Sorry everyone, it has been a while since the last update! Have gotten a new job and had poorly children so i havent been writing much. Will endeavour to get back on track from now on! Thanks to all who read, and even more so to those who review! Enjoy.
It was almost an anti-climax when Draco stepped through the door into a pleasant room resembling a studio flat. There was a little kitchenette area and a sofa off to the left and in the centre of the room was a large bed dominating the space.
"Well, I know what you were thinking about when forming this room!" said Hermione with a laugh gesturing at the oversized bed. She started exploring, poking around the little kitchen and seating area. "There is a kettle; I will bring some coffee for next time. Oh, and look! There is a desk that we can work at and some book shelves!"
Draco chuckled to himself; he sure as hell hadn't asked the room for that! Seemed like Miss Granger's brain was doing some redecorating, as the necessity for a workspace certainly wasn't coming from his psyche.
"This was a good idea," said Hermione. "We can come here during free periods, and evenings when we don't need reference books for homework!" She was still looking around, discovering there was a decent little bathroom too.
Draco had thought that he would want to jump Granger's bones the moment they were alone, but instead found himself going to sit on the sofa to watch her rooting around in the kitchen cupboards. He began to relax for the first time since he had told his mother about their relationship; when it was just him and Hermione together all the other crap seemed to fall away.
"You're quiet," she observed. "Are you ok?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that, after that scene with Weasley?" He replied ironically.
"I'm fine. It wasn't entirely unexpected. Like I said before, he has a horrible temper, a tendency for jealousy and he hates you." She gave him a sad smile.
"Everyone hates me Granger, but no one else is calling you a whore in class!"
"No I mean he really hates you. Even if it wasn't for the whole 'henchman for evil' thing he would still hate you. He is jealous of you, always has been."
"Well he should take heart that he won in the end. The money is all gone!" Draco said it lightly, but it felt uncomfortable actually acknowledging out loud that he was poor.
"It wasn't just the money. He had all his brothers, so his parents never really paid a huge amount of attention to him, he is mediocre at school, and until last year he would have had mediocre prospects after school too."
Harsh but true, thought Draco, refraining from commenting.
"So he looks at you, heir to the Malfoy estate, his parents precious boy. You are intelligent, well connected, and I should imagine that before all this there would have been no need for you to find a job after Hogwarts if you didn't want to."
"Yes." Said Draco, thinking that it all sounded pretty good when she said it like that. In reality, however, it had felt quite different.
"And of course it didn't help that you mocked and bullied him…"
"Ok, I get the picture." Said Draco, starting to smile despite himself.
"So it is hardly surprising that he lost it a little when he realised that you had been given something else that he wanted." Hermione shrugged.
"Don't make excuses for him Granger." Said Draco, suddenly annoyed. "He has behaved like a total shit and doesn't deserve your understanding!"
"Yes he has." Replied Hermione calmly. "But it helps me to understand. At one time he was closer to me than anyone else; it is easier to believe that his behaviour now stems from jealousy than the possibility that all that happened before truly meant nothing." Her calm façade slipped a little, and Draco saw that she was on the verge of tears.
"Shit, Granger. I'm sorry." He quickly got to his feet to wrap his arms around her. "You're right, of course. He is a jealous idiot, who should have thought about what he was doing before he started sneaking around with Brown." Although, added Draco in his head, I'm bloody glad he didn't!
Hermione nestled against Draco's chest, one hand coming up to rest over his heart. "That is very sweet of you to say."
He led them back to the sofa, pulling her down to sit with him. She tilted her face up and he kissed her softly, trying to impart comfort rather than incite lust. He stroked the curve of her waist and pulled her into him, enjoying the press of her body against his but making no move to take things any further. This was not what he had planned to use this room for but found that just spending time with Hermione and providing comfort to her was satisfying enough for now.
Time passed quickly and it was soon time to go down to the Great Hall for lunch.
