Songs - PILLOWTALK by Zayn, Begin Again by Purity Ring, and Howlin' For You by The Black Keys
Chapter Six: Pillow Talk and Memory Charms
Hermione woke up to the sound of Draco's steadily beating heart. Her head was nestled against his chest as if in her sleep her unconscious had decided that their bodies weren't quite close enough, and as unbelievable and shocking as this entire scenario would have been to her a few short weeks ago, nothing about it felt strange. Waking up next to Draco felt more natural than it had ever felt with anyone else.
And that had to mean something.
Right?
She didn't want to get up, not yet, not when his arms were still wrapped so tightly around her, and she lay there for a few minutes enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. When she finally turned to look up at his face, hoping to catch a glimpse of him still deep in sleep, she found herself drowning in the depths of the most perfect quicksilver eyes.
"Hello, beautiful," Draco said, making her blush.
"Mmmm," she mumbled, trying to hide her face. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours," he told her, burying a hand in her curls. "You looked so peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you."
"You've been awake all this time?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"Yes," he replied, smiling as his eyes moved over her face. "Kind of difficult to doze off when you've got an amazing, naked witch next to you in bed."
"Oh… well, thank you."
"Granger, are you thanking me for letting you sleep?" Draco chuckled as he continued to play with her curls.
"I guess so," she offered, eyeing him innocently. "I suppose I needed the rest. You sure know how to wear a girl out."
"I would say I'm sorry for that, but I'm definitely not."
They both laughed.
"If anyone should apologize for anything, it should be me," Hermione began, tracing her fingers along Draco's chest. "I practically attacked you."
"Granger," Draco groaned, his cock twitching below the sheet. "You can attack me like that anytime you want."
Hermione smiled. "I think I'll have to take you up on that," she declared, biting on her lower lip before releasing it and moving her mouth to his neck. She whimpered softly when she felt him shiver at her touch, unable to hide how much his reaction to her turned her on. It was almost too much, and yet she couldn't get enough.
Draco groaned as one of her hands moved down his stomach. He hadn't been this comfortable around anyone in years, and as unnerving and surprising as it was, he wanted more. Of everyone he knew from his days at Hogwarts, she probably had the longest list of reasons to hate him, yet for some reason she was willing to overlook his stupid childhood behavior and see him for who he'd become. It didn't make sense why she wanted to be around him, or sleep with him for that matter, but he was happy that she did.
"Hermione," he said quietly, suddenly realizing that he had never really apologized to her despite everything they had talked about at dinner. "I'm- I'm so sorry for how I used to treat you. I'm probably the last person who deserves your attention after everything I've done, so thank you for giving me a chance."
"You're not the same person you were, Draco," Hermione said, pulling away so that she could face him, her toffee colored eyes sparkling in the moonlight that was spilling into the room. "I wouldn't be here if you were."
She moved a hand to his left forearm and felt him inhale sharply as she ran her fingers over the faded mark, the shapes, once bold and terrifying, now barely perceptible against his pale skin.
"Just because I've changed doesn't mean I deserve anyone's forgiveness," he said, watching as her hand moved to cover the evidence his biggest mistake. "It definitely doesn't mean that I deserve you."
Hermione sighed. "I forgave you the moment I woke up in this bed and realized you took care of me even when you had no reason to. Not many people would do that for someone they weren't particularly close to already," she said, moving her hand from his arm to the side of his face. "And as for who deserves me… well despite my past blunders on the matter, I think I'm perfectly capable of making that decision for myself."
Hermione cringed when she heard herself say the last bit. Do I always have to be so bloody difficult?
"Yes, you most certainly are," Draco smiled and turned to kiss her the palm of her hand.
"Sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound so harsh. I just meant that I would like a say in whether you deserve me or not," she explained.
"Granger don't apologize for being headstrong. I quite like you that way," Draco said before hoisting her further up his body and gently pulling her mouth back against his own.
