Song Suggestion: Frank Walker- "Kiss Me" (ft. Theresa Rex)... The man in the music video gives me Draco vibes.

A big thank you to the brilliant MyPrivateInsanity for editing this chapter!

On updating: My chapters are 3k to 5k words, and I generally post once a week. That's my sweet spot to prevent burn out (which would mean no updates at all). The Yule Ball was cut in half, because it was almost 8k in all, which is hard for me to edit in a week. I will not increase my pace or lengthen chapters until later in the story. Thanks for understanding.

On that note, I will have to take next Sunday off because of several family events, and I'm not sure if I will have time to edit or post.

Next update: August 21st

Just a warning: Right now, the story seems light, but it will dive into fucked up themes (around chapter 15/16 it will start to get progressively darker). This society is built on slavery, rape, and genocide. If you have any triggers at all, you shouldn't read this. This story WILL make you uncomfortable. It's meant to make you uncomfortable. However, I promise Hermione's eventual rise will be satisfying as fuck. I have all the tags listed on ao3 if you want to make sure (same penname).

Under the Moonlight

"Can I show Hermione some of the castle?" Theo had waited to ask the question until Titus stopped his conversation with Headmaster Snape.

"Maybe when I'm done. There are a few professors who I need to speak with before leaving."

"You'll never be done," Theo complained. "What could happen? Hogwarts is one of the safest places to be. I promise to be next to her the whole time. We'll stay inside. I just wanted to show her the library—"

"The library!" Hermione clasped her hands together in excitement.

Titus smirked at her enthusiasm. He always teased her about her love of learning, and how she could get lost in a bookstore. When she gave her best pleading expression, Titus softened. She planned to pull out every manipulation she knew to convince him, because he always found it hard to say no to her.

"Fine," he conceded. "But only the library."

"But I wanted to show her the Astronomy Tower too. Or maybe the dungeons."

Titus shook his head.

"I'll allow the Astronomy tower, but not the dorms."

She'd take what she could get.

"Library first," she demanded. She heard Titus laugh as she grabbed Theo's arm and dragged him out of the room.


"Only you would want to look at books when there is a dance going on," Theo said.

Hermione stood in the middle of the Hogwarts library, twirling with her arms outstretched, as if that would help her absorb the knowledge. The librarian, Madam Pince, kept eagle eyes on them, even as they disappeared in the stacks. Hermione knew she was a kindred soul.

"It's wonderful." She gave a deep sniff, sighing when it smelled exactly how she hoped, of old pages and burnt candles and accumulated dust. "Besides, you were the one who first suggested it."

Theo had been fidgeting since they left the Great Hall, suggesting he was keeping something from her. Hermione stopped her library worship and narrowed her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, if I tell you, you have to promise not to get mad."

Hermione crossed her arms, already not liking where this was leading.

"I will not promise that Theodore. Just tell me, or I'll get mad regardless."

Theo swallowed.

"I chose dare."

"I'm not following."

"During a game of Wizarding Truth or—"

"Theo!" Hermione's mouth fell open. "You did not play that horrid game. I thought you were smarter than that. There are some real consequences to playing."

Theo sighed and blinked his hazel eyes. The glasses slid to the end of his thin nose, and he gave one push to put them back into position.

"Yes, I know, which is why I need your help. I tried to keep with truth—honest, I did— but the questions started to get embarrassing. So on my last turn I chose dare."

Hermione already began to think, knowing Theo got himself into a bind only she could get him out of.

"Is that why you wanted to get away from the dance and Titus?"

He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, looking grave. "Draco dared me to get you up to the Astronomy Tower alone tonight."

"Alone!"

"Salazar, Hermione, I'm sorry. I'm a terrible brother. Just curse me, I deserve it. Titus would flay me alive if he found out."

Hermione tried to be angry, but a new sensation burned under her skin, a little feverish. Draco never intended not to see her, he just wanted to see her alone. It was wrong and forbidden, and at the moment, there was nothing she wanted more, if only to punch him in the nose for manipulating Theo again.