"Shall we come back up here after dinner?" asked Hermione as they left the room and the door disappeared behind them.
Draco was about to agree when he remembered he had quidditch practice that evening. "I can't." He said, actually disappointed. "I have quidditch practice tonight, and I need to go down to the pitch a bit early to find a broom and have a fly before the others come out. I'm so rusty!"
"I'd forgotten you were back on the team." She said, with a smile. "I'm sure you will enjoy it. Just talking about it makes your face light up."
Draco suddenly felt shy; was he really so transparent that his emotions showed clearly on his face now? Or was it just because he was talking to her? "I am looking forward to it."
"I guess I will get that homework done and spend some time with Harry and Ginny, although things are a little awkward at the moment. I think we need to sit and have a good chat."
Draco wasn't sure how to respond. "Will they accept it? You and me I mean."
"Yes, they will. Eventually. Harry is already coming around, Ginny will hold out longer but she really just wants me to be happy." She said it confidently, but she must be worried, thought Draco. After all, she has far more to lose than I do on this gamble of a relationship. He wondered if he should declare himself now, before the exams so she would know this was all not for nothing?
They had reached the great hall, and paused by the doorway.
"Well, I will talk to you tomorrow then." Said Hermione, kissing him softly on the cheek. "Good luck for tonight!"
She turned to walk away but Draco grabbed her hand and tugged her back for a proper kiss, suddenly rueful of not taking advantage of the time they had just spent alone. She pulled away with a sigh and squeeze of his waist before entering the hall and walking to the Gryffindor table leaving Draco wondering if she was also wishing they had made more of the time just gone.
It was potions and Herbology after lunch, with homework from both. He was starting to wonder if he would actually have to use his free periods for completing homework, at least until the match on Saturday was over and there would be no more quidditch practice.
Dinner was a bit of a strange affair; the quidditch team (minus Harper of course) all chose seats near to Draco but didn't speak to him, just sat watching him eat like he was a flight risk. He had no idea what Urquhart had told them he had said, but their surveillance was irritating him.
Once he had finished his dinner he stood and made his way to the entrance hall, intending to get changed and then go to the pitch for a warm up. He had only gotten a few paces towards the stairs leading to hid dungeon dormitory when he was joined by a hurrying Urquhart.
"Where are you going?" He asked, slightly breathlessly.
"To the dorm to get changed," replied Draco. "Although I don't know what it has to do with you, seeing as practice is not until seven."
Urquhart looked abashed. "Just making sure you hadn't changed your mind. I don't want you letting down the team."
Draco felt that this comment was rather rich seeing as the entire team would have quite happily tossed him to a pack of ravening Manticore's before he became their only possibility of a full team for the quidditch final! Draco just looked at him haughtily; if it wasn't for the fact that he really wanted to play he would have told Urquhart to shove it up his backside!
"I'll see you on the pitch," said Draco, turning away and continuing on down to the dungeons. He took off his school robes and put on his casual muggle clothes. Hopefully Harper's robes would fit well enough for just one match, although he was rather shorter than Draco.
Weather was good for flying that evening Draco concluded as he crossed the grounds to the broom sheds; clear and cool with good visibility, light westerly winds not strong enough to really interfere with the handling of the broom.
He found the Slytherin team's Nimbus 2001's neatly lined up down one wall of the shed and selected one at random. He couldn't distinguish which one had been his previously, although he was sure that he had a way of telling before he couldn't recall it.
He carried the broom out to the centre of the pitch, which was mercifully deserted. The mixture of nerves and excitement to be flying again made him slightly breathless as he clumsily threw his leg over to sit astride the sleek wooden handle. He kicked off, leaving the ground with a burst of stomach-clenching acceleration and took off down the pitch towards the goal posts.
They were right, he thought, you don't forget. He dropped into a dive, then pulled up with a swerve at the last minute laughing with pure exhilaration at how free he felt. Why had he not thought to do this before?
