This chapter may need a TW. No spoilers, so if you want to know more go to the end of the chapter


Chapter Twenty-One

The Letter


Draco came out of the fireplace in a bad mood, leaving his coat on the back of one of the armchairs.

It had been almost three weeks since Greg's death and they were still a long way from catching the culprits. Potter's plan wasn't working.

His whole body tensed as he saw that the lights were on but there was no one on the ground floor of the house. Not even Crookshanks.

A very bad sign.

He'd had to lie to Hermione one too many times in the last few days, and he knew she'd noticed.

Would she be trying to...?

No. She wouldn't.

Draco narrowed his eyes as he heard noise from upstairs.

His blood ran cold. It sounded like someone had just opened a drawer.

He clenched his fists, his imagination coming to the worst possible conclusion. He ran up the stairs as fast as he could, biting the inside of his cheek as he saw the door to the study ajar.

Shit.

Draco took a deep breath and pushed it open. What he saw inside made his whole body shake with rage.

Hermione was behind his desk, her wand in her hand and a vial between her fingers. She had managed to break all the protective charms on his drawer.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked in a cold voice.

She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. It seemed she didn't expect to be discovered.

"I'm going to give you a chance to explain yourself, Draco Malfoy," she said, clicking her tongue. "I don't know if you deserve it, though."

"Explain myself?" he repeated, entering the room. "I specifically asked you not to touch that drawer, Hermione. What's inside is private!"

He thought he saw her brown eyes burst into flames.

"Private?" she hissed, putting the vial back in its place and clenching her fists to contain her rage. "That's my name on them!" she shouted, pointing to the dozens of vials at the bottom of the drawer. "What's this?"

Draco clenched his jaw, waving his wand and closing it.

"It's none of your business."

"Yes, it is!" Hermione replied, rounding the desk to stand in front of him. "What are you playing at? Those are memories, and I'll bet you anything they're mine."

His anger was getting worse by the minute, and it wasn't a good idea to hold his wand while he was feeling like this. Draco tucked it into his trouser pocket, glaring at her.

"Stop."

She was still holding hers in her hand and looking at him as if she didn't recognise him.

"What have you done, Draco? Are you stealing my memories?"

He took a step forward, pointing a finger at her.

"I said stop!" he shouted angrily. "You're still insufferable, Granger! You always have to know everything!"

Hermione inhaled sharply, feeling her body freeze.

"Insufferable?" she repeated in a trembling voice. She shook her head and lifted her chin defiantly. "You've been lying to me!"

Draco lifted an eyebrow.

"And it hasn't occurred to you that I might have a good reason for doing so?" he asked wryly, slurring his words.

"I'm sick of your secrets!" she said, snorting and folding her arms. "Tell me what you're doing with those memories, or..."

"Or what, Granger?"

Draco took a step closer and she raised her wand, putting it between them.

"Don't provoke me, Malfoy. You know what I'm capable of."

He laughed half-heartedly.

"Are you going to hex me?" he challenged her, taking another step.

"Don't move," she warned, pointing her wand at his heart.

"Go ahead, Granger," Draco snarled, stepping forward until the tip of her wand dug into his shirt. "I dare you."

Hermione gritted her teeth.

Her face was completely red and her eyes were glowing. She was truly furious.

Draco hissed as a spark flew from the wand, burning his skin, and he took a step back.

"I haven't felt so much hatred coursing through my veins in years," he whispered, snorting through his nose.

He knew he was about to lose control but he didn't care.

"I hate you!" she shouted, lowering her wand.

He narrowed his eyes.

"I hate you more," he hissed, crossing the distance between them in two steps and grabbing her wrists.

"No! Get away from me!"

Hermione struggled but he held her tighter.

"Let go of the wand," he demanded in a deep voice.

"No!"

She twisted her arm and Draco rolled his eyes.

"Stop struggling."

Hermione shot him a hateful glare. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, biting down hard on his bottom lip.

Draco hissed, pulling away from her. He wrapped a hand around her throat, stopping her from moving as he ran the back of his other hand across his lip.

He squared his jaw at the sight of a small trail of blood on his fingers.

"Did you just bite me?"

Her hands were gripping his. She dug her nails into his skin, gritting her teeth.

"Let go of me. Now."

Draco gave her a wicked grin, running his tongue along the cut. The metallic taste of blood pissed him off even more.

"No."

He felt like he did when he was a student and looked at her in class. The hatred she provoked inside him made him want to hurt her... or, as he discovered a few years later, to kiss her.

And at that moment the decision was an easy one to make.

Draco pressed her against him, preventing her from pulling away, and crashed his lips against hers.

He let out all the frustration and anger he had built up inside him in that kiss, claiming her lips roughly. He had never kissed her like that, no matter how much they argued.

