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Verto Vitae	By : RynStar15 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 40710 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter nor do I make any money or intend any copyright infringement by using the characters therein.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Hermione woke after a restless night, her head pounding and her body heavy with fatigue. Stumbling to the showers, she remembered with easy clarity what it was like to not have to worry about her appearances. Hermione Granger didn't have to primp and do ridiculous spells to ready for the day; all she required was a shower and breakfast. Valouris, however, mandated much more assembly. It was that much more difficult to do with four other girls hogging the bathroom instead of two and the fact that she had no idea what she was doing. Gazing into Valouris' pale complexion, she studied a picture she had taken with Blaise and tried to do her hair in the same fashion, the makeup just right. The end result was nowhere near what was in the photo, but it would have to do.
At breakfast, she snapped that she wished to be left alone and looked up only when an owl dropped in front of her. Heart in her throat, she untied the scroll from the bird's leg and unrolled it as the animal took off, spraying Millicent with hot cereal.
The nerves at the sight of a letter calmed when she recognized the neat scrawl, but went into palpitations at the words.
Tonight at nine.
She wanted to tear it into little pieces but shoved it into her expensive leather bag instead. She could feel his eyes on her but she refused to meet them, her cheeks burning with mortification.
How was she ever supposed to face him again?
"Excited for tomorrow?"
The voice almost had her jumping out of her skin, but she faked a smile and turned to her boyfriend.
"Oh, Blaise, I have bad news!" she simpered, watching as his face fell. "Slughorn is making me do extra potions with Granger Saturday night."
Blaise turned his gaze to the Gryffindor table and Hermione wondered if he would pick a fight. "Have you talked to Slughorn about it? Maybe he'll make an exception…"
"Of course!" she lied all too easily. "But he's siding with the Mudblood as always. I'm too far behind."
Blaise looked ready to hex Draco but Hermione put a placating hand on his arm.
"Let this one slide," she crooned. "We'll get back at him some other way."
The corner of his mouth rose. "Cheeky bastard won't be smiling in a couple weeks now, will he?"
Hermione felt uneasy about this statement. In a couple weeks, she would turn eighteen. Was that what he was referring to?
"No, he won't," she agreed nervously.
Blaise tried to cajole her into Sunday night but she shot it down as well saying she needed time to study and classes were early on Monday. It seemed that even as a Malfoy, Hermione was a top student because Blaise didn't argue, though he looked miffed.
"In a couple weeks these classes won't have meant anything," Pansy whined, poking at her eggs. "I don't know why we even have to pretend anymore."
"Because that's the plan, Parkinson," Blaise snapped darkly. "Or do you think you have a better one than our Master?"
"N-no, of course I don't!"
"Then shut your little pug face and finish your breakfast."
Hermione tried to give Pansy a "well, you deserved it" look, but her mind reeled. It was true, then. There was a plan, all seeming to center around her eighteenth birthday.
She felt like a zombie through all her classes, her mind recalculating their plan according to this new information. She had Prefect duties after dinner and as she strolled the halls ushering younger students to bed as rudely as she could manage, her mind was caught up in what it could all mean. What would happen after she took the Dark Mark? What was so important that whatever plan they had needed to wait until she did? Hermione shuddered at the possibilities.
"Malfoy!"
Hermione turned at the summons and cringed. "What do you want, Nott?" she seethed. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with the rat-faced punk.
"Blaise told me to give you this."
She took the sealed parchment with a nod and watched as a corner of his mouth lifted. A dark look came over his eyes and Hermione wanted to groan in horror as she realized that she'd seen Theo written in loopy scrawl above Blaise on her list. She gave him a scathing look of revulsion.
"Keep dreaming, Nott. Now get back to the dorm before I write you up for being out after hours."
His face drew in with resentment and he slinked away muttering something along the lines of "frigid bitch." She waited until he was out of her line of sight and slit the seal open with a dull fingernail. She didn't miss the intricately woven "M," a snake slithering around the first leg of the letter over a shield of arms. Her heart pounded as she unfolded the expensive parchment and it took her a moment to make sense of the strict scrawl.
Monday, midnight. Bring Blaise, his mother would like a word.
There was no signature, no greeting. She read it three times through before it ignited and black flames turned it to ash where she dropped it on the floor with a shriek. Well, at least she knew why she couldn't find any letters from Lucius. They all burned as soon as she read them. But she knew the handwriting and knew what it meant. She swallowed and closed her eyes, not opening them until an owl hooted in the distance, stirring her from her thoughts. Shaking herself, she looked down at her watch and realized she was once again running late to meet Malfoy.
