Disclaimer: JK owns HP; Always
Fear and Self Loathing in Wiltshire
Chapter 24
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
The sound of her quill against the parchment was the only noise in the room as Hermione scribbled a response to the potion master in charge of this months batch of Wolfsbane potion for her charity.
Both her and Draco had been late to the ministry that morning after the late night they'd had the evening before. Andromeda and Narcissa had caused quite the commotion once they had made it back to the manor after St. Mungos. The tale of their narrow escape from Bellatrix had caused the whole household the need to sleep in rather later than normal.
As soon as they had arrived to the ministry Draco had dropped her off at their shared office so he could just make the daily auror meeting himself. She was currently in the middle of reading and responding to her very backed up stack of mail while awaiting his return.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Her quill was just signing her name at the bottom of the scroll when her door flew open.
"We're going back to the manor." Draco announced sternly from the doorway.
Hermione looked up from her letter, the tip of her quill half way along the M in her first name. Both Draco and Mr. Weasley stood at the entrance to her office. They had similar looks on their faces; fear, apprehension, and anger crossing them.
"What? Why?" She asked, a similar expression appearing on her own face in the process. "Has something happened?"
Draco looked at her desk, knowing that her mail was always the first thing she went through in the morning. "You haven't read the prophet yet." He stated, spotting the still rolled paper under a few other scrolls. "So you haven't heard?"
"Heard what?" She reiterated, started to get annoyed that he wasn't spitting it out.
"There was a mass breakout last night." Mr. Weasley answered. "It appears the Lestrange's used the attack on The Tonks' as a decoy. They killed all the guards at Azkaban and broke almost everyone out."
Her eyes grew to saucers and her hands began to shake. The remaining ink on the quill had now left a scribble across the bottom of her parchment. "What do you mean by almost everyone?"
Draco cringed and looked down at the ground; letting Arthur answer this question as well.
"Basically anyone who has remained loyal to You-Know-Who and his cause." He paused, dreading her reaction to the sentence he hadn't spoken yet.
Hermione finally laid her quill down. She looked mortified. "And what about those who haven't? Where are they?"
The two men shared another glance before Draco finally answered, clearing his throat beforehand. "Those who betrayed them were left dead along with all of the guards."
Now realizing how bad things had gotten, Hermione's bottom lip trembled. Very slowly she lifted her left hand to cover her mouth in an attempt to steady it.
"So who for sure is back in their fold?" She asked after a short pause.
"Rookwood and Avery. Dolohov and Nott." Mr Weasley started to list the names of those who had escaped. "Fenrir Greyback."
"That's a horrifying thought." She said still trying to remain calm. "Anyone else?"
Mr. Weasley and Draco looked at each other nervously again before Draco stepped forward. "Yes, actually."
Hermione knew exactly which name he was about to speak before his mouth even opened, but she heard it all the same.
"Hermione." He whispered, trying to soften the blow. "They broke Krum out. He's escaped again."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Clink. Clink. Clang.
The sound of glass being shattered and falling to the floor was all Bellatrix could hear before the yelling started.
"So vhat you're telling me, is that you knew it was a trap?" The Bulgarian roared. "And you sent me to get captured anyvay?"
"Oh don't sound so offended by it." Bellatrix rolled her eyes at him. "We got you out didn't we?"
"You did." Victor agreed as he paced the room angrily. "But not until after they fed me veritiserum!" He started yelling again. "And now she knows vhat I vas planning on doing to her once she made it home vith me."
"Well, yes. I guess that is regrettable." She said, not sounding at all sorry.
"And now she hates me even more!" He grabbed the only unbroken lamp in the room and smashed it against the opposite wall.
Bellatrix huffed at his usual reaction; blowing a stray curl out of her eyes. "She can hate you all she wants, she's still going to end up locked away in your castle soon anyway."
Viktor looked even more annoyed than before. "First off, I don't vant her to hate me." He plopped down in the nearest chair. "I vant her to love me the vay I love her. Second." He huffed at her. "How the hell do you think ve are going to get to her now? They vill have her locked up at your sister's house at all times now that I am free again."
Bellatrix approached him and sat on the arm of his chair. She patted the top of his head and cooed at him. "That, my friend, is exactly where you are going to capture her from."
He swatted her hand away, clearly annoyed at her babyish voice. "Vhat the hell are you talking about?"