He kissed her softly, moving his tongue slowly against hers with a gentleness that assured her that he wanted more than a one night tryst, that he wanted all of her. The taste of him made her insides quiver, and she realized, far too late she might add, that resisting the fall – the fall for him, for whatever this was – would be futile. She was free-falling without a chute, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
We'll never get anything done if he makes me feel like this all the time, Hermione thought as she felt the familiar twinge of longing in her core.
But after a few moments, she managed to pull herself away. She had something she wanted to say, and she needed to say it before his tongue distracted her any further.
"Thank you for everything you did at dinner. And after when I- well, when I showed you my memories," Hermione said, stumbling over her words.
Draco remained quiet for a moment admiring the golden flecks in her big brown eyes. They had both been so eager to jump into each other's arms that they hadn't talked much about what she had shown him. He didn't regret any of it, but as the images of what Ron had done to her flashed in his brain, he became worried that he had taken advantage of the situation.
"There's nothing to apologize for," Draco responded, moving his thumb to brush across her lips. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Why have you kept his behavior a secret all these years?"
As awkward as he felt bringing up her abusive, alcoholic ex-boyfriend while lying in bed naked with her, Draco knew they needed to talk about it before things went any further between the two of them. He needed to make sure she wanted him, but not him for the sake of making Ron jealous.
"Would you want the world to know that you let someone you loved treat you the way he treated me?" Hermione asked quietly.
She hadn't answered his question, but he understood her point. Living in the spotlight had likely been difficult for her after the war, and so it was understandable that she would want to keep personal matters private and out of the news. He had certainly done his fair share of hiding from public view and could sympathize with her reluctance to share this humiliating and heartbreaking aspect of her life with anyone.
"No, I suppose I wouldn't," he offered. "But for the record, I don't think he deserves that sort of kindness."
"Perhaps not," Hermione replied. It wasn't in her nature to be vindictive, and while she knew Ron needed to take ownership for his mistakes, she would never forgive herself if she forced him to do it by going public with their past.
"It's humiliating how long I let things drag on and how I let him treat me," she continued before she lost her nerve. "I knew things wouldn't end well, but for some reason I couldn't admit it was over. I kept telling myself that he didn't mean to hurt me, that he'd get better once he dealt with the loss of his brother. I was naive… I should have left sooner."
Hermione started to bite furiously at her lower lip and averted her eyes as she tried to brush the painful memories aside.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry," he said quickly, sensing her discomfort. "I just want to make sure that I didn't take advantage of you, that you actually wanted me. You were so upset after seeing him at dinner. I was worried-"
"Draco, I wanted you," Hermione affirmed, her eyes flickering back to his own. "I can't explain it, but I've wanted you since the morning I woke up hungover in this bed with your perfect eyes reading me like a goddamn book," she paused, taking a deep breath before mustering the courage to continue. "And I still want you."
Whatever Draco had expected her to say, it hadn't been this, and he swallowed heavily at the realization that she – Hermione fucking Granger – actually fucking meant it. While their mutual attraction to each other had been obvious in the days since he had pulled her away from the road and brought her to his flat, he never really thought she'd want him, that she'd ever really consider being with him. He opened his mouth to tell her as much, but before he could, she was speaking again.
"I'm sorry I didn't really give you a chance to digest what I showed you. I shared my memories with you because-" she stopped, taking another deep breath, "well, because I knew that if I didn't I would continue pretending nothing had happened and that everything was okay. I knew you would see right through it, and I was worried that would jeopardize anything ever happening between us. When you told me that I deserved better… well I sort of lost control of myself. I'm sorry."
She tried to bury her face against Draco's chest, embarrassed that she was getting so emotional around him again, but he moved his hand to her chin and turned her face back towards him.
"Hermione, you really need to stop apologizing," Draco said, his piercing eyes studying her with an intensity that took her breath away. "If I have to, I will keep reminding you that none of this is your fault until you actually believe it. And you won't get rid of me that easily," he promised, burying a hand at the back of her head. "My life has been exponentially better with you in it this last few days than it has been in a long time, and even though I don't think I deserve you after all the horrible things I've done, I'm not dumb enough to run away from all of this."
Draco leaned down and kissed her, his tongue parting her lips greedily.
