A/N Hello! Kept this as a PG-13, but wasn't sure if I should upgrade it to an R. If u think it needs to be please email me and I'll bump the rating up. Ta! Like always reviews are always appreciated so go on make a girl v. happy and click on that review button!
Disclaimer: Usual applies unfortunately: JK Rowling for characters, Evanescence for songs and inspiration. Can't a girl like me own anything in this world? Is that too much to ask?
Taking over me "He's over there." His podgy finger pointed to the cell at the furthest end of the floor. Hermione followed the imaginary line that came from the finger, and could see nothing but shadows playing off the steel bars. "Thank you," she said politely. The guard merely grunted at the sign of appreciation, as he pulled out an adult magazine from beneath his stack of unfinished paperwork. Hermione overlooked the degrading titles that covered the glossy cover; she had more important things on her mind than a guard fulfilling his perverted needs. Willing herself on Hermione began to walk down the passageway, her shoes clicking and echoing off the stone. For every click came a whistle of admiration from a different cell, as all the inmates got off their beds to see which of them had a visitor. And what a visitor she was. Curly hair piled meticulously on top of a heart-shaped face, which was placed on top of a small, curvy body. She may not have been beautiful, but to men who had not seen a woman in a while she looked like heaven itself. She could feel their hungry eyes raking over her, stripping her with their lustful gazes. She began to finger her robes, pulling the material away from her body. Hermione never wore tight clothing but now it felt that her favourite robe was suffocating her, sticking to her, meeting to the wants of the despicable men around her. But her actions only seemed to spur them on. "Take it off for me, love," whispered a voice from the left of her.Could it be him?
She turned round to see gnarled hands curled round the steel bars. The fingers were aged with liver spots and deeply etched lines; she followed them upwards before they disappeared into the background of darkness. "Come on. One for an old man," he called to her. Noting her stare he spoke again, "Like what you see eh?" But he was no longer only a pair of hands, he had pushed his head forwards into the light; his large nose protruding from the cage in which he was confined to. Hermione could feel waves of repulsion moving over her, churning her stomach as she stared at his yellowed, sunken eyes. So ugly, and hideous and yet she found herself unable to look away. The voice of the guard suddenly broke her stupor. "Get back in your beds or you won't be able to get up tomorrow morning I would have cursed you so bad," came his booming voice. Hermione felt herself being thankful for his threats, whether they be just that or a fact. The old man slunk back to his hard mattress but not before uttering a promise," Don't worry love I'll get you some day." Hermione's heart was racing, and unconsciously her right hand had disappeared into her robe pocket, her fingers curled tightly around her most prized possession. She knew it would be impossible for them to do magic, they had been demagicfied before entering the prison but she still felt weary of them, scared that they would suddenly jump from their confines in front of her. Her breathing still unsettled she once again continued her walk down to his cell. Despite her determination she could feel herself slowing down, her assured stride reduced to pathetic fairy steps. Why was she so afraid? It wasn't as if he would remember her? 'You don't remember me'Why would he? She was probably just another notch in his bedpost; another conquest that lay with all the others in the dark crevices of his memory.
'But I remember you'
But to Hermione he was everything. The way he touched her, the way he kissed her. The way he brought her tumbling out of reality to a world that was filled with pure bliss and ecstasy. She could never forget the sight of his face above hers, a smile cracking the beautifully harsh features and the sparkle lighting up the traditional cold grey eyes till they were blazing with passion, burning her with the heat they radiated. And then she would hear the whispers of his voice; his breath tickling the hairs of her neck as the words he spoke echoed in her head, "Do you know how beautiful you are?"
Hermione had blushed to that remark; a rush of redness flooded her cheeks and travelled down to her shoulders, to her naked torso.
He had chuckled at her reaction, "Has no one told you how beautiful you are?" His words had caressed her skin, as he continued to kiss his way across her body. Words having been lost to moans of pleasure a while ago Hermione could only shake her head. It had been a lie; people had told her she was pretty. But they didn't count; their remarks were out of polite courtesy, a way to break the ice. Never had it been said to her as a pure complement, a statement of fact. That was before that night.
He had noted the shake of her head and brought his face back to hers. "Well you are and don't ever think otherwise." He had sealed his command with a hard kiss. His lips moved across hers like silk, as his tongue tasted all she had to offer him.
And so their first and last night together had past in a blur of burning kisses and long, gentle moans.
