"I can't believe you're making me do this," Ginny complained and she and Hermione trudged across the grounds. Ginny glanced over her shoulder. "If anyone sees us..."
"No one is watching," Hermione reassured her, "This part of the grounds is pretty secluded."
Ginny let out an exasperated sigh. They passed around a grove of trees, and on the other side, lounging on the grass with his back against a tree, was Draco.
Hermione waved as they approached. Ginny looked away. Draco half stood up and cleared a few stray twigs to make room for the two girls to sit. Hermione plopped down onto the grass. Ginny remained standing, until a look from Hermione caused her to throw herself onto the grass.
Draco looked uncomfortably from Hermione to Ginny.
"Now, I understand that Ginny doesn't want to be here,"
"Totally fair," Draco said quickly.
"Totally fair" Ginny mimicked.
"But," Hermione continued in a louder voice, "I was hoping we could use this opportunity to mend some fences."
"The only reason I agreed to come out here is because you agreed to lend me your notes for the O.W.L.s," Ginny responded.
"Yes well, unless you actually cooperate, you can go ahead and ask Ron," said Hermione archly.
Draco snickered, and Ginny glared at him.
"Sorry," he apologized, "I also understand the allure of Hermione's notes."
"Is that some kind of line?" Demanded Ginny.
"No!" Draco insisted, sitting up straighter. As he did so, he toppled his schoolbag over, allowing some books to spill onto the grass.
Ginny's brow furrowed as she picked up the book closest to her. "What's this..." she muttered. She read the cover and looked up at Draco.
"This is a muggle studies book," she eyes Draco with suspicion.
"Well...yeah," Draco looked embarrassed.
"This was in YOUR bag," Ginny clarified. "It's yours?"
"I mean, it's the library's book, but yeah, I was reading it...kind of fascinating if I'm being honest."
Ginny raised her eyebrows and studied Malfoy's face as if trying to detect any falsehood.
"I guess you have something in common with a Weasley after all," Ginny said finally. "If Mum is to be believed, this is exactly how Dad started out."
Draco's mouth dropped open slightly. "Yeah I could see that," he replied.
Ginny nodded and handed him the book. "Just don't give me any details about the shagging, OK? And I think I can tolerate you."
"Deal," Draco replied.
--
Hermione and Draco were once again in classroom 118, returned to their usual tasks of the former urging the latter to pay attention to his homework and the latter searching for any distraction. But this Tuesday, she had few complaints. She rolled up the parchment Draco had handed her and tapped it with her want to seal it.
"Well, Draco," she said, smiling, "this essay is as good as I've ever read. Honestly, if you've had the capability to write this well, I really don't understand why I was asked to tutor you in the first place."
Draco looked smug but returned her smile and said,"That's what I've been trying to tell you all this time. We should just skip the lessons and-"
"Draco," she warned, setting aside the sealed roll of parchment and pulling his potions essay towards her. "We talked about this. The classroom is for work-"
"-And work alone," he imitated in a breathy voice. "Sounds vaguely familiar," He sniggered as Hermione looked indignant.
"Hey, I wanted to tell you something." He said, suddenly serious. Hermione looked up and seeing Draco's expression, she put her quill down.
"I told Crabbe and Goyle, I'm quitting the Death Eaters. And the Room of Requirement, it's all closed down."
Hermione's eyes widened slightly, but her voice remained casual as she said, "And how did they respond"
"Hard to say actually. Neither of them have been very good with words."
Hermione suppressed a smile, which was replaced by an expression of worry.
"Draco, I understand why you're doing this, and I appreciate it, but are you sure this is the safest way to go about this?"
"Crabbe and Goyle have about three brain cells between them, so I'm not really worried. The bigger question is what to do about my mother. I can't exactly put 'Hey mum, I'm betraying the Dark Lord, see you at Easter,' can I?"
"No you can't," Hermione said, the crease between her eyebrows deepening.
