Hermione awoke to the feel of a feather light touch tracing patterns into her hip. The dorm room was quiet, a heavy silence having descended over the space after what had occurred the night before, but it wasn't unwelcome. She was still on the floor, but she was comfortable, wrapped up in an expensive cover that Draco had gotten from his room.

Hermione remembered everything, and she didn't want to open her eyes, afraid that it would break the spell and tarnish the memory somehow. She was afraid of what would happen, now. Draco was still trailing his nimble fingers along her bare skin, and she wondered how long she would be able to feign sleep. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, did Draco's fingers trail upwards, dragging a shuddering breath out of her.

"There she is," she heard him murmur.

Soon after, she felt his lips press a soft kiss to her neck. She opened her eyes just in time to watch him pull away, that familiar smirk on his face. Hermione wasn't sure what to say to the man who'd taken her virginity, so she said the only thing that came to mind.

"Good morning," she whispered.

Draco's smirk grew, and he shifted to lean his head against his hand, looming over her.

"…morning."

There was a brief awkward silence, and Hermione resisted the urge to shrink in on herself.

"So…what happens now?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"Whatever you want," he answered.

"What do you want?" she questioned, eyeing him.

He returned the favor, irises glinting.

"You know what I want," he lowly answered.

Hermione blinked, sitting up and pulling the velvet blanket with her as she covered herself.

"So… You want to continue this?"

She hoped that she didn't sound as skeptical as she believed she did, but the idea of Draco still wanting her after he'd gotten what he wanted was a bit mind boggling to wrap her head around. She liked to think she would've been fine with whatever answer he gave her, but she had to admit that a small part of her was relieved. Her dorm mate sat up with her, reaching out to trail his fingers down her back.

"Of course. You don't think I've had my fill of you after one night, do you?"

His tone was teasing, but she didn't laugh.

"This just seems a bit uncharacteristic of you, to say the least," she murmured.

"I've been known to surprise people," he chuckled, leaning down to graze his teeth along her shoulder.

She turned her head to watch him, sharply inhaling when he glanced up at her from beneath his lashes.

"What was it that I promised you? You wouldn't be able to walk for days?" he questioned, a smirk dancing along his lips.

Hermione bit her lip as she turned away.

"…among other things…"

"My memory isn't the best, you see," he whispered, his hand coming up to grip her chin.

"You said we'd lock ourselves in here until we were satisfied with each other," she breathed.

Draco tilted her chin up, laving his tongue against her neck.

"Did I?"

She hummed in agreement.

"What else did I say?" he whispered, mouth seeking her own as he pressed against her.

Her back met the floor again, and she fought to catch her breath when he finally pulled away.

"You mentioned something about turning me completely inside out," she shyly responded.

She was abruptly reminded of their nakedness, skin warming up all over again at the thought of repeating last night. Merlin, she couldn't even bring herself to say it, could she? Draco tilted his head to the side, teeth peeking out at her as he smirked.

"I did, didn't I? I don't want to be labeled a liar," he purred, bending down to wrap his lips around her hardening bud.

Hermione gasped, the sound bleeding into a moan when his hand found its place between her legs. She dug her nails into his arm, urging him to continue as she bucked against him. She was still sore, feeling like she'd rode on a horse for seven days straight, but Hermione didn't care. It was worth the stars that were slowly filling her vision as she arched into him.

Draco's teeth nipped at whatever he could reach, determined to mark her up like he'd said he would. His fingers curled inside of her, stroking her like fine China, eliciting a soft mewling noise from her lips. Her fingers twisted into his hair as his did the same, exposing more of her neck and allowing him to ravish her. She pulled him closer, gasping as his thumb brushed along her bundle of nerves, familiar trembles creeping along her frame.

Suddenly, he stopped, lifting his head towards the door, hand still entangled in her hair. Hermione whined in protest, tugging on his blond tresses as she looked up at him. His frame was still, eyes dark and deadly looking as he seemed to try and glare a hole through the door.

"What is it?" she breathed, embarrassingly out of breath.

Before he could even attempt to answer, there was a pounding procession of knocks on the portrait door. Hermione frowned in a mixture of panic and confusion. It was an early Saturday morning. In fact, Hermione suspected that the sun wasn't even fully out yet.

