Harry and Ron only had a vague idea of where the campsite was. The Bluelight Rock was not as popular as their blond friend had led them to believe. It felt like they had been walking for hours.
"No wonder they've been gone for so long. It probably took them ages to get there," Ron whined.
Harry rolled his eyes and continued stomping forward. He kicked the fallen leaves around to mark his path. After a bit more walking they spotted a small purple tent in the middle of a clearing. The two suddenly began sprinting to the tent, knowing it belonged to their friend.
"Hermione, Luna," Harry called out.
Ron followed shortly after and set his bags down in the center of the now large tent. Crookshanks Jr. rose from his spot on the couch and meowed at the two wizards.
"Maybe they just went to gather more supplies, or to piss," Ron said.
Harry shook his head and set down his supply bag. He had borrowed a magical compass from the ministry. Once placed over an item that belonged to a witch or wizard, the needle should spin and direct them to that person. The magical residue that was left on the article should give the compass some direction if they were close enough in range.
"Here use this, Hermione sometimes brings this to mum's when it's chilly out." He handed the throw blanket to Harry.
Harry set the compass on top of the blanket and watched the needle search for a direction to follow. It settled east to where they were. The two set off to follow the directions hoping to find their friends.
"Don't worry Hermione," Harry whispered under his breath, "we'll find you".
He ran his teeth over his lips thinking about every night they'd spent in this library the last week, talking about theories to break the curse. How she would always fall asleep on this same couch each night. How he would always stay just so he could be the first one to wish her a good morning.
"You cannot judge me, you cannot judge me or I swear I will murder you all. Alright," Hermione blushed, "ok fuck Lockhart, marry Remus, and kill Snape."
The entire group erupted in laughter.
"Aw Granger, you'd kill our head of house," Blaise asked.
"I can't believe you'd fuck Lockhart. Time has not been kind to him," Pansy added.
"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to!" Hermione slouched down into her seat annoyed.
Draco took a sip from his whiskey and shook his head. They all had sat in the poolroom of the manor drinking and chatting before the game had started. At some point in the evening, Hermione discovered Pansy's name, the last of the group to be revealed. Once the fireplace had roared to life, everyone gathered seats in a circle and the game began.
Hermione grinned devilishly before asking. "Alright, Blaise your turn. Fuck, marry, kill, everyone's mother."
Blaise erupted with a bark of laughter while Draco scowled. Hermione sat back and chuckled to herself while she waited for Blaise to answer.
He stood up from his spot on the floor, a smile playing on his lips. "Alright, now remember, this is just a game and I intend to leave everyone's mothers alone. Since I have never seen Granger's mother, unfortunately, she is out of the question. I'm sure she was beautiful Granger."
Hermione tipped her head in acknowledgment.
"This will come as a surprise to no one. Fuck Theo's mum, Draco I'm marrying yours, and kill Pansy's mum."
"What's wrong with my mum?" Pansy asked folding her arms.
"Well for starters she looks like you."
Pansy lept out of the loveseat and smacked a pillow over his head. She pushed him onto the ground and shook him like the piece of wood he was. Theo was cackling from the side and Draco just huffed in annoyance.
"Well was that a surprise?"
Draco shook his head. "Unfortunately, no we all did know what his answer would be. My mother is younger than theirs and much nicer."
"She's also got a nice arse," Theodore chimed.
Draco reached behind himself and chucked the pillow at Theo's face. He groaned but stayed underneath it.
Hermione grabbed another drink from the side table and brought her legs onto the couch she and Draco sat at. He adjusted her legs to lie over his lap instead of pressed against his side. She smiled and relaxed further on the couch.
Pansy eventually rose from the ground and brushed off her dress of blankets before taking her seat. Blaise stayed splayed on the floor. "Anyways, that wasn't much of a surprise. Draco's mum is gorgeous; he gets his softer features from her. His dad is not half bad either."
Draco held up a hand."Okay, enough talking about my parents, please. I don't need to know how attractive you find them."
Hermione giggled behind her glass, glad her question caused such a ruckus. Draco turned to look at her and shook his head. She shrugged her shoulders as if to say 'well, they're your friends'.
He smiled boyishly at her. He seemed to be doing that more often lately. She liked it, most of the time he walked around with a frown or scowl. He flitted his eyes between her and the group. Hermione watched as his animal form began to fade, almost like it was just a projection over him. The other members of the group noticed this as well and made sideways glances at each other.
Draco noticed, within seconds his smile dropped and the beast form snapped back. "What," he drawled.
"I think it's getting a bit late mate and I don't think Blaise could handle another beating. We should get going," Theo said rising from his chair.
Pansy turned to the clock on the wall. "It is getting late. I need my beauty rest."
Before Blaise could open his mouth to comment, Pansy whipped around and grabbed him by his ear. "Ow–ow guess I'm going as well," he winced.
Once they filed out, Hermione turned back to Draco. His expression remained unchanged. She nudged his arm with her foot. "Your face will get stuck like that."
"That's probably the cause Granger."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't be like that Draco."
"Like what?"
She rose her brow instead of replying. He sighed and leaned his head back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Or, at least tried to lean his head back on the couch. He was quite big for it, and that was saying a lot considering the couch was the biggest piece of furniture in the room. Draco Malfoy had to be over six foot in this form, at least six five she thought.
