Chapter 11 (Realizations)

Harry quietly made his way back to Gryffindor tower, slipping off his invisibility cloak right before getting to the entrance. He had to wake the fat lady to give her the password and she couldn't resist giving him a scolding. You 7th years are all the same; you think the rules don't apply to you anymore!

Harry ignored her and entered the common room hoping Ron wasn't still up. He didn't feel like facing him yet. He was delighted to find a lone Ginny dozing off next to the fire in one of the big comfortable chairs, but he wondered if perhaps he should just let her sleep to give him more time to think about what he had just witnessed. He decided to talk with her, so he woke her with a kiss.

Ginny said through a yawn. I've been waiting for you. Where were you tonight?

He pulled her out of her chair, sat down on it himself, and then pulled her onto his lap. He cuddled her and gave her a kiss before answering. I hope you won't be mad at me. I also attended the prefect's initiation tonight.

Ginny giggled, I don't mind at all. That really was quite the party wasn't it? I can't believe what I came up with for the final initiation. The Gryffindor 5th years who walked back with me said they were so glad they picked the right person on the first try! Ginny noticed the time and thought for a moment. Wait a sec. The party ended over an hour ago. Where were you?

The party hadn't completely ended when the prefects left, Ginny. Our new Head Boy and Girl continued the party by themselves. I'm still trying to come to terms what I heard and saw. Harry stated. If he hadn't seen what he had just witnessed, there is no way he would have believed it was possible. Have you noticed anything different about Hermione since King's Cross this morning?

Ginny answered, You're kidding right? For one, she's just about to break up with my brother. We talked about it before the party. I think that's why she didn't spend more time at The Burrow this summer. She was also really chummy with Malfoy at the prefect meeting on the train and you saw them at the party!

You didn't even begin to see how they acted together, Gin. Don't tell Ron, but they were more than chummy' in the bath after the rest of you left. They couldn't take their hands off each other Harry confided. Ginny's eyes opened wide with surprise. The guilt Harry felt over his actions during the carriage ride with Hermione was already hard to live with, and now this. Had he driven her to it somehow?

He didn't tell Ginny that he had heard something else about some sort of selection Malfoy needed to make and he wanted to choose her, but Hermione tried to talk him into selecting Pansy instead. He wasn't sure Malfoy noticed but she seemed almost desperate about it, like she was protecting Ginny from some horrible fate. As much as she seemed to be enjoying herself, she got some pretty shocking information about the extent of the Death Eaters power out of him. I know it's something that The Order isn't even aware of. She agreed to their own private initiation that pretty much included any physical contact that didn't involve removing or shifting their bathing suits.

Our Hermione? Ginny's eyes were now as round as saucers. Is she going all Mata Hari on us?

I hope to God that's the answer, Ginny. Harry held her close. Peeves caught them not too long before they left and Malfoy threatened to send him straight to hell. Draco has been known to brag, but you should have seen this strange glowing light coming from his eyes when he said it! Peeves believed he had that power so I think I may have to believe it as well.

Ginny looked scared. What do we do? What if she's not just being a double agent?

I don't know. I just find it hard to believe that what I saw was really the Hermione I've known for the past 6 years. I wonder if there is more to this and she needs help. Harry answered simply. Part of me wants to run to their rooms with my wand drawn and rescue her, but she looked far too comfortable to be under duress. The only other answer is an unforgivable curse but I don't think Malfoy could cast one without Dumbledore sensing it somehow. He snuggled Ginny closer and they kissed for a few more minutes. We should get to bed, we both have classes in the morning. If you see her first, don't let her know I was there. I'll try to catch her alone tomorrow

After an extended goodnight kiss, Harry and Ginny went to their respective dorm rooms.

