GWTPT 19
{ 19 }
"Something told me I would find the two of you together." McGonagall stopped just short of rolling her eyes when she saw us. She motioned us into her office and took her seat behind the desk.
"Harry said you were looking for both of us." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and remained standing.
"Just you, Miss Granger. Please, sit."
Relief washed through me so fast I nearly stumbled. I was so sure she would tell me I was done.
I hesitated. Does that mean I should go?
"You may stay as well, Mr. Malfoy."
I have no idea what is going on right now, but I seriously doubt anything good will come from it.
I sat first. Hermione eyed the Headmistress for a few seconds before sitting in the chair next to me.
"Miss Granger, it has been brought to my attention by several of your professors that you are not being challenged by the seventh year curriculum. Is this true?"
I tried not to laugh. That was the understatement of the century.
"I think I have made it abundantly clear that I am ready to test for my NEWTS. We have had that discussion more than once, Professor."
I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. She wants out of this castle more than anything. She told me so the night before. It is the place of her nightmares. If McGonagall gives her the option to leave, she will. And she'll never look back.
"Yes, Miss Granger. We have." The pointed stare she leveled at Hermione told me that she had not changed her mind.
I released a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding. I know it's selfish, but I want her here with me.
"Why am I sitting here then, if you haven't changed your mind?" There was a bite to her words. She has not forgiven her former head of house. Not yet, anyway.
McGonagall gave her a stern look, pursing her lips together and narrowing her eyes.
"You have presented us with a unique problem, Miss Granger." She folded her hands on the desk in front of her. Her eyes darted between Hermione and myself. I was beginning to wonder if I needed to be present at all. "You have a keen intellect and a desire to learn. However, you are months ahead of your classmates. Attending classes has not only shown to be a waste of time for both yourself and your professors, it has also proven to be disruptive to other students that need guidance in these subjects."
My brows furrowed. I can't recall her being disruptive at all.
"And what solution have you come up with to deal with this problem of yours?" Her words dripped with venom. She tapped her fingernails against the arm of her chair in agitation.
The headmistress seemed taken aback, even though she had clearly insulted Hermione at least twice with that statement.
"Yes. Well…" She cleared her throat and leaned back in her chair. "As you know, there was substantial damage caused to the castle during the final battle. It took a large contingent of volunteers the entire summer to make it inhabitable once again."
Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"During that process, we found something…odd." She paused for a moment. Perhaps she was deciding if she should continue. Or perhaps she was choosing her words carefully.
We waited for a few moments before she started speaking again.
"The statue that guards this office was damaged. When we examined it, we found something inside the base. A book in pristine condition." Her lips pressed together in a tight line. Her eyes darted from Hermione to myself and back again. "A book that we believe to be handwritten by Rowena Ravenclaw."
Hermione's fingers stopped tapping.
McGonagall folded her hands together on the desk in front of her. She cleared her throat.
If I didn't know better, I would think she is nervous right now. Or she is about to do something she does not want to do.
I glanced over at Hermione. She looked at me at the same time. She raised her brow. Her lip quirked up on one side.
"There is some debate among the faculty as to what the book contains." McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed deeply. "And why it was hidden in the base of a statue."
"No one has read it, then?" Hermione asked. She leaned forward in her seat. Her head tilted to one side. She was intrigued.
"Not yet. No." The Headmistress' eyes focused on Hermione. "I am offering you the opportunity to be the first person to read it since it was placed in its hiding spot."
I held my breath as I waited for the catch. There has to be one.
"So you want me to read a book, rather than go to classes?" Hermione's brow wrinkled up in confusion. "For the next seven months? How big is this book?"
She makes a good point. How long could it possibly take to read one book?
"I believe you will find that reading this book will be more challenging than you expect."
Ah. The catch.
"Why is that?" I should have kept my mouth shut.
We were both thinking it. I just asked first.
McGonagall turned her stare on me. Again, she seemed to be picking her words carefully. An uneasy feeling prickled down my spine. There is something that she is hiding. I'm sure of it.
"It appears to be written in some kind of code." She relented after a long silence. "And it has some rather strong wards surrounding it."
