In the previous chapter:
Finally, Severus reached out to gently caress the palm of her hand with his index finger, his touch so light he could barely feel the heat of her skin. She jumped, as if she had been shocked by something, and she gasped in surprise, pulling her hand away. Severus frowned; he had felt nothing that would have produced such a strong reaction. Eyes still connected, Severus saw a shift in hers, but he couldn't tell if it was good or bad. Draco was looking back and forth between the two of them, wondering what this new development in their relationship was about.
"We need to talk," Hermione said shakily. "It's overwhelming, everything I'm feeling when you touch me."
Severus held her gaze for a moment longer, then nodded as he took a few steps back. The pull to touch her was becoming too much.
"Go. Draco and I will come when called for."
Hermione didn't trust herself any longer, so she simply turned on the spot and rushed through the floo.
"Uncle..."
Severus sighed; the tone of Draco's voice could only mean one thing. He wanted to stick his nose in business it didn't belong in.
"Yes, Draco?"
"What in Merlin's name was that?"
Severus looked up at him, his mask of indifference falling.
"I don't know, Draco. I don't know. But I will find out."
*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Chapter Twenty-Four
Touch
"EVERYONE CALM DOWN!"
Minerva's booming voice settled some of the furious Order members, most still muttering to each other and glaring at the blonde Slytherin with obvious distrust. Ginny Weasley remained standing, her eyes glowering and her arms crossed over her chest. The moment Malfoy had stepped into the room, she had gotten into a blind rage and oblivious to all else. She finally blinked and slowly came to realize that not only was Snape standing in front of the little ferret, but so was Hermione and - she swallowed hard - Harry. The look of disappointment in his eyes made her bow her head in shame and she immediately sat back down.
Draco, for his part, was not surprised about how he had been received, but he had not counted on Harry and Hermione displaying their new found show of faith quite so openly. He appreciated it, even though he felt slightly annoyed to have three people standing in front of him for the sole purpose of protecting him from Weasleys. He had known that the red headed family would have protested the loudest, their animosity reaching back generations, but the obvious distrust some of his old Professor were eyeing him with was almost a little hurtful.
"What is he doing here?"
"He's not a member of the Order!"
"Since when do we invite Death Eaters to Order meetings?!"
"What is the meaning of this, Minerva?"
Minerva held out her hand to stop the onslaught of questions; it took almost a full minute to the grumblings and murmuring to become low enough for her to speak.
"I am ashamed of you."
Draco could barely contain the snort that threatened to come out. Well, that had certainly been an effective way to get them to shut up.
"I thought that after two years, you would have let go of some of your hatred. Mr Malfoy may have had the Dark Mark, but his trial proved that he didn't get it voluntarily. Without him, the Golden Trio would have been handed over to Voldemort and the war most likely would have been lost."
Minerva paused for a moment to give everyone a moment to process what she was saying.
"I understand that it's unusual to have a nonmember present at an Order meeting - I can only remember it happening a handful of times. However, with the recent developments with the escaped Death Eaters, do you really think that I would do anything to jeopardize that mission?"
No one answered, but several people squirmed slightly in their seats. Minerva motioned for Harry and Hermione to take their seats. Draco and Severus remained standing, but Severus took a step back from his godson, keeping a keen eye on the others in the room.
"Mr Malfoy sent me an owl yesterday, telling me that he had some pressing information that couldn't wait. I invited him here through the floo and it took only a few minutes for me to realize that he would have to join the meeting today. I warn you now to keep your prejudices to yourself and keep your mind on the task at hand."
She gave them all a very stern look and several people squirmed under her gaze.
"Mr Malfoy, if you please," she said next and motioned for him that he had now had the word.
Had she not warned him of this beforehand he would have frozen on the spot. He had never had a problem speaking in public, but having so many people that clearly loathed him stare at him, he felt his stomach swoop a little nonetheless. Clearing his throat, his eyes swept over the people gathered in the office.
"When the war ended, I took up residence at Malfoy Cottage," he started, crossing his arms together behind his back. "The little time I have spent at the Manor has been sorely for the sake of cleanup and renovations, but since that ended a few months ago, I have not given the place much thought."
He paused and glanced at Severus, who was still glaring daggers at the rest of the Order members.
