87Chapter soundtrack : Familiar by Agnes Obel
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Returning to Hogwarts post-war felt like stepping into an old dream. The castle had been repaired in time for the new school year, erasing any physical signs of one of the most important battles perhaps in wizarding history. Hermione suspected the only scars left were carried by each and every witch and wizard who now walked the halls.
Not at this hour however.
Most people were asleep this early in the morning, which is why Hermione chose this moment to head off to an empty potions lab for some quiet study.
Hermione had carefully planned out her agenda to squeeze in as much homework time as humanly possible. Every day she would wake up at the crack of dawn and choose various empty classrooms to practice for her N.E.W.T.s Hermione especially liked studying during the early hours of the morning since they were the most peaceful and quiet - hours she found herself yearning for more and more.
Hermione could hardly believe she was back at Hogwarts, back to a normal life. The previous year had been like living in a nightmare that never seemed to end; months filled with uncertainty, spent in a tent with Harry and Ron; the Gringotts break in; the torture in Malfoy Manor at Bellatrix's hand; the constant worry and fear of failure, of being caught by Voldemort before they had the time to find all his Horcruxes. Sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, expecting to still be in the tent and not in a comfortable four poster bed.
If Hermione had been studious before the war, she was a veritable learning machine now. She found that by keeping her mind occupied with memorising and reciting, she could stop herself from thinking about too many unpleasant memories. Flashbacks that interrupted her train of thought. Faces of people they hadn't been able to save. Screams and shrieking in her ear.
Where did you get this? What have you done, you stupid girl?
Hermione screamed and writhed on the floor. All she could feel was blinding pain scraping at her bones and flesh. Black hair tickled her brow from where Bellatrix leaned in, greedily watching Hermione suffer.
Studying also helped fill another particular void - two in fact. This was the first time Hermione found herself without Harry nor Ron. Harry had been scooped up by the Ministry's Auror Department and Ron had opted to join George and Lee Jordan with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Neither Harry nor Ron had been too keen on returning to Hogwarts for their last year. Hermione had been very vocal about her disapproval, though, deep down, she knew it was partly for selfish reasons that she harped on about the importance of N.E.W.T.s The thought of being without them, especially when she had come to rely on their company so heavily, was daunting.
"You'll be brilliant Hermione. Just think of all the extra work you'll be able to do instead of helping Ron finish his Transfiguration essays" Harry had assured her during their last supper at the Burrow before the start of term.
Ron had snorted into his pudding, and glanced over at Hermione, his ears red.
That summer had been a complicated one. Retrieving her parents from Australia had been extremely taxing. Snogging Ron on occasion had brought her pockets of happiness, however she found that talking to him about mundane subjects was increasingly taxing. Ron was funny, charismatic and always there when she needed someone. He was the only other person in this world who understood what the last year had been like for her and she could talk to him about how much she had worried for Harry, knowing Ron had felt exactly the same. Their mutual friendship with the Boy Who Lived was something that connected Hermione and Ron deeply. Watching Harry carry the burden of the wizarding world on his shoulders, the fear that gripped her every time Harry's scar burned, the sense of duty to Harry's mission of destroying the Horcruxes - only Ron knew how that felt.
Only Ron understood her nightmares.
She'd lost her virginity to Ron that summer.
That being said, Hermione realised he was still the same old Ron in a lot of other ways. Stubborn. Sulky. Dismissive at times. He was disinterested in all the things she was interested in. The few things he liked to discuss at length bored her to tears: Quidditch and Wizard's chess. He was also keen on helping George and Lee test some new developments for the joke shop and, unfortunately, Hermione had unknowingly been the test subject for quite a few. She learned that she hated pranks and that they made her prissier than usual, according to Lee.
Hermione and Ron were connected by the deep bond of their shared, life-altering experiences, but their everyday interests were ruefully different. Hermioe knew her and Ron would always have love for each other. However, she couldn't help wondering if their romantic connection was sustainable.
And then Hermione was to be off to Hogwarts and, with the prospect of a long-distance relationship looming, it became even harder for her to imagine her future with Ron.
One night it became clear to both of them.
"Be honest, Ron. If neither of us had ever met Harry, do you think we would have still been best friends at Hogwarts?"
"Er…"
Ron's hesitation confirmed it to both of them. They were different people. They ended things amicably, though in the following weeks, Hermione found she missed Ron. Not because she was romantically attached to him, but because she had been able to talk to him about the previous year and feel understood, and vice versa. Talking about it helped her heal. He had been a terrible boyfriend but an excellent therapist.
