Quick thank you to: pardonnez, iloveuO-o, Anonymous reviewer, Alexybath, semantics, thedirtysockfair, weirdgiraffe and xenaz3 for reviewing.
I HAVE GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS.
Bad news: Looking through my outlines for the rest of this story, I realized I'd left a huge plot hole. So, in order to fix it, I had to rewrite this chapter. However, when I was nearly through rewriting it – my mother was rushed to the hospital and everything in my life was disrupted, including finishing this rewritten chapter.
Good news: My mother's fine now. The time I took off from school and work to spend with her allowed me lots of time to write so now I have rough drafts up to chapter 34! Unfortunately, because now I'm going to be working double time and with school starting up again, I'll still only be able to post once a week. But it'll be a lot easier now to!
Enough about me – how are you all?
Chapter 29: Dreams and Sex
Hermione:
Life for me was going good, so naturally, fate decided to fuck with me once more. Hermione Granger, happy? My god! That's not normal. Let's fix this abnormality immediately!
Oh, so alright. I'm exaggerating just a little bit. It wasn't the end of the world, certainly. Well, technically, since the person in question was from another world entirely – perhaps it was the end of a world. Just not my preferred world.
What I mean to say is: Tom Riddle is a fucking jerk.
Not that that's any new information. Everyone knows he's a jerk. He probably came out of his mother's womb being a jerk! It is common knowledge that he is a jerk. So why is it that, despite being the supposed smartest witch of my age, I keep ignoring the fact that he's out to make my life miserable? When am I going to get it? Before or after he frustrates me to death?
But perhaps I have left my nonexistent audience confused. I must have thrown you all in for a loop! No, how could you possibly know what the biggest arse in the world has done this time? Sure, you know he's done something – Tom Riddle is always up to something, but I suppose details might be in order.
It had been a normal day when I made my way up to the Astronomy tower.
A year later, and I still had the tendency to come see him late. I felt a little guilty about it, sure, but the real reason for my guilt was that my visits had begun to dwindle.
A year had gone by and no other vision had come to pass. I could feel it in my bones that I had time. I had years of life to come. This prophecy, the task that I had to carry out that was apparently important for the existence of the world, it was on hold. I had time to figure it all out. We didn't have to rush.
Sure, I was concerned that I was eventually going to die – but everyone dies. I knew I was going to die happy. And in the meanwhile, I would do something worthwhile with my life. I didn't have to rush to Tom Riddle every night so he could babysit me while I came up with explanations of what I had seen. We didn't really make much progress.
All I really had intended to do that day was tell him – hey, you do your thinking on your own time and I'll do it on mine. When I have something, I'll let you know – okay? Okay! Great! Done deal, see you later!
How the hell was I supposed to know he was going to pull freakish bastard move on me? Well, I mean... besides the whole I'm out to destroy the world and you better swear your allegiance to me or I will kill you act.
Oh alright. I should have seen it coming...
Walking up the steps to the Astronomy tower was, as usual, a treacherous excursion. I always arrived at the top a little winded and tired. I bet I looked sweaty and ruffled, and it probably amused the hell out of him too. What did he have to worry about? He always looked impeccable and was always perfectly dressed.
That particular day, I found myself arriving just as the clock struck noon. Riddle had somehow conjured a table upon which lay all kinds of sandwiches and lunchtime pastries. I sat down and helped myself to a Cherry Danish. It was rather surprising that he remembered I liked them...
But then again, the man had eyes like a hawk.
When I didn't say anything, he decided to start the conversation. "I was thinking," he began between delicate bites of his sandwich, "we're missing an essential player in the prophecy. I think there is something more. Dumbledore, the old coot, suggested this and I thought I'd pass it on to you."
He paused, waiting for my reaction. I, on the other hand, didn't really want to look at him or talk to him... because it would probably give me away. But eventually, I had to look up from my food and acknowledge what he had said.
"That's nice. Thank you."
This was all that I could manage, of course. So, I returned to my pastry. I didn't even need to look up to know that he had an eyebrow raised and was staring at me calculatingly. I could feel his gaze penetrate me from all the way across the table. It was a relief to know that he could not perform occlumency in this world.
I heard his barely audible sigh and felt the air shift as he leaned forward with his elbows on the table, supporting his head in his arms.
"Well? What is it now?"
I braved a glance at him, saying nothing.
His eyes rolled and he leaned back into his chair, regarding me. "I cannot help you," he enunciated, "if you do not tell me what is wrong."
With an eye roll of my own, I finally did look at him properly.
"Nothing is wrong, Riddle."
He grinned. "I thought we were well onto a first name basis now, Hermione. Why so evasive, anyhow, if there is indeed nothing wrong?"
