Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Series or its characters.
**EDIT: THIS CHAPTER HAS NOW BEEEN BETA'D. ** I highly recommend re-reading this Chapter, in fact, it's pretty much necessary because I've added some key plot points and thanks to Lun27 the chapter has taken on a whole new life of its own :) What started off as a clumsy re-entry into the scene of FF writing is turning out to be something so much more. Big thank you to Lun27 for providing such amazing feedback. This new version of the chapter is on a whole other level compared to where we started :)
Context: Non-canon Post-Deathly Hallows i.e., some major character deaths didn't happen. Haven't totally decided which ones yet haha maybe all of them, but you'll see as they crop up. I think this is going to be a fairly long fic. This is a fic I wrote the first seven chapters of 10 YEARS, yes you read that right, 10 years ago. Now I'm stuck in yet another lockdown so I thought I would get lost in the Dramione world again. I decided to re-write it completely from scratch. The original is still on here if anyone wants to read it, but it has spoilers so if you want to be surprised then don't read. Hopefully my writing has improved a bit the second time around. Going for more of a slow burn this time. I have the first 10 chapters pre-written, so we'll do weekly updates for ten weeks and then see how we go after that. Don't be afraid to pester me to update if you're enjoying it.
Trigger warning: elements of non-con (magic induced on both sides)
Chapter 1
It was cold. More than cold — it was bordering on bone chilling. Why was the dormitory so lacking in its usual warmth?
Hermione blindly reached for the sheets that were pooled at her waist .
Why could she feel the cold nipping at her bare skin? She never went to sleep in her shared dormitory without even her knickers on.
She forced her eyes to open and her stomach fluttered slightly as something pushed at the back of her consciousness. She felt like she was waking from a disturbing dream.
She was definitely more alert now. Hermione kicked her feet out to find the edge of the bed and her toes brushed against what felt suspiciously like a foot.
While her eyes slowly focussed on her surroundings, her heart rate was rising with every passing second. She wasn't in her bed. Her bed was warm, cozy, soft. In her bed she wore pyjamas.
The bed she currently found herself in was slippery and bloody freezing. This bed also had another occupant. Of the male variety.
Hermione sat up straight, inhaling sharply. She frantically tried to push her curly mane from her face and looked down at the man lying on his back next to her.
Oh no. Oh sweet Merlin. Please let this be a dreadful nightmare. Please let me wake up in my own bed.
Panic wrapped around her throat and squeezed. Hermione closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing and still willing herself to wake up.
She opened them again. The scene before her remained the same.
She didn't dare wake the sleeping man next to her. She had to get out of here. Saliva was starting to collect in her mouth. She might be sick. Hermione gently lifted the silk sheets off and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
She froze when he stirred.
The man rolled over onto his side, facing Hermione. The bed sheet wasn't covering as much as she would like. She felt an explosion of warmth rise from her neck and was sure her face was set aflame with crimson red.
She released a breath she didn't realise she had been holding until he settled into his new sleeping position.
Hermione stood up, looking for her clothes. She settled for anything within reach, desperate to leave.
There was a hunter green jersey and black boxers strewn on the floor next to her side of the bed. She took in the room while she pulled them over. A sliver of moonlight peeked through the curtains, lighting up the face of her bed mate.
Hermione averted her gaze, not needing another reminder of whom she had shared a bed with. The room itself was utterly unfamiliar to her. There were deep green throw pillows accented with silver tossed on the floor and Quidditch posters on one of the walls. Confusingly, there were also two red and gold armchairs and an expansive book collection stacked on a narrow black bookcase.
Where the fuck is my wand?
Hermione chanced a look under the bed. Success. Now she was ready to leave and have her much-deserved panic attack in the privacy of her own dormitory.
She started towards the door, but before she opened it to flee into the night, she turned around once more, hoping that she was mistaken about who she had spent the night with. She wasn't.
Hermione practically ran back to the safety of the Gryffindor dormitories, wishing that she had the Marauder's map with her to check for other rule-breaking students or lurking Hogwarts staff. By some miracle, she came upon no one on her journey.
