This Bitter Earth

by Ikorous

Control isn't the only thing Draco Malfoy has lost. But he will get it back. He will get everything bac

17. SEVENTEEN

A/N: This chapter picks up right where the last one ended since it was split. Thank you again, to the amazing and wonderful Bree for betaing and providing the song for last chapter and this one. Enjoy, my dear readers!

Soundtrack- "Set Me on Fire" by Estelle and "Set Me on Fire" by Birdmask

SEVENTEEN

.

Hermione rubbed the towel against her hair as drops of water rolled off the ends of her curls. She hated magically drying her hair. Somehow it made it even more frizzy so Hermione did the best she could with the towel and when it was merely damp, she pulled on her clothes and headed out of the bathroom.

The hot shower had helped her sore muscles. Training had taken more out of her than she realized it would and she was already dreaming of tucking herself under Draco's arm in their much too little bed.

She could feel her shirt sticking to her skin as she walked down the hall and back to the room she shared with Draco. No one had mentioned anything about the fact that they were sleeping in the same bed, but Hermione had caught a fair share of sideways glances. She met them when she could, daring anyone to speak, but so far no one had.

Her relationship with Draco wasn't a secret and she wasn't keeping it from anyone. They all knew. Still, Hermione treaded softly passed the door to Harry and Ron's room before opening the one right next to it and slipping inside.

She stopped at the sight of the empty bed.

The door shut behind her.

Before Hermione could even turn, a strong hand grabbed her long loose curls, wrapping them around his hand a few times before pulling her head back to stare into silver eyes.

"You took your sweet time in the shower. Were you thinking about me in there?" He spoke in a low, deep voice which seemed to match the mischievous glint in his eye.

"No," Hermione breathed out. "I was trying to work out the knots in my shoulders."

Draco's other hand ran lightly down her arm and Hermione felt goosebumps follow his touch. "Your arms are still sore? Well you probably shouldn't use them then."

She heard a familiar clink and then felt the cold clasp of metal around her wrist. The chains from the Manor. Hermione shivered. The last time she had these on, she had been cut into and watched Crookshanks die. Not to mention the days she had spent attached to his bed, not knowing if she was ever going to get free, get out.

"You know how to take them off. We don't have to use them if you don't want to."

Draco's cool fingers traced the skin around the cuffs, cooling her heated blood pounding down her arms.

She knew how to get out. She wasn't trapped. And… Draco was here. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. She trusted him. Hermione didn't want to live in fear, didn't want to let those terrible memories take her over. Draco had always known how to stop her brain from churning.

"Lectio Nefastus," she whispered and the chains fell loudly to the floor.

Draco watched her carefully, his expression unreadable. His grip on her hair loosened slightly, but he didn't let go of her completely.

"I just wanted to try it. Make sure I knew how." Hermione looked deep into his eyes. "You can put them back on."

Her choice this time. She wasn't losing control, she was giving it. And Draco took it.

His lips pulled in a smirk and he bent down to pick up the chains. Hermione felt her blood start to race through her at his langious movements. He was taking his time, letting her get excited for it.

Giving her a chance to say no.

Draco let go of her hair and spun her around. He angled his head, dragging his eyes over her body. She had changed for bed in the bathroom. The t-shirt and shorts were soft and big and Hermione could feel her nipples brushing against the worn fabric.

"I want to chain you to the bed."

Those words moved through her and pushed heat down into her core.

Draco's mouth was partly open, breathing regulated and controlled. Barely.

"I want to use you, tease you. Train you."

Her mouth was dry because every bit of moisture had sunk low and was threatening to drip out of her as the tight muscles in her lower stomach clenched.

"Do you want that, pet?" Draco asked in a sultry voice. He ran a single finger along her jaw, pushing her chin up. "Chained down and finally free to be the little whore we both know you are?"

She felt lightheaded which was strange because there were about a hundred images that were racing through her mind right now. She saw the want on her face, reflected in the deep blacks of his eyes, surrounded by storming grey.

Draco leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I know your pussy does." She felt his lips twitch in a smirk against her skin. "Your legs are already shaking, Granger."

She looked up at him, fearful and… excited. An intoxicating combination that paired so well with the creamy parchment and crisp minty smell of Draco. Her legs were indeed shaking, leftover energy flowing into them from the quivering inside her. Hermione glanced back at the bed.

"I should probably lay down then."

The crooked grin that cracked on Draco's face made her heart jump. He hadn't looked at her like that in… Goodness, it had been so long.

His tongue darted out and ran over his lips, wetting them right before he gave her a quick nod. "Yes. You should."

Hermione felt like she was floating as she turned and climbed onto the bed. This didn't feel real, like it was only happening in her head, but as she laid back and Draco's form loomed over her it was impossible to deny reality. How she had turned him down for months she had no idea because right now, Hermione had no desire to be anywhere else than chained up for him.

Her Draco.

"Hands up."

The sharp order got her attention and Hermione lifted her hands above her head. Draco made quick work of the chains, looping them around the bars of the headboard and snapping them closed over her wrists. His hands stayed on them for a moment and she watched him take a deep breath before he stood back up.

"Wait—" Hermione said quickly and Draco froze. "We need a silencing charm."

His expression just barely softened. "Do we? I don't plan on letting you come for a while, kitten."

Oh my. Draco had mentioned to her before how he wanted to spend hours touching her and teasing her. And the last time he had tied his belt around her wrists he certainly had made the most of the experience, drawing it out to make her almost senseless with want. Was that what tonight was going to hold in store for her?

She squeezed her legs together.

"Please."

Draco tutted. "Already begging. Well," he turned and picked up his wand from the top of the dresser, "Good thing I don't fancy Potter or Weasley wanking themselves dry to the sound of your desperate moans."

Hermione's spine solidified at the sight of the wand in Draco's hands. Her mind rushed through different scenarios, screaming at her for being so foolish. He had her helpless, he could just turn and walk out. He could imperius her and make go with him. He could turn on them all and—

"Silencio."

The thoughts stopped.

"I guess I've got more work to do than I thought," he said in a low voice, looking down at the wand in his hands. It sparked red and Draco gave it a shake, as if he was dispelling excess energy from it.

"Draco, I—" She wanted to explain. Tell him that she didn't really think that, but during those months of being locked away she had prepared herself for the worst possible situation and she couldn't just turn that part of her off. Even if she wanted to.

"It's okay, Sweetheart. You just don't know how good you look right now." He brushed his fingers over her thigh, trailing them up. "You don't know how fucking sexy you are, chained to a bed. Because if you did, you'd know that there is nowhere else I would be right now."

Hermione bit her lip, that heady mixture of anticipation and arousal surging through her again.

"Except maybe… here." He cupped in between her legs, pressing the heel of his hand against her mound and probing the soft cotton of her shorts with his long fingers.

Hermione pressed her head back into the pillow, her hips automatically lifting up to press into his hand.

Draco gave a small chuckle. "Whore."

Hermione was emboldened by her heated desire. "For you."

His eyes flashed. "That's right, kitten. Mmm, training you is going to be a treat." Draco smirked. "For me, at least."

He wiggled his fingers against her before pulling away and quickly yanking his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor. His trousers were next, dropping them and then charming them to hang on the back of the door.

Because the pants belonged to him, whereas the shirt was borrowed. Draco took care of what was his and didn't care about the rest.

Hermione fought the roll of her eyes, knowing he would punish her for it. Draco climbed in between her legs, prying them open with his own and settling on his knees which he was using to keep her legs spread wide. Her shorts slid up her thighs, baring more skin to Draco who drank down the sight of her like she was fire whisky.

And maybe she was. She felt hot and dizzy; not all that different from when she had opened the bottle in his room and let her inhibitions go. The memory of his mouth on her, his tongue sliding over and into her was enough to make her pull at the chains a little. Was he going to do that again tonight?

Godric, she hoped so.

Draco was looking down at her like he was thinking the same thing. Then, his eyes snapped up to hers.

"The first rule of training is proper attire. Normally I'd have you in black for this, but…" He lifted the hem of her shirt a few inches. "Bare will do too."

He slowly began to pull her shirt up over her stomach and Hermione took a moment to look at his own body while he undressed hers.

The gouged scar on his thigh, tearing through the flesh down to the muscle pulled tight as he leaned forward. He had gotten that one from Greyback. Draco had never told her how exactly, but Hermione didn't need details to know what sort of danger Draco had been inp. She had spent enough time around Bill to know that Greyback could do much more damage than that. Hermione wondered what Draco had done to stop him.

