Chapter 14 – Alternate ending

Hermione stared at the rolls of parchment on the table, along with Bill, Ron, and Harry. She had been resting her head in her hand and shifted positions. Harry eyed the red print she left on her cheek with amusement.

"Did Lavender slap you again?"

"Piss off."

Ron snorted, and she gave him a withering glare, which did nothing to curtail his laughter. She didn't exactly remember how their drunken game of Exploding Snap had descended into her and Lavender wrestling on the ground those months ago, but neither Harry nor Ron had attempted to stop the cat-fight. Rather, they had taken bets on who would win.

Wankers.

She didn't remember who had won, and neither one would tell her who they had bet on. One of these days, she was going to find out. That would be a justified use of their Veritaserum stores, wouldn't it?

"Let's get back to work, shall we?" Bill interrupted. "I don't have a lot of time. Unless…" he raised an eyebrow at Hermione, "you want to invite Lavender over. That might be worth—"

"It was two months ago. Can't you let—"

Bill turned to Harry and Ron, cutting her off. "You don't know how much I wish I would've been here."

Ron smirked at him. "Best. Night. Ever."

"One more word and I'll slap the three of you."

"Would you now?" Ron taunted her cockily. "You're a bit short."

Harry and Bill snickered.

Hermione smiled sweetly. "Who said I was going to slap your face?"

The snickering turned into guffaws.

"So that's how you keep these two in line, eh?" Bill elbowed Ron in the ribs.

"Oi! We don't—"

"If you ask me," Hermione answered Bill saucily, "they enjoy a firm hand."

"That's what she said."

"That's what Lavender said."

And so the jibes continued.

It was their fourth night poring over the plans into the wee hours of the morning. Even with Bill's help, they still had several points where they would not be able to break through, and that was assuming that the Horcrux itself wasn't guarded. They were frustrated, but also motivated by the impending destruction of the sixth Horcrux. Joking around relieved the tension somewhat, and helped distract Hermione from her loss.

"Remus?" Tonks called from the foyer.

"Yes?" he answered, jogging down the stairs. Hermione scribbled a few notes on the side of the Gringotts' map. Harry and Bill were arguing over how best to get around the dragon and wondering if it might be helpful to bring Charlie in for a consultation.

Ron was making a parchment aeroplane.

"Someone is standing outside against the lamppost. Has been there for about thirty minutes."

Hermione looked up and met Harry's green eyes, feeling the faintest bits of panic. Had they been discovered?

"I'm fairly sure he's a vampire," Tonks continued, eyeing Hermione.

Her pulse raced with nervous excitement. Quickly, she got up to look out the window, Harry and Ron right on her heels.

Lupin was already at the window, studying the figure with narrowed eyes. "So that's what I smelled earlier…" His eyes swiveled to Hermione, studying her for a few seconds. She flushed under his gaze, and then he turned back to the window.

"He followed you back, Hermione," Harry said, accusingly.

"He couldn't have. I used the Hogwarts Portkey. It wouldn't have worked for him."

"But didn't you say he was more powerful now?" Lupin asked. "Might it be possible?"

Hermione stared at the figure. "I don't know. I don't know what his limits are. I don't know if he knows what his limits are."

"Why doesn't he just come in?" Ron asked. "Does he have to be invited?"

Hermione scoffed. "Where did you ever hear something like that?"

He muttered something about Muggle vampire shows on the telly.

"Clearly you've done quality research," she smiled sarcastically.

Ron ignored the barb. He shrugged in answer and said, "Why doesn't he knock? Why not come to the door? Why wait by the lamp post?"

Hermione chewed her lip. "Maybe because of the Fidelius Charm, he can't see the house."

Lupin nodded. "That makes sense. And yet he knows where it is. How is that possible?"

Hermione tried to get a glimpse of Draco's face, but his hood covered his features. "He's related to the Blacks, isn't he?"

Ron snorted. "All the Pure-bloods are related if you go back far enough."

"But how would he know that we're here?" Harry countered.

"I don't know," she said, puzzled. "But he's found us out. I'll go see what he wants."

Harry pulled her back and shook his head. "Not by yourself, even if he's not one of them."

"I've been surveying the block all night," Tonks added. "He's alone."

"So it appears," Lupin agreed, scanning their surroundings and performing the Homenum revelio charm.

Tonks quirked an eyebrow. "I tried. That doesn't detect vampires."

Lupin looked out the window in interest. "Apparently not."

