Beta'ed by: Audrey and Shelly Ann.

WARNING: I'm not entirely sure of the rating of this chapter, it has an explicit sex scene in it, which has been edited from its original text, still I don't know if it can be considered R, so if you think that I surpassed the rating please tell me.


Chapter 09 Night talk.

Potions lessons suffered a few changes that affected some Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's schedules. As Professor Snape accepted few students to Advanced Potions lessons, he apparently decided that he could get all the seventh years in one group instead of two; the Ravenclaws were pretty annoyed that Dumbledore had allowed such a change in the schedules at middle term, they couldn't stop bickering that the Slytherins were unaffected by it. True, the Gryffindors had had no problems either, but all the school knew that was only because they were lucky enough to have already been sharing the potions class with the Slytherins, although Harry wouldn't have called it lucky, just a necessary annoyance.

The "new" group was arranging itself in the classroom, leaving the two Slytherins attending in the front, Draco and Blaise took their seats and proceeded to ignore the rest of the students, four Ravenclaws followed, three girls and a boy, Malfoy couldn't help noticing that Marshall was not one of them; Mcmillan and another girl were beside the Ravenclaws, and the three Gryffindors were behind. Snape looked at them and ordered the Gryffindors to move to the other table in the front row, next to the Slytherins; Harry, Hermione and Parvati didn't look too happy with that, but they complied.

Harry was still annoyed with Hermione, but they were talking again, he still felt worried for her. He was in Advanced Potions only because Dumbledore had pressed for it, and Snape preferred to teach him in a class context rather than giving him special lessons. Harry still couldn't see why the Headmaster insisted so much in him taking Potions, but now he was glad he did it. He had the suspicion that Hermione had made her mission of the year to make them see that people could change, which wouldn't be so bad, if the person she had elected for her demonstration hadn't been bloody Malfoy! Why she always had to pick the most unfortunate crusades was beyond Harry's comprehension. He was starting to believe that Hermione wasn't happy if she didn't have something to prove, but he wasn't letting her get hurt with this one. He was going to keep an eye on her and he and Ron were going to be present every day she and Malfoy worked on their Arithmancy project.

Fortunately there were no more classes she shared with the blond Slytherin, and he doubted that Snape would give them homework to do in pairs, he was adamant about the students earning their grades with their own effort.

For now, the entire class was waiting to see what the potions master wanted them to do for the lesson, Snape gave a final look at them all, assuring himself that only two Slytherins were missing, he pressed his lips in annoyance at this loss and started his lesson.

"As you all well know, Headmaster Dumbledore asked that every teacher in this school contribute on 'Unifying the Houses'"

Malfoy smirked contemptuously, Harry threw him and Snape annoyed glares.

"I personally think it is a waste of time, but, as we all are committed to it, we can very well make something interesting."

Harry narrowed his eyes in suspicion, out of the corner of his eyes he saw Malfoy doing the same, and Hermione smiling, already waiting for the new project to be thrown to them.

"So, we are going to make a special assignment that would need the participation of the entire group, I want every one of you working along with the others in this. No exceptions."

Harry was openmouthed. Snape was actually supporting group work? As the rest of the students were digesting the news, the professor continued.

"We are going to make a very special work, you are going to research and make varieties of a potion called Phoenix breath."

Some eyes widened at this announcement, Hermione's gasp of surprise and delight told Harry that this was going to be very hard work.

"As some of you know, the Phoenix breath is a powerful potion and very difficult to make, if brewed correctly and with the exact amounts of ingredients, it can cure any wound or pain you have, some people even say that it can raise the dead."

Harry's eyes widened, that sounded like a useful and complicated potion.

"I want you to research this potion, everything that has been written, done, experimented and tested about it. I want a report with everything this potion is supposed to do, and the reason why it can or can't do it, I want each of you to brew at least one cauldron of the different variations of this potion, with the specific information of what properties it takes from the original, and, why it's nearly impossible to brew a perfect Phoenix breath."