"I promise I'll stop asking you about it now," Draco told her, pulling away, his fingers running softly down the back of her neck. "You deserve better than your past, Hermione."
It was like he knew she needed to hear him say those words again, the same words she repeated to herself over and over, and something came over her.
"So do you," Hermione said as she shifted her body upright, letting the sheet slide off her body. She bit her bottom lip as Draco's stormy eyes widened.
"Granger are you trying to kill me?" he asked, gesturing wildly at her state of undress. He was laughing, but she could see the effect her naked body was having on him through the thin sheet, and it was exactly what she had been hoping for.
"Yes," she replied with a smirk before ripping the sheet off of Draco's body.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Hermione climbed on top of him, her legs straddling his hips as she stared down at him lustfully. They had plenty of time to discuss things later, but right now she wanted him, and she couldn't wait any longer. She shifted up slightly on her knees and took his hardened length in her hand, guiding it to her entrance which was already slick with her arousal.
A girl wants what a girl wants, she thought as she impaled herself on him.
Draco inhaled sharply, surprised at the sudden feeling of his cock sheathed deep inside of her, and moved his hands to her hips as she began to move on top of him. Her movements were slow and deliciously punishing, her body pulling away almost to the point where he'd fall out of her before pushing herself back down on top of him, and he couldn't get enough.
"Fuck, Hermione," he hissed, his chest heaving. "You definitely will kill me if you keep teasing me like that."
Hermione smiled wickedly. She liked being in control, that wasn't a new revelation, but being in control with him... well, it felt extraordinary. She especially enjoyed being able to watch Draco's eyes roll back into his head with each of her slow, tortuous movements, his hands gripping her hips tightly as if he was afraid that he'd lose her if he let go. When a deep growl escaped his lips, she finally picked up the speed, bracing her arms on his shoulders as she moved on top of him.
Draco couldn't breathe. He could barely think, but somehow in his fog, his fingers found their way to her clit.
"Oh god, Draco," Hermione moaned, throwing her head back as the pleasure from his touch washed over her.
Draco watched in awe as she continued to dance on top of him, her muscles tightening around him as he began to meet each of her movements with an upward thrust of his own. The sight of her breasts bouncing up and down was mesmerizing, and when she moved her hands to play with her nipples, he nearly lost control. He locked yees with her, and she licked her lips seductively almost as if she was daring him to make her scream.
He growled at the sight above him, both unable and unwilling to hold back, and began rubbing her clit more vigorously.
"Fuck," she breathed.
Hermione was so close – Merlin, was she close – and was moving frantically on top of him as the familiar tug of an oncoming orgasm flooded her veins. She locked eyes with the man below her, grasping for something, anything that would keep her sane for a little longer, but the hungry look in his eyes was too much. A shiver suddenly reverberated down her spine, her legs barely capable of holding her up anymore as the tingling expanded outward, and she knew it was over. She didn't take her eyes off him as she climaxed, her mouth wide as as the waves of pleasure washed over her body.
Draco held her body up as it crumbled bonelessly on top of him. He continued to move in and out of her slowly as she came down, grunting with the effort it took to stave off his own orgasm as she twitched around him. When her eyes finally fluttered open again, he finally took control, flipping her on her back and thrusting himself quickly back inside of her. He paused only long enough for her to wrap her legs around him, digging her heels into his arse to pull him closer, before he began moving with a renewed frenzy. And when she whispered softly in his ear that she wanted him to come, he smiled and picked up his pace, losing himself the sound and feeling of their bodies coming together as he repeatedly buried himself deep inside of her. It only took a minute before he met his own triumphant finish, and her name escaped his lips in what sounded almost like a reverent chant as he spilled himself inside of her.
He didn't pull out right away, and she was happy he didn't. They stared at each other, his body hovering above hers, both realizing that this thing they just did (twice) was only the beginning, that there was something between them that neither of them had experienced before. They definitely didn't need months to figure out if this felt right. It just did.
When they finally pulled apart, they were only separated for a moment before crawling under the covers and curling their sweaty bodies together. They didn't talk. They didn't need to. Instead, they fell asleep holding each other tightly, neither willing or wanting to let the other go.
