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The Uneventful Story	By : SnowflakeImp Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 39189 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
The Uneventful Story

By: Snowflake Imp

Rated: NC-17

Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I am
sobbing. SOBBING on the inside, because
I don�t own a thing I�m writing. But
it�s okay. My own personal creation
Herry Pottar will comfort me with some sweet, sweet lovin. Yes, I�m bringing him back � I�m bringing
them ALL back.

***********************************************************************

~ Man�cannot learn to forget, but hangs on the past:
however far or fast he run, that chain runs with him. ~

The floor was hard and cold. She should really move to the bed. But she had been sitting on the wooden floor for hours. For days. It just seemed like too much effort to move now.

Hermione sighed, dragging her fingers through her unruly
hair until they became tangled. What a
coward she was. The raid was over, the
mission was over. She was back safe and
sound, so why couldn�t she move?
It was like she was trapped inside her own lethargic body. She wanted so badly to get up, to get out of
that dark, arctic room and do something.

But every time her fingers brushed that plain, rusted
doorknob flashes of glassy eyes and blood oozing on the ground burned into her
brain. And then she would turn around
and sit back down on the floor and covered her head with her arms.

Gods, Harry and Ron were right to doubt her. She really couldn�t handle anything. How selfish she was being, how
sheltered. Everybody else went through
it, with probably even more gruesome experiences, and yet. And yet.
They were all downstairs, laughing, talking, contributing, fighting, living. They didn�t hole themselves in someone�s
room, rocking back and forth. They were
soldiers.

She was a child.

As the sun dipped down below the horizon, a light yet firm
tap came from the opposite side of the door.
She didn�t answer. She never
did. The door opened slowly, heavy
boots trudged in, the only noise echoing in the room. She didn�t even bother looking up. She knew who it was.

Draco gently placed a plate of food on the floor next to
her. He straightened and looked at her
like he always did, assessing her silently.
He waited for a few moments, waiting to see if she would say anything.

She didn�t.

Then he turned and softly closed the door behind him with a
click.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco went back downstairs to join the rest of the
Order. He surveyed the crowd; everyone
there was mostly his age, maybe slightly older. He ran his hand through his silky hair � it was getting
long. The way it tickled the nape of
his neck bothered him.

�Oy, Malfoy, get over here for moment,� Ron called out from
across the room. He gestured for him
with his hand. Draco dutifully complied
and sat with him at the table cluttered with maps and quills.

�How is she?� Ron asked a little softer, his bright blue
eyes cloudy.

Draco shrugged.
�Same as always, eating, barely talking. She�s not really crying anymore, just sits there on the floor �
can�t for the life of me get her on the bed.�

Harry, who had been silent until then, shook his head. �Poor �Mione,� he uttered under his
breath. He turned to Draco. �I want to see her.�

�Me too!� Ron said.
�She�s probably feeling lonely and needs us to � �

Draco bristled unconsciously at this. �I don�t think that�s a good idea,� he said,
trying to keep the bite out of his words.
�I told you, seeing her would only make her feel worse.�

�Just because Ron has a tendency to put his foot up his arse
all the time doesn�t mean he�d say something stupid in front of Hermione,�
Harry chastised, punching Ron lightly in the shoulder.

Draco shook his head.
�I�m not talking about his special gift for fucking things up,� he said,
earning a dirty glare from Ron. �One
look at the two of you and she�d fall apart.�

At the empty looks they were giving him he sighed. Tell him again how the fate of the War was
somehow nestled on these two idiotic pair of shoulders? �Look, she�s not locking herself up just
because of what happened. She feels guilty,
right? She feels like she failed you
and we all know how she gets when she thinks she�s failed at something. Just give her some time.�

�But we don�t think she failed at anything!� Harry
exclaimed, the desire to see her increasing.
�That�s why we should see her, to let her know that!�

�It doesn�t matter what you think!� Draco shot back. �I know you don�t think that, you know you
don�t think that, but all that means shit because she won�t
believe a word you say to her.
Everything you say will get warped in her head and she�ll feel even
worse afterwards.�

�But � !� Ron attempted before getting cut off.

�Absolute truth doesn�t mean a thing,� Draco scoffed. �All that matters is perception. You could be completely mad for me, Weasley,
but if I believe you�re nothing but a straight-and-narrow bloke, then in my
world that�s all you are.� He
smirked. �That�s why I threw out all
those flowers and chocolates, mate.
Can�t even wrap it around my mind you love me.�

While Ron grumbled expletives, Harry grinned. Malfoy was really getting better at diffusing
tense situations and knowing how to deal with people in general. No wonder he was accepted by practically
everyone at HQ lately. Though he was
still worried about Hermione, he knew she was in good hands and she would pull
though somehow.

�What I want to know is, how she can tolerate your slimy mug
but can�t even look at us?� Harry asked, breaking up their mini-squabble.

� I�m just a shining beacon of hope, I suppose. Can�t help it if she trusts me more than the
both of you.� Though he said this
nonchalantly, he couldn�t help but preen a little at the privilege.

�Can�t wait until she snaps out of it and kicks him right in
the natters,� Ron growled, walking off to get a drink.

Draco turned to Harry with an eyebrow raised. �He�s just jealous he can�t even get
anywhere near my natters.�

Harry shook his head, easily resting an elbow on Draco�s
shoulder. �Aren�t we all?�

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn�t until late at night did Draco return to his
room. After softly knocking, he
unlocked the door, not at all surprised to see her still sitting on the floor
with her back against the dresser. He
wondered idly if she was even cold in that skimpy white nightgown. He closed the door behind him.

