When she landed at the manor, Hermione fell to the ground—everything hurt. Gathering her bearings, she looked around and noticed only Yaxley and herself had landed just inside the manor's gates, and he wasn't moving.
Getting up from where she had landed, she hobbled over to Yaxley. "Yax, you need to get up. I can't move you by myself!" She screamed frantically, trying to shake him into consciousness.
"DINKY!" She screamed, praying to whatever gods the little elf would come.
The little elf landed next to her with a pop .
"Oh, thank Merlin! Dinky, Yaxley is hurt. I need you to get us inside to Narcissa or anyone that can help us! I can't get him to wake up!" She cried.
She didn't know Yaxley very well, but that didn't mean she wanted to see him die.
Dinky didn't say a word. She grabbed both of them by the hands and apparated them straight to the manor.
As soon as they were inside, Hermione screamed, "WE NEED HELP!"
Suddenly everyone stormed into the room at once. Even the Dark Lord came running.
"Where were y'all?"
"We've been looking for y'all!"
"Are you okay?"
Draco ran to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her. "I was so scared when you didn't appear in the study when the rest of us landed."
"We landed at the front gates. I don't know what happened. I landed hard, and when I came to, I looked over to see Yaxley unconscious next to me. I didn't know what to do, Draco. I was so scared." She sobbed while clinging to him.
"It's okay now, love. Everything is going to be okay. The healer is taking care of Yaxley. Let's have Mother look you over. I know George didn't have you under the Cruciatus for very long, but I would feel better if you got checked out." He whispered into her hair before kissing the crown of her head.
After being brought to her bedroom, Cissy checked her over. "You should be fine, my sweet girl. You just need to take some muscle-relaxing potions and get some rest."
Draco conjured a chair next to her bed and grabbed her hand. "I thought something had happened. I was so worried I had lost you, love. I'm so thankful that you are okay."
"I'll be fine, Draco, I promise. I'm not going anywhere," she said softly as she leaned over to kiss him.
After she had taken her potions, she started to fall asleep. This is where I'm meant to be was the last thing she thought before sleep took her.
When she opened her eyes the next morning, she was greeted by two identical sets of eyes staring at her.
"Good, you're up! I wanted to check on you, but I told Draco I would wait until you were awake." Narcissa smiled brightly at her.
"Good morning, love. How're you feeling?" Draco asked softly.
She cleared her throat before sitting up. "I'm feeling much better, just some soreness in my throat and muscles."
"That's to be expected. The group said you were hit with a particularly strong Crucio . They were amazed you were able to get back up and portkey back to the manor after that," Narcissa said with a grimace.
After Narcissa gave her some more muscle-relaxing potion, she left the room with promises to come visit her in an hour.
"I know how you're feeling physically, but how are you feeling mentally? I know that couldn't have been easy yesterday," Draco asked quietly.
"Honestly, I don't feel bad about it. Once she realized it was me, she started saying all of these awful things, and I feel like it just showed how she truly felt about me," she said, shrugging.
"As long as you're okay, that's all that matters to me," Draco said before he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Just a heads up: you have some people wanting to visit you this morning, if you're up for it."
"That'll be fine, as long as I get to eat. I'm starving!" She laughed.
After eating some breakfast, Hermione told Draco, "Okay, I think I'm ready for visitors now."
After visiting with the Dark Lord, Narcissa, and— shockingly— Bellatrix, Hermione thought that would be the last of the people coming to see her until Yaxley walked into Draco's room.
"Hello, little dove." Yaxley said as he took a seat in the vacant chair next to the bed.
"Hey, Yax. How're you feeling this morning? I was rather worried about you last night. I may not know you very well, but it was rather distressing seeing you lay on the ground unconscious when we landed," she said in a soft tone.
"About that…" He smiled. "Antonin and Rodolphus informed me when I woke up that you were the only reason I survived. I had internal bleeding from a nasty Flipendo that threw me into a tree. I owe you a life debt, little dove."
"Oh, Yax, I barely did anything. All I did was call for help," she said nervously.
"Your quick thinking to call for help is what kept me from dying. Had you panicked and not done anything, I wouldn't be here right now, but instead of panicking, you kept calm and did the best you could, and for that… I'm thankful." He said taking ahold of her hand and squeezing it gently.
Getting up from his chair, he said, "I'd better go now. I know Lucius was waiting for me to finish up, so I'd better get going. If you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to call for me."
I wonder what Lucius wants to see me for. You'd think that he would just ask Narcissa if I was okay, she thought to herself.
She heard the bedroom door open and looked up to see Lucius strolling into the bedroom carrying something. Once he got closer, she saw that it wasn't just something. It was her beloved orange half-kneazle.
" CROOKSHANKS," she squealed, tears of joy streaming down her face.
