Chapter 4: Water, fire and changes
Hermione had woken up early that morning. She tried to go back to sleep, but something kept her too restless. It was like a white noise in her head that never ceased and became more and more uncomfortable as she became aware of its existence. She didn't understand it until a few minutes later when she moved on the sofa, and her cat, curled up at her feet, complained in response.
The letter to Beatrice Brown.
What had her so agitated was the letter she had asked Crookshanks to send the night before.
To her surprise, she remembered it from start to finish as if it had been engraved in her memory. She allowed herself a mental review:
"Dear Mrs. Brown,
My name is Hermione Granger and I am a seventh-year student at Hogwarts. I am writing to you regarding one of my classmates: Draco Malfoy.
I have heard about the horrible curse you cast upon him recently, and I was completely horrified. Why would you do something like that to a boy who has nothing to do with the sins of his father? Why not punish Lucius Malfoy directly? He is the one who used his position of power to hurt you, not his son! Besides, what sense does it make to curse someone in this way? Let me tell you, it's in very poor taste.
I know that you are a Muggle-born. I am too, and for that reason, I completely understand the frustration and anger that come from the stupid prejudices that only hurt people and create a social barrier between witches and wizards in the magical community. I am very sorry that you were dismissed from your job due to a hate campaign against people like us initiated by Lucius Malfoy, but that is no excuse to take it out on his son.
I urgently ask you to reconsider and take action against the real culprit of all this. Moreover, I implore you to tell me the cure for Draco's curse or at least give me a clue on how we can solve it. The boy is really suffering, and every day it gets worse.
Please be fair.
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger."
When Malfoy woke up, it was still early. There were no students in the common room yet, so they took the opportunity to dress with their backs to each other. They didn't speak to each other, not even when they started hearing Harry and Pansy arguing about something in their part of the room. The ghost of what had happened the previous day in Snape's office was still very present between them, adding another layer of discomfort to everything that was happening between them. They were tied together and couldn't separate, not even in the moments when Malfoy… experienced the effects of the curse. Hermione remembered with embarrassment how she had touched herself in that empty classroom, thinking about what the Slytherin was doing behind her. And she hated to admit it, but it had been… pleasurable. That mix of taboo and thrill of "the forbidden" still caused her to shiver, as did the thought of being caught gave her chills. What would have happened if she hadn't pulled her hand out from under her skirt in time? How would Malfoy have reacted?
Hermione tried to get those thoughts out of her head by concentrating on her classes. She was taking detailed notes on the History of Magic when Malfoy interrupted her by leaning over her parchment to talk to Pansy.
"Where's Blaise?"
She seemed suddenly puzzled. She looked around, but there was no sign of Zabini.
"Now that you mention it, I don't think he came down for breakfast either. Have you seen your friend?" she asked Harry. He shook his head. Pansy shrugged. "Maybe they've run off to London to report this punishment as torture to the Ministry."
Harry snorted, and she glared at him.
"Do you have something to say, Potter?"
"Oh, no, nothing at all," he replied. "In fact, I agree with you that this is torture."
"Yeah, right. You'd love to have another chance to be this close to me," Pansy replied haughtily.
"Yes, cause being near you is such a privilege."
Harry's sarcasm was palpable in the air. The sparks flying from the girl's eyes were too.
"It must be when YOU TOUCHED MY BUTT THIS MORNING."
"Oh, not again. I WAS REACHING INTO MY ROBE WHEN YOU PASSED TOO CLOSE! IT'S LIKE YOU DO IT ON PURPOSE!"
"QUIET!" the professor shouted exasperatedly, calling for order again.
