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. Nor do I own the lyrics to "More," which of course belongs to the Sisters of Mercy. I need to say thanks to, Heather, my amazing beta reader, who brings a sense of order to my overly excessive use of adverbials, an almost obsessive impulse to insert commas and the ever-irresistible run-on sentences, I'm so fond of, and without whom this story wouldn't be nearly as readable ;). 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 26 - Baby Wants To Play?
Harry was brooding, Hermione had been successfully avoiding him for three days now and for every day that went by, his temper rose another notch higher. Sitting in the Gryffindor common room, he didn't even pretend to pay attention to the conversations flowing around him anymore. Ron had long since given up trying to distract him from staring at the stairway leading to the girl's dormitory, as Harry impatiently waited for her to come downstairs. This was, he decided, the best chance to intercept her, at least this way he'd have a chance to slow her down enough to get her to talk to him. He just couldn't understand what she saw in Malfoy, he was convinced that she had to be under the influence of some potion or dark arts spell that he was still unable to identify. While she had cause to be angry at him, ignoring him for this long was just unnatural. And of course there was the fact that she was practically wrapped around that Slytherin bastard, "twist the knife counter-clockwise now, why don't you, Hermione?"
The words escaped his lips and Ron turned to give him a strange look that he was oblivious to. The red head shook his head pensively, he didn't know or particularly care anymore about Hermione at this point, if she choose to spend her time mooning over a muggle-hater like Malfoy, well, then she'd learn eventually, but Harry's behavior was seriously starting to worry him. Times like this regretted the breach that had fallen between the three of them. Although he and Hermione had never really gotten along very well for any extended period of time, she did have the unique ability to calm Harry down, in a strange way she acted as a kind of counter balance. Ron had always resented the way she insinuated her way in between them, even from the beginning. In some way he was almost glad that Malfoy was occupying Hermione's time, except for the fact that now Harry was acting like he was lost without her and he didn't know what to do about it.
Hermione smoothed down her black velvet shirt and newly transfigured leather skirt, as she bit her lower lip trying to decide what was missing. She had finished her make-up, styled her hair and her outfit was as perfect as she could get it considering that she was going to see her first Sisters of Mercy show, hell, her first concert ever. . . Hmmmm, she opened her jewelry box and looked for a necklace, but she couldn't seem to find anything that fit, so shrugging her shoulders, she grabbed her small handbag, slipping her wand into it and walked out of her room. Reaching the common room, she sighed as Harry caught her eye and stood up with the obvious intention of confronting her. Silence dominated the room as the gathered students suddenly turned their attention to the staring contest between the Boy Who Lived and the Gryffindor Princess. Hermione winced, this was exactly what she had been hoping to avoid, but despite her best efforts, rumors of their 'estrangement' were apparently running rampant through the school.
She toyed with the idea of turning around, running back up the stairs and sneaking back down under the covert safety of the invisibility cloak, but decided against it. Aside from the fact that she was nearly running late, there was no way she could justify giving Harry the satisfaction, and just because she had been avoiding him, didn't mean that she had to confirm it for everyone else's morbid curiosity. So the question was now how to get out before he blew up. And where the hell was Parvati when you could actually use her? Hermione, shook her head, and decided to brave the gauntlet, while she kept her eyes firmly on the exit door. Holding a deep breath, she tried to pass him unsuccessfully as he stepped directly into her path.
"Hermione," Harry's voice was low in the stillness of the room, warning her that he wasn't prepared to take no for an answer this time.
"Do not do this, Harry. It is neither the time nor the place and if you haven't noticed, we're not exactly alone," her voice was equally hushed as she stared him down.
He frowned slightly, taking a brief moment to glance around as if to test the veracity of her statement, his expression only growing darker when he realized that there was, indeed, a very attentive crowd hanging on their every word. Abruptly dropping his eyes, he took off his glasses, ostensibly to adjust them, while he subtly moved aside to allow her room to pass him. Sighing in relief, Hermione took the opening and quickly made her way between Harry who as always was flanked by Ron. She could feel the collection of eyes on her back, following her out of the room.