His fingers grazed over her ribs as he lifted her shirt higher and Hermione's eyes moved up as well to Draco's stomach and chest. Pearly white lines deepened into indented flesh, the scars that had been ripped back open were a dark pink, flushed against the white of his skin. They had grown, deepened.

They looked like… veins in marble. Perfectly imperfect lines crossing and intersecting across his body. For a moment she wished that her hands were not bound. She wanted to touch them, caress them. She wanted to tell him he looked… beautiful.

He had gotten these because of her. For her. Seeing them made Hermione love him even more. They were proof, physical proof on his body, that he loved her. Would do anything for her and had. Draco had done more than she could have ever dreamed of a man doing for her. Before Draco, guys had hardly shown an interest in her and even then, not much more than a passing fancy. He was so different than them, even before he started to have feelings for her. It was as if that first night in the Restricted Section had made him narrow in on her, that slowly everything else started to fall away as he fell in love.

As they fell in love.

Because she was—so—in love with him.

There was no one else she would let chain her to a bed and have their way with her. Only him. Only ever Draco.

Her eyes lifted up as the hem of her shirt brushed over her nipples, shooting sparks down into her chest.

Hermione shivered and Draco started to lift her shirt higher, his eyes sliding over her arms until… they stopped.

His gaze narrowed on her forearm.

She had taken the bandage off before her shower and the cut had healed enough that she didn't wrap it up again.

The M carved into her skin was red and messy, not yet hardened into a full scar, but instead was just new skin, barely holding back the so-called dirty blood underneath it.

Hermione watched the lump in Draco's throat jump as he swallowed dryly. His shining eyes sharpened, glinting like fresh steel.

"I'll fucking kill her."

"It's fine. I'm fine. Draco, look at me. Look at me." Hermione lifted her head from the pillow and Draco's eyes slid down to hers. They were storming, rage barely under control, but surprisingly she wasn't scared. Draco wouldn't hurt her. And he wouldn't let anyone else hurt her either.

"I don't want to think about her or that or anything," Hermione said. "Nothing but you."

Draco closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them the rage and pain was gone, replaced by something deeper, stronger. He wasn't holding back and Hermione could see the hungry need combined with feral love on his face. Draco had chained her up and unleashed himself.

"There shouldn't be any marks on you, but mine," he growled.

Hermione breathed in, letting her Gryffindor courage push the words out of her mouth. "Then give me some new ones." His eyes darted down to the bruise on her inner thigh and then back to her face. "Anywhere you want, Draco. I'm all yours."

The last shadow of fury bled from his eyes as the pupils expanded, leaving twin rings of silver encapsulating them.

Draco cocked an eyebrow up. "Anywhere I want?"

Hermione felt a shiver as her own anxiety melted, replaced by excitement over whatever dirty thing Draco had fantasized over.

"Anywhere," she whispered.

Draco pushed her shirt up over her face, leaving it there so that she couldn't see. Right when she opened her mouth to protest, Hermione felt Draco's lips close around one of her nipples, tongue swirling and flicking against her and all that came out was a stuttered, moaning gasp.

Her back arched, following him up as he sucked, pulling her nipple into his mouth. Finally he let it pop from his mouth and Hermione had just enough of her brain left to imagine him grinning down at her. What she didn't imagine was the sharp smack that followed. His hand collided with the side of her breast, stinging the tender flesh he had just so lovingly suckled.

She blinked underneath the shirt, still shrouded in darkness. Draco followed up the slap by cupping and rubbing the sore spot. When she took another breath, he slapped it again, forcing the air sharply out of her lungs.

His hand returned, caressing her in the same way as before and when he squeezed she thought he was going to smack her again, but instead Hermione felt his lips close around her other nipple, licking and hardening it in his mouth.

As his hands moved over her heated breasts, the soreness began to feel… good. He grazed his teeth over her nipple with a low noise and kissed it softly. Hermione readied herself for the sting and when his hand swatted her breast she twisted a little and a breathy moan slipped out of her mouth.

"Mmm, you like that?" Draco purred as flicked a tongue against the second nipple. "I've always wanted to see if your tits would get as red as your ass if I smacked them."

Hermione could feel her chest rising and falling quickly with each breath. She wasn't sure what she wanted, his mouth to suck and lick at her or his hand to come back down sharp and hard.

"Are they?" she asked in a soft voice.

Draco grabbed her breasts, squeezing them with strong hands and pushing them together. "Hmm, not quite."

Smack. Smack. One after another. He alternated, hitting, kissing, licking, squeezing, smacking, sucking. Until Hermione cried out as he flicked a flat nail against one of her swollen nipples.

She felt wet and ready. All the heat and sensitivity from her breasts had moved under her skin, down in between her legs and she felt like he didn't start touching her there, she was going to cry.

Draco gave a satisfied grunt and gathered her breasts in his hands again. His fingers felt cool and calming against the tender skin and Hermione breathed in so deeply that her shirt pressed against her mouth.

"Fucking beautiful." He leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth, moaning as he felt her squirm under him.

Hermione keened, lifting her lower body up and trying to… just trying to get him to touch her. It wouldn't take much, not now, not after that.

Her skin was humming, rushing to feel every part of him that brushed against her. But Draco was crafty and made sure that his legs kept hers apart so she couldn't even press them together to get a modicum of relief. Normally Draco liked to overwhelm her with sensations, make her fall into a world of nothing but him and bliss and him, but this time he was keeping it all from her.

Why?

"I'd say that is a good start to your training," Draco squeezed her breasts hard and then released them.

"Draco," she begged. She needed his hands on her, she didn't think she could stand it if he stopped touching her right now.

"You like that?" Draco pinched one of her nipples. "There are clamps that do this. I would love to see you all strung up, Granger." His voice lowered and Hermione whimpered. "Mmm, I think you'd love it too."

He gave it a final twist and then released her. He clapped his hands together and Hermione jumped at the sound.

"Now that your tits are all red and raw I think we can move on."

Oh God, yes. Hermione angled her hips, ready. So very ready.

Draco placed a single finger on her lips, the cotton of her shirt soaking in the moisture of her mouth. He traced over them, running his finger softly, slowly over the curve of her bottom lip and then the gentle swoop of her top lip. It was tantalizing, feeling the thin layer of fabric between them, making it all feel more… more.

"Open your mouth."

She obeyed and Draco dipped his finger in, pushing her shirt against her tongue and into her mouth. "Suck on it."

Hermione closed her mouth around his finger and felt the cotton soak as she pulled it further in, cradling his finger with her tongue.

"Good," he said silkily. "Good girl. Mmm, are you going to be this good for me when I've got this finger in your pussy?"

Hermione nodded, not wanting to open her mouth to answer and risk… Goodness. She almost thought 'risk losing marks'. Her insides clenched tightly, wondering if Draco would give her a grade if she asked for it.

She wasn't going to now, instead Hermione sucked harder, showing her compliance through action since she couldn't use her words.

Draco gave another one of the deep chuckles she had come to love so much. "Are you going to let it go?"

Hermione paused. Was he asking her to do that now? She stopped sucking, but made sure to keep his finger in her mouth when she nodded.

Draco leaned down, his face inches above hers. She couldn't see through the shirt, but she could feel him hovering here. "Even when you are so close, just about to come and your tight little hole is just begging for a little more? Will you let it go for me?"

Hermione was glad Draco couldn't see the broken expression on her face. So that is what he meant by training. Her mind quickly flashed back to a sunny afternoon in the library where Draco briefly explained to her what edging was and now… she was about to find out first hand.

Hermione whimpered around his finger and Draco slowly withdrew it. She knew he wanted an answer, that was another early lesson he had taught her. She closed her eyes and breathed out a pitiful, "yes" against the soaked shirt.

"Yes, what?" Draco asked.

"Yes, sir," she corrected.

Draco sat back up and Hermione laid there, waiting.

"Well, I suppose we can begin then."

Begin? Hermione already felt ready for release. Her arms were still sore and her shoulders protested everytime she pulled against the chain. But it wasn't bad when she stayed still. Her muscles were stretched, but she didn't have to use them for anything. Had Draco planned that out? A way to keep her comfortable while he… enjoyed himself?

Because even with her eyes covered by her shirt, she could tell that Draco was having a great time with her helpless underneath him. She could feel it in his touch, hear it in his breathing. Hermione closed her eyes and let her body do her feeling for her.

Draco's hands slid down her sides, strumming her ribs and dancing lightly over her stomach, down to the band of her knickers. Hermione's breath stuttered, shaking her slightly as he traced a finger just underneath them. He followed it up with the tip of his wand.