She wondered if the curse had affected his height. If it did, by how much had it affected him? Surely he wasn't that tall at Hogwarts. His beast form seemed to disappear more often lately, but only whenever they were sitting about in the library. She never paid attention to his features before.
"Hermione I can practically see your thoughts running around in your mind. What in Godric's name are you thinking about?"
She darted her eyes from him to the fireplace and coughed to clear her throat. "Nothing."
He raised a brow.
"Fine, I was just wondering, well you're quite large right now, but how tall were you in Hogwarts?"
He chuckled, "I forget how little you remember about me sometimes Hermione". His gaze looked up in thought. "I think in Hogwarts I was around five-ten, the last few years prior to the curse I grew to be about six-two."
"Oh," was all she could think to reply. The curse had only grown him a bit more then. She hummed in amusement at the idea of how funny it would've been if he had shrunk him instead. A small scary puppy.
"More intellectual questions in their Hermione? Want to know how I styled my hair as well," he teased.
"Oh God the gel you used was awful," she replied without thinking. She paused, he hadn't shown her any pictures from his childhood other than the news clipping. Yet she distinctly recalls a small blond boy with gelled-back hair.
He smirked and shook his head. "You're one to talk Granger." He leaned toward her. "However did you learn to tame that nest you called hair, I'll never know?"
She smacked his arm playfully, making him laugh at her annoyance. The corner of her mouth rose to a half smile. She noticed a glimmer in his hair and watch the layer of the beast melt away a bit. She wanted to test a theory.
"Maybe I would've tamed it sooner if someone hadn't bought nearly every hair shop out of business for his own vanity."
"Alright Hermione, we get it. I gelled my hair. You can't deny though, I was a little heartbreaker for the time. While Harry had that mop of black hair and Weasley was cursed with that awful shade, I had pristine blond hair. Women swooned."
"You are an absolute narcissist Malfoy!"
"No that would be my mother."
She grabbed the pillow from her side and swatted him with it repeatedly. She crossed the couch to get a better hit. He started laughing again, weakly fending off her attacks. He peeked up at her through his arms guarding his face. Instantly, the mask of the beast was gone, revealing the man underneath.
Hermione let the pillow fall to the floor and quirked her head to the side. She studied him. This man was different from the one in the pictures. He still had the same stone-colored eyes and pale blond locks. However, much had changed. The boy in the picture had gaunt cheeks and a dead gaze. This man had a healthy glow to his face and mirth in his eyes.
He was still leaning back on the couch but his arms dropped to his sides. His left hand played with the tag hanging from her jacket. He had a small smile on his face as he spoke up.
"Are you done assaulting me now Granger," he chided.
He had blond stubble along his jaw. She could see it now. The fire's light flickered against his face. She brought up a hand and caressed his cheek. The moonlight now seeped into the room and shined on his hair. His hair was longer than it appeared in the picture. It reached his shoulders. She used her other hand to brush a few strands from his face. The shade was almost iridescent.
"Your hair," she whispered. "Your hair looks like starlight."
His eyebrows furrowed. She could see the magic beginning to fade the mask back on. She looked deeply into his eyes.
"Wait, please."
He gulped and the transformation withdrew, keeping his human form visible. "Hermione," he began in a shaky whisper, "what–what are you doing".
She brought both hands to cup his face and leaned forward slowly. She brushed her lips against his. At first, she stilled, unsure of her actions but then... Then, he brought both of his hands to her waist. He tugged her closer, encouraging her. His lips began matching her moves, soft and slow.
He ran his tongue along her bottom lip. She parted her lips, letting him deepen the kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and settled herself into his lap.
A warm feeling spread throughout her chest. Kissing him, it felt, unlike any other kiss she shared. There was something different, something almost magical agreeing with her. He pulled her closer, swirling his tongue in her mouth deliciously. She hummed in pleasure and carded her fingers into his soft hair, eliciting a groan from him. Their lips moved together, like a dance. She moaned when he tugged her lower lip with his teeth.
He moved his hands from her hips to just under the hem of her shirt. His fingers ignited the skin that trailed his touch. It set a fire inside of her. She wanted more of him. She ached to feel more of his touch. She moved her hands from his hair down the front of his chest. She slipped them under his shirt and felt the curves of his abdomen. He gasped and pulled back from the kiss.
His gaze was heady and his hair tousled in different directions. Hermione quickly withdrew from inside his shirt and searched his expression. He brought his thumb to her bottom lip; the one likely puffy from his torment. For a minute they sat there, breathing heavily. She moved back, sitting on the edge of his lap.
His voice was low and hoarse; like it was difficult to speak. "Why did you do that," he asked.
She shook her head, never leaving his gaze. "I-I'm not sure."
He tilted his head, waiting for her to continue.
"I guess, I just wanted to know what it felt like," she whispered.
She watched his Adam's apple bob as he readjusted in his chair. He gently guided her off his lap, never speaking. Draco stood up from the couch, nodding, thinking. He left the room without another word. She saw as the mask of the beast followed his retreat.
A/N: Hey guys :) I am free from finals for the time being! So I'll be updating this fic and some of my others soon. Also, I have been WAITING to use that line about his hair for so long. I had this chapter ready to go but honestly, I could not log into my fanfic account for the longest time so... yeah sorry everyone. Anyways tho thanks for reading, hope you're enjoying it!