"Hermione! Hermione, its Harry…"

Draco pulled away, running his hand through his hair with a huff as he sat back against the couch. Hermione's eyes widened, briefly glancing at her dorm mate before scrambling to find her clothes. He knocked again, and she watched as Draco pulled the blanket closer, completely covering his lower half as he leaned against the couch, letting his head fall back onto the seat.

Hermione approached the door, struggling to fix her hair and make herself presentable. Harry had only just begun to knock again when she cracked the door open, peeking out. He was mid knock, and his lips parted just the slightest as if he hadn't expected her to answer.

"…what do you want?"

She worried that she might have sounded rude, but then she remembered that she didn't care. As if he hadn't done enough, Harry had to go and interrupt her pleasurable morning too. She watched as he swallowed, shoving his hands into his pocket as he shuffled his feet.

"Can I come in?"

His voice was quiet and a bit unsure. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes landing on a naked Draco Malfoy as he spread one arm out over the seat of the couch, the other resting on top of the blanket on his bent knee. His gaze did not waver from her; he wasn't going anywhere. She turned back around with a small sigh.

"No," she simply answered.

Harry nodded, expecting that before his eyes took in her attire. He frowned, confusion clouding his features.

"Why are you in your uniform?" he questioned.

Hermione blinked, realizing that, in her haste, she had indeed thrown on her uniform from the previous day.

"I had a long night of studying and fell asleep," she smoothly lied.

"Oh…"

"What do you want, Harry?"

He bit his lip, eyes somber as he looked down at her.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione…"

Now, it was her turn to frown, having not expected that.

"Ginny told us the truth. She told us that you didn't really sleep with Malfoy," he continued.

Hermione felt her heart drop to her stomach, eyes widening as she processed his words, the syllables washing over her like cold water. She was positive that she was gaping like a fish, head spinning.

"…what?" she eventually whispered.

"She told us. The sad thing is, I can't even be mad at you for it, because we deserved it, and we deserved it all the more for even believing…," he trailed off with a shake of his head.

Hermione swallowed, her high officially gone, for the time being.

"How could we ever believe that you'd sleep with Malfoy? How could I ever believe that of you? It made me realize that I was being too hard on you. I was willing to believe it so easily, because…I didn't trust you anymore," he sadly continued.

Hermione felt something in her twist at finally hearing him admit that.

"…and hearing that it was all a lie made me feel so incredibly stupid. I don't blame you for wanting to get back at us, at me…"

He took a step forward.

"I should've told you about Lavender, Hermione," he solemnly admitted. "I did choose Ron over you…again, and I feel like such an ass for it. Both of you are my friends, but…I didn't act like it."

Hermione took in everything that he was saying and exhaled, nodding.

"I…hear you and your apology, Harry, but… I don't think that I can accept it, right now," she honestly answered.

Harry only nodded, seeming to have been expecting that answer.

"It was really horrible, what you-what the both of you did. Especially, leaving me to find out like that. I understand your hesitance and not wanting to hurt me, but I was hurt more by you not saying anything. Not to mention," she sighed. "My own housemates have been treating me absolutely horridly, and you just let them."

"I'm not proud of that. I thought that you'd slept with Malfoy, and…and part of me thought you deserved it, and that was disgusting of me."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"I appreciate you coming over to say all of that, Harry. It was all I ever wanted, but after everything that's happened, I'm going to need some time," she replied.

"I get it. I'll tell everyone that it was my mistake. I'll tell them that I misunderstood or even just lied about you sleeping with Malfoy," he proposed.

Hermione leaned her head against the portrait doorjamb with a small smile.

"You can tell them whatever you like, or nothing, at all. They can think what they want. It means no difference to me," she quietly replied, shutting the door after sending him a final smile.

She turned around with a sigh, leaning her back against the door as her eyes fell on Draco. He hadn't moved, and a small smirk graced his lips as he ran his eyes over her, finally resting them on her own.

"Oops," he said with a shrug, clearly having heard everything.

Hermione found herself chuckling as she made her way back over to him.

"Yeah, I suppose that 'oops' would be an appropriate response…"

She dropped to her knees beside him, resting her hands in her laps. He reached out, fingering the collar of her shirt, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

"I believe that I have a promise to fulfill, don't I?"

Before Hermione could reply, he'd reached out and brought her closer, crashing his lips against hers.

