Chapter 3


Hermione did her best to just ignore him. There really wasn't any other option at this point. She couldn't tell Harry or Ron. She couldn't even tell Ginny. Briefly she thought about trying to discuss it with Luna, but then wasn't sure if the Ravenclaw would be able to offer much advice to her. Plus, she wasn't sure she wanted anyone to know.

It had been Draco Malfoy who kissed her after all. This wasn't just a boy and that hadn't been just a kiss… There had been something else in it, a darkness that Hermione wasn't sure what to do with. It scared her, to be honest. But it also… intrigued her. And she wasn't sure if that fact was even scarier.

She had shared a few kisses with Viktor a few years before, but they had been simple and chaste. She was inexperienced to say the least and Malfoy had his reputation for a reason. She stroked the purring cat on her lap and flipped the page of the book she was pretending to read while she thought all of this over.

"You need to move your eyes," Ginny threw herself down in a chair across from Hermione. "If you're going to sit there and act like you're reading, you need to move your eyes every now and then,"

Hermione couldn't help but smile a little as she closed the book and set it down. She had made more of an effort to spend time in the common room over the past few days despite Ron and Lavender's growing public displays of affection. She had missed hanging out with Ginny and Harry and she had also missed Crookshanks. The ginger cat purred loudly as if letting her know he had missed her too.

Plus, it was the perfect place to make sure she didn't run into a certain blonde Slytherin. Even if she still spent most of her time thinking about him. She scratched Crookshanks on the head and he closed his golden eyes happily.

"Any luck on finding a date for Slughorn's party?" Ginny asked offhandedly.

With a sigh Hermione shook her head. "No, but then again, I haven't really been looking,"

"Do you want me to help?" Ginny leaned forward. "I can as Dean who is still available and-"

"No, it's okay," Hermione mumbled and glanced over at Ron and Lavender snuggled up close to the fire. She had given Ronald a bit of thought as well. His current actions and what he had said to her after his practice had changed things. If he really felt that way then there was no way the two of them would have worked out. And as much as it hurt, Hermione was starting to heal from his betrayal of her. Unfortunately, she wasn't having as much luck with her thoughts about Malfoy.

She still thought it might all be an elaborate ruse to humiliate her, but why would he sully himself in the process? Malfoy saw people like her as filthy, dirty, and disgusting. Would it be worth tarnishing his own image just to ruin hers? It didn't make sense.

"Wait… I know that look!" Ginny grinned. Hermione looked up. "There's someone you're thinking of asking!" She said happily.

"What? No," Hermione shook her head again and her curly brown hair fell around her face. "No there isn't,"

"You get this far away look in your eyes and then you bite your lip," Ginny's smile spread. "I know boy thoughts when I see them, trust me,"

Hermione tried to keep the blush in her cheeks to a minimum. Yes she was thinking of a boy, but not like that. But… sometimes… she couldn't help but let her mind wander to the thought of what if he had kissed her simply because he had wanted to kiss her? He still insulted her, but there had just been this… feeling she got that there was something more to it. She wished she could find a book on decoding Pureblood Slytherins ulterior motives.

"I was thinking about my Ancient Runes essay," She said, trying to deflect the conversation. "In fact, I need to go to the Library and get a few books to finish it,"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You know, you could have one night of fun instead of always running to the Library,"

"But the Library is fun," Hermione frowned.

Ginny laughed and patted her arm. "Hermione, you know I love you, but you need to let loose every now and then. I know that marks and essays are important to you and I love you for that, I really do, but," She sighed. "I want you to enjoy yourself too. Merlin knows we all need it these days,"

"You're right, Gin," Hermione conceded. "And I will. I'll find a date for Slughorn's party and we will have a great time that night," Ginny brightened and Hermione heard Lavender's giggles from across the room followed by playful growling from Ron. "But right now, I need to go get those books,"


She had finished the Ancient Runes essay two days ago, but Ginny didn't know that. Hermione did feel a bit guilty misleading her, but she needed to get out of the common room for just a little while and the brisk winter air in the dark corridors always helped her clear her mind.

The door to the Library creaked open and she slipped inside. She felt calmer in here, surrounded by the familiar stacks, books, and tomes she had come accustomed to in her years at Hogwarts. Hermione took a deep breath, relishing the dusty scent of the old books and headed towards the Restricted Section again.

Although many of the books here send a chill down her spine, they did cover subjects of the dark arts that she didn't know much about. And with the war coming, she needed all the information she could get. The blue light candles hovered around the tops of the shelves and Hermione lit the tip of her wand to give her a little more light to see by.

