Draco
As always I cast the protective spells on myself after I had completely hidden my face under my hood, and then briskly entered the common room. Of course, with my dark appearance I immediately drew all attention to me and was allowed to watch how many of the otherwise indifferent Slytherins stared at me, startled and open-mouthed. They had probably hoped to never see me again. I think they didn't like it when I invaded their house! Understandable, but it couldn't be changed. Bad luck, my venom ran wild. I saw how the beautiful Zabini rose quickly from his seat in front of the fireplace and looked at me skeptically, thinking.
I knew, thanks to Lav and Pav, that Zabini was a so-called ladies’ man; if you could call those immature girls ‘ladies’. He was tall and indeed really pretty to look at with his dark skin that reminded of milk chocolate, his high cheekbones and those slightly slanted, dark brown eyes. Many found him attractive here and, like all Slytherins, he knew that many liked him of course and he enjoyed it. Just how he walked confidently through the school every day, only too aware of his charm and charisma. And apparently he was brave too, for he was slowly moving towards me. As always in this room, my wand was hidden inside the folds of my cloak and I held it ready to defend myself.
"Um, hello, how can I help you?" he asked haltingly and tried to keep a charming smile on his very attractive face. He really dared to speak to me, it certainly had to mean something in this house. But after all, it was him who had gotten Draco and me when Snape had been waiting in the common room. Interesting. Why did the Slytherins have the best looking men and at the same time the ugliest and most terrible, like Bole, Crabbe and Goyle? I was positively surprised and responded confidently to this astonishingly friendly reception and briefly inclined my hidden head.
"Draco!" I only then said hoarsely.
"Does he expect you?" he dared to ask very carefully with an uncomfortable expression on his face. The snakes watched us, waiting, motionless.
"Would I be here otherwise?" I coldly inquired in return and could see how the snakes began to whisper quietly and didn't let us out of sight.
"He's in his room, but I don't know if you...?" He ruffled through his short, black hair with an assessing gesture.
"I'm allowed to, don't you worry. And thank you, Zabini!" I said firmly and walked now purposefully towards the boys' bedrooms, leaving the curious crowd in bewilderment. Draco, Draco... you and your games, I thought to myself. Had he deliberately hidden to see if the house obeyed him? It could hardly be more obvious, which made me smile dangerously. He really was impossible! These power games, I thought. I knew that he was awaiting my arrival with curiosity! He really was a naughty boy, but it seemed his house stuck to its rules and obeyed his orders. Good to know, for him as well as for me.
"You're impossible, Draco!" I announced in greeting, firmly slamming the door into the lock, enchanting it. I had entered his room without knocking.
"Hello, my Mudblood! Did they let you live?" he asked slyly and grinned wickedly at me from his bed. He leaned his upper body against the headboard of his bed and laid there, relaxed, with a book in his lap.
"Hello, my playful Pureblood! What if they hadn't kept to your instructions?" I was piqued but asked my question nonchalantly, and put my coat down on one of the green velvet chairs that stood in front of the fireplace.
"They wouldn't dare to! And besides, you can fight back, they're not worthy opponents for you!" he said confidently and deprecatingly and beckoned me over, putting his book down on the bedside table. On the other hand, he had given me a big compliment, which made me generously forget his arrogance.
"Zabini talked to me and asked me what I wanted here." I approached Draco confidently.
"He has always been brave when it comes to protecting me," he rolled his eyes slightly, showing me a big grin on his attractive face.
"Pardon me?" I looked at him in disbelief.
"He thinks he's a friend and needs to protect me and take care of me!" He laughed hoarsely. "As if I couldn't do that myself!" Draco was terribly smug.
"Isn't he your friend?" I wanted to know, surprised.
"Who can you call a friend these days? But he comes close! He's always been my deputy in Slytherin!" he admitted uneasily.
"Well then, that's alright! He was very polite," I told him and stood now waiting at the edge of his bed.
"Sit down," he patted the space next to him in invitation. I followed and took my shoes off, sitting down cross-legged, settling down on Draco's big bed.