"I don't think…that I want things to go back to the way they were," she murmured later that day.

Draco lifted his head, gazing at her with a piercing stare.

"Well, I should hope not…"

"No, I mean with Harry and Ron," she clarified. "I don't know if I want things to go back to the way they were. I'm not even sure if they can. I slept with you!"

"…and you enjoyed it…immensely," he answered.

"Yes, and perhaps that would be alright if…I didn't want to again," she whispered.

"What they don't know won't hurt them," he proposed, brushing her hair away from her face.

"You're right, but if we're trying to get back to what we were, constantly lying to their faces isn't the right way to do it, and that's why I don't think I want things to go back. I don't want to have to lie to them…"

"They lied to you," he pointed out.

"To protect me."

"To protect themselves," he argued. "If they weren't concerned with their own guilt and how you'd react, then they would have told you from the very beginning to save time and heartache. They knew that would have been best. After all, you would have found out eventually."

Hermione mulled over that.

"True…but how is this any different?"

"Do you feel guilty about sleeping with me?"

"Of course not," she answered, fully turning to face him.

"There's your answer. You're not trying to protect yourself, simply the dunce duo. You don't want to tell them, because it's none of their business. Neither of them are in the position that you were…right?"

"Of course not," she repeated with a scoff. "Ron is completely happy with Lavender."

Draco eyed her for a moment, studying her.

"You don't sound bitter about that," he observed.

"I'm not," she responded with a shrug. "I don't care about them."

"Do I have anything to do with that?" he answered, looking up at her from beneath his lashes.

"Would it be stupid if I said yes?"

Draco sat up, leaning against the back of the couch as he smirked at her.

"I might call you a lot of things, but never stupid. In fact…"

He leaned in, brushing his nose against her own.

"…sleeping with me was probably the smartest thing you ever did."

Hermione barked a laugh.

"You're so full of it," she sneered.

Draco simply chuckled, the dark sound traveling straight through her before his lips met hers.

The next few days were spent doing exactly what Draco had promised, and by the time Tuesday morning had rolled around, Hermione was indeed struggling to walk. Flower colored marks had even bloomed along her neck, but neither of those things were something that couldn't be fixed with a wand. She should have been bothered about missing her classes Monday, but she couldn't find it in herself to be.

Ginny was waiting for her that morning outside of her dorm.

"Harry came by, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did," Hermione answered as she began walking to breakfast.

"I'm terribly sorry about telling them. They were just insulting you so much, and it was making me angry and… It was out before I could stop myself."

Hermione nodded in understanding as the other girl trailed off.

"Its fine, Ginny. Truly, it is. I was going to tell them, anyway, right? Granted, it was going to be in my own time, but I'm not upset."

She found that she honestly wasn't upset. She had planned to tell them, that was the truth, but that was before she'd actually gone and shagged Draco. However, she didn't feel guilty about lying, because Draco was right; it wasn't any of their business.

"Great! I'm so relieved. Now, things can start to get back to normal," Ginny breathed out.

"About that…," Hermione began.

They were stopped in front of the hall, now, and Ginny looked at her curiously, a slight frown on her features.

"I'm not so sure that things can just go back to the way they were, and I'm not even sure I want them to," she continued.

Ginny's frown deepened, visibly stumped.

"What do you mean?"

Hermione sighed.

"Harry apologized, and I'm sure that Ron will again, but… Harry admitted that he had stopped trusting me a long time ago. I already knew it, but it's completely different to hear it, and it was all because Draco and I decided we wanted to get along? That's…so silly. I've been by his side for years, and one disagreement over something so insignificant was enough for him to lose faith in me…"

Ginny looked ashamed for Harry.

"Yes, but…"

"Not to mention, they just stood aside while our housemates treated me terribly. I may not have shown it, but it really hurt to hear what they thought of me, to be treated like that, and they just stood by. If things do go back to the way they were, it definitely won't be anytime soon," Hermione finished.

"I get that, Hermione, I do, but… What about…?"

Ginny didn't elaborate, feeling no need to.

"Of course, I'm still going to be there for Harry. I want to help him when all of this finally comes to a head, but…that's as far as it goes. I will give him counsel and will help him in whatever way he needs it, but I can't be his friend, right now," she sadly answered.

