Hello lovelies!
I should have mentioned that I was teary-eyed as I wrote the last chapter. All of your reviews were lovely, and I'm glad the chapter was so well received!
This chapter makes me really happy, and hopefully you all will like it as well! I should mention that there is smut towards the end, so please be mindful of that.
Please leave a review and let me know what you think x
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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the storyline and any OC's belong to me
"Is it going to work?" Harry asked, his visage wisps of brilliant green flame. Hermione and Draco had flooed the boy almost immediately after they returned home. It was the middle of the night, and McGonagall had facilitated their ardent request upon seeing the desperation on their faces.
"We don't know, but we have to try," Hermione said.
Hermione and Draco had burned the midnight oil as they researched various summoning rituals. If it worked, Lily and James's spirits would find their way home. The other option was to exhume their bodies, cremate them, and spread their ashes in the clearing in the Orchards where Dorea and Charlus had been laid to rest.
It was a desperate option that they wished to avoid, it felt wrong to disturb their bodies in that fashion, even if they no longer housed their souls.
Hopefully, if they were successful, their souls would come home, and then they would finally be truly at peace.
Moonlight, sage, lavender, lemongrass and nightshade were required for the ritual. The herbs needed to be ground into a fine paste and spread across a surface as a beacon. They would also need items that belonged to the spirits they were summoning. The ritual wouldn't bind the souls to the mortal plane, it was only meant to guide them home.
As Hermione and Draco worked on the ritual itself, Sirius meticulously carved headstones from white marble. He used a mix of magic and practical skills. Remus assisted him.
Lily's headstone was placed to the left of Charlus's, and James's to the right of his Mother's.
The preparations were complete, all they had to do was wait for the full moon, or as close to it as they could get.
A circle of river stones had been temporarily placed around the headstones. Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Riley, Tonks, Harry, and Draco had dripped their blood around the circumference.
Three days after they'd had a feverish dream in the graveyard in Godric's Hollow (Hermione still didn't know if it was a dream or if it had actually happened), in the late afternoon, Hermione wandered into the Orchards.
The sky was bathed in rich pink and pale yellow. The leaves on the trees were fresh, green, having sprouted and grown from the branches in recent weeks. The tease of warmer days was an indication that summer was speeding towards them. The grass was dewy and damp underfoot.
Hermione stood in front of the four headstones, with a swirl of the scent of daffodils surrounding her. Two mason jars were filled with the vivid yellow-green paste flecked with pale purple. They were placed in front of James and Lily's respective headstones.
(It was so the paste could absorb as much moonlight as it could until the night before the full moon.)
Hermione brushed her fingers over the cool marble of her brother's headstone. "We're going to bring you home," she whispered, reiterating the promise she'd made the other night.
A whip of crisp breeze blew against her back, sending her hair flying upwards. The skirt of her short, black dress blew up as well, she didn't bother trying to keep it down.
Hermione huffed out an exhale as she tried to bat her hair out of her face. Hands tangled in her hair that weren't hers, helping her. They were as intangible as the wind. Hermione whipped around and she breathed in pine and salty ocean breeze. There was no one there.
For some reason, she was drawn back to the buoyantly warm feeling she had whenever she was in the gardens helping her Father. "Hi, Daddy," Hermione said hesitantly.
The scent strengthened, and a slight pressure pressed against the top of her head. When she closed her eyes, she imagined it was his hand. "They're finally coming home, where they belong. I'm sorry they weren't here from the beginning."
There were so many unknowns about the afterlife, so many mysteries most likely never to be solved. Hermione liked to imagine that her dearly departed family members had passed on, but liked to slip through the veil between worlds to check in on them from time-to-time.
"Say hi to Mum for me," Hermione smiled wistfully as the pressure and scent dissipated. She was left on her own. Hermione snuck another glance at the headstones. The golden sunlight that came with the setting sun was pouring through the gaps in the trees and dappled the engraved stones.
"Your punishment is to live."
"Remember the happy things."
Hermione didn't recall much from the night in Godric's Hollow. If Draco hadn't been there, and insisted he'd endured a similar experience, she could be convinced that it was a concussion paired with her overactive imagination.
Hermione would never stop missing them, but she'd accepted the passing of her brother and sister. Her grief wasn't as debilitating as it had been. She was taking it day-by-day, and the pain lessened as time wore on.
"Harry and Ron expressed the desire to become animagus, unlike us, they have enlisted Minerva's help. She insisted they wait until after their examinations to start the process," Hermione said aloud. No one was listening, but she felt the need to say it.