She grinned at his disbelieving tone. "Have you ever heard of the Hopping Hippogriff?"
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Sniff. Sniffle. Hiccup.
That was all that Draco could hear as Hermione cried into the handkerchief he had handed her five minutes earlier.
Finally getting fed up with her needless crying, he sat down next to her on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. Her head came to rest on his shoulder of its own accord.
"Hermione, I know that you feel bad that Scabior died last night, but he was a really really bad guy." He attempted to comfort her in his own logical way. "He doesn't deserve for someone as wonderful as you to mourn him."
She lifted her head off his shoulder to glare daggers at him through her tear stained face. "I know he was awful. I was captured by him once!" She exclaimed. "But he didn't deserve to die. He tried to help us, and now he's dead because of it...Because of me." She buried her face into her hands and began to cry again.
Now he knew why she was really crying. It wasn't necessarily because a lowlife like Scabior was dead, but because she believed that she had inadvertently caused someone's death.
Draco hugged her from the side, rubbing his hand up and down her arm to try and soothe her. He pressed a single kiss to her temple.
"Because of my plan Scabior is dead. I talked him into betraying them and they killed him for it." She began to cry harder into his shoulder.
"Shhh." Draco pressed another kiss to the top of her head. She really was too sweet for her own good. "It's not your fault. It's his own for getting involved with them in the first place."
She tried frantically to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "But I was the one who blackmailed him into helping us set a trap for them."
"Hermione." He said calmly while grabbing both her hands in his. "If we had sent him to Azkaban without obtaining his help, we never would have caught Krum."
She glared at him. "And a whole lot of good that did."
"It did." He tried to defend their actions, even though Krum was currently on the loose again. "I know you don't want to hear this, but we are at war again."
Hermione's eyes became saucers again, but she was truly listening to his justifications now.
"And even though last night was a hit, we are in a better place than we were a week ago." He continued. "We know why and how Krum got involved with them. We found one of their hiding spots because of it. And now they are one man down." She was about to try and argue again, but he pressed a finger over her lips to stop her oncoming tirade. "I know you don't like that Scabior died for assisting us, but it was his choice. He knew that he was going to make an enemy of himself."
She wanted to speak up again but he waved his pointer finger at her to let her know he wasn't done. "And if he had stayed loyal to my aunt, he would have been broken out with the rest of the death eaters and snatchers, and they would now have one more man to fight against us."
Hermione finally stopped crying. She looked at a loss for words.
"I'm not saying I'm happy he is dead." Draco continued. "But this is war, and I will not be sorry that they have one less murderer and torturer on their side." He sounded firm in his reasoning. "And I don't want you to be either."
"So this is actually happening?" She asked gloomily; staring at their joined hands. "The wizarding world is officially at war again?"
"I'm afraid so." He said giving her hands a squeeze.
XXXXXX
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The loud dance music was all anyone in the club could hear that night as they danced and swayed to the beat.
Most of the twenty-somethings had not a care in the world as they drank and danced the night away. Though most of them had heard about Azkaban's mass breakout, it was still Friday; and Friday meant fun. The clubs inhabitants figured that the issue would still be there in the morning, so why not try to relax tonight? It was tomorrow's worry.
But what the guests in The Hopping Hippogriff didn't know, was that there was an intruder hidden in their midsts. They didn't know that one of Wizarding Britain's Most Wanted was right there in their very own club.
While polyjuiced to look like another average twenty-something, Viktor Krum scouted the dance floor for the woman Bellatrix described. After nearly ten minutes of searching, a dark haired girl with a pug like nose finally caught his eye.
She was pretty, he'd give her that; but it seemed she was also without a shred of class. This girl had absolutely nothing on Hermione; especially in terms of both beauty and grace.
Not wanting to drag this part of the night on any longer, he finally approached the girl in question. He was ready to get Hermione home.
She was currently dancing with some tall blonde in a purple dress. The two girls were gyrating on each other in an obvious attempt to entice some of the guys in the crowd to take them back to their place. Although he was not interested in them in any way, he knew that the best way to get what he wanted was to play along until he could get her alone.
Very slowly, Viktor started to sway as he stepped in closer toward the dark haired girl.
"Want to dance?" He asked in the perfect british accent of the guy whose hair he had stolen.
She nodded enthusiastically before signaling to her friend that she was going to go off with him. The other girl checked him out for a second before nodding her approval and turning to dance with someone else.