Ginny opened her mouth to protest when she suddenly stopped, eyes landing on something over Hermione's shoulder. Hermione didn't have time to turn around completely before a familiar hand was brushing along her arm. Her eyes met Draco's as she looked up, a small smirk on his lips.

"Going inside…?"

Hermione felt a small smile crawling onto her lips despite herself.

"Yeah," she breathed before turning to face Ginny. "I'll talk to you later…?"

Ginny looked between them, seemingly perplexed as she struggled to respond.

"Y-yeah. Sure, Hermione…"

The brunette followed the blond inside with ease. The stares and whispers had all but stopped, her schoolmates having gotten somewhat used to the sight. However, Hermione noticed that things seemed to be regressing, and Hermione could only guess that Harry had told people the truth. Her eyes landed on him and Ron as the redhead began to stand, seemingly in the process of waving her over when her attention was drawn elsewhere.

"Blaise is having a birthday celebration in the dorms, tonight. You've been invited," Draco said as they approached his table.

"Me? Zabini doesn't even like me," she protested.

He chuckled.

"I told you, you're growing on him. Besides, I think he gets a kick out of going back and forth with you," he whispered as they sat down, the man in question sitting across from them.

"I don't know," she hesitantly replied.

She saw Zabini roll his eyes, exasperation on his features.

"No one is going to beg for your presence, Granger. Besides," Zabini smirked. "I knew it would be a long shot convincing you to come to the serpent's den, anyway."

Hermione scoffed, offended at his tone and implications.

"What are you trying to say?" she demanded.

"You're a smart witch. Figure it out," he challenged, bringing his cup up to his lips as he raised an eyebrow.

She pursed her lips, frowning at him before turning to face Malfoy with a smug smile.

"Count me in…"

Hermione looked around the common room in awe, fascinated. It was so different from the Gryffindor common room, but no less captivating. She hated to admit it, but it may have even been more captivating. The room was dark, but not scarily so, the colors of the lake bleeding into the space as the sun began to set outside. The furniture was dark too, a royal green making its statement everywhere she looked.

Draco's hands still rested on her shoulders as he guided her into the room, and Hermione tensed as Pansy Parkinson approached. The pretty dark haired girl had an unreadable expression on her face as she looked between the two of them.

"Granger," she evenly greeted. "When Blaise informed us that you were invited to the festivities, I will admit, I may have laughed. I didn't expect you to show."

"Well, I've been known to surprise people," Hermione murmured.

Parkinson smirked.

"That is true. Join us. We've congregated on the couches," she said, turning and leading the way, her ponytail swinging behind her.

Hermione noticed that the only people present besides them was Parkinson, Nott, Zabini, and Daphne Greengrass. Hermione felt a bit awkward as she made eye contact with Greengrass, recalling the time she'd seen her exiting Draco's room, but the blonde didn't seem bothered in the slightest. In fact, she seemed indifferent towards them, and Hermione figured that whatever happened between them really was just sex and nothing more. She suddenly frowned, wondering why she cared anyway.

"Where is everyone else?" Hermione asked.

"They made themselves scarce," Zabini waved off, placing several goblets down on the table before them.

Nott pulled out a very large bottle, the packaging fancy and in a language she didn't understand.

"Let the festivities begin," Greengrass said just as the bottle was opened, the bubbly alcohol spilling everywhere.

It was barely twenty minutes later when Hermione found herself seated next to Nott, the blue eyed boy watching Parkinson, Greengrass, and Zabini argue over something he clearly found meaningless, if his grin was anything to go by. Draco was standing behind them, arms crossed over his chest as he rolled his eyes.

"How's that advice working out for you? You know, with the girl?" Hermione suddenly asked him, genuinely curious.

Nott looked confused for a second, before his memory seemed to right itself, and he laughed. Hermione could feel Draco's eyes on them as she frowned at him in confusion.

"Oh, Granger, I was asking for Draco. Surely, you figured that out?"

She straightened up, eyes widening a bit in shock. No, she hadn't figured that out.

"I was obviously asking for him. Did he take your advice though? I see the two of you getting on rather well," he commented.

Hermione was thrown that Nott had actually been asking for Draco…and about her, of all people. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Actually…I slept with him," she confessed.

Nott's eyebrows rose, and he sat up.

"Really…! Hmm... Join the club, Granger," he congratulated, clinking his goblet against hers.