"Lucius, I can't thank you enough for bringing him to me. You have no idea what this means to me." She smiled at him.
"Well, I was going to surprise you with him last night as a gift for completing your first raid, but then you came back hurt," he paused. "So then I decided he could be a get-well-soon gift." He said smugly.
Hermione got out of bed, shuffled across the room, and wrapped Lucius in a hug. He tensed and patted her back awkwardly until she released him.
"Ms. Granger, I will refrain from bringing gifts if you ever do that again." He shuddered.
"Oh, Lucy, don't be like that. You just need to admit I'm growing on you," she laughed.
"Well. I hope you're feeling better," he said, rolling his eyes, as he stomped from the room.
Now that she was finally alone, she crawled back in bed and placed Crooks next to her. While giving her beloved, familiar belly rubs, her mind moved back to trying to figure out who the spy was.
Who was the secret keeper for Auntie Muriel's? She thought to herself. Ron was out, as were the twins. Obviously it wasn't Molly or Arthur; they would never sell out the order. Ginny was too young; she still had the trace on her. Charlie never came around so that meant he too was out. Bill was the secret keeper for Shell Cottage. Which sibling am I forgetting? Then it hit her. Percy. Percy was the spy, but why would he turn on his own family?
While thinking to herself, she completely missed Draco entering the room.
"What is that horrid thing getting orange fur all over my silk sheets, Hermione?" He shrieked.
Snapping from her thoughts, she looked up at him with furrowed brows, " He is not a horrid thing."
"No, he is the most beautiful baby!" She cooed to the orange ball of fur.
"Hermione, love, pets ," he sneered out. "Do not belong in the bed, especially beds with sheets this nice."
"Draco, would you really kick my familiar out of bed, while I'm still recovering?" She said, bringing tears to her eyes purposely.
"I…no…I would never!" He said exasperatedly.
"Good!" She said drying her eyes quickly.
"Did you just make yourself cry to get your way, love?" He asked, clearly shocked that she would do such a thing.
"Yes, but on more serious matters, I need you to schedule me a meeting with the Dark Lord." She smiled.
"For what, love?" He asked, with a raised brow.
"I want to talk to him about his spy for the Order," she said, grimacing.
Hermione walked into Lucius' study and bowed down to the Dark Lord. "You wished for us to meet, Ms. Granger?"
"Yes, my Lord. You see, I was thinking about your spy for the Order, and I think I figured out who it was," she said timidly.
The Dark Lord chuckled, "Well, don't keep me waiting."
"Is it Percy Weasley?" She asked.
"How did you come to that conclusion?" He shot back teasingly.
"Well, I was thinking about who the secret keeper could be, and he was the only Weasley child that would make sense," she said blushing.
"Yes, it is. He has been a spy among the Order for the last 5 months. Would you like me to call upon him so you may ask whatever questions I'm sure you may have floating around in that big brain of yours," he said knowingly.
"I would appreciate that, my Lord," she said with a nod of her head.
Within minutes of the Dark Lord calling Percy through his mark, Percy stepped into the study, bowing down to the Dark Lord.
"You may rise, Mr. Weasley." He paused, "I have brought you here, because it seems Ms. Granger is living up to her title of ' brightest witch of our age'. She has narrowed it down to you being the Order spy and wishes to ask you some questions." He smirked.
"Hermione has always been very intelligent for her age, and I'm willing to answer any questions she may have, but first I must tell you what's been going on at Shell Cottage," he said nervously.
After telling the Dark Lord and Hermione everyone's reactions to finding out she was now on the opposite side, he looked to the Dark Lord.
"My Lord, there have been some updates as to what the Order's next move is," he paused. "Harry has them convinced that the item they need to make you mortal again. There is talk that they are thinking this will be the place of the final battle." He said quietly.
"If it's the final battle they want, then it will be the final battle. I'm ready for things to be how they should be, and I can't have that with Harry Potter in my way." He said with annoyance.
"Yes, my Lord, when they call the next Order meeting, I will get you the exact details of when they are planning this," he nodded.
After Percy said he would be in contact, the Dark Lord got up and left the room so that Hermione and Percy could talk without an audience.
"So, what made you decide to switch sides, Percy?" She asked with a raise of her brow.
"You first." He smirked.
"Well, after it was pointed out from an outside perspective how Harry and Ron actually treated me and the fact that I could keep my family safe and not be tortured daily, I figured this was the side of the war I wanted to be on." She laughed.
"For being 'the brightest witch of our age,' you sure were dense when it came to acknowledging how the boys treated you." He said with a shake of his head
"But, to answer your question," he paused. "I was tired of being treated like the low man on the totem pole. On this side, I am valued and treated with respect, like I'm finally someone's equal. No one from the Order or my family respected me. I was tired of it." He huffed out.
