A/N Hi guys - we're having a double update today because things have gotten out of sync with AO3 after this site had problems a few weeks ago.

Scalding desire pulsed throughout Antonin's body. It was difficult to gauge the passing of time when he had Granger under his touch and lips like this - it felt as though he could lose himself forever in the physical delights she provided him with and yet it never seemed to last long enough. Had it only been five minutes since he'd decided he'd heard enough about the further success of the protection charm and pulled her mouth eagerly to his or had it been closer to fifteen or twenty? Either way - the sensual build up of kisses to her lips, jaw and neck, the needy strokes at the soft skin of her back, her fingers gripping in his hair, her nails scraping along his stubble or digging into his upper arms, her desperate moans and mewls that had his straining cock twitching - it was both too much and not enough. He needed more, something new, a release from all the torturous fucking tension.

He'd been patient with her - more than he'd intended to be, but that was mostly because a sizeable portion of her last two visits had been spent working on his new spell. It had left him incredibly frustrated even if it was necessary to try and keep her safe from a covert attack. Surely she was ready and trusted him enough to allow him to lead her somewhere new. Fuck - it didn't even have to be completely new. He was desperate to get another glimpse of her scar, to touch and taste it.

The mere possibility brought forth a low grunt of approval from his chest and his fingers instinctively spasmed against the soft skin at her back. To give himself a small amount of brain power to plot the best way to bring that desire about, (and to keep her distracted), he shifted his lips away from her mouth to kiss along her jaw once more and she tilted her head obligingly. Ideally, he needed her to be the one to initiate his touch on her scar - that was how he'd been successful all those months ago - because she'd made a point afterwards of saying that she never wanted his touch there again. He didn't think that was true anymore but it would be better to be sure he had her consent.

He smoothly inched the hand positioned at her back round to her waist, then as he kissed down her neck, her head lolled back with a breathless pant and the hand he'd had at her cheek moved downwards, avoiding contact with her breast but brushing ever so slightly over the fabric that covered her scar. Her breath caught and she raised her head, but Antonin pretended not to notice, kissing and then swirling his tongue around the hollow at the base of her throat. She whimpered and he fought not to grin. Any moment now…

Hands at his shoulders suddenly pushed him away and he was so surprised by her actions that he was too slow to try and maintain his hold. Granger turned from him and took a couple of quick steps away, meaning that Antonin didn't have to bother hiding the displeasure from his expression. What the fuck?

"I just…" she said breathlessly. "…just need a, a break for a moment." Her fingers gripped the edge of his desk as her shoulders rose and fell with her deep breaths.

Antonin could give her a moment or two, but he wasn't going to wait much longer than that. Nor did he like that she wasn't looking at him. This was quite reminiscent of their last visit and he recalled that they'd barely had time for any kisses after that moment because of their work on the charm. He wasn't going to let that happen once more but, to his annoyance, he saw that he'd left notes on the desk and Granger picked one up before he had the chance to distract her.

For fuck's sake.

He stepped around her, tidying the parchment into a neat pile and made to take the one out of her hand but she shifted it away without even lifting her gaze.

"What's this?" she asked, her eyes flying back and forth over both sides of the parchment.

"Later," he said.

"This isn't relevant to the protection charm," she continued and then she finally looked at him, expression intrigued. "Is this a new spell?"

Antonin resisted the strong urge to let out a yell of frustration. "Not now," he told her firmly, but he had a feeling that it was already too late. "Let's get back to - "

"What does it do?" she asked. "Is it another form of protection?" She was looking at him, expectant and keen for answers.

Antonin considered his options. He could refuse to answer and then attempt to recapture the heady air of just a few moments ago - but he knew she wouldn't be easily swayed from what she wanted. It would take a certain amount of forcefulness on his part and that would make rebuilding the heat between them more difficult. Or, he could accept the fact that his lustful desires had been forestalled once again but please her in another way by giving her the information that she sought. There was still a chance that keeping her in a good mood would give him opportunities to indulge in his craving for her before she had to leave. If the spell worked out the way he hoped (and unfortunately that was a huge 'if' because this was easily the most ambitious and complicated magic he'd ever attempted), he'd have more than enough time to make up for what he lost here.

