Chapter 11

Camping

March 1998

Draco POV

Draco stayed awake for a while, watching over the sleeping witch. He should not have kissed her. Really, he should have known better. He was presuming things, making a fool out of herself and making himself vulnerable.

He huffed annoyingly. Who are you trying to fool, Draco? He was falling in love with the witch; there was no denying it any longer. She was not a babe like Pansy; she had ridiculous hair and was often prone to clumsiness. Furthermore she was a geek if there ever was one, and a teacher's pet. But she was also brave, extremely intelligent and sometimes even funny. And her quiet kind of beauty had grown on him. Her eyes were mesmerizing. Draco felt as if he caught a glimpse of her beautiful soul every time he looked into those gorgeous hazel eyes. You're turning into a sap, he chided himself.

She could never know! She could never know the extent of his feelings for her. She had been with him against her will, even though she seemed to enjoy herself at the time. They had tried to make the best of horrible the situation, but it didn't change the fact that she somehow had been taken by force.

His godfather had seen right through him, even though Draco was very skilled at occlumensi, always putting up walls around his inner feelings, never baring his soul. Obviously his body language had given him away. He remembered Severus' words earlier, while Hermione was put into an artificial sleep.

You must escape this basement as soon as you can. Being here is extremely stressful for her and the last thing we want is yet another anxiety attack. She is at risk of sliding into a comatose state from exhaustion anytime soon. When you escape from here, you need to set up a camp and sleep for several hours before doing anything else. I cannot stress this enough, Draco, it's extremely important. She must rest before she does anything else; otherwise her physical and mental health is at risk. Give her two sips of this calming draught, and make sure that she rests herself. And for Merlin's sake, don't make a pass at her! Treat her gently and leave her be. She might seek the comfort of physical intimacy after her traumatic experiences, but she needs her friends now more than ever, and if you're thrown into the mix, it will only confuse things for her.

For a moment last night, he had nurtured a faint hope of a different life, a hope of finding his one and only, his soul mate; or his true love like in the fairytales or the sappy romances his mother sometimes read. But it was only a daydream, a fantasy. He was painfully aware that he didn't deserve her. He had done too many bad things and witnessed too much evil. While Hermione and her friends had struggled relentlessly against the Dark Lord, outnumbered and weak, organising DADA and such, he, Draco Malfoy, had been plotting how to murder the headmaster. It still puzzled him why his godfather had completed this task for him; Severus Snape was an enigma indeed.

As the twittering of birds outside of the tent became louder and louder, he realized he was getting sleepier every passing moment. Regrettably, he had only brought a small magical tent, which meant that the two of them had to lie in the same room next to each other. But it would have to do for now, he thought as he eased into his sleeping back, trying not to dwell on the fact that right next to him lay a very attractive witch. Breathing in her scent of vanilla and warm spices gave him hope and a sense of security and less than five minutes later he was out like a light, despite the break of dawn.

He awoke many hours later from an empty feeling in his stomach. The light from outside was more subdued now, which meant that it was probably nearing sundown. Hermione was still sleeping, but not as peacefully as earlier this day. She was twisting and turning, her brow furrowed and her expression troubled.

Draco regarded her, unsure of what to do. It pained him to see her deprived of her much-needed peaceful rest. What did you do to her, Bellatrix? What kind of damage did you do? His hand clutched his wand tightly while he dreamt of punishing the torturous witch with her own wicked spells. However he felt partly responsible for the torture inflicted on Hermione; after all it was done by some of his close relatives. He cursed the fact that he was related to so many of the lunatics.

The bushy haired witch beside him uttered a whimpering sound, obviously caught inside a nightmare. Her eyes moved rapidly back and forth between her closed eyelids. With a sigh Draco decided to intervene, not sure whether it would help or make matters worse to wake her up. He moved closer to her in his sleeping back and put an arm around her tiny frame. Then he started shaking her awake carefully.

"Hermione, wake up! You're having a nightmare."

She awoke with a start; eyes wide open. Her gaze was unfocused and she jerked away from him. Perhaps she was still dreaming with open eyes.

"Hermione! Relax! You're safe here. It's just a nightmare," he reassured her, making sure not to make any sudden movements.

