Chapter 20 - Test

Hermione would have given a lot to be able to apparate within Hogwarts. She was exhausted in every sense. Her body couldn't figure out if it was too hot or too cold. Every part of her ached from pushing herself so much on the letter writing and the following transfiguration. She needed sleep desperately. However, her thoughts raced far too much to rest while she remained aware that Malfoy slept near her in the same bed. The darkness did not hide the sound of his breathing, nor the smell of his room.

He had kept to his side of the bed, at least. Amongst the many thoughts plaguing Hermione's mind were fears that he might snuggle up to her in his sleep, and she wouldn't know whether to allow it or push him away. Even worse was the thought that she might be the one to move while asleep. She could easily imagine his disgust at being smothered by her hair. Then again, her hair was still spelled up from when he massaged her back earlier. It was really very comfortable, and not much had escaped despite their tickle battle earlier.

Hermione blushed as the memory surfaced of Malfoy sitting on her hips and looking down at her with his hands resting on her abdomen and that mischievous gleam in his eye. She breathed in deeply and blew it out slowly. That memory would stay with her for a long time, but she didn't want to get carried away with it while in his bed. She had to find something else to think about.

It really was a shame that McGonagall had confiscated all his books earlier.

Hermione blinked.

McGonagall hadn't confiscated all his books. Hermione had kept three books hidden away in her bag.

Hermione glanced around the dark room, trying to remember where she had left her bag. Malfoy had an enchantment on his canopy ceiling to show constellations, and the dim light from the tiny stars provided some visibility, but it didn't extend far beyond the bed. Wherever she left her bag, it was beyond her sight.

She sighed and looked to Malfoy, wondering if the sound of summoning the bag might wake him. She chewed her lip. If she were very unlucky, the bag might even hit him on the way to her, but she would lose her mind if she didn't find something to distract her from thoughts of him.

Hermione took a deep breath, picked up her wand, and quietly said, "Accio bag." A rustle sounded from near the door, and she caught the bag as it zoomed towards her from the foot of the bed. The bracelet jingled on Hermione's arm, and Hermione winced at the unexpected noise. Malfoy muttered in his sleep, and Hermione's heartbeat spiked in response as she held her breath while she watched him. He adjusted position slightly though and his breathing evened back out.

"Thank Merlin," Hermione muttered under her breath. Frowning, she realized opening her bag and the consequent books would create even more noise. She nearly cast muffliato, but then recalled the spell would fill Malfoy's ears with a slight buzzing noise to drown out her sounds rather than silence her completely. She hardly expected him to sleep through that.

There was also the issue of light. The constellation enchantment provided enough light to make out shapes in the dark, but it would not be nearly enough to read by. Hermione scrunched up her nose in thought. She could leave easily enough, but she didn't want to abandon the comfort of a warm bed to find her way out in the dark Slytherin halls. She doubted she could cast her patronus to guide her this time.

She would simply have to stay. However, where magic failed, logic would prevail. All she had to do was block the sound and light, and Malfoy's duvet was rather thick with lots of slack between her and Malfoy.

Hermione shrugged and scooted herself completely under his bedding until she was completely covered. "Lumos," she said quietly, and light filled her little bedding cavern. Grinning, Hermione pulled out the three books Malfoy had asked her to hide.

The book on cursed items grabbed her attention first, and she opened it eagerly now that she could read without Malfoy watching. She didn't really expect to find anything new in the entry on her bracelet, but she hadn't thought to explore the rest of the book previously. She hadn't even taken note of the title in her impatience to learn about her specific curse.

"Unique Heirlooms for the Keeping of Witches," she read out quietly. Her mouth twisted in confused disgust. "What…"

"What are you doing, Granger?" she heard Malfoy grumble. Hermione froze as the mattress and duvet shifted. A moment later, her private reading cavern was opened up as Malfoy lifted the duvet that had hidden her. "Reading under the covers?" He raised a brow at her setup, and Hermione blushed.

"I didn't mean to wake you. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I might do some reading. I hoped the bedding would muffle the sound and block the light," she said. He didn't respond except to stare at the book she had opened before her. "I'm sorry that I disturbed you," she added.

Malfoy shrugged as if to say he didn't mind. He didn't say anything, and Hermione wondered how awake he really was. His eyes were only half open in the dim light, and his face was slack, but he leaned on his elbow in front of her, stretched out at a diagonal from where he had fallen asleep. The covers remained around his waist, though the starlight danced over his bare shoulders and gleamed on his scars.