This wasn't the same broom he had had before; it pulled slightly to the left if he wasn't concentrating but the more he flew the less he seemed to notice it, and soon was getting the instant response to his commands as he used to.
After about twenty minutes or so of flying he was feeling confident, but was also getting fatigued; when had he become so unfit?! And more importantly how was he going to manage an entire game on Saturday if he was already flagging after this short period?
He continued to practice until he heard a shout from below him, and saw the rest of the Slytherin quidditch team filing out onto the pitch, dragging their brooms. He landed and approached the group, just catching the end of what had obviously been a pep talk by Urquhart; "…like it either, but this is for the house cup!"
Draco had a fair idea what it was about but didn't engage; he didn't give a shit if they were happy about him playing or not, he was just going to enjoy it for the last time before he was forced out into the real world and had far bigger things to worry about than who won the house cup.
Practice was a success; Draco managed to fit in with the team, mainly by staying out of their way. There was no one supremely talented in the line-up; Urquhart and Vaisey were alright flyers and Elred was a good keeper, but the two beaters Baddock and Pritchard were pretty dire and had terrible aim! A couple of times a bludger came pelting towards him, which he initially assumed was due to their dislike of him, but after seeing them nearly unseat a couple of their other teammates he realised it wasn't on purpose!
The team finished practice at around 8.30pm, not leaving much time until curfew forced them back to the common room. Abandoning the vague hope he had held of seeing Granger before bed, Draco took a shower, enjoying the hot waters soothing effect on his aching muscles. He had been aware of the other boys watching him undress and felt annoyed and uncomfortable with the scrutiny; he knew it was not his good looks and athletic physique that was attracting their stares but rather the scars marring his torso and the black skull brand adorning his wrist.
It had been a long time since Draco had brought himself to examine the mark, and once he was in the privacy of the shower cubicle he steeled himself to look at it for once. It had not miraculously faded (as he always hoped deep down that it would) but was as dark and as ugly as ever, the snake's tiny eyes detailed and malevolent as it protruded from the obscenely gaping skull. He pressed a hand over it; now it felt no different to any other part of his flesh, unlike when Voldemort had been alive.
During the Dark Lord's ascendance Draco had felt an awareness of the mark at all times, like there was something foreign against his skin. Not painful, unless he was being summoned, but wrong. He thought about his attempts to remove it in the past, and wondered if it was worth writing to St Mungo's to see if there was any treatment that they could suggest for its removal. After all, how would he explain it to his kids? "Daddy was a servant of the most evil wizard of all time… now eat your vegetables!" He found himself grinning at the thought but then wondered why he was imagining kids at all; obviously the pressure exerted by his mother to marry was affecting his mind!
By the time he got out of the shower, most of the other boys had gone, leaving just him and Urquhart in the changing room. This was not by accident, Draco realised, when the captain came and sat on the bench opposite him.
"You looked alright out there." Urquhart stated.
"Yes." Replied Draco shortly; could he not just get to the point!
"Were pinning our hopes on you, you know."
"Then you're a fool!" snapped Draco. "You know as well as I do that the team sucks. There is no way that we are going to beat the team that Potter has put together this year!"
"That is why we have a very simple game plan this year. Liam will hold off as many goals as he can until you catch the snitch!" Urquhart looked at him expectantly, like he thought Draco might gasp at the brilliance of his strategy.
"That's it? That is your big plan? Are you forgetting that I have never beaten Potter to the snitch? So, whilst you're placing all your hopes on me and Elred, what are the rest of you doing?" Draco was incredulous; was Urquhart serious?
"We will be causing as much disruption as we can!" said Urquhart triumphantly.
A typical Slytherin house cup match then, thought Draco cynically. "I don't think that will work."
"What are you proposing then?" snapped Urquhart, frowning angrily.
"I'm not." Said Draco shortly. "I will try and catch the snitch as quickly as I can, and try to win the game, but there are no guarantees that I can do it."