Hermione whispered the password to the Fat Lady, "Abstinence", the irony not lost on her.
The Fat Lady took one look at Hermione and sniped, "Looks like it's a bit late for that," whilst swinging the portrait open to allow her entry.
The common room was empty. Only the crackling sounds of the last embers in the fire disturbed the silence.
Almost there. Then I can fall apart.
Hermione crept up the stairs and past the beds of her roommates.
She flinched when Ginny sat up in bed and peered at her with tired eyes.
"Hermione?" she whispered, voice raspy with sleep.
Her heart stopped.
Don't panic. For all she knows you just got up to use the bathroom.
"What in the name of Godric Gryffindor's sword are you wearing?"
Fuck.
XXX
This time when Hermione woke up, she sat up with a jolt and felt around to make sure the bed sheets were her own, sighing in relief when they were red and warm.
Oh, thank Merlin. It was just a vivid nightmare…
Then she caught sight of the rumpled green jersey and boxers peeking out from under her bedside table and felt last night's dinner threatening to make another appearance.
She looked over to Ginny's bed. Thankfully it was empty, as were the rest, so she didn't have to face another inquisition just yet.
What time is it?
Hermione looked over the spasming, charmed clock across from her bed, the hands whirled around the face that read "Hope you didn't feel like breakfast today!"
Shit, she was going to be late for Potions. She was just going to have to deal with the completely disturbing and confounding events of last night after her classes. She could compartmentalise. Nothing was going to get in the way of her getting five O's in her N.E.W.T's.
Hermione threw on her robes and cast a quick smoothing charm on her hair as she left the dormitory, vowing to treat herself to a pensive soak in the prefect baths later on.
Her stomach growled.
I won't last until lunch time with no food and very little sleep.
She scolded herself for letting her mind drift to the activities that led to her lack of sleep. Hermione walked into the Great Hall, trying to keep her head down, whilst also scanning the tables for a certain ginger witch and the man she had spent the night with.
"Oi!" Hermione heard from behind her.
Crap.
"Morning, Ginny! Sorry, can't stay and chat, just came to grab some pumpkin juice and a muff – hey!" Hermione was cut off by Ginny grabbing her by the elbow and steering her to an alcove just outside the entrance of the hall.
"No, really Ginny, I am going to be so late to Potions and I really don't need Snape making an example of me." Hermione hoped that Ginny would chalk up her nervousness to fear of drawing the ire of the Potions Master.
The look on the freckled witch's face told Hermione that she definitely didn't believe her story from last night about experimenting late with potions and a cleaning charm gone wrong.
"You honestly expect me to believe that the Hermione Granger messed up a perfectly simple scourgify spell and managed to conjure herself into Slytherin-green boy's clothing?"
"Yes?" Hermione replied weakly.
"No." Ginny countered firmly.
She considered keeping up her hopeless charade of denial, but Hermione was exhausted and felt desperately alone in her turmoil. "Okay, I lied. But I can't get into it now, there is so much to explain." Hermione looked at Ginny, begging her to leave it at that for now.
Ginny's nostrils flared and her eyes widened with understanding, "I knew it! You had sex with a boy," she finished in a much too loud stage whisper. "Oh, Merlin! That's where you went after you vanished from your birthday party —-"
"Shush! Let's meet in the library after morning classes and I'll explain as best I can. Please don't breathe a word of this to Harry and Ron," Hermione finished with a pleading edge in her voice.
Hermione felt the heat rising up her neck to her cheeks, so she fled to the Dungeons before Ginny could ask her any questions.
Her fast, shallow breaths echoed in the hallway as she finally made it to the Potions room.
"– Veritaserum takes at least a full lunar cycle to produce if any of you even make it through the first phase of brewing – Miss Granger, finally decided to grace us with your presence? Ten points from Gryffindor for your tardiness. Sit down next to Mr Malfoy," Professor Snape demanded, waving his wand in a bored manner at the only available seat.
Her breath hitched in her throat.
How could she forget Gryffindor shared Potions class with Slytherin?
"Now, Miss Granger, you have taken up enough of the class' time."
