CHAPTER SIXTEEN: I NEED YOU TO LOVE ME
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
Saturday night, November 22, 1997
Draco appeared at his girlfriend's door precisely on time. When she greeted him, he took her in with a languid sweep of his eyes. She was wearing the outfit he'd requested earlier this afternoon and once more, he felt his erection standing immediately to attention. "Hiya, gorgeous," he leered, and she blushed prettily. "I've come to collect on our deal." He wagged a finger at her playfully. "No Welshing, now."
When she waved a hand for him to enter, he strode confidently into the room, careful to hide what he carried behind his back from her sight until the door was closed. She locked it and waved a charm over the room for privacy, but he stopped her from kissing him by stepping back and smiling mysteriously at her. "Go stand by the fireplace," he bid with a nudge of his chin in the right direction. "And turn your back to me."
She hesitated for a second, but with a beguiling smile, she moved away as he required, honoring their agreement that she was to do whatever he wanted tonight without question. He walked slowly behind, watching the firelight from the hearth silhouette her luscious curves as she got into position for him. That outfit – what little of it there was - really was naughty. He liked it a lot.
Arranging the second half of her surprise down on the small end table near the couch, he took in his hands the first half – a necklace he'd made for her earlier, after he'd finished his shower and dressed. The miniaturized Snitch pendant swayed slightly back and forth on its silver rope chain in his hand as he prepared it for her. He'd Reducio'd the little, golden ball he'd caught from today's match into a tiny nugget of its former size after making it inert and repairing its wings, and added a clasp to its top. Then he'd magically elongated and effeminized the titanium necklace his mother had gifted him when he'd been accepted into Slytherin House during First Year and hung the specialized adornment on it. He thought it the perfect gift to symbolize his feelings for her.
As had become the unspoken custom over the last twenty-five years, a Quidditch Seeker kept all of the Snitches he or she had caught in his or her lifetime, as they represented physical proof of his or her dedication towards obtaining the ultimate, most worthy of prizes. Therefore, giving one away had evolved culturally to become as significant a gesture as willing over a part of one's fortune. When the recipient was a romantic interest, the intimation was that of a promise of love and devotion from the Seeker. In this particular case, Draco wanted his gift to signify to Hermione that he wanted to be with her in the long-term, and that he would wait for her feelings to evolve enough to match his someday. He doubted she'd get it, especially since she seemed unfamiliar with Quidditch traditions in general, but he knew what it meant, even if she didn't. And one day, he'd tell her the implications if she didn't figure it out on her own.
He took a deep breath, knowing the moment had arrived to present her with his offering, and with his heart in his throat, he swung the necklace over her head and slowly lowered it in front of her eyes. She gasped aloud in joyful surprise, and he slowly exhaled in relief that his present was warmly received. "For you. It's the Snitch from today," he explained, bending his head and whispering in her ear softly. He twined it around her throat, sealed the toggle clasp, and let the jewelry settle between the dip of her breasts, marveling at how right it looked against her light golden skin.
She touched it with trembling fingers. "It's so beautiful, Draco," she complimented in awe, completely enamored of his gift. "Are you sure you want to give this to me, though? I know it was an important win for you."
He kissed her cheek, immensely pleased with her reaction. "Consider it a late birthday gift," he nonchalantly commented. He had carefully coached himself in advance not to reference this as a pre-Christmas gift, just in case it made her consider the fast approaching end of their deal, and so he decided upon the next best holiday for such tokens of esteem – birthdays. Girls liked getting presents for their birthdays almost as much as Christmas and St. Valentine's Day he knew from experience, so Granger would surely not deny him the pleasure of giving her something under the cover of such an occasion (even if it was two months late).
He looked over her shoulder at her and she was smiling gently. "Okay," she murmured. "I accept." She turned her head to look up at him with true affection in her eyes. "It's the best birthday gift I've ever received, Draco. Thank you so much."
His heart leapt out of his throat and onto the floor at her feet. It took him one false start to tell her she was welcome, and he covered for his ineptness by kissing her nose. She turned her attention back to her new gift, running her fingertips over the chain and the Snitch's curves.
Quickly, while she was distracted, he moved away from her and reached onto the table, pulling up the second part of tonight's surprise. Stepping back into her with it firmly in his grip, he flipped his hand up in front of her and showed her what he was holding. Her breath caught this time and her eyes widened in anticipatory excitement. "It's ostrich plume," he informed her. "The softest feather on the planet." He brushed it over her collar in demonstration and she shuddered in reaction, her chest heaving slightly. From his vantage point above her, he watched her nipples tighten through the sheer fabric of her bra-less top.
"Oh, it's so silky," she sighed, her lashes quivering as she closed her lids in ecstasy as the feather caressed her skin. Her lips parted and her blush spread out to cover the whole of her cheeks as he moved the angelic feather against her pulse, and then down her throat. She tilted her head back to accommodate his movements. "I've never felt anything so smooth."
Gently, Draco traced light circles over the skin of her right shoulder, and down her bared arm to her fingertips with his new toy. Her body unconsciously shivered against him and her skin reacted visibly to the sweeping motion. "I'm going to caress you all over with this, Hermione," he breathed hot against her temple. "Every inch of your skin." He proceeded to honor his vow by tracing the feather back up the left side of her arm, over the neglected side of her neck and collar, then her jaw line. He brushed the light gray fluff across her cheeks, playfully ran it over her forehead and down her nose. He rubbed the silky down over her lips and chin, all the while, inside his chest, his heart beat maniacally strong.
Circling around to the front of her in a slow stalk, he twirled the stem of the feather between his fingers, contemplating her, and she watched him with greedy eyes. He leaned in close, his lips brushing across her cheek as he instructed her as to what to do next. "Take your jewelry and clothes off for me. Do it gradually, one piece at a time. No rushing. But leave the necklace on."
When he stepped back, Hermione locked eyes with him and there was a moment that passed between them. This was an important milestone and they both felt it; they were crossing a line now – full nudity for her finally. A nervous shiver ran up her spine, and she licked her lips as she reached up to take her earrings off first. They were long, silver dangling things, which she tossed onto the end table carelessly. Then, she eased up towards her hair and removed the ribbons, letting her curls fall freely down her shoulders. He held his hand out for them and she passed them over, his fingers caressing hers in the exchange.
"I'm keeping these as souvenirs," he promised with a dark smile. He nodded at the rest of her clothes. "Now keep going. All of it off."
She stepped out of her three inch, fancy black heels, nudging them behind her, at the same time as her hands skimmed behind her back to untie the short, black, see-through halter. When the first part went loose under her fingers, she moved to the tie around her neck. The fabric of her sexy, thin top left little to the imagination as it was, but he wanted to see her naked breasts, not be teased by a partially hidden fancy, as he had been this morning. With a yank, the final knot went loose, and slowly – as he'd requested – she moved the strips of fabric off and let them slide down over her breasts and drop to the floor entirely.
His penis jerked in his pants at the sight of her deliciously bared torso, but Draco didn't move, had even stopped twirling the feather stem between his fingers, bewitched by his girlfriend's courageous disrobing. He continued to watch her silently, his eyes roaming the contours of her body up and down, memorizing each detail.