Draco and Hermione looked at each other simultaneously, sharing a moment full of meaning regarding the strangeness of those two but not saying anything aloud. They didn't need to speak to each other during the next class, so they didn't. However, everything changed when Professor Lockhart announced that they would be learning a new spell that day, one Hermione had never heard of before, a supposed defensive spell about which he gave a brief explanation that left more questions than answers, and then had the class find a partner to practice with. Harry paired up with Pansy, and Hermione did the same with Draco for obvious reasons. Ron and Blaise were still nowhere to be seen, and Hermione wondered where they could have gone when Lockhart signaled for them to begin the practical part of the lesson. The students waved their wands at their respective partners, saying the spell aloud simultaneously. Hermione blinked when she felt a kind of pinch in her stomach. When she opened her eyes again, she had changed position… and immediately knew something was terribly wrong. Hermione was the first to start hyperventilating when she looked down, horrified, and found that those large hands with pronounced veins weren't hers. Her fingers were now long, had a ring with the shape of the Slytherin crest on one of them, and trembled as they held Malfoy's wand. Moreover, that body felt heavy, almost exhausted. When she looked back up, she saw herself with a scandalized expression while touching her hair and unintentionally getting her fingers tangled in it.
A collective gasp filled the class as the students began to realize that the spell had made them swap bodies with the person in front of them.
"GIVE ME BACK MY BODY!" Pansy screamed with a very high-pitched and desperate voice from inside Harry, and the rest of the classmates joined her.
Hermione looked around, searching for the teacher in charge to fix the problem. Lockhart was wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief embroidered at the corners. He seemed on the verge of a mental collapse.
"Goodness!" he exclaimed over the students' outcry. "It's possible I made a mistake with the spell," he said, then laughed nervously.
"That's obvious! Do something, damn it!"
She looked at Malfoy and saw herself baring her teeth at the professor in total disgust. It was strange to hear herself scream so indecently at a teacher, seeing herself looking so haughtily that it bordered on disrespect.
"I'm afraid I don't know how to reverse the effect!" he said, forcing a smile to try to downplay the matter, although it had the opposite effect: everyone present began to go crazy. When someone shouted to notify Dumbledore, the professor continued with a trembling voice, "This morning we were informed that Dumbledore is not in the castle, nor is Professor McGonagall. Both have gone to the Ministry of Magic to meet with the minister regarding the explosion in the Transfiguration classroom the other day, you know, to account for what happened and to set security measures to prevent something like that from happening again."
Everyone turned to look at Harry, most with murderous eyes.
"I'm not Potter! He is!" said Pansy, pointing to her body a few meters away, who in turn pointed to Draco's body.
"It wasn't my fault! It was Malfoy's!"
All eyes then turned to Hermione, who was trapped in the Slytherin's body.
"Hey, I'm not Malfoy! He's in my body!" Hermione shouted with Draco's deep voice.
Everything then turned into complete confusion, a situation that the professor took advantage of to disappear from everyone's sight. Resigned to having to wait for Dumbledore to return to solve that mess, they left the class and headed to the Great Hall. To the surprise of the punished pairs, Ron and Blaise were there.
"Where the hell have you been?" snapped Pansy as she sat down. She and Draco were in the worst moods after the incident in the last class. Blaise, who knew nothing about this, looked somewhat confused at the person who had spoken to him.
"Hey buddy, I know Pansy's company can be tormenting at times, but don't take it out on me."
"Why does your voice sound strangely… scattered?" Pansy inquired using Harry's voice.
Blaise smiled, opened his backpack, and took out a brown paper bag. When he discreetly removed the contents to avoid prying eyes, they saw a half-empty bottle of Firewhisky.
"Are you drunk?" Draco asked, then seemed annoyed because the tone was too high for what he had initially wanted to convey.
"Oh, yes, dear Granger," he replied. "You see, your dear friend and I concluded that we couldn't go another day without… you know, having a shower."
"And you resorted to the disinhibition of alcohol to…"
"Exactly, take a shower."
"Are you telling me that taking a shower took you all morning?"
Blaise looked at Ron with a crooked smile, and he buried his face in his hands, suddenly completely embarrassed.
"Let's say… we took our time."
Draco looked at the bottle as if it were a divine gift.