When she woke up, the early morning sun heating her skin, she was alone, and she had never been so cold in her life before. She had cried in the shower that morning, trying to rub the remnants of the night off her. But her wet skin still tingled with the touches of his lips and fingers. Her knees had buckled under her as she fell on the tiled floor, the water swirling around her before it was sucked down into the plughole. If only she could do that she had thought regretfully. If only she could get away from here and not have to see him again. She knew what would happen. He would move on to another girl. Charming her and teasing her in the same ways he had done to her. Surprising shows of kindness behind the backs of others, single flowers sent through owls in the morning and gentle touches to naked fingers that sent rockets of shivers up and down your spine. In the past she had been observant enough to see his actions from afar and inwardly always thought the girls who fell for his tricks as pathetic and mindless. But that was before her first tulip, before her first lingering peck on the cheek in the shadows of an alcove. Granted she took longer to seduce than the others a fact that made him smile, for he told her 'he liked a challenge.'
And true to form Draco had indeed dedicated his attentions to another, a blonde-leggy Ravenclaw if Hermione remembered correctly. She had spent the next few days, weeks ignoring him, wanting desperately for the rest of the year to pass. Walking away from his insults that he continued to shower on her and her friends. Trying to disguise the shameful blush that would arise as he purposely flicked his eyes over her body, to that of an expression of anger. It was easy enough for her to forget about him during the day or even in the evening for she would just immerse herself in the mountains of work that were piled on her table. But in the night, when her eyes were too tired to look at endless pages of text, and her fingers too sore to scratch words onto parchment she would lie in bed. Her gaze fixed on the ceiling over her, trying to pay no attention to the shadows that seemed to play above her head forming Draco like figures. They would float towards her, brushing against her. She would close her eyes tightly, screwing them so hard that the muscles of her eyelids hurt with the tension. Frantic in her need to let the darkness envelope her and shroud her world in dreamless sleep.
'I lie awake and try so hard
Not to think of you'
But as soon as her eyes were closed he would creep into her mind, invade her dreams. Loving her in her sleep
'But who can decide what they dream?'
Graduation came soon enough, keeping the final shreds of Hermione's sanity in tact. She couldn't be within the same four walls as him for any longer. Her heart was burning with longing and desire, so much so that she felt it would explode with the pressure of the feelings restrained within it. She had given her speech as Head Girl, thanking the teachers, wishing her classmates all the best. All the while she could feel his eyes upon her, worshipping every inch of her, trying to put her off. Thankfully she had completed the address without any major mistakes but by the end of it she was desperate for fresh air, and she had run out of the hall, through the doors and onto the lush grounds of Hogwarts.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o Start Flashback
She hastily removed her robe, tossing it carelessly on the ground. The cool breeze swept over her skin, cooling the heat that two grey orbs had managed to generate in her cells.
"Take it off for my benefit Granger?" came a smug voice from behind her. She could smell his aftershave in the air surrounding them. She closed her eyes, allowing it to fill her senses making her ever so slightly light-headed.
"Why are you doing this?"
He moved closer towards her. His chest inches away from her back. It took all of Hermione's will power to not lean into him, seeking his strength to support the weakness that was overcoming her. Her knees nearly bowed under her as he placed a cool hand on her neck, teasing the goose bumps that had risen on her flesh.
"Because I want to." Soft lips replaced soft fingers.
All rational thoughts vanished from her head as Hermione could resist no longer and she fell back on him, resting her weight fully on him. The fingers on her right hand entwined themselves in the fine strands of platinum, keeping his head in the deeply satisfying position. He alternated between biting and licking, hurting then soothing. Two opposites culminating to produce soul-shattering results, as she moaned his name again and again. Her whimpers carried through the open air, rippling the water on the lake.
But too soon it was over and his lips departed from the connection to her wet, sore skin. She was about to beg him not to stop when he cut her off.
"Good-bye Hermione."
Her eyes widened. Had he just said her name? It had rolled of his tongue so naturally, so wonderfully. She didn't know someone could make her name so beautiful.
"Draco" she whispered.
But he had already walked away from her. His tall figure striding back to the impressive building of Hogwarts. She could feel the beginning of tears forming at the corners of her eyes threatening to fall at any moment.
"I love you." The words had floated with the wind up to her ears, caressing her, blanketing her in a sheet of joy. She collapsed onto the ground, tears wetting the blades of grass. Seconds after, the screams of graduating students burst forth from the open doors, as they spilt out of the great hall. She turned towards them, desperate to find him in the crowd. However she could not. He was gone.
*o*o*o*o*o*o*o*o* End Flashback
Till this day Hermione wasn't sure whether it was him who had spoken such blessed words or the spiteful wind and her own imagination playing tricks on her. But she believed in the former.
'And dream I do……'
The years had been and gone for Hermione. They had trundled along in hours filled with mundane work and the usual humdrum of life. Get up, get changed, head to the ministry, work, go back home, have dinner and sleep. On the odd occasion she would meet up with Harry and Ron but they had grown up since their days at Hogwarts, and had other friendships to up keep, lovers to satisfy. They both had someone to go home to, someone to help them forget their problems. Hermione had no such person, only a dream, a ghost made up of past memories and hidden desires. A ghost that couldn't hold her, couldn't kiss her in a world that wasn't the one that came upon her in the night as she slept. In the world that mattered.
