Warning: Smut ahead. And more ridiculousness.
"I heard Potter's back." Hermione rolled her eyes at the familiar drawl of Draco Malfoy.
"Not now." She bemoaned, turning her attention to her calculus notes, willing the formulas to stick in her head.
"Class doesn't start for 10 minutes." He pointed out, grabbing the chair in front of her desk and pulling it up to hers.
"Yes, and I plan to do well on this test. So if you don't mind." She gestured for him to leave.
Malfoy, unsurprisingly, ignored her, "I just thought you'd be interested in something I saw." He smirked. Well, she wasn't looking at him but felt confident from his tone he was smirking.
"I'm not." She informed him, eyes firmly planted on her notes.
"I saw Potter hugging Luna Lovegood." He remarked. She looked up and caught him leaning back in his chair, one eyebrow raised.
"No! Not - hugging? My oh my," she fanned herself dramatically, attempting a southern drawl, "what will her father say if word of such behavior reaches the eligible men in town?"
He rolled his eyes, "Are you done?"
"Draco Malfoy, you speak to me in such a familiar manner! Why, are you wishing to court me sir?" She continued, blinking her eyes at him until he finally turned around.
While she may have mocked him, he did have a point. As far as Hermione was aware, Harry and Luna were not friends - or even acquaintances for that matter. But perhaps her best friend was keeping secrets from her? She frowned, contemplating if perhaps prolonged exposure to Malfoy was making her needlessly suspicious.
The bell rang and Hermione put her pencil down, fairly certain she did quite well and was innocently heading to her locker when she was yanked into the rarely used eraser room. "What?" she mumbled before she saw who it was, "Oh, it's you again."
"He's your best friend. Why would he be hugging Luna?" Malfoy's arms were crossed, his foot tapping impatiently. She cocked her head to the side, wondering if he had spent the entirety of class angsting about this.
Hermione shrugged, "Beats me. You know, I'm not his mother, he does things I'm not aware of I'm sure."
"Don't be daft." He frowned.
"Daft?" She narrowed her eyes, "Where did that come from?"
He shook himself, "I'm not sure - I've recently found myself full of odd British phrases."
"That is odd." She frowned.
"Anyways," he closed his eyes momentarily before staring intently at her, "isn't it a bit odd that Luna seems to be 'friendly' with not one, but two upperclassman?"
Hermione shrugged, "I guess I'm more stuck on the fact that Theo Nott's an informant for the FBI!" she pointed out.
He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, "So?"
"So?!" She exclaimed, her hands flailing in the air haphazardly, "Doesn't it maybe make more sense that someone found out he was spilling Mob secrets and perhaps did something to him or made him disappear?"
Malfoy rolled his eyes, "Don't be so dramatic."
"Ugh." she swung her hands down. She was getting ready to storm out when they heard the door open and suddenly Malfoy pulled her to him and they were once again kissing , his arms wrapped around her possessively. She felt her hips jut towards his, reflexively she told herself as she unconsciously moaned into him.
"Oh sorry!" They heard a small squeak from the door and it immediately shut.
She pushed Malfoy away immediately, her eyes wide, "Why do you keep kissing me?"
He shrugged, "What other good reason would we have to be here?"
"But - I - you can't just kiss me every time someone sees us. What will they think?" She shook her head. It was one thing to be potentially seen kissing Draco Malfoy by a random FBI agent - it was an entirely different matter if a classmate saw them. This was high school - no way would this remain a secret for long.
"They'll think 'Damn, Draco Malfoy is slumming it'," Draco - Malfoy, she corrected internally, smirked, his hands running along his khakis as if rubbing dirt from them.
"Really? More like they'll think I've gone utterly insane, which, come to think of it, perhaps I have." She mumbled, "Besides, what would have been wrong with us, I don't know, talking?"
"The last thing we need is for people to suspect what we're up to." Malfoy pointed out.
She really didn't get it. "Why?"
"Because someone here is responsible for Theo's disappearance!" He insisted.
She rolled her eyes, "I really don't think a high schooler somehow made Theo Nott disappear." This was becoming a familiar argument - he thought it was some sort of high school conspiracy whereas she, rationally, assumed it had to do with the boy's father's criminal dealings. "Look, if you want to continue chasing around high schoolers, go on ahead. I'm going to investigate his father."
Malfoy looked alarmed, "Don't be an idiot."
"What?" She had been called many things in life but never an idiot.
"You're going to get yourself killed" His tone was intense.
"Oh Malfoy," she feigned swooning, "I didn't know you cared."
He shrugged, "I don't. It would just be annoying to have to find someone else to investigate with." He crossed his arms again, his face impassive.
"I get it Malfoy, you're in love with me. It happens." She gave him a patronizing pat on the shoulder and left, not bothering to wait for a response.
"Glad you're feeling better Harry." Hermione smiled at her best friend as she sat down for dinner in the Great Hall. Ron mumbled something similar before stuffing a roll in his mouth.
"Hmm." Harry commented unhelpfully, nibbling at a piece of chicken breast.
"What was wrong with you anyways?" She asked.
"Flu." Harry blinked before shoving a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth.
"And the flu kept you bedridden for two weeks?" She cocked her head to the side.
Harry's eyes narrowed at her, "What?"
She put up her hands in defense, "It's nothing! Just - it's odd is all."
Harry just shrugged, "Sorry."
It was strange, he was back but he wasn't really back. He gave one word answers and seemed to sleep walk from class to class. She wanted to attribute it to recovery from his illness but he kept going back to Malfoy's wild theories about Luna Lovegood.
