Forbidden
By Leah
Chapter 14
When the Night Is Overcome
The Head girl shifted her nervous eyes to the clock at the front of the room. Fifteen minutes left.
Her eyes dropped back to the paper on her desk before glancing to the cauldron, which held a simmering, clear potion. Her hand pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Veratiserum.' One of the most complicated potions she had ever made.
It took nearly two months to brew one batch, so the preparations for this potion -along with some others- had begun a long time ago.
It needed to be brewed for exactly four minutes and thirty-two seconds more before it was ready to be removed from the flame.
She bit her bottom lip nervously and dropped her a gaze down to her booklet, from the shuffling of paper she heard across the deathly silent room she guessed one of the other eight people in the room were also checking over their answers.
Her gaze shifted to the clock once more. 'Three...two...one.' She quickly extinguished the flame with her wand before dropping in a scale of a mermaid. She waited for exactly 20 seconds before stirring the potion twice clockwise and once counter-clockwise.
'Finished.'
She let out a small, relieved breath and looked into her cauldron with a satisfied smile. She quickly ladled out a spoonful of the water like substance and poured it into a vial labeled with her name and the name of the potion. Four other vials stood in a neat row next to her Veratiserum. One a yellow, near golden color, one a shockingly bright pink, another a thick deep purple, while the last a shimmering blue color.
Giving the potions a final once over she gathered her things, and left her closed booklet on her potions table, as was instructed. She pushed put her chair as softly as she could so as not to disturb the other six people in the room before turning and exiting the class.
One outside she let out a long, happy sigh. She had just finished her final NEWT!
"It's finally over!" Seamus Finnigan's loud yell from atop a table in the Gryffindor common room was barely heard over the roaring music and loud speaking. Nevertheless his cry was met with a roar of applause and cheering from those within hearing range.
Bottles of butterbeer and mountains of sweets and food were piled haphazardly on some table that was conjured up in the common room. Ron had to plead the aid of the elder Weasley twins to get the treats for them on such short notice and to sneak them into the school for him. And even then he still had to deal with hours of hearing "ickle Ronnikins is all grown up now, I think I feel a tear Fred."
Harry and Ginny were off dancing somewhere in the mass of Gryffindors, of course Harry had first to be dragged into the crowd by his overly excited girlfriend who fell instantly in love with the muggle song playing.
Hermione sighed to herself and sipped her butterbeer from her spot against the common room wall, her mind tuning in and out of the conversations around her. Ron had run off somewhere a few moments before, actually, she had long since waved him off, bidding him to do whatever he pleased since she wasn't in the particularly celebratory mood.
Of course she was indeed overjoyed at the prospect of NEWTs finally coming to an end, and she was more than sure that her studious ways for the past seven years had most definitely paid off. But she just couldn't bring herself to jump around and party, like the other seventh years.
With her exams gone and finished and school ending in a little under four weeks her mind was left to wander to its favorite topic - Draco Malfoy.
With a great sigh she finished off the rest of her bottle in one gulp, it wasn't really a miraculous task since there was little over half a mouthful left. The Graduation Ceremony would be in two weeks time, and the Graduation formal would be held the night before.
Then she would have to pack her things and one day after that she would be back on the Hogwarts express for the final time.
All that was left to do was to avoid Malfoy until then.
Hermione crept cautiously into the Head dormitories as silently as the floorboards would allow. It was near three in the morning, and though she knew for a fact that there was a party carrying on in the Slytherin dormitories, she did not however know whether or not Malfoy was in attendance. Or if he had been there and had arrived back to the Head common room before she had. And as she had learned from earlier experiences, the boy had ears like a bat -when it benefited him most of course.
So she slowly pulled the common room door behind her praying it would not squeak too loudly. A small breath escaped her pink lips when the door clicked softly into place; she turned and began creeping her way through the dark room to the stairs to her bedroom.
A sound that was so low that she was sure she would not have heard it were she not holding her breath and tip toeing through the soundless room, drew her attention to the couch where she could see the vague black outline of what she guessed was Malfoy, sound asleep.
She pulled out her wand and whispered a lumos spell so silent it was near inaudible. She quickly shielded most of the bright yellow light that shot from her wand with her hand until the light had dimmed enough for her to remove her hand.
She moved closer to the couch to find that it was indeed the Head boy sleeping soundly on the chair with the most peaceful expression she had ever seen him wear. Of their own violation, the corners of her mouth tugged up in a gentle smile as she stared down at the platinum blonde Slytherin. He looked so...so... so human.
No calculating gaze, or tightly clenched jaw. There wasn't a trace of a condescending smirk and no air of pretentious arrogance. No, now he was just a boy. A handsome young boy forced to grow up all too quickly, as they all had been in the age they lived in. Her hand reached out to his face, landing softly on his jaw tracing the well-defined contours of his strong jaw.
Draco let out a sort of stifled groan and she pulled her hand back faster than would be thought possible. Her eyes darted to his face, with a small sigh she noted he was still sound asleep. She passed her lip between her teeth for a moment before turning on her heel and scurrying to her room.
"Nox."
"GRYFFINDOR WINS! GRYFFINDOR WINS! THIS MATCH HAS SURELY SECURED THE HOUSE CUP FOR GRYFFINDOR FOR YET ANOTHER YEAR!"
The loud yells from the speaker were nearly drowned out by the loud roars of cheers echoing from the Gryffindor stands as scarves were waved like banners of gold and red. The Gryffindor team was already on the ground carrying their grinning captain and red-haired keeper as they all sang unintelligible lyrics to "Weasley is our king."
As the players shrouded in emerald and silver dismounted from their brooms, they found it hard to keep their own grins at bay. Despite the fact that they had lost the match, their team was the one to catch the Golden Snitch, which was still held firmly in their captain and seeker's pale hand.
