Songs - Strange Love by Halsey, Deadcrush (Spike Stent Mix) by alt-J, and 10,000 Emerald Pools by BORN
Chapter Ten: The War Hero and the Reformed Death Eater
Draco tossed the latest edition of the Daily Prophet on the bed and plopped back down next to Hermione.
"Well," he began hesitantly, his hand rubbing the back of his head as he spoke, "at least it's not any worse than we expected it would be."
Hermione glanced down at the headline and groaned.
The Ministry's Unlikely Couple: The War Hero and the Reformed Death Eater
"I'm not reading that," she said irritably. "Could they really not come up with anything better?"
"You're seriously concerned about the headline?" Draco exclaimed, unfolding the paper on her lap. "You should look at the damn picture they used."
Hermione reluctantly look down at the paper again and cringed. There, for all of Wizarding Britain to see, was a moving image of their middle of the day rendezvous in a not as deserted as they thought alleyway. Unable to continue watching their kiss play out in front of her, she pushed the paper off the bed and covered her face with her hands. She knew that it was a minor miracle they hadn't been caught before now, especially the way they'd been acting around each other in the dark corners of the Ministry, but that didn't make it any easier to accept that the game was finally up.
"At least you look somewhat composed," Hermione said finally, removing her hands from her face. "I, on the other hand, look like I attacked you with my mouth."
"Well, you did, but–" Draco said, a dangerous smirk creeping onto his lips. "Ouch!" he yelped as Hermione smacked him across the chest. "As I was saying," he began again, pulling her against him, "You did attack me with your lips, but you're clearly ignoring the whole part where I threw you against the wall like a rabid animal."
She glanced back at the image, now upside down on the floor, and realized he was right. They both looked rather ridiculous.
"So, we both look like horny teenagers. Wonderful," Hermione said, snuggling her head against his shoulder. "That's not exactly how I would have wanted to tell the world that we're together."
Despite never having a formal discussion about their relationship, neither of them had been foolish enough to think that what they were doing wasn't dating. They were practically living together, each having moved things into the other's flat, and despite having only been together for a short time, they were about as un-single as either of them had ever been.
"Granger, we are horny teenagers," Draco said chuckling. "And it's done now. We can't Obliviate an entire country."
"You sure about that?" Hermione prompted. "I think we could manage."
Draco laughed again. "Yes, we probably could," he told her seriously.
It certainly had been fun sneaking around with her knowing that no one else suspected what they were up to, but a part of him was relieved that their secret was finally out. Sure, now that they whole damn world knew about them, they were going to have to be more careful in their selection of snogging locations. And yes, he definitely felt protective of Hermione and didn't want people writing anything that would paint her in a bad light or hurt her reputation. But honestly, he wasn't sure he could have kept their relationship quiet for much longer even if they still had the option.
"Just think about all the places you can take me now," Draco said, moving his mouth to her neck. "We could probably get in anywhere with how popular the article has made us." He swirled his tongue lightly over her pulse, smiling to himself when he felt her breath hitch.
"And where would we go?" Hermione gasped, tilting her head back to give him better access.
"Well for starters, we'll never have to wait to be seated at a restaurant ever again. Imagine all the things you could eat," he said, his breath tickling the skin on her neck. "Or maybe we could request that they shut down Hogwarts for a day so that I can fuck you in every corner of the castle."
"You – are – the – actual – worst," Hermione managed as he nibbled at the sensitive spot behind her ear. "You really aren't worried about this?" she asked when he pulled away to look at her.
Draco moved his hands under Hermione's shirt. Well, actually it was his shirt, but she was wearing it and it needed to come off. "Nope."
"Draco–"
"For once, Granger, please try not to overanalyze things,' he said as his hands slid over her breasts and began playing with her already hardened nipples.
It was useless to try to resist him. She knew he would win; he always did. Her back arched off the bed as his fingers teased her, and her overwhelming desire for him quickly buried her worry in the darkest corner of her brain. Nothing compared to the fire she felt inside of her when he touched her like this, and nothing, not even the stupid article or the horrid accompanying photograph, could keep her thoughts focused on anything but him when he looked at her with lust-blown eyes. The look on Draco's face told her that he felt exactly the same way.