"You wanted to see me today?" I asked intently, looking at him with my head tilted, my hair falling forward, because I was wearing it open.
"You looked so tense this morning after reading the paper." He folded his hands thoughtfully in his lap and looked up from them.
"Yes, because I know who broke out of there!" I informed him of my knowledge and gave him a serious look, staring straight into his grey eyes.
"Of course you do! What do you think about it?" I couldn't read anything in his face, no opinion, no emotion and even his voice was neutral.
"Danger!" I stated.
"Yes, as far as I know. After all, three out of them are especially dangerous!" He tried to avoid the obvious.
"Lestrange!" I said it first, so he didn't need to say it out loud.
"Yes!" He replied, slightly unnerved, though not because of me, but because of them.
"She's your aunt, and I'm sure the two other Lestranges are somehow related to the Malfoys," I sounded slightly cynical.
"As always amazingly well informed. What else do you know?" He looked down at his hands again, so that his white-blond, silky hair fell into his beautiful face.
"Longbottom!" I didn't say much more than that.
"Obviously!" he sighed, while carefully putting a strand of his hair behind his ears. "What exactly do you know?" He didn't seem happy.
"What I know? I know you really can't choose your relatives!" I replied relatively cold.
"Is it that easy for you? Even I was shocked and horrified that they're free!" he exclaimed loudly and took me by surprise.
"Why? You were still a kid when they went to prison, why would you be afraid of them?" I asked, perplexed.
"Afraid? I'm not afraid! I feel annoyed, because I know from father that Bellatrix isn't a person to be trifled with. She was crazy before.. not quite right in the head and thanks to the dementors, she is now absolutely mad!" He got even angrier and ruffled through his magnificent hair in frustration.
"And I'm not looking forward to going home for Christmas, when I'll have to deal with the constant presence of a mad aunt at the Manor!" he continued angrily. "And you're not with me either, I don't like it!" He grimaced. If things didn't go the way they wanted, Malfoys could become quite unbearable and I wrinkled my nose. What did he mean by being with him? I sometimes truly didn't know what Draco really was planning with me, but I wanted to let myself get surprised.
"I don't even get along with mother for more than half an hour, with her pinched, smug face, and then her sister too... Father said that she already appeared schizophrenic as a young girl. Must be the Black blood!" he stated slightly contemptuously. It was too nice when family members appreciated, liked and respected one another. I couldn't help laughing at his whining, which made him stare at me furiously. But it was just hilarious as, thanks to Narcissa, he was half a Black. But worthy of a Malfoy, he stood far above such facts.
"Oh, you poor, poor Pureblood! You have it really bad with such relatives. Tough isn't your manor big enough for you to slip away?" I asked in amusement and mocked him lightly.
"You just laugh, Mudblood! Of course I have my own wing, and my suite! I am the heir! But I can already see the family dinners in front of my eyes... Family reunion! Scary! Did you see the pictures?" he snapped and looked at me wide-eyed.
"Draco, please. I'm sure.. they'll wash themselves beforehand!" I giggled again. I just couldn't take him very seriously at the moment.
"Having your funny day today, huh?" He growled at me, disgruntled.
"No, I had a positively bad day. Nothing really worked out as I wished!" I calmed down, thinking of my smaller and larger mishaps.
"Uhhh?" He looked at me in question.
"Herbology!" I said miffed and looked away, ashamed of myself.
"Oh, you mean your heroic act of destroying the Fanged Geraniums! That was hilarious, I thought I couldn't get a hold of myself anymore!" he laughed aloud and forgot all about his family drama because of my misfortune.
"Yeah, you were the one that laughed the loudest!" I hissed at him, feeling insulted. I could remember it well. He had almost thrown himself onto the floor of the greenhouse out of glee, with his cronies next to him. He had held his stomach, shaking with laughter, very unmalfoy-ish. But my misfortune apparently had caused him to generously overlook that, it was just too funny for him. However, I had to grant him that the Gryffindors hadn't held themselves back either, I finished my unflattering summary.