With a barely repressed sigh, Antonin pulled out his chair and sat down. "No. It is not protection." Granger's expression became a little confused as she watched him sit. "I have a feeling we'll be discussing this for a while," he explained.

Her mouth turned down but she followed his lead and sat next to him. "Is it a dark spell?" she asked tensely. "Something for him?"

Antonin shook his head. "No. It's for us."

Her eyes widened and she seemed only capable of staring at him for a moment before she repeated in an uncertain tone, "Us?"

He nodded. Truthfully, he would gain more from the magic than her, but he liked to think that she would be receiving plenty of benefits from it too. He reached out and ran his fingers down the back of her hand, trying to ease the tension his words had created within her. She shifted her posture at the intensity of his touch and allowed him to work her hand open so that he could hold it in his own to offer her reassurance.

"Antonin…" Her voice was strained and he knew that she was probably struggling to concentrate, so he lifted her hand to his lips, kissed it, then set it back down and withdrew his touch.

"I am attempting to find a way to manipulate the flow of time within this cell."

Her mouth dropped open. "You…? What?!"

"Our time together is too short, milaya. I want more of you, there's no point in denying it. Additional time away from the threats that loom over you will do you good but you just choosing to stay here longer might attract unwanted attention that could put you in further danger than you are already in," he explained calmly. "If my magic works, time will pass more slowly when you are in this cell with me but beyond these walls it will flow as normal."

She shook her head, eyes still wide. "You can't. It can be dangerous to mix magic with time. There are so many regulations."

"Ah, but that all refers to moving through time," he pointed out. "This magic isn't about travelling to the past or the future. The direction and continuity of time will still flow as it's meant to, just not at the normal speed."

Again, she shook her head. "You can't have one little room in the world where the time lags so far behind everywhere else - it will upset the natural balance of things. It either won't work at all or you'd risk ripping the room - maybe even the whole building - to shreds. Antonin, this is madness!"

"It's not," he denied. "And you gave the answer yourself - balance. I know that the time flows must have equilibrium. I have planned for that. Yes - when you're here, time will move slower but when you're not - "

"You'll make time flow faster," she breathed, eyes wide.

He nodded. "Until balance is restored and then time will flow as normal."

"Is that… Is any of this possible?"

"I believe so," he told her with calm confidence. "Since you took over the lead on the protection charm a couple of visits ago, I have been working on nothing else. The challenge of achieving such a feat - not to mention the outcome if I am successful - " He briefly held his hand to her cheek and her eyes closed as she inhaled a quick breath "- have driven me to work harder on this than any of my other creations." He gestured to the small pile of parchment that he'd thoughtlessly left on his desk and then tugged two much larger bundles of parchment closer to show her the unprecedented output of his work. "Although I haven't finalised the magic yet - the precise combination of runes evades me - I believe I am close. The arithmancy charts prove it."

Granger pulled one of the piles of parchment towards her and the pages cascaded in a rustling wave as she took the most cursory glance through his work. "Antonin… I, I don't know what to say," she murmured. "I mean, the protection charm is a clever and useful spell but this?" Antonin had lost count of the number of times she'd shaken her head but she did so again on a sigh. "If you actually manage it…"

"I will," he told her firmly. Because the chance of keeping her with him for longer periods of time had been at the forefront of his mind for over a fortnight, so much so that it had transformed into a certainty and not a possibility now. To fail, to lose something that already felt real, was not an option. She didn't look convinced. He could hardly blame her because this was incredibly advanced and ambitious magic that he had dropped on her out of nowhere. Perhaps she thought his isolation in this cell had caused him to lose his senses but Antonin knew that he wasn't delusional or going mad. He would just have to show her.

