Prologue pt 2

5th year

Hermione looked around carefully, checking right and left before slipping from the castle's doors and breaking into a run towards the Dark Forest. She crossed the invisible line and ducked behind a tall tree, where she leaned back against the cold bark and tried to catch her breath.

Her heart was racing at the sudden rush of adrenaline. She knew what she was doing was wrong… that if caught, it wouldn't just jeopardize her but also the secret that she was keeping. Harry and Ron would be furious, to say the least. But someone had to protect Grawp. He was an innocent in all this.

Taking a deep breath, she counted slowly to ten. There were no alerts… no alarms being sounded. Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad must have been busying themselves harassing some other poor helpless soul within the walls of Hogwarts. She pulled out her wand and the tip illuminated. Then she slowly came from round the tree and took off into the forest, the steps towards Grawp's hiding spot memorized.

"Hermy!" Grawp greeted her as soon as she came within sight.

"Ssh…" Hermione replied but she couldn't keep the smile from her face. He was just so delighted to see her.

As was customary in all their interactions, he grabbed his favorite toy - the handlebars of a bike- and rang the bell. She took the offered toy and rang the bell too. Grawp clapped his hands in delight.

"All right… all right… quiet time, Grawp." She gestured for him to sit and he immediately fell down to his backside, giving the ground a good shake. She almost lost her footing but caught herself against a tree. Still, it made her giggle. It was a rare sound to hear these days, with all that was happening within the school. But there was something to be said of Grawp's childlike innocence, even if he was over 16ft tall.

She took her seat before him and pulled out the rolled up paperback from her jeans - a well worn copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. As soon as she began to read, Grawp relaxed. He loved when she came to read to him. She wasn't even sure if he really understood the words, but maybe it was just the sound of her voice he seemed to like so much. Because minutes later, his eyes drifted close and soon he was fast asleep. She kept reading, more for her benefit now than his. The Dark Forest, once a frightening place crawling with unspeakable horrors, had somehow become a place of solitude and quiet reflection.

Her voice drifted into the darkness until it slowly died away. She sat there, staring blankly at the words before her, not really seeing them. She closed the book and let her fingers stroke over the cover as her thoughts wandered.

Long fingers caressing her bare flesh… that boyish smirk he always seemed to cast her way even when he thought she didn't notice… the delightful way he smelled…

Hermione swallowed as that strange feeling began deep within her core… the familiar one that kept her up at night until she finally gave her body the release it demanded why silently whispering his name.

She closed her eyes, blocking out his grey eyes and silvery blonde hair, and remembered now the fear in Cho's eyes as he dragged her forward, sneering in triumph at having finally beaten Harry Potter at his own game. He was part of Umbridge's circle… which meant he'd rather see her dearest friends hurt as long as it meant a win for Team Slytherin. She pictured this and heard his voice calling her a filthy Mudblood...anything to quench the lust burning through her in that moment.

But her brain wasn't going to let her off that easily. It reminded her of the way he had looked over at her… a sadness wrinkling his eyes as she was forced out of the Room of Requirement. A brush of his fingers against her wrist as they passed one another. A hidden charm on her skin, making the effects of Umbridge's detention less painful than the rest of Dumbledore's Army. She stared down at her palm now, the words that had been scratched into her friends' hands, nonexistent on her flesh. She clenched her hand into a fist.

Why? She was nothing more than a filthy Mudblood to him… wasn't she?

Hermione groaned, falling back into the leaves. She stared up into the canopy of the trees, the light of the full moon shining brightly down on her. She listened to Grawp snoring softly. She swallowed, her hands covering her abdomen, her fingers drifting to unbuckle the clasp on her jeans.

Why hadn't she just let him finish what he started after the Yule Ball? Why did she want him so much?

"I always knew your taste in men was suspect, Granger, but a giant, really?" questioned a voice some distance away.

Hermione squeaked, haphazardly pushing herself to her feet as she fumbled with her wand. Thankfully her jumper was large enough to cover the buttons of her jeans she had just managed to undo. She whirled around to face the boy spying on her, her wand automatically raising in defense.

There he was, the object of her thoughts, looking more than relaxed leaning against the trunk of a nearby tree, his arms folded against his chest, that playful smirk pulling at the corner of his delectable mouth. He wasn't wearing his robes, choosing instead a tight black and green jumper pulled over a black button down shirt. The sleeves had been rolled up, exposing his forearms to her.

Her mouth suddenly went dry, her tongue heavy in her mouth. Merlin's beard, she couldn't decide if she wanted to kill him or fuck him at that moment. She silently prayed it wasn't the latter.

Without thinking, she stomped towards him, her wand still raised, "You vile, loathsome, despicable… horrible…" she stammered, drawing so close to him the tip of her wand almost touched his lips.

Malfoy didn't flinch. Instead he calmly raised one hand and pushed her wand away, his fingers securing around her wrist as it fell to her side. Then he pushed himself away from the tree and took a step towards her, closing the distance.