"With my parents in Azkaban" - Draco ignored the mutterings his statement caused, but was thankful for the brisk shushing from the Headmistress - "ownership of the Malfoy estate was passed to me. And with ownership, I gained access to the ancient wards placed upon the property."
Hermione suddenly realized where Draco was going with this; she glanced at Severus who had ceased glaring at the Order and was now staring intently at his godson.
"Yesterday, around midday, I felt a ward activate. I was baffled, because the ward had not been breached maliciously; it had simply been crossed, as if the ward knew and welcomed these people. Before this, I had no idea that anyone could cross the border to the Malfoy grounds without the explicit permission from the Head of the family. Father had never mentioned anything else during our lessons."
Harry nudged Hermione ever so slightly and she met his gaze.
"Lessons?" he breathed out, but Hermione just waved his question away - they could speak about that at a later time.
"I realized that this ward was not one that I had felt connected to before, hence it must have been dormant until now," Draco continued, his voice clear and controlled. "It took some time, exploring this particular ward to figure out the nature of it, but once I had, I realized quickly who must have meandered on to the Malfoy grounds; I was so shocked that I called a house elf from the Manor to get confirmation."
Draco paused to catch his breath.
"This particular house elf had been tasked to see to the Dark Lord's needs while he..." - Draco sneered for a moment - "... stayed... at the Manor and could therefore verify that Avery, Macnair and Dolohov were indeed on the grounds."
A stunned silence filled the room. Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine and Severus glanced at her, a small frown on his face. A moment later, the tingling was back in his hands. He flexed his hands slightly and his eyes widened when he suddenly saw Hermione absentmindedly do the same. What in Merlin's name was going on?
"How did you figure out the nature of an unknown ward?" someone demanded and Severus closed his eyes for a moment to wish he could send Draco strength - he was starting to understand how Draco had identified the trespassers.
Draco turned to glance over towards the direction where the question had come from. He looked frazzled for a moment, his jaw locked, before he let out a sigh, looking defeated. Staring down into the floor, he unbuttoned the left cuff on his shirt and then rolled up the sleeve to reveal the hideous mark tattooed into his skin. Though it had started to fade, the Dark Mark was very much still recognizable.
No one spoke. Hermione wished she could reach out to Draco, but she didn't think it would be constructive at the moment.
"Once I took on the responsibilities of the Malfoy estate, I was instantly connected to all the wards in place of the large grounds. This ward was... strange. It didn't feel like the other wards. I realized the ward had not been placed over the grounds by my father or any of my ancestors; it was a ward to allow anyone with the Dark Mark to come and go as one - or our Master - saw fit. It had been placed there by the Dark Lord himself. Once I figured that out, I used my brilliant powers of deduction to remember which Death Eaters survived the Battle of Hogwarts."
Murmurs and gasps went through the crowd.
"And how do we know that it wasn't placed there by your father?" someone muttered spitefully, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Because that would suggest Lucius Malfoy had power to control and manipulate the Dark Mark -" all heads turned to Severus - "a feat the Dark Lord never would have allowed. We were bearers and simple followers; that he would have shared the secrets of the Mark to any of us is unheard of."
Someone cleared their throat at the back of the room.
"Yes, we all had the ability to cast a ward around an area that would only allow bearers of the Dark Mark to enter. However, it was temporary and worked solely because the Dark Lord allowed it. From what Draco is describing, this ward was embedded into the ancient wards of the Malfoy estate, placed there in secret. That would not only mean that you would have to possess complete control of the Mark, but you would also need to be an extremely powerful wizard with an immense knowledge of protective wards to be able to hoodwink the wards already in place."
He turned to Draco.
"No offense, Draco, but your father was absolutely horrible with wards. He always had to bring someone in to check their strength."
Draco just smirked in reply before he turned to the Headmistress, nodding slightly to show he was done with his tale. However, before Minerva got a chance to speak, Bill Weasley spoke up.
"If the ward was placed there by You-Know-Who, why didn't it fall when the madman died?"
"I can only venture a guess," Severus answered immediately. "Just like on Draco, my Dark Mark has faded, but not yet disappeared. As long as these cursed tattoos endure, so will most likely the ward."
Silence followed; some squirmed in their seats, but no one argued with him.
