The Hardest Part is the Night
Inspiration: Bon Jovi 'The Hardest Part is the Night'
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no monies from this.
Draco Malfoy had a problem. A wild haired, curvy, sexy problem; with eyes he could happily lose himself in. Her smile was something he looked forward to and never thought it would ever be turned towards him. The fact that she was clueless of the affect she had him only made it worse. She drove him crazy whenever he saw her and, lately, that had been often.
Draco worked at the Ministry, he was the head of their potions department and she, she worked in the import/exports department. He had interacted with her several times when he first came on but then he'd go months with no interaction. The first time he saw her, it had been three years after graduation from Hogwarts. He had been blown away.
Hermione Granger had certainly come into her own. Not only was she qualified to run just about any department she wanted to but she had grown into a beautiful witch. Draco had had to pull on his ability to school his features that first meeting or he would have made a fool of himself. She took his breath away.
Her hair was almost to her waist and wavy, the bushiness gone due to the weight. Her eyes were bright and full of life. Her smile, when she had aimed it at him, had almost blinded him. On top of that, the warmth he felt from it knocked him for a loop. He never thought to see such a smile turned his way.
He had asked her forgiveness after the final battle. She had stood there; tired, dirty, bloody, torn clothing, with wariness in her eyes as he had approached her. When he held his hands up in supplication, she had tilted her head. After his apology, she had surprised him by holding her hand out for him to shake, introducing herself. Draco had been flabbergasted by the gesture and grasped her hand and gave it a firm shake, introducing himself.
She had told him that what happened before the battle was history. She had seen him fight for the light when it mattered most and it was enough for her. Draco had stared at her in awe. How could she forgive him so easily? Could she really let the past six years go? Then she had floored him by pulling him into a hug that he gladly returned.
How could she be this way towards him? Had she been hit by a memory spell during the battle? When she pulled out of the hug and saw his questioning eyes, she gave a small smile and told him they had all been through enough and grudges would do nothing but bog the bearer down. He had returned her small smile and just nodded his head in agreement.
She had told him that war was a series of catastrophes ending in victory, then told him that there were no winners in war, only survivors. She then wished him well and went to join her friends. As Draco had watched her walk away, he knew, one day, he would find her again and pursue her. She was one hell of a witch and he would prove her forgiveness of him was not wasted.
So for the next three years Draco had thrown himself into getting his masteries. His first year was a complete bitch and the second wasn't much better. He was working on three masteries at once, Potions, Charms, and Arithmancy. His mastery in Charms had only taken a year, Arithmancy took two but Potions had taken three years to complete. It was all worth it though.
Draco had gone to work immediately at the Ministry. He remembered his father spoke of how abysmal their Potions Department was, and he had been right, and why he would only use a potion made by his godfather. Lucius would trust no other.
Draco wished Severus had survived but guessed he was better off not being there. He had been too good at being a spy and the public's view of him would forever be tarnished. Even though Potter had cleared Sev's name and he had been awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class posthumously, Draco knew that no one would have given him an easy time.
Now though, he needed to figure out what to do about Hermione. She was constantly in his thoughts when he hadn't seen her much but now…yeah, he was in so much trouble. He would be working closely with her to help her with the black market. She was trying to clean up her department but was unsure of who was white, gray or black. Some were obvious while others, not so much. Minister Shacklebolt had requested for Draco to assist Hermione in determining which one was which.
Of course, Draco had accepted with a smile but inside he had been panicking. When he had met up with Hermione for the initial meeting, to work out a schedule, it had taken all he had not to fall at her feet. She hadn't made it any easier either, standing close to him and smelling so damn good and he was fairly certain she wore no perfume. What he smelt was all her and his mouth had watered. He had to keep thinking of Millicent Bulstrode naked to get through that meeting without giving away her effect on him.
When he had returned to his office afterwards, he had leaned against his door, closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He had made it, but what about next time? How was he going to keep his arousal hidden when he would be around her so much? He'd have to find or create a spell to hide any tenting if he had his robes off and, eventually, he would have his robes off.
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Hermione couldn't believe how bad her luck had turned. She thought Kingsley liked her! How could he put her and Draco Malfoy together? Didn't he understand what working with the blond would do to her sanity? Ugh! This was just so not fair!