A book written in code by one of the Founders of Hogwarts, that had been hidden in the castle for centuries, and was protected by wards. Whatever information the book holds, it was not meant to ever see the light of day.
"Let me make sure I understand, Professor." Hermione narrowed her eyes. "Your solution to the problem that I have somehow created just by being here…which we both know I never wanted in the first place…is to stick me in a corner with a book that was never meant to be read. Is that right?"
McGonagall cringed, just a little. Just enough to answer the question.
"Un-fucking-believable." She stood quickly and stormed past me.
"Miss Granger!" The elderly witch in front of me stood and placed her hands on the desk.
"Tell me something." Hermione turned and glared at the headmistress. "How many of my professors want me out of their hair?"
Her anger just barely hid the bone deep hurt that she was feeling. Her face crumbled as she waited for an answer.
All of them.
"That is not fair, Hermione." McGonagall sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You're right." She wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath. "It isn't fair."
She sounded so defeated. She stepped back around her chair and sat down slowly.
"Please, just allow me to explain." The headmistress sat down as well. "We want what is best for you, Miss Granger. Professor Giles stated that you want to be challenged. We can't give you that in classes, so we tried to find something that will challenge you."
Hermione curled in on herself. She seemed to be listening, but her eyes were focused on the floor in front of her.
I am starting to think the only reason I am here right now is to convince her to go along with this plan.
Not likely.
McGonagall pinched her lips together for a brief moment before continuing.
"What I am expecting is for you to approach this project with the professional efficiency of which I have come to know you are capable." She paused, waiting for a reaction. Any reaction.
She did not receive one.
"I also expect you to report on your progress and your project plan weekly. If you need any assistance at all, any of your professors, as well as myself, will be more than happy to help. In fact, most of the faculty are quite eager to see what you turn up." The older witch sighed again. "I have no doubt that if anyone can decipher Ravenclaw's book, it will be you."
It sounded reasonable. It even sounded like something she would enjoy doing. I understand, though. She is already struggling, believing that no one wants her around. Right now, she sees this as proof.
"When do I start?" Her voice sounded flat. Emotionless. Defeated.
"Monday morning." McGonagall gave her a small smile. "You will have unlimited access to the restricted section of the library. We will also provide you with an unused classroom which you may use as an office or work area for the remainder of the year."
Hermione ran her hands over her face, took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders back.
"How are you going to explain our absence from classes for the rest of the year? You have to know people are going to ask questions." She asked flippantly while examining her fingernails.
My eyes darted from her to McGonagall just in time to see the older witch's eyebrow raise.
"Miss Granger," she cleared her throat. "This project is for you alone. Mr. Malfoy will need to attend classes as scheduled."
My heart sank just a bit at that confirmation.
Hermione blinked her eyes several times.
"Oh." She sighed. "I thought…it's just, well…oh, Merlin."
I had to stop myself from smirking at the sound of confusion in her voice. She is not confused. She knows exactly what she's saying. I'll make a Slytherin out of her yet.
She ran her hand through her hair and chewed on her lower lip. Her knee started to bounce up and down in agitation.
It is possible she isn't acting. She might not be confused, but she is anxious about saying whatever she is about to say.
"Professor, I don't intend to be difficult, but…" She leaned forward in her chair and wiped her palms across her knees. "What you are proposing, it sounds like I would be alone a lot. Isolated, even. And honestly, I don't know if that is good for my mental health and wellbeing right now."
McGonagall was taken aback. Her eyes met mine for a moment. I tried to keep my reaction hidden, but I wasn't very successful.
I flinched.
You are so fucking selfish. Worried that you would be alone in class. It didn't cross your mind that she would be completely alone. In the castle that she calls a place of nightmares. All day. Every day.
"Healer Edinfield says that I have years of trauma to deal with and I need to surround myself with people that I trust, so they can help me when I feel… overwhelmed."
My chair is just far enough away from hers that I can't reach over and take her hand.
The elderly witch's shoulders sank.
"I see." She pinched her nose and took a deep breath. "Mr. Malfoy. Do you feel like you are ready to take your NEWTS at this time?"
Shite.
Am I?
Probably.
Mostly.
"Maybe not in Arithmancy." My lip quirked up on one side when Hermione tried to hide her huff of laughter with a cough.
