CHAPTER THIRTEEN: WHY CAN'T I BREATHE?
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
Monday, November 17, 1997 – Wednesday, November 19, 1997
Hermione felt a little frazzled upon returning to classes on Monday. She had a lot of catch-up homework to get done, so in between classes, she spent her free periods working on a Potions essay that would be due this upcoming Friday morning. That night, she completed a two hundred word Herbology essay that Professor Sprout had assigned her on Alihotsy and its known effects on Sneezewort poisoning (the woman planned to present Hermione's findings – in the girl's name, of course – at the next Plantae Exposition, coming up next February) to make up for missing the lab last week. And by Tuesday night, she'd finally caught up on all of her Charms reading (four chapters) and even had time to practice the various spells she'd memorized.
Despite the bliss of the study grind (usually her favorite pastime) and her Head Girl duties (including checking in with the Prefects, the Headmaster and the news agencies about the upcoming Yule Ball plans), Hermione was feeling strangely lonely. She had been surrounded by her core group of friends incessantly since her return, but despite the cheery company, she was poignantly missing Draco. With the last Quidditch game of the season for Slytherin coming up that weekend, he had very little freedom left over to spend with her (in between meetings with his team and his head of household, Snape, and the extra practices crammed into every available time slot). Understanding the necessary constraints put on those in a leadership position, and recognizing her own overly booked schedule at the moment, she tried very hard not to be resentful of being away from her boyfriend. Yet, the ache in her heart wouldn't let her forget how important Malfoy had become to her in such a short amount of time, especially when she lay down at night alone in her bed. She missed his warm, comforting presence beside her, holding her as she rested against him; she'd grown accustomed to him being nearby so frequently these last few days.
By Tuesday night, she was so frustrated with her focus constantly being intruded upon by thoughts of Draco, she resorted to Muggle meditation techniques. After returning to her normal phase of time in the library, she sat down cross-legged in her favorite wooden chair, closed her eyes, resting her hands lightly on her knees and disciplined her breathing. She pictured ocean waves coming in and rolling back out, tuning out all other thoughts, seeking clarity.
"Hey, Granger."
Hermione nearly fell out of her chair in surprise as Teddy threw his satchel down across from her and began pulling his textbooks out. "Sleeping on the job, I see," he baited her with a grin. Mildly annoyed for being caught in a somewhat embarrassing position, she shushed him, returning to her previous pose.
"Can't you see that I'm meditating, you unbaked half-loaf?"
"And what, oh Great Divining Witch of the West, are you meditating on exactly?" he asked, his voice a husky low tone she hadn't heard from him ever before. He sniffled and she absently wondered if he had a cold coming on.
"The mysteries of the universe. Opening my inner eye. That sort of thing," she murmured teasingly sarcastic. "I'm gunning for Professor Trelawney's job when I graduate. Didn't you know?"
Silence greeted her rather lame attempt at humor, so she hesitantly peeled her lids back and peeked out, hoping she hadn't scared her friend off by appearing too sincere. Teddy's face was unexpectedly centimeters from hers, their noses almost touching. He was staring at her with wide, mismatched, spooky eyes, his face a mask of concentration. "Boo!" he challenged a little sinisterly and jumped forward slightly. Hermione did fall out of her chair then - with a most undignified yelp. Her friend stood up to his full height and busted out laughing, pointing at her as she rubbed her sore bum and threw him a nasty glare. "Oh, man, you should see your face!" he hooted, taking too much enjoyment from her misfortune. "I've never seen a person turn purple before!"
Sheepishly Hermione stood and dusted her backside, naively not paying attention to how close this brought her into Teddy's personal space. "Hardy ha-o-ha," she sarcastically replied, still brushing at her skirt. "You're a real riot, Ted. So, what are you doing here tonight anyway? Stalking me now?"
She looked up and only then noticed that he was practically pressed into her; she could actually feel the heat radiating off his body. His face had gone neutral as he stared down at her, but his eyes flashed hot with longing and… something darker. Abruptly, she was uncomfortable and wary of him, feminine instincts kicking in and moving her unconsciously a step backwards. Her face exploded with fire and her heart leapt into her throat. "I actually was on my way out," she stammered, all too aware that this handsome man, whom she was still partially attracted to still, was hawkishly watching her with blatant lust in his eyes. "I'm done studying for the evening."
His hand snaked out and grabbed her arm, restraining her lightly. "You only arrived half an hour ago. Don't leave on my account. Stay."
She tactfully removed his hand from her person and turned to gathered her things into her bag, her pulse loud in her ears. "Yes, well, I've been doing a lot of reading since my sight returned, to make up for missing so much. I'm tired now." It wasn't a complete lie, but it was a weak cover for her discomfort.
Almost casually, Teddy stepped up behind her and his hand reached out just past her to flip open her Advanced Charms book on the desk. It fell open to her bookmarked, recently completed chapter. "Still two more lessons to go before you catch up, Granger," he murmured, his mouth so close to her ear that his hot breath tickled her neck. Her blood started racing through her veins in response. "Do you need help practicing these?"
She shook her head a little too nervously, grabbed her book and shoved it into her bag with the others shuffling around Teddy's body quickly, and made for the exit. "No, thank you though. I'll practice with Draco. Good night!" She hurriedly raced out of the library and once her feet hit the corridor, she sprinted all the way back up to her room on the Fifth Floor. As she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it, shaking.
Great gobstones, what just happened?
Had Teddy been pursuing her? Should she tell Draco about her suspicions? But if she did, would the two best friends have a major falling out? And, was there even the slightest possibility that some of the blame for what just happened in the library could be laid at her feet? She had been a tad too playful with Teddy lately, after all. Yet, in her own defense, she'd assumed it had all been in good fun and meant nothing. But, maybe Teddy hadn't seen it that way. Had she inadvertently given him the wrong impression? She knew he liked her in a romantic way, but she'd believed his loyalty to Draco was stronger than his feelings for her. Then again, what did she really know about Theodore Nott? Aside from her weeks of observation and a few conversations here and there, she knew almost nothing about his background. The guy had tried to kill himself, for Godric's sake, and she still didn't understand why. Was he maybe a little more mentally and emotionally unbalanced than she'd supposed? That thought frightened her.
The question remained: what was the right way to handle this situation without making things worse? The only experience she could call upon that was even remotely similar had been the convoluted mess she'd made during the last Yule Ball, when she'd gone with Viktor Krum partially to catch Ron's attention. Playing two men off each other had blown up rather spectacularly in her face and nearly cost her two important friendships. If she involved Draco in this - whatever it was that just happened in the library with Teddy - would the results be similar? Her boyfriend had been terribly jealous when he'd misinterpreted her innocent hand-holding with Ron last week. To learn that his best friend and she had been play-flirting behind his back, and that it may have led to Teddy's subsequent actions… she was sure the results wouldn't be good.