"Hermione?"
Hermione was sitting across from Harry in his office, but the images of the things she'd done with Draco two nights ago had distracted her from their conversation.
"Sorry, Harry. Just a little tired," she said, risking a glance at Draco who was standing with his arms crossed on the other side of the room. His features were, as always, difficult to read, but she thought she could see a hint of amusement in his eyes before she turned back to look at Harry.
"As I was saying," Harry continued, looking between Draco and Hermione. "I know what happened last time wasn't… ideal, but I need you two to return to the boy. We really need his memories."
"Harry," Hermione said sharply, her eyes narrowing. "I told you I will not allow you to send Draco to look at the boy's memories again."
"And I'm not asking him to," Harry replied, trying his best to ignore the menacing look in her eyes. "He will assist you in your attempts to reverse whatever memory charm has been placed on the boy."
Harry, who was used to Hermione's stubbornness and predisposition to protect others, sensed there was something else going on that he wasn't privy to, but almost shook his head at the ridiculousness of the idea of Hermione and Draco's relationship being anything other than professional. No, she was simply just concerned for her coworker's well-being. There was definitely no way that they were involved in any way outside of work.
Although… Hermione certainly had never used Draco's first name in front of him before.
"Fine," Hermione relented reluctantly, still glaring at Harry. "But if I find out that you two have some secret agreement to have Draco search his memories without my knowledge, I will hex you both so badly that it hurts to sit down for weeks," she added threateningly, pointing between the two men.
"I promise, that is not what's happening here," Harry tried to assure her, leaning back slightly in his chair. It was the second time she had threatened him over Draco's safety in almost as many days, and if he wanted to retain use of all of his limbs, it was clear that he was going to have to tread carefully with her.
Draco remained silent throughout the entire conversation, holding his arms across his chest as he tried to keep his eyes glued on anything but her. It was taking all of his willpower to keep himself from walking over to Hermione and wrapping his arms around her, telling her not to worry about him, promising her that everything would be fine. Her protectiveness was certainly endearing, but if she wasn't careful, people would start to wonder about them.
Not that I would mind people knowing, he thought as he glanced over at her, hoping that Harry was too far away to notice the longing in his eyes.
Before calling Hermione to his office, Harry had asked Draco if he'd be willing to endure the boy's memory of Rodolphus again if the research into the strange tree ended fruitlessly, and he'd said yes. Not because he was particularly excited about the prospect of experiencing the pain for a third time, but because he knew how badly the Aurors needed to find Rodolphus before he hurt anyone else. He would worry about Hermione's threat if and when they crossed that bridge. It would most likely take the research team quite some time to scour the Ministry's large collection of texts anyways, and he knew Harry wouldn't send him to try again until that the research was complete.
Hermione looked back and forth between the two men trying to decide if Harry was telling the truth. Harry's eyes were darting around nervously, an obvious sign that he was likely only giving her part of the story, but other than the slight purse of Draco's lips, which she grudgingly admitted was as likely to be due to nerves at being so close to her again at work as it was to be a secret he was hiding, he appeared as cool as a cucumber.
She sighed, resigning to the fact that whether she believed Harry or not, she was going to return to St. Mungo's to help the boy. Besides, she could always get the information out of Draco later - and although she doubted she would need to resort to anything quite as scandalous, she could always catch him off guard the next time she managed to separate him from his clothing.
"We should get going," Draco finally spoke, unfolding his arms as he looked over at Harry. He hoped it was enough for Harry to get the message that they were playing a dangerous game.
Hermione, as anxious as she was to get out of Harry's office, stood up out of her chair and nodded before moving toward the door.
"I know it will likely take some time, but if you discover anything new, let me know," Harry told them, his fingers tapping lightly against the worn edges of his desk as he smiled at his friends.
Draco paused, acknowledged Harry's words with a quick nod before pulling open the door and ushering Hermione out of the office.
"Granger," he whispered in her ear as they made their way down the hall. "We really need to work on your poker face. If Potter wasn't so preoccupied, he'd easily be able to figure out what's going on between us."