"Very well." She sighed deeply and clasped her hands together in the middle of her desk. "Mr. Malfoy, you will still be required to attend Arithmancy. And you will both be required to complete and pass all testing in your current classes."
My eyes darted over to meet Hermione's briefly. I held my breath, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Hermione cleared her throat.
"Will we be permitted to work on this project at any time? Day or night?" She pushed her hair back and tilted her head to the side as she waited for an answer.
I felt my lip tilt up on one side in a smirk, just as the headmistress started to scowl at Hermione.
"Miss Granger, you have to know…"
"I work best at night, Professor. And I rarely sleep."
McGonagall folded her hands together on the desk in front of her. She appraised Hermione for a long moment before turning to do the same with me.
"Mr. Malfoy, do you have anything to add?"
Do I?
"We would like to pick which unused classroom we will use." I held my breath. The third floor has a rather large unused classroom. I could feel Hermione's eyes on me, but I kept my gaze locked on the headmistress.
It seemed like the silence between the three of us stretched on forever.
"Very well." I released a breath as she finally answered. "I will set a meeting with the two of you and all of your professors Monday morning so we can assure that everyone is clear on the arrangement."
"Fine." Hermione stood and held out her hand. McGonagall gave her a small, relieved smile before grasping her hand and shaking it.
The elderly witch then turned to me, expecting a handshake as well.
"I want it in writing."
She lifted a brow and hesitated for a long moment before nodding once.
"Of course, Mr. Malfoy. I will have it drawn up for all to sign on Monday." Her voice was tight, controlled.
I don't even care. The last thing I need is to be sent to Azkaban because of a handshake deal gone wrong. What if something happens to McGonagall? That is not a risk I'm willing to take.
"I guess we'll see you Monday morning then." Hermione nodded once at McGonagall, then turned and walked away. I was right behind her. Neither one of us looked back as we left the office.
In the hallway, she ran her hands through her hair. We didn't speak at all as we wound our way down the staircases to the first floor. Lost in my thoughts, I almost missed when she turned towards the entrance doors rather than the Great Hall. I was two steps behind her when she pushed the doors open and stepped outside.
The courtyard was empty. The air was chilled and damp. The rain had stopped falling, but a fine mist hung in the air.
Once we were outside she walked even faster, almost jogging. I didn't say anything. I just stayed with her as she passed the greenhouses and followed the rocky path to the Forbidden Forest.
By the time we entered the tree line, our hair and clothes were soaked through.
"Hermione, this is far enough." My hand snaked out and caught her wrist, pulling her to a halt.
She turned quickly, crashing into my chest. She was shaking.
"Talk to me. What's going on in that brain of yours?"
She stepped back and ran her hands through her hair. She paced back and forth across the small clearing we were in.
"I don't know what to feel right now," she said after several minutes. "On one hand, it's the opportunity to read something that was handwritten by Ravenclaw herself and no one elae has read it in centuries. That is fucking epic, right?"
Her fingers tapped against her leg. I'm surprised she isn't smoking a cigarette right now.
"On the other hand, how fucking insulting is it that none of my professors want me in their classes the rest of the year? I mean, I haven't been disruptive, right? Did I miss something?"
She leaned heavily against a tree trunk.
I stepped in front of her, leaned in with my hands on either side of her.
"First, how fucking amazing is it that we just negotiated with the Headmistress of Hogwarts for free reign of the castle?" My lip quirked up on one side in a smirk. She leaned back and looked into my eyes. It took a few seconds, but she blew out a breath in a huff of air.
"We did, didn't we?" Her lips tilted up in a grin.
"Hell yes, we did." I leaned down and kissed her. Hard. Passionate. Watching her negotiate with McGonagall was one of the sexiest things I have ever seen. When she pulled away for a much needed breath, I kept kissing across her jaw and down her neck. I only stopped when she tugged on my hair, pulling me away.
When my eyes met hers, they were darkened with lust. Her lips were swollen. Her cheeks flushed.
Merlin and Salazar.
It took a few long moments for me to remember that I had a second point to make. I cleared my throat and leaned my forehead against hers.