"Draco, if this is about me, and the things I said-"
"Don't flatter yourself," Draco rolled his eyes. Then looking more serious, he said, "I just can't keep pretending anymore. I've always taken the easy way out, letting my father or my status speak for me. Just once, I want to make my decisions based on what I believe. But I'd be lying if I said you didn't help me get there."
Hermione smiled genuinely at him, as she reached out and placed her hand over his.
"So are you going to read that Potions essay or what?" He said, breaking the moment. "This one is definitely "O" material. I might even top you."
Hermione blushed at his wording, and drew the essay towards her. She began to read, conscious of Draco watching her as she did. She had only gotten through a few lines when she put the parchment down and said,
"What do you say to getting out of here?"
"What?"
"You and me. Out of this stuffy classroom?"
Draco laughed. "You think a classroom is stuffy?"
"Well…no," Hermione reddened, "But it sounded like the thing to say."
"All right then," Draco responded, "What did you have in mind?"
Hermione looked at him sheepishly, "Actually, I hadn't thought that far ahead."
Draco chuckled.
"Spontaneity has never been one of my strong points!" Hermione said defensively.
"Yeah, I'm getting that," Draco continued to chuckle. "I have an idea," he said suddenly, "What time does the library close?"
"9:00," Hermione answered promptly
Draco glanced at his watch. "Perfect. It's 9:10 now."
Hermione wrinkled her nose and looked skeptical, "You want…to sneak into the library? Why?"
"Sounded fun," shrugged Draco, "Oh don't tell me you wouldn't enjoy the library!" He said when Hermione continued to look dubious.
"Yes, but I don't enjoy sneaking around places."
"Now I know that's false," Draco responded. "You're acting like you've never been out of bed after curfew before."
"Always under duress!" Hermione insisted.
"Then it's about time you had a little fun," Draco said with finality.
"And you think the library is fun?" Hermione asked, cocking one eyebrow.
"No, but you do, don't you?"
This produced a laugh from Hermione. "You know what, why the hell not? But you're leading the way in case we get caught. I'm NOT getting detention."
"Fine by me," Draco hoisted his bag upon his shoulder and picked up Hermione's. "Ready?"
Hermione nodded, and, peeking around the door of the classroom for professors and Peeves, they exited into the hallway. By some miracle, the path to the library was empty and they were able to enter the library without alerting the staff.
"Well?" Hermione looked at Draco after making sure the library door was securely closed behind her. "Now what?"
"Honestly, I didn't plan that far ahead," Draco chortled.
"Ha-ha, very funny," Hermione nudged Draco's arm playfully. She led him far back into the stacks, deep into the restricted section. The furthest shelves in the restricted section, rarely touched, were covered in a thick layer of dust. These volumes were mostly outdated collections of obscure branches magic. Draco, who had little cause to be in this part of the library in the past, looked around at some of the volumes with interest.
"I didn't realize Hogwarts used to practice alchemy," he murmured, tracing his hand down the spine of a particularly decrepit looking tome.
"Oh, yes! Fascinating, isn't it? Reading between the lines of Hogwarts, A History, it seems that there was a fair amount of controversy after Nicholas Flamel's creation of the Sorcerer's Stone. After a few decades of debate, the governors of Hogwarts eventually determined that it was too risky a subject."
"It is fascinating," Draco responded, fixing her with a look that made her question his meaning. "How do you always have an answer to everything?"
Hermione blushed but held his gaze. For a moment the room seemed devoid of air, and Hermione was conscious of her heart beating in her stomach and her chest. Not breaking eye contact, she closed the distance between them.
