After he heavily sat down his glass, Draco stared at Hermione. "Salazar's rod! You've got to be kidding me!" he spluttered. "I'm afraid I'm not. It's complicated-and not at all. Do you know about our time on the run? That Ron left us?" "Yes, Potter told me about that." Despite all their differences in the past, Harry and Draco worked brutally effective asul! a team. What had their Head of Department ridden to partner them up they didn't know. Perhaps it was the fun of seeing them throwing hexes in the first months. The turning point had been a mission when they got cornered by seven former Death Eaters. Fighting literally back to back for the first time had changed their relationship. Not that they talked about it. Aurors didn't talk about their feelings for their partner. "We had to cope with the Horcrux in the locket at that time, and with Ron gone, Harry became more and more stressed. He needed a release. We were barely adults back then, and Christmas was pure horror that year. The events around it sent Harry in an all-time-low of insecurity, anger, and fear. And, in one of my books about healing magic, it read that sex is an effective stress release and has a positive influence on the level of magic." Grabbing a stray pen, she scribbled something Draco couldn't see on a post-it while talking, unfazed. "It seemed like a rational choice for me, and so I offered him to try it." Draco was still astonished to no end. "You offered a hormonal boy a round of sex? That was like presenting yourself as the virginal sacrifice in a pagan ritual!" To his surprise, the tips of her ears pinked. "It couldn't be, because I was not a virgin anymore. He was." Thankfully, he had refilled his glass before-so he could empty it now on a whim. With her dropping those information-bombs at him, he'd end up drunk. "Whoa, slowly know. I've got a question-" "Fred Weasley was my first, the summer before. Not Ron, not Viktor. Yours?" "Daphne Greengrass, my parent's Christmas soirée in sixth year." He paused. "Exactly how many of the Weasley brothers have you slept with?" She made a show of counting her fingers-one, two, three, four… Upon Draco's shocked expression, she laughed loudly. "Just kidding! Only one." That brought up more questions for him, but she continued as he refilled their glasses. "Harry graciously accepted my offer, and we slept with each other on Boxing Day. No romance, no candles, just sex. Looking back, I can say it was an 'Acceptable' level." Draco's lips curled into one of his characteristic smirks."To Hermione Granger, the Woman-who-deflowered-the-Chosen-One-and-graded-it!" He sat down next to her, and they both took a large gulp of the firewhiskey. Hermione had to admit that she felt quite relaxed around Draco, considering their history and their actual topic. He was witty, curious and, despite his surprise, he didn't judge her. "It really helped him to take the edge off, and we both enjoyed it. We were friends with benefits from then on, no strings attached, until Ron came back. Knowing his temper and his jealous tendencies, we decided not to let him in." Draco couldn't help to smirk and she rewarded him with a slap on his leg. "Your perverted Slytherin mind! I didn't mean letting him in sexually like in a threesome! We didn't want to tell him because he is a prude and wouldn't have understood. Hell, he wanted to wait until we were married!" "But that wasn't the end of your physical relationship with Potter, right?" The more he learned about her, the more his image of her reshaped. The blond wizard accepted and admired that Hermione was a woman that had sexual needs and was not too shy to give into them. Mostly at least, remembering the shame she obviously felt when she caught him in the act-and enjoyed it. But that was something he wanted to discuss on another day. "No, it wasn't. The night before the final battle would be the last time we had sex, and it was by far the most emotional. Not in a romantic sense, but in an I'm-afraid-I-will-die-tomorrow kind of way. He even told me that should he survive, he wanted to get back together with Ginny." She sipped on her drink. "We had the agreement that what happened between us stayed between us." "If the 'wand-polishing harlot' was any hint, it would have been the better alternative. But Potter couldn't keep his trap shut." "Ginny can be very creative with her insults, and that wasn't even her best. To complete my story: When I entered the Burrow, it didn't even need thirty seconds for me to deduce that Harry had blown our cover. Ginny felt betrayed, Ron felt betrayed, the whole clan felt betrayed. And they decided, in my absence, that I was the scarlet woman who seduced the poor boys-or in Ron's case, desperately tried to. Not for one second did someone take into consideration that it had been a mutual agreement between Harry and me! In the time between the revelation and my arrival, Ron had turned to Lavender-again, and the whole merry group had closed ranks against me. That didn't stop the shouting match that ensued-which was a bit unfair for me. The interesting thing- and the icing on Ginny's cake of rage- was when Harry said: 'Hermione and I had fantastic sex, but you and me love each other'." Draco nearly fell from the couch from laughter and bent over, holding his stomach. In fact, he was so close now that Hermione caught a whiff of his scent. He smelled warm and clean, with a layer of something distinctively male and very- Draco. 'Really? Of course he had to smell this good… I won't ever be able to forget this.' "I'm going to reserve this to rub under his nose on a special opportunity! So unbelievably brainless! He practically told his girlfriend that you were much better in the sack than her-no wonder she's still pissed." Elated from watching the, usually, so controlled man dissolve into laughter and giggles, Hermione smiled herself. After some minutes, he quieted down, feeling warm all over. He rolled up his sleeves without a second thought, only to