"What if," Malfoy had suggested when they spoke that morning, "Luna was dating both Harry and Theo. And Harry found out and cursed him?"
"Are you still on this?" She looked up from her text on Ancient Runes, "I told you, I'm no longer entertaining your theories that this was some sort of student led conspiracy."
He rolled his eyes, "Potter could have easily cast some sort of familial curse. Or - maybe he found out about an existing Nott curse and triggered it."
"Yes, because Harry is so well versed in Pureblood curses and customs. That totally makes sense." She deadpanned, "And furthermore, I struggle to believe Luna Lovegood was somehow carrying on two separate affairs." Hermione explained quite rationally.
She continued to nibble at her vegetables and watch her friend with growing suspicion. He didn't seem sick - just, depressed. What could possibly have happened that caused him to feel that way?
And suddenly, she had a growing fear that Draco was right! What if Harry did something to Theo, and it killed him? Maybe it was an accident - but obviously Harry would be feeling incredibly guilty. That would explain his freaking out when Ron told them he had died, and why he was hiding out. Though it wouldn't necessarily explain his hugging Luna...
"Harry," she smiled at him gently, "if there's something going on you want to talk about, you know i'm here for you."
"Thanks." He looked at her momentarily, the shadow of a smile forming before it dropped away. She bit her lip, head tilted to the side as she considered further and decided the possibility that Harry killed Theo was just too outrageous.
She would, with or without Malfoy, investigate the Mob- Death Eaters and figure out if they cursed Theo before even entertaining Harry's culpability.
This was a terrible idea she told herself as she walked towards the Snake's Den, donning a scandalously short dress and stiletto heels with enough makeup on to give Pansy Parkinson a run for her money. The building was old and showed evidence of disrepair, the 'Snake's Den' sign flashing from lack of proper electricity. The sidewalk had cracks throughout, forcing Hermione to walk slowly to avoid an embarrassing trip in her 3" heels.
"You lost?" The doorman looked her up and down as she approached, pausing at her chest before giving her a predatory smirk.
She shivered internally but smiled tentatively, hoping to look seductive, "I'm having a bit of car trouble - I'd really appreciate it if I could use the phone?"
The man looked contemplative for a moment before nodding, "I guess, yo Pettigrew!" The man yelled inside unceremoniously. A small rat like man crept over, "Take this chick to use the phone."
"Yeah, whatever Goyle." Pettigrew rolled his eyes.
Hermione blinked and looked again at the doorman, recognizing the last name. Curious, she thought as she followed Pettigrew inside. The Snake's Den was a notorious Mob bar, patronized (she imagined) by an assortment of unsavory individuals. The place was busy, in spite of it being late afternoon on a weekday. She saw out of the corner of her eye the infamous Riddle holding court in the back corner, along with who she assumed was Malfoy's father, based on the long blond hair, standing off to his side.
"C'mon," Pettigrew beckoned her to move faster and she found herself in what appeared to be a back office. An older man, who looked vaguely familiar, sat at a desk in the back.
"What are you doing here?" The man asked.
Pettigrew shrugged, "She needs to use the phone."
The unknown man gave an annoyed sigh, "Fine. Keep an eye on her though." He looked at her with suspicion and Hermione felt an odd shiver go down her spine.
"Yeah, whatever Nott." Pettigrew rolled his eyes. Nott got up and left, taking a few papers with him.
Hermione tried not to react to that - so this was Theo Nott's father? There was certainly an element of familiarity. She did not recall Theo Nott's presence having such a chilling effect though.
"Thank you." She attempted to smile at Pettigrew as she picked up the phone. She tapped her foot anxiously, feeling an odd sense of relief when the person on the other end answered.
"Hello?"
"Malfoy," she whispered, "it's me."
"Granger? What is it?"
"So I may have gone to the Snake's Den to investigate." She whispered, covering her mouth with her hand.
"DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?"
She winced at the yell and shushed him, earning a suspicious glance from Pettigrew, "It's just my boyfriend - he doesn't like me in bars without him." She told the man sweetly.
"Did you just call me your boyfriend Granger?" She could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Shut up. Can you come pick me up?" She pleaded.
"Didn't I explicitly tell you this was a bad idea?"
"Why do you think I didn't tell you until now?" She pointed out.
"Fine. But you owe me."
"Whatever." She hung up quietly and looked around, trying to find clues.
"You done?" Pettigrew asked impatiently.
"Hmm." She nodded and reluctantly followed the man, walking slowly to the front door to wait for her ride on the dilapidated sidewalk. As luck would have it, Nott was outside having a heated conversation with another man. Pettigrew left her and she stood off to the side, out of sight, but close enough to overhear.
"I just can't think of where he'd have gone." Nott said.
"You're absolutely sure he ran away? Your kid doesn't seem the type."
"Of course - we had a fight and then he just up and left!"
Hermione frowned, trying to reconcile this with all of the other information she and Malfoy had collected. Was it really that simple? He was a teenage boy after all - maybe the stress of everything with the Feds finally got to him. But where would he have gone?
"Girl, you eavesdropping?" The man Nott was talking to asked, taking a drag of a cigarette and blowing the smoke in her face.
"No, sorry, just waiting on my ride." She tried to look calm. But the man was now standing a half a foot from her, a predatory smile on his face.
"Ah sweetheart, you don't want to stay awhile?" The man was much older than her - probably older than her own father. His breath stank of cigarettes and whiskey and Hermione felt on the verge of puking.
