Chapter 65

Draco fell to his knees on the Quidditch pitch with a grunt, clutching his arm where his Dark Mark burned him. Apparently combat training was at an end for today. Merlin it fucking hurt, more so than usual. The Dark Lord must be angry.

When the burning sensation finally ceased, he wrung his arm out with a grimace and summoned his mask and robes. After donning his Death Eater garb, Draco Occluded and Apparated to the Manor ballroom to see a good portion of the Dark Lord's army already present, sprawled on the ground and clutching themselves. His father was on the floor, holding his midsection, teeth still chattering, and Draco's stomach lurched at the sight of him in pain.

A growing unease crept through his bones as Nagini slithered in between the trembling bodies. There hadn't been any failures. Certainly nothing to merit this level of punishment. Aunt Bella hadn't said anything about the prisoners…

With growing terror, Draco realized the Dark Lord was searching for the spy. Thank Merlin he Obliviated Pansy. He scanned the floor, she hadn't been summoned yet. Vince was moaning over by the piano.

"Draco," the Dark Lord said slowly. He shifted his sinister red gaze from the Death Eaters groaning on the ground up towards Draco. "Take off your mask."

He removed his mask and scanned the writhing bodies on the floor with mounting trepidation. Only Severus and Bellatrix were standing, unaffected. Perhaps killing Dumbledore had placed Snape beyond suspicion of spying for the Order.

Ironic.

Everyone else had been tortured. Some were struggling to stand. Alecto was on the ground as well and he couldn't help smile inwardly even though he knew he'd likely be joining her soon enough.

"Do you know why you are here?"

"No, my lord," Draco answered with a bow, his voice trembling in dread. Fear was natural, and he didn't bother disguising his. If anything, the Dark Lord wanted his followers to be afraid.

Another audible groan sounded from somewhere to his left and Nagini swerved to approach him. As she neared closer, the hair stood on the back of his neck.

He knew his spying would eventually be noticed and the Dark Lord would route the spy out, it couldn't be helped. Today was that day. His heart began to thump wildly in his chest.

"We have a traitor in our midst," the Dark Lord hissed. "Do you know who it is?"

Out of the corner of his eye Nagini encroached. Goosebumps spread up and down his spine in terror as he remembered Professor Burbage screaming on the dining room table.

"No, my lord," he repeated, his voice rose slightly. He struggled to swallow, and cleared his throat. "I'm not privy to the inner workings of our cause."

"No, you're not, Young Malfoy." The Dark Lord tapped his wand on his palm, gazing at Draco in thought. "Perhaps it's time you were."

For a brief moment Draco thought he'd receive mercy but then the Dark Lord extended his wand.

"Crucio!"

He dropped to the ground, smacking his head on the stone. Arching his back, he screamed towards the ceiling while feeling like he was being torn apart. The sound of his agony echoed in the room and bounced off the walls.

The pain stopped almost immediately, and he gasped for breath, allowing his limbs to relax, and wondered why the Dark Lord didn't curse him longer. Something moved against his calf and he realized with horror that it was Nagini.

Alarmed, he raised himself on his elbows to see the gigantic snake slither up his knee and over his thigh. Draco heaved in a breath, and scrambled backwards but Nagini opened its mouth, hissing at him until he stopped moving. Frozen in terror, he stared at the white gleaming fangs framing the abnormally large, pink mouth. Terrified, he peered down it's gullet, the pink changing to black once encased by the darkness within. She would swallow him whole.

Nagini closed its mouth when she saw he wasn't trying to escape. The snake's weight was heavy as it slid over his torso and chest, pinning him to the ground. He gazed into its yellow eyes and swallowed in fright. Nagini paused, her emotionless eyes boring into his.

"Please," he begged, glancing up at the Dark Lord and then back to the lidless reptilian eyes watching him. "Please, my Lord. I'm loyal." The desperation in his voice was real. He couldn't have masked it if he tried. "I serve only you. You know what my father and I have done–"

"Yes, Draco," the Dark Lord's soft voice cut him off. "You and your father have served me well. And yet…" Nagini hissed, its tongue tickled Draco's lips. Black and forked, he felt violated by the contact and flinched. "Someone has betrayed me."

Draco's heart rammed against his ribcage and he clenched his fists, breathing fast, wondering if she would be the last thing he saw. The blood drained from his face as he remembered Nagini tearing pieces out of Professor Burbage's body, swallowing chunks of her, and he trembled.

"I would never." Draco didn't know if the begging was making things worse but he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. He had never been so scared in his life. Panicked, he continued groveling. "Please! I would never do anything that stupid. You are my lord. I live to serve you and your cause."