Passing through the portrait, she walked headlong into an impatiently pacing Draco, who quickly braced her by wrapping an arm around her waist. Hermione reluctantly raised her eyes to meet the amused expression that she knew she would find in his, before she let her head fall against his chest, lightly shaking it. "Hmmm, so I suppose that this means that you're finally ready?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, "ha, I'd like to see you do any better if you had to deal with my roommates - fending off their attempts to do your hair or make-up, while trying to make sure they don't jinx you behind your back." Stepping back, her eyes involuntarily widened as she took in the full impact of what he was wearing. She had to remind herself to close her mouth that she was sure must have been hanging open. Black bondage pants, a tailored button up black shirt, complete with a black tie and a military cut, tightly fitted black jacket that hit him at his knees – he was dangerously attractive, she decided, as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle the blush she could feel burning her checks.
"Awww, my poor baby . . . Well, it's ok, we've left all those nasty Gryffindors behind now," Draco replied in a mocking voice.
"Don't push your luck, Slytherin." She warned him as he smirked back.
"Hey, for the record that it's your house that's driving you crazy, not mine, thank you very much."
"Like your house is any better, Malfoy," she shot back, her grin fading as she saw the shadows in his eyes deepen slightly. Quick to change the topic, she continued, "anyway, shouldn't we get going or something?"
He rewarded her with a faint smile and his arm reached behind her shoulders as he led her away. "Hmmm, did I mention yet, how beautiful you look. . ."
Infinity sat at the desk, her long legs propped up on a corner, absent-mindedly running her hand through her naturally green tinted, brown hair and flipping though a book resting in her lap in between alternately glancing up at the fire burning in the fireplace in front of her. So when a face suddenly appeared in the flames she nearly hit the floor in shock. "Dammit, Alex, you're late! Idiot," she grumbled under her breath as she sat back up, "well? Tell me you found out what they're planning."
The image in the flames looked apologetic. "Sorry, but no such luck."
"What?" Her voice was outraged. "Nothing – at all? How is that even possible?"
He shrugged, "we checked all our usual sources and then some. If Lucius is up to something, then it must be at the highest levels of deatheaters and none of them are talking."
Her head hung low for a moment, before she flung her head back up in frustration, her hair swinging like a curtain. "Damn. This really sucks, you know that, right?" She sighed, "ok, fine, but the minute you do hear something, I expect to be updated on it, immediately!"
"You know I will," he paused, before adding, "good luck, Infinity." And with that, the image blinked out of the flames.
"Yeah, thanks. At this rate, I need every bit I can get." She stood up and ran her hand roughly through her hair, before abruptly knocking the book off the desk. She watched it hit the floor with a less than satisfying thud. "Fuck!"
"Ummm, am I interrupting something?"
Infinity spun around to see Remus lurking in the doorway with a slightly abashed expression on his face as his eyes traveled from her to down at the book still lying, where it fell, on the floor.
Wincing slightly, she shrugged, "not really, I was just waiting on some news and didn't like the answer that I got. You just came in on the tail end of it, sorry."
Lupin walked in, stooping to pick up the book and smiled. "Oh come on, Infinity, give me a break. I know you wound up, more than once if I recall correctly, watching the old gang, including me, of course, flip out upon occasion. Throwing a book around hardly even qualifies for a mention, considering some of the stuff we put you through."
Infinity smirked, "well, put in that perspective, you're right. We were a wild bunch, weren't we?"
Sitting down, he laughed, "I think that would be a slight understatement. Hey Infinity, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, shoot away."
"Why did we break up?" He gave her a look she was unable to interpret.
"Oh Merlin, Remus, dredge up ancient history, why don't you?" She asked, obviously flustered by the question and trying to laugh it off.
"No, I'm serious. Don't you ever wonder about how different things might be?" Giving her a quick glance, he looked away just as fast.
Ok, Infinity, tread carefully here, she mentally told herself. "What brought all this on?" The question although gently asked, still hung heavy in the air between them.
