"
Malfoy nodded, he was looking at her intensely. Like he wanted to kiss her again. She thought she might want to kiss him again too, but she needed more answers.
"Is this like a forever thing? You won't want anybody else?"
Malfoy nodded again and looked down at his feet. She thought about that. She didn't really know Malfoy. She knew of him, Slytherin, pureblood, prat. But she didn't know what he liked to do, what subjects were his favorite, his favorite color, what kind of girls he liked, things like that. How was she supposed to make a decision like this? Could she even make a decision like this?
"Look, this is weird and I don't really understand what it even is. Before this term, I hadn't really ever thought about you. I mean, I did when you were being rude, and you pick on Harry a lot, but not beyond that. You weren't on my radar. So, I'm not really sure where you want us to go from here. I will admit that since the run in on the train, I've had a hard time getting you out of my head." She looked up at him then, trying to catch his eye.
"It's the bond," he told her quietly.
"You said that before, what bond?" She was curious. There wasn't much written about werewolves, but they had to have their own culture and traditions, right?
"The mate bond, it works both ways. As soon as I smelled you on the train - my sense of smell is off the charts since my first change - I knew you were my mate. It activated a bond, and when you smelled me for the first time, it reciprocated, just a little bit. And then, when we kissed last weekend," he smirked at her, "that renewed the bond. It's like a marriage bond-"
"What?!" A marriage bond? She couldn't be married, she was only seventeen for Merlin's sake!
Malfoy laughed, "No, we aren't married, Granger. I mean the bond is similar to a marriage bond, each interaction we have, strengthens and renews the bond. When the bond is strong, you'll feel it, and you'll feel me. That's not really the right word, but you'll be more attracted to me, according to Fenrir anyway."
"So, by sitting here, chatting with you, we're renewing the bond?" Hermione bit her lip in thought. She could handle that. Chatting was easy and relatively harmless.
"Yes, 'chatting' will renew the bond. But my wolf has demanded that I make a move toward you, he will want to get physical." He was looking at her intensely again. Like he wanted to kiss her.
"Your wolf?" She asked. She knew Remus called his 'wolf side', Moony. But she thought that was just a nickname for Remus himself. What did Malfoy mean by 'his wolf'? He made it sound like it was a different person or entity? How did that work? This discussion was becoming fascinating.
"Yes, my wolf. His name is Reule. Your personality splits when you're bit. And the feral, animal side of you becomes your wolf, while the human side stays you. It's complicated and hard to explain. But I'm working on reconciling the two halves. Apparently, that's the best way to live as a werewolf. Reconcile with your wolfy-self and you'll be a better, happier werewolf." Malfoy huffed a laugh at that last bit. It startled a laugh out of Hermione as well. That made sense, she could even see why Remus was so tortured. He had never made peace with his wolf, with Moony.
"Reule, huh? Doesn't that mean 'famous wolf' in French?" Hermione asked, quirking an eyebrow up at him.
Malfoy laughed again and rubbed the back of his neck a bit sheepishly. "I am a Malfoy." That pronouncement made Hermione giggle. A wolfy Malfoy, she thought.
"So, this Reule, wants to make a move? Can he make you, make a move? Or is he only allowed out during the full moon?"
"I'm not sure. I would have said that he can't make me and he can only be out during the full moon, but I suspect that if I were to ignore him and his direction long enough, he would figure out a way to come to the forefront of our mind."
"I see. This is a lot to take in, Malfoy." She was still thinking furiously at what all of this meant. She had a mate. A 'true love'? And it was Draco Malfoy. And he was a werewolf. And he was going to be driven by his instincts to want to be with her, to mate with her. She shook her head at that thought. She didn't want to go too deep down that path.
"Draco, call me Draco. Hermione." She shivered at the sound of her name on his tongue. It sounded delicious coming out of his mouth.
"Draco, then. What do you expect me to do with this information? You say we aren't married, but that you won't want anyone else. And that you'll be driven to want me and to protect me. How does that work? We're practically at war, and the last time I checked, we were on different sides of that war." She said this in a serious tone. It was a concern, Harry Potter was her best friend after all. She didn't know the full details, but it sounded like Draco had been pushed into being a werewolf, not chosen it. Which means someone made him do it. His father was in Azkaban and she couldn't imagine Lucius Malfoy being pleased that his son was now a werewolf.
"I don't know where that leaves us. I don't know how this works. Believe me, Granger, if I had a choice, I would not have chosen to deal with this mate business this year. Or any year. I wouldn't have chosen to become a werewolf. Did you know this is my punishment for my father's failures at the Department of Mysteries?" Hermione raised her eyebrow at him. She had suspected, but hadn't been sure. And she was surprised he was bringing up the Department of Mysteries fiasco. The last time it came up, he had gotten very upset.