Hermione, in a moment of clarity that rarely infiltrated her mind once he got started, pushed Draco onto his back and climbed on top of him in an attempt to take some sort of control.
"Have I ever told you how sexy it is when you do that?" he said, looking up at her lustfully. And she's all mine, he thought, licking his lips.
Hermione leaned forward, placing her mouth inches away from his before running her tongue quickly over his lips. A growl emanated from deep in his chest, and she smiled wickedly as she pinned his hands above his head.
"Stay," she commanded, her eyes warning him that he'd pay dearly if he tried to move.
She rolled her hips, rubbing her center against his growing erection, and smiled as Draco struggled to follow her directions, his body twitching between her thighs.
"Hermione," he groaned, begging her for more.
"Draco," she replied, smiling wickedly before repeating the motion.
"Fuck," he breathed.
"Do you like that?" Hermione asked, leaning forward to whisper softly in his ear. "Do you want more?"
Draco, barely able to speak, nodded. "Yes," he said, licking his lips. "More."
Despite her own impatience to get him naked – and inside her – Hermione continued her torment. Still holding his arms above his head, she began to move against him a bit more quickly, the friction of her movements against his brief-covered length eliciting a series of moans from the man below her. She knew she would pay for teasing him like this, but then again, a little punishment was exactly what she was looking for, and she continued her torturous movements until her entire body was tingling from her own arousal.
Pausing, she bent forward, taking his mouth against her own, and when he bit down on her lip, she whimpered, her need for him finally growing beyond her control. Eager to feel his hands all over her body, she pulled back from their kiss and tore off the t-shirt she was wearing, leaving him gawking at her in admiration.
"You know," Draco said, taking advantage of her momentary pause and quickly flipping them over so that he was back in control, "if I had known that a front page news article about our – what did they call it – inappropriate fondling was going to turn you on so much, I would have made it happen much, much sooner."
"Malfoy," Hermione said, her voice heavy with arousal. "Just shut up and fuck me."
"So bossy, Granger," he told her. But happy to comply with her demand, he quickly cast a spell to rid them of their remaining items of clothing.
Draco immediately moved a hand between her legs, his fingers teasing her opening for a few moments before slowly pushing two of them inside her. She moaned as he teased her and threaded her hands in his hair to pull his lips against hers once more. He relented for a moment, allowing his tongue to melt into her mouth while he continued to move his fingers inside her, but then pulled away and flipped her onto her stomach. He moved the hair from her neck and bit down softly on her skin before lifting her hips and pulling them back toward him so that she was completely exposed to him, smiling as she hummed in approval.
Hermione turned her head to look back at him – every single glorious inch of him – and knowing it would drive him crazy, she bit down seductively on her lower lip.
"Fucking hell," Draco groaned, tightening his grip on her hips as he positioned himself at her entrance.
"Any day–"
Draco entered her quickly, burying himself to the hilt, and Hermione cried out in surprise.
"You were saying?" he asked, smirking against her ear.
"I–"
He thrust into her again roughly, pausing again once he was fully sheathed inside of her.
"I'm sorry," he teased, running a hand down her spine. "I don't think I heard you."
Hermione tried to move against him, but his hands held her in place.
"Uh-uh," Draco warned, his fingers digging into her hips.
Frustrated, she dropped her head. "Just. Fuck. Me," she managed finally, the words leaving her mouth with each of her ragged breaths. "Now."
Either her plea was enough or his desire for her had grown beyond his control, but it didn't really matter. Suddenly, he was moving again, slamming into her so quickly that she could barely keep herself upright. Sex with Draco, especially when it was like this, was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It was better than magic, feeling him move so perfectly inside of her, and when his hand met her ass with a slap, her world began to spiral out of control.
His thrusts were powerful and all consuming, and her body screamed in pleasure with each purposeful movement, his cock hitting the spot inside of her that made her squirm over and over again. She braced her hands on the headboard as the pace of his thrusts increased, begging him to keep going, warning him that she was so close. And then, with three more thrusts and another unexpected, but deliciously wonderful spank, her world came undone. Draco didn't stop moving as her body shook in front of him, and before her orgasm finished rippling across her body, she felt him felt him succumb to his own.
"That was fast," Hermione smirked as they collapsed onto the bed.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Woman, what more do you want from me?" he replied, still breathing heavily.