Abruptly standing up, he began to pace. "I don't know. . . Seeing you again after all these years and back here of all places," he shrugged his shoulders, "it makes me remember how good everything was, before it all went so terribly wrong."
She sighed, before getting up to walk over to him and reaching out she laid a hesitant hand on his upper arm. "I know, Remus, sometimes its hard for me too, being back here with all the memories, but the past is the past and as much as we might like to, we can't change it."
"I know that, believe me I know, but we were good together, weren't we?" His expression changed from resigned to an almost wistful kind of nostalgia and his eyes landed on her gently.
"Sure, we were - when we weren't arguing, or getting in trouble from skipping class, or fighting over other people and their opinions, or –"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember all of that too," he shook his head even as she smirked at him, recognizing all too well that particular note of exasperation in his voice. "But even still, getting dumped for that Slytherin. Snape, Snape, Infinity, Snape. Couldn't you have found someone else – anyone else?" Despite his self-deprecating words, a trace of real emotion seemed to bleed through if only for a brief moment.
Her smile slipped for moment, but she decided it was best to keep things light and quipped, "oh, please, you know I didn't dump you for Servus, he and I were friends before you and I ever got involved and were friends afterwards, things only got serious between us months later."
"Well a month and a half later, actually, if you want to be specific about it," was his dry reply and at that she did roll her eyes.
"Keeping track, were you?" She arched an eyebrow.
"Well, maybe just a bit," and he cracked a smile to match hers.
Infinity shrugged her shoulders, "yeah, well with Servus and Sirius both bitching, any romantic relationship between us was doomed to failure. Besides who else would I have to be my best friend, hmmm?"
Giving her a quick sidelong glance, he smirked. "Yes, there is that, I suppose. You are a bit of an acquired taste, after all. Hey, now," he exclaimed as she lightly slapped him in the arm.
"Ok, so we're here." Draco gestured towards an unassuming door of an even more mundane two-story building and a sign that simply read 'The Bank'.
"What? This is it, a bank?" She looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "Do you even have an account at a muggle bank?" Her expression darkened as he laughed at her.
Smirking, he lifted an arm up to block her half-hearted punch. "Sorry, I suppose that I should have warned you, 'The Bank' is the name of the club, but if it makes you feel better, you're not the first person to make that mistake. And to answer your question, no, I don't have an account at a muggle bank. Why would I?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "you're really an ass, you know that, Malfoy."
"It's all a part of my charm, Granger."
"I wouldn't exactly brag about that if I were you," she shot back, unable to repress her smile.
"Says the girl on my arm," he smugly pointed out. "It obviously worked on you, so why should I change my strategy now. Anyway, do you want to go inside or continue to argue out here?"
"Must you always have the last word?" She asked him as they walked into the club.
"Don't know what you're talking about," he answered with a smirk as he paid the cover charge for the both of them, before he drew her out into the dimly lit interior. Clinging to his arm, she allowed him to lead her through the darkness, while her eyes adjusted. The entrance was at a slight angle, opening into a dance floor with an attached stage and they crossed through, past the bar and a shadowed hallway, instead he brought her up an open stairway to the second level. "Here we go, the heroin sofa," he announced as he pushed her down, before he gracefully sank into the plush cushions next to her.
"Heroin sofa?" She arched an eyebrow enquiringly, as she ran her hand along the burgundy velvet surface of the couch.
Draco shrugged his shoulders, looking slightly abashed. "Well, yeah, that's what its called, " he frowned slightly. "I've never actually seen anyone shoot up here, but I wouldn't exactly put it past some of them," he gestured around with a free arm, as the club began filling up around them.
"You're very strange, you know that, right? And before you answer I assure it was a perfectly rhetorical question," Hermione was quick to add. "Anyway, I thought we were here to see a show - sooo. . ." Her voice trailed off expectantly.
"Impatient much, are we?" His fingers reached up to idly play with few strands of her hair hanging loose around her face. "We're actually a bit early, they've just opened the doors so Sisters won't be on for awhile. Until then, we can hang out, drink, dance or whatever." Leaning back, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one.
