CONTEST WINNERS THIS CHAPTER: AnotherDramione recommended the song,"Adore" by Paramore for Draco & Hermione this go around, and I thought it a perfect complement to Hermione's thoughts about Draco here. So, this chapter is dedicated to AnotherDramione – congratulations! Lyrics for the song appears at the bottom of this chapter. Hope you'll find this song somehow and give it a listen.
Remember, I'll accept song suggestions for each couple, as well as digitally manipulated images of live people and your original hand-drawn or digitally drawn fanart for this story up until the end of this fic is published. SEND ME YOUR LISTS OR ARTWORK to: rzzmg at yahoo dot com.
ADDITIONAL: Please thank UNSEENLIBRARIAN in your review for once more delivering a fantastic beta, filled with a lot of excellent suggestions as well as corrections. Couldn't do this story without her, folks, so please make sure you let her know how fantastic she is!
CHAPTER NINE (#3): Draco & Hermione
Hermione waited until the door was closed behind Draco before holding up her card. She waved it at him and read it aloud.
DEED: Your partner must kneel before you and perform any three tasks you want, responding with 'Yes, Your Highness,' to your commands.
Her partner's lips twitched with amusement, even as his lids lowered seductively. "So, I get to play your sub after all," he stated, his voice deep and husky with growing arousal.
She hummed in agreement. "So it seems." Playing coy, she brought the card up and tapped the card against her chin. "Now what shall I make you do first, I wonder?"
Draco held up his card, and wry sarcasm replaced the heated desire in his voice and face. "You might want to hear my requirement first, beautiful." He read it to her.
DEED: You must sing a romantic song to your partner.
"I should probably preface this one with an offer for earplugs-" he began, but Hermione cut him off.
Frowning, she reached for his card. "May I see that for a moment?" She took it from Draco's hand before he could reply, and flipping it around. Yes, that was definitely Finnigan's handwriting, but the card text was off, as was its colour. "This card wasn't a Deed. It was a Forfeit," she told him, turning it over and noting that it was shaded red, not blue as it should have been. "I distinctly remember teasing Sea about it, because he has a terrible singing voice."
Draco opened his mouth to reply, but paused for a moment, looking doubtful. "You're sure?"
With a confident nod, she confirmed, "Absolutely. I remember that conversation quite clearly. Which means, I was right: the cards are changing."
"Unless Finnigan altered his cards at the last minute, before turning them in," Draco pointed out. "Did you see them right before they were shuffled into the deck tonight?"
With a reluctant shake of her head, Hermione had to admit that no, she hadn't. The last time she'd seen any of her teammates' cards was Friday afternoon, hours before the game began, when they'd all met up to share them so they wouldn't be caught unawares.
"So, it's possibly a case like Blaise's Interrogations card - that the change was made by the card owner," he argued.
Technically, she had to concede. He could be right. Maybe, she thought, although some bizarre sixth sense was screaming in her head, WRONG! WRONG!
She stared at the back of the card again, her eyes roaming every inch for any clues.
The artist had done an amazing job; the attention to detail and the sparse use of shadows over the piece exquisitely brought to life the suffering and trials of this fairy-tale couple –they'd followed a path filled with anger, mistrust, jealousy, and great sacrifice- before finally being allowed to be together, according to the myth. Psyche, whose fair beauty was comparable only to Helen of Troy's in the ancient world, was clearly sad in the drawing, her eyes and mouth turned down by the weight of her sorrow. And Eros... well, she couldn't tell the expression on the hand-drawn portrait of the man, as the model's face was shielded by Psyche's shoulder. In fact, the only way to discern his possible feelings in the picture was the way he desperately held onto his lover and the slight drooping of the small wings attached to his back, indicating his grief as well. His true skin colouring was unknown, as the entire back of the card was done in shades of red, but even she could tell that he was of a lighter persuasion, possibly a golden or olive-colouring. He did have dark hair, though...
Something 'binged' in her head at that detail, and she had a sudden flashback.
Earlier, while in the men's loo, for a brief few seconds, Hermione could have sworn she'd seen a strange man's face in the broken mirror behind her partner's back. She'd been holding onto Draco, trying to soothe his trembling after he'd broken his hand for a reason she still didn't quite understand, when she'd noticed a shape in the cracked reflection over her boyfriend's shoulder. The features had been indistinct because of the shattered glass, but it had most definitely been male... and the face had been framed by dark hair.