Now that she was at Hogwarts on her own, she missed that presence in her life terribly.
The closest friend she had at Hogwarts was Ginny who was now in the same year as her. This meant they now shared a dorm and classes. It felt good to have a best friend so close by that was also a girl for a change. Hermione felt she could open up about certain things that she never could entirely with Harry nor Ron. Mundane things like period cramps and who was dating who, the sort of thing Harry and Ron would go glassy-eyed over. That being said, Ginny was a lot more extraverted. Ginny wanted Hermione to hang out with her Quidditch mates. Ginny wanted Hermione to come to parties. Ginny also hated the library.
"I want a career in flying brooms, Hermione, I don't need to sit in a dusty old room memorising the goblin rebellion of 1892. I'll see you at supper though!"
"It was 1612." Hermione muttered, earning herself an eye roll from Ginny.
Hermione understood but still couldn't help feeling a little lonely.
Especially since she was attending meals in the Great Hall less and less these days, opting to hide away in the library during those hours.
The truth was, she hadn't expected her sudden popularity and it was overwhelming. Hermione was constantly being bombarded by admirers from all corners, asking questions and requesting a replay of how the events of Voldemort's downfall had been brought about. Given she was the only one from the Golden Trio to return to Hogwarts, she was pelted left and right by students who wanted to hear the account first-hand. In the past, Hermione had always been overshadowed by Harry's exploits and Ron's charisma. She very suddenly felt thrust into the spotlight and the little bits of time she could grab to herself became more and more fleeting. Groups of Gryffindors clapping her on the back and cheering her name loudly in the halls. Hufflepuffs bustling up to her and asking for an autograph and pushing baked goods into her arms. Ravenclaws cornering her in classrooms to praise and discuss the complicated bits of magic that had needed to be performed in order to overthrow You-Know-Who. Hermione, for probably the first time in her life, felt a tingle of gratitude at Slytherin house for seeming to be the only one that left her alone.
It was draining. Especially since each time the topic of the war was brought up, it brought all the traumatic memories back to the surface. With no one she could trust enough to confide in, and yet with everyone wanting to hear her account, Hermione retreated more and more into herself and her work, avoiding others as much as possible.
Hence, this was why she was settling into the potions lab at the fresh hour of seven in the morning, taking out her textbooks and tools. She could breathe normally here.
Upon opening the ingredients cabinet in the classroom, she was pleased to find everything she needed. As Hermione filled her tray, pushing bottles around, she noticed a couple of phials that were carefully labelled as Invigoration Draught in neat, curly writing. Hermione smiled a little in relief. She had been studying later at night than she should be this week, and could use an energy boost. These Draughts had similar effects to a shot of Espresso and they seemed to have been left here in aid for some tired student in need. Hermione added one to her tray and returned to her cauldron, eager to get started.
As Hermione was about to unstopper the potion, the door opened. Hermione's head shot up in indignation. Who else could possibly want to brew potions at this time? Her heart sank as she saw the familiar white blond hair and Slytherin robes enter the room.
She had been as surprised as anyone else to see Malfoy back at Hogwarts. He had tried to murder Dumbledore afterall, not to mention he had sided with Voldemort and been branded a Death Eater. No one really expected any of Voldemort's allies to return to Hogwarts, however there were still quite a few of them who had. Hermione could only guess at why, though she wondered if perhaps some of them had defected to their side before the war's end or had provided sufficient intel to capture the remaining Death Eaters. The fact that a lot of them had been eighteen or younger during the war had probably bought them a bit of clemency from the Wizengamot as well. Hermione knew she had to trust that McGonagall had her reasons for allowing so many questionable students to return, though that didn't stop Hermione from being wary.
There was a certain justice to be had from all this though. All the Slytherins who had bullied Muggle borns in the past were getting their own medicine back. Hermione had heard that several Slytherin purebloods kept ending up in the Hospital Wing due the amount of people hexing them. Theodore Nott, the son of a known Death Eater, had been challenged to duel after duel though rumour had it he hadn't turned down a single one. Blaise Zabini and another student who Hermione knew only by his last name of Harper, were too intimidating to be bullied, however were deliberately ignored and people could be heard whispering rude things far too loudly in their vicinity.