His breathing became more shallow as he struggled to push Nagini's weight up and down. He knew he was starting to hyperventilate but couldn't do anything about it. Draco began to shake more violently as Nagini settled atop his torso. Her body curled and her length slid around his hip and thigh, trapping him underneath. His heart slammed against his ribcage, every instinct telling him to buck and scream and run the fuck away from it, but he couldn't move.

Draco was going to die. Horrifically. He tried to blink back his tears of fright, and found that he couldn't.

Briefly, he thought of his mother, and then Hermione before immediately repressing all thoughts of her.

Heels clacked on the stone floor, slowly approaching him until his aunt appeared at his side. She crouched down until her nose was only a few inches above his. He turned to face her, and Nagini's tongue caressed his cheek and jaw, dry and foreign.

His teeth chattered in terror.

"Please." Draco's voice cracked and he gulped for more air. "Please, Auntie Bella!"

She was his aunt. He remembered the photo of her holding him as a baby. Her smile was genuine then. Didn't she love him… in her own way? She protected him from Alecto when he was underage. She had taught him how to Occlude. She had taught him to channel his hatred.

She had saved his life!

Nagini undulated, letting her body sag in between his legs as she shifted her weight atop his chest. Bile accumulated in his mouth as her scaly skin rubbed back and forth against his cock. He was caged in, immobile on the ground as the snake coiled its weight around him.

Desperate for help, he reached out to grab his Aunt's hand, digging his fingers into her cold, pale skin. Wouldn't she help him?

She looked down at her hand and curled her red lip.

"PLEASE! Auntie Bella!"

"Ickle Draco," she crooned, eyebrows furrowing. "It'll all be over soon."

Was she going to let Nagini eat him?

"Please! You can't!" he cried out. "Please tell him it's not me!"

She stroked his cheek gently, wiping his tears away. Curiously, she studied her fingertips and brought her index finger to her tongue and licked the tip. She smiled evilly down at him. "It only hurts a tiny bit."

His aunt was going to abandon him! He clutched at her hand but she stood up, sliding out of his reach.

"NO!" He choked on his tears as Nagini's body slithered atop him.

She aimed her wand down and whispered, "You'll thank me later when we find the filth."

He squeezed his eyes right before the pain hit.

"Crucio!"

"Legilimens!"

The Dark Lord's curse followed immediately after, slicing into his mind.

All he felt was pain. Pain engulfing his body, pain shredding his mind, and Nagini's length coiling around him while he screamed.

His vocal chords became raw with blood, and he yelled until his throat made no more sound.

ooooooooooo

Hermione Apparated into her room and was immediately accosted by Draco's frantic kisses. His lips searched hers out, desperate and ravenous. She knew it was dangerous for them to meet now that his father found out he was having an affair. As such, they barely saw each other and hadn't met at all since she hid Theo the previous week.

She captured his mouth, barely registering his tongue searching for hers before his lips were somewhere else. Her cheek, her jaw, her neck, her ear. She tried to wrap her arms around his neck but he forced them upward, removing her T-shirt up and over her head. Then he tugged her arms back down, yanking her bra off her breasts.

She tried to place her wand on the night table but it got knocked to the floor by Draco's frenzied movements.

Hermione struggled to pull her arms out of her bra straps, hanging loosely around her elbows. Draco palmed her breasts, needy and panting as his fingers dug into the base of her scalp, tangling in her hair. She groaned, and heat encased her body. She wanted nothing more than for him to bury himself inside her.

She tried to hold him still, cupping his jaw, holding his throat, feeling the cords of his neck move while he hungrily devoured her mouth. But Draco was all over the place, making quick work of her jeans, tugging them and her knickers down before fumbling with his belt. She heard the clinking of his buckle and his zipper next while she kicked off her jeans and underwear. She was already wet with anticipation when he hoisted her up, hands splaying over arse and lower back. She wrapped her legs around him, trapping his length against his stomach, meeting his feverish kisses and fisting his hair with a groan.

God, she missed him.

Hermione felt herself moving backwards, her posture shifting to horizontal as he lowered them onto the bed, still sucking on her lips. As soon as her back hit the mattress Draco sunk into her with a groan.

"Ohgod!" She wasn't prepared and his sudden entry took her by surprise. But he held himself still, unmoving inside her and breathing hard from the frenzied groping of just seconds ago.

Draco raised his head slightly, pulling on her bottom lip before releasing it from his mouth. Hermione stared into his eyes and wrapped her legs around his. Something was wrong. He brought his eyebrows together, as if he were suffering.

With a start, she realized he was hurt.

"I need you," he said with a desperate, rasping cry.

"I've missed you t-" Draco swallowed her words with another open mouthed kiss and slid slowly, in and out of her, punctuating each entry with a half-grunt, half-moan.