She hurried to the dungeons but slowed once she was outside the door, remembering what had occurred the night before just behind it. She had known that she and Malfoy were closer than was probably smart, but it was inevitable with the amount of time they had spent together formulating a plan and then executing it. The potion had taken so much work and then the late nights spent giving each other the information they'd need to survive, practicing spells with one another… It was hard to not drop their guard with each other just a little. Keeping up the antagonizing behavior was exhausting and they had been running on empty as it was. Once they had realized that there was no time or use for bickering they had fallen into stony civility, then some kind of mutual acceptance of each other, and finally a comfortable companionship.
And she had been fine with that, thrilled even, to have a… well, maybe not a friend, but at least a partner she could converse with on some sort of intellectual level. It made what they were going into easier to know that they had each other's backs. They couldn't survive this without one another and trust had been a problem (a very large one) at first. But now that Hermione knew Malfoy better, she knew without a doubt that he would see her through this. He understood the consequences if they didn't complete this mission as well as what would happen when they returned. She shuddered at the thought of having to abandon her family the way he had in order to do this task. He had pointed out that sending her folks to Australia brain-washed had been essentially the same thing but despite her doubts, Hermione had to believe she'd see them again. Malfoy likely would not, unless it was across a battlefield.
Sighing, she chided herself for delaying. As embarrassing as this situation was, Malfoy was only trying to help. She should be thanking him, not childishly avoiding him as she'd done all day. She would never be ready for Blaise on her own. This was the only preparation she would have.
And they could not fail.
Taking a deep breath, she strode through the door, barely glancing at the attractive blonde before turning bright scarlet and twisting around to cast the necessary spells. She stayed there staring at the wood paneling while she scolded her nerves into check. Damn it! Why was she so…so…prude?
He cleared his throat and she jolted, nearly groaning in mortification as she did so. She knew if she turned around he would have that infuriating little smirk across his perfectly pale face and she wanted to bash her head against the wall until she passed out and wouldn't have to witness it.
When she finally gathered the courage to turn around, she was surprised to see that Malfoy wasn't even looking at her.
"Could you grab me the Lacewing flies? They're in the blue vial in my bag."
He continued to stir as if very concentrated on the potion before him, but she knew better. He was just trying to give her time to compose herself. Great, another thing she'd have to thank him for. But she took the time he graciously gave her and found the Lacewing flies right on top. Counting out the correct amount her head, she handed them to him and he dropped them in one by one, diligently stirring the entire time. She took more time than was necessary to put the stopper back on the vial knowing that there was nothing else they needed to do with the potion for the next three days.
"I got a note from Lucius," she remembered suddenly. It was easier to talk about this, somehow, than it was to talk about what had happened last night. It made no sense seeing as how the note was a summons to appear before the Dark Lord and therefore a very real threat. She seriously needed to get her priorities straight...
Hermione looked up to see Malfoy's shoulders stiffen from where he continued to stir the potion. "What did it say?"
"Monday, midnight. It also said to bring Blaise because his mother needed to see him."
He nodded. "Anything else?"
"No. That was it."
"He was always one to cut to the chase. Can I see it?"
"No, it caught fire and turned to ash as soon as I read it."
"Typical."
He didn't say anything more for a moment and she let him stew in silence, plucking at invisible pieces of fluff on her sweater. She blushed when she remembered that she'd left hers here last night. Luckily, her Malfoy-self had at least a two-week stock. The trunk at the foot of her bed had a full wardrobe hidden in its bowels including silk and satin dress robes she was certain weren't worn around the school.
After a few tense minutes, Malfoy placed the lid on the cauldron and set the timer before turning to her and sizing her up, his expression unreadable.
"Are you going to be alright?"
Hermione knew he was talking about the meeting Monday, so she put on a brave smile and looked up at him. "If you can do it, I can."
He met her eyes for just a moment and gave a curt nod before taking his normal relaxed pose and leaning against the table before her, crossing his arms and ankles.
"Speak to Blaise today?"
"Yes, I told him we would be doing Potions with Slughorn Saturday night."
"How did he take it?"
"He wanted to curse you into the Dark Ages," she replied, a small smile creeping into the right corner of her mouth. Malfoy let out a sharp laugh.
"I can imagine. He hated you almost as much as I did, Leon stands no chance."
