It turns out that Blaise had left Hemlock just a few minutes after Draco did, leaving Theo and Potter alone together to finish the last round of drinks together.
Draco was not really sure how it happened, and certainly didn't need details, but apparently Theo and Potter were now somewhat of an item. It was equally nauseating as it was quick to progress.
It did mean that Draco was now seeing much more of Potter, and as a consequence, Granger. In an effort to get out of the house, Draco had taken up with meeting Blaise and Theo at Hemlock every Thursday evening, and Theo had taken up with inviting Potter and Granger along for most of those.
It had been three weeks since that first meeting, and the group was slowly warming up to each other more and more. Draco was even looking forward to the evenings with everyone, since it meant having some distracting conversations. Keeping up with both Theo and Potter's quick wit was challenging, let alone trying to figure out what Blaise was thinking as a silent onlooker.
And then there was Granger. She'd shown up almost every week since that first night, though they hadn't yet got to six drinks together like they'd previously agreed to in the apparating room. It was the same song and dance each week. Draco would spend more time than was healthy in the ritual room - Granger's room, he supposed - looking through the new additions and trying to piece together parts of Granger's life he had no business trying to puzzle out. He'd then pull himself out on Thursdays to make sure he was clean and well dressed before heading out to Hemlock to meet what was quickly becoming his new friend group.
The more items that appeared in her room, the more questions he had. Since their first meeting the room had shown him a pair of knitting needles attached to what he was pretty sure was a knotted and frayed ball of yarn; two smaller books he'd never heard the name of before, written by people with odd names like Pratchett and Gaiman; a photo with what looked like a much younger Granger with both her parents, and a medium sized rectangular box that proclaimed itself to be a 'board game' about some people on an island called Catan? It was all incredibly confusing, and Draco didn't think it was helping him learn more about Granger at all, other than the fact that she had a lot of odd trinkets and seemed to leave them about wherever they lay based on their location within the room. No matter how many times Draco moved the knotted ball of yarn away from the bed, it diligently reappeared in the exact same spot the next day. The only time any of the items changed their location was when a new piece of furniture seemed to sprout up from beneath it, like the locket.
So this Thursday evening, sitting at their normal table at Hemlock and waiting for the first round of ordered drinks to arrive either before or after his friends actually showed up, Draco was considering that he knew Granger probably wasn't very good at knitting or tidying up, spent too much time reading muggle fiction books and reviewing Hogwarts textbooks, and seemed to have poor taste in bedding quality with the exception of a single silk pillowcase. Draco figured that was more than enough to go on, wasn't it?
His attention turned towards the noise in the apparating room. It went from relative quiet to a loud, anarchistic overlapping of voices.
"Honestly, the nerve of some-" He recognized Granger's voice clearly.
"-hard to believe that it really-" This was Potter.
"-know what the fuck is going on, Harry-" Theo.
"-just want to forget about it and move the bloody hell on." A voice he didn't recognize, though he didn't have to wonder for long as Potter, Granger, and the red-headed woman he instantly recognized as Ginevra Weasley walked out of the apparating room and into his line of sight.
The three Gryffindors seemed to be in a heated conversation, though they all looked pleased enough with one another that Draco could only assume that the focus of their ire must have been something external. Theo was contributing little to the conversation, merely a confused look and a raised eyebrow to Potter every once and again. The jumbled conversation continued, and although Draco tried to keep up the constant speaking over one another made it difficult.
By the time everyone sat down and began sipping on the first round of beverages for the evening, the story began to reveal itself slowly; the gradually calming conversation littering clue fragments over Draco and Theo. As far as Draco could tell, the female Weasley was seeing a bloke who had buggered off with no notice, and Granger and Potter were both offering their support in the form of insulting the man while he was gone. An interesting approach, but one that Weasley seemed to find effective.
By the time Blaise had shown up and sat at the table, giving Weasley a questioning look before seeming to accept her presence and sitting down, everyone had returned to their normal pace of conversation and were no longer trying to speak over each other.
"Ginny," Blaise greeted, raising his glass towards her in greeting before taking a drink. Mimicking the same actions but this time facing the rest of the table, Blaise continued "Everyone."
Weasley barely even seemed to notice Blaise, she was so focused on finishing her second drink in spite of barely just being sat down. She thumped the bottom of the glass down onto the table and jumped up from her seat. "I feel like dancing. Anyone want to join?"
Before even giving a chance for anyone to respond, Weasley headed off to the dance floor, picking up Granger's drink from the table as she'd walked by and starting to drink that as well. Uncharacteristically, Granger didn't even say anything.
