"Mione'? You know it's not normal to spend every passing minute in the library right?"
"Research for Harry and Ron." She protruded, arms crossed as they stepped carefully through the quietening corridors.
"At least you're actually showing up to dinners again." Ginny smiled cheekily, her tummy full of the roast they'd just tucked into. She pushed a strand of red hair behind her ear as she continued, "I wonder how the boys are."
Hermione shrugged. She didn't even want to think about them, about how they'd cope without her, because she really was the best at spells.
"They'll be fine Gin." She concluded. "Harry is the greatest wizard we know."
Ginny smiled, pulling her into a hug and huddling her face into her bundle of brunette curls, she'd been much more emotional as of recently. As much as Ginny could frustrate her at times, at least she'd always have her. Wouldn't run off into trouble like Harry and Ron.
"Don't go."
"I've got to go and prepare Gin! You know we probably don't have as long as you would like to think. If the boys manage to find and destroy Horcrux's then Voldemort's going to make himself known. Here no doubt."
Ginny nodded slowly. "The order will be ready."
"I know." Hermione said, but she doubted herself rather a lot. A muggleborn like her in the battlefield against pureblood's didn't stand a chance. She was good at spells, and the brightest witch of her age, but she couldn't fight.
As they arrived to the grand library doors, Ginny huffed a little and waved her off, disappointed at how she was still retreating from the world.
A clutter of books and Hermione was settled in her usual spot. It certainly made a difference wearing muggle clothing rather than her usual school robes.
A fitted red jumper and a -shorter than usual- black pleated skirt left her realising how much she longed for the comfort of her Gryffindor robes again. She should've just kept them on, this was too much skin.
All was normal as she rose on her tiptoes to pick a quick read on Horcrux's, accept from the fact she had noticed from the corner of her eye, Theodore Nott was peering around from the restricted section with one singular raised eyebrow, his sculpted face narrowly curious— and he was looking at her.
When Theo comically marched a little closer and beckoned for Hermione to join him, she struggled to hold her surprised expression as Draco's lean figure came into her view sat relaxed into his chair.
His platinum hair couldn't be avoided and quite frankly he looked just as shocked as her at Theo's peculiar behaviour.
Hermione avoided eye contact with the pair as she shyly walked over, tugging at each red sleeve.
She felt Draco's eyes on her as she approached, if only she knew that he was noting how much he enjoyed her in muggle clothes. How he hadn't seen her in them often.
Specifically red.
He scowled at her as the guilt of his ridiculous attraction brewed. He could remember exactly how she tasted, and he hated that.
For now though, red was nice. Her curves were—
Theo cleared his throat and Draco averted his attention back to him.
Hermione watched his eyes dart away from the contents of her jumper as he clenched his jaw tightly. Her presence was clearly making him uncomfortable.
"Draco, Gryffindors sweetheart?"
Theo bowed and dramatically revealed Hermione's small figure before offering her a seat with them willingly.
For someone who's family had killed a distinct number of muggleborn's it was peculiar how strangely careless Theo was about sitting beside her.
She felt overwhelmingly uneasy.
Hermione attempted to get comfortable, although it seemed difficult with an intimidating pair of death eaters staring her down. She started to bite at her nails as she waited for one of them to speak.
"So Granger," Theo leaned toward her and winked, "We'd like to take up your offer after all."
He brushed a careless hand through his brunette hair, although Hermione found it difficult to remove her gaze from Malfoy's relaxed position leaning back in his chair, also noting how he looked royally fucked off with Theo. And yet similarly, frustratingly attractive.
However it was clear he didn't want her there.
It probably made it harder for him to forget that he'd felt up her hips and tasted her tongue just a few nights before. Her. A muggle born.
Draco couldn't even concentrate on what Theo was saying. Because, she was wearing red and—
"Fine." Hermione smirked, "knew you'd change your mind." She nodded promptly to Draco, but it was new information that Theo was involved too.
Suddenly Malfoy was frowning with confusion, flicking between Theo's grin and Hermione's pretty smug look, "Uh— no."
"Nott! I swear to fucking god." Draco hissed at him as Hermione tilted her head and bit heavily at the side of her lip.
Theo laughed.
"What?! You tell me Granger figured out what you're doing in here, and wants to help and you expect me to sit and let you decline her offer whilst struggling for the pair of us?"