Next, her hands moved to the belt that hung from her hips as she continued her strip-tease for him. The black leather, studded accessory was unclasped and dropped to the floor unceremoniously with a dull thud. Her hands went around to the back of her skirt afterwards – as if the strip of black leather could even be called that; it barely hid her kitty from his sight – and he heard a metal clasp come unrestrained. She nudged the waist down over her hips in a slow, sultry shimmying gesture. As it reached the point where her thighs narrowed, it simply dropped to her feet on its own.
"Turn around in a circle for me, nice and slow," he commanded, wanting to see the back of her tiny knickers to see if his suspicions were right. And they were. She rotated for him, and he nearly came in his pants as a hot flash of desire rushed through him. She was wearing a chain thong. "Where'd you get that slutty, little piece?" he asked, truly curious as she turned back to face him.
Her voice came out breathy as she replied. "Over the summer, in France. I bought some… pretty things for myself… after our little run-in on the beach. Perfume, new shirts, the shoes, some lingerie. I wanted to feel… more adult."
A lecherous smirk slid across his cheek. "That is such a fucking turn-on, baby." His eyes roamed down her body salaciously and he began whirling the feather again between his fingers. "Spin around again, but this time, bend over and take off the panties."
Now she blushed crimson, realizing that this would be the first time she'd be fully naked in front of him, and she'd be in an extremely compromising position at that same moment. She definitely hesitated.
"Do it," he charged a little more forcefully. "You said anything I want, and I want this. So do it slowly. And keep your eyes on me as you move."
Shyly, she turned around and put her thumbs through the tiny straps at her lower hips and slid the thong down gradually as she bent at the waist, looking at him through her arms and past her legs as she moved. Draco's breathing picked up as her glistening core came into view, and he felt his blood soar through his veins. When the little slip of an undergarment hit her ankles, she stopped, unsure as to what to do now.
"Slip them off your feet and spread your legs wide," he directed. "I want you opened up to me."
He heard her nervously exhale and she shut her eyes for a second, but obeyed. As her legs moved open, Draco stepped forward. Teasingly, he ran the feather up one thigh and over her moist lips. Hermione moaned, shifting her weight back and forth, clearly liking the feel of so soft a thing touching her most sensitive, private part. The animal in his chest roared to be let out, but he controlled his natural impulses and played with her for several minutes, stroking her up and down with soft caresses, never making direct skin-on-skin contact.
He urged the feather down the sides and back of each calf and over each foot, once more tickling the backs of her legs and making her convulse and hum approval. Then he worked the feather up over both butt cheeks, and stimulated the nerves all up and down her spine by tracing the gently sloping curve to her neck and then back down and around over her beasts. She was moaning in delight, still bent over for him in a position that compromised her, left her completely exposed. That she trusted him to do something as frightening as this the first time she showed her body off… He wanted to give her a reward for being so faithful and confiding.
Dropping to his knees behind her, he bent his head and laid a kiss directly over her now-soaked opening, letting the feather stroke her nipples at the same moment. "Oh, gods," she gasped, unconsciously swaying forward further onto her palms. He swiped his tongue into her quickly and tasted her for the first time. She was perfect – her smell, her flavor – it was fresh and a little salty and far, far too tempting. He circled her opening briefly, and then he kissed it again and pulled away, but stayed on his knees.
"Stand up and turn around, sweetheart."
When she did as requested, he got a first good look at her femininity from the front. She had thick, dark hair, a little coarser than that on her head, but as he ran his fingers through it, he discovered it to be smoother than any other girl's mound he'd ever touched. He put the ostrich feather down behind him and grabbed her left leg, swinging it up onto his right shoulder. She automatically balanced herself by reaching out and bracing herself against him instinctively. Using two fingers, he fully split open her labia and peeked at the dark, rosy skin between the folds. He adjusted the height of his shoulder a little and her opening came into view for him again. He stared at her for a good ten seconds, taking her all in. "Such a very pretty pussy, Hermione," he breathed on her intentionally with hot air.
He looked up to note her reaction, but she had her eyes shut, and was worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. Even in the dim light from the fire, her embarrassment was obvious. She gasped as he leaned forward and gently nipped her clit once then pulled away. "Granger, look at me," he commanded in his most enticing tone of voice. Eyelids peeked open and she glanced down at him as she shivered in response. "I want you to watch me do this to you. Don't shut your eyes again until you come for me." With that, he swept his tongue from the bottom of her vulva all the way up to her tiny nub, and then latched on and started sucking, his eyes never leaving hers.
This was Draco's second favorite thing to do to a woman, truthfully, because he loved to see her unravel as he expertly glided over her most responsive flesh. Anyone could bang about, but it took a master to make a girl fall to pieces with only their mouth.
Hermione's breath expelled in a rush and she keened as he rolled circles around the small, pink bundle of nerves at the top of her slit, toying with her little bead sensuously, lingering each swish of his tongue a fraction of a second longer than necessary to stoke her desire. Her salty arousal as he worked his way down intoxicated him; her body reacted honestly to his attentions, lubing up immediately. He pressed his nose into her and inhaled, imprinting on her scent with a groan, while his hands grabbed her arse and kneaded gently.
As predicted, as the new, pleasant sensations he was evoking began to work their magic, Hermione's will eroded away and quickly she surrendered to his expertise with shameless cries of pleasure and active small thrusts of her hips, participating fully. Her bare leg on his shoulder tightened to draw him closer, and she tilted her hips up as she moaned with every lick and nip he placed. "Oooooh… that feels wonderful… oh, Draco, please don't stop…" Her fingers tangled in his blond hair, mussing it utterly as he caressed her wet folds with his mouth, coating her with his saliva, and sucked hard on the flesh under his tongue.
Her soft mewling was beginning to drive him wild. His cock throbbed for action, but he pushed all thoughts of himself away for now. He'd get his later, for sure. He focused solely on making her come right now, Frenching into her opening. He was as careful with his tongue as he had been with his finger, not wanting to rip anything tonight. And thinking of his fingers… he worked his right hand under her thigh and began tickling her entrance with one digit as his mouth moved back up over her clit. Hermione cried out and nodded, biting her lip, encouraging him. "Yes, please go inside me."
It amazed him to discover what a little nympho his girlfriend had become within the measure of only a few short weeks. She'd transformed from a shy, unsure bookworm into a willing, wanton sex partner practically overnight. And he'd been the one to give this to her, as he'd hoped; to bring out the inner siren that he'd known had secretly lurked under that goody-good, 'Golden girl' persona. It made him feel powerful and possessive of her. "You're mine, Granger," he growled against her. "I'm not letting you go now." He sucked on the inside of her thigh, leaving a love mark as his finger continued to teasingly stroke her entrance in circles. "Say it, Hermione. Say you're mine."
"Yes, yours... I'm yours," she gasped, nearly sobbing from the mounting need. "No, don't let me go. Ohhhh… please don't let me go, Draco."
