Disclaimer time - ok . . .blah, blah no, I do not own Draco (much to my great dismay), Hermione or any other characters you may recognize, if I did the movies would get far more interesting, trust me. This chapter is part 2 in what started as an absurdly long chapter, now broken up into 3, that was supposed to be somewhat of a break from the more intense past few chapters, but Draco & Hermione both insisted on being stubborn, so this part of the story which refused to go according to plan, but hopefully reads ok {{{sighing}}}. WARNING – there is recreational drug use in this chapter {if the title didn't tip you off, then I apologize for the spoiler}, I debated over whether to post this chapter or to edit it, based on a few reviews, I received, eventually deciding to post it, slightly altered. I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I honestly tried & failed in rewriting a plausible alternative version, besides if it matters at all, while Draco is partaking in illegal substances, it is for medicinal purposes, I swear ;). And of course, any typos & grammatical errors are, as usual, my fault . . . sorry. Anyway, let's skip anymore of the AN & get back into the story . . .
Chapter 24 – Smoking Up With Hufflepuff
Hermione's eyes opened wide as the unfamiliar and strangely sweet smoke burned her eyes and throat. Rubbing her eyes, she was shocked. Sitting around her in a loose circle were various members of her class, who were apparently smoking something that was very obviously not cigarettes!!! She turned to Draco in shock, fully prepared to start screaming at him. Scanning the room, he spotted an open spot in a far corner, outside the circle and almost out of sight, stalking towards it, he forcefully pushed her down onto a plush cushion on the floor, before almost falling down himself right next to her. Pulling her tightly against him, Draco looked down at the more than rebellious look in her face that all but promised him a very swift and painful retribution.
Making the quick decision, Draco leaned down and in a voice pitched low enough to only be audible to her, whispered, "I know I'll hear about this later, but before you completely flip out, listen to me for once and follow my lead. Otherwise I will be forced to silence you," his hand that had reached around her throat in a slight caress, tightened a mere fraction, but enough for her to understand him, as he pointedly tapped the side of her neck with his wand, "and despite what you may believe, I really don't want to have do that, ok?" She nodded, although her eyes still glared at him and his lips lightly brushed against her temple, as his hand loosened and his thumb began rubbing her skin, even as his free hand slipped his wand back into his pocket. She tried to break free of his arms and Draco grimaced slightly, but wasn't about to let go, so she relaxed against his body, deciding to wait until he loosened his grip on her.
Smirking Draco felt her acquiescence, but knew damn well she was only waiting for her opportunity and that was fine with him. As far as he was concerned, it was all a matter of negotiation and compromise and since he had no intention of losing, he was confident that this too would end in his advantage. "Finchley, pack me a bowl, will you?" He called out, tucking her head snugly under his chin. The Hufflepuff prefect raised an eyebrow questioningly, making an oblique reference to Hermione's presence that Draco scoffed at. "Look I always knew that you Hufflepuff lot were a bit on poncy side, but get over it, will you?"
"Yeah, well I'm in her house and I'm wondering what the hell you're thinking bringing her here," Seamus's voice grew louder as he continued speaking. He stopped short when they both turned to stare at him, before quickly adding, "no offense, of course, Hermione."
"None taken, I'm sure," Draco voice was full of irony that completely escaped Seamus. "Look Finnigan, I know you're currently stoned out of your head and your intelligence level was low enough to begin with, but try to understand me when I say that I've already explained the deal to Hermione. As always, what happens in this room, stays in this room, nothing has changed."
"Oh what's the matter, Granger can't talk for herself? She's got to let the purebred speak for her?" Owen Cauldwell sneered, his words ugly and slurred, as if he'd been drinking as well.
Draco's glare quickly focused, dangerously bright, on him, "She doesn't have anything to prove to a burnt out loser, like you. I brought her here, push me any further and I'll more than enjoy showing you your proper place. Watch your step, Hufflepuff." For all the anger of his words, his voice was intensely cold and compressed. Hermione was unable to repress a shiver, all too aware of how similar his behavior compared to that of his father earlier. For a moment, Draco wanted him to continue, wanted nothing more than the chance to waste him in a duel. He brought himself back under control. Yeah, he was pissed that Seamus and Owen had to open their fucking mouths, but the fact of the matter was he brought her here and at this point, he'd likely get his ass kicked anyway. He really was an idiot sometimes, and decided to chalk this experiment up as one not to be repeated anytime soon. However, in true Malfoy form, he refused to back down, hopefully his reputation would prove intimidating enough.