She looked at him for a moment, "why do you smoke so much? Those things will kill you someday."
He smirked and took a deep drag, "maybe in the muggle world, but medi-wizardry can do wonders. Not to mention the fact that you have to have to smoke these things for fifty or sixty years or so before they do any real damage. I have more than enough things trying to kill me in the meantime to worry about such a distant possibility. "
"That's such a glowing endorsement, if I ever heard one."
"Hey, who's endorsing anything? I smoke because I enjoy it, you shouldn't smoke at all."
"Excuse me?" The indignation in her voice made his smirk grow only to vanish as she plucked the cigarette from his hand and brought it to her lips.
"Trust me, you don't want to do that." His warning fell on deaf ears as she cast him a defiant smirk and in a fit of piquet, deeply inhaled, before breaking out into a violent coughing fit amidst a cloud of gray smoke. Patting her on the head in a decidedly condescending way, he bit back his laughter and calmly reclaimed his smoke. "Told ya," as he took a long drag and winked at her, ignoring the glaring ire in her eyes. "What you need, of course, is a drink and not a cigarette."
Narrowing her eyes, she watched him as he casually strolled off to the bar to order only god knows what for her. After a few moments, she grew bored and instead decided to look over the club again, without the distraction of Draco's presence. Muggles were surely but steadily entering, walking up to the bar, lining the area around the dance floor, wandering up the two staircases and gathering on the couches near her or leaning over the balcony. Standing up, she stretched her arms gracefully above her shoulders, slightly exposing a sliver of bare skin of her stomach. Somewhere off to her left, she could feel a set of eyes all but burning a non-too subtle hole in her back and after debating it for a moment, she tilted her head slightly under the pretense of brushing a tendril of her hair behind her ear. Hermione didn't think to hesitate, as a mischievous smile crossed her lips and she met his brilliant blue eyes, peeking out below a sweep of black hair.
She gasped in shock, as a hand suddenly wrapped tightly around her throat from behind, pulling her firmly up against a body. Panicking, she reached for her handbag she had carelessly left on the couch, despite knowing that there was no way she'd be able to reach it in time.
Draco arched an unseen eyebrow at her strangely curious reaction before deciding to take pity on her. "A bit nervous aren't we?"
Realization hit her slowly and her body all but slumped into his, before she remembered the stranger and the odd moment of tension they had shared. Hermione didn't want to image what Draco's reaction might be and was in no real mood to deal with it, if she could, since technically she supposed that in certain light that might have constituted as a mild flirtation and that was the last thing she need on this night, their first "official date". "Any reason I should be?" She asked quietly, hoping her voice didn't sound as guilty to him then it did to her. Turning to face him, she sent an anxious, but hopefully a seemingly random, glance over his shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that whoever he was had apparently wandered off somewhere else.
"No, not as far as I know of anyway," he replied, forcing himself to maintain a neutral tone. However to Draco's practiced eye, her efforts were a touch too slow to be entirely believable, something was definitely up, but as he pulled her closer and cast a careful but ultimately fruitless look around them, he shrugged his shoulders and decided, at least for the moment, to ignore his twinge of suspicion. He abruptly sat down on the sofa, tugging slightly on her hand until she followed his lead and sat down as well, at which point he handed her a drink. Clinking his glass into hers, he muttered a short, "na zdravie," before he finished his shot in one smooth swallow. Hermione glanced up at the icy sheen of his silver eyes and was faintly disturbed to realize that she was beginning to able to read his moods simply by the color of his eyes and tossed back her drink absentmindedly. A mistake she would soon learn to be wary of ever repeating again, as the alcohol seared a path down her throat.
Making little effort to hide his amusement as she broke out in a violent coughing fit, Draco was surprised, although, having assumed that she would have spent most of the night nursing that one drink. He removed the glass from her hand and patted her on the back as she fought to regain her breath and almost broke out in startled laughter as she gasped out, "what the hell was that?"