"How did you do that? I mean, they're quite easy to care for and you had already managed the Mandrakes just fine before, which are by the way way more sensitive!" he asked now honestly interested after he had snapped out of his laughing fit. I swallowed hard. "Give me a cactus and I'll kill it too. I already managed that at home as a child. Plants: I can find, process and utilize them but can't breed, nurture and care for them. I'm absolutely untalented at that and I don’t know how to deal with it," I admitted reluctantly, while nibbling on my lip in clear frustration. "The mandrakes! Why do you think Neville is always my partner? He is a born gardener and breeder!"
"You're a manipulative woman! Using Longbottom just to get a good grade," he shook his head indignantly.
"Hey, I'm very grateful for his help, I also help him with his homework on other subjects, especially Snape’s!" I defended myself, to not seem that calculating, but he kept shaking his head.
"You're a saint, Granger, I've always known it," he said, rolling his eyes. "What are you doing on Christmas?" he suddenly changed the subject.
"Let's just say that Harry and Ron think I'm going to be with my parents, my parents think that I'm going to be with Ron and Harry and in reality I'm going to be at my country house!" I explained my elaborate scheme in a long-winded way. I would've time on Christmas to get some things started that were fundamental to progress my larger plans.
"Wow!" He looked at me with big, surprised eyes. "Are you alone then?" I nodded.
"You have to be careful now that so many crazy Death Eaters are on the loose!" he warned, clearly worried. Alas, wasn't his concern sweet? I smirked.
"Thank you for your concern, Draco, but I intend to be very careful," I said defensively.
"Hey, I have an idea. I want to come to you, then I can stay away from the meetings and hide at your place! That would be fun. You can show me whether you understood the contents of the books and we can practice a bit," he offered and had now straightened up, his upper body no longer leaning casually against the bed.
"Sure, if you want to do that. I'd be happy to have your company, very much so!" I let him know. "But the Twins will visit quite often. If that doesn't bother you?" I asked uncertainly. "They told their parents they're going to be with Lee, but in reality they're with me later on!"
"I should've met them already anyway! I hope I won't bother you in your intimate time together. Will I?" he asked suspiciously as I had slightly flinched at his statement; it was not for the reason he assumed; it was rather because I had wondered what Draco would say about the Twins’ relationship, since they sometimes showed their love openly in front of me. I always felt sorry for them, they shared a great, heartfelt love and the decision to live it out hadn't been an easy one. But at some point they had realised that everything else would make them unhappy and that they would make every other partner unhappy too, which wouldn't be fair to anyone. And so they had submitted to their fate and ended up together, if only in secret. They didn't hurt anyone with their love, only the morality of society. And I also was totally fine with their decision. But what would Draco say? If he was in the cottage for longer, he'd most likely notice it. We'd see!
Thus I turned my thoughts back to Draco and his question.
"Ridiculous, Draco, ridiculous! You wouldn't disturb at all, we'd be happy. The two are already very excited to meet you.” I objected. “That reminds me, where do we want to meet, so that I can show you the cottage? Because there's a blood protection on it..."
"I'm glad to hear that, Mudblood. I was already wondering the whole time... how the relationship looks like between the three of you, but I can wait!" He looked deeply into my eyes and I was very conscious of me sitting on his bed of all places. I unconsciously licked my dry lips. "Blood protection... not bad... but is it enough in these times?" His inquiry was drawn-out.
"I also want to use the Fidelius and since the three of you will be there at the time as well, I am going to share the secret with you..." I nodded.
"That would be good, yes. And what do you think about meeting at Flourish & Blotts in Diagon Alley?" he suggested.
"Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy, so visible, wouldn't that be unwise?" I said doubtfully. He rolled his eyes theatrically.
"Granger, please, try to be a bit smarter. I wouldn't mind being seen with Minna, a beautiful woman!" he explained now with a devilish grin and I raised an eyebrow. An idea like that requires a deceitful, malicious mind.
