Hermione
This unexpected heat ended up being one of my most painful ones yet. I received no relief from the numerous orgasms I gave myself – nothing was able to satisfy my body's craving for an alpha's knot. I wept until I had no more tears left to shed, and even then, the tearless sobs continued to wrack my body. I begged the universe to give me just a moment to catch my breath and ease the deep aches in my body but my pleas fell on deaf ears.
The day I wake up and finally don't feel the heat that has spent the last few days ravaging my body, I melt into the soft, and unfortunately, damp bed. I feel like I'm able to breathe properly and the tension in my body leaves. My whole body aches but nonetheless, I force myself up and into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror at myself, I cringe. My eyes are bloodshot and there are dark circles. The French braids I put in were barely intact but did a good enough job to keep my hair from matting and tangling. I sit on the edge of the tub while hot water fills up the tub. This is one of the only times I wished for an alpha. Taking care of myself after a heat is miserable.
A grumble comes from my stomach and I wander to the kitchen grabbing the bowl of fruit and jug of juice from the fridge. I don't have it in me to make anything beyond this. Bringing it back to the bathroom, I carefully balance the bowl on the edge of the tub before getting in and sinking into the steaming water. A quiet moan of relief comes from me and I sink down until my chin is above the water. I need more than one day for recovery but I need to be back in classes tomorrow.
Being an omega is fucking miserable.
Draco
In the time that Granger's been gone, my alpha has been restless. My thoughts are constantly going back to Hermione, where is she? Is she okay? Why can't I smell her? With my thoughts centered on her, I've narrowed it down to two possible conclusions.
Either alphas have evolved to find betas' menstrual cycles appealing or Granger is masking the fact she's an omega with advanced magic.
There are no other answers to the reason why that scent had multiple alphas in a chokehold. Especially coming from a woman with no scent.
I'm anxious to see Granger again. I can't tell if it's because I want answers to my burning questions or –
Or nothing. I want my questions answered. You don't want to run your hands along her thighs and up and under the skirt, leaving real marks on–
"Drake?" Astoria's voice yanks me out of my stream of thought that isn't entirely my own.
"Yes, my dove?" I pick up my coffee cup and give her a small smile.
"The dress I picked is going to be dropped off any day now," she giggles, "I asked the dressmaker to include a bowtie matching the fabric of my dress."
"Wonderful, you think of everything," I glance down at my watch and chug the rest of my coffee, "can't be late. I'll see you at lunch?" My words are rushed as I stand and lean over to kiss the top of her head.
"Mhm, bye Drake," she blows me a kiss. Shooting her a wink, I leave the Great Hall.
Since Granger has been out, I try to get to class early to collect any assignments she might need and to make sure I'm not missing anything I'm taking notes on. I know she'd do the same for me and it's the right thing to do. I've spent enough time not doing the right thing, it's the least I can do.
As I walk in, I do a double-take and pause. Her golden-brown curls reach halfway down her back. Her white shirt is tucked neatly into her gray skirt, with black sheer tights accentuating her shapely legs. I glance at our table and her robe is draped over the back of her chair and her books are open with parchment and quil at the ready. As I shift my gaze back to her, she's facing me.
She looks no different beyond the slight flush of her cheeks.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy! I was just telling Miss Granger you've been collecting the assignments I've been giving out for her." Professor Drach grins.
My ears grow warm but I nod, making my way towards our table, "I did," I pull out a folder, "they're all in here, Granger."
The soft click of her heels is all that's heard while she walks back to our spot, "thank you." She takes it from me and flicks through it quickly.
"If you want to work on any of it together, we can go to the library," I offer and hand over the scroll of notes I created for her.
"This has all the work from all our classes… even Herbology…" Her brow arches and she looks up at me.
My ears start to burn, and the heat spreads across my face, causing my skin to flush. I cough and clear my throat, my eyes moving around the room to avoid her gaze, "yeah. I told Sprout about seeing you and she was more than enthusiastic."
When I finally meet her eyes, I'm struck by their amber glow. I can't help but wonder, has Granger always been this… radiant? She seems to be lit up from within, emanating a gentle glow that I can't ignore.
"Thank you, Draco," she finally answers and her lashes flutter as she looks down and settles in her seat.
She didn't call me Malfoy. I sit and glance at her, "you're welcome." Her name gets caught in my throat and it's just better left there because I'm a promised man. My name. She said Draco. It was unexpected, but still managed to sound lovely because it is from her.
My mind flickers to Astoria and the promise I can't avoid.
A shy smile comes from her before she refocuses on the papers in front of her, her brows furrowed in a frown.
I take a moment as I'm setting up to scent the air to be met with the same no-scent smell as usual.
Fucking Granger.
Hermione
The morning after my recovery day, I showered and lathered myself in my scent inhibitor potion before pulling on my under-the-skirt shorts as an extra measure. I ate breakfast quickly before nipping off to my first class early enough to gather my assignments. What I wasn't expecting was Malfoy to be the one to collect my assignments for me.