Potter gave Theo a somewhat pained look. "I'd better go after her," he said, almost apologetically. "She's obviously had a rough day and Hermione and I have promised to commiserate with and/or take care of her this evening." He stood up, far more reservedly than Weasley had, and told Theo he could stay at the table with everyone else if he wanted to.
He did, for a while anyway. Theo wasn't much of a dancer, and he'd not had near enough alcohol yet to head into a barely populated dance floor to show off his lack of moves. For a time there were just the Slytherin boys and Granger sitting at their regular table.
Drao was surprised that regardless of the topic they'd chosen to talk about, Granger had something relevant and interesting to add. He supposed "surprised" wasn't quite the right word - he'd known she was a know-it-all for many years now, so it was no wonder that she had something to say about everything. But it was interesting that he found himself mostly agreeing with the pieces she chose to add to the conversation, and enjoying the back-and-forth repartee that ensued when they didn't agree. It was exhilarating, unlike talking to any other witch he could remember, and he was sure it must be the room's magic working into him somehow.
Draco's eyes were just resting on the silver chain he could see around the top of Granger's neck before it dipped hidden beneath her blouse when Theo announced he would be joining Potter on the dance floor, and asked if anyone of the rest of the table would like to join him. Draco and Granger both immediately declined, however to everyone's surprise Blaise actually said yes and followed Theo towards the centre of the room.
Conversation seemed to stall once Theo and Blaise left, and Draco and Granger both worked to find a new topic of conversation that would be more suited to two contributors rather than four. It didn't take long before Granger came up with something to fill the silence.
"Tell me, what does the sole Malfoy heir get up to in his spare time? I don't recall seeing much in the papers about the Malfoy family and what they've been doing since the… well, recently."
That was an unknowingly loaded question, he thought, considering he'd been spending most of his recent spare time pilfering through the selection of Granger's personal belongings that had made their way into the ritual room. Deciding that would not be the best approach to take in this conversation, he instead focused on what it was his family had been doing while his father was still on house arrest.
"Staying out of the papers has been the goal ever since my Father took a step back from independently leading the family, so I'm quite happy to hear that it appears we have been doing nothing." Draco picked up his empty glass and was contemplating the benefits of getting another as he continued answering. "We've been dabbling in a few ventures, keeping a low profile in some of our financial contributions in order to have a little more freedom with our choices."
He wasn't really sure why he was telling her this. Bloody room again, he supposed.
"How… altruistic of you," Granger noted, seeming to have to force the second word from between her lips. "Wouldn't have anything to do with the advantage of being able to publicly release such information at a more opportune or beneficial time, would it?" She gave him a smirk to rival his own, and he admired the inner Slytherin cunning she'd evidently been hiding.
"Not at all," he denied. He paused when one of the serving witches walked by their table and he decided that yes he would have that next drink, and at Granger's nod, ordered one for her as well.
When the drink arrived, Granger leaned over to reach for her beverage and the silver locket once again slipped out from where it was hidden behind her shirt.
"That's a nice locket," Draco said, feeling the impulse to at least have them both acknowledge the wretched thing that started this whole fiasco.
"Oh, um, thanks." Granger's voice was softer than he expected. "It's a gift from my parents. I've had it since I was a girl."
"Are those birthstones?" he asked, testing his mother's hypothesis about the colours of the gems.
"Yes," she confirmed. "The sapphire is mine, here in the middle. The other two are my mum and my dad." Granger twirled the locket in her hands a couple more times before settling it back within the hidden depths of her top.
Suddenly, there was a whoop from the dance floor, and Draco looked over to find Harry and Theo engaged in a questionably appropriate lip lock in the middle of the dance floor. Knowing what he did about his friends, Draco was sure this had been staged by Theo, who would undoubtedly find snogging in front of an audience far less embarrassing than dancing in front of one.
Weasley and Blaise were standing together not too far from Potter and Theo, and quite a bit closer to each other than Draco would have thought. He'd always had a hard time figuring out who or what interested Blaise, he was always so stoic and reserved. If he didn't know better, he'd almost guess that Blaise was somewhat interested in the youngest Weasley. Were all his mates going to pair off with Gryffindors? He'd need to check on Pansy later, to make sure at least one of them still had some sense or free will.
The lip-locked couple eventually broke apart to another chorus of cheers from a few tables who had far more to drink than Draco had, and Theo made his way back to the table dragging Potter behind him.
"That's it, I'm tapping out. It's your turn for Ginny duty, Hermione."