Hermione wrenched her arm out of Harry's grip. "Honestly, Harry. I've got a wand now. I'm not defenseless!"

Harry spoke more softly, trying to calm her down. "I just don't want—"

"You're all here if I need help. He's not likely to be as forthcoming if you lot are with me." It was true, but she also wanted to see Draco alone.

Ron protested. "What if he hurts you?"

She rounded on him. "I've already been kidnapped. What would be the point in doing so again? He could have hurt me already, but—" She felt her throat constrict involuntarily and could barely get the rest of her sentence out. "But he hasn't. Why would he do so now? He already had his chance to get information from me."

Harry narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. "You need to be calm around vampires so that they stay calm. You don't want to excite them." Lupin nodded his assent.

"Can you do that?" She looked pointedly at Harry, who didn't answer. She turned to Ron. "You?"

"Yes," Ron answered petulantly.

Hermione rolled her eyes in answer.

Harry crossed his arms and stared down at her. "Can you?"

Slowly, she turned back to look up at Harry. Did he suspect her feelings? She flared her nostrils. "I'm still alive, aren't I? And I didn't even have a wand last time. Let it be, Harry."

"Go out the back." Lupin motioned with his head, not taking his eyes off Draco. "Walk around the block. Dora will tail you at a distance, and we'll be here."

"That's a fair compromise," Hermione said, glaring at Ron.

"But—" Ron tried to protest, but Lupin held up his hand. The discussion was over.

Hermione grabbed her scarf and left from the back entrance. Ron glared after her.

No sense in tempting Draco further, she thought as she wrapped it around her neck.

Her footsteps echoed on the pavement, and as she rounded the corner, she heard Tonks' footsteps far behind her. She looked at her watch. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning. The streets were deserted. Her heart thudded with excitement at the thought of seeing him again, and she took a few calming breaths when he came into view.

The figure in hooded black robes shifted and turned to her. When she was nearly ten feet away, he held out his hand. She stopped. His eyes glittered from beneath his hood.

"Wait. It's better if I come to you."

She swallowed. He was tall and intimidating in those black robes. Almost like one of them. "How did you know where to find me?"

His voice was low and husky as he approached. "I've always known where you were."

He did?

"Then why bring me back to Hogwarts?"

He flashed his teeth at her, and she thought she saw blood on them. "Because London smells of humans. Here."

So quickly that she could barely register it, a small sack with something hard inside came flying at her. With reflexes honed by battle, she caught it midair. She looked down at it curiously and then peered back up at Draco.

"I agree with Dumbledore: the last is Nagini."

What?

She opened the sack and pulled out the Hufflepuff Cup. It was blackened and crumpled in on itself, as if it were made of paper.

Her heart raced, and she felt a rush of adrenaline.

"How did you do that?" she exclaimed in an awed whisper. How did he know?

Instead of answering, he slowly closed the space between them. The bright grey of his eyes bored into hers, and he licked his lips.

"I had to see you," he said, his voice the only sound in the late of night. She turned back to see Tonks, roughly fifty feet away. She was watching them.

"That doesn't answer my..."

She felt a slight tug at the scarf on her neck and turned back to Draco, standing still as he loosened the scarf and let it flutter to the ground. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Was he going to bite her? She didn't know, but at least she had a wand this time.

She turned her back on Draco to look at Tonks again, who didn't seem perturbed by what he'd just done.

"Draco…" she said, eyeing Tonks curiously. "How did you—"

She sucked in a breath. His fingers grasped the side of her hips and squeezed, tight and possessive. Slowly, he pulled her flush against him, and she was overwhelmed with his presence and his warmth. She inhaled his scent and closed her eyes.

"That thing was evil." His voice rumbled in her ear. "I almost couldn't destroy it."

"They affect everyone differently," she answered, doing her best to keep her voice calm. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. She did her best to even out her breathing, but it was impossible with him so close. He excited her. She opened her eyes and glanced at the door to 12 Grimmauld Place. Why weren't they coming? And what about Tonks? She was directly facing her. Surely she could see.

He pulled her bum against him, eliciting a small whimper from her. Her muscles tightened in anticipation. He must have fed before coming to see her in order to maintain control. But he had also fed before he attacked her at the manor. She shivered and wondered what poor soul might have chanced to cross Draco's path.

His fingers traveled higher, and his left hand reached underneath the hem of her jumper. She sucked in a breath as he touched the bare skin of her stomach.

His hot breath tickled the shell of her ear. "I could feel it," he whispered as his fingers snuck up her rib cage. His thumb grazed the side of her breast. "It made me think things."