It's not that Hermione didn't like Draco, oh no, just the opposite actually. Her arch nemesis had turned his life around when it had mattered; he had fought for the light in the final battle. That alone would have been enough for her but then he had approached her and asked her forgiveness. Right there on the battlefield, in front of so many witnesses. She had been filthy, bloody, bone tired, magically taxed then wary when she saw Draco slowly approach her.
She had no idea what he wanted so she had been on her guard. When he had raised his hands in surrender, she had cocked her head to let him know she would listen to whatever he had to say. Then he had apologized to her…her!...and asked if she would ever be able to pardon crimes done to her by a lonely, scared, mislead rich kid. Could she possibly give him a second chance?
Hermione decided he had earned the right for another chance to prove he was a human being. She had chosen to hold her hand out for him to shake and introduced herself. This would prove to her if he truly meant what he had said. If he shook her hand and introduced himself then, she thought, he had indeed come a long way.
The look he had given her almost made her chuckle. She had surprised him and that thought pleased her greatly. It seemed he was not expecting anything but scorn and rejection from her. Well, she knew the war and, especially the final battle, had changed everyone involved. She knew she had to rise above petty differences at some point, so she gave him the chance to do the same. When he had grasped her hand firmly and introduced himself, Hermione couldn't help the small smile from appearing.
The emotions that had passed over his normally stoic and schooled features were priceless. He had been floored by her offer. In the spirit of keeping Draco off kilter, Hermione had wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. To say he was surprised would be understating in the extreme. His look was of one who had never expected her, of all people, to embrace him. Then he returned the hug like his life depended on it. It had warmed her heart. Then she tried to put his mind at ease by saying that what had happened before the battle was history and that holding grudges only brought the bearer down.
She had had enough of fighting and being down. She wanted a fresh start and thought he would need one too. The small smile he had given her spoke volumes. Hermione knew he had taken to heart what she had done and said, so when she told him something she had heard once, that war was a series of catastrophes ending in victory, then told him that there were no winners in war, only survivors. She had meant it. She then wished him well and walked away to find Harry and Ron.
Little had she known, at the time, just how much Draco had taken her words and actions to heart. She had found her friends and their families had started to help with the cleanup and had joined them. When she had gotten a moment to herself, she thought of Draco. She truly wished him the best. She wanted all of them to put this whole tragedy behind them and everyone would find their own happiness without danger and fear ruling them.
She knew what she wanted to do. She would sit her N.E.W.T.s at the Ministry then work on getting her masteries. She planned to master in Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Arithmancy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Spell Creation and Ancient Runes. She knew it would be grueling but she felt up to the challenge; it would be refreshing to challenge her mind in something other than defending those around her. She had spent some time after the battle finding Masters who would allow multiple masteries at the same time. She had gotten fortunate, her Potions and Arithmancy masters were one in the same and she liked to travel.
So over the next three and half years Hermione had traveled to many countries, learning from quite a few masters. It was exhilarating, challenging and infuriating but well worth it. Most of her masters had heard of her and had pushed her to her very limits. She would be forever grateful to them for doing so. She was able to do whatever she wanted now and she had chosen to work at the Ministry in Imports/Exports. She wanted to stop those who abused the system to make a pound or two.
She knew a good portion of the black market had been cleared out when the DeathEaters had either been captured or killed but there seemed to always be someone to step in. She was realistic, she knew she wouldn't be able to take the black market out completely but to put a dent in its activity would be enough for her. However, she had no clue who all were light, gray, or dark. Of course, some of them were obvious but not enough. She would need someone who could tell her, who could guide her and teach her what to look for.
She knew Draco was a perfect candidate but damn if paring up with him was going to be easy for her. It's not that she didn't like him. Oh no, that wasn't it at all. No, her problem was just how much she wanted to work with him. When she had first come into her department she had seen him several times but then it petered off to maybe once in a month or two, maybe. Now she would see him two to three times a week! Dear Merlin! How would she survive?
