Chapter 37

That Night, Draco's Rooms at the Manor

Hermione checked her skirt for floo powder thoughtfully.

" Ding-dong, look at you," Malfoy's face had an unearthly glow in the candlelight. He lounged on a rich green velvet couch, loosely holding a glass of brandy and looking every inch the wicked prince. Unlike her he'd changed after work, into a black dress shirt and slacks, but he was barefoot. Around his neck was a complicated looking silver chain.

" What about me?" She cast a worried eye on her sensible skirt and coat.

" Miss Granger," He purred, " I wish you would step into my office."

She blushed, " I didn't have time to change after work. What is it about your house that makes you so…"

" Dirty?" He suggested, raising an eyebrow, " I'm not sure. Maybe because my house is a gothic castle, and you have a stuffed rabbit by your bed."

She gasped, " Flubby has been with me since I was three!"

He laughed, " Well I'm sorry 'flubby' doesn't put me in an amorous mood. I didn't hear you complaining last night."

" I wasn't complaining," She took off her coat and draped it over the back of a chair.

He regarded her with darkened eyes, " Granger."

" Will you stop, it's a suit!" She shuffled her feet. Every time he looked at her with interest, her stomach fluttered.

" Turn around," He ordered lazily.

" I will not," She snapped.

He sighed, " Fine, but I'll get you to do it eventually. Want something to drink?"

She perched on the chair that she'd laid her coat on, " What do you have?"

" Anything you want really. We had some excellent cider at dinner, I could have Ipsy bring it for you," He offered.

Hermione frowned, " Is that your house elf?"

" Yes, and in accordance with the laws passed three years ago, she receives twenty galleons a week, extremely reluctantly," He tacked on the last bit with a little twist of his lips, " What's got you in a twist? Didn't get as many fans at the protest today?"

She stiffened, " No."

" Well then, would you care to explain what has you in such a terrible mood? Or should I disarm you before asking that?" His voice was soothing and calm, which only served to irk her more.

She bit her lip and her mind ran through a few dozen lies to tell before she answered, " Just a lot weighing on my mind. The marriage law, work, friends, Ron's announcement, and the… bloody party planning with Greengrass."

" Alright, we'll start at the easiest. Party planning?"

She sighed, " It's so much work, and at the end of the night, what will we have to even show for it?"

" I thought the point was to encourage donations to rebuild the school," He sipped from his glass imperiously.

" Yes, but-" She shook her head, " Wait, how do you know that?"

He smirked, " Got my invitation after dinner. And before you start to worry, I won't be attending."

She frowned, " And why not?"

Malfoy shrugged, " I've donated before, I can do it again. And I really don't need to get all dressed up and beg a pity date just to get snubbed all night. Why, I can do that right here." He swept out his hand to the beautiful sitting room.

Hermione's brain felt like it had been put through an electric egg beater, " First of all, thank you for donating. That's… very generous of you."

He nodded slightly, " It's extremely guilt-ridden of me, you mean?"

She shook her head, " But second of all, why not attend?"

He shrugged again, staring into his brandy glass, " Weren't we talking about your worries?"

She fixed him with a stern look, " Why not go?"

" Why go? I'd much rather be insulted in the Leaky Cauldron than in a ballroom," He replied lightly, " At least then I don't have to dress up."

" No one's going to insult you," She disputed, " It's a formal event."

He laughed at her, " I'm not trying to be petty, it's just not quite the same prospect for me as it is for you."

" I know but…" Hermione couldn't explain exactly why she wanted him to go. But every time he brought up how he was treated in public, it made her throat feel tight.

Then again it wasn't as if he was a blameless innocent, the cynical voice in her head reminded her.

He waved her off, " Not going, not important, let's move on. You said something about your friends weighing on your mind?"

She cleared her throat slightly, " Well, Harry and Ginny are fighting."

Malfoy's arms glinted a little, " What about?"

" Well… you know how I explained how Ginny and I performed the Maritare charm together," She began.

He smirked, " She finally told Scarhead. Thank Merlin, he sounded like such a prat up on that platform with his speeches."

" Excuse you, Harry was extremely upset," She refuted.

" What does he have to be upset about? He's in love with the Weaselette, she's in love with him, it all seems rather simple," He shrugged.

" Harry… Harry hates feeling like his decisions aren't his own," Hermione explained, " And due to numerous other things, he's feeling… not in control. I'm worried about them."

Malfoy sighed, " Oh call in the press, Potter's upset."

She sniffed, " It's not a joke, Malfoy. It's their marriage, their life."

" Oh come on! No one feels in control," He laughed.

" Harry's whole life has been filled with riddles and hidden agendas," She defended, " He's allowed to feel however he wants about this."

" I'm not saying he's not allowed to be upset. I'm saying that if this is weighing on your mind, it means that yet again, Scarhead is making a big production of it. Every person has that feeling," He dismissed again.

" He didn't make a big production of it," She replied.