Draco Malfoy had it the worst. No one wanted to talk to him unless it was to throw insults. No one wanted to be seen with him unless it was to torment him. The betrayer who let Death Eaters into Hogwarts. The snake who attempted murder on Dumbledore. The spoiled rich pure blood who housed Voldemort in his family's Manor. Even other Slytherins seemed to stay away from him, not wanting his reputation to infect theirs even worse.
Hermione knew he deserved it. Even before the war, Malfoy had been a toerag of a human being.
Though there was a small part of her that remembered last year, when they had been taken captive in Malfoy Manor. She remembered Malfoy being there and being ordered to identify a heavily disfigured Harry Potter. She had been sure Malfoy would have given Harry up, Harry who had been his enemy at school, who had repeatedly outwitted and embarrassed him and had gotten in the way of Malfoy's mission to eliminate Dumbledore. Harry who had inadvertently almost killed Malfoy with a brutal Sectumsempra curse. And yet Malfoy claimed he was unable to identify him. She wondered if Malfoy had purposely tried to protect them or if he had simply been terrified of making a mistake.
Malfoy hesitated for a moment in the entrance of the class, appraising her with an unreadable expression. He stood there for far too long, seeming to war with himself before finally deciding to step inside the room. Hermione noticed how gaunt and tired he looked as he strode purposefully to the cauldron furthest from hers. His usual sneer was gone, as well as his swagger from simpler times. Now he walked quickly, avoiding eye contact and attending to his business. It was almost surreal how much he had retreated into himself. She half expected him to throw a diatribe slighting her blood status, like the good old days. But Malfoy seemingly had nothing more to say to her.
As much as Hermione loathed sharing a room with him, there was no way he was scaring her off. She had been here every Friday morning since the start of term! Why did he have to pick now over any other time to do his potions work?
It dawned on her that perhaps he had come to the same conclusion as her: this was the quietest time of day with the least amount of students out and about. No doubt he had every reason to want to avoid as many people as possible, given how everyone unanimously seemed to hate him.
Hermione surprised herself by feeling a pang of pity as she snuck a glance at Malfoy while he walked to the supply cabinet for ingredients. She couldn't help but wonder how much he regretted. She recalled how Harry had once confided in her that he'd witnessed Malfoy hesitate that night on the tower with Dumbledore. How he'd lowered his wand at Dumbledore's promise of mercy. Would Malfoy have chosen a different fate then and there if he could have?
There was the sound of a clink of glass which Hermione interpreted as Malfoy snatching the other Invigoration Draught. She found she was correct as he turned and she saw it in his hand.
Malfoy caught her staring. Hermione quickly lowered her gaze to her cutting board. She heard his footsteps as he returned to his cauldron, still silent. The air in the room felt unbearably tense.
Resigned to sharing a potions lab with the person she detested the most at Hogwarts, she unstoppered the Draught and took a hearty swig. She would need all the energy she could get, if she was going to share a lab with Malfoy.
She caught a brief whiff of new parchment before the potion sloshed down her throat. Odd...she didn't remember Invigoration Draughts smelling of…
Hermione blanched, dropping the empty phial with a clatter on the desk. No….surely not...perhaps she had imagined the scent. She looked over at Malfoy who had glanced up at the noise and was glaring at her. She suddenly felt a warmth in her stomach. Oh no. No no no. She knew right away what she had swallowed, and it was absolutely not an Invigoration Draught at all. How did such a dangerous concoction end up so mislabeled in the store cabinet? She knew she had maybe a second or two before the effects would kick in. She had to warn him.
"Malfoy!" Hermione screeched, causing him to jump at her sudden outburst, "Don't drink that!"
She jabbed a shaky finger at the twin Invigoration Draught already in his hand.
Malfoy's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"And why the hell not?" He asked, his voice low and hoarse. Hermione would have been surprised at how different he sounded compared to before the war if she hadn't been in such a panicked state.
"B-because it's ...it's not what you…" Hermione found herself struggling to get the words out. Her thoughts seemed to weigh heavy in her head and sifting through them began to feel like slogging through mud.
Malfoy's alarmed expression turned into a smile, cold and with no humour as he watched her flounder. He unstoppered the phial.
"Don't!" Hermione's shriek was strangled.
"Don't tell me what to do."
Her eyes widened in horror as Malfoy brought the potion to his lips. She realised her frantic warning, to his ears, had sounded more like a challenge. She wanted to shout, scream at him that it wasn't a Draught at all, it was love potion! Someone had mislabeled Amortentia! But she knew, too late, the potion was taking effect on her, inhibiting her thoughts. She could feel her body become suddenly lighter. Her head felt cloudy, her thoughts swirled together. She felt heat on her cheeks, in her stomach, between her….oh god no….not between her legs…
Malfoy's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed down the potion in one heavy gulp. He looked back at Hermione with loathing and triumph and then suddenly, he lost what little colour he had in his face.