She'd been almost positive that a nasty smirk had been painted across the man's bloodless lips, too, but when she'd blinked to ascertain that fact, the image was no longer there. Instead of the stranger, there was only Teddy's concerned expression in the mirror as he'd watched her from the doorway.
Immediately after that bizarre apparition, her attention had shifted, as Draco had let out a very subtle, but distressed, whimper next to her ear, as if some thought he'd had had upset him. Setting aside the strange vision (which she couldn't be sure she hadn't imagined anyway, as she'd been exhausted from being up for almost twenty-four hours straight and from engaging in strenuous activities for at least the last four of those) she'd set about seeing to her lover's care.
After the action had moved back into the main room, she had been completely distracted by a bit of snogging on the couch, in dealing with keeping Draco's increasingly jealous behaviour in check, and then the game had continued and there had been all that debate about the cards... Honestly, she hadn't had time until now to even think about the face in the mirror.
Now, as she considered the image on the back of the cards, she wondered if the face in the mirror hadn't been real after all, and if so, if it had something to do with Eros, the man in the picture. It was a faulty leap in logic, she knew, based entirely upon a hunch and absolutely no evidence, but something deep inside her felt as if she were making an important connection that needed to be considered. It was the same sensation she'd had in first year, when she'd sniffed out that Fluffy had been guarding something under the trap door, and in second year, when she'd somehow known that a magical creature was involved in the petrifying of students, and in third year when she'd deduced that Lupin was a werewolf. In all three cases, her instincts had proven right, and she was loath to abandon them now, even in the face of such logical debate by her partner.
Biting her bottom lip, Hermione let out a frustrated sigh. "It's just that-" She stopped at his skeptical gaze and scowled at the card in her hand. "Something's felt... off... all night. Haven't you noticed? Everyone's changed so much in so short a time, mooning all over their partners as if they'd been long-time lovers. And there have been these... bouts... of negative emotional outbursts from every player that don't seem, well, normal."
Her boyfriend stared down at his recently healed hand, contemplating her words, worry lines marring his brow. "There could be a lot of things causing that," he disagreed. "Sharing secrets, being in such close quarters, repressed feelings given a chance to be aired, sexual intimacy." He glanced up at her through his dark gold lashes. "You've seen how such things have affected us. It's changed everything, just as I'd hoped."
Reaching for her, he gathered her up in his arms and pressed his forehead to hers.
"These... thoughts... I've had them for you for a long while, Granger. This game's allowed me the chance I've wanted with you since fourth year." He ran his nose down her cheek, speaking softly. "Maybe it's the same for the others." His lips pressed a gentle kiss against the corner of her mouth. "Tonight is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm not inclined to look this gift horse in the mouth. Are you?"
Seduced by just this little bit of touching, Hermione dropped the cards and gripped his shoulders, pulling them until their bodies aligned in perfect accord. "No, because… because it's the best thing that's ever happened to me, too - besides discovering I really was a witch, I mean," she breathed the truth.
Hermione stumbled over her words, her thoughts a startled, scrambled mess in her head. She'd never been in love before, not really. Not the type of love that made her feel as if she was simultaneously sinking and floating, causing her to feel exhilarated and frightened at the same time. The sensation was terribly bewildering, and for the first time in her life, she could intimately relate with Alice as she'd tumbled and plummeted down the rabbit hole.
And this was love she was feeling, not just desire; she wasn't so naïve and inexperienced as to not know the difference by now. What she'd felt for Ron and Adam had been a sweet, child's infatuation, and what she'd experienced with Charlie and Theo, shameless lust. The sentiment that beat fiercely behind her breastbone as she stared up at Draco now, though, was both of those things… and infinitely more. It was decadent, tender, wicked, and lovely… and she was completely unprepared by how it swept her off her feet and overwhelmed her.
She licked her lips. Her mouth felt hot and her throat tight. "I just never thought that you and I would become… this."