She was trying to keep her wits about her, "Oh sorry can't, I have plans with my boyfriend." She realized the second it came out how idiotic it sounded.
"Oh honey, who cares about him." He kept moving towards her, causing her to walk backwards until she was flush against a brick wall. Shit, she knew this was a bad idea. She was going to be killed and at her funeral Malfoy was going to say, And I told her it was a stupid idea!
"Ah, there you are Granger." She was stunned to feel tangible relief when he came up to her, grabbed her hand and pulled her away. "Thanks for keeping an eye on her Dolohov."
"Eh Malfoy, you take good care of her." The older man put out his cigarette and gave Malfoy a suggestive wink.
They didn't say a word as they turned into the parking lot and got into Malfoy's car. "What the fuck were you thinking Granger?"
He was angry - a part of Hermione realized irrationally so but that part of her was currently taking a back seat to the utter relief that he had arrived when he did, "I," she started but her heart was beating erratically and she struggled to get the words out, "Thank you."
This seemed to throw him off and he just grunted and started driving. An odd silence hung over them until Malfoy put on the radio. Hermione instantly started laughing, recognizing the familiar song. It wasn't a rational reaction. But given the circumstances, it seemed appropriate.
Malfoy apparently felt the same and his frown slowly turned into a smile. He gave Hermione a few chastising glances until he too was laughing. Hermione turned the volume up and started lip syncing to I'm Too Sexy , earning further laughter from Malfoy as she began making vogue gestures with her hands.
"Stop it." He told her, laughing uncontrollably, "I'm trying to drive."
"I'm sorry Malfoy," she told him earnestly, "but I'm too sexy for my cat." And just like that she broke into laughter again. "Ugh, I needed that." She told him, wiping her eyes as the song came to an end and a more innocuous one took its place.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, his face appearing serious once more. She looked at him curiously - his tone sounded like he legitimately cared.
"Yeah - I am." She assured him.
"Good. Because as I mentioned earlier, it would be annoying if you had been killed." He looked at her with a snide grin.
"Yes Malfoy, god forbid I inconvenience you." She rolled her eyes.
"Did you learn anything?" He asked, ignoring her jibe and focused on the road in front of him.
"Hmm? Yes." Hermione suddenly recalled the conversation she eavesdropped on before getting caught, "I overheard Theo's dad say he thinks Theo ran away. I guess they had a fight before he went missing."
"Ran away?" Malfoy frowned.
"Hmm." She shrugged. He pulled to a stop in front of her house. She started to get out and had a strange thought, "Do you want to come in?" Perhaps the stress of the recent situation made her reluctant to be alone, or maybe she felt some need to talk through the recent information. Regardless, she realized she wanted to spend time with Draco Malfoy. It was a strange feeling, like acid reflux or the sensation of touching a hot stove.
"Into your house?" He sounded confused.
"My parents work late." She explained, "We can uh - regroup. Figure out what this means for our investigation."
He seemed to consider this before turning the car off and following her in. She felt oddly self-conscious of her split level as she watched Malfoy look around, presumably judging the place. "It's nice." He told her apathetically.
"Do you want something to drink?" She led him to the kitchen.
He gave an indecisive shrug and sat at the kitchen island. She could feel his eyes on her as she pulled out two cups and filled them with iced tea, "What?" She asked finally as she placed his drink in front of him.
"Do you often go to known Mob bars?" He was now looking her up and down and her cheeks reddened as she remembered her outfit.
"No." She told him, pulling the dress down and grabbing a tissue to wipe the make-up off her face.
"Hmm." He cocked his head and took a sip of his iced tea, gratuitously licking his lips as he continued to stare at her.
It should have offended her - she knew rationally she should have kicked him out or taken some sort of action. As it was she couldn't help but feel - aroused? She was relatively inexperienced in the boy department. She had shared kisses and above the waist action with Ron freshman year but that was it. Her kisses with Malfoy had been far superior to those youthful antics, which she chalked up to his multitude of experience.
Regardless of what his stares made her feel, she took a deep breath and rolled her eyes, "Up here Malfoy." She snapped at him and he smirked as he lifted his grey eyes to meet hers.
He got out of his chair and walked around the island to where she stood. She remained still, unwilling to move, though she wasn't sure if it was in anticipation or defiance, or perhaps a combination of both. He walked right up to her, his face less than a foot from hers and licked his lips again, bringing his right hand up to tuck a loose piece of hair behind her ear.
She blinked, trying to regain control of herself but the feel of his hand brought a warmth to her stomach that rendered her speechless. Oh hell, she thought before she stepped forward and kissed him.
He seemed surprised momentarily before he grabbed the back of her head, pushing himself into her. She moaned at the contact, her hips meeting his as she deepened the kiss, grabbing his waist. Don't think about it, she convinced herself, focusing on the sensations of his hands running over her back. They weren't trying to avoid getting caught by a fed or scaring off a freshman - this time, they were just kissing because - well, that was what she had decided not to think about.
He paused for a moment, stepping a few inches back and looking at her. "Shut up." She told him preemptively and pushed him into the island, ignoring the clink as the plastic cup of iced tea spilled out onto the floor. He responded immediately, grabbing her ass and chuckling into her mouth when she made the most odd little noises.
