A/N Everything belongs to JKRowling.
I do apologize for the lateness of this chapter. In addition to my grad duties, I've been suffering from some serious writer's block. Some sections of this story, I know so clearly. This, unfortunately, was one stepping stone that I had to blunder through. Throw stones if necessary. Will try to do better. Thanks again to all the readers sticking with this. You're each a gem.
Hermione made her way to the closet in her bedroom. While it contained most of her clothing and shoes, it was also the ideal place to store some potions ingredients. It was dark most of the time with a controlled temperature and humidity rate. Herbs were especially well kept in there, and that was exactly what she needed to brew contraceptive potion. The main ingredients were roots from western false hellebore and raspberry leaves. Fortunately, she had plenty of these in her private stash.
Although she had (deservedly, she admitted) gained a reputation early on as a know it all, she had also gotten one as an entrepreneur. Where the Weasley twins made extra money with their WWW products, she was able to earn extra cash by brewing for the students. The opportunity first presented itself in third year when Lavender woke one morning with a very unfortunate spot in between her eyes. She dashed to Madame Pomfrey for something, anything to remove the offensive blemish, but Poppy Pomfrey shooed her back to the dormitory. Ever the pragmatist, Madame Pomfrey felt that it was character building for young witches and wizards to go through the standard rights of passage from acne outbreaks and the Hogwarts Huskies (sometimes known in muggle universities at the Freshman 15) to ballooning breasts and spontaneous erections. These ailments would typically cure themselves with time and hormone fluctuation, no potions or poultices necessary.
When Lavender returned to the dormitory distraught, yammering away that Poppy Pomfrey was a sadist, Hermione handed her a little jar of cream. It was "just something she whipped up" in her spare time to take care of little spots and red marks. Within minutes, the huge glob that Lavender applied to her spot had worked its magic. Soon enough she and half the girls in Gryffindor dormitory were begging her for batches of potions. As they got older, contraceptive potion became one of her most requested potions. Although any student could go to Madame Pomfrey and get on the potion (which worked well enough for both men and women with slight variations between brews), many were embarrassed to do so for fear that other students, teachers, and worst their parents, would discover that they were sexually active.
Professor Snape, to his credit, had insisted on teaching both contraceptive charms and potions to his students. Hermione knew that many of her classmates relied on charms as brewing in the dormitories could be a problem. Potions was a delicate art, and even subtle contamination could ruin a brew. With so many unknown variables happening in the boarding rooms, few chose to brew in house so to speak. It was quite a feather in her cap that people trusted her to brew in those conditions when they would not do so.
When she and Ron had begun their sexual relationship, she brewed special contraceptive potion for herself. Of course she knew that, according to Hogwarts: A History, students and teachers were protected from pregnancy by the school wards that covered the castle and grounds. If someone, a teacher for example, wanted to become pregnant, than she would need to see the headmaster or headmistress to make an exception in the wards. Still, she wanted to be doubley sure that there would be no surprises in that department. Mediwitch contraceptive potions included fluids from all parties involved to insure maximum protection. Semen and menstrual blood were best, but saliva and general blood also worked.
It was with this in mind that she began her new batch of contraceptive potion. She quickly and easily found her rhythm as she gathered the ingredients, set up her cauldron in the bathroom, sterilized the area, and prepared her base. She swayed and hummed while she chopped her roots. It was only when she turned to check on the base's temperature that she noticed Malfoy standing by the bathroom door. "Oh, hey, that's good timing. I need you." She walked, well stalked, toward him, and she guided him away from the bathroom (no sense in contaminating a perfectly good work space) back toward the bed. "Lunch all taken care of?"
"Absolutely." The one word answer was all he could muster as her hands were walking up and down his torso. Hermione didn't bother to respond; she merely stepped into him and gave him a firm, deep kiss. He caught on quickly, returning her ardor and wrapping his arms around her. Instead of returning the embrace, her hands drifted toward the waistband of his trousers and went to work on the buttons and zip.
