Chapter 16: The things we must do

The door of the broom closet closed behind them as they continued kissing with an intensity that was clearly unrestrained. It was as if they were once again unable to separate, but this time by choice. They claimed each other, Hermione's burning skin demanding contact with Draco's, and his hands seemed unable to let go of her body.

The broom closet was small. Tiny, in fact. But the closeness between them made everything much easier.

There was no way they weren't poking their ankles with the dry broomstick twigs, but neither of them seemed to notice. In that moment, they weren't rational beings, just a couple of teenagers driven by their most primal instincts.

They breathed heavily between kisses, impatient to keep devouring each other's lips in that atmosphere charged with uncontrollable passion.

They could feel both hearts beating in their bodies under the darkness, which was total and complete, but somehow they perfectly found every part of each other. It was as if the shape of their bodies was etched into their thoughts.

They were just as excited, right? Hermione felt something growing under the boy's robe. Her heart raced—even stronger than before—at the thought of saying out loud what she was thinking... but it seemed much easier to do so in the dim light.

"Let's do it," she said in a faint whisper.

Draco growled against her mouth. It was clear he wanted to, but something inside him held him back from taking the step.

Hermione bit her lip. She was grateful that he couldn't see her.

"I'm muggle-born," she whispered, impatiently. The erection became much more pronounced between his legs. "I can help you."

Draco liked the feel of her fingers on his neck because they were warm and he was cold. It was nice. Like the curve of her back, like the sensation she provoked in him.

"Damn it, Granger."

He didn't give her time to respond. Draco's lips met Hermione's again, and she offered no resistance. Despite being an idiot, the physical attraction she felt for him was undeniable. Unquestionable. And, well, it seemed like he felt the same way.

His big hands went straight for Granger's ass. Phew, it was firmer than he'd thought, though of course seeing it wasn't the same as touching it.

She leaned a little more over him and bit his lip. He growled. She had just awakened his most primal instinct. There was no turning back now. But he was bothered by the fact that he couldn't move freely. All he could think about was throwing her on the bed, putting her in every position, watching her, running his eyes over her curves... a broom closet wasn't the most comfortable place, but he would end up fucking her against one of the castle walls before he reached the common room. So he struggled to remove her tunic and tossed it to the floor. Then he took off his shirt, and finally, he unbuttoned her skirt and pulled it down just enough for it to fall under the force of gravity. She took care of the blond's belt while he caressed her tits. Soon, he was in his underwear too. It was madness, he knew it well. But that thought didn't stop Draco from running his hand through her panties. She seemed to have a much stronger effect on his body than he had initially thought. She sighed, resting her head against the door. They both knew they were going too far, but if they couldn't see what was happening, it would be as if it had never occurred… right? The darkness would keep their secret.

Draco slid another finger in, and then another. She was really turned on. So was he. Too excited to postpone it any longer. He unhooked his underwear and lifted her up, not without some difficulty due to the size of the room. She grabbed his neck with one hand and pushed her panties aside with the other. Draco buried his face in her neck. He was going to do it... fuck Granger. And although his predatory instinct was incredibly strong, there was a small voice in his head trying to make him understand the absurdity of the situation. It was her! It was Granger! What madness. And what heat. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. He might regret it later. Yes, he was sure he would regret it… but until then, he could have her. At this point, it was pure necessity.

Draco held her against the door with one arm, crushing her with his weight. With his free hand, he took his erection and placed it between her legs. She held her breath as he pushed it in slightly. He pulled it out and pushed it in again. The flow of her body filled him as he slowly went in and out, and in and out again. When he pushed it all the way inside, she moaned too loudly and he pressed his lips to hers to shut her up, but she ended up letting out a moan or two as well. Because it felt so damn good, it was impossible to keep it inside. They tore at her throat and spilled out without her permission.

Hermione's legs had wrapped around his waist, holding him prisoner, her hands in his hair, pulling him too tightly against her... and her insides were so warm...

He felt her sex throbbing with pure pleasure, her moving over him, the occasional fleeting kiss.

It was all too strange... but judging by the force with which he rammed into her, it was real. Ridiculous and utterly real.

Several brooms slipped and came between them. Hermione threw them aside and groaned again. What nonsense... but how well he did it. His movements were precise, firm and made her shiver with every moment. It was just as she had once imagined.

