Chapter 7

Stars swam in her vision. She could hear a voice half moaning, half screaming between ragged breaths. Her breaths. Her voice. The pleasure in her core was raging white-hot, her thighs slick with the consequence. Wide rough hands, gripping her hips and pushing her back against him. Again and again, and again. The accompanying grunts of satisfaction as he drove between her legs, filling and stretching, demanding her to come undone. And she was almost there, body bearing down, coiling and wild, driven by instinct. She reached a hand back to touch him, but he batted it away, twisting it firmly against her back. She screamed against the pillow and squeezed tight against him once, twice. And then he was gone, cold air where he should be. But it was too late, and her orgasm crashed around her.

Now lips hot against her sensitive skin, tongue lapping. She squirmed in protest. It was too much, it was too soon. But he was incessant, holding her firm and closing his lips over the nub at the apex until she was there again all at once, pleasure pulsing. She swore and groaned his name through gritted teeth as she rode it out. He chuckled, vibrating deliciously and finally leaned back. He bit quickly on her bottom, then slapped the same spot hard, leaving her stinging.

Hermione turned onto her back to face him and tried to look offended. He smirked, dragging his gaze hungrily over her, eyes hooded with desire. She pulled at him, and he fell forward on elbows and kissed her gently. She wrapped her legs over his waist and guided him back into her.

"You slapped me" she protested quietly, breath catching as he hilted. He grunted and smirked.

"I did. But I do nice things too, to make up for it".

"mmhmm, I guess…" Her words were breathy.

"You are so fucking. Hot. When you come". He punctuated his words with the pushes of his hips and she struggled to concentrate. She groaned and pushed harder against him, leaning to press desperate kisses into his neck.

"Open your eyes" He whispered. She snapped her eyes to his, panting, and watched him move. Her ears rang with his breaths, marvelling at the feel of him. Faster and faster. His hand mindless fell over her neck again, holding tight for a second, then two. She gasped against the delicious pressure and stared at those molten silver eyes, and suddenly he fell over that precipice with a loud groan, pulsing out his release.

A quick squish of her wand and they were both lying back, breathing hard, skin flushed and slick.

Draco pulled her into his arms, and she lay useless against him.

He had turned up in a whirl of smoke as she had finally settled onto the sofa, stretching out against the soft fabric. Her mind had wandered to him - he had disappeared so fast that morning, and the promised owl had perhaps missed her, or not arrived at all. Maybe he had changed his mind? Her dread was stony, and she tried not to think about it, about him and the things they had done last night. The knock on the door had been startling – in her half-asleep state she had not noticed the hum of the wards. He had stood in the doorway, eyes glassy for a long moment. She could smell whiskey on his breath, but he was starkly sober.

"Draco? What are you doing here so late?".

He shook his head slowly and took an age to answer.

"I just wanted to apologise. I said I would write, and I didn't. I didn't think today would be… I thought it may go differently. And I didn't want you to think I was an asshole. Again." A small empty smirk. He still had not properly met her eyes and a different form of dread bloomed like ice inside her. She needed it to go away.

"What…?" she started, but he was already turning. She pulled on his arm and stepped into the already tight space on the step and he finally looked up. He clenched his jaw and his grey eyes seemed to darken as he took her in. She felt herself flush under his gaze. He was here, some way or another and she wasn't ready for him to leave yet.

"Whatever it is, you look like you could use a distraction. And a drink".

So she had poured him one and he had swallowed the amber liquid and smiled slowly. And like magnets they had drawn together.

She watched him now, breath slowly returning to normal. He ran an absent hand slowly up and down her arm, drawing slow patterns on her arm, and in the low light he was a statue come to life. She reached up and pulled his mouth against hers, slipping her tongue against his. She could taste herself on his mouth and her desire rose again even as her insides ached.

" What happened today?". She whispered into the darkness between them.

He sighed, rubbing a palm into his eyes.

"I... I had to visit my father."

Hermione felt her world shift. Of course. His father, the death eater. The murderer. Why wouldn't he still have a relationship with his son? Her stomach roiled.

"I didn't want to go. I never want to go, but I had to. They were questioning him on the cruder details of the – things- they did during the war. Someone clever thought my presence would help… soften him up." He scoffed. "Clearly, they know nothing about my father". He swallowed heavily and eyes flicked to her, gaze unreadable. "He said things, bad things, and I don't know if he knew, or he just guessed … But he knew about you".

All the air was gone from her lungs and Hermoine felt like she would be sick. "What?" she gasped out.

"He chooses a subject to hate, and today…I had enough Hermione, I guess it all he needed to work it out".

She couldn't look at him, she shook her head and started at the wall.

"That hate. It was all I knew until I was 11. The day I met you, I questioned everything, but I was just a kid. When I truly realised he was wrong, it was too late. Everything around us was changing, all the people I was with were in that hate too."

He sighed again.

"But I am not that person. Not anymore, not for a long time". He was staring at her then and she couldn't look away. "You were stuck in my head since that year with the patrols. I mean. I never thought… But then I watched that weasel treat you like that". He laughed bitterly.

"I would get it if you never wanted to see me again. But you deserve better. Even if that's not me".