"I didn't bitch when any of you were brought in here, so I expect you to keep your shit to yourself. Now does anyone else have a fucking problem?" He challenged, looking around the room searching for a hint of dissonance, smirking slightly when no one dared to meet his eyes. "So Finchley, will you now pass me the bloody bowl? And will somebody please turn up the damned music, because even if it sucks, which believe me it does, it's still better than listening to your mindless babble . . ."
Hermione was beyond furious, she couldn't believe that he had the audacity to bring her, the head girl, here and then actually threatened her!!! Ok, so, he was defending her now . . . sort of, but then again, he was the one who dragged her here in the first place. At this point, she didn't even care that he was hurt, her elbow suddenly jabbing him in the stomach almost involuntarily. Breaking out into a sudden coughing fit, Draco folded his body around hers, subtly pinning her arms to her sides for his own protection.
"Look, if you'll recall, I told you to leave me alone and you decided to follow me. No one is going to report you, if that's what you're worried about, nor are you going to report anyone else. So calm down and chill the fuck out, ok?" Draco hissed in her ear.
"You are such a bastard," she whispered back just as fiercely, still trying to squirm against his body.
Draco laughed in her ear, a low and seductive sound that she could feel as well as hear reverberate though her, almost coaxing her to give in to him. "Maybe so, but I'm also the bastard who is holding you, so a bit of respect might be in order, hmmm? Besides, while you might be angry with me, think about it - if you weren't here, then where would you be, lying on your bed, all alone? Can honestly tell me that you'd prefer that? Live a little, Hermione, open yourself up to alternative possibilities, you might enjoy it more than you think. Everyone here has something to lose if this becomes public knowledge, so no one is going to narc on you for this little escapade. If it makes you feel better, I could cast oblivate on the lot of them, they're so burnt that they'd never even know the difference."
"Oh, yeah, curse everyone, because that would just make things sooo much better. Draco, if I get expelled for this – "
"Then I'd be deprived of your lovely visage, not to mention sparkling intellect," he quickly cut her off, smirking. "You need to relax and trust me just a little bit. You are, after all, one of the very few people here even worth speaking to. If you can't bring yourself to believe I wouldn't let you get expelled for your sake, then by now you should, at least, know I wouldn't allow it for my own purely selfish reasons." Hermione rolled her eyes at the arrogance inherent in his argument, not even knowing where to begin to verbally take him down.
Draco reached out to grab the pipe Justin passed to him, and with a warning glance to Hermione, released her to light it up. Taking a moment to chill out, he let the smoke and music surround them, creating an almost invisible wall between them and the others, leaving them in their own world. She contemplated breaking free, but really what was the point? It seemed to be her lot in life to get dragged around into potentially suspension, if not expulsion, worthy activities and if there was one lesson she learned from hanging out with Harry and Ron was that when you were already involved the best thing you could do was to try and minimize the damage.
Flipping out at Draco in public, as much as she'd enjoy it at this particular moment, would only draw more attention, so she decided to get him back and more later on, when he would least expect it. Looking at him, she smiled to herself, at this rate, she'd own him before this was over. He took a long drag and looked at her suspiciously, there was a certain gleam in her eye that might prove to be dangerous, but he was always up for a challenge.
Draco felt the harsh smoke fill his mouth and lungs as he held it, fighting the impulse to cough it out, until he couldn't hold it any longer and exhaled a large plume of smoke. He leaned back, pulling Hermione with him as the conversations around them faded indistinctly with the music into a low background static. From experience, he knew that he wouldn't have long to wait before it kicked in and he took another hit. "Wanna smoke up, Hermione? It won't kill you, I promise."