This situation was now officially convoluted.
The fact was, Teddy had scared her tonight, whether by accident or not, but she didn't want to risk losing Draco or causing he and Teddy to be at odds over it. She resolved, therefore, to keep her mouth shut this time, and to be careful not to be alone with Teddy again. If he came after her a second time, then she would tell Draco what was going on (what was the old Muggle saying? Once - a slip; twice - intentional). This was the only way she could see that would prevent bad feelings all around.
Absently, her hand touched the point on her throat where Teddy's hot breath could still phantom be felt and she felt decidedly ill knowing it had excited her, even for a fraction of a second.
x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x
Teddy sniffed in disgust at himself as he gathered up his things and made his way back to his Common Room. What the hell was he thinking making moves on Hermione like that? He'd frightened her by being too close, and her reaction definitely bothered him. Hadn't he earned her trust yet? He'd thought they'd been making progress, especially after their little talk in the hallway that afternoon that he'd found her distraught and crying. For Slytherin's sake, she'd sniffled all over his vest as he'd held her then! And yet, she'd practically run from him tonight for simply standing near her once more and touching her arm.
Lifting a shaky hand to his forehead, he pushed his hair back. He wasn't feeling particularly well again, his fever spiking despite having just taken some of his potion less than an hour ago. He passed hurriedly by many of his housemates without a thought as he made for his dorm, hoping to grab another vial from his trunk. Adrian Pucey was in residence, though, when Teddy opened his door.
"Hey, mate, back from the library already?"
Biting back a nasty comment, Teddy forced himself to remain calm. He was hot and frustrated and angry with himself, and not in any particular mood for socializing. He needed his potion fast before the nausea and sweating began. "I've got a headache," he excused gruffly, tossing his robe over the end of his bed and slipping his shoes off. "I'm going to sleep now."
Pucey hesitated, giving him an odd look, but nodded in acceptance and headed for the door. "I'm out anyway. I'll tell the others to keep it quiet. Feel better, yeah?" With that, Adrian slipped out the door and Teddy waited until the guy's footsteps faded before sitting up and reaching into his trunk for another vial of his medicine. He chugged it down, put the empty glass ampoule in his book bag so he could remember to return it to Madam Pomfrey tomorrow, and wearily changed for bed. It was only eight o'clock, but he was more than ready to call the day over. Tossing his dirties down the laundry chute, he slipped under the covers, waved his wand to close off his curtains, and lay staring up at his canopy.
What a gods damned mess he'd made tonight. How was he going to explain himself? He'd so obviously been hitting on Granger; had actually contemplated leaning down and pressing his mouth to her neck! What kind of fucking friend was he anyway?
With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come for him for another hour. His dreams that night were plagued with memories of his father's crazy, mismatched eyes – eyes that were the exact opposite of his, blue on the other side from green - as they stared lifelessly up at the sky.
x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x
Wednesday started out better than the previous two days, as Draco actually managed to spend some quality time with Hermione at breakfast. After finishing off a rather delicious jam toast and bacon-egg pie together, they walked hand-in-hand to Herbology where they partnered up with Teddy. Almost immediately, he noticed a chilly atmosphere between his girlfriend and his best friend, and he wondered what might have happened between them to make them both so edgy.
"What's up with you two?" he muttered under his breath as they all bent over a Chinese Chomping Cabbage, trying to trick it with live bait into opening up so they could yank out a few of its leaves.
Teddy sighed heavily. "I offended your girlfriend last night in the library," he explained, then turned to Hermione. "I'm sorry, Granger. I didn't mean to upset you."
Hermione stared up at Teddy for a moment, biting her lip, and then nodded with a tight smile. "It's okay, Teddy. Let's just forget it, okay?" With that, she turned back to their day's assignment, her face scrunching up as if she'd just eaten something sour. "Now, who wants to feed it the grub worms and who wants to do the plucking?"
Teddy stalked off towards the dorms immediately after class (his mood strangely down and a little hostile almost, Draco noted), so he shared lunch in the Great Hall with Hermione, just the two of them preferring to sit alone at the end of Slytherin's table, their heads bent close as they talked and laughed and fed each other. Whatever small blight that had begun spoiling the day earlier was now completely in the past, and the hour they spent together was fun and relaxing. When the one o'clock bell rang out, it was with great reluctance that Draco parted from his girlfriend. He gave her a blazing kiss with some naughty tongue and promised to see her later that evening for their appointed rendezvous before heading off to his regularly scheduled Quidditch practice with the team, while she scampered off towards her afternoon N.E.W.T. Prep Lecture.
The Slytherins were just coming off the pitch at four o'clock when the Ravenclaw team unexpectedly appeared. Their Captain and Seeker, Cho Chang, informed him that she'd reserved the pitch until seven o'clock, so he informed his teammates covertly to meet back at the pitch at six – in their uniforms - so they could surreptitiously watch their rivals and form strategies. They would then catch an extra hour and a half of practice afterwards he declared firmly, reminding them of the ultimate prize they were all striving towards. There were a few groans, but everyone agreed that they wanted a solid shot at the Cup this year (especially since four of the eight main players and two of the four reserve players were graduating in June), and sneaking a look at the Screaming Eagles' tactics would give the Silver Serpents a definite advantage. They caught a quick dinner together at five, returned to the Quidditch area under Disillusionment Charms by six, and finally got back on their brooms at seven-fifteen, making sure that the Ravenclaw team had no idea they'd been analyzed, nor that the Slytherins were retaking the pitch to sneakily practice some of the tactics they'd designed to counter the Eagles' feinting moves. By eight-thirty, everyone was exhausted, but the emotions were running confident and high. This just might be Slytherin's year to take the Cup back after all!
The only thing that got Draco through the punishing regime of the late afternoon was reminding himself that later he would be with Hermione again. His sexy girlfriend had been on his mind constantly in the waking and sleeping minutes since Sunday, and obsessed as he was, Draco knew nothing would keep him from her room tonight. Granger had become his new drug of choice, and he needed a hit badly.
By nine o'clock, he was practically buzzing as he knocked on her door. She answered wearing a light pink baby doll, three-quarter sleeve, cotton shirt with a plunging scoop neckline (her luscious cleavage beckoned!) and a pair of dark, form-fitting Muggle yoga pants. Her adorable feet were bare and her hair was up in a ponytail at the top of her head. "Hiya," he greeted, a little unsure of appearing in his Quidditch outfit (he'd scampered from the locker room immediately after the team had finished, grabbing his bag with his change of clothes and shower kit). He cleared his throat. "Sorry to come here in uniform, but I just finished up practice. Didn't want to be late."
