Hey Guys! Here's the next chapter! Please review!
December 9, 1998
"Welcome, one and all, to another Hogwarts Quidditch Match!" Seamus Finnigan announced to the crowd as they cheered in excitement for the game ahead.
"You know, Seamus is rather skilled as the announcer." Luna remarked, looking at Hermione who was on her left in the stands.
Hermione nodded, "Yea, he is." She replied.
Draco nudged her and smirked, "So, am I representing Gryffindor to your satisfaction?" He asked, nodding to the large pin on his chest that flashed red and gold.
Go Gryffindor!
She smirked and playfully rolled her eyes, "Draco, you could have at least worn the scarf."
He huffed, "I love you dearly, Hermione, but I can't just deck myself out in Gryffindor gear and keep my Slytherin dignity." He said in a lighthearted tone.
She smiled and leaned across him to speak to Pansy who was on his other side, "He's rather stubborn, you know?"
Pansy chuckled, "Darling Hermione, I've known this for years. But the bloke is madly in love with you, so I believe that if you used certain powers of your own, he'd be as decked out in Gryffindor gear as I am." She smirked, covered head to toe in red and gold.
Hermione laughed and looked at her boyfriend, noticing his slight blush, which let her know that Pansy was correct.
Cordelia, who was standing right behind Draco, a row up, and hadn't heard the conversation, nudged her brother. "Hey, Draco." She said, getting his attention.
He turned and cleared his throat as Seamus introduced the Hufflepuff players, "Yea?"
"After this, I need to talk to you. Could we grab lunch…just the two of us?"
He nodded, "Sure."
He didn't glance at Blaise, though it took everything in him to keep from doing so as he turned back towards the pitch as the Gryffindor players were beginning to be introduced.
"The Gryffindor Keeper is the none other that Ron Weasley!" Seamus announced, and Pansy cheered louder than anyone in their section of the stands. "The Beaters, who are likely to be a bit sluggish today after a bit of a bash for the fifth years last night, are Nate Henfield and Lionel Taggert!" He said, earning dirty looks from the players in question. "Our Seeker, of course, is the one and only Harry Potter! And the Chasers for the Gryffindor team are Elena Pearson, Dean Thomas, and Captain Ginny Weasley! Let's hear it for that amazing team and captain!"
"You can't even tell that he's biased." Blaise remarked sarcastically, making the others laugh.
Hermione noticed that Draco was acting a bit stiff and nudged him with her hip.
He looked over at her with furrowed brows and discreetly shook his head. She frowned a bit, concerned.
"I'll be right back." She said, "I need to use the loo." She said as she scooted past Draco and Pansy before walking down the steps of the stands.
She got to the building that contained the locker rooms and the visitors' loos. She walked towards it until she felt Draco gently grab her arm.
"Are you okay?" He asked, concern evident in his tone as he looked down at her.
She nodded, "Are you?" She asked and pulled him towards the Slytherin locker room, "Come here."
They entered the vacant locker room and she turned to him, "What's wrong?"
He sighed at her question and shook his head, "It's nothing, love."
"Draco Malfoy, don't you dare lie to me." She said in a tone that he knew was light enough to not be angry but serious enough to be full of concern.
He sighed again and licked his lips, "Cordelia wants to have lunch with just me today. She said that she needs to talk to me about something."
Hermione nodded, "Okay. What do you think it's about?"
He sighed, "I get the feeling that she and Blaise are officially a couple and that she wants to inform of that development."
"Oh." She nodded, understanding his behavior, "Draco, I think that they are both committed to it if that's what they've decided to do."
He nodded, exhaling a long, low breath, "I know." He muttered, "I just…I don't…it's an odd feeling." He finally said, "I feel quite protective of her. I know Blaise well…maybe too well, for me to feel fully comfortable with them being together."
"What about Blaise bothers you, love?" she asked, pulling him to sit down on the Slytherin team's sofa that was against a wall.
He shook his head, "I know I should tell you everything because I'm in love with you, but I just can't. It's his past, so it's not my place to talk about it." He replied, feeling dreadful for keeping secrets from her.
She nodded with a small smile, loving him a bit more for showing such respect to his best friend, "Okay. I understand. Well, do you think whatever it is has possibly changed? What I mean to ask is, do you believe he could have altered whatever it was and could now be a good match for Cordelia?"
He sighed and nodded, "Yes. I mean…he's never been a bad bloke. He's just…" he sighed, "We've all got a past." He muttered, "I was a bloody death eater, so I ought to know."
She looked at him tenderly and reached up, cupping his jaw. She turned his head to look at her, quietly saying, "Draco…"
He nodded, knowing she meant for him to be easier on himself. She let go, allowing him to continue.
He sighed, "To be honest, I think he and Cordelia could make a brilliant couple, if he's the true Blaise and not the Blaise that he used to be."
She nodded, "Well, how about, after she talks to you…if that's what she discusses with you, then you speak with him? You could have a complete heart to heart with him. He is your best friend."
Draco huffed with a small smile, "I love you, Hermione but that was quite a girl thing to say."
She laughed and nodded, "I suppose it was, however it also makes sense." She remarked pointedly.
He nodded, inhaling before saying, "Yes, I suppose it does. Come on. We ought to get back to the game."
She nodded as they stood up and made their way toward the exit, "Merlin knows they all believe we've snuck off to fool around."
He chuckled and nodded, "Should we make that a correct assumption?" he smirked, turning towards her.
"Calm yourself, Malfoy." She smirked, "It's not happening. Let's get back to the game."
He chuckled, nodding, and made their way back to the stands, holding hands.
"And Ginny Weasley steals the Quaffle…again!" Seamus said with a chuckle. "That girl is rather good at this game. She weaves her way through the Hufflepuff Chasers Althea Taffet and Evander Wetherhold. She gets past a well-timed Bludger, sent by Fletcher Linnell, that just barely missed her. Look at that, folks!" Seamus exclaimed excitedly, "That was some goal that she got past Brady Miller the Hufflepuff Keeper and Captain. She quite literally sent it through his arms!"
Hermione and Draco got back to their seats just in time to see Ginny make the goal and Hermione cheered excitedly.
"That makes the score, Gryffindor one hundred and ten points while Hufflepuff has ninety points." Seamus said as the teams got ready for the next play.
"Let's see if Hufflepuff Chaser, Cecila Sade can get this past Ron Weasley. And she does!"
Luna looked at Hermione and asked if she was all right.
"I am. I'm sorry we missed so much of the game though." Hermione remarked.
"It's been surprisingly even with the scores." Luna remarked
Hannah, who was standing behind Hermione, nodded and spoke up, "Yea, Brady has been running the team ragged trying to get them ready to play Gryffindor."
"They are doing quite well." Neville added, "But Ginny is really on her game today."
Draco nodded, "Yea, she is." He said as she made another goal and the crowd cheered wildly.
"Has she made every goal for Gryffindor?" Hermione asked.
"No, but nearly." Pansy replied, grinning as she kept her eyes on the game.
After a few more scores, the teams were tied at one hundred and twenty points each.
"And look at that! Potter and Putnam are off. They have clearly both caught sight of the Snitch and are speeding around the pitch. And bloody hell!" Seamus exclaimed catching the crowd's attention. "Ginny Weasley took advantage of the distraction and scored another goal for Gryffindor! Potter has caught the Snitch!" He shouted, "That brings the game to an end. The score is one hundred and twenty points for Hufflepuff and two hundred and eighty points for Gryffindor. What a game!" Seamus said, letting out a heavy breath, "Thank you all for joining us today. The next game will be after the winter holidays. So come back on January twenty-seventh to see Hufflepuff play against Ravenclaw!"
Hermione saw the Gryffindor team land in a large pile on the pitch and she smiled at the scene.
When the group of them got to the pitch, they found Ginny speaking with Cleo Creed and Gwenog Jones from the Holyhead Harpies once more. This time, however, the three of them were beaming as the two older witches congratulated Ginny on her well-played game.
