After Hermione had sent out the letters, she decided to take a small nap. She was still a little tired from last night, and from how early she awoke this morning. Especially, from last night.

Two hours later she woke to the sound of an owl pecking at her window. Hermione walked over to the creature and grabbed the letter from its mouth. Noticing that the owl was still there, she looked at it oddly.

"What could you possibly need Mr. Owl? Am I supposed to read the letter in front of you so that you can watch…? I mean it's not the first time that I have had to do that, but still, usually, I just give them- Oh! How could I be so stupid?! Hold on, Mr. Owl." Hermione rushed around her room looking for something, only to come up empty. Drawing her brows together, she paced back and forth. All at once, she stopped moving and turned around.

"Tillie! Could you bring me an owl treat please?" A second later the house elf popped in with a jar filled with treats. Hermione smiled and looked at the little elf just before Tillie popped away.

"Thank you!" She yelled out.

Hermione grabbed a treat from the small jar and shuffled over to the white owl perched on her windowsill. "Sorry, I've had a bit of a long day… Well, a long few days if we are being honest. I'm sure you understand, don't you?" Hermione held out her hand that held a treat in it and watched as the owl moved forward to eat it.

"Don't you get tired of flying all of the time? I don't fancy flying, myself. People should stay on the ground; we are not meant to be in the air like that! The exception would be Anamagi or an aeroplane. It is a muggle contraption; though I'm sure you wouldn't know what I'm talking about, you're an owl."

Wait, why am I trying to have a proper conversation with a bloody owl?!

The owl seemed to agree with Hermione's thoughts, and ate the treat as quickly as possible, and flapped its pale wings as it left. Well, I guess that means I don't need to reply back to this letter then… Now, what is my excuse for indulging my thoughts to an owl like a nut case... Nevermind this; we will just pretend like it never happened.

"Right. Okay, onto the letter…" Hermione mumbled to herself quietly.

She moved over to sit at the edge of her bed as she carefully broke open the green seal to the letter, and began to read refined cursive.

"Granger,

I must admit, I was quite shocked when I received your letter. At first, I thought it was a prank by some of plentiful 'non-admirers.' Nevertheless, I will oblige to this somewhat spontaneous meeting. I am available to be at your office within the hour. Listen, Granger; you better make this worth my while. I do not do things like this often, so don't make me regret it.

Signed,

Draco Lucius Malfoy"

Hermione let out a deep breath at the letter. Well, that was rather blunt… Okay, this will be fine. He does not seem angry, or else he wouldn't have agreed to meet, right? This is a good idea Hermione, do not fool yourself out of doing it.

Hermione closed her eyes as she debated on whether she should go through with her plan or not. This would be helpful for multiple people, though…

Fuck, I'll do it.

With that decided, Hermione touched up her straying hair that had fallen out of her bun when she had nodded off. Once she looked decent, she apparated herself to her office. The wards of the Rosier manor recognized her as family, so she was able to apparate in and out of the house, should she choose to.

Hermione's office was quiet as she sat down in her chair. She wondered if maybe now was the time for her to take up that apprenticeship with Minerva… She had gotten a taste of the Ministry life, and even this field of work ended up making her life the opposite of the calm that she had wanted it to be. What was the difference if she chose to now work at Hogwarts? Granted, she would have to tell Minerva about everything… She wondered if she needed to have a proper wedding? She didn't know how purebloods worked…

They better not make me change my last name, there's absolutely no fucking way I am doing that.

If she married just one wizard, would she? Yes. However, seven wizards? Definitely not.

How would we even choose a last name? Oh Gods, what if they made me hyphenate all five names with my own…

Three loud knocks on the door to her office nudged her out of her thoughts. Hermione stood up nervously, walked over to the door, and opened it to greet Draco Malfoy in all of his 'glory.'

She hadn't seen him since his trial… Of course, she had seen him on magazine covers and news articles, but she hadn't spoken to him since the war. She had testified for him in the Wizengamot, but they had never talked to each other besides that.

Clearing her throat, she spoke in a faux confident tone. "Malfoy, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat." Hermione motioned towards the chairs.

The bright blonde wizard gave the chairs the same disgusted look as his father had done before. Hermione had to laugh a little to herself at this.

Like father, like son.

Draco quietly sat down in one of the small chairs as Hermione sat down into hers, crossing her legs and clasping her hands together on top of the desk.

Hermione watched warily as Draco looked her up and down, and she could have sworn that he seemed almost shocked for a second.

"You look surprisingly well, Granger." The blonde wizard spoke in a stunned voice.

Hermione stammered at this, unsure of how to respond to his statement. "Uh… Um, thank you, Malfoy," Hermione ended awkwardly, and Draco began to chuckle.

"Calm down Granger; I have a wife and a kid. I am just saying that you have finally grown into your bushy hair, amongst other things, of course." He said this with a tone of joking at the hair comment.

Hermione was too shocked by what he had just revealed, to even pay attention to his comment. "You are married? With a real child?"

Draco looked incredulously at her and then sighed out. "Look, I know it's surprising to think about, but yes I am married. Granted, it was a betrothal contract, but we do love each other."

Hermione wanted to know who he was married to, so badly, but she didn't know if she was pushing it by asking. Draco noticed her hard look and spoke before she could even ask.

"I am married to Astoria Greengrass; Daphne's little sister. And, yes, my son is real, Granger. His name is Scorpius; he's two years old. Want to see a picture?" Draco asked in a hopeful voice.

Hermione was shocked that Malfoy was so enthusiastic about showing her a picture of his son, though she assumed it was the 'fatherly pride' in him that was peeking through. Hermione nodded in reply and Draco took out a small picture from a pocket on the inside of his pressed robes, and handed it to her. Hermione let a smile take over her face as she looked at the little boy in the photo. He was standing on the grass with a small smile gracing his pale face.

"He looks just like you, Malfoy," Hermione giggled at the cute little Malfoy Jr.

"Of course he does, Granger. He is my son." Hermione rolled her eyes at this and got serious.

"Listen, Malfoy, the reason I asked to meet with you today is that I wanted to apologize for some things."

Draco looked confused at this. "Why would you apologize? If anything, I sho-"

Hermione held up her hand to stop him from speaking.

"I know, but just listen, okay? I wanted to apologize for not helping you in school. What I mean by that, is, I saw the way you had changed when you had gotten marked. I remember commenting on how different you had looked to Harry, and yet, I did nothing about it. I know you will think I am completely mad for saying all of this, but I do wish that I would have done something to help you. I know that you probably wouldn't have accepted any help anyways, especially not from me, but I cannot help but wonder if I could have done at least something small that would have helped lighten the load that you were taking on. I also wanted to let you know that I, um, I forgive you for everything that has happened between us. We were all just kids… You know? We shouldn't have had to do all of the things that we did. Also, for the record, I'm glad that you are still here, Malfoy. I never told you, but you're brilliant. Honestly, you really are. I don't want you to have some conception of me thinking that I am better than you because I'm not. I've done things I'm not proud of, too."

Draco looked shell-shocked throughout the whole speech, and all he could do was nod his head. "Um yeah… Thanks, Granger, I guess…"

Hermione understood that he wasn't going to come out and say what he was feeling, so she decided to get to the real point of the meeting.

"Anyway, this brings me on to what I had intended to tell you from the beginning. I know about the boxes that each family of the Sacred 28 was given."

Draco looked at her curiously and hesitantly nodded.

"I'm just going to come right out and say it… Draco, I've opened five of the boxes, and have brought back seven wizards from the dead."

Draco looked like he was about to faint; he had stopped breathing and bent over with his head in his hands. "Fucking hell, Granger… What have you done… I can't believe this... "

Hermione stood up and sat next to him to try and stop his wild ramblings. "Malfoy, look at me. You need to breathe. Seriously, I need you to look at me."