hear Hermione gasp. "Shit, Granger, I thought you saw that already today." He indicated his head to the Mark on his left arm, still contrasting darkly against his pale skin, and pulled his sleeve back down. Hermione stopped him with a firm grip on his wrist. "No, I didn't see it, I was distracted by other-features of you." Keeping herself from blushing in the awkward situation, she bared his arm again. She looked at it intensely and, hesitating only for a split second, traced the outline softly with her fingers. Still without eye-contact, she whispered, "I wondered if it vanished with the years…" "Sadly, such dark magic leaves permanent traces. But you are aware of that." His words were a statement, not a question, remembering his aunt's liking of cursed blades. She leaned back and unrolled her own left sleeve, uncovering an intricate tattoo inked into her skin on the insides of her forearm. "I got it some months into my university life. The Glamour Charm started to itch, and I didn't want to explain the permanent word ' mudblood ' to my friends." Draco's fingers were shortly above her skin, when, finally, his gaze found hers. She discovered that his eyes were even brighter now, shining with curiosity. "May I?" When she nodded, his fingertips followed the lines and shadows of the tattoo and the spots where he could feel little irregularities caused by the scarred skin underneath. A beautiful phoenix, born from flames could be seen, taking off to a sky full of stars. Beneath it was a scripture, reading ' luctor et ex flammis orior, per aspera ad astra' . "I struggle and from the flames I rise, through hardships to the stars…" he translated. Goosebumps appeared on her arm under his soft touch. "The second part is a Latin saying, the first is your own creation and leans from the mythic description of the phoenix." Hermione was impressed and smiled. "You are really not the idiot you want others to think you are." They still whispered, perhaps to preserve the moment. He hadn't stopped caressing her tattoo, he noticed now. From his slightly bent position over her arm, he tilted his head up and his grey eyes met hers. "It's truly beautiful artwork. And it fits you perfectly." Captivated in his gaze's ban, a new waves of goose bumps were elicited from the skin his fingers still touched, and now they spread from her arm down her back. She deliberately pulled her bottom lip between her teeth (to test the impact under different circumstances, of course) and saw how his eyes darkened. He cleared his throat and broke the eye-contact. ' She did the thing with her lips again- doesn't she know what that does to me? ' "Uh, I really got to floo back to the Manor now." Draco nearly stumbled over his words. "The ten-o'clock-witch is waiting, I suppose?" she really tried to hold back the quip-and failed. '"Oh, come on, Granger…. Hermione ! Firstly, there is no ten-o'clock-witch, and secondly, it's not as if Jackie and I have a relationship. We meet, we fuck, we part ways. That's all." "So you're more a wham-bam-thank-you-madam guy and not a wine me, dine me type?" ' Great, Hermione, let the slut do the talking, because that always works so well…' she inwardly winced. He had the audacity to smirk. "That depends entirely on my female company. I didn't bring wine here, but firewhiskey, and the dinner… I'm sure we'll find a free slot in our timetables soon. Floo over to my office in the MLE tomorrow morning at 11." With that, he stepped through the green flames and left a flabbergasted Hermione in her living room. -DHDHDHDHDHDH- ' Aurors Malfoy and Potter', a shiny plaque at the office door read. Hermione thought it still as surprise that Harry and Draco worked so in tune together. "Times are changing dramatically." she muttered before knocking at the door. The images of yesterday's events in Malfoy Manor had followed her into her dreams. Exciting, pleasurable dreams that she woke up panting from. ' We really have to talk about whatever happened between us….eye-fucking?' Before she left her train of thoughts, Hermione entered the office and spotted another face from her past-albeit a welcomed one. ' Thinking of fucking…' "Viktor! So good to see you!" The dark haired wizard turned around from his place in front of Draco's wooden desk, his lips curling into a smile. A bit more bulky than the average seeker, Viktor hadn't changed a bit in the years between their last encounter and today. She recalled the last time she'd seen him: angry and depressed, Hermione had left the Burrow after the ugly words that fell there and apparated to Diagon Alley. Tom, the host of the Leaky Cauldron, didn't ask a single question when she booked a room with tears streaming down her face. In the confines of the establishment's best room, she had cried and ranted and cried again for two days. On the third day, she gathered the courage to go for a walk and promptly ran into Viktor. He had invited her to his expensive hotel - 'The Onyx Thunderbird'-, and she told him the basics of her self-induced misery. He comforted her -thoroughly . They spent the next 48 hours locked in his room, and with him, Hermione had learned many things about sex- what she liked in bed (or shower, or floor, or-basically everywhere) and didn't, where her boundaries lay-and how she overstepped them. This time with the Bulgarian Qudditch star confirmed what she had nearly forgotten in her personal drama: that, given the consent of all parties, sexuality was an important part of the human nature and nothing to be ashamed of. From then on, every bottle of vodka made her long for sex. "Her-mi-o-ne!" Krum made a point to enunciate every syllable to get her name right, "Vot a pleasant surprise. You are back!" When the wizard enveloped her in a tight hug and draped his arm around her shoulders afterwards and pulled her into his side, she was reminded how much taller his height loomed over hers. "Malfoy, you did not tell me my pretty spitvire here vas back!" Hermione missed the way Draco's eyes narrowed at the endearment.