"You know as well as I do that you are wasting your time attending classes. Hell, you know most of the material better than they do. And they know it, too." I cupped her cheek in my hand. "It isn't that they don't want you there. They know that you don't need to be there."
I didn't give her time to respond before I covered her lips with my own once again. This time, when her fingers tugged on my hair, it was to pull me closer rather than push me away.
She moaned into my mouth. I swear the vibration from it went straight to my dick. My hand curled around her waist and flattened against her back. She arched forward, pressing her chest against mine.
I was lost in her taste, her smell, the feel of her body pressed against mine.
Until the sound of a rather large throat clearing pulled me back.
"Ya aren't supposed to be in the forest." Hagrid grumbled from behind me. "Both of ya know that."
Fuck.
I closed my eyes. This is not happening. I tried to catch my breath.
Hermione bit her lip to keep from laughing. I scowled at her. This is not funny. She was just grinding against me. She knows that my arousal is rather obvious at the moment.
I swear she giggled as she stepped away from the tree, leaving me with my back to Hagrid as I tried to adjust myself.
"Hagrid. How are you?" I could hear the smile in her voice as she addressed one of her favorite people at the school.
"Hermione." His voice sounded stiff. Cold, even. "Go on back to the castle now."
With a final deep breath, I turned to face him. Hermione looked surprised. By his tone of voice, or by the command to leave, I'm not sure. Perhaps a little bit of both.
"Are…are you serious?" She hesitated. "Hagrid, I've been in this forest a hundred times. Besides, we're at, like, the first line of trees. The field is literally right there."
His eyes darted from her to me for a few seconds, then back to her. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. There was no love lost between him and I, and now he's going to take it out on her.
"That's the rules." He nodded his head. "Ya better get goin' before the rain sets in again."
Her face fell. She even took a step back, away from him.
"Right." She wrapped her arms around herself. "We'll go."
"Wait." I stepped forward. I always thought there was a kind of friendship between them. I can't let him ruin that because of me.
Besides, he has plenty of reasons to dislike me. I've been nothing but nasty to him for the last seven years. I may or may not have tried to get him sacked. I definitely was responsible for having his hippogriff executed.
My stomach rolled. I swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise.
"Hagrid." I ignored Hermione's stare as I stepped around her. "You have every reason to hate me. You really do. I have no excuse for the way I've behaved towards you."
His eyes widened.
My heart was racing. Anxiety clawed at my throat, but I have to do this. Not for me. For Hermione.
"I was rude, disrespectful and worse." I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair. The truth is, I was a little shit. Was. "I am not the same person I was before the war. I don't expect you to forgive me. I probably don't deserve it anyway. Hermione, though. She's been nothing but kind to you. Please, don't take out your dislike of me towards her. Please."
I held my breath as I waited for his reply. Hagrid stared at me. His eyes darted over to Hermione then back again.
"Maybe ya have changed. But I'll never forget the look on her face the first time you called her a…"
"Hagrid!" Hermione interrupted him.
I froze. My hand curled into a fist, but I forced myself not to look away. My jaw set and my eyes hardened.
I never expected him to forgive me. But I didn't expect him to throw that in my face either.
Yes, I remember the first time I called her that awful term. Second year. Quidditch practice. She insulted me in front of my new teammates. Insinuated that I wasn't good enough to be on the team. I was angry and humiliated, and I lashed out, wanting to hurt her as much as she had hurt me.
And I had.
"You're right." I cleared my throat. I felt Hermione step closer to me, then her hand closed around mine. I flipped my wrist and laced our fingers together. "I remember that look all too well. It haunts me, knowing that I caused her that much pain. I don't deserve her forgiveness, either. For some reason, she has granted it nonetheless."
I looked down into her shining hazel eyes.
"Let's just go." She tugged on my hand. I wasn't done though.
"Not yet." My eyes raised to match his again. "That look that you are referring to? I will do everything in my power to make sure she never has that look again. And yet, I just saw it. So I will ask you again. Don't treat her differently than you normally would because she's with me."
His eyes widened. Then he took a closer look at the witch by my side. I could tell the exact moment that he saw the same thing I had. The devastation in her eyes.