Draco let out a deep breath and lifted his head and looked at her with his light grey eyes.

"There is nothing that you need to worry about, do you understand? No one is going to harm you. They barely even know who you are. But, I need you to help me with one of the wizards. Do you think you can do this? I need you to be his friend, Draco. Just his friend. You two are so much alike, and he has no one to speak to right now, besides me. But, you, Draco Malfoy... You would be the perfect person for him to talk to. I believe that you two will be able to understand each other quite well. So, what do you say? Can you do this for me?"

Draco swallowed in fear and looked down at his hands. "Who? Who is it?"

Hermione sighed and looked down at her hands too, in hopes that this would all work out. "It's Regulus. Regulus Black."

Draco looked up at Hermione and realized that she was actually serious. He couldn't imagine how the two of them were alike, but Hermione had sounded so convincing. It couldn't hurt to try, could it? He thought to himself.

"Okay. Fine, I will do it."

Hermione looked up at him with the most significant smile on her face, and she wished so badly to jump up and hug him, but she knew that it would be a bad idea. Instead, she just smiled and sat still. "Thank you, Draco."

He nodded and then sighed. Hermione didn't want to be pushy, but she was hoping that he would speak to Regulus today.

"Malfoy, do you think we could go and speak to him, maybe like… Right now?"

Draco looked scandalized at the thought, but then just slumped down and nodded his head in defeat. "Yeah, whatever, let's do this before I realize that this was a terrible idea and that I should have just burnt your letter when I got it."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she stood up, and held out her arm towards Draco. "I will apparate us to where he is. I am the only one who can apparate there besides the owner of the house. Is that okay?"

Draco nodded and wrapped his arm around hers with a sigh. Within a few seconds, they both landed in the front hall of the manor. Draco looked around in confusion.

"Granger… Why does this look somewhat familiar? I'm afraid to ask, but, whose house is this?"

Hermione unwrapped her arm from his and muttered a little quietly, though Draco could still hear it. "U-um… It's the Rosier Manor… Evan Rosier."

Draco paused when she said this and couldn't even reply back to the name. "Alright, Granger... Let's just go and talk to Black."

Hermione nodded thankfully and called for Tillie. The little elf showed up and seemed confused at the wizard who was standing next to Hermione.

"Tillie, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is Tillie. She is a house elf of Rosier Manor, and she has been helping me out a lot recently; I am very grateful for her. Now, Tillie, could you please show Draco and I where Regulus Black is? We would like to speak to him."

Tillie nodded and began to walk through the large house. She had stopped before a room with large doors on it.

"Thank you, Tillie." The elf nodded and left.

Hermione turned to Draco and gave him a few last words before they went in. "Draco, I would appreciate it if you could tell Regulus about your experience as a follower of the Dark Lord. You both have similar stories, and I think it would help Regulus. Is that alright with you? Would you like me to leave when you begin speaking about this?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly Granger, you've already gotten me this far. I don't really care at this point."

Hermione nodded and opened one of the doors.

Inside the room was one of the most extensive libraries, right behind Hogwarts' library, of course. The witch wanted to drool at the sight of all these books, but she could save that for later.

Hermione spotted a figure that was sitting on the end of a couch right in front of a burning fire. She didn't want to startle Regulus, so she called out his name first.

"Regulus? I have someone I would like you to meet if you don't mind…"

Regulus looked up at the sound of her voice, with a smile on his face. Although, once he had registered what she had said, the smile slowly dropped. "I suppose that is okay... "

Hermione grabbed the sleeve of Malfoy's robe and dragged him into the light. Regulus looked at him with curious eyes, before he seemed to recognize who he was. "A Malfoy? Not Lucius, though…"

Hermione nodded and spoke in return. "No, not Lucius. This is his son, Draco Malfoy. We went to school together. I thought that maybe you would want to get to know each other, considering you're related and all; second cousins I believe. And, I also think that you guys are similar in many ways; so, I thought that Draco could tell you some things, and you could also do the same."

Regulus could feel how nervous Hermione was through their bond, and he reluctantly nodded. Hermione instantly felt relieved at this and seated Draco across from Regulus, as she went to sit down on the couch right next to the youngest Black. She then grabbed one of his hands and held it in her lap, where she rubbed her fingers against the back of it in comfort.

"So, the reason that I brought Draco here is because he was marked as well… You see, Draco was marked at about the same time as you were, age wise. He was forced to join, or else his mother and father would be killed. He was given the task to kill Dumbledore; but, he didn't end up doing it. I think that Draco realized how far gone the Dark Lord had become, and he wanted to defect like you did. Of course, I don't know this for sure; it is just a- I don't know… It's just a feeling. I would like it if you could tell Draco what had happened to you. I feel like Draco is one of the very few people who would understand."

Hermione could now feel the anxiety that Regulus was experiencing. She squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes to give him some reassurance. "It's okay, Regulus. I will be here if you would like, or I can leave if that would make you feel more comfortable. But, I think that you guys could connect quite well with each other. Not that I don't want you to tell me things, but I think it would be just as good - if not better - to speak with someone who has experienced some of the same things that you did. Trust me, Regulus. I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't think that it would be worth it."

Regulus responded with a nod of his head and turned to look at the blonde man sitting across from him. They stared at each other for a few seconds as if they were having a silent conversation before Regulus turned to look at Hermione. He gave her a guilty look and seemed hesitant to speak.

"Hermione, do you suppose you could come back later? I want to be able to get to know Draco one-on-one."

Hermione felt a pang of disappointment before she nodded and smiled at both Regulus and Draco. "Of course. Please, speak freely with each other. If you need me, I will be in my room."

She then turned to look at Draco and gave him a sincere smile. "Draco, thank you for coming over. I meant everything that I said, before. I hope that you two will be able to become more acquainted."

Draco bowed his head and then Hermione turned her body to the wizard sitting beside her. She squeezed his hand one last time before she lifted one of her own to his cheek. Quietly, she began whispering to him. "Thank you, as well. I appreciate you being open with him about this. I promise you; everything will be alright. Draco will not judge you for what you have done, okay? He's different, like you... Will you come to me when you are finished here? I want to know how it goes, please."

Regulus looked deeply into the witch's eyes, and he could feel the warmth that she was giving off. She was happy for him; he could feel it flowing through their bond. Suddenly, her lips were on his, and he could feel himself relax, though Hermione could tell that he was feeling a bit embarrassed to be kissing her in front of Draco. Hermione ran her thumb over his cheek, which had become hot from him blushing, and ended the kiss reluctantly. When she opened her eyes, she could see that he still had his shut, and was leaning his forehead against hers. She looked at the long black lashes that slowly began to blink open to gaze back at her. Regulus nodded in her hand, and she smiled back at him.

Then, she stood up from the couch and walked out of the door. Neither of the men spoke until she had left the room.

Draco looked at Regulus with a smirk on his face. "So... Granger, huh?"

The other wizard blushed even more at the playful leer that the young Malfoy had sent his way.


Hermione padded down the halls and decided to try and find her way back to her room on her own. She couldn't depend on Tillie to escort her everywhere that she needed to go; she would need to figure it out for herself, eventually.

Aimlessly, she roamed through the manor until she was stopped in the middle of the hall by Evan, who was standing in front of the Portrait of his father.

"Hermione, just the witch I heard so much about. I believe you are already familiar with my father, yes?"

She looked sheepishly back towards him, and he laughed at the expression. "Hermione, it's fine. He's a bit of a git; I am well aware. I try not to speak to any of them much; the portraits. But, the elves have been telling me that my father has been asking for me incessantly, and I knew he'd never shut up if I didn't come to see him. Although, he's got some rather interesting opinions when it comes to you, isn't that right, Father?"