She could do this! She had to; Draco was the only one who she would trust to not lead her astray from a vendetta or tainted views or favoritism. She knew the few other eligible to help her would mean well but she also knew they wouldn't be able to be unbiased. Draco had spent the last six months not only working at the Ministry but also cleaning up Malfoy Industries. He had pulled the funding from all those contracts that were dark or illegal. He had cleaned up his family's company without mercy. That's what she needed; someone who would point out to her the good, the bad and the ugly of those importing-exporting goods.
They had had their first meeting just the other day and she couldn't believe how attracted she had been upon seeing him. One would think she had never been close to him before. This time was different though, this time their meeting had been about helping her, not requesting forms or setting up permissions for this or that. She had set out the schedule she had figured out so they could both do the other parts of their jobs. When he had walked over to her to see what she had come up with, she had nearly swooned.
He had placed one hand on the table and then leaned over her to view the parchment. Being so close, she had felt his body heat and had smelled his cologne. Her heart had tried to beat out of her chest. She had had to wipe her palms on her robes discreetly. All she had wanted to do was bury her nose in his neck while she inhaled his scent. It had taken all of her willpower to resist. Hermione had felt so, well, glad to be a female being caged by Draco.
He had kept his expression schooled so she had no idea if he had been as affected as her. She really hoped so. She would really not like it if she was the only one hyper aware of him. She hadn't thought she was. She was fairly certain he had inhaled her scent while being so close to her. If he had, she shivered, that would mean he had noticed her as a woman, not just a colleague.
Hermione had to fan herself thinking about Draco. He had certainly grown into his sharp features and lanky body. His features were what she would call chiseled. He was still tall, but he had filled out his once too thin frame. Now he had broad shoulders and narrow hips. His build was muscular but not bulky. His eyes were still grey but without the malice they once held and his arse, damn! She would love nothing more than to grab a handful of it and squeeze. She loved looking at him and definitely enjoyed watching him walk away, and wondered how in the hell was she going to survive seeing him so often.
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The hardest part for Draco and Hermione was the night. Both could keep their minds occupied during the day easily enough but at night, alone in their flats, there wasn't enough to keep their minds off the other person. They would each wonder what the other was doing, who they might be with, if they thought of them at all? It was crazy but so very true.
Draco would come home and take a shower to rinse the day's odors, spills, splashes, and debris from his person. He would be fine for the first half of the shower but his thoughts would always turn to her. He would wonder if she was showering at the same time. He would then soap up his hands and run them over his body, imagining feeling hers instead. Within moments he would be hard as steel and would use his own hand to relieve the hard-on thoughts of Hermione would give him.
Meanwhile, Hermione would shower shortly after getting home. Wanting to wash away the day and her mind would inevitably go to Draco. Did he shower immediately after he got home? She would close her eyes and run her hands down her body, wondering what his would feel like. Before she knew it her hand would venture to her sensitive nub and she would be getting herself off to thoughts of Draco in the shower with her.
Both would end their nights by wishing the other a good night. Hoping the next day would give them a reason to seek out the other or allow them to pass in the halls. As frustrating as these thoughts were for them, they couldn't deny having them. One day, each thought, one day they may be able to act on these feelings.
After the first meeting, Hermione and Draco were pleased with the progress they had made. There was still a lot of work ahead of them but they knew they would work together with no problems. Well, no obvious problems. The tension had been there but neither addressed it, deciding to wait a bit before doing so.
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After working with Draco for over a month, Hermione decided to test her theory that he was just as attracted to her as she was him. She always chose her outfits with care. She never wanted to come across as trashy or trying too hard but she did want to be sexy. Merlin knew she thought he dressed sexy as hell.
He always wore a button up shirt with the top two buttons undone and dark slacks with his dragonhide boots. His hair was generally in disarray by the time their meeting occurred which drove her crazy. She wanted to run her hands through it, not necessarily to straighten it either. She had also gotten to enjoy the view of his backside a few times each meeting too. Oh, it was the highlight of her day! She wondered often how good he would look in a pair of muggle jeans. Damn but that arse would look too good. Good thing they were required to dress nicely for work.
She had gotten up in a good mood and decided this would be the day she would test Draco's attraction to her. She had been fairly safe with what she wore to work, not wanting to push too hard too fast but not today. Today she would dress more provocatively. She could wear her robes until it was time for the meeting then she would shed them and watch for his reaction.