"I did," he admitted, lust and a deeper, more affectionate emotion filling his expression. "Every day and night for the last three and a half years, I've burned with the thought of having you." He smoothed a curl from her cheek with a gentle touch. "Now that you're here with me, I'm not letting go."
Her heart beat a little faster in her chest. He meant after the game was over, didn't he? He'd asked her to be his girlfriend, so that meant he must have meant it for the long-term. Right?
But what if he didn't? What if she was merely number ten in his string of girls? He hadn't exactly answered her questions regarding whether he was falling in love with her as she was with him. He'd alluded to it, but he hadn't actually said the words.
That little voice of doubt crept in, causing her to worry. She stared at his bottom lip, willing him to tell her she was being silly. "Is that a promise?"
"Do you want one from me?" he asked.
There was no hesitation when she said, "Yes," although the word came out on a whisper, as if admitting such a thing made her somehow seem a bit ridiculous.
Draco looked her in the eye when he whispered back, "Then I promise."
Her breath gave a funny hitch as his mouth finally claimed hers, sealing the vow. His tongue slipped through the seam of her lips, parting them with an expert ease to dip inside for a taste, and Hermione felt that first stroke through every part of her body. It heated her belly, tickled her brain, and melted her bones.
Yearning for him to taste every inch of her with his wicked tongue, she coaxed him deeper into the room with backward steps and a fierce grip on his arms.
As they tumbled back onto the bed and he came over her, Hermione's last rational thought was that although her instincts were telling her she was right about the cards, she knew that the facts would have to wait until later to be obtained from Zabini and Sea. In the meantime, this was her action round, and she intended on enjoying it in Draco's arms.
They kissed for what felt like forever, before Draco pushed up on his elbows and broke them apart. "Want to forfeit yet?"
The reason why occurred to her in an instant. "You just don't want to have to sing."
His grey eyes lit up with mischief and that naughty smirk of his put in an appearance. "That may be one reason, yes, but there is definitely another." Wiggling his hips against her, she could feel the hard press of his rigid erection.
"If we quit now, I couldn't make you my little love slave for the next twenty-five minutes," she teased, grinning at him. "Why ever would I want to deny myself such an unforgettable pleasure as seeing you on your knees, at my feet?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Sadistic chit."
"Back-pedalling snake."
Their matching grins were a sight, she was sure.
With a resigned sigh, he gave a light slap to her hip as he extricated himself from her arms and made his feet. "Come then. Command me as you will, my princess."
She waggled a finger at him. "Your Highness," she reminded him with a wicked giggle.
He rolled his eyes, and she laughed.
"Very well," he said, playing along. Dropping to his knees beside the bed, he adopted a contrite expression. "What do you wish of me, Your Highness?"
Sitting up, Hermione stared at his submissive posturing and felt a fluttering in her belly. It was a powerful feeling to know that she could literally have him perform any sort of act she wished and he'd do it - all for her pleasure. With care, she bent her knee and placed one gold-heeled sandal on his shoulder.
"Tell me a secret about yourself. Something you haven't told anyone else."
There was a very pregnant pause as Draco considered her request. She patiently waited him out.
"The first Lucius Malfoy –an ancestor of mine- wooed Queen Elizabeth the First, and when she rejected him, he hexed her never to marry. Hence the reason she died without an heir."
Hermione's mouth dropped open at this revelation. "Your family actually attempted to intermarry with Muggle royalty?" A chuckle escaped from between her lips. "That's definitely one for the books!"
He shrugged as if it were of no consequence. "I've got more than a few Muggle royal and noble titles scattered throughout my family's history – Burgundian, English, Bourbon, Wallachian, Aragonese, Bavarian. We were gifted our land in Wiltshire by William the First, in fact – a man most definitely Muggle."
She gaped at him. "So, you're openly admitting to not being a pure-blood?"
Draco snorted and shook his head. "What magical family can? You know it's impossible to trace a lineage back to the very inception of magic. The Malfoys have, however, comingled their bloodlines only with other wizarding families since the official establishment of the Statute of Secrecy, as most of the other pure-blood families have done. That's over three hundred years of true magical marriages, so it's likely as close to 'pure' as anyone in England can claim."
Hermione reflected on that.
"That's a secret about your family. I asked for one about you."
He glared at her. "Semantics."