The man in the portrait sat up in attention and began sneering at Hermione. "This uncivilized little bint criticized me and your aunt, Druella, this morning. Along with practically all of your ancestors. This boarish little mudblood mortified your aunt! You wouldn't believe the things she said to us!"

Evan's brows rose at this, and he turned to look at the witch in question. "I can't imagine what you said, Hermione... What exactly did you say that made my ancestors roll over in their graves?"

Hermione gave a humored laugh at the double meaning and smiled sweetly at him. She brought her hands to the front of her body and clasped them together as if she were an innocent child.

"Me? Goodness, I don't think I even remember… Let's see… Ah, it could be the comment I made about your father, and I quote, 'dirtying his knees as he willingly kissed the Dark Lord's robes.' I suppose I did also say something about how he was primarily the reason that you had died… As for Druella, well... I believe I asked her to give her daughter my thanks, for her wand, when she sees her down in Hell… Although, I can't imagine why those comments would be so horrifying… They were true, wouldn't you agree, darling?"

The wizard's smirk grew into a full out grin. Hermione could tell that he was amused at the interaction that she had with his family, as he pulled her towards him by her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he bent his face lower to hers. "You are truly fascinating, kitten. Did you know that?"

Hermione looked at his lips as they were barely a breath away from each other. "I have been told…"

Evan moved in as she said this, and attached his mouth to hers. Hermione leaned her body even closer to him as he slowly, as if on purpose, kissed her right in front of his father's portrait. Hermione could faintly register the sound of gasping and yelling but blocked it all out as she continued to snog the wizard into oblivion. They broke apart after a short while, and Evan nipped at her lip, making her smile in return. After pulling away, the wizard looked at her with a smile and spoke clear enough for others to hear.

"Now, I believe you were headed somewhere, Miss Granger. I would hate to keep you from whatever you were going to do. I must finish speaking with these miscreants. Quite annoying, really."

Hermione giggled and turned around as she continued her walk down the hall some more, to where she assumed her room was. She vaguely remembered walking this way with Tillie earlier that morning.

Finally, she made it to her room and went to her desk to see another letter laying there. She walked over and sat down in the cushioned leather chair. She opened the letter and smiled as she read it. She was excited at the reply that she had gotten. I need to make sure that Sirius is free tomorrow...

All at once, she heard a knocking on her bedroom door.

"Come in!"

The door opened to the figure of Rabastan Lestrange. He looked nervous and unsure as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Oh hello, Rabastan. Is everything alright?"

He stood there uncomfortably, and Hermione rose from her chair and went to sit at the end of her large bed. She patted the spot right beside her, inviting him to come and sit down, too. Slowly he walked over and took up the place that she had previously indicated.

"Miss Granger, I am just going to come out and say it. When will the bond between us be consummated? Usually, this happens the night that the bond is first presented, but I know that will be somewhat unrealistic; considering the sheer amount of wizards that you will need to perform the ritual with. I believe it would be best if these acts were done as quickly as possible. The longer that you wait, the more the bond will stretch thin before it ultimately breaks. Our magic will be hazardous if this is not done soon. I do not intend to let that happen. Do you?"

Hermione sat in shock.

She couldn't believe that he actually just came to her asking when they would have sex. She wasn't planning on having sex with a particular wizard on a specific day; it's not like she had a bloody schedule planned out... She was just going to wait and let it happen like it would normally go.

Maybe he is right though… Perhaps this needs to be done as quickly as possible… I mean, I've already done it with Regulus, so there's one wizard done with. But, Hermione didn't want to seem insensitive to the previous wizard's feelings. She cared about each of them in her own way and didn't want them to think that she was just having sex with them as if it meant nothing.

"Rabastan, does sex mean anything to you? I am going to be honest with you; I have already sealed the bond with Regulus. But when we did, that, it meant something. Not just to me but to him as well. I don't want to have meaningless sex. Can you honestly tell me that you feel anything at all for me? Or is this just a scratch that you need to be itched? Out of all of the wizards, you are the one that I am most uncertain about. I don't know how you will respond to having sex with me. I have no qualms about being intimate with you, Rabastan. But, are you sure that you truly want to be with me like that? I am not perfect, you know. As you've pointed out before, I am not 'pureblood material.' Are you willing to wait until you are certain, or would you rather just have a quick shag just to get it over with? It is up to you. You are already aware of what I would prefer."

Rabastan looked confused when she finished speaking. "I cannot admit that I have ever had sex that was 'meaningful.' Back in Hogwarts, I just fooled around with a very select few witches. They were all, of course, purebloods. But, there were no feelings involved. I don't know what it means to have sex that is like that. So, you wish to wait, Miss Granger? I can't say that I will be able to wait very long. I admit that the pull towards you is prominent. My body... It wants you. It craves you. It is merely my head that I am uncertain about."

Hermione let out a sad smile at his words. "I understand. I do wish for us to wait if that is alright with you… Rabastan, I do want you, you must know that. I just… I want you to want me, as well." He nodded at this and went to stand up.

"Rabastan… Can I kiss you?" Hermione asked hesitantly. If they were going to end up having sex, he needed to get used to the thought of touching her and accepting her touch in return.

He nodded slowly, and she rose up next to him and grabbed his hand. She wrapped his hand around her back, as she brought her's up to his shoulders. They stared at each other until she lifted one of her hands off of his broad shoulders and slid it up to the side of his jaw. She watched as a muscle jumped when he had clenched his teeth, and proceeded to grab his other hand to repeat the gesture onto her own jaw. His elegant hand felt warm and soft against her cheek, and she could feel her body beginning to respond to his light touch. She nodded at Rabastan and lifted herself up so that she could feel his breath fan across her face. She slid the hand that was on his jaw up to his eyelids and softly ran her fingers over each one.

"Close your eyes," Hermione whispered to him and he obliged. Once his eyes were fully shut, she cradled his face in her hand once again and leaned even closer so that their bottom lips brushed against each other. Hermione could feel the shallow breath that he let out, and finally closed the distance between them. She captured his bottom lip between her's softly, and then pulled away.

It was only one little kiss, but Rabastan was captivated. He swore he could feel some of her magic pass through him, and it felt calming and caring. Rabastan had never felt anything like it. No witch had felt like the one in front of him did, and his mind became fuzzy. He could do nothing but stare into her eyes and take deep breaths.

Hermione smiled and gave him a short kiss on the cheek before she pulled her body away from his. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt something from that kiss. He wanted more, but he couldn't even move his body to reciprocate.

Hermione noticed his dazed state and took him by the hand as she moved him slowly onto the bed to lay on his side, as she lay across from him on her side as well. They continued to stare at each other even as Hermione burrowed herself closer to his chest, and manually brought his arm around her waist again. She lay there cuddled against him and found herself closing her eyes while drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

Just before she had lost consciousness, she felt Rabastan's arm tighten around her, effectively pulling her closer to him. She heard him let out a sigh, and then everything was dark.


Hermione awoke to the sound of knocking on her door. Rabastan was still wrapped around her, and she couldn't bear to separate herself from him. He looked so peaceful, and she couldn't imagine the last time he had a pleasant sleep.

The front of his toned body was flush up against her back, and an arm laid tenderly across her stomach. Hermione slowly lifted his hand and slid her fingers through his, so that she was holding his arm against her.

She waved her hand towards the door, and it opened with a loud creak. She cringed at this, though Rabastan hadn't moved a centimeter.

Standing beyond the other side of the door, was Regulus. He looked content and happy; she could feel it when she looked at him. Hermione motioned for him to come towards her and she saw the flash of hesitation that had stopped him from moving forward, but then patted the bed in invitation. He quickly made his choice, as he shuffled towards her. Hermione smiled at him when he stood right on by the side of her bed.