"Just a lot of work for a prophecy, I guess," I offered shrugging.
He mimicked me, smirking, then made his way to the ledge on which he sat cross legged. And from his perch he watched me, still calculatingly, eating an apple. I realized that he looked a lot like the devil, fallen from grace. Beautiful, long limbed, raven haired evil son of a bitch. Yet still, you wanted to trust him.
"Bad day?" he asked, breaking the silence.
I laughed out loud. He had a way of confirming my theories without even realizing it. Yes, he was an untrustworthy devil. Yet, I still found myself counting him as a friend. What else could he be? "No, actually," I responded smiling. "I had a wonderful day. Draco and I went to Diagon Alley for dinner."
At the mention of Draco, like always, his features were darkened by a scowl. I was sure he wasn't even aware of the expression. Throwing the half eaten apple over his shoulder, he sucked each finger clean and then rubbed his hands together. The action seemed so perverse, I actually looked away.
"So, a third player?" I asked. He only nodded, indicating that he had no idea who it could be either. This could be my opportunity. Maybe I could break it to him gently. "I think I'll go contemplate it, yes? And when I have something, I'll come back and let you know. Okay?"
He just nodded, seemingly not paying attention. "Okay. Tomorrow, perhaps we can go over any possible candidates you've come up with."
Damn. This was going to be harder than I thought.
"Um... I don't think I'll have anything good enough to give you by tomorrow..."
He stared at me critically now, as if sensing something completely off about my statement. I could see a small frown begin to form on his face and dreaded what was about to come out of his mouth. Why was I so afraid? I didn't know at the time, but now it's clearly justified.
"I hardly expect you to have decent answers by tomorrow, Granger," he responded, slowly. It didn't escape my notice that he refused to call me by my proper surname.
"Yes. I know. I think I'll see you when I think I do have decent answers. These things take time, as I'm sure you're aware." He nodded, slowly again, as if waiting for me to make my point. The trouble was, I already had made my point. He just didn't seem to be getting it. Getting up, hoping this was the last of it and that he would figure it out long after I had left, I walked towards the door. "So I'll see you whenever, then," I called back, waving over my shoulder.
Before I had managed to open the door wide enough to slip through, he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "Wait," he whispered into my ear. "What exactly are you saying, Hermione Granger?"
I turned around, a little flushed and short of breath. Luck just was never on my side, was it? Miserable bastard...
"I'm saying... we might make more progress if we actually work on things before coming to meet. It's quite a waste of time, don't you think?"
His eyes narrowed. "You're calling me a waste of time?"
"No, no! I –"
"All I do is spend time attempting to figure out this goddamn prophecy of yours! And you're calling me a waste of time?" he fumed.
"Riddle that's not what I was saying! I –"
"Then what exactly are you saying?" I opened my mouth to explain exactly what I was saying, but no words came out. His expression was too furious and he was blocking my only exit. I had no option but to back away, shut my mouth, and think. "Well?" he asked, his arms crossed and tapping a foot on the stone floor, waiting.
"Um... I'm saying... we could be more productive if we...have um..." He rolled his eyes. "What? I'm saying! We could make a lot of progress this way and then we won't have to put in so much effort meeting every night –"
"You mean you won't have to put any effort into coming here," he stated, rather coldly. Well, what the hell was his problem? "What am I, some all knowing being you can take advantage of easily? Do you expect me to just sit here and help you with your goddamn life?"
Well. He had said it first.
"Yeah. Pretty much," I responded bluntly. Okay, so I'm a bit of a bitch sometimes. His eyes widened a bit at my response and I almost cringed, but held the urge. "I mean, what is this supposed to be?"
He shrugged and then practically glared at me. "How about you tell me, since you're so aware?"
"I... thought you were here to help me with the prophecy. I was just...trying to make it more efficient..."
"You mean, make the process of taking advantage of my skills more efficient!" With that he stormed out like the dramatic bastard he is, and I simply had to follow him down the steep flight of stairs.
"God, Riddle! You're such a girl!" I shouted after him. "I'm leaving! And I'll come back when I have enough information to present to you, you goddamn git! Come here and listen to me!"
Unfortunately, he did just what I asked of him. He stopped, turned, climbed the few steps that separated us and pinned me against the cold stone wall. He was breathing heavily as I'm sure I was and his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. We were wandering into unstable territory here and I was almost afraid.
Well, at least this was better than being an unresponsive wall.
"If you're not back here tomorrow, at the usual time, I will personally make sure your life is a living hell," he hissed. And with a last squeeze of my wrists, he let go and continued to make his way down the stairs off to god knows where.