She held a finger up between them. "But an important distinction." When his face set into well-recognized stubbornness, Hermione sighed. "For the very first time in our seven-year acquaintance, I feel like I finally see the real you, Draco. It's... nice." She glanced down at where his hand had unconsciously reached up and begun smoothing back and forth across her calf. "We've shared so much of the physical already – more than I've ever given to another man. I just... You can tell me something small, like you collect seashells, or write in a journal, or that you wash your hands a lot because you're afraid of germs. I promise I won't laugh, no matter what it is. I just want to know more about you."
Finally, a smile pulled at his lips.
Emboldened she continued. "And I'll do the same. I'll tell you a secret no one else knows about me."
He was quiet for a moment longer.
"Seashells?"
His smirk was back in place.
Hermione shrugged. "I collect them. Every beach I've been to, I take home a seashell as a memento. I have a shelf just for them in my room back at my parents' house. Each one is special to me, because it reminds me of time spent with my family."
"You lead a varied and fascinating life, Granger," he teased with a small smile. "Collecting seashells, shagging while wearing hats, reading until you pass out from exhaustion, and frigging yourself in public places. How do you manage it all?"
She nudged him with her toe to bring him back on-track. He had a terribly manipulative habit of distracting her from the subject on hand when he wasn't comfortable with it.
"Your turn."
His smile slipped away as his mood shifted again, turning serious. His eyes grew distant as he clearly contemplated his next move. Hermione held her breath, waiting, hoping that he'd take this risk and trust her with something important…
"I see some letters backwards."
It took a second for the enormity of that simple statement to really sink into her brain, but when it did, Hermione was stunned.
Draco Malfoy was dyslexic.
The man whose family prided itself on its flawless superiority through centuries of impeccable breeding habits –that took immense pleasure in cutting down those they deemed the slightest bit imperfect– had a reading disability.
Dyslexia was hereditary, she knew, which meant the possibility of Lucius Malfoy or his father having had it, too, was pretty high.
The ironies kept piling up tonight, it seemed.
"Which letters?" She posed the question in a very careful tone.
He nervously licked his lips, and wouldn't meet her eyes, she noticed. His light rubbing on her ankle became anxious as well, indicating his increasing agitation. "Lower case 'b' and 'd' are the main ones, but occasionally I mix up 'p' with 'q' or 'g'."
"You've self-corrected all these years, then?"
His sugar-white head dipped downward once. "I've been very careful not to let anyone know, not even the professors."
Because burying one's weaknesses so they could never be used against you was the very heart of Salazar Slytherin's political and personal philosophy, she thought, although she was wise not to say such a thing aloud.
Once more, Hermione was struck with the strangeness of how much influence their sorted Houses had on shaping their personal experiences, opinions, reactions, and overall character. In Gryffindor, when one struggled, there were others to bolster you and help you along; they reminded you that you could overcome your handicap if you never stopped working towards that goal. Hufflepuffs tended to accept their limitations and not be embarrassed by them with the same measure of equality as they accepted their strengths and were not overly arrogant in boasting them. They were a very light-hearted and laissez-faire House in that regard. Yet, in Ravenclaw and Slytherin, having a physical flaw or what was seen as an inadequacy of character almost seemed a shameful thing. Poor Luna had always been on the receiving end of her Housemate's cruel pranks simply because she was considered a bit mentally deficient by them. She could just imagine how Slytherins might consider such things; they were, in her opinion, like sharks circling, looking for any opening and waiting for the right moment to strike.
Draco would be torn up if anyone in his social circle, aside from his close friends, were to discover his secret. And yet, he'd trusted her enough to give her this damning material, when he could have just as easily told her he preferred peas over sprouts or something equally as whimsical and harmless instead.
She touched his cheek in a tender caress and their eyes met once more. "Thank you for sharing that with me."
He dropped his gaze to her knee again, and for the first time, she saw Draco's shy side. It was quite endearing, honestly, especially the slight tinge of pink that coloured the tops of his ears and the heart of his cheeks.
Right, so, he'd shared something a bit painful and emotionally exposing with her. It felt only fair to do likewise.
"I had a twin sister. She died within a day of being born, though, from SIDS - Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. She never left the hospital."