Any good humor that was on his face dissolved as soon as he
walked into the room. He squinted, his
eyes not quite adjusting to the dark; the only light in the room was the
moonlight filtering between the blinds on the window.

He really�he really didn�t know what to do with her. He just didn�t know how to take care of
another human being.

Draco looked around, his spirits lifting slightly. It looked like she was up and about for at
least little bit it seemed. Books were
strewn everywhere, plates and cups and utensils were all over the place. The sheets to the bed were on the floor and
the pillow near the dresser. She was
getting restless.

Good.

Not knowing what to say to her � he never knew what
to say to her � he silently began cleaning up.

Hermione, who didn�t even react when he entered the room,
suddenly opened her eyes wide as he began tidying up. A wave of guilt washed over her.
Obviously he was tired from his day, especially now that he took it upon
himself to make up for the work she wasn�t doing over at the strategy
meetings. And now instead of
immediately getting some sleep, he had to clean up after her?

Guilt was always racing through her mind the whole time she
had closed herself off in his room.
Somehow though, this time, the guilt was enough to make her rise on
shaky legs and walk up to him. Maybe
she was tired of her selfishness and this was the straw that broke the camel�s
back.

Or maybe, she just couldn�t stand burdening him anymore.

�Sorry,� she said softly, her voice raspy with misuse. Draco quickly whipped his head around, his
pale, gray eyes bright with confusion.
�Let me take care of it.�

Hermione didn�t know how long they stood there, just looking
at each other like it was the first time they really saw each other. She moved first to close the gap between
them but she overestimated her body.
After sitting in that curled up position on the floor for so long, blood
finally flowed freely through her legs; the intense sensation of pins and
needles finally hit her and she stumbled forward.

Draco deftly caught her in his arms, one around her waist
and the other on her shoulders. �Don�t
push yourself,� he murmured. He shifted
her and pushed her gently to sit on the bed.
He turned around and resumed righting the room.

Without him even saying so, she knew what he meant when he
set her on the bed. �I couldn�t take
your bed,� she said quietly, fiddling with the hem of her dress.

�Take it,� he grunted, pushing the books into the
shelf. �I don�t use it anyway.�

She looked at him quizzically. Now that she thought about it, she had never really seen him
sleep. He usually got in after she fell
asleep and when she woke up, no matter how early, he was always gone, the bed
neatly made.

He gestured to the wide ledge by the window without turning
around. �What man sleeps on a bed when
a woman�s sleeping on the floor, for God�s sake,� he muttered.

If she wasn�t feeling guilty then, she definitely was now.

�You�ve�been sleeping on the ledge?� she whispered,
her large brown eyes widening.

When he didn�t answer, she cursed herself a thousand times
over. Wracked with guilt, she
mechanically rose from the bed and stumbled back to the dresser. She sullenly sat down with a thud and once
again wrapped her arms over her head.

She didn�t hear him sigh.
She didn�t even know he had crossed the room until she heard him slide
down the dresser and sat down next to her, joining her. Her heart raced. She hadn�t been within such close quarters with him ever since
the mission. He smelled exactly the
same, if not better. He smelled of
crisp linen, tobacco smoke, and a musky manliness that was purely Draco.

Draco drew up one leg while letting the other extend
carelessly on the floor. He leaned
slightly against her, which made her cheeks burn. He was so warm.
Hermione�s heart nearly leaped out of her throat when reached behind her
neck with his right arm, placing his hand gently on the right side of her
head. He lightly pushed her head toward
him, so that she rested against his shoulder.
She slowly brought down her arms and took a deep breath.

She offhandedly noticed how firm his shoulder was. Once her heart stopped beating like a
hummingbird�s, she realized for the first time since coming back, she
felt�calm. She exhaled, settling
in. Her eyes began drooping, sleep
overtaking her. She would later wonder
if he had really leaned over and kissed her curly hair, his breath hot and
soothing. Or was that a dream?

When she woke up the next morning, he was gone. All that was left to remind her of his
comfort was the sheet from the bed wrapped carefully around her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

�How was it?� Ron asked, his cheeks smudged with dirt.

Draco nodded his head.
�We found their stronghold and captured at least eighty-percent of their
cell.�

�And the other twenty?�

He grimaced. �Dead.�

Ron didn�t ask any further.
Just one look at Malfoy�s face and he knew he did most of the
killing. As twisted as it sounded, Ron
couldn�t explain the overwhelming relief he felt when he found out about
Draco�s pure distaste for it.

He was damned good at it though, let no one
say any different. A natural. He did what needed to be done with no
hesitation but it was clear he hated to kill.

The War shed all involved of bravado and displayed their
true colors. It revealed the cowards,
the brave and the bloodthirsty. Ron�s
heart went out to those who were beginning to enjoy the hunt, the kill. If this war lasted much longer, it would be
hard to distinguish them from the Dark Wizards they were sworn to stop. Though it pained him to see Malfoy take the
toll of killing so hard, it also relieved him.

Draco was one of the good ones. That was all he needed to know.

�Harry and Snape want to see you,� he said with an
apologetic look. He knew all Draco
wanted to do was shower and go to his room.
When he began working more and more in the light, it became a routine
for him to take a long, hot shower to clean himself right after a mission.

Draco swore but acknowledged the order. He brushed past Ron with a clap to the
shoulder. Ron resumed walking, his
mouth set in a hard line. He needed to see
the prisoners and try to glean as much information from them as possible. Not the greatest of tasks but Harry trusted
him the most for the job.