"I…I know we have a lot to talk about…with regards to us. But maybe just tonight…"
In response, Draco kissed her with all the passion and emotion of the past week. Hermione returned his kiss with equal vigor, but before he could properly taste the sweetness of her lips, she moved them away, tracing a line up his jaw to his earlobe. With the tip of her tongue, she flicked his ear gently. A sound halfway between a whimper and a moan escaped Draco's lips. Hermione let out a quiet giggle and continued to tantalize him, each stroke of her tongue sending a fresh thrill of pleasure down his spine. She then traveled further down his neck, alternating between warm kisses and gentle bites. As she reached the hollow where his neck hit his collarbone, her nibbles became more intense. Draco's breathing became heavier, and he let out another moan. Hermione's body thrilled in response. Emboldened, she pressed her body against his, forcing him against the bookshelf behind him. The bookshelf rattled, and she distantly noted the thud of a book falling onto the ground.
Herminone removed her hands from his and reached for her wand. Her lips broke contact with his skin as she pointed the wand at Draco's chest. Draco paused for a moment and lifted his eyebrows. Hermione smiled, and suddenly, the buttons of his shirt simultaneously popped open. Draco felt his blood rush, and shrugged off his shirt, and Hermione once again closed the distance between them.
Her mouth continued to move down his torso, and she admired the lean, firm muscles of his chest. She reached Draco's nipple and paused. Then, she encircled his nipple with her mouth, and began to suck gently. Draco let out his loudest groan yet.
"So men's nipples are sensitive as well?" Hermione said, continuing to tease his nipple with her tongue
"It would appear so," Draco breathed, "I've never had that done before."
"I read that in a book," Hermione admitted, a trace of embarrassment in her tone.
"I'm so glad you read," He groaned in response, as Hermione moved to his other nipple.
"There were a couple more things I read," Hermione's hands moved to the button of Draco's pants. She fiddled with the buttons, her fingers clumsy in a mixture of apprehension and anticipation, very conscious of the warm bulge underneath.
Sensing her apprehension, Draco grasped her hand and intertwined his fingers in hers. With his other hand, he cupped her face and brought her lips back to his. His hand continued to trace its way down her body, until it found the hem of her shirt. He then slipped underneath her shirt, relishing the curve of her waist and stomach.
Hermione sighed at his touch and opened her mouth wider, her tongue hungrily exploring his. Draco's hand moved to her breast. Hermione let out a moan, her skin on fire. Reaching back, she unhooked the clasp of her bra. His hand returned to her breast and gently rubbed her nipple between his fingers. Hermione uttered a cry, which was immediately swallowed by Draco's mouth. She became acutely aware of the growing wetness between her legs.
Hermione's hands returned to Draco's pants and released the now hard bulge from its constricting buttons. In response, Draco grasped the edges of Hermione's shirt, and lifted it above her head. They paused for a moment to drink in the other's topless form. Not breaking eye contact, she reached under her skirt and slipped off her underwear. The gesture drove Draco dangerously close to his breaking point.
The force of Draco's embrace caused Hermione to stumble backward into the wall behind her. His hand slid up her thigh. His eyes then sought hers, and he raised his eyebrows in question.
"Yes," Hermione breathed. Draco's fingers grazed her lips and felt the wetness between her legs. Hermione gasped and stiffened. Draco withdrew his hand and made to move away when Hermione said, "Don't you dare stop,"
Draco chuckled in surprise. "Tell me what you want," came his response.
"I want…" Hermione flushed again, clearly embarrassed.
"Do you want me to keep touching you?" Hermione nodded in response.
Instead of returning his hand to its previous position, he lifted her skirt slightly and ducked his head underneath. He placed tender kisses on the inside of her thigh. Hermione moaned in response. Draco then flicked his tongue over her clitoris.
Hermione let out a strangled cry. It was a sensation unlike anything she had experienced before, and her knees nearly buckled with the intensity of her pleasure. Draco gently swirled his tongue around her center of pleasure, relishing the way she writhed above him. Slowly, he increased the pace of his motions. Hermione's breathing became more irregular, and her hips thrust forward.
Draco's hands returned to Hermione's thigh. His fingers teased her lips. Then spreading them apart, he inserted a finger into her wet opening. Hermione's grip on his hair tightened, and her other hand banged the wall behind her. Draco began to thrust his finger in and out, keeping pace with the motion of his tongue.