"Oh well, not a problem. When should we meet? I suggest the second day of our holiday, at twelve?" I offered.
"Precisely, agreed!" He smirked at me. "I'm looking forward to it!" It sounded somehow ambiguously. I smiled wickedly because I was curious what would happen, when another thought came to my mind.
"Oh, I remembered something else. I need your Galleon again!" I demanded, stretching out my hand.
"Why?" He skeptically raised his elegant brow.
"You'll see," I tugged at my jumper and pulled out my own. He did the same and took mine off me. I had my daggers with me, as always, which I wore strapped over my jeans, and drew one out now.
"Wow, are those the ones you slit Bole open with?" Draco asked with a fascinated glint in his smoky grey eyes.
"Yes, aren't they beautiful?" I asked ecstatically, letting the blade shine in the light of the room. I pulled out the second dagger and held it out to him invitingly. He took it skillfully and began to examine it, weighing it knowingly in his hand.
"It feels good in hand, magical silver, not bad. Where did you get it from?" it came with a knowing expression from him.
"Borgin and Burkes!" I answered misty-eyed.
"Yeah, he has a good selection.. What.. w.. w.. what are you doing?" He exclaimed, startled as I just cut into my index finger with the blade of the dagger, faster than he could look and now dark red blood seeped from the cut. I had to smile at his shocked exclamation and looked at him mischievously from below as he was now kneeling on the bed. Draco could move surprisingly fast if he wanted.
"Hermione, are you crazy? You can't just cut yourself without the slightest peep!" He snarled indignantly.
"Shut up, Draco!" I told him while dripping my blood on both the Galleons in front of me, took my white wand and used the Proteus again.
"Come here, give me a finger," I commanded. He looked at me in astonishment at my commanding tone, but did as I asked and handed me his index finger without hesitation.
I raised my dagger again and cut his finger with a quick stroke. How gently this silver blade cut through the skin and the underlying flesh, it was like cutting through silk. His blood seeped out a second later and I guided his finger to the coins and let a few drops drop on them, repeated the spell and then spoke an episkey over our wounds, which closed immediately. Then I put away the daggers and we tucked the coins back into their respective places silence. Draco hadn't made a single sound, neither at the cut nor after. It looked like he was, just like me, used to it, interesting.
"Why?" he asked.
"You want to know why I personified the coins? I am going to use the idea of this communication with the galleons with others too, but I don't want anyone to know about us. That's why I used the personification. Maybe you'll add the twins at Christmas to your coin too. That's up to you," I explained, then gave him a mischievous wink.
"Are you going to add them as well?" he asked thoughtfully.
"Yeah, so I’ll have a way to communicate with them without Harry or Ron knowing!" I explained my reason.
"Oh, you want to give them a coin too?" He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, but without the blood," I went on.
"Yeah, that would be magic a bit too dark for them, wouldn't it. But if you add the twins, I'll probably add them too, I guess..." He seemed to weigh this options in his mind while drawing circles on his blanket.
"You don't have to decide today," I interjected and he nodded.
"Enough talk, come here!" He impatiently grabbed my hand and energetically pulled me onto the mattress, falling back, and I ended up lying on top of him with a small "Uff!"
"So hasty...", I laughed, amused, though I was at the same time slightly startled that Draco sought my closeness so much. I hadn't expected that, but it felt good. He buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath.
"You always smell so good," he whispered softly and I snuggled myself into his arms, laying my head comfortably on his chest. "Thanks, you too, I always smell sandalwood around you!" I said, inhaling his fragrance with relish.
"Your scent reminds me of white amber. I love such intense scents," he mused, sniffing again. He turned down the lights nonverbally, so that only a few candles burned and the flickering fire of the fireplace gave off a cosy light. Suddenly he started talking again.
"I never thought you'd be the one who would stand by my side! That's very unexpected! I mean, you hit me! You're a Gryffindor - even if I think the hat made a mistake there - and you're a Mudblood! And I… that's so surreal, and yet one look is enough and I immediately know what you're thinking!" he mused aloud. I lay still half on top of him, drawing figures on his chest, completely speechless about what he might mean by "standing by his side", but at the same time I could only agree with him. I felt understood by him, safe, and comfortable like never before with someone else.