Awareness crept into her hazel eyes, and she cast him a dubious gaze. Draco felt the need to explain himself.

"We escaped the Manor. I don't know how much you remember from yesterday, but we apparated here after fleeing through the dungeons. You were having a nightmare of some sort, which is why I woke you."

"I remember most of it... I remember apparating to someplace near a lake shore. But what happened after that is somewhat foggy," she said quietly.

"Not much happened after that, I assure you. You were ready to drop when we arrived here, and after raising the tent, we both slept for hours."

The witch lay still for a while, digesting it all. Draco suddenly became aware of her proximity, with his arm still resting on her. It didn't seem to bother her, so he decided to let it be for now.

Out of nowhere she suddenly burst into tears, taking Draco by surprise.

"What's happening, Hermione? Is it the nightmare? Are you hurt in any way?"

"No, it's not the nightmare," Hermione said, blinking away tears. "I'm just so relieved to escape the Manor. I never thought I would. I was certain I would die there!"

Draco carefully removed the tears with his thumb and said:

"No reason to cry now. We're out of there, it's done; we broke free! Where's your Gryffindor optimism. I told you I would get us out of there, didn't I?"

She visibly relaxed and smiled through the tears.

"You're absolutely right. Harry always tells me to have a little faith. I know I'm a sore excuse for a Gryffindor. Did you know that the sorting hat wanted to sort me into Rawenclaw instead, but I begged it to reconsider, because the only people I knew so far were in Gryffindor."

Draco smirked and said: "A Rawenclaw! I should've guessed. You're too much of an academic to be a Gryffindork. As for me, I'm a Slytherin through and through. The sorting hat bellowed Slytherin as soon as it touched my head."

He enjoyed their carefree atmosphere and tried his best to distract Hermione from her nightmares and their delicate situation as runaways. Besides, he seriously doubted that the Dark Lord would put any effort in locating the two of them, given that he tended to be more concerned with the war on a larger scale. On the other hand, the Dark Lord had singled out the two of them to create the next overpowered Dark Wizard, and as of now that plan was ruined; or at least postponed. They had better stay low, until this mess was over.

He felt a tingling in his fingers after stroking her chin, and something began to stir inside of him. The memory of her smooth porcelain skin still lingered in his fingertips, and it added to his arousal to the extent that he worried she would be able to feel it through the layers of their respective sleeping backs. Get a hold on yourself, Draco,he thought, while trying to change his posture discretely to position his groin in a less obvious manner.

"Stop calling us Gryffindorks!" she scolded playfully striking his shoulder, which almost undid him.

By Salazar please continue. I sure could use a spanking from this sexy witch.

Images of Hermione dressed in a tight leather suit and holding a whip flashed though his head.

Stop it Draco. Stop it right there. You're trying to comfort the girl, for Merlin's sake.

Umbridge in a bikini, Umbridge in a bikini, he chanted to himself, closing his eyes. His erection faded slightly, and he dared opening his eyes again, only to gaze into Hermione's face, her pupils dilated and her mouth slightly open. He was drawn into her mesmerizing gaze and couldn't help himself as he cupped her chin in a less comforting and more caressing way.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her cheeks flushing.

Those little Muggle swear words when she forgot herself were so hot. A musky and feminine scent reached his nostrils, and there was no denying it. He wanted her so badly. He was lost for words.

"Hermione... I erm... Oh bloody hell... Erm...Do you... Oh forget it... Nevermind..." he stuttered.

Merlin what is happening to me. I'm turning into a Hufflepuff. In one way it felt so natural to be close to her lovely body, after yesterday's intimate experience, but on the other hand he knew that he was not allowed to touch her that way now. Not without permission anyway. This ambiguousness of the situation confused the hell out of him and he didn't know how to deal with it. Most of his dates had been quite impressed by him, and thus eager to please him, but Hermione was a different kind of girl; more intelligent and more difficult to impress.

Hermione giggled. "Very articulate, Draco, I must say."

She withdrew both her hands from the sleeping bag and took Draco by surprise when she let her one hand slide behind his neck. She lifted her head and closed in on him, covering his mouth with a soft kiss.