"No…" he murmured, his eyes going wide in horror.
"I told you not to! I don't know how that got there!" Hermione answered shrilly, her heart beating. "Someone must've put it there...because..." She grasped at words, trying to explain but she didn't have a single clue why two bottles of Amortentia masquerading as an energy boost were shoved in the potions cabinet for unsuspecting students to stumble upon.
Draco took an unsteady step towards Hermione. His eyes pierced into hers, accusing, looking as confused as she felt.
"What now?" He hissed through clenched teeth.
She didn't have an answer. She found herself thinking about the sweat on his brow and neck. She noticed for the first time how intense his eyes were. His strong chin. His hands were balled into fists and Hermione's face flushed hot as suddenly, an unbidden image of those hands on her body forced its way into her mind.
A halo of light seemed to emanate from Malfoy's pale hair and all she could think about was how handsome he was. How clever. Did it matter that he had worked for Voldemort? That hardly diminished any of his qualities. How did it take her so long to notice how wonderful he was?
"It was you…" she whispered.
"I-what?"
"You made the Amortentia. You made me fall in love with you." Her tone was bathed in adoration instead of accusation.
"Snap out of it Granger! This isn't Amortentia."
She shook her head and some of the fog cleared. She found it took her an immense conscious effort to keep it at bay. Her eyes widened.
"The potion smelt of new parchment and mown grass…my Amortentia odours. Although it was yellow instead of the usual pearly sheen colour. I suppose any form of glamour charms could've disguised it."
Hermione rubbed her forehead. Every thought seemed to cost her an ungodly effort.
"I…I feel infatuated with you. Amortentia makes you fall for the caster. But why would you…why would you drink it?"
"Because I didn't make it!" Malfoy snapped in frustration. He stumbled forward into a nearby table and clutched the sides. His knuckles turned white. He seemed to be concentrating hard.
"So...someone is making Malfoy love potions?" Hermione questioned, bewildered.
Malfoy sneered at her and it almost felt like old times.
"I'm feeling the same way towards you. Clearly this is some kind of…alternative strain that makes you fall for the first person you see..."
Hermione clapped a hand over her mouth. So Malfoy felt the same thing she was feeling but for her. A chill ran up her spine knowing what that could mean.
"But…but why?" She murmured to herself. It was increasingly hard to concentrate. Her vision was blurring and only Malfoy seemed to float into focus, his face still seeming to shine in an angelic way. All her thoughts kept being shoved aside so that she could bask in his brilliance.
"Get out of here!" Malfoy hissed. She realised he was shaking. Probably from the effort to keep the potion's effect at bay. She remembered he was a practised Occlumens which was perhaps why he seemed to be mentally resisting better than she was. Again she marvelled at how smart and strong he was. He must've noticed the glassy look in Hermione's eyes as he seemed to become increasingly more agitated.
A part of her knew he was right. She could leave and wait out the effect of the potion in her dorm. She took a shaky step towards the door. Immediately, she felt a mental pull in the opposite direction. Malfoy's presence was calling to her.
"I don't know if I can fight it…" Hermione whimpered and her eyes clamped shut. She tried to block out the image of Malfoy, but it seemed to be burned onto the inside of her eyelids.
"Are there no counter spells to this stupid drink?" She said with desperation, glancing helplessly at her wand on the table.
"No. But Madam Pomphrey will have an antidote." Malfoy seemed frozen in place, staring at a point on the wall in front of him.
She didn't want to go to Madam Pomphrey. She wanted to go to him, feel his body against hers. A fire ignited between her legs and she gasped.
"Granger...Go to the hospital wing…It'll be easier if we're not in the same room…I'll go after you…" Malfoy's voice was strained. He said each word carefully, as if he was concentrating hard on his pronunciation. His cheeks were flushed.
His voice echoed in her mind as he spoke to her. A shiver travelled up her body. She found herself succumbing to the fog in her mind. She took a step and then another, and before she knew it, she had floated over to Malfoy. She felt like she was in a dream. A wonderful dream.
Hermione could smell his scent, a musky smell of some type of woody cologne. It was driving her wild. He was still looking straight at the wall though she saw him flinch when she approached. He glanced at her. His pupils were extremely dilated. He looked so angry that it made her heart hurt.