She chose a low cut red silk shirt with matching satin bra and knickers. Then she decided on a long black skirt with a slit up to mid-thigh. She wore her four inch red patent leather heels to finish off the ensemble. She left her hair down but pulled it back from her face with a strip of red leather. As she checked herself over she couldn't stop the smirk. If this didn't catch his eye then nothing she did would. She left for work humming a tune with a smile on her face.
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Draco had woken up late and had had to rush to make it to work on time. He hated mornings like this. They would always throw his whole day off. Instead of dressing in his usual slacks, Draco had pulled on a pair of muggle jeans in his haste without realizing his error until he got to his office. Fortunately, his robes would cover his mistake. No one but him, and eventually Hermione, would know his mistake. He wondered if she would appreciate his clothing choice or not. He hoped she would.
The last month or so had been hell on Draco. Having to be near Hermione three days a week had taken a toll on his libido. He couldn't remember the last time he had wanked so much. He always left her office hard as stone. She never wore anything inappropriate. No, she wore fitting clothing that showed off her curves just enough to tease the mind. He often wondered if she did it on purpose. Had she realized how much of an effect she had on him?
This thought plagued Draco the whole walk to Hermione's office. What if she had noticed? Should he confirm her suspicions or keep her guessing? Merlin, who was he kidding? He'd take full advantage if the opportunity ever arose. He wouldn't hesitate to snog her or pull her to his body if he got the chance to. She was sexy and beautiful and he wanted her.
Draco stopped dead in his tracks when he stepped through the door to her office and let out a low groan. Hermione was bent over picking up some parchments that had fallen. He couldn't help but stare at her arse. It was encased in a black skirt that slit all the way up to her thigh! How was he supposed to not stare? He was a red blooded male and she had his full attention. When she stood up, Draco swallowed hard. She wore a low cut top that gave an inviting look at her cleavage. Then he noticed her shoes, gods help him now. They were patent leather and, if he had to guess, around 3-4 inches tall, that made her legs look even longer.
As his scanned her from toes up to her head, he couldn't help the swelling in his jeans. He was glad he had learned how to hide an erection or else Hermione would have no doubts to how she affected him. Wait…had he recast the spell? Bloody hell, he couldn't remember now! He managed to tear his eyes away just before she turned her head to him. Then he heard her quiet gasp and knew he was doomed.
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Hermione couldn't believe her clumsiness. She had been straightening her desk up for her meeting with Draco when she had knocked over a rather large stack of parchments. Forgetting she could use magic to clean the mess up due to her irritation, Hermione frantically grabbed the parchments before all of them could hit the floor then she bent over and picked the rest up.
When she heard a low, barely there groan, she smirked and took a bit longer than needed to clean up the mess. As she was straightening up, she glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Draco checking her out slowly. Her heart fluttered and then sped up. So she was right. Yes! Hermione couldn't believe her luck. Then she turned around to greet him as if she hadn't heard a thing and gave a small gasp.
He stood just inside her office in his usual button up shirt but what caught her eye were the muggle jeans he was wearing. Merlin give her strength! She had been correct in thinking he would look delicious in them. Damn the man for being so sexy! How in the bloody hell was she supposed to concentrate on their meeting with him looking like that? Then her eyes fell on his crotch and she had to grip her desk to keep from falling over. He was hard and the snug fitting jeans hid nothing from her view.
When her eyes finally made their way to his face, what she saw stole her breath. He was looking at her as if he wanted to devour her! The normally cool gray eyes had transformed into molten steel. Then he took a step towards her and her world tilted. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She had no clue if the door was shut or wide open. Nothing registered in her brain except the drop-dead gorgeous man as he walked, no stalked, towards her.
Draco couldn't believe the heated look Hermione was giving him. He stood there watching her rake her eyes over his body with appreciation. Well, guess that answered the question of how she would take his dressing mistake. He couldn't help but smirk briefly at that. For the first time since seeing her again, Draco let his body's natural reaction have free reign. He wanted her to see just how much she affected him. What she put him through every time he was around her. When her eyes met his, he heard her breath catch.