"Do you think I'm any less shocked? I've never experienced anything like it, you're the first person with whom I'm completely open and honest! I never have to pretend anything when I am with you; you are the first one who understands me and doesn't condemn me for what I do!" I sighed, experiencing for the first time such a heartfelt, intimate and exciting conversation.
"Really, you still have secrets in front of the Red Ones?" He sounded incredulous.
"Yeah, of course, there's nobody in my life that knows all about me. Even you don't know everything yet, but it's actually just the circumstances and not because I don't want to tell you..." I defended myself as I felt his hands becoming less gentle, tightening around me.
"That's good. You can always tell me everything, I won't keep any secrets from you. We can give each other something few people around us have and that is mutual trust and understanding!" he promised me with a deep voice, stroking my back all the time whilst he got calmer by the second.
"Oh Draco, you don't know how happy I am to hear these words, thank you!" I said candidly. I lifted my head from his chest and beamed up at his face. His arms wrapped around my body and his lips descended on mine faster than I could comprehend. We shared a long kiss for the first time, a kiss so thorough and intense, that it left me senseless. The feeling when his lips brushed mine was overwhelming! The firm pressure of his lips, seductively slow, while his tongue stroked my lips very gently, almost teasingly, and asked for admittance. I instantly granted him his request, and when our tongues found each other, it was as if a rush of electricity was running through my body. My heart stopped beating for a moment, then continued to beat at a much faster pace, and for the first time in my life all my senses really and truly awoke to life, something I hadn't experienced ever before, and he achieved that with only a kiss, making it very enjoyable for me.
We were still kissing each other deeply as he shifted back slightly to bury his hands passionately in my hair, pulling me closer possessively, making me moan into his mouth in pleasure. I had to start admitting something now: whether I wanted it or not, he was the first person for whom I felt more than just lust or desire. Being with him I felt so much more, it was almost too much, almost painful. It was overwhelming for me, a person who had always kept her feelings well hidden, and a bit scary in its intensity. I think he felt the same, because this ever growing passionate kiss enthralled us more and more. I clung to the front of his sweater because I was afraid of losing myself otherwise.
I could feel our tongues performing an unprecedented, unbelievably exciting duel. It was intoxicating to taste him, to feel and be so close to him. Our bodies pressed together tightly and eagerly. I could feel him completely pressed against me, an indescribably warm feeling spreading through me. After a long time, we broke away from each other, breathing heavily, his hands releasing my hair and we looked at each other in absolutely shocked awe at what we had just done, what we had felt, what only this kiss had emotionally done to us.
"Wow!" He was the first to find his voice again and probably his balance too. "What will happen if we take this further?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes sparkling expectantly and adventurously.
"Draco that was... unbelievable I..." My reply came out clipped, because I was very out of breath.
“Shush... I've never felt this way before, it's special.." He whispered, pulling me back to hug me so tightly that not a sheet could fit between us. He kissed my forehead very tenderly like he always did. And so I lay with my head in the crook of his neck. I could feel his chin on my head. I was still a little bit breathless as this unexpected turn of events had unsettled me. I hadn't planned for anything like this to happen between Draco and myself. However, I was no person who'd seriously question that development, as I hadn't really done that with Sirius either, but I had to ask Draco something that concerned me.
"Draco, my detention with Snape is going to start on Monday. I know that I'm always driving him mad. If it's going to go as I fear, I would say Minna will soon get an owl again... Actually it's overdue, it has been a long time" I mumbled embarrassed into his sweater.
"Severus's been out every night lately, the outbreak had to be planned, and a few other things where father and Severus were indispensable... Alas, by the way, I can tell you that he really likes the secret path. He warned me not to tell anyone about the passage, as this could make Hogwarts unsafe. He sometimes still thinks I'm a kid..." I could feel his body shivering indignantly.