Harry removed his shoes before entering the 7th year boy's dorm and quietly walked to his four-poster. He quickly closed the curtains, changed into his pajamas and climbed under the covers relieved that no one had been awake when he came in. He was quickly overcome with guilt as he remembered hitting Hermione less than 8 hours ago. Before he hit her, she seemed to be ranting about how Harry only seemed to be interested in girls that played Quidditch. There did seem to be some truth to that, but why did she care? She had actually seemed jealous. She was also dead wrong about him having sex with his team members, or anyone else for that matter, though he did have to admit that Hogwarts Quidditch girls still took up a lot of his fantasies and that had begun as far back as first year. His thoughts drifted off for a moment, Tight khaki clad crotches wrapped around thick round poles... damn Hermione, could she see right though him? What did she have to feel jealous about?

An answer came to him that should have been more obvious than the lightning bolt on his forehead. He didn't know why he hadn't seen it before. Hermione liked him and most likely she had felt that way for a long time. He thought back to their years together at Hogwarts. She was always willing to give female-based dating advice, but he remembered how hurt she had been in 4th year when neither he nor Ron invited her to the Yule Ball. In 5th year, she was really nice about Cho, but she also seemed a little too happy when things didn't work out between them. In the summer between their 5th and 6th year, she seemed to find a lot of excuses to try to be alone with him until he started dating Ginny. He had been happy when Hermione had started to date Ron, but there was something about it that had always bothered him. They never really seemed to act like a couple. When they argued, it was never affectionate or playful, it always seemed to be because they didn't have a clue about what the other was thinking and it hadn't gotten any better in the past year. Ron seemed to look at Hermione's intelligence and morality as more of an obstacle than an asset. This was so different than when he and Hermione had differences, we seemed to always respect each other's opinion.

Had she only started dating Ron to have an excuse to still be around so much? With me spending so much time with Ginny, if Ron had started dating someone else, no matter how hard we tried for it not to happen, Hermione might have been pushed out of the picture little by little. A 5th wheel. A second wave of guilt flooded Harry's mind. Was she turning to Malfoy because she couldn't have the person she really wanted? Harry thought of his precious friend and had no idea how to help. He thought of how good it felt this past year to have someone like Ginny to hold any time he felt anxiety or needed comfort and could understand why someone might seek that kind of physical outlet, but she was actually turning to an enemy for this.

He thought about the Order. She might be getting some great information from Malfoy, but it was wrong for her to use her body to get it. The guilt was almost overwhelming, but just as she couldn't change to love Ron just because he wanted her, Harry couldn't change his feelings for Ginny just because it now looked like Hermione had been interested in him for a long time. But then another memory came back to him, the strong but fleeting desire to kiss her right before things went so wrong during their carriage ride. Harry drifted off to sleep and had nightmare after nightmare of Malfoy using silver eye beams to make Hermione attend to his every desire. The dreams were brutal, but luckily, he did not remember them in the morning.

***

Draco and Hermione arrived in their shared sitting room. Draco dropped their shoes and put both arms around Hermione. He looked into her eyes. Would you like to continue our little initiation? I promise to follow the rules.

Hermione, still a little shaken by the implications of the amount of power she now knew existed, nodded her head yes. Draco picked her up and carried her into his bedchamber and placed her on his bed. He waved his wand and the door shut behind them. The room was luxurious. The dimensions and furniture were the same as her room, but it was outfitted in green and black with sliver accents. The bed was covered with a black silky fabric with a green and silver pattern. It was so soft; it almost felt like velvet, but it was softer to the touch. When she looked more closely at the pattern she saw that it was a combination of minute but very detailed Slytherin and Malfoy family crests embroidered in silk.

I thought we were going to stay in the sitting room? She asked.

This is far more comfortable. He noticed her examining the bedspread pattern. Do you like it?

She was still looking at the design but answered, I'd feel a bit safer in our public area, but I think I can take care of myself.

He smiled at her knowingly, I think you like the element of danger it adds. I've heard that you are one hell of a little warrior, but here with me alone you know you've given up some control. You know I could switch from giving you pleasure to agony in a matter of seconds. Hermione didn't acknowledge his statement; she broke eye contact and began to stroke the soft fabric beneath her. he smiled, when I asked, Do you like it?' I was specifically asking about the bedspread, silly, not the change in rooms! Do you like my bedspread?

She ran her fingers over its softness. It's beautiful. She commented simply.