Maybe an unresponsive wall wasn't so bad after all.
I had all but forgotten the argument Riddle and I had had the previous night until it was time to go to bed again. I was certainly tired and thought – hey, what's the worst Riddle can do? He's dead.
It was unfortunately the wrong way to go about things. If there is one thing you can be certain of about Tom Riddle, it is that he never lets a grudge go. If he does not get his way, he will make your life miserable until you give it to him. I had thought I could get past all of these things, because really – what can a dead person do from beyond?
Apparently, they can do just enough to make you go mental.
When I went to sleep that night, I made the conscious decision not to let Riddle have his way. So, naturally, I did not go visit him. But when I finally fell asleep after fighting with myself for hours, I still found myself at Hogwarts. It was hazy at first, but sure enough we were in Riddle's bedroom, the same I had first found myself in all those months ago.
I could feel the breeze, I could feel the soft sheets under my head and I could definitely smell his musky scent on them. Most importantly, I could feel him lying behind me, just waiting for me to acknowledge his presence. Eventually, I felt stupid just lying there. He knew I knew he was there – I should just man up and get it over with.
"Okay, Riddle. You win –" I began, turning around but was shocked into silence when I found him staring up at me, completely nude, and covered only by a sheet. That is, just barely covered by a sheet. And let me just say, the package seemed... quite impressive. Impressive enough for it to make my mouth drop open. The bastard just smirked. What the hell was he thinking, lying in bed naked?
"I happened to be thinking of you," he supplied, answering my thoughts.
What the hell! He could see my thoughts! How? I started to panic of course, true to my nature. Attempting to get out of bed turned out to be a bad idea, for he just grabbed me and proceeded to trap me under him.
"You have to admit," he whispered, his lips barely an inch away from mine. "You've wanted this just as much as I do."
And then he proceeded to kiss me.
That was when I woke up, shooting straight up in bed, sweating and completely disturbed. Draco woke up beside me, concerned, but I just shook him off.
So this is what he had been talking about. He had a very good weapon up his sleeve... but I was Hermione Granger. I was not going to see him until I had something concrete to give him. He was not going to win this! I lay down to go back to sleep, but found I wasn't sleepy anymore.
And indeed, sleep did not come back to me that night.
/
Unfortunately, I had signed up for the losing side of a pointless battle. Every night, I would go to bed dreading sleep for just cause. But eventually, I would have to lay there and try to get it over with, lest Draco be suspicious.
And every night, I woke up in his bed, next to his very naked form after which he proceeded to kiss me. Normally, I would bolt awake at this point and wake Draco up in the process. But eventually, I began to grow tired. An hour or two of sleep every night was not enough to sustain a person who had a full time job and a social life that required attention.
I began to slip up. I wouldn't wake in time and so I found out what happened next.
At first it wasn't too bad. Riddle would continue kissing me, running his hands over my night clothes (whichever clothing I had decided to fall asleep in that night), over my bare skin. But then, it decidedly started to get worse. He would rip open my clothing and devour my body with his beautiful plump lips. He'd start from my neck, along my collar bone and by the time he got to my breasts...
I'd wake up sweating, crying out.
It concerned Draco to hell. He would attempt to soothe me, make suggestions that I would pay no attention to until I assured him it was okay to go back to sleep. And when he finally listened, he would catch up on his sleep, while I just lay there holding him tightly, not daring to go back to sleep lest Riddle haunt me again.
Which he did, every night. But the worst part was – I would never stop him. It was completely consensual sex. Or, sexual actions, more like, since I wouldn't stay there long enough for him to actually get to it.
I just didn't know how to say no.
Eventually, Draco had had enough. He brewed a batch of Dreamless Sleep Potion himself, despite my assurances that I could manage without. He literally forced it down my throat before bed and had me tucked in against him.
And then my hell truly began, because this wasn't really a dream. It was a projection of thoughts and memories not from my subconscious – but another world entirely. A dreamless sleep potion wouldn't stop these images from getting through. It would only prevent me from waking up.
And so there I was, laying on my back with my clothes around me in tatters.
When his lips finally closed around my nipple, the door slammed open. There stood Draco, my saviour. Assuming that he was, indeed, here to save me. Strangely enough, they did not fight as Draco would have done in the real world.
After all this was a dream.
And then I realized, I wasn't imagining Draco just like I wasn't imagining Riddle. The dreamless sleep potion had blocked my subconscious. That must have meant that Draco was projecting into my mind just as Riddle was! Not the Draco that was currently sleeping beside me in London, but the Draco that I had met in the dream world, just as I had met Riddle.
I could feel them both fighting for control over what the dream would depict and I could feel Draco losing. Eventually, though, they seemed to reach an impasse. With a roll of his eyes, Riddle gestured for him to come lay next to us.