"Because she wanted to keep it quiet, Krum. She's helping us with the drug problem and Potter, but you are not a member of the Auror Division and could care less about who works here." Now, that tone was something Hermione recognised; the good old 'You better back off'-tuning Draco used at Hogwarts. "Calm down, friend, I vas simply surprised. Sleepless night?" Hermione could have sworn that the blond muttered, "You have no idea!" under his breath. "Anyvays, I discussed the last orga-nisa-zional details concerning the Chudley-Cannons fundraiser Friday next veek. Vould not you like to come? The collected money vill go to the trust vor the vives and children of deadly injured Quidditch players. I am convident Malfoy could organise a zeat at my table vor you." With a kiss on her cheek that lasted a bit longer than necessary, Viktor walked out the office, and Hermione heard Draco exhaling sharply. "A self-centered git, that one. And that's coming from me !" he scowled. "Oh, he can be very primed to another's needs!" The double meaning in her voice made Draco raise his eyebrows. "Don't look at me like that. I, unlike you, don't usually kiss and tell. Or should I say- shag and tell unsuspecting visitors?" she had finally found opening line to broach the topic that burned under her nails. He lowered his gaze to his desk. "I didn't do that on purpose. Normally, Jackie's and my meetings don't last longer than an hour. She would have left before you arrived." His voice grew more confident now, and he got up and around the desk, standing a small step away from Hermione. "I won't say I'm sorry that you came in, because I'm not." Hermione stayed bravely where she stood, listening to her accelerated pulse. "And I'd bet a lot of money that you enjoyed watching me as much as I did being observed by you. Am I correct?" The sound of a door thrown carelessly open saved her from giving an answer. Struggling to tear their gaze from each other, they looked at the intruder; a tall and thin man in his thirties with dirty-blond hair. "Malfoy, we have-" the Auror stopped upon discerning Hermione. "Sorry, I didn't know you had a visitor." Draco made a dismissive hand gesture. "It's alright, Jenkins. She is more than trustable, believe me. This is Dr. Hermione Granger, and she will help us on some occasions." Upon the name, Jenkin's eyes widened in awe for a second, but he stayed professional. "Then she has a good timing. Georgie was spotted in Knockturn some minutes ago. If we act fast, we can snatch him and his fix before he disappears and gets himself high again." The men swiftly left the office, ushering Hermione out in the process. On their way to the apparition exit, she got a brief summary of what was expected to happen once they apparated into Knockturn Alley. Georgie Brown was a known addict to Morgana's Touch, and the Aurors caught and arrested him quite regularly when he was in the phase of the magical high. But they hadn't been able to catch him with the substance yet. The perfect opportunity to gather a sample. After a brief introduction to his team of four Aurors, including him, Draco took Hermione by the elbow and separated her discreetly from the group. "Listen to me, Hermione. I want you to behave out there. Despite all the fantastic adventures you, Potter and Weasley have survived, this is not a child's game. Make it a first and do what you're told. When I say hide, you hide, and when I say apparate, you apparate. My team and I have been trained for situations like this- you haven't." Torn between irked and amused at his pep-talk, Hermione replied, "No, I haven't. But I have been trained to fix you up, should you require-." " Granger ." He growled warningly. "Okay, Malfoy. I'll behave, I promise." She raised her hands in surrender. She knew she had the tendency to be a bit too convinced of her abilities (minus her medical ones) and didn't want to endanger the mission. And-she'd never tell a soul- she found his alpha-male display attractive; it stirred reactions in her that she tried to ignore. As it turned out, the mission went as smoothly as possible, and that made it quite boring for Hermione. The moment they stepped on the shadowy street, the Aurors spotted Georgie, who was about to enter a pub, presumably to rent one of the dirty rooms above it where he would get his fix. Miller and Emerson, the two other members of Draco's team, entered the pub from the backside, while Jenkins and Draco stepped in from the front. When Georgie discovered the Aurors, Hermione could see resignation in his eyes, and he was arrested without resistance. Draco fished a vial with a clear, watery liquid out of Georgie's pocket. "This, my dear Dr. Granger, is a sample of Morgana's Touch. Treat it well and as fast as you can." Nodding, Hermione put a stasis-charm on the stopped container. "What will happen to him now?" she asked, gesturing over to Georgie. He had sunken eyes and waxen skin like so many addicts Hermione had encountered. Jenkins and Emerson held a firm grip on him when they walked over to the apparition point, Miller in front of them and Draco behind them, both with their wands at the ready. "We will take him to the Ministry, where he will be interrogated. If we're lucky, we can convince him to give us some information about the dealers- the sneaky bastards. The Head of our department will decide whether he's put into prison -because we caught him with the drug this time- or used as an informant." Hermione actually felt compassion for the man. Not because he was an addict, but because he had made doubtful decisions about his life that couldn't be so easily mended. -DHDHDHDHDHD- Hermione entered her lab, quite excited at the prospect of testing a sample. Just as she finished buttoning her scrubs, the one blonde floated through the door Hermione had last seen when she was enjoying her 'meeting' with a redeemed ferret -Jackie.