He turned to Hermione, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the twisted skull. She almost gasped although she knew it was there already, the dark magic practically radiating off it. She gulped.
"You see," Theo continued, "I need a little help too. And I'm clearly more of the beauty than the brains out of the pair of us."
He gestured to Draco and he dramatically rolled his eyes, "Fuck off Nott."
Hermione met Draco's grey eyes and watched him lick his teeth before looking her up and down.
"We don't need Grangers help." He spat.
She felt his growl in her soul. If he would stop being so stubborn and just let her help. Give her something other than an inevitable loss and the state of her wrists to think about.
Theo laughed, "Yes we fucking do. We are well far behind and I'm no use at any of this shit."
He lifted up the papers of ancient runes that were half translated and Draco scowled as he sent a few flying onto the floor.
"Help us sweetheart." Theo raised his eyebrows.
"No." Draco interrupted, "We don't need Granger."
Theo flicked out a cigarette and grinned causally at Draco's scowl. "Just because you fancy the girl."
Hermione raised her eyebrows gingerly as Draco turned to him.
"Fuck off I do not—
"Deal Granger?" Theo interrupted sharply, narrow eyes meeting hers.
A few seconds passed before she nodded slowly, figuring at his point— what really did she have to loose? And helping death eaters, for whatever reason they held, attempting to remove dark marks, was surely a useful attempt in the war efforts.
Since Harry and Ron were out doing all the dirty work and she was stuck at bloody Hogwarts that couldn't admit anything was going on.
So yes— she'd help.
Even if Malfoy was difficult to be around and the situation was a little confusing, if Theo was here then they wouldn't have anything to worry about.
She'd keep her distance, understanding his last given message loud and clear.
"Ok."
She said, tucking a curl behind her ear before nodding again.
Theo grinned and rolled the unlit cigarette between his teeth. Then he stood up slowly as her eyes followed him.
"So,"
"I've got a hot date and you two— well you've got lotsss of work to be getting on with."
Draco scoffed. "You're a cock, you know that?"
"Can only dream to be as big as yours Malfoy— I mean seriously! Pansy's still limping around the bloody common room."
Then he turned on his heel and began to walk away, looking over his shoulder and smirking at Draco's raised eyebrows.
"Miss Granger— keep him under control for me."
Hermione found herself smiling a little as he saluted the pair goodbye.
"And thanks for the help—" he called back, "pissing off the Dark Lord has never been easier."
Malfoy groaned dramatically and Hermione slipped herself further down into her chair.
Now it was two again.
Malfoy rolled up his sleeves and Hermione twisted her head a little, evaluating his forearms, one perfectly inked in dark magic.
She shifted uncomfortably, "It's ok— I can go."
"Don't."
Draco snapped, before she watched him gulp heavily and huff a little before pushing a page of half translated runes toward her.
"If you really want to help us Granger, don't breathe a word of this to anyone. Or I'll personally use the killing curse against you. This is our lives on the line, not some little fucking game."
She evaluated the parchment paper before meeting his grey eyes and nodding. "I know. A few less death eaters is beneficial for the order, right?"
Malfoy scoffed a little, rubbing his jaw. "Don't take this the wrong way Granger, but we won't be fighting for the bloody order."
"No?" She pondered, although the idea of it was truly laughable.
"No."
He leaned off his chair and toward her space slowly, his hand outreached to point to a certain line that was half filled in. But her vision was fuzzy, because she could smell the mint again— almost practically taste it.
Hermione swallowed hard.
"I can't get my head around it," He started, "The advanced properties of branded magic."
He didn't take his eyes off her as she ran a finger over the symbols.
"It'll probably t-take me a few days to translate."
Malfoy smirked, eyes plastered on her lips that were becoming more tempting by each passing second. The tone of his voice dropped lower.
"We've got time. We spend every night here."
"Sure— but not together." She hummed quietly, breath hitched in her throat as she watched his bob.
"Not scared are you Granger? Spending time with me make you nervous?"
"No it doesn't make—
Draco raised a finger to her lips to hush her, still reaching across the table. She shut up almost instantly, remembering what happened last time he had touched her lips.
"You remember when I touched you here?"
He growled lowly, as if he could read her mind, his thumb tracing lines against her bottom lip. He couldn't stop himself, she was the only thing bringing him any pleasure— the electricity when he touched her.
The buzz when he felt her or when they got close —
"Malfoy."
"Don't do something you'll regret."