If it wasn�t completely imperative for Draco to do these
missions, he would have refused his orders a long time ago. It wasn�t until recently that Draco was
merely a spy, gathering and passing along information. Once suspicion was cast upon him, he mostly
disappeared from the Dark Lord�s sights, hoping that his presence would not be
missed and it would be assumed that he was merely doing some vague task for the
Dark.

When his betrayal became more apparent, he took up a formal
residence at the Order�s headquarters and worked behind the scenes with the
strategists and performed minor missions.
But now that so many on their side had fallen, he was chosen to fight
directly in the frontlines.

�I was just briefed by Jones,� Harry said immediately when
Draco entered the room. Draco merely
nodded for him to continue.

�We know you just came back from a mission but we were
wondering if you were up for another one the day after tomorrow? It�s another raid,� Severus said, thrusting
a folder in front of him.

Draco schooled his features so that they remained
impassive. He leafed though the
files. �Intelligence has it that this
cell consists of mostly Bellatrix�s followers,� he said, looking up to his
godfather.

Severus gravely nodded.
He knew what a difficult mission it would be. Even if Draco had no qualms over fighting with a member of his
family, Bellatrix�s followers mostly consisted of women. It was a brilliant idea on her part. She knew exactly how to weaken the mostly
male soldiers of the Light. What
morally righteous man could easily take down a woman, no matter how evil? All they needed was that moment of
hesitation and victory would be theirs.
Voldemort also knew of this and so entrusted some of his most precious
information to them.

They had tried hard to avoid this confrontation for as long
as they could. However, Intelligence
managed to discover exactly how important some of the information her cell
held. They needed to bring them
down.

Harry and Severus held their breath. After scanning the pages one last time,
Draco closed the folder with a snap.

�Obviously I need as many women as I can on this,� he
announced. The two nodded, just glad he
was able to think pragmatically about the whole situation. After some more thought, he turned to Harry. �And I want you and Weasley there with me,�
he said simply, much to the surprise of Harry.
�If I don�t get the two of you, you can forget about the whole thing.�

Dry mouthed, Harry nodded again. �Definitely,� he said, with conviction.

�Good. Potter,
Godfather,� he said curtly, bidding them goodbye as he left the room.

�Don�t start fancying him now, Potter,� Severus said dryly,
giving Harry a long look. �He knows you
two can read him best in combat, that�s all.�

Harry shook himself out of it. �I�m laughing on the inside,� he muttered with a scowl, turning
back to the files. �Let�s just organize
the rest of the squad, all right?�

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco watched dispassionately as all the blood and dirt
swirled around the shower drain before disappearing entirely. What was he doing? Water from his hair dripped into his eyes, stinging them
slightly. He waited until the heat from
the shower slowly dissipated and began feeling the cold kiss of the air on his
wet skin before breathing again.

Sometimes�sometimes, he wished that if he could stay like
this long enough, he could become frozen.
Then maybe things would get easier for him. He slammed the side of his fist into the slick, tiled wall of the
shower. Every time he closed his eyes,
he could see the dead falling over and over in front of him. He could hear their dying screams and
pleas. The smell of rotting flesh. The taste of coppery blood. The look of betrayal on some of them. Just today, he killed a fellow Slytherin; he
vaguely remembered him. He was a year
younger than him and he remembered he had caught him once wandering late in the
halls one night and he had to dock him House points. He remembered the bile rising in his throat as the boy cried out
in shock when Draco mercilessly shot him down with the Killing Curse.

Even worse, Draco remembered even though killing him was the
last thing he personally wanted to do, he felt relieved in the back of his
mind, knowing at least one more was
down. And he felt that dark glee, that satisfaction
one received knowing a target was hit perfectly, that his skill was perfect�

His Dark Mark immediately flared up with white-hot
fire. It was different from the burn a
Death Eater received when being called.
This pain spread all through his body, all through his veins. Draco gritted his teeth and stumbled,
leaning against the cold tiles to steady himself. He began breathing harshly, going through the exercises taught to
him to help deal with pain.

After a short while, the pain ebbed. He groaned.
It was getting worse and worse and he had no clue as to why. Once he could focus properly again, he
grabbed his threadbare towel and began wiping himself down. It was best not to think about it now. He had more important things on his mind.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hermione looked up from her book when the door opened. He didn�t knock anymore, she noticed. Not like she minded, of course. It was his room after all. And he was attentive enough to provide as
many books as she wanted. No matter how
many she wanted or how obscure or how cumbersome, the next day, the books would
be there for her.

She was gradually recovering from her trauma. She was eating properly these days, and she
could carry on a conversation when the mood struck her. She could even sleep comfortably on the
bed. She mostly read though; her
growing collection was mostly Muggle books � it helped keep her mind off her
current position. And at the same time,
some of the author�s words eerily echoed her own thoughts and current
situation. It helped her to deal with
it all.

But she still couldn�t bring herself to go outside her small
haven. She couldn�t bear the looks she
knew she was going to get. She had no
doubt Harry and Ron would be supportive but�she was afraid they would be too
supportive. Too gentle, too
coddling. It would make her feel even
guiltier. And what of everybody else? The looks of pity. The looks of disgust.

Hermione shivered.
No, the only person she felt safe with was Draco. Speaking of Draco, she was beginning to
worry for him. She immediately noticed
a difference in his demeanor once he started fighting out in the open on
missions. Before he would enter looking
tired but determined. He was able to
shake off the day�s work and just concentrate on resting and relaxing before
repeating everything the next day. Now,
he was tired but as if worn from the inside out. He started to carry the battles into the room; it was sticky and dark
and clung to him like oil. She swore
that even though he always took a thorough shower before coming into the room,
he stunk of war.

