AN: Hello! I'm just sitting here handing out candy in the rain for beggars night. So I figured I'd give you all a nice, juicy chapter.
Lemons ahead. Enjoy!
Lost Souls of Nott Castle
Chapter 21 - Next Level
Draco scooped her into his arms and carried her over to the chairs. He laid her down and made sure she was still breathing.
"Did she do it, then?" Blaise asked.
"I would say so." Theo responded.
"Have you ever seen anything like that, mate?" Blaise stared up at the sky where the wards had glowed only a moment earlier.
"Never. Is she okay?" Theo sat down across from where Draco had laid her down.
"She's fine." Draco assured them, sounding much more confident than he felt. "Probably. Blaise, cast a spell. Anything."
Blaise looked confused, but raised his wand and levitated his bottle of butterbeer flawlessly.
"See. I told you." Hermione whispered from her chair.
He looked down to see that her eyes had opened and she was looking back at him. She looked exhausted, but also...also something else.
"I'll agree with you after I see you cast something." He told her, still anxious that something could have gone wrong.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, a small smile playing on her lips.
"I need chocolate," she said.
Theo called his house elf and a few seconds later she had a chocolate bar in her hand. He could see her regaining her strength, slowly but surely, with every bite she took.
When she finished the candy, she followed Blaise's lead and levitated her own bottle to her hand and took a long drink.
Finally, the tension left his body and he relaxed as he pulled her against him.
"You are fucking amazing," he told her proudly.
She curled up against his side, still exhausted from the amount of power she had expended, but getting stronger each moment.
"It's late," he told her. "Let's go to bed."
In truth, he just wanted to snog her senseless after watching her wield her power so flawlessly.
She agreed to going to bed, and even let him help her down the stairs. When he opened the door to his room, she did not even hesitate to follow him inside.
"Draco," she said as soon as the door closed. "Thank you."
He nearly lost his balance as she launched herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled his lips down to hers. He kissed her, letting her take the lead. As her tongue swept across his, it became obvious that she was just as turned on in that moment as he was.
"What could you possibly be thanking me for?" He broke the kiss and guided her towards the bedroom.
"I mean it. Thank you." She tugged on his hand to stop him right at the bedroom door. She stood in front of him and stared into his eyes. "For believing in me. For not trying to stop me."
"Yes, well, you scared the shite out of me you know." He trailed his fingers along the side of her face, down her neck and across her shoulders. "I don't think I took a single breath the whole time."
"I love you, Draco Malfoy." She told him. She was biting her lip and practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her exhaustion had obviously passed and now she was euphoric in her accomplishment.
"I love you, you crazy, brilliant witch."
He kissed her. He poured every ounce of feeling he had into that kiss. His desire. His relief. His pride. His love.
The woman in his arms had single handedly changed his entire life. She had spoken up for him, believed in him, trusted him, when no one else would. She was beautiful, intelligent, kind, and she had just demonstrated how powerful she was. She was absolutely perfect.
And for some unknown reason she was kissing him back with just as much fervor. Her hands were in his hair, scratching at his scalp as her tongue danced with his.
He couldn't get close enough. His hands slid down her back and across her arse. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her against the doorframe.
She pulled back to catch her breath. When she did, he kept kissing her along her chin, down her neck, sucking on the skin at the juncture between her neck and her shoulder.
She moaned, gripped his hair and pulled his lips back to hers. He ground against her trying to find some relief, so hard it was almost painful.
"Draco," she said breathily against his lips.
Fuck.
He set her back down on her feet and took two steps back. If he was going to stop, this was the best time to do it. He wasn't sure if they kept going if he would be able to stop or not.
"Hermione." He swallowed as he watched her turn around. He hoped he hadn't hurt her feelings. He started to say something, then he watched as she reached her arm behind her, grasped the zipper on her dress, and slowly pulled it down.
Little by little, the skin on her back was revealed. Then a blue lace bra. Then more skin. The zipper stopped at her waist, where he could see the top of more blue lace - panties that matched her bra.
He stepped up behind her. His hands on her shoulders, he slipped first one sleeve off, then the other. The dress fell to the floor and pooled around her feet.
"You are so fucking beautiful," he muttered against her skin. She leaned her head back against his chest as his tongue danced across her neck.
Her hand slid between them, caressing his member as he hissed in approval.
She turned her head so she could kiss him again. His hands spread across her stomach, pulling her back against his chest.
His hands slid up, cupping her lace covered breasts. His thumbs drifted over her hardened nipples.
She gasped into his mouth.
