As she rushed off to the owlery the next day with the request for her mother in her hand, she thought over everything that had transpired that morning.

They had awoken in each others' arms after another nightmare free night for her. Instead of going down to the Great Hall for breakfast they stayed in bed, talking about the most mundane things of no consequence, while gorging themselves on crystallized pineapple and a box of Pixie Puffs. Both from the stash of snacks he had hoarded in the side table next to the bed. She never would have guessed that he had such a sweet tooth... The sugar replaced the normal caffeine she craved and gave her a high that she was sure she would regret later.

After realizing just how late in the morning it had become they each took a quick shower. Hers took longer because of the time she had to devote to untangling her hair. He had leaned against the vanity, watching her and laughing as she cursed him under her breath. The promise to hex him into oblivion when she was done making a frequent appearance. She hadn't, of course, but in the moment it had helped vent her frustration.

Both had vacated the bathroom to get dressed with Draco heading over to the wardrobe and Hermione over to her bag. She grabbed the pajamas she had brought and charmed them into something more appropriate for daytime wear. The matching shirt and flannel pants transformed into a pair of her go-to jeans and a thick maroon jumper. She threw the sweater over her head, figuring she could slip on a clean bra before lunch. The jeans became a problem when she went to pull them over her bum, she had been right the night before…

He had left bright pink welts on both butt cheeks and as soon as the scratchy denim slid across the burning skin she knew that she wouldn't be wearing anything tight for at least a couple of days. She sighed at the inconvenience more than the pain and quickly magicked the pants into a skirt, which she promptly fastened and zipped.

Her mind started to wander on exactly how she was going to be able to sit on the hard benches at lunch without giving her discomfort away. So it startled her when she leaned back over the chair to grab her bag and, all of a sudden, felt his hands run along the outside of her thighs. She closed her eyes as he worked his way up, flicking her skirt so that it rested on her lower back, and then cupped each one of her cheeks in a hand. He ran his thumbs lightly over the raised flesh before leaning forward and whispering in her ear. "Do you have any idea how absolutely fucking sexy you are with my handprints on your hot little ass? Hmmmmm?"

She had let out a long moan in response. The sting of his hands against the marks he had put there sent sparks of immediate desire throughout her body. There was no mistaking that she wanted him deep inside of her again, filling her and making her want to cry from how good she felt. She thrust back against his hands, thanking every God she knew that she had the forethought to pack a thong instead of any other kind of underwear.

"Are you going to answer me, Kitten?" He asked, sliding one of his hands down to her inner thigh, which he nudged to the side.

"Yes" She gasped as her knees started to shake from the rush of endorphins caused by his commanding touches.

"Yes, you know just how ravishing you are? Or yes, you are planning to answer?" He prodded as he ran his fingers up to her panties, sliding along the fabric but barely pressing against her swollen sex.

"Both... Neither... I don't know. Gods!"

He chuckled in her ear before he pulled completely away. The rush of cool air against her blistering hot skin had her gasping. She heard the teasing tone in his voice as she hid her face in the fabric of the chair, trying to stifle the whine that wanted to cross her lips at the loss of contact. "Places to be and all that Granger... We will have to finish this next time."

She had quickly tilted her head so she could watch him walk across the room and leave, the click of the door sounding much louder than it actually was. It took a moment for her to realize how she was still indecently draped over the high back of the chair. She quickly stood up and smoothed the skirt back into place before grabbing her bag and exiting on trembling legs.

A soft smirk crossed her lips as she came back to the conclusion that he really was evil. Just not in the ways everyone, including himself, assumed…

Hermione stepped into the cold expansive outbuilding that served as a roosting facility for the abundance of owls that called the castle home for most of the year. She hurried over to one of the school owls and gave him some water in preparation for the long trip he was about to make. She double checked that everything was labeled and secured correctly to ensure delivery, a habit learned from her father and muggle post.

The note inside was simple enough. She was due for a letter home anyways so she gave a brief explanation of her last couple of weeks back at school, asked after their well being and tagged her request at the end. She had told her mother as much of the truth as she dared and said that a friend was interested in hearing some good muggle music. Detailed instructions on how to attach the package to the bird after allowing him a rest and rehydration followed. A quick closing with her love rounded out what she hoped was enough information. Her mother tended to get nervous when she got too vague. It usually meant she was distracted by something bad that was happening at the school.

When the owl gently nipped at her finger she attached the note and gave him a treat while lecturing the creature. "You owls are always so impatient. Be nice to the woman who you are delivering this to... She doesn't deal with your kind very often, alright?"

The huge eyes just blinked at her and she hoped he would listen. "Okay... Off you go then."