"Draco sent me a memo that you might need my help, Dr. Granger?" The answering smile on Hermione's face was forced. "Auror Malfoy underestimated my baby here." She set the sample in a grey device. "This will work much faster than a spell. We're lucky; we don't need a complicated process with the human samples from Harry." Jackie peered at the device, intrigued. Hermione really didn't like the witch (and had not yet the courage to think about the reasons for that), but she never passed up the opportunity to lecture someone. "This is a device for a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Basically, we probe the sample with pulses of terahertz radiation. The effect on the amplitude and phase of the radiation is measured, and the connected computer can tell me what kind of substance we have by comparing the data with those recorded. And we don't even have to pour the liquid out of the vial! It's very non-invasive, and we can put the stasis-charm back on later. We can analyse pure substances, but also mixtures. That's important, because, as I told you, my prediction is that there are at least three substances responsible for the drug's effect." Jackie looked adequately impressed with Hermione's explanation. Some proficient moves and three quiet minutes later, she could read the results on the screen. "Now there's a surprise. I'm not sure that this the answer we were looking for." She got up from her chair and turned to Jackie, who, apparently, couldn't understand Hermione's bewilderment. "Take the sample out of the spectroscope and store it away safely. Put a stasis-charm on it; I want to inform Auror Malfoy." She jogged through the department, and after knocking on his door (she'd never again step into a room where she suspected Draco to be without first knocking and being allowed to enter), she stood in front of his desk again. He bore a surprised expression, not having expected results so fast. "We identified a substance: THC! It's quite logical, given the symptoms of phase one: Giddiness, slight euphoria, problems with reminiscing. THC fits perfectly, don't you think? Studies on knock-out mice show-" "Hermione, breath! I have no idea what you're talking about. Explain it to me, slowly…" She was so back into rambling mode he could barely contain his amusement, because she looked quite pretty like that, with her cheeks reddened and her deep brown eyes shining. ' Must be the light.' "I used a simple measuring to identify one of the substances, though-doesn't matter for now. The spectroscopy showed us it's THC, tetrahydrocannabinol : the chemical that causes the effects of marijuana." That was something Draco could talk about. "Are you implying Potter fainted from a joint?" "Yes. That's exactly what I'm implying."
When Hermione and Draco met half an hour later to floo to 's again, the witch was grumbling under her breath. As soon she spotted her partner, she started a tirade. "It's all your fault! The abilities of this woman between the sheets must be bloody brilliant, because I can't think of any other qualities she could possess!" "I have to check the calendar, but it must be the 'jumble-your-Slytherin'-day, because it's the second time that you puzzle me this afternoon." Draco retorted sarcastically. Distracted (and taking pride in it) for a second that he had basically termed himself ' her Slytherin ', Hermione went on. "Jackie! This sad excuse of an assistant you forced on me! She broke the container! It sat on the edge of the table, and she turned around when I came back into the lab and called for her. There was no stasis charm upon it yet, and the glass broke when her elbow brushed it down to the floor!" Draco sympathised with her impulsive behaviour. "Couldn't you just summon it back?" "Thank you very much- I hadn't thought of THAT ! -But the sample is contaminated, and when I repeated the test three times, it came up with nonsense-results and different at that. We need a fresh sample." He scowled at her conclusion; now they, again, needed to focus their investigation on snatching an addict before he consummated Morgana's Touch. In the meantime, they had arrived at the hospital, and Hermione admitted her apprehension, "What if Harry's got visitors again? It won't be good for the atmosphere if there's another argument." "Don't worry. At this time of the day, it could only be Ginny visiting, and remember how well that went last time." "You can't be serious." "Oh, I am. One could have sold tickets for the show and made a fortune out of it." Despite her nervousness, she smiled at his sneaky comment, and it relaxed her considerably. Or maybe it was his reassuring hand on the small of her back, his thumb tracing little circles that distracted her. The next thing she noticed was a blur of red that pounced on the man next to her, squealing "Draco!" He had barely time to stretch out his arms when the little girl jumped into them. "Hey firefly!" He threw her into the air, what made her giggle loudly. Hermione felt like in an alternate universe. Draco Malfoy handled this child, which she strongly suspected was Harry's and Ginny's, like a pro. The maybe-three-year-old girl discovered her and buried her head in Draco's shoulder, suddenly shy. He sat her down on her feet again. "It's okay, Lily. This lady here is Hermione, and she's something like a Healer." The brunette would have been amazed at his soothing voice, but her eyes were trained on Lily's mother. Ginny sat in a chair beside Harry's bed, and both women were visibly on their nerve's ends. Neither said a word. The tensioned snapped when Lily tugged at Hermione's scrubs. "You wake my Daddy? Draco said." The child asked with a small voice. Hermione kneeled and got on Lily's level. Looking in the girl's green eyes, she