"What will happen if I refuse to meet him?"

"I'll go blind for a year."

Hermione drew in a sharp breath, attempting to control her anger, but it proved difficult. Theo looked at her with pleading eyes.

"I'll go, but you owe me big time."

Theo grabbed her and kissed both cheeks, drawing her into a deep hug.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," he said. "You're a beautiful goddess, and I am forever—"

"Yeah, yeah." Hermione shoved him off her. "Just lead the way before Titus decides to leave early, and you can't see for a year."


Hermione climbed the creaky steps. She hated heights, part of the reason she hated flying. It always made her feel as if she'd tip into the void, dizzy and nauseous, even if she stood away from the edge. Now the burning pinpricks sprouting across her body eclipsed the vertigo, giving her enough courage to keep going.

The cold wind greeted her first, slicing through the thin material of her dress. Her breath formed tiny clouds in the air.

Draco waited at the top, leaning over the railing. He turned toward her as she entered, and she wished she could capture the surprise on his face.

"You look—"

He didn't finish, eyes trailing up and down. He wore a set of robes so dark that he blended into the night sky behind him. His hair was without gel, reminding her of fine silk, and she found she preferred him this way. His pale hair brushed the tops of his porcelain cheeks, highlighting his crystal eyes— every feature a different shade of colourless. The older he got, the more he looked like his angel-monster father. Hermione didn't know if that repulsed or enticed her, and it swirled inside her into a poison. It made her veins sluggish, her brain foggy.

But not too foggy.

"What am I doing here, Malfoy?" She crossed her arms on her chest.

"After all the risk to get you alone, I'd forgotten you insist on being a brat."

Usually, she'd be offended, but instead she laughed.

"Is that any way to sweet talk me?"

"Oh, you want me to sweet talk you? I honestly thought you'd like some verbal sparring, but I can do that too if you wish."

"Ugh, don't bother with either. I'm only here for Theo." Hermione looked around. "What do you want?"

"To dance, of course."

The music floated all the way up here. It sounded muted, but each note jumped along her skin, and the hairs on her arms stood up.

"You could have done that in the Great Hall."

"Not in the way I want to do it." He looked her up and down again in a way that made her whole body tingle in anticipation. "Also, I don't think Titus likes me very much, and at the moment, it's mutual."

Draco held out his hand for her to take. She stared at it, considering. She'd get in just as much trouble as Draco for this. But she was curious what he planned, and besides Viktor, no one else had asked her to dance.

She didn't know what was going on with her body that made her discard logic. Despite her brain reminding her of all the consequences, Hermione reached out and grabbed his hand. His palm was rough under her soft skin and hot to the touch, such a contrast to the December chill. Draco smirked and tugged her close. She stumbled, but he caught her, placing her against his body.

"Oh," she said, with both hands pressed to his chest. His heart raced beneath her palm, telling her under all the bravado, this scared him too.

Since her mind had decided to stop working for the night, she stood there while Draco repositioned their arms so both of hers wrapped around his neck, while his went around her waist. Viktor had kept a respectable distance while dancing, putting his hands in the proper place, but Draco didn't bother. He touched her lower back near the curve of her bottom and kept their bodies pressed together. There were no fancy twirls, no coordinated movements. Instinct drove the small sways, a feral beat in her blood.

"I don't remember being taught this pureblood dance." Her mouth hovered near his neck. She thought if she concentrated enough, she could see his veins.

"I made my own." One of his hands traced up her spine. The hot touch dragged across her clothes, and an involuntary gasp pulled from her chest.

"This is against the rules."

"Rules are for commoners." His lips dipped down to her ear. "They don't apply to me. I get what I want, and no one tells me what to do."

She believed him. He wanted to dance with her alone, and he somehow managed that, right under Titus' nose, a feat no one else would dare. Something about the boy was dangerously intelligent, obsessive, and entitled. She shouldn't encourage his advances, but this felt like a challenge.

