Chapter 49
Hermione sat on her bed, trying and failing to read a book while she anxiously waited for Draco. She was feeling more confident in herself than she had in a long time. With her recent success with the Portkey evacuation plan, she was on more of an equal standing with the rest of the Order leaders. On top of that, she was reliably throwing off the Imperius Curse, Tonks wasn't angry at her anymore, her friendship with Ron felt normal again. And she knew that with enough research, she would get to the bottom of Kingsley's caginess regarding Draco's pardon.
Draco.
She couldn't wait for him to Apparate in. They had so much fun with the role play last time. He was so unpredictable with sex, but one thing was always constant. Whether it was slow and sensuous or fast and frenzied, he was always so passionate. He took what he wanted and gave what she needed, always so devoted to her pleasure. And the more she enjoyed herself, the more he desired her.
The problem, not that it was a problem because she absolutely loved being shagged by him, was that she found it difficult to take the lead. From the moment one of them arrived Hermione was instantly caught up in a whirlwind of sensation. Draco never left her much room to lead unless she was riding him. And even then, the way that he held her hips and thrust up into her left more of a feeling that he was molding her to his movements instead of allowing her to set the pace.
And she desperately wanted to.
The only time Hermione had really managed to be in control was when she went down on him. She absolutely loved the feeling of exerting control over Draco. He was so tall and strong and unbelievably male. And all of that strength and power was completely and utterly at her mercy. Literally in the palm of her hand.
She wanted to lead. She wanted to tell him what to do. She wanted him on his knees before her.
Hermione was nervous. She didn't know how he would react to such a request. He was usually so domineering with sex. And she wasn't even sure she knew what she wanted to request in the first place. Would he play along?
She briefly thought back to his comment about Pansy teaching him what she liked. And he did keep teasing her about tying him up. Was he serious? Was she? Maybe there was a part of him that enjoyed being ordered around on some level. But she couldn't picture it. She couldn't imagine this tall, passionate, powerful man with his grey stormy eyes being anything but domineering.
It certainly made sense with what she knew about him. Draco didn't feel like he had control over his life, body or future. Sex was an area he could completely dominate. She was smaller than him and – at least when she didn't have a wand – considerably weaker.
With a loud crack, he suddenly appeared before her. His lips lifted in a sensuous curve and his eyes had that predatory gleam she had come to associate with an intense, desperate assault on her body which left her boneless and gasping.
Hermione had to act now or he would be on top of her.
"Stop."
Draco paused, ready to pounce. His eyebrows raised curiously. "What's wrong?"
She took a deep breath but held his gaze. Unwavering.
"On your knees, Malfoy." She pointed to the ground in front of her.
The air was suddenly thick in between them. She didn't know what he would do. If he'd laugh at her or take her seriously. And then she saw a slow, subtle change in his expression. His features morphed from curious and concerned to playful and knowing.
Like they were sharing a secret.
Slowly, he sunk to his knees with a thud and she swallowed. Draco was offering himself to her. Just like that. All that strength and power before her to command.
She smiled slyly at him.
"Take off your shirt."
Hermione loved to see his muscles move underneath his skin. Sometimes Draco was so worked up when they first met in the evenings, she could barely get his shirt off as he attacked her. She was usually undressed first and struggled to get him to a similar state. If she was able to during his onslaught of fevered groping and kisses, she could palm his chest and back while he thrust into her. But she didn't often get to watch him until he was spent and lying beside her afterwards.
He brushed his blond hair back and out of his eyes and started unbuttoning his shirt with a smirk, exposing the thin cotton T-shirt underneath.
"Want me to do it slowly?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I want you to shut your mouth," she retorted. "Your tongue has better uses."
Draco grinned wider and removed his shirt, first pulling it over one shoulder than the other. He threw it to the side and pulled his T-shirt up and over his neck, balling it up and tossing that to the side as well. He hooked his thumbs in his pockets, sat back on his heels and stared at her expectantly, but didn't speak.
He was listening to her. She licked her lips.
"Take off your belt."
There was something utterly arousing about hearing the clinking sounds of his buckle and watching the leather slide in the pant loops around his abdominal muscles. He reached down to open the buckle.
"Slowly."
