May 2008

She wore a green dress.

Draco was sure that she may have worn it before at some point, but this time she was wearing it for a reason. She was making a statement, and in his drunken haze, even he had to admit that it was a strong one.

It had long sleeves, covered her chest completely and was covered in sequins, but the length of it came to just below the start of her thighs.

The high heels she had chosen to wear only enhanced the length of her legs, catching Draco's eye and there was nothing he could do but stare.

He did not need to ask what had happened.

The missing presence of the ogre who was usually attached to her said it all, really.

Hermione Granger was finally single. He supposed he should have welcomed her to the club, but he was too busy watching the light catch her hair as it bounced when she walked. He had never taken into consideration how long it was … how curly it was when she wore it down.

Was it soft? Was it silky?

Did she like it being pulled?

Shit.

No. That would just not do at all.

"Granger." A nod of acknowledgement as she walked past him at the bar, heading towards their usual table.

She gave him a look in return as she moved, her hips seeming to sway with the beat of the music.

"Malfoy." She replied in return, shoulder to shoulder with him.

Her perfume, like sweet mangoes. She smelled good enough to eat, and a very inappropriate image flashed into his mind, shocking him so much that he managed to spill some of his pint onto the floor in front of him.

But she had already gone and was sitting at the table with their friends.

All that lingered was that smell of her perfume. He felt like it clung to the air around him. For the rest of the night, he knew that all he would be able to smell was her.

And that was the first time he realised that he was going to end up in big trouble over Hermione Granger.

Present day

She had only felt small prickles for the last three days. Every now and again, heat would flare up inside of her, but after a few light breathing exercises, she managed to bate it down.

It was more like a constant niggle now; much more manageable with every drop of the potion that she took. In the three days that the potion had come to completion and been taken, Hermione could feel little parts of herself coming back to life, being able to think coherently again being the most important one.

Hermione could only assume that the potion had also worked for Malfoy, because he had not been near Hermione or her office since she had dropped the bottle for his potion off on his desk three days ago.

Before that, she had seen him at least two or three times every day.

Always a little awkward in their physical exchanges; they had both eventually settled for a handshake or a small touching of hands or fingers three times a day, the meeting point being in Hermione's office; anything to take the sensation away for the craving of each other's touch.

She would let out a breath.

Malfoy would make a small sound in the back of his throat.

And then he would give her a small understanding look, before going on his way; out of her office and going on with his day, until they both needed their next hit.

But now there was nothing.

No conversation to say that the potion had worked for him and no communication to tell her that he was feeling the same as she was; slightly more sane and far more able to go about his daily life due to the relaxant.

Not even Blaise and Theodore had heard from him.

Harry, Ron and Ginny had warned her once she had finally confessed and told them what had been happening. They had all told her the same thing; you cannot mess with bonding magic.

Ginny had seemed to be the one who was most agitated by her confession of brewing up the relaxant.

"You can't just ignore it and hope it will go away, Hermione." Ginny told her in a stern voice as she put the teapot in the middle of the table, next to the sugar bowl. "These types of bonds are old school – not to be messed with."

"I am fully aware of that, thank you Ginny." She replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "I just need to bide us some time to stop anything further happening that we might both regret."

"Marriage is the least of your worries at the moment." The redhead gave her a pointed look. "If you're not careful, you'll both end up being driven insane."

Hermione looked up hopelessly at her friend. "Has that really happened?" She put two sugar lumps into her tea cup and poured the hot liquid out of the teapot. "I mean, is there actual evidence to suggest that a bond like this can actually drive someone mad if they don't follow it through?"

Ginny only nodded. "I've heard of a few; passed down through the generations, of course. Those sorts of spells are obviously not the sort of thing that has been used within Pureblood families for at least a hundred years."

Hermione sighed, feeling slightly helpless.

"Just be careful, Hermione." Ginny said then in a final tone. "Bonding spells are dangerous. The magic is not supposed to be interfered with."

Of course, Hermione had not listened.