"You were marvelous out there!" Cleo said, grinning, "We are thrilled that your team won."
"We are." Gwenog added with a wide smile, "But seeing how you were playing, there was no doubt of that happening."
"Thank you both so much!" Ginny beamed, breathing heavily from her hard work on the pitch. "But the entire team did well."
"When is your next game?"
"We actually don't play again until March seventeenth." Ginny said, "But we'll be having practice regularly."
The women nodded as Gwenog said, "We'll be at that game for sure. I think we may bring the entire team. They've all been quite eager to see you play."
Ginny blushed nervously and smiled, "Brilliant! Tha…that sounds great." She said. "We'll be sure to play our best."
"You're a brilliant Chaser and by the looks of it, you're also a brilliant Captain." Cleo said, "That bodes well for your future, Weasley. We'll see you in March."
Ginny nodded, smiling, "Thank you." She swallowed, "See you then!"
As the two witches walked away, Harry ran over to his girlfriend, pulling her into a huge hug that lifted her off the ground, "You were brilliant, Gin!" He exclaimed.
She laughed excitedly and kissed him passionately, ignoring everyone around them for a moment. As he set her back down on the ground, she smacked his arse and winked at him before turning to towards the others.
Hermione rushed over and hugged her next, "Ginny! You were phenomenal!"
Ginny beamed, hugging Hermione tightly as Brady Miller, the Captain of the Hufflepuff team, made his way over to the red-haired witch.
"Weasley." He said, disappointment obvious in his voice as he shook her hand and congratulated her on a well-played game.
"Thanks, Miller. You lot played brilliantly as well. It was quite a game." She smiled kindly.
He huffed and nodded, looking over a Harry, "Nice catch, Potter."
Harry nodded, "Thanks."
As Brady went towards the Hufflepuff locker room, Draco stepped forward and grinned, "You are massively impressive on the pitch, Ginny. Whoever you play for after Hogwarts will be incredibly fortunate."
Ginny beamed, "Thank you, Draco."
He grinned and gave her a high-five before backing up to give the others space to commend her.
Hermione wrapped her arm around Draco's waist.
He looked over at her and smiled. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly before quietly muttering, "I wish you and I could just sneak off to the Room of Requirement."
She smirked and quirked her brow, "Draco Malfoy, are you insinuating that you want to shag your girlfriend?"
He shook his head, "There is absolutely no insinuation going on, love. I'm flat out stating the fact." He said, ignoring their surroundings.
She laughed lightly but the blush that appeared on her cheeks gave away the affect his words truly had on her.
She looked around with a thoughtful expression, before meeting his darker than usual eyes that held an all-knowing, and amused glint within them.
"After you finish having lunch with Cordelia, come get me. I'll be in my dorm room." She said with a seductive smirk that made him grateful he had a longer coat on.
He nodded and leaned down, kissing her lips once more. "I'll see you in a bit." He muttered before walking over to Cordelia and Blaise.
Hermione felt someone brush her side and looked to her right.
"Can we talk?" Parvati asked quietly.
"Of course." Hermione replied to her dormmate. "What's the matter?"
Parvati licked her lips while nervously glancing around, "Nothing really. It's just that...well, erm…Seamus and I would like to erm…" She began before sighing, "What I'm trying to say is that I require the dorm room tonight. Could you sleep somewhere else?" She asked, a slight shake in her voice showing her nerves.
Hermione smiled and nodded, "Sure. No problem. I'll be out of there a bit after lunch. Will that work or do I need to leave sooner?"
"No. That's fine." Parvati smiled, tilting her head, "Everyone always used to say that you were such a prude."
Hermione held back her laughter and simply smiled, rolling her eyes as she replied with a question, "Well, what do you think?"
The other witch smirked and shook her head, "I think that Slytherin boyfriend of yours has had a bigger impression on you than anyone thought. However, I also think that you surprised him quite a bit too."
Hermione smirked but otherwise gave no indication as to whether or not Parvati was correct in her assumptions.
"Anyhow, thank you, Hermione." Parvati said, "For understanding and all. Tomorrow, after breakfast, you may return to the room."
Hermione nodded, "Wonderful. I hope you have a lovely night, Parvati."
Her dormmate smiled and nodded, "You too, Hermione."
Hermione watched as Draco and Cordelia talked for a moment before walking off towards the castle.
Blaise made his way over to her and shrugged, "Care to grab lunch, Granger? I'll buy."
She grinned, "Sure."
As they walked in silence, Hermione looked over at him, smirking, "Are you going to tell me, or must I wait until Draco gets done and tells me?"
Blaise huffed a small laugh and nodded, "Let's go."
Draco and Cordelia made their way into the Great Hall and sat at the Slytherin table.
"What did you need to talk to me about?" Draco asked a while into their conversation.
Cordelia smiled nervously and said, "Well, I wanted to let you know that Blaise and I are officially together now. I wanted to tell you myself that he is a true gentleman and that I'm really happy."
Draco looked at her questionably. He wanted so badly to speak the words on his mind but didn't.
She smiled, seeing that he was struggling with being a good friend and a protective brother, "He told me." She said.
Draco met her eyes, confused until he saw her expression. His stomach felt as if a heavy stone had suddenly been dropped into it.
"He did?" Draco asked.
Cordelia nodded, "Yes. He did. I understand that he has a past. As do I. But neither of us are here to judge the other for our pasts."
Draco nodded silently as his mind reeled with thoughts.
"You should talk with Blaise." She said knowingly, "But please, Draco, don't forget that I care for him, deeply. And just so you know, one of the reasons I know him so well is because of the way he talks about you. He admires and respects you greatly."
Draco nodded with a sigh, "I am going to speak with him. I simply want to make sure you're well taken care of. You're my sister and I never got the chance to do that growing up but now…now that I know about you, I can take on the responsibility of being an older brother."
She nodded, "I know, Draco. Just don't think that you need to be against your best friend to protect me. I love you, big brother. But so does he."
Draco considered her words as they ate and noticed Hermione eating with Blaise at the Gryffindor table.
Cordelia noticed his line of sight and followed it, seeing their significant others eating together.
"Just talk to him." She said.
Draco nodded as both of them stood up. The siblings made their way towards the Gryffindor table and over to Hermione and Blaise.
Draco sat next to Hermione, surprising her.
"Oh hello!" She smiled widely, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
"Hello, love" He grinned before looking at Blaise who had placed a gentle kiss on Cordelia's cheek.
Blaise cleared his throat and said, "Hey mate."
Draco nodded, "Care for a stroll through the castle and a chat?" He asked.
Blaise nodded slightly reluctantly, knowing what was to come.
Draco kissed Hermione on the lips before leaving with Blaise.
"How'd it go?" Hermione asked Cordelia with a small smile.
The blonde witch nodded, "I think it went well. I hope their talk goes as well, though. They both tend to get a bit…heated."
Hermione nodded and replied, "That is true, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Draco just needs to know that Blaise has the right intentions with you. Try not to hold Draco's need to be extra protective of you against him. He's not used to being an older brother and he takes the responsibilities of it seriously. He knows that you two share a father who is horrid, so he wants to do right by you."
Cordelia nodded, unable to hold back a small smile as she said, "He's a wonderful brother."
Hermione smiled and nodded, knowing that the man she loved, dearly loved his younger sister.
Blaise and Draco walked through the corridors as it was far too cold outside to be out there for any reason other than a Quidditch game.
Blaise huffed after fifteen minutes and turned to the blonde wizard, "Draco, mate, I know that you're concerned for your sister, but…"
"Blaise, were you honest with her?" He asked, cutting into his friend's speech.
Blaise sighed and nodded, "I was. I don't lie to her, mate. She's wonderful and I've never felt quite like this before. Do you truly believe I'd risk our friendship on a silly fling? I truly care for her, and I would like to have…to have your blessing for us to be together." He sighed, "This is a conversation I never thought I'd be having with you."