"Is that what you want Granger?" He breathed into her ear as he began moving his hand lower onto her upper thigh. She nodded, unwilling to speak, afraid if she said anything substantive it would somehow snap them back to reality which she most assuredly in that moment did not want. He was kissing her neck, all while he slowly, painfully slowly pulled her tiny dress up until his hand was hovering just over her panties.
Oh shit, she thought for the millionth time that afternoon. She felt some combination of anxious, stimulated, and embarrassed - her breath hitched as he ever so slowly began to pet her over her underthings. She wasn't familiar with how all of the below the belt activities worked so she felt frozen as his fingers worked her, the sensation new but not unwanted.
"Shit." She found herself saying out loud as he seemed to find just the right spot and she inadvertently leaned into him.
"You like that?" His voice was taunting and for some reason that just aroused her further. She took the opportunity to look at him, his grey eyes filled with utter confidence in his abilities.
She gave him a smirk and kissed him again, leaning her weight against him as his ministrations grew more urgent. She was struggling to remain standing and found herself breathing heavily into his mouth, her vocal chords whimpering and betraying her.
"It's okay, you can let it out." He whispered to her and she did, a small shriek leaving her as she collapsed into his arms.
He kept her upright, his smirk giving way to a more pensive look. She felt her breaths slow, her mind clearing as the reality of the situation suddenly hit her. She had just had an orgasm . Correction: Draco Malfoy, notorious man-slut and captain of the football team had just given her an orgasm .
She swallowed and slowly pulled away from him, all of the thoughts she had pushed down in the moment suddenly overtaking her. She considered all the times he called her a Mudblood-
Wait - what? She blinked, because that didn't make sense. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"I've just - been having these dreams. And sometimes they seem to seep into my reality." She tried to dismiss the strange thought.
"What kind of dreams?" He was suddenly serious, frowning at her and she remembered a similar moment in her dream.
"I dream that I'm a witch and go to a magic school in Scotland." She told him.
"Did you and I talk about it once?"
"Yes." She frowned, her eyes darting around the room as if willing the situation to make sense, "It's like, when I'm there I'm sure that's real and this is the dream but when I'm here-"
"That's the dream." He finished for her with a nod.
"What does it mean? Why are we having these dreams?" She started pacing. Logically, it made sense that this was the real world. What was the likelihood that she was some sort of witch who studied in a castle in Scotland ? That was utterly preposterous.
"I'm not sure - they are oddly similar - well, except for the other world being magical." He pointed out.
She nodded, "I agree, though in the dream world Theo Nott is dead."
"Maybe we're having dreams to guide us to where Theo is?" He suggested.
She gave him an incredulous look, "Yes. 'Cause high schoolers investigating missing students often have shared dreams."
He put his hands up, "Well I've got nothing better. And you have to admit, after your little excursion today, it doesn't look like the Death - Mob," he frowned at his slip, "are involved."
Hermione nodded, "I still don't think Harry did anything but given he has been behaving quite strangely in both places, perhaps it is worth confronting him."
He gave her the most self-congratulatory shit eating grin then and she had half a mind to slap him. "Fuck you Malfoy." She sneered instead.
"Malfoy," Hermione was biting her lip as she approached the Slytherin in the library.
"Granger." He drawled.
"So - just checking. Did you, possibly, have a dream where we are American muggles and, well-" she trailed off, her face contorting strangely.
"Hmm?" He was smirking, "You'll have to be more specific, I have quite a few dreams."
She squinted her eyes, "Alright then," she stepped a foot closer, blatantly in his personal space now, "did you have a dream with me in my muggle kitchen ?" She asked quietly.
He blinked, his smirk slightly faded, "Well, in my dream we snogged and I made you scream my name in ecstasy."
She frowned, "Hmmm I guess we're not sharing the same dreams - I recall a much tamer reaction."
"Oh really? Should we repeat the performance here in the light of day? See how you react now?" He taunted, his hand brushing against her hip.
She wished herself suddenly to be more sexually experienced, because if she were then surely his long fingers and soft breath wouldn't have such an effect on her. She remained still, closing her eyes and attempting to breath normally as she felt his hand oh so deftly push between the split in her robes and find the bit of skin between her trousers and shirt.
"This is," she started, suddenly remembering where they were.
"What is it, Granger?" His hand was now hovering at her waistband - taunting and teasing. Her breath quickened and she willed herself to think of all the reasons this was a horrible idea. They were enemies. He was a bigoted little shit. He probably had STDs. But even as she thought it, she felt her hand automatically go to his waist, pulling him closer.
"For research purposes only." She informed him, pulling his face to her own. He didn't freeze this time - just smiled into her mouth and suddenly tucked his hand under her panties. He pushed her just slightly so she was leaning against a bookshelf. Somewhere in her mind, the rule abiding goodie two shoes side of her was screaming YOU CAN'T BE HOOKING UP WITH DRACO MALFOY IN THE LIBRARY but suddenly he was circling her sensitive spot and she bucked into him.
Besides, she reasoned with the buzzkill part of her, she wanted to know if it was as good awake as it was in her dream. She pulled at his hair, scratching at his head and brushing his too blonde tresses with her fingers. His hands deftly continued their explorations, slowly working their way down and she broke off the kiss, pressing her lips against his cool neck. "Shit Malfoy." She breathed into him, completely falling apart as he placed one finger in her and continued pressing circles over her clit with his thumb.
"How's the research going?" His voice was deep, his fingers never hesitating as she held her head back and felt her mouth open on impulse. It was too much, the feeling of him drilling a finger in and out of her and just as she was about to let out a stream of obscenities he placed his mouth on hers. "Shh." He reminded her, a smirk playing on his lips and she became completely undone.
