Insomnia (Ch 3)

Disclaimer: Not mine

AN: The original R rating has been scaled back for the moment. This is because I knew what scene would have that when posting but as I have yet to actually *write* it, I decided to leave the parts rated lower until the story became that graphic.

Onwards…

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The moon hung heavy, sending bluegrey blood through the body of night. Tonight it was especially thick. Draco stood at the window, holding his hand out, letting the moonlight coagulate on his pale, pale fingertips. Hands reached around him from behind, rubbing up and down his chest with artful strokes. Draco leant back into her body, feeling his senses keen with arousal. She nipped at his back, grating her teeth over the skin before lapping at it soothingly.

His pupils dilated, and the world seemed to shine like hematite. His head lolled onto his chest as the hands massaged his stomach. Movement caught his focus and he stared down to see a caped figure sliding along the grounds. His partner felt the tension in his body then.

"What's wrong, Draco?"

He shook his head and he turned away from the window. Catching her hands he brought them to his lips playfully. He pulled her in closer then, and kissed her lips hungrily. It was almost like passion. It was almost like lust. His body went through the motions, teasing noises out of her, making her whisper her name as he thrust into her. But his mind wasn't there. It was fixed on the caped figure. The one that ran underneath this window every night, ten minutes after midnight.

"Hermione," he whispered into the hair – blonde, straight hair – as he came, and didn't quite care whether she heard him or not.

* * * * *

"Hermione," Ginny smiled as her friend sank down into the seat next to her. She was late even for the Saturday breakfast crowd. Hermione smiled at her, her face bright but her eyes dull. Ginny slid the portion of unflavoured, untextured porridge mush over to the new arrival, and Hermione reached for the largest bowl of sugar in the vicinity.

"You look awful," Ginny commented. Hermione tilted her eyebrows, showing her complete lack of surprise.

"I mean it," Ginny frowned, "You can't keep doing this Hermione."

Hermione shook her head, "You don't even know what I'm doing." She scooped the porridge into her mouth. One bite, then another.

"Because you don't bloody tell me anything," hissed Ginny. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, sure that that was the first she'd ever heard her friend swear.

"I need to know 'Mione," Ginny looked around, careful that no-one was listening, "I need to know more."

Hermione's eyes closed slowly and Ginny felt a twinge of guilt. She wanted to know exactly what her friend was doing and what was happening to her, and most especially, what was running though her head these days. But it was the same every time. Hermione simply shut down when she tried to ask. This time she pushed her bowl away silently and stood.

"I'm going to bed," she stated and she walked away silently. The worst thing, Ginny thought, was that she didn't even seem to miss who she used to be.

* * * * *

"How much does he know?"

"Nice to see you too," said Hermione. She ignored the question for the moment and instead concentrated on her cape, slipping it off and folding it carefully. Her teacher barely flinched a muscle, he was used to her like this. Too many long nights, too many bruises in the morning, had left her clinging on to what control she could. Not that that helped their sessions, but he cared more for her than the instructions he was given.

"'Mione," he shook his head and he rested his hands on her shoulders. Hermione shuddered her breath out and let him massage her gently.

"He doesn't know anything," she said after a long pause. The dark trees rising up around their clearing blanketed sound more than any charm could.

"Maybe he knows something's different about me, if he's ever even looked twice before," she shook her head in thought, "But Harry and Ron haven't even picked up on anything. Malfoy's no threat."

Her master nodded then, taking his hands away from rubbing her neck.

"Ready?"

Hermione nodded once, firmly. Then they began.

* * * * *

He was a panther. He was a creature of the night, stalking his prey. He was silence given body. He was… cursing in his mind like a sailor with Tourette's. Draco looked down in disgust at the newest twig to noisily snap underneath his feet. This whole mind over matter thing was worth shit, he grumbled.

He looked up at Hogwart's then, cringing with the expectation of lights switching on across the building. Just darkness.

"Shake a leg, Malfoy," he mumbled under his breath. He took another step and screwed up his face at the riot of leaves crunching, twigs snapping and silence being broken. Mush on... and what the hell was mushing anyway? He fixed his lips into a snarl and continued.