Snape may have been outed as a double agent after the war, but there was still something distinctly unsettling about him. Her new desk buddy hadn't even turned around when the professor stopped his lecture mid-way to chastise her. She could tell he had been listening though — his posture looked far too stiff.
Hermione put her books down on the desk next to the boy she had given her virginity to.
Did he remember?
She risked a look in his direction as she sat down as far away as possible.
His face was perfectly neutral, facing straight ahead toward the potions master. Too neutral. He should have been murmuring slurs or sneaky hexes at her by now. Oh yes, he remembered. She thought herself foolish for thinking one could simply forget what they had done.
"Malfoy and Granger – I won't hear a word about any partner swapping."
What?
What had she missed? Uncharacteristically, Hermione hadn't been listening to her teacher.
"Your partners are those you are seated next to. End. Of. Story." Snape punctuated each pause with a point of his wand at each pair he thought might protest, Hermione and Draco included. Poor Neville had a forlorn expression on his face, partnered with Pansy Parkinson.
"By the end of October, you will have brewed a batch of Veritaserum that you will then test together for effectiveness. You will keep a daily log of all the ingredients and methods you use, lest we have any unfortunate outcomes."
Hermione glanced over at Malfoy again from the corner of her eye, still waiting for some kind of explosive reaction.
As the rest of the class started to break off into their partners and assemble materials for their challenging project, she scanned the classroom. She could see Harry and Ron sitting together a couple of rows back. They were gesturing to her parchment.
She looked down and saw words forming on the parchment in front of her.
Hermione! Are you alright? Not like you to be tardy. Can't believe you're stuck with Malfoy, that's rotten. Want me to come with you to talk to Snape? – H
The screech of a chair caused her to look up and see her new potions partner rise and stride over to Snape.
Snape sighed, seeing Malfoy coming his way. He simply held up his hand before Malfoy could say a single syllable and marched away towards the bickering Pansy and Neville. Malfoy stood there a moment longer, a frown forming on his countenance. Then he obviously decided he was going to push the matter further as he followed after him. Clearly, he felt the same way she did about their pairing.
Hermione heard the invisible quill scratching again on the parchment in front of her and looked down.
If he even says a single word starting with the letter "M", I'll hex him so hard his children will be puking slugs – R.
Hermione smiled. They were good friends. Family, really. A bit overzealous with the protectiveness, but good.
The three of them had clung together in a somewhat co-dependent manner after the war, which she knew wasn't entirely healthy, but she allowed herself to be comforted by the security that their constant presence provided her. OneYou didn't spend a year living in a tent together without growing very reliant on having each other around or squashing the desire to tear out each other's throats. Luckily for her, it was mostly the former.
She scribbled a quick reply.
Thanks guys, but I can handle this myself.
The chair next to her screeched again, and Malfoy dropped down onto his seat with more force than was necessary. Not a good outcome then.
She looked over at him; they had yet to utter a word to each other.
"Let's just get this over with," Draco mumbled.
Hermione nodded. "I'll gather the necessary ingredients, you get the cauldron." She tried to control the waver in her voice.
Without even speaking, they mutually decided that they would go about the task as silently and as quickly as possible.
They were getting through it, almost without incident. Almost.
Hermione readied the jobberknoll feathers to throw into the cauldron and Malfoy decided the potion needed a stir. Their hands made brief contact over the cauldron, and she flinched, withdrew hers shakily, knocking several items off the table with her retreating elbow.
Malfoy rolled his eyes and muttered something unintelligible, but clearly irate, under his breath.
Snape appeared next to them, floating everything back onto their table with a flick of his wand.
"Ingredients and utensils are to remain on the table or in the cauldron," the potions master drawled.
Hermione mumbled an apology and took a few deep breaths to re-focus on the task at hand. When Snape ordered them to place their cauldrons at the back of the classroom, they both packed up in a hurry and silently went their separate ways.
Harry and Ron caught up to Hermione on her way down the hallway.
"Hermione! Wait up!" she heard Ron call.
Will they see it written all over my face?
She stopped and turned around, a friendly smile plastered on.
"Hey, I'm honestly fine, he didn't say anything to me." She waved them off.
