Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and/or the characters of the original story created by J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Fourteen

As the temperature was considerable degrees warmer, and the sun had yet to rise, the duo decided to remove their heavy cloaks and settle down until morning light was available. A light and pleasantly cool breeze rustled the forest trees and made the loose leaves dance and swirl. It fluttered along Hermione's skin, tickling her and raising small goosebumps on her flesh. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the sharp, fresh scent of the forest and its clean, smog-free air.

She'd spread the cloaks on the forest floor and it was on these that they sat to prevent their clothes from being dirtied. Lucius had his legs bent, his forearms placed on his knees languidly, and he was staring unseeingly at the ground between his legs. She silently admired his handsome profile, feeling shy and embarrassed that she was doing so and a little afraid that she'd be caught staring…for the third time.

Sometimes, of late, just gazing at Lucius Malfoy did funny things to her. Pleasantly funny things. It never ceased to amaze her how she'd grown from a heartburn of rage to the pleasurable clench of desire in her gut whenever she'd laid eyes on him. And it wasn't only desire. Occasionally (more often than not), when looking at him, her heart felt warmer, somehow; it felt as though all her troubles were far away and all that mattered in that moment was him.

And in that specific moment during her speculations, the question she'd been asking herself earlier that day in Grogoch's house was answered. No, she didn't just like Lucius Malfoy, she…she…

Merlin, no…it can't be. That's…that's impossible!

What an absurd, preposterous, outrageous, absolutely mad idea. Her inner thesaurus could not even begin to conjure enough words to describe how crazy that notion was. They had only been in each other's company for four weeks. Granted, every hour had been spent together but still, it was only four weeks! The time limit was far too short. People falling in love in one month only existed in those disgusting, brain-melting, plot-less romance novels of which the likes of Lavender Brown enjoyed!

No, this did not bode well for Hermione and her realist ideologies. She believed in love, yes, but she disbelieved that such a strong emotion could manifest itself in such a short time. Especially for Lucius Malfoy, a man whom, only a year ago, had wanted her dead.

But things have changed, haven't they? He does not hate me anymore and neither do I him. However, does that mean that I…that I have those kinds of feelings for him? Merlin, help me, I have lost my mind if I do, for surely he does not feel the same…

"Miss Granger, is something the matter?" Lucius' words invaded her thoughts.

She blinked rapidly, trying to refocus her mind to the present.

"No," she answered. "Why do you ask?"

"You appeared as though in pain," he replied. "Are you?"

Indeed, I am. I'm in pain and confusion because of you. "Of course not," she smiled.

He nodded. "Good. We have a long journey ahead of us and we've only limited time to complete it. Any hindrances must be eliminated."

"And here I thought you were solely concerned about my well-being," she quipped.

He gazed at her so intensely that it took all her might not to squirm. She felt as though he were on the verge of reading her mind, and terrified that he might be an accomplished Legilimens, she mentally placed blocks around any thoughts that concerned 'love'. She was just digesting this notion; she didn't need him discovering it too.

"How far do we need to go to locate Nagini?" she asked in hopes of dissuading him from staring at her.

He looked away from her to stare up at the lightening sky and she followed his gaze. The wide expanse of blue-blackness was being bleached into intermingling hues of blue-grey, pink and orange. Amidst the branches of the trees, Hermione glimpsed little pieces of yellow brightness as the sun began its glittering, golden ascent.

She was a little surprised at how quickly dawn had arrived. One moment the entire area had been gloomy and she'd only been able to see her hands. Now, the sky lent its light, forcing the darkness back to its temporary hiding place. Lucius stood and she did the same. She was aware that Lucius had not answered her question but she didn't mind. He'd answer her in time. If need be, she'd press him on it anyway.

She retrieved the cloaks from the floor, folded them as small as she could and fought to stuff them in the backpack. Albeit she'd won the fight, the backpack had made its final stand of defiance by refusing to close its zip all the way. Disregarding its heaviness, she hoisted it over her shoulders and announced that she was ready to go.

"Lucius, how far do we have to go?" moaned the girl after an hour of trekking.

"The entire trip by foot totals three hours," he answered with a smirk.

"Are…are you serious?" she asked in flabbergasted tones. "Three hours? And you hadn't the decency to let me know this before I lugged this awful thing with me?"

She dropped the bag she carried unceremoniously to the floor, her eyes flashing angry sparks his way. She wiped her sweaty forehead with her right forearm then pinched the front of her high-necked dress between her index finger and thumb finger to formulate some cool air. Lifting her left hand, she batted at the thick, curly mass of hair bunched at her neck, even though it did little to alleviate her discomfort.

"You dreadful man," she continued with a heavy glare.

Lucius smiled. For some reason, he enjoyed Angry Hermione immensely, and he particularly liked being the cause of it. He liked the way her tongue was uninhibited and she said anything that came to her mind in that moment. Well, come to think of it, she generally spoke her mind whenever possible. No, what he enjoyed most was her demeanour. The way her eyes flashed, the way her cheeks grew pink, and the way her entire body exuded an electricity of sorts. Yes…an electrical charge that reached him and sparked him and lit something alive within him.