His eyes narrowed and he smirked, " Oh really? No production at all? I remember how it was at school. The whole fucking world had to stop when he got in a fight with Weaselbee. I could scarcely concentrate on being a bully over the sound of his brooding outbursts."

Hermione would have giggled under different circumstances, " And doesn't he have the right to?"

" Someone was keeping something from him, so what? That's how most of the world works."

" What a typically slytherin viewpoint," Hermione added, " Harry's had his whole life laid out for him by fate. How would you feel if someone you trusted did something to push those buttons."

" When I was sixteen my father personally held me down while voldemort branded me," His voice was smooth and placidly calm, " But I'm sure having someone love you so much that your souls are literally calling for each other must be a real hardship for Potter. He's just being a big baby."

Her throat closed up slightly. For the first time, she really wanted to tell him what she was doing there. And that was fucking terrifying. This should have been easy. It should have been easy to trick him, if it meant that she could save the world from another Voldemort. It should have been easy. This man was not to be trusted. She couldn't trust him to be real with her.

He didn't trust her to be real, and shouldn't.

So why did she sort of want him to?

Perhaps her monthly visitor was on it's way, that would certainly explain how emotional she was feeling. She stood up from her chair and nervously walked over, settling on the arm of the couch where he sat.

" I'm sorry," She said quietly.

He looked up at her, " For what?"

" I know my problems must sound rather silly," She admitted, not knowing exactly how to go about this. On the one hand, she was trying to get close to him. On the other hand, a growing part of her actually wanted to be close to him.

" To be fair, Potter's problems aren't yours. And it will obviously blow over," He said simply.

Her voice lowered to a whisper, " You know what I mean."

He was silent for a moment, " I didn't tell you that because I wanted you to feel bad for me."

She responded without thinking " How do you want me to feel about it?"

He looked into his drink, his shoulders growing visibly tense. The silence burned up all the oxygen between them.

" You… sometimes you drop these things into conversations and I wonder why," She admitted quietly.

He kept his eyes on the honey brown liquid in his glass, " Before I know it, it's out of my mouth."

She twisted her hand in her lap, " Maybe… maybe you're just used to being around people who know the whole story. So it's harder to talk to me."

He glanced up at her, his eyes inscrutable, " Perhaps."

She looked back at him for a moment, before looking at the floor. She couldn't push him into talking to her, it would seem strange. The lump in her throat tightened.

So she changed the subject, " You asked me to come to your office, Mr. Malfoy?"

He hesitated before responding in a low, heavy voice, " I did."

She met his gaze innocently, " Is there some problem with my work?"

" Yes," His eyes slid from her face down the length of her body, " Your work is usually faultless."

" So, what's the problem then, Sir?" She crossed her legs deliberately, letting her skirt ride up slightly.

His voice was slightly breathless, " The last few files you handed in were hardly up to your usual standards, Miss Granger. I'm afraid if you continue with this trend, your job will be in serious danger."

" I confess, I've been distracted at work, Mr. Malfoy."

" Call me Sir," He growled.

A little thrill ran along her spine, " Of course, sir."

He set his glass down on the coffee table and turned towards her, " What has been distracting you?"

She fought to keep the excited tremor out of her voice, " It's embarrassing."

" Miss Granger, I insist that you tell me what is distracting you from your very valuable imaginary work," Malfoy laid a hand on hers.

She stifled a giggle, " It's you, sir."

He removed his hand in mock horror, " Miss Granger, I'm afraid that's terribly inappropriate."

" I know," She sighed, " But I find I just can't concentrate when I keep thinking of you, sir."

His eyes darkened, " And what do you think about?" His voice was commanding, and dangerous.

A spiral sensation of lust went through her body, " Sir, it is too embarrassing!"

" Need I remind you that your job is at stake," He warned.

Hermione's breath caught, skin tingling from his unwavering glare.

She knew her erotic imagination was hardly the best. Actually there were many things she hadn't known she liked before sleeping with Malfoy, dirty talk included. So she dug deep, and tried to think of the most tantalizing scenario she could.

" I think about sneaking into your office while you're having an important meeting and hiding under your desk," She began hesitantly, " And when you sat down, I would run my hands along your thighs, and quietly unzip your zipper. And while you took your meeting I would… take you in my mouth, and lick and suck you until you came all over my face."

Malfoy's control was impressive. If it wasn't for the slight clenching of his jaw, she would never have thought him affected.

" And sometimes I think about us leaving the office together late at night,," She took a shivvery little breath, " And in the elevator without any warning at all, you would pin me to the wall and f-fuck me-"

He interrupted her reverie.

" Miss Granger," His voice was calm, but there was a hint of raspiness to it that made her shiver, " This is very serious. We are employer and employee. I cannot have my employees fantasizing about sex with me, it is not good for productivity."

" I'm so sorry, sir," What was he playing at?

" I'm afraid the only remedy is for you to fulfill these fantasies."

She could not help her small smile, " For productivity."

" Yes," He ran a hand along her knee, " So, where would you like to start, Miss Granger. On your knees, or on the wall."