"Malfoy?" Hermione said. Should she ignore his presence and keep reading? Should she leave? Was he upset that she pulled out his books without permission?

He blinked, and his forehead slowly pulled together. "You couldn't sleep?" he asked her.

Hermione half-smiled in exasperated relief. He wasn't angry, but he was also clearly not entirely there. "Yes," she said slowly. "I couldn't sleep." When he frowned slightly, she decided to elaborate. "Too much on my mind."

This eased the crease in his brow, and he nodded slightly. "I have dreamless sleep potion, if you need it," he said. His voice slurred slightly while he spoke, and he yawned after.

Hermione smiled at how far removed this Malfoy was from the polished young man she was used to seeing. "We have classes in less than two hours, Malfoy. I don't want to sleep through them."

He nodded again, cringed, and rubbed the back of his shoulder, stretching his pectoral muscles in the process. Hermione's eyes went wide. It wasn't that Malfoy was particularly muscular or interesting, but she simply wasn't used to getting quite that sort of eyeful of a man in close settings. After he stopped massaging his shoulder, he slumped down in front of her, faced her, and closed his eyes. "So what were you reading?"

Hermione frowned as she recalled she had just discovered the title of the book on her bracelet. "Unique Heirlooms for the Keeping of Witches, apparently," she muttered. Malfoy's eyes opened fully, and he pushed himself upright somewhat to study her better. "I hadn't noticed the title last time you let me see it."

Malfoy looked away from her and clenched his fist. "You weren't meant to. I had charmed it to elude your notice."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You what?" she asked in a low tone as horror and fury competed for her attention. What possible reason could Malfoy have to…

"It wasn't like that, Granger," Malfoy grumbled. "I can't help what the heirloom was used for in the past, and I didn't want you to feel more scared than you already were."

"I'm not scared!" Hermione snapped at him.

Malfoy raised his brow at her just long enough for her to look away first, and he continued. "You've been cut off from the world out of spite. The only reason you can cast spells at all is because I allow it, and I could take that away at any time. Of course, you're terrified. I bloody well would be too in your shoes."

Hermione scowled at him. Just because he was a coward didn't mean that she…

Malfoy snorted and rolled his eyes, flopping fully on his back to stare at his starlit canopy with his hands resting on his bare stomach. "I've seen windows less transparent than you, Granger. There's no shame in being afraid." He looked to her. "I'm not judging you for it, Granger. I'm stating facts. You knew I could do whatever I wanted with you, and you knew I was cruel to you in the past… A death eater, even. You would be mad not to be afraid."

Hermione's teeth were clenched together in frustration. She wanted to deny it, but he wasn't wrong. She had been very afraid of him before she had gotten to know him better. He was both a Malfoy and a death eater, after all. Hermione frowned. Malfoy had been shirtless half the night, and she hadn't noticed his mark. "Where is your dark mark?" she asked him.

He raised one brow at her. "Where is the scar my aunt left on your arm?"

Hermione rubbed her forearm where the word mudblood remained etched forever into her. The bracelet jingled gently with the motion. "Hidden, then. Didn't want to scare me with that either?" she asked him. She pulled herself up and sat cross-legged on the bed with her skirt spread over her lap. "What else have you hidden from me?"

Malfoy slowly pulled himself upright, wincing in the process, and Hermione struggled to focus on the conversation rather than the pain he was showing from such basic movement. After all, it was his own fault he hadn't seen Madam Pomfrey for help with his back, right? He folded his legs in front of him, mirroring her position, and faced her. "What makes you think I would tell you, Granger? Why would you trust my word now when you know that I have not been completely forward?"

Hermione clenched the fabric of her skirt, hating that he had a point. When she looked up, she saw that Malfoy's eyes had followed the hemline of her skirt, which had pulled up to reveal her knees slightly from gripping it. Experimentally, Hermione pulled just a fraction more into her hands. Malfoy's eyes tracked the movement, and his lips parted slightly. It wasn't enough to convince Hermione that he was genuinely interested in her, but the knowledge that he was interested in her at all… "You're lonely."

"What?" Malfoy hissed, his eyes returned to her own with a glare.

Hermione cocked her head to the side and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face with her right hand. "You're lonely. You've had no friends this past year. No girlfriend since… what, 5th year? You've had no one to talk to that you feel safe with. You even told me as much in the library when I tried to bargain with you. What was it you said… that you needed to find a way to convince others not to treat you with fear or disdain? You're lonely, and now you have complete access to me under this curse, and you know I couldn't betray you even if I wanted to."