"Of course, Harry is stubborn, and has been reading up on the subject in between his studies. Not wishing to be outdone, Ron has joined him."
Hermione drank in a deep breath, and slowly exhaled through her nostrils. She tucked her hair behind her ears, and wiggled her toes in the dirt and freshly-sprouted grass. She understood why Luna rarely wore shoes now. Hermione was more connected to the magic flowing through the earth, and could feel it more intimately as it brushed against her own.
Soon, Hermione thought as she meandered back towards the Manor. Soon, Lily and James would come home.
Friday, May 14th, 1999
London, UK
Draco was reclining languidly in his chair, one hand resting in his lap, the other stretched across the white tablecloth.
The waiter lifted the wine glass by the stem between his index and middle fingers, his white gloved hands holding the curve of the glass as he carefully tipped the bottle to the glass. A small sample was poured into the glass.
The brown-haired man placed it in front of Draco, and waited patiently.
"Thank you," Draco said with an upward curve of his lips. The man inclined his head politely.
Draco leaned forward enough to pick up the glass by the stem. He swirled it around with a deft hand thrice before he raised it to his nose. He let the smell waft up to his nose. The notes were rich. He tasted the wine, letting it settle over his palette.
An aged Merlot from Bordeaux, France. It had been aged for fifteen years, and it was evident from the smoky, softer, yet rich taste.
"That's lovely. We'll take the bottle," Draco said. The man smiled at him before pouring wine into both of their glasses respectively. With a practised eye, he poured until the elegant glasses were a third full.
"Do you need more time to decide on your meal this evening, Sir?"
Draco leveraged an inquistory look in Hermione's direction, and she subtly shook her head.
"Yes, we'll need a few more minutes, please," Hermione said. She drew the man's attention and he nodded at her. He clasped his hands behind his back. He did a thorough examination of the dining room before he headed for the kitchens.
"You look pretty," Draco said. He'd complimented her twice for the evening, but he couldn't help himself from saying it again. She was devastating tonight.
Hermione's hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, secured by a silvery-blue ribbon. She had glamoured her tattoos for the evening. They weren't visible to Muggles, but Draco could still see the ink decorating her supple skin.
Hermione's dress was bell-shaped with an off-the-shoulder neckline. It was ice-blue with flecks of silver around the shirt's hem which flirtatiously ended above her knee. Her silver stilettos elongated her legs, and her matching clutch was tucked between her and the inside of her velvet green, tufted barrel chair.
The chair's legs were gold, and slightly angled outwards. The chair's back ended below Hermione's exposed shoulder blades.
Mipsy and Pip insisted on heading to Madam Malkin's, purchasing luxurious fabric, and sewing Hermione a new dress for the momentous occasion.
"It's Mistress and Master's first public date! Mistress and Master must look their best!" Mipsy insisted stubbornly, smoothing down the front of her apron. She was standing on the kitchen table, eye-level with Hermione.
"You don't have to make such a fuss," Hermione said, unable to stop a bright smile from breaking out on her face.
"No, but Mipsy wishes to. So she will."
The restaurant was a recommendation of Reginald's. He had delivered Riley and Sirius's wedding photographs, and was more than happy to provide them with a list of places he was enjoying at the moment. It felt like he was carrying on his tradition with Charlus.
"Thank you," Hermione blushed, her dark red lips curving into a smile. It wasn't as easy to make her blush anymore, so Draco prided himself on the rare occasions when he succeeded in bringing the colour to her cheeks.
The low-lighting in the place set a sensual, intimate mood. Draco forgot that there were other patrons in the restaurant, he was utterly bewitched by the magnificent creature across from him.
"We have to set a wedding date," Draco said casually.
Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Has Cissa been harassing you for an answer?"
"Yes, but that isn't why I brought it up. I simply wish to marry you as soon as possible," Draco replied. He picked up his wine glass and took a sip. Hermione followed suit, her eyes dancing with delight. Her engagement ring glinted on her finger.
"Spring would be a good time for a wedding," Hermione said, resting down her glass. At the same moment, the waiter returned and they placed their orders. They handed him their menus, and continued their prior discussion.
"A winter wedding would also be good. I like the sound of early December," Draco said.
Previously, Hermione had agreed. She knew Draco wished for a winter wedding. She'd conceded that it would be beautiful, but in recent days, she was becoming more partial to spring.
Hermione had slipped one of her stilettos off, and she dragged the side of her foot—she was wearing sheer black tights—against the outside of his shin. "We would freeze our arses off."