He gently removed his hands, unceremoniously wiping them on her robe and taking a tentative step back. "Perhaps you were not entirely wrong." She informed him, straightening out her robes and brushing her hair with her fingers.
Suddenly she remembered where they were, "Did we seriously just do that in the Hogwarts library?"
He grinned, completely unaffected, "It would appear so."
"What if someone saw us?" She whisper-yelled.
He rolled his eyes, "We're in the library. The only people who come here are swots. Who cares?"
It was like a bucket of ice water suddenly reminding her of what a little shit he was. "Me. I come to the library."
"Yes." He smiled knowingly, "And now, you can say you come in the library." He looked entirely too proud of himself for that little quip.
"Whatever Malfoy." She had to stop watching his lips and focus, "For whatever reason, we are sharing dreams about being American muggles. Why?"
He frowned, "I assume it has to be related to what happened to Theo."
She considered it, "Do you think it's just us?"
"I think so. Though it wouldn't hurt to ask around - see if anyone else is having vivid dreams of living as an American muggle." He shrugged and took a seat. Hermione followed, sitting purposefully across from him to prevent further - shenanigans.
"It's quite disconcerting. I feel as though I'm living in two worlds and they keep bleeding into each other." She explained, "To be honest, I'm beginning to question what's real."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," she started thoughtfully, "both seem equally real when we are in them. What if neither is real?"
"Granger, obviously this world is real. Even you said it in the dream - people don't just share dreams in the muggle world. It's a magical thing." He pointed out.
"I dunno." She shook her head, "Something just feels off."
"I have a theory," he started. "What if, in order to solve his murder, we must figure out what happened to Theo in our dream?"
"But - that still doesn't make sense!" Hermione frowned.
He shrugged, "I know - but I mean - magic." He did a little wave of his hand as if that helped explain the matter.
"I guess that's a better theory than anything I have." She looked somewhat defeated, "We should probably talk to Harry."
Conveniently, Harry was completing his DADA work at a table on the other side of the library. He looked at Hermione and Malfoy with a cross between surprise and disbelief. "Er." He grunted, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.
"Harry," Hermione sat next to her friend while Malfoy remained standing, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"What's going on?" Harry asked Hermione, though his eyes were stuck on Malfoy.
"Malfoy and I have been investigating Theo Nott's murder." She told him. He looked panicked for a moment and Hermione tried not to dwell too much on it.
"Why?" He bit.
"Because he was murdered in our school, Harry." She told him slowly, confused by his reaction, "I mean, aren't you curious about what happened?"
"I guess."
"Potter," Malfoy started in his typical patronizing drawl, "why have you been acting weird the last few weeks?"
"What?"
"Harry," Hermione's tone was soft and apologetic, "you were 'sick' for two weeks and since then have just been sad and depressed. Did something happen?"
"It's - look," Harry looked torn, "it has nothing to do with him dying."
Hermione really wanted to believe him, "Alright, I believe you," she lied, "it's just - it seems like something was going on between Luna and Theo and then between you and Luna and well -"
"What?" Harry was incredulous. Hermione and Malfoy looked at each, both surprised at the utter - disbelief in Harry's tone. "Nothing's going on with Luna!"
"We found this note." Hermione pulled the aforementioned paper from her bag and handed it to him. He swallowed and read it, his eyes starting to water.
"Oh." Malfoy said and his face paled.
"What?" Hermione asked and Malfoy proceeded to make a series of unhelpful hand gestures.
Harry looked at Hermione sadly, "I didn't kill Theo Nott. I loved him."
"You love him?" Hermione was frozen. She and Malfoy had confronted Harry in the auto shop as soon as school let out.
He gave Malfoy a wary look, "It started sophomore year."
"Huh." Malfoy looked like he was finally finding the answer to a long outstanding question.
"I'm sorry." Hermione said suddenly, shaking her head, "I should have been a better friend-"
"Stop," Harry shook his head with a soft smile, "I - we kept this from everyone. His father," he paused, once again looking skeptically at Draco Malfoy, "would not accept Theo was gay."
"Do you have any idea where he went?" Hermione asked, frowning.
Harry shook his head, "I went looking for him - that's where I was. I searched everywhere we used to go."
"So he didn't tell you he was leaving?" Malfoy clarified.
Harry looked torn. Hermione nodded and explained, "We know he was an informant to the FBI but we don't believe the Mob is responsible for his disappearance."
Harry seemed somewhat surprised, "That note you have from Luna - that was from his goodbye note."
Hermione and Malfoy looked to one another thoughtfully. "When did you two become friends?" Harry frowned.
"We're not." They said simultaneously. Harry simply shrugged and put his safety glasses on, returning to whatever he was doing when they interrupted.
Hermione and Malfoy looked thoughtful as they headed out, "So," she started, looking nervously at her hands, "I have a crazy idea."
Malfoy frowned, "What?"
"I think we need to go to Scotland." She shrugged.
He stopped in his tracks. "What?"
"Think about it - we're having these dreams, perhaps they are leading us to Theo." She suggested.
"But why would he be in Scotland?" Malfoy pointed out.
She considered this, 'Honestly? I'm not sure. But Malfoy, I'm starting to get really freaked out."
"I know what you mean."
"No - I don't think you do," she shook her head, "I feel like I'm going crazy - I don't know what's real anymore. I don't even feel like I'm going to sleep anymore or that time is moving properly. It's like, we're living in two worlds that are just meshing together." She was blinking, trying to keep her tears from falling.