"But to your question: if he calls, you have to go. It goes without saying that he would instantly become suspicious should you refuse, and after the last time, it wouldn't be good if he knew you were the same person," he said affably, though I heard a faint regret in his voice. However, he recognized the need for it and was just thinking the same way I did. One did what one had to do. Meanwhile, he held my right hand in his and pressed it to his heart.
"You're weird. Don't you mind at all?" I didn't know what to think about his words, after we had kissed like we just did.
"Do you mind?" He answered with a counter question, which I found very annoying.
"What? Because I have to jump into bed with Snape again?" I asked and thought about it. "No, I mean, he's good in bed, there's worse than him and it's over quickly, after the sobering motto, grit your teeth and just do it..." I was very cold as I often was and returned Draco's intense gaze.
"Then everything is fine! As long as it's just Severus, everything else would be unacceptable, and as Hermione, it's out of the question," he said, with astonishing coldness. But I knew how to deal with that much more than if he would have confessed his love.
"Draco, are you going to have sex with others, too?" I dared to ask timidly after he showed himself so controlled.
"Maybe, but not because I want to... You don't know what's going on at revels like these. You could maybe compare it to some of the situations you get yourself into. You just grit your teeth and do it! Sometimes it’s not possible to make your own choices... Nox,” he murmured with a tone of finality in his voice. The room was now covered in darkness.
I had briefly held my breath at his ‘maybe’, but now I let it slowly out again. I had looked deeply inside myself and thought about how that made me feel and to my shame I had to say that I could accept his argument. If it really had to be, there was no way around it. Though I didn't like it any more than the realization that I wouldn't escape from Snape. At the same time he held me like I was something very valuable, which he wouldn't ever let go anymore. His hands roamed tenderly over my whole body, which made my insides go pleasantly fuzzy and so we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
We fell asleep because we were exhausted and it was late, but we were also emotionally overrun and worn out. What we had felt had been very intense. It was new to me. Not only that it didn't end in sex right away, no, but also trusting someone enough to sleep with that person and I don't mean it on a sexual level. No, to trust enough to sleep next to each other and to spend a whole night together in one bed was something completely new. But with Draco, lying there in his arms, it was a wonderful feeling. The next morning I opened my eyes, and as usual was awake immediately. Thanks to the unfamiliar environment I was just barely able to stop myself from startling. The memory of last night started to come back, when I noticed that I was lying on something soft that was slowly moving up and down.
A satisfied smile spread over my face. It was Draco! My Draco. I raised my head slightly to look at his face. He was still sleeping. Draco was really beautiful! His even, noble features... While I was relishing his aristocratic appearance and remembering yesterday's world-shaking kiss, I realized that we were still in our clothes. The realization made me chuckle. The sound woke him up. Draco opened his eyes. The look he gave me was alert, but then he smiled happily.
"Morning, my Mudblood," he said cheerfully.
"Morning, Draco!" I kissed his cheek and snuggled into his arms again. They welcomed me easily.
"Slept well?" he whispered into my hair.
"Very well, thank you. I don't know how I’ll sleep without you from now on!" I replied, causing his chest to tremble slightly as he stifled a laugh.
"Why are you up already, it's only just before six!" he wanted to know curiously.
"What, it’s already this late?" I exclaimed in shock. Crap! I jumped out of bed and frantically searched for my shoes.
"Why, what's going on?" He pulled himself up, leaning on his arms, and watched my actions, puzzled.
"I have to hurry if I want to go for a run today!" I hastily explained further. He let himself fall back onto his bed.
"Just skip it," he said succinctly and crossed his arms behind his head.
"No, not a chance!" I couldn’t allow myself to slack off even once.
"Then I thank you for the beautiful night, Hermione!" he explained in a velvety voice. I was about to throw my coat over my shoulders and almost lost my balance in shock, which made him giggle evilly.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Until then, my Pureblood and thanks for the wonderful night!" I said and fled unseen out of Slytherin.
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