Draco smirked to himself as he looked down at the tiny ball that was trying so desperately to escape from his hand. The Gryffindors won the game by a mere ten points, but that didn't matter. He had finally one upped Potter, and nothing could possibly dampen his mood.
"Malfoy," the boy looked up from his thoughts and into bright green eyes that were crinkled at the ends from the large grin on the boy who lived's face. "Good game Malfoy." Draco looked down to the hand that was extended to him, and for the first time in his life, he couldn't respond with a biting remark to Potter's kindness. Instead he simply reached out his own hand and shook the other captain's.
There was still the evident animosity between the two, no doubt about it, but they were both mature enough to show respect to a formidable opponent...as long as it wasn't something that was to occur to often.
"You too Potter." The boy nodded and returned to his red and gold clad team mates, leaving Draco and his own to trudge back to the castle, but the usual post-Gryffindor match anger was no where in sight.
It was only Draco's second year as the captain of the Slytherin team, and already his team had racked up more wins in a row than had ever been accomplished in Slytherin history. No matter how much Draco would say he detested Hogwarts, a little part of him would always call the place home.
He turned to face his team once they were in the locker rooms, the classic Malfoy smirk in place. "I think this deserves a bit of celebrating, what do we think?" His cry was met with loud cheers from the team.
"C'mon Hermione; it's been forever since last we-"
"Ron!" Hermione hissed sharply, cutting off her boyfriend. "Can you please just drop it! I'm in no mood to d-"
"ALL HAIL HARRY POTTER! SAVIOR OF GRYFFINDOR!" Dean's loud yell rang through the room as Harry was pushed onto a table in the midst of the Gryffindor celebration. The dancing ceased as all eyes turned to the grinning Quidditch captain. Someone yelled "Speech" and soon the whole room was chorusing the sentiment in slurred voices.
Hermione was unable to enjoy the party as much as her fellow housemates. Throughout the evening her boyfriend had been pestering her in one way or another about getting in some celebrating of their own, and he would not get the hint that she just was not interested.
She looked to Harry who had at sometime during his speech pulled Ginny -who was still clad in her Quidditch robes- next to him on the table. The pair, obviously slightly intoxicated, were staring lovingly into each other's eyes as the crowd cried for a kiss. Seconds later their wish was fulfilled as the couple broke into a drunken snog, nearly toppling over the table.
Ron gripping her arm tightly pulled Hermione's eyes away from the romantic, yet humorous scene. With a sigh she pulled her gaze to Ron's angered blue eyes. "Do you always have to be such a prude Hermione?" He muttered before removing his hand to run it through his red locks. It was obvious to her that he hadn't seen Ginny and Harry or else he would be violently pushing his way through the crowd with the intent of pulling his sister away from his friend, rather than bothering her.
How she wished he paid more attention to his surroundings sometimes.
She hardened her gaze and took a step back, nearly bumping into someone in the crowded room. "Do you always have to be such an immature brat Ronald!?" She snapped before she turned sharply -her brown curls nearly slapped him in the face- and stormed through the crowd of dancing teens.
She heard Ron shout her name over the music, but pointedly ignored him and exited the room swiftly.
"Brilliant game today mate." Blaise said heartily and slapped his friend on the back.
"First time we've ever said that after a loss." The captain chuckled and brought a bottle of butterbeer to his lips.
The two boys sat in the quiet Heads common room, talking about idle topics as they sipped butterbeer and Firewhiskey, as they had been doing for nearly half an hour. There was in fact a rather large and rowdy, drunken party going on in the Slytherin dormitories at the moment - a rarity given the fact that thy did not win the game- but neither boy cared to be amongst their housemates.
They had attended the party for an hour or so since it was in their honor, before they left out of boredom, after "borrowing" a few bottles of Odgen's and butterbeer. At least boredom would be the reason given if you were to ask Malfoy why they were enjoying the festivities a few floors down in the Slytherin dungeons.
Blaise on the other hand would relay a story of how he was harshly pulled from a room filled with willing and highly intoxicated women, just because his best mate was tired of his fiancée throwing herself on him.
The Italian boy let out a sigh and dropped to the back of the couch, and pulled the entire bottle of Firewhiskey with him. "Bloody hell, I feel old." He heard the snort from his fellow Slytherin which he ignored. "We're graduating in less than a month. Can you believe it? Leaving ol' Hogwarts behind once and for all. Then we have to lead adult lives and work. Dear Merlin, I don't fancy that idea."
Draco rolled his eyes and drained his butterbeer before grabbing another one. "Then it's a good thing that you're an heir and you don't need to get off your fat arse for the rest of your life then, isn't it?"
Blaise snorted and swirled the alcohol around its bottle a habit he had developed from his father. "I'll have you know, my arse is not fat Malfoy."
Draco sent his friend an apprehensive look before swiping the bottle from his hand, "I think you should stick to butterbeer for the rest of the night mate."
Blaise chuckled, but grabbed a butterbeer from the table. "But seriously mate, I'm really going to miss this place." Draco shot his friend a curious look to find the dark haired boy staring unseeingly at the ceiling. "I mean, I'm not going to miss classes in the least -alright maybe I'll miss Snape harassing the Gryffindors in Portions- and some of the professors can go and rot for all I care. Like that bloody McGonagall and the daft coot." Blaise paused and grinned for a moment. "But you know, I'm going to miss being here."
Draco snorted before taking a gulp from his newly poured glass of Odgen's, "You're obviously drunk Zabini. I'm counting the days until I can leave this place, and start a real life."
"With the new Mrs." Zabini added, ignoring the glare now focused on him.
"I don't care to hear this now Zabini." The blonde spat venomously, only to receive a half-hearted shrug from Blaise.
"Pity then, that I've never been known to care about your preferences." Blaise could practically feel Draco's anger radiating from him, but that didn't deter him. "That is what Pansy will be, the new Mistress of the Manor. And you, my friend, are going to be the idiot left asking himself why he made the greatest mistake of his life."