Hermione gasped as several things clicked in her head at once, and her mouth raced to keep up with her thoughts. "That's why you're opening up to me. That's why you asked me to stay earlier. That's why you didn't kick me out when I fell asleep in your bed… why you were so patient with the massages. Even though you openly despised me a few days ago, you're so desperate for a companion that you would rather hide the truth than risk losing access to me."

Hermione focused in on Malfoy's face and flinched at the raw rage she saw. Even in the dim light, it was clear his nostrils flared with each breath, and his eyes glowered at her. Hermione hugged herself to brace herself against whatever his response would be. She had forgotten how important pride was to Malfoy, and she had just called him lonely and desperate… She swallowed hard and tried to think of a way to mitigate or redirect his intense fury. "I don't mind, really," she lied. She wanted him to enjoy her out of interest, not desperation, but she could make a concession to calm him down. "I've been lonely too," she admitted. There was no lie in that, at least. She had been lonely for far longer than the curse had been in effect with Harry and Ron gone from school.

Malfoy's features relaxed some with her words, and he took a deep breath and blew it out slowly to the side. "I have not hidden any practical details on the bracelet from you. I only hid the intended purpose of the bracelet, which is to force the wearer to be one's… mistress, of sorts." He glanced at her. "You don't seem surprised."

Hermione shrugged. "The possibility had crossed my mind," she explained. She shuddered, but she also knew Malfoy didn't expect that of her. "Is that all?" she asked him.

"The charm I used on the book has worn off now, so you may reread it in its entirety, if you wish," he said.

Hermione greedily opened the book, scanned the table of contents, which now revealed that there were several conspicuous heirlooms of the same nature, and flipped to the entry on her bracelet. Rereading it, she found that Malfoy had only hidden the bracelet's intent, as he claimed, though there was at least one related detail she had not read before. "No female heirs may use the bracelet?"

Malfoy shrugged. "I didn't create it, Granger. I didn't know it existed until after you wore it. The Malfoy family spans centuries, Granger. We've collected a lot of heirlooms, though most dark objects were lost to raids following the last two wizarding wars." He took a deep breath. "This bracelet was designed to allow a wizard to do whatever he wanted with the witch of his choice. I expect my father hoped I would take advantage of the curse to humiliate and degrade you."

"But you have a moral code," Hermione said, watching him carefully.

His eyes met hers with black fire in them. "I am done hurting others for my amusement. Never again."

Hermione swallowed and nodded. Absentmindedly, she did some diagnostic spells on the book to see if it hid anything else, but it was just a book now with no magic to it. "I trust you not to hurt me," she said after a moment.

"You didn't when we had our tickle fight," Malfoy reminded her. "You were afraid."

Hermione couldn't deny that. She chewed her lip and fiddled with her skirt some more, ignoring the gentle music of her bracelet, and her mind went back to the interest he had shown earlier. He was interested in her physically, at least in part, but was that desperation too? Was he interested in her as Hermione Granger as well or was it just her body? Did it matter? Should she try to find out what all he wanted from her?

Silence fell between them, and Hermione's thoughts continued to race. They had both owned that they were lonely. Should she try to ask for friendship? What if he rejected her, could she handle it? If they were friends, would she still be able to focus on her freedom behind his back? Would she tell him? How would he react? What of her own friends' reactions, and how would things change when she did break free of the curse?

Malfoy sighed. "You really do think too much, Granger." He picked up her right hand from her skirt and held it between his own hands. He frowned and closed his eyes. "Hang on. I need a moment to find the right words."

Hermione's heart fluttered in her chest as she considered what he might be doing. Was he going to confess to her? But that seemed too unlikely. But if not that, then what? What would the words matter for?

"Granger, I give you the privilege of hurting, restraining, and otherwise stopping me. Restraints will not last more than… five minutes. These privileges may not be used to communicate with others, cause permanent damage, or escape the curse." He opened his eyes and put her hand back on her skirt. "Now try punching me."

Hermione stared at him with wide eyes. Her heart felt too full. "Are you sure?"

He shrugged. "We won't know if this worked until you try to hurt me."