schooled her voice into a tone she always used when dealing with patient's children. "I'm doing my best, I promise. But I might need a bit of time for that, okay? Do you know what would help me a great deal?" Lily's red curls flew when she shook her head. "It would make my work a lot easier if you take Draco and get him to buy yourselves a slice of chocolate pie. He's a bit annoying sometimes, don't you think?" She smiled and winked at the girl, who pressed her chubby hands on her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Daddy says that, too! I help you!" Hermione got up and walked over to Draco, where she leaned into him and whispered, "I'm going to talk to Ginny. Can you occupy her a while?" His lips caressed the skin below her ear when he whispered back, "You owe me. And I will think about it very hard how I'm going to cash in the favour." Hermione had no control over the heat that creeped into her face. When Draco and Lily closed the door behind them, Ginny spoke, catching her attention. "Spill it, Hermione. What did you find out?" The younger witch looked as if she hadn't slept properly for a long time. "I suspect Harry had contact to a variation of the drug he investigated in, including Morgana's Touch." Ginny gasped. "He's no junkie!" Hermione tried to stay calm. "I didn't say that. I merely stated that his system was confronted with the drug. The behaviour you described matches the pattern, with the exception of the last phase with the magical high, where he seized
and fell into coma. This is why I think the substance has been altered somehow. Please bare my medical intentions in mind with the next question…" she paused until the other witch indicated her understanding with a slight tilt of her head. "Did Harry have experiences with cannabis?" Confused, Ginny replied, "Aside from the joint George and Charlie gave around on Percy's wedding to cause some mischief years ago? No. Why are you asking?" She kept a civil tone, and Hermione appreciated that. "Because we identified one of the components as THC, the chemical that causes the effects of cannabis-products. The thing is, the drug is applied to the bloodstream, and cannabis is mostly consummated as a smoke or in food. Ron would have noticed and reported that. In addition, the concentration of THC in the sample I examined was so high it probably would effect Harry's memory. Perhaps he noticed something odd, but couldn't remember and therefore didn't tell you." Draco had already explained to her that it was so difficult to get to the drug dealers, because they met their clients in different places every time, and the addicts often had a hazy memory where the trading occurred. They routinely checked them for memory charms and hadn't found anything. The THC was probably responsible for the memory problems, Hermione suspected. " Harry's samples were negative for THC, which is strange when I ran them against the drug sample, which tested positive for the substance. But I'm not done testing for other substances. And the analysis of the drug is incomplete yet -however, I need to get hold of another dose of the drug to continue. Ours was, effectively, destroyed." She received no reaction on her words from Ginny, but the woman kept staring at her husband's unmoving form. For some minutes, not a sound was heard except from the ticking of the clock on the wall. Hermione grew uncomfortable with the silence, but she didn't want to leave without Draco. Just as she decided that she would wait for him outside the room, Ginny spoke quietly. "Do you regret it?" Hermione knew exactly what the other witch referred to. "That I put Harry's well being over everything else and offered him a physical release? No. That I enjoyed it as much as he did? No." She could hear Ginny's sharp intake of breath over that. "What I do regret are the reactions that followed our actions from you and your family's side. Sometimes, I wonder if I did the right thing by turning my back to you all and didn't try to rekindle our bonds. But I was hurt and angry, because I was punished for something I believed was right; because my best friend betrayed my trust and didn't stand up for me. And the fact nobody listen to me, but shot fast and hard at me. I was happy in the muggle world with my fresh start and felt at home there. I love my profession and how I help people. Hopefully, I can help Harry, too." Hermione saw heavy tears falling down Ginny's cheeks. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you." The honesty in her voice touched Hermione deeply, and she felt tears well up in her own eyes. They both knew that the past wasn't forgiven nor forgotten, but it could be a step in the right direction. The door opened, and Lily stormed in, jumping on her mother's lap, who hastily wiped the tears from her face. Hermione felt a warm hand falling on her shoulder, and she looked into Draco's concerned grey eyes. "Everything alright?" he asked. "No. But perhaps it will be." -DHDHDHDHDHDH- Hermione spent the next week enclosed in her lab, running analysis after analysis on Harry's samples. She had tested most of the wizarding world's known poisons now, which was a bit difficult, because sometimes she had to probe an example to compare her samples with. Still angry with Jackie, she sent the witch all around Britain to gather the substances. Poor girl. Draco and his team resumed their investigations. Hermione got a drastic insight of how dangerous the magical highs really were when Miller and Emerson hastily entered her lab on Friday, half dragging, half carrying, Malfoy in their middle. Spotting that he was only half conscious, she directed them to lie him down on the examination bed she had demanded for the possibility to treat patients. "Jesus! What