Hermione crept through the corridors of the large manor. Against her will, she had spent the last three days secretly watching in the evenings to see whether the master of the house crawled into bed with his wife or not. The scene between the couple that she had witnessed on Saturday left a bitter aftertaste. Sure, she had been the one to draw the line, and her mind still told her that it was a good thing. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little sting at the thought that perhaps he had only been seeking physical satisfaction in her after all. All his understanding for her, for her secret desire, for the depths of her soul - had she once again only interpreted what she wanted to see? Had there perhaps been nothing at all?

Annoyed with herself, Hermione stopped. What was she doing here anyway? Lucius slept alone for the last three nights, but what was it to her? She really had more important things to do than watch over this man like a jealous mistress. There was no time to think about feelings, however lonely and abandoned she felt.

"What are you doing here?"

Caught off guard, Hermione stopped in her tracks. Of course she expected to be discovered sooner or later. The question was all too justified - what on earth was she doing outside the Malfoy's marital bedroom? She turned round uncertainly.

"I repeat," Lucius said tensely, "What are you doing here?"

Hermione stared at him helplessly. What could she say? That she couldn't bear the thought of him returning to his wife just like that? That she felt abandoned by him because he dropped her for that madwoman who had tried to kill her? That now more than ever, as she and Snape stood against him, she felt the need to find comfort in him?

"I told you weeks ago!" Malfoy snarled and Hermione could clearly hear his barely suppressed anger. "Don't play games with me!"

Before she could say anything in reply, he grabbed her by the arm, opened the door, and dragged her into the bedroom. The door slammed shut behind them with a loud bang and Hermione's eyes widened as she saw Malfoy cast a spell on the door. She made him angry and now she was trapped here. She swallowed.

"You're driving me mad," he said quietly, but with a dangerous coldness in his voice. She backed away, but apart from the huge bed, the wardrobes, and the chair, there was nothing in this room. Nothing that could offer her protection. Shivering, she pressed herself against the cold wall.

"Can you imagine how it feels for me, Lucius Malfoy, when every time I kiss my wife, every time I hug her, the image of you, a mudblood, appears in my mind?" he asked angrily. "However you did it, you succeeded magnificently. I want you and no other woman. Congratulations."

Angrily, he rammed both hands against the wall next to Hermione's head. She still couldn't say anything, could only stare at him wordlessly, not understanding what was happening.

"But let me tell you something," he continued as he brought his face close to hers, "That's not how it works. You thought you could just talk your way out of this? Draw a line under it and that's it? I've got news for you. That's not how it works. Not with me."

With those words, he closed the small distance between their lips and forced her into a hard, almost painful kiss. Hermione broke free from her stupor, turning her head to the side, but immediately his hand was in her hair, holding her head in place with force. A moan escaped him and echoed through her body. She could feel the rage inside him and the passion with which he desired her, and as much as she tried to fight it, she couldn't help but return it. She needed this man, she was dependent on the comfort, on the oblivion, on this passion that clouded her senses and tore her away from the cruel reality. Desperately, she returned the kiss.

It didn't take Lucius a second to realise that she was no longer resisting but, on the contrary, was answering the kiss with equal passion. An angry sound escaped him as he pushed himself away from the wall, wrapped both arms around her, and threw her onto his bed with a quick twist. Only a moment later he was on top of her, pushing himself between her legs and pulling off her dress with trembling hands.

Somewhere in the back of her consciousness, a soft voice screamed at Hermione that there had been a good reason to draw a line and put Lucius in his place, but she paid it no mind. His groans, his greedy gaze, the passionate rage with which he looked at her made her realise that he needed her as much as she needed him. She couldn't do it alone, she wasn't strong enough to fulfil Snape's demands without breaking. She needed those brief moments when she could let herself go completely, surrender to that something inside her that Lucius had shown her, and stop trying to control herself, at least for the moment.

Malfoy, on the other hand, no longer understood the world, but he didn't care. Hermione lay naked beneath him, insecure but obviously not as dismissive as she had been at the weekend, and he intended to take advantage of that. He had spent the last few days desperately trying to regain his desire for his wife, but her touch gave him nothing. This young woman beneath him had bewitched him. And now she lay here, despite her harsh words, willing and obviously as desperate as he was. He would take what he needed and he would make sure she remembered what she had in him.

With quick movements, he got rid of his clothes, not caring where they fell or whether they might wrinkle. Then he reached for Hermione's arms, pushing them together above her head so that he could hold them there with one hand. Bending low over her until his mouth was almost touching her ear, he whispered in a raspy voice, "You will not run away. I won't let you run away from me ever again!"

He could hear her breathing quicken and was grateful that, for the moment at least, she was unaware of how empty his threat was. He wasn't the man to take a woman against her will, but he would show her why she wouldn't want to run away. His free hand travelled slowly down her body, stroking her breasts, lingering briefly on her stomach as he sought her lips again and gave her an almost tender kiss.

When his lips touched her mouth, Hermione closed her eyes and surrendered completely to the sensations of her body. His words aroused her. She should have been intimidated, should have protested, but none of that happened. She wanted him to take her completely for himself, to take her out of this world where she had to constantly worry about herself and her behaviour. The feeling of his strong hand holding her down only made her arousal grow. She was at his mercy, and because she trusted him, she loved every second of it.