My heart almost stopped.
Almost as if they had it choreographed, there were now two mouths marking their way along my body, two pairs of hands groping and feeling... Whether it was being sandwiched between two very talented, gorgeous men or the relief that Draco was here to see me through it, I couldn't help but let out a strangled moan.
Draco:
The first thing I did when I woke up was check on Hermione. When I found her snug against me and fast asleep, I let out a relieved sigh.
Finally, a decent night's sleep. I was glad that I had finally put my foot down and had her drink the potion. Perhaps she would be able to think clearly and explain what had been bothering her with a decent night's rest. Stroking her hair caused her to wake up. But she wasn't startled in the least. Instead, she smiled up at me.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked, smiling back. The question made her smile dim a bit, but she nodded. I was glad. "Good. How about you shower first? I'll make us some breakfast."
Before I had gotten out of bed, she grasped my arm, telling me to stay. "There's something I need to tell you..." she started. I sat there, while she got up and composed herself. I supposed it was going to be an explanation of what had been keeping her up at nights. "You know how... well, when I had that little accident over at Harry's and had to go to St. Mungos?"
Well, that threw me for a bender. She was having nightmares about the psychotic Weasley pushing her down the stairs? Of course, it was understandable. But I had to make sure she knew she was safe. "You know he can't get you, right?"
She looked at me confused. "Who?"
"...Weasley. You're safe here, with me. You know that, right?"
She just nodded, waving her hand dismissively. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about." I waited then, for the real explanation, thoroughly confused. "You remember how... I was in a coma for a few days?" I nodded, slowly, remembering how painful those days had been for me. My heart clenched at the memory of thinking I would lose her forever.
"I..." she seemed to be having difficulty stringing her words together. "You're going to think I'm crazy," she muttered.
"No! No. You can tell me anything, love. What is it?"
The next words out of her mouth were said so fast and jumbled together that I wasn't sure I heard it all correctly. "Well, I wasn't really in a coma, I was just in another world. Kind of like an alternate reality, but not. It was like beyond. I mean, it's where people go when they go beyond... It's happened to Harry so I'm not insane! And well -"
"Slow down!" She stopped mid sentence. "You mean, you were dead?"
The thought scared the crap out of me.
"Well, no," she paused to consider the possibility. "Not dead," she concluded. I let out a sigh of relief. "But a bit like leaving my body. It's as if I can visit that world when I like."
Alright. So she did sound a little crazy. "And...have you been visiting that world when you like?" I asked. She had said Potter had had a similar experience. Perhaps I would ask him about it.
She nodded. "That's what I wanted to tell you about... I was given a prophecy when I was there."
Ah damn. If she told me she was the new Chosen One I would smash something.
But instead, the next fifteen minutes changed my life. She told me a whole host of absurd things. About how she and I were meant to be together by fate, of how she'd seen visions of the future and that some of these visions had already come to pass. She told me she had a mission to fulfill in this life, that she had some sort of purpose that she hadn't figured out yet.
She told me she had seen herself die.
I felt the life go out of me. I felt as if I could literally faint and run a hundred miles all at the same time. She was insane, that's all there was to it. Hermione wasn't going to die. At least, not until we were good and old. She was going to live until she was at least a hundred! I was going to make sure of it.
I was not going to let her fucking die.
She was still speaking while my world was slowly coming to an end inside my mind. She kept going on and on about this other world of hers, about this prophecy that she and apparently I was a part of. It was nonsensical. It was...unrealistic. But most of all, it was just impossible. Hermione Granger was not going to die.
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" I asked in a daze, not caring that she had been in the middle of describing something.
She stared at me concernedly. "I didn't think that it was a good time..."
"Why didn't you tell me SOONER?" I yelled, getting out of bed. My heart was pounding and I could barely breathe. I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Why did you tell me?" I yelled at her face. "I need time to keep you safe! I can't just..."
When she pulled me into a hug, I felt tears prickle my eyes. She wasn't going to leave me.
"I'm not going to lose you, Hermione," I whispered into her hair. I felt her nod and I felt her tears fall onto my chest. "I'm not going to lose you."
A/N: So, this sort of brings ahead the question of what Tom Riddle wants (was/is planning) – Hope that was good enough for you pardonnez!
Unsigned Reviews:
Anonymous Reviewer without a name: I'm glad you liked my story. : ) Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
Alexybath: Ah yes, the titles are a stroke of genius (sometimes!) And I always thought that Draco would make a more fulfilling friend for Harry if he wasn't such a prat in the books. I shall try my best to write my Draco oriented chapters – no promises though.