authorsnote: ooooo we getting even steamier, get the fans out

do hope you enjoy, lil insular chapter, and oof, get an ice cold shower after this

if you enjoyed leave a review, I love to know ya thoughts

songrecs: moth to a flame - the weeknd, swedish house mafia

When she wakes later that evening, she is warm, deliciously warm, too warm if it's just her.

It soon becomes apparent it isn't just her.

There's an arm slung across her waist, and she's tucked into someone's chest, her nose brushing said someone's clavicle, her arm around their waist, the other hand tucked under her head, their other arm is under her neck. They are as close as two people can possibly be in sleep, their legs tangled too, hence too warm.

She feels drowsy, sleeping in the day always does that too her, and she raises her head to move, finding the person she's attached to, to be very much still asleep.

Tom in sleep is quite something to behold.

Gone is any nasty sneer, his cruel smirk, the tension he carries, and that dark look in his eyes. He looks peaceful, his skin smooth, his eyes shut, the delicate skin of his eyelids blushed. She's always known he is extremely good looking, too handsome for his own good, but like this? Like this he is something more than that.

He is beautiful.

All tension is gone, he doesn't look scary, glaring at everyone around him. He hasn't got that horrid false smile he uses on teachers, or that nasty smirk. He's not laughing with a cruel tone to him or mocking anyone. He just looks peaceful.

He is beautiful.

And apparently not asleep.

"Hermione" His voice is rough with sleep, so at least she knows he has been asleep (and she refuses to admit said sleep gruff voice is quite sexy), as he cracks one eye open and then the other, the peaceful expression wiped away in a second, she can practically see the arrogance and disdain bleed into him, beauty washed clean to what can only be called handsome, dangerous. "Watching someone sleep is creepy"

She bursts into laughter, and his grin, not quite sincere, but just enough, makes her smile so hard her cheeks hurt. Like this he seems a touch more free, and though her original plan had been to get up, she finds herself snuggling into him, just a touch, she is after all deliciously warm.

Apparently, Tom intends to make her warmer.

As he rolls on top of her without another word she doesn't protest, she wouldn't have been able to, as soon his lips are on hers, his kiss making her feel somehow drowsy and waking her up at the same time. Her arms circle his neck, her hands finding purchase in his hair, her fingers tangling there, as he nudges her legs open and settles between them.

Though, it soon becomes clear, he isn't going to leave this at just kissing.

It does occur to her, as he pulls her jumper and then top off, as he unsnaps her bra and his lips find her nipple, as a whine leaves her lips, and his jumper and top soon follow suit, as she pulls him in for another kiss, it occurs to her they've never had sex in a bed.

Time to change that.

It's not quite the frustrating, nail raking mess it had been in the cupboard (though she supposes they hadn't had sex then), nor is it the head-banging fuck against the wall of the library, but neither the soft, gentle, gasping-pleasure it had been in the meadow. No, it's none of those things.

It's intense, as Tom rolls on top of her, as his lips find her neck, bite down to leave a bruise she'll need to glamour and a whine from her lips. She responds by digging her nails into his back, and the groan, rough and deep that leaves his lips has her clench around nothing.

She needs something, she needs him.

He works her up, too much, his lips at her nipple, licking, sucking, rolling between his teeth, biting, until she's a wet sobbing mess just from that. His mouth moves to her neck, scraping his teeth over her pulse point, biting down again, three or four marks later and her neck is red, marking her, she'd protest if she could talk.

"Tom" She whimpers, and though it's not hurried and desperate, they do move fast, and perhaps she is desperate as she pulls at his trousers, as he yanks her shirt over her head, and shoves her skirt up, pulling her underwear to one side, not even bothering to remove them, as his fingers find her there, and she grinds against him, yes, desperate.

His fingers flick over her, and then he presses the heel of his hand to her nub and she rubs against him, throwing her head back, she needs more, more.

She sits up, pulls him free, and then in seconds he's inside of her, lining up and pushing home, little foreplay, almost nothing, and maybe this is frenzied, or would be, but as Tom enters her with a groan, he slows down.

His thrusts are not quick and fast as their non-existent foreplay would suggest, as she'd been expecting, but rather he sinks into her, pulls out and then goes so deep she squeals, it almost hurts, him bottoming out, and yet her legs wrap around his waist, her hands find his hair, and when his lips smother her almost protest at just how deep he sinks, she's exploding, right there and then.

It's thrust on her with no warning, and the stars in her eyes are real, should be real, could be real, as she hits the edge too quickly, it washing over her with such force how could she not see it coming? She didn't, and yet it hits hard, almost too hard, and yet the pleasure that washes over her takes the edge off.

Or would, but Tom keeps going.

It's too much, too sensitive, and yet the thought of stopping him is abhorrent to her. Instead, she pulls him closer, her lips a touch sloppy against his in the pleasure wrung out of her, and yet he groans against her, thrusting home, too deep, and yet even if it hurts, she doesn't notice now, she just needs more, clenching around him, digging her nails into his back, pulling him closer, closer.

They are so close they could almost be one.

It seems to go on forever, his hard, slow thrusts, in and out, bottoming too deep, drawing squeals, moans and even one near scream from her as he pulls not one, but two more orgasms from her before he empties himself inside of her with a growl.

He holds her afterward, just like in the meadow.