"We have magic," Draco reminded her lowly, in case anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation. "Warming charms amongst a plethora of other spells would make things practically balmy."
"You just like the snow," Hermione scoffed. She leaned back in her chair, hands resting on the chair's arms as she stared at him intensely. She crossed her legs over one another.
"So spring? It would give Cissa plenty of time to plan a grand soiree," Draco said.
"Goodness, we have no hope of having an intimate wedding like Riles and Sirius, do we?" Hermione grumbled as she sipped her wine. The orange flames from the trio of short, slender candles in the middle of the table flickered across her features.
"We could elope, then it wouldn't matter when we get married," Draco drawled as he finished his wine. He reached for the bottle to pour himself another glass, and he topped Hermione up whilst he was at it. Traditionally, he would wait for the waiter to pour their wine, but he was on the other side of the room, dealing with a disgruntled man.
Draco utilised his heightened hearing. The lady was trying to placate the man who was whinging about his fillet mignon. It was too bloody. He'd requested his meat rare, but from his description he wanted it to be well-done. It was a culinary crime, why would you ruin such a beautiful cut by overcooking it until its texture was leather.
"What an uncouth man," Hermione sighed. She'd clearly been listening in as well.
As a Malfoy, Draco had been raised with certain standards. It was common decency to treat persons providing you with a service with respect. That was coming from a family that had preached blood purity for centuries.
Narcissa once said that they were people, regardless of their blood status. It was the only time she'd made such a distinction to him growing up. She also added that being disrespectful to anyone preparing your food was utterly foolish.
That being said, they'd only patronised Wizarding establishments during his childhood. Although, the wait staff rarely disclosed their blood status as they served food and drink.
They were bigots, but bigots with standards, Draco mused.
Draco weighed out whether it was worth it to insinuate himself into the commotion across the way. Hermione knew him too well, her eyes widened and she firmly shook her head.
"Draco, leave it alone. We are going to have a nice, uneventful meal."
"His whiny voice is interrupting my enjoyment of my wine," Draco pointed out.
"I forbid you from going over there."
"Wouldn't dream of it, love," Draco said pleasantly, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he grinned at her. Hermione rolled her eyes and drank more of her wine.
Draco subtly pointed his finger in the man's direction, and cast a stupefy. A laser thin beam of red light shot out from his finger at lightning speed and hit the man square in the chest.
Hermione's eyes blew wide open. She hurriedly pretended to fix her skirts, then folded her napkin and placed it in her lap.
The man slumped in place, and the head waiter started. He fretted as the man was rendered unconscious and thus unresponsive.
Draco counted to five, and by masking his spell by clearing his throat, he cast a Rennervate. The man roused with a sharp gasp.
Despite the incident on the other side of the room, the kitchen staff hadn't been fazed or halted their preparation of food. A waitress with a kind smile brought out Hermione and Draco's meals moments later. They both thanked her as she rested their plates in front of them.
"May I get you anything else?" She asked as she reached out to refill their wine glasses. The bottle was almost empty.
"No, that's brilliant, thank you," Hermione said.
The rest of their meal was smooth sailing. The man who had disrupted their evening was embarrassed and placated by his fainting spell; he was amicable for the remainder of his stay. Their food was delectable, the meat melted on their tongues. They polished off their wine bottle, and shared a pot of chocolate mousse for dessert.
Draco slipped Hermione his wallet after they'd received the bill. She paid for their meal as Draco still struggled with the pound notes.
The paper was a strange concept to him. They weren't precious metals, so the idea that monetary value was attached to the paper was peculiar. He could figure it out if he tried, and he had several times in the past, but it was easier if Hermione dealt with it.
Hermione wanted to split the cost of the meal, but Draco refused. She had organised and treated him to a candlelit dinner on their first anniversary, it was his turn to treat her. Hermione argued that they had both done sweet gestures for the other since then, but eventually relented.
"We share a vault, it's our money, you know," Hermione pointed out as they exited the restaurant. They stood on the pavement, off to the side so as to not interrupt the constant pedestrian traffic.
"It came from my personal vault, not the family's one, Hermione," Draco said.
Lucius had transferred half of what was in Draco's Malfoy's personal vault into his current one. It had originally been set aside for him once he reached the age of eighteen. Draco had protested, but Lucius was obstinate about the matter, as the man tended to be about most things. The Malfoys had more than enough, Lucius said.