She snorted softly, unsure of how to reply to that, and the conversation drifted into non-existence. When she lifted her head to begin her apology about her abysmal behavior, she barely had time to register his immediate proximity before his lips were on hers, taking her mercilessly. She whimpered in surprise and he caught her up, hard and tight against his body. Malfoy worked her mouth expertly and Hermione's thoughts whirled to a close as sensations racked her body. She was so consumed by the heat of the moment she forgot that this was exactly what she came here to prevent.
When his kiss became more ardent she fought to rise above the overwhelming need to climb his body like an arborist and take everything she could. Reluctantly, she wrenched away as much as the table she was trapped against allowed, placing her hands on his chest when he made to dive back in.
"Malfoy, we need to talk about this-"
"This is exactly the kind of thing you need to prepare for, Granger," he growled, sucking her earlobe into his mouth, making her purr. "Blaise isn't one to wait around forever."
Sweet Merlin, how was his breath so hot and... seductive? How could the exhalation of carbon dioxide be seductive? And how could something as ridiculous as the tracing of the shell of her ear with his bottom lip turn her knees to jelly?
Hermione shook herself as she realized he was still speaking, her muddled mind struggling to comprehend his words.
"-he could come up on you at any moment. You can't shy away. Show me what you'll do."
Her heart sank. Malfoy was testing her, that was all. She rolled it around in her brain, trying not to feel abject disappointment. He wasn't doing this because he suddenly found the plain, boring Mudblood attractive, he was doing it to prepare his partner for the weeks ahead.
Well, if it was a test he was giving, she was sure as hell going to ace it. Hermione Granger had never failed a test in her life and this wasn't going to be the first.
Without further ado, she grabbed the back of his platinum head and yanked him down to her, taking his mouth and pretending, just for a heart wrenching moment, that this was for real, that this wasn't for the sake of practicing for Blaise Zabini. Because if Hermione was truly honest with herself, she knew that she had gotten too close to Malfoy and cared far too much about him. But she also knew, with sinking regret, that Malfoy would never feel that way for her. So, she would take what she could get, even if it was fake, and be grateful.
His soft moan when she bit his lip spurred her on. Never having done anything even remotely close to what they were doing now, she wasn't sure what her next step should be. She reckoned he'd noticed her hesitancy when he grabbed her hands and brought them around the front of his neck to his tie. Ah, that. Obviously Valouris would undress him right away and know how to do it properly. But did Malfoy really expect to…tonight?
It was as if he had read her mind when her body suddenly stiffened. He chuckled softly against her lips, plucking at them soothingly. "Don't worry, I don't plan on crossing that particular barrier just yet."
Hermione ripped her mouth away from his drugging lips. "Y-yet?" she stuttered, her hands frozen against his tie. "But I thought…"
"Granger, I'm not going to throw you to the wolves," Malfoy murmured, rubbing his knuckles along her cheek in a tender gesture, his eyes dark. "We're in this together. I promised Potter I would do whatever I could to keep you safe and I intend on keeping that promise. I understand this is not an ideal situation and I'm sorry that you will not be able to, er, keep yourself for someone… special, but-"
"No, Malfoy," she stopped him, her hands on his chest, not able to meet his eye in her innocent embarrassment "Thank you. For everything. Really, I-I appreciate it more than I can say. I know you didn't plan on, well, doing… you know… with- with me, but just the same I-"
"Granger," he growled, lifting her chin so she was forced to look at him. "You're a beautiful witch, I'm in no way put-out by this arrangement." He smirked cheekily in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Though I will have to ask that you leave out this little, ah, side mission in your report when we return as I would rather like to keep my bollocks and I have a feeling Potter and Weasley would feel obligated to remove them in defense of your virtue."
Hermione choked out a soft laugh at the image of Harry and Ron rounding on Malfoy, his hands protecting his family jewels as they shot hexes at him.
"Yes, I believe it will be for the best if we keep this particular complication to ourselves," she agreed with a small smile. "Although you should fear Molly's ire far more than the boys. She accidently knocked Harry out cold after sending him into the wall when she found him snogging Ginny on her bed."
His eyes widened in shock and slight fear. "Duly noted."
An awkward silence filled the room and he chuckled, rubbing her arms and backing away. "Well, now that the mood is gone, I suppose we should practice our dueling. Mind if we work on that Shield Charm again? You still seem to get me with that damn Stinging Hex every time."