Viktor pressed his hips against her backside and swayed to the beat as she shook her own back and forth. This was not his kind of dancing, but he was determined to make it work until he could test out if she was the right girl or not.
"Pansy isn't it?" He asked into her ear to confirm.
She smiled and nodded. "Have we met?" She yelled over the loud music.
"No." He shook his head. "I was told by Mrs. Lestrange that a young woman with dark hair and average height could be found here on a Friday evening."
Pansy stopped dancing. She froze as soon as she understood what he meant by Mrs. Lestrange. She was now as still as a statue compared to the rest of the swaying clubgoers around them.
"A woman that would not only have useful information, but would be discreet and benefit mutually from an arrangement." He continued to talk directly into her ear.
She turned and narrowed her eyes at him, as if trying to figure something out. After a long pause she finally grabbed his hand and dragged him into a secluded corner in the back of the club.
"Who are you?" She asked as soon as they were alone.
He answered without giving his name away out loud. "The Durmstrang Champion."
Her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to piece together his clue. "Viktor Krum?"
"Shh!" He spit angrily before glancing around the room to make sure no one had heard her. Luckily for him, her daftness went unnoticed by the rest of the crowd. "Don't go saying that out loud. I'm a wanted criminal, remember?"
"Sorry." She said, glancing around herself. "But I don't understand. Why would Mrs. Lestrange think that we have a mutual interest?"
"You are in love with her sisters nephew, no?" He asked. He may have shed his accent with the polyjuice potion but English was still his second language and it showed.
"Mhm." She admitted through pursed lips. "For as long as I've known him...But what does that have to do with you?"
"You look like a smart girl." He lied, knowing flattery would likely entice her into helping him. "I'm sure you read the papers."
"I do." Pansy agreed with a hint of a smile coming through.
"So then you know who I've dated." Viktor stated.
"Hermione Granger." She answered knowing all the details from her girly magazines.
Even for someone as dimwitted as Pansy Parkinson, the clues finally pieced themselves together in her brain.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, as it dawned on her. "You mean that we both want for her and Draco to split up then?"
"Exactly."
"Well I hate to break it to you, but I've already tried." She crossed her arms under her chest to show herself off a little. "It didn't work."
Viktor ignored her attempts to seduce him without even glancing at her exposed cleavage. "I have that part covered." He informed her. "That's not what I need you for."
Realizing that not only was he not interested in her sexually, but that she just might have another shot with Draco, she dropped her arms. "Well then what is it that I can help you with?" She asked. "You must have sought me out for some reason."
"Apparently you are one of the few people who can apparate in and out of Malfoy Manor." He finally admitted; letting her in on the plan. "I want you to take me there."
A sinister smile spread across her lips and a twinkle appeared in her eyes. "Gladly."
XXXXXXXX
"So I'm on house arrest then?" Hermione asked while leaning her arms against the balcony railing. She was staring out at the nearby pond; the moonlight reflecting off the water.
"Well you can go to Grimmauld Place too, but yes." Draco answered her. "It's only until Krum is captured again though."
He came up behind her and pressed a kiss to the back of her shoulder before wrapping his arms around her from behind.
"You know he's going to come for me." She stated.
He could detect a hint of fear in her tone, though she was trying to hide it.
"I don't want you to worry about that." He pressed another kiss to the same spot, not wanting to think about the ways her ex was plotting to get to her. "He can't get to you here."
She turned in his arms to face him. "You totally just jinxed us, you know?"
He thought about it for a second before chuckling darkly. "I probably did, didn't I?"
She shook her head at him goodnaturedly before pressing her lips to his. She was finally in a better mood than she had been all day. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as she pushed thoughts of the war to the back of her mind.
Draco kissed her back enthusiastically; his arms cradling her lower back. He still hadn't gotten used to the fact that he could touch her and kiss her whenever he liked, but he was loving every second of it.
After several more minutes, his hands had slipped their way under the hem of her tank top. It was a hot summer evening, so she'd changed into lighter clothing shortly after they had arrived back to the manor. His fingers were now leisurely exploring the soft flesh that the thin material was covering.
"Do you want to move this inside?" She whispered as she pulled back to look at him suggestively.
It took him a second to gain his senses back enough to understand what she was asking.
"Oh." He said dumbfounded. "Well yes, but..."
"But what?" She looked surprised that he hadn't immediately carried her inside.