Draco glanced up at her in surprise, and his hand stilled its incessant movement on her ankle. Gently, he shifted and set her leg down. Then, he got up off the carpeted floor and took a seat next to her on the bed. As careful as she'd been with him, he now was with her.
"What was her name?"
"Phoibe. It means, 'radiant' or 'bright' in Greek." She smiled, feeling that familiar pang behind her heart whenever she opened this particular door. "Our parents were in love with mythology."
"Who was older?" he asked.
"Me. By seventeen minutes."
He paused, and she could see he was struggling with asking her something. She nudged him with her elbow. "Ask me," she prompted him. "It's okay. I know she and I shared a womb, but… I never knew her – at least not consciously. I certainly don't remember her. So, you won't hurt me with questions."
He wrapped an arm around her and held her to his side, as if attempting to shelter her from any potential hurt.
"What is 'Sudden Infant Death'? I've never heard of it."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "It's an unexplained phenomenon, in Muggles anyway. I don't know if wizards or witches experience such things. Sometimes, a child just… dies. There's no logical reason for it and no underlying medical condition that causes it as far as doctors –Muggle healers– can tell. There are a handful of theories, of course, but nothing concrete that can be pointed to as the single factor that causes it. The baby simply goes to sleep and doesn't wake up."
"You mean 'cot death'?"
"Same thing," she agreed. "So, wizards and witches do have it, too."
Draco nodded. "It's very rare, though." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry."
She took his hand in hers, stroking over his fingers. "Thank you for saying so."
They stayed like that for a bit, silent and holding onto each other to both give and receive comfort, and in those moments, Hermione realized how much security and contentment she felt within the shelter of Draco's arms. In only a few short hours, he'd blown wide open her beliefs, reset her understanding of past events, and had become a friend and trusted confidant.
He'd become her lover.
No, they may not have physically crossed that line, yet, but she was certain that her feelings were already there, just waiting for the rest to catch up.
"What else would you have me do for your pleasure, Your Highness?" he eventually asked in a low murmur, stroking a hand across her arm.
His words brought Hermione sharply back to the present, and the fact that she'd been moon-eyed over him for at least the last fifteen minutes, cutting into this action round's 'playful' phase. Time was running out, and she still had two wonderful commands to give, as well as enjoying his card's performance.
Maybe she could combine their actions to save time...
Before she could make a decision on what to do or say next to return them to the course of the game, she was suddenly on her back again, being pressed into the soft coverlet of the bed. Draco's mouth sought hers with sweet need, kissing her as if she were a fragile, delicate thing about to break apart under his hands.
"Tell me," he coaxed around pulls of lips. "Tell me what you want me to do to and for you."
Carding her fingers through his soft, blond hair, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, kissing him back with equal passion.
"Sing for me," she requested, remembering his card's requirement. "Just like this, with you lying on top of me."
Passion burned in his gaze as he met her bold stare with his own. "Yes, Your Highness. Do you have a song you'd prefer to hear?"
She shook her head. "Anything you want. Your choice."
He paused to consider his options, letting his fingers absently twirl strands of her hair around and around. "Hmmm… Decisions, decisions." Eventually, a small smile graced his lips, and she knew he'd thought up a selection they'd both like.
A soft guitar started a familiar refrain –a Muggle song she was well acquainted with– and he took a deep breath to begin.
Wise men say only fools rush in,
but I can't help falling in love with you.
Hermione's heart started racing like mad, the thump of its beat a heavy pounding in her chest.
Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
if I can't help falling in love with you?
Eyes wide with surprise, she could only lie back in amazement.
Why had Draco implied that she wouldn't enjoy his card this round? He sang wonderfully! His voice was a clear tenor, clearly untrained, but with solid potential. And his selection... was it true, or was it just a song he happened to know?
A beautiful ache began behind her ribs, intensifying with every word.
Like a river flows surely to the sea,
darling so it goes:
some things are meant to be.
He whispered that last bit in her ear, causing her body to give a shudder in rising desire.
Take my hand, and take my whole life, too.
For I... I can't help falling in love with you.
He pressed gentle kisses over her cheeks as he paused before the song's refrain.
Like a river flows surely to the sea,
darling so it goes:
some things are meant to be.