I smell him before I see him. The strong alpha scent envelopes me in a warm embrace and every breath feels like a sip of the finest wine, filling me with a deep sense of contentment and want. I turn around to look at him. His usually perfectly coiffed silver-blonde hair is now visibly distressed as if he has been running his hands through it.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy! I was just telling Miss Granger you've been collecting the assignments I've been giving out for her." Professor Drach informs him.
As I watch him reach for a folder, I notice his ears turn a delicate shade of pink which makes a wave of affection wash over me. I walk over to our shared space, "thank you." I take the folder and look through my coursework. Tabs were labeling each class and I pause as I flip to the last class, Herbology. Malfoy isn't taking herbology.
"If you want to work on any of it together, we can go to the library," he holds out parchment scrolls which I assume are notes.
As I look through those, I notice Herbology notes as well, "you got my work and notes from all our classes… even Herbology…" I arch a brow and look up at him finally. My omega wants to purr with contentment at Draco's thoughtfulness. Stop it. Was it a mistake coming to classes today? I barely have myself controlled, obviously.
As Draco coughs and clears his throat, the pink from his ears creeps down to his face and colors his cheeks. He avoids making eye contact with me, "yeah. I told Sprout about seeing you and she was more than enthusiastic."
When he finally meets my gaze, I'm surprised by the intensity of his stare. His eyes seem to bore into mine, and I feel a flush color my cheeks. Does Malfoy always look at me like this?
Finally, I muster up the words to reply. "Thank you, Draco," I murmur, my lashes fluttering as I look down at my lap. It's the first time I've used his name, and the sound of it coming from my lips sends a shiver down my spine. I try to settle in my seat, but I can't ignore the way my heart is racing. My usual stronghold on my omega doesn't matter when it comes to him.
I definitely shouldn't have come to class today. Malfoy is looking at me like I hung the moon and I'm two seconds away from curling into his lap. My omega is too close to the surface to be around Malfoy right now.
"You're welcome," he answers, focusing on the papers in front of him.
He cares, my omega whines loudly in my mind and a shy smile involuntarily spreads across my face. Catching myself and forcing my omega back with a frown, I turn my attention to the papers on our desk.
As we continue through the rest of our classes, I find myself struggling to focus more than I care to admit. The thought of skipping the rest of the day crosses my mind, but I can't bring myself to do it after missing the last few days. Besides… I'm unsure if my omega would even allow it.
"Granger, did you still want to do lessons today? We don't have to, I know you just got back from your… situation," he asks with a hint of hesitation as he begins to pack up his bag.
I'm tempted to take him up on the offer to skip flying lessons, but I know we both have hours to complete, and I've already missed a few due to my heat. I suppress the urge to take the easy way out and shrug, "it's fine, Malfoy. I'll meet you outside of Herbology?"
"Sounds good, I'll see you later," he nods and exits the class while I'm still packing up.
My rational self knows that this is not a good idea, but my omega eagerly anticipates his touch – this might not be the best idea I've had.
In a blink, Herbology is over and I'm starting towards Black Lake when Malfoy falls in step with me.
"Granger," he greets.
"Malfoy," I reply, meeting his gaze briefly before looking away and focusing on the path ahead. I clear my throat before continuing, "your notes really helped me in Herbology today. Thank you again." I make a conscious effort to avoid looking at him, keeping my eyes firmly fixed ahead. I'm grateful we're outside and the usual overpowering scent of Malfoy doesn't have me by the throat.
"I'm glad to hear it," he says simply, his voice calm and measured.
As we approach our usual spot, he keeps walking, "c'mon Granger, we are trying something new." He keeps walking but looks back at me.
"Okay…" I furrow my brows in curiosity, trailing behind him as we make our way toward the shore of Black Lake. "What did you have in mind?" I ask, my gaze fixed on his back.
"Tell me, Granger, what do you see out there?" He asks, pointing towards a small buoy.
I don't remember ever seeing a buoy in Black Lake before, but there it floats now, its dark green color contrasting sharply with the dark waters. "The buoy?"
"Here," he says, pulling a set of quidditch binoculars out of his bag and holding them towards me, "look again."
I take the binoculars from his outstretched hand and focus on the buoy once more. I squint a bit before seeing bright orange fur, which makes my stomach drop. "Is that my bloody cat?" I stare harder before lowering the binoculars and turning to him for an explanation, anger is slowly starting to seep in.
"That is," he stares at the buoy before shifting his eyes to me, "you need better motivation, Granger. Otherwise, we aren't getting you further than ten feet."
"So you catnapped Crookshanks?!" My hand twitches involuntarily as I contemplate hexing him.
"Accio Granger's Wand," he says in a calm and steady tone as he catches my wand and tucks it away. "I promise you, he is not harmed. He won't be harmed. You just have to go get him." He then raises his wand and says, "Accio Firebolt 2001," pointing it to the sky.
My gaze remains fixed on the blonde in utter disbelief, as a surge of anger and irritation wells up within me. The bloody audacity of Malfoy for taking Crookshanks and putting him in the middle of Black Lake! It's not like I can just leave either. He took my wand and my familiar is stranded.
Bloody Malfoy.