His hands were still tucked under the back of her shirt and their lips were barely a few inches apart. "Are you sure that you're up for that right now?" He asked, pressing their lips together again. "It's been kind of a trying day."
"I'm more than sure." She whispered before threading her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. She used the grip she had on him to bring their lips together in a passionate kiss once more. "Take me to bed Draco."
It was then that he decided to take a deep look into her eyes. Several of her emotions seemed to reveal themselves to him. The passion, the anger, the sadness, the fear. He saw it all reflected in their depths, and it was then that he realized what she really needed. A distraction. He hadn't been lying when he'd said today had been trying. So if what she needed was a distraction from the upcoming war, then he was going to give it to her.
He delved his tongue deep into her eager mouth as he picked her up by her bottom. His new realization made him happy to comply. It wasn't like he didn't want to be with her again either. As they still had only done it the one time, he was excited to find out if it would be just as good or better their second time.
Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to carry her inside. She then took a moment to remove her shirt, only breaking the kiss to throw it off over her head. It was clear they were done talking for the time being; everything was about action now.
Soon after, he deposited her on the bed; fondling her breast leisurely through her bra for several seconds before ripping it from her body. He began to trail hot kisses down her jawline and past her collarbone so he could suck on the nipple of her left breast. Eventually he wanted her to know that sex with Draco Malfoy was not always going to be soft and loving; sometimes it would be rough and passionate depending on the mood, but for tonight, as he knew she was still scared, he would keep it as soft and gentle as he could.
He started to kiss down the valley of her breasts, revelling in the mewls and gasps of pleasure he was receiving from her. Reaching up with his free hand, he pulled down her shorts and panties and tossed them to the side.
"Spread for me Hermione." He commanded in a husky voice.
He grinned when she did as she was told and leaned down. He started to kiss up and down her inner thighs, earning him whimpers. He could feel her hands in his hair, trying to tug him upwards, but he refused to budge.
Finally, his tongue connected with her, giving her a long and slow lick. It earned him a groan. He continued to give her a few long licks until her clit started to demand attention. He leaned up and started to swirl his tongue around the nub, sucking on it occasionally, and shivering as he heard Hermione's gasps and moans. His fingers found their way to her entrance and started to move in and out of her quickly as he sucked her clit hard enough to make her whine in need. He continued the pace for about a minute and then went back to just licking her clit only to repeat the process.
"Gods it feels so good!" Hermione moaned out, almost pleading for him to finally send her over the edge.
No words left him as he started to slam his fingers in and out of her, twisting them inside of her tight walls as he sucked on her clit. Her loud moan of pleasure was all he needed to know that she was finally there.
As soon as she had calmed, he reached up to remove his own shirt. How she had wound up completely naked before he had managed to shed a single piece of clothing he did not know, but he was rectifying that situation now. He discarded his clothing piece by piece until there was nothing left between them.
Unlike last time, instead of asking if she was ready to begin, he positioned himself at her entrance. She in turn, surprised him by rolling them over. He was now on his back with her straddling his hips. Their eyes met as she slowly lowered herself down on him, finally connecting them as they had been just days earlier.
Draco groaned deeply as she took him in to the hilt; surrounding him with her heat, and encasing him tightly. His hands fell to her hips as she began to move on top of him, slowly lifting herself up and down. She tested out a good rhythm before daring to move a little bit faster.
He let her take control. He understood that she needed that control, so he let her take everything she needed from him. He knew they had plenty of time in the future for him to control it the way he wanted it.
Sweat covered skin slapped together as they moved. Heavy breathing, and moans of pure pleasure filled the room. Their bodies already seemed to move in perfect harmony, as though they had been together a million times.
After several minutes she seemed to slow, her breathing heavy with need. Taking this as a hint that it was his turn, he rolled them over so that he was above her once more. He then picked up where she had left off, though moving harder and faster than she had ever had before. He moaned along with her and gripped her hips, holding her steady as he pounded into her. Their lips met in a frenzy of tongue wrestling; continuing the kiss through the deep thrusts of his own hips.
He grinned when he saw Hermione's face contort in pleasure as she orgasmed once again. The gaspy scream she emitted from deep in her throat told him that he had given her exactly what she needed.
It wasn't long after that he came deep inside her; collapsing from the exertion immediately after.
"Fucking hell, that was amazing," He grinned in her ear before slowly rolling to the side.