happened?" The blond murmured unintelligible words. "He was hit on the head when one of the junkies blasted the wall behind him. We apparated Jenkins to the hospital, but this idiot here insisted he was fine. As soon as we entered our department, he fainted. When he woke up, he was like this, you see?" Hermione started to examine Draco and controlled his pupil's reflex with a flashlight when he lifted his hands and carefully spun one of her stray curls around his index finger. His expression was similar to the one Hermione had observed at Luna Lovegood's face: dreamily and fascinated. That deepened, even, when she carefully ran her hands over his head to find a small bump on the back of it. Draco closed his eyes on the touch and purred like a cat. Desperately trying to stay professional - which was very difficult, because his hair felt unbelievably soft and the purr made her stomach do somersaults, she stood and addressed the waiting Aurors. "He simply has a mild concussion. Leave him here,and I'll make sure he's back this afternoon. Some of the potions the healers use are very practical." Grinning at their colleague's odd behaviour, Miller and Emerson left. "Okay, I think…. This is the right potion." Hermione rummaged through her newly stored potions cabinet. After taking a small bottle out, she bent over Draco. "Be a good boy for Hermione and swallow this, yes?" Without resistance, he opened his mouth and gulped down the offered liquid. Though he seemed to be distracted with the effort to sneak down Hermione's neckline with his hands. "Well done, Draco. Now sleep for a bit." When she unfolded a blanket and tucked him in, he was already fast asleep. Hermione smiled at how relaxed and cute her former bane-of-existence looked this way. She sound-proofed the door with her wand to keep the sounds of the hallway at bay, dare someone wake the Auror up, and resumed her work. When Draco awoke almost an hour later, his voice sounded deeper and rougher than usual. "Bloody Hell!" he cursed, touching his head carefully. "That hurt!" "Pray tell. You should have given in to your colleagues and get yourself examined at the hospital. But nooo, you had to play the invincible and collapse when back here." Hermione scolded him, but without malice. "Though I have to admit, you're quite cute when you're dizzy."
"I'm a Malfoy,and, as such per definition, not cute." He sounded more awake now. "Does the muggle doctor let me go back to work?" "The muggle doctor says: Stay at home for a few days." She was amused by his half-frown reaction. "Alas, now that I learned a thing or two about wizarding medicine, I'm sure you're cured. Come back if you feel weird, okay?" "So, I'm cleared to go to the blasted Cannon's function tonight?" Totally engrossed in her work, Hermione very nearly had forgotten the fundraiser. And the fact that she had informed Viktor that she would come. "I'll keep an eye on you, okay?" she teased him. Somehow, this thought excited Draco more than it relaxed him. -DHDHDHDHDHDHDH- Hermione knew much about the male genitals. The average size, the vessels and tissues responsible for its functionality. The nerves involved that made it hard and ready for its most basic (and joyful) use. But this particular one that currently sprang free from the restrained position in its owner's dress pants, was truly one of evolution's finest. Though, when Hermione had begun her evening, the prospect of letting her tongue and fingers glide over the hard cock's skin, nor the grey eyes of the man connected to it, grazing in pure lust at her, had been on her schedule… Earlier… *(*)*(*)* The vast room in the ' Onyx Thunderbird ' was more crowded than Hermione had anticipated. On second thought, it was expected that the who's-who of the wizarding world gathered at such an opportunity to show themselves off. She straightened her midnight blue dress, which ended a handbreadth over her knees, and the highlights in the hem reflecting the festive light. Clutching her matching handbag tighter, she wanted to back out. It was much too much early to show her face in the public, she decided. A hand cupped her naked upper arm, and she felt the now familiar shiver hunting down her spine. Without turning her head, she knew who stood next to her. "Don't chicken out now," Draco spoke quietly. "The press isn't allowed here. Not everyone likes to read in Witch Weekly how much money he donated. Though it's a shame, as you're looking quite passable tonight and would make a marvellous front page photo." Hermione instantly felt the tension in her lessen. "Uh, thanks?" She wanted to make a teasing remark at how ridiculous he looked in his black robes. But she didn't want to lie. And ' You look fucking delicious' wasn't appropriate in an area where they could be overheard. Jackie emerged from the crowd, two glasses of dark red wine in her hands that matched the colour of her short dress. "Draco, what a coincidence! Didn't know you were coming, too. But as soon as I spotted you, I ordered your favourite Pinot Noir for us." Ignoring Hermione, the blonde leaned in to give Draco a glass and pecked him on both cheeks. "My family practically owns this team, Jackie. I'm expected to be here. And actually, my favourite wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon." Resulting in many years of being exposed to Malfoy's moods, Hermione could detect a subtle disapproval in his posture and words. From the corner of her eye, she could see a mop of red hair moving towards her. ' Oh no! Ron.' She didn't have the energy to run. He hadn't changed much over the years. Maybe he had gained a little weight around the middle, and he wore his hair a little shorter. Now that he stopped in arm's length of her, she could determine that his eyes were still