Over the next twenty minutes or so, he walked her through his thinking, using his notes to prove his conclusions. Very few people would have been able to keep up or comprehend even half of what he was saying, but her clever eyes and questions proved that she was with him every step of the way. It obviously helped that she was familiar with the way that he worked on his spells but he was reminded that she was quite a remarkable witch, that he could talk to her as almost an academic equal. He wasn't insulted that she redid many of his rune combinations and arithmancy charts because he knew that it wasn't that she didn't trust his answers or believed him to be purposefully deceiving her, she just needed to work something as extraordinary as this through for herself. He would've done the same in her position. And the more she saw that his workings were accurate, the more she started to believe him that this was possible.

"Once I've figured out the rune combinations, I'll need your assistance again," he told her, running his fingers teasingly over her hand. Her mouth shifted and she pressed her lips together but he wasn't sure if it was in response to his actions or words. The time for her to reply stretched on, surprising him, and he began to pull his fingers away but she clutched at them, holding him in place, before sliding her own fingers in between. He allowed her to soak in the relief from him for a few seconds before prompting, "… Milaya?"

She frowned and looked down at their joined hands to avoid his eye. "I just… I don't… know if this is a good idea."

He was the one to stay quiet this time, waiting her out so that she would elucidate. He could feel irritation bubbling away under his skin at her reluctance - but he wanted to know the root of it before he jumped to conclusions and frustratedly let out a misjudged comment. He'd shown her how far he'd come with the concept, how close he was to cracking it, so what was holding her back? After a few moments, she sighed and finally lifted her gaze to his, her expression somewhat anxious. "I can't just go playing around with time magic. This could have serious consequences if it goes wrong."

"It won't go wrong. I'm going to have it all worked out," he told her.

"There's always risk with new spells. All your books say so," she reminded him and gestured her hand towards the tomes stacked nearby.

"You were willing to risk it for this," he pointed out, running his fingers along the bracelet at her wrist.

Her arm flinched, as though she wanted to pull it away, but then she remained still. "That was different."

"Was it?" he countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course it was - it wasn't trying to manipulate time!" she retorted with eyes wide. "Time, Antonin. Only Unspeakables with advanced training are allowed to investigate such magic because of the dangers involved." She clutched his hands tightly but her voice softened. "I can see how hard you've worked on this and I agree that you probably are close to making a breakthrough, but if anyone even discovers that I've played around with untested time magic let alone - Merlin forbid - something actually goes wrong, I could be expelled."

"That's not going to happen," Antonin maintained, his annoyance still simmering away. "Between us, you and I will take every precaution to make sure you are as safe as can be. I trust you with my creation, milaya. Do you not trust me?"

She blew out a short breath from the side of her mouth, showing her own frustration, and a few locks of her hair momentarily fluttered away from her cheek. "It's not a question of trust. The very fact that I'm here, still dealing with the consequences of one of your creations, shows that you don't always know where your magical inventions might lead." She raised her hand, showing her bracelet. "I was prepared to risk it for this because," she swallowed, looking a bit uncomfortable, "because, like you, I felt that there was a need for it - to offer me protection from an attack I might not see coming." Her hand dropped forwards so that her fingertips rested against his latest notes. "This is not a need."

Antonin fought to keep his anger from boiling over. It didn't help that he knew that she was right, that it wasn't strictly necessary for her to be with him for hours at a time, but he'd worked too fucking hard to back down now. And it had become such a focus of his attention that, for him, it certainly now felt like a need that had to be brought to fruition. But he couldn't get what he wanted without her cooperation. He had to convince her somehow. Yes, his primary motivation was selfish: he wanted more of her, it was as simple as that. And, conveniently, this spell would also make it feel like the time between her visits was much shorter than the tortuous length he was currently having to endure. However, none of that was going to change her mind. He didn't think of Granger as a selfish individual - far from it - but he believed that appealing to her needs might be the way to get her to at least start contemplating his way of thinking.