Hermione bit her lip, pulled her right hand into a fist, and faltered. "I don't want to hurt you," she said. "You just gave me more of my freedom back."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I did, and I don't look forward to being smacked on a regular basis like I've seen you do to your friends, but I don't want you to be afraid of me. Now hit me so I know this worked."

Hermione shook her head. "No. I don't have any reason to hit you."

Malfoy raised both eyebrows at her, creating creases across his forehead. "You need a reason? Do you really want me to give you a reason?"

Hermione scowled. "I don't just hit people for fun, Malfoy!"

"You're a swot, Granger. I thought you liked knowing how things worked."

"I do, but that doesn't mean I would hurt you just to learn!" Hermione exclaimed.

Malfoy and Hermione glared at each other. After a moment, Hermione sighed. "I suppose I could try a leg-locker curse on you to see if I can restrain you. That shouldn't hurt you." When Malfoy nodded and moved his legs in front of him so that he was in a comfortable position, Hermione raised her wand and said, "Locomotor mortis." Malfoy's legs fastened together, and when he lifted them from his hips, they remained fastened, and he tumbled backwards onto the bed with a groan. Relief flowed through Hermione to know that she could curse Malfoy again if needed.

Malfoy quickly grabbed his own wand and muttered the counter-curse, freeing his legs before pulling himself back up. "Good. I still want to make sure you can hit me."

Hermione shook her head. "I really think this is unnecessary."

"Come on, Granger? What should I do? Make fun of your hair? Mock Weasel and Pothead?" Hermione just stared at him, not knowing how to respond, and Malfoy sighed. "I don't want to outright assault you. Should I tickle you again?"

Hermione blushed and thanked the stars for their dim lighting, knowing her reaction was likely hidden from him. "Err, tickling should work," she said. Her face felt like it was on fire, and she felt goosebumps form over her entire body in anticipation of his hands on her again, even in such a ridiculous way.

He hesitated, studying her. "Tickling it is," he said. He still didn't move, and Hermione felt electricity dance along her nerves. How would he start? Would he ambush her? Move in slowly? Would this become something more? Did she want it to? Her lips parted, and she realized she was panting slightly just thinking about it. She tucked her bottom lip into her mouth and ran her tongue over it, wetting it.

Malfoy finally moved, but only to pick up the books on the bed, put them back in her bag, and place the bag on the floor. He paused again, placed his own wand on the side table, then gently took her own from her hands and placed it beside his. "Are you ready?" he asked her. He sat on his knees facing her with his hands in his lap.

Hermione smirked at him, trying to calm her nerves. "Wouldn't I be more likely to hit you if you attacked without warning?" she asked him. Malfoy didn't respond to her taunt, and she nodded. "I'm ready."

Malfoy leaned forward, placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder, and gently pushed her backwards so that she fell on her back in the bed with her hands at her sides. He hovered above her, frowning at her, and bit his bottom lip.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked when he kept staring at her instead of tickling.

"This was easier when it was retaliation," he explained. He placed a hand on the bottom of her ribs. He smirked. "Kissing you would be simpler."

"What?" Hermione gasped as all air left her lungs in shock.

He rolled his eyes at her. "To get you to slap me, of course. Don't act so confused, Granger. Did you forget why we're doing this?"

Hermione breathed in again, but she trembled in mortification that she had thought he might want to kiss her. Even if he did want to kiss her, it would likely not be to kiss Hermione Granger. He was lonely and desperate, after all. "Right, of course. I haven't been kissed in a long time though, so perhaps just tickling?"

"Afraid you might get carried away, Granger?" Malfoy asked her with a raised eyebrow. His smirk deepened into a knowing one, and she blushed. "I'm not a bad kisser, you know. Pansy never had any complaints."

Hermione glared at him for teasing her. "Well go ahead if you want to kiss me so badly. Suppose it couldn't be worse than McLaggen forcing himself on me at Slughorn's holiday party."

Malfoy glowered at her. "I don't force myself on witches, Granger. I would have done it already to get this over with if I were that sort of wizard. Do you honestly think I like hovering over you trying to figure out how to initiate a tickling battle?"

Malfoy's complaint struck home. Hermione's pride stung, and she clenched her teeth together as she tried to duck out from under him to escape him.

"Oh no, you don't," Malfoy ordered, blocking her by shifting his arm and halfway landing on her to pin her in place. "Not yet. I'm not letting you go until you try to hit me."

"Get off of me!" Hermione ordered.

"Hit me," Malfoy reminded her, sounding exasperated.