She was senseless now as her climax approached, begging and pleading with him to bring her quickly. With a triumphant smirk, he swirled his finger inside her gently and thrust it in and out rhythmically. He watched her mouth drop open as if she were having trouble gathering enough air and she practically screamed at the feel of him rubbing that little g-spot on the upper inside of her canal at the same time as he flicked his tongue under her nub at the point where her nerves electrified. With only a few more passes, her face transposed into pleasure-pain, her whole body tensed up, and against his cheek, the pulse behind her inner thigh raced. "Draco, I'm coming for you!" she howled and on the next pass of his tongue, the dam burst for her. Her insides pulsed, rippling powerfully, and a flood of wetness flowed over his finger as she shouted his name at the top of her lungs, her head thrown back in ecstasy. She continued rocking back at forth on him even after the initial peak, her whole body now scrunching forward from the tremendous pressure. "Yes, yes, yes," she repeated the mantra.
His eyes drank in the sight of his lovely girlfriend as her body began to relax slowly, and he found he was utterly enthralled by Hermione. He lapped greedily at the deluge of wetness that drenched them both, swallowing her fluids and reveling in her taste as she continued shaking uncontrollably against him. When she regained enough sanity to open her eyes to gaze down upon him again, her skin was ruby-on-gold, her tongue darted out to moisten her pink, parted lips, and her bronzed-coffee orbs reflected complete vulnerability and trust. She was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.
I love you so fucking much, baby.
He reluctantly let her go and stood to cradle her naked body against him. Cupping her head with both hands, he pressed his lips to hers. "Taste yourself on me," he enticed her, and slanted his mouth, sharing her essence, thrusting his tongue in and out gently. She made an approving purring noise at the flavor, and he couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. Most girls thought this part was gross, but not Granger. She was open to the experience, and he adored her for it. He pulled back and laid his forehead on hers, his heart out of control behind his ribs. "Shit, I want to finish this and be inside you right now. You drive me mad as a Hatter, sweetheart."
Her arms twined around his neck languidly. "You can have me if you want tonight. I agreed to anything with no regrets."
He was so gods damned tempted by the offer, but shook his head. "Baby, I want to. I really want to. But… listen to me, anyone can fuck, Hermione. I want to treat you better than that. I want it to be good for you and to do it for the right reasons."
She glanced at him through her long eyelashes. "How many lessons are we doing tonight?" she asked curiously changing topics.
He smirked. "We just finished six, seven and half of eight. You're going to do the other half of eight on me next, and then we'll go to nine."
"Hmmm… four lessons at once. You're moving awfully fast. Have I gotten to you finally?" She rubbed her wet pelvis against the front of his pants and hooked a leg around him to bring them in tight. She smirked knowingly as his eyes widened, and the turning of the tables on Draco made his blood boil over.
He gripped her backside, pushing her pelvis into intimate contact with his very hard shaft. "You've definitely gotten to me, you minx." He bent his lips to her neck and began sucking on her collar. He gave her a love bite there as well, sucking hard, marking her as his once more. Her skin was slightly salty and sticky from sweat and he groaned. "And right now, I want you to get me off. It's your turn to undress me now," he adjured. "So get to it."
He playfully smacked her arse and she moaned, so he did it again experimentally, and she rubbed against his trousers naughtily. "Hmmm… you like that?"
"Try it again and see," she challenged. "But not too hard."
He complied and she crushed her mouth to his with a groan. "Yes, I like that," she murmured as her tongue licked his lips like a cat with cream. "I like you… taking control of me. Sometimes. But sometimes, I want to control you, too." She grabbed his right wrist to stop him from spanking her a fourth time, and her grip was tight.
He nodded in perfect accord with her, and smirked evilly. "I like that about you, Granger… you're not afraid to say what you want." He tenderly rubbed her opposite bum cheek with his left hand as he lingeringly kissed her again. After five or so minutes of some hot tonguing action, he pulled away. "But you just got what you wanted, and I'm still waiting for mine," he reminded her darkly, and moved his free hand up to mold her breast and tweak her nipple. "So hop to it, baby."
Hermione nodded and with eager hands, she started unbuttoning his dark purple Dolce & Gabbana dress shirt, working it off his shoulders and throwing it to the floor when it came free of his wrists. As she reached for his belt, he watched her through half-lidded eyes the whole time. "Kiss me here, baby," he pointed to his left nipple. "Bite me and leave your mark." She ran her tongue down his collar to his peck and complied. When her tiny teeth sunk in he gasped and threw his head back. "Oh, yeah, sweetheart. I'm all yours, too." His fingers smoothed through her curls, keeping her head close to his heart as she licked and suckled on him. When she pulled away to pay attention to the other side, he looked down at her work. His flesh was red, a little swollen, and tiny indents surrounded his nipple. He would bruise there, in that shape of her mouth, and every time he touched it this next week until it faded out, he would remember tonight. That was so fucking awesome!
Draco barely noted when his belt was tossed to the floor, and then his pants were unbuttoned and unzipped. She worked his dark grey, woolen slacks off his hips with a few tugs. He wasn't wearing any boxers underneath and her breath caught and she stared, transfixed at his proudly jutting member. She finished working his clothes off quickly, pushing them over his buttocks and down, and broke their embrace to kneel at his feet to take his shoes and socks off, then to pull his trousers free completely. She looked up between them at his cock wavering in the air and seemed unsure as to what to do next, but definitely eager to learn.
Wanting to ease her into this next move, he pulled her back up and let his naked body press against hers for the first time. She gasped at the feel of his solid length touching her unsheltered mound so intimately. He gripped her hips tightly in his strong hands. "Touch me," he dictated and her fingers lightly reached for him, swiping across his tip, spreading his pre-come along his shaft and making him shudder against his will. His breathing picked up a pace. "Stroke me." She ran her hand over him as she had done before, but now confident enough in the amount of pressure required and how to move it on her own. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her attention for long minutes, gasping lightly and moaning as she made the previously painful ache in his balls transform into a smoldering warmth that rode up and down his shaft along with her hand.
Shifting and bending his knees slightly, and gripping one of her legs, slinging it around his waist, he began rubbing his cock against her pelvis, his silky-steel skin intimately pushing against her curls. Her hands let go of him at the same time and she grabbed onto his shoulders for purchase. "Tilt your hips towards me a little," he directed and she did, looking down just as he was to watch himself grind through her folds. He rubbed himself straight up her slit and against her clit, and she cried out, digging her nails in. He groaned, thrusting slowly, and their combined wetness made the friction nice and smooth between them. "Oh, fuck, baby… feels so good." He shoved himself up through her labia hard, careful not to go too near her entrance with his crown. There would be just too much incentive there to break his resolve.
Tempted beyond belief after only a few passes, they were both gasping and left wanting when he forced himself to move away from her, frustrated that he'd put them through such torture. He practically snarled as he dove after her mouth, kissing her fiercely, wanting to do nothing more than bury himself inside her. They ate at each other, both of them quickly losing control, and with a final swipe of his tongue against hers, he pulled back, fisting her hair again and pulling her face in towards his. "You're going to suck my cock now, Granger," he mandated, his pulse racing like lightning through him as they were now coming to the part he'd been fantasizing about for months. "Get on your knees."