She wanted to help him in any way she could. She found he always seemed to relax more if
she talked to him. About anything. His eyes would soften and the tension in his
shoulders would loosen. When she found
she ran out of things to say, she would tell him about the books she was
reading. He wouldn�t really respond,
but she knew that he appreciated it and listened intently. And to be honest, reading aloud from her
books helped her too. It made her more
comfortable in her skin again, if only briefly.

Tonight she was eager to read to him certain passages she
knew he would find fascinating. She had
discovered his interest definitely peaked whenever she read to him about
philosophy. He was one of the few
people that she knew, her age at least, who could properly grasp it. It delighted and surprised her to no end.

When he closed the door, she opened her mouth to speak but
immediately stopped when he looked at her.
It must have been a bad day, then.
She sat back and readjusted herself in the squishy chair. Despite Draco�s grim demeanor, she couldn�t
help but smile in memory. When she
started to sleep on the bed, she knew Draco continued to sleep on the wooden
ledge by the window. She was pretty
sure no matter what she did, he would never sleep on the bed and finally get
that good night�s rest he so richly deserved.

So one day, when she was listing off the books she wanted,
she gave him a look and added, �Oh, and a chair. A comfortable one.�

He had raised an eyebrow, taking a swig of water. �What�s wrong with that chair?� He pointed vaguely with his cup. �Or the bed.�

She shifted her eyes.
�I find I do my best reading in a comfortable chair,� she said
nervously. She really had to work on
her lying abilities.

He gave her a long stare.
She stared back. Finally he
shrugged, letting the matter go. She
breathed a sigh of relief. Once the
chair had been delivered, she knew he began sleeping in it and was definitely
getting a better night�s sleep.
Hermione was pretty sure he had known what her motive was, but as
always, he indulged her. Just like when
he had let her sleep on the floor even though she knew every cell in his body
was ordering him to just grab her and throw her on to the bed. Or when he had never forced her to talk or
to leave his room �for her own good.�

Shaking herself out of her memories, she concentrated on
what was in front of her. It was
strange. More and more it seemed like
it was her helping to ease his pain. But that was all right with her. She was indebted to him. Hermione couldn�t even contemplate how much
she owed him � anything she could do to help him, she swore, she would.

She would do anything.

Draco�s eyes seemed shaded, cloudy, like he was lost in his
own thoughts. Hermione softly padded to
the bed in the middle of the room and sat down on the bed. She could feel his eyes following her. She suppressed a shiver. His eyes were different today. They burned her.

Nevertheless, she opened her book. �Have you ever heard of the Marquis De Sade?� she asked
quietly.

He didn�t respond but that didn�t deter her. Something about the silence in the room
tonight was different. Heavier. She felt that she needed to fill it up or
else... or else� well, she didn�t know what would happen but she felt
uncomfortable. �He was a sixteenth
century philosopher, er, of sorts,� she continued.

�I know of him,� Draco finally said, pouring a glass of
alcohol. He had formed a habit to drink
two glasses of Fire Whiskey before he looked over a few notes and then
sleeping. �The sadist, right?� He smirked a little.

Hermione nodded.

�And what does my French libertine have to say that�s in any
way constructive?� he asked. He downed
the whole glass in one gulp and slammed it onto the dresser.

She turned a page.
�He had some very interesting views.
Some call him progressive, some call him a misogynist,� she said, not
daring to look up. He was circling her
now, like a vulture.

�Oh?� was all he said.

�Well, he had views like, �In order to know virtue, we
must first acquaint ourselves with vice.� � She tried to keep the quiver out of her voice.

�Interesting,� he said softly, his deep voice vibrating the
whole room. �Sounds more like an excuse
to go wild to me. Convince me some
more.�

�Um��Destruction, hence, like creation, is one of
Nature�s mandates,� � she said nervously.
�He was an atheist, so��

She trailed off, distracted instead by Draco sitting down on
the bed next to her. Very
next to her.

�Go on,� he breathed, his breath spicy. Even when seated he towered over her by a
good head.

Hermione stuttered.
�W-Well, what would you like to hear?�
Could her cheeks get any redder?

�He was quite the randy fellow, wasn�t he? Surely there�s something in there that
describes that side of him,� he suggested silkily.

Oh yes, her cheeks and even ears burned hot. �Er�um��It�It is always by way of pain
one arrives at pleasure?� � she squeaked.
He wasn�t�he didn�t want to do�that, did he? Not with her. He said it was all for the mission.

�Now that�s more like it,� he whispered. �Anything else?�

�He uh�ah!� she suddenly blurted out. She stiffly bit her lip and remained rigid
even though he was purposefully, boldly, slipping the straps to her nightgown
down her shoulders.

�Yes?� he asked easily, not at all deterred. He continued slowly but steadily, his
purpose clear. He began lazily
unhooking the small eyelet hooks on the back of her gown.

�Um,� �Sex is as important as eating or drinking and �and
we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or
false modesty as the�as the other,� � she whispered, shaking.

�That was the one I was looking for,� Draco said
lightly. He plucked her book out of her
numb hands with his thumb and index finger and tossed it carelessly to the
floor.

�W-wait, what are you �!�

�Ah,� he tutted as he grasped her upper arms with both hands
and gently pushed her down onto the mattress.
�If it�s not a quote, I don�t want to hear it.�

Once she was firmly pressed against the bed he moved above
her, balancing himself on all fours.
She looked up at his smoky gray eyes, her breath short.

