He walked over, picked up the book, checked for damage and slipped it back onto the shelf before turning around to look down at her.
Her brain was still trying to catch up to the fact that she had unknowingly had a little jaunt through the Malfoy's Private Library. It was without a doubt the creepiest thought and a horrible idea to ever do again... But there was no denying the potential wealth of dark knowledge at her fingertips if she could figure out what titles would actually help her.
While the older Malfoy had lost much of his Dark Arts collection during the raids after the First Wizarding War, everyone had heard that he was able to re-assemble most of it through deals made with Ministry employees and various black market dealings. It was hard to imagine he would not have put protections in place to keep the most important pieces from prying hands again. There was a high probability that the elusive answers for Harry about horcruxes were right there in front of her…
Her eyes snapped guiltily over to Draco and her cheeks flooded with her shame. She shouldn't even think of using him like that... The self-reproach made her shift her gaze down to the ground before she finally responded to his teasing chastisement from a few moments earlier. "Sorry. I didn't think you were here..."
"Do you make it a habit of going through people's things while they are not there?" He asked her as that antagonizing smirk slid across his lips.
"No... I was curious. Bookworm here... I figured there had to be some kind of trick to it."
"Well... I guess we should consider ourselves lucky you didn't stumble upon some cursed addition of 'Legal Rules for Roving Sprites' or something." He sighed.
"True... I thought that they were summoned from the Library. I didn't even think that the books could be coming from somewhere else." She told him honestly. And she really hadn't. It was still hard for her, even after six years, to remember that her normal escape from the world could be turned into a deadly weapon in the wrong hands. Just like with that jewelry box, she had let her guard down and could have gotten herself cursed or killed because of it.
He took her hand and led her over to the bed. Leaving her to stand and make the choice to join him in much the same way he had the other night. When he slipped his hand from hers, he went and laid back on the bed. He slipped his arms behind his head causing his shirt to fall open and the fabric to pool around his hips, giving a better view of his sinewy upper body.
Once again she found herself standing there, unable to move. Frozen in her bafflement on how she could get so lucky... How two months ago this scene could have starred in a humiliating nightmare instead of a snapshot straight from one of her best memories. There was no other word for it... She was completely and utterly baffled.
Draco sensed her hesitation and his eyes flashed that dark gray of an approaching thunderstorm before settling back down. He cleared his throat and started with a heavy question. "So... How would Pothead be able to see us hidden in a rarely traveled hallway, Granger?"
Her eyebrows came together as she decided to tell the truth. Or as much of it as she could give. "I can't tell you specifics. He just... He... He has a way of seeing where people are in the castle sometimes. In here, whatever blocks other people from finding it unless the current occupier gives permission must work on... Other kinds of magic as well."
He scowled up at her as what she was trying to say registered. "Wait... Golden Boy is watching me?"
She couldn't remember if she had actually said that Harry was watching him specifically but she nodded anyway. "Yes... Closely, I might add."
"That little fucker... And that is all you are going to give me?" He asked her incredulously.
"Are you going to tell me what you have to do for Him?" She challenged.
Every muscle in his body instantly went tense with her request. He let her go from his piercing gaze as he switched to staring up at the ceiling above him. "No. It wouldn't be safe to involve you."
"Exactly... We both have things we cannot talk about. I meant it back there in that hallway, Draco. You are going to have to trust me..." She knew it was a crap explanation but it was all she could give without betraying other confidences.
He nodded before lifting his head to lock stares with her again. "Okay."
He made it look as if it was as simple as that. She knew the choice had to have been much harder than that. If the situation had been reversed she would have nibbled on her lip like a mouse as she tried to decide the right course of action. Instead he looked as if he was just passing the sugar for tea.
"Good." She said as she watched his eyes roam over her body. She knew she had to look a right mess. She was still wearing the white button-up and dark wash jeans combo she had decided on for convenience this morning. After their Apparition lessons she had to do another round of detention with McGonagall. They had graded Third and Four Year essays all afternoon. After dinner there was an hour to devote to homework and then Prefect rounds. She hadn't had the time to change or even glance in a mirror…
She looked over her shoulder at the room he had just vacated. While crawling into the bed and curling up next to him looked like a very good option... So did a chance to get clean after such a long day.
He cleared his throat getting her attention back on him, with a teasing smirk he told her. "If you promise not to come out of there looking like a second rate version of yourself, you are more than welcome to use the facilities."
A blush crept across her cheeks before she answered with a half smile. "I can't make any promises. But you should feel confident in the choice since Ginny isn't here to help me."
"Ahhh... The She-Weasel is to blame..."