He guided her down before him, and hesitantly, her hand moved up his leg and gripped him again firmly. Her fingers worked their magic on him once more, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to regain some measure of himself, realizing he wasn't liking this menacing side that was starting to peek out. He never wanted to hurt Hermione, and he knew that if he didn't get himself managed fast, his dark heritage would come out again, much as it had that morning he'd come to her and confessed his sins. He reminded himself again and again that he loved her, remembered her sweet smiles and teasing laughter and that seemed to do the trick to put his heart back into normal paces. He let her continue to touch him as he calmed, and then he opened his eyes and reached out to stroke her cheek encouragingly. "You're doing perfect, baby," he managed with a level, gentle voice. "Are you ready to learn how to please me with your mouth?"
She nodded. "Teach me."
He smiled, feeling his heart melt all over again. "Start by leaning forward and Frenching the tip, as if you were kissing me. No teeth, just tongue and lips." She did as told, and her shuddering breath was hot against his crown as she connected with him. He twitched under her as she uncertainly moved over him. "You're doing good, sweetheart," he tried to bolster her confidence. "I've wanted this for so long, Hermione. You feel so good. Don't stop." He feathered her facial curves and gave her a heartening smile as she looked up at him nervously. "Open your mouth now and relax your jaw. Drop your tongue to the bottom of your mouth and let me glide in slowly." As she did as he asked, he moved himself into her warm, wet, soft cavern and groaned. "Relax a little more, let me in. No teeth, remember. That's it." He pushed in a bit more, half of his length now buried in her mouth. He could tell when her gag reflex was about to kick in and pulled back slowly. "As I move out, suck in, create pressure. Like that. Oh, YES!" he hissed, as she performed perfectly. "That's exactly right, baby. Merlin, that feels so good." He got to the end and stopped, then slowly pushed back in. "Same motions. You control me now," he coached. "Take my hips and move your head back and forth as far as you want. Just remember to relax as I go in, and suck as I pull out." They practiced for several minutes, and Draco thought he would die from the pleasure, gritting his teeth against coming. He needed her to learn how to do this right if he ever wanted her to do it again to him, and control was the factor in giving her that time. It was nearly bloody impossible though, as her mouth was warm and wet, and her lips wrapped around him tightly.
Once more, after she'd tried something out for a bit, Hermione pretty much perfected it. It wasn't long before she had mastered the basic technique and he was teaching her how to swirl her tongue in different patterns around him, and how to properly apply the right amount of pressure if she wanted to use her teeth. She even surprised him when she swept her tongue into the slit at his crown on her own volition. All the while, he coaxed her into taking him deeper and deeper. "Just relax your throat now, and breathe through your nose, inhale in time to my thrusts, exhale as I pull back."
Within a very short amount of time, he was three-quarters the way inside her mouth, and his tip touched the back of her throat. "Baby, you are a natural at this," he complimented her with a smile. "Your mouth was made to pleasure." Apparently, the praise empowered her more than he'd anticipated, for the next thing he knew, she had turned the tables on him again, moving faster over him, sucking harder, and utilizing the tonguing techniques they'd practiced just minutes ago to quickly bring him towards his climax. He gripped her head on both sides, trying to keep himself from thrusting too hard, but tightening up all his lower muscles as he reached for his release. He looked down at his penis sliding in and out of her mouth and his balls tensed up, and fire began winding through him, getting ready to erupt. "Harder, baby. Suck my cock harder," he gasped, right on the edge. "That's it, Hermione… Swallow me when I come, okay? Take me down your throat… Oh, fuck, I'm… I'm there… GRANGER!" His hips pistoned uncontrollably in between her lips as he squeezed his eyes shut and shot into the back of her throat. He had just enough sanity left to make sure he didn't shove too hard or hurt her as he gave himself over. His hands tangled through her curls, holding her head motionless as he continued to spray his seed into her mouth for several long seconds with a few more small shoves. When the initial explosion passed and he could peel his eyelids open, he looked down at his girlfriend. Her eyes were closed in concentration, her hands gripping his hips. She had performed magnificently, swallowing as he'd entreated her, not spilling a single drop, breathing through her nose. It had been an amazing blowjob.
When he came down from the high, Draco slowly eased himself out of her mouth, and then fell to his knees in front of Hermione and held her tightly to him. "Thank you. Oh, gods, thank you. That was perfect, baby." He kissed her neck and her cheek and then her mouth, tonguing her, tasting himself on her and groaning in ecstasy.
That's when he felt her tears.
A sickening feeling enveloped his heart and gut instantly and he pulled back, concerned. "Did I hurt you?" he asked, suddenly very frightened he had. "Christ, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She cried deep, gulping sobs, unable to speak and he murmured loving words to her to try to calm her down. "Baby, we don't have to do that again. I'm so sorry. Please, please don't regret that. You made me feel so good. I loved sharing that with you."
She sobbed harder. Shit, he had been too rough with her. She was a virgin, for Salazar's sake, and that was her first time giving head, and he hadn't been exactly nice to her initially, forcing her onto her knees and commanding her as he had. He pressed his forehead to hers with such regret. "What can I do to make you trust me again, Hermione? How can I make this right? Tell me, and I'll do anything you ask."
She sniffed and pulled back from him, looking him in the eye earnestly. What she said next floored him.
"You can tell me how you really feel about me. It hurts too much not to know anymore. Especially after… what we've just done."
He froze, unsure of what was the right thing to say in that second. What if he told her what was in his heart, and she said she didn't feel the same?
"Do you care for me, Draco?"
Slowly, he nodded.
"Do you love me?"
Fuck.
"Tell me the truth. I need to know where I stand," she implored, her beautiful, golden eyes sparkling in the firelight. "Am I only a good snog or shag to you?"
Slowly, he shook his head.
"So what we're doing… this means more to you than just… just a bunch of… of sex lessons? What we just did meant something to you? Something serious?"
He swallowed and nodded.
"Would it help you to know that I feel the same way?" she asked, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly, her nails pressed into him again. "That… that you mean more to me than just sex. That…" She closed her eyes and scrunched up her face, as if in pain. "That I… I…"
The seconds ticked by as neither said a word. Draco felt his whole soul resonating on the knife's edge of pain and pleasure.
"I'm in love with you."
They both stopped breathing, rendered speechless for a moment by the confession that hung between them.
"What did you say?"
They stared at each other incredulously. Draco's heart started pounding loudly in his ears. Against his palm, he felt Hermione's own natural rhythm pace his in cadence.
"I said that I'm in love… with you."
Tears poured down Hermione's cheeks. Draco felt his own shock reach epic proportions.
"Say it one more time."
Many more seconds of silence passed between them before the declaration was made official by a third speaking of the truth.
"I'm in love with you, Granger."
Hermione started sobbing loudly as she wrapped her arms around Draco's neck, burying her face into his shoulder. He held her to him tightly, wondering what had just happened. Had he really said that aloud? Why was she still crying? Was this a bad thing?