"Blimey, Hermione." His shoulders sagged. I may as well have punched him right in the gut. I knew the feeling. Regret mixed with soul-crushing guilt. "I didn't mean ta."
She took a tentative step forward. Then another. The man looked heartbroken. Of course she would worry more about his hurt feelings than she did about her own.
"It's okay, Hagrid." She spoke quietly as she took another step.
He held his arms out and she stepped into his embrace. She wasn't comfortable with it, but to her credit she never even flinched. After a few moments, she even relaxed and comforted him.
"Malfoy." His red rimmed eyes met mine. He released a deep sigh. "Yer right. Ya have changed. All grown up, ya are. Ya just keep takin' care of her, ya hear?"
"I will." I stepped up slightly and held out my hand. He grasped it and shook once, nearly pulling my arm out of socket in the process.
"I am perfectly capable…"
"Of taking care of yourself. Yes, I'm aware." I finished for her.
"Ya, well, if ya don't, yall be answerin' to me you will."
Hermione shook her head and laughed.
"Believe me, there will be a line of people ready to kill me if I screw this up." My lip tilted up in a smirk. Potter and the girl Weasley have already issued those threats. "Who is going to avenge me when she breaks my heart, I wonder?"
"Not that it will ever happen, but Theo and Blaise have already staked that claim, just so you know." She stepped away from Hagrid and wiped at her eyes.
Of course they have.
"Ya two better be headin' back to the castle now." Hagrid cleared his throat. "That storms comin' back around. Ya don't want to be stuck out here when it hits."
I turned my attention to the sky just outside of the forest. A streak of lightning chased across the clouds in the distance.
When I turned back, movement in the trees caught my eye. It took me a long moment to reconcile what I was seeing when a gigantic bird with four legs stepped into the clearing. A hippogriff. Not just any hippogriff, either.
No.
I swear it's the same one that tried to kill me. That's impossible. They executed that bird.
My heart stopped anyway. My hand shot out to find Hermione's wrist and tugged her back so that she was behind me.
"What are you doing?" She glared at me. "Draco? You are white as a ghost. What's wrong?"
She turned quickly, her wand suddenly appeared in her hand and she was on guard for whatever threat was out there.
Seconds later, she relaxed and put her wand away. She peeled my hand off her wrist and stepped around me.
"Hermione. Stay back." I reached for her again. Dammit. She was going to get herself killed.
"Draco, it's okay." Her voice was soothing. "Buckbeak won't hurt me."
Hagrid seemed to realize the beast was standing there and moved to stand in front of it.
"How?" I had to force a deep breath. "They told me they executed that thing."
She cringed. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and the monster.
"Not exactly." She stepped close to me and looked up at me through her lashes. Her hands settled on my chest.
My eyes narrowed. My heart was pounding so loud that I'm sure she could feel it beneath her hands. What the fuck is she saying?
"What the fuck did you do?" I closed my eyes, because I already knew. My head fell back and I stared at the canopy above me. She had rescued the damn thing. I don't know how. I don't want to know how.
"I couldn't let them kill him. He didn't do anything wrong."
Didn't do anything wrong? Is she fucking serious?
"He…it…tried to kill me!" My hands were shaking. "Has that thing been here all this time?"
I had nightmares about that stupid animal for years. I swallowed the lump in my throat. That had been before I knew what real nightmares were made of.
"No. He's just come back this year." Hagrid cleared his throat.
I squeezed my eyes shut and my hands curled into fists at my side. This cannot be happening.
"Is this why you wanted us to go back to the castle, Hagrid? Because you didn't want Draco to see Buckbeak?"
The oaf was petting the beast, running his fingers through its feathers.
"Seemed rude to tell Malfoy to get, but let you stay." He shrugged his shoulders.
Hermione laughed. Actually fucking laughed out loud.
"Hagrid! I thought you hated me or something." She wiped at her eyes again. I stumbled backwards as she walked right up to the giant bird.
"I could never, Hermione. Ya know that."
As touching as this scene was, the bird was now looking right at me. Instead of looking at him, I turned my attention to Hermione and focused on her.
My breath caught in my throat. Not because I was scared. Because Hermione's whole face lit up as she ran her fingers through his feathers. Her shoulders relaxed. She smiled.