Hermione gently gripped his wrist, hard with bone, tendon, and muscle.

"Draco, wait." Tonks looked directly at them. Why wasn't she doing anything?

She tried to lower his hand, but he resisted. She shivered as his fingers teased her, slowly caressing the skin of her stomach, her rib cage, just barely reaching her breasts before descending again. Her body was tense; she dared not move. She didn't know if she should go for her wand, or stay still and hope that he remained in control of himself.

"It wanted me to do things."

His lips were grazing the outer shell of her ear with just the merest of touches.

"It wanted me."

"Yes," she sighed as his hand moved tantalizingly closer to her breast. Her breath hitched, but his hand dropped to her side again. "You're not the only one. Ron had trouble…"

Her voice trailed off at the feel of his hot breath swirling around her neck. Slow puffs of air tickled her as he exhaled against her skin. Her whole body tingled. She was in dangerous territory. Why hadn't Harry and Ron come out by now? Why hadn't Tonks come running? Had he placed a Confundus Charm on her?

She tried to keep the tremble out of her voice. "Draco," she whimpered as his tongue darted out to lick her ear. "You have to stop. They'll see."

"They won't," he whispered, dipping his fingers below her waistline.

So he could successfully glamour both of them to hide what he was doing. She didn't know what to do. He appeared to be in control, but pushing him away might aggravate the situation.

"I want to touch you," he said, his breath sending tingles from her neck all the way down to her core.

"Draco, wait..."

Gently, he pushed her head to a slight angle under his chin, exposing her neck. He dragged his fingers from her collarbone up the line of her throat, ending at her scalp where he tangled them into her hair. The thumb of his other hand dipped beneath the waistline of her trousers. Nimbly, he unbuttoned the top and nudged down the zipper. He pressed against her hips so that her bum rubbed his groin. Her eyes closed, and she let out a small moan.

"Are you in control?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Was he even capable of answering that question? It didn't seem like he was going to bite her, but what they were doing was dangerous. If they kept it up, it would certainly lead to him biting her. Would he know when to stop? Would she?

He lowered his mouth to the pulse point on her neck, and she felt his lips form a smile. "For now."

He brought her right arm up to wrap around the back of his neck, exposing more of her body to his exploring fingers. He touched her midriff, up to the bottoms of her breasts, back down to the top of her knickers. His fingers were everywhere, and she gave a soft moan.

His lips skimmed the skin of her throat, kissing, nipping, sucking her skin into his mouth. She shuddered, feeling like putty in his strong embrace. She was nervous, afraid, but she had a wand this time. She could defend herself and bind him if she needed to. She dropped the ruined Horcrux and slowly reached across her body for the wand in her right trouser pocket, trying not to excite Draco further.

Slowly, slowly… She would feel better if it was in her hand.

"Draco," she said, trying to keep her voice even as his fingers skimmed the underside of her breast, tenderly cupping, gently squeezing, dragging down the fabric of her bra. "How did you know about the cu—" She moaned as he rolled her nipple between his fingers, pinching and pulling. She arched into his touch as much as she could, pressing against the strong forearm that pinned her to his body.

"Eavesdropping," he said, speaking directly into her ear. She felt her knickers grow damp.

"That's quite a complex bit of magic, being able to discuss it right under everyone's noses."

His right arm lowered from her neck. He pushed his hand into her trousers, between her legs.

"Impressive spellwork." His voice rumbled against her ear, and he peppered the skin of her neck with kisses, licks, and little nips. She dug her nails into the back of his neck and felt him grin against her throat.

"Draco." Her left hand found the tip of her wand, and she slowly drew it. His hand crept further down, into her knickers, finding her curls, finding her folds.

"Yes?" he asked as he kneaded her breast and licked her throat. She gripped her wand tighter and twirled it around to angle it back at him.

"How did you—" She gasped and arched her back at a particularly hard tug on her nipple. "How did you know about this place?" His middle finger slid along her slit. She bucked her hips and sighed audibly..

"Deductive reasoning," he answered huskily.

Her eyes snapped open as he removed his hand from her breast to encircle the wrist of her left hand, stilling her wand. At the same time, he rubbed the vein that he had previously drunk from back at his manor.

"Good idea," he whispered, and squeezed her fingers, tightening them around her wand, aiming it at himself.

"Should I—" Her voice shuddered as his finger teased her entrance. He hadn't bitten her, but she had to stop him before he did. When would that be? How would she know?