Please, don't let it be.
He was still in a somewhat dazed state when she pulled back from his embrace and surprised him by slamming her mouth down onto his, kissing him with a passion that was out of control crazy. She moaned as she tongued him deep, coaxing his body into responding against his will. Her tits were pressed into his chest and the nipples were hard buds against his overly sensitive skin. Her damp lower curls rubbed against his newly excited erection. "Take me to bed," she begged him, her hands grabbing his shoulders tightly, her nails raking him lightly. "Tonight, Draco. Take me to bed right now." She crawled fully onto his lap instead of just straddling him, pressing his still somewhat erect length between her drenched lips… and oh, Merlin, did that feel good!
He had to regain some sanity and quick, for both of their sakes. He pried her off of him with some difficulty. "Granger, wait. Stop! Look at me." He held her head firmly between his hands. "Don't do this just because I said what I did."
Lifting herself up on her knees, she positioned her opening over his suddenly throbbing cock, his recovery period apparently shortened by the blood pumping back through his veins in a flood. He felt his head press against her opening. Holy mother of Merlin! He grabbed her hips and stopped her from moving down the length of him. "Don't," he gritted between his teeth, panting hard. "You can only give this away once. I don't want you to regret this later. I want you to do this for the right reasons."
"Draco, I am doing this for the right reasons," she reassured him in a sweet, low voice, touching his cheeks, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I'm in love with you, too."
He stared up at her, his heart slamming against his ribcage with growing hope. "You don't have to say it just because I did," he murmured, trying to give her an out, just in case it had been the heat of the moment talking.
She shook her head firmly. "Idiot, I've been in love with you for weeks. I was just too afraid to tell you."
He blinked, her words taking a few seconds to sink in. "Seriously?" Yeah, that was him, the elegant orator. But it was all he could think to say at that exact moment. His brain had gone all numb on him.
Hermione nodded.
"You're in love with me?" he asked for qualification, dumbfounded, still riding the stupid train. Maybe he'd been hit with a Quaffle in the head this morning during the match and hadn't noticed?
His girlfriend raised an eyebrow at him as if he were daft. "Are you having a problem with your hearing suddenly, Malfoy?"
Her use of his last name in that infuriating tone made everything suddenly real. He felt the sides of his lips twitch. "Say it again," he demanded of her this time.
She sighed in defeat. "I'm in love with you," she whispered in his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Love, love, love. Do you hear me? I'm a fool for you. Absolutely and unreservedly."
He thought his heart was going to burst from his chest, he was so happy. He'd never known such relief mingled with elation.
He was having her tonight.
With a push of his legs and a pull of his arms and stomach, Draco had them both up, Hermione hanging from around his neck as he hauled her against him with an arm tucked under her bum and another supporting her across the length of her back. They kissed all the way to her bed, where he had just enough mind left to toss back her coverlet and lay her between the sheets, and then he was all over her.
They kissed for long minutes, their mouths and hands roaming everywhere in joy. He felt his penis throbbing against her abdomen and his balls were hot and heavy again with need. He non-verbally Accio'd his wand to his hand from across the room, where it lay on the end table where he'd placed it earlier. Pulling away slightly, Draco looked down at Hermione and with an easy push up, put space between their bodies. He pointed his wand over her abdomen and spoke the words to a contraceptive charm. A pink light bathed her abdomen and she gasped at the warmth he knew the spell emitted. Then, he tossed his wand over the side of the bed and angled his hips at her entrance, mounting her.
He leaned down to kiss her tenderly, and held her gaze as he pushed his aching cock past her folds towards her entrance. "This will hurt," he warned her with some regret. "I'll try to be gentle, though." He reverently cupped her cheek and slid his thumb over her lips. "Are you ready, love?" Hermione answered by tilting her hips up to meet him. "Then put your arms around my neck, baby, and hold onto me. I've got you. I'll make this as good for you as I can."
He kissed her sweetly and began moving into her.
"I love you, Hermione."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: INNOCENT NO LONGER
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland
Saturday night, November 22, 1997 – Sunday, November 23, 1997
Hermione did as Draco wanted, sliding her hands up and over his shoulders to tickle the soft, platinum hair at the back of his neck, and then he slowly inched inside of her. She whimpered as the head of him moved into her once more and brought with it some small stinging pain. He stopped just as he had the first time they'd gone this far, and he rocked a little back and forth to open her up. In the doing, she felt her body start to loosen. He looked at her tenderly, his beautiful gray eyes reflecting love and devotion and her heart called out to his. She'd never dreamed he'd loved her back already. With his confession, she felt so alive now, as if a part of her had been sleeping forever, and was finally awakened.
Lowering his body onto hers gently, holding himself up by his elbows, he prepared them for what was coming next by pushing a bit more in. Her body reluctantly gave him entrance, and she tensed up unconsciously. "I'm sorry, I have to push hard now," he murmured. She nodded, worrying her lip and he kissed her gently.
"I love you, too, Draco," she whispered against his lips, and then he surged up into her with one powerful thrust and broke through her virginity at long last. She cried out in pain, her fingernails breaking the skin on his shoulders, gouging him. It really hurt. "Ow, ow, ow…" she murmured, clenching her teeth and exhaling deeply. He was so big and thick! She felt stretched too thin, and he was hitting her all the way in the back against something that made her wince. "Stop, please. Don't move."
Kissing her gently, he stilled completely, letting her body adjust to his invasion. "Baby, look at me," he murmured against her lips and she glanced into his eyes once more. "I love you. Thank you for giving me this."
She licked her lips. "I'm… not a virgin anymore," she shakily replied, a little stunned at that realization.
He smiled and nuzzled her cheek. "No, you're not. And in a few minutes, when you relax a little more, I'm going to show you why people like sex so much. It feels really good, Hermione. I'll make you come again."
Just the thought of feeling those electric shocks through her system made her shudder and her breathing pick up. "I think… you can try to move now."
He blinked, looking at her through a half-lidded gaze. "Let me know if it hurts and I'll stop again, all right?"
She nodded in agreement, and he began slowly moving out of her. She whimpered again but she didn't indicate for him to halt, so he didn't stop until he was almost all the way out, and then he glided back into her equally as slow. At the same moment, he widened his stance a little, pushing her legs out with him and she bent her knees to adjust to the new angle. She hissed as her pelvic bone stretched at the same time as she was filled up by his huge member and it caused her to feel an unexpected twinge of sharp pain. He stilled immediately. They held back for a few more seconds for her to adjust again.
"It's okay," she reassured him when the throbbing ache went away. "You can keep going now."
"You're really tight and small," he informed her, his face slightly worried. "Try to relax your muscles down there. Let go and trust me, love." It took several minutes of his persistent, slow rhythm in and out before she settled enough for them to start actually both enjoying the act of making love. When she felt the first stirrings of desire begin to overtake her again, felt her channel become easier for him to slide through from her renewed wetness, she knew he'd done this right for her.