�How much information do you have stored in
there, Granger,� he asked, lightly brushing a stray curl from her face. When she didn�t answer, he merely chuckled,
one corner of his mouth curving slightly upwards.

�That�s all right,� he said quietly, dipping his head down
so that their lips barely touched. He
tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. �I�m going to get all the way inside you
until I find out. But don�t be scared.�

His hands moved down her body.

�I�m going to do it very, very slowly.�

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron, Harry and Draco were all standing on the balcony,
looking at the murky twilight. The moon
was so bright and full there was no need for lights. Without the moonlight though, it would have been difficult to see
the three figures; they were wearing the standard issue uniform for Order
soldiers � deep, midnight blue trench coats with black shirts underneath, and
black slacks with black dragon-hide boots over them.

�I don�t think it�ll be too bad,� Ron announced, breaking
the solemn air.

Harry and Draco exchanged a look.

�Yes, of course,� Draco said with a sneer. �Anything involving dragons should be a walk
in the park.�

�I can�t believe they�re making you go,� Harry said
softly. He thought he would be fighting
this war with his best friends at his side.

�Oh, don�t be so glum, Harry,� Ron scoffed with cheer. �Charlie�s got all his good men gone and
he�s left with nothing but feckin� nobs.
It shouldn�t take long � all we got to do is gather as many dragons as
we can and I�ll be back before you know it.�

�I know, I just have a bad feeling is all,� Harry said. Except for a few summer holidays back in
Hogwarts, he realized he had never been apart from Ron for any long period of
time.

Being men, there wasn�t much to say after that. They looked out once more at the darkened
landscape.

A rustling from Draco�s end broke the silence once
more. Opening up black and gold metal
case, he slipped a cigarette into his mouth.
Wordlessly, he held it in front of Harry. Harry instinctually obliged and took one out for himself as
well. With a smirk, Draco moved on to
Ron, shaking the case enticingly.

Ron grinned and flipped him off. �Up yours,� he said without malice.

Harry snapped his fingers and lit his cigarette, inhaling
the soothing smoke. �You have got to be
the most fucking bent man I know,� he muttered to Draco. �Can�t you keep your fags in the box like a
normal bloke?�

Draco purposefully blew smoke in their faces. �At least I�m not dead scared of my
mum. She�s not even here
Weasley, would it kill you to try it once?�

�Oh no, it�s bad enough you got Harry on it,� Ron
warned. �Don�t think you�re going to
drag me down to sickness and disease like the lot of you.�

After a few more drags, Draco gave them a long look. Harry tapped the ash off his cigarette. �What?�

�Seeing as how it�s Weasley�s last day here, you lads fancy
a visit to your favorite girl?� he asked nonchalantly.

Ron and Harry stared at him. They blinked. He
continued to smoke.

�You mean we can really see her?� Harry asked so exuberantly
his cigarette fell out of his mouth.

�About bloody time!
Took you damn long enough, Malfoy!� Ron joined in, already opening the
doors to the building.

�Hey, I�m just the messenger!� Draco shot back. �She heard you�re getting shipped out so
she�s been prepping herself all day.
Don�t bring me into this.�

As they filed out and quickly made way to Draco�s room,
their deep voices echoed throughout the empty hallway.

��you ever could.�

�That�s it, you�re officially banned from my room � no more
late night trysts for you.�

�Oh, fuck you�!�

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco rolled his eyes, wishing he had a watch to see how
much time had passed.

It was embarrassing, the way those two hovered over her,
doing nothing but holding her tightly and whispering promises in each other�s
ears. Ron was currently locked in
another firm embrace, rocking back and forth while Hermione tried to keep from
sobbing by burying her face in his broad shoulders. Harry wasn�t too far away and was crouched by them, his brilliant
green eyes soft for the first time in a long while.

�You have to come back Ron, you have to,�
Hermione whispered fiercely, her voice watery from emotion.

�I will, I swear,� Ron said lowly, stroking her hair. �You have to take care of Harry, okay? God knows what he�ll do without me.�

Hermione laughed despite herself. She nodded, looking up at Harry.
He smiled and brushed her cheek lovingly.

�My turn again,� he said, hitting Ron�s head lightly with
the back of his hand.

�No,� Ron said, hugging Hermione closer. �I�m the one who�s leaving, so I call
bagsies.�

Draco could just vomit.
But he took a deep breath and shook himself. Let them have their fun.
He hadn�t heard her laugh for a long time anyway.

�I�m so sorry,� she whispered after the playfulness died
down. �I�ve been hiding in here while
you�re � �

�Don�t you dare apologize!� Ron said fiercely. �You�re safe, that�s all that matters.�

�No!� Hermione continued.
She slipped out of his grasp, holding Ron at arm�s length. She straightened her back and looked at
them. �I�I�m getting better, I really
am. I�m going to do my part too, just
give me a little more time and I�ll be right there with you again.�

They nodded, relieved she was almost back to her stubborn
self. She caught Draco�s gaze, averting
it before quickly meeting his eyes again.
He nodded at her. Hermione
smiled and nodded back.

But when they began another round of hugging and kissing,
Draco had to look away, gagging.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The image of the three of them huddled together while he
stood seemingly miles away haunted Draco for the next few days. Every time it popped up in his mind, he
growled and quickly thought of something else.
Though it was easy to move his thoughts to something else, the very fact
that it kept on appearing while he was trying to concentrate irritated him.