Hermione's eyes roamed up and down his body, taking him all in, and without further ado, she reached out, grabbed his arm, and with a strength he didn't know she possessed, she dragged him into her room and shut the door quickly behind him. So taken aback by her reaction, Draco was completely unprepared for her body slamming against his, their combined weight pinning him up against the door itself, nor for her lips smashing onto his with brute ferocity. It took him only a second or two for his semi-fatigued brain to catch up, and then he unceremoniously dropped his gym bag, and slung his arms around her waist, kissing her back with equal ardor. They Frenched with a passion that Draco had always dreamed he'd share with a woman – honest in its desire, unrestrained in its primacy, filled with promises for better things to come.
After a good ten minutes of serious lip locking and tongue thrusting action, Hermione finally pulled back, ending the kiss by biting his lower lip, which made his cock jerk in his pants. She looked at him, grinning. "Is it an 'O' yet?" she asked, and for a second, Draco's mind was in the gutter. Then he remembered the reference and smirked, playing along.
"Close," he teased. "Keep trying."
She suddenly wrinkled her nose. "You're dirty and sweaty."
"Final game this weekend. Important match," he explained, proudly grinning. "I intend on winning. I want a shot at Potter in the finals next May."
She rolled her eyes and grinned, pointing to her bathroom imperiously. "Go take a shower."
He laughed and rubbed his clammy body all over her and she mocked being disgusted and grunted a fake protest. "Now you smell, too, baby. Guess you'll have to join me." He waggled his eyebrows at her in play, but suddenly her face became very serious. A blush crept up her neck and cheeks, and she bit her lip. It was that look again, and he knew it meant her mind was contemplating what he'd just offered. He held his breath, waiting to see what she would say or do.
She opened her mouth, shut it, then swallowed and spoke softly. "Can I?"
Draco couldn't have been more surprised than if she'd offered herself up in a gelatin bikini. He hadn't planned on attempting to take all her clothes off of her tonight; he'd just wanted some serious snogging time with her. But, damn, by the look on her face, she was serious wasn't she? And it wouldn't just be her nude in the shower if he agreed. That could lead to some profound fooling around again. "Are you sure?" he heard himself asking, even though the devilish part of his psyche smacked him upside the head for even voicing such a stupid question. The angel on his shoulder applauded his courtesy, however - although it also warned that maybe they were moving too fast once more. For the moment, he ignored the tug-o-war within and paid attention to her response.
She ran her hands down to his pecks and began lightly touching the ridges of his muscles through his layers of clothes. "Yes," she determinedly stated. "I want to see you again." Her eyes glittered with desire as her hands roamed up his chest. "I liked what we did the other night."
Draco's ego did the Sideways Mambo around the room, completely out of control. Oh, yeah! His girl wanted him naked and willing! Not that he ever had any doubt, but still… He took a deep breath, reigning himself in before he foolishly mimicked his strutting Id, and then he asked himself the totally hard question: should he go for it, or be good and take it slow? You could do a little of both, he convinced himself easily enough. "All right, but you keep your knickers on, Granger," he offered. "Otherwise, I won't be able to stop myself from screwing you against the wall, which is something I don't think you'd want yet. Agreed?"
She nodded anxiously. Draco cupped her chin and forced it up so she would look at him. They locked eyes, and he found himself once more drowning in those dark cinnamon depths. "Okay then. Lead on, baby." Hermione licked her lips as he took her hand, bent and gathered his gym bag by the handles, and he followed her to the bathroom. She turned in the doorway, Accio'd her wand with a non-verbal thought, and waved it at the door, locking it and silencing the whole room for privacy. She then magically lit the candles on the bathroom wall.
"Ambiance," he grinned. "Nice." He put his gym bag on the sink counter, withdrew his kit, opened the glass door to the shower and set his things down, then came back out and stood before her. He looked her up and down, noting that her earlier light blush of embarrassment had become more a flush of excitement over the intervening seconds since they'd entered this room. He got in close and personal, leaned down and kissed her gently, taking her hands in his, trying to ease her. "This is still part of Lesson five," he explained, "So I want you to undress me." He stepped back a bit and let her hands go.
Hermione licked her lips again, hesitating only a second, and then she reached for his outer, dark green robe, shedding it off his shoulders and collecting it from behind him to fold up and put in his gym bag. As she did so, she looked up at him with a rare combination of shyness and sultry sensuality, sliding the clothes off of him slowly. They locked eyes as she removed his dark brown leather arm guards next, undoing the silver buckles and pulling them off with equally unhurried movements. These, too, went in the bag. Next were his matching finger gloves, which she tossed next to the guards. She reached around Draco's waist and tugged his long-sleeved, dark green knit sweater and the thermal shirt under it up and over his head, mussing his hair. Yanking his arms forward, she slid the clothes over his biceps and forearms, then tangled them around his wrists and held on tightly, trapping his hands effectively. His smirk became positively wicked. "You'd like to tie me up and have your way with me, wouldn't you?" he softly asked in that low voice he reserved only for her.
She nodded, scrutinizing his well-cut physique once more. "Yes." The word was barely a whisper, and it trembled across her lips as her eyes darkened with intense desire. In that moment, Draco was again thankful for all the hours he'd spent working out. The blatant, hot lust displayed on Hermione Granger's face as she unabashedly drooled over him made all of the punishing, painful hours of sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups totally worth it. Shaking his white-blond bangs out of his eyes, he leaned forward until his nose was touching hers, staring at her with deliberate hunger. "Keep going," he murmured in a growl, trying to draw her attention back to the task at hand.
Disentangling his arms next, Hermione heedlessly discarded his shirts across the gym bag, and then knelt down in front of him to remove his hard leather shin guards, dark brown, soft leather Quidditch shoes, and thick, winter socks. When that was done, she ran her hands up the sides of his cream-colored team pants to his waist eagerly. With lightly shaking fingers, she undid all four buttons in the front and slowly slid the sport chinos from his hips. He stepped out of them, pushing them back with his foot without thought, waiting for the final piece of his clothing to come off at her hands.
She looked up at him, noting his erection tenting his dark green boxer-briefs and skimmed her hands back up his legs, around his waist, and then glided two fingers towards his bellybutton and followed a path down his length. The silken fabric stroked against him and Draco moaned as his penis twitched. He stroked her cheek fondly as she moved her hand over his shorts, slowly up and down, making him ache. Easing his torment, she removed her hand from its sinful endeavors and thumbed the waistband of the boxers, working them down and over his shaft, past his knees, and lifting each of his feet, she slipped his underwear off and pushed them to the side. With a deep inhalation, she stood up and stepped back, looking upon him fully again. A shiver ran all up and down her body and her mouth parted slightly in yearning.