Hermione blushed. She had never been very good at hiding her emotions, especially around Harry, and she found it particularly difficult to do with Draco in the same room as her.
"I know," she said quietly. "To be fair, you're very distracting."
Hermione wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his body and kiss him, but this was all still very new to her and she wasn't quite sure she was ready for anyone else to know just yet. Embarrassment wasn't the issue. She would have gladly snogged Draco in front of the Minister himself if she knew they would still be able to go about their lives peacefully afterwards, but having a secret as delicious as the one she shared with Draco was undeniably newsworthy, and once one person knew, it wouldn't be long before their relationship, or whatever it was they were doing, was plastered on the front page of every newspaper. So, for the moment, she was happy to walk along next to him silently if it meant being able to keep things to themselves for just a little longer.
When they reached the Ministry's Apparition point, Draco quickly intertwined his fingers around hers and Disapparated them together. It was a small gesture, one that no one else would have thought meant anything at all, but Hermione still found herself smiling like a young schoolgirl as they landed in front of the abandoned warehouse. His hand tightened around hers as they walked toward the entrance, only letting go when they crossed the threshold into the first floor of St. Mungo's.
Once inside, they quickly made their way up to the boy's room, passing by the eager receptionist without a second look and moving quickly up the stairs to the fourth floor. Despite the presence of the guard outside the room, Draco still locked the door. He knew their task wasn't going to be easy on Hermione, and he wanted to make sure that she wouldn't be disturbed.
"Harry asked you to look at the memory again if I failed, didn't he?" Hermione asked quietly as Draco moved beside her, deciding now was as good a time as any to strike.
"Hermione, I-"
"I know Harry still thinks he can trick me, but I've known him for long enough to know when he's lying to me."
Draco sighed, accepting that nothing good would come from continuing to hide the truth from her. "Yes," he admitted, frowning slightly. "He asked me if I'd be willing to search the memory again, but not if you failed. He asked me to try again if the research team can't find a reference to the tree in any of the Ministry's texts." He paused for a moment, his eyes falling on her hands that were now balled tightly at her sides. "It'll take ages to sort through all of those books. You don't need to worry about anything happening to me today. I promise," he added softly, hoping she wasn't quite as angry as she looked.
Hermione was quiet for a moment. She appreciated his honesty – she really did – but she was furious that once again Harry and Draco had made important decisions without her. It wasn't just annoying; it was disrespectful.
"Fine," she said flatly after a moment, deciding to save that argument for another day. It had probably been Harry's call after all, and getting angry with Draco wasn't going to make their job any easier. "Since we haven't ruled out any of the simpler counter-spells, I'll try starting with those," she explained, slipping her wand out of her pocket as she quickly switched gears. "I doubt this will be that easy, but I'll need to eliminate them before we move on to anything else." She stopped, casting her eyes downward as she fidgeted nervously with her wand.
It hadn't actually occurred to her until they arrived that, since the boy was being kept in a deep, dreamless sleep, someone would need to look into his mind periodically to check if anything had worked. Seeing as Legilimency was a skill she definitely did not possess, that meant that Draco, once again, was going to have to put himself at risk, and it made her heart ache with worry.
"Unfortunately," she continued, unable to look him, "I won't know if anything's worked definitively unless..." She swallowed heavily.
"Unless I peer into his mind between each spell," Draco finished for her.
"Yes," she whispered, finally lifting her head and looking at him tentatively. "I'm sorry," she added quickly, her voice quavering as she spoke.
Draco exhaled deeply, and a flash of fear crossed his eyes as he brought his hand to the back of his neck. "It's fine," he told her. "I shouldn't have a problem avoiding the memory that's already there," he stated simply. I just bloody hope I won't find any more torture buried in there.
"What if you taught me how to do it instead?" she asked, thinking furiously of a way she could protect him. "I'm a quick learner, I could-" But Draco was already shaking his head.
"No," he interrupted, letting his hand fall back to his side. "I don't doubt your abilities, but it takes time to learn how to read someone's mind, even more to master the art of it completely, and you and I both know that's time we don't have."