She fought not to grin, sliding less than gracefully to the couch next to him, tumbling into his lap.

" Neither," She replied, gripping his shirt by the collar and pulling him in for a kiss.

He ran his hands, steady and controlled, along her arms, her back, up her shoulders. One made it's way into her hair, smoothing the sensitive skin at the nape of her neck. The other was laid on her cheek urgently, as his tongue swept into her mouth. Hermione's hands still clung helplessly to his collar.

It should have been a sin to have lips like his. He was ruthless and gentle all at once, and it wasn't fair. Her head spun, and her heart raced, and he was cooly unaffected, nipping her lower lip and plundering her mouth. Hermione could only kiss him back with all that she was worth.

Her fingers found the heavy silver chain around his neck. He broke the kiss then, leaving a trail of tinier kisses along her jaw, as he made his way to her neck.

She squirmed closer until she lay lengthwise across his lap, shivering as he breathed in her ear.

" Well, Miss Granger, do I live up to your fantasies so far?" He whispered. His voice vibrated through her like the bass of a loudspeaker and she trembled.

She pretended to think it over, " It isn't quite what I expected, Sir."

He growled, his teeth playing with her earlobe gently, his lips hot against her skin, " How is it different, Miss Granger?"

Her heart pounded heavily, " It's overwhelming."

He laughed low in his throat, his lips brushing her neck, " In what way?"

The words tumbled out, " There's more to you than I imagined."

He froze, halfway into a nipping kiss. When he spoke, it was breathless, " Are you disappointed by what you're finding?"

She bit her lip, " No, sir."

" And what do you think you've found?"

Hermione wished she wasn't turned away from him. It would be much easier to speak if she could look him in the eye and gauge a reaction. Her fingers played with his collar.

" I don't know yet," She whispered, " I'll have to find out more."

Her reward was his growl that send fireworks down her spine.

" Knees or wall?" He put the question to her again, his voice silky smooth.

She didn't reply, choosing instead to begin unbuttoning his shirt and laying the two halves aside. She brought her lips to his neck, kissing first cautiously, and then more boldly. His breathing became slightly more erratic as he ran his hands up and down her back.

She slid down from his lap, kneeling on the floor in front of him between his legs. She nibbled his neck slightly, before leaving a trail of wet kisses along his beautiful chest. Hermione swallowed the nervous bubble that had gathered in her stomach. She'd only done this a handful of times before and although she hadn't had any complaints, she wasn't exactly an expert.

Malfoy watched her through heavy lidded eyes, the silver of them glinting in the candlelight.

" You don't have to," He promised.

She licked his nipple, enjoying the way his jaw clenched to hold in a groan.

" Not when I've fantasized for so long, Sir," She answered.

Her fingers opened the button on his trousers with a sureness she didn't feel. He helped her push them down with his boxers.

Hermione had seen him before of course, and she'd appreciated the seeing. But up close was something different altogether.

His eyes glowed in the candlelight as she tentatively stroked his erection.

" Look at me," He ordered, " Keep looking at me."

When she finally licked him, savoring the slight saltiness and his smooth skin, his eyes flickered almost closed, but still he watched her. When she kissed him, he groaned, and his eyelashes fluttered over flickering grey. And when she took him in her mouth, they burned into hers.

She could feel the twitches of his lower stomach muscles under the hand she'd laid there. She wasn't sure of any flashy moves, but it seemed like what she was doing was working just fine. She used her other hand to assist, stroking up and down.

A long time ago she'd found this act in bad taste, ironically. She'd thought it was degrading to women, just a power trip for men to satisfy themselves. And it was, sometimes. But at the right moment, now for instance, Hermione tasted more than satin smooth skin. She watched his jaw clench and his breath shift, his eyes taking in the scene hungrily, and she tasted power, too. He was completely at her mercy.

Experimentally, she flicked her tongue along the head's ridge, exploring the different tastes and textures. His hips jerked, and then settled.

" Do you like this, Miss Granger?" He intoned.

She flicked her tongue again and all the muscles in his stomach tensed.

" What's not to like, sir?" She whispered before laying a kiss on the tip.

He hissed, " Tell me."

" I like the taste of you, sir," Later, she would be embarrassed of her boldness. But not now, not now that she could do whatever she wanted to him.

He shook his head, keeping his eyes trained on her, " Tell me more."

She licked one long stroke up the length of him, " You feel good in my mouth too. Smooth and hard all at once. Like… a sugar quill."

He smirked, " Want to lick me in class, Miss Granger?"

She flicked her tongue again.

He made a tiny desperate sound, " Kiss me."

She laid a hot kiss on his inner thigh while her hand strokes up and down the length of him.

His hips bucked, " Not what I meant."

" Beg me for it," She wasn't about to give up this feeling. She took him in her mouth again, sucking gently.

" For you to keep going, or for you to kiss me?" He groaned, his hands uselessly grasping at the couch cushions for something to grip.

Hermione rubbed her hand up and down his bare chest, admiring the sculpted planes," Which do you want more?"

He shut his eyes, " I want everything."