In fact, ever since Hermione mustered up the strength to
rejoin her comrades, he had been on edge.
He wasn�t sure why. She was
integrating herself relatively smoothly, with everyone being supportive. Or at least, they weren�t openly hostile or
judgmental as far as he could tell. To
the casual observer, she seemed to be doing fine, like nothing had
changed. She spoke with a clear voice
and she performed all of her tasks with precision and cunning. But on closer inspection, he could see the
way her eyes held a spark of uncertainty.
She didn�t look people in the eye as confidently as before. Sometimes her voice would waver or she
wouldn�t bother to chime in at all.

Other than that, though, she was progressing marvelously and
the whole strategy team was glad to have her back.

Too glad, in Draco�s opinion.

Sitting almost as far away from her as possible, Draco took
the opportunity to observe her while she got in a semi-heated argument with Dan
Brookes, a man who graduated from Hogwarts ten years before they did.

�And I�m saying that if we send them out here,
they�re going to be out in the open, exposed for all to see!� he countered,
jabbing his finger at the map.

�Yes, but we don�t have much of a choice, do we?� Hermione
said, exasperated she had to say this again and again. �If we don�t send them out, our other three
units will be trapped in with no one to aid them and there�s a very high chance
all four of our units will suffer heavy casualties!�

�So you�re willing to risk the lives of that unit, for a chance
of success?� Dan asked, looking at her knowingly.

Hermione stiffened.
She knew what that look meant.
It said: Look at you, you�re still shaken up from your
mission. Are you sure you want to
impose that on anyone else? She bit her
lip. It was true she didn�t want anyone to experience what she did. Who was she to make them go through it when
she herself couldn�t handle it?

�No,� she thought firmly. �It�s the only way.�

�Every day, every second any of our people are out there for
any reason, we�re risking their lives,� she said with quiet
conviction. The room grew silent. �It may be cruel to think of them as
building blocks to victory, but it�s a cruelness we have to shoulder as
strategists. They didn�t entrust their
lives, their cause, to us because they thought we would keep them
safe. They chose us because they knew
we could use them in ways that would have us win.�

Dan assessed her.
She stood firm. And then he
broke out into a smile.

�That�s our girl!� he announced, picking her up and swinging
her around, much to her confusion. �We
have our Strategos back!�

So it was a test.
Draco thought as much. He knew
Dan to be a bit soft when it came to sacrifices, but it would have been out of
character for him if he really did oppose the current strategy.

While the team hooted and clapped, Dan, in all merriment,
swooped in to peck her on the cheeks twice.

Draco�s eye twitched.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

�You think he fancies you?� Draco tried to ask casually when
they were eating lunch together in the makeshift mess hall.

�Who?� Hermione asked, her doe eyes wide with question.

Draco stabbed the boiled egg with more gusto than
necessary. �Brooke. He was slobbering all over you in there.�

�Dan?� she queried, scrunching her nose slightly. She had a habit of doing that when she was
confused and was thinking hard to catch up.
She looked at him with an eyebrow raised. �You think he fancies me?�

�That�s what I asked you,� he said impatiently. Though it was a refreshing change to see her
acting normally, her chipper attitude was really grating for some reason.

�Umm�,� she said after a moment�s pause. �I don�t think he does,� she said slowly.

�Oh? And what, in
your infinite wisdom, would make you say that?� he asked, fiddling with his
fork.

�You know how you like women? A lot?� she asked, her tone neutral.

Draco narrowed his eyes.
What did that have to do with anything?
�Yes,� he answered anyway.

�Well, Dan�s just like that. Only�with men,� she said.

Draco choked on his iced tea.

Hermione had to control herself, lest she laughed out
loud. She was glad she was able to
break out of her shell, if only for moments like these. These normal moments. As Draco tried to nonchalantly wipe the
liquid from his shirt, she couldn�t help but smile. After seeing him at the lowest of lows, usually after missions,
she was happy to see Draco forget about his burdens and just live life.

And it might have been egotistical of her, but she couldn�t
help but feel slightly self-important, thinking that she had a hand in helping
to ease his mind off the War. She found
him to be more relaxed, now that the slept on the same bed. Hermione blushed at the thought.

�N-not really because of that,� she thought
quickly to herself. �But most likely
because he�s finally getting a good night�s sleep!�

Some times (most of the time,
she interjected once more) Draco was too tired to do anything and would just
flop down beside her, sleeping angelically.
At first he seemed uncomfortable approaching the bed, like it was some
sort of alien entity. But he quickly
re-familiarized himself and now dealt with it with ease.

Hermione had a feeling that it
wasn�t just the sex that eased his troubles.
Even when they just slept together, side by side without even touching,
he seemed refreshed the next day. Maybe
the fact that another warm body was with him through the night helped him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Sarah Wendall sat down
next to Draco. She had folders in her
hands and appeared to be talking about some work she had, but Hermione bristled
slightly. The way she looked at him and
the way she really didn�t even look at her papers screamed that it was all a
front in order to talk to him.

Draco didn�t seem like he minded and talked easily with the
brunette with white-blonde highlights.
Hermione didn�t like the way he looked, the way he acted around other
women. She never did. He was so�sickeningly charming. It was like a saccharine overload. She much preferred him when he was being
himself. When he was talking with
her. Sure, he was a bit prickly and was
an absolute oaf when they were in school, but at least he was genuine.

She sighed, swirling her chocolate pudding with her spoon
while she watched the two interact. At
least, she was hoping she was feeling apprehensive because she didn�t like his
slick persona, not because she was jealous or anything. Hermione didn�t know what to call their
relationship. She didn�t think they fit
the bill as lovers, but they weren�t quite friends either. Two souls thrown together in the face of
adversary, finding comfort in one another?
That seemed to be more accurate, if not quite wordy.