"Granger," Malfoy said softly as they entered the room of requirement, "trust me, I feel the same way."
"Do you?" She was crying now, the tears streaming slowly, "Because you were so confident this was real and I wanted to believe you but none of it makes sense!"
He looked conflicted, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to be kind in that moment. "I was just trying to be logical. But honestly, it's all been quite - surreal. I think you're right - neither of these worlds quite make sense."
"So you agree? The next time we're - there, we should try and come here?" She looked at him hopefully.
He smiled, it was awkward because he'd never really given her a friendly smile but she appreciated the effort, "We should."
"And should we try and go to America?" She asked.
He looked pained by this, "Honestly, I'm not even sure where we were in America. It felt quite generic."
She nodded, "Yes, I suspect it was a generic high school TV experience. Once I began to suspect it wasn't real, I assumed what we saw was based on mine or someone else's memories of watching American television."
Malfoy looked like he had no idea what she was talking about and just shrugged.
"As strange as it is, I'm glad you're here with me." She told him, and almost immediately regretted it.
"Of course you are." He smirked, "Because I'm incredibly handsome and charming."
"Nevermind, I take it back."
"Too late. Oh Granger, I knew you were sweet on me, I just didn't know how sweet until now." His grin was predatory.
"I'm sweet on no one Malfoy. Our dalliances were for purely scientific reasons." She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh?" Draco raised an eyebrow and removed his robes, revealing a pair of nicely fitted khaki slacks and a fitted white shirt. She audibly gulped, noticing the bulge of his muscles. But she was not one of those girls! It was who people were on the inside that counted - and as far as she could tell on the inside Malfoy was a little shit.
"Yes," she explained, staring him head on and backing away slowly as he began to stalk her, "it was to check if the sensations that occurred in one state would occur in the other. If perhaps your behavior was different - to judge whether you were truly experiencing the same things I was or if perhaps my mind had made it up."
"Oh," he repeated, his smile broad, "so when you dream , am I often there to help you find your release."
"You're twisting my words," she felt herself back into a - bed? WHY WAS THERE A BED IN THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT? "Why is there a bed here?"
Malfoy shrugged innocently, "I guess the room thought we would need a bed."
"But we don't," she pointed out, "because a bed would imply that some sort of shenanigan was taking place and as we established we have no need for further convening in this world so we should really go our separate ways." But as she said it, Malfoy was suddenly hovering over her, his legs straddling hers as she was half sitting on the bed. She made a small effort to leave, so that she could, in hindsight, say well I made an effort to not do this but he swayed me with his Slytherin ways.
"It felt good, didn't it Granger?" He whispered in her ear. His fingers were softly massaging the side of her head and she found herself leaning into them. He gently pushed her down so her back was flat on the bed, she made a small groan as if to protest but really just watched him as he stood staring down at her.
"Why?" She asked, suddenly frowning. He was hovering over her, his hands gently rubbing up and down her sides. "I mean, you're Draco Malfoy. You can get any girl - is this a conquest thing? Get the muggle born to bow down to you?" He didn't stop his movements and just kept watching her.
Hermione felt oddly clinical and sat up on her elbows, just watching as he crept his hands ever higher, his face pensive, presumably in consideration of her question. She didn't feel used, she felt curious - the whole situation a Cartesian conundrum. What was real and what wasn't? If this was merely a dream, did what they do here actually matter ?
"You fascinate me." He told her, his mouth hovering centimetres from her ear. The wisp of his breaths left her blinking, her heart beating erratically. He was slowly removing her robe and she let him. The truth was, she didn't know what they were doing - and if she was honest, it was fascinating. Her robe now off, she half lay in just her navy skirt, white polo and knee high socks.
He leaned his head down, pausing just an inch from Hermione's, as if to say this is your last chance to turn back down. She pushed herself forward and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She felt him topple onto her, their kisses languid and exploratory. It was different, she realized, from their previous dalliances which seemed rushed and messy.
He pushed her back so she was completely flat on the bed. He crawled over her, blinking, and paused. "Are you alright?" Hermione asked, looking up into his apparently conflicted eyes, "We can stop?" She suggested.
He shook his head and licked his lips, "Metaphysical crisis." He explained, leaning down to lay kisses on her neck while his hands slowly crawled to her waist. She pushed her hips forward, leaning her head to the side to give him better access.
"I know what you mean," she responded, her voice raspy. His hands were now creeping back up, taking her polo with him. She raised her arms, letting him pull the shirt off. "Like what is real? If this is a dream or a different reality, is this moment existing?" While she mused he lay kisses across her chest, his hand gently playing with her breasts.
"Granger?" He started and paused, his right hand tucked inside her bra. She looked at him concerned, "Will you shut up?"
"Fuck you Malfoy. Oh." She moaned at the end as his lips brushed a particularly sensitive spot just under her right ear. She grabbed his hair and pulled his face back to hers, because if he was going to tell her to shut up then he was going to kiss her, damnit.
She pawed at his shirt, pulling it over his head in one smooth motion. She felt her neck redden as her hands moved up and down his bare torso, feeling each and every muscle. She felt irrationally nervous now, his taut body hovering just inches above her. His hands moved lower and she felt her breath quicken in anticipation, her hips jutted out just slightly in invitation.
"Oh, you want that?" He taunted her, his hand moving to her hips, drawing light circles just above her skirt. She tried to stop the small grunts and gasps that escaped her, a part of her still seeing this as some sort of game or competition.