Well, it really was a lot of work, the entire classroom were already taking notes on what they would have to do. After that, Snape made it clear that it was an after class assignment and proceeded to give the day's lesson.


Harry was in a foul mood for the rest of the day. He had mountains of homework and extra lessons with Dumbledore. The Headmaster himself was helping him train so his magic could grow stronger. It was useful but very tiring.

To make things worse, Ron was pretty pissed off at Hermione for her attitude. It was not only her recent conviction that Malfoy had somewhat ceased to be the annoying, spoiled bastard that he always had been. For Harry's shame he had had to accept that Malfoy hadn't done anything of real importance to them since fifth year. But Ron had started to notice that Hermione wasn't the same either, she was avoiding him, whenever Harry wanted to leave them both alone, she always found another thing to do or another place to go.

Ginny had told them that maybe Hermione was depressed and greatly confused, and that Ron should be doing something to cheer her up. Harry could not still grasp the concept of Hermione being confused, besides, what was there to be confused about? And how was Ron supposed to cheer her up, if she practically ran from him?

The last drop was at dinner, when Hermione sat between Harry and Lavender, instead of her usual place between Harry and Ron or beside Ron, and she talked with Lavender the entire time she was at the table. When Granger excused herself and stood to leave early, Ron offered to accompany her to the common room, and she plainly refused, saying that she had to see Professor McGonagall and that she would probably go straight to bed after that, and she left, leaving Ron in a bad mood.

"Hell! What did I do this time? Mate, have you any idea of why she's angry with me?"

"I don't think she's really angry Ron, but I don't know what's gotten into her either."

Ginny approached them at that point.

"Ron! What the hell did you put in that letter you wrote her on Christmas? She's been freaked out since then!"

"I wrote what you told me to! She was supposed to want to talk with me!"

"And why hadn't you spent more time with her? You should have told her about your feelings and your plans the moment we arrived!"

"And how I'm supposed to do it if she barely lets me get two meters near her!"

"Well, you must have done something inappropriate for her to be avoiding you like this! Are you sure you didn't write anything that could be misunderstood? Maybe she thinks you're not being serious!"

"Geez Ginny! I don't know, sometimes Hermione's mind works too strange for me to follow!"

Harry was deep in thought. Ginny said that Hermione had been avoiding Ron since they returned from The Burrow. What could have happened during winter break to make Hermione wants to put some distance between her friends and herself?

'No' thought Harry 'No, that's not right. It didn't start during winter break. It had started before. It's only now that we're starting to really notice it.'

Hermione had spent the Holidays in the castle practically alone, but she had wanted to stay behind. She hadn't wanted to go to The Burrow with them. Even before she decided to stay in Hogwarts, she had had the intention of spending Christmas with her parents, not with them. Harry mentally went over the school year. Hermione had been very much like the previous year, spending a lot of time in the library or in her room, saying that there was too much noise in the common room for her to concentrate. Harry tended to agree with Ginny in that their friend had been depressed. She hadn't even gone to the Halloween feast.

Harry frowned in annoyance, he was starting to get the feeling that he had missed something along the way, and that said something was the culprit for Hermione's behavior.

Ginny and Ron were still bickering about the best way for Ron to convince Hermione that his intentions were serious. Harry really doubted that would work. 'In fact, maybe that is precisely the thing Hermione is running from.' He thought, and then he decided he must do something about the situation.

"I'll talk with her."

Ginny turned to see him seriously.

"No Harry. It wouldn't do for you to talk to her. Ron's the one who should do it."

"No Ginny, I think that is what Hermione doesn't want. Look, I'm just going to ask her what's happening, maybe she doesn't want Ron to commit to her just now, and maybe she wants to wait until we finish school. I agree she had been acting strange, maybe if I talk with her she'll tell me what's wrong."

"Harry, I have already talked with her, she's a bit confused, that's all. Ron just needs to show her how much they love and need each other and it will all work out fine."