"Shut up Zabini," Draco growled out, "I told you, I'm in no mood."
Blaise smirked, "And I believe that I also told you that I have never been one to care for your moods." The boy took a swig of his butterbeer, idly longing for the burn of Firewhiskey, and watched jealously as his blond housemate nursed a glass of the orange liquid. He let out a sigh and pressed on; someone had to talk some sense into the boy. "Now, it appears to me, that you're beginning to realize that Parkinson cannot be molded into the fair bookworm you so blatantly pine for. And that despite the fact that your Gringotts account will increase tremendously -even without the contract- from this...union; you're starting to see that no amount of money will be able to stop that little ache in your chest."
"Shut up Zabini," said Draco once again, his words as sharp as a dagger.
"I don't think I shall." Blaise straightened himself and sent his friend a level glare. "Someone's got to talk some sense into your bloody hard head Draco. Do you honestly think this is what your mother would have wanted for you? Do you? She died for you to be happy! And this is how you repay her!"
"I said shut up!"
"You're being a selfish sod Malfoy."
"I said: SHUT UP ZABINI!" Draco roared and stood up to his full, intimidating height. He shot the other boy a bone-chilling glare; Zabini nearly flinched at the blatant resemblance between Draco and Lucius at that moment.
"You should really learn to pull your nose from matters that do not concern you Zabini. You know more than anyone that I will not hesitate to hex whomever doesn't exercise caution around my private business, into oblivion, be they friend or not. Remember that next time you decide to give your opinion." Draco snarled before he turned on his heels and strode out of the room, his cloak billowing behind him in a manner that would make Snape envious.
Blaise arched a dark eyebrow and smirked.
It wasn't past curfew as of yet, but it would be in a few moments, so of course the halls of Hogwarts were near empty and there was no one to see the angry Head girl storming through them.
Hermione didn't really care that she would probably draw attention to herself from a teacher, or worse Filch and his bloody cat. She just wanted to find a place to brood in peace. Her common room was out of the question, seeing as Draco might have taken Pansy there to celebrate the win with his fiancée. The thought alone made bile rise in her throat.
Her instinct told her to go to the library, but Madam Pince would probably not allow her in, seeing as it was so late at night. With a sigh she turned towards on of the moving staircases and headed to the one place she knew would be empty.
And even if it wasn't she could always use her Head Girl title to get rid of whoever maybe skulking about in the Astronomy tower.
Draco smirked half -heartedly when he reached his destination; of course his feet would bring him to this place.
He stepped towards the ledge where he and the girl stood that night not so long ago. Idly his mind realized that it was much warmer this night than it had been those weeks ago, he remembered her ill-concealed shivers as the wind blew around her. "That's all in the past now anyway." He murmured and shook away the small smile that had found its way onto his face.
He turned his eyes away from the cold stone floor to the silvery moon; it looked exactly as it did the night he first arrived here seven years ago. "Who would have thought, all those years ago, that one day I would be standing here; in love with a mudblood." He chuckled sadly and dropped his gaze to the darkened grounds of the school.
From the height he could make out the inky blackness of the lake, where two lovers were holding each other tightly on its shores, lit by the silver glow of the moon.
Some would have smiled at the scene of romance that played out below, but he scowled and turned to leave, only to find a pair of dark brown eyes staring at him.
"Granger."
Hermione let out a breath as she narrowly escaped the yellow eyes of Mrs. Norris. Although judging from the clanging of falling armor and loud cackles that resonated down the hall -undoubtedly from the bothersome Poltergeist Peeves- she guessed the cat had its proverbial hands full with the ghost.
She waited in her spot behind a suite of armor for nearly a minute -just incase Filch was also nearby- before she slipped out of her hiding space and padded -with much more caution- to the Astronomy Tower.
She took each cold stone step to the tower carefully, in an effort to make as little sound as possible. Halfway up the steps she considered turning back and going back to Gryffindor Tower instead, or at least to the Head Dorms, something in her gut told her that she should not go to the Astronomy Tower.
She shook off the feeling, after all she had made it that far already, what was the point in turning around now?
Gently, she pushed open the door and turned to shut it softly. She walked closer to the ledge of the tower when her eyes landed on the back of a silver blond head of hair.
'I should leave now.'
But her body seemed to be frozen in place and she knew she must have taken on the look of a deer caught in the headlights. After what felt like hours, her body took heed to her minds screams and she slowly began to walk backwards to the door, her eyes never leaving the boy, feeling very much like prey who had just stepped into the snake pit.
She had barely made any progress to the door before Draco turned his grey eyes onto her, his curiosity and surprise swirled in their mercurial depths.
"Granger."
She wished - not for the first time - that she listened to her gut and went to her dorms instead.
Seconds passed in stale silence. Draco nearly smirked at the frozen Gryffindor standing so statue-like in front of him. She looked quite like the embodiment of that muggle saying he had heard one of the prefects use once - what was it again... ah yes- like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar...or something to that effect.
He was pulled from his thoughts by her small discrete movements, her left leg slowly inched behind her right as she tried to step back, while her shaking right hand reached behind her in an effort to grasp the door knob.
He nearly felt obliged to tell her the door was at least another four feet behind her, but didn't.
"I think- I think I should go." He would have rolled his eyes at her incredibly child like behavior, but he too felt the urge to run from the awkward moment that was brewing between them.
"No." He sighed to himself and ran a pale hand through hair. "I should be leaving anyway."
She nodded -he guessed she didn't trust herself to speak- and moved more into the room, her eyes still as wide as galleons.
He let out another small sigh and shook his head slightly before making his way to the door. Unfortunately, he accidentally brushed his arm against hers, a small matter that he would have overlooked, were it not for the sound of her lips pulling in a shuddered breath in a gasp.