Draco huffed and nodded before sighing, "Did you tell her about the cheating and the…"
Blaise nodded, "She knows. I told her everything. But Draco, I'd never cheat on Cordelia. I'd never leave her, and I'd absolutely never use her. Mate, I've made a lot of mistakes in my past, but I feel like this is the year where we all get that second chance to prove ourselves. Draco, you got your second chance. Please, let me have mine."
Inhaling deeply, Draco thought over his friend's words. Deep down, he knew Blaise was right, but he hated it.
He nodded, "All right." He said, "But Blaise, should you hurt her in any way, I'll throttle you. And I don't mean in the joking manner as per usual. I mean in the manner that leaves you in desperate need of healer."
Blaise nodded and reached his hand out, "Thank you."
Draco sighed and shook his friend's hand before the two of them made their way back towards the main part of the castle.
"I'll see you later on." Draco said, knowing Blaise was set to meet up with Cordelia.
As for Draco, he had plans of his own.
He made his way back to the eighth years dormitories and went up to Hermione's dorm room. He knocked on the door and heard a casual, "Come in."
He entered, and smiled, happy to find her on the bed, reading a book while wearing his old tee and pair of jean trousers.
"Hello, love." He grinned before lying in the bed next to her, while wrapping his arm around her waist.
She smiled and leaned back into him, "Hey you." She replied, setting the book down, "How did your talk with Blaise go?"
He sighed against her shoulder and nodded, "It went fine. He appears to truly care about her so I…well, I gave my blessing."
Hermione rolled over and cupped his jaw, "I think that was the right thing to do."
He leaned in to kiss her, but Hermione pulled back and shook her head, "We can't stay in here. In fact, I was hoping I could spend the night in your dorm."
He nodded, "Of course, but why?"
She pulled back and stood up, gathering her things, "I promised Parvati I'd be out of here. She and Seamus are spending the evening together in here so…" She shrugged her shoulders.
He nodded, watching as she used her wand, summoning her toiletry bag.
Once she had everything gathered and packed into her overnight bag, which she then packed into her beaded bag, Hermione turned to look at her boyfriend.
He grinned at her, making her smile, "What's got you eager?" She asked.
He raised his brow and said, "Darling, I'm going to have you in bed with me tonight. How could I not be eager?"
She laughed lightly and grabbed her beaded bag, "Come on. We ought to get on out of here."
The couple left the room and headed down towards the common room, but Draco smirked and grabbed her hand before they turned to go up to his dorm. She looked at him, confused, but he simply said, "I've got a better idea." And pulled her towards the portrait hole.
Draco smirked as they made their way through the castle.
"Draco, look!" Hermione said, excitedly, "It's snowing!" She beamed, looking out at the snowing as it cascaded down onto the school's grounds.
He smiled and nodded, "It's lovely."
She smiled, nodding in agreement before saying, "I'm sorry, love. Where are we going now?"
He smirked, "You'll see." He replied before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
When they were standing outside of the Room of Requirement. Hermione turned to Draco, about to speak but saw him concentrating rather hard on something before pacing back and forth.
A door appeared and Draco opened it, letting her inside the room.
She looked around, in awe of the beauty. The room was large, with a vaulted ceiling. The elegant mantle was made from rich walnut wood and held a dozen lit candles. She looked over at the window that shown over the peaceful, snow-covered grounds.
There was a large bed with several pillows as well as a sitting area with plush sofas surrounded by bookshelves which were all filled with hundreds of books. There was also a small table with two chairs and a vase of orange roses near a modest kitchenette with a stove to make a cuppa, if desired.
"Draco…" She breathed, "this is marvelous."
He grinned, "It did turn out rather nice." He murmured as he made his way over to her, while silently placing wards and other charms on the room.
She turned just as he got close enough to touch her and smirked at him, "Are we staying here tonight?"
He was taken by surprise by her remark and replied, "Well, I hadn't thought of that, but we could. I could go get a change of clothes and we could sleep here. Would you like to do that?"
She smiled and shrugged thoughtfully. "Perhaps." She looked over at the window and smiled, "I love snow."
He grinned, "Me too. I always have."
She smiled and said, "I suppose while we decide about staying here tonight, we could make other use of this beautiful room."
He chuckled, and nodded, "I think that's a brilliant idea."
She rolled her eyes, smiling and set her beaded bag on the table before turning to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a deep kiss.
His hands fell to her hips as he pulled her completely against him. He raised his left hand and cupped her jaw before pulling back from the kiss and saying, "Unless you'd rather do something else…"
She rolled her eyes, once more pulling him back into a kiss, deeper than the one before.
Draco lifted her up by her thighs, wrapping them around his waist before carrying her over to the bed.
He set her on the mattress and continued to kiss her. When he pulled back to take off his coat and jumper, Hermione bit her bottom lip, looking at him with an expression of contemplation.
After his jumper was removed, his tee came off his torso, she bit her bottom lip harder and made her decision. "Draco…" she murmured.
He hummed and looked down at her as he reached to pull his old tee off of her body.
"I want to try something new." She said quietly.
He swallowed and met her eyes, nodding, "Okay. What?"
"You'll see." She smirked and stood up. She pulled off the tee before kissing him again.
"I love you." He muttered against her lips before trailing his lips along her jaw to her neck.
She smiled before moaning his ear as he kissed her neck and beneath her ear.
"I love you, Draco." She whispered into his ear.
He clenched his jaw and pulled back to look at her, "You make me so happy, Hermione." He muttered, looking into her honey-brown eyes.
She smiled and nodded as her hands roamed over his bare torso. She loved the feeling of his skin under her fingertips. "You make me happy too, love." She replied as she leaned down, pressing a kiss to his collar bone and chest before moving to his stomach. She moved to get on her knees and Draco froze, completely taken by surprise, having not expected that.
"Herm…Hermione, what are you…doing?" He asked, as she began to undo the belt of his trousers.
She looked up at him, biting her bottom lip before she replied, "I told you that I wanted to try something new."
"But th…this?!" He exclaimed, his voice shaking slightly as she finished undoing his belt.
Hermione nodded and pulled his trousers down, leaving him in a pair of navy-blue boxers with an evident erection.
"Hermione!" He said in a desperate tone as her hand wrapped around his cloth-covered erection.
Hermione took her time as she lowered his boxers. "Here, sit down." She said, having him sit on the edge of the bed.
He did as he was told, swallowing nervously as he attempted to hold back a groan when she kissed his thighs. She held his cock in her hand, feeling it getting even harder as her lips moved closer to it.
She kissed from the base of it up to the tip, causing Draco to let out a sort of straggled breath. Hermione slowly took him into her mouth, causing Draco to groan and grip tightly to the quilt on the bed.
She began to bob her head, slowly at first before moving a bit faster.
Draco groaned when he felt her swallow around him, taking even more of him down her throat.
She took her time and took him deeper and deeper every chance she could.
At one point, she swallowed around his girth and ran her free hand up his chest, causing him to groan loudly and thread his fingers through her hair.
"Bloody hell, love." He murmured, doing everything he could to keep from thrusting his hips.
"Fuck, love, I'm about to…" He groaned, "Hermione, I'm going to…" He said again as she continued to bob her head faster. He grunted, erratically thrusting his hips a bit as he came down her throat.
She pulled back and swiped her thumb along her lower lip causing him to groan a bit more as his mind came back from pure euphoria, "That was bloody incredible!" he mumbled in a nearly drunken tone.
She smiled and looked up at him with a loving expression as she stood up.
Draco took the hint and stood up as well, pulling her into a deep kiss. She hummed and kissed him back, cupping his jaw lovingly.
He reached down and undid the jean trousers she was wearing and pushed them down along with her knickers. As they separated, she undid the bra she was wearing and smiled at him, before leaning up on her toes to kiss his lips.
Draco pulled back from the kiss and exhaled loudly into the air, "Bloody hell, my legs feel like they're going to give in."