"You don't want to do this." Malfoy took a shaky step back when Hermione leaned into him. "Go to the hospital wing, now! I can't hold it off for much longer! Don't make me hex you!"
His brow was sweating slightly from the exertion of keeping his thoughts sound. She could sense he was having more difficulty fighting it as time wore on. She took another step towards him as he backed away from her, attempting to put the table between them. Hermione trailed after him relentlessly. She wanted the potion to take hold of him as well. Couldn't he see how blissful she felt? They could be with each other and think of nothing else. No war. No pain. Only love.
"I want to be with you," She said in a simpering voice she barely recognized as her own.
Malfoy was up against the stone wall. She was barely a foot from him. Her hands were on his chest. He twitched hard as she touched him but she felt a thrill when he didn't push her away.
The material of his robes felt soft though she could feel his firm chest underneath. Her heart began frantically beating against her ribcage. She seemed hyper aware of the sensation of his shirt slithering under her fingers. It was as if all her senses had been increased just to look at him. Touch him. Smell him. Another thrill of shivers shot through her body as she wondered if this was how he was feeling about her. The place between her thighs began to throb.
Malfoy suddenly grabbed both her wrists. His eyes captured hers. They were a beautiful grey and Hermione felt she could lose herself in them for hours. An electric current seemed to shoot up her arms at the warmth of his hands. She let a small sigh escape from her lips and she noticed his body tense.
"Please…" A small part of her was disgusted at how close to a moan it sounded. She leaned in and pressed her body to his. He was as still as a statue.
Something stirred in her mind.
"Draco, I can't...can't fight it...I"m so sorry…" she said weakly.
"Yes you can." Malfoy's voice was a hoarse rumble in his throat. His tone seemed to reverberate inside her. If he was shocked at hearing her say his first name so easily, he hid it. Hermione's hips undulated gently, almost unconsciously, against his. He sucked in his breath. His hands shook a little as he clutched her wrists.
"And what if I don't want to?" Hermione whispered longingly.
Her breathing heavy, she began to rub her hips firmly against his, pressing him tightly against the wall. She moaned and her eyes fluttered as she was certain she could feel his arousal. His hips bucked slightly towards hers and she gasped. Every small touch felt like fire.
"Don't you want this?" She murmured shyly, contrasting sharply with how boldly her body was reacting to him.
Malfoy opened and closed his mouth, struggling with himself for a moment.
"You know I do," He finally answered barely above a whisper, his breath ghosting across her lips.
Hermione sighed in happiness. She disengaged one of her wrists from his loosening grip and slid a hand down between his legs. She grabbed at his crotch, running her fingers over his protruding bulge before squeezing him firmly. He was rock hard. Malfoy hissed, his head falling back against the stone wall.
"You'll regret this when it's over. We both will" Malfoy protested softly, though he let go of her wrists and began to slide his hands down her waist. She let a small moan burst against his neck.
"Don't think about that. Just be here with me."
Hermione unzipped his trousers and clumsily pulled his erection out from his black boxers, swirling her thumb over his tip and feeling elated as she felt the wetness of his precum there. Malfoy grunted as she touched him. He hiked up her skirt and grasped handfuls of her ass while Hermione stroked him slowly. She marvelled at how thick he felt and how comfortable she was touching him. He was certainly a decent size. Her pulse quickened as his hands teased the corners of her panties.
"Are you sure?" Malfoy whispered, their noses almost touching. Hermione's knees were weak.
"Yes, yes, please. I don't think I've ever needed anything so bad."
Malfoy groaned.
He pulled her panties aside and she felt his fingers tentatively playing with her lips.
"You're so wet." He remarked, in awe. His index nestled in her slit, rubbing circles around her entrance. Hermione's forehead pressed into his shoulder as she gently rocked against his hand, now holding his cock more for support than for his pleasure. She was panting and squirming, urging him to continue.
"Yes, Draco, yesss…" she hissed.
His finger slipped inside her and she cried out, her head jerking back.
"Oh god, yes, I want you, I want this. Please keep…keep touching me like that, Yes yes yes!" She was babbling everything that came to mind as she felt his teeth hungrily latch onto her neck, his fingers plunge deep inside her. She tilted her head back, giving him full access to nibble and suck at her neck. He curled his digits inside her, exploring slowly as she cooed and wriggled at all his touches. All the while she could feel his breath on her as he whispered things to her.