"Lay down."

Regulus looked embarrassed at the thought of laying in the same bed as her and the hard-headed wizard, who was currently holding her tightly against his sleeping body. Hermione gave him and pointed look, and he relented, laying down on his side so that they were facing each other.

Regulus felt a jolt of jealousy when he looked at her hand that had clutched Rabastan's. He took the initiative and grabbed her other hand that was laying in front of her, and slid his fingers through hers, as he clasped their hands together.

Hermione couldn't stop the smile that stretched across her face when she saw Regulus gather up the confidence to touch her so freely. She squeezed his hand, making him lift his head to look into her eyes.

"How was it?" Her soft voice whispered out into the quiet room.

Regulus smiled brightly at her and started to play with the ends of the stray curls that draped themselves across her neck. "It was brilliant. I couldn't believe it; how alike the two of us were. He told me about how he got marked, and he told me about the task that he was given. We connected over so many things… Our childhoods, the expectations, the responsibilities, and the guilt. Trying to make up for our mistakes; for everything. It was amazing Hermione, it really was amazing. I feel so much lighter now; like I'm not as alone anymore…"

Hermione was happy for Regulus when he told her about all of the things that he had realized, and how well their meeting had gone. Suddenly, she felt a pulse of distress in her heart and looked suspiciously at Regulus.

"What happened, Regulus? I thought you were happy about the meeting…" She furrowed her brows in questioning.

Regulus refused to make eye contact with her, and instead just stared at the hand that he was holding as he began speaking. "Draco… He also told me some other things, you know… About his time at Hogwarts, and things that had happened during the war. He told me about how ghastly he treated you; although, I had already assumed that you guys were not friendly in school. He told me a lot about you… I mean, I asked him to tell me, so I should have been able to handle the things that he had said. And I did, at first. He told me about how smart you were and how you were always getting into trouble." Hermione watched as a small smile appeared on Regulus' face.

"He told me about the time when you struck him, and we laughed about it. He was telling me about how he couldn't even say anything hateful to you when he had seen you at the Yule Ball. He said you looked beautiful, you know. But, then, he suddenly went silent for a few moments, and he had this pained look on his face. I was so confused, but then he started speaking again, and I understood why he had looked so hurt. He told me about a specific day when he was called down to the sitting room. When he went down there, he saw your friends, and then he saw you… And, he told me that you looked so defiant as you stood there, and I could almost picture it in my head. He told me about how they wished for him to identify Potter, and that he couldn't do it. He told me about how he had lied, and how he thought that he had saved you all when he had done that. But, then he said that Bellatrix was fixated on you, specifically. Draco said that she wouldn't stop yelling at you, asking how you got some sword, and accusing you of breaking into her vault."

Hermione nodded solemnly at this and waited for him to continue. She was waiting for him to say what she knew was coming.

"Hermione, he told me, about how they separated you three. That the other two were taken to the Malfoy dungeons, and that you were left upstairs with him and his family. He… He said that Bellatrix had tortured you, for so long. Draco didn't even know how long it had lasted, but he said that it felt like hours. He told me that they all stood there, watching you get hit with Crucio after Crucio and that you were screaming so loudly. Said he'd never forget the look of fear on your face when she had taken out the Black family's cursed knife… A-at first I thought that he was bluffing. I had always heard about the dark objects that my family was in possession of, but I had never actually seen them with my own eyes. But he kept talking, and he told me that he watched your body writhing on the hard floor, as Bellatrix carved into your arm. H-he told me what she had carved, and how sick he felt when he had watched blood dripping out from the word that he had spewed at you for years… Hermione, which arm was it?"

Hermione closed her eyes tightly and squeezed the hand that he was holding. Slowly, she felt his fingers uncurl from her's and tensed as she felt him slide the sleeve of the cardigan up her arm. She heard the hiss that came from his mouth and heard him swallow loudly as he spoke again in a shaky voice.

"I never noticed it, last night… How c-could I have missed it? Oh, Gods… My cousin did this to you?"

Hermione's eyes instantly flew open when she heard a voice growl lowly out into the quiet room.

"What did Bella do? Show me, now."

Hermione lost all of the fight in her body and complied with Rabastan's command.

She looked at Regulus and whispered out a broken plea. "Show him, Regulus…"

Regulus looked at her with deep despair and held up her arm for the wizard behind her to see.

Rabastan had rolled her onto her back, and he released his arm from her waist. She watched as he leaned over her side, and grabbed her arm. Hermione felt his hand tighten around her wrist and slightly flinched at his grip.

There was nothing. No noise, no movement; absolutely nothing.

Rabastan's eyes stayed glued to the word that was permanently scarred into her forearm.

Then she heard his grating voice begin to speak.

"This is what you had meant; when you said that you were marked. Bellatrix… She marked you."

Hermione looked between the two wizards and just whispered a simple response, hoping to lessen the tension that flew through the air around them.

"It's okay."

Regulus spoke up this time, and his voice held a broken tone to it. "No, Hermione, it's not okay. This isn't okay."

Hermione grabbed both Regulus' hand, and Rabastan's, and slid her hands up their arms to lift the fabric that was covering their dark marks. She brought Rabastan's arm up to her lips and kissed his mark, and he tensed as she did this. Then she slid her hand back into his and brought Regulus' arm up to her lips as she kissed his mark as well, and clasped their hands together just like before. She looked at them after she did this, and nodded at them with a weak smile.

"It's okay, now. I'm okay, and so are you both. She is dead, and so is he. They can't hurt us anymore, okay? I promise you both; I am fine. I'm not mad about it anymore. I'm just sad... None of us deserved to be marked like this, do you understand me? But it's over now, and there is nothing we can do about it. There is no one left to get revenge on. All we can do now is live our lives one day at a time."

Regulus gave her a sad smile, while Rabastan nodded his head slowly. Suddenly she heard the older wizard speak once more. "I'm sorry."

Hermione smiled and replied in a whisper, "I know."

Abruptly, a new voice had spoken out into the quiet room. Hermione looked towards the door, where she met the inquisitive eyes of Antonin Dolohov. He was leaning against the door frame; his arms crossed over his chest.

"What do we have here?" He stood up and began walking towards the three of them who were still laying on the bed. "I must say, I'm hurt, Myshka. Where was my invitation?"

Hermione let out a huff at this. "I apologize. It appears to have gotten lost on the way. No matter, you're here now, that's all that matters." Hermione winked at the two men who were laying beside her, and leaned close to each of them, whispering in their ears the same thing.

"Watch."

They both looked at her with confused expressions, and she squeezed each hand before she let go of them. She slowly got onto her knees as Antonin stopped at the foot of the bed. She crawled over the sheets on her hands and knees and stopped herself just as her face got close to his abdomen. She lifted her head to look at him with seductive eyes. Her warm breath was right by his bulge and fanned across his trousers.

"What do you want, Antonin? Is it tasting time, now? I think we've used our hands enough… Don't you?"

Antonin growled at her and went to grab for her hair, but she quickly rolled to the side onto her back and started laughing. Regulus chuckled a little along with her, and Rabastan cracked a sly smile.

"Antonin, we were only speaking. Merlin, is everything sexual to you?"

Dolohov was miffed at this and grabbed her by her hands with a tight grip. "When you tease me as much as you do? Of course Myshka. You know that I want you."

Hermione flashed him a cocky smirk, and this action is what set Antonin off.

He pulled her so that she was sitting up, and he sat himself at the end of the bed along with her sitting in between his open legs. He put each leg over his own and held her arms together behind her back with one of his hands. They were both facing the two wizards that looked lost and watched as their looks changed when Antonin spread his legs, efficiently spreading Hermione's along with him. Her dress had ridden up, and the two wizards couldn't hold themselves back as their eyes strayed to her black knickers.