And so she had kept sneaking glances at the various reports that came in, anything that gave any clue, any hint to his whereabouts. He had gone missing years ago, when the dark side had buckled under the efforts of the light. To his name were the murders of several muggles, witches, wizards, and bodies of children lying in small graves. But she never believed it. She could never love a murderer?
It were the relatives, they cried for blood, to make up for that spilt by their loved ones and Draco was simply a name pulled out a hat. A scapegoat for people's want for revenge.
For how could the boy, the man who had once told her she was beautiful so affectionately, putting to rest all her insecurities, be a killer?
'I believe in you'
Maybe she was misguided. A fool blinded by love.
In the past Hermione had always had a clear-cut picture when concerned with right and wrong, good and evil; it was either black or white. That was until Draco Malfoy; who singly brought her boundaries crashing to the ground so everything became an uncertain, undistinguishable mix of greyish hues. Her mind heavy with the onslaught that her beliefs had untaken Hermione had gone through a period of serious contemplation – still the logical girl she was when she was eleven. And on reflection she concluded that those grey patches were what you wanted it to be and she believed in him. To her he was still good, still pure, and still able to love.
'I'd give up everything just to find you'
That's probably why she was here, walking towards him, be it very slowly, in the middle of the night. Her wand tucked in her pocket, the dark incantation whirling round in her head, imprinting its words of her mind. As soon as she had found out about his capture she had rushed home, excuses of illness to her bemused colleagues trailing behind her. She had taken her stairs two at a time, she didn't realise that her breathing had become so heavy, her heart pounding to an extreme or her muscles tight with over use, for at that moment she had felt that she could fly. On reaching her room she had proceeded to tip her beloved books off her bookshelf.
Thump. Thump.
Each fell.
In a state of excitement she had flicked so fast through the hundreds of pages that her fingers were shredded with paper cuts, desperately searching for a spell, any spell that would bring him back to her. And as the room descended into darkness she had finally found it, a tiny spell that could mean the start of a new beginning.
But at the same time, the ending of one lifetime. She knew this would mean giving up everything , her friends, her job, and her family. She would be outcaste, a criminal. She would become someone that she had always despised, but then maybe she was just part of that grey patch.
Love was a viable reason for her actions wasn't it, she was still good wasn't she?
'I have to be with you to live to breathe
You're taking over me'
At long last she finally reached his cell. She could hardly see the light was so bad, however every now and then she would see a flash of silver before it once again hid in the shadows.
"Draco," she called quietly to him. Another glimpse of hair.
"Draco."
Furtively looking round she withdrew the wand from its place. She was shaking as she positioned it opposite the lock, her voice trembled as she spoke the dark incantation that opened the cell door.
Click
The door swung open silently. She padded in, still looking cautiously around her. As soon as she had passed into the cell the door closed shut. She headed to the corner where she knew he would be crouched, she could sense his presence, even in the dark, even after all these years.
"Draco." A shuffle of limbs. Her skin began prickling with the energy he radiated. He was just in front of her. Her breathe caught in her throat and she sank to her knees, bringing her to his level.
She was met with bright silver eyes, that could be best described as 'blank', not even glimmer of emotion rippling thought them. She could hear heart pulsating for all it was worth in her chest, pounding against her ribs as she found herself falling in the pools of steel. His breath hit against her skin, kissing her cheek in hot touches. The palms of her hands became sticky with sweat. He was so close. Close enough to kiss him. Hesitantly she brought her hand up to his face, brushing her fingers against his lips. He didn't recoil but then neither did he lean into her caresses.
"Do you not remember me?" she whispered. His expression remained neutral.
"Do you not remember how you told me you loved me?" her voiced cracked, together with all her hope and dreams as once again he failed to respond.
'Have you forgotten all I know
And all we had?'
She had heard that when they had captured him, he had come with them silently. That he had had a face of a man who was defeated, a man who could no longer fight; in either words or actions. That he had not spoken a word since. That all he did was stare into space. The rumours that filtered through the ministry suggested that he had been tortured and broken, but the name of the torturer was still only a question mark. In truth they didn't care, they had their man and the fact that he was refusing to speak meant that his incarceration would be easier.
Hermione picked up on all of these at work, but she hadn't believed them. Her Draco was not one to go down silently, he would be kicking and screaming like the sly, cunning creature he was. She had been expecting him to say something whether it be to proclaim his undying love for her or laugh at her for ever thinking he could love her.
However sitting here his eyes still a blanket of unflickering grey she felt herself suddenly crashing back to reality, realising that all her plans had been to seek a future that could probably never exist. The man that she loved with all her soul was not there anymore, the man in front of her was just an empty shell.