He removed his robe and neatly placed it on a chair. It was hand-made by nuns in the 16th century in what would now be Austria. Every tiny stitch was hand embroidered by a cloistered virgin. A protection spell keeps it looking brand new. He reached out to Hermione and removed her robe and carefully placed it on top of his. You are so exquisite in that white bathing suit. When did you become so beautiful? She lay on her left side. He sat down next to her and started running his hand from her neck, across her shoulder and down her side feeling the part of her right breast not covered by her suit as his hand settled on her tiny waist. I don't want to spoil the mood, but I can't believe I ever didn't find you attractive. Even when I look back, I can remember signs of you maturing and becoming more beautiful each year. I don't know why I didn't appreciate it before now.

Hermione smiled shyly. It's not like I appreciated you before either!

Of course you did! he commented egotistically. I've always been attractive.

She argued, Not when you had that stupid slicked back hair you weren't!

She made him laugh. OK, I'll give you that! He lay down next to her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She had recovered from her earlier fears and cuddled and kissed back. So I can do what I want to anything that isn't covered by fabric? She nodded. He slid down and began kissing her cleavage and her breasts right up to the edges of her skimpy top. She sighed and moaned happily. He began to work his way down with kisses, stopping for a bit to spend extra attention to her belly button which made her giggle a bit. Ticklish, aren't we?

I'd love to lie and say no, but you'd just find out anyway. He just nodded and went back to kissing. He kissed right at the edges of her bikini bottom and he could hear her breathing heavy and her soft moans. He rolled her onto her back, then eased her legs apart and kissed the insides of her thighs and worked his very up to the very edges of her bathing suit. Since she was wearing a thong bottom, he had access to her ass. He reached under her and caressed and massaged her well-rounded bottom as his lips and tongue explored the boundaries of her suit. She was trembling and obviously enjoying the treatment so much, he wondered if he could actually give her an orgasm that way. It would certainly be a new experience for him, having always had the equivalent of an all-access pass to any female he wanted. He was also used to being quite the selfish lover, feeling it was his only responsibility to make sure the woman was ready for penetration and even his motivation in that was selfish; it was easier for him that way. He didn't have to put up with Ouch, I'm not ready' or Stop, that hurts! The only time he did anything extra to give pleasure to his partners was if he happened to feel like performing acts they enjoyed.

Hermione absolutely ached. Over the past month she had done more experimentation alone in her room and she could feel how close she was to coming, but she was used to totally being in control of every aspect of the manipulation of her body parts. Someone else deciding what to caress and kiss at what time was so stimulating. She didn't know it herself, but Draco had been correct. She also was incredibly turned on by the danger she had placed herself in. Even before she knew of the powerful dark magic he possessed, she was still with someone she had always thought of as an enemy. Her wand was across the room, she was powerless if he decided to tear off her bikini bottom and do more than what they agreed upon. She began to almost wish he would; it felt like there was this huge empty void building between her legs that needed to be filled by something large and warm. The ache grew as his kisses became more desperate as he gently pulled on the skin he was allowed to touch to manipulate the areas that were off limits. It took all her willpower not to tear off her bikini bottom herself and beg him to fuck her as hard as he could.

Draco felt her trembling with passion and felt a sense of pride, accomplishment and conceit as he felt her getting closer and closer to a release. She was breathing so hard and making the most adorable moans! Then, without warning, she abruptly pulled away.

Hey! I wasn't done with you yet! he argued and tried to pull her back to him.

She was out of breath, but got her meaning across through her panting, It's not fair. And she breathed in and out and in and out... All this attention focused just on me. Let me return the favor. Hermione panted and tried to calm herself down a bit. This playing with fire and fooling around a bit with Draco was fun and a turn on, but she has been so close to begging him to take her. He was not going to be her first. Not even his finger was going to enter her. That was something she was saving for someone else.

Draco hid that he was annoyed with her, but how could he stay mad if she stopped him because she felt it was his turn?' He lay back on the bed and her eyes took in his body. The first thing she noticed was that two to three inches of a very erect penis was sticking out over the top of his swim trunks. She cleared her throat and admonished, Um, Draco, part of the deal was that no body parts were allowed to slip out' of our bathing suits.