Merlin, it was hot. Their bodies both radiated fire, sweat on their palms. It was too good. And even better each time... Draco gripped her buttocks tightly, moving them up and down faster and faster. The concentrated pleasure in their sex was becoming more and more latent, harder and harder. Hermione was aware of it. She could feel him thrusting into her again and again, as if he couldn't stop, as if he didn't want to stop. But the climax was near. They both knew it. This passionate rush was about to come to an end.

Draco grabbed her hair with one hand and pulled her face into his. He pushed his tongue into her mouth as he felt the erection in her sex slowly burst into electric shocks. In spasms. He didn't even think about how much trouble a pregnancy with her could cause him. In fact, he didn't think about anything at all. He just let himself go. Hermione reached the peak of that sensation too, and they both remained still for a moment. Their ragged breaths reminded them of what they had just done.

Draco slowly pulled out of her and set her down, but he didn't remove his hands from her waist until a few minutes later… minutes they both took to process everything.

Hermione tucked her hair behind her ear. She urgently needed to get dressed again... but there was no way to do that inside such a cramped space, so she turned her torso as much as the limited space allowed and opened the door. A faint light entered, illuminating Malfoy's naked body. Far from being embarrassed or trying to cover himself, he just stood there, looking her up and down while biting his lip with that arrogant, haughty expression that was so characteristic of him. Hermione looked away and picked up her clothes from the floor. They were lucky that the hallway was empty at that moment.

Hermione began to get dressed, and Draco did the same. Then, they stepped out and closed the door behind them, this time from the outside.

Both knew they would remember that moment every time they passed by. And no one would ever know the magnetism that tiny closet had begun to hold for them. What it had suddenly started to signify: That, in reality, this punishment had brought them closer together than anyone could have ever expected. In every possible way. That passion they had unleashed just minutes ago wasn't something you felt for just anyone you hooked up with out of boredom or for simple fun. They had lived together, gotten to know each other, understood certain things, and had begun to feel something for one another deep within their being.

Hermione looked at Draco, still flushed with disheveled hair, and wondered if he would regret what they had done tomorrow. When a new day gave him a new perspective on the events.

Would she regret it? At that moment, she wasn't sure of the answer.

Despite all his objections, she had ended up doing what she had promised: helping him. She couldn't regret saving his life, but maybe she would feel foolish when she found out he had gone back to Daphne.

She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that such a thing would eventually happen. After all, Daphne had been "the official girlfriend" for a long time, and their relationship had been the envy and even a model for every couple in the castle. The Barbie and Ken of the Wizarding world. The prom Queen and King.

Hermione knew her own feelings, but she had no way of knowing how much that had meant to him.

In any case, this was something they had had to do. He, to rid himself of the stupid curse. She, to realize that she had been wrong before. Her heart hadn't split in two because she loved two different boys. Her heart had broken in two because she had realized she wanted to be with Malfoy so desperately that she was even willing to give her body to another man to try to forget him.

She had a broken heart. How could she move on after realizing that?

They couldn't be together. It was impossible, wasn't it? As impossible as expecting night and day to meet and fall in love.

Draco met her gaze, and for a moment, neither of them knew what to say, but the silence was so unbearable that Hermione tried to break it.

"How do you feel?"

"What?" He seemed genuinely confused.

Hermione swallowed.

"Do you feel... different?" When he didn't respond, she added, "Well, I guess it's too soon to know if it worked."

They had just merged with each other inside that closet, but out here it was as if they needed to maintain a calculated distance. Both Hermione and Draco now seemed a bit... wary of each other.

Then, Astoria's unmistakable voice filled the hallway. She was yelling and cursing, promising to murder whoever had dared to impersonate her and get her into that mess in the cruelest way possible.

Hermione knew Daphne would be with her, and it was only a matter of time before they passed by that closet and came face to face.

She didn't want them to see her with him. She knew that when it came to emotions, she was like an open book, and she didn't want them to read the clear "OH GOD, I JUST FUCKED MALFOY. HOLY SHIT, I'M LOSTLY IN LOVE WITH HIM" that she was sure was written all over her face.

"I have to go," she murmured, breaking eye contact with him, though not without some difficulty, before turning down the hallway and slipping away into the crowd.