Hermione put a glob of the pudding in her mouth. She had no illusions and didn�t dare to hope
that he felt an eternal, burning love for her.
It was enough that he trusted her and turned to her when he felt moments
of weakness. So far it seemed like he
wasn�t traipsing with any other woman but if he ever did�she didn�t know what
she would do. It wasn�t like she had an
exclusive hold on him or anything, but still.

It was the principle of the thing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~ The surest aid in combating the male�s disease of
self-contempt is to be loved by a clever woman. ~

Hermione�s head smashed against the wall. Her vision doubled and the back of her head
seemed to have exploded into an array of fireworks. She wasn�t expecting Draco back so soon. She had just finished reading and was getting
ready to go take a hot shower when he stomped into the room, his hair still wet
from his own shower.

He had slammed the door shut with a kick and marched over to
her, his eyes crackling with anger.

�They killed them!� he barked out, flinging his coat on the
floor with frustration.

�Who?� she asked, quickly crossing the room to him. He sharply looked at her. She gulped as the air around the room
suddenly changed. That was when he had
slammed her against the wall, roughly bringing his lips to hers. Their teeth clacked at the force but that
didn�t deter him. He deftly unbuttoned
her shirt and began working on her pants.

Hermione felt that familiar rush when he shoved his tongue
into her mouth, licking and fighting its way for dominance. Despite the ringing in her head, she felt
herself melt into his embrace and allowed him, as always, to do whatever he
desired with her.

He threw her onto the bed and quickly ripped off her pants,
leaving her in nothing but a black, lacy bra and matching panties. Her nipples automatically hardened from the
chilled air. Draco stripped off his
shirt and was already unbuckling his belt by the time he joined her. He slipped his large hand under her head and
lifted it, crushing her mouth with his once more. Draco groaned deep in her mouth as his hand traveled down her
soft body and traced her underwear.

Hermione gasped when he straddled her, his weight pushing
the air out of her lungs momentarily.
He firmly gripped her shoulders, his fingers digging into her
flesh. She was thankful that it was the
end of autumn, nearing the beginning of winter � her wardrobe was able to hide
all the bruises and love marks that he left her. He was progressively getting rougher and rougher with her, like
the ease that she used to give him was getting harder to come by and he had to
squeeze, shake and force it out of her.

Her attention refocused back on him when he flicked open her
front bra clasp, his eyes smoldering.
Her supple breasts, not too large but perky, were begging for him to
fondle. Hermione saw his head of
angelic blond hair dip down and suddenly she threw her head back and
moaned. The contrast of the cold air
with his hot and wet mouth drove her crazy.
He suckled voraciously on her nipple while roughly squeezing and massaging
her other. Draco alternated from
lapping at her nipple with the flat of his tongue to endlessly flicking it with
the tip to sucking on it intensely.
When he switched breasts, his fingers twisted and pulled at her already
erect nipple.

The attention he was lavishing on her breasts caused
Hermione to pant and grind her hips upwards.
She could feel his hard erection pressed against the flat of her
stomach. The thought of that large
member impaling her over and over again made her wet beyond imagination. That thought must have crossed Draco�s mind
as well because he suddenly grew impatient, no longer satisfied with playing
with her tits.

With a growl, he retracted himself and grabbed a fistful of
her panties, yanking it down and off her legs.
Hermione squealed. Draco lifted
her long legs so that they rested over his shoulders, his cock pressed against
her sopping opening. Before he went any
further, he leaned forward, which made her wince from the stretching. He reached out and grasped her wrists,
holding them both down near the sides of her head. It was as if he was scared she would try to escape.

But he wouldn�t let her.

Without warning, he entered her, his eyes practically
rolling to the back of his head with ecstasy.
She was so wet, so tight.
Hermione moaned as he began to move back and forth. She could feel everything, from his thick
head down to his pubic hair grinding into her.
He drove into her relentlessly, pounding into her with a frantic rhythm.

�Ooh gods�!� she moaned, wanting to grab onto him, scratch
him, touch him. She tried to break free
of his crushing grip but it was useless.
Her struggling made him thrust deeper into her, forcing her to
understand who was claiming her.

�Beg for it!� he rasped, his voice deeper and raspy with
lust. �Tell me you love it! You love every inch of it!�

Hermione panted harder.
She knew it shouldn�t be so, but whenever he began to talk dirty to her
she became even more excited.
�P-Please!� she gasped out like a prayer. She could feel the build-up winding in the depths of her belly,
waiting to uncoil throughout her body.
Her breathing became even more erratic.
Finally, she came. The
intense pleasure flooded through her veins and she let out a strangled cry.

When she began just screaming and moaning sounds, unable to
form any coherent words, he lost it.
She was babbling with pleasure and it was all because of him. He pumped into her sloppily, all the way to
the hilt. The way her inner walls
squeezed around his member and sucked on it was indescribable. He thrust into her a few more times, making
the frame of the bed bang into the wall and threw his head back. With a groan, he released his seed into her
womb, her vaginal walls milking his penis dry.

Sated, he collapsed on top of her. The room was silent except for their harsh breathing. After catching his breath, he rolled
over. Hermione shivered � the cold air
was giving her goosebumps now that Draco wasn�t there to blanket her. She grabbed the comforter to cover herself
up but once it was pulled up to her chin, Draco lazily grabbed it and swung it
off her.

�I�m cold!� she exclaimed, crossing her arms and trying not
to let her teeth chatter.