Draco laughed, It's not a matter of slipping, hun. The suit's just not big enough to hold me in. Besides, earlier this evening you accused me of always bragging about my assets. I wasn't just bragging.

You are such an arrogant bastard! Hermione jokingly admonished him because she noticed that his waistband seemed to have been pushed down quite a bit. She sat across his knees, and then grabbed the sides of his swimsuit waistband and pulled it back to its correct height, and let it snap back sharply into place around his waist. This completely covered his engorged member. She grinned and began tickling his sides. Too small to cover you, huh?

Draco couldn't hold back anymore. He began laughing from the tickles but let her continue past the point where it was pleasant because of the way his lack of control of the situation was turning him on. He didn't think she had a clue what she was actually doing to him. He was sure Hermione thought she was performing an innocent act and not something that could be considered an exquisite form of torture. She got tired of the tickling, so she lay down on top of him and they began kissing again. They rolled over a few times still keeping their lips locked together. Hermione noticed what looked like some very expensive hand cream on his bedside table. When she was back on top, she stopped the rolling and reached for it. She saw that it was a tin of body cream from a famous apothecary that contained shea butter and other luxurious ingredients. She opened it up and smelled. It was lovely and had a smell that would be appropriate for either sex. Shall, I give you a massage, Mr. Malfoy? She asked.

Be my guest, Miss Granger, he answered. He watched her as she climbed off of him and crawled to the foot of the bed. She took some of the thick shea butter in her hands and began caressing and massaging his feet, taking time to suck on each toe and then massaging between them with the thick, creamy lotion. She worked his way up each of his legs, taking all the time she wanted. She did reach under the leg openings of his suit a bit because she wanted to be able to get to his whole leg. She sat across his thighs and massaged the cream into his toned abs, starting right at the edge of his waistband. She moved up and worked on his chest, spending extra time on each nipple. Then she moved to his shoulders and down his arms spending extra time on his hands sucking each finger.

They took a short kiss break before turning him over and starting the process from the top down on his back. Draco was glad she couldn't see his face anymore. He had never felt more taken care of and pampered and dare he think it, more loved? He felt her lubricated hands caress the small of his back, skip his swimsuit, and start working on the backs of his legs.

He had been planning on going right back to what he had been doing when it was her again, but he changed his mind and decided to see if she'd enjoy a massage as well. He sat up and after a few kisses, he began the same treatment on her body, paying special attention to her breasts. Her bathing suit top was quite skimpy, so he had plenty of access. Even though the suit was lined, he could see her rock hard nipples sticking out through the material of her top. He began to try to work the same magic he had started before between her thighs, and since she was so aroused by the massage, he heard her moans and saw her chest heaving with each breath within minutes. He fingered right at the edges of her bathing suit and kissed licked and sucked at her thighs and didn't stop. She bit her lip to stop herself from begging him to quit teasing already and fuck her, and also gripped handfuls of bedspread in each hand to stop herself from either tearing her bathing suit bottom off herself or reaching down and grabbing his hard cock and shoving it in herself. If there hadn't been a protection spell on the bedspread, her fingers would have torn the material to shreds from the power of her desire. She finally shook with ecstasy as orgasmic waves rocked her body. She screamed out with a yell that seemed to admonish any repressed sexual ideas she had held in the past. She whispered one word far too quietly for Draco to hear. Maybe it wasn't even whispered, maybe her mouth just made the shapes of the syllables. That word was,

She caught her breath, and looked down. For a fleeting moment she could have sworn she saw a head of black hair and green eyes, but the actual hair was Platinum and his eyes were grey. He cuddled her close. You really know how to let yourself get lost in those sensations, don't you, Granger? Draco asked.

She cuddled closer and kissed him. May I stay the rest of the night, Draco?

He took a quick look at the clock and with more intensity than planned said, No Way! Hermione looked hurt, but he showed her why. It's already 7:45. We need to be at breakfast in 15 minutes!