"To stay in bed with me forever," she mumbled, resting her head in the crook of his arm.
"I think that can be arranged," he told her.
He really did want to stay there forever, holding her next to him. He didn't care about a stupid headline, or the insufferable reporters that were most likely waiting for them somewhere outside his front door, or even what anyone had to say about them, he only cared about her.
"Draco," Hermione said quietly as she turned to rest her chin on his chest.
"Mmm," he groaned in response, his eyes losing the battle with the exhaustion that was quickly taking over his body even though he knew they needed to get up and start getting ready for work.
"You promise you won't run away?" she asked timidly.
He sighed, opening his eyes to look at her. "Never," he said.
And Draco Malfoy, the same person who'd ran away from everyone and everything after the war, actually meant it.
Draco and Hermione left for work together later that morning, hand-in-hand, ready to face whatever shit-storm was awaiting them outside Draco's front door, but nothing could have prepared them for what they encountered when they finally arrived at the Ministry. For a split second, Draco thought some sort of press hearing had been called, but when the first person spotted them, it became clear that the small crowd of photographers and reporters had simply been waiting for precisely this moment. Shouts of 'Draco' and 'Hermione' filled their ears, and before they had a chance to retreat, flashes began going off all around them.
"Well, fuck," Draco muttered under his breath, pulling Hermione away from the noise.
When they were safely hidden around a corner, he looked down at her apologetically. "I knew they'd hound us, but this– I really didn't think they'd hunt us down at work."
Hermione, who had spent most of the night playing out every possible scenario in her head, didn't respond right away. "Serves us right, I guess," she said finally, smiling weakly.
Draco brushed a curl away from her face and sighed, wishing he could hex everyone in the crowd without landing himself in Azkaban. "Maybe, but–"
"Are you two insane!?" came a voice from the other side of the hallway.
Draco and Hermione turned their heads to see Harry ordering a group of security guards to keep the reporters away from the interior of the Ministry before he came running over, his glasses slightly ajar.
"Why in the world would you two show up together after that damn article? Didn't you get my owl?" he asked frantically.
Draco frowned. "We must have missed it."
"Honestly, this is ridiculous," Hermione said, tilting her nose up in the air. "We're just dating. It's not like the world is ending or anything."
"Hermione, you of all people should know how much the press loves to make a story out of nothing, especially now that things are relatively calm," Harry said quickly, ushering them further down the hallway. "Why didn't you tell me someone caught you?" he asked, pausing to make sure they were alone. "I could have – I don't know – tried to stop the article from being printed."
"No one has that much power over the Prophet, Harry – not even you," Hermione told him. "And we didn't tell you because there were more important things to focus on yesterday."
"Well, all of this," Harry said gesturing to the madness in the atrium, "is the least of our worries. People are going to start digging to figure out how you two ended up together, and we can't afford to have the news about Rodolphus leaking before we find him."
"So, you need us to put on a show?" Draco asked, immediately understanding what that meant.
Hermione looked between the two men. "No way," she said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "I am not playing this game."
"We just need to distract them," Draco said, although he looked slightly pained as he spoke. "If we give them the photo-ops they so badly want, then eventually they'll get bored and leave us alone."
"You'll have to feed them a backstory that's believable, one that won't lead them to Rodolphus," Harry added.
Hermione was furious, her hands shaking angrily at her sides. It was one thing for the world to know about her and Draco, but it was quite another thing entirely for them to placate the press, for them to let those parasites into their lives.
"Harry, I'm sorry. I'm not–"
"Unfortunately, you don't have a choice," Harry said sadly, knowing how difficult it was going to be for them. "Kingsley didn't take too kindly to being left in the dark about your relationship. These are his orders, not mine."
For a moment they were all quiet, the shouts of the reporters barricaded near the entrance still echoing off the walls.
"For fuck's sake!" Hermione swore, her sudden outburst startling both of the men and a few unfortunate witches walking by. "What the bloody fuck is so interesting about my goddamn love life!? What's next, am I going to have to publicly list all of my former lovers? Merlin's balls, I fucking can't catch a break."
Harry's mouth gaped open, his eyes wide with disbelief. Hermione rarely cursed, at least in front of him, but she had just strung together a series of cuss words that would have made even Ginny proud. He looked to Draco for help but was met instead with the face of a man trying desperately hard not to laugh.