His hand now travelled lower, reaching her thighs and pushing her legs apart with gentle pressure. She couldn't help but blush, feeling ashamed of her nakedness, even though it wasn't the first time he had seen or touched her. But the low, possessive growl he let out when she finally opened her thighs willingly gave her enough confirmation. He liked what he saw and what she did. His hand barely touched her, but the heat emanating from it was enough to arouse her. Slowly, infinitely slowly, his hand came to rest completely on her, and almost as slowly he pushed into her, first with one finger, then with two.

A gasp escaped Hermione and her eyes flew open. She saw that Lucius was no longer looking at her, but that his gaze was riveted on his hand as it thrust into her again and again with slow, almost cautious movements. Again, the heat of shame shot into her cheeks, but at the same time her lust increased as she watched how entranced he was by her body and her reactions to his hand. His fingers quickened and his thumb found a spot that caused almost overwhelming sensations in her as he rubbed over it.

Instinctively, Hermione wanted to spread her arms, to claw into the sheet or his shoulder or hair, but his hand held her relentlessly. She groaned in frustration, but his response was only an amused snort. Then he let go of her, withdrew his hand and left her with a sense of urgent need. She was about to protest when he looked intently into her eyes and whispered in a voice that could barely conceal his excitement, "Enough fun for you alone, now it's my turn."

His free hand gripped her hip and lifted her slightly to position her directly in front of him. Holding her breath, Hermione watched as he slowly entered her, his gaze equally downward, full of concentration, only his heavy breathing betraying his arousal. A moan escaped her as he sank completely inside her, half in pleasure, half in pain. There was still that part of her that tensed up, that wanted to resist and couldn't allow her to enjoy it. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and focussed completely on the feeling of pleasure. When she finally opened her eyes again, she met Lucius' gaze, who was staring at her intensely, waiting. She could see that it was taking all his self-control not to move, so she nodded briefly to let him know that she was ready.

He didn't hesitate for a second. As careful and gentle as he had been until now, he now thrust into her passionately and greedily. His hand was still preventing her from moving her arms freely, while his other hand kept pulling her hips against him in time. Frustrated, but at the same time incredibly aroused by her lack of freedom of movement, Hermione groaned. The sound was greeted with a growl from Lucius and he only moved faster. His gaze, which had wandered downwards, returned to her. His eyes bored into hers as he thrust into her hard and relentlessly. Gripped by sudden embarrassment, Hermione looked to the side.

"No!" he commanded with a groan, "Look at me. Don't look away. Look at me!"

Hermione hesitated. If she looked at him now, if she allowed him to look at her – she felt as if it would change everything. It would be more intimate than anything before and that put her off. Desperately, she closed her eyes.

Malfoy paused in his movement and cursed. She didn't want to look at him, she didn't want to allow that closeness that came when you looked at each other during sex, when you saw each other's orgasm. Upset, he pushed her off him and watched as she crawled away from him, ashamed and frightened. Groaning, he buried his face in his hands. The room was still filled with her frantic breathing and his suppressed moans, Hermione's skin glistening with sweat, her hair sticking to her damp face. More than ever, he wanted her, completely and for himself.

With another curse, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her back to him. He thought for a moment, then turned her onto her stomach and forced her to stick her bum out at him. He let go of her for a moment, giving her the chance to pull away again and end it for good, but she stayed. His heart was beating furiously in his chest. She wanted him, even if not to the same extent as he wanted her, but she wanted him. For now, that was all he needed.

Trembling, Hermione buried her hands in the pillow. Her face was glowing with embarrassment and she was grateful that she could hide it from him. She felt like she was going to explode if Lucius didn't finally touch her again. Nothing else mattered, the thought of her surroundings, of everything outside this room, was blown away. And finally, after far too long, she felt him behind her, grabbing her butt with both hands, sinking deeper and deeper into her with slow but determined movements and finally being completely inside her again. This time he didn't hesitate. Groaning, he thrust into her again and again, his hands gripping her hips tightly so that she couldn't escape him. Against her will, Hermione's panting became more frantic, louder, and finally turned into a clearly audible, lust-filled whimper. She felt her fingertips begin to tingle, an unspeakable heat spread through her whole body, and before she really realised what was happening, the climax took hold of her with full force and tore away the last thought of anything around her.

It felt like hours before her breathing calmed down again, and when she finally opened her eyes, Lucius had pulled away from her and was looking down at her from the other end of the bed.

"Whatever you're going to do, Hermione," he whispered softly, "Don't ever run away from me again. Please, don't run away."

Caught off guard, she sat up and returned his open gaze. What was she supposed to say? She would run away, at the latest when she stood by Snape's side and fought against Voldemort. She looked at him sadly. "I can't change my fate. We are on different sides. The war may be over for you, but it's not for me. I will never stop looking for ways to overthrow the one you call your lord. And when the time comes, I will no longer be able to be at your side."

Lucius just looked at her for a long time, scrutinising her with an almost impenetrable gaze, until Hermione feared she might have said too much. But finally, he broke the silence, "What if I want to be on your side?"