"Thank you, Mr Malfoy, for bringing this to our attention," Minerva said as she motioned for Draco to take a seat. "From here on, we must devise a plan on how to apprehend these three and we will need Mr Malfoy's help seeing as they are on his property. Time is short - if we don't get to them soon, they will most likely disappear for good."
"A few selected Aurors have been made aware of the breakout and will collaborate with those going on this mission," Kingsley said, his deep voice a strange contrast to those who had spoken so far that evening. "As you are aware, I chose to kept this quiet to not cause panic and it remains to be seen if I chose wisely or not. Now…"
Hermione tried to pay attention to the meeting, but the tingling in her hands was back, worse than ever. She glanced at Severus, who looked much more focused than she felt. When Draco had sat down on the chair next to Hermione, Severus had opted to remain standing behind him. She was itching to reach out to him and brush her fingers against his, but the fact that they were surrounded by people kept her sane. At least for a few minutes. The more she resisted, the stronger the urge became. Shortly thereafter, the fight to resist touching him was making her dizzy. She let out a silent gasp, quickly averting her gaze down into her lap as she closed her eyes.
It was only Severus' years of experience as a spy that kept him standing, his facial expression stoic. The tingling in his hands was overwhelming; he could feel Hermione's eyes on him and he had to fight with all that he had to keep from looking back at her. Without warning, he suddenly felt drained; he scanned the room and noticed most of the Order members were looking at Arthur, who was currently speaking. Grabbing the back of Draco and Hermione's chairs to keep from falling, he felt, rather than heard, Hermione's gasp. He finally turned his head to look at her and saw that whatever he was feeling, it was worse for her.
She tilted her head and with it, her hair shifted; Severus stared - her bare neck was suddenly visible and without thinking, he gently traced his finger once over her exposed skin. He thought she would jump with surprise, but she didn't. And if she was feeling whatever he was feeling, he understood why she hadn't.
Immediate calm.
Feeling Severus' fleeting touch upon her neck, the dizziness disappeared with a snap of the fingers. Instead, she heard a deep, humming noise and the presence of a power she had never felt before. Severus sharp intake of breath behind her made her positive that he felt it too.
Minerva suddenly went rigid. She swept a sharp eye over the office, scanning each face of the Order members gathered. The humming that usually lingered softly at the back of her mind had suddenly snapped to the forefront. No one else seemed to have noticed, she gathered, until her inquisitive gaze she came to the very left. It was impossible to misinterpret the wide eyes of Severus and Hermione; this meeting needed to come to an abrupt end.
"Those of you who have gotten assignments for this mission; we will reconvene again tomorrow at six o'clock sharp."
"Draco, stay behind," Severus said quietly and Draco gave a quick nod in reply.
If anyone thought the quick dismissal was strange, no one said anything. Minerva wanted to scream at Harry to hurry up and leave her office, and the moment he was gone Hermione reached for Severus' hands; they let out simultaneous sighs of obvious relief once they were touching again. The Headmistress' eyebrows rose - Draco was still present, but he must have been told of his Godfather's relationship because he didn't bat an eye. He was however watching them closely, a frown on his face. Like Minerva, he had noticed that something strange was going on with the two of them.
"What is going on?" Hermione breathed out, her inquiring eyes still wide as met Severus' gaze. "What is that?"
"You feel it?" Severus demanded, his question coming out harsher than he had intended out of pure surprise.
"Feel what?" Draco wondered curiously, but he was ignored.
"The vibrating power and presence that I feel in my entire being?" Hermione answered and Severus nodded briefly. "Yes, I feel it."
"It's Hogwarts," the Potions Master answered seriously, "and can usually only be felt by the current Head of the School."
Hermione's face went white; Draco's jaw dropped. During their time as students, they had all wondered if Hogwarts was some kind of ancient sentient being that could influence the happenings at the school. How else could Dolores Umbridge have been locked out of the Head's office? How else could one explain the mystery of the Room of Requirement?
"What?" Hermione finally breathed out, a look of pure awe on her face. "I don't understand..."
Severus completely understood that notion; he never enjoyed admitting when he didn't know something, but he could say without a doubt that he had no idea what was going on. He had recognized the humming from his time as Headmaster; however, he had not felt it since Minerva had taken over and it was disconcerting not knowing why he was feeling it now.