"What do you want then?"

"To kiss you."

Hermione tried to pull back, a little wary. Her heart jumped to her throat, afraid he could see through her. After seeing pictures of people kissing, she'd wanted to try it with Titus - but many nights since that day in Knockturn Alley, she'd thought of Draco instead.

"I've never—"

"I haven't either," he admitted with a shrug. "You'd be my first too. But it's the perfect place and time, don't you think? Dancing under the moonlight, music playing."

That sounded suspicious. It was the exact fantasy she had for her first kiss, and she'd only told one person.

"You got this from Theo, didn't you?"

"You're quick. It's why I like you so much. I know I'll never be bored."

"That wanker," she cursed, much to Draco's amusement. "When I get my hands on that skinny little worm—"

Draco gave a deep laugh, looking happier than she'd ever seen him. It was an odd, eerie sight, she decided.

"I quite like it when I'm not the target of your anger. It does things to me."

"Keep talking, and I'm sure I will be angry with you again."

"That does things to me too." He pressed her back into place, curving her body against his. "Don't be so hard on Theo. I did plan it out, and Theo picked truth just one too many times. And then he had the nerve to choose dare against me, and I couldn't waste the opportunity."

True. In the end, Theo was a hapless pawn in Draco's complicated game of chess. Remembering Lucius' talk with Titus, she knew Draco had learned to play from the best.

"So what do you think?" he asked, staring at her. She found she couldn't quite meet it.

"About what?"

"About having our first kiss."

Her skin felt hot, but she was desperately curious. She'd been curious about kissing for years. Her eyes flicked up, and she thought that might have been a mistake because she felt lost in the grey.

"I don't really know you."

"Unfortunately, we aren't given the time to fix that. If I could, I'd properly court you, but I can only send you a few letters a year, which I'm sure Titus monitors. So if we don't kiss now, we'll have to wait until after I win you at the Trials, and that's years away."

"You could kiss other girls besides me."

He gave a snort of a laugh.

"Which girls? Pansy is like a sister, Daphne is unbearably dumb, and the others don't even count." His hands briefly tightened against her dress. "I don't want anyone but you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since seeing you fight that wizard." He paused, and she watched as his throat moved as he swallowed. "Besides, I doubt you'd have another chance to kiss a bloke, unless you want to kiss Theo."

"Gross." She shook her head to get the image out. She glared at him. "You bully Theo. Why should I even talk to you?"

"I haven't bullied him since first year."

Her glare intensified.

"Fine, I make fun of him a little, but he makes it too easy. It's not serious anymore. I understand he's your brother." Malfoy stopped, as if to read her expression. "Any other questions? Because you don't have much time to decide."

He made a valid point. When would she get another opportunity to get a first kiss? Draco offered something she'd been desperately curious about, and she did find him attractive. Not to mention, he gave her Hopper. He couldn't be that bad if he'd saved him for all those years, mending and cleaning him.

"If we do this, it's just an experiment. It doesn't mean I have any feelings for you."

"Sure," he said with a wicked smile, as if he thought differently.

The idea of kissing intrigued her, but the reality made her nerves tingle.

"To be extra clear, I don't like you."

"Lots of people kiss without liking each other."

She wasn't sure if that was true or not.

"What if we're terrible at it?" She asked.

"How would either of us know?"

"What if someone finds out?"

"Are you going to overanalyse everything?"

"Probably."

He shook his head, looking a little amused.

"Stop. Thinking."

He leaned down slowly, eyes on her lips. She should stop him, slap him, but she reached up to let their lips connect. He softly pressed against her, making a little noise, like a sigh. She gasped against his mouth, and then her whole body melted into him. His hands left her waist and cradled either side of her head.

And then his tongue slid across her lips, making her jerk back in surprise.

"What are you doing?"

"Kissing you properly." He kept her cheeks cradled in his hands, fingers messing up her elaborate rose braids. "Just trust me. We're experimenting, remember?"