"I don't know why you wear these," he mused. "Like anything could keep me out."

Hermione felt the cotton fade from her skin and the feel of bareness spread over her open legs.

"There you are," Draco whispered and Hermione shuddered. His fingers traced her inner thighs and her hips lifted unconsciously, trying to extend his touch. Draco pulled away and Hermione's mouth opened for a small whine.

"Greedy girl," he chided and Hermione fell back against the bed once more, chest rising and falling as she sucked in air through her shirt. "Don't you know tonight is for me? You had your fun today. Running around with your little friends. Now it's my turn to play, pet."

He flattened his hand against her lower stomach, fingers stretching down to part her and hold her open. Hermione's heart was racing, beating so hard she could feel it pumping in between her legs.

Draco's breath graced across her, sending goosebumps over her heated flesh. "This is for me. Do you understand?" Hermione nodded under the shirt, unsure if he was able to see her or not. "This is for me. You are for me. Tonight," Draco paused and she held her breath, "is all for me."

Her heart jumped in her throat.

"You will not move unless I say so."

It pounded, pumping blood into her bound arms.

"You will not speak unless I say so."

Her throat closed around it.

"You will not come unless I say so."

Rules. Hermione had always been good at following rules.

"You may say 'yes, sir'."

Hermione's heart slid back into place, ready.

"Yes, sir."

"That's one of the things I love best about you, how quick you are, Granger." Draco flicked his tongue against her clit and Hermione bit back a moan. "And how wet your pussy gets for me. I love that too."

Her thighs tensed, ready and hoping he would do it again. Draco didn't. His lips fell to the fading bruise on her inner thigh, kissing it softly. She couldn't stop the heavy sigh from releasing, pushing out all the oxygen from her chest only to fill again and expand. Her breasts, still warm and tender, felt heavy. She needed him to touch her, more than just his lips' gentle pressure against her bruise.

She needed him to move inside her, press down on her, make her cry and scream and everything Draco always did.

He seemed content to torture her by kissing her thigh, softly nipping at the sensitive skin while her center lay mere inches away, open and exposed and… ignored.

"You should put a stasis charm back on it." Hermione blinked under her shirt. She had to do something to get him to touch her. Even if it was a punishment. She could feel heat coiling deep in her and Draco was doing nothing to give her any relief from it.

He was going to let her lie there and burn.

"Put the charm back on it so it will be there for you next time," she offered, hoping that it was enough to make him turn his head and continue kissing in a much more needed place.

Draco swiped his tongue over the warm bruise. "Don't need to. I'll never be gone long enough for it to heal." He sucked on it a little, biting it slightly before pulling back. "I'll keep it here myself."

Draco reached up and roughly squeezed her breast. Hermione sucked in air, pulling her shirt against her lips again.

"Wouldn't you like that, kitten? Spreading you open and marking you up every night? Does that make your pussy wet?"

He let go and Hermione's stomach quivered as his hand moved down in between her legs, fingers sliding into her slit.

"Mmm, it does. Just the idea of it has got you dripping for me." Draco chuckled and Hermione whimpered, biting down hard on her lip. He moved his fingers up, lighting gliding over her swollen bud and Hermione couldn't help but moan at the contact.

Draco spread her lips open and softly ran his middle finger over it. Hermione shook, the chains pulling hard against the bars of the bed.

He lightly petted her, giving her just enough to keep her aching for more. Her skin felt tight and hot, her breaths came short and fast, enhancing the burning pleasure spreading up through her. She was right there, sparks about to shoot off with Draco's next stroke.

She waited.

And waited.

It didn't come.

Draco pulled his hand away.

"No!" Hermione tried to move, tried to close her legs and squeeze them together. Tried to pull her hands from the cuffs and just… finish what he started. After that he could have her however he wanted her. She'd let him, she wouldn't fight him just as long as…

Draco's hands pressed on her hips and held her down, open and unfulfilled.

She wanted to cry at the sound of his soft laugh. His breath billowed against her and Hemrione gasped as the heat from it turned cool. It felt like she was being punished, being so close and having it all ripped away.

It was torture.

"Please… please," she begged.

"No." His voice was deep and gravely. She could picture his grey eyes, hard as granite in his denial.

Hermione's mind spun, trying to figure out how to change his mind. What did she need to say? To do? What did Draco need in return?

She came up empty. In more ways than one.

"Why?" she squeaked.

Draco lazily walked his fingers over her thigh. "Because, pet, this is what you do to me. Every day. I would spend the rest of my life buried inside you if I could."

Hermione felt something inside her melt as his words. The rest of their lives. Would they really get to spend them together? Like this?

Goodness, she wanted that more than anything. More than…

Draco trailed his finger down her center, brought another alongside it, and thrust them into her until his hand lay flush against her. She cried out, body tightening and tried to make sense of what was happening. Not being able to see was making her disoriented, but also made everything feel more… intense.

He moved them a little inside her and Hermione gasped.

"You broke the rules."

She clenched around his fingers and felt him press them in deeper.

"You spoke without permission. You moved without permission. You would have come if I didn't stop you..."

Well she had only broken the first two because he did stop her, but maybe right now wasn't the best time to point that out, not if she wanted him to keep moving his fingers like that.

"Slut."

Hermione felt a tremor move through her as he sped up a little, sliding his fingers against one another, stroking her on the inside. She always loved hearing dirty words come out of his mouth. Something about it freed her. Made her feel comfortable enough that she could give in to the baser desires she had. Draco, and his silver tongue, made her feel safe in a way that she could bare the most secret parts of herself.

"You are, you know," Draco said as his hand moved quicker. "A dirty slut. Fucking teasing me today, telling me how wet you were for me and then walking off. Did you think that was funny? Making me watch you, your tight little body twist and turn as you pranced around pretending like I wasn't even there?"

Hermione let out a low moan, trying to hold it in, but she only had enough self control to keep her body from moving to meet Draco's hand. The embers of her ruined orgasm were starting to fan into flames again.

"Are you going to pretend now?" Draco's voice was in her ear, rough and raspy. "Pretend my fingers aren't about to make you come?"

Maybe… if she was good enough, laid still enough, he would let her.

Draco gave a harsh laugh and she felt him shift to sit back up. "They're not."

He pulled them from her and Hermione bit the shirt, grinding it between her teeth as the flames sputtered and died, their heat burning her blood. Her whole body shook with the unreleased energy.

"Oh fuck," Draco let out a low breath. "That's so fucking hot. Watching your pussy gape and beg for me. Fuck…"

Hermione didn't even realize she was crying, the only thing she could feel was the ruined orgasm falling apart inside of her.

Draco smeared the moisture on his fingers over her chest and smacked her breast again, making the tender skin there flame with pain. It felt good. Almost too good. She couldn't hold back the moan that slipped from deep inside her. She didn't want to. She wanted him to do it again.

When he didn't, Hermione thought she might burst through her skin. She had to do something to get him to touch her again. She had to.

"Fuck me." Having her face covered made her feel braver and even though he'd punish her for speaking at least he would touch her. And just maybe, he'd do what she begged him for. "I want to feel your big cock and come on it like the good slut I am."

Hermione sat breathless for two seconds before the bed creaked under her.

Her shirt was roughly pulled up over her head and Hermione gulped down the fresh air, staring up into Draco's mercury eyes, storming with lust. His mouth was parted and he was breathing almost as heavily as she was. She had a small measure of satisfaction knowing this experience was affecting him too.

It wasn't enough. She needed more.

Draco took her face in one of his hands, pressed his fingers into her cheeks and held it, making her look up at him.

"Say that again."

Hermione blushed. It was one thing to say that when he couldn't see her, it was another to look into his eyes and repeat it back to him.

"I… I want to feel… you… inside m—"

"You want to feel what?"

Hermione gasped as the head of his cock pressed into her opening with just enough pressure to make her heart thump.

"Say it, kitten. Tell me what you want."

Hermione bit her lip again and tasted something metallic. She had been biting it for a while and finally, staring into Draco's eyes, must have made her bite hard enough to bring the blood to the skin.

"You know what I want."

Draco smirked and slid his length against her, rubbing it over her clit and making her mouth open wider while her brows pushed together.

Her lip pulsed with her heartbeat and Draco flicked his tongue against it. "I do. You want me to fuck you stupid with my massive cock."

Hermione stared up at him, the short hair made the angles of his face seem sharper. His cheekbones cut under the skin, sliding down to his mouth which hung less than an inch over hers. So close, but still so far.