"But, I-"
"I won't linger," he promised, taking a step toward her, his hand reaching out to rest on her cheek. "If I see anything new, I'll pull away and wait to dig any deeper until we have backup."
Hermione shuddered at his touch, letting her eyes close as his fingers grazed delicately across her skin. "Okay," she said finally, sighing as she slowly opened her eyes.
As they repositioned themselves near the boy's bed, Draco reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly before giving her the space she needed to concentrate. "Ready whenever you are, Granger," he said softly.
Hermione, bolstered by his words, nodded and lifted her wand to cast the first spell. She paused after the words passed her lips and watched as Draco used his own wand to enter the boy's mind, hoping for once in her life, something could be easier than she feared, but when his eyes refocused, he quickly shook his head. Simple, it seemed, was far too much to ask for today. Brushing aside her disappointment, she moved on to the next spell, which unsurprisingly, was as unfruitful as the first.
They continued their little dance, Hermione casting a spell and then pausing to allow Draco to check for new memories, each failure weighing heavily on her mind. She tried not to think about her parents, but everything about the process felt so eerily similar. No matter how hard she had tried, they never remembered, so why had she expected it to be any different with the boy?
After nearly an hour, her frustration bubbled over, and she threw her wand angrily on the ground, surprising Draco who was still standing quietly beside her. Wanting to comfort her, he placed a hand on the small of her back, his fingers moving small, calming circles. He had been studying her as she worked, trying to keep himself from interrupting as he sensed her agitation growing with each failed spell, but it was obvious by the way she had just discarded her wand that she needed to take a break.
"Hermione," he said softly, his hand still moving against her back, "I think you should rest for a minute."
His voice snapped her out of her trance, and she looked up at him as he pulled her into him, his grey eyes swirling with worry. Why did those eyes have to be so damned beautiful? Despite her frustration, she began to relax in his arms, the scent and feel of his body soothing her weary mind.
"If you write me a list of spells you haven't tried, I can take over for a bit," Draco offered as he placed a kiss on the top of her head.
Hermione nodded slowly. She reluctantly removed herself from his embrace and pulled out a piece of parchment from inside her robes.
Draco's eyebrows rose as she handed him the paper. "Have you been reciting this list from memory?" he asked curiously.
"Yes," she replied, smiling weakly. "I memorized them before my first attempt at restoring my parents' memories." She paused, cringing as she thought back to that day. "You can start from the bottom of the list, I only made it about halfway through."
Hermione bent over to pick up her wand and then sat down in a chair near the bed, watching as Draco took over for her, levitating the list in front of him. The muscles in his back flexed each time he moved his wand to perform a new spell, and despite the seriousness of their task, she found herself daydreaming about how her hands would look traveling down them the next time she got him naked. Her mouth began to water as she imagined scenario after scenario – Draco naked in the shower, Draco naked in the woods, Draco naked in her Ministry office – and soon she was biting down hard on her lower lip to keep herself from whimpering out loud. Merlin, she wanted him naked, and she wanted him naked everywhere.
Fuck.
"You're doing it again," Draco said, smirking as he looked down at Hermione.
She had clearly been enjoying something – memories of him he hoped – and he hadn't really wanted to shake her out of whatever was distracting her, but they really did have a job to do.
"Oh, sorry," Hermione said, quickly releasing her lower lip, her cheeks suddenly burning with embarrassment. "Anything work?" she asked, trying to ignore the images of a very naked Draco still dancing around in her brain.
He shook his head. "I think we can eliminate all of these," he said holding up the parchment.
"I wasn't really expecting any of them to work," Hermione admitted sadly, her frustration successful, at least for the moment, at refocusing her scattered thoughts.
"We had to start somewhere," Draco replied calmly. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
"I know. It's just- I've been through this so many times with my parents," she tried to explain. "I was the one to alter their memories, but I still haven't managed to reverse the spell. How am I supposed to reverse a memory charm used on the boy when I don't even know how his memories were removed?" She rubbed her eyes, trying to hide the stupid tears that were rising to the surface.