He smirked, "just a double shot of Rumple Minze." At her blank look, he added," just peppermint schnapps, nothing terribly dangerous, I assure you."
Hermione closed her eyes against the rush of alcohol as she leaned back into the couch, "yeah, so you say, but I somehow I doubt that your idea of dangerous and mine are even remotely similar,"
Shrugging his shoulders, he stood up and offered her his hand, gesturing towards the staircase. "Shall we?" She eyed him suspiciously, before consenting to give him her hand and they made their way through the growing crowd. She teetered going down the metal staircase, still slightly dizzy and Draco securely wrapped an arm around her waist, half supporting her body as they descended. The dance floor was a mixture of people dancing and others tightly packed in front of the stage. "So what's your pleasure?" At her confused expression, he repressed the smile that threatened to creep across his face. "Do you want to wait by the stage, dance or hang back a bit?"
"Ummmm," Hermione looked at the dancers with a skewered eye, shaking her head at the thought of even attempting to replicate their movements, nor was she particularly inclined to join those gathered at the stage. In fact the more she thought about it, the more she decided that she'd prefer staying out of the limelight entirely. "Let's just stand back here, k?"
"Sure, works for me." Draco tugged slightly on her arm, pulling her backwards into the shadows, even as he moved behind her, his arms slipping around her bodying drawing her into his. Tilting her head back into the hollow of his shoulder, Hermione relaxed against him, her hands crisscrossing to cling to his forearms wrapped around her waist, enjoying the feeling of security in his embrace. After awhile, the already dimmed lights grew darker, before suddenly brightening as the band appeared on the stage, the crowd moved towards the stage, even as they cheered loudly. From where they were standing she could barely see the band, the audience were all standing or dancing in front of her, but she contented herself with listening as she swayed to the beat of the music with Draco.
As the band played on, Hermione grew more relaxed. Based on that quick listen she had heard that time in Draco's room, she wasn't all too sure whether she'd actually enjoy the show, but to her surprise the music and especially the lyrics seemed to strike a certain chord in her. Draco's running commentary in her ear was also helped to set her at even more ease, as he pointed out various muggles dancing in the crowd – the goth priestess, bowing to the goth gods, or the rivethead intent on the what Draco called 'the bat dance.' She couldn't help but giggle as he 'explained' the various steps for her 'greater enlightenment,' "no, really Hermione, watch him. See now he's picking up the bat, watch as he spins it around, before tossing it to the ground, at which time he is careful to step on it as if to obliterate it's existence, before picking it back up again to begin the process all over again."
"Draco, just give up, ok? There is no way you are going to convince me that this is an actual dance." She whispered back to him, half amused despite herself and half scolding.
"You doubt my word?" He asked, seemingly shocked, but the slight curve of his lips betrayed his barely suppressed amusement. "Muggles are an odd sort, you should know that better than me. Want more proof?" Giving her no chance to respond, he pointed to a woman whose arms moved into a fluid, almost hypnotic rhythm without any discernable pattern. "That is called the gothic hand jive and as you can see," he made a wide sweeping gesture, encompassing most of the crowd, "it's very popular."
"Gothic hand jive, hmmm? You do have a lot of time on your hands, don't you Draco?" Hermione arched an eyebrow at him, but he only smirked back at her, before settling back to watch the rest of the show. When the show began to wind down and the band left the stage, she stepped forward, only to pulled back. Hey the show's not over yet," he grinned, "it's time for the encore," and he nodded towards the stage where she could see the band walking back.
"This is one of my favorite songs," he leaned down to whisper in her ear. She tilted her head slightly to give him a quick sidelong glance and he added, "just listen to the lyrics."
"Some people get by
with a little understanding,
some people get by
with a whole lot more.
I don't know
why you gotta be so undemanding,
but one thing I know
is I want more.
And I need all the love that I can't get to
and I need all the love that I can get
and I need all the love I that I can't get to."