He paused, eyes crinkling devilishly and slowly pulled the leather through the loops. Hermione watched it slither along the fabric while his stomach tensed and flexed with the movement. He folded the belt in half and smacked it into his palm. She startled at the sound and he tossed the belt to the side on the pile of discarded clothing, still watching her.
She swallowed.
What was that supposed to mean? Did he want her to hit him with the belt? Or was he implying that he would hit her? She wasn't sure what to think.
Still somewhat nervous, Hermione studied him, kneeling in front of her. She took her time and allowed her eyes to trail over his stomach, his chest, his arms and shoulders. When Hermione met his eyes and she was floored by the desire there.
Draco was enjoying this just as much as she was.
She stood up from the bed, taller than him for once. She crooked her finger at him and he closed the few steps between them, walking over on his knees. He reached up to grasp the waistband of her pajamas.
"Wait for the command."
His hands paused and he dropped his arms immediately to his sides, eyes flashing with erotic intensity. Hermione stared down at him for a few seconds. Simply enjoying having him shirtless and on his knees in front of her. She raised an eyebrow.
"Take off my trousers."
Without breaking eye contact, he reached up to grab her waistband and – ever so slowly – dragged it down her thighs. He leaned forward to graze his lips against the newly exposed her skin. His breath made goosebumps and she shivered.
"Don't kiss me."
Draco glanced up at her, clearly enjoying this game of trying to break her rules, only to be chastised for doing so. But he removed his lips from her thigh. He pulled her trousers down all the way to her ankles, caressing the sides of her legs and helped her step out, tossing her trousers to the side. He looked up at her again, grey eyes blazing in anticipation.
"Remove my knickers."
Draco leaned forward, hooked his thumbs up the sides and slowly slid them down, his nose nestled in her curls, and his hot breath fanned against her slit. Her legs trembled.
"I didn't say you could touch me there."
He glanced up at Hermione with a sly grin but moved his face away, continuing to slide her knickers down her legs, and helped her step out of those too. With a cheeky look, he raised her knickers to his nose, breathing them in.
Immediately she grabbed her underwear out of his hand. "You're not allowed to smell my knickers, Malfoy."
She smacked his face lightly with the fabric and he startled, clearly not expecting her to hit him. After staring at her for a few seconds, the corner of his mouth lifted. Draco leaned forward slightly, knowing she was watching him, and took a slow, deliberate sniff of the knickers in her hand.
He peeked up at her to see how she'd react, so she smacked him again, harder, on the other cheek. Hermione was enjoying herself. This was new, it was hot, and she hardly knew what she was doing but he was a willing participant, eager to see what she would do next. Draco raised himself on his knees and waited with a sultry expression.
Hermione tossed her knickers to the side; she wanted his mouth on her. Fun as this was, she was getting worked up and was ready to come. But quickly she realized a problem with their positions. If she put her leg over his shoulder, she wouldn't be able to balance herself. She'd have to lie down on the bed, and that would change the physical dynamic between them – making him the more dominant again.
He must have realized her quandary. "You could lean against the door," he suggested.
She stared down at him imperiously, ran her hand through his hair and grabbed it roughly, tilting his head back. His eyes widened slightly in anticipation, enjoying her rough handling.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?"
He didn't reply and she walked over to her bedroom door, closing it. She turned around and leaned against it.
"Over here, Malfoy."
He followed her, walking on his knees while she removed her camisole. Draco's eyes lowered to her breasts and he sat on his heels in front of her, waiting for instruction with a self-satisfied expression on his face. She ran her hand through his hair again, wanting to feel it, wanting to feel him when he wasn't so preoccupied with sucking the skin of her throat, fondling her breasts or thrusting into her.
Hermione cupped his jaw with her other hand and rubbed her thumb over his cheekbone. He watched her as she touched him and let her stroke him as she pleased. She ran her hand through his hair, messing it up and tilting his head to the side. He reached up to grab the back of her knees, but she shook her head with a smile.
"No, Malfoy."
He smirked and dropped his hands to his thighs. She held the back of his skull and traced his lips with her finger while gazed heatedly up at her. Wondering what he would do, she gently pushed her index and middle fingers between his lips. He opened his mouth to accept them and took her off guard by sucking them in. Draco noticed her surprise and his eyes crinkled in amusement. He traced her fingers with his tongue, his cheeks hollowed with the movement.