She smiled, "Sit down."
He shook his head, "That last time I did that, you nearly sucked my soul out."
She laughed and kissed his lips, "Sit down, love." she said, pulling away from his embrace completely.
Draco climbed onto the bed and sat with his back against the large, soft pillows at the head of it.
Hermione grabbed her wand and performed the contraception spell before climbing onto the bed and joining Draco in the middle of mattress. She straddled his thighs and met his storm grey eyes with a small smile. She brought her hands up to his face and cupped his jaw before running her fingers through his hair.
He let his eyes wander, admiring her body. Her chest, being just a few inches in front of his face, was perfect. Unable to stop himself, he leaned forward and kissed her left breast, savoring the way her nails dug into his scalp as he gently sucked on her nipple.
As he moved his lips to her right nipple, Draco discreetly moved his right hand from her waist down and gently touched her inner thigh, causing her to jump before moaning.
He felt her legs tremble as his hand moved up a few inches, touching her drenched core.
Hermione let out a whimper and gripped his shoulders to steady herself as his fingers traced her core lightly.
He watched her face closely, taking in every detail as she moved her hips to keep in contact with his fingertips. He moved to circle her clit and Hermione's jaw dropped slightly, while her eyes remained shut.
After a few moments she leaned forward and kissed him with fervor.
He slowly pushed a single finger into her, causing her to moan into his mouth.
She pressed her forehead against his and bit her bottom lip as she felt him add another finger.
He could feel her beginning to squeeze his fingers as she moved faster, searching for her release.
"Draco…" She breathed.
He nodded against her forehead and moved his thumb to her clit, circling it. It only took another moment or two for her to reach her climax.
She moaned loudly and collapsed against him.
He pulled her completely against him and kissed her shoulder, "You're so beautiful." He murmured against her skin.
She smiled, blushing slightly and kissed his neck. She leaned up on her knees and sunk down onto his hard cock, causing them both to moan.
"Hermione…" Draco muttered, "look at me, love." He breathed as she moved, slowly but steadily riding him.
Hermione pulled back and looked him in the eyes.
As she looked into his storm grey eyes, she felt a twinge her chest and leaned in, kissing him passionately.
He groaned, his brow furrowing as he leaned up on his knees, flipping them so that their heads were at the foot of the bed, and he was on top. He thrust into her, causing her to moan loudly and wrap one leg around his waist.
When he hit a certain spot, Hermione threw her head back with a near-scream of pleasure. Draco took advantage of the opportunity and lavished her neck with kisses. Her left leg tightened around his waist as her right hand moved down and gripped his arse, pulling him harder against her.
"Oh…yes…" She whimpered as her toes began to curl.
He could feel her tightening around his cock, and he groaned, "Bloody fucking hell." under his breath.
"Faster, love. Please…Draco, please." She pleaded desperately, her nails digging into his arse.
He sat up a bit and thrust into her faster, watching as her climax took over and she moaned his name loudly as her hips moved, riding out her orgasm.
Her face was practically shimmering in pleasure as he watched her, still thrusting into her, in search of his own, extremely close, release.
When his own climax hit, he came deep inside her, causing her to have another, not quite as strong, but still breathtaking orgasm.
He leaned back down and kissed her neck softly. "That's it, love." He muttered against her neck, "That's it." He groaned, pressing a kiss to her pulse point as she squeezed him perfectly.
Sometime later, they were lying in each other's embrace, under the quilt as Hermione stared out the window where the snow was falling heavily. The only sound in the room was the crackle of the fire in the hearth.
He pressed a kiss to her neck and quietly muttered against her skin, "What are you thinking about?" before kissing her once more.
She let out a small laugh and scooted back, further into him as she replied, "Actually, I believe for the first in a remarkably unhealthy amount of time, I was thinking about nothing at all. I was just…here…in this moment."
He smiled and nodded, "I know what you mean. When I'm with you, I seem to forget the rest of the world exists."
She smiled and lowered her hand, placing it on his bare hip, "I love you, Draco."
He smiled and kissed her neck softly, "I love you, Hermione." He murmured.
As they laid there, Draco noticed the empty portrait on the wall and an idea formed into his mind. He knew he'd have to work the details out another time, but he liked the idea a lot and planned to see if it could work out.
He grinned and kissed her cheek before getting out of bed.
"Would you care for a cuppa?" He asked as he pulled his boxers back on.
She smiled and nodded, "Sure." She replied, before rolling onto her stomach to watch him make the tea.
He walked over to the kitchenette and began to make it in a way that made her smile…by not using any magic. He grabbed the tea tin and scooped some out.
She bit her bottom lip, loving the sight before her. Seeing him acting so casually while doing things the muggle way, brought such happiness to her heart.
She slid out of bed, stood up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso, and kissing his muscular back.
He swallowed, feeling her bare breasts pressed against his back as she kissed across his shoulder blades.
"Love, I can't concentrate on this very well, with you doing that…" He smirked.
She laughed lightly against his skin and hummed. "If you didn't look so damn fit making tea, I wouldn't be over here, but I couldn't help myself."
He chuckled and turned around to face her once the water was heating up.
"You, my love, are the fit one." He said as his hands came to rest on her bare hips. He looked down at her completely naked body and clenched his jaw, shaking his head, "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Hermione."
She blushed slightly and smiled, leaning up on her toes to kiss his lips.
He clenched his jaw and looked at her as they separated, "I mean it, you know." He said, "When I see you down the corridor, between classes, I can't help but stare. You are just…beyond beautiful. I just want to pull you into an alcove in the middle of lunch and have my way with you."
She laughed and kissed his collar bone. "Who said you couldn't do that?"
"Don't mess with me, Granger." He smirked.
She tilted her head with a grin, "I love you."
"I love you too." He said before sighing, "I hate myself for treating you so horribly before the war."
She shook her head, "Believe me, love. You've made up for it."
He smiled and turned when the kettle began to whistle. When he turned back, he asked if she would rather stay in the Room of Requirement or his dorm that evening.
"Either would be fine." She replied as he poured the hot water into the cups with tea leaves in them.
He turned back to her with his head tilted slightly, "Love, we can stay wherever you'd like."
She smiled and cupped his jaw, "Let's stay here. That way we can be alone."
He nodded, "I had hoped you would say that." He smiled.
After finishing a cuppa, Draco left to go to his dorm to put together an overnight bag.
He arrived at his dorm room and found it empty. He packed a bag and left a note for Blaise before heading out of the room and down to the common room. Draco was surprised to find Astoria Greengrass in the Eighth Year Common Room but ignored it and kept walking.
"Draco!" She shouted.
He sighed and turned, "What?"
She ignored the clear annoyance and smiled, "Listen, I know that we've been having some issues lately but…"
"Oh, like when you attempted to murder my sister?" He said sardonically, "Leave me alone, Astoria." He said before turning and leaving.
He walked through the corridors and heard some giggling and moaning coming from a classroom. He glanced through the cracked door, regretting his decision immediately.
He spotted, Dennis Creevey with none other than Sophie Davies, Draco's own cousin. He wasn't sure if he ought to break up the snogging session or not.
He was surprisingly grateful when he heard a professor coming down the corridor and entering the classroom through another door.
Draco headed back to the Room of Requirement and entered. He found Hermione on the sofa. She was wearing his tee, as he had only slipped on his jumper. She was also wearing her knickers and had evidently begun reading a book but had fallen asleep.
He set his overnight bag on the floor and took off his coat and jumper, leaving him in jean trousers. He walked over to the coffee table and sat on it, looking at her with a small smile on his lips. He gently grabbed the book, taking it from her hands and setting it on the coffee table, careful to not lose her place.
He smiled o himself, seeing just how beautiful she was when she was asleep. Leaning over, he kissed the tip of her nose before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. He pulled his wand from his pocket and aimed it at the fire in the fireplace, boosting the heat a bit.