Hermione sighed as she made her way over to the chair that she had decided to use as a place to hold her things. "I really wish you wouldn't call my friends names like that."
"That is rich coming from the girl who called one of my friends an 'inbred piece of trash' a couple of days ago." He responded with a taunting tone to his voice.
She grabbed her bag before she turned around and met his look. "True... But my friends don't make it a habit to tell you that they wished you were dead..."
"So implications do not count?" He asked testily.
She pursed her lips before she shook her head and made her way over to the door to the loo. He was right, of course, while her friends had never come out and actually said as much to his face... Harry and Ron, at least, didn't have to. The heated confrontations over the years had left little to the imagination on how any of them felt about the other. And Ginny... Well Ginny wasn't his biggest fan either. None of her friends were. Other than, maybe, Luna who would wonder aloud what it would be like to be raised in a Blood Purist home. The girl was the first person she had ever heard put it in a pitiful light and she hadn't even given the stance much thought until recently.
"I did not think so..." He said quietly as she walked past him.
When she stopped in front of the door she looked over her shoulder at him and sighed before saying. "No... You are right. It does. Sometimes it is hard to remember that the vitriol is aimed from both sides."
And with those closing words she opened the door and slipped into the bathroom effectively ending the conversation.
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When she was done with the shower she stood in front of the mirror above the vanity and stared at herself. She had planned on walking out in nothing but the towel wrapped around her and now that the moment had come she couldn't find the confidence that had given her the idea in the first place.
So she just stood there... Stuck within the insecurities of her own mind…
She was trying to figure out exactly what Draco liked so much and was coming up painfully short. She wasn't ugly but she wasn't drop dead gorgeous either. She was... Plain. A solid five. Maybe six, now that her breasts and hips had decided to play catch up, but there was absolutely nothing that made her stand out…
Other than her hair, which didn't look too bad at the moment. The curls were weighed down from the shower. A natural way to make the mess look softer and less frizzy. It wouldn't last long, of course... The hair would dry and turn into the craziness it usually was. Her body was framed by the long locks, all the way down to her hips. She would lose the extra length she had by morning.
Her gaze traveled the rest of her body. There was a pink flush to her skin from the heat trapped in the small room and the yellow flecks in her eyes stood out against the brown hues of most of her irises. Hinting at the deep seated anger she felt at her fear which was tightly coiled in her stomach. Her lips were pulled down into a slight frown, causing her bottom lip to pout slightly.
There could have been something there but it was hard for her to look at herself objectively…
Especially since she had been avoiding mirrors that were large enough to take in her whole body like the plague for the last seven months. Almost all of the noticing she had done about her growing figure had been done completely clothed. Now that she had forced herself to face her reflection again, she had to admit that it didn't look half bad. Marred though her body was with the large scar across her middle it was all curves and graceful slopes... Distinctly Feminine.
But she saw better specimens of the female body multiple times a day. So it could not be as simple as her looks…
And maybe that was the beauty of it. It wasn't one thing that kept them coming back for more. They both had to have a plethora of reasons for risking what they did. She knew her list was extensively long... Why should his be any different?
It was with that thought in mind that Hermione shakily tightened her grip on the towel and lifted her frown up into something that resembled a smile. She took a deep breath before stealing herself and opened the door. Her eyes instantly found him, still lounging on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. She was able to watch as he leaned up and took her in. The way his eyes widened caused a choked giggle to get caught in her throat.
She let out the trapped breath from her lungs at the same time that she let the fabric between her fingers go. A blush flamed across her face as she felt the towel slide against her skin and fall to the ground at her feet. She hoped the way her knees shook was not noticeable because his stare drank in every inch of her. The way he unabashedly razed her body with his eyes was the exact same way he had at that fateful party.
Slowly she walked over, unsure if her legs were going to be able to support her weight any longer. Once she was at the edge of the bed she quickly climbed up and slid into the comfort of his side. His arms instantly wrapped around her and pulled her tightly against him, as she rested her head on his shoulder and smiled into the pale skin of his chest.
He started to play with the tip of a curl, twisting it in between his fingers before he absentmindedly teased. "I thought I had lost you to the mystic powers of the bath."
"Hmmm, while your shower does work wonders... I think you underestimate how much bravery that took." She had meant for it to come out teasing, but it was more of an admission to her anxious thoughts than anything.
Draco gave one of his real laughs and slipped his arm from underneath her. The movement caused her to roll onto her back and he quickly took advantage by sliding on top of her so he was laying between her hips, his chest pressed against her naked breasts. Giving her just enough room to breathe, he kissed along her jaw to her ear where he whispered. "My Little Gryffindor Kitten, showing true courage... Let's see how many times I can make you mewl tonight. Shall we?"