"Are you really okay with fighting against your own family, Percy?" She asked softly.
"Absolutely, I was always invisible to them anyway. No one really acknowledges me unless it's at order meetings. Even then, it's because they want me to give them information about the ministry. There will be no love lost, if they perish during the final battle." He paused before adding, "Honestly, it didn't even hurt me to find out about mum."
"I'm sorry, Percy. No one deserves to be treated or feel that way," she said softly.
"Thank you, Hermione. I should get going in case the Order tries to floo my flat looking for me." He said while rolling his eyes.
"Goodbye, Percy." She smiled.
"I'll see you around, Hermione." He smiled back before leaving the room.
When Hermione made it back to Draco's room, she noticed the bathroom door was closed, and from the steam coming from under the door, she could tell the shower was on.
The last two days, she had been going back and forth with herself about if she was ready to take their relationship to the next level. There isn't any time like the present. Especially with the war coming to a head, she thought to herself.
As she made her way to the bathroom, she started to strip off all of her clothing, leaving only her underwear on. Trying to be as quiet as she possibly could, she opened the bathroom door and stood in front of the shower, waiting for Draco to notice her.
She took a moment to take in how unbelievably fit he was. The water was cascading down his abs and every line of his body.
"You know, if you take a picture I'm sure it'll last longer." He said, snapping her out of her trance.
"Is that your way of inviting me into the shower?" She asked, with a smirk.
"Well, you snuck up on me. I didn't think you needed an invite, love." He said while his eyes roved the curves of her body.
His eyes darkened. "Take off the rest, Hermione."
Blushing, she slowly, teasingly took off her bra. Seeing that his eyes were glued to her breasts, she lowered her upper body, making his eyes move along with her movements, to lower her underwear. She stepped into the warm spray of the shower. Before she could even get her whole body wet, Draco grabbed her waist and pinned her up against the shower wall, crashing his lips onto hers.
In between kisses, he trailed his hands further up her body to eventually land in her hair. She pushed her hips against his, and the groan that she elicited made her smile into his mouth.
"Oh, do you like hearing what you do to me, love?" Draco said into her ear as he ground his hips back into hers. Her breath shuddered. He hummed in satisfaction, and the breath he released ghosted across her neck in the most tantalizing way.
She threw her head back, and as it hit the shower wall, she didn't even feel it. The only thing her mind was able to focus on was his skin against hers. His lips on her neck. His hands on her waist.
"Hermione," he whispered as his hands moved lower on her body, gliding over every curve she had, until he reached her hips. "Do you want this to go any further? Please tell me now."
"Yes," she breathed out. With her confirmation, Draco's hands and lips began to get more urgent. His lips trailed down her neck, and his hands moved from her hips to her chest, and squeezed at her nipples. She groaned and locked one leg around his waist, pulling him flush against her.
Seeming to notice the impatience she had, Draco trailed his hand softly down her stomach to her core. When his hand reached that place of ecstasy, she thought she would break.
"Draco," she whined, "please keep going."
He used the heel of his hand to rub at the place she was most sensitive, while he used two fingers to enter her. He kept up that steady rhythm until she thought that she was going to combust.
"Let go, love," he whispered in her ear, and then she shattered around his fingers. "You are so beautiful."
He brought his head back in order to look her in the eyes. "Are you ready?"
She nodded. She needed so much more. She needed him to be in her. She needed to feel him inside her.
With a slow thrust, Draco entered her, and while there was a pinch, it felt more euphoric than anything.
His grunt as he seated himself inside her was quite possibly the most sensual sound she had ever heard. "You feel perfect, Hermione."
Slowly, he moved inside of her while his hands came to rest on her cheeks. "Perfect."
They moved together in a dance only they could create; she was so close to shattering again, and she begged him to go faster as he rubbed her clit.
"Love, I don't want to hurt you," Draco said.
"Faster, Draco. Now!" She demanded while throwing her head back.
He grunted, took his hands off her cheeks, and pulled her thighs higher. Without needing direction, she wrapped her legs around him and sunk down on his cock even further. They both stilled a moment just to catch their breath; it was the most perfect feeling in the world.
"Move!" She demanded. Immediately, his cock pistoned into her and quickly, without warning, she came, gripping his neck and pulling him closer to her body.
Her gasp of ecstasy was all he needed because once she crested, he came within her while whispering praises about her that made her clench harder around him. He rested his head in the crook of her shoulder and placed light kisses on her as the spray of the water beat down around them.
When they came down from their post orgasm haze, Draco sat her down and turned off the shower.
When they were all dried off and back in their room Draco looked to her. "Hermione, I need to ask you something."
"Yes, Draco?" She smiled.
"Hermione, I love you. I've been in love with you. I've been waiting for the right moment the last few days to formally ask you if you would court me?"