She started to turn around, but Harry stopped her.
"Are you sure? I really don't like the idea of you two having to work on this project together for the next month."
"Me neither," Ron offered, his brow furrowed in concern.
"It's okay," she started with determination in her voice. "I have a plan. I'm going to do it by myself for the both of us. Surely, he isn't going to turn down a free perfect grade."
"Wish I got paired with you," Ron mumbled.
Harry elbowed him in the side, "Ow."
"Okay, you'll let us know if he gives you any trouble?" Harry asked.
"Of course, but I'm sure it won't be anything I can't handle," Hermione reassured them.
"I promised Ginny I would meet her before Arithmancy. I'll see you guys at lunch!" She waved to them both as she walked away towards the library.
She felt a pang of loss at extricating herself from them so quickly, but she didn't know how to act around them right now. Every interaction she had with them felt coated with the sticky, dirty secret she was keeping.
Hermione found Ginny spelling some parchment into origami cranes when she arrived. The paper bird floated in the air for a moment and then dropped unceremoniously to the table when she spotted her.
"Speak. Now."
"Shhh, hold on!" Hermione cast a muffliato charm before she sat down and took a deep breath.
"Words! Now!" Ginny demanded again.
"Last night. Something happened. Something I never, ever. Ever. Thought could happen."
Ginny's eyes were wide with excitement — and little bit of concern.
"Go on," she pushed gently.
"I woke up in a bed in the Room of Requirement. Naked. Next to a Slytherin. Who was also naked." Hermione was bordering on hysterical.
She knew she was being difficult, not telling Ginny who it was. Saying his name would make it real. Someone else knowing would make it real. Then she would have to truly deal with the brutal fall out of sleeping with Draco Malfoy.
"Oh, sweet Merlin, just spit it out Hermione. It's not like it was Malfoy you found sleeping next to you." Ginny laughed at the absurdity of it.
Hermione groaned and put her head in her hands, not daring to look her best friend in the eye.
"Malfoy! Hermione! Malfoy? Malfoy?"
"Stop saying his name, people can still read your lips!" Hermione begged.
"I – I'm sorry. I just… I can't understand how this happened." Ginny shook her head, her expression begging Hermione for answers.
"You and me both. I can genuinely tell you that my will was not my own last night."
"Do you remember what happened before you woke up next to him?" Ginny asked.
"Y-Yes," Hermione admitted, feeling the hot, red flush returning to her cheeks. She couldn't stop the flash of memories that popped into her head.
"Was it good?" the red witch queried, unabashed interest evident in her tone.
"Ginny!" Hermione replied, shocked beyond measure her friend would ask such a question about sex with Draco Malfoy.
Ginny put her hands up in the air in a symbol of surrender, "Hey, the boy may be evil incarnate but the one thing you cannot say about Draco Malfoy is that he is a chore to look at."
"I think that's the most disturbing thing — I actually enjoyed it." Hermione admitted. "But I am telling you —hand to Merlin — that something made us do it."
"Are you sure Hermione? We all had a little too much to drink last night. I promise I won't hate you if – "
Hermione cut her off, "Ginny. I swear."
Ginny looked into her eyes for all of two seconds before declaring, "I believe you. What do you think made you do it? Some kind of hex or spell? A potion?"
Hermione felt relieved that Ginny hadn't disowned her on the spot, at least she had found an ally. But there was still the blanket of fear over her, smothering her, because clearly somebody wanted her hurt. Or, at the very least, humiliated.
She couldn't think of anyone with the exception of Malfoy himself who would target her on such a personal level like this and it made no sense for him to do this. It wasn't often that she had no idea how or why something was happening and the number of unanswered questions blazing a trail in her mind had her absolutely terrified. Seeing Malfoy in Potions had answered at least one of her questions. The magic was still weaving its way between them.
"I haven't got the foggiest. But you better believe I am going to find out how this happened and who's responsible!" Hermione's voice cracked with unshed tears.
Ginny placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Was it your first time?" she asked gently.
Hermione nodded.
"Ginny… what if it happens again? I can still feel that something is off. I don't think that was a one-time event." Hermione visibly shuddered at the thought.