Harry's frown deepened, Ginny was female; how was she not seeing that Hermione's behavior towards Ron had changed long ago?

"Ginny, I really think that Hermione wants to wait. Maybe she's feeling pressured by you two, maybe she'll open a little more if I talk to her."

The Weasley girl crossed her arms stubbornly, but after a while the three of them agreed in that Harry will try to get Hermione to tell him what had her so edgy.

He had to delay the talk for the next day, because when he returned from his meeting with Dumbledore, Hermione had already hid away in her room, and Harry didn't want Ginny to go fetch her, he didn't want to push too far, and anyway, he would have a part of the night to figure out what he was going to tell her.


Hermione walked along the deserted halls, heading to the dungeons, looking around once in a while to make certain no body would catch her. She had the Marauder's map safely pocketed inside her robes, it hadn't really been a problem to retrieve it, but she didn't want to use it, she felt a bit guilty of practically stealing it, but she was not going to risk her friends finding her whereabouts tonight. She would have to hide it, with a bit of luck it would be sometime before Harry missed it.

She reached the dungeons and made her way to the Medusa statue. It was almost eleven when she got there. She waited and looked around once again; trying to make sure she was alone in the hallway. Finally she took out the ring and opened the secret door, which closed the moment she got through it.

The corridor was once again quiet and still. Suddenly one shadow detached itself from the rest, it approached the statue, where a torch gave light to it, and the form of the potion's master defined itself a little more. The man looked at the place where the secret door should have been, and the phantom of a smile crossed his features.

"Well, well, well. Who could have guessed it?"

And he turned and left. This time the corridor was truly deserted.


Hermione found Malfoy lying on his stomach on their "improved" bed, a book opened before him, he had his shirt and trousers still on, and was supporting his chin on his right hand. He didn't turn to look at her while she ridded herself of the robe and shoes, he only made a contented moan when she crawled besides him and put her hands on his shoulders, applying a little pressure on them and starting slow circular movements, massaging the muscles. She saw that the book was the Transfiguration text, he must have been doing homework, her eyes wandered to where his school bag was and took notice of a strange object near it.

"A clock, Malfoy?"

"Mmmm…" Malfoy closed the book and put it away, Hermione's hands felt wonderful on his shoulders. "Well, we can't stay here overnight anymore."

"Mph" Hermione sighed in disappointment. Malfoy straightened and sat in the cushions, taking hold of her hips he guided her to sit on his lap, her legs at either side of him, his eyes were now at the same level. He started to free her shirt from the skirt.

"It doesn't matter. We can still have a very good time." His hands touched her skin and he started to move them along her back. "I trust that your annoying so called friends won't interrupt us this time."

Hermione smiled entangling one hand in his hair, he didn't glue it anymore and it was soft to the touch.

"Don't worry, they won't."

"Good."

Malfoy's hands found her bra, and fumbled with it, he leaned into her, nipping at her neck, Hermione sighed in contentment, starting to unbutton his shirt and getting her hands along his chest and upper back. She felt his hands caressing and pressing certain points of her back and his mouth sucking and kissing the juncture of her shoulder and neck, almost getting under the blouse. She moaned and her hands continued exploring his upper body, touching every one of his good defined muscles.

"Malfoy, I want to ask you something."

"…Can't it wait?" he muttered from behind her ear. Hermione sighed, wanting very much to just forget about the world, but her brain wouldn't leave her alone until it had at least some of the answers, so she continued.

"Malfoy, why are we carrying on with this?"

The boy froze for about a second and then let go a somewhat sarcastic laugh.

"Merlin and Circe Granger! That is exactly the question I've been avoiding to ask myself! Can't you just let it go and forget about it?"

"No, I want to know your opinion about this. After all, it's only a holiday affair. But still I want it to go on, I need you, and my head wouldn't leave it alone. I just want to know why you are letting it continue."

"You always have to know the why's and how's of everything Granger?"

"Mmm. Yes."

Malfoy stopped what he was doing and straighten himself to look directly into brown eyes.