She frowned. "Maybe I should let you carry it, regardless of your hurt shoulder. After all, if you don't care about me, I shouldn't care about you either."

Of course, I care about you. Maybe more than I should, as a matter of fact.

It was on the very tip of his tongue to say it, but as he'd done an hour earlier when she'd made the little quip, he kept silent. He did not want to speak such a thing aloud. Within him, what he felt for her was awkward and unwanted. He was already running on a heavy supply of denial and avoidance, and voicing these things would cement them and make them real. He certainly did not want that.

"Merlin, this place is so damn hot!" she announced in frustration.

As he did so well, he sent all uncomfortable thoughts away. "If it is any consolation, and if my memory serves me correctly, there is a spring just beyond this rise. Maybe a brief stop is in order."

"Is it really? How wonderful." she replied coldly before she grabbed up the bag again with a huff and hurried off in the direction he pointed.

He followed and watched in amusement as she threw the bag, yet again, onto the floor, and as she giggled with glee at the sight of spring. She hiked up the skirts of her dress, kicked off her worn shoes and proceeded to wade through the steadily moving water, sighing aloud with satisfaction. Grasping the bunch of material in one hand, she dipped her free hand into the water then raised it to splash her face.

"Marvelous!" she cried.

He removed his shoes, as well, and rolled each leg of his trousers to his knees and each of his shirtsleeves to his elbows. When this was finished, he surveyed himself and thought how he looked like such a commoner but, surprisingly, it did not disturb him. He remembered the days when he wouldn't even dare to appear disheveled or disorderly in any way. Those were the days when all that had mattered was a façade of perfection. To present himself to those whom he thought important enough to impress.

But all of that didn't matter now. He'd severed his allegiance to those ties the moment the Dark Lord had severed his wife from the living. He had spent weeks constantly unkempt, and in the presence of a woman who was unconcerned whether he wore velvet robes or whether every strand of his hair was in perfect place or even whether he was wealthy or not. No, she did not care about such superficial things.

That was why he—

Splat!

He reeled backwards, the sudden drenching of his face and his shirt surprising him immensely. Wiping the water from his face and his eyes, he raised his head at the sound of the girl's laughter. She had her head thrown back as she laughed and as she pointed at her devious handiwork.

So, she likes to play games does she?

He smirked. "That was very unwise, Miss Granger. I find I am most displeased, and to add insult to injury, you are laughing at my expense." He stepped into the spring and began wading in her direction.

She skittered away with a laugh. "Serves you right, you mean sod! Making me carry that heavy, heavy bag. You haven't felt anything yet, Lucius!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really!" she laughed. "I'll have you know I am very good at this. I've got ten years of experience under my belt!"

"Experience of being soaked?"

"No! Experience of being the soaker."

"Well," he rejoined, "we shall see about that," and with a wide swish of his hand, he forced a jet of water in her direction, soaking her from head to toe.

She shrieked, the noise carrying upwards to the trees, upsetting birds to squawk angrily at the sound.

"That is unfair!" she accused. "You used magic. Wandless and wordless magic!"

He was smirking again not only because he'd successfully doused her but also because her dress had been transformed into a sheer and clingy material. Unbeknownst to her, it advertised her underwear and the very outline of her waist and hips, much to Lucius' liking.

"Are there rules stating I mustn't?" he said casually, advancing on her again.

She danced away from him. "No but it reeks of cheating." She attempted to splash him again but he dodged it.

"I never cheat," he gave her a charming smile and doused her again.

She screamed again and Lucius could not resist the urge to chuckle but it was his mistake. She took the opportunity of his momentary inattentiveness to rapidly chuck handfuls of water at him. Within moments he was as soaked as she.

"There," she replied with a triumphant smile. "Now the world is balanced."

Her hands were planted on her hips and she was awarding him with the most exquisite smile he'd yet to witness. Her chocolate eyes had lightened to caramel and they were dancing and sparkling with merriment. She was obviously very pleased with herself.

He realised that although he enjoyed riling the girl up, he much preferred when she was smiling as genuinely as she was now. It magnified her loveliness and stirred up the ever-present desire he had for her…and maybe something more which he refused to examine. It felt good, somehow, knowing that he'd been the cause of her pleasure.

His hands twitched at his sides; he wanted to touch her. His eyes fell to the upward curving of her lips; he wanted to kiss her.

"Hardly," he replied casually. "I abhor sodden hair and you have left me to bear this fate. You shall pay dearly."

"Oh, please," she scoffed playfully. "You attacked me first. I had no option but to retaliate."

"If I remember correctly, whilst I was musing privately, I was rudely interrupted by a spray of water in my face."

"Good!" and she began to try to wade away from him but her sopping wet dress prevented her from moving fast enough. He'd caught her, clutching her squirming body before she'd achieved any considerable distance. He turned her around to face him.

"Now be still and accept your due punishment," he said before he brought his lips down on hers.

The fight went out of her immediately. She was willing and pliant in his hands and he smiled in satisfaction against her soft lips. She planted her hands on his shoulders and raised herself to him and he enjoyed the intimate press of flesh against him. Smoothing his tongue along the seam of her lips, she opened them with a sigh, and he kissed her fully, deeply.