"My father, sits on his arse in Azkaban, while I have the Dark Lord and his minions living in my house, including my bat-shite Aunt Bella, my mother is practically under house arrest, and now I'm a fucking werewolf." Draco had stood up from the teacher's desk and began pacing again. He kicked a chair over in his rage, Hermione hadn't been expecting it and squeaked at the clatter. Draco looked up then, he was breathing heavy and his hands were clenched at his sides. As she stared at him, with wide eyes, she could feel the rage pour off of him, he stalked toward her. She was still sitting on the teacher's desk and shrank back, trying to make herself smaller, it was an unconscious movement. He placed his hands flat on either side of her on the desk and leaned down. His mouth was parted, and he was panting as he asked, "May I?" He leaned close his mouth just a few centimeters from hers.
She nodded and in that moment he was kissing her. He moved one hand to her waist and pulled her to the edge of the desk as the other one cupped the back of her neck, tilting her head to a better angle. He slanted his mouth over hers and dipped his tongue to taste her lips. She gasped at the feel and he took advantage, gliding his tongue forward and into her mouth. Their tongues tangled and fought for dominance. Her own hands reached up to clutch at the back of his head, his hair is silky, she thought. He changed the kiss up, now it was slower, with more languid strokes of his tongue. His hand was making small circles at her waist and he slid her forward even more, her legs parted and he put a knee between them, pushing them apart even farther. She wrapped her legs around his. Holding him close to her.
Suddenly his mouth was gone and she could feel his hot breath at her ear, "Hermione," he growled. She moaned in response and her hips bucked toward his as he nipped her earlobe and down her neck. He sucked on the skin where her neck met her shoulder and she shuddered. He was going to leave a mark, but she didn't care. As long as he kept touching her, kept kissing her, she didn't care. Her hips bucked again, and this time, his responded. She could feel his hard length pressed against her, heat pooled in her belly.
"Oh, gods," she moaned as he licked up her neck and to her ear again.
"I want you," he panted in her ear, pushing his hand underneath her jumper to find bare skin at her waist. Hermione's hips bucked a third time at that pronouncement. She never thought talking dirty would be such a turn on. She grabbed the back of his head and directed his lips back to hers. She needed to taste him again, spearmint toothpaste, he tastes like spearmint toothpaste. She took control of this kiss, and he let her, he let go of the back of her neck and dropped his other hand to her waist, pushing and pulling her jumper up. His hands danced along her waist and abdomen and lower back, drawing nonsense patterns.
Suddenly, they heard a commotion in the hall and Draco jumped back from her. He spun toward the door and had his wand pointed at it, standing in front of Hermione so that she couldn't even see the door. They heard Peeves cackling and Filch cursing through the Muffliato that had started to wear off as Hermione had gotten lost in Draco's kisses.
"It's after curfew, Draco," Hermione said, smoothing down her jumper and pushing at Draco's back so she could stand up. Draco turned back toward her, pocketing his wand.
"You should get back to your common room so you aren't caught out after curfew," he told her. "I'll walk you there."
"Walking me to my dorm will only get you caught, if not by Filch or a professor, than by a Gryffindor. It's only two floors up, I can get there by myself."
She could see him clench his jaw like he was about to argue and then he shook his head like he thought better of it.
"Alright, goodnight, Hermione." He leaned down and gave her a small kiss to her cheek, brushing her hair behind her shoulders as he did so. And then he was gone, through the classroom door and to his own dorm.
Hermione took a couple of deep breaths. She was sure she was bright red and her lips were swollen from snogging. Gods, what has gotten into me? She didn't normally lose her head like she had tonight. Draco had given her a lot of information. She was going to have to take the time to think about it all and about it's implications in her life. Maybe she could ask some very general questions in her next letter to Remus? She didn't want to elaborate further as she was pretty sure if Remus knew about Draco being a werewolf, being in Fenrir's pack, and apparently being her mate, he wouldn't be able to keep quiet about it. And right now, Hermione needed to sort through her own thoughts and feelings before the rest of the world knew what was going on between her, a member of the 'Golden Trio' and Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince.
A/N: Beta love to twztdwildcat! She's the best! And you guys, your reviews are amazing! I'm getting all of the warm and fuzzies thinking about them. Thank you! Keep them coming! And with the holidays approaching, I may not have another chapter for you until the new year. Hope everyone has happy holidays and stays safe! Don't forget to leave a review!