Dolohov laughed maliciously and sneered from behind her horrified face. "Ah, you're realizing now that you shouldn't have teased me, aren't you? I'm thinking of a plan right now, Myshka. Should I teach little Black here how to eat you out, or maybe Rabastan here, will do it? Ah, but I do wish to be inside of you, you know… I don't think I can wait much longer. Or should I have one of them hold you, as I eat you out and then fuck you? So many options to choose from…"

Hermione could feel the heat already forming in her abdomen as she pictured doing what Dolohov had said. She bit her lip to keep from making any noises and watched how Regulus sat there wide-eyed with rosy cheeks, and Rabastan had his hands tightly clutching the thigh of his pants. His eyes were zoned in on her clothed center, and she could feel her heart rate speeding up.

"I think we should do the first option… What do you think? Little Reggie here can taste you, and you can assist Rabastan with your pretty little mouth after. Then, I'll fuck you. What do you say?"

Hermione clenched her eyes shut as she dropped her head back against his shoulder. She took a deep breath before lifting her head back up to look at her two wizards in front of her. Regulus looked at her with uncertainty. She could tell that he was turned on, but he would say no if that's what she wanted. Rabastan looked like a dark prince, as he gazed at her with a primal need, and his jaw twitched as he clenched it.

She knew this could potentially be a bad idea, but fuck, she wanted it so badly…

Just as she was about to make her decision, the sound of a loud cough filled the room, and all movement stopped as they turned to look at the intruder. Evan stood there with an empty expression, though his eyes took on a hard gleam when he met Hermione's. Antonin interrupted the intense staring and made an angry noise in the back of his throat.

"Listen, mini Rosier, having three wizards is already pushing it. So, you'd better turn back around and leave, because four is not an option. You can kindly piss off, now."

Evan glared at the oldest wizard and spoke in a commanding tone. "I'm here because I need to speak with Hermione."

"It can wait. I, however, cannot." Antonin bit out angrily.

"Antonin, please. Evan wouldn't have come all the way here if it wasn't important; he could have just sent a house elf to get me. We can continue this later Dogoroy… I will make it worth the wait, I promise." Hermione said this as she turned around to look at the rugged wizard, and leaned forward to nip at his bottom lip.

Antonin growled, and his hand flew out to capture her once more but was forced to retreat when Hermione's body was tugged by her leg. She let out a high pitched squeal and suddenly felt the weight of a body looming over her. As she looked up, she was greeted by the lustful face of Rabastan. His long auburn hair hung down in tendrils that barely grazed her cheeks, and his eyes were hooded in desire. She was shocked at his action, and her whole body froze. She watched as Rabastan started to lower himself more onto her, also bringing his face closer to hers.

Finally, she was broken from her trance and whispered to the wizard that was pressed against her. "Rabastan, what are you do-"

Hermione was cut off from finishing her question, by a pair of thin lips melding together with her own. Hermione responded instantly and kissed him back, lifting her hands up to his face to hold him tightly.

Rabastan was barely holding himself back, but he couldn't help it. When he had seen her with her legs spread wide open like that- the damp mark on her knickers that had accumulated from her desire- he was gone. She was perfect at that moment. He needed to touch her, to feel her whole body rub against his as he pumped his cock in and out of her little cunt. Antonin certainly didn't help when he began describing the things that they would do, including her polishing his knob. When Rosier showed up, he knew that those things would not be happening, and he was pissed. He had to touch her just one last time today; to kiss her and feel her.

She let out tiny moans as his lips caressed hers, and those only spurred him on to continue. But, of course, the little witch wouldn't let him go on; she had to pull away and smooth her thumb across his face. "I have to go…"

Rabastan let out a defeated sigh and removed himself from over the top of her, nodding his head. Hermione stood up on slightly weak legs and pulled the hem of her dress so that it was no longer exposing her more than was appropriate. She looked over to Evan who was still there, leaning coolly against the door, and smiled.

Hermione began walking to the wizard, when she was suddenly spun around from an arm slung around her waist, and was pushed up against the wall, barely any space between her and the door. Her eyes caught light grey and smiled at Regulus' red cheeks and shuddering breaths. His eyes looked crazed, and she gave him one short nod before he tightened his arm around her waist, and buried his other hand in her hair. His kisses were frenzied, and Hermione was impressed at the control that Regulus was showing, considering how greatly he wanted her.

She could tell that he felt a bit out of his element, and she presumed that he was snogging her so roughly to show the other wizards that he wasn't the 'little child' that they all had pegged him to be. Taking control of the kiss, Hermione slowed it down so that they were measured and sweet. She brought a hand up to Regulus' chest, laying just over his heart, and pulled back from the kiss to whisper to him.

"I like you the way that you are Regulus. You're different than these other wizards; that's what makes you special to me."

Regulus nodded and replied just as quietly, though a pinch of shame came through. "I apologize…"

"No, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. It's okay if you want to do new things, but don't do it because of someone else. Do it because you want to do it. I will lov-... Like you, no matter what." Regulus noticed the slip-up but didn't make any show of it.

Hermione was horrified at her mistake and felt a strong urge to get the hell out of that room as quickly as possible. Looking over to Evan with a helpless face, she silently pleaded that he would help her escape.

Nodding his head in understanding, Evan stepped forward to lay his hand lightly on Hermione's shoulder. "Well, good show. We'll be on our way now," the wizard said as he turned Hermione around to follow him out the door, shutting it loudly behind him. Hermione looked up at him in confusion as to why he had slammed the door that way, but his face showed no trace of emotion.

I don't understand, did I do something wrong? Was he angry because of the other guys? Was he jealous?! No, there's no way he would be jealous to that extent. Was it something that happened earlier today? I'm so confused, does it have to do with why he was coming to get me?

Hermione felt the hand on her shoulder tighten, and she was brought back to the real world, finding herself standing at the top of an old spiral staircase made out of bricks. "Evan, where are we?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"I'll explain more once we get down there. Just, trust me, okay?"

Hermione nodded and walked closely behind Evan as he led them both down the staircase. Once they were at the bottom, Hermione finally took the time to take in her surroundings.

At the far end of the room was a large bowl of some sort; almost like a cauldron. She turned an inquisitive face to the wizard still standing beside her, and he began to speak.

"I know that you can apparate within the house, but in order for you to be fully protected within it, the manor needs your blood in return. It's something that all Rosier's have participated in. I just thought, maybe it wouldn't hurt to have the extra help… If you don't want to, then I understand, but I would prefer that you do it. I want you to be bound to my house." Evan said, seemingly nervous, but also very adamant that she should do as he told her.

"Okay, what do I do?" Hermione replied, interested in what was about to take place. She watched as Evan pushed one of his hands into the pocket of his trousers, and pulled out a small dagger, the silver glinting in the light. Hermione was nervous at the sight of it, being reminded of the blade that Bellatrix had used to carve into her with. She quickly demolished the thought. It's not the same, Hermione. Everything is fine.

"I will cut your hand, just a small cut. Then, you will do the same to mine, okay? The 'master' of the Manor needs to give his blood as well, for validation. Don't ask; it's idiotic." Hermione giggled a little at his exasperated comment.

"Give me your hand, please," Evan said as he held out his hand, waiting for her to extend her own. Placing her hand gently in the wizard's hand, she looked up into his blue eyes. He reciprocated and began to speak once again.

"Are you ready? First, I'll cut your hand, and then you I will hand the knife over to you, and you will cut mine. Once we do that, we need to let the blood drip into the basin. After that, we will need to hold hands until the liquid begins to smoke. Once that happens, then we are finished, and the cuts will heal themselves. You will be fully protected and bonded to the house. This doesn't count as me hurting you, so the soulbond will not be broken."