Draco, not knowing what to say, bent over and wrapped a hand around hers. She had done what was necessary, like most people during the war, but he couldn't help but feel that her sacrifice had been worse than most. Knowing that her parents may never remember her, she sent them away to protect them without a second thought to herself. She's always been like that, Harry had said. Always protecting everyone but herself.
"Hermione, we will figure this out. I may not be as skilled as you in memory charms, but I've had my fair share of practice altering people's memories," he said, moving his hands to the back of her neck. He wasn't particularly proud of how he'd gained experience creating false memories, but many of the skills he'd gained as a Death Eater had proven particularly useful during his time as an Auror, and this was no different. "Harry isn't expecting us to solve this puzzle overnight. He knows if we're going to be successful that it's going to take some time."
"I don't even know where to begin," Hermione languished, shutting her eyes.
She knows exactly where to start, Draco thought as he began to rub slow circles near the base of her neck. She just needs help talking through it.
"Well, I think we can safely assume that the memory charm wasn't cast with the best intentions," he said after a moment. "It was probably cast quickly, before Rodolphus attempted to kill the boy. We can start there."
"Yes. Yes, you're right," Hermione said, pulling a quill and a new piece of parchment out of her bag on the floor. She began writing furiously, trying to get all of her thoughts on paper before she forgot them.
Draco smiled as he watched her write. He didn't want to break her concentration, so he continued to rub his hand along her back. He realized she was mumbling to herself, biting on her lower lip again, and he fought the urge to brush her hair away from her neck and bring his lips to her skin. If she wants me to keep my hands (and mouth) off her, she really needs to stop doing that, he thought, taking a deep calming breath/
Eventually, Hermione dropped her quill and sighed.
"I need to make sure these won't hurt the boy before we attempt to use them," she said looking up at Draco with big eyes. "But I didn't bring any of my books with me."
"How very un-Granger of you," Draco said jokingly, stepping in front of her and offering her his hands to lift her out of the chair. "Let's head back to your office. I'm sure the Healers will need to check on the boy again soon, and we'd just be in their way if we stayed."
He squeezed her hand before walking slowly to the door, pulling it open and speaking quickly to the guard outside.
Hermione glanced down at the unconscious boy. I will find a way to help you, she promised silently before turning to follow Draco out of the room.
Draco was perched on the edge of Hermione's desk looking over her notes from St. Mungo's, while she sat cross-legged on the floor surrounded by a large pile of books.
"Hermione, you've gone through that book three times now. I don't think you're going to find anything new this time around," he said, looking up from the piece of parchment in his hands. "And there's nothing here in your notes that I recognize to be harmful."
"It's the combination of the spells that I'm worried about," Hermione explained without looking up from the large book in her lap. "I just can't find anything that's remotely helpful!" She threw the book closed and crossed her arms in frustration.
"You know, you're adorable when you get worked up like this," Draco said, removing his reading glasses and placing them on the desk.
"I don't see how you can be so calm about this!" she huffed, trying to ignore how much it turned her on that he wore fucking reading glasses. Couldn't he have just one unattractive quality? "I could accidentally wake the boy up or worse permanently harm him if I choose the wrong incantations!" she added loudly.
"I'm telling you Hermione, there's nothing wrong with your spells," Draco asserted. "It's late and we've been at this for hours," he said after glancing up at the clock on the wall. "We should call it a day."
He got up from his spot on the desk and bent down to look Hermione directly in the eyes, hoping his devilish smirk would be enough to tear her away from her damned books.
"Oh, alright," she said finally, unable to resist him.
Draco helped her pick the books off the floor and placed his pile neatly on her desk next to the others.
"Well, I suppose I should let you get home," Hermione said quietly as she stared down at her hands. She didn't really want to be alone, but she also felt a little silly asking the man she had just started sleeping with to spend the night with her yet again.
"Do you want me to go home?" Draco asked. Clearly, he didn't share her qualms.
"No," Hermione whispered.
"Well, where do you want me to go?" he prompted, another smirk spread across his perfectly kissable lips.
"Home – with me," Hermione said more bravely than she felt.
Draco smiled wickedly. "Lead the way, Ganger."