Draco scoffed at Potter's word choice. "Based on that performance a moment ago I'm surprised out is the only thing you're tapping, Potter."
Without missing a beat Potter turned back and said "Based on you sitting on your arse at this table I'm not surprised your glass is the only thing you're tapping, Malfoy."
Granger was just sitting here as well, Draco noted, but Potter conveniently forgot to include her in his reprimand.
Weasley's voice carried to their table from her spot on the dancefloor. "Oi! Hermione, Malfoy, get your arses out here!" The beat of the song changed and Draco could see Weasley's eyes light up from here. "OH!" she said emphatically, recognizing the tune. "This is our song, Hermione! Now you have to come out!"
"Oh alright then," Granger huffed, standing up and moving closer to the Weasley girl. "Just one dance."
Draco was glad that Potter and Theo were caught up in one another back at the table, because he was transfixed on Granger's figure as she twirled, shook, and danced her way around the dance floor. An up-beat song he'd not heard for some time was playing, and Granger was laughing and smiling and spinning around with Weasley. The dance floor was starting to fill up - it seemed that Granger and Weasley weren't the only ones in attendance tonight who recognized the tune - but regardless of how many bodies populated the dance floor Draco's eyes automatically tuned to Granger at first glance.
He'd thought he might've escaped Weasley's invitation to join on the dance floor when the song faded into the next on the list and the red head immediately made eye contact with him and beckoned him to join. Granger was looking the opposite way and didn't seem to notice.
From beside him, Theo also gave a nudge and said "Go on then, mate. Have a round on the dance floor. Your gin will be here when you get back." Theo paused for a moment before adding "Besides, if I could do it, you sure as fuck can. Your mother had you waltzing as a toddler, hadn't she?"
Draco grumbled. It's not exactly like the type of dancing happening around him was anywhere close to a waltz. Also it was a little off-putting to feel like he had to get up and dance just because Weasley was having a bad night and was forcing him to. He ought to have an ounce of choice in the matter, hadn't he? He was just about to tell Theo exactly that, sod Weasley and her requests, when Granger had swapped places with Weasley and turned to face him. Her eyes lifted up and met his from across the room. Her bright smile, flushed cheeks (partly from alcohol and partly from exertion), and twinkling eyes had him reconsidering his position.
Theo grumbled from beside him, apparently frustrated that Draco was taking so long to move. "Alright Malfoy, apparently you need us to baby you into it. Blaise, you know what to do."
Blaise and Theo stood up on either side of Draco's chair, grabbed his arms, and hoisted him up onto his feet and dragged him onto the dance floor. Not wanting to be the only one left at the table, Potter trailed behind the Slytherins to join.
The music changed again, this time to something silly and upbeat with decidedly unattractive dance moves that everyone knew. It helped break some of the tension, and even Weasley was laughing genuinely at Potter's akimbo stance and Theo's complementary leaning tower move. The girls somehow made the moves all seem flowy and purposeful, instead of the chaotic shifts and moments he felt he and Blaise were managing. Anyone looking around the dance floor now would have seen much the same from all of the other dancing witches and wizards, a vaguely choreographed wave of incorrect poses, careful balancing, and barely contained laughter.
Right off the endorphin high of the last song, the beat changed to something more slow and sensual, immediately setting the tone for something more intimate. It was later in the evening now and most people had imbibed enough to start to partner off or loosen some inhibitions, and that was no less different for the unlikely group of Slytherins and Gryffindors.
Theo and Potter immediately paired off; the eyes they'd been giving each other all night finally seemed appropriate to the ambiance. They quickly blended into the crowd of dancers, disappearing from Draco's peripheral entirely.
Weasley surprised him by marching straight up to Blaise and asking (demanding, really) that he should dance with her because tonight was about her and that would make her feel better. Draco noticed the corner of Blaise's mouth tick upwards in the smallest hint of a smile before agreeing to Weasley's demands and joining her. Their bodies were a respectable distance apart, though Draco wasn't convinced it would stay that way for long if Weasley had her way.
Draco looked at Granger questioningly. Did she want to do this? Did she want to maybe pop back to the table and wait for the others to be done? He could feel a thrum of excitement in his chest at the idea of maybe getting to dance with her, to wrap his arms around her and feel her pressed up against him. He could almost feel the warmth and tingling of the potions he'd taken during the ritual emerge within him, and he knew this feeling must be linked to that old magic.
Answering the question in his eyes, Granger offered her hand. He tentatively held out his own until their palms met and fingers intertwined. The warmth inside him shot all the way down his arm and practically buzzed where their hands were connected. He schooled his features to make sure nothing showed on his face.