Hermione nodded her head in confirmation and looked deeply into his eyes. "Okay, I'm ready, let's do it."

Evan gave her one last look of question, but she just returned it with a smile. Grasping her hand, he brought the sharp blade to the palm of her hand and pressed the tip just to the middle, and quickly swiped the knife over her skin. Hermione let out a small hiss at the stinging feeling and watched as red dots began to raise out of the cut. Evan turned the dagger around hilt first and handed it to her. She grabbed it slowly, nervous to be wielding such a dangerous weapon against someone whom she cared about, but gathered up the nerve to curl her fingers around the back of his hand, and quickly swiped the dagger over his skin just as he had done to her. Now that they were both bleeding, Hermione handed the knife back to Evan, who carelessly dropped it onto the ground. She felt a pressure on her hand as the wizard intertwined their fingers together and pressed their cut palms against one another. Evan moved both him and Hermione to stand right next to the large cauldron, placing their clasped hands over the top.

"So now we just wait?" Hermione asked.

"Basically." Evan nodded.

Hermione watched in rapture as their blood mixed together; swirling around in the liquid that filled the bowl. All at once, Hermione began to feel a twinge of pressure in her abdomen. Her eyes looked around in confusion, as she felt her heart rate speeding up, along with her breathing. Why the bloody fuck, do I feel so randy all of the sudden?! Evan didn't say anything about something like this happening…

"Evan?" Hermione questioned in a breathy voice.

"Fuck, kitten. I don't know what is happening, but you, saying my name like that, is not helping."

"But, Evan… I-" Hermione suddenly halted her sentence when she felt the wizard let go of her hand quickly, watching smoke rise from the cauldron. Hermione was still standing there, shocked when she finally heard the sound of the dagger scraping against the concrete floor as Evan picked it up and began to wipe it off frantically; trying to escape as quickly as possible.

The witch was confused, though she knew that Evan had felt something too. The wizard was already turning around to begin stalking away when she rapidly ran over to him to get him to stop.

"Evan, wait!" Hermione said as she brought a hand out to grab his arm that had been bared, once he had rolled up the sleeves of his long black shirt. Once she had made contact with his skin, he jerked himself out of her reach as if he had been burnt.

"No, don't touch me." He grunted out.

Hermione's eyes opened wide with shock, a flare of hurt erupting in her. "W-what do you mean?"

Evan turned back around abruptly as he heard the broken tone in her voice. His eyes widened in shock as well, and he began to shake his head in fervor.

"No… No, Hermione, that's not what I meant. It's just…" He let out a deep sigh of frustration and continued his thoughts.

"Listen, what I meant was, I'm trying very hard right now to hold myself back from picking you up and shagging you senseless against the bloody wall, and feeling you touch me doesn't help my control. Of course, I want you to touch me. Merlin, witch... But, I-I can't take advantage of you like that. I won't." Hermione was rendered silent at his insisting words.

"But I want to touch you, Evan… I want you… I need you." Hermione whimpered at him, practically begging him to touch her.

He groaned loudly at her words and had to lay a hand on the wall to keep himself in grip. "Kitten, you don't mean that… It's the bonding or something, but it's not you. Please, I need to leave…"

Hermione stalked over to the wizard who was leaning against the wall on his side, and pushed his back against the hard bricks; one hand fisted the shirt on his chest, while the other snaked up to his hair. She tugged roughly on his hair, bringing his head down so that it was closer to her height. Hermione sneered as she glared into his surprised eyes. Breathily, she told him off.

"Now you listen here, Evan Rosier. When I said that I wanted you, I bloody well meant it. It is not the bonding speaking, that is just giving me the extra push. Don't ever tell me how I am supposed to feel. I know what I want, and I know what I need. What I fucking need is you. Do you get it now? I want you to take me. I am consenting, right here and right now. I want you to fuck me, is that understood?" Hermione asked is a cold voice, which still needed to stop to suck in air.

Evan nodded desperately, and Hermione smirked. "Now, do you want me as well, Evan? If you say yes then I am expecting you to go through with it. No pulling back. Yes or no?"

The wizard that she had tightly in her grip was gasping for air at this point, and his pupils were blown wide with lust. "Yes. Fuck, yes."

Hermione smiled at his response, "Good."

What Hermione wasn't expecting, was the feeling of arms grabbing onto her waist tightly, in addition to the feeling of the world swirling around before her eyes. She clenched them shut and felt herself being pushed back onto something soft; a bed.

Hermione opened her eyes to see Evan straddling her with the same smirk on his face that she had just previously worn. "Tell me, kitten; did you really think that you would be in control? You had your time; it's my turn now. I have to admit; you had me going there for a moment."

Hermione pursed her lips in a false pout. "So, does that mean that you're not going to shag me?" She asked, in an innocent voice.

Evan saw through her sarcasm and grinned. "Of course I am going to shag you, kitten. You said no pulling back, and I won't. No pulling out either." Hermione laughed at what he had said last and winked at him. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Just as she finished saying that she felt a hot pair of lips ravaging hers. His tongue was battling with hers, and he was sucking on her lips only to pull back a bit to nip the tip of her pink lips. They were both panting, and Hermione was making small whimpering noises, which made Evan's cock harden even more than it already was.

Hermione let out a squeak when she felt a cold hand slide up her bare leg, leaving goosebumps in its track; giving her the chills. His calloused hand started from the very bottom of her, tugging at the ties to her trainers and slipping them off, throwing them onto the ground. Doing the same with the other shoe, he then proceeded to run both hands up each leg. Instead of running his hands directly under her dress, he deftly unbuttoned her clothing, until it was completely unrestrained.

Sitting up, he stared down at the undone buttons and reached both hands out to push each side of the dress apart. Evan wanted to burst at the sight of her lying beneath him in nothing but her black knickers. Her beautiful breasts were bare from a bra, and the wizard had to stop himself from ravaging her right then and there.

No, I need to take this picture in for a moment, because I will definitely be remembering this for the rest of my life.

Hermione looked vulnerable as his eyes roved over her. Finally, once Evan had gotten a good enough look at her, he bent his head down to kiss her from head to toe. His lips kissed each thigh, skipping her heat that she wanted to badly for him to pay attention to. His lips dragged themselves over her scar as kissed that too, and he continued his trail until he got up to her neck, where he began kissing and sucking on it gently; though, just enough for Hermione to know that he was leaving marks on her.

Evan's lips had found themselves placing a long kiss on her lips, before he began his descent, stopping directly at her breasts. Kissing each one, he then opened his mouth to run his tongue over her peaks, circling around them to tease her.

"Evan please," she whined out in impatience.

Complying, he brought his whole mouth over one of her tits, sucking and nipping at the extra soft skin. Hermione let out a moan at this and Evan was surprised at how responsive she was to his ministrations, and he hadn't even touched her heat yet. Remembering that, the wizard slid a hand into her knickers to feel the wetness that was coating her cunt. Her hips were wiggling and grinding herself against his hand. Evan tested her out, sticking two fingers inside of her feeling her hot flesh squeeze around them.

"Gods, how are you still so fucking tight even after Regulus?" Evan groaned.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, but before she could ask the wizard how he knew about Regulus, Evan started to pump his fingers in and out, his thumb moving to her clit to rub on it simultaneously. The witch's legs widened even more, practically begging him to fuck her with her action. Evan's eyes had raked up and down her body, his hooded eyes occasionally meeting hers, causing her to roll her body as close to his as she could get, spurring him on.

Hermione could feel the beginnings of a climax and squeezed her eyes shut, her back arching and her hands fisting the sheets when it finally hit her.

Evan smirked as he watched her beautiful body bend from his doing, and leaned down towards her neck as he nipped the skin countless times, whispering in a scratchy voice.