It was short work. Her right hand was dipping in through the opening and snaking its way through the hole in his boxers. When her hand made contact with his semi-hard cock, he groaned into her mouth. Two strokes and he was as hard as a tree trunk. She continued slowly, rhythmically pumping his shaft. Up, down. Up, down. She smirked when Malfoy broke the kiss and let his head drop to her left shoulder. That was her cue to move things along. She kissed along the side of his face and licked the length of his neck in time with her steady handjob. Something between a whimper and groan escaped from his body.
Carefully steadying him with her hands, she sunk to her knees. At first Malfoy wobbled, surprised by her movement toward the ground, but his hands gained purchase on her shoulders and he used her to support his unsteady weight. Satisfied that he would not fall over for the moment, Hermione tugged his trousers and boxers down to his knees, revealing his rigid prick. Before beginning her task, she noted the faint pulse that made his penis twitch. She memorized the length, girth, color, and unmistakable curvature to his left. As penises went, it was a beautiful specimen. She licked her lips in anticipation and leaned forward, placing a delicate – almost reverent – kiss on the weeping tip.
Malfoy's body violently jerked at the contact. His sudden movement caused his cock to slap her in the mouth. It seemed his dick was feeling rather persistent. Needing no further indication, she grasped him at the root and enveloped the head into her mouth. Sucking hard, she elicited another moan from his mouth. The weight on her shoulders increased as she began to bob her head quickly back and forth over the head. As she worked, she pulled his foreskin back with her free hand to increase his sensation. The hand that held his base did double duty as she fondled his balls with her free fingers. In a matter of minutes, he was vocalizing with every pump, every thrust, and every change of her mouth. His hips bucked reflexively, fucking her mouth, attempting to drive his cock deeper and deeper into sweet, warm, mouth.
When she felt his balls begin to draw closer to his body and harden, she doubled her efforts. She focused her mouth solely on the now purple glans of his glistening member. To drive him over the edge, she wrapped her lips around her teeth and slid her mouth on his head over and over again while jerking his full length. His legs began to quiver; he clamped onto her shoulders to maintain balance. As her mouth was filled with his salty release, he cried her name and doubled over.
Careful not to swallow his semen, she gently separated her mouth from his wilting penis. Not a drop spilt. His legs were still trembling, so Hermione reached up to his waist to gently guide him to the floor as she could no longer support his frame. As soon as his bare bottom touched her bedroom floor, she was off of it and darting back into the bathroom. Quickly, she assessed the state of her potion. It was perfect. With a determined glint in her eye, she swished his viscous come around her mouth, mixing it thoroughly with her own saliva. When she was satisfied with the consistency and sure there were near enough equal parts of both fluids, she unceremoniously spat into the cauldron.
Upon impact, the potion turned dark ocean blue. That was a surprise for Hermione. Although she knew that the potion's color changed depending on the ingredients added, she had not anticipated such a rich, deep color. When she had made the same formula in the past using Ron's semen, the potion turned tangerine orange. It was always a bit of a laugh for her, as if the potion understood she was warding off a pack of ginger haired brats. She studied the color, seeing its nuances as it roiled for two more minutes in the cauldron. The bubbles were lighter than the base, expanding into almost sky blue before popping. The edges of the cauldron where the potion splashed and remained were not as dark as the base, approaching grayer shades. She was fascinated.
Watching the brew swirl around the pewter basin was almost hypnotic. Fortunately her trance was broken when she heard a heavy knock on the open bathroom door. She extinguished the flames quickly and filled two phials with hot potion. Turning toward the doorway, she saw Malfoy leaning against the jamb. His trousers were refastened, and his mien was clearly sated. "Here we are," she said as she approached him. "We just need to add our hairs, and we're ready." He reached out for one of the phials which she carefully placed in his outstretched hand. Simultaneously, Hermione and Malfoy pulled a hair from their own heads. Hermione first dropped her hair into his potion. It fizzed for a moment, dissolving the length of keratin. He repeated her action, the potion reacting the same way.
"Cheers," said Hermione. They raised their phials and drank down the potion. The lingering taste of his musky come was quickly overpowered by something much more pleasant. The potion's profile was hard to distinguish. It was "good" but she couldn't quite work out what it tasted like. It was warming, comforting in a way. Like hot chocolate on a cold day, but tasted nothing like chocolate. Still, there was a sweet quality to it. Not sugary like a confection, but more like the taste of a saltine dissolving from salt to sweet. She couldn't put a name to it.