Draco could see his window from where he was now, though it was too far away to make out much more than a green and silver casing. Hermione had come this way, the way he was following. He'd watched her pass by an hour ago. Couldn't be bothered fighting the curiosity any more, and, though painful to admit, Draco didn't have anything better to do on this Friday night than stalk the mudblood. Sleep, he thought bitterly, didn't seem to be an option.

The trees almost whispered as he approached, and he realized he'd never been to this edge of the Forest before. His skin seemed to twitch over his body as he walked closer to the treeline. It was as though some ancient magic waited, calling wanderers closer and filling them with a touch that somehow sickened, somehow thrilled.

Pricking his ears up, he was sure he'd heard something. Like someone grunting. Draco pushed though the frosted grass into the forest. He followed the dull thuds of flesh on flesh. As the sounds got louder, Draco noticed a blue glow sleeping between the trees that seemed to grow as well. Slipping behind a wide, rough Silverwhet Draco moved his head slowly around to see the source of the light.

"Uh!" One figure slammed their palm against the chest of the other, sending them backwards. Draco's mouth fell open when the man twisted backwards in the air and landed on his feet, immediately running in to attack the other. The man was tall and well-built, but with a body made for endurance more than strength. His hair was dirty blonde and his skin was tanned, though from the sun or birth, Draco didn't know.

The unearthly blue light of the clearing flowed out from a hovering orb of fire, that seemed to dance around the clearing with the two fighters. Draco found his gaze caught by it, drawn to it like a moth, until the second fighter passed in front of it and it was the silhouette that now had him entranced.

The second fighter turned as they flipped back on their hands. Black dragon-leather clung like a second skin to this fighter, a woman. Draco followed the flare of her hips, the pinch at her waist, and then the soft curves of breasts as she moved rapidly during the fight. Her hair was pulled back into a harsh knot and her face ripped around towards him as she kicked the man.

"Hermione," he whispered, as the translucent blue cut shadows over her face.

Immediately, they stopped. The man stretched up to his full height, and Hermione spun on her heels, so they were both facing the tree he was behind. Draco felt his heart crank to a stop.

"Crap," he yelped. Hermione took a step forward, her eyes narrowing further. Her hands came up from her side and Draco saw the wand in her hand, pointing in his direction. Before he could register his legs melting into his shoes with terror, Draco broke into a sprint in the opposite direction, tearing through the trees with a jolt of adrenaline egging him on.

Back in the clearing, Hermione and Errat stood listening to, rather than watching, him sprint away. Neither needed to see who it was to know.

"No threat?" he rumbled.

Hermione slipped her wand away again. She wiped her palms over her face to clean off the sweat before she met his eyes.

"I'll take care of it."

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More notes from me:

Reviews, glorious reviews! For all of you wonderful beings who gave it, lots of Potter-pops for you to sate your sugar-lust!

Jack Nolan - the name inaccurately reflects so much about me. (just the first thought through my head when I came to selecting penname really) Not sure I'll be able to continue the 'brilliance' (aww shucks), but hope you still enjoy the coming parts!

Paperdoll – thanks! hope it continues to be good :)

Erisnymph – haha – it's good to see I'm not the only one laughing at me :D Draco was very sombre when I started this but as I keep writing I seem to be channeling a more juvenile Draco with every part. And then just to ruin the ambience, he goes moody and serious for a paragraph. *sighs wearily*

Jack – long review :) extra lollipops for you!

I understand what you mean about characters changing from Lord-of-Darkness magnitude to gushily apparating eachother's underwear in potions class in the next chapter… Hmm, that gives me an idea. *ahem*

No current plans for mushiness, but they will get closer.

And I'm not as worried about keeping Hermione strong as I am about Draco becoming too gratingly juvenile.

Riona – good questions :) 1) I didn't say it was Professor Snape . 2)The dark marks are bruises, sorry if I got you confused with *the* dark marks. Hope the above chapter answered those questions anyway, at least partly.

Serpent du feu – don't know why FF.net made you sign in sorry. Riona and jack didn't have to, and I checked my settings again and it was set to accept unsigned reviews. Thanks though for the r&r :) despite the extra work involved.

Fiery Slut – sorry about making it hard to find. The AN should clear it up – these parts are just too tame for R. Later though…. *laughs mischeivously*

Okee, think that's everyone covered for the moment. Thanks again :)