"Yes," Hermione groaned. She began to feel the pressure build up from somewhere deep inside her. Draco, sensing her need, began to stroke her g-spot. Suddenly, Hermione felt a surge of pure, mind numbing pleasure burst from within her, sending currents up into her body and down her legs. She cried out loudly, all thoughts of her surroundings lost. All she was aware of was Draco's tongue. She sank to the ground as Draco slowly withdrew his head from underneath her skirt. Hermione's continued to breath deeply as she met Draco's eyes.
Gently cupping his face, she drew him towards her. His kisses were now soft, and she tasted herself on his lips. As the tingling sensation subsided and logical thoughts returned to her head, she turned her attention to his need, which had yet to be fulfilled. Moving her hands to his hips, she slipped her hands under his pants.
"We don't have to do that," Draco said, referring to her earlier hesitancy, "I'm perfectly satisfied with-"
"Stop talking," Hermione ordered.
Surprised, but not displeased, he allowed her to push him onto his back and release his member. Hermione took a moment to take in his naked form. She had never seen a naked man up close before, and it struck her how strange it was that he was the first man she should experience in this way. He was more beautiful than she could have imagined. She took his penis into her hand and was surprised by how warm it was. She began to move her hand up and down, and Draco closed his eyes in pleasure. Suddenly struck by a desire, she bent down and swirled her tongue around the head.
Draco's eyes fluttered open in surprise. He had received oral sex before. A fleeting image of Pansy Parkinson and her experienced touch flashed through his mind, which he quickly dismissed. What he was experiencing now, with Hermione, just couldn't compare. He had never felt this pressing need for another, and it took all his willpower to prevent himself from finishing too early. The sight of Hermione's pink lips on his shaft and the feel of her tongue swirling around his head was stronger than his willpower, however, and it was only a few moments before he reached the point of no return.
Draco gently lifted Hermione's head. With one final grunt, he felt the ecstasy of release. Reaching for his wand, he vanished the hot liquid away.
"Hermione," he sighed, reaching for her hand and pulling her in for a kiss.
"So," he continued, sitting up, "that was unexpected."
"I take it you're not complaining," Hermione responded, reaching for her shirt.
"What are you doing?" He pulled the shirt from her hand and chuckled.
"Perhaps you've forgotten, but we still are in the library," Hermione whispered, "And, for one, will not risk my position as a prefect by being caught in a…compromising…position."
"Little late for that, isn't it?" Draco said lazily, lying back down. Hermione snatched her shirt back.
"Relax," he said, "if your moaning didn't draw anyone here, I'm sure we're in the clear…ouch!" Draco rubbed his side, where Hermione had just jabbed him with her foot. Reluctantly, he, too began to dress. They stood up, and Hermione replaced the fallen books and straightened the shelves around them with a wave of her wand.
Now that they were dressed, Hermione was suddenly conscious of their actions. She turned her back to Draco and pretended to straighten another book.
"Hey," Draco said. Hermione turned around, attempting to appear casual but quite meeting his eye. "You look really good naked, by the way."
Hermione reddened, unsure how to take the compliment.
"Oh Draco, you looked good, too," Draco said in a breathy falsetto, "and so big! I've never seen anyone so big before! How do you keep it off the ground?"
Hermione laughed and felt her tension lift.
"OK we really should get out of here. You never know when Peeves might show up."
Together, they walked through the library doors. As they were about to part ways, their eyes met.
"I'll see you next Tuesday?"
"Yeah, see you."
--
The morning of March first dawned wet and windy. Hermione awoke with a smile, the events of the previous night fresh on her mind. Her happiness was short-lived when she remembered with a pang that it was Ron's birthday. She thought wistfully of the small wrapped package and handmade card hidden in the bottom of her trunk that was meant to be Ron's Christmas gift. She allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy of what today would have been like if they had never fought. Perhaps they'd sneak in a few butterbeers and take the evening off from studying.