She stood there and watched the bird turn into a small dot on the horizon before turning and heading towards the Great Hall for lunch.

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A quick survey of the Gryffindor table led her to beeline for Ginny and Luna, who must have been visiting again from the Ravenclaw Table. She slid onto the bench, making sure to shift most of her weight onto her thighs, and gave them both a quick smile.

"Why hello there!" Ginny said as she smirked at her. The knowledge of where she had been, or at least what she had been doing, flashing mischievously in her eyes.

"Hi Luna! Hi Ginny!" She chirped. Another faltering smile appeared and then disappeared from her lips. "How was your night?"

"Fine. Worked on Quidditch plays, like you saw, and then we all hung out. Yours?" The redhead challenged, her smirk deepening as she playfully teased her.

"Good, good... I went and took an overdue soak in the Prefects Bathroom. You know how I love that purple solution I told you about." She covered with a lie. Unwilling to talk about her "Mystery Guy" with Luna there.

"I had the most vivid dream! My father and I..." The blonde started in on an extremely detailed recount of her dream in which she and her father fought a dragon to save her mother's ghost. Leading to wild speculations on what the Universe was trying to tell her. Each idea became more outlandish than the last as far as Hermione was concerned.

She used the time to nibble at some food. Still pretty full from the junk food earlier, the solid fifteen minutes Luna provided allowed for ample enough time to make it look like she ate more than she actually had. The longer she sat the more she had to shift to keep her weight from falling back on her bottom. Every time that she managed to forget a deep burn ran up into her hips and the memories of exactly how she had gotten the marks fought with her focus on reality.

Both girls had noticed her discomfort. Ginny would just shake her head or give her a knowing smile. While Luna's big wide eyes started to narrow in concern as her description went on, by the time she was done she was flat out eyeing her. Her barely there eyebrows had pulled together and her lips had disappeared in a thin line.

Hermione knew whatever words came out of the girl's mouth next were going to be something outrageous and she wasn't disappointed…

"Did you happen to visit the Amazon rainforest over Christmas break Hermione?"

Her gaze flashed between Ginny and the other girl before she hedged. "No... Why?"

"Oh... Well I recently read about a bug that can be found there. They like to climb up a person's rectum and wreak all sorts of havoc. I was going to offer to help you to Madam Pomfrey, but seeing as you have not visited in the recent past you should be fine..." Luna explained dismissively.

Ginny spat the mouthful of juice she had just taken back into the glass. Her hand shook from the suppressed giggles she was trying to stifle and she quickly set the soiled glass down on the table so she wouldn't spill.

"Uhhhh... What?" Hermione asked, unsure if she had heard her correctly.

Ginny's attempts at trying to be quiet failed and she started snickering at her brilliant refusal to believe what was happening. The sudden outburst drew the attention of Harry, Ron, Lavender and Pavarti- all of whom were seated a few feet away. Each one turned and stared down at them, now openly eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Really, I do not understand what the big deal is... It would only be a simple exam. Especially when compared to the alternative of a non-bug free bum! And like I said... You should be fine." Luna said exasperated, her gaze shifting between the two girls she was talking with. The redhead was still struggling to contain her amusement with how their normal old lunchtime conversation had veered off into the realm of such unhinged chatter.

The small group down the table joined Ginny in openly laughing at the absurdity of the exchange. Even Harry had to pretend a coughing fit to cover up a guffaw.

Her cheeks flared a deep red as she managed to choke out. "I am sure that is true. I will have to remember that, ahhh... little tidbit, for if I ever do decide to go. I am just antsy... Lots of homework to get done. Speaking of which..."

"You do not have to leave. We most certainly can change the subject." Luna offered, finally realizing that her words had been twisted into a joke yet again.

"No, no. It's fine! Thank you for being worried about my... uh... health. I have a stack of translations for Ancient Ruins that I have been putting off..." She lied for the second time during the conversation before standing and giving the pair a quick wave.

She heard the shrieks of laughter coming from Brown and Patil as she walked away. Thankfully the sound was lost to the roar of other students quickly.

A realization struck her out of nowhere and almost caused her to stop in her tracks, her steps literally faltering for a second before she forged on ahead. Intent on spending the rest of her afternoon, laying across her bed on her stomach and checking all of her assignments for the coming week. Anything to keep her mind from the fact that…

Even if it wasn't from a heart attack in his bed... Or the knife to the heart when her friends finally learned of her betrayal...

Draco Malfoy was going to be the death of her…

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First off…

A huge Thank You to ACupples for the song suggestion on the last chapter! You are awesome!

Keep leaving me all the good stuff that you like to listen to, please and thank you!

Hope everyone's day is going amazing!

As Always…

Much love,

SlytherclawLuv