Her gut was telling her to take heed. Her brain was telling her that she knew better.

The logical side of her was trying to tell her that if Malfoy had not been near then it was possible that he was feeling better, too.

And as she took another small glass of the thick, orange liquid, she just hoped that she would not get another earful from Luna

Lovegood over dinner at her and Blaise's house that night.

"I'm starving." Theo stretched his long legs over the side of the couch, earning a glare from Hermione. "How long until dinner?"

"Do you ever give Luna and Blaise a minute to themselves?" Hermione asked him as she sat in the plush chair opposite the couch. "Or are you consistently third-wheeling?"

Theo threw her a look as he sat up, scratching his head.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" he asked with a smirk on his lips. "You're tetchier than normal."

"I think you will find that I am a normal amount of tetchy." Hermione bit back. "You are just far more fucking annoying than usual."

Blaise, from his place on the little office chair in the corner, tittered from behind his newspaper.

Luna swept into the room with a tray of drinks but stopped suddenly and looked at Hermione as she passed through.

"You messed with it, didn't you?" It was not a question; it was an accusation.

Hermione and Theo looked at each other for a minute. Blaise went quiet behind his Daily Prophet. Luna was eyeing her suspiciously, making her feel slightly uncomfortable.

The blonde Witch put the tray of drinks down onto the coffee table before turning again in a flurry of colourful robes to her friend.

"You really took the potion, didn't you?" A statement. A rhetorical question. Luna did not look happy.

Hermione could feel herself starting to stutter, feeling under pressure. "Well- well yes, but I checked to make sure it would be safe and I think it's working –"

"Nothing is completely safe or fool proof with a spell like this, Hermione." And the woman's soft tone made Hermione relax a little. "There will always be adverse effects on either one or the other… maybe even a change in mood or personality. How's Draco?"

She eyed Theodore guiltily again.

"We've not heard anything from him, so I can only assume that he's feeling better like me-"

"You've been avoiding the string by being apart for so long." Luna was shaking her head, sounding a little worried. "Messing with the bonding process is extremely dangerous, Hermione. That potion could do anything to either of you –"

Luna turned and gave both Theo and Blaise a pointed look. "Have either of you two heard from Draco since he started taking the potion?"

Blaise and Theo both shook their heads.

"I just assumed he wanted privacy like he usually does." Blaise confessed innocently.

"I just assumed he was still giving me the silent treatment." Theo added defensively.

Hermione was starting to panic slightly, a feeling of dread settling at the pit of her stomach.

"You have both been fighting this thing off for over two weeks." Luna told her, turning back to Hermione. "The bond was not created to be broken or interfered with… you will have only angered the magic."

"Is it that serious?" Theo asked from the couch.

The look that Luna gave him caused all three sat down to spring into action.

Hermione stood up from her seat, starting to panic.

"I need to find Malfoy." It was like her body was automatically telling her what she needed to do. "You're right, interfering further might cause damage."

"The closer you are, the better it will get for both of you eventually."

"Is there anything that we can do?" Blaise asked, his arms going around Luna's waist.

"No." and then she gave Hermione a pointed look. "Go to him."

And she took no time after that.

She did;

'The Crooked Cottage'being the only words out of her mouth as she left through the fireplace.

Hermione had never seen Draco Malfoy without his shirt.

She had never seen the sleeve tattoo that covered his left arm or the white scars that were the only lingering reminders of the Sectumsempra hex that Harry had hurled at him.

And she had certainly never seen the coiled muscles of his arms or his toned and trim waist. The man was a mountain, and her mouth went dry as she looked upon him as he stood there not three feet away from her, his chest heaving like some sort of caged animal.

At first glance, it appeared that the effects of the potion had not been the same for her as it had for him.

The floo had dropped her directly into his Livingroom, but she was not expecting him to be pacing around, fists clenched tight as he walked back and forth barefoot, like he was possessed by some sort of evil spirit.

He had looked at her for a long time after she had landed. Had taken his time to let his eyes roam over her, a fire igniting within his bright gaze. He looked like he either wanted to kill her or devour her.