Hermione grumbled about how she wouldn't have let him pay for the entire meal if she'd known that beforehand. Draco shook his head fondly and told her that she could pay next time if it bothered her so much. That seemed to appease her for the moment.
Hermione had organised for the goblins to assimilate the respectable funds from her other vault into the joint Potter family vault. She'd exchanged all her Muggle Money at the same time.
She didn't come from substantial money like the others, but her parents had been dentists. They'd set up a trust when she was little that had steadily accrued interest. She gained access to it when she turned eighteen.
(Kingsley informed her that they'd found her biological parents whilst she'd been in the past. They were perfectly happy and healthy, living a full life in Australia. They'd adopted a seven year old boy and were expecting another child in winter. Hermione's memory charms were irreversible. It'd taken her a week to process the information, but realised that she'd mourned their loss years ago.
One day Hermione might try and visit them, but for now, knowing they were happy and safe was enough for now.)
The couple braced against the chilly night air. Hermione tugged the sheer blue shawl around her shoulders tighter. It didn't help much.
Draco unbuttoned his black blazer, tucked his left hand into his trouser pocket, and wrapped the other around her waist. He pulled her close. Draco bent down to nuzzle the side of her face, pressing a kiss to her soft skin before straightening out.
Hermione twisted in his arms, and tugged on his lapels. He chuckled lightly before leaning down to capture her lips. She made a contented sound in the back of her throat. Draco's hand fisted in the fabric of her dress.
Hermione was crushed to his front, her clutch trapped between them. Her slender fingers traced a feather light line up and down his chest. "Draco," Hermione breathed as they parted to drink in air.
"Yes, darling?" Draco asked. He kissed her firmly, her mouth soft and pliant beneath his.
"Take me home," Hermione murmured.
"To bed?"
"Where else?" Hermione gasped into his mouth as his hand slipped down to squeeze her arse. A gentle moan came from her parted lips, and Draco swallowed it.
Draco snipped at her bottom lip, and her lips parted further, and her tongue met his in a languid manner. It was an unhurried kiss.
The vibrant sounds of the city were drowned into the background: rumbling car engines that drove by, animated conversations of passersby, the unique noises that belonged to the ancient city, and everything in between.
Draco was consumed by her, he couldn't focus on anything but her body against his, and the heady scent of chamomile and vanilla mixed with the lavender notes from her subtle perfume.
"Draco," Hermione said, his name laced with longing. He wanted her to chant it like a prayer as she came apart under his hands, mouth, and cock. He wanted to worship every inch of her until she was quivering, flushed, yet begging him for more. He wanted her to forget where she started and he ended.
"Home," Hermione reminded him between stolen gasps of breath. "Not here."
Draco growled under his breath, his erection was straining against the front of his pants. Reluctantly the pair parted from one another. Hermione snuggled into Draco's side and they travelled down the pavement until they found the closest alley.
Hermione was muttering counter-charms as they strolled down the empty alley; shedding the glamorous obscuring her tattoos. There was a man hunched at the far end. They were just out-of-sight from the main path when Draco whisked them back home.
They arrived in the Foyer. The house was dark, but muffled sounds echoed throughout, indicating that the other occupants were awake. Hermione toed her shoes off, bent down to pick them up. Draco tried to pull her against him, but she let out a girlish giggle and sprang from Draco's grip.
"Hermione!" Draco hissed after the witch, chasing her up the stairs. That amused her further. The nimble witch was at the top of the stairs in a flash, and she rounded the corner at breakneck speed.
Draco's brown leather penny loafers slapped across the wooden floors as he gave chase. His feet almost slipped from under him as he sharply turned at the bannister and raced after his witch. She disappeared into their room. (They'd moved all their belongings into Hermione's room—hers was slightly bigger—not seeing the need to have separate ones any longer.)
Draco jogged into their room, hair askew, panting lightly. The door slammed closed behind him. Hermione threw up locking and silencing charms before she shoved him up against it. Her shawl, clutch, and shoes were abandoned at the foot of the bed on top of her closed chest.
Draco hadn't caught his breath by the time her fingers quickly unfastened his belt. Nor when she undid his trousers. Hermione's hands had freed his cock, and she ghosted her fingers over the tip as she lowered to her knees.
"Fuck," Draco rasped. The sight of her on her knees, her lips parted, and the promise of what was coming was unravelling him at the seams. She pursed her lips and lightly blew on the head of his cock.
"Hermione," Draco warned. Hermione grinned mischievously, her hands braced on his toned thighs as she leaned up enough to take his tip into her mouth. She paused. Draco's fingers dug into the solid door behind him. She swallowed around him and he let out a string of curses.