Hermione chuckled through her own heavy breathing, before pulling the blanket over herself to cover her nudity.
He smiled to himself as he snuggled against her skin. Draco Malfoy had left her, Hermione Granger, unable to speak. He only hoped that it had been distraction enough from her worries.
Before long, Hermione had drifted off with her head leaning against the crook of his arm. Draco smiled and kissed her forehead as he watched her sleeping form. The steady rise and fall of her chest let him know that she was at peace with things for the time being at least.
Very carefully, he slipped his arm out from under her head, and crept out of bed. He relieved himself in the bathroom before slipping his boxers back on.
He quietly closed all but one of the sets of balcony doors. Having a little bit of a cool breeze would be nice on such a hot night, so he left the ones closest to the bed open. Lastly, he grabbed his wand out of his discarded robes pocket, and laid it on the nightstand.
When the room was set to rights, he crawled back under the sheets and slipped his arm back under her again. Without waking, Hermione readjusted her head so that it was laying on his chest.
As he drifted off himself, Draco still couldn't believe that he had actually earned her love in return. What he had been dreaming of for years had actually become a reality.
Wrapped in each other's arms, oblivious to the world outside of their bedroom; they weren't thinking about Viktor Krum and the impending threat of him finding Hermione. They weren't thinking about Bellatrix Lestrange and her new terrible horcruxes. They weren't thinking about the upcoming battle that was sure to take place any day now.
For one night, they were only thinking about the happiness and contentment they felt when in each other's arms.
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Click. Clack. Creak.
The floorboards squeaked underneath them as they climbed the old steps of Malfoy Manor. As promised, Pansy had apparated them straight onto the second floor landing. They hadn't wanted the loud popping noise of their arrival to awaken anyone, so she had chosen a spot that was unlikely to be heard by any of the old house's inhabitants.
"So why did Bellatrix not join you on this mission?" Pansy asked at a whisper. "Isn't she after her sisters too?"
"I asked her the same question." Victor responded in his bulgarian accent that was finally appearing along with his hooked nose. "Since she apparently knew that you could get in and out of here, I vas surprised she hadn't forced you to bring her in long before now. Apparently she has another idea in mind for them that doesn't include infiltrating this manion."
After their trek up the long winding staircase, they finally arrived at the third floor. They stared down the long, straight corridor that now faced them.
"Draco's room is the third one on the left." Pansy informed him as she glared daggers at the door. "You promise that you are just going to take Granger and go though, right?"
Viktor paused for a second. He had every intention of killing the bastard who stole his girl, but he wasn't about to let her know that. "Of course. You said his fireplace vas connected to the floo netvork, so I'll just grab her and leave before he even knows I'm here."
Pansy breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." She muttered. "I mean, I'm not opposed to you roughing him up a bit. I am very mad at him right now. I would just prefer it if you didn't kill him." She turned to face him again. "I mean, if I am going to be lady of the manor one day I will need to marry him so I can inherit it first."
"As promised, my dear." He lied through his faked grin. "When the war is won, you will be the last Malfoy left standing."
Her sinister grin from earlier reappeared. "Then have at it."
With a loud pop, she disaperated away; leaving him alone in the hall. He was now ready to carry out his plan of getting Hermione to the new estate in Bulgaria he had just set up. As quietly as possible, he trekked his way down the long corridor to the third room on the left and twisted the knob.
The sight that awaited him on the other side of the door made him stop dead in his tracks.
There Hermione laid; fast asleep with her head cradled into another mans chest. A man that he had hated; a man that she had moved onto almost immediately after finding out about his own deceptions; a man who currently had his arms wrapped around her securely.
From the way the sheets had wriggled down slightly under her arms, he could also see that she was clearly naked, and basking in the afterglow of tender lovemaking. Something that he himself has waited years for, with no return.
With a clenched jaw, he stared at the couple on the bed. Hermione sighed contentedly in her sleep before nuzzling closer into Malfoy's chest.
The only thing keeping him from losing it right there was the fact that he needed to be as stealthy as possible if his plan was going to work. He had already been thwarted three times, and he was not going to let it happen again.
Pansy and Bellatrix be damned, he was going to kill Draco Malfoy; and he was going to do it right now.
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A/N: I have to say I am very proud of this chapter. The scene of Viktor finding them asleep in bed together was one of the original scenes I had in mind when I started this story almost three years ago. We are getting close to the end now. Only 6 chapter left!