�Well, I don�t want you covered up,� he drawled without
really looking at her, instead opted to reach over to light a cigarette.

She fumed. �Could
you please do that outside? I thought I
told you I hate the smell.�

He muttered something under his breath but managed to take
one drag before stubbing it out on the ashtray. Draco then reached over and pulled her to his side, letting her
warm up against his body heat. She
sighed contently and threw an arm and a leg over him.

Once their souls settled down to earth a bit, Draco�s eyes
grew solemn again. Hermione could tell
the subtle change in his mood just by the way his body felt.

�I couldn�t stop them,� he said quietly. He was one of the more seasoned soldiers in
that unit but those stubborn idiots wouldn�t listen to his orders, thinking
that since he was once a Death Eater, his word couldn�t be trusted. He had told them not to enter the building
without first waiting for their scout to come back. He had told them it smelled like a trap the second he saw the
layout of the land. Nevertheless, they
went running in, wands raised.

The entire building imploded and collapsed on them the
second they entered. They didn�t stand
a chance. Draco was furious. He was furious not only because of the death
of the majority of his unit, but also because the entire mission had then
fallen on his (and only a few others) shoulders. He cursed their stupidity, he cursed the enemy�s
cold-bloodedness, he cursed his life.
Killing off the little bastards was surprisingly easy for him this
time. There was this sense of fulfillment
he felt when they went down. It felt
good.

�It wasn�t your fault,� Hermione whispered, kissing his
shoulder.

He looked at her, his eyes softening.

�Yeah�I know.�

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hermione tried to wipe her tears and erase all signs that
she had been crying. He would be back
from debriefing soon, and she would hate for him to know that she had cried in
any way. He was so cold that morning,
when he came back from an overnight stint.
It was like, one moment she was chatting with a few friends, the next
Draco stormed past her but not before glaring at her, his eyes telling her that
he had a lot to say to her once they were alone.

Somehow, within the few months they had started sleeping
together, their relationship changed.
It was quickly degenerating into something she was unfamiliar with and
afraid of. Before he was frustrated and
disturbed by what he experienced on the battlefield. Now, it seemed to have spilt over into his everyday life and it
didn�t matter who the focus of his anger was.
For example, lately, it was like he was angry at her all
the time. Everything she did appeared
to set him off.

Normally she wouldn�t take that kind of attitude. If he was upset over something, fine. But he shouldn�t take that out on her,
right?

Right.

But she refrained.
Because after he released all of his feelings on her, yelling or
otherwise, it was like he was back to normal.
And he was always apologetic afterwards. She was like a sponge, absorbing all of his dark moods and
cleansing him. He was able to function
like he usually did after he was through with her.

She had heard about that one time. When she was away with Shacklebolt and Hagrid for an errand that
lasted three days. Draco had returned
the same day she had left and he was a right mess.

They told her he was moody and withdrawn at first, which
didn�t exactly shock anybody, but as the day progressed he became more and more
irritable. Hermione came back to find a
headquarters in disarray with over ten people covered in various bruises.

And Draco was locked up in his room, tied spread-eagle
across his bed. It was at Fred and
George�s suggestion. Apparently Draco
had begun picking fights with whoever crossed his path. He was finally taken down by Harry, who
charged at him from the shadows, punching him in the face and kneeing him in
gut. Of course, Draco had managed to
break his glasses and his nose.

Harry would have objected to the humiliating way Draco was
tied down but the damn bastard broke his glasses. Criminal.

However, if Hermione was around, Draco didn�t seem so
disturbed. She believed she had a
calming effect on him. George said it
was because after all her nagging, he would just be dead inside, with no strength
left to do anything. George was still
recovering from his pinched ear.

The thought of that little incident made Hermione laugh a
little. She decided it was okay, the
way things were. She knew he didn�t
mean anything he said. And really, he
needed her help. It was a small
sacrifice.

Right after she decided she was all right with her
situation, Draco entered the room with his impeccable timing. He was glaring at her.

Hermione squared her shoulders.

She would save him.

******************************************************************************

Whoosh. I�m not sure
what to think of this chapter, but I hope everyone enjoyed it. I don�t know if the humor was out of place
but seriously, I think it had to be done.
Too much darkyness is bad.

I really wanted to showcase how different everyone�s
relationship was back in the war, in contrast to their Post-war days. I find it a bit sad and nostalgic that they
were all so tight-knit but later grew apart (in more ways than one, of course).

The two pretentious quotes that appeared in italics are NOT
mine (I am NOT that stupid to steal them and claim as mine), but belong to the
ever genius Friedrich Nietzsche. I am
well aware there is a fic out there called �The Nietzsche Classes� and a
WONDERFUL fic, but I am not trying to rip on it. I just really, really like some of his quotes and think some of
them really apply to my themes here.

Also, when Draco said he�s going to get up all into Hermione
very slowly bit, I KNOW I�ve read a line similar to that somewhere, but I�m not
sure if it was in a fic or a book or a movie or what. So. Yeah. It�s not mine originally, but I�m not
copying it verbatim either. If someone
knows where it came from, I�d be ever so grateful.

More on this and the next chapter on the livejournal!

OH, and PS � I�m going to Japan on the 16^th- 25^th
of Feb, so positively no updates during that time. After that, who knows =P
This trip is thanks to my rich aunty who loves to spend money. On some lark, she invited me, my brother and
our cousin to join her on a trip to Japan, all expenses paid!! I don�t know about the rest of you, but I
ain�t gonna pass that shit up.

Love you all for even reading, but leave me some kisses and
reviews, yeah???

Muah!
- 16
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