"That's it, Kitten." He breathed against her as she was coming down from her high. She was trying endlessly to control her panting, still feeling a throb from her pussy. "You're fucking perfect, did you know that?" The wizard asked, his voice low and rumbling.

Hermione couldn't help but groan at the way that he had spoken to her and felt her resolve begin to wear thin. As she peered at him, she noticed that he was still fully clothed and Hermione was determined to change that. Extending her arm out, Hermione slowly ran her hand over his arm up to his collarbone that peeked through the black buttoned up shirt. Her small fingers traced the buttons in circles, as she popped open each button just as he had done to her dress. His skin was pale, with a few freckles dotted around his chest like a constellation of stars. When the shirt was completely undone, Hermione brought both hands up to push the fabric off of his shoulders and down his arms. Instead of watching her hands as they moved, she instead watched for Evan's reactions.

His eyes watched as the shirt slid off of his shoulders, stopping in its tracks just at his forearms. The ocean blue eyes that were previously filled with lust now looked anxious. He's scared of me seeing his dark mark, Hermione thought to herself. She continued to stare into his eyes, trying to convey reassurance, as her hands began to fall down his arms all the way to the cuffs of his shirt, popping open each button that held the fabric tight to his wrists. Once she had done this, she could feel the shirt begin to slip further down, and her hands helped along by tugging at the sleeves. Now that she had his shirt in her hands, she threw it onto the floor along with all of her clothing as well.

Evan watched frightfully as her eyes had finally broken away from their stare, to travel slowly down his body. She had made no indication as to noticing the faded skull located in the middle of his left forearm. He didn't think he would be nervous when he had imagined this happening; of her having to see it. But, now that it was actually happening, he had felt the weight in his chest that resembled something akin to shame.

It was at this time that he took notice of the white lines that scarred her arm. Oddly, seeing the slur that had been carved into her arm, had made him feel a little bit better about his dark mark. He didn't want to bring attention to either of their imprints, so he instead diverted both of their attention to the action of him unzipping the fly to his pants, and pulled them off so that he was now on his knees between her legs in just his black briefs.

Hermione knew that Evan had finally observed the sight of her scar, but she was not phased by it. Apparently, we both had been thinking the same thing because neither of us moved to bring any signs of realization at the marks. Hermione only knew that he had registered her scar when she saw his brows furrow for merely a split second.

She was dragged away from her thoughts when she had heard the sound of a metal zipper being undone. Her eyes had automatically zeroed in on his lower body. He was already at full mast, though the witch could understand why. This was exciting for them both, including the odd phenomenon that had occurred during her bonding to the manor. Evan had been just as affected as she, and the evidence stood hard and bulging in his briefs. Hermione wasted no time in sitting herself up and reaching her hands out to tug down the waistband of the black fabric. Once she had gotten the last piece of clothing on him, she wrapped her hand around his cock with a semi-loose grip, teasing him a bit, but not enough for him to cum just yet.

Evan growled quietly at her movements, and after a while he had snatched her hand off of his dick, a dark tone coming through as he asked spoke. "Tell me that you want this, Kitten. I need to hear you say it."

Hermione knew without any doubts that this is what she wanted. Out of all the other wizards, Evan was most worthy to go second. His subtle kindness and care made the witch admire him even more. His bravery, his understanding, and his strength were just a few of the many characteristics that made him special to her.

"Evan, I want this. I want you."

Once Evan heard this, he bent himself down to place a heated kiss on her lips, and Hermione gripped his blonde locks in between her fingers; tugging it as she moaned. Evan's hands were suddenly gripping her shoulders, pushing her body to lay back on the bed. He held her hips in his hands and lifted them so that her lower body was laying on his thighs; her upper body still laying completely flat. Hermione watched as the wizard positioned his tip right at her entrance, and slowly began pushing himself in; shallow thrusts to begin with, until he was completely inside of her.

"Fuck, Kitten…" Evan groaned out as he threw his head back and clenched his eyes shut, at the feeling of her hot pussy wholly wrapped around his cock. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold himself back and go gently on her, but he wasn't going to go super rough either; he never really was a rough lover. Instead, Evan preferred to pay attention to physical feelings.

He paid attention to every little thing during sex; the sounds of the witch, the sense of their skin rubbing together, the hard breathing that filled the room, and the way that his body reacted to the witch. Evan always focused on the senses. So, when Hermione had crossed her ankles behind his back, locking her together with him, he took this as a sign to move and clutched onto her thighs as he began to thrust into her at a slow speed. The feeling on her warm flesh sucking him in was heaven-like, and the drag of his cock against her soft walls was intoxicating. He could feel every bump and every ridge of her pussy; all the while, he stared at her chest that bounced with each thrust. Her head was thrown back in ecstasy, and her hands were moving down her own chest, pulling and pinching at her nipples. He wanted so badly to replace her hands with his, but the image of her was too perfect to ruin, and he was gripping onto her hips that were lifted off the bed, with a tight hold. I will have plenty of other times when I can fully explore her beautiful body, Evan thought to himself.

Hermione was lost in the feeling of their bodies grinding and thrusting against one another. Her hips rolled to get more momentum, and she basked in the feeling of his hands clutching her so securely. There was sweat beading on his forehead, and his bright blue eyes met with hers. The witch could clearly see how good he was feeling by the panting breaths and the rapid thrusts, and she bit her bottom lip as she released one of her hands from her breast and slid it down to her heat, her fingers finding her clit and rubbing intensely at it. Her fingers would lightly ghost themselves over Evan's hard cock with each circle that she made on her clit.

Evan reveled in the extra sensations that her fingers were giving him, and the sight of her rubbing herself as he pistoned into her was almost as perfect. Evan had never had a shag like this; he never had a witch like her. The few witches that he had been with had only wanted him for the status and bragging rights, and none of them dared to do the things that Hermione was doing. Never once did he witness a witch touching herself the way that she was, and they would never have let him fuck them in the way that he was fucking Hermione. His hands had never gripped another witch's skin like this; hard enough to leave marks. Sure he had squeezed a few tits before, but even that had less of a grip than he had on the little witch beneath him currently. Evan wanted to make Hermione feel good, and that was the difference. She wasn't just a stiff board laying under him like some of the other witches had been. Hermione Granger was mesmerizing, she was unforgettable, and he needed to make sure that she knew that.

Pulling his hands from her thighs and her hip, and brought them to unclasp her entwined feet that were tethering him to her, instead, he lay her legs on his on his shoulders and leaned slightly forward to place his hands on either side of her body. He continued to thrust in this position, which brought him in at an even deeper angle. The sounds of skin slapping could be heard throughout the room, and Evan removed one of his hands from the bed and brought it up to her face, brushing strands off of her forehead, and trailing the fingers to her cheek. Hermione's mouth was open as she panted and moaned, and Evan ran one of his digits across her bottom lip that she was slightly red from when had previously bitten down on it.

Hermione took this chance to catch one of his fingers between her swollen lips and began to suck on it as if it were his cock. Evan growled, and Hermione let out a whimper at the feral noise and started to whine when he had abruptly pulled his wet finger out of her mouth. Hermione had nothing to complain about when she felt her hand that was still rubbing her heat being pushed away and replaced by his wet digit. For some reason, just his single finger felt twice as good as hers, and she couldn't help but let out a high pitched moan at the difference.

"Does that feel good Kitten?" The wizard growled out. Hermione's body was writhing on the sheets, making them bundle up beneath her. She knew that she would reach her limit soon, and the feeling that was building in her heat gave notice to this. "Yes, Evan… I-I'm close. I'm so close, please" Hermione whispered out in a raising pitch.