"That plan is…"
He left the sentence hanging.
"It's… perfect!" Pansy exclaimed. She and Draco looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and everyone could see they were thinking the same thing. Then both lunged simultaneously at the paper bag their friend was holding. Pansy took advantage of her new strength to snatch the bottle from Draco's hands. Then she gave a little cry of joy, and Harry shuddered at seeing himself acting that way.
"Oh." Blaise seemed confused. "I had to convince your friend to do this. I didn't know you would be so… willing. Besides, isn't drinking alcohol inside the castle against the rules, Granger?"
He smiled again, and although his intention was clearly to provoke her, it didn't work. Draco grabbed a French fry from the dish and threw it at his face.
"I'm not Granger, you idiot." He gestured with his thumb towards where his body was. "She is."
Then Hermione proceeded to explain to the boys what had happened in Lockhart's class.
"And finally, since you ask, Zabini… Yes, drinking alcohol at Hogwarts is completely forbidden for students."
"Oh, come on, shut up," Draco complained. "Don't use my voice in that know-it-all tone."
Hermione flared the Slytherin's nostrils wide.
"Then don't use mine in such an impertinent way!"
"Wow! So, you've all switched bodies by mistake?" Blaise laughed. "For once, I skip classes, and something interesting happens."
"I wouldn't exactly describe this as 'interesting'," Draco protested, serving himself a good portion of stew on his plate.
"Hey, don't overdo it," Hermione warned him.
"I know it's splendid for you to be in my skin, but I can't say the same," the boy replied.
Hermione elbowed him hard, regretting it almost instantly. That gesture would surely leave a bruise, a bruise she would have to endure once this nightmare was over, and she got her body back. She snorted and glared at him (herself) angrily.
"I meant the food! You'll give me a stomachache with all that amount."
"Are you worried about gaining weight now, Granger?" Pansy mocked. But Hermione had had enough of provocations, so she chose to ignore them.
When lunch was over, Harry and Pansy, who was very happy with her bottle of Firewhisky, went one way. Ron and Zabini went another. Hermione and Draco stood in the hallway, as if waiting for something to indicate what they should do next.
"We have a free hour. Should we also get... some?" Hermione whispered, glancing sideways at the castle's open door. Despite her doubts about using alcoholic beverages to get through the moment she knew would eventually happen, part of her mind couldn't help but appreciate the advantages. They would drink, lose all sense of everything for a while, and then neither would remember anything. And both, finally, could have their deserved shower after four days of neglecting their personal hygiene.
Daphne passed by her like a breath, deliberately bumping her shoulder against Hermione's. Again. She didn't turn to look at them, simply continued on her way with a light step and head held high.
"She wasn't in Lockhart's class, right?" asked the Gryffindor as she saw Draco's gaze darken when he watched his ex walk away. "I think that bump was meant for me."
The boy grunted.
"Let's go."
They crossed the castle grounds and headed towards Hogsmeade. They walked in silence for quite a while, passing a few students running in the opposite direction due to the pitch-black clouds that had blanketed the sky in just a few minutes.
When they arrived at their destination, Draco was the one to speak to the bartender behind the counter.
"A bottle of Firewhisky" he ordered.
Hermione quickly glanced at the man, whose long greasy hair clung to his chubby face. The dirty and messy apron he wore suggested that cleaning routines in the place were of dubious existence. The establishment was quite dark, the furniture was worn and old, and a thick layer of dust covered everything. Hermione hadn't been to that place often, but she found it unmistakable: they were in the Hog's Head, and unfortunately, they weren't alone. A handful of fat, bald men drank from dirty glasses while eyeing her up and down with disgusting looks full of desire that made her stomach churn.
"Well, it's the second time today that kids like you have ordered that. Are you having a party at Hogwarts, sweetheart?" the bartender said, fluttering his eyelashes at Hermione's body.
"Yeah, and if so, would you invite me, darling?" asked one of the customers with clear lasciviousness in his voice.