And she began to cry for him, for her. They were both beyond saving.
'You saw me mourning my love for you
And touched my hand
I knew you loved me then'
The clear tears were flowing down her cheeks falling freely on her robes as well as his. She brought her hand up to her face and harshly wiped the stream away. It was then that she could feel something cool and rough slide slowly across her fingers. Shocked she stopped her vigorous rubbing, her eyes peeked over her hand, to see another set of fingers gently caressing it. She looked up and could see him looking back at her, recognition and love shimmering through the murky depths of his eyes. Gradually he lifted her hand of her face, his gaze never leaving hers as gently he laid it on her lap.
"Hermione." He whispered.
She did not have time to revel in the feelings that lifted her deflated heart as he softly put his lips to hers.
'I believe in you
I'd give up everything just to find you'
And as they apparated hand in hand, a cloud of dark magic left behind in the cell; her lips were still tingling with his touch. And as they slinked into the night, the sound of the escape alarms ringing in their ears; jolts of electricity were still firing from all the nerve endings that were excited by his kiss. And as she entered the empty house of her parents', and helped him get into bed, watching as his eyes closed she still remembered the way he murmured "I love you" as their lips had parted.
'to be with you to live to breathe
You're taking over me'
Hermione switched on her bathroom light and shivered as she entered the cold room. Her toes curled up as they made contact with the cool tiles. She walked towards the bathroom mirror. Her hair had come apart, and misbehaving strands littered her shoulders. Her eyes had not done well with the hours of lost sleep. Heavy black bags underlined her large eyes, which were now tainted with an ugly shade of red. The skin of her face was cracked and lined by the chill that had descended upon them that night. She smiled to herself; she had never looked so bad before but then she had never felt so contented inside. To think that one person could bring out the best and worst of her at the same time. Glancing to the top right corner she could see him collapsed on her bed, his beautiful face nestled in her pillows, his eyes closed by the effects of deep sleep.
'I look in the mirror and see your face'
. Opening the tap she allowed the hot water to gush into the sparkling sink below. The steam rose up misting her reflection. Passing her hand under the water she splashed some on her face, recoiling as the scalding heat touched her cold face. Gasping slightly she reached blindly for her hand towel.
With her right hand she rubbed the steam of the coated cabinet. One smear and she could see her eyes staring back at her. She moved in closer curious to see what they revealed. He always said he could see everything in her eyes, but she had never noticed before. Looking deep she was startled to see how right he was. She seemed to display everything, hiding nothing.
Guilt – for deceiving her friends
Regret- for the knowledge that she would never see them again
Anger- for their inability to understand her feelings to the one man she cared for so deeply she would risk everything
Hope- for the future
Fear- for what could happen to them both if they were caught
'If I look deep enough
So many things inside that are'
Yet putting all these to shame with their insignificance was the emotion of love that seemed to knock them all to the periphery of her brown eyes while it itself took centre stage. Shining brightly. Making her normally dull eyes shimmer with colour.
The love for him transcended above every other emotion, thought in her body. It was all that mattered to her.
'Just like you are taking over me'
Reaching out she switched out the light, putting to dark her reflection. Removing her robe as she walked she placed it on the dressing table stool. No daily ritual of combing hair and applying cream was carried out; she had better things to do. She sat on the bed, her heart racing at the prospect of once again sharing a bed with him. Lifting her legs gently as not to wake him she turned to rest next to him. Her hand flitted to his hair, brushing away strands from his face. His features twitched with the unexpected contact before settling down to their peaceful expression. She moved in closer, close enough for his warm breath to caress her cheek, making it glow with happiness. She wasn't sure what would happen tomorrow. A group of aurors would either burst through their doors or they would have time to run away from everything and everyone they knew and were familiar with. An arm was suddenly placed around her waist as she was dragged towards him, so that his head was placed comfortably in the crook of her shoulder.
And as her heart crescendoed down to its normal rhythm and her eyes drooped with sleep, tomorrow was forgotten.
For she was with him.
He was with her.
They were together.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Fini*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N wasn't expecting to update so soon just sorta happened- prob a case of me doin anything to avoid the crappiness that is revising for exams.This was rather fluffy when compared to the one that just past, and again the characters don't seem quite right but as usual wud love reviews (only got 2 last time = rather sad author) so if u've read this please do and let me know what u think! It will only take a minute – so go on! You know u want to…………….
Thanx to: me19 – *blushes * thanks! Hope u like this one!
Harshipper- the last one was rather miserable wasn't it? But hope this one made up it! (I thought the ending was rather sweet this time)
For reviewing big sparkly gold stars are being transported throu computer land to u, u brill people!!
Luv Cedar1
Oooo and still looking for a beta! Any takers? Please email me!