Hermione swallowed and looked up at him, defiance in her eyes. Christ, he was getting so tall.

"Let's just skip the part where you call me a prat and move right to the snogging, shall we?" he whispered, his thumb drifting over her bottom lip.

She snorted her disdain, "You cannot be serious!"

He shrugged, turning away from her, "Pity. You're actually a pretty decent kisser."

Her mouth dropped open and then quickly closed. Was that a compliment? She watched as he moved towards Grawp, who, thankfully, was still asleep.

He glanced at her over his shoulder, "Care to explain why you're hiding a giant in the Dark Forest?"

"He's Hagrid's brother and I suggest you stay away from him!" She moved to stand between him and Grawp.

Disgust flitted over Malfoy's handsome visage for a brief moment. "Hagrid…" he bit out, "That prattling fool involved you in another of his harebrained schemes, did he?"

"Hagrid is a friend… something you obviously know nothing about!"

He smiled at her, a cold, unfeeling upturn of his lips. "You think I don't have friends? Tell me, Granger, do you spend a lot of time thinking about me and my relationships?"

She made a face, "Don't flatter yourself, Malfoy. I could never… I would never give someone like you an extra second of my thoughts than was necessary."

His smile faded, replaced by his normal sneer. "Of course, Granger… your thoughts are reserved only for those gits Potter and Weasley. How dare I forget…"

She shook her head, "My thoughts are reserved for honest, caring people with whom I can trust with my life."

Something dangerous flared in his eyes and he took a step closer to her. "Did I not spare you Umbridge's punishment? Or did you remove the charm in order to martyr yourself with the rest of your classmates?"

Hermione looked away, suddenly feeling very guilty.

"Wait a minute," he realized, "you didn't remove it, did you?" He grabbed her hand but she quickly snatched it back. He moved to try again but she quickly sidestepped him. "Hermione Granger, let me see your hand."

"No," she mumbled, both of them clenching into fists at her side.

"You don't have to feel ashamed."

"Ha!" she exclaimed. "This coming from the de facto leader of Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad!"

He folded his arms across his chest and drew himself to his full height, "I'm not ashamed of that fact."

"Of course you aren't!" She turned away from him, her hands falling to her hips.

He grabbed her shoulder and cautiously turned her to face him. She didn't fight him. He gripped her chin between his forefinger and thumb and tilted her head to look up at him. "Why would I be ashamed when it places me in the best position to protect you?"

She jerked her chin out of his grasp but didn't move away from him. "If you wanted to protect me, you have a funny way of showing it."

He heaved a heavy sigh, his gaze raising to the sky above them. "Bloody hell, Granger, you're supposed to be the brightest witch of our age but you can be so fucking daft!"

She again snorted.

He looked down at her and something compelled her to meet his gaze. The heat she saw there made her swallow nervously. He gave his head a quick shake, then ran his hand through his stupid, perfect hair.

"Fuck," he cursed. "They wanted you, Hermione. Instead of Chang… they wanted to torture you."

"Oh," she murmured, though it wasn't a surprise. She had suspected as much but hadn't wanted to believe it.

"I convinced Umbridge that Chang was the easier target… that Harry had a crush on her… confided in her…" He swallowed, again thrusting his fingers through his hair.

"And tonight…" he continued, "I saw you skulking about the castle. I sent Blaise off on some fool's errand so he didn't see you, too, as it was his turn on patrol. And I may have slipped Filch a sleeping draught to keep him off our backs…" He shrugged. "If I'd known you were doing something dimwitted for Hagrid…"

"You'd what? Let Umbridge have me?" She jutted her chin towards him, challenging him.

There it was again, that spark of heat in his eyes. He brought his hand to her waist, giving it a firm squeeze. "No one will be having you… except me."

She scoffed, "In your dreams, Malfoy."

She squealed as his fingers dug into her side.

He tilted his head to the side as he studied her. "In my dreams… in your dreams…" His gaze drifted to the edge of her jumper. "Confess, Granger… what were you doing moments before I arrived?"

Her cheeks flamed and she looked away from him.

"Fuck me," he growled, "you were going to touch yourself…"

"Oh, sod off, Malfoy," she replied but she still couldn't look up at him.

He chuckled low in his throat… a sexy sound that had her gulping past the sudden lump in her throat.

"You don't have to be embarrassed… not with me."

"I'm not embarrassed! We are of an age when it is perfectly normal to…"

Her diatribe was suddenly cut off by the firm press of his lips against hers.

Hermione pulled back, her hand absently touching her lips. "What the hell, Malfoy?! Wh-why would you do that?"

He smiled, "Seemed the quickest way to get you to shut up, Granger."

She stared at him in angry disbelief then her eyes fell to his lips. Before she knew what she was doing, she had closed the distance between them, her hands on his cheeks, her lips on his mouth.

He welcomed the contact, his arms encircling her waist so she couldn't escape him. Her mouth opened at the same moment as his, their tongues moving together in urgent need.

He pushed her back against a tree and firmly pressed his body against hers. He kissed her over and over, each one more passionate than the last. She moaned when he shoved his leg between her thighs as his lips slid down to the hollow of her throat.