Looking up at him curiously, she could feel his liquid silver eyes burning into her and a slow uncoiling of heat grew inside of her as if in response. "Hmmmm, trying to tell me something Draco?" His only answer was a seductively sinful smirk, as he raised a finger to her lips hushing her.
"Do you get scared to feel so much?
To let somebody touch youSo hot, so cold, so far so out of control
Hard to come by, and harder to hold"As the sing played on, Hermione's awareness of the band and even the crowd around her fell away and instead found herself caught up in the music and the darkly sensual mood it invoked in her. She began dancing as opposed to merely swaying, her body suddenly feeling very fluid and boneless. In a distant corner of her brain she was sure that she more drunk than tipsy at this point, idly wondering what the hell was in that drink Draco had given her. His arms anchored her on her feet and she pulled them even tighter around her, unwilling to test her own balance.
"Some people get by
with a little understanding,
some people get by
with a whole lot more.
I don't know
why you gotta be so undemanding,
but one thing I know
is I want more.
And I need all the love that I can't get to
and I need all the love that I can get
and I need all the love I that I can't get to."
Draco intently watched the action on stage, all too aware of Hermione's distracting gyrations in his embrace. He figured that she'd have a low alcohol tolerance, which was precisely why he had ordered that particular drink for her, but the fact that she was already drunk after her first drink only made his plan that much easier to implement.
"There are parts of me that don't get nervous
Not the parts that shakeYou get what you deserve
You are what you can take
Learning to cry for fun and profit
I'm not done yet
Counterfeit dollars or the English zloty
Anything I can get"
Of course if she kept this up, then that might be even quicker than he anticipated, he smirked to himself. Before his forehead lightly fell forward to rest on the top of her head and he quickly sucked in his breath as she began to push herself back against him. His one hand slid past her lower belly to firmly hold her hips against his own, letting her feel his hardness.
"And I need all the love that I can't get to
And I need all the love that I can get
And I need all the love I can't get to"
Tilting her head forward, her breath caught in her throat as she could feel Draco trailing hot open-mouthed kisses along the delicate curve of her neck.
"All the love that you can get
All the love
That I can get to"
Feeling emboldened by the moment – the music, Draco's obvious excitement, and the alcohol and her own desire pooling deep inside of her body – Hermione wickedly smiled. And as the song began to slowly trail off, she suddenly broke free of his arms and turned to face him. Standing there for a moment, she abruptly reached out, her fingers brushed the rich fabric of his tie, before suddenly wrapping it around her fist as she dragged him in for a fiercely hot kiss. Her tongue fought his for dominance, before she broke the kiss off as unexpectedly as she had initiated it, and she roughly pushed him hard against the wall, before stalking towards him, with every intention of pinning him against the wall this time. A curiously indulgent half smile played across Draco's face as he stood inches away from the wall, his lean body deceptively casual. "Hmmm, so baby wants to play, does she?"
His voice was amused, but low enough to stop Hermione in her tracks as she paused to try and read his face hidden in the shadows. This was as aggressive as she had ever been in their relationship and she was suddenly rethinking exactly how not smart this might be at this point. Taking a deep breath, she tried to quickly examine her options, seriously regretting the shot she had thrown back earlier, her brain working sluggishly. Was she ready to cross the unspoken line and take control or had she already blown her bluff by hesitating for too long?
Unseen in the darkness, Draco smirked. This was one of the things he loved most about Hermione; he could practically watch her mind at work, her expressions revealing her almost every thought. He had plans for her tonight, the question was how far was she going to try to take this and how long his patience would last before he reeled her in. Not too long, he decided, as he watched her, watching him like a deer that knew it was being stalked as prey.
TBCI just wanted to say how very pleased I was by everyone's reactions to the Draco's dream sequence in the last chapter, since I wasn't sure how well it would read. The fact that many of you were uncertain at the beginning of it as whether or not it was a dream was especially gratifying since the effect I wanted was for both Draco and the person reading it (you, lol) to be convinced it was happening. I nagged my poor beta reader to death on that scene trying to make it perfect, so thank you all so very much for letting me know that it worked so well.
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 you 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 ;)