She rolled her eyes at the question, before quickly leaning in to whisper in his ear. "I don't give into peer pressure, besides I want to be sober when I get you for this later, so I'll remember every last detail," and sweetly smiled at him when he arched an eyebrow up in surprise.
"Promises, promises . . ." he chided her with an indulgent smile, "and after that build up, I'm almost inclined to let you."
"Ha! Considering your condition, I doubt that you'll be able to stop me. Be afraid, Draco, be very afraid."
Smirking, he laughed, commenting dryly, "not that I'm worried in the slightest, but it might be fun to watch you give it your best shot."
"Just wait for it, Draco, just wait."
"Oh trust me, I wouldn't want to miss this."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't," she yawned, closing her eyes against the smoke.
Leaning back, he felt the drug begin to gradually take effect, the tight feeling in his chest slowly began to loosen and he was finally able to breathe freely, without pain for the first time since his encounter with his father. Running his hand along her arm, he could feel relax under his touch, as she made herself comfortable in the circle of his arms, her head drowsily resting in the hollow of his shoulder. "Hey there, you're not going to fall asleep on me are you?" He nudged her gently with his shoulder.
"Yeah, sure. Why not? It's been a rough day all around, I think." Hermione didn't even open her eyes, but just reached out to pull his robe more snugly around her.
His mouth quirked up into a half smile as he debated his options, "hey, Hermione?"
"What Draco?" He quickly took a deep drag off the pipe, refusing to answer.
"Draco . . . " Hermione opened one bleary eye in irritation, only to gasp in surprise as she watched his lips lower to capture her own, in a hot and hungry kiss. Her sudden shock worked against her, as he released his lungful of smoke in her unsuspecting mouth, giving her no chance to escape. He securely held her hands at the wrists, in anticipation of her resistance, making her efforts to push him off and away from her absolutely useless. After waiting a moment to ensure that she inhaled at least most of the smoke, he pulled back enough to let her catch her breath as she broke out coughing. Twisting away from the careless smirk on his face, Hermione took a deep breath of fresh air, or at least the freshest air she could find in this place.
"You fucking bastard! What the hell was that?" She sputtered out, one hand wildly arcing to try and land a punch, still refusing to look at him.
Reaching out with a finger under her chin, he easily caught her fist and pulled her around to face him, ignoring the resistance he could feel in her body. "That," he drawled out slowly, "was called a shotgun. Just a little bit of pot, barely a real hit, certainly nothing that will hurt you, babe, I promise." His eyes lit up in amusement, knowing full well that there were few things he enjoyed more than baiting her, each word designed to push her right to that edge. "Come on, Hermione, be bad with me. You know you want to . . . " His words drifted down to her ear, husky and low, tempting her to cross that ever-blurring gray line. She rolled her eyes, knowing better than to look him in the eye.
"You are a highly corrupting influence, you know that." She grumbled, shaking her head. Even when he pissed her off beyond belief, he always knew just how to find how a way to redeem himself and that fact really annoyed her. She fought to retain her anger, knowing all along it that is was an already lost battle, the most she could try for at this point was to, at least, maintain the facade of being annoyed – no need to give him the complete advantage, after all.
"Well, I'd hope so. You should know better than to think I'd let all my efforts with you to go to waste." He slid his hand through her hair, drawing her closer and forcing her to look at him.
"Dare I ask?" Despite her best intentions, her voice sounded more seductive than the sarcasm she was aiming, complete with a challenge that she couldn't quite bring herself to suppress.
Draco arched an eyebrow as if contemplating whether to pursue that particular line of conversation, but after a brief glance around, he appeared to rethink it and instead quirked up a corner of his mouth. "So wanna a drag then?" He gave her an overly exaggerated leer, waving the pipe in front of her face. When she refused, giving him an exasperated look, he wasn't surprised. Taking a quick hit, he realized the pipe was kicked and abruptly tossed to it to an unsuspecting Justin, hitting him in the head. Urging Hermione to her feet, he stood up, ignoring the outcry from the others including the especially loud one from Justin. "Come on, this place is dead and we've got better things to do anyway," and he imperiously held out his hand for her to take.