"You're so perfect...love how you feel...so warm…"
He had clearly fully succumbed to the potion and Hermione was jubilant. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clenched her eyes shut as his fingers began to take control of her, forcing her to gasp. The way he touched her was incredible. She loved him so much, she felt ready to burst. How had they never done this before? It was heaven. She wanted to feel this way with him forever.
She moaned hard as she felt his fingers plunge harder and deeper inside her at a steady rhythm. She raised a knee and Draco hiked it up against his waist, giving him better access to her pussy. She rocked eagerly against his hand.
Hermione could feel her orgasm approach. She gripped his neck and chanted "Don't stop, don't stop, please don't stop!"
Hermione came undone with a loud moan, her knees buckling from the intensity. Malfoy held her up, continuing to finger her until her body was finished. She was breathing hard as if she had run a marathon. Had she ever come that hard simply by being fingered?
Malfoy didn't give her time to reflect on it. His hands were on her hips and he spun her so that her back was now pressed against the wall. .
"Oh!" She squeaked softly. His eyes bored into hers and she felt herself blush. There was a need glinting in his grey irises, a longing that frightened and exhilarated her. She truly felt in this moment, Draco wanted nothing more than to devour her and she wanted nothing more than to let him.
His mouth came crashing into hers. Their lips had barely collided and his tongue was already pushing into her mouth. She opened for him eagerly. Their kisses were messy and heated. Demanding and greedy. Hermione arched into him, making wanton, breathy noises in her throat while she let him ravage her. It felt so good to be so wanted by the one person she wanted the most. He crushed her against the wall and she pressed her body into his, always yearning for more of his touch and never feeling satiated.
She felt him yank her panties down with the sound of fabric tearing. She knew what was coming, Her whole body was crying out for it. Malfoy hiked up her leg once more and she allowed him. It drove her mad to have him manhandle her how he needed.
Something nestled between her pussy lips and Hermione's eyes fluttered. She knew it definitely wasn't his fingers this time. This was happening, it was really happening.
"Do it, yes, take me!" She whined, bucking her hips feverishly.
He paused. Something flickered in his eyes. Doubt? Hermione frowned.
"Please Draco, I need you in me! I'll burst if you don't!" she begged. What was he waiting for? Could he not see she would fall to pieces if she couldn't have him?
"Tell me you love me."
Hermione froze. She didn't expect that.
She looked at him, really looked. He had a pained expression. His brow was knitted and his body was tense, waiting. She melted at his sentimentality.
She ran her hands up his neck and pressed her forehead to his.
"Of course" she said softly, and meant it. "I love you Draco. I love you so much. All I can think about is how wonderful you are. How could you ever doubt it?"
His exhale was ragged, his shoulders sagging a little in relief. Hermione's heart felt ready to explode.
The tip of Draco's cock pushed past her lips and sunk into her dripping entrance. Her cunt was so aroused that he slid in deep almost immediately. Draco knelt slightly, hitching his hands around Hermione's thighs and she hopped up, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. The movement gave the extra push he needed to be buried inside her up to the hilt. He shoved her roughly against the wall, keeping them both upright. Her arms tightly wrapped around his neck and she buried her face in his shoulder to muffle her cries as he began to make love to her.
His first few thrusts were gentle, but once he found his rhythm, he began to earnestly pound her. She had never felt anything like it. She couldn't think. Each time he plunged into her depths, her mind went blank in ecstasy.
Hermione could feel her clit rubbing against the fabric of his robes, making all the pleasurable sensations even more intense.
"Oh god, Draco, yes yes yes! Oh please, please don't stop!" Hermione pleaded, her nails digging into his back. Draco grunted hard, seeming to revel in her encouragement as he doubled his efforts.
"I love being inside you, Hermione" he panted "I love making you mine".
Her heart pounded as he said her name.
"I love you, Draco! Oh god, I love you!"
She wasn't even thinking about her words anymore. They tumblred from her, candid and lust-filled. As she orgasmed for the second time, all she could think about was how she had never orgasmed this hard in her life. Her toes curled and her whole body was molten lava. She was in love with him and he was making her his. What more did she need in life? Was there anything else?
Her pussy convulsed as she came, tightening around his shaft. Draco gasped, burying his head in her neck and hair.
"Hermione...I'm...I'm close!" Draco barely managed to articulate. She could sense panic in his voice.
"Do it" She panted breathlessly, her legs tightening around his waist with her last bit of strength, "Make me yours".