"Not yet," he said, rubbing himself against her arse. His hand slid lower until he cupped her wet heat. He pressed his fingers against her, growling against her throat.

She trembled, wand aimed halfheartedly as his finger remained at her entrance, probing, sliding over her clit. She writhed and panted against him while he nuzzled the nape of her neck.

"Draco," she groaned. "I don't know if—"

He dragged his teeth against her skin and brought her arm back so that her wand was pressed against him.

"Just a bit more," he growled.

Gods. He was sin. And she did want more.

As if he could hear her thoughts, his finger stopped its teasing and slid inside of her, curving upwards. A second finger joined, and he chuckled as she whimpered against him. Slowly, slowly, he slid his fingers in and out of her, rubbing her clit with his thumb. Hermione bit her lip and let out another moan.

"Hermione…" His hot breath tickled her ear as his fingers kept their torturously slow pace sliding in and out of her.

"Oh…" His mouth paused in its decadent exploration of her neck, shoulder, and throat.

His mouth opened, and his lips pressed into her flesh. She felt the points of his fangs ever so delicately grazing her skin, back and forth. His fingers slowly stroked, slid, pressed, flicked, cupped, squeezed. And she moaned and writhed against his body in response.

"Want to taste you…" Draco's voice turned into a growl. "You smell… ripe."

His fingers tensed, as if trying to hold her in place. Nothing less than pure instinct galvanized her into action.

"Incarcerous Argentum!"

In a flash of light, silver ropes wound across Draco's torso, restricting his upper arms and bringing him to his knees with a snarl. Her limbs went limp, and her body felt cold as he fell away from her. Hermione watched as he struggled with the four silver stripes wrapping across his chest, pinning his arms behind him. She closed her trousers and adjusted her jumper with a trembling sigh. Her insides ached with the sudden emptiness. She wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay," he panted, baring his fangs. "You were right. I was about to…" He grunted in pain as the silver cut through his robes and burned his skin.

She swished her wand, ending the glamour. Just as suddenly, Harry, Tonks, Ron, Bill, and Lupin appeared outside, flanking her.

Ron grabbed her upper arm, drawing her gaze from Draco. "Are you okay? I didn't see what happened."

"Yes," she answered. "He didn't do anything."

"Yet," Harry said, finishing her sentence. She eyed him but didn't argue.

Ron saw the fallen scarf. With a growl of anger, he landed a vicious kick to Draco's stomach, who grunted and doubled over.

"Ron, no!" Hermione pulled him back, ignoring his scowl. "He's saved my life. Remember?"

From his prone position on the ground, Draco snarled menacingly up at Ron.

"You call not killing you saving your life?" Ron retorted.

"Ronald, if you can't control yourself, go back inside. We have to take him outside the city. Best to the Forbidden Forest outside of Hogwarts' anti-Appartion wards. He'll kill people in London if we release him here." She picked up the sack from the ground, put it under her arm, holstered her wand, and clasped Harry and Ron's hands. "Come on, we'll Side-Along to—"

Draco's hand wrapped around her ankle. With a jolt, they all fell to the ground, landing outside of the Forbidden Forest, to the exact spot where Draco had Apparated her before.

Ron retched and wiped his mouth. "Dammit, Hermione. Give a warning before you—"

"I didn't do it."

"Harry, you didn't wait for the rest of us."

"It wasn't me."

They all looked down at Draco, who hissed in pain as the silver burnt through his clothes and into his skin. He scowled at Ron and Harry, then turned to Hermione. "You were touching. I didn't mean to take them, too."

A series of cracks sounded in the near distance. Lupin, Tonks, and Bill appeared nearby and ran towards them.

"Why didn't you wait?" Tonks said, out of breath, arriving first.

"Draco Apparated us," Hermione answered.

Everyone except Hermione, who had already witnessed the displays of Draco's power, looked down at him incredulously. He was clearly suffering from the bonds she had restrained him with, but had Apparated himself and three others with little effort. Still, he made no move to get up from his kneeling position or to free himself.

Draco sniffed. "Werewolf," he growled.

Lupin narrowed his eyes. "Vampire," he said, looking at him warily. "If you're as powerful as Hermione says, why don't you just remove the bonds?"

Draco gritted his teeth and grunted. "The pain keeps me focused."

Lupin studied him, and then slowly nodded. "Yes, it would, wouldn't it?"

Hermione knelt beside Draco. He looked up at her though his fringe, a small whimper escaping from his mouth.

"I could release you now," she offered, her voice rising in a question.