For the first time since they had met, Hermione moved closer to Draco and leaned near his ear.
"Let's get out of here" she pleaded in a whisper.
"Hey, kid, why don't you share your girl with us?" proposed another man.
Draco stood on tiptoe to look over Hermione's shoulder. Her shoulder, actually.
"Shut up, disgusting jerk!" he shouted.
Hermione's heart sank.
"What are you doing?" she murmured nervously, trying to make sure only he could hear her.
"Hey, control your girlfriend, kid!" they all yelled. Hermione turned around with clenched fists.
"You control your abominable illegal inclinations!" she retorted. "You should be ashamed, I'm only seventeen!"
The bartender placed the bottle on the table and held out his hand. Draco patted his hips for a few seconds before realizing.
"Oh, right."
He reached into Hermione's pants pocket and pulled out a snake-skin wallet. He paid the man and then prepared to leave the filthy place.
However, before they could leave, one of the customers, drunk as a skunk, slammed his glass against the counter.
"Another round, Tony!" he exclaimed, making Hermione move closer to Draco. "And give this pretty lady something too, so she doesn't leave so soon!"
The drunk man grinned stupidly and reached out a hand to touch Hermione's face with his filthy fingers.
"Don't touch me" Draco warned.
"Come on, sweetheart" the man hiccupped a couple of times before continuing, "don't be like that."
Hermione grabbed the Slytherin's arm and pulled him back, quickly taking his wand and pointing it at the drunk man's forehead.
"He said don't touch him" she growled, surprising herself with the ferocity in her voice.
"He…?"
"Alright, alright, let's calm down" said the bartender, coming out from behind the counter. "Francis, shut up or I'll kick you out" he ordered the man, who rested his arms and head on the counter and fell asleep. "And you two, better leave or I'll have to inform Headmaster Dumbledore about what you're doing."
Draco glared at him, and he and Hermione finally left.
Outside, it had started to drizzle, so they had to hurry back to the castle. By the time they passed through the school's doors, they were soaked. Fortunately, all the students were in their respective classes, and those who, like them, had a free period, were definitely not in sight.
They held each other's gaze for a few seconds.
"Where...?" he began to say.
Hermione knew a suitable place, so she led the way. A few minutes later, after climbing and descending stairs, walking through corridors and more corridors, they finally arrived at the prefects' bathroom. The Gryffindor knew they had to block the door to avoid being discovered, but when Draco did so, she suddenly felt an alarming level of anxiety.
"Is this really a good idea?" she stammered.
Malfoy approached her, snatched the bottle from her hands, and uncorked it, starting to drink directly from the bottle as if the contents were water.
"Stop! I didn't give you permission to fill my body with so much alcohol, you'll make it collapse!"
"Isn't that the point?" He handed her the bottle. "Come on, drink. Don't think, just do it. Let's get this over with."
Hermione watched him as he approached the pool in the corner and started turning on the taps. The water began to flow, and she closed her eyes tightly. This was going to happen, and maybe he was right... she shouldn't think so much, for once in her life she just had to act. So she raised the bottle and took a big gulp, which burned her throat like a burst of fire. Firewhisky. Yes, that made sense.
She took another swig, then another when Malfoy took off his cloak and tossed it aside, starting to unbutton the shirt. Her shirt.
She took another desperate gulp, as long as her throat allowed.
"Why doesn't this help no matter how much I drink?" she asked impatiently.
"Really? I'm already feeling it" he replied. "Let me guess... it's the first time your body has tasted alcohol."
He laughed with a silly, uninhibited laugh while unzipping the skirt. Hermione wanted to scream in frustration. He was undressing, undressingher. Although at least he wasn't really aware of what he was doing.