Her thighs clenched beneath her skirt slightly at the latter thought.

"Granger." His voice was rough and deep, keeping his eyes on her but not moving any closer to her. "You smell like fucking Mangoes."

She saw him hesitate. "Fuck. You need to go."

She stood her ground.

"No. Nobody has seen you for days, Malfoy." She watched him carefully. "I came to make sure you were alright... and clearly you're not." She told him in a determined voice. "Luna said that the bond should not be messed with – we need to stop taking the potion, it is too big of a risk." She watched him close his eyes as his jaw twitched. "Malfoy, youneedto stop taking the potion. Look what it's doing to you." She felt a chill of horror run through her at the sight of him.

Now that she could take in his body language, he looked like he was in pain. The complete opposite of how she was feeling. Is this what Luna meant? That it would have more adverse effects on one than the other? Had Malfoy been killing himself by taking the potion?

Had this been the reason why she was feeling so increasingly irritated? Had her body been screaming at her that something was wrong, but she had been trying to blindly ignore it because she was so focused on trying to get rid of the bond?

Fuck.

The guilt she was suddenly feeling was immense. So selfish for wanting to try and rid herself of the bond that she was willing to unintentionally hurt Malfoy in the process? She only hoped that the damage could be reversed.

"I didn't take the potion." His eyes opened

again, and they were on fire. "The taste made me vomit on the first mouthful – I've not been able to stomach it enough to keep it down." His voice was a rasp now and she watched him put one hand up into his hair.

His chest and shoulders were shiny from sweat; she looked at the couch and found blankets and pillows. Had he not slept in his bed for a few nights?

"I feel like the sensations have been dampened slightly for me," Hermione confessed, and she watched a cruel smile grace his lips. "Maybe this is the reaction that Luna was talking about? Maybe I had the ability to drink it but it had the opposite effect for you?"

"Well then lucky you, Granger." He told her sarcastically, before taking a step closer to her. "Meanwhile, I have felt like my skin is on fire. I've not fucking slept in days, feeling like a caged fucking animal."

His eyes were sharp on her, like pieces of glass piercing through her. "And every single time I close my eyes - every single fucking thought I have had-" She watched him swallow hard, trying to decide whether he should finish his sentence or not. "Had been aboutyou."

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions and block out the way he was looking at her. It was only a spell. He was only doing this because he had been driven half mad by the side effects of her taking the potion and him not being able to.

If they kept this up, it would surely do great damage to him. Or worse; kill him.

"No more potions, then." She told him determinedly, trying to change the subject. Be practical. "We'll go back to the touches and try to stay closer to each other." Hermione watched his demeanour change slightly as he took another step closer to her. "I don't want either of us to come to any harm because of this."

Malfoy laughed harshly.

"Damage is clearly already done, Granger." He stood tall, his shoulder straightening to put him to his full height. "It's all downhill from here... and it's a steep fucking drop."

She had to think fast before she drowned in the intensity of his gaze on her.

Hermione was fully aware that Malfoy was not in his right mind; his pupils were blown wide, and he looked like he might pounce on her.

"We'll find a way to get through this, Malfoy." She told him honestly, this time it was her taking a step closer to him. And then she held out her hand to him. "I'm here to help you." He needed the contact. He needed the skin-on-sink to bring him back before he had gone too far.

Another harsh laugh erupted from him.

"You think a handshake is going to make me feel better?"

The danger in his eyes when he looked at her was starting to turn her knees weak. She knew of course that he would need more.

The hand shakes and light touches had barely sated them both before Hermione had started taking the potion … she knew that something much more was now the only option to bring him back from the brink of emotional collapse.

She dropped her hand, stepping further forwards. She took a deep breath, watching his chest continue to rise and fall as he looked at her, half lucid.

"Then take what you need." She told him in a hushed voice, just above a whisper.

The look he gave her as he slowly took her in was feral. "Don't offer me things that I can't accept when I'm feeling like this." He told her in a rough tone.