Lucius lifted his hand to tangle it within her wet curls. Gripping the back of her head, he forced head backwards, devouring her willing mouth. His desire for her had fully awakened and he attacked her mouth like a thirsting man would a spring. The need for her was incessant, demanding, and he longed to just skip the basics and head for the most important bit. But he would wait. He would wait to satisfy himself as he pleased her first.

He released her mouth to kiss a hot trail down her neck, but he was blocked by the high neck of her dress. No, that would not do. So he lifted the hem of her dress, smoothing his hands along her thigh with the intention to remove the material entirely, when he came across the waistband of her knickers. Divesting her of her dress could wait, he thought, as his hands meandered across her lower abdomen to cup her sex through her knickers.

"My, you've soaked the material entirely," he teased. "To think you want me that much."

"Don't flatter yourself," she laughed. "You doused me, you cheat."

He slipped his finger inside her knickers to find she was, indeed, wet and wanting. He rubbed her flesh slowly and smirked at the little jerk of her body.

"I am insulted by your libelous charges," he replied. "You seemed to have not learnt your lesson. I think I may have to admonish you again." He traced circles against her nether lips, teasing her as she bucked and tried to force herself downwards on his fingers.

She opened her eyes; they were alight with mirrored desire. "Please do,"

Swiftly, he inserted a finger into her moist heat and she moaned her appreciation into his ear. She gripped his shoulders, and at his hiss of pain, she relinquished them immediately to encircle her hands around his neck instead. He began to move the solitary finger within her, but as her mewls became more insistent, he inserted another. Merlin, he was so hard for her. If only it were him deep inside her than his digits.

He smoothed his fingers along her inner walls persistently, in and out as she moaned and sighed his name. Gathering moisture on his thumb, he angled it over her bud of sensitive flesh, rubbing and teasing her onwards to her climax.

"God…Lucius…I want…I need…" she panted.

"What is it? What do you want?"

"You…I need to feel you…" she choked out.

He didn't waste time. Removing his fingers from inside her, he gripped her dress and dragged it over head. He threw the sodden material in the direction of the bag then walked them backwards to the edge of the spring. He then sat, pulling her towards him, over him as he released himself from the constraints of his trousers.

Yes, this was the moment he'd been waiting for. He wanted her so badly that he might go insane if he didn't have her. There was no time to properly rid himself of his own clothing. He just wanted to be buried deep inside her as soon as he possibly can. She really was a witch, wasn't she? She'd placed some kind of spell on him of which he couldn't be bothered to break.

She was eyeing his manhood shyly but appreciatively. How virginal she was. To think he'd been her first and only lover thus far. It struck him with immense male pride. He rather liked the sound of 'only lover'. He thought to himself that maybe he should endeavour to keep it that way.

He guided her to seat herself on his thighs then resumed kissing her. He was more than surprised when she boldly encircled her hand around him, grasping and stroking him. He groaned at the feel of her hot little hand on his flesh, and unable to hold himself any longer, he manoeuvred her body closer and eased her knickers to the side. Getting the gist of things, she removed her hand from his flesh and she cried out in ecstasy when he entered her.

She came almost immediately as he begun to move, clenching him tight, and almost bringing about his own climax prematurely. When her shudders had subsided, he began to move again, bucking his hips upward as she rode him, her hips moving on their own accord. She tangled her fingers in his hair, her fingers flexing against his head at each of his thrusts.

The slick, tight warmth of her was sublime. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the way her hips rocked against him and the way she involuntarily squeezed her inner muscles, sending a jolt of pleasant sensation through him. He grabbed the back of her head and forced her forward in another kiss. She sucked his lips, licked it then proceeded to battle her tongue with his. Their kiss was as frenzied and as rough and as fast as their lovemaking; their tongues and lips imitating what their bodies were doing.

She began straining against him, demanding him to go harder, and he complied. Her second orgasm was near as was his first. Leaning backwards to lie flat on his back, he lifted his legs to anchor himself as he gripped her hips to thrust brutally upwards into her. In a matter of moments, a scream was ripped from her throat as she came, her walls convulsing around him as she shook from the force of her climax. With his eyes screwed shut, he pounded into her faster as his release followed on the heels of hers. He groaned long and low, slowing when he was sure he'd properly spent himself.

They panted heavily, trying to catch their breath, and it was in this moment that an unsettling feeling came over Lucius. He felt he should be concerned about something or remember something or the other but it would not come to him. He decided that if it had been important, he would've been aware and would've made the necessary precautions. It probably wasn't anything worth worrying over.

He glanced up at the girl. She was leaning on his chest, smiling shyly and sweetly at him. No, there wasn't anything to worry about for all was right in the world.

AN: I hope everyone would see the significance of this chapter. I would like to say that it was not purely written for the sake of smut, I do hope you can see that. Also, I had intended to continue further but it seems so fitting to end it here. I am aware of all you greedy readers who probably want me to write twenty MS Word pages, you taskmasters! Lol. Hope you liked it. Tell me what you think!

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