Hermione stared at him, before shrugging her shoulders, because it wasn't like she had any desire to hang around here. "Whatever," she breathed out, lacing her fingers in his own. Just as suddenly as they arrived, he whisked her out of the room into the fresh air outside in the hallway. "So now where are we going?" She watched him with a critical eye as he all too casually leaned against the stonewall.
"I don't particularly care." His voice was slightly strained. Standing up so abruptly, and, hell, just walking around was taking more of effort than he cared to think about. The pot had eased the majority of pain from the Cruicus, thankfully, but he was still feeling weaker than he should and trying to keep Hermione from realizing that was even more draining for him.
"Hmmmm, it is getting late. Maybe we should just go back to your room and get out of sight, before anyone comes walking around here." Her fingers tightened around his when he stood back and tried to shake his hand free. You couldn't tell by looking at him, unless you looked carefully at his eyes, they had darkened again to that dull iron color that she had only seen before when he'd nearly collapsed in the closet after his father left, but she could feel the slight tremor of his hand and that, she admitted to herself, worried her. She had to bite back her smile when she saw his eyes brighten a bit when he registered her words.
"I thought that was off limits," his eyes narrowed slightly, as his head tilted curiously, wondering what she so intently saw in him.
Hermione sighed. If he figures out that she thinks that he needs to lie down, she was sure that in typical Draco fashion, he'd stubbornly thwart her and make himself worse. What she really needed was some way to distract him enough to get him into bed . . . Shaking her head, she decided not to reflect too long on the implications of that dangerous thought, as she lightly blushed. Realizing that Draco was still waiting for a reply, she quickly blurted out, "yeah, well . . . it is a woman's prerogative to change her mind. Are you seriously going to argue with me against it?"
Draco coughed weakly, trying to cover his surprised laughter. "When you put it that way . . . nope, not all. In fact, I suggest we go right now." He quickly began tugging her hand as he started off towards his room, adding under his breath, "yeah, like right now, before you change your mind on me," and missed her slight smile as she followed him down the hall.
Reaching the spot where Hermione found the secret door, they walked into his room at last and Draco fell backwards on the bed, pulling Hermione down with him. Turning to look her in the eye, his free hand trailed along her face, finally reaching her chin and his thumb lightly rubbed the sensitive curve of her lower lip. Sighing at the sensation, Hermione unconsciously opened her lips slightly, giving him the invitation he'd been waiting for to slip his finger into the moist heat of her mouth.
Lingering along the soft inside edge, Draco waited until her mouth closed and he felt the slight tug of suction and he slid his thumb deeper, past the blunt edge of her lower front teeth and he could feel them scrape against the pad of his thumb. The corner of his lips raised in a faint smile, before he propped himself up an elbow to rise above her, pulling his finger out into the cooler air and sliding down to encircle her neck, his wet thumb now resting again the hollow of her throat. Under his touch, he could feel the vibration as she began to speak and his smile grew a fraction.
"Ummm Draco, when I said to come back to your room . . . " Hermione's voice trailed off slightly, unsure of exactly how to proceed. This was the very situation that she had been so intent on avoiding earlier this evening, but considering what she had learned since them, she could easily find herself making rationalizations for his somewhat extreme behavior. But even with that knowledge, she needed time to process all of this in her head, and besides, whatever he might believe and whatever he wanted her to think, she was fairly certain that he was in no state for her to allow him to continue. "Well, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."
He broke out into a full-blown smirk, "well, this is certainly what I had in mind," and he fully settled himself on top of her, his lips moving along the side of her neck, alternating kissing her and lightly nibbling.
Ruefully she laughed, "yeah, but I think this is what you always have in mind."
Between kisses, he lightly breathed, "and what is wrong with that, pray tell?" His words ghosting along her throat like a light electric current, sparking on contact with her skin.
"Ummmm," She struggled to think clearly, biting her bottom lip while her hands rose to grip his shoulders. "Nothing, but I . . . ahhhh," she gasped out as he began to grow bolder. She closed her eyes, fully aware that once again, she'd have marks on her neck tomorrow morning. "But I just don't think that this is a very good time," even as she arched her neck to give him better access, before she remembered his condition and reluctantly pushed him blindly off of her and to the side. However, Draco was undeterred and simply rolled onto his back, pulling her along with him. Hermione's eyes opened widely to see his face suddenly go white with pain and he flinched as she abruptly landed on his chest.