She whispered softly, her breath fast as she watched his face analyse hers. His chiselled features tensed, strands of platinum hair messily hanging across his forehead.
"Fuck it Granger. Everything I do I regret anyway."
Almost as quickly as he spoke, he reached forward to pull her closer, forcefully grabbing the back of her neck from around the table to slam her down onto his lap. She gasped and her mind clouded over because for whatever reason she knew she wanted this.
It was the most alive she'd felt in months.
He pulled her face close to his, her legs wrapped around his waist as he stood from the chair and pushed her back against a bookshelf, her body pushed tightly and straddled against his.
She moaned into his mouth as their lips connected, passionately and roughly tasting each other again.
He could've sworn it was the chamomile, her scent followed him around and now it was all over him.
He didn't think he'd ever get it off.
His hands were cupping tightly at the bottom of her thighs, trailing up her back and just generally attempting to trace the entirety of her perfect figure.
"Fuck,"
He breathed in-between kisses, "Fuck you."
"Fuck you more." She hissed back breathlessly, her hands grabbing at the back of his neck, his soft hair heavenly between her fingers.
Hermione didn't give herself time to think because then she knew she'd stop feeling his addictive lips against hers.
Books cluttered onto the floor behind them and Draco groaned as he pulled her in tighter with each second, hands settled now at the curve of her lower back.
The fact he'd dreamt of his hands in her hair for years on end and now he was here. Hands all over her and that red jumper that made him hard.
He was aching and so was she.
Draco was desperate to break Gryffindors golden girl, although he only had to drop a glance to her wrists to realise that she was already half way there.
Her scent was all over him, he hated it and couldn't control himself.
"Fuck, your arse Granger..."
He whispered lowly beside her ear as he moved his hands higher, rising her pleated skirt as he went, squeezing at her flesh as she moaned into his mouth.
Draco Malfoy was touching her like this and she'd never felt better.Every new space of her skin he felt beneath his fingers were burning, It was wrong and yet so right.
One hand steadying her lower back, he stopped kissing her and traced up the inside of her thigh with the pad of his finger. She held her breath, and began to count in her head. Maybe to focus her mind or calm herself down. Because really nobody had ever touched her there before, and she was nervous.
Draco took his time, watching her nervously bite her lip and crumble delicately as he moved his hand higher. Now holding it over the stretch of her cotton knickers. Lightly, but enough for her to sigh out a soft moan.
"Good girls like you don't make noises like that."
Draco teased, his hand growing wet from the pool in her knickers.
She felt her face flush red. "Maybe I don't want to be good anymore."
He chuckled a little, his eyes brushing over hers and along her tight jaw,
"You'll always be the good one." He breathed lowly, "I like that."
Hermione sunk into her lip deeper as she felt him press harder over her knickers. She was burning with each careful inch of his fingers, their faces millimetres away from each other and both breathing fast. Why did it feel like this, surely it wasn't supposed to feel like this with Malfoy?
Draco sighed out a little, noticing goosebumps on her arms as she gripped his back tighter. His muscles were tensed as he pushed aside her knickers with his fingers, before running them over her swollen wet slit. She was desperate for it and the feeling was immense.
He teased her, gently rubbing up and down on her folds and soaking his fingers before hovering and directly applying pressure to her clit.
She gasped.
"What is it?" He scoffed lowly, "nobody ever touched you here before?"
"No." She sighed out, breathless and hungry for him to give her more.
His chiselled features pulled into a smirk and he began rubbing on her clit in circles. She melted like butter in his palm and collapsed over his shoulder, groaning as he continued to rub.
"It's too easy Granger," he breathed, his hand drenched and circling her harder now, sending shivers through her spine, "When you feel like this."
He gulped, pushing his boner against her naked thigh with her skirt all hitched up high around her waist. She moaned at the feel of it, through his trouser material. It was huge. It felt huge. Her breath hitched in her throat again.
"Should be fucking illegal to feel like this." He continued, his voice low in her ear.
"Like what?" She whispered with a slight moan, teasing him a little back.
"This fucking tight around my fingers. This wet Granger. You weren't supposed to feel this wet."
Watching her crumble he felt his cock harden even more, if that was even possible. He was breaking Gryffindors golden girl and he fucking adored it. Draco sucked in a hard breath and pushed his fingers inside her neat slit, gulping as he delved deeper and curved them up into a spot she seemed to enjoy.