"You can speak now, Sweetheart. I want to hear all those dirty thoughts you never want to say."

She didn't want to play games anymore, didn't want to be denied. Anything could happen. Tonight, this night, could be their last. Everything was up in the air, but Hermione was chained down, and Draco could pull back and leave her wanting again.

So Hermione said the words she had never been brave enough to utter out loud before.

"I want you to fuck me forever."

Draco's eyes were molten, the silver shining like she had never seen it before. His hand shifted, no longer gripped her cheeks, but cupped her face instead and rubbed his thumb over the apple of her cheek.

"Tell me you love me."

Hermione found the words coming out before she even summoned them. Like they were there, waiting on him.

"I love you, Draco."

He groaned and lined himself up with her again.

"Say it again."

"I love you."

Draco slammed his lips on hers and thrust himself inside her. Hermione opened for him; her mouth, her legs, her heart… all of her was—His. His. His.

She felt it with each thrust, each movement. She didn't think she would ever stop loving Draco, no matter what he did. Because he made her feel like this. He made her feel everything. Draco made her feel like they were the only people who mattered in the world. That everything else could burn and blow away into ash, but they would be here.

Their love wouldn't burn out or fade away. It would engulf everything else.

Draco's tongue was in her mouth, sliding against hers as he moaned what might have been her name. He pushed his hips hard into hers, rocking himself inside her as if he was being pulled in by gravity.

"Fuck," Draco growled as he broke their kiss. He reached up, steading himself by grabbing onto the headboard with one hand. "Do you know how many times I thought about fucking you with these chains on?"

Hermione felt his muscles tense as he slowed. She lifted her legs to curl around his waist and Draco responded by pushing himself deeper. She could feel the pressure of him pushing against the underside of her navel, taking up every inch of space inside her. It was… so much. It hurt, but… Goodness, she couldn't get enough of it.

"I did too," she admitted. The truth was being pushed out of her as Draco drove himself in again.

His breathing halted and he looked down at her with a strange combination of shock and… wow. Draco had always been possessive, but in that moment it seemed to take him over, his control slipping as something primal surfaced from deep within. His hand closed over her left breast, fingers digging in as he squeezed it hard.

Draco kissed her again, sucking on her bruised bottom lip and pulling it up as he lifted his head. Hermione cried out as he let it go and sucked it back into her mouth. It throbbed and bled and tasted like him.

"Oh God, Draco!"

"This is mine." He buried himself fully in her and a small scream slipped up her throat. He was breathing heavily and gripped the chains in his hand, pulling them tight.

"Your pussy is mine. You are mine." Draco pushed his full length inside her and she felt her body quake around him. The flames inside her were growing again. They licked up the sides of her body, warming the blood under her skin as it reached higher and higher.

"Is this what you wanted? Your pussy full of my cock?" His lips brushed against hers and Hermione tilted her face up towards him. With no other way to hold onto Draco, she tightened her legs around him, her body moving with each of his thrusts.

"You want to come on it," he breathed in her ear, voice heavy and hot.

Hermione closed her eyes, letting the pleasure surge through her. "Yes. Please."

"But do you know what I want?"

She opened her eyes to see a gleam in his eyes.

"Draco…" she begged.

"I want you to lay here like a good little whore while I fuck you." He grabbed her breast again and pulled on her nipple, pinching it before letting it go. "Can you do that?"

Hermione nodded; she'd let him do just about anything right now as long as he let her—

"But I don't want you to come."

The noise that came out of her mouth was nothing more than pathetic.

"Not yet, Sweetheart."

Her breathing was coming fast and hard.

"Draco," she panted, the pleasure already pumping through her. "Please… I… Please!"

He kissed her roughly, stealing the breath from her lips and arched his back, pushing painfully into her. It shot through her, making her muscles tighten and the shock of pleasure that followed made her eyes roll back.

"I know you're close, fuck, I can feel it."

Hermione panted, her body closing in on him and she felt the deep pressure building, stronger and faster. Having him deny her twice made the fire in her burn almost white hot. Her mind went blank as her body began to shake, right there… right… there…

"Don't." Draco didn't stop. He pumped himself into her, filling and stretching her. "Don't come, Granger. Not yet."

She… Oh God, how many times was he going to do this to her? Give her everything just to take it all away.

Draco was breathing heavily and she could feel his movements starting to become jerkier as his own need began to drive him on.

"Look at me." It was an order and Hermione obeyed. Draco was staring down at her, fighting himself to try and stay composed. "Keep your eyes on me," he said between heavy breaths. "This is for me." Draco shoved himself all the way in and Hermione cried out.

"You look—" he kissed her hard. "So hot right now." He timed his words with particularly sharp thrusts. "Fucking chained to a bed, my handprint on your tits—"

"Draco, I'm about to—"

"Shh, kitten. Let it go."

She cried, right at the edge and fighting not to fall over it. She didn't know if she could. She didn't think she could stop this.

"Let me have this." She could feel his balls hitting her as he slammed himself into her. "Fuck, you're so tight and warm. I love your pussy. Perfect little hole on the perfect little whore." He dropped his head, groaning and Hermione stared up at him, feeling him throb inside her. "And all mine. This is what we're training for. I want you to hold back. I want you to stay just like this, tight and needy and fuck, just like that!"

She watched him as he reached his breaking point. Her hands twisted in the cuffs and Draco gripped the headboard harder, the muscles turning into hard bands along his arm. He wasn't hiding from her, every thought and feeling was etched into his expression of agonizing pleasure.

Hermione tightened her legs, trying to dispel some of the pent up energy by clinging onto him with her thighs. She whimpered, trying to temper the fire inside that was begging to roar free.

"That's it, yes Granger, fucking squeeze me. Oh fuck, it's too good." He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them, the misty grey color hazed over with a glaze of lust. "It feels good for you too, doesn't it? Holding it right there, keeping it pent up." He grinned at her. "I knew you'd love to be edged. Fucking filthy, you are."

Hermione cried out. Something was happening. She wasn't sure what, but her body was fighting her mind for control. She knew it was a losing game. She wouldn't be able to last much longer.

"Draco!" She twisted her arms a little, turning her head back and forth as her blood raced through her, pressing hard against her skin.

He kissed her, short and rough, shoving his tongue in her mouth and pressing his teeth into her lips. She felt her body quake. It was too much. All too much and she couldn't—

Draco pulled himself from her and wrapped his hand around his cock, veins standing out and straining along the length. He hissed as he fucked his own hand above her, all reason absent on his face as he gave in to his desire.

Hermione felt tears slip down the sides of her face, running into her hair as Draco shot himself on her breasts. He was moaning, mixing her name up with expletives and all the while, looking right down at her, his eyes never leaving hers as he emptied everything he had over her pounding heart.

When he was done, his shoulders slumped and his arms relaxed. The scars on his torso softened as the muscles underneath released, still there, but no longer cutting into his skin. Draco panted for a while, just looking down at her. His jaw hung open and his brows slid back into their normal position. The almost feral look in his eyes softened in satisfaction.

He was sated and… happy. Happy with her.

She, on the other hand, felt the exact opposite. Hermione was burning with denial, refusal. It blocked out everything else from her mind. She needed this, she needed him. Somewhere, in the very back of her head, Hermione wondered if this feeling right here was the reason why Draco had done this tonight.

He said this is what she did to him. Was this burning need what he felt all the time? Knowing that right now, she would do anything, everything, to get what she so desperately needed?

The answer was yes. Draco wanted to grab her and snatch her away, keeping her all for himself. And he was holding back for her. Training. Learning. Changing.

"You're so fucking beautiful." His voice was soft and thick like velvet. Draco sat back in between her legs and cupped one of her breasts, something warm slid down to the valley between them. "Tits all marked up and covered in come." Draco swallowed. "Fuck."

He reached down and picked up the shirt he had thrown to the floor. Gently he cleaned it off of her, careful not to agitate the tender skin, still imprinted with the shape of his hand. Hermione watched him. It was… strangely intimate. Draco had cast cleaning or vanishing charms before, but this felt… loving.

She laid her head back on the pillow, focused on breathing, and let Draco take care of her. He mumbled and a bit of warm water dampened the shirt as he ran it down her chest to in between her legs, cleaning her with just as much precision and attention as he had spent on working her up.

When he was done, he threw the shirt back down and leaned over her, kissing her softly.

"You're the best fuck I've ever had and the only one I ever want." He locked his eyes on her. "My only."