"Draco!" He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, then relished in the way her whole body shivered. Her hand gripped him a little tighter, then she was moving out of his grasp.
Turning to face him, she moved her own hands up to cover her breasts. He watched, held his breath, as she pinched her nipple the same way he had just done.
"You have entirely too many clothes on, Malfoy." Her voice was laced with desire. She reached behind her back with both hands. When she pulled them back, her bra slipped off her arms and fell to the floor.
He pulled his shirt over his head and discarded it on the floor along with her clothes.
"Better?" He asked as he toed off his shoes.
"Keep going." Her hands spread across his chest, her lips against his collarbone as he unbuttoned his pants and slid them down over his hips.
"Hermione, love. Tell me what you want." They stood in front of each other next to his bed in nothing but their underwear. They both knew where they were heading. He just needed to make sure they were on the same page before he did something she wasn't ready for.
"Draco. I want you. Inside me."
He swallowed thickly. Maybe he was dreaming.
"Are you sure?" He had to ask. He didn't want her to regret this decision in the morning.
"I'm positive." She told him with no hesitation.
She looked up at him. Bit her lip.
"Unless...unless you don't want to?" She was mostly teasing, but there was a hint of self consciousness in her voice.
His hands gripped her waist and pulled her flush against him. His hips jerked forward, giving her a taste of exactly how much he wanted to bury himself inside her.
"What do you think?" He asked roughly.
"More," she gasped.
Their lips met in a heated, frantic kiss. He picked her up, carried her to the bed and set her down.
"It's all yours," he told her as he stared into her eyes.
The air around them shifted. The passion remained, but the tempo slowed. Touches lingered as they laid back on the bed. Draco ran his fingers across her skin, savoring every touch. Memorizing every scar. Kissing her until they were both breathless.
When his fingers slid between her thighs, he found her slick with desire. She pushed against his palm looking for the friction she needed.
He needed to be inside her, but not yet.
This may have been his first time having sex, but there were two things he knew. One of them was that they needed to perform a contraceptive charm before they went any further.
"Where is your wand?" He asked. Then he slid his finger inside her as far as he could. She arched off the bed.
"My w..wand?" She stuttered.
"Yes. Get your wand." He didn't let her up, though. He added a second finger deep inside her.
"Oh fuck, Draco. You'll have to...to st...stop." Despite her words, she was bucking her hips against his hand. Her head fell back and she moaned loudly.
"I don't think so. Focus. I've seen your power. You can do it." He added another finger.
She surged up, gripped his hair and kissed him hard. She pulled back quickly and kept eye contact with him. Then she held out her hand, closed her eyes, and her wand landed smoothly in her hand.
"Fucking perfect," he muttered. "Do you know the charm?"
He picked up the pace as he pumped his fingers in and out of her wet heat.
"Draco!" She cried out as she came undone in his hands.
She fell back against the mattress. He covered her hand with his, gripping her wand and moving it across her abdomen. Together they spoke the charm that would prevent her from getting pregnant.
He settled between her legs. Her hands circled his neck and pulled him in for a long kiss.
"Are you ready?" He asked against her ear.
"Yes," she whispered.
His eyes met hers and held steady as he guided himself into her slick folds. Slowly he pushed inside until he felt resistance. Then he pulled back just a little, and pushed forward quickly, burying himself inside her.
She cried out, gasped, took a deep breath, then another.
Her hands tangled in his hair and pulled his lips to hers.
"Again," she whispered against his lips.
He was only too happy to oblige, pulling out and pressing into her again, and again, and again.
His rhythm started slow, but soon she was urging him to go faster. The moans that she emitted with each thrust got louder and louder. The sight of her beneath him, her hair splayed across his pillow. The sound of her ecstasy. The feel of her, tight and wet and throbbing around his manhood.
He lost all control, doing what felt good and right, taking his cues from the sounds she was making. Then he was coming deep inside her as she called out his name.
Their bodies stilled. Their breathing evened out as they lay side by side soaking in post-coital bliss.
"Draco," she whispered after several long minutes.
"Hmm?" He pulled her a little closer. His eyes had drifted shut and he was very close to falling asleep already.
"I really need a shower."
He let out a small laugh against her neck, but he couldn't disagree with her. It had been an extremely long day, and they were both slick with sweat and other bodily fluids. He released a deep sigh, then rolled off the side of the bed. He turned around and scooped her into his arms.
"What are you doing?" She laughed lightly.
"My Princess wants a shower, a shower she shall have." He chuckled at her for a moment as he set her down in front of the shower stall and turned on the water.