"Shut the fuck up Malfoy." She moaned, repeating his earlier order. She felt the soft chuckle that escaped him, its vibrations teasing her. He pulled her skirt down, once more his motions painfully slow. She was sure he knew the effect this had on her, and she watched as he moved away from her lips to focus on the task. He was on his knees by her feet, laying light kisses along her thighs as he finally removed the skirt, crawling back up once the task was fully complete.
A part of her thought to be self conscious - there she was, laying on a bed nearly naked with Draco Malfoy. But he wasn't that cruel boy right now - the one who bullied her and called her Mudblood. This was her partner in crime - the one who picked her up at the Snake's Den even though she went behind his back. He kissed her once more, and then proceeded to plant kisses down her chest, to her torso, until he was once again at her hips and pulling down her panties.
She expected him to kiss her again and her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets when she felt his lips planting soft kisses along the inside of her thighs. Returning to her elbows, she watched nervously as his mouth grew closer and closer to there. "Malfoy." She started.
He raised one eyebrow and smirked, "Do you trust me, Granger?"
She considered this, "Not really."
He shrugged, "Trust me anyways."
"Alright." She frowned, surprised at herself for agreeing so readily and nearly gasped as she felt his mouth on her. She was once more aware of just how bare she was. As he moved a finger to slowly work her and his tongue continued to place pressure on her clit, she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking .
"Stop it." He moved his head up just an inch.
"What?" She whined, frowning at the lack of contact.
"I can hear you thinking. Just relax." She shuddered slightly as he returned to his earlier patterns. And she desperately tried to do as he suggested, closing her eyes and focusing solely on the sensations. It was like nothing she had felt before, a wholly new pleasure from their previous escapades. She found herself grabbing roughly at the comforter, her hips instinctively pressing into his mouth.
"Oh god," she squirmed. It was too much - she was sure. She felt his fingers move faster, the pressure of his tongue harder and she blurted out a series of obscenities, "Holy shit, mother fucker, Malfoy, fuck."
She felt suddenly weak, like her muscles had turned to goo. It was a strange feeling, and she watched with a sense of detachment as Malfoy crawled up to her, his ever constant smirk plastered across his alabaster face. "So?"
"It was alright." She told him, but she couldn't stop the grin that spread.
"Fuck you." He responded and kissed her. She was nervous, the feeling of his erection rubbing against her hip. She was curious , but she was also a bit of a perfectionist so she felt insecure. What if she did something wrong? Would he tease her? He seemed quite experienced so did he expect the girls he was with to know what they were doing?
She cautiously touched him over his pants and he froze momentarily. "Malfoy," she started, "I've uh, never." She closed her eyes and felt blood rush involuntarily to her cheeks.
"Alright." He said softly, swallowing nervously. She exhaled in relief and worked to unzip his trousers. He eventually pulled them down and her breath hitched as she realized just how little clothes they were both wearing. He was only in his boxers, his erection quite evident now. He sidled up next to her, grabbing her hand and moving it under the small bit of fabric.
"Shit." He said as she gently wrapped her hand around him. He put his hand over hers, guiding her, showing her exactly how he liked it. He was teaching her and like all things, she was a top notch student. She licked her lips as she watched him close his eyes, his breaths growing short. He started thrusting into her hand and she watched in anticipation as he slowly came undone.
It was like nothing she had ever experienced, and she felt the moment uncomfortably intimate. He exhaled, his head falling naturally onto her shoulder and she found her hand moving on its own to the side of his face, brushing some hair out of his eyes.
"It was alright." He told her, breaking the ice. She laughed, softly at first. Malfoy looked at her incredulously. Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore and she snorted , the laugh overtaking her entire being. She felt Malfoy's laugh before she saw it, his face buried into her neck as the total and utter absurdity of the situation dawned on them.
"What the fuck Malfoy?" She asked, breathing heavily. "What the fuck is all of this?"
"I have no fucking clue." He shook his head, his face resigned.
"Can you stop fidgeting?" Hermione grabbed his leg. He raised an eyebrow and she removed her hand at once, placing it on her lap. "Don't even think about it."
"I've always wanted to join the mile-high club." He winked at her.
"Shhh!" She threw a hand over his mouth, looking over to their neighbor and relieved to see the woman in the window seat was fast asleep. They were two hours into their transatlantic flight and it seemed Malfoy was a nervous flyer.
"Why?" He asked suddenly.
"Oh, I dunno." she whispered, "Maybe because I don't want a random stranger to hear us talk about - you know."
"If you can't say it, you shouldn't be doing it." He reprimanded.
"Well, I haven't done it." She clarified and frowned, realizing she had inadvertently proven his point. "Whatever Malfoy. The point is-"
"Have you forgotten that none of this is real?" Malfoy gave her a patronizing smirk.
She frowned, considering this. He was right, of course. As time went by, and the worlds continued to bleed into one another, she became more and more confident that neither place they were in was real . But regardless, it still felt real. "What makes something real or not real?" She asked.
"Well, we know this is not real." He drawled, pointing in a circle over his head.
She rolled her eyes, "Are you familiar with Descartes?"
"The philosopher?" He asked. She nodded with an approving smile, "No."
She once more rolled her eyes, "He questioned reality and how we know what's real - he posited 'I think, therefore I am', so the pure act of thinking makes you real. Thus, in a sense, whether or not the world we are in is real, we ourselves are."