She finished what was left in the bottle and also started removing layers of clothing from Draco's body. His torso was hard, his abs defined, and... and it was very strange to be in his body in that situation. She tried to be as respectful as possible and not look too much, although she noticed the alcohol already taking effect. She had to hold onto the sink to avoid falling backward when she felt her legs starting to give out. However, that heaviness soon turned into a pleasant, comforting sensation that invaded every pore of her skin. Her ideas of right and wrong ceased to exist, and her worries vanished like the contents of the bottle now rolling on the floor. She watched Draco get into the pool with her body and suddenly felt an urge to do the same. She finished undressing while listening to the water flow and smelling the pleasant aroma of what seemed to be vanilla soap.
It didn't take more than a minute to turn the clothes into a ball and toss them aside without a second thought.
Draco was scrubbing his back with the foam when she dipped a foot in.
Hermione closed her eyes, biting her lip. The water was the perfect temperature, and the steam gave the room such a relaxing atmosphere that she couldn't help but sigh with pleasure. He watched her as she slowly got in. When she was fully immersed in the water, she opened her eyes again, which met his once more.
They looked away.
Everything was so... awkward. Their bodies were switched, and they were taking a bath together. Hermione tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help feeling the toned abs when she moved, or the new strength in her arms, as well as the short, fine hair sticking to her forehead with the steam, or the growing excitement of that foreign body in the wet underwear.
Oh, no. When had that happened? She was horrified just thinking about it, so she said the first thing that came to mind that might... lower that.
"You and Daphne..."
The mention of that name made Draco look at her immediately. It was the first time she saw herself so defensive.
"What?" he snapped.
Several long seconds passed before Hermione spoke again. She needed to analyze the situation for a moment, and the alcohol helped quite a bit. She wasn't in her complete mental faculties, to be honest.
"You still love her."
That statement caught him off guard. The hardness in his eyes softened a bit, and his lips formed a grimace. Maybe it was wrong to bring up the topic, but she had achieved her goal: she no longer felt that dangerous excitement that had started to appear under the foam. Remembering that Malfoy and Daphne were a couple, and that her sister had threatened her very explicitly if the rumors about them continued, had been enough for any wrong thoughts to disappear from her mind.
She had lost hope that Draco would respond when, suddenly, he sighed deeply and surprised her by doing so.
"It's funny you say that."
"Funny?"
"Yes, all my life I have been considered a narcissist, a person who cannot love anyone but himself. You know that, don't you? You think so too. Everyone thought so, and that's why no one would let me prove otherwise. But then she came along and she saw beyond all that, she saw me, and she gave me the chance. And I don't know why I'm telling you this, it's probably the alcohol, but if you want a bloody answer... yes, I still love her, and I can't wait for this stupid punishment to be over so I can sort things out with her."
Hermione stirred slightly in her seat. She didn't know what surprised her more, the fact that he had come clean like that or that he seemed to have implied that Daphne had been his first and only girl.
She couldn't believe it. Even she had experienced more in that sense.
And it was odd, because his words played over and over in her head: "No one would let me prove otherwise." Really? Malfoy had always been the kind of boy who was intimidating just by his presence, but to this extent? No girl had ever trusted him enough to get romantically involved with him before? Only Daphne had ever kissed him, touched him, loved him... And what was that sudden warmth in the pit of her stomach? Was it the whisky? And if that was it, why did her chest feel like it was shrinking?
The feeling was strange... like a general uneasiness that had begun as she had imagined Malfoy with Greengrass, as she had thought seriously about them and the intimacy of their relationship for the first time. What would it have been like to be the first? Would it have been special? These questions brought images into her head, vivid images: Daphne on top of Malfoy in a spacious bed of velvet sheets, her legs on either side of his body, moving up and down, having control over him. These images blurred and gave way to another scene: a now experienced Malfoy lifting the girl's skirt in a dark hallway and covering her mouth with his hand just as he was about to penetrate her. And back to being intimate on the bed, on the floor of their common room, in those same toilets that her eyes were looking into at that very moment.
