Chapter Two.
London, 20th June 2003
Hermione looked up as Harry entered her office. He gave her an anxious smile while running his fingers repeatedly through his hair. He's worried, Hermione thought. She returned the smile falteringly.
"What a fiasco."
"You can say that again."
"And the girl?"
"Mungo's."
"But how on earth did you end up violating the Statute of Secrecy, Hermione? And injuring a Muggle in the process!"
"That was accidental, Harry! The whole point in Obliviating her was damage control. How was I supposed to know she would react that badly to a simple Memory Charm?"
"But that is it, Hermione. According to Seamus and Lee, you went in before you verified that the house was empty, or failing that, that Malfoy was alone. You should have hidden and waited till the Muggle left. You know how it works, Hermione!"
"Don't you tell me how to do my job, Harry! You weren't there! We watched the house for a long time –"
"Not even an hour, apparently."
"I was sure the house was empty! We went in to hide and wait… Look, just leave it; I'm angry enough as it is. The whole point of letting Malfoy get away was to keep him from harming the Muggle girl. And then I go and hurt her myself. How do you think I feel? Having to allow him to slip through my fingers for nothing? I was so close, Harry, so close…"
"I see. So that is your main concern. That you let him get away. Not the fact that you injured an innocent, or that you did a clumsy job."
"Harry, I didn't say-"
"Do you know what I think, Hermione? I think you are losing perspective. No, hear me out. Your fixation with Malfoy is becoming an obsession and clouding your judgement -"
"How can you say that? I'm not more fixated on him than I would be on anyone else, -"
"- so that you are becoming careless in your haste to _"
"- he's just proving more difficult to catch and it angers me, that is all!"
"Exactly! And angry people make mistakes! I think you should give his case to somebody else, Hermione. Distance yourself from it, physically and mentally. Then in a few months, if nobody has managed to apprehend him, you can re-take it where you left. With a clear head, I might add. Do you want me to speak to Shacklebolt -"
"Back off, Harry! Malfoy is mine, and I will be the one to bring him to his knees. I love you, Harry, but if you interfere in this, I swear to Merl -" Hermione stopped abruptly, realising she had been about to threaten her best friend. For fuck's sake! She took a deep calming breath.
"Harry, I…"
"Don't say anything. I hope you know what you're doing, Hermione, because I sure as hell don't."
Harry shot her a troubled look as he turned around and left her office, angrier and much more apprehensive now than when he had entered it.
London, 29th June 2003
Her body was on fire. Her thighs trembled as she felt the tip of his tongue entering her in a succession of small stabbing jabs. He sucked hard on her clit, and she felt fingertips caressing her, lightly stroking her folds, opening her up.
"Stop," she moaned, "please, stop. I need more than this. I want you inside me, hard and hot and deep. I need to know you desire me."
He groaned on her clit, and the vibrations sent shockwaves to her centre. He nuzzled her folds, then crawled up her body, cleaning his face of her juices with the back of his hand. Looking into his eyes, she urgently sought his lips, desperately needing him.
"Make love to me." Her voice urgent and breathless.
He entered her then in one hard, unapologetic thrust.
Hermione sat bolt upright in her bed, panting hard.
Monaco, 8th August 2003
The Red Cross Ball. Pfff… of course he would be there, the poser. Hermione had been in Monte Carlo for five days now, unsuccessfully looking for Malfoy. Her source assured her that he had purchased a ticket for the event and even showed her a receipt for one thousand Galleons with his signature on it, but there wasn't a trace of him anywhere. Nobody had seen him and he was not a guest in any of the very expensive hotels that peppered the place, nor did he seem to frequent any of the casinos."
Hermione had had a hard time securing a ticket for the ball. She had hoped to locate and arrest him before the gala, but attending was now unavoidable. That's how she found herself in the so-called Carré d'Or, looking to spend some more money after having just purchased the most expensive dress she would ever own. She shivered a little thinking of the price tag, and wondered idly whether the cost of shopping at Saint Laurent or Chanel could possibly be considered claimable work expenses. She suspected not. At least she had saved the price of the ticket, although several Confundus and some Obliviations had been necessary. After acquiring her shoes for the evening, she went back to her hotel to get ready.
The Sporting Club Monte Carlo was lavishly decorated in shades of turquoise, white and silver. Endless boughs of fairy-lights and candles softly glimmered everywhere, casting an unearthly glow that was flattering even to the most unfortunate of miens. A classical string selection performed enchanting music as guests were welcomed to the fête. The myriad flashes of the paparazzi's Muggle cameras added another dimension to the charged atmosphere, like the place was dotted with hundreds of twinkling stars.
Hermione arrived late, though she had Abbot and Riddley already in place, posing as waiting staff. She had decided to forego the exquisite meal the guests had shared, since she was going without a partner. She had reasoned that sitting through dinner clearly alone and not mingling with the other guests would have drawn unnecessary attention to herself. She needed to be as inconspicuous as possible if she wanted a chance to finish this tonight.
She helped herself to a glass of champagne from the large tray Riddley was carrying as he passed her by, and he acknowledged her with a slight nod. No, they hadn't sighted the subject yet. Yes, Hanna had been in the dining room during dinner, and she reported earlier to him that he hadn't attended. As Riddley excused himself, Hermione scanned her surroundings, searching for a tell-tale flash of platinum blond anywhere among the almost one thousand very rich and famous guests attending the event. It was an impossible task, and Hermione -not for the first time that evening- questioned her decision to attend the gala. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
I may as well go home. Hermione thought drily as she grabbed a second glass of champagne from a passing tray. Even if he's here, I'll never find him.