Her breathing picked up again as he moved her through her pain and into the realm of sexual pleasures once more. She watched him move over her, entranced by his beautiful body strongly and gently giving and taking with each advance and retreat. Her fingers ran through his hair, caressing his head and neck, gliding down over his collar to his chest, where she ran her nails lightly over his nipples. He jerked, losing the rhythm for a moment. His penis twitched inside of her in response, and she felt a smile of discovery wind its way up her face. She touched his nipples again, with the same results, and this time, she knew her smile was absolutely sinful. "You like that, do you?" she asked, tossing his former sentiment around back at him, and he couldn't help but grin at her audacity.
"Witch," he murmured, kissing her. "Stop that or I won't last. I want you to come for me first."
She ground her hips up against his with applied pressure. "Then move a little faster… and push against me a little harder at the top."
He gave her what she asked for and the feeling of him stroking across her clit at the same moment as pushing into her created pure, crackling energy throughout her core. She moaned loudly, and wrapped her slim, golden legs around his pale hips, thrusting up against him instinctively. His reaction to her amplified enthusiasm was to match it; he increased his pace even more, and her hands moved down to his waist and around to grab his hips. She felt the walls of her vagina clamp down on him and pull him deeper into her with each thrust.
"Gods above, you feel so fucking good, love," he moaned, tossing his head back on his shoulders and continuing to lunge into her with gradually harder and faster thrusts. "You're perfect, Hermione, in every way."
As he shoved against her nub with more fervor, she dug her nails into his hips slightly and he hissed at the eroticism of the action. "More," she moaned, urging him on, reaching up for his mouth with her own. He brought his lips down on hers and tongued her in time to his hips. They hungrily exchanged kisses, even as the bliss within began to burn her up. She could feel herself cresting that wave of incredible gratification, wanted it, and needed it so desperately that she lost herself completely. "I'm close. Harder, Draco… yes… Godric, take me faster, go deeper!"
He whimpered and started ramming into her, and her bed began rocking against the stone wall, the headboard hitting solidly with each powerful, painful, exhilarating thrust. The creaking of its frame was as loud as their combined breathing and gasping.
"Come for me, baby," he begged her in her ear, and she knew his own release was eminent. "Hurry."
She grabbed his waist, tightened her thighs and clenched her bottom, driving him directly against her clit. The feeling was liquid fire through her veins. "Oh, god, DRACO!" With a mighty pull of her hips, she arched her lower body off the bed entirely and up at him, clinging to that feeling, climaxing at that moment with a very loud scream of his name, her brain exploding with emotion and sensation that was so intense she thought she'd gladly die from it. He bent his head and bit her left breast hard, marking her at that moment as his and she reveled in the feel of his teeth clamped down on her skin.
When she started to come down slightly from the initial upsurge of her orgasm, Draco wrapped his arms about her, slammed home a few more times and came inside of her in great, wracking spurts and a loud shout of her name. His hot seed shot out of him in powerful, throbbing surges, and her inside muscles rippled in response, pulling him deep up and into her. She actually felt his hot come fill her up and her womb flipped in response. He shuddered on and on, giving her everything he had just before he collapsed from sheer exhaustion on top of her, dropping them both down onto the mattress heavily.
They held each other in the aftermath, both shaken by the intensity of the moment they'd just shared. For Hermione, she'd never experienced anything like she just had, and it left her feeling totally open and vulnerable. She felt like she'd been turned inside out and upside down.
Draco rolled tiredly to his side, taking her with him, pulling out of her body at the same moment, still panting. They each groaned and then lay quietly, lightly touching the other.
"Thank you," they said at the same moment, and then laughed.
"You screamed my name, like I told you that you would," he arrogantly reminded her with a lazy smile, and she playfully swatted at him.
"And you screamed mine," she pointed out, nipping at his lips.
Draco sighed melodramatically. "I suppose. You've whipped me, Granger."
Hermione chuckled evilly at the double entendre. "Not yet I haven't…"
He looked at her challengingly mischievous. "The S&M stuff doesn't come until the next set of lessons, love," he warned as she snuggled into the curve of his arms, pressing against his warm body.
"Right… we'll just see how long you can hold out on me," Hermione teased, pressing a kiss to his chest and closing her eyes. Within moments, she was fast asleep, content, happy and very much in love.
x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x
Draco stayed awake just long enough to pull the covers up over both of them, and then he readjusted Hermione in his arms, kissed her, whispered that he loved her against her hair and fell asleep. He didn't wake up again until the following morning, well after the sun streamed through the lone window in her room.
His girlfriend was lying on her back, her left arm flung out to the side without care with the wrist flopping off the edge of the bed, her right pressed over her abdomen, her lips parted slightly as she breathed evenly in a relaxed deep, sleep. Her messy hair was splayed around her, and a stray curl stuck to her lips. Gently, he teased the strand of hair out of her mouth and stroked her cheek, pressing a kiss on her at the same moment. She stirred and moaned, but did not wake up. Draco chuckled. Hermione always slept so soundly. She was harder to rouse than the dead.
"Wake up, love," he whispered in her ear, nibbling on her lobe. His cock was already awake, wanting her again, but morning-after sex for a virgin would probably be too difficult and painful for her, so he held himself back. "Hermione… time to get up."
She groused and moaned, pushing him away when he tried to wake her by caressing her nipple, tracing over the lines of his mark on her breast at the same moment. She flipped onto her side away from him, still very much asleep and he laughed. She really slumbered deeply.
He lay down behind her, pressed up against her backside and looked across the room. On the end table, Binky had delivered the snacks sometime last night that he'd ordered up before leaving the kitchens. Well, they could have them for a light breakfast, he supposed. In between the bed and his pile of clothes on the floor lay his wand. It had obviously rolled there when he'd thrown it so heedlessly last night in the middle of passion.
Speaking of… memories of the night before invaded his mind. The sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and feelings all crashed into him again. Slytherin's soul, it had been incredible sex, both the foreplay before in front of the hearth and the actual act itself on the bed! For a virgin, she'd been fucking amazing. And she told him that she loved him.
He really, truly was the luckiest bastard on the planet.
He looked back at his wand lying inconspicuously in the middle of the floor and considered silently Accio'ing it so he could recast the anti-pregnancy charm on her…
No, she was probably much too sore. He should be considerate. He didn't want to hurt her. He'd give her time for her body to heal. The angel in him nodded approvingly at such sage wisdom.
But his dick throbbed against her warm back, and the devil in him nudged rather blatantly, reminding him of her screaming his name as he'd rammed into her over and over, how they'd actually moved the freakin' bed with their fucking…
He looked at his wand again.
What the hell?
He summoned it and cast the charm, and the pink light bathed her abdomen once more. He lightly tossed his magical accouterment away again, lifted her right leg up slightly and began teasing her entrance with the tip of his penis. She moaned and squirmed in her slumber, but very quickly, her body reacted whether she willed it to or no. Coating his length with her juices, he eased himself up and inside of her again carefully. She moaned, but still didn't open her eyes. Nor did her breathing change. He wondered if she thought this was a wet dream.