He held Granger's hands and they faced each other, swaying softly to the music and leaving a respectable distance between their bodies. Draco was thankful for this for now, as just the warmth he felt at their joined hands was enough to distract him to the point of almost tripping over his feet. He regretted Theo's earlier comments about his dancing abilities as it took away an excuse for his potentially faltering steps.
"I didn't expect you to join us out here, Malfoy," she said. Her voice was quiet, but they were so close he could hear her clearly over the sound of the music.
"I didn't quite expect to be here either, Granger." He'd meant this whole situation, being closer to her and wanting to be close to her. But he supposed it also counted for this precise moment out on the dance floor as well.
A tall wizard bumped into Hermione from behind, a sheepish "Oops, sorry!" on his lips, but his expression as he turned back to his group told Draco that he'd done it just to get close to the public figure that was Hermione Granger. Draco couldn't say he was too upset with the bloke considering it resulted in Granger pushed up even more closely against him than she was previously.
"That happen often?" he asked, noting that Granger was completely unfazed by the encounter, and happily noticing that she'd chosen to remain more closely tucked against him.
"Sometimes," she said nonchalantly. He got the impression it happened far more than sometimes but it wasn't something she wanted to get into with him right now. He filed it away for later - a growling anger in his chest was unhappy that other people felt like they could treat her as a commodity or a tourist attraction.
He turned them around sharply and moved them to the other side of the dance floor, further away from the clumsy wizard and his friends just in case they decided to repeat the move. He glimpsed a look at Potter and Theo as they passed, lip-locked again and really pushing up against each other in a way he'd rather not have observed; he was happy to talk to his mates about their shagging partners but did not want the visuals to accompany it.
Granger of course couldn't let it pass that easily. "They seem like they're enjoying each other's company, don't they?" Draco could see a faint blush on her cheeks. "I mean," she continued, "perhaps it's getting to the point where they might consider somewhere more, erm, private, but honestly I'm happy Harry's found someone who he feels comfortable being with in… that way."
The awkwardness of her speech didn't stop her from forcing her way to the end, though her cheeks were flaming by the time she was done.
"And what about you, Granger?" Seeing the blush on her cheeks and feeling the palpable tension in the air all around them, Draco couldn't help but ask "is there a wizard or witch in your life who you feel that comfortable with?" His hand came up almost without his permission and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, trailing his fingers along the outside of the lobe so lightly it almost didn't count as a touch.
"No," she breathed, looking straight into his eyes. "Not yet."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Draco said, sounding distinctly not sorry, and tried his luck at pulling her even closer to him. He could now feel the warmth of her hips pressed against his thigh, and feel the softness of her stomach contrasting with the firmness of his own hips. He knew he was pressing his luck - this was Granger, after all - but she'd not given him an indication so far that she was unhappy, and Draco's currently ritual-room-magic-flooded brain was happy to translate that in the most optimistic way possible.
They moved subtly to the music; almost not at all to any observer. But Draco could feel every shift and slip of her body against his. A quick glance around the dancefloor told him they weren't doing anything more than what every other couple was doing - quite a bit less, actually, if you consider how much Potter and Theo were currently skewing the results.
Draco's arms were now around Granger's waist, gently guiding her movements against his to keep them both in rhythm. The song's slow repeating pattern was extremely suggestive, recreating that undulating push and pull energy Draco directly associated with more carnal activities, and the warmth inside his chest seemed to pulse exactly in time with it. He felt Granger's hands on his shoulders, once in a while brushing the hair on the back of his neck.
Draco felt a subtle change in pressure; Granger's arms tightening the slightest bit against his neck, and a slight life of her pelvis, and fuck. Merlin, that felt good. The heat of her core was now pressed squarely against his thigh, and his cock was gently rubbing right against her right hip bone. His blood had only just started rushing south, so it was only a matter of time before she would feel it.
Fuck, but he didn't care. That warmth in his chest expanded and burst with that shift in position, so much that he closed his eyes against the explosion of brightness occurring within him. He felt his hands clench on her waist, and her hips moved along with the music, rubbing herself on his thigh and forcing him to swallow down a moan. He'd dare anyone to stand here with Granger shifting her hips on top of them and not react.
His hands crept up her back, rubbing and massaging on his way up to her shoulder blades, and he could swear he felt the breath of a sigh leave her lips and wash over his neck. The added pressure on her back caused her chest to press firmly against his, and gods if that didn't feel perfect too. Her hands around his neck moved to slide down his chest down to his waist, slipping under the bottom of his shirt to rest her fingertips directly against his skin, just above his trousers. He sucked in a breath and bit his tongue as her hips moved again, reigniting that inner warmth until he felt like he was standing at kiln with bellows running full tilt.