"Minerva," Severus called quietly. "Do you know anything?"
"I can't make out anything distinctive," the Headmistress replied, "other than a sense of satisfaction once you started holding each other's hands."
"Why would Hogwarts care about that?" Draco wondered out loud and Severus quite agreed.
Hermione's mind was racing. As far as she knew, this was unheard of. What did this mean?
"For some reason, Hogwarts seem to want you together," Minerva mused, her eyes suddenly sparkling as she watched the two of them. "Is there anything at all you'd like to tell me?"
Hermione's eyes widened and Severus squeezed her arms in warning. The witch understood his meaning - before they spoke about their experiences with other people, they needed to speak with each other first.
"No," they answered as one.
As suddenly as the vibrating power had started, it disappeared. Hermione rolled her shoulders, trying to rid herself of the lingering effects of the peculiar feeling.
"Very well," Minerva replied with a nod and watched as Severus, with effort, forced himself away from Hermione to turn to his godson.
She noticed Hermione's hands twitching as he turned from her, as if she her first instinct had been to grab ahold of him again. She did not believe them for a second; there was clearly something going on, but for now she would let them have their secrets. She glanced at the portrait of Dumbledore who appeared to be sleeping; however, the tiny small playing on his lips informed her that he was very much awake. Good - they had much to discuss once left alone.
"Draco, need I remind you to not go looking for the Death Eaters?"
Draco looked insulted as he sneered.
"Uncle, I am not nor have I ever been some hotheaded Gryffindor," he said as his sneer turned into a smirk as he watched Hermione roll her eyes. "I'll stay away from the Manor; should they move, I will know."
"Good; once this settles, I want you to come back here and give me a full account of your life after the war ended. I wasn't there for you then, but I will be now; you have my word."
Draco smiled as he gave a quick nod. Hermione watched them hug with a serene smile on her face and before Draco had a chance to stop her, she swooped in and gave him a hug. She felt him tense and decided to keep it short; she didn't want to overwhelm him on their first day as - dare she say it? - friends.
"Is this something I will need to get used to?" Draco asked tiredly, glancing from Hermione to Severus.
Severus gave a curt nod, trying to look like he thought her displays of affection were a nuisance.
Hermione swatted at him.
"You know you enjoy it," she said primly, then turned back to Draco. "If you truly are uncomfortable with it, I won't do it. But..."
"... but that would mean squashing your natural instincts and it would slowly drive you insane", Draco filled it for her.
Hermione let out a snort as she rolled her eyes.
"That's not how I would put it," she answered, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Draco raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"No? You also haven't corrected me."
"I didn't say you were wrong."
"Alright, you two are giving me a headache," Severus interrupted, watching with satisfaction as Draco clamped his mouth shut. "Draco, go home. Headmistress, I bid you goodnight. Hermione, come with me."
And without further ado, Severus spun on his heel and headed towards the fireplace to floo back to his rooms. Draco's eyebrows shot up in surprise, while Hermione just shrugged her shoulders.
"Guess that's my cue - see you, Draco. Good evening, Headmistress."
She hurried after Severus who had just disappeared in green flames. Brushing soot off of her robes as she came out from the fireplace, she spotted him with his back turned at the other side of the room.
"That was a little rude, don't you think?" she quipped as she approached him. "Draco looked a little bewildered, but- OUMPH!"
Severus twirled around and pulled her to him, crushing his lips against hers in a kiss that took her breath away. Getting up on her toes, she entwined her fingers in his silky hair; she gasped as he ripped open the front of her robes and reached in under her shirt. As his fingers brushed against her skin, they moaned together. Hermione reached down between them and started fiddling with his button, but they proved to be too stubborn. She pulled back and growled in frustration. Severus murmured something under his breath and suddenly his robes opened with a swoosh.
"I'll have to remember that one," Hermione whispered before she reached in under the black shirt he wore under his robes, her hands roaming over his back.
"It is a useful one," Severus murmured, his eyes closing for a second as he felt her place hungry kisses along the side of his throat.
He let out a strangled noise at the back of his throat that shot a wave of arousal through Hermione.
"Merlin, the things you do to me, witch."