Hermione rocked her pelvis upward to meet him and he lowered his head to her neck, sucking on the juncture with her shoulder. She tightened below, enjoying their heat and she slid her hands down to his arse and squeezed, feeling his muscles as they flexed while he thrust into her. The broken sounds he made were agonized, and she held him tight. Each time he slid in and out, his body would shake with the effort.

It reminded her of when she made love to him after he was tortured, and with growing horror, she realized that's what must have happened. Draco started to tremble and piston into her erratically, and she knew he was nearly there. Burying his face in her neck, his entire body shook as he emptied himself into her with a muffled cry.

Hermione hadn't come, but she didn't care. He was hurt.

She wanted to hold him, and so she did, listening to him breathe. His shoulders heaved from his onslaught until he slowly relaxed atop her, releasing a soft whimper. She couldn't stand him in pain, and turned her head to nuzzle his cheek.

Pushing himself up, he stared down at her through his fringe.

Draco had been tortured, she could see it in clearly in his eyes now. Slightly bloodshot, haunted, a hollow darkness surrounding them. She didn't know how long ago, but he seemed to be tolerating the residual pain. But he was also upset about something. Hermione was about to ask how she could help when he spoke.

"You're not staying at the safe houses anymore."

Her need to comfort him shifted to surprise.

"What? Why? I have to." Hermione frowned, completely taken aback by the topic of conversation, and just after he had made love to her so passionately.

Draco grit his teeth. "No. You don't. You can stay here. Or with Theo."

She eyed him cautiously, she'd have to be careful lest she set him off.

"The raid went fine, Draco," she reassured him. Hermione rubbed her hands over his upper back, trying to calm both him and herself. "Our Portkey evacuation plan worked because we've drilled it to death. You-Know-Who's army can't get us and we already vacated the compromised safe house."

She felt him soften inside her and slip out. She felt herself contract below, wanting him back inside her.

Draco shook his head, agitated, and pulled the curls away from her face, tugging gently on her hair. "They knew about the Portkeys. They knew they wouldn't succeed in the last raid, they used it to figure out the details of your evacuation plan."

She tensed as fear gripped her spine. "What do you mean?"

"One of you is a spy. I don't know how, I don't know who, but one of you is a spy. They're going to attack all the safe houses at the same time – even the warehouse in Bath." His words came out with increasing urgency. "All of them. They're going to crush the Order. This is the death blow we've been hearing about."

Hermione's eyes widened in terror. "How did you know about the Bath warehouse?"

How did they know? No one in the Order even know the exact location except for her and Remus. Everyone else just Portkey'd in and out during drills. And they were so close! She, Harry and Ron had destroyed all the Horcruxes and needed to figure out how Draco could kill Nagini safely. Then they'd deal with Harry and finally kill Voldemort.

"The spy," Draco explained, his fingers cradling her cheek and her shoulder. "During the last raid, they found out where you were all Portkey-ing to. They'll ambush those of you that escape while the safe houses are being raided. They're pulling in new recruits. You're already outnumbered by at least two to one." He panted, out of breath. "You'll lose."

Hermione turned her head to the side, her mind racing furiously. Remus had to find a different evacuation point and set it up so she could alter the destination of everyone's Portkeys. Not nearly as time consuming as making new ones but an arduous process nonetheless. But she had to do it in a way that didn't include the spy.

How? And who would it be? How long had the spy been among them? How did they infiltrate? They were clean after the first raid. She racked her brain, going through all the Order members… it could be anyone. It could be Remus. But how would they get to him? Was that possible?

Did someone betray them or was someone Polyjuiced? Imperiused?

And how long did they have?

She turned back to Draco. His grey eyes were desperate now and panic lined his face.

"When?" her voice trembled. "When's the raid?"

He exhaled angrily through his teeth. "If I knew then I'd tell you. The Dark Lord's operations have always been compartmentalized in case of a spy. All I know is that it's coming. They're getting the pieces in place. I don't know what they're waiting for but once they have what they need it's all your safe houses."

She ran her fingers through his hair, twitching with nervous energy, pushing it off his face. His features were angry, he looked like he was ready to lose it.

"You've never given me so much detail about a raid before."

He clenched his jaw. "Severus told me. He's trying to figure out more details as well and…" She could see him considering whether or not to continue. "And I'm Inner Circle now."

Hermione's heart ached for him. Advancement in Voldemort's Army didn't come without cost.

"You were tortured, weren't you?"

"It doesn't matter," Draco continued, desperate, but he didn't deny it. "We're coming. All at the same time, all at once." She could tell from the tense curl of his body atop her, he was doing all he could to keep himself from lashing out. "Hermione, I want you to leave. I want you out." He spoke in a gruff tone. "They're not. Fucking. Around."

Next up: Dark smut.