Suddenly, Granger shifted away from him and pulled on his forearm, trying to steady herself. Another bloke, presumably from the same group as earlier, had bumped into her with another "Terribly sorry, oh dear, are you Hermione Granger?"
Granger plastered a fake smile on her face and nodded in the affirmative, immediately wishing them a good evening, and turned to apologise to him as if it was her fault.
If Draco had less of that strong warmth inside him he probably would have been more angry at the bloke and less concerned for Granger, but as it stood he could sense she didn't want to make a scene and so he left it at that.
"No need to apologise for someone else's faults, Granger," Draco said. Whatever energy there was between them earlier seemed to have dissipated, and the notes of the song were transitioning into something a little more upbeat.
"I'd better be getting back home," she rushed out, already on her way back to the table to grab her things. She seemed flustered, and Draco could only assume she was embarrassed by how close they'd just gotten. He was concerned he'd gone entirely too far this evening, pushing boundaries so far that they snapped back and wrapped around him, until she turned and gave him one of those smiles he was so pleased to be getting used to.
"See you next week?"
"See you next week, Granger."
Draco excused himself shortly after Granger had left. Well, he attempted to, though one look at Potter and Theo had him turning around on the spot - he was not interrupting that at any cost. To his utter lack of surprise, Blaise and Weasley were no better off, both of them having had just enough drinks to strip away any inhibitions and deciding to apparently compete against Theo and Potter for first couple to be asked to leave to find a private room. He'd left without saying a word, assuming they'd either figure out that he'd gone home or not care at all.
He'd flood directly into his bedroom at the manor and immediately crossed the hallway into Granger's room. He didn't notice any new trinkets right away, but he felt compelled to lay down onto her bed, somehow finding the scratchy cotton sheets and juxtaposed silk pillowcase to be more comforting than his own bed. The warmth in his chest hummed in appreciation, as if it agreed with Draco's decision to go to the room and be surrounded by his partner's things.
Memories of the night flooded his mind, the increasing clarity of impending sobriety only enhancing the recollection of her hips pressed against his and the feel of her heat rubbing against him sensually. He let out the moan he'd been suppressing at Hemlock, using his hand to futilely attempt to recreate the heat and pressure of his memory.
Within minutes, he'd unbuttoned his trousers and pulled himself free, grasping his length firmly in his right hand and beginning to pump quickly. He'd not had any success recently with pleasuring himself, but he was hoping the recent memory of Granger's warmth would encourage his body to let go, to convince whatever enchantments were on him that this was linked to his partner and therefore ok.
He felt the pressure building quickly, which was a great sign. His moans turned to quick pants, finding it hard to catch his breath with the efforts of his wrist and forearm pumping up and down, pace turning frantic. He slipped his hand over the tip of his cock and sucked in a sharp breath.
He felt himself pushing up against the edge, felt like he was ramming himself up against a brick wall, knowing that the feeling of letting go was just on the other side. His pumps became erratic, his hips pushed up from the bed, and his teeth sunk into his bottom lip, turning it white.
He closed his eyes, and brought up the image of Granger's smiling face telling him she'd see him next week. Her eyes twinkled and were focused directly on his, the corners of her mouth lifted gently, just enough to start to show some of her front teeth, and the sound of his name vibrated from her throat.
Immediately his body threw itself over that wall. His eyes clenched, his palm gripped his cock so hard it was difficult to even move it up and down, his thighs stiffened so intensely they lifted his hips off the bed and angled themselves up towards his chest. He felt his release start at the coiling ball of hot light inside him, felt it travel down into his cock and tear its way out of him. The tip of his cock erupted violently, coating his hand and stomach in white hot liquid more and more with every pump. He groaned with every pump, body shuddering and twitching with the efforts of his release, clutching those perfect scratchy cotton sheets in his other hand in an effort to keep himself tethered to the bed.
Eventually his hips lowered, his hand stopped pumping, and he began to cool down from the intense heat that just escaped him. He took several moments to just breathe, calming his racing heart and placing his clean hand on his chest to convince his breaths to even out. Even if his mind was capable of more advanced thought, which it distinctly wasn't, Draco didn't think he'd even want to consider the meaning behind the most spectacular orgasm of his entire life being the result of his hand and a single image of Granger's smiling face.
All he knew was that based on this experience, he was pretty sure sex with Granger might actually kill him. He was also pretty sure he was ok with that.