Hermione's heart swelled. Hearing his declaration mixed with the arousal still swirling in her made for a strange combination. One that she couldn't say she didn't like. Draco had been right, she enjoyed it. Liked having him have that power and control over her. Liked that for even just a little while, she didn't have to do anything but feel.

Maybe there was more than one reason he had done this tonight and knowing Draco, there was always a second motive.

Which meant he wouldn't leave her like this, desperate and wanting. She had been worried that he would. He had it in him to work her up and then just let her smolder just to prove a point. He had done it before, not quite to this extent, but it seemed everything was getting more intense these days.

His hand slid in between her thighs again, just holding her. Hermione canted her body up, trying to rub against him. Anything, just to feel a little more. It wouldn't take much now; she was still perched so close to the edge.

"You want to come, don't you, pet?"

Hermione nodded quickly, still moving, trying to create some friction between her center and the large hand covering it.

"Not like this though," Draco smirked and Hermione's heart skipped a beat. He lowered his mouth to her ear one more time. "I'm dying to taste you again."

Bubbles rose up in her, surging and filling her chest until she felt like she might burst.

Draco licked along the shell of her ear and Hermione moaned as a shiver ran down the entire right side of her body, settling directly in between her legs.

"Look at you… you're just aching for it. All worked up and no release. I bet I could make you come in seconds."

"Yes, please, oh God, please, Draco!" It was little more than a breathy whisper, but it made him grin mischievously as Draco moved back, sliding his arms under her legs and positioning himself between her thighs. Her blood was already humming with anticipation and seeing Draco's eyes flash bright and then dark as he looked at her made her strain against the chains.

Draco ran his tongue along each side of her, never letting it leave her skin before taking the tip and circling her clit. More teasing. More torture.

And Godric help her, she loved it.

"One," Draco counted.

Hermione lifted her head, tring to watch him over her heaving chest.

He lowered down a little and she felt his tongue pierce her, sliding inside her. Draco tilted his head so that he could curl the tip of his tongue in her, licking inside her entrance.

Hermione's head fell back and she felt the white hot flames flare up inside her, eating her alive.

"Two." Draco smacked his lips, licking them salaciously as she let out small moans with each breath. He was right, this wasn't taking any time at all. Her body was taunt and tense, sweat breaking out over her skin as her legs tried to straighten and her toes curled.

"Three," Draco murmured and dipped his head back down. His mouth covered her clit, dragging his tongue against it. The skin was soft, but the pressure he applied was firm and Hermione felt the flames engulf her, finally raging into the firestorm that had been brewing all night.

Her moan rose, turning into a scream as he closed his teeth softly around her, holding her clit in place as he flicked the tip of his tongue against her.

Hermione's body was wracked with convulsions and Draco held on, never letting go of her. He sucked softly, any harder and it would have been too much. Everything felt magnified and Hermione felt like she was living flame, twisting and turning, burning and searing this feeling into her.

Draco placed a single soft kiss against her, just as he had earlier before sitting up again, running his hands up her sides, cooling the heated skin. He grabbed her breasts, pushing them together and quickly sucked on each nipple before hovering over her face.

"Did you like that?"

Hermione nodded, not able to do much else.

Draco murmured the passphrase for the chains and they clicked open. He pulled them from the headboard and they clanked loudly as they hit the floor. He lifted her arms and rubbed them, bringing blood back into the muscles she was sure would still be sore tomorrow, but right now all she could feel was a gentle heat spreading through her.

Draco continued massaging her arms until they felt loose and soft. Then he scooped her up and laid down beside her, placing her facing him and ran his cool hand down her heated back.

She could already feel her body slowing down, the exertions of the day coupled with the build up and crash of tonight was weighing on her. She was exhausted, but sated and happy. Draco had worked out the last bit of energy from her, making sure she didn't lay awake overthinking everything she had done today. It had been exactly what she needed, in so many ways. Just like him.

"That was amazing," she whispered and watched his lips turn up in a smirk.

"Well I wanted to beat my record." He grinned. Hermione smiled back. "Once we do that a few more times and you learn to control your own denial, we can go at it for hours."

Hours. The thought of it sent a shiver of anticipation through her. And… Hermione's heart warmed at the fact that Draco was thinking of a future with her. It hadn't been long since he declared his new allegiance and she was surprised at how well he was taking all of this in stride.

Like he had planned it all along.

"Don't worry, we'll get there. I'll make sure of it."

She curled up closer to him as he pulled the blanket over their bodies. Her chest pressed into his stomach and she ducked her head under his chin.

"I love you, Draco," Hermione murmured into his chest.

Draco's arms closed around her and he kissed the top of her head, leaving his face buried in her hair. "I know you do. And you're never going to stop, are you, Sweetheart?"

She shook her head and cuddled in closer to him, pressing as much of her body against his as she could. "Never."

Hermione felt Draco's cock jump against her hip and smiled.

He sighed and held her tighter. "Neither will I."

.

Draco stood at the top of the stairs and looked down. He didn't want to do this. So far, he had technically not done anything that was working against the Dark Lord. If he left now, he could spin it, say he only stayed because he was wounded. It would be a stretch, but he had the location of an Order safe house, two of them really, that he could hand over.

But his aunt was in one of them and his girl…friend, his girlfriend was in the other. Only, Granger was more than that. More than some stupid little title that told other guys to fuck off. She was his world, his heart, his only.

Last night solidified that. Not that he had any hesitations about it before, but now something had changed in him.

He… didn't want to be the Dark Lord's anymore. His mark ached and he slipped his arm back in the sling again. He didn't want anything but Granger.

He might lose her after this. Once he told them all the terrible things he had done, she might hate him. "I don't want someone like you to love me." She had spent so many months hating him while he loved her. While he burned with it, making the dull ache of his mark nothing more than a mere annoyance compared to the sheer agony of being in love with Hermione Granger.

If Granger hated him after he confessed, what would he do? Leave? Stay? Imperius her and steal her away again? Or… fight for her?

He could cause hell when he wanted to and most of what he had done had been to other Death Eaters. Umbridge had told him the Muggleborns he had sold to the Ministry were being held for use as a labor force after the war.

The magical world would have to rebuild to show the might of their magic and what better way than on the backs of the people who would have seen their world taken from them? People like Granger. And if anything happened to him, he knew what would happen to her.

He wouldn't let it come to that. He'd die before he let someone else touch her. He'd rip them apart, he'd enjoy it. He'd fucking revel in it.

He'd done it before, he could do it again. But this time, it would be for her.

She said she'd never stop loving him. She had laid in his arms and promised him.

And he loved her. Goddamn, he loved her. Not even the fires of hell could burn it out of him at this point. So, maybe it was time to trust her again.

.

Hermione balanced on the edge of her seat, pulling her folded hands from the table into her lap and unconsciously picked at them. She glanced to her left. Draco was leaning back with his legs stretched out languidly. If she didn't know any better, she might even think he was relaxed. He was putting up a fair show of it, but his dark grey eyes darted around just a little too quick and he kept clenching his jaw, making the muscle in the side of his face jut out sharply.

Harry settled in across from her with Ron pulling out the chair parallel to Draco. Hermione saw his hand tighten into a fist. She wasn't the only one. Bill and Fleur took seats at either end of the table and as soon as he sat down, Bill started talking.

"We're not here to attack you, Malfoy."

"No," Draco swung his head towards Bill, "not until after I answer all your questions, right?"

Bill, to his credit, did not rise to the challenge. Hermione was reminded of Mr. Weasley, looking at the calm yet sturdy expression on Bill's face. His scar made his solemn face more distinguished and he seemed less like Ron's cool older brother and more of a full-fledged member of the Order of the Phoenix. To Draco, he must certainly look like the enemy.

Hermione couldn't help but worry what might happen if Draco didn't comply, but… he would. He said he would. She reached out and placed her hand over his fist. Draco glanced down at it and relaxed a little. He didn't take her hand in his, but he didn't pull away either. She gave it a small squeeze.

Harry looked away and pulled his glasses off, cleaning them on the hem of his shirt, but Ron made a face like he had just been told to eat a flobberworm.

"Depends on ze answers, I suppose," Fleur commented and pulled a thin quill and several pages of blank parchment out. She was still upset with him over his continual unhelpful attitude and judging by the glare he shot at her, Draco had not forgiven or forgotten the haircut either.

Fleur, to her credit, tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and gave him a cold sneer worthy of any Slytherin. Draco just looked back down at the table and clenched his jaw again.

"So what do you want to know?" he said with absolutely no intonation in his voice. The only movement in his body was his hand tensing ever so slightly under hers.