As he leaned over and kissed her neck, he reached around her hip and began stroking her clit in circles. Gently and oh, so slowly, he thrust in and out of her. It hadn't been a dream, thank god. For a moment upon waking, he'd felt that disappointment that had previously accompanied such nighttime journeys through his subconscious, but she was here with him now, her body surrounded him again, and he had made love to her last night, and it had been mind-blowing. "I love you," he hummed against the skin of her throat. "So much, Hermione. I've never loved any girl before. Just you." He leaned up on his elbow and bent to speak directly into her ear. "Stay with me. Don't leave me in December. Be mine."
"Okay," she whispered and her eyelids fluttered open. She turned her head slightly and smiled up at him sleepily. "Mmmm… That feels good."
He blinked, having been taken completely off-guard. He hadn't actually realized she'd woken up until she spoke. Now he was a little embarrassed that he'd sounded so… mushy. "It doesn't hurt? You're not too sore?"
She blinked away her doze. "A little, but it also feels nice. I like the feeling of you inside of me again."
He kissed her shoulder. "So last night was good then?" He knew it was for him, but was a little nervous that he'd been a tad too rough with her - especially after her crying spell.
She reached back with her right hand and touched his cheek. "Last night was everything I ever wanted, Draco. It was everything you'd promised me. Thank you for making my first time so good."
They stared at each other in silence for a dozen heartbeats as his hips continued to move rhythmically in and out of her tight, little snatch. He leaned his face into her palm and kissed it. He then turned and attacked her neck with sucking kisses as his fingers went to work between her legs again. "I'm going to make your second time just as good, love," he promised, and proceeded to do exactly that.
x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x
They took a shower afterwards, and he washed her up as he had previously. After shampooing and conditioning her hair, he paid particular attention to tenderly cleaning her lower lips and thighs, gently stroking the cloth over her. They watched each other again silently as he did so, their eyes locked - steel gray on coffee brown. Inside his chest, Draco's heart skipped around.
When he'd finished cleaning her up, she did the same for him, erasing all evidence of her blood from his hips and cock (apparently, she'd bled a little more this last time, because the smudge against his pale hips was bright red in color and it was wet). She touched him softly, marveling at the difference between him erect and not.
Of course, all that touching made sure he didn't stay lifeless for long.
"Do you want to… again?" she asked him innocently, and Draco thought he would seize up and collapse onto the floor from a heart attack. Was she trying to kill him?
"Aren't you too sore?" he asked, a part of him hoping she'd say 'no.'
"No."
Holy Horklump! She was definitely trying to kill him.
He took her in his arms and kissed her. "I think you'll have trouble walking if we do it again," he assumed.
Her naughty, petite hand wrapped around his hardened erection and started stroking. "And your point being?"
He couldn't help but laugh at her audacity. "Seriously, love, I don't want to hurt you. If we fuck again, you'll be in pain."
She leered up at him through sultry eyes. "Oh, so you need better motivation, I take it." With that, she dropped to her knees before him and took him in her mouth once more.
"OH, FUCK ME!" he shouted in surprise and mounting excitement.
She popped him out of her mouth for a moment. "In a bit, sure." With that, she proceeded to drive him barmy with her tongue and hands, sucking hard on him as she drew back each time. Draco gripped her hair firmly and he began thrusting a little into her mouth. He got himself really far down her throat now, as she put all of last night's practice to good use. "You… oh, gods, Hermione… you give the best head I've ever had."
She sucked him until he started mounting his pleasure and then stopped and stood up, rubbing a finger over her lips. Red faced, panting, and sweltering from the combined heat of his own body temperature and the hot shower, he felt like he might just pass out. He turned the temp slightly down on the faucets and exhaled deeply. "Why'd you stop?"
His sexy girlfriend leaned into him, a burning lust evident in her eyes. "Because I want you to fuck me," she breathed against his face.
Draco's jaw dropped open.
Hermione Granger had just willingly used foul language without being prompted by him first. She'd asked him to… He growled, spun her about, tilted her over, spread her legs with his knee and braced her hands on the tile. Rubbing a finger over her to make sure she was ready – Circe's tit, was she! – he grabbed her hips and slammed into her until he was buried to the hilt. Hermione cried out loudly and he stilled, afraid he'd really hurt her. She looked over her shoulder at him, her long, wet hair sliding across her nude back. "Don't stop, Draco! Fuck. Me."
His mind went blank as he blindingly obeyed his Gryffindor goddess.
He thrust into her hard with long strokes, and she keened with every push. "Yes, Merlin, yes!" she bolstered him on. He knew he had to be hurting her, knew she would be really swollen and tender after this, but he couldn't seem to make himself be gentler. This was one of his fantasies, and she was letting him live it, encouraging him to take her this way. He had only one thing he could give her.
"Baby, touch yourself. You'll come fast, and I don't think I can wait."
Bracing her weight on her left forearm against the wall, her right hand worked its way down between her legs and began rubbing her clit. She practically wailed as he increased his pace and pulled her up onto her tiptoes. He looked down and watched himself fuck her hard from behind, his cock sinking in deep, her cheeks red from his flesh slapping into hers forcefully. His heart slammed against his ribs and he felt his eruption imminent. "Hermione… fuck! I can't hold back! I can't…!" His orgasm exploded in the next breath, and red stars burst behind his eyelids as he shot his come into her a third time. His spine bowed as his hips married to hers and he shouted to the ceiling his pleasure.
She followed him two seconds behind, crying out in a deep-toned, delicious moan that echoed off the tile, and her muscles contracted around him, clamping and pulling him into her deeper. He felt his crown knock into her cervix, felt warmth rush all around him, and amazingly, a second, blinding climax was pulled from him unexpectedly. He couldn't even make a sound this time as his body spasmed so hard his breath was utterly stolen from him. All he could do was hold on and squeeze his eyes shut, and this time, there were white detonations amongst the black backdrop behind his lids.
When his body finally let him go, he slumped forward and had to press his hands near hers on the wall to keep from falling over. He couldn't even speak, his throat was so raw and his breathing so heavy. It was Hermione who had to move first. She straightened up as best as she could, and he slid out of her without any effort. Pressing his nose against her hair, he fell forward, pushing against her back, shoving her against the wall flat.
"You… I… you…" she panted, seemingly just as brain dead as he was. "I really, really love you," she finally managed.
He tiredly kissed her temple, sweaty and sated. "I think… I need… a new heart and lungs."
"Hear, hear," she giggled. "And a new… pair of legs."
x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x
Draco had to help towel her off, and gingerly carried her to the couch, because as he'd predicted, it hurt too much to walk now (she had almost been sexed to death, but, oh, had it been worth it!). He grabbed her pillows off her bed and the coverlet and they snuggled down together in their favorite seated position, him behind her.
The first thing he did was Accio his wand and cast a belated pregnancy charm on her abdomen, assuring her it would be fine, so long as they did it within an hour of having sex.
Then, he reached over to the end table and picked some sliced apples off of the tray he'd so considerately arranged to have apparated to her room by Binky last night. The sectioned fruit slices were still crisp and flavorful, as if they hadn't been sitting out all night, and she absently made a note to herself to remember to ask how the house elves could perform such a charm on food.