She was still struggling to get away, but within seconds she stopped moving and responded to his kiss with the same rage.

The grip on her throat loosened and his fingers trailed down to her collarbone, pressing gently. Hermione gasped, releasing his arm and burying both hands in his hair.

Draco couldn't help but hiss as she tugged at several strands, pressing his face against hers and deepening the kiss. She was being rough too, something he hadn't experienced since they'd been together.

Neither had the searing desire that coursed through his body, demanding that he didn't stop.

And he did not. He tangled one hand in her curls, pulling until she lifted her chin, and took the opportunity to devour her mercilessly.

His other hand squeezed her waist, pushing her until her back hit the wall. Hermione moaned and he tilted his head, biting and licking the curve of her neck as he pressed his body against hers.

He was so aroused he couldn't think straight.

Her hands moved down to his neck and Draco gripped her thighs, lifting them until he had her legs wrapped around him and pulled her skirt up to her hips.

Without thinking, he pushed her knickers aside with his fingers and entered her in one motion.

Hermione stifled a scream, clinging tighter to his back.

He kept thrusting into her, faster and faster, his lips sucking at the skin of her neck.

He could hear her gasps in his ear. Hermione was enjoying it too.

He held on until he felt her shudder in his arms and he nibbled on her shoulder, letting himself be carried away by the pleasure.

Only their ragged breaths could be heard in the room. Neither of them moved as they tried to catch their breath.

After a few minutes, he raised his head and looked into her eyes. She looked up at him too, letting out a shaky sigh. Her lips were very swollen and there were several red marks on her neck.

The reality of what had happened between them brought a knot to his stomach.

He had been rough, and the worst part was that he hadn't cared.

Draco swallowed, running his eyes over her to see if he'd left any more marks on her skin and letting go of her legs. He felt even worse as he watched her straighten her skirt and run a hand down her neck, brushing the future bruises with her fingers.

"I wasn't serious," he admitted quietly, tucking a curl behind her ear.

She sighed again, brushing a blond lock away from his forehead.

"I know. Me neither, but I was so angry," she murmured, running her finger along his bottom lip. Draco smiled as he felt her magic heal his wound. "I'm sorry I bit you."

He shook his head and his grin widened as he saw her blush.

Draco could still feel the adrenaline under his skin. What had just happened had been the best shag of his life, and he suspected she was thinking the same thing.

Who knew mixing sex and rage could be so satisfying.

"Can you trust me?" he asked, running his thumb over her cheek. "There's an explanation for everything, but I can't talk about it yet. I need more time."

Hermione tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth, staring up at him.

"I don't like that there are so many secrets between us."

"Neither do I," Draco confessed with a sigh. "I need you to trust me, Hermione."

"I do."

His heart skipped a beat and he smiled again.

"You know I love you."

She smiled back, resting her chin on his chest and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Kiss me," she asked in a whisper.

Draco bent his head and kissed her, trapping her bottom lip between his. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up.

"Come here," he murmured between kisses, walking with her in his arms. "You need to sleep. I'll make you a glass of warm milk to help you relax."

Hermione nodded, still kissing him. She felt like crying after the explosion of feelings she had just experienced, but now she saw everything more clearly.

Every corner of her soul loved Draco, and she wasn't going to doubt him again.

They had to trust each other.


Moonlight streamed through the window of Hermione's room, illuminating the skin on her arms and leaving silver highlights in her curls.

Draco was lying at her side, watching her sleep.

On the desk at the foot of the bed was still the previous day's Prophet, the front page of which had been devoted to the miraculous recovery of their former teacher, Gilderoy Lockart.

After eight years in St. Mungo's, he had been discharged that morning.

Draco frowned, trying to remember every detail of her face. He didn't know when he would be able to be so close to her again.

He couldn't wait any longer. He was putting her in danger, and that night Hermione had been on the verge of finding out what he was doing and ruining everything.

Leaving would solve two problems in one go... though he didn't know if she'd be able to understand why he'd done it.

He sighed, reducing and stashing the eight vials he had just filled with her memories in his pocket.

He had forty-six in total, and he hoped they were enough.

Draco left a folded piece of parchment on the pillow and looked at her again, pursing his lips.

The sleeping potion she had drunk was still taking effect, and he would no longer be there when she woke up.

Draco leaned over her, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"I hope you can forgive me," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

After one last look, he stood up and picked up his coat, heading out into the corridor.

He found Dark in the study, asleep in her cage.

There were a couple of bones next to her legs. It probably hadn't been long since she'd returned from hunting.

Draco reached a hand into the cage, stroking her feathers gently to wake her up. The eagle owl's huge eyes opened, staring up at him.