"Are you going to let me finish you this time, Granger?" he questioned, his breath hot in her ear.

"Stop talking!" she exclaimed, her own mouth finding his again, drawing his bottom lip between her teeth before she bit down.

Draco jerked against her and she could taste a small bit of his blood in her mouth.

"I always knew there was a bit of a bad girl in you…" he murmured, before reclaiming her lips.

His hands were everywhere now… pawing at her breast, fumbling with her jumper, caressing her thigh. But it wasn't until they fell to the zipper of her jeans that she moaned his name and moved against him.

He froze. His gaze searched hers, almost like he was asking permission. She barely managed to nod before he was unzipping them and thrusting his fingers into the waistband of the tight fabric. His fingertips moved over her already swollen flesh, sliding easily into the slick of her folds, despite the tightness of her clothing restricting him. Why wasn't she wearing her blasted skirt?!

Her head fell back against the tree and she dug her fingers into the bark. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his lips sucking bruises into her flesh as his fingers continued to explore, stroking back and forth against her core, making her whimper into the dark and quiet night.

"You're so fucking wet…" he groaned. "I want to taste you…"

Hermione bit her lip, just the mere thought of his words alone exciting her beyond anything she had ever done with her own hand. Her hips jerked against him.

"Do it, Draco…" she found herself pleading. "Please…"

He pulled his fingers from her pants, then fell to his knees before her. He grabbed hold of her jeans, ready to yank them down. She closed her eyes, afraid to watch, knowing that once this was done, she was going to hate herself. Wasn't she?

She'd never have the chance to answer that question. Suddenly Draco's hard form was yanked from her, pulled away by some unseen force.

Hermione heard Draco curse as Grawp hauled him away from her and high into the air. Draco grabbed for his wand and she reacted instantaneously.

"Expelliarmus!" she cried out, disarming Draco.

"What the hell, Granger?!" he exclaimed.

"I can't let you hurt him!"

"Hurt him?!"

Grawp gave Draco a shake. "Hurt Hermy!"

"No, Grawp…" Hermione tried, "Hermy is fine…"

Grawp looked down at her. "Hermy no hurt?"

"N-no, I am fine. See?" She patted herself to show him. "So please put Malfoy down."

Grawp eyed Malfoy carefully then looked back at Hermione. He released him, letting him fall, hitting the ground hard.

Malfoy hollered out in pain, grabbing his shoulder. She rushed over to him, ascertaining the extent of his injury.

"Your shoulder is dislocated," she tried to remain calm. "I-I have to-to…"

"Just do it!" he replied through clenched teeth.

"You- you have to lie still…"

Malfoy took a deep breath, then lay flat on his back. Hermione came to straddle him, placing her hands firmly in two places on his shoulder. She gave a quick jerk and felt it snap back into place.

Malfoy muttered a slew of curses before relaxing back onto the ground.

"Are-are you all right?" she asked, her voice quivering from the threat of tears.

He didn't respond, choosing to pant into the darkness that surrounded them. He felt her there, straddling him, his shaft growing hard again at just the thought.

"Better now…" he somehow managed. Of their own volition, his hips rocked against her.

She scoffed, "You're fine." She scrambled off of him, moving to retrieve his fallen wand.

Draco slowly sat up, watching her, seeing the shift in her, the stiffness returning to her shoulders. He already knew what was coming. He pushed himself to his feet.

She came to stand before him, his wand twisting in her hand. "Draco," she started.

He snatched his wand from her. "I won't say anything to Umbridge about your little secret." He turned away from her, brushing himself off. He started back to the castle.

He heard her tell her pet to "stay" and then she was following close behind him. He wasn't sure why, but he slowed his pace, letting her catch up to him. When they came to the edge of the forest, he raised his hand, and she abruptly stopped at his side.

He glanced at her. There was bark clinging to her unruly hair and her cheeks were still flushed, her lips pink and swollen. Her eyes met his and there were unshed tears glistening there. It made him swallow. He jerked his head and started to walk. She fell in step with him.

They hurried to a poorly lit corridor, and he pushed her against one of the stone walls, his eyes doing a quick search of the perimeter. He then gave her a quick nod and she made her way to the back stairs.

Draco turned away from her then. His arms folding against his chest as he stared out into the night.

"Good night, Draco," she whispered.

"Keep out of the Dark Forest, Granger," was his cold reply. She said nothing. Then he listened as her feet ascended the staircase. Once they faded, he released a shuddering breath. He stared at his fingers. He could still smell her on them.

"Have a nice night, Draco?" Blaise Zabini questioned, coming from beneath the shadows of the staircase. He cocked an eyebrow as his gaze followed up the darkened staircase Hermione had disappeared.

Draco just shrugged. Then he gave Blaise a menacing look, "You didn't see anything…"

Blaise held up his hands in mock defense, "Your secret is safe with me."

Draco turned back to stare out into the night. He didn't like how Blaise had said the word secret...