Hermione pulled back, and his cock bobbed against his lower abdomen. "Thank you for dinner."
Draco was going to reply, but then she took him in her mouth again. Her manicured nails, painted sky blue lightly scraped along his thighs as she slowly swallowed more of him, until her eyes watered and her nose brushed his groomed, soft, white and black pubic hair.
Draco used all of his self-restraint to keep his hips still. Her mouth was heaven, and he whimpered when she pulled away, gasping as she did. She filled her lungs with air, and began to suck him at a tortuous pace, pleased that he was coming undone above her.
Draco tangled his hands in her hair, and unwittingly he began to slowly thrust into her mouth, she kept pace with him, and it was when she began to gently massage his balls that he couldn't hold back any longer. He spilled into her mouth and she swallowed every drop. Vivid spots danced in front of his eyes.
Hermione sat back on her haunches, looking at him with an innocently sweet gaze, her dark lipstick smeared. As if she hadn't just had him at her mercy.
Draco sank down to the ground, half-erect cock still free, and his legs bracketed her, he let them slide down. His head fell back against the door. "I love you so much," Draco choked out, still catching his breath.
"We're not done yet," Hermione said with a sly smile as she crawled over to him. She hitched her dress up as she straddled his lap. Draco's eyes widened as he realised she didn't have on any knickers. He cast a quick stamina charm.
"Did you not wear any to dinner?"
"I did, but took them off before you got in the room," Hermione said into his ear. She slid her wet cunt along his hardened length. He swore under his breath as she rolled her hips against his.
It wasn't long before he was sheathed inside her. Draco tugged down the front of her dress to expose her breasts. She slipped out of the straps and pushed the bodice down; it bunched up around her waist.
Hermione nipples pebbled in the cool night. Draco teased one between his fingers, and he lowered his mouth to the other, his tongue flicking against the hard bud as she rode him. She was moving in a lazy way. Her head thrown back, her nails dragging against his scalp.
"So beautiful," Draco said, breathing hotly against her nipple. He kissed his way up her chest, nipped at the side of her neck, nudged his nose against her jaw before his lips found hers.
Draco held Hermione tight as he repositioned them. She let out a squeak as he moved them forward, and laid her out on the ground.
Hermione's hair was still neatly pulled back, but she flipped her ponytail up so the hair wasn't sticking to her skin. Perspiration gathered along her hairline. Her hands scrambled across Draco's back, gripping at his blazer as he sank even further into her from the new angle.
Draco pulled out a couple inches and slammed back into her without warning. Hermione's pupils blew wide and she whimpered as he continued his rough, punishing pace. Her silky walls clenched around him.
"So good, fuck you feel so good," Hermione panted. She breathlessly said his name, over and over, in time with his thrusts.
Draco's magic grew painfully hot in his chest, its tendrils shooting out and latching onto Hermione's. Her magic joyously met his, singing an ancient song as he plunged into her, losing himself with her. They both came with a shout. Draco collapsed onto her, his body partially skewed so his cheek met the hardwoods. Draco's vision was fuzzy around the edges as he looked at her. She reached up and distractedly ran her fingers through his hair.
Hermione's head lolled to the side and their gazes met. Her nose scrunched up happily. "I love you, Draco."
"Thank you," Draco smiled sleepily. His mind was fogging over, and he let out a snort when she swatted him against his temple. "I love you too, you violent creature."
"I'm not violent," Hermione sniffed.
"There are others that would beg to differ, but don't worry, I still want to keep you," Draco said genially. He rested his hand on her cheek, and closed the space between them to press a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Violence and all."
"You are such a prat," Hermione groaned, wiggling out from under him. She stood up on shaky legs, her knees weak as she twisted her dress around and undid the hidden clasps. Hermione freed herself from its confines and she sluggishly dragged herself over to their bed. She flung herself onto it, and gathered the energy to crawl under the covers. Hermione patted the bed twice as her eyes shuttered.
"Bed," she instructed with a yawn.
"You don't want to take off your makeup?" Draco asked, but to no avail, the witch was sound asleep.
Draco grunted with effort as he found his way to his feet. His limbs were heavy as he shed his clothing, leaving a trail as he headed to bed. Once he was naked, he crawled under the covers.
Draco cast a couple spells so Hermione's makeup was delicately scrubbed off. With a tired sigh he shifted his slumbering witch so that her cheek was on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, and closed his eyes. He was asleep within moments.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter lovelies! See you on Thursday!