At her last words she felt him collapse against her, felt his cock buried deep inside her as he filled her with his seed. She mewled happily at the sensation of him twitching between her walls, and she clenched a couple of times to make sure he gave her every last drop. He was kissing her neck, biting her, sucking her. He needed her to know every inch of her was his to take.
"I love you, I love you" he murmured over and over into her hair and she mmm'd happily.
"I love you too. That was…incredible."
She took his mouth with hers, kissing him deep and long. Their tongues met, slow this time. Languid. She kissed him like she meant it, and felt him return the favour. His hands gripped her waist as she slid her legs down but still kept him close. She would never let him go, ever again.
There were sounds in the hall outside the room. Voices. Murmurs. She didn't care.
Only kissing Draco mattered.
Class is beginning soon.
So what? Nothing was more important than being here with him.
A small voice in her head insisted.
You'll be late. Plus, you're a mess right now. And you're kissing Draco bloody Malfoy.
She pushed the nagging voice aside. She didn't want to go back to the real world. She wanted to stay in this rose colored dream. Everything was simple here. She loved Draco and he loved her and no feeling could be better than this.
The voices in the corridor reached a steady buzz. The fog in her mind seemed to lighten.
Snap out of it! This has gone on for long enough!
Hermione opened her eyes. She felt like she was waking up in the middle of the night. Groggy, her vision blurred momentarily. She started to become acutely aware of Malfoy's hands on her waist, his lips caressing hers.
Oh no. No, no no. What in Merlin's name had they done?
Something was trickling down her thigh and she realised what it was with growing horror.
She had just had sex with Draco Malfoy.
"Malfoy…" she murmured between kisses. He was still under the influence of the potion. "Malfoy!" she said a bit more urgently.
"What is it, love?" he asked dreamily and she flinched. Surely she hadn't sounded this… lovey-dovey? She cringed inwardly as flashes of her begging for him to shag her resurfaced. She felt ill.
She couldn't look at him. She knew he was on the brink of returning back to normal as well.
It didn't take long. A heartbeat later and she could feel his body stiffen against hers.
There was a tense moment where they both simply stared at each other in shock and embarrassment.
He yanked himself off her and stuffed himself back into his pants. He turned away hastily, hurrying back to his potion equipment without a word. She felt cold at his departure.
What was there to say? They had both been essentially tricked into loving each other. Her brain felt like it was trying to catch up to everything that just happened. Judging by Malfoy's prolonged silence, the same was true to him. The only sound in the room was the bustling of Malfoy cleaning up his station.
"I'm sorry that happened." he finally said in a strained voice.
Snapping out of her state of shock, Hermione quickly began to return her misshapen clothes to rights. Thankfully she was able to vanish and conjure fresh panties without Malfoy seeing. He was still resolutely keeping his back to her.
"I-it's fine. Well, it's not, but there wasn't anything we could do, really. We were p-poisoned."
Hermione choked a little on the last words, the reality of the mental violation hitting home.
"Are you all right?" Malfoy asked, his back still to her. He stopped putting his things away. He stood there stiffly, waiting for her answer.
Before she could say anything, he scoffed.
"No, you're not alright," His voice was strained. "I've essentially just…just forced myself on you." She could hear him fumble something as he resumed packing his book bag.
"We were both drugged against our knowledge. And I wasn't exactly…non-consenting either…"
She turned away, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. It was hard not to regret her actions even though she knew those actions weren't hers. A surge of anger suddenly invigorated her.
"I'm going to figure out who did this. Even if it was an accident, why someone would be dabbling in such hazardous potion-making is questionable at best. There's a reason love potions are banned at Hogwarts and, frankly I've never understood why more of these kinds of things aren't illegal!"
Hermione tried to focus on her outrage. Feeling angry was better than feeling humiliated and tricked. Still, she hated how unnaturally high her voice was even though she couldn't stop ranting.
"If someone is leaving these around the school it is extremely dangerous not to mention wildly unethical. I wouldn't be surprised if it was grounds for expulsion. If it's an alternative strain to Amortentia perhaps I can find a book in the Restricted section that can- wait, where are you going?"
"Class, Granger. It's almost nine."
Hermione jumped. How had two hours gone by?
She took a deep breath and looked down to find her hands were shaking.
She felt in no right mental state to go to class. Her brain was already reeling with what just happened. She felt like she needed a shower. That being said, not attending class with N.E.W.T.s on the horizon was making her feel even more anxious.
"You don't look well. You should take the morning off."