"No!" Lupin and Draco answered simultaneously.

Tentatively, she ran her hand through his hair and cupped his jaw; he lightly nuzzled her hand. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she didn't care.

"You sure?" she asked.

His teeth captured the pad of her thumb. He bit down lightly, and the brief contact sent an electric jolt to her aching core. His silver eyes filled with hunger as he stared into hers. "Yes."

"Draco." Lupin's voice took on an air of authority. "Why did you come tonight?"

Draco motioned to Hermione. "She'll tell you." Then, he smirked. "Or not."

Lupin glanced between Hermione and Draco. "How did you find us?"

Draco shifted and snarled as the silver cut into his flesh.

"I've known where the Order's headquarters were for a long time now."

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

Draco looked up at her. She nodded in encouragement, and he gave a resigned sigh, glancing at Harry. "Sirius Black was your godfather, was he not? You would have been the heir after Black was killed." Harry's eyes glimmered for a minute, then hardened.

"And?" Harry said, urging him on.

His voice took on an arrogant sneer. "A few years back, I came by Grimmauld Place one afternoon to see..." He shut his mouth, glanced at Hermione, and then back to Lupin. "I was curious. But I couldn't find the house. Number eleven, number thirteen, but no number twelve. I should have been able to see the house. I'm a wizard, and the Blacks are my relatives."

"And no one else figured this out?" Lupin continued, ignoring his tone.

"No. And I wasn't about to clarify."

"Why are you helping us?" Harry interrupted.

Hermione stood up and squared her shoulders. She didn't want Draco to have to talk about his feelings for her in front of them. "That's enough. We've discussed Draco's lack of allegiance to them more times than I can count, and here we have the proof. Let's leave so he can go." She eyed the four silver stripes across his chest, and the exposed skin and muscle underneath. "He's clearly in pain."

Ron protested. "How do we know he won't bring the Death Eaters back? He could have followed you after letting you go. We should get rid of him."

Draco gave Ron a scathing look, although the effect was lessened by his moan of pain. "I'd like to see you try, Weasley."

"He won't bring anyone, Ron. He could have already done so had he wanted to. Let's go," Hermione said with a note of finality.

Harry looked at her. "Ron's got a point. What if he's lying? Maybe he didn't know about the location from years ago." Harry looked at his feet, took a steadying breath, and glanced down at Hermione. "And I don't think you're being objective," he said, his words came out in a rush.

Hermione's cheeks reddened as her body temperature rose with her anger. "And Ron is objective? You're objective?"

"Then why come now? By himself?" Bill entered the exchange. "I believe Malfoy."

"As do I," said Lupin. "He brought Hermione back unharmed." At this, both Harry and Ron's eyes snapped to hers as Lupin continued. "And he's given us ample opportunity to kill him." Lupin eyed Draco thoughtfully. "I wonder if he couldn't overpower all of us right now and get away."

Draco smirked; Ron glared mutinously at Lupin.

Harry turned to Tonks. "What do you think?"

A snarl sounded from below. Draco turned to Hermione. "You were right, the silver works better than I thought it would. But I've had enough. This fucking hurts." He sneered at the rest before saying, "You should all leave. I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions once I'm free." He grinned maliciously at Ron.

Harry protested angrily. "Now wait a minute, we haven't—"

Draco just smiled. "On the count of three, Potter." His voice lilted upwards at each number. "One…"

"We're leaving. Now," Hermione said.

"Two..." Draco drew out the number for several seconds, clearly enjoying Harry and Ron's rage.

"Let's go, we'll talk more later," said Lupin.

Hermione glanced worriedly to Draco, who gave her a roguish wink. No, she was definitely not going to sleep well tonight.

Several loud cracks sounded in the air as they all Disapparated. All but one.

"You want to die, Weasley?" he taunted.

"Get out of your bindings!" Ron shouted. "Now!"

Draco worked his arm out. He extended two fingers in a rude gesture and raised his eyebrows innocently. "Did you want to taste her too?"

Ron's face turned purple. "I'll kill you for what you did to her!" he ground out.

Draco smirked. "On second thought," he continued, sucking on his fingers with relish, "I don't think I want to share."

Ron snarled with rage and kicked Draco in the jaw.

He fell onto his back then smiled menacingly, revealing his fangs.

"Three…"

The silver ropes dissolved and he lunged at Ron with a roar.

"Lumos sol!"

Chapter end notes:

I know, I'm evil.

Five chapters left to go, you know he's not dead!