Feeling cocksure, he bent his mouth to her ear and whispered alluringly. "I didn't say we couldn't fool around in the shower, Hermione. Just no penetration." She nodded eagerly in understanding.
Inspired to participate now that he was fully unclothed, Draco tugged his girl's shirt up and over her body and tossed it next to his clothes on the floor, kissing her neck and ear the whole while. He worked her bra clasps open in the back, and slipped the thin straps slowly off her shoulders, down her arms, letting the white cotton and lace fabric drop to the floor between them. He pressed their naked chests together and they gasped at the same time from the sensation of naked skin marrying together. She was warm and soft, and her nipples were erect against him, and he stood still just holding her tightly pressed against him for a few moments, inhaling deeply into her hairline, scenting cinnamon, honey and amber – her signature fragrance. He was both comforted and craving her at the same time in those few seconds.
His fingers smoothed around to the waist tie on her pants, and he pulled the string, loosening the bow, then tugged the garment off her hips and let it slide down on its own. She kicked it away. Only her panties were left between them; a thin strip of cotton was all that separated them from being complete skin-on-skin. Draco wanted so badly to rip them off her, but they'd made a deal which he'd forced upon them both. Like he'd said, there was no going back.
Pulling himself away reluctantly, he turned to the shower and stepped through the open glass door to turn the faucets on. After adjusting the temperature, he pulled her in after him and shut the door behind, then stepped back, letting the spray fall over his shoulders. He tilted his head back to get his hair wet, and then, with an easy lift and turn, he positioned her under the water next. In seconds, she was drenched. Her hair was straightened by the weight soaking into it, and he realized how very long it was then – half the way down her back; apparently, her natural ringlets shortened it when dry. The water cascaded down her breasts, stomach and hips beautifully, and saturated her white cotton knickers - which did nothing to hide the dark curls underneath. Draco felt his blood pounding through his veins in uncontrolled lust as she guided the water through her hair, absolutely clueless as to how stunningly delicious she was.
Speaking of that crazy mop of hers… Reaching for her shampoo, which sat within the recessed nook in the wall, he poured some of the liquid out into his hand. It smelled like warm vanilla. "Come here," he bid and she recognized what he was about and spun around for him without being told to. He began lathering up her hair, careful not to rub too hard. She leaned back against him and tilted her head forward, making noises of approval as he massaged her scalp. He then directed her back under the spray face first and made sure to get all of the soap out. After, he pulled her back against him in the same position and reached for her conditioner. "That feels wonderful," she admitted, groaning in pleasure as he worked her tension away. "You've got magic fingers."
Draco chuckled, and couldn't resist the retort that bubbled from his lips. "These aren't the only appendages of mine that are magical, baby." He rubbed his length up against her from behind teasingly and Hermione shuddered in response. She wiggled her bottom against him in an unexpected response and he jerked back with a hiss. Her giggles were loud in the echoing tile room, and he spanked her lightly in response. "Fresh."
He shoved her back under the water to wash the conditioner from her hair, and when it was thoroughly done, he whipped her around and traded places with her, reaching for his own shampoo. She stopped him with a hand over his. "Let me," she offered. He smirked and nodded, and bent his head so she could first wash, then condition his hair for him.
Now came the part he'd been looking forward to since the offer had been made to join him in the shower... He reached for his soap, grabbed his terry cotton wash cloth and rubbed them together until the fabric was sudsy, and then he brought it to her chest. He gently rubbed in a slow circular motion across her collar, up the right side of her throat, down the connecting shoulder, and over and under her arm. He bathed her right hand, taking each finger and rubbing over and between each gap, then up her wrist, and traced his way back to the center of her collar. Then, he worked the left side the same way. There was nothing sexual in the touching at first; he was merely washing her and enjoying every second of taking care of her this way. He washed her abdomen, careful not to touch her breasts yet, and then turned her slowly to scrub her back, sweeping her hair over her shoulder and out of the way. As he traced the cloth down her spine, she shivered. He knelt down and sponged her legs, ankles and feet. On the way back up, he playfully tickled the back of her knees and she giggled, jerking away. He grinned and kissed each crease in mock apology.
When Draco finished, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her back against him, and only then did he touch her chest. He ran the cloth gently around each curve, lifting both breasts up individually to wash underneath, then slowly moved it over her right nipple – which reacted instantly, hardening tight – then her left, with the same result. He made circular motions with her flesh, and she grabbed at his hip behind her to steady herself, moaning in desire. Dropping the wash rag without further regard, he let his fingers take over, running them over both breasts simultaneously. She let out a loud "Ooooh!" as he rolled and pinched her between his soapy fingers. "You have the most gorgeous tits, Granger," he murmured in her ear, then placed kisses up and down her cheek. "I love fondling them."
She moaned again, and started waggling her bottom against him. The soap on her lower back rubbed against his hard, exposed length and it felt so good against her smooth skin. He groaned, shoving his hips up once, but pulled away quickly to avoid further temptation. Walking backwards, he pulled her under the water with him to rinse her off, and she whimpered, obviously lamenting the loss of the sensations that being slippery and pliant provided. He sniffed in amusement. "Don't worry, baby," he offered. "We're not done yet." He placed a kiss on her neck. "It's your turn to wash me now."
He let her go and turned the shower head to the wall so it wouldn't fall upon them anymore. Leaning against the tile, he waited for her next move. She did as predicted – bent to pick up the wash cloth, wrung it out, then turned to him and picked up the soap, reapplying it. They held gazes as she worked, and he could almost taste her knotted trepidation and enthusiasm on his tongue, so palpable was it between them. When she was ready, she approached him.
Draco was surprised when she didn't copy his exploration path, as he'd been anticipating. Instead, she started at his fingers and worked her way up, lazily moving as if memorizing each curve and every visible vein under his skin. She took her time, touching lightly, reverently and his heart ached in response. Had he been wrong; was she starting to love him? His breath hitched in his chest as she moved into his body to work. She scrubbed his neck, ears and face, and then reached up on tip toe to turn the shower back on him so he could get the soap off those places immediately. Then, she moved the shower head back and continued her discovery of his body, moving the wash rag over his pecks, caressing his nipples. He gasped at the acute stab of longing that shot like electricity all up and down his spine as she worked him up as thoroughly as he'd done her earlier. Then, she moved on, down his abs, stopping at his hips, careful not to touch his erection. She knelt – gods, how many times had he envisioned her in that position? – and washed his legs and feet.