After setting his wand on the table, he looked at her, "Love…" He murmured, "Hermione, darling…"
The brunette witch stirred a bit and opened her eyes, smiling when she saw him, "Hey, Handsome."
With a wide grin, he replied, "Hello, Beautiful. What were you dreaming about?" he asked, noticing her slight blush.
"Nothing." Hermione replied as her blush deepened.
He chuckled and stood up. Bending down, he kissed her lips before turning her head a bit to kiss her neck, "I think that may have been a fib."
She bit her bottom lip when her kissed a certain spot on her neck and nodded, "Possibly." She replied in a shaky whisper.
He grinned and pulled back, looking down at her, "Anything else new you want to try?" He asked.
She huffed, "Don't act like you didn't enjoy that."
With a nod, he replied, "Oh I most definitely did. It was incredible." He looked down at her in a way that made her squirm a bit. "I've got something I'd like to try though."
She swallowed, "Wh…what's that?"
Smirking, he said, "Come here."
Hermione swallowed again and stood up.
He pulled her close and kissed her deeply, making her moan. His hands immediately went to her arse, pulling her against him.
She hummed and pulled away from the kiss, looking down at their bodies that were pressed together.
He clenched his jaw and gripped her arse slightly.
She moaned and cupped the side of his neck, kissing his lips with passion as her other hand gripped his bicep.
Draco pulled her towards the bed and had her sit on the edge. He grinned and looked at her as he got on his knees.
She swallowed nervously as her hands came to rest on his shoulders.
He kissed the inside of her wrist and asked, "Are you all right if I do this? I mean…is it okay with you?"
She smiled and nodded, leaning down slightly to kiss his lips.
As she pulled back, Draco licked his lips and let his hand move to her hips. He gripped the hem of her knickers and pulled them down. As he did so, he thought of something and pulled out his wand. He quickly performed the pregnancy prevention spell on her before setting his wand on the bedside table and kissing her knees as he pulled her light blue knickers down the rest of the way.
He furrowed his brow and said, "Here, lay back on the pillows."
Hermione scooted back and laid back on the pillows and Draco swallowed at the sight.
"Bloody hell." He muttered, pulling off his jean trousers. He laid down on the bed, flat on his stomach wearing only his boxers.
As Draco kissed her knee, he grinned up at her, "I love you, Hermione. But if you don't take that tee off, I'm going to vanish it."
She laughed, and pulled the tee over her head, setting it to the side.
Draco kissed her other knee and looked up at her with dark grey eyes that made her heart speed up.
"Spread your legs for me, love." he murmured against her shin.
He was surprised that his words sounded so steady as his magic seemed to stutter a bit when she did as he said.
He swallowed and attempted to breathe again.
She felt a little more power, seeing his reaction and smirked even if her nerves were erratic.
He leaned in and slowly kissed his way up her inner left leg. He kept his lips far from her core, smirking at the irritation and impatience he felt come from her.
He kissed his way up her inner right leg.
When his lips arrived at her core, he gently kissed it and smirked up at her, seeing desperate eyes. He smirked and gave her slit a long, steady lick before focusing on her clit.
Her eyes rolled back as he sucked her clit into his mouth and curled his arms under her thighs, pulling her closer to him.
She moaned and ran her hands through his hair, "Draco…oh Draco!"
He licked her softly then roughly. At one point he wrote that he loved her while at another he signed his name.
She was moaning so loudly that by the time he reached his left hand up to cup her right breast, he was concerned for the silencing charm's strength.
Hermione pulled him closer by his hair for a moment before she came, whimpering "Oh! Draco! Yes…yes oh…yes!"
He groaned, his own hips thrusting against the mattress as he continued, not letting up as she rode out her orgasm.
He sucked her clit into his mouth again, causing her to climax once more. The sounds she made, along with the feeling of her squeezing his tongue caused Draco to come in his boxers, groaning deeply against her core.
He pulled his face away and pressed his forehead into her inner thigh, groaning as his hips thrust against the mattress.
"Oh…Hermione…" He groaned.
She looked down at him, and ran her finger through his hair, "Are you okay?" she asked nervously while breathing heavily.
He chuckled and nodded before looking up at her, "Love, not to be crude but simply eating you out caused me to blow my load, so I'm bloody spectacular. I had planned to do so much more but I need a bit more time between rounds."
She smiled, "Trust me. That's okay. I need some time, myself."
He chuckled and kissed her inner thigh, "By the way, have I mentioned just how phenomenal you taste?"
She blushed and covered her face with her hands.
He shook his head and reached up, moving her hands, "Love, don't do that. I simply meant that you…" He paused, unsure of how to word it differently, "taste phenomenal." He said nodding with a shrug.
"Draco!" She exclaimed.
He sighed, "Hermione! What's so bad about that? You do! And that's a big compliment because, though I personally don't have too much experience, I do have references as to the fact that not all women taste that good."
"Oh Merlin, Draco, stop it!" Hermione groaned.
He sighed, "Well, I'm sure not all men taste very good. In fact, I may not even taste that good…"
"Oh, bloody hell!" She said covering her face as she swung her leg over him to close them. She quickly grabbed his tee and pulled it on as she walked away from the bed.
"Well, I mean…" He began before she spun around.
"Draco, darling, I'm going to say a few things just so that we can get them completely out of the way and never discuss them again." She said, turning to face him completely.
"Okay…" He muttered, sitting up, before looking down to see the large stain on his boxers and the bed. His face reddened so quickly; Hermione felt as if it was in the blink of an eye.
He grabbed his wand and cleaned both his boxers and the bed before turning back to his girlfriend, "Go on."
She sighed, "First, thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it. As for men, I don't have much knowledge on the topic…having only been sexual with two men."
Draco grunted unpleasantly at her words, and she sighed, walking over to him.
"But just so you know" She smirked, wrapping her arms around his waist before saying, "You taste rather phenomenal, yourself." She said in a whisper that made Draco's knees nearly buckle.
She kissed the tip of his nose and walked away to set out her clothes for the next day.
Draco took a moment before saying, "New rule." Getting her attention.
"There are rules?" She smirked.
He nodded, "There are now." He said before continuing, "If you do that…" He said, indicating the action of whispering in his ear seductively, "when we're out with our friends, you are not allowed to hold anything I do against me."
She laughed, "And what would you do?"
He inhaled deeply and shrugged, "It would be an 'in the moment' kind of action. No control of mine. I already struggle enough controlling myself around you."
She smiled, blushing the slightest bit, "I love you. You know that Draco Malfoy?"
He smiled and nodded, "I love you too, Hermione Granger."
They spent the afternoon reading and snogging until it was time for dinner.
"I don't really want to go out to the Great Hall." Draco said, as they cuddled on the sofa, reading books, "So, I figured that instead of breaking out of our little…erm…"
"Bubble." Hermione smirked.
He chuckled and nodded, "Instead of breaking out of our bubble, we could ask the House Elves to cook something up and bring it here."
She nodded, "Let's do that."
"Hey Toddy!" Draco said loudly and waited a moment as he set his book down.
Toddy the head House Elf 'popped' into view, "Hello Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger. What may Toddy do for the two of you tonight?"
"Would you mind bringing our dinner here?" Draco asked. "I could pay you."
Toddy shook his head, "That won't be necessary. Toddy will be happy to bring it here. The House Elves made a few different options. Toddy will bring you a variety." He said before vanishing with a 'pop'.
Hermione stood up from the sofa and walked over to the connected doorway where the loo was.
When she came back to the room, she found that Toddy had brought quite the feist for them on a few different trays.
"Oh wow." She said.
As they ate, they discussed their plans for the Yuletide Ball.
"We'll met up in the common room?" He asked before taking a bite of Shepard's Pie.
She nodded, "That's fine. Cordelia asked if she could get ready in my dorm. I told her that would be perfectly fine." Hermione said, "All the girls are coming over and getting ready together. We're spending that morning in the Hogsmeade, at the Hogsmeade branch of Nirvana's Nest Spa."