Her appetite suddenly gone, she hoisted her bag over her shoulder, the idea of spending her Saturday studying no longer appealing. She decided to stop by Gryffindor tower to pick up some knitting supplies.
"Hermione!"
Hermione looked around to see Ginny walking towards her, clearly on her way to breakfast.
"Hi Ginny!" Hermione smiled, "How are-"
"Ginny!" An unfamiliar voice called out. They both turned to see a skinny third year girl rushing towards them.
"Ginny," she stopped in front of them, slightly out of breath, "It's…your brother…"
"Who, Ron?" Ginny looked puzzled.
"What happened?" Hermione inquired, a knot forming in her stomach, aided by the messenger's wide eyed expression.
"He's in the hospital wing," she continued, "I'm not sure. Something about poison, I think."
Ginny and Hermione exchanged one terrified expression before turning and hurtling towards the Hospital Wing at full speed. Outside the double doors of the Hospital Wing, they saw Harry, agitatedly pacing in a circle, his face pale.
"Harry!" Hermione called. Harry looked up, and upon seeing them, rushed to meet them.
"What happened?" Hermione repeated.
In a low voice, Harry relayed how Ron had consumed a love potion, how he took Ron to Slughorn's office for an antidote, and how Ron was offered and subsequently drank a poisoned cup of wine from Slughorn's office.
"McGonagall's already contacted his Mum and Dad," Harry continued, "They're on their way."
"But how did this happen?" Ginny demanded, "Who would want to poison Ron?"
"Well, we don't know that the poison was meant for Ron. It may have just been in the wine,"
Hermione turned away, not prepared to participate in their discussion. Tears stung her eyes as the image of Ron, blue and gasping for air, poisoned her mind. As important as she knew it was to figure out why this had happened, it was all she could do to keep herself from sinking to the floor and sobbing.
At that moment, she bitterly regretted every decision she had made in the last 3 months. How could she allow petty emotions to get in the way of her friendship? She regretted how she had been keeping secrets from her 2 best friends, how she had been drifting away from them.
The rest of the day passed in a haze. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived within the hour, and after satisfying themselves that Ron was stable, went to speak to Dumbledore. Hermione, Ginny, and Harry refused to leave their station outside of the Hospital Wing doors. Finally, at 8pm, Madam Pomfrey opened the doors to the Hospital Wing.
Ginny rushed in towards the drawn curtain behind which Ron was resting. Hermione, who had been positively sick with anticipation all day, unexpectedly found herself unable to walk through those doors.
"Coming, Hermione?" Harry asked from the doorway.
Hermione nodded, and followed Harry in. The Hospital Wing was empty, except for Ron and his guests. Ginny had already pulled chairs up to Ron's bedside and was sitting with her back to them, her bright red hair blocking Ron from view.
Hermione breathed in deeply in an attempt to stem the flow of fresh tears that had welled up in her eyes. She sunk into the chair next to Ginny.
It was odd to think this was the closest she had been to Ron in months. How pale he looked! Instinctively, her hand reached up to brush a strand of red hair out of his face. She caught Harry's eye and he gave her a brief, knowing look. Embarrassed, she clenched her hands together in her lap, while behind her, the Hospital Wing doors slammed open.
Fred and George hurtled towards them, their expressions grim. As they sat down next to Ron's bed, Harry once again recounted the events of the morning, while he, Ginny, and the twins concocted a list of people who may have been the target of the poison. For the first time all day, she was actually able to pay attention. Seeing Ron, though heartbreaking, had bolstered her strength slightly.
"But you said Slughorn had been planning to give that bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas," Ginny said to Harry, who had theorized that Slughorn himself has been the target of the poison, "So the poisoner could just as easily have been after Dumbledore."
"Then the poisoner didn't know Slughorn very well," said Hermione, speaking for the first time in hours and sounding as though she had a bad head-cold. "Anyone who knew Slughorn would have known there was a good chance he'd keep something that tasty for himself."