"Oh my God, Draco. I am so sorry. Are you ok?" She scrambled off him, practically jumped to the side, where she had been before, her hands lightly running over the cotton of his shirt, pushing his robe aside, as she tried to determine the exact nature and location of his injuries. Draco gritted his teeth, as he roughly brushed her hands away and pulled himself up to a sitting position, leaning heavily against the headboard of his bed, his breathing sounding harsh to her ears. So he obviously didn't want her to touch him, Hermione thought to herself, pulling back and tucking her legs underneath her. It was probably better off, she decided absently, God only knew what else she might accidentally do.
The last thing she had ever intended was to hurt him but this latest incident was the second time tonight that he had been in pain because her and fear was suddenly eclipsed by anger, but she couldn't decide who she was more upset with – herself for hurting him, or him for being so damn reckless. Hermione clenched her fist in his blanket, knowing her anger was little better than her fear and fully aware that neither emotion was particularly helpful at this moment. She closed her eyes, striving for a neutral state of detachment and opened them a moment later, noting that he was almost as pale as when she first saw him in the closet. His hand was lightly probing a rib and she clearly saw him wincing.
"That's it Draco, I don't care what you have to say, I'm reporting this to someone. You've been trying to pretend you're fine and I stupidly let it slide, because I thought you knew what you're doing, when it's more than obvious that you don't. Maybe you really are that damn irresponsible, but I refuse to stand by and watch you in pain like this any longer, idiot."
He raised his eyes to her and amazingly enough she could see a faint smile on his tightly drawn lips and it infuriated her. Taking a moment to wrap an arm around his ribs, he gave an ironic and obviously painful laugh. "Sorry Hermione, didn't know you cared that much."
The mild sarcasm in his voice was enough to set her off again. He "didn't know" that she cared? What exactly the fuck did he think she was doing here?!?! She usually wasn't one to commit acts of violence, but if he wasn't already injured, she didn't think that she'd be able to restrain herself, since she was already exercising a serious amount of control over her temper. She settled for a low growl of frustration, which got his attention, as he looked at her in sudden surprise, his smile widening slightly, before it vanished as if he just noticed it and had thought better of the impulse.
Raising his free hand in peace, he tried to calm her down. "Ok, so maybe that was a bit uncalled for."
Maybe? Her eyes narrowed impatiently as she watched him like he was a pinned butterfly that was trying to break free of its bonds.
"I don't deal particularly well with weakness of any kind, in case you haven't noticed." He shrugged his shoulders ironically, "but there is no need for you to go running off unchecked, I'm used to taking care of shit like this on my own. I might be 'irresponsible' and even an 'idiot,' but I'm not stupid. I know what's best for me and while I may not like it, I'll do what needs to be done." His voice was back to that cool and impassive tone that made him seem so distant and never failed to drive her insane, she really wanted something or someone to lash out against at this moment.
"Good. Then let's go to Madame Pomprey's, together." She deliberately emphasized the last word, unable to believe that it was going to be this easy, not if she knew Draco half as well as she thought she did. She was almost satisfied in an admittedly perverse way when the expected objection was voiced.
"No." The single word fell heavily between them and hung there for a moment and she stared at him a sort of horrified fascination, waiting with an unbearable anticipation. She wasn't disappointed. "Not a chance in hell." He was terse, his words laden with nerve-racking sense of tension. "Didn't you listen to a word I said back in the observatory? I can't go to Madame Pomprey." Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, he turned his back to her as he stiffly rose to his feet and walked to the dresser to pick up a half empty pack of cigarettes.
He pulled off his robe and tee shirt and tossed them carelessly on the floor. Taking his time, he lit a cigarette, only raising his eyes to meet hers in the distorted image of the mirror. She gasped, his skin was drawn tight against his cheekbones and in the shadows of the room he looked almost dangerously translucent. His back shuddered painfully with every breath he took and she could see the bruises liberally scattered across his chest and stomach. It almost seemed like they were back in the observatory and she felt all the fear she had forced herself into forgetting come rushing back. How could he have so silently endured it without her knowing the extent of his injuries, she wondered to herself, choosing to ignore her guilt in this away for now, she'd deal with that on her own later. There was no way she could walk away, as if she'd ever seriously considered it before, she was absolutely certain now.