"I'll show you articulate," he growled, kissing her back eagerly, his heart thudding violently in his chest. This was too good to be true; she wanted him too.

In the back of his head he heard his uncle's voice, warning him not to make a pass at the girl and despite himself he hesitated, asking: "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Absolutely. Don't you want to?" she replied, biting her lip.

"How can you ask such a thing? I want you so badly I can barely think right now."

"I want you too, Draco. So much! I want us to make love the way it should have been, somewhere safe, without anyone watching, just the two of us."

"By Salazar, then who am I to stop you!"

With the swiftness of a predator, he claimed her lips once more, devouring her rosy lips. Merlin, he wanted her. He wanted her from the first time he laid his eyes on her, still remembering his profound disappointment, when he discovered she was Muggle born. What a bloody fool he was back then. Teasingly he bit her lower lip, and a heated moan escaped her.

He wanted to feel the warmth and softness of Hermione's body. Light-headed from snogging and the damp air inside of the tent, he unzipped both sleeping backs with a flick of his wand. To his dismay, she was still fully clothed because of the abrupt way she fell asleep earlier, and their bodies were held apart by a mess of clothes and sleeping backs.

"This will not do, I want to feel you" Draco panted, as he magically displaced the sleeping bags back into the cover. Then he pulled her blouse off, eager to ogle her lovely body once more. Now he knew he was in for a treat.

"Wait a second," Hermione suddenly exclaimed and rolled away. From her pocket she took the vial containing Snape's memories and placed it at a safe distance from the mattress. She rolled back and continued undressing.

"Don't even think about it," Draco purred. "Today, I'm the one to undress you."

With skilled hands he removed her clothes and underwear, admiring her curves. Draco removed his pants as well, but deliberately kept his shirt on. He didn't want to ruin the intimate atmosphere by flashing his Dark Mark to her.

Much better! She was in the nude before him and ever so natural and beautiful. Reverently he stroked her skin, savouring its smoothness and memorising every curve, but did little else. Despite that he very much wanted to devour her, he held back handing the initiative to her, letting her discover his body in her own pace. It was an almost excruciating experience when she traced his jaw with kisses, massaged his chest and teased his nipples with her lovely pink tongue, exploring his maleness.

Then out of the blue she stopped and furrowed her brow.

"Do you actually like this, Draco? I don't know how to please a man."

It might be primitive, but her innocence turned him on.

"Us men are simple creatures! Being with you turns me on, no matter what you do," he said, stroking the lower part of her back. "So go ahead, take your time. I'm all yours."

"Well in that case..." she said with a mischievous smile, turning her attention towards his nether regions. With a scrutinizing gaze she traced his member with her tiny finger and Draco closed his eyes, enjoying the slow torture. She was kneeling over him, exploring him thoroughly. He placed her hand around his manhood, showing her how to stroke it the right pace. Her breath was laboured and her gaze heavy.

"Enough for now," Draco purred. He flipped her around onto her back and climbed down between her legs. "I have dreamt of doing this ever since yesterday."

"Of what?"

"Just wait and see!"

He circled her rosy nipples with his tongue, and with a whiff of air, he made them swell. Hermione let out a little whimper, which added to his growing arousal. He loved to extract those little sounds of pleasure from her. And he was certain that his next actions would reduce her to a mewling shuddering mess.

He let his tongue trace further down towards her private parts and, parting her womanly folds with his fingers, he found what he was looking for, the little bud of pleasure. This would be good.

Ever so careful he touched it with the tip of his tongue, but her reaction was unexpected, to say the least. She jerked back, her eyes wide open.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" she burst out.

The sexual tension between them had vanished into thin air. Draco was frustrated and angry with himself. What was he thinking? He could at least have warned her or eased into it slower. He had been so confident in his skill that he did not even stop to consider his partner's limited experience. With a sigh, he moved beside her, putting his strong arm around her shoulders.

"Cunnilingus! The ancient art of satisfying a woman using oral stimulation. Do you want to try this?" he asked, avoiding her gaze, suddenly afraid of rejection.

Hermione hesitated and narrowed her eyes at him. "But isn't this really... disgusting... for you to lick me... down there?"