His words had her squirming underneath him as she tilted her head to the side for his questing lips.
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After he had been satisfied with how many times he had brought her to orgasm she laid in his arms under the blanket, her head on his chest again.
She wasn't sure if he had reached the imaginary goal in his head because she had lost count at four... Her brain had been unable to function correctly, not even able to think in words after that. It was all instinct and seeing stars and long moans passed between the two of them.
He started to play with one of her larger curls that managed to escape being matted into a snarl. Seemingly, perfectly content to lay there, winding and unwinding it around a finger, as they both caught their breaths.
Hermione smiled softly against the soft skin on top of hard muscle, holding onto the feeling of fulfillment for a moment longer. It wasn't like she could lay with him like this whenever. Their already sporadic meetings would probably be affected even more by Harry's renewed energy into finding out what the boy under her was doing. She needed to enjoy every second because she didn't know when the next time they would both be able to sneak away would be.
She slid her hand from where it rested near his hip, up and over to the fine line of hair that started below his belly button and traveled lower... She let her thumb stroke over a small patch of the stuff as she fought with her eyes to stay open. As a pathetic attempt to stay awake and keep her mind going she started to hum a song inaudibly.
He laid there underneath her and after a few moments he whispered sleepily into her hair. "You sing and hum when you are trying to distract yourself. What is going on in your head, Kitten?"
"Do I?" She asked. More shocked that he had been able to notice the small vibrations in her throat than by the fact that nothing escaped his notice.
"Yes. Usually during a test or something else you deem equally important. From what I've seen it helps you focus, though how your mind can keep up with the answers and beat is beyond me." He told her as he let the curl fall and his hand went to cup her shoulder.
"Oh."
"I've noticed that you like the muggle stuff more. At least I assume it's muggle since I don't recognize most of it."
"It's just what I am used to, I guess." She replied as she tilted her head so she could stare up at the lines of his neck.
"That makes sense. Do you... Do you think you would want to share some of it with me sometime?" He asked. Wavering as if she was bound to reject the simple inquiry.
A playful tone crept into her voice as she asked him. "I don't know... What would I get for my Muggle Music tutoring services?"
"The pleasure of my company isn't enough?" He tucked his chin down so that he could look into her eyes, a soft smirk playing on his lips.
"Hmmmm... I don't know. I will have to go through quite a bit of effort to get my Mum to send everything I would need. There is the radio, cds, batteries… And what about the protective spells to stop anything from exploding..." She trailed off and rolled her eyes as if the time and money spent wouldn't be worth the perfect excuse to meet.
He thought for a moment before his smirk widened even further. "What if I answer some of the questions you have about me? Would that be a fair trade?"
She went rigid and stared up at him in confusion. She didn't understand what he was proposing…
"Oh come off it, Granger. I see the way you stare at me when you think no one is watching. Like I am one of your books and all you need to find is the specific chapter that has all the answers. This way you can study me at your leisure. There will be some things that are off limits, of course, but I think you will find it much easier for me to volunteer the information you seek... So what do you think?"
By the end of his explanation her curiosity was already peaked. Her mind ran over the things she had randomly wanted to ask... Like... How did he get away with watching her as much as he claimed? Or what was his favorite breakfast at home? Why didn't he ever wear more relaxed clothing than the Hogwarts uniform? What was the starting point of his hatred towards Harry? And all of the deeper things she had found herself wondering over the last month... What exactly had it been that triggered his shift in thinking? How did it feel to watch all of the lies crumble around him? Where was he when he found out his father had been incarcerated? What did it feel like to have Voldermort invade his home? How did he cope with the crippling fear he must feel every single second of every single day?
He was offering her a chance to find the answers to those questions and the millions more that would slip into her mind out of nowhere. She had to take it…
"That does sound like a fair trade..." She jokingly hedged, trying to pick up the playful edge to the conversation from earlier.
"I'm glad you find the arrangement to your liking. So it's agreed. You will teach me all about muggle music. While I teach you all about Draco Malfoy." He told her, the nonchalance he worked so hard for cracking slightly at the end.
She wrapped her arm back around his waist and curled herself against him, placing her head where it fit perfectly on his chest. "Mmmm... Agreed, and I can't complain too much. Though having to deal with the questions I am going to receive when a large box from my parents arrives by owl might get a tad bit annoying."
He chuckled groggily and she let her eyes close, knowing they both would be asleep soon. He ran light designs on the top of her shoulder as she relaxed even more.
Her last thought as she drifted off to sleep was about how she knew the perfect song for his introduction…
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*Waggles Eyebrows* Sooo... What did y'all think?
As Always…
Much Love,
SlytherclawLuv