As her boyfriend fed her, he watched her over her shoulder. She took from his hand without question, nibbling all the food down. When she finished with one piece, he reached for an orange wedge and did the same. Then, it was a red pear. By the time they got to the grapes, she turned and looked at him. He had the oddest expression on his face. "What is it?"
He didn't say anything at first, just looked at her through his golden fringed eyelashes. "I can't believe... It feels like…" He paused, his brow furrowing and he looked to the side, suddenly embarrassed.
She turned delicately in his arms to lean on her right hip, her upper body three-quarters flush with him. A sudden panic gripped her center. Did he regret what had happened between them? Please, no. "Like what?" she tentatively asked, almost afraid to know.
He wrapped his arms about her and pressed his face into her still damp hair. "I'm more nervous now than ever," he admitted, strangely opening himself up to her in a way he hadn't before. "I don't… want to lose you… now that you're mine."
She swallowed back the lump in her throat, feeling her heart ache. "You won't lose me, Draco. Why would you think that?"
He was still tense, but simply shook his head. "Forget it. It's stupid." He pulled back and touched her face, cupped her cheeks with his hands. "I'm just… tired… and not thinking straight."
Obviously something was bothering him, but she knew not to push instinctively. Whatever this was, he would work it out in his own head. As for looming issues in the mind… "Draco," she looked down at his chest, touching it nervously. "I've been meaning to ask you: would you go to the Yule Ball with me?"
He jerked back, as if taken for a loop. "But isn't it a stag dance?"
Hermione shut her eyes and slapped her hand to her forehead. All this time she'd been agonizing over this issue in the back of her brain, having forgotten the whole purpose behind the Ball to begin with! She groaned, feeling immensely stupid.
Draco's chuckle said he was clearly entertained by her moment of idiocy. "You forgot, didn't you?"
Hermione sighed. "I've been… distracted." She glared up at him. "It's your entire fault, you know. I've spent the last several weeks too worried about how you felt about me to concentrate on important details. If you'd told me sooner, I wouldn't have been so diverted."
He raised an eyebrow at her in amusement and smirked. "Good to know I have that much power over you, Granger."
She laid her cheek against his chest and sighed again, surrendering to the truth. "You have no idea."
x~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~x
They spent the rest of the afternoon cuddled up on the couch, talking and eating the rest of the fruit, cheese and crackers on the tray. When the five o'clock castle bell rung out, Draco sighed. He didn't want to leave, but the reality was they had a test tomorrow morning in Potions and he wanted to finish up his homework for Charms tomorrow afternoon. He told her all this and they reluctantly unwound from around each other, and he stood up, gathering his clothes and redressing.
Every muscle in his body ached deliciously and he stretched slightly as he moved, working out the kinks. Hermione watched him silently, huddled still under her coverlet on the couch. "You should soak in the tub across the hall in the Prefect's bathroom," he advised. "It'll help."
She sighed. "Good idea. Everything hurts."
He turned and flashed a mischievous grin. "Told you."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Fink."
When he had his shoes back on and gathered his wand, he turned and knelt down by her. His knees cracked and he winced. "Meet you tomorrow for breakfast?"
She nodded and stroked his cheek softly. Her hand dropped into her lap and she frowned. "I don't want you to go."
He smiled slightly and sighed. "Me either." Reaching up, he pushed a curl behind her left ear, and then touched her jaw in a caress. They stared at each other again. "I love you," he murmured, feeling like he was drowning in her dark, gentle eyes.
She leaned forward and kissed him, oh, so sweetly. "I love you, too."
He kissed her again, not wanting to leave, prolonging the inevitable for just a few seconds more, and then he pulled back and stood up. "Take your bath. I'll see you tomorrow."
She stopped him at the door, as he opened it and began to step out.
"Draco!"
He turned back.
"Sweet dreams tonight."
He grinned. "You, too." He stepped out and quietly shut the door behind him, stopped for a second to touch the wood, tempted badly to go back, but then moved away down the hall, heading back for his Common Room. It was only a few hours without her. He could do that.
There was a strange lack of activity throughout the castle, he absently noted as he headed down the stairs, into the Entrance Hall and down into the dungeons. He passed by The Bloody Baron, who was hovering silently, almost nervously by the opening to the Slytherin portal. "Good evening, sir," Draco politely greeted his House ghost. It was never a good thing to be impolite to The Baron. Rumors abounded about the things he'd do to rude Slytherins who got on his bad side.
"Good evening, young Malfoy," The Baron greeted him back. It never failed to impress that The Baron seemed to know every student's name throughout the years, despite not being formally introduced. Draco supposed that had something to do with the fact that The Baron was ethereal and could hover around undetected and listen in on conversations without people being privy to his presence. "You should not tarry, but go posthaste into the Common Area."
Draco stopped, alarmed. The only other time he'd heard The Baron speak like this was when Voldemort's reanimation had been confirmed by Dumbledore, after Cedric Diggory's death in Fourth Year. "What's happened?" he asked, feeling his heart skip around in his chest this time for a completely different reason.
The Baron looked about, his bloodied personage a foreboding omen. "But surely you know! There was an… incident… last night."
Draco's blood ran cold. "What kind of incident sir?" Was that his voice, sounding so… weak?
The Baron would say no more. He ushered Draco through the portal into Slytherin's House area with shooing motions that would not be denied. As soon as the portal entrance slammed shut behind him, he turned to find most of Slytherin House's main players crowding the Common Area. Everyone stopped and looked up at him, conversation ceasing immediately.
This did so not look good.
Draco's stomach bottomed out.
"Drake, where have you been?" Blaise approached him quickly, Pansy and Teddy hot on his heels. He met them half way down the stairs. "We've been looking everywhere for you, mate."
He looked between the three worried faces, and knew this was going to be bad. "What's happened?" he commanded to be told. Now that was more like the Draco he knew!
"There was a massive breakout last night at Azkaban," Blaise informed him. "The Dementors just abandoned their posts for no good reason. All of the Death Eaters escaped."
Pansy took Draco's hand. "I'm so sorry, Draco."
Something in his gut told him what had happened. Somehow, he knew. "My parents… are they dead?"
"No, but your father… he's dying," Blaise told him in a soft, sorrowful voice. "No one knows what spell hit him, but they can't save him. He's at St. Mungo's." He put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "He saved your mother, Drake. Pushed her through the floo grate ahead of him, shielded her from the spell. He took the hit for her."
Draco's whole world crashed.
His father…
"Where is my mother?"
"She's in the safest place in the world they could put her: Dumbledore's office," Teddy told him, and before anyone could say another word, Draco spun on his heel and raced out the portal for the Headmaster's Tower. As he ran at top speed, his mind whirled, his heart pounded.
His father… He'd saved his mother. He was dying. A spell no one knew about. An Unmentionable. It had to be.
Please no. I haven't… we haven't had time… If he dies…
Slowly, in the back of his mind, that darker part of him started snapping its teeth.
If he dies… I'll kill them all.