He saw the wicked grin an instant before her fingers snuck behind his leg and tickled his vulnerable spot behind his knees in retribution. He jerked a little and let out a laugh, and she looked up into his eyes with a mischievous grin. He shook his head warningly at her, but the smile on his face ruined the threat, he was sure. Still, she didn't look for that kind of trouble any longer as she finished washing him up to his thighs. There, she stopped and stood up, rouging again all over, the blood flushing through her layers of skin beautifully. He pulled her into his embrace. "I'm dying for you to touch me everywhere, Hermione. Do it, please."
Her breathing picked up, but she nodded and moved away from him to turn the spray back on him. When he was clean, she replaced the shower head once more towards the wall and she started back at his chest again, running her fingernails this time over his nipples. His eyes closed for a moment and he huffed heavy on an exhale to let her know it felt good. She did it again, and then rolled and pinched him as he had done to her. His head tilted back against the tile and he swallowed back enflaming desire. "Baby, that feels really good," he told her. "Don't stop."
He wanted to empower her to be bolder, so as she played with his sensitive skin, he encouraged her verbally and through physical cues and within minutes, she was definitely inspired. Her hands slid over the ridges of his stomach muscles and he flexed them for her. She gave him a playful smile, and ran her fingers over him again. He contracted the muscles a second time and her smile turned positively radiant. "That's neat every time I see it," she told him. "I can't do that."
He laughed. "Do enough crunches and I'm sure you'll look like a boy in no time."
She snickered and then ran her finger down to his bellybutton again, dipping into it. This time, it wasn't intentional when he flexed; she was hitting a spot that quite unexpectedly turned him on. His penis jerked in response, and she noticed. Her eyes were instantly transfixed on his member. He looked down between them to watch her hand move slowly over the head once more. She worked him over as she had previously, bringing him slowly towards climax and he tried to keep his eyes on her, but it was difficult, as they squeezed shut every so often on their own as he felt the ripples of pleasure roll through him. His breathing came faster and his heart started pumping furiously against his ribs. "Can I touch you?" he asked, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides as he tried to control himself. "I want to feel you, too."
She froze, her hand stopping its stroking and he shuddered at the unexpected release of pressure. Slowly, she nodded her head. "Okay."
"I promise I won't take your knickers off," he breathed in her ear as he pulled her directly against him. "And I'll be gentle. I just… I have to know what you feel like." One arm held her to him as the other worked its way between them to the top band of her panties. Quickly, before she changed her mind, he slipped his hand under the fabric and let his fingers roam over her curly snatch for the first time. "Spread your legs for me," he coaxed hotly in her ear, lathing the lobe with his tongue. She complied and his fingers opened her labia and stroked her hot, moist flesh, rimming then lightly dipping a fingertip into her opening very briefly, then working all the way up to her clit. Her hymen was definitely still intact; he'd felt the narrow opening and the thin skin surrounding it just then, and he made a mental note to be very careful not to tear it as he fingered her.
Hermione moaned at the sensation of him flicking her little, hard bead directly, and her head lolled back as her free hand on his bicep clenched and her nails dug into him. Her hand on his todger had not moved, but he noted she was clasped tightly around him. He teased and played with her for long minutes, coating her insides with her own juices, sucking on her neck's pulse as he pleasured her with his hand. She actually stood on tiptoes and laid her forehead on his shoulder, shuddering and panting at one point as he rubbed tight, fast circles around her fleshy, little core.
Her reaction made him twitch again and he felt his balls tighten up. "Stroke me," he charged, running his tongue all up and down her throat, then circling around to capture her lips in a kiss that was meant to burn her up. She keened as he pinched her clit at the same moment as his tongue thrust through her lips, and her hand on his member started its rhythmic motion up and down again over him, causing him to dribble a stream of pre-come all over them both. The clear goo slicked the way for her flesh to easily slip and glide over him, and very soon, he was loudly gasping from the sensations.
Removing his hand from her panties he pushed back a bit and rubbed some of his liquid pre-ejaculate onto his fingers, making sure she watched what he was doing. With his eyes fastened on her expression, he returned those same fingers to her pussy, rubbing his fluid against her clit, mingling it with her own juices. It was such an intimate and erotic thing to share with her; he'd never intentionally marked a woman in such a way.
With gentle thrusts, he moved his index finger up inside of her then, making sure not to go in too hard or too far, and in response, Hermione propelled her hand back over his cock, the pace returning to where it had been before he'd stopped them. She felt fan-fucking-tastic! He leaned his lips next to her ear. "Granger..." he whispered her name hotly, clenching his teeth as that pleasure-pain principal crept up on him all too quickly. He rubbed his nose in her hair and bit her nape wildly, his index finger carefully driving into her virginal entrance as his palm rubbed up and down against her outside g-spot. "Bloody hell, woman, you drive me mad with wanting you. You're on my mind constantly. I can't stop thinking about doing this with you. Do you feel the same way, baby?" He wanted to know he was haunting her as much as she did him. She nodded as she began pressing kisses down his throat, shivering as she continued to stroke him and as his finger toyed with her vagina. "Tell me then," he coaxed, leaning in to lick at her mouth. "Tell me how you feel, Hermione," he implored, his voice a rough growl. "I want to know."
His love leaned in and spoke against his lips in a breathy, raspy voice that made his heart flutter. "I… I only want you touching me this way, Draco. I only want to do these things with you." Staring at him through half-shuttered lids, heat bloomed on her cheeks as her wet, rosy lips parted. "At night, I dream about us. In classes, it's hard to concentrate on taking notes if you're sitting next to me, and when you're not there, I'm daydreaming about you. You drive me to distraction, too. I feel like… you're consuming me." She pressed desperate kisses to his lips.
His heart slammed against his ribs at her words. She did want him for more than just casual sex. But how deep did those feelings go?
"Draco…" she looked at him intently. "If you wanted to, we could… I want to."
He inhaled deeply, praying for the strength not to give into his true desire to fuck her right there in the shower. Merlin, he wanted to do nothing more than turn her towards the wall, put her hands up on the tiles, bend her over and thrust into her hard and fast. But he knew that it wouldn't be right for her first time to take her in such a way. No, when he took her virginity, he wanted her in her bed, with her hair fanned out over her pillow, and he wanted to take his time. "Baby, you don't know how tempting that offer is, but it's not time yet. Soon, though," he murmured and released her waist with the one arm that had pinned her to him, placing that hand over her own and forcing her grip around his member to tighten even more, pumping fast and furious now, even as his fingers below began working seriously on her clit again. He kissed her like he was going to eat her mouth. "Just a few more things to teach you and then I swear I'll fuck you so good," he vowed as her whimpers were crescendoing into full-out cries. He felt his balls tighten up, knew he was close to spilling over himself. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Damn, Granger, please say you're close!"