Hermione bristled. She did not appreciate him dictating what was best for her. She also didn't want him to see how distraught she was.
"I could say the same to you," she said briskly, gathering her own things. Malfoy's eyes narrowed.
Hermione made sure to pocket the empty potion bottle for evidence and further inspection.
"I'll also need to notify the Headmistress," she added, smoothing her skirt in a business-like way, "Teachers and students should be aware so they can keep an eye out for-"
Malfoy swooped down on her before she could finish her phrase. Hermione squawked in surprise at his sudden closeness.
"You'll do no such thing."
His voice was cold and lifeless. Hermione couldn't help but wince. It was a drastic change from moments before, when he had warmly told her he loved her. She felt whiplash from the personality switch.
She squared her shoulders.
"Of course I will! What if there are more of these lying around? Do you want to subject what just happened to us to more students? It isn't right! If anything we were lucky that we…"
A flush crept up her neck and she faltered. A snide voice in her head finished her sentence for her.
…That we enjoyed it. Or at least you did. But did he?
Hermione shoved the voice away. Was she sick to have liked what had happened? She needed to unpack that later. Right now, Malfoy was staring at her, though some of the irritation in his features had subsided.
"I'll get expelled from Hogwarts," Malfoy said. His voice was still cold, though this time, Hermione could sense an undercurrent of anguish.
"Why would you get expelled? You didn't do anything wrong!"
"I don't know if you've noticed, but my being an Ex-Death Eater has put me on thin ice. I think there are quite a few people here who would like me gone and any excuse will do. Being involved in this could look very bad for me."
Hermione considered his words carefully. She could tell Malfoy was uncomfortable talking about his past, even in this brief mention. Sweeping this under the rug wasn't right. But could he get expelled for this?
"Why do you want to stay so badly? Why even come back to Hogwarts?" Hermione suddenly demanded. She couldn't help feeling annoyed at Malfoy even though she knew what just happened wasn't his fault. Why did it have to be him, of all people? How come the one time he had to show up in the potions lab at the same time as her, they also happened to fall into the same trap?
"Surely another school would have been easier to integrate and it's not like you don't have the money. You could have started fresh in a new country if you wanted." She crossed her arms and glared at him.
Malfoy looked like he wanted to throw something. His nostrils flared. She expected him to insult her and storm out. Let him! She needed someone to direct her anger to and he was the perfect target. He took a deep breath and surprised her.
"Because I'm sick of being a coward."
Hermione hadn't been prepared for such a vulnerable response. She didn't know what to say. She uncrossed her arms and eyed him warily.
Malfoy looked away, turning back to his desk and making a show of scraping the last few flyaway pieces of parchment into his bag.
Hermione cleared her throat.
"I'll still need to tell McGonagall about the potion. I'll leave you out of it. I'll say I found it on my own and knew what it was."
"And how will you explain why the bottle's empty?" Malfoy asked quietly, still keeping his back to her.
"I'll…err…tell her I drank it and…"
"And what? And say you just somehow knew it was an alternative strain of Amortentia? It would've been impossible to know that if we hadn't both taken it at the same time. Amortentia makes you fall in love with the caster, but we fell in lo- we were drawn to each other."
Malfoy faltered, but regained his composure quickly.
"Who will you say you fell in love with? There are too many holes in your story if you dodge the truth, Granger. Plus, McGonagall has decades of experience watching students waffle around in front of her, she'll know if you're hiding something. If you go to her, you'll have to tell her everything."
"Well we can't not say anything!" Hermione spluttered, "This could happen to someone else and it would be our fault for keeping silent!"
Malfoy swung his bag over his shoulder, heading for the door. He paused before leaving and sighed.
"You know what? Tell her what you want. You're right. I'll…deal with whatever problems if they happen."
"Malfoy, wait!" Hermione burst out as he opened the door. He stopped again. Even though he still wouldn't look at her, she could tell he was listening.
"That night at the Manor. Did you know? That it w-was Harry?"
There it was. The question she had wondered since she had first seen him at the start of term. She almost didn't have the courage to ask. But curiosity got the better of her and she didn't know if she would ever get the opportunity to ask again. Would he be angry at her for bringing it up?
The silence was deafening. She waited, holding her breath.
"No. He was too disfigured. I couldn't be sure."
With that final curt response, Malfoy rushed off before Hermione could answer.
She slowly finished gathering her things, thinking hard. She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that, for a Slytherin who had served Voldemort, Malfoy was rather poor at lying.