"I was wondering when you'd be back," His drawling voice came as a shock to her and Hermione jumped with a yelp and dropped her wand. It rolled away somewhere, the light disappearing behind a stack. She was temporarily glad of the darkness so that Malfoy could not see the flush of her face.

"What are you doing?" She hissed, angry that he had snuck up on her yet again and even more angry that she had dropped her wand somewhere.

"Waiting for you to get past whatever qualms you have," His voice was like velvet and Hermione blinked in the darkness as his outline began to come into view.

"What are you talking about?" She huffed and tore her eyes from him, trying to see where her wand went.

Then she could feel him behind her. His hands ran down her arms and rested on her wrists. His chest brushed against her back and she could smell mint on his breath as it blew a few strands of her hair. She heard him chuckle a little behind her.

"Granger, you can't play dumb," He took a deep breath. "No one would believe it,"

"If I didn't know you better I'd say you just paid me a compliment," Hermione snapped. She didn't know what Malfoy was doing, but she wasn't going to let him get the better of her this time.

"And how well do you know me, Granger?" His voice was deep and rumbled through her.

She spun around at this and his silver eyes trapped her in his gaze. The pale blue light above them cast what could have been interpreted as a halo around his white blonde hair if she hadn't known him for the devil he was.

A smirk began to spread over him and Hermione realized that she had been staring. "Well enough," She snapped.

"You think so?" He raised an eyebrow. "Because I think," Malfoy shifted in front of her, leaning his weight to one side effortlessly. "We could get to know one another… better,"

She shoved down the small thrill of excitement that tried to bubble up in her. This was Malfoy, she reminded herself. "And why would I want to do that?" She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

He leaned in close to her. "No one has to know," He whispered and Hermione felt those words pass right through her. She felt her mouth fall open slightly and his rain grey eyes slid to it for a second before they came back to hold her gaze once more.

She couldn't figure out his game because there had been none. He wasn't trying to trick her or humiliate her at all. She couldn't believe it. It was impossible, but… here was the proof, standing right in front of her.

"You can't tell me you've never thought about it," He whispered and reached up to play with a stray curl. "The… forbidden fruit," His eyes slid down over her and back up again, bringing a smirk with them.

"But… you hate me," She breathed out.

"Loathe you," Malfoy said simply. "But that doesn't mean that you aren't fucking adorable," He licked his lips. "And adorably fuckable,"

She pulled away from him with a small gasp. Malfoy chuckled again, not bothered at all by her reaction. "I know you still think about that kiss," He said huskily, dropping his eyes back to her lips again. "Because every time you accidentally look at me you bite your lip and-" He stopped and swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure. Once again everything about him came under his control. "And you should let me do that for you,"

Her mind was spinning. Finally, with him here in front of her, she was not able to deny the part of her that had enjoyed their kiss and even their other interactions. But this was wrong and she knew it. She should turn away, grab her wand and continue ignoring him. And Hermione always did what she was supposed to. But Ginny had said that she needed to let loose and live a little…

"How do I know you wouldn't go and tell everyone?" She countered. Why was she even entertaining this? It was madness! It was… the best she had felt in a long time.

Malfoy cocked his head to the side. "You think I want people knowing?"

But his rejection didn't sting like Ron's had. In fact, in a strange way, it empowered her. Malfoy despised her, yet he still was interested in her; even if it was in just a physical way. But maybe that's what she needed too.

She felt the weight of her thoughts and their quick movement was enough to make her dizzy. Or was that because Malfoy seemed to be getting closer to her again? Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She was Hermione Granger and she didn't do things like this. She bit her lip in thought.

Hermione heard the growl half a second before she felt him push her back into the books behind her, his hands finding her wrists and holding them at her sides. His nose grazed along hers and she could smell the mint in the heavy breaths that graced her lips every few seconds.

Hermione went still, her brain finally shutting up for the first time in days as Malfoy's lips hovered less than an inch from hers. He moved his body against hers and once again she felt his solid muscles press into her.

"Do you want to kiss me, Granger?" Malfoy said in a low voice.

Yes. The answer was a simple yes, yet somehow it wasn't. Malfoy had a long line of conquests left behind him and she didn't want to just be another notch on his bedpost. But she wanted this. Wanted it in a way that was entirely different than the way she had wanted Ron. This was raw, primal, and real.

Just barely, she allowed her head to nod. She could practically feel the excitement run through his body and his grip on her wrists tightened. She tilted her face slightly up towards him. She couldn't deny that she did want to kiss him again. Maybe the darkness had made her bolder, but she could think it all over in the morning sun. Tonight she just wanted to act.