"That's nice." Malfoy drawled, "But it doesn't seem like that should affect how we interact with the world here , given everyone is basically an NPC."
"What's an NPC?" Hermione frowned.
"A non playing character, like in a video game. They just do the same thing usually over and over." He explained.
"But what if it's not?" She argued.
He rolled his eyes, "What are you on about now?"
She closed her eyes and let out a sharp exhale, "Well, what if where we've been has been real? Just alternative realities not unlike our own, where we've intermittently taken over the memories of our hosts?"
"But then it would be real, wouldn't it?" He pointed out.
She shut her eyes, shaking her head, "I don't know. It's just - I guess it's all felt real to me. A part of me is afraid we'll wake up and it will all have been just a dream - but another part of me is afraid we won't wake up."
"Is this what you do all day? Confront existential crises?" He questioned.
She shrugged, "Sorry. Some of us enjoy using our brains."
"Are you calling me stupid?" Malfoy squinted his eyes at her.
"I didn't say that." She smiled sweetly back at him.
"It felt like you were implying that since I don't sit around and wax philosophically I don't use my brain."
"Oh," Hermione continued, patting Malfoy gently on the arm, "I'm sure you use your brain."
"You know I'm second in our class." He defended himself.
"That just means you can regurgitate the materials, but it doesn't necessarily imply intelligence ." Hermione squeezed his left cheek and scrunched her nose.
He grabbed her hand, leaning over to whisper in her ear, "I fucking hate you Granger."
She cocked her head and looked him right in the eye, "Right back at ya."
"Well, this is- eerie." Malfoy visibly shuddered.
"The brochure indicates this castle was built in the 12th century. Supposedly it's haunted." Hermione frowned.
"You're reading the brochure?" He was incredulous, "It's just like Hogwarts!"
"Of course." She frowned, "If we're going to find Theo then-"
"Oh, I dunno, maybe we should check where he last was? In the Slytherin Common Room?" Malfoy glared.
It was a good point but Hermione was reluctant to admit it, "I guess that's a reasonable place to start."
He rolled his eyes and dragged her towards the dungeons. The castle was empty and clearly non-magical. Various placards indicated the purposes of different rooms while red velvet rope hung throughout to keep tourists from specific areas. Hermione frowned, "See, this is why I question if this place is just a dream. Why on earth would our imagination conjure such detail?" She pointed to her brochure.
"I'm assuming it's taking all of this excruciating boredom from your mind." He drawled. They reached what in their world would have been the Slytherin common room and the door was unlocked. They stepped over a bit of red rope, relieved not to set off any alarms, and headed towards where the boys dormitories theoretically would be.
"Oh shit." Hermione let out upon seeing none other than Theo Nott fast asleep on a bed.
"You were the one who suggested he'd be in Scotland." Malfoy pointed out, squinting his eyes at her.
"Well, yeah, but honestly it was a bit of a hail mary." She shrugged.
"Oye, mate, wake up." Malfoy grabbed at Theo's shoulder, "I KNOW ABOUT YOU AND POTTER." That seemed to do it and Theo bolted up right, comically flailing his limbs as he reached for his glasses.
"D-draco? And Hermione Granger?" Theo blinked, his eyes shifting from one to the other.
"Yeah we're here to -" Malfoy paused and turned to Hermione, "what do we do now?"
Her eyes went wide and she threw her hands up, "I don't bloody well know!" It was odd she realized, the two states had bled into each other so much that their accents and diction seemed to shift from sentence to sentence.
"Uh, can you tell me what you're doing here?" Theo asked.
"Well, can you tell us where here is?" Hermione asked.
"I assume in my mind." Theo explained.
Hermione and Malfoy looked at one another, "Huh?"
"I was cursed - I woke up here, all alone. I've been here for weeks." He frowned, gaze shifting between the pair.
"Alright," Malfoy rubbed his forehead, "do you know who cursed you or why?"
Theo nodded, "It had to do with Harry," he looked nervous, biting his lip, "I think there must be some kind of 'keep the Nott line going curse' which banished me here after it perceived I was a threat to the continuation of the family line."
Malfoy gave a thoughtful nod, like this explained everything . Hermione wasn't so easily mollified, "But that doesn't make sense! By being cursed, you would still not be continuing the line so to speak. That's a terrible curse!"
"I told you," Malfoy shrugged, "familial curses are old and weird."
"I'm also fairly certain it was from a Nott who figured 'better cursed than gay'." Theo pointed out.
"Still, it's barbaric!" Hermione shook her head, "Although, now I'm wondering how we get out of here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Theo frowned.
"No." Malfoy responded slowly.
"I'm stuck in this room, but if you can move in and out you can theoretically take the train." Nott explained.
"Really?" Hermione's eyes went wide at this, "I mean, metaphorically, a train taking you from one world to the nex-"
"Yes, sounds good - thanks mate. I'm assuming when we get back to the real world you'll still be alive?" Malfoy gave his friend a meaningful look. Suddenly Hermione felt a little terrible for forgetting in all of this that in one world Malfoy thought his best friend was dead.
"Well, yeah, but it would be great if you could break the curse." Theo pointed out.
"Of course!" Hermione smiled, "That must be why we're here!"
"What?" Malfoy whipped his head at her.
"I'm betting in the real world we were investigating Nott's curse and had to somehow enter his consciousness to figure out what happened!" She felt elated.
"Yeah, OK." Malfoy rolled his eyes, "Let's go."
A/N: Yay! They found Theo! One more chapter to go...