Keeping his voice level, he said, "I beg to differ." Her look was disbelieving but he persevered. "It might not be a need for me," he lied, "but it is for you." Her disbelief grew and she gave a little scoff. "Perhaps not now but soon," he continued. He was tempted to lift his touch to her cheek or neck in order to sway her with the potency of his touch, but he didn't actually want to distract her from the validity of his words. "After all, this is the only place where you're safe. I imagine that all of the wariness and caution you're having to show around the school and amongst the Order is very draining." Her mouth had dropped open slightly but he could tell from the way that she was staring at him that his words had struck something within her. "All that constantly looking over your shoulder, employing your mental defences, wondering who you can trust… You don't have to worry about any of that here with me." He risked brushing his knuckles gently over her cheek and her eyes momentarily closed at the caress. "You can relax, let that all fade away for a few hours, and let me take care of you."

He leaned in, wanting to kiss her, but she pulled back from his touch with a glare. "Is that all this is?" she asked with an angry gesture at his notes. "More time for us to… get closer?" She stumbled over the words, looking momentarily uncomfortable before her anger returned. "You don't actually care about my state of mind. You're just trying to get me to agree with what you want."

"More than one thing can be true, zhar-ptitsa," he replied shortly, frustration seeping into his tone. "I'm not trying to hide the fact that I want you to help me with the spell, and of course I want to get more intimate with you - that's been fucking obvious for months and no manipulation of time flows is going to change that. But you're wrong - I do care about other aspects of your welfare. Have I not made it clear what I am willing to do to ensure your safety? I've opened your eyes to the truths you didn't want to see and created a whole damn spell to try and keep you alive. However eager I am to have more time with you doesn't change the fact that you need a respite from the pressures you're withstanding." The anger and mistrust on her expression was visibly easing so he pushed on. "Yes, I hope that we will have the chance to 'get closer' as you said," he told her honestly, and her eyes briefly darted away, "and I'm flattered that you think I have the stamina to keep that up for a dozen hours at a time. Don't get me wrong, milaya, I'm willing to try -"

"Antonin!" The word came out as a shocked and nervous laugh, her cheeks aglow and eyes wide as she struggled to meet his gaze. The angry tension between them shifted into the heady desire that so frequently swirled around their encounters. Antonin briefly allowed himself to imagine it as he had so many times over the last couple of weeks - taking the time to explore every part of her, fucking her every way he could think of, claiming her as his over and over. Yes, maybe he did have the stamina after all. He'd only been waiting for that moment for months and months…

His lust cried out for him to reach for her and seize that moment now, but he knew that he couldn't, that it wasn't the right time. He still had to convince her that she needed this magic. He discreetly cleared his throat to rid it of the huskiness that had formed at his fantasies. "The point I was trying to make is that all of your time spent here, whatever it be - resting, pleasure, reading, relaxing, studying…" He made a gesture to his bed, " - hell, even literally sleeping if that's what you need - all of that is going to help you find the strength and focus to continue your vigilance and keep fighting for another day. If you're exhausted or overstressed from constantly looking over your shoulder, you're more likely to miss something or make a mistake at the vital moment. And you know I'm not exaggerating when I say that could be fatal."

She was watching him attentively, considering his words. He remained still, hoping that he was starting to break through to her. After a few moments, she sighed. "I do understand what you're saying and maybe there is some validity to your arguments but… I still don't consider it a need."

Antonin was only mildly disappointed. That was definitely progress. He'd take it for now. The idea had been implanted in her mind and it would surely only grow as the days went on and the strain started to pull at her. Now that he had said his piece, he took her hands in his, stroking his fingers over the smooth skin. "Think about it," he told her. "That's all I want you to do - when you're not working on your studies, of course," he added with a slight smile and she responded with a half-hearted one of her own. He risked lifting his hand higher and ran his fingers down the side of her face before curling round to the back of her neck, making her let out a shaky breath. "I'm not going to stop my work."

"I know," she replied softly, her eyes falling shut. "I know you better than to think that. It doesn't mean I'm going to give you what you want though."

Antonin smirked and shifted forwards so that he could start kissing along her jaw. We'll see, zhar-ptitsa…