"Ask nicely," Malfoy whispered. She felt a surge of Gryffindor pride rise up in her and her tawny eyes burned into his.

Malfoy smirked. "You already got your free taste. Now you've got to earn it,"

Oh, if he had said almost anything else other than that… Hermione had a competitive spirit that was almost unmatched. She didn't care that much for Quidditch. Of course she cheered on her house team at every game, but her competitiveness ran in a different streak. It is what drove her to be the top of her class, what drove her to strive hard.

"Kiss me," She breathed out, excited by her own boldness.

Malfoy brushed his lips against hers and Hermione felt a shiver begin to travel down her spine. "I said nicely," He flicked his tongue against her bottom lip and squeezed her wrists just a little tighter.

Hermione felt herself grow warm with anticipation. As much as she didn't want to and as much as she didn't want to say it, she wanted to feel him kiss her even more. "Please," She managed, closing her eyes against the smug expression on his face.

It was rough, urgent, and full of need. Hermione felt lightheaded and was glad that Malfoy was holding onto her to keep her from slipping down the shelves. Malfoy pressed her harder into the dark books of the Restricted Section and engulfed her. Her whole body responded to him, tightening and pushing into him as her lips opened for him. Malfoy didn't waste any time letting his tongue snake inside her mouth as he tasted her fully. For a moment she worried that she wouldn't be able to match his skill, but a deep groan rose up in him and her worries slid from her mind as she focused back on him.

She knew her lips would be bruised by his rough treatment of them, but she made no attempt to pull away. Malfoy seemed pleased at his and deepened the kiss to the point where Hermione began to feel like she was losing herself in it. He pressed his hips into hers and bit down on her bottom lip. Hard.

She whimpered slightly and he released it, pulling back only far enough to look down at her. They were both breathing hard and Hermione felt her chest press into his with each breath and was surprised by how much she liked the feeling.

"Sweet Salazar, I could eat you up," Malfoy said in a low voice.

She was at a loss for words. Part of her wondered what would happen if she said 'please' again, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to find out just yet. Her body was still vibrating from their kiss and the rational part of her brain wanted to think this all through before she got herself into anything else. Another part wanted Malfoy to do exactly what he had just said.

This was wrong. It might feel good, but something in her brain was screaming at her. This was Draco Malfoy for heaven's sake! There was a reason she hadn't told anyone about their late night run-ins. Malfoy's eyes shone like silver and in that moment she entirely believed that he could consume her. And the worst part was there was a piece of her that wanted him to.

"I shouldn't be doing this," She mumbled.

Malfoy gave a soft snort. "Worried what Saint Potter will think?"

Hermione felt a bit of her fire return to her. "Yes, actually," She blinked. It wasn't just her that Malfoy had mercilessly teased over the years; it was Harry and Ron too, taking swipes at Ron's family and the fact that Harry didn't have one. "You're vile and cruel. And this, this is wrong,"

The disappointment was clear on Malfoy's face for only a moment before he tucked it away behind a mask of indifference.

"Look Granger," He said in a bored tone. "I've given you a few chances now. I like a chase, but I like the catch even better," Hermione bit her lip to stifle a surprised gasp. "You can pretend you're better than this, but come on," Malfoy raised one eyebrow. "We both know you're not,"

She was a little hurt by the venom in his tone. Would she ever be more than just a Mudblood to him? Did she even want to be? That was a question that she wasn't prepared to answer right now when the minty smell of him was drifting up her nose and making her brain feel fuzzy.

"You think I'm so low," Hermione narrowed her eyes, refusing to let him get the better of her this time. "But you're the one who is chasing me, not the other way around,"

His expression turned unreadable for a moment, but she thought she might have been a glimmer of entertainment in his eyes as another candle drifted above them.

"I should fuck that attitude right out of you," He snapped, grey eyes are hard as iron.

She pulled away from him quickly. Merlin, where had her wand gotten to? She didn't want to pull her eyes away from him to search for it, but she desperately wished that it was in her hand.

Malfoy wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her against him in one swift movement. Hermione placed her hands on his chest, ready to push him back at a moment's notice, but had to fight the urge to ball his shirt into her fists.

"And I will, my little Mudblood," Malfoy's voice moved over her like velvet. "I'll have you begging for it,"

She flung herself away from him and the indignity of what he was implying. Her caramel curls fell heavily into her face, obscuring it further in the darkness. "Has no one ever told you 'No' before?" Hermione retorted.