She nodded, standing on tiptoe again. "A little more," she gasped, kissing him equally as ardent. "I'm almost… Ye-yes… oh… oh… Draco… oooh, yes… Draco!" She came and her hand around him grew so tight that he had to bite his own lip to prevent himself from following her immediately; he wanted to feel her orgasm against his hand. Her thighs clenched together and the walls of her canal rippled around his finger as he slipped it into her carefully once more. Her face pressed into his chest and the nails of her free hand dug into his shoulder as her climax took her over. "Oh, gods… oh, gods!" She mewled as her body kept pulsing for several more seconds before the wave retreated slowly and her body relaxed.
Draco held on by only the narrowest thread, balancing right on that edge of pain, wanting to make sure she was completely sated. Finally, when she began to sag against him, unable to wait any longer, he grabbed her hand that surrounded his hard flesh and drove it over his cock almost violently. After three passes, he pulled away and looked down. "Watch me come for you," he demanded, his voice rough. She followed his gaze, pressed her lower body against his once more, joining them at the pelvis, and that brought him over. "Oh, fuck!" he shouted to the ceiling, his balls spasming uncontrollably as his orgasm slammed out of him. He sprayed his seed against her belly and all down the hand that gripped him, coating her with his hot, pearly liquid once again. But his body wasn't finished after the first release. His climax kept going even after it normally would have stopped and he was dragged into a second, blinding release immediately without explanation. He banged his head against the tile as his eyes rolled back and Hermione's name was ripped from his throat with a great cry that he was sure could be heard on the other side of the castle.
Draco came back to sanity long minutes after, the white fuzz on the sides of his vision clearing up, his heart rate finally returning to normal. His girlfriend was pressing him against the wall and helping to hold him up, her face buried into his chest, her small hands resting on his shoulders. Weakly, he embraced her back and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "That… amazing," was all he could say at first, mimicking her sentiment the first time she'd orgasmed for him. Once his breathing slowed and he regained brain-mouth coordination, he tried the compliment again. "I've never come twice in the row like that. Thank you, baby."
She laughed, leaned up and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you for making me feel so good, too. And you're quite welcome." She nuzzled her nose against his ear and playfully chuckled. "I think that was definitely an 'O' this time. A really big one."
He tiredly snorted, grinning, and patted her bum softly. "Saucy wench."
She snickered and placed a kiss over his heart, and right then and there, staring down into her lovely, flushed face, Draco decided that Hermione was his now, and as such, he had absolutely no intention of letting her go come Christmas. There was absolutely no fucking way was he ever going to let another guy touch her like this, he decided possessively. And when it was the right time, he had every intention of telling her that, too.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: UNPREDICTABLE
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
Thursday, November 20, 1997
As he dressed in his uniform on Thursday morning, Teddy frowned, realizing that he wouldn't see Granger at all today; their schedules were completely different. He probably wouldn't even catch her at the library tonight – one of her favorite times to study there – after what had happened between them. She said she'd forgiven him, but she'd been distant and cordial to him at dinner last night when they greeted each other in the hall entrance. Yep, he'd definitely fucked things up between them, and he still didn't understand what had come over him to have done it in the first place.
He sighed heavily, gathered his satchel and headed out the door, determined to just let things take their course. Eventually, she'd get over her reticence and they'd be back to being friends again.
On his way through the Slytherin Common Room, Daphne Greengrass casually met up with him and marched in step at his side. "Morning, Theo," she calmly greeted with a swing of her waist-length, blonde, straight hair, keeping her captivating dark jade-colored eyes evenly ahead, her features carefully guarded. He ignored her, heading up to the Great Hall, pretending for all the world that he could care less that she was there, walking beside him.
When he took his typical seat at Slytherin's table, his ex-girlfriend seated herself across from him, settling her long, alluring legs into a feminine knee-cross and reaching for a hot, raisin muffin and a butter pat. She then placed one gracefully slim hand into the center of the table and ordered up her morning tea with milk, and began to eat as if this were a common, everyday occurrence between them. Teddy sipped at his own tea, watching her over the rim of the cup, looking for a crack in her shell. He tired of the game quickly, however, when it was obvious that Daphne had no intention of telling him directly what she wanted from him. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded in a low hiss, not liking her toying with him one bit.
Daphne looked at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes. "Whatever do you mean, Theo? I'm having breakfast, as I do every morning."
He carefully put his mug down before he smashed it against the table in growing ire. Daphne Greengrass always had a way of getting under his skin. That's why he'd spent the last two years ignoring her. "Not like every morning," he snarled. "Every morning you're down the other end of the table, flirting with whichever guy you shagged the night before."
Daphne stopped chewing and her face suddenly slammed down into all cold, severe angles. She swallowed her mouthful, took a sip of tea, daintily dabbed her mouth with the napkin in her lap and then replied to his vitriolic and hateful comment. "What makes you think I fuck them?"
Her use of an expletive made Teddy's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. Daphne never swore; she considered herself above such common invectives. "Adding low-class profanity to your vocabulary finally are you?"
"Dodging my question?" she countered. "I asked you what made you think I had sexual relations with any of those boys?"
Teddy laughed, and he didn't care that it came out sinister and loud, or that several people nearby looked at him warily. He leaned forward and spoke in a deceptively mild tone, but his words were biting. "If you'll recall correctly, I caught you red-handed."
She looked hard at him then. "No, you saw Toby Lennox kissing me. I wasn't sleeping with him."
Teddy narrowed his eyes at her. "You were in your bed with him, for Slytherin's sake."
Daphne took another bite of her muffin and stared daggers at him. When she'd finished swallowing, she opposed him again, her tone raw and scornful. "I never wanted him. And I didn't ask him to come to my room that day."
Teddy shook his head and took a big gulp of tea. "Doesn't matter now, does it? If not Lennox, then there are at least a dozen more to choose from. Take your pick."
Daphne's normally controlled face was red, her eyes hateful. "Have you ever considered, Theo, that maybe you've been wrong about me all these years?" she asked him in a sharp, glacial tone, but he didn't rise to the bait. "No? Then clearly I'm wasting my time." With that, she grabbed her satchel and her muffin and stormed off back down to her regular side of the hall, as far away from him and out of sight as possible.