"And here I thought you just couldn't get enough of me. Turned out you were just using me for my seed." Malfoy grinned at her. "You wouldn't be so smug if you could see that your teeth are blue." His hand shot up to cover his mouth, and she dissolved into giggles. Before he could retaliate, she turned back to her work station and began to bottle the remaining potion. In all, she collected 18 individual phials. The potion was sure to remain at full potency for up to a year. Either she or Malfoy could drink the potion, provided that the proper hairs were added just before consumption. Each glass tube was labeled with the date and initials D.M. She then sealed the corked containers with sealing wax.
The tubes stood in her wooden test tube holder waiting for a home. Without turning, she asked, "do you want to keep some of these in your stores?" The subtext hung heavy in the air. It wasn't as if she was asking him if he wanted to keep antiseptic cream in his potions cabinet. She was asking if they would be continuing, if they might also be together in his rooms in the dungeons. A knot of nervousness formed in the pit of her stomach as she awaited the answer.
"That would probably be a good idea. Just in case. Shall we leave things as they are and have some lunch?" The knot dissolved, and she turned to meet eyes with a smiling Malfoy. He had such a lovely smile, despite the blue teeth. "That sounds like a good plan. Perhaps it'll help us with our teeth." She flashed him a toothy grin and walked past him, through the bedroom, and into the lounge. He followed her closely, and reached out to grab her just before she reached the table which held a platter of food. Allowing him to turn her, they were again face to face. Bending his head low, he whispered in her ear. "Thank you. That was the best time I ever had collecting ingredients. Next time, it's my turn."
She felt her knees go weak. There was so much promise in his voice. Next time. It could be nine months or never. Neither of them knew how long they had to live. He was in danger every single day since taking the Mark. Every time she stepped foot out of Hogwarts, she was in danger. It was probable not even Hogwarts would remain safe when the war escalated. She desperately wanted it to be a promise they could keep.
Hermione wanted to speak, to break the moment, but his mouth swallowed the voiceless words in hers. His kiss was gentle, and his tongue peeked from between his lips to beg entrance to her mouth. She granted it, allowing him to lave the underside of her lips. His tongue caressed her own, and soon they were engaged in mutual massage, their pink muscles sliding and curling around each other. Without prompting, Malfoy deepened the kiss, pressing closer to her body and wrapping his arms more tightly around her waist. The contact of his erection against her belly caused her to sigh. One of the perks of having a teenage boy as a lover – quick recovery time.
As Hermione began to adjust her posture to allow more friction to touch the parts of her body that needed it, her stomach began to rumble. It sounded like a troll burbling through the Forbidden Forest in search of something tasty. Upon hearing the protests coming from her body, Malfoy laughed into her mouth and his tongue retreated. "Perhaps we should pick this up later. It wouldn't do to have you starve. You need your energy." He loosened his hold and looked down at her face. She knew her eyes were probably a little glassy, still half lidded with passion. A deep breath helped calm her racing heart. Before she could respond, her stomach did it for her, echoing a low rumble across the room. They both laughed and separated their bodies, turning toward the platter that had been left for them.
Draco had been worried about what to order for lunch. He knew many of her food preferences from watching her in the Great Hall, but felt as though there was something important riding on his decision. He threw a handful of floo powder into the empty grate and a house elf popped into view. "I'd like to order lunch for me and the Head Girl. Can you perhaps put a tray together of her favorite things?"
"Of course!" the little elf squeaked.
"Thank you." The elf's eyes grew round at his appreciation and quickly disappeared, the green fire vanishing from the grate. His task completed, he turned and went in search of Hermione. He found her in the bathroom busily attending to her makeshift brewing station. Her hips swayed in time to inaudible music. She worked easily, adding herbs at the right moment. When she turned to check the temperature of her brew, he could tell that she caught sight of him. "Oh, hey, that's good timing. I need you." She looked positively wild as she led him back into the bedroom. Although she queried him about lunch, his answer passed unnoticed. There was a feral glint in her eye as she summarily latched onto his lips.
Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her and returned her fervor in kind. He could feel her hands snaking down his chest toward the waistband of his trousers. A knot of warmth curled inside him and his cock began to twitch. When her small, hot hand came into contact with his rigid flesh, Draco moaned, breaking their passionate kiss. Whatever focus he had was lost. His forehead made contact with her shoulder and all he could concentrate on were the soft but insistent strokes to his hard-on.
Her lips found brief purchase on his neck before her tongue began to emulate her strokes, wetting his neck. Noises he didn't know he could make broke free from his throat as the anticipation of where her tongue would eventually apply itself rose. Although his eyes were closed, he could see her beautiful mouth, with her Cupid's bow lips, opened wide around his shaft. Even the image was almost too much.
The soft kiss she bestowed on his swollen glans pushed him over to sensory overload, and his traitorous body jerked in response. He felt his throbbing dick smack against her cheek, heightening his desire. He desperately wanted friction to relieve him of the tightness that was coiling in his groin. It was both ecstasy and Hell when she began to suck hard on the head, swirling her tongue around him with every movement she made. His knees began to buckle, and he leaned on her shoulders to hold himself in place. It wasn't long before he felt the telltale tightening in his balls.
With a great shiver, he came. Her name started as a prayer on his lips, but quickly became a cry of passion as he ejaculated spurt after spurt of cream. In a haze, Draco could feel himself being gently lowered to the ground. And then he was alone – his bare ass sitting on the cold floor with his softening cock resting tiredly against his thigh. Bleary eyed, he made out Hermione's form bending over the boiling cauldron. There was no time for a quick nap to recuperate. Mentally rousing himself, he carefully stood, pulling his boxers and trousers up as he went.
By the time he walked into the bathroom, she had already added the last two ingredients to the potion. It was an indescribable shade of blue. Draco had never brewed contraceptive potion outside of class. And, in class, they had only created the general potion, not the person specific one. Theoretically, he understood that the different essential ingredients added to the common base created a multitude of colors. But, it was surprising to see something so deep, so rich in hue. He knocked on the door.
Hermione acknowledged him, but was focused on the potion. She poured two phials of the hot liquid and let him know that it was time. They added a hair from each other's head and drank down the brew when it was dissolved. The taste was unmistakable. Caramel. It was faint, but still absolutely distinct as the potion coated his tongue and flowed down his throat.
"And here I thought you just couldn't get enough of me. Turned out you were just using me for my seed." He couldn't help it. A broad smile stretched across his face. Everything about this moment made him feel light inside – in spite of the fact that he just consumed a potion that used his own spunk as a significant ingredient.
"You wouldn't be so smug if you could see that your teeth are blue." At her words, he immediately covered his mouth. Blue teeth? Oh the indignity! She broke into giggles. She continued to laugh as she bottled and capped the rest of the potion in single dose amounts. When she asked him if he wanted to keep a few phials in his rooms, he was slightly surprised. Did she want to spend time with him in the dungeons? And, perhaps more importantly, the question lingered in the back of his mind – how long could this last?
He didn't want to answer the latter. But, he desperately wanted her spend time with him in his rooms. Oh! How he loved the visual of her feral hair splayed across his Slytherin green pillows. "That would probably be a good idea. Just in case. Shall we leave things as they are and have some lunch?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but it was hard to maintain his cool. Leave it to Hermione to ease the tension. She flashed him a wide, bright blue smile, and lunch came to the fore in his mind.
Well, for a few seconds at least. The sight of Hermione walking back through the bedroom toward the lounge reawakened a different kind of hunger. Her hips swayed as she made for the lunch spread. Following closely behind, Draco captured her in his arms and whispered in her ear. "Thank you. That was the best time I ever had collecting ingredients. Next time, it's my turn." And then he kissed her, slowly and deeply. Although she had potentially brewed nine months worth of potion, he wanted more. In the last 48 hours, through all of the uncomfortable emotions, he couldn't remember feeling happier. Ever. Without words, he silently begged her to understand with his lips and tongue.