"Er-my-nee,' croaked Ron unexpectedly from between them. Hermione's heart leaped, and she watched Ron anxiously, but he said no more. Hermione's heart sank again. Her head felt heavy, and her mind was so numb, she was barely able to acknowledge the arrival of Hagrid and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
Finding the crowd stifling, she jumped at the opportunity to leave a few moments later with Harry and Hagrid, leaving Ron with his family. As they walked towards the Gryffindor common room, Hagrid filled them in on Dumbledore's response to the tragedy, and about an argument he had with Snape.
"an' nex' thing yeh know the board o' governors'll be talkin' about shuttin' is up fer good." Hagrid whispered.
"Surely not?" said Hermione, looking worried. But the thought of Dumbledore suddenly put a new, dark thought into her head.
"No," she whispered inaudibly to herself, "I just can't believe he would." But even as she said it, she could picture Harry's reaction. Was she being naïve?
"I can't do this right now!" She said aloud. Harry glanced behind his shoulder as he climbed in through the portrait hole. Before he had the chance to ask what she meant, Hermione bade him goodnight and fled up the staircase to the girls' dormitories.
The next Tuesday, Draco entered classroom 118 to see Hermione staring unseeingly at the wall. She didn't respond even as Draco took his seat across from her.
Draco looked uncomfortably at Hermione.
"Er," he began. Hermione jumped, and looked at Draco in surprise.
"I just wanted to say," Draco said awkwardly, "I'm really sorry about what happened to Weasley."
Hermione simply looked at him, her expression, unreadable.
"I mean, I know Weasley and I aren't exactly close, what with him being…anyway I imagine it must have been hard on you."
"Yes, it was," Hermione said, her expression hard, "If it hadn't been for Harry's quick thinking, Ron wouldn't be alive right now."
Draco winced at her tone. Hermione continued to stare down at her lap, not taking notice.
"Well aren't you going to ask me if I did it?"
Hermione's eyes shot to Draco's face.
"Don't tell me you weren't thinking it," Draco said in a bitter voice.
Hermione looked down guiltily.
"Well, to set the record straight, I had nothing to do with this, and I can't believe you'd even think that I would do anything to hurt someone you care about-"
"I believe you," Hermione said.
"What?"
"I believe you. I'm sorry if you felt that I doubted you," she gifted him with the smallest of smiles.
"Oh, er, right. Well then," he cleared his throat. "Do you, er, want to…talk about it?"
Hermione smiled slightly. "Thank you, but I don't think so. In fact, I think I'm going to have to cut our meeting short today."
"Yeah, I understand. I'll see you later?"
"Of course," Hermione stood up and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. She turned towards the door, but before leaving, turned and placed a swift kiss on Draco's cheek.
Draco watched the door close behind Hermione, unease growing in his belly. Grabbing his bag, he marched back to the dungeons, past the Slytherin common room, straight to Snape's office. He rapped once on the door and, without waiting for a response, pushed the door open.
Snape was sitting at his desk, surrounded by varying stacks of parchment.
"Draco," Snape said, looking up," I don't recall giving you permission to enter."
"We have to talk," Draco said fiercely, dropping into a seat in front of the desk.
Snape looked at him coldly.
"Please," Draco added brusquely.
Snape slowly rolled up the essay he was grading and looked up at Draco, which he took as permission to continue.
"It's about Weasley."
"I believe you have already protested your involvement in that affair," Snape drawled.
"This isn't about my involvement," Draco interrupted, "It's about yours."
Snape raised his eyebrows but made no response.
"I know you made some kind of Unbreakable Vow. And you were the Potions Master. It's not a far jump."
Snape stared coldly at Draco. "Do you really think I would be involved in such a sloppy and thoughtless plan? Perhaps you ought to consider if any of your friends has decided to take the initiative to assist you."
"None of my friends would-" Draco's eyes widened. His thoughts jumped to the small bottle that he had hidden in the bottom of his trunk since Christmas. Was it just a coincidence?
"I need a favor."