"Ah, yes. The bloody spa. You ladies are going to look incredible while us blokes will look…"
"Dashing, I'm sure." She smirked. "You, Draco Malfoy will look extremely dashing. I have no doubts, at all, about that."
He grinned, "I'll do my very best. As I'm going to be by your side, I need to look my sharpest."
She smiled and reached over, cupping his jaw, "You will."
He smiled and kissed her palm.
After dinner, they laid in bed together, talking.
When the topic of Christmas came up, Hermione asked Draco what he would like.
He chuckled, "Well, erm…to be honest, I'm not really sure."
She laughed, "How can you not know of one single thing you want for Christmas?"
He smiled and looked at her, "I've never had as much in my life as I do now, so there's nothing I really need at the moment. So long as I've got you, I'm set."
She smiled, looking into his cool grey eyes and sighed happily, "You know, I've got to agree with you there."
They decided to spend the next day in Hogsmeade, shopping for their families. They both still needed to purchase a few more gifts before that next Saturday morning when the train left to take everyone home for the holidays.
They spent the rest of the night talking, snogging, and making love until they fell asleep in each other's arms around three in the morning.
December 13, 1998
The early part of the week had worn heavily on Hermione. She had come to fully realize that she was about to spend yet another Christmas without a portion of her family, and it broke her heart.
She chose to spend her Wednesday afternoon study hall period in her dorm room rather than with Draco, Cordelia, and Oscar, as usual. Draco had understood and kissed her on the lips, but looked at her with concern, having noticed that since their weekend in the Room of Requirement, Hermione had been a bit more stressed than usual.
She had been keeping to herself and not spoken to him or anyone as much as usual.
Hermione noticed his concern but couldn't do anything to help that at the moment. Feeling the pressure of finding her family more than ever before, she knew she needed to get the box from the bridge open. The feeling in her stomach…the one that told her that the box held the answers to everything…that feeling kept her awake at night.
She got back to her dorm room and laid down on the bed, pulling her grandfather's note from her beaded bag, even though she knew it word for word by now.
She looked at it and read each line repeatedly until one stuck out to her that read:
The key to it all is contained within your heart.
"Contained within my heart?" She muttered, shaking her head, confused.
Another line then caught her eye because it also included the word heart.
It read:
You have the heart of a fierce lion; a heart made of gold.
"Heart of a lion…heart of gold…" She muttered to herself before sitting straight up.
She reached into her beaded bag, searching for it. She knew it was there. When she found it, she pulled out the gold pocket watch of her grandfather's. It had the face of a lion on it.
She swallowed and shook it but didn't hear anything abnormal. She grabbed her wand and hoped she didn't break it or at least didn't break it for no reason. She aimed her wand at it and spoke, "Alohomora."
Something popped open on the back of the watch, and she turned it over, revealing a small door. She opened it all the way and saw a key inside.
When she pulled it out, she saw that it appeared as if it would fit the lock on the box perfectly. Her heart nearly stopped, "Bloody hell" she muttered, in complete and utter disbelief.
She quickly sent Draco a Patronus. The corporeal otter flew through the door and went to find the blonde Slytherin wizard.
She remained sitting on the bed, staring at the key with a relieved smile on her face.
Draco came running through the door, wand at the ready, less than five minutes later.
"Hermione?" He said, "Are…are you okay?" He swallowed and looked around before walking over to her, "What's wrong? Your Patronus just said to hurry and come alone."
She opened her hand and, in her palm, lay the key.
His eyes widened, "What? Where…where did you find that?"
"It was in the pocket watch, Draco." She said, her voice was slightly hoarse from shock. "It was in the bloody pocket watch! I was looking at the note again and these two lines stuck out to me." She said before explaining everything with a wide, relieved smile on her face.
He nodded, grinning, "That's incredible! Do you want to open it here or in my dorm?"
"Your dorm." Hermione said.
She kept the key tight in her grasp as they walked out of her room and down the stairs. They then went up the other staircase and straight to Draco's dorm room.
It was empty and Draco locked the door before placing wards up as well as a silencing charm.
Hermione kicked off her shoes and climbed onto his bed. She pulled the box from her bag and set it next to the key on the mattress.
Draco joined her on the bed and waited until she was ready. She unlocked the box and swallowed nervously when the lid opened a bit.
She opened it more and inhaled deeply, finding so much more inside than they had anticipated.
There was a long and thin, brown leather, cylinder tube that likely contained the Celestial Wand. The was also a leather book, a plain tin jar, and a round, wooden container with a lion's face carved in the lid.
Draco watched as she reached for the long, thin, cylinder first. She opened the lid and inhaled, seeing a beautiful wand inside. It was made of a light-colored wood and was elegantly carved. Overall, it was beautifully understated.
She could literally feel the power radiating from the wand and swallowed nervously.
Hermione didn't touch it. She simply closed the lid and set it next to her, where it was safe. She knew there was much to do with it, but she secretly hoped the book was a manual of some sort to guide her a bit.
Reaching into the box, she pulled out the leather book. She opened the cover and read that it was a journal written by her great-grandfather Rodrick Granger and continued by his son Leonardo Granger.
She decided to read that in a moment after discovering what else was in the box, knowing that it truly could be a manual of some kind written by her grandfather and great-grandfather.
Draco watched, as she lifted the tin jar out of the box. He decided not to speak, knowing how important this was, he thought he should remain as simply an observer.
When she opened the tin jar, she found a glass vial cushioned by cotton balls for protection. She immediately recognized the shimmering contents of the vial as a memory. Whose memory? That was yet to be determined.
She closed the lid and set it down before finally grabbing the round, wooden container with a lion's face carved in the lid.
She opened it to find what appeared to be nearly twenty lion's claws inside as well as about thirty lion's teeth.
Draco furrowed his brow and asked to see them. He looked at them closely, quietly speaking, "Do these have a significance to your family?"
She shrugged, "I'm not sure. I'll read this journal. It should be in here if they do."
He nodded and waited while she read the journal.
It took almost an hour as it was quite detailed but when she finished, she was overwhelmed, and her mind felt a bit jumbled.
When she turned to Draco, she sighed and said, "Okay so, those claws and teeth once belonged to the lion that the first Granger wizard, Balto Granger, tamed and basically kept as a pet. When the lion, named Silas, passed away, they kept his claws and teeth. Apparently, they contain great magic."
Draco stood up, excitement pulsing through him, "This is it, Hermione!" He said, "These are the missing pieces to the potion!"
Hermione's eyes widened in realization as she stood up as well. "Merlin! They are! That means…that means that you can figure out the potion now and heal them!"
He nodded and pulled her into a searing kiss.
She hummed, gripping his school robes tightly.
He pulled back and swallowed, "Okay…okay what else does the journal say?" He asked, clearing his throat.
She nodded, licking her lips as she tried to refocus her mind, "Okay, erm…it says that the memory in the tin jar belongs to Rodrick Granger, Leo's father."
He nodded, "Did it say anything about the memory?"
She shook her head, "No. We'll need to locate a Pensieve to see what it is. McGonagall may let us use Dumbledore's."
"There's one at the Manor…in the study." Draco said, "We can use it on holiday."
Hermione nodded, "We'll do that. You need to message Dario and Rocco." She said.
He nodded and pulled out the MAC from his pocket. He wrote a quick note to the other wizards but didn't put in too many details.
While they waited for a reply, he looked over at Hermione, noticing her silence, and asked, "Are you all right, love?"
She nodded, "I am. I just can't believe we finally have what we need."
He nodded and walked over to her, "I'm here for you. You know that, right?"
She nodded and kissed his jaw, "I do. Thank you, Draco."
He nodded and felt the MAC go off in his hand but focused on her instead.
"I know this whole situation is taking quite the toll on you, but love, you are such an inspiration to me."
She huffed, "Why?"
He frowned and stepped fully in front of her, "Hermione, you are so bloody strong. I truly wish you saw that about yourself."