Trust him? She couldn't trust him, but again her curiosity ruled her. Did people use their tongue? If so, did it feel good?

"Okay," she whispered.

He lowered his head. When his tongue touched her lips again, she opened, allowing him inside. The taste and warmth of him scorched across her body, zipping up and down. Hermione's fingers curled into his outer robes, wrinkling the expensive material in her grasp.

She wasn't sure how long they stood in each other's embrace, fingers entwined in each other's clothes and hair, tongues brushing against each other. Draco broke free of it and kissed down her cheek, letting his lips touch just under her ear. Her whole body jolted in pure pleasure.

"You like that?" Draco whispered low against her skin.

She almost answered him, but Theo's voice carried up.

"Hermione… Malfoy," he sounded stressed. "My brother will be looking for us soon."

Draco groaned, but he pulled back. He tucked a loose curl behind her ear.

"Did that match your fantasy?"

"Almost." She didn't want him to think too highly of himself.

"Practice will fix that. You seem like a perfectionist. Soon enough, we'll be expert snoggers."

Hermione laughed at his audacity to ever think he'd be able to do this again, unless he won at the Trials. She managed to extricate herself from his arms, though everything inside her wanted to leap back toward him. Draco rubbed his thumb against his bottom lip.

"Perhaps," she said. "Though I have high standards. I expect you to keep meeting them."

She made her way to the stairs.

"Of course."

"And stop bullying people, or I'm going to start bullying you!"

"Careful, I might like that." He gave a handsome grin. "Bye, Granger. I'll find a way for us to practise snogging again."

She jolted on the spot. The unfamiliar name stabbed her soul, pinning her feet to the ground.

"Granger? What's that?"

"It's your last name. Your real one. Don't you remember?"

In a distant dream. She cradled the knowledge in her heart, a precious thing. The beat of the word conjured her father's face, the way he smiled, something she feared she'd forgotten forever. Her chest ached, but in a good way. She blinked a few times.

"Why did you call me that? I have a name."

"A weird one, and everyone else uses it. You hear it all day, so it's become nothing. I needed something that would be only mine."

The word was as dangerous as he was. Muggleborns shed all their muggle connections, including their last names. She'd forgotten it without its use. She liked it. The way he said it, low and slow, sent the word as a caress along all the places his lips touched.

She smiled, showing she accepted the nickname and nearly danced down the stairs, unable to contain her excitement, the thrill of doing something forbidden.

When Theo saw her, his eyes widened. He shook his head when she stepped beside him.

"Oh no, what did you two do?"

"We kissed."

"I'm going to die," he groaned. "Titus will gut Draco, me, and you. Probably in that order. Or, really, he'll just yell at you, but you'll be attending my funeral shortly."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Titus will never know."

He managed to look ashamed.

"He will if you walk in with that stupid smile. Your lipstick is smeared, and your hair is out of place. Here, let me fix it."


Theo fixed her appearance, and by the time they arrived back at the Great Hall, she'd also gotten her expression under control.

Titus waited by the punch bowl. A young female professor stood next to him. She giggled while looking up at him, and Hermione didn't like it.

Titus had women over sometimes, bringing them straight to his bedroom. Hermione suspected they had sex. Even though she didn't quite know the logistics of the act, she knew it involved nakedness and nighttime. A few times Titus forgot to silence the room, and she heard the low groans from across the hall. At first, she thought the women were in pain, but it sounded too… enthusiastic. They begged him for things that made her blush even without understanding. The women never came to breakfast, and he rarely had the same woman over twice. She should be used to seeing the flirting and the fluttering eyelashes, but the sight always left her with a twisted feeling in her stomach.

Getting her errant emotions under control, Hermione approached Titus. He looked up and gave her a wink. Noticing his shift in attention, the young professor turned and noticed who he acknowledged.

"She's so cute," the woman said, and Hermione bristled. There were many things she wanted to be, and cute wasn't one of them.

"Hello, Professor James," Theo stepped in, recognizing Hermione's annoyed expression.