"Do you plan on joining me?" She asked. Her cheeks tinged pink, but she looked up at him through her eyelashes and his heart skipped a beat.
"Is that an invitation?" He asked.
"Maybe it is." She stepped away from him and into the shower. He gave her a few seconds, then joined her under the spray.
They washed off. Hands explored soapy bodies. Fingertips brushed across hidden scars. Tongues darted out to taste each other's flesh. Soft moans echoed and then were swallowed by the sound of falling water. Gentle kisses and caresses until he could tell she was fighting off exhaustion. Then he turned off the spray and they stepped out of the shower into the steam filled bathroom.
Silently, they dried off and got ready for bed. She didn't have any clothes in the room, so he gave her a Slytherin Quidditch shirt out of his dresser. She slipped it over her head. She was so tired, she didn't even notice the hungry look he shot her. She simply crawled into bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
Draco knew she had to regain her strength. She had expelled an extraordinary amount of magical energy when she cast that charm, then she had expelled even more energy when they returned to his room. She needed sleep, and probably a lot of it.
He joined her in his bed and wrapped his arm around her waist. Pulling her back against his chest. He couldn't help but think back to her performing that charm. The power, the control that she had exhibited was extraordinary. He thought back to her telling the Minister that she could take care of herself and he knew it was the truth. She really could take care of herself. Which meant that she wasn't with him because she needed him. She was with him because she wanted to be.
That made it all the more perfect.
She slept soundly that night. Barely moving at all. And in the morning, he woke long before she did.
He left her sleeping in his bed as he showered and dressed for the day. She still hadn't moved, so he checked that she was breathing then went downstairs for breakfast.
He found Theo sitting at the table. Blaise' plate was mostly empty so he must have been and left already.
"Where is Granger this morning?" Theo asked as he sat down.
"Sleeping. I wouldn't be surprised if she sleeps all day after what she did last night."
Theo agreed with him.
"You know, mate, that woman could rule the world if she put her mind to it."
Draco looked up from his plate.
"Good thing she isn't inclined to do something so asinine then." He had to admit that Theo was right, though. What they had witnessed the previous night was a breathtaking display of power and talent.
How anyone could have thought she was less of a witch because of her parentage was ridiculous. Hell, he had thought it himself for years. He was man enough to admit that he was wrong, though.
"What exactly did she do to my wards?" Theo asked him.
"She made it unplottable. Nott Castle will no longer appear on maps. Even if people discovered we are living here, they would not be able to locate the castle itself."
"If someone were to try to trace an owl delivering mail here, for example," Hermione said from the doorway. "They would be unable to do so."
She made her way to the table and piled her plate full of food.
"I am famished." She stated with a laugh.
She had taken a shower and was wearing black pants, a red blouse and black boots. The locket he had given her the day before hung around her neck. She had her hair pulled up and twisted in a knot at the base of her neck. There were a few tendrils that had come loose and framed her face in loose curls.
He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"Obviously owls can still find us, though," Theo commented as a large brown owl swooped in and dropped the Daily Prophet on the table before flying off again.
"Yes," she acknowledged, paying no mind to the paper. "We'll still need to be careful when we open mail. Well, I will anyway."
Draco wasn't listening to her anymore, though. The newspaper had caught his attention. Particularly the picture on the front page. The picture of Hermione and himself, hand in hand, walking down Diagon Alley.
"Looks like our secret is out," he said as he picked up the paper. He didn't bother reading the headline as he handed it across the table to her.
She looked up from her eggs to look at the picture. She sighed.
"At least my hair looked good." She shrugged her shoulders and returned to her eggs.
"It isn't the frizzy birds nest of your childhood, that's for sure." He smirked at her. She just laughed and shook her head.
"True. And yours isn't nearly as..." she motioned to his hair. "What's the word I'm looking for, Theo?"
"Alright," Draco said with a laugh. "You don't need to say it."
"Gelled?" Theo offered.
"Slick, maybe?" She suggested.
"Enough," he laughed. "I was twelve years old!"
"Well, luckily for all of us, you outgrew that stage." She winked at him.
"Are either of you going to actually read the article?" Theo asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
"Good Merlin, no." Draco told him.
"Absolutely not." Hermione agreed. "Go ahead, Theo. Knock yourself out. Let me know if there is anything in there that resembles the truth, will you?"
She tossed the paper over to him. He read the headline and the first paragraph or two. Then he put it down on the table.
"Nevermind," he said. "Good call, both of you."