She blushed but didn't say anything.
"You'll see them again, love. I think it may even be rather soon." He said with a smile.
She nodded, inhaling deeply before leaning up on her toes and kissing his lips, "I can't wait for them to meet you." She said as they separated.
He grinned and felt the MAC go off again with a reminder of his message.
After pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, he looked down at the MAC.
We'll meet you in the usual brewing room at the school, tonight at 8 o'clock, to discuss. – Dario
Draco turned back to Hermione and saw her reading the journal again with a thoughtful expression on her face. He walked over and sat on Blaise's bed, wanting to give her space.
Hermione shook her head, and scooted over, "Come here." She muttered, "You can read it too, love."
He smiled, joining her on his bed and began to read the journal along with her.
They read well together and at nearly the same pace. Neither of them realized how long they had been reading until one of the wards alerted them that Blaise was nearing the room.
Draco grabbed his wand and unlocked the door, undoing the wards, and the silencing charm.
Blaise opened the door and walked in before his eyes went wide, seeing them in bed together. "Oh, sorry, you lot." He muttered, quickly turning away.
"Mate, we're just reading." Draco chuckled.
Blaise reopened the door and nodded, seeing that they were, indeed, only reading and fully dressed.
"Oh, all right." He nodded and walked in, setting his satchel on his bed before collapsing on the mattress dramatically, "I am bloody exhausted. When is our damn holiday again?"
"We leave Saturday morning. But the Ball is Friday evening. You had better be prepared for that." Hermione replied with a small smile as she looked across her boyfriend's chest at the other wizard.
Blaise sighed, "Well, that ought to be fun and I am beyond ready for it, Hermione. You ought to see my robes. Oh. By the way, Cordelia said that you and Pans, invited her to go with the other girls to the spa." He said, looking over at Hermione with a kind smile.
Hermione nodded, "Of course we did. She's part of the group and since she's going to the Ball, we wanted her to have the chance to join us for the activities that morning."
"Thank you, Hermione." Blaise smiled, "It means a lot to her."
With a smile, Hermione nodded and replied, "I'm glad. She's a great girl."
Draco pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Well, I'm going to change and then I'm off to dinner. You two coming too?" Blaise asked, as he grabbed some clothes and walked towards the loo.
"Yea." Draco replied.
When the loo door shut, Draco turned to Hermione and smiled, "Let's get changed then head down to eat."
Draco lifted her chin with his finger and smiled, "Love, I want to thank you for the way you've been treating Cordelia. It means so much to me." He muttered, leaning in to kiss her lips softly.
Hermione hummed and kissed him back.
Neither knew which of them deepened it but Draco was the one to lighten it a bit. As they separated, she smiled and said that she ought to grab her change of clothes from her bag.
While she did that, Draco began to pack everything up that was on the bed. He didn't put it back in the box. Instead, he placed them in a felt bag and put it inside Hermione's charmed beaded bag.
Blaise came out of the loo, allowing Hermione to enter.
While Hermione changed, Blaise turned to Draco, "So, are you two all right? You've been rather quiet lately. Keeping to yourself and all."
Draco nodded, "Just a lot going on. We're fine though."
Blaise nodded but it was clear that he truly was concerned.
After dinner, it was nearly eight o'clock. Draco left Hermione with a kiss on the cheek and made his way to the brewing rooms near the hospital wing. Hermione walked back to the dorms with the others and chatted with them in the common room.
When he entered the brewing room, he nodded to Dario and Rocco, who were waiting.
"Draco, what did you find?" Rocco asked, his face showing clear signs of exhaustion.
Draco grinned and pulled out the wooden container of lion's claws and teeth.
"What's that?" Dario asked
Draco began to explain everything, going into detail about only the parts he had to.
They agreed and decided to meet up on the seventeenth at St. Mungo's to brew the potion together.
"We'll meet in one of the potion rooms in the cellar. McNairy will help and you are welcome to bring an assistant as well but due to it involving Miss Granger's family, I suggest it not be her." Dario said.
Draco nodded, "I have someone in mind."
"This is quite impressive, Draco." Rocco said, "I just want you to know that I am extraordinarily impressed by you and the dedication you put into your work. I know this one held a certain personal significance for you, but I get the feeling that you would work this hard for everyone."
Draco chuckled, "Maybe not quite this hard, but I do my best to help people out. Thank you for your kind words."
They discussed a bit more before Draco made his way back to the eighth-year common room.
He found Hermione and Pansy talking on the sofa, laughing together.
Pansy smirked when she spotted him, "So you're rather talented in bed these days, eh, Draco?"
Draco's eyes widened in shock, and he looked at Hermione, unsure of what she may have said.
Hermione was sitting there laughing and shaking her head. "Draco, I haven't said anything. Pansy is just trying to get information out of you. Don't fall for it."
He felt his breathing ease a bit as he nodded and glared at Pansy, "Thanks Parkinson. Where's your bloke?"
"Ron's with Theo and Luna, working on something. I'm guessing it's about my Christmas gift." Pansy smirked.
Draco rolled his eyes and held his hand out for Hermione to take, "Come on, love. I need to speak with you, if that's all right?"
She nodded and took his head, standing up, "I'll see you later, Pansy?"
"Yes. Tomorrow, make sure you have everything set out for the Ball. I'll come by your dorm after dinner to help in any way I can. I am so excited for this!" Pansy grinned eagerly.
Hermione laughed and nodded, "Me too. And I'll see you in History of Magic after lunch."
She and Draco made their way up to his dorm room where he told her everything that had happened with Dario and Rocco.
"The seventeenth?" She asked.
He nodded, "Sunday morning."
She inhaled nervously and he reached over, taking her hand in his larger one,
"Hermione, I'm going to ask Blaise to help. He's incredibly talented with potions." He said, hoping it would help to ease her anxiety.
She nodded, "That's good. I'm sorry. I just…I am so happy that something is finally happening. Some much was just stalled for so long but now…now there's progress." She said, letting out a breath.
He nodded, "We're going to get this right." He said to himself and to her. He knew how important this was and he felt the weight of that on his shoulders.
Hermione cupped his jaw and kissed his lips, "I can be there to help you." She said as they separated.
He swallowed and shook his head, "Dario and Rocco think it would be best to keep all Grangers away from the potion until it is complete."
She nodded, knowing it made sense even if she truly wanted to be there. "I'll be there for you after you're done brewing it. When you get back to the Manor, no matter what happens, I'll be there for you."
He smiled and nodded, turning his head to kiss her palm, "Thank you." He murmured and kissed her lips softly.
December 14, 1998
It was extremely late in the evening on Thursday when Draco grabbed his invisibility cloak and snuck out of his dorm.
He headed down the corridor and to the Room of Requirement. He paced in front of it and when the door appeared, he entered, quickly shutting it behind him.
Draco walked over to the portrait on the wall that was usually empty, but this time had Ariana Dumbledore waiting patiently within its frame.
"Hi." He said kindly.
She smiled and nodded to him. The portrait swung open, revealing a dark tunnel.
He entered and made his way through the tunnel.
It would be early morning when he arrived back in the castle, in desperate need of a shower.
December 15, 1998
When Friday finally arrived, Draco and the other blokes met up in the common room after breakfast. The girls had all headed to Hogsmeade to go to the Spa.
Classes had been cancelled for the entire day to give the students time to properly get prepared for the Ball that evening.
Draco and the other blokes, headed out to the Greenhouse number ten where Neville had been working on a surprise. Professor Sprout had let Neville use the Greenhouse, so long as he cleaned it up, as it had been used as a storage Greenhouse for the past hone hundred years.
"Here you lot are." He said eagerly.
Draco looked around and saw that the Greenhouse was filled with flowers of all kinds. There was an entire section of roses, including an incredibly beautiful section of orange roses that Draco took note of for a later date.
"You've been growing these all term?" Ron asked, looking around in amazement.