Bill leaned forward. "He's been quiet for a while. We need to know what he is planning." There was no need to elaborate on who they were talking about. They all knew who he was; Draco more than any of them.

She saw him roll his left shoulder, arm hanging in the sling. He wore it outside their room since the ache in his arm hadn't subsided. It still had some healing to do, but Hermione knew what was bothering him would never fully heal, his mark.

"Him." Draco jerked his chin forward, towards Harry. "He's looking for him. He's got the Ministry, he's got Britain. All he needs is—"

"Me." Harry's voice was hollow and… so were his eyes. Hermione saw the wear on his face, the tiredness in the way he held himself. He had been fighting just as much as Ron, but whereas Ron had grown muscular, Harry had become thinner. The weight of the war had changed them both. She wondered what Harry or Ron saw when they looked at her now. Hermione glanced at her hand on top of Draco's. It had changed them all.

"Bet you're not so happy about being the Chosen One now, huh, Potter?"

Harry's eyes narrowed. "I never was."

"Sure," Draco scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You think I wouldn't rather have my parents? Wouldn't rather have my girlfriend sitting beside me to hold my hand? You're the one that wanted glory and fame, Malfoy, not me."

Draco stared hard at Harry. Hermione glanced back and forth between them when she caught Ron looking at her, blue eyes flickering with something deep within. Harry had called her Draco's girlfriend, and neither of them had contradicted him. Her heart gave a small leap, but she ignored it. There were more important things to think about right now.

Like the fact that Voldemort was trying to close in on Harry.

"He wants to end it. He's…" Draco's brows furrowed.

"Weakening," Harry finished for him.

Draco looked back up at him, grey eyes calculating and then, he gave a single, sharp nod.

"Something is happening to him."

"Like what?" Fleur whispered.

Harry glanced at Ron and then Hermione, none of them said anything. They knew what was happening to him. The prophecy was coming to a head and… Good Godric… Hermione blinked.

It was happening to Harry too.

"Neither could live while the other survived."

The closer they got to… the end, the weaker they were getting. It was a race to see who could last the longest. Hermione felt a jolt of panic shoot through her arms. Voldemort had horcruxes, Harry didn't.

Her stomach lurched. They were running out of time. Harry looked over at her, green eyes no longer bright, but muted and dark. He knew what this meant. They'd have to leave soon, get back to hunting horcruxes. They had been discussing where to go next, how to get in. They had the sword now so they needed—

Draco's hand slid out from underneath hers, making her break eye contact with Harry when he turned his storming eyes on her for just a moment, but it was long enough.

Draco knew there was something they weren't telling him and judging by the cold look, he wasn't happy about it.

Hermione shook her curls back. She could worry about that later. Right now they needed answers. They needed something that would give them an edge. Something that could let them win.

So Harry would live.

"No clue," Draco said with a shrug, slinking back behind his indolent facade. She knew Draco wouldn't intentionally do anything to hurt her, but that didn't exactly mean he would do everything he could to help the Order. If she was hiding things from him, were there things he was hiding from her?

"So let's say he succeeded," Bill said with an apologetic glance towards Harry. "What was coming next?"

Draco stared at nothing, brooding and silent. Goodness, they didn't have time for this!

"Draco, you said you would help." She didn't bother trying to hide the aggravation in her tone. He needed to understand that this was something important to her, something she needed him to do. For her. For them.

Because… even if Harry… fell, they would still fight on. There were still horcruxes out there and if she and Ron could destroy them, then maybe someone else would have a chance, at some point, to end this.

"Other than world domination?" Draco asked sarcastically. "Sorry to disappoint, but he doesn't call us to chat over tea."

"Then what does he call you for?" Ron interjected. Hermione tensed; she was hoping that they would be able to get through this without much interaction between Draco and Ron, but as Ron placed his forearms on the table, leaning heavily on them, it was clear that he had no plan to stay out of this.

Hermione could feel the energy around Draco change. He had been defensive before, guarded, now he was…

Draco stretched out his arm and placed it around the back of her chair, letting it hang there. "Didn't call me often. I spent most of my time at home, didn't I, Sweetheart?" He played with one of her curls.

Hermione's cheeks burned. She knew what Draco was doing and she didn't care for it. She wasn't a toy for him to play with or show off just to get under Ron's skin. Just because she let him say dirty things in the bedroom didn't mean he got to talk about her like that's what she actually was.

Ron looked like he might start shouting so Hermione took the initiative. "What can you tell us, then? If we are asking the wrong questions, then give us the answers we need." Draco's expression was unreadable, then… it cracked. The smallest sliver of something showed and… Draco was scared. Terrified.

Of course he was. He believed these people would torture him, imprison him, kill him as soon as he gave up his secrets. He had seen the horrors of this war, he had even committed some of them. He knew how prisoners of war were treated first hand.

"We already talked to Mr. Ollivander and Luna, they told us about the dungeon."

"Cellar," Draco corrected.

"Either way," she went on, "they said that you were told to get information from Mr. Ollivander?"

"Then I'm sure he already told you what I got out of him," Draco said bitterly.

"Yes," Hermione pressed on quickly, making sure that no one had the time to jump in and say anything about the fact that Draco had indeed tortured someone. Was she… protecting him? Another question to mull over later. Right now she needed to get Draco talking. "But why? Why did… You-Know-Who want to know about wands?"

"Not wands," Harry said. "One wand, right? The Elder wand."

Draco scoffed again and blew a breath up before he remembered his hair didn't fall into his eyes anymore. "I didn't ask questions. I just did what I was told."

It was hard to think of Draco really willingly following anyone else's orders, but then… he had gotten in trouble a few times at school, but for the most part had gotten through unscathed. Harry used to call him crafty and Hermione had to admit that he was right; Draco knew how to operate within a set of bounds.

It was how he had been able to hunt and find her, how he had been able to keep her for months and might have been years if…

No. No use thinking about any other course of action now. She needed to think about Draco. If Draco had been slippery enough to operate his own agenda while serving as a Death Eater, he certainly would be able to slither his way out of this interrogation. It was almost enough to impress her, if her friends' lives didn't hang in the balance.

"First Daddy and then You-Know-Who. Bet you can't even take a shit without someone telling you to," Ron spat out. "You even kissed Umbridge's ass just for a chance to look important. You probably jumped every time You-Know-Who was handing out assignments."

Cold seeped off of Draco's body. Hermione felt him grip the back of her chair harder and she was glad that his wand was tucked safely in her pocket. Who knew what Draco would do if it was in his hand right now?

"Only one job," Draco said through gritted teeth, and slid his eyes from Ron to Harry. "You."

Harry glared from across the table.

"I offered to hunt you down, Potter. Captured as many Muggleborns as I could to try and find you. Nearly killed your elf after you slipped through our fingers at the Ministry. Old thing had some fight in him though." Draco smirked nastily. "Still loyal to you even with his brains all scrambled."

Harry's eyes flashed behind his glasses. Hermione knew he still felt guilty about Dobby's death; throwing Kreacher in his face had been a low blow.

"So you tortured for him, you sold people to the Ministry. You think doing that under orders and behind a mask makes you any less responsible?" Harry asked, sounding more like himself than he had all day. "Only a coward can't face his crimes. It doesn't matter who ordered it, you still did it."

Draco bared his teeth. "I did. So maybe pissing me off isn't the best idea. Especially since you're too chicken shit to kill anyone."

"And did you?" Harry retorted, aggravation clear in his tone. "What exactly did you do for the past year?''

Hermione knew the answer and knew how hard it had been on Draco to kill Theo. It was different for someone like Ron. He killed to stay alive and to fight against evil. She hated that Ron had been forced to do that, to bear that weight because a life was a life, no matter who lived it.

Hermione glanced back at Draco. He had taken a life too. And for a very different reason than Ron. Or… was it?

She looked between them, Ron sitting tall and proud and Draco, slouching and glaring. The difference was clear; Ron didn't consider himself a murderer, and Draco did.

Was Draco thinking about Theo right now? Was he going to tell Harry what he'd done, blame him for it? Hermione readied herself to jump in the middle of them, if need be.

Draco slid his arm from around the back of her chair and placed it heavily on the table, staring down at where his silver ring used to sit.

His knee started bouncing under the table and Hermione reached out to place a hand on it.

Draco jerked it away. Hermione's hand recoiled as if she'd been burnt. She knew he was in pain, but that didn't mean he had to take it out on her. She was on his side, she was here for him. Didn't she prove that three times over just last night?

She knew she had. And Draco had woken her up by kissing her eyes and running his hands over her, whispering how he wanted to wake up next to her every morning. It… hurt, to have him close off again.