"How? You have my arms pinned," Hermione pointed out.

Malfoy abruptly pulled himself up off of her to free her arms, and Hermione used her freedom to rub her weary eyes. The bracelet jingled against her cheek, and she groaned, wishing she could be rid of it. "I don't want to hit you," she said with her eyes covered.

She heard him sigh, and a moment later, she felt his fingertips on her belly through the shirt. He walked them from one side to the other, causing her to squirm. Hermione frowned, but didn't remove her hands from her eyes to look. "What are you doing?"

"Hit my hands away when you want me to stop," he said. He adjusted position so that he sat on her hips again, and his other hand joined the first, poking into her belly gently as he walked them up her ribs to just below her breasts and back down to the hem of his old Quidditch jersey. She felt his fingers slip under it and gently push it up, revealing her belly. Entranced by her curiosity of what he might do, Hermione didn't react beyond holding her breath.

Malfoy walked his fingers over her bare belly this time, then slowly trailed them back to her hips, causing her to gasp slightly. She felt her nipples pucker against the fabric and wondered if he could see the change in the dark. He was quiet as he walked his fingers up her belly again to the hemline and pushed it up to the bottom of her breasts. They felt heavy and full as he traced the outline of her ribs in the dark and slid his fingers down her sides, and she bit her lip in wonderment at having someone touch her like this. How far would he go before he stopped? He expected her to hit his hands away, but would he keep going if she didn't? She ached to be touched more.

He walked his hands back up her stomach and over her ribs, slowing as he approached her breasts. He paused just below them and sighed as if disappointed. "Granger, why haven't you stopped me?" Malfoy asked her.

Hermione froze and looked at him between parted fingers. She swore she could see a mask slide into place on his face. Her heart pounded in her chest. She should have stopped him. She shouldn't have let him get even this far with touching her. They weren't dating… they weren't even friends, really, but his touch had felt nice, and her sleep-deprived brain… Could she really blame this on sleep-deprivation?

Malfoy sneered down at her. "Really, Granger? I had no idea you were so desperate for this kind of attention. Perhaps I should reassess whether to use the bracelet for its intended purpose after all if you're so determined to whore yourself to me."

Hermione didn't even think. Her hands flew down from her face where they had been half-hiding her eyes, slapped his hands off of her, and tugged the jersey back over her belly.

"Good, so you can hit me now," Malfoy said, rubbing his hands where she had slapped them. "I recommend leaving if you don't want more of my attention," he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

Hermione swallowed. She couldn't tell if he meant it to be more threat or invitation, but she knew she didn't want to jump into changing the dynamics of their relationship. It was one thing to test how far he would go. It was another thing entirely to stay with the intent of doing more. "I'll see myself out then," she said.

Malfoy nodded firmly. When he climbed off of her, Hermione scrambled off his bed and scurried out of his room without a backward glance.

Hi all! So sorry this one posted later in the day, and so many thanks to my beta who knew I was behind schedule and made sure to work with me today to still get it out on time. Thank you so much for all the reviews from last week! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! I always appreciate feedback!

Been meaning to add that if there are any Brits reading this who are like, "Wow, she totally used the American term there," I'd really appreciate the heads-up. That's one of the trickier and more intimidating things about this fic, because I'm very much American and a southerner at that. I know not to use y'all in the fic, obviously, but not sure what all else I may be missing.

I originally meant to address Malfoy's aching back in this chapter, but Hermione and Draco shifted the story on me, so the visit to Pomfrey will come later. Yes, Hermione left her wand in Malfoy's room. Oops. :D

I think I'll start posting on my profile where I am for chapter completion. My health has been very good lately. Long story short, I still don't have a diagnosis for my chronic condition, but I did get diagnosed with ADHD, and Adderall has made a huge dent in my fatigue, mental confusion, dizziness, and other symptoms in addition to treating my actual ADHD symptoms. However, I am also managing two young children who are wonderful but also have their own special challenges, and we're still setting up appropriate interventions. Both require occupational therapy due to severe delays in basic skill development and sensory difficulties. Both require psychiatric intervention for safety reasons. The oldest has mild autism, they both have severe ADHD, and they're both walking hazards, to put it lightly. So... my hands are full, but I love writing and love sharing this story with everyone, so I'm doing my best to allow myself this small window of freedom. If any of you want to ask questions about that for any reason, feel free to PM me. I'm big on mental health advocacy, and raising these two amazing boys has been quite a learning curve for me.