Evan's pace was erratic once she had said this, and he could feel the impending end of his pleasure coming soon. I'm not ready to stop now. How am I supposed to share her like this? Sweet Salazar, it feels like it's only been mere minutes since we have been shagging! I know it's been much longer than that, but it all feels like it's going so fast; too fast for me.

Hermione was a second away from cumming, and her moans were getting louder with each thrust that her wizard made. Wait, my wizard?! Since when am I referencing him as mine? Oh, Gods, I've really gotten myself in way too deep now. "Oh, Godric… Evan, I'm g-gonna…"

Evan's eyes bored into her, and he bent himself down closer to her ear so that she could hear him clearly. His panting breaths made it a little hard to get out the specific words, but he finally gathered enough air to reply. "Do it… Cum for me, Kitten." He growled out the rest of it to her in a sensual voice, his lips brushing against the tip of her ear. "I want to feel you cum on my cock, Hermione."

Evan could feel the tightening of her walls and leaned back quickly so that he could get a good look at her when she came. This is what he had been waiting for; to see Hermione fall apart with bliss by his doing. This was the type of power that he enjoyed; not the sadistic power that Antonin appreciated, and not the superior power that Rabastan liked. Watching Hermione's back rise in an arch, her eyelids clenching shut, with long moans of his name and various expletives falling from her mouth; hips going entirely still as he pumped into her, his fingers still toying with her clit- that was his undoing. Her fingernails pierced into the skin on his arms; not deep enough to draw blood, but there were little indents shaped like crescent moons that were left behind. Evan hissed at the feeling and felt his hips stutter; and with one final thrust, he buried himself inside her as he finally let himself go, following just after Hermione.

Hermione was brought out of her recuperation by a pair of lips pressing gently against hers. "Hmm, what was that for?" The witch breathed out.

Evan was still bent over the top of her, a hand placed on each side of her, and his chest was moving up in down with each breath he took. "I'm not quite sure, I just felt like it. I felt… Happy, I guess, and I had to do something to show it? Fuck if I know, Kitten."

Hermione bellowed out a laugh at his response and looked at him with a broad smile on her face. "You were feeling what I was feeling, you git. Don't tell me that you, the wonderful Evan Rosier, forgot that small stipulation!" She laughed jokingly.

Evan's eyes narrowed in on her, and he gave her a fake glare. "Of course I didn't forget; I was merely testing you, that's all." He huffed.

Hermione giggled before her face looked at him softly. "Evan, I just want you to know that I didn't do this because it was required, or that I was forcing myself to do it. I did it because I wanted to. I wanted you, and I have ever since I left your room the other night. To be honest, I hadn't really thought about the consummation ritual until I realized that you could feel my emotions."

Evan nodded and leaned forward once more and lifted a hand to brush some of the hair back that was on her forehead and planted a small kiss just in the center. What the hell? That was so bloody sappy, why did I just do that?! Evan thought to himself, mortified.

Hermione seemed to realize his thoughts when she had watched his brows pull together in confusion. Rolling her eyes, she let out a small huff. Just as she was about to lift a hand to give him a weak pinch on his bicep, she had a sudden thought that she had forgotten about earlier. "Evan, how did you know about Regulus and I?"

The wizard looked at her with a deep stare and leaned forward as he spoke slowly to her; their eyes locked together. "Hermione, you do realize that I am the master of this house now, correct?"

Hermione nodded in confirmation, though she still had a look of questioning.

"I know everything that goes on in this house, kitten. I know your every move, and I can hear everything. Anything that I want to know, I can find out. Additionally, do you honestly think that you and Regulus aren't completely obvious? He's always around you, and he's always touching you; especially within the past day. Of course, I would notice the difference; and the conclusion was fairly easy to come to." Evan said with a roll of his own eyes, and then a smirk split across his face, his eyes gleaming playfully.

He leaned even closer so that their noses were almost touching, and Hermione's eyes still stared at him, though the look was more of shock rather than confusion. Evan held in the sudden urge to laugh, and he tried to suppress it so that Hermione would not realize what he was feeling in that moment.

"Besides," Evan said with slyly, "he told me."

Hermione's eyes widened, and she gasped out at him before the two hazel eyes turned mirthful. "You bloody tosser! Just say that from the beginning! You didn't need to frighten me like that! I thought you were truly spying on us, you little shite!" Hermione shouted at him in annoyance.

Evan couldn't stop the laugh any longer, and finally burst out; rolling himself off of her, and onto the spot beside her. Hermione smiled at his outburst, and especially at the genuine joy that he was displaying. She had never seen him like this before, and she quite liked it, though she wasn't exactly used to it.

Evan, on the other hand, was utterly blind to his actions. He only realized that Hermione was looking at him oddly when he had finally calmed down and ceased laughing. "What? You have to admit, that was brilliant."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, yes, it was brilliant. We are all merely peasants compared to you."

Evan scooped Hermione into his arms, her head laying on his chest. "Finally, I'm getting the recognition that I deserve. You reckon so?"

Hermione settled herself deeper into his arms; eyes shutting in relaxation and exhaustion. She let out a tiny giggle, but her words held no tone of sarcasm. Instead, she sounded entirely sincere. "Of course. You deserve nothing less, Evan Rosier. I'd give you the world if I could."

Shortly after Hermione had fallen into a light sleep, Evan turned his eyes down towards her face. In her sleep, she looked so relaxed, and a small smile flashed across his face. Taking the hand that he had lying on his stomach, he lifted it and brought it up to her little hand that was positioned on his chest, directly over his heart. His large hand covered her hand as his fingers ran across the skin gently, in tenderness. "Thank you," he spoke softly into the silent bedroom.

With that, Evan's eyes closed, as he drifted off into his own peaceful slumber.

"You're welcome," a delicate voice whispered out.


Notes: Hello everyone! Here is chapter 12, after a long wait. Sorry about that, I just went back to University for my second semester, so I have been busy lately. Anyways, Evan has finally had his intimate time with Hermione, yay! He was interesting to write, in my opinion. I did not want him to ravage her like Antonin most likely would, but I wanted him to be passionate as well. I hope that came through in the writing. The whole 'blood wards' idea was very last minute for me. I needed to come up with a way to put both Hermione and Evan in a situation that would be personal and intimate, and this is what I decided on going with. I had written a few other scenarios, but they just didn't resonate with me like I wanted them to.

Oh yes, I almost forgot about Draco's appearance! I had been planning on including him in the story very early on because I think that he is a very complex character, and I find that he and Regulus are very much alike. Regarding the 'mudblood' scar, I didn't want Hermione to be still angry about it. Time has passed, and I thought that by this point, she wouldn't be plotting for revenge or furious about the torture, but she would instead be melancholic about it, though instead, she would be more understanding if that makes any sense?

To wrap all of this up, I am going to leave a link to my Pinterest again, for any of those who did not know about it yet or anything else of that sort. I have added Harry and Ginny into the boards because I felt as though I couldn't leave them out. Draco, Astoria, and even Scorpius have now been added as well.

If any of you do end up looking at the new additions, I wanted to address Astoria. I thought hard about how I wanted her to look, or her aesthetic, and I decided that I wanted her to look sort of dark and hard-cut; to be fitting of a pureblood witch that runs within the same group as the Malfoys, and everyone else. This does not mean that she is a bad person; she is completely normal and friendly. Scorpius is also being raised significantly different than Draco was. He is a well-loved child, and he is very ambitious and energetic. I also wanted Draco to have his own happy ending, so he and Astoria are indeed in love, and do not stay with each other just because they are trapped together by a contract.

Here is the link to my Pinterest: emmahanson465/

P.S. I also forgot that I made an aesthetic-y board for the blood ritual that Hermione and Evan did. And I also added more pictures to almost all of the other characters' boards, but they aren't anything special. I will occasionally do this, where I will add a new picture if it really catches my eye.

Happy reading!