Malfoy smirked and she felt a twinge in her stomach at the sight of it. "No, they haven't,"

"Well let me be the first," Hermione sneered at him. She took a few steps back and finally saw the tell tale light of her wand out of the corner of her eye. But she refused to run from him this time. He had already gotten her to ask him to kiss her, she wasn't going to let him run her out of the Library too.

Malfoy's smirk fell into a scowl. Hermione quickly scooped up her wand and with it a bit more courage. "Do you know how infuriating you are?" She said, her voice rising an octave in frustration.

"And do you know how self righteous you are?" Malfoy snapped back.

Hermione was taken aback for a moment. Harry had learned not to argue back with her by the end of third year and when she and Ron argued it was never a battle of wits. "Prancing around with your little friends," Malfoy sneered. "Doing Dumbledore's bidding,"

"You leave them out of this," Hermione said firmly.

"Gladly," Malfoy glared at her. "This is between you and me, no one else, got it?" He said in a menacing tone.

Hermione wasn't going to tell anyone. She didn't want this getting out any more than he did. They both had reputations to protect, but she wasn't going to be the one walking out of here with her pride bruised. "There is nothing between us," She snarled.

Malfoy glared at her. He took a few steps forward until he was right in her face, her wand digging into his chest and she knew it must be painful although he didn't let an ounce of it show on his face. "Bullshit,"

Hermione didn't get the chance to retort before Malfoy had brushed past her and it wasn't long before she heard the slight creak of the gate of the Restricted Section opening and closing. It wasn't until after then that she allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding.


Stuck up bitch. Who did she think she was, talking to him like that? More proof of her poor breeding and boorish Muggle culture she was raised in. Draco stalked down the empty corridor, heading to the Room of Requirement. Two days had passed since their second meeting in the Restricted Section and Granger had not even had the decency to give him a sideways glance in the classes they shared.

He was infuriating? No, she was. Draco grimaced at his childish train of thought. But it was true! Granger drove him up the fucking wall. He had the best tutors before coming to Hogwarts. He had been raised to be the pinnacle of wizarding society standards and yet this dirty little Mudblood was the one who was the top of their class and it was she and her friends who were revered by everyone in school.

It didn't help that he was entranced by her too. She was unlike the girls he was used to. Most girls giggled and fawned over his attention and Pansy practically threw herself at him every chance she got, but Granger was different. She barely seemed to notice him unless he was insulting her and even then she normally had a witty retort that stopped him in his tracks.

She obviously didn't spend hours in front of the mirror before she left her dorm yet somehow her bookish charms just worked for her. With her oversized sweaters and her messy curls that looked like she had just been taken for a tumble when the whole school knew damn well no one had made it in between her legs. Fucking prude.

But Draco felt himself drawn to her and her big doe eyes that were always diving into a book any chance she got. Her innocence, her purity, was something that called to him on a primal level. He wanted to take it, own it, possess it. For years her Blood Status had held him back, but he wasn't able to push his urges away any more. And with the current threat looming over him, this year might be his last chance to have her.

And he would. There was no doubt in his mind that Hermione Granger would belong to him, if only for a night. His mind had wandered as to what was under her skirt too many times for him not to find out, at least once. Maybe after that, the spell she had wound around him would be broken and he would be free to continue on his mission uninhibited.

Draco pulled the dusty cloth off of the vanishing cabinet and let it fall to the floor. Until then, he would work and he would plot.

He would have her. One way or another.


Hermione was agitated all the next day. She was having trouble focusing on her classes and found that her thoughts kept drifting back to the previous night. He made her blood boil but she couldn't deny the attraction that she felt for him now. It hadn't been a fluke, like she had been trying to convince herself. She wanted Malfoy to kiss her again and she had enjoyed it.

Harry sat next to her, paging through his potions book, completely engrossed in it. This suited her find because he gave her time to think things over. She knew if she just put her mind to it, she could figure out what was causing her to have this reaction to Malfoy and then she could nip it in the bud.

But a deep part of her knew what was causing this- the fact that no matter how much she tried to ignore it and how much she didn't want it to be true, but she was drawn to the blonde Slytherin in a way that she had never felt before. She could not stop the warm feeling settling deep within her anytime she let her thoughts linger on the kiss a little too long.

Hermione huffed. The common room was a pain to be in and now her one refuge, the Library, was also compromised. "I'm going for a walk," She said to Harry.

"Want me to come with you?" He offered.