When some sort of functioning returned to Draco's mind, he decided he had waited long enough. Her reactions had given him all he needed to know. She desired him and would welcome his advances. So advance he did. He walked slowly towards her, more like stalking than walking. He was a natural born predator and she was his prey. He was a snake after all. When he reached her, he slid his hands down her arms to her waist and around to cup her arse, pulling her to him.
Both of their breaths caught when their bodies came into contact. Hermione couldn't hold in the moan while Draco groaned, loving the way she felt against him. He lowered his head as she tilted hers up and kissed her. Just the chaste touch of lips was enough to rock his world but then she swiped her tongue across his bottom lip, causing him to pull her tighter to him and open up. Their tongues joined in a battle of dominance that he won. He reveled in her submission to him.
While Draco slid one hand into her hair, he slid the other down her side to her thigh and pulled it up onto his hip. When he pressed himself into her and felt the heat of her core, he growled. After breaking the kiss for some much needed air, Draco sent a locking charm at her door that he closed with his boot before he stalked towards her and then silenced the room. He wanted no one but him to hear or see her in this passionate state.
Hermione couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face when she realized what he had done. She appreciated his actions and twisted around to clear off the corner of her desk before sliding up on it. She then reached for his parted robes and pulled Draco to her. She had felt how hard he was and wanted more. Now that they wouldn't be disturbed in any way, she was more than ready to undress this sexy wizard.
Draco leaned forward and braced his hands on either side of Hermione so she could push his robes off him. When her hands went to the buttons of his shirt, Draco's eyes darkened even more. After she had his shirt unbuttoned, her hands went to the button of his jeans. As he was about to shrug his shirt off, he heard her tell him to leave it on in a throaty voice that made him shiver with desire. He had never heard such a sultry sound before.
After Hermione had told Draco to leave his shirt on, her hands went to the button of his jeans. She wanted to feel how hard he was, to feel him. When her hand slipped into his jeans and cupped his erection, they both groaned. He felt like velvet over steel and he was definitely well above average. She whimpered when she had to remove her hand from him so he could take her shirt off of her. However, it was well worth the loss of touch when she heard his intake of breath.
Gods, she was gorgeous! As Draco admired her breasts encased in red satin, he felt Hermione's hand snake back into his jeans and slide around to his hips to push them down. Once his erection was free, Draco slid his hands under her skirt and ripped her knickers off. He wanted inside her now! Hermione spread her legs further to accommodate Draco as he pushed her skirt up to her waist.
Once all barriers were out of the way, Draco slid into Hermione with a groan. She was tight, wet and so very hot. It was like an oven inside of her. Then she wrapped her legs around his hips and locked her ankles at his back, proving she was more than ready for this to happen.
Draco took a steadying breath and started thrusting, leaning down to capture her lips in a bruising kiss. After a few minutes, he broke the kiss to nibble his way down her neck to her breasts where he sucked a nipple into his mouth and sucked hard on it. Her response almost sent him over the edge as her walls clamped down on his shaft tightly. Feeling Hermione orgasm was as close as he could get to heaven on Earth.
Feeling Draco thrust hard and deep then kiss her with such force had Hermione quickly approaching nirvana but then he sucked a nipple into his hot mouth and she tipped over the edge. As she was coming down from her orgasm, Hermione slid her hands under his shirt to rake her nails down his back. She felt a sense of female pride when she heard his primal growl in answer. When Draco pulled her flush to his body while thrusting into her with abandon, Hermione found herself bereft of thought.
As Draco felt Hermione's walls flutter then tighten on his shaft, he couldn't hold back any longer and came with her. As she came hard around him, Draco gripped her tight to his chest as he buried his face in her neck, letting sensations flood his system. As the euphoria wore off, they slowly released their grip on each other to lean back and look into the other's eyes.
When Hermione looked at him with a soft smile then leaned up to gently kiss his lips, Draco knew then and there that he would do everything in his power to keep her in his arms. She was well worth all the hard work he had done the past few years turning his life around. She made everything worthwhile. Draco couldn't help but return her smile with one of his own, not a smirk but a genuine smile. For the moment, life was good.