Urquhart gave him a black look, but didn't say anything.
"Is there another practice tomorrow?" asked Draco, gathering up his stuff to leave.
"Yes. Same time."
"Ok." Draco left the changing room feeling restless; he didn't want to go back to the common room and lose the exhilaration of flying again just yet. The library would be just closing, so that was out, the only place he could think of to go to find solitude that wouldn't get him in trouble past curfew was the Room of Requirement.
He still had the feeling of unease as he approached the seventh floor corridor but concentrated hard on his and Hermione's sanctuary as he made the three passes by the tapestry. Although he would much rather share his feelings with the real Hermione, seeking refuge in a room partially modelled by her psyche was a good second choice.
The familiar door appeared, and he slipped inside, quietly shutting it behind him. The room was the same as before, although this time there was a couple of books on the kitchen work surface, and an empty mug in the sink. By far the most exciting thing was the girl curled up on the sofa, head down, engrossed in a large dusty looking book.
He stared at her for a moment, actually wondering if the room could produce the people you wanted too, until her head shot up and she saw him standing there.
"Draco!" she cried in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." He drawled, ridiculously pleased that she was there. "I didn't fancy going back to the common room just yet. I just wanted to have a little time before other people killed my buzz!"
"So practice went well?" she asked with a smile.
"Practice was shit." He replied. "Flying went well!" He crossed the room to sit with her on the sofa, taking the book from her hands and setting it on the seat next to her.
She laughed at his apparently playful mood. "And now," he said, pushing his advantage, "the evening has just gotten better."
He leant in and kissed her, softly at first, then more soundly as she responded with enthusiasm. He released her briefly to remove his shirt, and it seemed she was just as impatient as he was. He had never thought of school robes as sexy, but that was before he watched Hermione slowly drawing them up her thighs with a sultry expression on her face.
Once divested of their clothes they stumbled to the bed, tripping and giggling with their efforts to remain as close to one another as possible. He laid her down and knelt between her legs, pressing a trail of tickly kisses and nips down her chest and over her ribs making her shriek and squirm. The shrieks quickly turned into a long groan as he moved lower and delved his tongue inside her, before settling in to tease her clit. She was already wet and needing, and he revelled in the taste of her arousal.
She cried his name as her orgasm ripped through her, and he kept licking until the spasms stopped. "Impervia Concepta" he murmured, then crawled up her body to slide his throbbing cock inside her. Once as he was seated as deep as he could go he paused to look down at her face, taking in the flush painting her high cheekbones and the sound of her hectic breaths as she recovered. He kissed her already parted lips, and she opened her eyes to meet his gaze.
"That was incredible…" she breathed, raising her hand to stroke his face.
"You're incredible," he growled, thrusting into her, and for a while he was only aware of the sensations of her body against his until he found his own release. He buried his face against her neck whilst he caught his breath, wishing they could just stay like this forever.
Eventually Draco rolled onto his side, tucking Hermione under his arm.
"I don't want to go back to the dorm," she murmured sleepily into his shoulder.
"Do you have to go back?" he asked. "I know that no one will care if I don't show up." They probably wouldn't even notice he wasn't there!
"I guess not." Said Hermione. "They will just think I'm up late studying or up early studying, it wouldn't be unusual."
"Good." He said. "We can go back and get some clean clothes first thing before anyone else is up."
Turned out that they didn't have to do the quick scuttle of shame back to the dorm, as the room had laundered and pressed their clothes from the night before whilst they slept, and provided toiletries and tooth brushes.
They made their way down to the great hall separately so as not to arouse suspicion, and were seated at their house tables by the time their dorm mates came down.
Theo flopped down into the seat next to Draco. "You're up early." He commented, spearing a sausage and dropping it onto his plate.
"Yeah. Couldn't sleep." Replied Draco, forcing himself not to glance over to Hermione.
"Mmm" grunted Theo in response, already stuffing some scrambled egg into his had gotten away with it.
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