To her astonishment, her vision blurred as tears flooded her eyes.
Draco kissed the tip of her nose and stared into her eyes as he finished.
Take my hand, and take my whole life, too.
For I can't help falling in love with you.
For I can't help falling in love with you.
There was a bit of silence after he finished.
In truth, Hermione's heart and mind were too twisted up with an abundance of conflicting emotion to respond to his performance. Within her, optimism warred with wariness, happiness with trepidation. She couldn't seem to settle on any one feeling for too long, her concerns flipping through them, filling her mind with questions. Was this really happening? Did he truly feel such things for her, or were these feelings merely a result of the game's suspected magical influence? Could she trust this wasn't some elaborate ruse concocted in advance to bring her low, or was this connection between them was real? Was she a fool for hoping so much?
"That was… quite lovely," she said for the sake of filling the growing awkwardness, her voice a small whisper in the small space separating their lips.
At first, Draco seemed a tad surprised by her remark, but then a slow, sly smirk crept up his cheek. "So, the performance was adequate enough for Your Highness' refined musical tastes?" he teased.
She gave him a small tap on the arm in admonishment. "I'm being serious, you prat. It really was quite splendid!" she contended with all sincerity. "I'm very impressed, Draco. I never guessed you had such a striking voice."
His amusement slipped as he studied her. "Sod the delivery… did you like the song selection?"
Solemnly, Hermione nodded. "Very much." She took a deep breath and plunged ahead with the one question that had been banging around behind her skull since the first stanza of the song had begun. "Do you mean it, though?"
He met her gaze without flinching as he dropped his head and sealed his lips to hers for a tender kiss. His fingers caressed her cheeks as he dipped downward again and again to capture her mouth, pulling each of her reservations from her and opening her up to all possibilities for them.
"I mean everything I say, Granger," he murmured between gliding, smooth kisses.
He tasted good to her – warm and wet, sweet with a hint of naughty. His silky tongue teased hers to come out and play, and his teeth nipped at her, daring her to give up control again. She tried very hard not to be so easily coerced, but found it to be a quickly losing battle.
"But you didn't say it," she made the weak argument, even as she licked at his bottom lip. "Technically, you sang it."
He chuckled against her mouth, even as he kissed her. "Stubborn woman."
"Not stubborn - pragmatic," she countered.
Her breath hitched as he rubbed his fully aroused pelvis between her thighs, upping the ante.
"Then be sensible and tell me directly what you want of me, Your Highness," he proposed. Trailing his lips over her jaw, he blew hot air against her most sensitive skin as he deviously meandered towards her ear. "Tell me and I'll do it. Anything you want."
"I... I can't think with you doing that," she said as his moist, warm tongue traced a provocative stroke over her pulse.
Placing his lips right against her ear, he whispered in a heated tone, "Command me, Hermione, to service you. Own me, as both of us want."
Cheeks flushed in excitement at his offer of complete surrender to her, Hermione pressed her mouth to his ear and gave him her final directive, as permitted by her Deeds card: "Lie back on the bed and let me have my way with you, Draco."
He pulled away, meeting her enthusiastic expression with his own. His tongue made a final swipe over his lips. "Yes, Your Highness." Flipping off of her and onto his back, he lay in the middle of the mattress, and awaited her pleasure.
Sitting up and pulling her dress to above her knees, Hermione moved so that she straddled her partner's hips, but was careful not to sit upon him. Leaning over him in a position of dominance, seeing Draco Malfoy lying submissive and willing under her, gave her a sudden sense of power she hadn't felt before, at least not with any man. Her blood thrummed through her veins in a thrilling rush causing her body to heat.
Making quick work of his shirt, she had it pushed up and off of him, mussing his hair in the doing. She flung the cotton covering away to the side to reveal his tight abs and small, pale pink nipples. She caressed him, re-familiarizing herself with this part of his anatomy, loving the way the muscle underneath her fingertips jumped at her touch.
Skimming back down his belly, with nimble movements she released his belt, popped the button on his trousers, and unzipped them. Shimmying downwards, she pulled his white, cotton slacks to below his knees, and with careful manoeuvering, his briefs followed.