"Very funny."

"Oh, please Malfoy. I just want to know your opinion."

"Well, if you want a direct answer. I don't know."

She lifted an eyebrow at him and he sighed.

"Honestly. I don't have any idea of what's gotten into me. I like being with you, that's all. It's against my better judgment, and maybe we should just stop it…"

"No!" She interrupted him, she had thought plenty about it, and she didn't want to stop it. It was Malfoy's turn to arch an eyebrow.

"Look Granger, I very much prefer not to think too much about this, because if I do I'll start to see all the reasons of why this is a very bad idea."

"You didn't think it was bad during the break."

"That was because we were all alone, the Slytherins ignored me and the Gryffindors weren't here to remind us that the rest of the world still existed."

Hermione chuckled and reclined into Malfoy, putting her arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder, she felt his left arm snaking around her waist.

"You had to be so rude when they found us yesterday? Or was it because of the kiss Ron almost gave me?"

Malfoy tensed a little, remembering said could be kiss. Hermione smiled to herself.

"Of course not. Whatever gave you that idea? We agreed that no body would know about us not being enemies, remember?"

"I remember, but I was just wondering, how all the school would react if they discovered that we had slept together."

Despite himself, a mischievous smile appeared on his lips at the image. Hermione continued talking.

"Why can't we tell the entire world about what we were doing on winter break Malfoy?" She sighed almost longingly, of course she wouldn't do it and Malfoy knew it, but he answered none the least.

"Because, despite how very much I like the image of Potter dying of a heart attack, that would be an even worse idea than what we are already doing. Unless you have changed your mind and had decided to accompany me in a trip to the Astronomy tower to take flying lessons without a broom."

She straightened again and looked seriously at him.

"I'm not letting you do that."

"Why not? It'll happen sooner or later you know."

"It won't happen Malfoy. And why do you still think it would be dangerous for us to be nice to each other, or even friends in the open?"

"Because Granger, I don't mind a bunch of idiotic followers of the Dark Lord, trying to kill me, if they do it right, but I was under the impression that you still wanted to live a little longer."

Hermione paled a little, she had managed to unbutton Malfoy's shirt and now she tried to remove it, looking for the boy's left arm. She revealed the bandage and scowled.

"Someone tried to kill you!" She was really shocked; she hadn't really imagined it could be that serious.

"Not exactly, as I said, they're idiots. Ow! Watch it! It's still tender!"

"Sorry." She said sheepishly, trying not to poke at Malfoy's wrist. "Now Harry and Ron are sure you got the Dark Mark, all because of this. What happened?"

"Really? Good, let them have their little dream. And as for what happened, well, I was in contact with a potion that is supposed to melt skin and leave a very nasty wound, as it was bad brewed, it became poisonous and was killing my muscle cells, nearly gave me a heart attack."

Hermione looked at him openmouthed.

"Are you telling me you could have died from this?"

"The worst part was to wake up in the hospital wing, and discover that I wasn't dead after all, and that all my body seemed to be burning."

"Malfoy! Did you tell the Headmaster who did this!"

"I really wasn't in any condition to do it. Blaise reported it as a prank. It's really no good to tell what it really was, you have no way to know when the next blow is going to come."

"But you must tell Dumbledore who did it! I had believed that all You-Know-Who's followers had left Hogwarts!"

"Not all of them, only the majority of the Slytherins." Hermione frowned and Malfoy smirked at her.

"Come on Granger! Don't tell me you believed that shit that the Dark Lord's supporters are only Slytherins."

She crossed her arms in annoyance and eyed him seriously.

"You know who they are?"

"I have an idea. And two sure ones."

"… Crabbe?"

Draco eyed her and smirked again.

"You're too smart for your own good Granger."

She blushed and suddenly embraced his neck and kissed him, he took the opportunity to return to his earlier task of getting rid of her shirt and bra.

"Why don't you tell the Headmaster?"