Fire stabbed through Teddy's heart, and the wound he'd thought closed so many years before was suddenly ripped open to freshly bleed again. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he tried to reign in his temper. What the hell was Greengrass on? The lines of broken-hearted guys she'd discarded like so much useless trash – of which he could be included - wound clear around the block. The pieces of this particular puzzle had no other conclusion: Daphne was little better than a toffing Haybag, and he'd been bloody lucky to have gotten out with some semblance of sanity intact years ago. That she'd deny it…
No, he wouldn't think about her anymore. His ex- had gotten all she was going to out of him. He'd focus what time and energies he had left on a girl worthy of his affections, even if he could never outwardly show them to her.
Speaking of…
He looked around. Granger and Drake were, as usual on Thursday mornings, absent from the room. He tried to tuck aside his disappointment and quiet the voice in the back of his head that taunted him about their whereabouts, and focused on eating. One thing Daphne had said to him in the past few days was true: he'd lost too much weight because of his illness. If he didn't take better care of himself, Granger was going to find out the truth. He dug an extra scoop of scrambled eggs onto his plate and ate, praying he wouldn't vomit today.
x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x
"Morning, love," Draco murmured sleepily, nuzzling Hermione's neck from behind, burying his nose in her hairline, his mind still half fuzzed with sleep, his erection fully awake however. He ran his lips over her bare shoulder and his fingers cupped a naked breast. Hermione groaned.
"Morning," she yawned, snuggling her pajama-covered bum against his boxers. When he tweaked her nipple she gasped and arched into him further. He groaned, recalling the way she'd reacted similarly last night after their shower. They'd fooled around until the early morning – maybe three or four a.m. – getting each other off with their hands several more times before finally falling into an exhausted slumber in each other's arms in her bed. He had to admit now that he'd missed sleeping next to her; he'd become spoiled from their clandestine meetings in the hospital ward.
Which reminded him: he needed to return Potter's Invisibility Cloak to the guy today sometime. He'd been so wrapped up in Quidditch, class work and Hermione that he hadn't had time to properly thank the git for his assistance.
Shite, Quidditch!
He had a meeting this morning with Urquhart, his Chaser and second most senior of the team members, to go over final strategies for Saturday's game! He sat up quickly, checking Hermione's Sandkeeper on the bedside stand. It was a little after nine. He had two hours before he had to go meet Adam. He let out a sigh of relief.
"What's wrong?" his girlfriend asked, sitting up with him. She wasn't wearing a top and had apparently forgotten that little fact.
As soon as Draco saw her perky, luscious tits – pink nipples reacting instantly to the cooler temperature of the room – he smirked wickedly, then pounced on her, pinning her to the bed underneath him. He ravaged her mouth first, and then worked his way down her collar to her breasts. "Meeting at eleven for Quidditch," he informed her in between kisses.
"Oh," she exclaimed as he took a nipple in between his teeth and tugged on it. "I see." She gasped as he lathed the small bud. "Then… shouldn't you go… get ready?"
He shook his head, his platinum bangs brushing across her smooth flesh, causing goosebumps to appear across her flesh. "We've got time, baby," he assured her and then proceeded to make her cry out in pleasure once more.
It was only later, as he'd finished up his meeting and was walking to meet Hermione for lunch that Draco realized he'd called her 'love' that morning, and that she hadn't reacted negatively to the endearment.
x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x
Hermione's blissfully happy mood carried over into lunchtime, when she met up with Draco again for lunch. They took a seat at Gryffindor's table together across from Harry and Ginny. Neville and Hannah Abbot (who were going on a month together now), Seamus and Luna (who'd started dating just a week ago), and Ron (Lavender was, thankfully, lunching with Parvati and her sister, Padma, further down the table) joined them, sitting all around closely. When Teddy walked into the room, Hermione was surprised to hear Harry call out to him and wave him over. Her tall, dark friend seemed equally as baffled, but a small smile played on his lips as he took a seat across from she and Draco, on Harry's open side. As she watched the gang exchange witty banter as they consumed mini spinach and cheese pies, Hermione couldn't help but feel a little pride at what she was seeing; this was true inter-house unity right here! Sure, the standard rivalry still existed (there was some particularly playful teasing about Slytherin's chances in the big game this Saturday spearheaded by Ginny, but Draco gave back as good as he got and the two grinned at each other like circling cats the whole time), but the fact that all of them were enjoying each other's company, letting the conversation flow naturally, touched Hermione in a way she hadn't expected.
"What's wrong, baby?" Draco asked concernedly, taking her hands in his.
Hermione shook her head. "Nothing's wrong." She wiped the tears that had fallen down her cheeks away with the back of her hand and smiled tremblingly. "I'm just happy."
Diagonal across the table, Ron sighed. "Ignore her, Malfoy. It's probably just women's hormones again or something. She always gets weepy mid-way through the month."
Hermione was spared having to slap Ron upside the head, because Ginny did it for her quite impressively. "Insensitive git," she growled.
Harry leaned over to look around his girlfriend at his best buddy. "It might be better if you let the rest of us do the talking for the remainder of the day, mate. That way, you'll at least keep your pants."
Everyone laughed and Ron looked sheepish, but grinned. He knew he'd said something outrageous, but it was his way to clear up uncomfortable emotional moments with inappropriate humor. Hermione had learned that long ago. "I just meant that I'm excited to see that we've got all four houses represented right here, right now, and we're all getting along so swell," she clarified. "Isn't that amazing? Who'd have ever thought this could be possible?"
The group all looked at each other as if just realizing Hermione's truth. Everyone's face seemed contemplative and a bit surprised. "Well, it's a start," Harry, as usual, conveyed the one sentiment on everyone's mind most appropriately with the least amount of words possible. There was a chorus of "hear-hear" and nods as everyone sipped at their drinks or went back to eating.
Suddenly, Draco looked across the table. "That reminds me: Potter, I've got something of yours," he stated and the two shared a knowing look. Obviously, they were referring to the infamous Invisibility Cloak.
"Later," Harry nonchalantly replied, trying to make it seem like they were referencing a text book or something equally as unimportant. Draco nodded in understanding, but Ron and Ginny traded a questioning look with Hermione who feigned ignorance with a shrug. It wasn't her secret to tell. Besides, it was fun keeping inconsequential, harmless things from them on occasion.
"Oh, Theodore, you might not want to eat that!" Luna chimed in unexpectedly from next to Draco, pointing at the yellow-peeled fruit he'd reached for instead of the citrus pudding. Teddy gave her a questioning glance and everyone stopped what they were doing to find out exactly what it was that Luna (who was always good for a laugh or groan) was on about. "Bananas are known to attract Wrackspurts," she confided with an authoritative nod.