the same cornflower blue. Hermione was caught in her emotions; fear, sadness and regret bubbled in her. Neither of them spoke a word, and time seemed to stop, until Ron let out a noise between a sob and a snort and opened his arms. Without hesitation, Hermione stepped into the embrace of the man she had loved, in different ways, since her childhood. Breathing in the well-known scent of him, she heard him whispering to her, "Hermione, I missed you." That was her final straw, and she broke out in tears, not caring who might see Draco pulling Jackie away to give them some space, she relished in the bitter-sweet feeling of Ron around her. They held each other tight for some minutes, until the tide of emotions abated a bit. Hermione leaned back, finally gathering the courage to say something. "Ron, I'm sorry things went downhill with us." "You won't believe me, but it's okay. I've thought about what happened back and forth for years and I realised something. We were too young to bear so much responsibility in a fight that shouldn't have been ours. And we all reacted differently to the pressure; I ran away like a coward. You suppressed your feelings by advancing everything with logic and knowledge. And Harry had his destiny thrown at him, dreading he couldn't escape. I won't say I fully understand you, Hermione. But I learned that you believed in what you did and provided Harry with a desperately needed outlet. I was hurt that you didn't trust me to handle yours and Harry's… you know, but I realised that I was a bit hot-headed in the past. Still am, when you're asking my wife." He finished his speech with a lopsided smile and Hermione felt a knot in her heart loosening. "Who thought that you would get this mature, Ron? You have no idea how much this means to me." She hugged him again, this time smiling tentatively. "Thank you." "You're welcome. You really are. I'll give your overactive brain time to process all, this and you'll owl me when you are ready to meet me, again?" He let her go and she nodded her approval thankfully, astonished at his sensible behaviour and felt hope spark in her heart when he walked away. Exhausted, Hermione sat down heavily next to Viktor. "You look like you vant a drink." He grinned at her after he kissed her cheek in way of greeting. He strode over to the bar and returned not two minutes later. "I hope dis is to your liking, spitvire." Hermione grinned when she discovered the liquid in the glass he handed her - vodka. After toasting to the wizard, she knocked down the drink, gesturing for the waiter to bring them more.
The alcohol burned down her throat, and she welcomed the warm feeling it left. Settling her eyes on Viktor again, she asked, "Now that we have time to talk; what have you been up to in the last few years? I'm dying to know!" They engaged in a vivid conversation and caught up with each other's lives. The vodka kept coming, and Hermione began to feel dizzy and elated, though fascinated by Viktor's story. They flirted heavily, and she couldn't stop laughing at his antics. He carried on the conversation, catching her up to the point where he came to England seven months ago, taking up upon the Cannon's offer to play Seeker and become their Captain. Hermione noticed how close he was now, his thighs placed on both sides of hers. Trailing the strap of her dress with one hand, and interlacing their fingers of her right hand with his, he leaned over to her. "I booked my old room vor the night. Do you remember it?" The chaos in Hermione's head strengthened, and she suddenly felt hot all over, especially below her naval. She was about to give in the promise of a replay from their previous encounter when a hand grabbed hers and pulled her roughly up from her chair. "Come with me, Granger!" The sudden movement tipped her vision and she nearly fell into the person's arms. "Draco, Viktor wanted to-" "I don't care what Viktor wanted, I need your help!" Without further explanation, and ignoring the other wizard's outcry, Draco pulled her towards the exit and into the foyer, his steps fast and aggressive. Hermione did not feel threatened by his wayward behaviour, not even when he grabbed her arms and apparated them away. On the contrary, she felt very excited and turned on, not questioning his actions. She opened her eyes and some stray thought in her confused brain told her she was in Draco's bedroom-again. Giggling at the memory of what happened the last time she was in this room, she found herself eye to eye with the man. His usually grey irises were barely visible, replaced by widely blown pupils. His jaw was clenched and he had a problem speaking articulately. "Listen, Hermione, and listen well, before my control snaps and I have my wicked way with you." The dangerous tint in his words washed over her like a promise she wanted him to keep. "I think I was drugged with that blasted stuff. And, apparently, you too. Because I don't think this is your normal behaviour," he commented, noticing her wandering fingers over his chest down to his undeniable erection. "Focus! We need to do something!" He grabbed her wrists and pried them away from him, not sure if he was talking to her or himself. "S-sample, there are empty v-vials…" She tried to fight the mounting desire in her, her last ounce of rationality urging her to take a blood-sample. Bending down to retrieve the objects from her handbag, Hermione heard Draco step behind her. He lunged around her waist and pulled her bum flush against him, his stiff excitement prodding against her cheeks. She straightened and he let out an almost feral sound when her backside purposely skimmed over his crotch. "Do what you need to do, but do it fast." With trembling hands, she used her wand to collect a sample of Draco's