"It would be no use, besides, I have the impression that he already knows on which ground everyone in this school stand." 'Save perhaps professor Snape's.' He thought privately, his loyalty to his uncle still was one of the things preventing him to trust Dumbledore. Hermione didn't say more, she silently agreed with him in that the Headmaster knew everything that happened in the student's minds, that thought unsettled her a little, but she drowned it deepening the kiss to Malfoy's mouth, her mind was still dealing with the fact that Draco could have been dead by now, she had felt fear coiling inside her at the thought, and her body desperately wanted to touch him, to be reassured that he was still there.

Draco's hand fumbled with the waist band of her skirt, and finally changed tactics and simply went under it to touch her buttocks through the fabric of her panties, she moaned in his mouth, moving her hands to pinch at his nipples, his mouth moved at her neck again and she started to nip at his ear, he took a moment to breath and said:

"So, after this awkward conversation, are we still going to have sex?"

She moved one hand to press into his erection, making him moan.

"Nnnn… I suppose that's a yes…"

He was shirtless and she was not, he catalogued that as unfair and proceeded to discard her blouse and bra, then she pressed onto him, her mouth sucking a certain spot behind his ear, his right hand went again under her skirt, caressing and pressing until he found the right place between her thighs that made her moan, he started to rub it, feeling how her panties became wetter slowly. Hermione's hand was stroking his confined erection at a slow rate, suddenly the few clothes they still had on were highly uncomfortable and they had to move in order to get rid of them.

Once both of them were naked, Malfoy got his hands on Hermione's breasts and started circular motions around her nipples, the girl's hands in return started massaging his flanks, moving slowly to his chest, he got one hand on the back of her neck and leaned in for a hungry kiss, their tongues battling and exploring each others' mouths, she pushed him into the assortment of blankets and she laid on top of him. Malfoy let her, and moved his right hand to tease at her entrance, his left hand firmly entangled in her hair.

Hermione moved her hips, rubbing herself against Draco's hand, the movement made her lower stomach to do a little friction with his cock and he moaned in her mouth, his hand moving, pressing and working her in the way she liked, encouraging further movement on her part, she pressed herself onto him, their bodies rubbing each other, almost as if they wanted to merge, their kisses only allowing enough pause to breathe.

Soon one of her hands started to toy with one of his nipples and the other found its way to his erection, starting to stroke it, Malfoy groaned and the hand stimulating her started to move in accord with her strokes, eventually inserting two fingers into her without stopping massaging the nub of the clitoris, Hermione's thumb rubbed the point of Draco's manhood and started stroking it faster, they were gasping and moaning in each other's mouths, barely breathing. Soon Hermione felt the tickle of her orgasm building and reaching its peak, and moaned her release loudly in Malfoy's mouth, his own orgasm followed shortly, and they were left panting in the blankets.

Hermione didn't move from her position above him, and he didn't really want her to, he kissed her right temple and started soft caresses to her body, she started exploring his torso with her hands, the stimulation arousing him again while she prodded at all the right places. They enjoyed the mutual tease for a while longer and then she moved to kneel, her legs on either side of him, Malfoy made a movement to change positions, but a hand on his chest stopped him, he laid again on his back and watched as she took hold of his erection and slowly lowered herself on it, feeling as he was being enveloped in her heat to the core.

Once fully seated, Hermione started moving, Malfoy moaned hearing her gasps of pleasure, he took hold of her hips and started moving his own, both of them establishing a rhythm. After a while he moaned loudly and released into her, almost at the same time she came too, screaming his name.

Hermione almost fell on him, but Malfoy supported her and guided her to lay at his side, tucking her in his arms, they stayed that way, still gasping, for a couple of minutes, Draco's hands caressing the soft skin of Hermione, his lips touching her forehead tenderly. After he recovered a little, he started to play with her hair and the touch turned into a soft kiss.

"Heavens. You are a wonderful woman Hermione."

She smiled and tried to bury herself into him. It was the first time he called her by her first name.