"Not at all! If the lady is clean and tidy, it's one the best things I know. Every woman is different, and it's like opening a gift every time. A very precious gift!"

"Okay, let me try then," Hermione agreed as she uncurled and lay down next to him again.

He started all over again, caressing and teasing her body, teasing her nipples and kissing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. When he deemed her ready and properly aroused, he found her rosebud once more. He immediately felt her thighs clench, rightfully assuming, that she was self-conscious about having him taste her.

He explored her carefully, probing, teasing, while lavishing her with compliments about her looks and delicious taste. Slowly she was able to lean back and enjoy his very particular talent.

He tasted her intimate juices and slowly picked up the pace. Her thighs shivered with tension. He focused more and more directly at her centre of pleasure, swirling and teasing rhythmically. Her hands clutched the mattress as she arched up to meet him, murmuring incoherent words.

"Ah… there… so good…. Oh god… I'm going to… oh god…"

With a little hoarse scream, she threw her head back and surrendered, as the paroxysms of pleasure washed over her. His self-esteem skyrocketed by the sound of his witch climaxing. It was the best sound in the world and he would cherish the memory of it until the day he died. The fact that she trusted him enough to bare herself like this, despite everything, spoke volumes.

She looked satisfied as a lazy kitten, and he almost expected her to purr. Draco, on the other hand, was bursting with desire. She lifted her head and gazed at him through half lidded eyes.

"Take me Draco. Show me how it's done for real."

"You show me," he smirked as he flipped her around to sit on top of him.

She bit her lip, looking insecure. "What do you want to do?"

"Let me show you!"

With firm hands he grabbed her hips, guiding her slowly onto his arousal. She froze, her body tensing.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I'm guiding you to sit on top of me. This way, you're the one in charge, and you withdraw any time you want?"

Another secret reason for choosing this position was the fact that he had a major hard on, and he did not want a repeat of his premature ejaculation if he could in any way avoid it.

Hermione furrowed her brow.

"I thought guys were supposed to be on top. I don't know how to do this."

"Just relax. I won't do anything without your consent. But this is a great position for many women. You decide the pace and how much of me you want to feel. I'll guide you!"

"Okay then," she answered cautiously.

Draco eased into her and tried to help her set the pace. He had to push upwards to avoid sliding out again. It was an awkward position and he almost regretted that he had not chosen the missionary position instead. Hermione moved back and forth a bit hesitantly. He held firmly onto her hips with both hands and caught her legs below his thighs. Then he guided her back and forth in a steady pace, embedding himself entirely into her pulsating centre.

After a while she got the hang of it and her pace quickened. She also seemed to enjoy herself, judged by her closed eyes and moans of pleasure. She was still alternating between a fast and a steadier pace; trying to work out her preferred pace.

"This is... actually good," she breathed.

"Mmmm" he agreed, not really trusting his voice at this point.

He was buried inside of her as she was rubbing herself against him. Nothing could have aroused him more. He burned with desire from watching her well-formed bouncing breasts. He reached for them and started massaging them with a firm grip.

"Oh my, Draco... I want to... I want more..." she moaned incoherently.

She was riding him violently now, and he could tell that she was close. Whimpering and pleading, she trusted her entire body back and forth.

"Come for me, Hermione. Come for me!" Draco howled.

She cried out loudly and arched back, digging her nails into his chest. The climax rippled through her and she contracted rhythmically around his manhood. Unable to hold it any longer, he roared her name as he plunged into her forcefully, emptying himself as he shattered inside of her. As the contractions subsided, he felt relaxed and utterly spent. Vaguely in the back of his brain a small voice questioned the rationality of having unprotected sex, when they had now escaped their imprisonment, but he did not dwell on it.

Hermione had collapsed on top of him. He carefully rolled her over, without breaking skin contact. They were both sweaty and sticky and in much need of the scorgify he cast. Something was burning inside of his thighs and he realized that the friction from being ridden had caused a pair of severe excoriations. He resisted the urge to keep them as a badge of honour and cast a small episkey on both his and Hermione's thighs.