Her hands gripped him tighter and she buckled her hips a little against his hand.
"I had you down as a know-it-all," Draco scoffed, "But never a whore."
The side of his lips curved into a smile and she ignored his comment, her heart rate sky rocketing as he quickened his pace.
Sliding his fingers in and out of her, memorising exactly how she felt for expectation that this would never, could never happen again.
He didn't look down either, kept his eyes on her, god knew if he looked down at her tight folds he'd probably finish then and there.
As she gripped his shoulders, she curiously moaned as to how he knew exactly where to touch, where to push against or where to curve his fingers.
Draco added a third finger and used his thumb to circle her swollen clit as well. She groaned out with desperation, on the edge, bucking against his hand. The pleasure was magnificent and she couldn't think straight with his cock rubbing against her thigh again. Rock hard and big.
He sped up the pace again, analysing each aspect of her flushed face as he slid his fingers in and out, tickling at her g-spot.
Her face looked slightly damp to him in the lowlight, her freckled cheeks pink and her eyes rolling back against her long lashes.
Her plump lips were a little open, creating heavenly tones that made him want to push her down onto her knees and demand her pretty little mouth to suck him. Just to shut her up.
But she was beautiful. And perhaps it was the first time he'd noticed, or perhaps he'd always known.
Either way, he wanted to watch her pretty cheeks flush a darker shade of red when she came. He bet that she looked fucking tempting post orgasm, and he was going to find out because he could tell she was close.
She could barely keep herself stable.
Malfoy forced himself to again memorise her sweet neat insides as he placed a final push of pressure against her g-spot. Watching her moan tremendously and collapse against his shoulder, seeing stars, her legs shaking immensely.
He was right. She did look fucking good post orgasm, too innocent to look like this.
She continued to moan and he held his fingers inside her as she rode out the strong aftershocks of her orgasm. Her curls were wild down her back and her skirt still hitched up around her waist. Reddened cheeks and glossy lips— the epitome of beauty.
He groaned as he watched her, releasing his fingers before pulling her soaked cotton knickers back into position. She flattened her skirt breathlessly.
Malfoy looked her up and down before licking his teeth and raising his fingers to taste her. Although he wished he hadn't, because it was tangy and addictive. Like her scent.
He wanted more. She watched him shyly as he sucked every last drop from his fingers. He had started now and couldn't stop with a flavour too compelling.
She was addictive, everything about her, and they both couldn't believe what had just occurred. Breathless and flushed, left stood vacantly gazing at each other in the restricted section of the library.
Draco breathed out smoothly, brushing his hair back and turning away as if analysing what he'd just done.
He regretted it she imagined; he had to regret it.
Fluffing down her hair she bit curiously at the side of her lip before the guilt started to overwhelm her as she imagined Harry or Ron's reaction.
"This can't happen again Malfoy." She whispered, watching him sit down opposite her and adjust his school tie. "It shouldn't," She continued.
"It won't." He corrected. "But it was nice to watch you crumble Granger. So far from that bossy little know-it-all I used to know."
He lent forward, eyes narrowed.
"Even Theo can see it. You've changed."
"How am I supposed to be ok when there's a global wizarding war starting from the hatred of muggleborn's? You expect me to be ok?"
She questioned, flicking her hair behind her ears strongly.
"No. I expected you to fight." He proceeded confidently, "I didn't expect you to hide away in here every night and spend your time helping two rundown deatheaters."
"Well maybe you don't know me as well as you first thought." She snapped. "Now pass me the runes. I'll make a sodding start."
Draco scoffed a little but pushed the paper towards her and watched her dip the quill in ink and tilt her head curiously. It was the exact look she held right back in fourth year, studying without a care of attention to anyone else. She'd never lose that look he was sure of it.
"I don't think I know you at all Granger," He replied, "And it's best to keep it that way."
She didn't so much as look up at him, because she was studying and a conversation like this with Malfoy was bound to leave her hurt.
So they worked quickly in comfortable silence until Hermione heard the clock chime to 2 o clock and decided to retreat to her dorm to sleep, handing Draco parchment paper with a small collection of the properties of the original dark marks all translated and legible. Hoping this would be the first step in finding a soloution.
He looked half impressed, nodded with a hint of gratitude and watched her walk away.
That was the most she could expect from him and she didn't want to stay any longer, not when she could feel his addictive stare itching over every inch of her body.