That damn warmth in my chest was back, spreading through my heart as I watched her.
She is fucking beautiful. And if that damn beast can take her worries away like that, even for a moment, then I can't begrudge its existence.
"He won't hurt ya, if ya follow my directions and be respectful to him." Hagrid said from beside me. I didn't even realize he had moved, I had been so focused on Hermione.
I released a deep breath and ran shaking hands through my hair.
"What do I do?" My voice was barely above a whisper.
"Keep yer distance. Make eye contact with him. Then bow slowly."
Sounded simple enough.
Hermione's eyes were on me now. I locked my gaze with hers for a long moment. I saw concern there, but also…hope?
Merlin and Salazar. I've said it before and I'll say it again. This witch is going to be the death of me.
I swallowed my fear. Held tight to the anxiety that was threatening to choke me. I let her ground me. Let her warmth flow through me.
When my emotions were under control, I turned my eyes from her and found the hippogriff was watching me.
He tilted his head to the side.
Keep your distance.
No problem there. I have no intention of moving.
Make eye contact.
Done. The damn thing is staring straight through my soul.
Bow slowly.
Right. I can do this. I bent forward slowly, bowing the way my Mother had taught me years and years ago, while maintaining eye contact.
It seemed like I stayed like that forever while he assessed me. I don't think that any of us dared to breathe. Until finally, slowly, Buckbeak lowered his head and knelt down on his front haunches.
The air that whooshed from my lungs in that moment left me feeling lightheaded, yet elated at the same time.
The smile on Hermione's face. The way her eyes twinkled and she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. That image would fuel my patronus for years to come.
I took a tentative step forward. Then another. Inching my way towards the creature that attacked me in third year.
When I was close enough, I held my hand out. I was aware of Hermione and Hagrid watching me. I ignored them and stayed focused on the hippogriff.
It nudged my hand with its beak. I took that as a sign that it wouldn't kill me if I followed Hermione's lead and ran my hand through its feathers.
They were soft against my fingers, but I could feel the corded muscle underneath them. He settled against the ground and turned his head to stare at me.
"He wants to take you flying." Hermione said softly.
Petting the beast was one thing. Riding on his back? Completely different.
"Can you go as well?" My eyes met hers over the hippogriff's body.
"Me?" Her eyes widened. "I hate flying."
I lifted one eyebrow. I am literally petting a beast from my nightmares right now. If I can conquer that fear, she can fly with me.
Her eyes narrowed and I knew that she knew exactly what I was thinking. After several seconds, she rolled her eyes and huffed a short laugh.
"Fine. I'll go with you." She was tense and not happy about it. But still she climbed onto his back and I climbed up behind her. I caged her between myself and the soft feathers. My chin rested against her shoulders. Right before the creature lifted off the ground, I placed my lips against her neck and kissed her gently.
She relaxed against me, turned her head and pressed her lips against mine.
Everything else dissolved away. There was just her and I. Nothing else matters.
Then we were flying through the air. The wind whipped through our hair. The mist clung to us. The landscape beyond the forest opened below us. The view was breathtaking.
"This is amazing!" Hermione shouted over the wind. I couldn't disagree with her.
"Don't you hate flying?" I teased her.
She leaned back against me.
"I do. But I know you won't let me fall." I barely heard her. I don't even know if I was meant to or not. I dropped a kiss against the bare skin on her neck as I swore to myself.
I will never do anything to break that level of trust she has in me.
Buckbeak circled the forest twice, then set us down in the clearing where we started. I dismounted first, then lifted Hermione off and set her on her feet. She stumbled and grabbed my arms for support.
"Okay there?"
"Fine. I just need to get used to being on the ground again." She looked up at me with a grin on her face. Her hair was tangled in knots from the wind. Her skin was damp from the mist in the air. She looked a mess. But her eyes were bright and the smile on her face was unhindered.
She looked… happy.
I swallowed past the lump in my throat.
"I think I understand why you love flying so much." She bit her lower lip and looked up at me through her lashes.
"Does that mean you'll let me take you flying on a broom now?" I pushed her hair back, ran my finger along her jaw.
"I just might." Her breath caught in her throat. She licked her lips. Her eyes darted from my eyes to my lips and back again.