"Well, we'll have to put some precautions in place,." Ginny said, resolutely.
Hermione sighed, feeling defeated. "In some cruel twist of fate, Malfoy and I have been paired together for the Veritaserum project in Potions. We'll have to meet up twice a week for a whole month to make sure it brews correctly."
"Oh, no." Ginny's eyes were wide again.
"I know! It's okay though… I have a fool proof plan." Hermione nodded her head confidently. She most certainly would not be spending any more time with Draco Malfoy.
XXX
"No."
Was he deaf or just being deliberately obstinate?
"What do you mean, 'No',Malfoy? I thought ferrets were supposed to have excellent hearing. Did you not just hear me offer to do the entire project on my own and still give you credit? Surely you aren't worried about me getting us a bad grade?" She made sure to sound highly incredulous that he would think such a thing of her.
Hermione had floated through lunch on autopilot, picking at her food and contributing half-heartedly to Ron and Harry's questions about the Transfiguration homework while. Ginny had looked on with sympathy.
On her way to afternoon classes, she had spotted Malfoy in the courtyard without his usual gaggle of Slytherin sycophants.
She wouldn't get an opportunity like this for a while.
Hermione took a deep breath and strode towards the blond wizard. His hair fell in front of his face as he leant forward and levitated a quill, lost in thought. She couldn't help but think that he was also mulling over what had transpired between them.
"Muffliato," Hermione whispered. "Malfoy."
He looked up at her and the quill dropped gracefully to the ground. He leant back in his seat, one eyebrow cocked as if saying, "What possible reason could you have to speak to me?"
She forged ahead with her plan, assured of its success. "I've been pondering our potions predicament. Neither of us is pleased with this arrangement, so I thought I would kindly offer to get the project done for the both of us. You'll still get credit, of course. I'll write your name in the project log."
"Hermione Granger is offering to break school rules?" he teased mercilessly, a smirk gracing the corner of his lips.
"I believe this situation warrants such measures. Desperate times," she primly stated.
And this was how they arrived at, "No".
"Granger, I have questions. Questions about how we ended up doing what we did last night. Questions I suspect you have some answers to." His eyebrows were now raised in an accusatory manner.
Was he suggesting she had anything to do with whatever magic interfered with their free will last night? The nerve!
"I assure you Malfoy that I have no idea what you are talking about. Whatever happened had absolutely nothing to do with anything I did. The suggestion that I wanted that with you of all people is absolutely ridiculous." She waved her hand, dismissing the very notion.
He searched her face for a moment before responding. "Fine, let's say I believe you. What if it happens again?"
Aha. So, he still feels it too.
"Precisely my point, we cannot work on this project together alone," she pressed him.
He rolled his eyes, exasperated by her. "Come on Granger, surely you don't think that magic so powerful it can make mortal enemies rut each other into oblivion will be stopped so easily?"
Hermione winced at his choice of words. True as they were.
"Fine, well like I said, I do not have any answers to your questions. You know exactly what I know at this current point in time. I plan to start doing extensive research whilst completing our potions assignment by myself, and I will let you know if I find anything that could explain what happened to us." Satisfied that she had won the argument, she turned to walk away.
"I don't trust you," Malfoy stated, acid practically dripping from his words.
"And I don't trust you," she replied just as cuttingly.
"Well, let's be not trusting together for the time being, shall we? I want to know what you know, when you know it and not a second after. We'll research this little predicament we find ourselves in while we do our assignment for Potions."
She didn't like it, but she could follow his logic. It would be very inefficient for them to research by themselves and overlap unnecessarily. They may not have the luxury of time and their assignment provided the perfect cover for why they would be seen together.
"Fine," she ground out.
"Fine." he replied coolly.
Hermione spun away on her heels, intending to strut away from the infuriating Prince of Slytherin that she had somehow now agreed to spend a lot of time with.
"Oh! And I am going to need my boxers and jersey back. Those boxers are bloody expensive, and I have a Quidditch game this weekend."
She huffed at the gall of him and prayed that the Muffliato she had cast was still in effect.