and her own blood. A split second after she had placed the containers on the bedside table, the handsome blond spun her around. One hand around the back of her neck and the other on her breast, he pulled her into a fierce kiss. Forcing her lips open with his tongue, their mouths collided. Hermione didn't want to stop Draco's advances- quite the opposite; she wanted to engage him further and pay him back tenfold, her desire to be skin-to-skin and arouse him burning through her veins. Her most important goal was to get this hard dick she had already touched through his trousers into her overflowing cunt. They resumed kissing passionately, their tongues battling for dominance and teeth occasionally clashing. But Hermione didn't mind. She had never felt this all-consuming arousal before. Her hands fumbled with his robes, unbuttoning them impatiently, before she took a more direct approach and ripped the fabric. He didn't even protest, instead moaned lowly when her fingers mapped the muscles on his torso, varying in their pressure. When she reached the dark blond hairs on his lower abdomen, the last remaining rational thoughts left him, and he reached down to unbuckle his belt. Present Time *(*)*(*)* In his haste to set his painfully hard member free, Draco stumbled back when he stepped out of his boxers and dress pants. He landed himself in an armchair across from his bed. Following the imperative demands of his body, he pulled Hermione on his lap with her back to his front. She groaned when his pressed demanding kisses down her neck, and his fingers opened the zipper of her dress with one hefty tug. She raised her arms as he lifted the fabric over her head, leaving her only in her knickers. Normally Draco would have remarked the fact that she had gone braless, but, under the drug's influence, he couldn't form the words. Instead, he pulled her down on him, both hands on her lush breasts. When he started tugging on her hardened nipples, the sensation shot through Hermione like lighting, directly into her pussy. She grounded her hips against him, effectively trapping his iron-hard cock between her ass cheeks and his abdomen, his balls rubbing her soaked panties. Her hands were buried in his soft hair when he sunk his teeth into the skin over her pulse point. She gasped and nearly missed his commanding voice. "Watch us." He shifted her body that they could see their reflection in the mirror over his bed. Later, Hermione would ask herself if it was charmed to capture their figures in the right angle. Now, she simply moaned at the presented view: Her legs were spread, one propped up on the armrest, the other tangling down outside of his strong thighs, and she could see a wet spot spreading on the fabric covering her sex. She wanted to tell him then that this was even better than the other day, when it had been another woman under his touch. But her mind was too hazy, too engrossed in the sensations of lust. Equally incapable of speech, Draco guided her hands from their place behind his neck down her body, shoving them into her knickers. He pushed her index into her wet passage, and coated his own fingers with the slick juices along her folds. Understanding his unspoken order, she continued fingering herself, while he used the lubrication to circle the peaks of her breasts. Hermione moaned and keened unrestrained now, her gaze transfixed on their reflection in the mirror. Inserting a second and third finger in short succession, her hips started to move, intensifying the delicious pressure in her womb. Draco's length was still trapped between them and moved by her hips, causing him to growl, demanding more. She couldn't keep the slow pace and shoved her fingers faster and faster into her. The volume of their passion-filled sounds
increased and Hermione could feel that she was close. Seconds before she reached her peak, Draco pushed her forward and lifted her hips. Tearing the soaked fabric to the side, he impaled her forcefully on his cock, the impact of the sudden fullness pushing her over the edge of her orgasm. His arms around her kept her still and detained her from riding out her high. As a result, the muscles in her pussy twitched and contracted in pleasure and pain, and she immediately knew she was ready for more, but Draco gripped her hard. He commanded his own rhythm when he started to move deep inside of her. Hermione could feel the velvet hardness in her and started moaning again, this time in a sweet concert with his own expressions of desire. With a strong grip of his hand and her neck, he repositioned her so that she leaned forward now, her hands braced on his knees. His hand remained at her neck, the other arm embracing her. He kept her close to him, her left breast bounced down on his arm with every powerful thrust of him. Draco sped up his movements and hammered into her so fast that their reflections blurred and she had to close her eyes. She felt his balls beneath her clenching and knew he would come soon. When she paid him back with a forward tilt of her pelvis, his tip touched the spongy walls in the front of her tight passage. He shouted his release then, unable to control the spasms of his cock when he spilled his seed deep in her. He rode out his orgasm, and Hermione, who was close even before he stimulated her g-spot, came zealously when she heard and felt their combined juices trickling out of her. The passionate insanity didn't end there, but continued into the wee hours of the morning. They fucked restlessly, every orgasm leaving them long for more. Utterly spent, they fell into a dreamless sleep with their limbs entangled when the first sunrays fell through Draco's bedroom window and on the crimson evidences of their first night together on his bedside table.