"Hello, Theo, I hope you enjoyed the dance."

"I did."

The woman nodded at both of them, telling Titus goodbye with a hopeful glance a person would have to be an idiot not to interpret. He gave a nod of his head as she walked away.

"How was the library, Sprite?"

"I think I conjured it from a dream."

He gave a little laugh.

"Maybe I'll bring you back someday," Titus pushed on his brother's shoulder. "When Theo makes the quidditch team, perhaps."

"Hey," Theo protested. "I tried out. I should have at least beaten Pucey, but Draco's an arse still and convinced the captain not to choose me."

Hermione wanted to blame Draco, but she couldn't. Despite Theo loving the game, despite having an entire pitch built for him, he wasn't very good. Just not very naturally athletic. It was a wonder he and Titus were related.

"What did you think of the astronomy tower?" Titus asked.

She almost startled but kept it under control.

"It was—" she searched for the correct word. "Educational."

Theo paled and looked close to murdering her.

Titus straightened when he looked to the side. Hermione followed his eyesight and was surprised to see Viktor Krum walking toward them. When he arrived, he bowed low. Hermione found his formality endearing. When he stood back up, he faced Titus.

"Viktor Krum," he said, holding out his hand for Titus to shake.

Titus looked amused, but he shook the extended hand.

"Yes, I know. And I'm sure you know my name too."

"I do."

"And I'm Theo Nott," her brother squeaked out, jumping in front of Titus with his hand out.

Titus gave a snort and shook his head. Viktor grabbed Theo's hand, and her brother appeared like he might faint with joy.

"If you vill allow me, I vould like to offer my token for Herm-own-ninny."

Titus' eyebrows rose, but he didn't look surprised.

"And why should I consider you?"

"I am the contender for Durmstrang in the Trivizard tournament. My lineage reaches back to the Dark Ages, and I am the seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team. I am capable of taking care of her at the same level you do and vould honour her in my home."

"Impressive enough." Titus looked at Hermione. "What do you think?"

Hermione blushed, grateful Titus gave a choice in the matter. Most masters didn't. There needed to be three tokens, so she had to choose somebody, and she enjoyed their interactions so far. Behind his eyes, there was a simple kindness. He was a much better option than many of the boys, though maybe not as handsome or interesting as Draco.

"Yes."

Titus looked serious, but he nodded.

"Alright," he said. "I'll accept your token. I must warn you the competition will be fierce. The young Malfoy also has a token entered, but I'm sure the others will be on calibre with you once I accept."

"I look forward to the challenge."

Viktor reached in his pocket and took out a round, flat disk about twice the size of a galleon with his family crest stamped on it. When Titus reached forward and took it, sparks of magic erupted.

Before Viktor could pull away, Titus tugged him back, nose to nose.

"If you lied to me, or if your honour is called into question, I will give back the token and not in a kind way. Do you understand?"

Viktor nodded, for once letting a fraction of fear peek through, looking almost relieved when Titus stepped back and pocketed the token. Then the boy turned his attention to Hermione. "Goodbye, Herm-own-ninny."

"Goodbye," she said back.

When he walked away, Theo placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If he wins, you better give me front row tickets at some point."

Titus rolled his eyes along with Hermione.

"Let's get you home, Sprite." He paused, as if something occurred to him. "Malfoy didn't show."

"I thought you said you wouldn't mind if he didn't."

"That's true. It's just out of character."

"Maybe he was ill."

Titus crinkled his eyes in deep thought.

"Possibly, but not likely." His eyes snapped up, studying Hermione carefully. "Did you see him?"

Titus was very good at detecting lies. It was his career.

"I'm pretty sure I saw him somewhere tonight. He probably just didn't want to dance in front of everyone in the Great Hall, or maybe he thought you wouldn't say yes to dancing with me."

Not a lie, which was the best lie. She'd perfected the technique with Titus.

Titus scoffed, eyes picking her apart, but he continued walking, dropping the conversation.

Hermione wasn't sure if he believed her or not.