His tongue was just as hot and wet as it was when it was when inside her mouth or her cunt.
Hermione extracted her fingers, leaving a trail of saliva down his chin.
Gently, she tucked the longer strands of his hair behind his ears, having made a thorough mess of it, and threaded her fingers through his hair, running lines along his scalp. His eyes fluttered closed in contentment, and he smiled, reminding her of a cat.
The sensuous grin froze on his face when she yanked on his hair and pulled his face to the juncture between her legs.
"Lick me."
Hermione caught the intense flash of heat in his eyes before Draco raised her leg over his shoulder and opened his lips to cover her. His mouth was hot and wet and slick, and she groaned at the first touch of his tongue.
She was already wet, but he spread her folds and lathed her. Her leg wobbled every time his tongue swiped her clit.
"Use your finger."
She gasped as it entered, and he pumped her while working her nub with his mouth. She held onto the back of his head, sunk her fingers into his shoulder and tilted her head back against the door while he made love to her clitoris. Draco seemed to understand that she couldn't form any coherent words and went to work with his fingers, his lips, his mouth and his tongue without any direction. She fucked his fingers and moaned loudly as he licked and sucked between her legs.
Her legs trembled and she stiffened, tightening as her orgasm approached. Draco made greedy, lapping sounds while she urged him on with a string of expletives.
Before long she was coming. Her head knocked back, hitting the door twice but she didn't care. She groaned and cried, fisting his hair. Her leg tightened around him and she dug her heel into his back as he made her come again. Draco was relentless, always trying to push her for more but she pulled him away from her, unable to take anymore stimulation. He released her, and her leg slid off his shoulder to the floor. Hermione stood breathless, limbs quaking. She whimpered and closed her eyes, quite sure she would fall over if she didn't have the door propping her up.
After a few moments, her heartbeat slowed down. She slowly opened her eyes to see him towering over her, blazing intensity in his silver greys while he watched her recover. He wiped his chin of her juices with his thumb and sucked them off.
He leaned into her and raised an eyebrow.
"Did you have fun ordering me around, Hermione?" his voice was a low growl.
"Yes," was her breathless answer as she gazed up at him. She heard his zipper and the sound of fabric crumpling as his trousers dropped to the floor.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
"My turn."
oooooooooooooooooooooo
"We are talking about ninety thousand people Kingsley!" Hermione had never seen Minerva so worked up in her life. Her eyes were wide, and she was practically spitting in anger. "I will not be outvoted on this as I was with our use of torture!" She shot a glare at Tonks and Remus.
"Minerva," Kingsley said calmly. "We still don't know–"
"Don't you 'Minerva' me, Shacklebolt!" She hissed his last name. "I will take the Order to Wembley Stadium myself if I have to!"
The Wizengamot was due to vote on the Decriminalization of Interactions With Muggles Act tomorrow. They were all nearly certain this would result in a coordinated attack on Brockton Bridge and Wembley Stadium, but what they didn't know was why or how and the Order was running out of time. They didn't know what the Dark Lord's army was capable of and for the first time since this war started, their intelligence was failing them.
It was terrifying.
Remus spoke, trying to calm her down with his steady demeanor. "Minerva, if we act independently of one another the Order will break apart. We have to vote and accept the outcome." She looked ready to hex Kingsley and he continued, "We cannot afford to have a resistance within a resistance. That's a death sentence for us all regardless of whether or not you're correct about Wembley Stadium."
Hermione was floored at what she was witnessing but stayed quiet, taking her cue from Tonks. She had nothing to add to the conversation as it was, and didn't want to comment, feeling very much out of her league, and thinking everyone had valid points.
Minerva turned to him in anger. "Remus, it's our duty to prevent dark wizards from wreaking havoc on Muggles since the DMLE will not. There's no shortage of those who will join me."
Remus stared at her for a few moments in silence, seemingly weighing his next words. "If we vote and you choose to mutiny, you'll be endangering the lives of our members. I'll be forced to treat you as an enemy for creating dissent."
Minerva flared her nostrils. "You wouldn't."
"I'm the leader of the Order and I would."
Hermione saw the four leaders shift posture slightly, readying to grab their wands. An icy fear shot down her spine. Would they expect her to attack her teacher? She couldn't!