And when she kissed him back, he felt that she did understand. Their kisses were languid rather than frenzied. As they kissed, their bodies responded, fitting tighter and tighter together. Just as Hermione began to wrap her leg around his to increase her friction, a tremendous gurgling filled his ears. Her growling stomach broke the mood, and he began to laugh. Sometimes you just couldn't escape your stomach. Making light of the moment, Draco ushered her over to the table when her stomach prompted them a second time.
"I wasn't quite sure what to order, so I asked the house elf to send up a few of your favorite things." The trays were all covered with silver platter warmers, and he was eager to see what the kitchen elves had chosen. She lifted the nearest lid from a square tray. The contents were readily recognizable as either cottage or shepherd's pie. Excellent. The next lid revealed a bowl of broccoli cheese. Third, a cheese and fruit platter. Where the elves found fresh strawberries at this time of year, he could only guess. And last, a dessert tray with slices of some kind of pie. "What's this?" He skeptically pointed toward the dark orange wedges. "Pumpkin pie. It's an American dessert."
"Ah. Is it any good?"
"It's delicious. In fact, I think we should start with that." She lifted the platter from the tray and beckoned him to follow her to the couch. "Grab a fork or two, would you?" He did as directed and joined her on the small settee. She took one of the forks from his hand, and using the side of the implement to cut through the soft filling removed a liberal bite. Draco watched as the pie was enveloped by the warm dark cavity of her mouth - a small, satisfied smile spreading across her face. "Oh that is sooooo good," she moaned. If the pie was half as good as her reaction, it was sure to be a memorable treat. He followed suit and cut a smaller slice of the pie.
Before he put it in his mouth, he sniffed it. The scent of cinnamon wafted through his nose. It was warm, pleasant. When he put the morsel into his mouth, the warmth seemed to spread throughout his body. The taste was more delicate than he imagined. When he looked back at Hermione after swallowing his first bite, she looked satisfied. "It's pretty good, huh?"
"It's ok."
"Oh really? The look on your face said otherwise." He could definitely get used to the banter they shared.
"I was just trying to emulate you. I thought it was a nice touch." She playfully elbowed him in the ribs and went for another bite.
Soon the pie was consumed in amiable silence. Although they were both still hungry, they were comfortable just sitting in each other's company for a few minutes. She made the first move, standing from the couch and moving back toward the food. "Would you like a plate?" She was offering to fix him one. "Yes, please, but I'll get it." And he rose to meet her by the tray so that he could dish out sizable portions of meat pie and broccoli cheese.
They returned to the sofa and consumed their food quietly, save the sounds of chewing and swallowing. When their plates were empty and bellies full, they sat on the sofa side by side. It wasn't an awkward moment per se, but the gravity of the situation was making itself known. Hermione curled into Draco's side and rested her head on his shoulder. "You'll need to see Professor Snape soon."
She was right of course. While he was glad to return to his godfather with favorable news and have the Oath removed, he was dreading the new burdens that would come with the visit. He had doubts as to whether or not his skills would be good enough to be equal to the task at hand. Could he become an Occlumens quickly enough to fool the Dark Lord? Could he make other contacts in the Light that would trust him? Could he continue to let his new relationship with Hermione build and grow while ever suppressing its public acknowledgement? How could they be in a classroom together without making eyes at each other? The questions piled one atop another until his head was screaming with doubts. His brow rested on the top of her head while he tried to sort it out.
"I know it's a lot to take in," she said. "Perhaps the best thing is to just get it over with. Meet the challenge head on and then formulate a plan of attack."
"Ever the practical witch. You're probably right."
"Besides, you know where you stand with Professor Snape. He's not only your ally, but for all intents and purposes is also your family."
"Remember, my family sold me out to the Dark Lord," he spat bitterly.
"More reasons why blood means nothing and character is everything." The phrase was simple, but effective. He turned toward her and stared into her eyes. Eyes the color of dark tea with flecks of cream. She stared back in earnest. "I'm sure the Professor will know just what to say to strengthen your resolve. He, more than most, has a need for this war to come to a speedy end." At this, Hermione stood and reached out for his hand. He grasped it and rose to stand beside her. "While Harry may be the implement of Voldemort's destruction, Professor Snape is, as I have come to believe, the agent."
"And what shall we be in all this madness?" She locked eyes with him, complete conviction sounding in her voice.
"Together."