"Fine, not Madame Pomprey then, but we're going to see someone and I don't give a fuck who, Draco! If you force me into it, then I will fucking Stupdify you. Choose who you want to go to, but believe me, we're going to see someone tonight." Her voice was tight with her repressed emotions, as she fished her wand out of her pocket and held it outstretched in a trembling hand. "Maybe you've had no choice but to take care of yourself by yourself, but if you haven't noticed, then here's your news flash, you're not alone anymore Draco." She wavered, her voice almost breaking.
Turning his head slightly, he saw the gleam of unshed tears in her eyes and fought not to flinch against the sight. Breaking eye contact, he took a deep and measured drag. "You don't know what you're saying, Hermione. You really don't." The soft and husky tone of his voice steadied her slightly, even as his words hurt, although the fact that he hadn't outright rejected her yet, merely stiffened her resolve.
"Maybe not, but I'm not leaving, either. Much as you might want to, you can't force me or scare me away, so you'd best learn to deal with it. "
"Determined, aren't we?" His head was tilted downward as he took another drag and he let his hair fall forward, effectively obscuring his expression from her eyes. She held her breath, waiting for his response either way, because she knew it would be definitive in their relationship. Whatever it was that was happening between them, the events of today would determine if he was ever going to really let her in and for the first time she acknowledged to herself that she wanted in. Whatever this was, she wanted it, she wanted more.
"You know, there comes a time, where you can't change your mind anymore, when you've made your choice and there is no turning back," he spoke slowly, deliberately. "That time is coming, Hermione. You think that you want this, when you don't even really know what is going on and that isn't like you. You've lost your perspective and that is probably more my fault than yours." He hesitated for a moment. "I haven't done a very good job of protecting you and things are going to get far worse, before they get better, assuming that is even possible," his voice became cynical as he shook his head briefly in disgust.
She opened her mouth to reply, but he waved his hand at her. "Let me finish this. You shouldn't get involved," a sarcastic bark of what might have been laughter escaped him, "and I know that you probably won't listen to me, but I am serious." Sighing, he took another long drag of his cigarette, playing for time. He ran his hand impatiently through his hair, brushing it off his face as he finally turned to face her. "Luckily for you that time isn't tonight," he graced her with his usual smirk, but it lacked the matching sparkle in his eyes, emphasizing the emptiness she could see just under the surface, " but it is coming, Hermione and as much as I might want to, there's nothing I can do to stop it. Before you make any decisions, for your own sake, you should really think before you throw your lot in with mine."
In his head, Draco added the words that he was still unable to bring himself to tell her, namely the fact that if she choose him, he wasn't sure he'd be able to force himself to ever let her go again. Yeah, because if he hasn't managed to freak her out yet that would probably do it and he viciously stubbed out his cigarette as the silence between them felt like a hot knife against his already sensitive nerve endings. He wearily rubbed his eyes wondering where this started going all wrong, because it had to have started somewhere – whatever the fuck he was doing, he seriously doubted this was the way to get the girl.
"For the record, I don't need to be protected," and he scoffed mentally at that inanity, lacking the energy to argue the point that she had no fucking IDEA what she was talking about and that is she did, like any intelligent person, she'd likely be running in the opposite direction from him, when he realized that she was still talking. "And furthermore, you still haven't decided who to go to for treatment and if you think I'll be forgetting that anytime soon, you really are an idiot." Oh Merlin protect them all, she was using transitional words, now he must be really in trouble. Stifling the absurd impulse to laugh, he grabbed his discarded shirt, still bloody and pulled it back on. At this point he knew that he was reaching the last of his reserves and was bordering on outright hysteria brought on by a complete sense of exhaustion and his well-known vanity was thrown out the window along with his usual well-honed paranoia.