She wanted me to kiss her and I certainly wasn't going to deny her. I pulled her in and covered her lips with mine.
Her hands spread out across my back. She molded her body against mine. I had one hand tangled in her hair. The other rested on her hip. My fingers grazed along bare skin at her waist.
"Ya really should head back to the castle now." Hagrid sounded quite impatient with us. "To yer separate dormitories."
Reluctantly, I broke away and took a deep breath before stepping back.
"Alright, alright. We're going." Hermione laughed.
A few minutes later, after she had said her goodbyes to Hagrid and Buckbeak, we stepped out of the forest hand in hand and made our way back to the castle.
In the courtyard, she tugged me over to a small alcove by the doors. I smirked down at her. I was ready to carry on what we had started, but I figured she would want to wait until we were on the third floor, alone to do that.
Before I could even lean in to kiss her, she laughed.
"I know what you're thinking." She smiled up at me as she put her hands on my chest and pushed me back.
Well, fuck. I guess snogging is not what's on her mind. I sighed dramatically.
"Then you know you are torturing me right now." I teased.
"Fine." She tilted her head to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. Her hip popped out on one side and her lip twisted into a smirk that rivaled my own. "I just thought you would not want to go into the Great Hall for dinner looking like we just rolled around in the forbidden forest for the last hour or two."
My eyes widened and my heart stopped for a beat. I took in her appearance once again. Her hair was tangled, wind swept. Her clothes were damp and rumpled. A stray leaf here and there clung to her sweater and her hair. She was still beautiful, but also…what was the word she had used? Oh, yeah….tousled.
"Trust me, Malfoy. You look just as put-together as I do right now." She stepped forward and lifted her hands to my hair. "Here. Let me fix you up."
She ran her fingers through my hair, combing it, pulling out the tangles and leaves, and smoothing it down the way it normally looks.
When she finished with my hair, she moved on to my shirt. Meticulously straightening it, removing the wrinkles and drying the fabric as she went.
I watched her eyes while she worked. That damn warmth in my chest felt like a fire, consuming me from the inside out.
"There." She took a step back and scanned me from head to toe. "Perfect "
I had to swallow hard to keep myself from saying the words that popped into my mind at that moment.
"Thank you." I cleared my throat. "Allow me."
I followed her lead, starting with her hair first. My heart was beating so loud in my chest that I'm sure she could hear it in the small confines of the alcove. This felt so…intimate.
I couldn't bring myself to say the words. Not yet. Still, they were there, echoing through my mind.
You're in love with her.
I could feel her eyes on me as I focused on putting her to rights. My fingers lingered against her skin just a moment longer than necessary. My hand skimmed across her arm as I dried the fabric of her sweater. A small gasp was all I needed to know that she was as affected in that moment as I.
"Beautiful." I muttered quietly as I finished and stepped back.
She inhaled deeply and blew the air out slowly.
It took every ounce of willpower that I possess to back away rather than pressing her against the wall and snogging her senseless.
"Are we ready then?" Her voice shook slightly. My eyes met hers. She did not want to return to the public eye any more than I did.
Fuck it.
I stepped closer and placed my hands to either side of her against the wall. I leaned down, careful not to touch her anywhere but her lips. She followed my lead, keeping her hands to her sides.
The kiss was not rushed. Still, I tried to convey what I was feeling in that moment through the gentle touch, the stroke of my tongue against hers.
She moaned softly into my mouth.
I really don't want to stop. But again, we are not in private. One final sweep of my tongue, and I pulled back.
She shivered. Her eyes fluttered shut. And I swear she moaned ever so softly.
"Draco." My name passed through her lips on a gasp of air. She drew in a shaking breath. Then another.
I stepped back and let my hand slide down her arm. My fingers intertwined with hers. I waited a few seconds, until she nodded to show she was ready to go, before exiting our shelter.
The noise in the Great Hall did not even falter as we made our entrance. I suppose the novelty that is Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger has finally worn off.
AN: So…Draco is not headed to Azkaban. They have a project to work on rather than attending classes. And I loved the whole Hagrid / Buckbeak scene.
Click that review button and let me know what you think.
Until next time.
-mezy