He suddenly smirked, leaning in as he gazed at her.

"Something tells me though that he's going to keep you around," he hummed.

"How do you know I won't grow bored of him? Maybe I'm the one keeping him around," she countered.

Nott reared back, raising an eyebrow before he grinned.

"I like you, Granger. I approve of this match," he said before downing the rest of his drink.

No sooner had he done that did Zabini call for their attention. Hermione glanced over, eyes catching Draco's as he gazed at her for a moment before turning his attention to his friend. She watched as Zabini grabbed a beautiful knife that she hadn't noticed, picking it up from its place on the table before them. Her eyes widened when he cut into the palm of his hand, blood dripping over and spilling into his cup.

She watched in a mixture of awe and fear as he passed both the cup and knife around, Greengrass and Parkinson doing the same. When it got to her she looked at Draco with wide eyes, slowly moving them onto Zabini. He was the birthday boy, after all.

"Do I…?"

"Of course not, Granger," Zabini said, rolling his eyes.

"Not unless you want to," Nott proposed, reaching over to grab the utensils from Draco.

"Maybe next time," she joked, and she heard Greengrass chuckle.

"It's an old practice, Granger, and I knew you'd be curious. That's why I invited you. Your thirst for knowledge never wanes," Zabini continued, almost mocking.

He was right. Hermione was fairly familiar with blood rituals, specifically blood binding. An old practice was a nice way of putting it. It was completely archaic, but she wasn't surprised to find that pureblood witches and wizards still partook in it. Besides, it was rather interesting to witness. Hermione wondered what Zabini's reasons were for wanting to participate in it for his birthday.

She watched as the cup was passed back to Zabini again, the sweet alcohol now tainted with a few drops of blood from each of them, sans Hermione. They all took a sip, and when it came full circle again, Zabini handed it to Draco with a smirk who in turn, held it out to her. She blanched, looking from him to Zabini and back again.

"…you realize that you'd all just be binding yourselves to me, and not vice versa right? Since my blood's not in there?"

"I knew you wouldn't be comfortable with that, but I don't want you to feel left out," Draco said. "Besides, I know that you're curious."

She threw him a weak glare, annoyed at how well he knew her. He was right, she was curious, but she didn't have anything to lose. They would just be binding themselves to her, not the other way around. She found that interesting, seeing as that allowed her some power over them, but they already knew this, and she didn't comment on it.

She reached out to take the cup when Draco stepped forward, lifting it to her lips. Her eyes never strayed from his as he did so, an interesting taste filling her mouth as she swallowed.

"Happy Birthday to me," Zabini announced with a laugh, visibly pleased with the evening's festivities.

The next few hours or so were filled with eating, drinking, and a few brief arguments that broke out between Zabini and Parkinson. It wasn't long before she and Draco were walking back to their dorm, ready to go to bed.

"Nott told me that his thirst for some advice wasn't exactly…genuine," she suddenly said.

She watched as Draco smirked, glancing at her.

"Is that so…?"

"So you do want this to last for a while then…"

"I told you as such. Nott suggested I dive in full speed ahead, but I want you to want me like I want you," he repeated.

"…why? Why is that so important to you?" she questioned again.

"Did you enjoy the party?" he asked, ignoring her question.

She frowned, but answered, regardless.

"I did. Why did Zabini choose to do that for his birthday? Some sort of 'friends forever' pact?"

"Something like that," Draco simply said.

Hermione was going to reply when something suddenly clicked for her.

"You didn't put your blood in either," she pointed out as if just remembering.

Draco shrugged as they entered the dorm.

"I didn't want to," he answered. "I just didn't want to be connected to them in that way."

"…but they're connected to us. There's a power imbalance," she absentmindedly commented.

"I suppose there is. Funny how that worked out," he mused. "Will I be seeing you at breakfast, Granger? Or waking up beside you?"

She looked up at him, Zabini's birthday forgotten as she processed his words.

"I really should get some rest," she said, more to herself.

It was the truth. She was tempted, but she felt so worn, especially after the weekend. Draco simply took a step forward, reaching up to tilt her head back as he pressed his lips against hers. His lips molded over hers, teeth nipping at her bottom lip before pulling away.

"My door's always open, Granger…," he murmured.

"Noted," she breathed, watching him enter his room before deciding to do the same.

~ Let me know what you think ~