"Awww, fuck it. I assume you're not going to let this drop anytime soon," barely waiting for her rhetorical stare and he actually broke out into loud burst of laughter, "well, in that case, let's have some fun with this." Grabbing his wand, he tossed her a cloak, "put this on," and weaved his way unsteadily over to the door and began undoing the series of deadbolt locks on it.
"Draco," she hissed, slamming the door he had just thrown open back shut, throwing all the weight of her slight frame against it. "Are you insane? I can't walk through Slytherin's dorm at this hour, especially not with you covered in blood! They'll lynch me on sight."
"Oh ye of little faith," and he actually had the audacity to laugh again. "If you'd put the damned cloak on, you'd see why it'd be perfectly safe. Since my father knows, it's not like I've got much to fucking hide anyway. Fuck him," he shrugged his shoulders, apparently unconcerned. "Fuck'em all. They'd have to get though me anyway and few, if any of them, would even dare. Besides this is the quickest way to where we're going." He turned back to look her in the eye. "And hey, this was your brilliant idea, I voted for just staying here, remember?"
Ducking his disturbing gaze, Hermione quickly slipped the clock on, only to confirm, as she had already guessed that it was an Invisibility cloak. Moving out of the way, she let Draco lead her out into the Slytherin dorm. Despite the fact that she had only heard of it from Harry and Ron, she was rather oblivious to her surroundings and much more focused on the unnatural brightness she could see in Draco's eyes. If she was right and it was all but a virtual certainty at this point that house favorite or not, their potion's professor was not going to thrilled to see Draco in his current state, never mind the hour. And although he had seemed to ease off her lately, she was more than glad she was wearing Draco's cloak, maybe they'd be able to get through this without both of them failing the course.
Despite how erratic he was behaving physically, she was relieved and alternately concerned by his seemingly unerring ability to navigate his way through the dark dungeon to a door that was all too familiar to her. Reaching out to knock on it, she was surprised when Draco caught her hand, as it suddenly appeared, apparently limbless in midair. Hermione shot him a dirty look that he ignored until she remembered she was invisible, after all, and instead whispered, "what?"
He whispered back, "I said, let's have some fun, right? Well, this isn't fun, yet," his smirk sent waves of dismay running down her spine. She wasn't sure what his idea of "fun" entailed, but had a sneaking suspicion that Snape wouldn't agree with it. Tugging her by the hand, Draco led her around the corner to another door, tucked away in a small alcove. She gave him a questioning look, almost afraid to ask him where it led to, fairly confident that in the long run, she'd prefer to be able to plead ignorance. Giving her a reckless sidelong glance, he quickly flicked his wand, whispered a faint, "alahora," and flung open the door without any warning, only to immediately slam it shut.
Collapsing against the door, Hermione slumped, her head resting against it, a look of horror on her face. "Oh God, I think I might be ill. If I never have to see that again, I'll die a very happy girl."
Draco, on the other hand, broke out into a bout of uncontrollable laughter. "But did you see who he was with?" She just stared at him, almost afraid to ask, and he smirked. "Oh, but that was the best part. He was with your new Arithmancy professor." Draco absently shook his head, "hmmm, and I didn't even know that they knew each other. . . "
~~~~~~~~~~~
Paused in mid-stroke, Snape braced himself above Infinity, the slam of the door echoing through the room. "Tell me that wasn't who I thought it was."
Shrugging her shoulders, Infinity faintly smiled up at him, "sorry, but it was both of them actually."
Lowering himself until his forehead lightly touched hers, he released a heavy sigh. "Fuck. . . Didn't I just get finished telling you not to tell me that?"
~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC
Ok . . . as usual, if you've left me your email, then I've added you to my mailing list for this story, so you get a happy little email each & every time I update, if I didn't get one, well obviously I don't have your email or I missed it somehow. If you review this chapter & leave your email in the review or I can get it off your profile, I will gladly add you. Don't forget reviews are like candy & I'm nothing if not a sugar addict. So please, read, enjoy & if you didn't hate this chapter then please review ;)
However if you are "You Only Wish You Knew Me" {my first flame} & you're reading this {{{smirking}}} I'd just like you to know that I am still laughing at you.