After the sating of his sexual needs he felt the hunger even stronger and his stomach grumbled loudly. As much as he loved the intimacy of spooning Hermione, he needed food, and he needed it now. Caressing her soft skin he said:

"I don't know about you, but I'm starved. I'm going to fix us some breakfast or dinner or whatever is appropriate at this time of the day. But don't expect too much, I've only brought camp food."

The witch nodded in agreement, they both dressed and Hermione carefully placed Snapes vial back inside her pocket. He conjured two cups of tea and enlarged the reduced flapjacks using an engorgement charm. An uncomfortable silence settled upon them. None of them dared to address the giant elephant in the room: where were they heading and what would happen between them from now on? As they ate, Draco desperately tried to come up with some way of starting a conversation. Hermione beat him to it, when she cleared her voice and said:

"I need to find the Order somehow, to deliver professor Snape's memories to Harry. They most likely contain crucial information of how to defeat You-Know-Who, and the sooner it reaches Harry the better. "

Draco gave a curt nod.

She continued: "However, I don't have a wand, so I'm quite defenceless in case..."

He took her hands and looked her straight in the eye: "I'm taking you there, of course. Did you really think I was going to leave you wandering around in the woods amongst Death Eaters and without a wand?"

"Thanks, Draco," she said quietly.

"By the way, what will you do now, Draco? Now that you've officially betrayed You-Know-Who?"

Draco shrugged. "I haven't really thought it through... I realize that I will have to go into hiding from now on. I think I might leave the country. Or at least leave it for a while. I worry a great deal about Mother, though. She might be accused of my escape."

Hermione put her hand on top of his. Certain things needed to be said and Draco continued, staring at his hands:

"I'm so very sorry that I hurt you yesterday. It was never my intention to do so. This whole creating a powerful wizard thing wasn't my idea. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me someday."

"Oh my Gosh, Draco, do you seriously still think that I hold a grudge towards you? After all we've been through the last 24 hours. I would never have made it out of there, if it wasn't for you. Stop pestering yourself about things you can't control. We both did what we had to do in order to survive; it's as simple as that."

"I just can't help feeling guilty about it."

"Please don't!"

"You might feel different about in later on..." Draco said, furrowing his brow.

They were both quiet for a while. Hermione broke the silence and asked:

"Have you considered joining the order?"

He laughed, a bitter, joyless sound.

"I can't, I'm a marked man."

"You've already proved to me that you're not just your mark! You're brave and caring."

"It's too late for me! Way too late! I've done so many terrible things."

"You can repent and make it up to the people you harmed. You were led astray by your very own family, sure people can see that. It's never too late to change."

"I don't think your Gryffindor friends agrees with you." he said quietly, though a faint hope shimmered inside of him. Staying with the order would not be so bad if Hermione stood by him, but he also remembered his godfather's words about Hermione's need for comfort and physical intimacy after her traumatic experience. She might think she wanted a friendship or more with him now, but how would she feel about it, when she reunited with her real friends? It dawned on Draco that he had made a grave mistake by making love to her, and she might blame him later on for taking advantage on her in a vulnerable position. Even though it was what they both wanted at the time, he should have treated her with kindness and respect instead of jumping right into bed with her.

"But what about the two of us? What about this?" Hermione said, making a circular gesture. "I had hoped that we... Draco I think that I... kind of like you. I've seen this whole new side of you and I would like to get to know you better. I don't want us to go separate ways."

A warm feeling spread inside of him. By Salazar, he would like to get to know her better too. He had wanted to get to know her better for a very long time. He admired her courage to just get her feelings out in the open. Opening up was not so easy for him, from an early age he was raised to keep his feelings in check. And the last couple of months amongst the Death Eaters hadn't made it any better. As he pondered his reply, they were abruptly interrupted by a gruff voice from outside.

"Who's there? Show yourselves, or by the Order we will attack."

Hermione's face lit up.

"Remus! Is that really you?"

She got up and bolted out of the tent, throwing herself into the arms of the ragged form of her former professor. Draco followed reluctantly, cursing the bad timing of the interruption. As he reached the opening of the tent, he froze, as several wands were pointed towards him.

"No! Please lower your wands. He's with me. He rescued me from the Manor." Hermione interrupted, holding out her hands.