"I need you to take this to Blaise," he whispered, holding out a piece of parchment.

The owl hooted, spreading her wings. She swooped out of the cage and landed on his knee, lifting one of her legs.

Draco smiled as he folded the message and tied it up.

"Hermione's going to ask you to look for me, but you won't be able to find me. Take care of her, Dark."

He petted her again and she glanced at him one last time before she went out the window, which was always open.

Draco sighed as he watched her fly away, getting back to his feet.

He pulled a coin from his trouser pocket, twirling it in his fingers until it began to glow with a bluish light.

A few seconds later there was no trace of him left.


Draco walked calmly through the streets of suburban Melbourne. Or, at least, he appeared to be calm.

In reality, he was scared, sad and angry. But he was also determined.

He held his palm outstretched with his wand on it. He was holding a small vial filled with a thick, red liquid in his other hand.

Hermione's blood. He had drawn some from her before he left, healing the cut so she wouldn't notice.

He looked down at his wand, which turned slightly to the right.

He had enchanted it so that Muggles would see it as a compass, just the function it was serving at the moment.

Draco sighed, making sure he was alone before dropping a couple more drops of blood on the tip to keep it pointing the right way.

He was using too much dark magic. The Ministry would have a lot to say about it if they found out what he was doing.

After two hours of walking, he managed to find the house.

It was just as she had described it. Two-storey, yellow and with a dark grey roof.

And there was light behind the curtains of the downstairs windows.

He put his left hand in his pocket, hiding his wand as he walked down the small stone path that led to the entrance.

There was no turning back now. The time had come.

He just hoped it was worth it.

Draco took a breath, releasing it very slowly. He raised a hand and rapped his knuckles on the door of the house three times.

Instantly he heard footsteps on the other side and it opened a few inches, revealing the face of a woman who was in almost every picture in Hermione's house.

"Mrs. Wilkins?"

"Yes?" she said, opening the door a little wider and frowning. "Do I know you?"

Draco smirked when he saw that she wasn't alone. A man was walking towards her with his arms crossed.

Perfect.

"If you're one of our patients, I don't remember you," the man commented, eyeing him suspiciously.

Right, they were... healers? Tooth doctors?

What had Hermione called it?

Draco relaxed his posture at the memory.

Dentists.

"Hello," he greeted, taking a step forward. "My name is Draco Malfoy."

None of them reacted to hearing his name, which was not a good sign. He knew Hermione had talked to them about him during their first years at Hogwarts.

And not exactly well.

"I'm a friend of your daughter," he added, keeping a straight face.

The two Muggles looked surprised.

"Daughter?" the woman repeated, giving her husband a worried look. "We don't have a daughter. I think you've got the wrong house."

Draco snorted, pushing the door open all the way. He pulled his hand out of his pocket, clutching his wand between his fingers.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Granger," he muttered, raising it and pointing it at her forehead.

Both Muggles had no time to react. Their bodies fell to the ground a second later, stunned.

Draco looked back, making sure no other Muggle had seen anything. The sun was setting behind the mountains and the street was deserted.

He closed the door with his foot and levitated both bodies, laying them carefully on the sofa. After that he took off his cloak, rolled up his sleeves and took all the vials out of his pocket.

He placed them on the dining table, returning them to their original size and turning to look at the Muggles, who were breathing deeply.

"Well..." he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Time to get to work."


Hermione opened her eyes, blinking several times. The sunlight was just starting to brighten her room so it was still early.

She heard a meow and turned her head.

Crookshanks was lying next to her. When he saw that he had her attention he meowed again and wagged his tail in the air.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, confused.

Where was Draco?

Hermione sat on the mattress, looking around. Her eyes fell on a folded piece of parchment on Draco's pillow.

Her heart fluttered, frightened. He never left her notes, and something told her that piece of paper wouldn't say anything good after the fight they'd had the night before.

Draco liked to wake her up to say goodbye if he was leaving, and he always told her where she could find him. Especially since Pansy had been attacked.

She swallowed and her hands shook as she took the parchment and opened it, holding her breath as she read the first sentence.

Hermione,

I know you're going to be mad when you read this, but I have to do something and I can't wait any longer.

I'm going to be away for a while, I can't tell you how long. I can't tell you what it's about either. The Ministry would try to stop me if they found out and I'm not going to let them.

Besides, I refuse to keep putting you in danger by being around you. I will not allow you to be hurt again.

The distance will be good for you while Potter and the rest of the Aurors continue their search for these assassins. But I won't be far away from you, I promise.

Trust me, Hermione. I'll be back as soon as I can.

Wait for me.

Draco

Hermione refolded the parchment, wiping away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

She covered her mouth with her hand as a sob escaped her throat.

Draco had left?


TW: hate sex