Draco let out a sharp breath through his nose and looked up at the other people around the table. Not her. His lip curled as he spoke.

"I broke into a man's head and tortured him until his eye ran out of the socket. I turned the bones of another man's hand into putty. I abducted one of your Order members, tortured and cut off his finger to get information on a safe house." He turned to Bill. "Mundungus Fletcher. You should tie up that loose end before someone else gets their hands on him."

Draco didn't wait for him to reply, but went on. "I tore into McLaggen's mind and tortured him too. He's dead by the way."

Good Godric…

Hermione was horror struck. Her throat felt like it had constricted with every word he spoke and now they were all blocking the air from getting in. Draco had said it like it was nothing. Cormac… someone they had gone to school with. Someone she had…

"And yes, Potter," Draco sneered. "I'm a killer. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Half of Hermione's heart was stuck, not daring to beat while the other half pumped wildly trying to keep up with her brain's churning and whirling. When had… Did he really do all of… Draco? Her Draco?

Ron looked like he was ready to tear Draco's head from his body. Fleur had stopped writing and was just staring at the person beside her who seemed perfectly calm having told them all about crimes that would earn him a lifetime in Azkaban as if he didn't even care.

He did care, right?

She hadn't realized she was staring at him until he looked over at her, rain grey eyes turning deeper just for a moment before he pulled them away and sat up, making himself taller than anyone else at the table. "I'm not saying sorry. So ask me more questions or fuck off."

Hermione's heart gave a painful beat before Bill started asking about movements, positions, prisoners, supplies, and a million other things that she listened to while she watched Draco.

She blinked when she noticed how dry her eyes had gotten. All of the things Draco had mentioned, said he did, she knew, deep down, why he had. How could she hate him for that without hating herself too? She had never asked Draco to do those things to get to her and even if that wasn't the case, she knew he had done them to survive.

Draco had joined the Death Eaters to save his Father, to help his Mother. He… he had a sense of right and wrong, it was just… skewed. Really skewed, there was no getting around that, but he would have done these things for anyone he loved. He just happened to love her. And here he was, telling the Order about it, coming clean, and giving them information they could use to save lives!

Didn't that count for something? In her book, yes. Dumbledore had said that Draco had to want to be saved, had to do it himself. And wasn't this what that was? What better way to make up for the hurt and pain than to try and save lives? To try and end the war?

Hermione found the answers to her own questions as Bill continued his, now asking about Muggleborns and routes Death Eaters and Snatchers were patrolling. He waited, making sure Fleur had the answers recorded before moving on to the next.

Draco answered them, sounding more dead than alive as each one went on. Every now and then he would stumble or trip over an answer, as if he didn't want to say, but eventually he gave enough information that Bill's line of interrogation slowed.

She was relieved when it did. Even though there were plenty of things Draco hadn't known, what he did was enough for Fleur to fill almost every page she had. Even Hermione had been impressed by how fast she had been able to take notes. It made sense though, Fleur hadn't been picked as a Triwizard Champion without deserving it. It was a little crazy, how they had such strong and powerful people on their side and were still not winning.

Bill looked tired; she was sure hearing just how prepared and strong the Death Eaters were was taking a toll on him. "We know the giants are ready for deployment, how are they being moved over?"

"The giants are here."

Fleur stopped writing and swore under her breath.

Draco went on, still staring down at the table with absolutely no expression on his face. "They came over last new moon. I don't know how, I didn't work with beasts. That was Dolohov and Greyback."

Bill tensed at the mention of the werewolf who had attacked him. He reached up to touch his scar, hand hovering in front of him for a moment before he ran it through his hair, pushing the long strands away from his face.

Hermione looked back at Draco to see him watching.

"He's the one who did that to you?" Draco asked and Bill hesitated before nodding.

"It wasn't a full moon, but he said he didn't wait on them anymore. He was going for my neck when he bit me."

Draco kept his eyes on Bill, tracing his scar.

"My huzband was very brave. 'E attacked Greyback when no one else would." Fleur's bright blue eyes blazed with pride as if she was daring Draco to say something.

Draco sucked his teeth and sat back again. "He gave me one on my leg."

Hermione was shocked. Draco never liked talking about his scars. How many times had she asked him about Greyback and he had shut her down? Now here he was, swapping stories with… Bill Weasley of all people.

"Dug his claws in while I broke the teeth out of his jaw." Draco smirked and if she didn't know any better, she'd think he was enjoying this. "Don't think he will be doing too much biting anymore."

Bill eyed him curiously, as if he was seeing Draco for the first time. "Why would you fight one of your own?"

"Greyback's not one of mine. Let's get that clear," Draco snapped, sounding much like the purist he had been in school. "He's a fucking animal, nothing more. The Dark Lord uses plenty of creatures, Greyback is just one that can walk upright. Most of the time," he added with a disinterested drawl.

"I meant why were you fighting someone on your side?" Bill asked, forgoing the speech Hermione would have given that werewolves were still people and deserved to be treated as such.

Draco laid his arm over the one in the sling and closed his mouth. Any question he had been asked about himself or his own actions had been the hardest to get a straight answer out of him. She didn't expect him to say anything, goodness, he had never even told her the real story behind his encounter with Greyback.

"I used wolves when I hunted," Draco said quietly. "Greyback didn't like that."

Draco had just said how little he thought of werewolves and here he was, admitting that he had allied himself with some. Sometimes she didn't know who was more confused over his actions, him or her.

"When you were tracking me," Harry said.

The corner or Draco's mouth twitched. "Something like that."

Hermione felt a bloom of heat in her face.

"Fleur, have you got everything you need?" Bill asked and his wife nodded, swishing her quill over the page with a flourish.

"Oui. Headquarters needs to know about zis; the giants and Mundungus too." She straightened the pieces of parchment together. "If we leave now, we can be back by sunset."

Bill stood up. "Remus will be interested to know about Greyback. Thanks for that, by the way."

"I didn't do it for you," Draco answered quickly.

Bill grinned. "Still did it though." He followed Fleur out and Draco looked puzzled for a moment, blinking at the door before schooling his face back into impassivity.

It felt different without them in the room, less… formal. Hermione knew Harry had more questions he wanted to ask Draco on their own, things that might lead them to answers about the horcruxes. He had held back while Bill and Fleur had been here, but now, it was just them.

Oh my.

"I have to ask," Harry started, glancing at Hermione before addressing Draco again. "Why did you let us go in the woods?"

Draco went very still, then slowly, his head tilted towards her and he looked at her from the corner of his eye. It was the only indication he gave that this was not something he wanted to talk about, but it was enough. Hermione opened her mouth to change the subject, but Ron spoke first.

"Answer the fucking question, Malfoy," he snarled, ending the uneasy peace they had forged so far. She should have known better than to hope for it to continue. Draco and Ron had hated each other long before they were on opposite sides of a war.

Draco let out a heavy sigh and cocked his head further, a cool disposition washing over him. Suddenly he wasn't the brooding man who was begrudgingly helping them, he was the cruel Slytherin Prince he had been for six years.

"I wanted to get laid," he said simply. "And Granger wouldn't spread her legs if I killed you so—"

Oh God! Hermione's stomach dropped inside her and she might have fallen out of her chair if she wasn't gripping the side of the table like her life depended on it.

Ron jabbed his finger in the air, the rest curled into a shaking fist. "Don't you fucking talk about her like that!"

Draco leaned across the table and sneered in Ron's face. "You should hear the things I say to her at night," he said in a low voice and Hermione felt like she was going to break out in a sweat. "And the noises she makes for me."

"Draco!" Hermione shouted, the lion in her chest roaring with indignation.

Ron pushed himself up, his finger still pointed at Draco. "You say one more thing about her and I'll make you wish we had left you there for Bellatrix to finish off."

Draco merely smirked and wrapped his arm around her again, pulling her so close to him that she teetered on the edge of her chair. "Jealous, Weasley? You should be. Even after all the times I've had her, she's just as tight as she was the night I fucked through her virginity."

"DRACO!"

Hermione shoved his arm from around her. How dare he say something like that?!

Ron was trying to climb over the table with Harry holding him back. Although it looked like one more smart remark would have Harry following after him.

Draco laughed and leaned back in his chair, balancing on the back two legs.

"This?!" Ron shouted at Hermione. "This is who you want to be with?"

Draco locked eyes with her. He was doing this on purpose, pushing her away. He always did that when he felt threatened and today had surely shaken him.

It didn't make it okay.