"You can accept an offer when you have been given express permission." Hermione told him matter-of-factly, and she stepped yet closer to him, until they were only a foot away from each other.

"…Never get permission for the things I'vethoughtabout doing-" He closed his eyes, trying to fight whatever he was feeling away. "Fuck."

"Do it, Draco. I know this is not you. I am fully aware that this is the spell talking." And at the use of his first name, his hot eyes shot up to hers. "You need this; stop torturing yourself for trying to be a Gentleman."

Hands and heat.

That was all she felt as his pale frame enveloped her. A demanding hand slipped around her hips and fell to the bottom of her back, just above her arse. Another hand wound round to the nape of her neck, fingers grabbing her on either side to steady her as she was brought towards him, fully flush with the length of his hard body.

She heard a sound escape his lips; his face close to her hair.

"If you knew the shit that was going on in my head regardless of this fucking spell… since I grabbed your throat last week… since before all of that... all the nasty little things I've been thinking about doing to you… the last thing you would call me is a fucking Gentleman, Granger." It was a throaty whisper from above her, but it made her breath catch in her throat as the imagery that he created in her mind took hold.

Since before all of that... ?

He was talking in riddles.

Her hands came out instinctively, winding their way up Malfoy's body until her palms came to rest on his firm chest, giving her enough room to move now and look up at him.

He was strong and demanding in his touch. In the need that he had to keep contact with her. His eyes were coming back to their reality though; she could tell that he was starting to become more lucid.

"How do you feel?" She whispered to him, her fingers flexing across his chest and heat igniting at the feeling of tensed and powerful muscle beneath them. "Talk to me."

"Like my body is constantly building up to the biggest orgasm I am ever going to have." He answered on a breath, his eyes flicking over her mouth; her face. His hands were still holding her in place firmly, pressed against him.

That was something that she was all too familiar with. At first it would make her fidget, but before she took the relaxant, she could remember that she had compared the feelings with how Malfoy had just described it… only less intense than what he was obviously feeling right now.

"Are you still burning?"

He was still looking at her. "I'm always burning." Her lips again. "But the edge is being taken away… I can breathe a little easier."

Hermione bit her lip and closed her eyes, hearing him groan.

"Don'tdo that."

Her eyes popped open. He was gazing at her hungrily.

"I don't have enough mental resolve yet to be holding a woman in my arms and watch her bite her lip, Granger." He gave a small exhale through his nose. "Give me a fucking break, please."

Hermione released her lip, and she could tell she was blushing.

"I'm sorry." He then cut in, and she felt his fingers holding her tighter; felt the fingers at the back of her neck massaging the spot that they were holding slightly. "I'll regret all of this shit when I'm feeling better… if that's possible."

It was Hermione's turn to laugh as she looked at him. She was now absolutely positive that there was only one way that they would start to feel better without being driven gradually insane.

"I doubt that this is going to get any better before it gets so much worse."

Malfoy seemed to take in the gravity of what she was saying, searching her face for some sort of resolve. Some resolution to their problems. She knew he found none.

"You don't want to marry me." He said in a quiet voice. "We can't marry each other Granger… we'd kill each other within a week."

Hermione drew in a deep breath, understanding his words completely. He was right, of course. There was no way that either of them would survive a Marriage with each other without one of them wanting to throttle the other to death.

But right now, she was seeing no other option.

She refused to fight the bond any longer. It would make them both ill and could possibly even seriously effect their mental health. Luna was right; she always was.

"I don't see us having any other choice," She watched his eyes widen at her words. "I think we'll both go mad if we don't."

They stood there in the middle of Malfoy's Living room for a good few minutes; him just holding her as they looked at each other, trying silently to figure each other out.

But it was Malfoy who broke the silence.

"What if there was another way?" He asked her quietly, and she could see the shift in his gaze and an idea seemed to implant itself into her mind.

Hermione frowned. What other way could there be?

"Move in here, with me."

And Hermione felt her heart stop beating all over again.