His hand reached the door before he paused and let out what felt like his millionth sigh for the night.
"Why are you with him...Granger?" He knew that his pause told her what he really meant. 'Why are you with him and not me.'
There were a few minutes of silence in which Draco took another step to the door. It had become apparent that she wasn't going to answer him. He nearly left when he heard her sigh; he turned his head in time to see her shoulders slump in defeat. He almost smiled to himself.
"You've asked me that before if I'm not mistaken. Why ask the same thing twice?" This time he did smile a small lopsided one that she never saw since she refused to turn to him.
"Because you never answered me before. 'Because he loves me' just isn't good enough for me Granger." He thought he heard her chuckle, but it must have been a mistake, now was no time for laughter.
"Not good enough?" This time he was sure he heard her chuckle. "My, well I guess I was foolish to think that love would ever be a good enough reason for a Malfoy." Her tone was light and laced with laughter, but her words still held their sharp, biting edge.
His small smile vanished and was replaced with the scowl that she had known years before. "I guess you really were." He spat and turned to he door, pulling it open with a fierce jerk.
"Because he's safe." She called to him, turning quickly to face his back.
Draco let his squared shoulders slump into a more relaxed pose and shut the door once more before turning to face her.
"And I'm not?" He turned to face her with one pale brow arched, now as they faced each other he was free to see the tear streaks that stained her pink cheeks.
Seconds passed in silence as Draco studied the girl in front of him, her posture still rigid. It seemed that she was trying to formulate an answer to his question, or at least trying to find a way to answer him without adding any unnecessary barbs to her words. He let out a small sigh before taking a step towards her, only to have her step back.
He shook his head as a ghost of a smile graced his lips. "When will you stop running Granger?"
"When I run out of places to run to." She replied, he half expected her to keep her mouth shut this time also.
"You know, not everyone will always search for you." He stepped closer to her, this time she did not step back.
"Yes," She began, "but the ones who truly cared for me would."
Draco smirked at the naiveté of her comment. "You would be a fool to think life is like one of your cliched little muggle movies Granger. Sometimes the right guy expects you to come back to him."
Hermione sent him a saddened smirk of her own. "Then it is he who is the fool."
Draco chuckled half heartedly before returning his grey eyes to her brown ones. "Once again you haven't answered my question."
"Isn't it obvious what my answer is?" Hermione began carefully, her smile gone. From the look on his face she knew he wanted a straight answer. She let out a small sigh before beginning. "You're not safe Malfoy. You're just- he's; Ron's good for me." She winced; her words were the near exact ones she said to Ginny only weeks ago.
"Ron would protect me, and-and he'll always be there for me. He will always try to make me laugh," Her eyes softened as she thought back on memories of her time spent with the youngest male Weasley. "He's always tried to make me laugh." She turned defiant eyes to Malfoy, her obstinate spirit visible in the chocolate depths. "Ron is the perfect-"
"Friend Granger." Draco's bored draw cut off her indignant words, his eyes on his well-manicured nails. "Weasley is the perfect friend. He's nothing more than that to you, and you know it." His sharp quicksilver eyes shot up to hers, their silver was flecked with the lightest shades of blue, she had never noticed that trait about them.
"I-"
"You know I'm right Granger," She took a small step back.
"We can't do this I-I don't want to fall-"
"I think it's a little to late for that." He crossed the room in three large strides and sighed as he looked down at the girl, she didn't move back but instead looked at him with her wide, innocent doe-eyes. The tear trails were still visible on her cheeks, he wouldn't wipe away the moisture though, he did it once, but he wouldn't again, it was just not his thing. And she accepted that. "You know you don't feel for him what you feel for me."
He took one final step forward, their bodies so close he could feel the heat radiating from her body, he lifted one alabaster hand to her cheek in a ghost of a caress. "You know he doesn't make you shiver like I do. You know his kisses don't light you afire like mine."
His hand cupped her cheek more firmly and she couldn't stop the whimper that sounded from the back of her throat, she couldn't help but lean into his touch, welcoming the warming tingle that spread through her from his fingers. "You know his touch doesn't make you feel what mine does."
His face hovered lower now, his body was separated from hers by the width of a hair, his pale hand slithered from her smooth cheek down the definition of her jaw, to the milky soft skin of her neck. Her pulse was strong and fast, he knew his was also. "What would you do if I were to kiss you right now?" His voice was ragged and husky, filled with his ill concealed lust.
"I-I don't know." Her words were nothing more than a whisper and her own breath came out in uneven pants. Draco's head dipped even lower, but his lips still didn't touch hers.
"You know, you know he can't satisfy you the way I can." Hermione's eyes dropped to his pink lips, before she dragged them back up to his grey eyes.
"I-I know." She stood on her toes, and sent him a small smile before her lips connected with his. This night, she wouldn't think of the consequences. "I know."
Draco's hands grasped her hips, pulling her closer to his growing erection. His tongue battled with hers as he walked her back to the nearest wall. His hands ran up her sides, and slid under her crisp white school shirt. He felt her soft stomach quiver as his cold hands passed over the warm planes of her skin.
His hands reached the cotton material that hid her breasts from view, and with the ease of a practiced master he reached behind her and unhooked the offensive garment before sliding one hand over the soft mound of her breast. His other hand slipped from under her shirt to grasp her wrists and bring them above her head.
He pulled away from her lips, his ice colored eyes sliding over her face, taking in the flush of her cheeks and the candy apple red of her lips. Her eyes were still half closed and her brow was scrunched slightly while her lips let out puffs of warm air.
"Granger, stop me now if you want, after this Merlin himself wouldn't be able to get me off of you." The hand under her shirt rolled the perk pink nipple between his fingers and for a moment she drew in a shuddered breath before biting down on her bottom lip, her eyes sliding shut completely.
Seconds passed and he waited with baited patience for her response. She opened her chocolate eyes and her teeth released her plump lip, she fixed him with a sharp glare before speaking. "Don't stop, Draco."