Then the roof of the Sporting Club began to open, revealing a sky that was shimmering in starlight. Looking up, Hermione couldn't help thinking how the Milky Way seemed to have been suspended there just to embellish this ballroom. She was so distracted that when the announcement was made that the Monegasque Royal Family had arrived, it had caught her unawares. She turned around, curious about people she had known only in Muggle magazines, and there they were: Prince Rainier; his heir, Prince Albert; his daughter, Princess Caroline and her husband; His sister, Princess Antoinette.
And supporting her arm, Draco Malfoy.
Hermione was gobsmacked. What in the name of all that's magic is he doing with them? she wondered. She longingly fingered the Disillusioned wand hidden within her gown as she took in his relaxed, carefree stance. Her fingers were itching to cast a Stunning Spell, but of course she couldn't do that while he was part of the Royal entourage. Instead, she brought the modified Protean charm concealed within her bracelet close to her mouth, under the guise of fixing her hair. "Abbot, Riddley, he's here", she murmured.
He was chatting animatedly with the elderly Princess like if he had done it a hundred times before. She wondered at this, and was startled when he threw his head back and let out a genuine burst of laughter. Hermione felt butterflies.
Unexpectedly, he looked up and his eyes found hers. She froze, all the air leaving her lungs. He held her gaze, the amusement in his eyes slowly morphing into something else. Then he quirked an eyebrow and gave her a crooked smile. The butterflies exploded.
Draco had been sure he would see Granger at the Ball. Their last encounter had been a bit too close for comfort, (he definitely would not recommend Apparating in the nude to anyone -he had very nearly Splinched a much valued part of his body) and he reflected for a moment that being so used to the chase was making him careless. But at the end of the day, Granger had been after him for close to three years and still hadn't managed to catch him, had she?
Then again, he thought caustically, I haven't managed to shake her off, either.
As he walked into the Club escorting his aunt Nette, all his senses were in high alert. He spotted her immediately. With practiced ease he kept up the pretend nonchalance, talking and laughing seemingly without a care. In reality, he could tell almost to the second the moment she had become aware of his presence.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her bring her hand to her hair, her lips moving almost unperceptively, and realised she had some sort of communications device. Looks like I've just wasted a thousand Galleons, he wryly thought.
He openly looked at her then, holding her gaze in an attempt to unnerve her. She stared right back at him. Right, he thought. Time to up the ante.
Slowly and deliberately, he sauntered in her direction, eyes never leaving her. He cast three wandless Protego in quick succession, to deflect two Confundus and an Imperio. He laughed.
"Granger, my, aren't we getting creative. Using Unforgivables now?"
"You are an Unforgivable all to yourself, Malfoy."
His amused chuckle came out as a low rumble that tickled her skin. She shivered. He noticed.
"Aroused?"
"Disgusted!"
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, if it helps!" He laughed openly now, a clean, crystalline sound that brought a rush of emotion to her chest. She shook it off. Now was not the time to get side-tracked.
"Har!" she snorted. "You are unbelievable. Who do you think you are, Merlin's gift to witch-kind?"
He leaned his head closer to her and whispered suggestively into her ear. "Ah, but I know how wet you were for me last time, Granger. Would you like me to scratch that itch?"
"Don't be crass. And don't flatter yourself. I wouldn't touch you with a bargepole."
He chuckled again. "Yeah, right."
"Well, are you going to come quietly or not? In case you don't know, I have agents waiting to arrest you. Give up, Malfoy."
"Oh, but it wouldn't do to make a scene here, would it?" He smirked, aware of the sheer amount of Muggles surrounding them and the difficulty they posed for her.
Hermione closed the space between them, pressing her body flush to his. His eyebrows shot up into his hairline. She brought a hand to his neck and pulled his head to hers. Strangely, he didn't resist.
"Ah, but you see, Malfoy." she murmured, little puffs of breath tickling the shell of his ear. Her lips caught his earlobe, nipping it lightly. He quivered, a shiver running down his spine. Then felt the poke of her wand on his ribs. "I believe I've found a way. Imperio!"
He fought the pull of the curse. He really did, but she was taking him away, away from the safety of the people, the lights and the camera flashes. Somewhere inside his head, he panicked. In just a few more steps, she would be able to Apparate them both away, and it would be over.
Fighting against the hold of the Imperius with all his might, he did the one thing she wasn't expecting. He pulled her tightly into his arms and crashed his lips onto hers.
Hermione fought back, desperately trying to disentangle herself from his arms. Then she felt his tongue running across the seam of her lips, warm, wet and insistent, trying to gain entrance. And she felt a rush of heat so intense that it shut down any thought process she might had been having. Her wand fell off her hands as she furiously entangled them in his hair and she kissed him back with all she had.
For endless seconds they kissed with an unbelievable passion, lips devouring and tongues duelling and teeth clashing, nipping, biting. Suddenly he gave her such a harsh shove that she stumbled backwards and fell. They looked at each other then, frozen, hungrily, panting hard, breathless. And both of them shocked to the core.
And then, in a flash, he turned and Disapparated.