"You'll cost us this war, Minerva," Remus continued. "I understand your need to help, but we won't survive a fracture. I would consider your next move very carefully."
Hermione's heart thudded in her chest and eyed Tonks, who undoubtedly had her wand pointed at her ex-Professor under the table. Their discussion had escalated rapidly. She felt paralyzed. Did they expect her to attack Minerva?
Remus continued. "Make your case, Minerva. We'll discuss it like we do with everything else, and we'll vote."
She exhaled harshly. "We should at the very least warn their government so they stop holding events there."
"They won't listen," Kingsley replied without missing a beat.
Her head jerked back, astonished. "Why ever not?"
Hermione's shoulders sagged in relief. Now they were discussing strategy, not mutiny. She was grateful she wasn't put in the position of having to attack her teacher or defend her against others she loved and trusted.
"Muggle governments receive thousands of warnings of terror attacks a year," he explained calmly. "And we're not even a vetted source. Quite the opposite."
For the second time, Hermione wondered how Kingsley was so familiar with terrorism.
"Doesn't the Ministry have a way of communicating with the Muggle Prime Minister?" Minerva asked as if she already knew the answer.
"Yes," Kingsley answered. "But only Pius would know how, and I've no doubt You-Know-Who is spying on them. If we warn the Muggles either through the Ministry or on our own, not only would it be ineffectual, but we'd put ourselves in danger too."
"Can we push to get more information?" Tonks directed her question to Kingsley. "And by 'we', I mean 'you' and the resources you have at your disposal."
Kingsley slowly turned to face Hermione and raised an eyebrow at her, clearly not appreciating that she told Tonks about the Legilimens.
She stared right back at him, defiant. Right or wrong, he was the one who chose to hold back from the Order. Kingsley had to face the consequences of his decisions just like she did. She thought she saw Tonks smirk out of the corner of her eye.
Regardless, it was an excellent question. Kingsley interacted with the Malfoys and other Death Eaters at the Ministry. He might be able to figure out what was going on. And if he couldn't… Hermione's Occlumency teacher could. If only they knew who to sic her at.
That was the problem. They didn't know who could connect between MacNair's plans of Brockton Bridge and Wembley Stadium and the Malfoy's work at the Ministry. Draco had described Voldemort's paranoia about spies and how information was compartmentalized. The need-to-know strategy – which the Order also employed – made interrogations less effective as well.
"I don't know how much time we have, but I'll do as you suggest." He eyed Minerva. "Lucius Malfoy didn't kill the American donors precisely because he didn't want MACUSA to get involved over here. Terrorism of that magnitude would undoubtedly cause the rest of the wizarding world to suspect You-Know-Who was behind it and rally with us against him for violating the Statute of Secrecy. That's not what he wants. Nothing about this is rational and we should stay far away from what we don't understand." Minerva's eye twitched but before she could respond he turned to Hermione. "If your spy can find out what's going on, or at least figure out who in the Inner Circle does –"
Hermione shook his head. "He doesn't know anything about it and is afraid that asking those kinds of questions will expose him. He's been trying."
"Are. You. Sure."
Was Draco still lying to her?
No.
After everything they had been through together, after everything that had happened, she knew that he loved her and was doing his utmost best to defeat Voldemort while not compromising himself or his family – and he was finally being honest with her about all of it.
But… she was still lying to him.
"Yes," she said, jutting her chin out. Kingsley studied her but said nothing. Like Tonks, he wasn't a Legilimens, but he could read people so well he almost didn't need to be.
Remus waited until they finished before speaking. "Alright, everyone make your last arguments. We'll vote tonight on whether or not to prevent the supposed impending terror attack to allow Dora time to prepare and run reconnaissance." Kingsley was about to speak again but Remus cut him off. "If more information comes to light, we'll vote again. We can plan an operation and still not execute it."
He looked pointedly at Minerva. "If anyone chooses to mutiny, they'll get the empty cell in Pinner next to MacNair."
Next up:
Kingsley vs. Lucius and Draco at the Ministry.
Also? I need mini-break to finish my first draft for a fic fest I'm participating in (artist/author pairings, it looks to be very cool! and I got a fantastic piece of fanart to work with!). It won't take long because it's a one shot. So there probably won't be any chapter updates for a week. Maybe a week and a half and then I'll come back to FWWL.