Eager to delay the uncomfortable proposition, they trained with the Advanced Shield Charm Moody had taught them not long before they'd left. By the time Malfoy finally blocked one of Hermione's more difficult spells, they were both sweating and aching.
Hermione felt confident that she'd made him forget all about earlier, but as soon as she turned to put her sweater back on (which she'd shed an hour previous) his arms came around her, his lips finding a sweet spot behind her ear. She jumped and he snickered softly, not stopping his advances, his lips travelling her hairline as she'd piled it carelessly atop her head in a bun while they'd dueled. She remembered what he'd said about being prepared for Blaise to do this sort of thing, so she closed her eyes and enjoyed the goosebumps that stole over her skin at the sensual contact. She allowed her hands go to the back of his head and finger his soft hair, his smooth neck, enjoying the attention.
He spun her around and she looked up at his flushed face, tendrils of flaxen clinging to his temples from their earlier exertion. When he kissed her this time she was ready and she took what he had taught her thus far to show him that she could deal with this. This was just another exercise, not unlike the one they had just finished. Another preparation for the tasks ahead. She didn't let herself think about the fact that she would have to let a complete stranger do this to her, simply indulged in the gentle thrum making its way through her body.
When she walked into her dormitory nearly an hour later, she couldn't remember ever being more relaxed. Blaise and her girl crew had already gone to bed by the time she'd gotten to the common room so there was no delay as she went straight up to bed. When she got there, however, all the happiness she'd felt from their heady make-out session was swept away when she saw a note propped against the mug of potion she had yet to identify. Slitting the familiar seal, she saw only one word.
Now.
.
.
.
Draco sighed heavily as he dropped his heavy bag onto his overlarge four-poster and reveled in the silence of his own dorm room. He'd shaken off Potter and Weasley in the common room claiming that he had a test in Arithmancy to study for since neither of them took the class to verify.
Unbuttoning his Oxford (which he'd only just re-buttoned), he strode to the large window which looked out over the grounds, giving him an excellent view of the Forbidden Forest and lake. The Giant Squid was undulating slowly in the black depths, the bright spring moon glinting off his scales.
Draco cracked the window open and let the cool breeze assail him, taking a deep, centering breath. He knew he shouldn't have taken Granger up on her offer; he was diving face-first into waters darker than the Black Lake before him, and he didn't know the first thing about swimming in this kind. Kissing her, touching her, making her come undone beneath him, just to send her off to Blaise like a piece of meat was comparable to ripping out his own teeth. It was physically painful every time she sighed or moaned knowing that the only reason she was doing this was for Blaise's benefit, that she would never have thought twice about kissing him if she hadn't been thrust into this impossible situation.
He'd never wanted to murder his best friend more than he did right now. Of course, Blaise had no idea that it was Granger, but it didn't matter. She deserved far better than that lazy scoundrel whose only claim to fame was his whore mother's Gringotts vault.
Then again, Granger deserved better than Draco, too. But he at least knew her, knew what she was like, knew her ticks and her habits, her strengths and her weaknesses, knew her better than even Potty and Weasel. He knew that her eyes would light up every time she perfected a spell, knew her hair would frizz all to Hades if she stood close to the potion for too long, knew she would bite her nails down to stubs when she was worried about something.
He had seen the pain in her eyes after she'd sent her parents away to Australia for their own safety, had seen the frustrated tears she hid when she couldn't figure out a way to help Potter. Draco was the only one who would ever know the extent to which she would go to save the wizarding world, the sacrifices she'd make. He was the only one who knew she needed a Dreamless Sleep Potion to rest most nights, the only one who knew that her biggest fear was that she would never be enough.
Damn, he swore inwardly, his knuckles turning white on the window sill. How had he not seen this coming? How had he not anticipated the fact that he was falling head-over-bloody-heels for Granger of all people? He, Draco Malfoy, the heartless prat of Hogwarts, had a soft spot for the Mudblood. He laughed sardonically. Well, Pureblood for now.
A movement below shook him of his reverie and Draco squinted into the night to see what it was. A lone figure moved stealthily across the grounds towards the forest. The only thing he could distinguish from this distance was long, bushy brown hair, but it was the only evidence he needed. Swearing under his breath, his heart in his throat, he snatched Potter's Invisibility Cloak from his trunk and dashed out the door, donning it just in time to avoid Granger's idiot friends who were finally headed to bed. Cursing the foolish witch under his breath, he ran full on for the portrait hole.
He was going to murder her.
.
.
.

XOXO
RynStar15
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