He claimed her lips again and the passion he was met with almost made his knees buckle. He backed her up to the nearest wall, holding her hips firmly in place as he ground himself against her. He must have hit the right spot on the witch, because the sound she made was unlike anything he had ever heard before.
"Severus, I need you," she gasped out, "I feel like I'm on fire. Touch me, TAKE ME, please!"
She wasn't exaggerating; everything within her was screaming with a burning desire to be touched. Severus heard the desperation in her voice and even though he himself was aching with need, he refused to let their first time be a rushed encounter against a cold, stone wall. The images that thought conjured up in his mind made it even harder to come to a rational decision. He reached down into her jeans as Hermione hurriedly fumbled them open and as his skilled fingers found their destination, Hermione bit into his shoulder to keep from screaming. Severus hissed in pain and pleasure, pushing himself into her hip in answer as he focused on giving her what she so desperately craved.
It didn't take long; her whole body shook as she came and Severus froze to keep himself from coming in his pants like a hormonal teenager. He felt Hermione's arm circle around his neck, holding him close, as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. They were both panting hard, like they had just run a marathon.
"Dear gods, Severus, what is happening?" she whispered in wonder.
He couldn't answer her, his mind still spinning and concentrating on calming himself by envisioning Voldemort dancing around in a tutu. Thankfully, the witch seemed to understand; she was stroking his hair and humming softly, a tune he'd never heard before. As their breathing returned to normal and their racing hearts slowed, Severus forced his cloudy mind to start the conversation he knew they had to have.
"Love, are you in any discomfort now?"
Hermione's fingers stilled; she pulled back from him with wide eyes.
"No," she said simply, wondering why she suddenly could be touched by him without being overwhelmed.
He straightened his back and watched with a little smirk as she tried, and failed, to button her jeans with shaky fingers. He smacked her hands away and did it for her.
"Feeling pleased with yourself?" she quipped with a small smile playing on her lips.
He raised an eyebrow in answer before he leaned forward to give her a gentle kiss.
"As I should," he said, his eyes sparkling, before his demeanor shifted into a more serious one. "Come, let's speak."
He took her hands in his and led her over to the couch.
"What were you feeling before the meeting?" he wondered as they sat down, facing each other, hands still entwined.
Hermione thought back to the intense feelings she had experienced.
"I was so disappointed that we were interrupted; I needed you so badly that I completely broke down. The moment I understood that we wouldn't be able to finish, the more I needed you. And then you touched me so lightly and all my senses just exploded - the need to touch you, kiss you and just keep you close…
Hermione trailed off hopelessly. She couldn't find the words to properly describe what she really had been feeling. She focused on the feel of his hands around her own, noticing the absence of the strange tingling.
"And now, during the meeting?" Severus prompted softly.
"I got this urge to touch you, as if something was trying to pull me towards you," she answered as she absentmindedly started stroking her thumbs up and down against his hands. "I ignored the urge to the best of my ability, but the longer I ignored it, I became dizzy and almost nauseous."
"Is that how it started?" Severus asked, his eyes searching her face keenly, his tone almost demanding.
Hermione shook her head, her curls bouncing.
"No, I got this strange feeling in my hands, at first," she said, wondering how she was going to explain this without sounding insane. "Like a..."
"... tingling?" Severus filled in when Hermione seemed unable to finish.
Hermione's eyes widened and, in her surprise, she pulled her hands away from him.
"How did you know that?" she whispered as she flexed her hands, rubbing them together.
She could almost feel the tingling; Severus glanced down at her hands and mirrored her, flexing his fingers before he took Hermione's small hand back in his own.
"Because I have felt it too," he said softly, smiling ever so slightly as Hermione gasped, "and it gets worse the longer we are apart from each other."
"Yes, it does. And as soon as we touch, it disappears, but…"
"... it's never enough, just to touch," Severus finished softly as he placed his hands on her thighs, rubbing them slowly with purpose.
Hermione closed her eyes, biting her lip and trying to stay focused on what they were talking about.
"No matter how close you are, it's never close enough," she breathed out, opening her eyes and drinking him in. "Severus, I'm going to kiss you now."
"I was hoping you would say that," Severus murmured as he watched her get up to straddle him, her soft lips pressing against his own.