Even as she watched, his cock hardened to full prominence within half a minute, growing from half-erect to fully aroused, and all without physical touch to stimulate him. Let's hear it for Restorative Potions, she thought, knowing that without that pick-me-up from earlier, he'd most likely be much too exhausted to do this again after the last two rounds-worth of action.
Enthralled by something she'd never actually taken the time to observe before Hermione stared with rapt attention as blood flowed into his shaft, causing the skin to stretch and go taut. As the formerly relaxed member lifted off his inner thigh with an increasing vitality of its own, it swelled as well, becoming longer, thicker.
Draco's breathing accelerated, his tight belly expanding with each deep breath as he rose to full mast. A small, pleasure-filled groan escaped his lips as the head of him finally came to rest just under the level of his bellybutton, extended as far as it could go.
With a single, deft stroke delivered by her thumb to the underside of his length, the darker-coloured crown emerged from its hood. She stroked over it again and again, pulling it back, fully revealing the tip of his penis.
Her mouth watered to taste him. She'd held off on that desire for the last two rounds, feeling the timing just wasn't right. Now, though, she wasn't going to wait any longer.
Lifting him in a firm fist, she slowly pumped over his magnificent arousal once, twice... and then lowered her mouth to the plump, already damp head. With a sweeping, thorough lick, she bathed him with her saliva, coating him with a layer of wetness at the same time as sampling his essence. Salt and the very slight tang of masculine bitterness crossed her taste buds, making her hungry for more.
Wrapping her lips tightly around his meaty, engorged flesh, she dropped down onto him, taking him as far back as was comfortable, before pulling up with strong suction.
Draco gasped and widened his legs, opening up for her, and she reached out to gently take his soft pouch into her palm, experimentally rolling it in her hand. He let out a loud moan as she set a pace up and down at the same time, sucking, slurping, and stroking him until he was straining his hips and pumping his pelvis in time to meet her downward thrusts.
Her jaw began to ache, but she ignored the discomfort, wholly focused on tasting him, building him up to a crescendo of want that would leave him shaking and desperate for her. She continually changed her tactics, alternating pressure and angle, speed and technique, working towards discovering that unique combination of tongue and lip and finger work that would drive him wild under her and make him lose all control.
Stroking the small swatch of skin under his bollocks had him thrusting upwards in reaction, sinking deep into her mouth. A feral growl escaped his throat, and he began a litany of expletives and coercing, and finally begging to get her to do it again. Peeking through her lips, she watched his sweaty features, red with lust and heat, twist in pleasure.
"Please," he beseeched, his hands gripping the coverlet in a white-knuckle grasp. "May I come?"
Hermione's whole body tightened up and the heady punch rush of absolute control hit her hard. Shaking as much as Draco was, she nodded around his cock, even as she took him as deep as she could manage.
His eyelids shuttered, his jaw clenched, and he strained as she increased her pace and suction, gliding up and down him now with the end game for them both her only purpose.
Come apart for me, Draco, she thought as she furiously suckled upon him, as I do for you.
As if hearing her wish, her lover let out a loud, shattered cry, shoving his pelvis up one final time, arching so his backside was off the bed, and then he stiffened. His exclamation became a roar of relief and pleasure as hot streams of creamy semen pulsed into her mouth, drawn out of him in fiery bursts. Hermione struggled to swallow his seed down, continuing to pump her hand over him and grasp his sac in a firm hold to experience how his body released. She stroked over his perineum one last time, and he shuddered as a final spurt was drawn from him, even as he began lowering back down onto the mattress. Greedily, she sucked him until there was nothing left for him to give her.
With a final few swipes of her tongue, she cleaned him up, and then let him go, sitting back on her haunches to regain her breath.
Draco's entire body and demeanour reflected a thorough satisfaction. He still had his eyes closed, but his panting was beginning to slow. He was still very much red-faced, though. The attractive blush covered his throat and the top of his chest as well.
I did that, she realized. I owned him in every way.
His smile was slow and sincere as it transformed his face from that of a man's back into a boy's, and when he lifted his lids to stare at her with a lazy dragon-like contentment, Hermione realized again how very much she had fallen.