That was all the encouragement he needed, in an instant his hand withdrew itself from under her shirt and ripped open the garment, the sound of six little buttons hitting the floor went ignored by both teens. Her bra that was hanging on by the straps soon joined the lost buttons on the floor. For a moment her eyes flashed dangerously as she watched her favorite bra being torn off of her, but the decent of his mouth on the heated flesh of her breast stopped all words in her throat.
Draco's eyes feasted on the sight of her now exposed breast, her areolas a dusty pink while her darker nipples stood up, calling to his mouth. Who was he to deny them their desire? With an aggressiveness he didn't know he possessed his mouth crashed down onto her breast as his tongue hungrily circled her nipple, the mewls of pleasure that escaped her lips were more than enough motivation for him to continue. His mouth left her moistened breast behind - he felt her shiver as the cool night air hit the wet flesh, the feeling of her body quivering beneath him made his member quiver with impatience - and continued to trail hot open mouth kisses up her chest to her collar, nipping harshly at the flushed flesh. He heard her sharp intake of breath every time he left a small love bite on her skin; her hips involuntarily bucked themselves towards his erection in an obvious plea for him to end the tension building below her waist.
His free hand slid down her side and hiked up her plaid skirt before brushing against her cotton panty that was now soaked with her desire. In one swift movement he pushed the garment aside and roughly slid to fingers into her dripping core. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and her eyes flew open as she arched into him, the mixing of pain and pleasure obviously drew her overboard as he felt her inner walls spasm around his fingers.
A smirk formed on Draco's face as he drew her off the wall and brought them both to the cold stone floor. He pulled his fingers out of her and released her wrists, in an instant her skirt was pulled off of her and thrown over her shoulder, her underwear soon followed. Before Hermione could make sense of what the boy was doing his head had slid between her legs. Her mouth formed a small "o" before her head lolled back and her chest arched upwards, her face scrunched in pleasure as his tongue danced over her clit with practiced skill.
"Oh God! Pl-Please Draco!" Her breathy cries reached his ears, fueling his near painful erection. His mouth worked diligently on her, she tried to buck into his mouth but his hands held her quivering legs still. His tongue slipped into her opening, imitating what he was planning on doing with other parts of his anatomy in the near future. He replaced his mouth with his fingers and dragged his lips along her inner thigh where he bit down sharply on the sensitive flesh. She screamed a broken version of his name as her second orgasm of the night washed over her body.
Her arms felt weak, but she still managed to pull him up to her, his covered erection grazed over her wet entrance and a pleasured groan escaped him. Her small hands tried to unbutton his white oxford shirt but were shaking too much, with another smirk he took over the job of removing the shirt while her small hands reached down to his pants. He couldn't help the second groan that escaped him when she brushed her hand over his hardened member.
In seconds he was kneeling over her clad only in a pair of black boxers. His hands were placed on either side of her head as he leaned over her, his eyes clouded with lust, his forehead already held the beginnings of perspiration, he was obviously trying to contain himself. "Last chance to leave Granger."
Her only response was her small hands pulling his boxers off of his hips and throwing them onto the floor, his erection stood proudly near her entrance. She blushed scarlet and tried to look away but his hands grasped her chin and brought her face to his. He wanted to see her expression when he first entered her.
He knew that he was not the first man to be with her, and despite the anger that bubbled within him at the thought, he appeased himself with the fact that even though Weasley may have had her first, he would be the one to have her last.
With that thought he slammed himself into her moist heat, she let out a startled cry that was mixed with pain and immeasurable pleasure. Her eyes drifted shut as her senses began to be overridden by the pleasurable sensations he filled her with.
"Don't close your eyes Hermione, I want you to see." He whispered in her ear, biting down on the flesh. She obliged and opened her bright eyes as he slammed into her over and over. Her hands found their way onto his back, her fingers digging into the flesh leaving half moons along the strong muscles of his back.
Loud moans and breathy mewls of pleasure filled the chilled night air, his hand slid to her bottom to lift her slightly higher off the ground, allowing him reach deeper within her. Her nails dragged down his back as he slammed into her while he sucked and nipped at the sensitive flesh of her neck.
There would be passionate lovemaking this night, no, they needed this, this rough raw release of emotions. The next time it would be sweet and pleasurable, and if Draco had his way -as he always did- there would indeed be another time in the not too distant future.
He felt her inner walls begin to clamp around him, a low groan escaped him as he buried his face in her neck, his thrusts were becoming erratic as he felt himself nearing the end. He knew hers was close also, she was nearing exhaustion and her throat was surely going to be sore the next day from the loud yells that escaped her.
He reached a hand between them and his thumb pressed against her clit one last time, sending her spiraling over the edge, taking him with her.
Seconds after his orgasm he rolled over to lay next to her, and watched her as she came down from her own release. His hand tangled itself into her soft curls, he had always wondered if it was really as much of a birds nest as it often looked, it was a pleasant surprise to find that he was wrong about that.
He tried to control his erratic breathing as his eyes dropped down to her chest that was steadily rising and falling with her deep breaths. He felt himself begin to stir again, but it was too soon for her to have a second go. Instead he was content to lay silently next to her, his little bookworm -his alone- running his hand through her frizzy hair, while he stared out into the darkness of the sky outside of the Astronomy Tower.
Her hair slipped from his fingers and the heat of body left his side, immediately his attention was pulled to the girl. She was laying on her side, her back to him, slightly curled into herself.
"Hermione-?"
"Don't call me that!" She snapped, her voice was thick with unshed tears.
He let out a small sigh, he should have known she would regret it, never would he expect her to forget about her precious Weasley and Potter and for once focus on what was good for her. "It's your name if I'm not mistaken."