Neville nodded, "Just for the Ball…as well as future occasions, I suppose." He said with a laugh, "But primarily for us to make their corsages."
"You, my friend, are brilliant." Theo beamed as he thought over everything Luna had told him about her dress.
"Also." Neville said with a grin, "For any of us who may have forgotten the colors or details the girls have told us about their outfits…I wrote everything down that I could. Anything I overheard or was told specifically." He said with a shrug, holding up a piece of parchment with surprisingly detailed information on the gowns.
"If I weren't in love with Ginny, I would kiss you right now, Neville." Harry said with a wide smile making the others laugh.
The blokes spent the next few hours in the Greenhouse, listening to Ginny's Mp3 player that Harry had borrowed.
"So, you've been practicing on your own, then, as well?" Theo asked Ron, referring to Ron's dancing rehearsals Luna had been helping him with for some time.
Ron nodded, looking away from the corsage for a moment, to look at Theo. "Yea. Luna's been really helpful. I just really want to impress Pans."
Theo nodded and said, "She'll be impressed."
Ron grinned gratefully as they all got back to work.
Theo turned back to his work and looked over it. The flowers he had chosen were white roses along with a bit of baby's breath and a ribbon that was sheer, and shimmering purple.
Harry was so concentrated on his task that he didn't notice Draco walk over until the blonde wizard nudged him.
Harry startled a bit before chuckling, "Sorry. I'm a bit focused…and a bit…anxious."
"I can see that. She's going to love it. So, why are you so nervous?" Draco asked, genuinely confused, and concerned.
Harry licked his lips nervously before nodding for Draco to follow him outside. They both tugged on their coats and stepped out into the snow.
"What's the matter, Potter?" The blonde wizard asked, concerned.
The shorter wizard sighed, "I don't really have anyone I can talk to about this…" He swallowed and continued, "Ron is Ginny's brother and Hermione…well, she and Gin are practically best friends so it's a bit complicated. Anyways…my point is that I plan to…erm…tonight, after the Yuletide Ball, I plan to sleep with Ginny."
"Is she willing to do that?" Draco asked.
Harry huffed a laughed before saying, "Malfoy, she's been trying have a shag with me since the summer. That woman is something else. I wanted to wait because…well, my first time was a true disaster, and I wasn't about to repeat that shite."
The taller wizard nodded, "Okay. So tonight, then. You're nervous." He said pointedly.
Harry nodded, "Extremely so. Any erm…any advice…"
Draco nodded, "Most important advice you'll ever get…do not forget the contraception spell."
Harry nodded with a grin, "I've got that memorized already."
"Yes. But Potter, honestly, when she naked in front of you, it can be quite easy to forget it…as well as every other one of your morals." He added before saying, "But anyway. Do not forget the spell."
Harry nodded, "Any other advice?"
Draco nodded and looked around before sighing and saying, "You've only ever done it once?"
Harry nodded. "Did I mention it was disaster?"
"Yea, you said something about that." He muttered, "Okay, so I'm going to tell you some of the basics."
They walked around a bit as they chatted. Draco talked to Harry, giving him advice until they were about to go back inside.
"Wait! Where are you going to go tonight?" Draco asked, "You've got to have a nice place where you are positive no one will interrupt."
Harry shrugged, "I figured the Room of Requirement."
Draco licked his lips thoughtfully, "I've got a better idea, but we've got to be careful and not tell the others."
"Okay, what is it?" Harry asked.
Draco smirked.
When they finally went back inside the Greenhouse, Ron was the first to notice.
"Everything all right?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded and got back to work on the corsage for Ginny. It was made with two, charmed white and blue calla lilies and baby's breath. There was a royal blue ribbon tied beautifully around it in an elegant manner.
Ron continued to work on Pansy's corsage which was made of three rich red roses and baby's breath as well as a white lace ribbon.
Draco stopped by Neville's workstation to thank him for all of his hard work and help.
Neville smiled, "Of course. I'm thrilled that you all reacted the way you did."
"Well, you're a genius, Longbottom." Draco grinned, glancing at the corsage in Neville's hands.
The pink colored roses and white baby's breath worked well together along with the pearl-lined ribbon that would go around her wrist.
"Neville, that's lovely." Draco remarked kindly.
The taller bloke smiled, blushing slightly, "Well, Hannah deserves that very best. I just hope that she likes it."
Draco patted his shoulder and nodded, "Trust me, mate. She'll love it."
"What are your plans after the Ball?" Neville asked. "I mean…I simply meant, the group doesn't have plans to do anything together, correct?"
Shaking his head, Draco replied, "No, we don't. I have plans with Hermione though."
The dark-haired wizard nodded, "Good. I've got something planned for Hannah."
Having overheard their conversation, Theo grinned, "And…what would those plans be, Longbottom?"
Neville chuckled, "I'll tell you lot later on."
The blonde chuckled and walked over to Blaise. He looked down at the corsage, surprised to find that it contrasted drastically with Neville's.
The three charmed, dark blue roses shimmered with gems. There was charmed, silver baby's breath surrounding the flowers as well as a black ribbon.
"What exactly is Cordelia wearing?" Draco asked.
"According to everything Neville and I have both heard, it is both dark blue and black with black accessories. I know, I'm just as shocked." Blaise said, "But I am just making it to match the details we know."
Draco nodded and said, "Well, it looks good, mate."
Blaise huffed, "I hope she likes it." He thought for a moment, "Should I make a generic one…just in case?"
Draco considered the idea and shrugged, "It couldn't hurt."
Blaise nodded, thoughtfully.
Draco walked over to his own workstation where the finished corsage for Hermione was sitting in a white box. It had six small, cream-colored roses and a bit of baby's breath fluffed up amongst them as well as a transparent ribbon with green shimmering swirls. It was gorgeous, he just hoped it matched Hermione's dress well and that she liked it.
When they finished the corsages, Draco and Harry took theirs to their dorms before leaving. They went to the Room of Requirement and Draco paced back and forth until a door appeared.
The portrait wasn't occupied at the moment, but he had been given the secret password to get through.
"Initiis novis" Draco said, and the empty portrait opened, allowing them to enter.
Harry grinned, "Initiis novis…New Beginnings."
"Rather appropriate, wouldn't you say?" Draco replied with a grin as they made their way through the tunnel.
Hours later, Blaise was in his dorm room, huffing angrily as he got dressed for the Ball.
"They're all going to bloody murder me! Me! All because that blonde fucking bastard vanished!" He huffed, tying his black bowtie, "I'm going to absolutely, bloody curse his ball sack off. He'll never be able to impregnate Granger, and it'll be because he vanished before a bloody Ball! The irony I tell you!" He shouted in the mirror as the door opened and Theo walked in, wearing his own dress robes.
Theo furrowed his brow, "Blaise, who are you talking to?" he asked, adjusting his cufflinks
"Myself. But listen…one of us will need to impregnate Granger when she's ready to have a child." Blaise said.
Theo nodded, "I feel like there's much more to the story but honestly, if Luna's okay with it, I'd be up to the challenge."
Blaise groaned, "Draco is no where to be found and Hermione is going to kill me for losing him!"
"Oh shite." Theo muttered.
"Come on!" Blaise said, pulling Theo out of the room.
They went down the stairs, to the common room where Ron and Neville were standing, in the middle of a frantic but hushed conversation.
"Wait." Blaise said, looking at Ron, "Where's Potter?"
Ron shook his head, "We have no bloody clue. Where's Malfoy?"
Theo groaned just as the portrait burst open and in ran Draco and Harry.
Both wizards were covered from head to toe in dirt, dust, and grime. They looked and smelled absolutely dreadful, and Blaise said as much.
"Go get ready now!" Blaise shouted, "Before Theo has to impregnate Hermione! Go!"
Draco furrowed his brow and ran up the stairs with Harry, choosing to speak to his friends later on about the odd phrasing Blaise had used. For the time being, he simply needed to look dashing for Hermione.