"I want you," she admitted, her implication greater than that of mere physical desire. "I've never wanted anything this much, and it frightens me. It's all happening so fast. Just last night, you and me… we weren't even friends, Draco. Now, the thought of this possibly not continuing once the game ends and the influence of the cards is broken, and we go back to our lives tomorrow-" She gripped the area over her heart in a tight fist, and choked over the suffocating emotions that rioted around inside her. "-it hurts. How can this be? It's not… rational."
He stared at her for a few moments in silence, contemplative and serious, his smile having completely disappeared. With a tired effort, he sat up, quickly shed his trousers and briefs, tossing them over the edge of the bed, and knelt before her, completely nude. Their knees touched, but nothing else.
"What can I say to make you believe that this isn't just a one-off for me, Hermione?" he asked, his hands clenched on his thighs, his face dark with exasperation. "What more do you want of me? Christ, I've behaved positively Gryffindor-ish tonight! My ancestors are probably rolling in their graves at how sickeningly honest and forthright I've been with you tonight. I've shared with you intimate details of my life, as well as some my darkest secrets. No one else knows me the way you now do. I've asked you to be my girlfriend, and to be my business partner. I've even given you a twenty-five percent share of the stock! And bloody hell, I've told you in at least a dozen different ways tonight that I love you, if you'd only paid attention."
Her head snapped up and her jaw dropped open. A small gasp escaped her lips, even as her heart began to pound fiercely under her breast.
He said it.
He'd actually said it!
Draco seemed annoyed by her surprised reaction. "What do you think I've been trying to tell you all night? Why do you think I set up this ridiculous game to begin with? God, witch, you can be entirely too stubborn to see what's right in front of you sometimes!"
He reached out and gripped her arms, pulling them both up so their bodies pressed together, and dropped his mouth to hers to give her a blazing, almost punishing kiss. Everything in Hermione melted as he plundered her senses. All thoughts about the game, its possible influence upon them, and any other doubt that flitted through her head simply dissolved away under the warmth of his words and the heat of his touch.
"Is that clear enough for you?" he asked when he finally pulled his mouth away, his forehead pressed to hers, eyes locked on. "Or do you need further demonstration?"
Hermione licked her lips. "Say it again."
He stared into her eyes and tossed her a devastating, challenging grin. "You first, beautiful."
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed the entire length of her body against him. "Perhaps you should show me instead."
Against her, his erection slowly came to life once more. "As you command, Your Highness."
He lowered her to the bed, and this time, they both ignored the chimes when they went off.
TO BE CONTINUED…
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Please review!
FYI: no, I didn't forget that Hermione showed up in the last chapter, and yet that break wasn't shown here in this chapter. Patience, lovelies. There is method to the madness, and all will be revealed in time. ;)
The version of, "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" for this chapter was sung by SOLaharl (that's how I hear Draco singing in my head anyway). Listen to it here: www dot youtube dot com / watch?v=ktXTd7liZEI
J.K. Rowling wrote 860 extra words on Pottermore regarding the Malfoy family's back history. You can read it here: pottermorespoilers . tumblr . com (click ARCHIVE and scroll down to JULY 2012 entries and click on "The Malfoy Family"). I used that information in this chapter when referencing the Malfoy Family's influence upon Queen Elizabeth I. For extra fun, she also wrote additional material specifically about Draco Malfoy in that same archive. You can find that information there as well.
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Musical selection for this chapter: "Adore" by Paramore. Lyrics are as follows...
.
I don't mean to run,
but every time you come around
I feel more alive than ever,
and I guess it's too much...
Maybe we're too young,
and I don't even know what's real,
but I know I never
wanted anything so bad.
I've never wanted anyone so bad!
If I let you love me,
be the one adored,
would you go all the way?
Be the one I'm looking for.
If I let you love me,
be the one adored,
would you go all the way?
Be the one I'm looking for.
Help me come back down;
I'm high above the clouds.
You know I'm suffocating,
but I blame this town.
Why do I deny
the things that burn inside?
Down deep I'm barely breathing,
but you just see a smile.
And I don't wanna let this go.
Really I just want to know...
If I let you love me,
be the one adored
would you go all the way?
Be the one I'm looking for.
If I let you love me,
be the one adored,
would you go all the way?
Be the one I'm looking for.