"If you don't wipe that stupid ass grin off your face in the next three seconds…" Hermione warned, looking alarmingly murderous at Draco.
Draco pursed his lips together, trying to swallow the giggles that were threatening to escape from his mouth, and threw his hands up in the air. "Granger, people are looking," he managed after a few seconds.
Indeed, they were. Fuckity fuck fuck.
"I know you don't want to do this, but it has to be done," Harry began. "As soon as the press backs off, you can go back to–"
"Fucking each other senseless?" Draco offered, incapable of ignoring such a perfect set-up.
Harry nearly choked. "Bloody hell," he said, putting his head in his hands. "What is wrong with you two?"
Hermione opened her mouth to answer, but Harry put a hand up to stop her. "Can we at least move the cussing to my office? I prefer to be yelled at in private."
"I'm sure you do," Draco mumbled, earning an almost Hermione-esque glare from Harry.
The three of them walked quickly to the lifts, traveling in silence to the second level where they got off and moved quickly to Harry's office.
By the time Hermione fell into one of the chairs in front of Harry's desk, the initial shock of what the Minister had ordered Draco and her to do was starting to wear off. It did make some sense for them to provide a coordinated distraction to keep the press far away from the specifics of their assignment – the boy's life certainly depended on how well they played their roles – but it still annoyed her that it was even necessary.
"Anything else you'd like to get off your chests before we continue with this absurd conversation," Harry asked with raised eyebrows.
"Yeah," Draco said, a devilish smirk on his face. "This is bullshit."
For the first time since walking out of Draco's flat earlier this morning, Hermione laughed. She knew he had said it for her, and for a moment, she forgot that she was supposed to be angry. Despite knowing that she was going to resent every minute of what they were going to have to do next, she was thankful she wasn't going to have to face any of it alone.
"Why can't we just release a statement that says we started dating months ago?" Hermione asked, turning back to Harry.
Harry sighed. "You know as well as I do that a simple statement won't be enough. They're going to want to see you both together. A lot," he told her. "If you don't give them what they want, they'll dig, and that can only lead to one place."
Why does he have to be right? Hermione thought.
"What is it that you need us to do?" she asked, relenting that they were just going to have to do as they were told.
"For starters, you're going to need to attend the banquet on Friday night," Harry stated, bracing for another onslaught of protests. "Draco, I know you're parents are–"
"No way, Potter," Draco said loudly, his head already shaking in opposition. "I will take her on as many dates and sit down for as many interviews as you need, but I draw the line at attending banquets hosted by my goddamn parents."
Harry's face twisted in apology.
"Please tell me this isn't another one of Kingsley's orders," Draco said, his eyes widening in horror when he saw Harry grimace. "Is there no end to this misery?" he groaned, slumping into the chair next to Hermione.
"What is it you'd like us to do at this banquet?" Hermione asked, moving a hand to the top of Draco's thigh.
"I believe Kingsley's words were 'mingle and behave,'" Harry explained. "Ginny and I will be there, so at least you won't be alone."
"That's it?" Hermione asked suspiciously. She wasn't the least bit convinced that it was going to be that easy.
"You'll also be expected to formally announce that you're courting each other to the press," Harry said quickly, his eyes darting nervously between the pair.
Draco and Hermione were silent for a moment, before they both erupted in protest.
"–no way–"
"–like bloody hell we will–"
"–isn't the goddamn 1800s–"
"–fucking absurd–"
"–fuck this fucking bullshit–"
"Are you two done?" Harry asked when they both finally paused to take a breath.
"Not even close," Draco said angrily, his face flushed. "She is not property that I'm hoping to acquire. She's my girlfriend. I will not stand in front of a bunch of idiotic reporters and pretend to play some outdated pureblood game."
Draco couldn't believe he was having this conversation. When he told his mother he refused to take over the Malfoy household, he had also made it very clear that he wanted nothing to do with the rituals that came with being a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, including the archaic practice of courting a woman for marriage. He was not about to make it appear as if he'd changed his mind even if it all was pretend, and he was certainly not about to flaunt Hermione around as if she was some prize that he had won.
"Draco, it's okay. If we have to–"
"No," Draco interrupted. "Absolutely not. We will announce that we are in a relationship, but that is as far as I am willing to go."