She sniffled quietly before replying, "No-yes. Of course it is, but-but you can't call me that." She was aware of how utterly childish she sounded but it couldn't be helped, although at a time like this she wished that her rather expansive vocabulary hadn't failed her. "Granger...that's what you call me. It's what you have called me for nearly seven years. And I've called you Malfoy. It's- it's- it's how things are supposed to be!"
Draco reached his hand over to touch her shoulder, she flinched at his touch before she pushed herself off the floor. She ran around the room and grabbed her clothes, and tried to slip them on as quickly as possible, but for some torn article she was forced to fix them with her wand. She reached the door as she ran a hand through her thoroughly frizzy hair, her hand touched the cold metal of the knob before she turned to Draco, to find him already covered from the waist down.
"I'm sorry- this - it was a mistake." She moved to turn when he called out to her.
"I won't come after you if you leave here without me Hermione."
She smiled sadly to herself and opened the door. "And I won't come back to you...Malfoy."
Hermione returned to the Head Dorms, knowing that Draco would now be avoiding her at all costs. She didn't even know how she managed to stutter out the password to Kyara through her tears, but before she realized it she was laying face down on her bed, sobbing loudly into the bleak night. After nearly two hours of tears she fell asleep, letting out the occasional sniff in her fitful rest.
Ginny Weasley's red head turned side to side a she looked up and down the Gryffindor breakfast table the next morning. Something just wasn't right.
Breakfast had been underway for twenty minutes, and yet her best female friend had yet to come downstairs. When she asked her brother he simply waved her off telling her that Hermione probably had a stomach ache, through the massive amount of sausage and egg that was stuffed into his mouth. The idea that Hermione had a stomachache -though plausible- just didn't feel right to the younger girl.
With a quick scan of the Slytherin table she noticed that a certain platinum head was missing, surprisingly there was another person who she noted seemed also to be suspicious of Draco's lack of attendance to breakfast.
Parkinson was surveying the Gryffindor table, and Ginny was sure the girl realized that Hermione was also missing when her face turned a brilliant shade of red and she promptly flung down her fork before stalking out of the hall, looking much more like an enraged cow than ever. Ginny drew her laughter filled eyes from the door at the feeling of someone staring at her. She turned back to the Slytherin tables to find Blaise looking at her with a curious expression on his face.
His near violet eyes glanced at the empty seat next to her and back to her eyes, he was asking where her friend was. Ginny shrugged and flashed him a grin before looking to the empty seat that Malfoy usually held before looking back at him. The Slytherin now held a wicked gleam in his eyes before he too shrugged.
It was all the answer Ginny needed, with a discrete nod to Blaise and a muttered excuse to Harry she dashed out of the Great Hall and ran to the Head Dorms, taking the steps two at a time. By time she reached Kyara's portrait she was panting, but her face still held a large grin.
"Amour dans les bras d'un ennemi." The portrait swung open and Ginny bound into the common room, almost forgetting to close the door. She reached Hermione's portrait and was about to say the password when she stopped herself. If she was right, there would be two people in that room, two people who she was sure wouldn't want her to run into the room while they were sleeping...or indulging themselves in some other activities.
So she raised her hand and knocked on the lion portrait, the massive cat growled at her before shaking its golden mane. Ginny waited for a moment, the sounds of shuffling reached her ears from inside the room. If possible her grin grew, the door was wrenched open and instead of the frizzy haired sheet clad Hermione that she expected, she was met with a puffy eyed Hermione, who was clad in her rumpled clothes from the day before.
Her grin immediately dropped and a look of concern took over her features. The girl looked awful! Her hair seemed more like a birds nest than she had ever seen it, it was obvious that she fell asleep her clothes -her shirt was completely rumpled and her skirt had twisted around almost completely- her eyes were red and her nose was pink, tears were falling from her eyes following the paths of the ones before.
"Oh Merlin Hermione, what happened to you?" Instead of the sob that Ginny was expecting, Hermione pulled her into her room and shut the door behind her.
"I slept with Malfoy!" She nearly screamed before a strangled sob wrenched itself from her throat. Hermione dropped onto her unmade bed and grabbed Crookshanks who made a valiant effort to escape. "Last night, when I left the party I ran into him in the Astronomy Tower and- and Ginny I didn't even say no! I-I-" She was overcome with her tear and buried her face into Crookshanks' orange fur. The cat let out a strangled meow before giving up its crusade for freedom from his distraught owners hold.
Ginny sat next to her friend on the bed and pat her back consolingly. "Was it really that bad?" She joked in a lame attempt to lighten the mood. Hermione seemed to only sob louder, and her head slid onto Ginny's lap where the girl attempted to soothingly detangle the frizzy mass on her head.
"No!" She began, pulling Crookshanks closer. "That's it, it was perfect Ginny! It's just- I- what will I do about Ron?"
"Break up with him of course." Said Ginny, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"I-"
Ginny's hands stopped trying to smooth out her hair, "Hermione, I love you, you are the best friend I've ever had, but," Ginny took a deep breath and bit her lip. "Well, Ron is my brother, and I love him also. Hermione you're going to end up hurting him! Please just end this thing you have with him before Ron does something stupid." Hermione removed herself from Ginny's lap and regarded her with an aggravated look, her temper was beginning to get the best of her.
"Hermione, you need to break up with him; your heart belongs to Draco, you need to admit it to yourself.. You love the boy! You have to give up Ron for him. Ron's just not right for you." Ginny placed her hand over Hermione's consolingly, only to have the girl pull her hand away and jump off the bed.
"You don't know anything Ginny! I was foolish to think you'd understand any of this!" The older girl screamed and accidentally dropped Crookshanks from her arms, but the angry hiss the cat gave her fell on deaf ears as all the girl could hear was her blood pounding through her veins. "Stop trying to push Draco and I together! This is none of your business! There's no one else for me but Ron, Ginny! So stop trying to control me and get out of my life!"