Hermione hesitated. She would like the company and a walk would pull him from that awful Prince's potion book he was glued to these days. But it also meant that she would not be able to sit in her own head and process these thoughts and, dare she say it, feelings, she was having.

"It's okay," She stood up and gathered her things. "I just need some air,"

"Okay," Harry shrugged and turned back to the book.

Hermione hesitated and bit her lip as her best friend turned his attention back to the tiny black writing in the margins, tilting the book slightly to read it better. She should stay here and try to convince him to turn it back in, that's what a good friend would do.

She sighed. That is what she always did. She looked out for Harry and Ron; making sure they never got in too much trouble and making sure that their homework was done and turned in. Even though she was upset with Ronald, she worried that his marks would slip without her checking over his work for him.

Hermione shook her head and headed outside. The winter air was crisp and chill and it lent itself to help her clear her head. Maybe she would walk down to Hagrid's for a cup of tea. But on second thought, she really just wanted to be alone right now. Hagrid would ask about Harry and she would worry about him and that book, and then ask about Ron and she would have to think about Ron and Lavender. Although she was working on getting over him, still, it took time.

She picked her way down to the lakeshore. The water was still and calm, a perfect mirror reflection of the overcast sky. Hermione looked up into the grey clouds and could have sworn they were the same shade as Malfoy's eyes.

Why had he had such an effect on her? She didn't hate him, she wasn't sure she had it in her to actually hate someone, but she severely disliked him. So what did it mean that when she crawled into bed last night she ached at the thought of him?

Okay, so she was attracted to him. That was fine. Well, no it wasn't, but she could deal with that. Attraction was just physical and her mental capabilities could definitely overcome any physical desires she was having. He was enticing, she had to admit; he had lean muscles from his Seeker training and he held himself with a graceful arrogance. His cheeks had clear, sharp angles sloping down to a strong jawline.

And she secretly loved the way he had pushed and pulled her to fit his whims. His hands had been strong on her and his touches promised much more as he had held her wrists and pulled her head towards him. If only his personality wasn't so abrasive! Sliding insults in and reminding her how little he really thought of her. Well, at least he wasn't talking when his lips were on hers….

"Hey! Granger!"

Hermione spun around at the sound of a male voice behind her. She slipped on the rocks around the shore and threw out her arms as she felt herself begin to fall, hoping to miss the freezing water.

Gloved hands caught her and Hermione looked up through cocoa colored curls to see the tall form of Cormac McLaggen holding her steady. "Careful there, Granger," He said with an easy smile. "Don't want you to fall in, do we?"

Cormac helped her find her footing and left his hands on her just a few seconds longer than what was needed.

"Thanks," Hermione breathed out, taking a step away from the slippery shoreline.

"You're welcome," He said a bit smugly.

Hermione gave him a polite smile and tucked her hair behind her ear nervously.

"I wanted to ask you something," Cormac went on.

"Did you need help with some homework?" She offered quickly. It wasn't uncommon for other students to ask for her help, not just Harry and Ron. She groaned inwardly at how pathetic she must seem, brightening up talking about homework.

"No," Cormac flashed her a toothy smile. "I wanted to see if you were free for Slughorn's Christmas party,"

"Oh," Hermione blinked. "Oh!" She said a little louder. This was perfect! If she picked Cormac as her date, that was sure to annoy Ron. Maybe even Malfoy would back off if he saw her there with another guy. She felt a rush of heat to her cheeks and knew she must be blushing furiously. Cormac's smug grin confirmed it.

"Actually I am," Hermione said as cheerily as she could. "Did you want to go? With me, I mean?" She let the words tumble from her quickly and they hung in the air as a cloud of vapor for a moment.

Cormac was looking extremely pleased with himself. "Yeah, thanks, Granger," He gave her another easy smile and Hermione tried her best to return it. He reached out and straightened her scarf a little. "So I'll meet you in the common room and we can go down together?" He asked.

"Sounds great," She smiled awkwardly at him as he gave a wink before heading back up to the castle.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. At least she would be able to tell Ginny some good news tonight and she was sure that the younger witch would get a kick out of who she had chosen as her date. Her mind settled slightly at this and she decided to follow the same path Cormac had taken and head inside against the growing winter wind.

She did not notice the stormy grey eyes, or their smoldering glare, that followed her until she disappeared inside the castle and out of their view.


A/N: I know I haven't updated in a while so I wanted to make sure that I got an update out this week. I've been working hard on my other fic (Light Years). What do you think about the Draco POV? Want more? Or should I just stick to Hermione? Also I fixed some formatting issues with Chapter 2. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love hearing your feedback!