Hermione, seeing the tortured look on Draco's face, quickly decided nothing could be gained from arguing with him. It was obvious that the request had hit a nerve with him, and so the last thing she wanted to do was to make it worse by insisting that she wasn't bothered by it.
Merlin, how can I not be bothered by it? she thought as she glanced over at Draco.
"Okay," Harry said, hoping that the yelling would finally stop. "I told Kingsley as much. Say whatever you want as long as you make it clear that you're serious about each other."
"Fine," Draco and Hermione replied at the same time.
After a few more instructions from Harry, mainly referring to the fact that they should not, under any circumstances, be caught in a compromising sexual position anytime during the banquet, they left his office and walked slowly down the hall to Hermione's office.
"Well, now is it as bad as you imagined it would be?" Hermione asked after shutting the door behind her.
Draco exhaled deeply. "Worse," he admitted, his hand rubbing the top of his head. "I was hoping to keep you away from my parents, but now…"
"They don't scare me, Draco," she said quietly. "I'm perfectly capable of being cordial even if they're not."
"They should scare you," he mumbled, letting his body fall into the chair behind her desk. "This is madness," he added as he slowly dragged his hands down the side of his face.
"The world is bonkers," Hermione agreed as she moved behind him and began rubbing his shoulders. "But that doesn't mean we have to let it bother us."
Draco lifted his head and groaned as her hands worked into his strained muscles. She was right, but he was having a hard time not letting the news that they'd have to waltz into Malfoy Manor pretending that everything was all honky-dory get to him.
"Your mouth is filthy, by the way," he said after a few minutes, finally calmed by Hermione's touch.
Hermione laughed. "Don't pretend like that didn't turn you on."
"Oh, it did," he admitted, "but do remind me to never piss you off."
With their heartbeats finally back to normal, they refocused their attention to their other, more important tasks. Draco spent the rest of the day in Hermione's office helping her try to identify landmarks from the transcripts of the boy's memories. Most of them were brief and scattered, but the notes that they were able to work through led them to believe that the young boy was from somewhere in Muggle London. Unfortunately, if there was anything buried in the pages of recorded memories pertaining to his time with Rodolphus, they hadn't found it yet.
"Do you think it's possible that the incantation only partially repaired the boy's memories?" Hermione asked after a few hours of relatively silent and disheartening work.
"Yes, I suppose," Draco supplied, "but that would mean that either some of his memories can never be repaired or the incantation was incomplete. Neither of those scenarios are particularly ideal for catching Rodolphus anytime soon, so hopefully it will just take a couple days for everything to come back to the boy."
"And if they don't?" she prompted, her hands twisting nervously in her lap.
"Then we'll keep digging," Draco replied calmly, trying to reassure her.
Toward the end day, Harry stopped by to inform them that the healers had been successful in waking the boy, but that he was extremely disoriented and unable to entertain any visitors. Per the letter from the hospital, the healers instructed that the boy be allowed a day or two to rest before anyone returned to question him.
"Kingsley wants you both to leave by Portkey tonight," Harry announced before leaving them alone again, tossing Draco an empty tin can. "This will take you to your flat at six," he added. "You're free to Apparate anywhere you'd like from there, but I recommend that the two of you stay away from public places until Friday night."
"Noted," Draco mumbled as he set the Portkey on Hermione's desk.
It was 5:52 pm, giving them just enough time to finish a few notes and straighten up before they would be whisked away to safety. With the few spare minutes they had before leaving, Hermione buried her head against Draco's chest.
"We could always just run away," she suggested.
"Could we?" Draco asked, knowing that she never would.
"Yes," she whispered, watching as he picked up the small can. "We could go someplace where no one knows or cares about who we are."
"I'd go anywhere with you," Draco replied, holding out the can for Hermione to grab onto. "Anywhere," he added as they were transported away from her office. Away from the reporters waiting to catch sight of the Ministry. Away from the responsibilities of their positions at the Ministry.
"Right now," Hermione said after they landed rather ungracefully in the middle of his flat, "I think I'll settle for you taking me back to your bed."
a/n: I realize that Portkey-ing from inside the Ministry wouldn't typically be allowed, but I figured that rule could be bent for this particular scenario.
Up next - a familiar house (if you can really call it that) and some familiar faces. See you next week!