She wanted to say something back, shout at him. Make him feel just as low as he made her. Why… why did he do that? He had nearly died trying to save her, but wouldn't even stop hurting her himself.

She had forgotten how Draco could be around others. When it wasn't just the two of them. Hermione dropped her hands into her face. She didn't even want to look at him right now.

"Granger…" Draco placed his hand on her shoulder and she shrugged it off.

"See what you've done?" Ron shouted again.

"Don't be a dick to her, Malfoy," Harry cut in. "She doesn't deserve that."

"Stay out of this," Draco snarled. "You don't know anything about us."

"You're right," Harry said coolly. "But I know what she was like without you. When you broke her heart last summer. You're fucking lucky she took you back and even more lucky she didn't leave you there to die after what you did!"

Hermione pushed her fingers against her eyelids, praying that the lump in her throat and the burning in her eyes would fade. She didn't want to cry. Not anymore. Not over him again.

She didn't want her friends to fight with him. She didn't want them to think less of her either. She didn't want to feel like this. So, Hermione decided she wouldn't.

She lifted up her face to see Draco looking at her, worried. He should be. He shouldn't just assume he could do anything he wanted and get away with it.

She shoved him. Hard. "You ASS!"

"Hey!" Draco was off balance, his left arm waved in the sling as he tried to stay in his chair.

"You complete—" Hermione slammed her hands into his shoulder.

"Ow!"

"—and total—"

"Shit, Granger, that hurts!"

"ASS!"

Hermione managed to knock him out of his seat and Draco landed with a growl as the left side of his body hit the floor.

"Fucking quit it!" he snarled, grey eyes flashing up at her.

Hermione glared back, putting all her anger and resentment in that one look. She watched as he struggled to get to his feet. Ron sniggered and even Harry looked amused as Draco uneasily got to his feet again.

It was good to see Harry smile.

Draco flopped down in the chair, straightened his sling and started to pout.

Hermione lifted her chin and turned back to her friends. "I think we can continue. Unless, Draco has anything else he wants to add?"

Ron looked much too happy and Hermione had to fight to keep the satisfied smile off of her face. Draco pushed her all the time, it felt good to give as good as she got.

"No?" Hermione asked, keeping her voice light. "Good."

No one said anything for a moment and then Draco rolled his shoulder. "What's next, you want to know my favorite color?"

"We're not here to make friends, Malfoy," Harry said harshly. "We have some very specific questions and you're going to answer them."

"The fuck you think I've been doing?" Draco snarled.

"These are different."

Hermione stiffened. Harry was going to ask Draco about horcruxes.

"Have you ever seen a golden cup? One with a badger on it?"

Draco eyed him carefully. "No."

Ron's brows lowered. "How do we know he's not lying?"

"He's not," Hermione answered. She met Draco's eye for a moment. "I know when he's lying and Draco's telling the truth."

Draco clenched his jaw again. It had taken her a while to catch on, but he had only one tell; when he lied, his pupils contracted. It was miniscule, and to anyone else probably insignificant, but to Hermione, nothing about Draco was too small.

"Your Father had a diary a few years ago. He probably kept it somewhere safe. Do you know where?"

"My Father doesn't keep a diary."

"This wasn't his. It was someone else's. But do you know where he might have hidden it?"

"Please, Draco," Hermione said softly. "Think. Anything will help."

Draco stared at the table then shook his head. "Gringotts? That's where a lot of the heirlooms and jewels are. The ones my Mother doesn't use."

She caught Draco's eyes as they darted to hers. Jewels. He must have gotten the ruby brooch and earrings for her from their vault. He had dressed her in Malfoy family heirlooms? Goodness… he must have been making good on his promise to dress her like a queen and—

"Gringotts?! You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Ron slumped back in his chair and shared a look with Harry.

Hermione let out a slow sigh. She wasn't sure what she was hoping for, but… Gringotts wasn't it. Would they ever find another horcrux? It almost felt hopeless, but Harry went on.

"What about your aunt? Bellatrix?"

"Why are you so worried about a cup?" Draco asked, his expression carefully controlled, but Hermione could see his eyes tighten just slightly. Draco was clever, cunning. He might be able to guess why they were asking. And if he thought it was important to her… Draco would figure it out sooner or later.

"Harry, I think we should—"

"No." He didn't even let her finish before he shot her down. Harry looked right at her and said seriously, "No, Hermione. No."

"Harry's right, Hermione. We promised," Ron added.

"I know," she sighed. "Alright."

"Well this is fun." Draco rolled his eyes. "So glad I've stuck around to hear you lot get all cryptic. Is this how Order meetings normally go?"

"Well no one is getting tortured in the middle of the room so I am sure it's a change of pace for you," Ron said as his ears flushed red again.

Draco placed his black boots on the table and crossed his legs. "We actually kept that in the corner. More of a sideshow attraction than the main event."

"What qualified as your main event then?" Ron's shoulders lifted, but there was nothing casual about the movement. "I'm curious." Hermione could see the anger boiling right under the surface of his face.

Draco balanced on the back legs of his chair. "Sometimes the snake ate people."

People? Goodness! Hermione felt like she might be sick.

"Tell me about the snake," Harry said before Ron could make another smart remark.

"Big." Draco shrugged. "Scaly. Sort of a… greenish brown."

"I know what it looks like!" Harry was getting heated and Hermione really didn't want to see him lash out at everyone again.

"Then why bother asking me? First a cup, now a snake? What's next, the Dark Lord's favorite hat?"

"Does he have a hat?" Ron asked.

"Salazar fucking Slytherin!" Draco kicked his legs down. "NO, Weasley. Fuck! And you're the ones who think they are going to kill the Dark Lord?"

Hermione had to admit, Draco had a bit of a point. They had escaped by the skin of their teeth so far, but everyone's luck ran out eventually. Next time, they would need a plan. A good one. They needed… her.

Draco blinked and looked up at the ceiling. "Shit, we are all going to die."

Hermione pursed her lips, but… he said we. Draco said we.

Ron slammed his hand on the table. "Your kind has been saying that for almost a year now and we're still here. Maybe you're the ones who are going to die."

Hermione knew Ron was taking a personal interest in Draco's fate. He had told her that he wanted Draco to pay for what he had done. More than once. But surely Ron understood that Draco was helping them now. He wouldn't do anything to work against them…

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah keep killing Death Eaters, won't make a fucking difference."

He was always so defeatist. Why wouldn't he just entertain the idea that maybe there was a way to win? If he did, he might find that he liked it on their side.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked and Hermione saw that Harry had not taken Draco's comment as sarcasm. Surely Draco hadn't… been… serious, had he?
Draco shifted in his chair, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Malfoy," Harry addressed him. "Why won't it make a difference?"

Draco was so quiet she could hear his teeth grinding together in his mouth. It sounded like rocks, like he was made of stone.

He looked up from under hooded eyes at Harry. "When we take our marks," he said, low voice and dark. "We pledge our life, and death, to the Dark Lord."

"So you're willing to die for old snake face, yeah, we know that. Real well," Ron said. "The Death Eaters in Knockturn wouldn't stop coming even when the shop was full of smoke and falling down around them. They only stopped when the flames caught on their robes."

Hermione looked away, trying to dispel the images her brain was conjuring up.

But Draco stayed staring at Harry and Harry… was staring back. Hermione looked between them, her heart jumping into her throat. She was missing something. She never missed anything. What… what hadn't Draco told her?

"It makes you one of them, doesn't it?" Harry said softly.

Draco swallowed, the tension leaving his face for a moment. He dropped his eyes to the table and Hermione had the distinct impression he was avoiding her gaze. "There's only one way to stop being a Death Eater." It was the same phrase Draco had repeated so many times, so… why now? "And it's not dying."

"What?" Hermione asked, her voice high. Draco closed his eyes and shook his head. His breath shook in his chest. He wasn't answering her. Why wasn't he answering her? "Harry, what is it?"

Harry turned to face her, looking drawn and tired. "He's cursed them. The marks. When they die," he glanced at Draco for a moment, "they are still his."

She felt anxiety pushing hot tears into her eyes. What? What did that mean? Hermione's brain spun into overdrive, picking out pieces and trying to fit them together. Then, it clicked.

The Death Eaters in Borgin and Burkes.

Draco's insistence that she learn fiendfyre.

His mumblings after he killed Theo.

"Burn my body when I'm dead."

Hermione's blood turned to ice as her mind stuck, frozen on one single thought.

Death Eaters… didn't die. They became inferi.

.

A/N: Dun dun dunnn!