Draco recognised the two other members of the group; it was the Auror and former ministry employee Kingsley Shacklebolt, and one of the redheaded Weasleys, Bill Weasley he guessed. Why couldn't he have had just a little more time alone with Hermione? Now it was too late to tell her how he felt. And besides, she should stay far away from someone like him. He would deliver her safely to her friends and let her go on with her life.

"Be careful," Kingsley said. "She could be under the imperius curse."

"I'm not," Hermione replied indignantly.

With a flick of his wand towards Hermione Kingsley chanted "Finite Incantatem."

Nothing happened; nothing at all. Reluctantly the three wizards lowered their wands.

He continued: "I'm sorry Hermione, but we need to be extra careful these days. We've set up a camp not far from here. The three of us are out securing the area. We've heard rumours of an imminent attack on parents of a Muggle born, and we're trying to prevent it."

Lupin turned towards Draco. "You can come too, Malfoy, if you want to. But we need to know exactly what happened at the Manor," he said sternly.

Draco pressed his lips into a thin line and gave a curt nod. This was what he dreaded. Telling everything might be a bad idea, and he hoped that Hermione agreed to that. He shrunk his tent and together the small group followed a trail away from the lake and towards a clearing in the woods.

Bill put his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Someone at the camp will be very happy to see you. Ron and Harry have been sick with worry. They feared the worst, in fact we all did. We were afraid we were never going to see you again."

Draco's spirit fell as he realized they had to meet the Weasel and the Golden Boy already. Bloody marvellous!

"Bill, it was horrible and I don't really want to talk about it," Hermione replied shakily. "I'm so relieved to be free again."

As they neared the clearing a faint shimmer from glamour appeared, and soon they were able to see the small camp.

"Look who we've found," Bill yelled, and soon after a redhead and a bespectacled man with black unruly hair sprinted towards them, with big grins plastered on their faces.

"Hermione, is that really you?" Harry yelled, laughingly.

Use your eyes, wanker! Draco thought with a sneer.

"Yes, It's really me," Hermione replied with a wide smile and held out her arms for a hug. She was hugged fiercely by her two Gryffindor friends and Draco felt as if a knife was twisted through his intestines.

Suddenly Ron froze and glared daggers at Draco.

"What's the bloody ferret doing here? Get away from her, you Death Eater scum," Ron barked and took a couple of steps towards Draco, both of his hands clenched into fists.

Hermione tried to intervene. "Take it easy you guys! He has changed a lot. He helped me escape the manor!"

Draco watched the passionate greetings between the three , and he realized that he would always stir things up between Hermione and her friends. Hermione would never be truly happy if he stayed, because his mere existence would forever be a thorn in the side of Ron and Harry. Furthermore he would find it impossible not to taunt the hot-headed tosser aka the weasel. A history of animosity and bullying could not so easily be erased. And besides, he was carrying the Dark Mark.

Now is the time to be strong, Draco, he thought to himself as he changed forced his features into his usual haughty sneer.

"Well here's your precious Gryffindor princess delivered in one piece. So my job here's done. Sayo-fucking-nara." he drawled, and turned around to leave.

"Draco, what are you doing," Hermione said sharply.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Our deal is done, I'm leaving!" Draco said. Playing the part of the prick had always been his specialty.

He caught a glimpse of her beautiful hazel eyes and it pained him. She looked confused and hurt. He brazed himself and continued walking. He had to find a spot outside of the camp to disapparate from before someone got the idea to hold him hostage.

"Don't walk away from me like that! Don't you dare! I trusted you. I thought you liked me!" She yelled at him, her voice breaking.

You have no idea, Hermione. The word 'like' will never be enough to describe the extent of my feelings for you. However I need to be strong now, in order to do what's necessary. I'll never forget you, Hermione. Never!

"Let him go, he's not worth it," Harry said, holding her tight.

Clenching his jaws Draco strode away from the witch with the bushy hair and the mesmerizing hazel brown eyes. The witch he was certain he would always love, no matter what happened. But it was bound to be love from a distance. She could never know about his feelings. It was for the best, he thought, blinking away tears, as he disapparated from the edge of the clearing.