Hermione's face burned, and not from the heat of the water. What was wrong with her? What were all these... feelings? They were swirling in her chest and clouding her reason. And all because of him? She had never been attracted to Malfoy before until this moment. She hadn't even had the slightest interest in him for as long as she'd known him. But now, doomed to be unable to be separated from him, she had seen a slightly more human side to the boy. She had seen him face the pain of a terrible curse, suffer for love... It was as if she had just realised that the Slytherin actually did have feelings, did have a heart behind his armour.
The whirlwind of thoughts seemed to have knocked her out like a punch in the nose would have done. Worst of all, she had a feeling that the punch option would have hurt less.
She decided to keep quiet in the middle of this awkward moment... but unfortunately it didn't last long. The excitement she had managed to suppress until a few seconds ago had returned, and much more abruptly. Suddenly and for no reason. She wanted to think of something else to get rid of it again, but this time it was different. Her arms tightened in pain as the pain slowly came, and Hermione began to moan uncontrollably.
After a few seconds of confusion, her face turned livid as she realised what might be happening.
Oh, no. No, no, no, no.
Draco's eyes narrowed when he noticed her expression and Hermione could barely speak in a whisper to say:
"I think... I think it's happening. I-is that possible?"
When Draco understood what she meant, he swallowed forcibly.
"It affects my body. You're inside my body, so now you're the one harbouring the curse."
The erection was already uncontrollable, and an annoying tingling began to appear in her fingertips, gradually spreading to the rest of her hands.
"Make it stop!" she shouted, trembling as she had never trembled before.
Draco kept his composure, though his dark eyes betrayed his obvious concern.
"You have to" was all he said.
"No," Hermione shrieked.
"Only then will it stop," he said with apparent calm.
No! She didn't want to do it! But... What if she didn't? Yes, he would die, but who actually? Would he still be alive in Hermione's body? Would Draco die as her body died? Would they both die as she was inside him?
The tingling began to spread up her arms, and the searing pain already shot through her like whiplash with every passing moment.
She had no choice. Hermione scrambled out of the pool and hid behind a nearby sink. The excitement was so strong it hurt, it hurt like hell.
She stared at the tiles in front of her and tried to disperse herself as she reached inside Malfoy's underwear.
His dick was... big. But the pain began to subside as she masturbated it. The thought of it was disturbing, but it was all being so weird that no matter how hard she tried she couldn't steer the course of her thoughts in any other direction.
Yes, she was in Malfoy's body. Yes, this very body was soaking wet and naked. And yes, she was relieving the erection that horrendous curse was giving him. She was experienced enough to know what to do, but she had no idea how satisfying it would feel. She gripped it harder and bit her lip. Part of her was horrified by her reaction, but the feeling of pleasure overshadowed any shame she might feel at the moment.
God, it was really big. And she felt it firm in her palm as it rose and fell. She knew she would regret it later, but at the moment she was enjoying it. Horror had turned to pleasure, and that felt good. She allowed herself to stop thinking about the consequences as the sensations became more intense. She remembered what she'd been thinking minutes before and imagined herself instead of Daphne up on that same sink, legs spread wide and being penetrated over and over again by the boy whose body she currently owned. The boy whose heart belonged to someone else. She told herself that she could fantasize about it, that it was no big deal. She was only thinking about it because she needed to orgasm. So why was she delaying it?
One minute, two, ten.
She held back a grunt and, without stopping to analyse what she was doing, gave up and looked down. The boxers were sagging at her feet and the sight of the complete nakedness of Draco's body made her come instantly.
Her heart was beating fast as she stared at how the wall had become soaked in the whitish discharge. She would need a cleansing spell for that mess.
Her cheeks burned and her breathing was ragged.
She would also need a lot of willpower to get out of there and face Malfoy, knowing that they both knew what had just happened behind that sink. And, as much as it weighed on her, also knowing that she had just fallen in some kind of love –LOVE?– with the Slytherin, and that this would undoubtedly mark a before and after in her life.