His arms around her, holding her close, and for a moment she just focuses on that. She doesn't think about storming out of DADA class and the questions Harry and Ron will have for her. She doesn't think about the pile of homework she needs to finish, being somewhat distracted recently. She just lies, and for once her mind feels blissfully, calmly quiet.

Though not for long. It's Tom who pulls away first.

"I've got to meet with some people" He sounds annoyed to be leaving her and she grins, before nodding, knowing she too needs to eat dinner, and spend the night getting everything done. She isn't behind, never behind, but not nearly as ahead as she usually is.

Distracted indeed.

"I'm going to spend the night studying" She says, and he nods, and then they're both getting dressed in silence, but it's a companiable silence. If that's one thing she likes is that Tom never makes her feel awkward, he's too upfront, too honest and far, far too charismatic to make her feel uncomfortable.

"Who you meeting with?" She asks innocently, though the look he gives her sees through it. She's not jealous, no, she doesn't do jealous, and she's never seen Tom show any interest in other girls, though plenty show interest in him.

It should bother her maybe, it doesn't though, he's shown he's only ever been interested in her, she feels secure in that. It's a nice feeling.

"Malfoy, Nott and Zabini" He says, and she doesn't quite hide her look of distaste, the wrinkle of her nose, he doesn't laugh, she's glad he doesn't.

"You know they still think I'm no better than dirt" Her voice goes quiet, and she kind of wishes she hadn't brought it up, but she can't help it.

Tom's words earlier were nice, to hear him defend her, to hear he doesn't stand for it, but it doesn't change that the Slytherin cohort, i.e., her childhood bullies may not openly say slurs in front of Tom now, but she knows they still think it, hell even Tom hates muggles. She knows they think of her as a second-class citizen, and he's friends with them.

It does dull the warmth in her a touch, she wishes it didn't, but it does. His words were nice, and she's confident he wouldn't let anyone disrespect her, but it feels a bit … wrong? Like it's only for her, which some would find sweet, but it just leaves a bad taste in her mouth.

"Hermione" His tone is a touch dangerous, she's heard that tone before, not directed at her. She isn't naïve, she's seen the way students shrink away from him in the corridors, he's told her what he did to his supposed friends. He is dangerous, and she has the good sense to be aware of that.

She wouldn't say she's scared, just cautious, hairs on the back of her arms standing up but not running for the door. Cautious, not scared … not yet.

"What?" Of course, in actuality her sense of self preservation doesn't quite catch up with her worries, she's too bold for that, Gryffindor through and through. "It's true"

"You're far better than they are" As he says it, he comes up to her, cups her face, forcing her to tilt her head back, and she knows she sounds bitter when she responds, doesn't try to hide said bitterness, why should she?

"I'm the exception? The one good mudblood?" The slur sounds horrid coming from her lips, that was the point. It does sound horrid, the way her tongue curls around the word, the word that has made her cry too many times and got her back up many more.

Tom of course doesn't even flinch, but she's sure she see's his eyes flicker, that's enough. She hates that, that he expects her to be fine with the fact his little gang does hate all muggleborns, but she's okay, they'll leave her alone, but only because Tom says. It's not sweet, it's insulting.

"The wheels of power turn in certain ways" His tone has dropped and this time she has the sense to keep her mouth shut as he speaks, especially as his grip has tightened on her face, her neck hurts a touch, but she doesn't protest, doesn't move, "When I'm at the top, I'll turn them the way I want, but for now… there has to be a means"

She's not stupid, his cryptic words unravel straight in her mind, no doubt as he intended, he knows she'd follow, that she'd pick up immediately on what he's saying.

"Use the blood purist cause to get to the top?" She knows she's right, but it's his nod that confirms it for her.

She's not surprised that Tom has … ambitions. His entire presence screams 'I'm in charge, accept it', and now she thinks on it, she's seen the ways he's already cultivating it, right under her nose.

Befriending the Slytherins, coming in and taking over their little gang without so much a blink. But he doesn't sully himself with the likes of Crabbe and Goyle, followers, but Malfoy, Zabini, Nott, those with powerful families, the heirs to them, their seats at the Wizengmont, and the half of power. He's leading them already.

Then there's the way he is with teachers. Sucking up just enough to be a favourite, to cultivate more knowledge, to get top marks. She has no doubt he'll beat her in exams, as much as that annoys her, it's inevitable.

Bit by bit he's taken over, he's only been here less than half a year and yet he's already in charge. She wonders how long it will take for Wizarding Britain to fall to him. A couple of years? Less?

She feels a bit of a chill scrape over her back, she can't quite identify what caused it, but it's there.

"Just to the top" He repeats, snapping her out of her thoughts, and that does ease something in her a touch, as much as it can. There's still a sting, but she nods, storing away the chill, acknowledging Tom's ambitions, his excuse that isn't quite enough, but Tom's kiss to her forehead helps, whilst making her feel dirty, like she's signed away her life.

A stupid thought, and she forces a smile, to lighten things, to reassure Tom she's okay, not that he likely needs or wants it, not realising, as Tom drops his lips to hers before leaving, that she already has.

soooo thoughts?

I love writing these chapters, a lil snippet into our couple.

we getting mad angsty, more layers of tom are being peeled back and hermione is getting in far far too deep, ooooooooooo!

anywho, I do hope you enjoyed, more angst incoming as always, it will only get worse from here

do tell me your thoughts, fav/follow and all that jazz!

speak soon