The younger girl offered her friend of six years a sad smile and pulled herself off of her bed. "I'm sorry that you of all people cannot do what's right, Hermione."
"So?" Ginny let out a yelp of surprise at the sound of the voice.
"Merlin Zabini! I nearly jumped out of my skin!" She turned to face the smirking Slytherin who was leaning ever so casually on one of the cold stone walls.
Blaise shrugged and dragged his dark eyes to hers. "You really need to realize that we Slytherin's are rather sneaky folk." He sent her another Slytherin Smirk -as she had termed it- and continued, "Did they do what we thought?"
Ginny looked to the ground and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Yes," She could practically hear the smirk forming on the boys face "But, she's in denial about her feelings for Ron. She still believes that her feelings for Malfoy are only fleeting, and Ron is the one for her." The girl let out a defeated sigh and slumped against a wall. "This isn't how I expected this to be!"
Blaise frowned and pushed himself off the wall, immediately he dusted off his side. "That's the trouble with having humans as pawns; they have a will of their own."
Ginny chuckled and pushed herself off the wall also. "I believe you're right, I doubt that even the most skilled chess player would ever be able to find the strategy behind the moves of people. Especially the moves of those in love."
Blaise sent her a half hearted smirk. "I guess this is where we really do just sit back and watch the train wreck that's bound to happen."
Days passed and the seventh years grew more and more restless, the Graduation Ceremony would be less than two weeks away, and the night before would be host to the End of Year Dance.
Draco had spent most of his hours in the Slytherin dormitories, only leaving when it was absolutely necessary, or when Pansy decided to get a little too touchy for his liking. He had taken over Crabbe's bed - which was sadly not as comfortable as the one he was used to in the Head Dorms- and was left alone by the other Slytherins for the most part. Even Zabini had taken his warning and had steered clear of the boy, the only one who didn't quite understand that he was indeed in a foul mood was his dear fiancée who just wouldn't leave his side.
He saw Granger much more than he would have liked, after all he was trying to ignore the girl. But with the dance only a scant few days away, the prefects and heads were meeting nearly every night to plan for the gala, so he had to see her face along with that of her precious Weasel on a near daily basis.
Thankfully the day before the ball the girl was no where to be found while he and half of the prefects prepared the Hall, she had probably taken the job of overlooking the arrival of the entertainment, or dealing with her "over-worked" house elves in the kitchen.
Hours later he saw her while he along with many of the school's seventh years who had procrastinated on buying their robes for the event that was to be held in less than 24 hours time. She was striding out a very trendy looking boutique with a large purple bag in her hand, containing what he guessed was her dress, while two harpies he had learned were named Lavender and Parvati straggled behind her gossiping about some nonsense. He doubted the two noticed the look of pure agitation on the girl's face.
He nearly cracked a smile when he saw her grip her wand that jutted out of the pocket of her robe, the expression on her face that of one intent on murdering a person. But she let out a breath and hurried along while the girls tried to keep up with her large strides.
Minutes before the dance, Hermione stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom and stared at herself. Even she would admit that tonight she did look rather beautiful. It was no secret in Hogwarts, this girl could clean up rather nicely.
Lavender and Parvati had to talk her into the change of look, and of course buying the dashing red dress that she was now wearing, but in the end she was rather pleased with the result. But of course she would never tell the two girls that, they'd try to give her a makeover every minute!
Her hand reached up to her hair and her fingers ran through the brown tendrils. It was straight, after hours of brushing and some extremely complex charms from the latest "Teen Witch" magazine for "Pesky hair that just won't be tamed!" Lavender and her friend had finally succeeded in getting her hair down, then they promptly began spraying it and gelling it with every "Sleek Eaze" hair formula they could get their hands on, to ensure that their hard work wasn't for nothing.
They also managed to wrestle a bit of makeup on her face before she threatened to Transfigure them into parrots if they didn't stop trying to make her look like a clown. But she did have to admit the light bit of makeup did do wonders to her skin.
But what was more breath taking was the dress. It was a deep crimson in color -there was no such thing as too much Gryffindor pride after all- and was a simple floor length halter with knee length slits on the sides, but it did seem to be made for her body. Of course she did have her doubts about the color, it was a tad bright, but after nearly a half hour of contemplating it and hearing Parvati and Lavender whine about how gorgeous the dress was, she had to concede and buy it. If only to make them shut up.
The Heads and prefects had to enter together, as they were supposed to do at every dance, so when the time came for them all to line up with their designated partner in front of the two large doors to the Great Hall, the party had already begun.
Hermione removed herself from Ron's arm -the boy had latched onto her since he picked her up at her dorms- and moved to Malfoy's side, standing with just enough space between them to be deemed normal. He sent her a lazy glance before his eyes turned back to McGonagall who was fussing over Pansy's dress.("Miss Parkinson, your dress is highly unsuitable for a school function such as this! I guess there is nothing that can be done about it now though!")
The great double doors opened by themselves and the Heads walked in side by side -rather stiff and uncomfortably- followed by the two rows of prefects.
Hermione, and those prefects who weren't part of the group fixing the Hall, sucked in a sharp breath. The Hall looked better than it ever had before, looked like something out of a fairy tale. She of course helped plan it out but she had no idea it would look so wonderful.
The cold stone floors were replaced with a brilliant marble that shined brightly, the whole room was decorated in a silvery white color, but that wasn't at all what everyone was staring at. It was the walls, with the help of many seventh years and underclassmen, along with Proffessor Flitwick's charms skills, the Prefects had collected hundreds of photos of the graduating students through their years at Hogwarts. With a few complex charms the walls reflect an enlarged version of each photo and would shimmer into a different one every few minutes. The sight of themselves when they first entered the school and their years as they grew up there brought tears to the eyes of many of the soon to be alumni.
"Students!" Dumbledore's cheery voice drew Hermione's attention to the teacher's table where the elderly man stood in silvery robed that matched the decor near perfectly.