Teddy blinked, obviously confused. "What's a…?" he began, but everyone cut him off pretty much simultaneously with hand motions telling him to forget about asking, including Seamus, who was trying not to laugh and failed miserably (he turned and gave his girl a smooch on the cheek and just shook his head at her adorable craziness). Wisely and with great stealth, Teddy shut his mouth and put the banana back, reaching for the orange-grapefruit dessert instead.
X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X
By one o'clock, it was time for all of them to take off for their afternoon classes. Hermione and Draco left hand-in-hand for their D.A.D.A. Lecture-Lab, hurrying so as not to be late (Snape was still an unforgiving teacher, regardless of his loyalty to those who'd once belonged to the Order). They spent the first half of the class talking about the theories around Legilimency (a core requirement for their N.E.W.T. tests at the end of May) and how/why the magic works, then the second half of the three hours was spent on practical application. Today's first attempt was supposedly simple: projecting an image and having your partner pick up the visual from half a meter away.
Hermione found it difficult to concentrate, as the 'internal voices' of fellow students around her occasionally entered her mind when she opened up and dropped her mental defenses, however. Feeling rather emotionally vulnerable today, she tried very hard to keep her own thoughts from being broadcast similarly, grasping at random ideas to help her focus.
"I believe I was thinking of a purple flower," Draco drawled at her, amused. "But you're reciting children's stories. Where are those passages from exactly?"
Hermione blushed, feeling foolish for not having better control of her thoughts. "Tales of Beedle The Bard," she admitted. "Professor Dumbledore gave me his copy last year and I've already translated the first four pages. It's written in medieval ciphers, so I'm working on publishing the English-language version for my final thesis in Ancient Runes."
Her boyfriend raised one perfectly arched, golden eyebrow at her in wonder. "You're publishing a book as your graduation requirement for one of your classes?"
She blinked impassively. "It's not really an original story or anything. I'm just translating it. Whizz Hard Books has agreed to pick up the contract once it's completed, though. I'm hoping it'll be required reading for D.A.D.A. First Years someday."
Draco's lips roguishly twitched. "Okay, but why are you thinking about that instead of concentrating on what's in my head?"
"Because it's hard to shut down my own thoughts," she admitted. "I'm a little… distracted… today."
He leaned forward, concerned. "I'll ask again: are you all right, baby? Is there something bothering you?"
She bit her lip and fought off tears, not quite sure why she was feeling so weirdly emotional today. Maybe Ron had been right; it was about the time for her menses to come again. She sighed, unsure how to say something like that to Draco, however, and looked down at his hands, feeling it might be a safe bet to not look him in the eye while she attempted to regain some control of herself. No such luck, as she suddenly remembered what those fingers of his were doing to her in the shower just the night before. Her face exploded in heat at the same moment her heart started pounding madly, and suddenly, Draco grabbed her hand firmly. "Block your mind. You're telegraphing images." There was a hiss of surprise from behind them, followed by a low, meaningful snicker, and Draco threw a nasty look over his shoulder. "Mind your own, Zabini." He turned back to her, gritting his teeth. "Better control, please, Granger. Concentrate."
"Sorry!" she squeaked, mortified. She started thinking about her book again and immediately she calmed. Draco let her go and leaned back in his chair. "Good. Now, try to read my mind," he prompted.
No matter how hard she tried, though, Hermione was unable to fully concentrate on another subject without leaving her own thoughts vulnerable and open. By the end of the lesson, she was frustrated and near tears again. Not being able to do something simply galled her. "You're definitely on your way to being a powerful Occlumens, but we're going to have to work on your Legilimency, baby," Draco soothed her, helping her gather her things up before he had to rush off to his N.E.W.T. Prep class. "Don't worry. It took me time to master it, too. I'll help you through it."
"Who taught you?" she hesitantly asked. She knew Bellatrix had instructed him in Occlumency when he'd first received the Dark Mark, but Hermione hadn't known that he'd learned its opposite, too.
He shrugged. "Snape did when I first joined the Order."
A thought occurred to Hermione then. "Is that how you found out about the last two Horcruxes? I've always wondered."
Draco nodded. "Aunt Bella's mind was a little unhinged there at the end. It made it easy to get into her memories. She knew most of Voldemort's secrets."
They were walking hand in hand through the corridors now, he carrying her bag as usual. Her previous mood vanished in the light of speculative curiosity. "Why would the Dark Lord tell her anything that important, though?" she asked, considering what she knew of the Death Eater camp.
"Why wouldn't he? Aside from being his most fervent supporter, she was also his mistress," Draco explained nonchalantly. "Had been since the early 70's, when she became one of his first Death Eaters."
Hermione stopped cold in the middle of the hallway, completely traumatized by the idea. "You mean, that they… they…?" Her scrunched her face up in disgust, not even able to finish the sentence. "Ugh, that… that's just… I think I may be sick just thinking about it."
Draco snorted, his features twisted up in revulsion as well as he tugged her to continue walking. "You never sifted through her memories. Seeing their fuck sessions… THAT was traumatizing. They were into all sorts of kinky and cruel shite that I wouldn't dare touch. I begged Dumbledore to pull the memories from me and scrub my head clean, but he refused to Obliviate me, in case I ever needed to testify. The old coot said a personal, emotional statement in front of the Wizengamot was better than a Pensieve and it was guaranteed to cinch any case."
"And he still hasn't erased those memories from you, even though the trial's been done for months?" she asked, appalled. Draco shook his head in sickened resignation. "Merlin! Ewww! I feel like… like I should apologize or something," she sympathized.
When they got to the door of his classroom, he turned to her with a naughty smirk on his handsome face, his arms reaching around her waist and pulling her in close. "If you feel that badly about it, you could always try to help me forget, I suppose."
Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him an amused grin. "I guess I'll just have to replace those awful thoughts with good memories of us, hmmm?" They kissed passionately, but pulled away once Professor Sprout, who was teaching the Herbology section of the N.E.W.T. Prep Lecture, passed by and made a "hum-hum" cough in the back of her throat.
As Draco reluctantly let her go, he whispered in her ear a parting shot. "Like my hands all over your soapy breasts… mmmmm… Thanks for that memory earlier."
Hermione blushed as he hurried into the room and took a seat and the door shut after him. She leaned against the stone wall for a moment and stared out the set of tall, thin windows that lined the hallway, trying to calm her racing mind. It occurred to her that she'd have to be very careful and study up on her own to try to block her thoughts when probing another person's mind, otherwise Draco would found out about her true feelings for him.
Free for the rest of the afternoon and evening, she made her way down to the library to check out books on perfecting one's Legilimency techniques.