"Another year had passed at Hogwarts, and with a heavy heart I am to say that it has been your seventh and final year here. This castle holds millions of memories for each of you, and I assure you each teacher here also has a myriad of memories of you in their classes." A few students caught the look of annoyance that flittered across Snape's ever frowning face before Dumbledore continued in his age rasped voice.
"Tomorrow I shall declare you adults, and you will be set free into the world of adulthood where you shall be faced with new problems and new friendships. But for tonight you are still children, children who have overcome seven years of work and toil and problems that one can only find in a school, and friendships that will last you a lifetime, with memories that shall last even longer. And now that this old man has finished speaking," he smiled down at the students with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes, "I believe it is time for the Head Boy and Girl to open up the dance!"
The band began a waltz and all students but Hermione and Draco were ushered off the dance floor, it was a Hogwarts tradition that dated back hundreds of years that the opening and closing dance of the final year belonged to the two Head Students. Both Hermione and Draco couldn't help but curse tradition at that moment.
"We best get this over with quickly Granger, your boyfriend's practically spitting mad." Draco muttered and held out his hand for her to take. She nodded and placed her hand in his upturned palm.
Draco glided her effortlessly across the dance floor and dipped and twirled her when necessary, moving with much more grace that Hermione would have ever thought he could have. Then again she was sure all aristocrats such as himself had to take dance lessons or learn the moves quickly with all those balls they had to attend all the time.
Before either realized it the music drifted off and their classmates' thunderous applause filled the air. Hermione had barely opened her mouth to say something to Malfoy when she was swept away by Ron who's ears were now a brilliant red.
The dance waned on and Hermione found herself wishing for it to end soon, unlike the Halloween dance, she could not skip out on this one before it was brought to a close, but that didn't stop her from dreaming of doing that. She sat at a table with Ron, Ginny -who could only attend since Harry was her date- Harry, Neville, and Samantha, a Hufflepuff who was Neville's date.
With Ron complimenting her every second and Ginny -her usual support in these matters- giving her the cold shoulder, Hermione was left to stare at the ceiling wishing that time would speed up. Brief entertainment came when she spotted Trelawney trying to get Snape to dance with her during a particularly slow waltz, as Dumbledore was with McGonagall, unfortunately the Divination professor did not see the look of utter loathing that Snape was directing her way.
After what seemed like decades she heard the loud noise of a chair scraping against the floor snapped her attention the teachers table where Dumbledore was now standing. "I regret to inform you that it is now nearing three o'clock, and I do believe that you all have a Graduation to attend in the morning. After the closing dance from our two Head student's I would like to bid you all a very goodnight." The wizard looked to Hermione and Draco, who grudgingly made their way to the emptied dance floor before beckoning the singer on stage to start a new song.
The band began a slow, eerie tune and Draco pulled Hermione closer to himself than was necessary; at least in her opinion.
You smile at me, that perfect smile
And maybe I could stay a while
Our problems all just slip away
Every time you hold me this way
He took the lead once more, though she didn't mind in the least, dancing wasn't exactly her forte.
Just promise me no matter what
You'll always be there to save me a dance
Draco effortlessly pushed her out into a twirl and pulled her body back to his, she could feel the heat radiating off of him. Against her will a contented sigh escaped her lips and her head rested itself on his shoulder.
I'll hold you close, just don't let go
Don't say those words
Don't say goodbye
I like our world of make-believe
Just please don't say we have to leave
They both seemed to forget that there was in fact a crowd of their peers staring intently and curiously at the scene unfolding on the dance floor as the two swept around the room, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that there were feelings shared between them.
I want to pretend for just one more night
That everything is finally all right
Don't say it's a dream
Don't tell me wake up
Don't say this is it
Don't say it's the end
Don't tell me goodbye
Don't tell me we were living a lie
He twirled her again as the music hit a crescendo and pulled her into a dip, all thoughts of Ron and her obligations to him left her as Draco steered her around the floor and held her so securely.
I don't want to go
I don't want to cry
Don't say that you love me
'Cuz that's all a lie
You go your way,
And I with him
But deep in my heart, you'll always be there
And in my mind I'll always hope that after this
You'll save me a dance
Our fingers slip, the music stops
You smile at me, that perfect smile
I know it now, but it just can't be
You drift away
And as you fade I realize
That was our dance
The music faded away and he pulled her into a low dip, the applause from the students fell of deaf ears as the both stared at each other, still in their final dancing position. With a small smile Hermione knew that as she looked into his steel gray eyes she had fallen, and right then she realized she would give up anything for his love.
He smiled back at her and lowered his head when they both her Dumbledore's chair scrape back, Draco pulled her up, but this time didn't flee from her side.
"It has come to my attention that there is one more announcement to be made, and it isn't for me to make. Mr. Weasley?"
Hermione felt a hand circle around her wrist and give her a great tug onto the stage, as she was pulled by her boyfriend she heard a muttered "Oh no" coming from Ginny as she passed her.
Hermione smiled nervously at the boy who was staring down at her with eyes shining brightly with adoration. He ran a hand through his fiery hair and offered her a small grin before beginning. "'Mione, I know that things between us haven't always been perfect, but we've always worked on this relationship, and we've always tried. And even though we have annoyed each other to the point of...sending a flock of birds at one another, I just want to tell you I love you." There were a few scattered awe's throughout the crowd and Ron's grin broadened. "What I'm trying to say is," he kneeled down on the stage and a gasp rippled through the Hall.
Hermione felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room, she tried to open her mouth to tell Ron to stop this instant, but her jaws seemed to be glued shut.
"Will you Hermione Elizabeth Granger do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
Hermione looked down at Ron's smiling face, she could feel the bile rising in her throat, she didn't dare look into the crowd for Draco's face.
"I...Ron...I...yes..?"