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Precious Mudblood	By : magentasouth Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Voldemort Views: 79302 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from any part of the Harry Potter universe

Chapter List
- 1-Precious Mudblood
- 2-Ch 2
- 3-Ch 3
- 4-Ch 4
- 5-Ch 5
- 6-Ch 6
- 7-Ch 7
- 8-ch 8
- 9-Ch 9
- 10-Ch 10
- 11-Ch 11
- 12-Ch 12
- 13-Ch 13
- 14-Ch 14
- 15-Ch 15
- 16-Ch 16
- 17-Ch 17
- 18-Ch 18
- 19-Ch 19
- 20-Ch 20
- 21-Ch 21
- 22-Ch 22
- 23-Ch 23
- 24-Ch 24
- 25-Ch 25
- 26-Ch 26
- 27-Ch 27
- 28-Ch 28
- 29-Ch 29
- 30-Ch 30
- 31-Ch 31
- 32-Ch 32
- 33-Ch 33
- 34-Ch 34
- 35-Ch 35
- 36-Ch 36
- 37-Ch 37
- 38-Ch 38
- 39-Ch 39
- 40-Ch 40
- 41-Ch 41
- 42-Ch 42 (edited. longer)
- 43-Ch 43
- 44-Ch 44
- 45-Ch 45
- 46-Ch 46
- 47-Ch 47
- 48-Ch 48
- 49-Ch 49
- 50-Ch 50
- 51-Ch 51
- 52-Ch 52
- 53-Ch 53
- 54-Ch 54
- 55-Ch 55
- 56-Ch 56
- 57-Ch 57
- 58-Ch 58
- 59-Ch 59
- 60-Ch 60
- 61-Ch 61
- 62-Ch 62
- 63-Ch 63
- 64-Ch 64
- 65-Ch 65
- 66-Ch 67
- 67-Ch 67
- 68-Ch 68
- 69-Ch 69
- 70-Ch 70
- 71-Ch 71
- 72-Ch 72
- 73-Ch 73
- 74-Ch 74
- 75-Ch 75
- 76-Chapter 76
- 77-Ch 77
- 78-Ch 78
- 79-Ch 79
- 80-Ch 80
- 74
- 75
- 76
A quick
A/N
I apologise
profusely for the unreasonable wait on this update.� If ever you doubt the point of reviewing,
realise that every time i�ve updated one of these
stories this year it has been because I have suddenly stumbled upon an email or
a review asking me to.�� You see, the
thing is that I have a job now where I necessarily spend hours and hours doing
virtually nothing and I cannot take my laptop along or work on other things.� So in those times, often I play out the stories
in my mind.� When I get home, I�m too
tired to write them and then I end up with that �rewritten email� feeling later
when I do have time.� It�s unfortunate.� The only thing that kicks the cycle of waste
is when a day off coincides with the discovery of a review or request for
more.�
As it�s
been quite a long time � I really recommend rereading the last chapter/s before
going on.
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Surprisingly,
the week passed far too quickly.� The
periods of full awareness were so brief, so far between, that Hermione had the
sense of time blurring.� Whether she was
incoherent with delight or deep in a dreamless sleep, she only became fully cognisant
when she first woke and when Uriel pressed food,
drink and potions upon her.�

It seemed though, that he grew gentler each time she became aware of him
again.��
When she
woke in the darkness, the faint impression of the vampire was still and silent
on her right side.� Before the pain could
really get its jaws into her, before she could even assemble her mind enough to
think on her situation, the soft blurring of her mind set in and she felt him
pull her fingers to his lips and pierce one, licking and sucking as if her
blood were ambrosia.� She only surfaced
again hours later, her hand and wrist
stinging, for him to spoon water and stew into her mouth, followed again by a
sharp, bitter blood replenishing potion.�
Then there was sleep again.

The next time she woke, he lay again on her left side.� She could feel
that the pain through her body was less, although she had not fully woken
before he was again drugging her with pleasure and biting into her fingertips
eagerly.� She could hear soft growls now
and then; somewhat reminiscent of purrs of appreciation.� Her mind reeled enjoyably throughout.�
Some days
later, she became abruptly aware that she was healed, when there was no distant
pain at all when the body at her side in the dark � the vampire that had been
shredding her fingers in greedy desire for more � raised itself suddenly and
fell upon her.�

His weight was both comforting and exciting at once and she wrapped her arms
around him as he unceremoniously pulled her head aside roughly.�

It was beyond wonderful.� His teeth tore
so deeply that she was light headed and he was groaning in relief as he drank
her in draughts.�

For the first time, she felt a sudden lust threading through the ecstasy and
her hands moved of their own volition to try to unclothe the body above her
own.�

They were captured and held, preventing her from reaching her goal.� She writhed mindlessly against him.�� This was tolerated, although he made no move
to stimulate himself.� He simply curled,
intent upon drinking, and allowed her to frott
herself to a gasping climax beneath him.

She heard a low pleased mmmm just as she was coming
down.� He continued to drink for another
minute afterward.
When he
drew away, after healing her wounds and licking her thoroughly clean, he
administered the blood replenishing potion at once.� It was a larger dose than she normally
received.�

She caught her breath, feeling her head ache slightly from blood loss and
dehydration.� Through her time with Rodolphus, she knew that that would dissipate after a
minute or so.
�I find..that I no longer wish you to recover..�

Uriel�s voice sounded dark and sated � it was almost
a purr.� She turned her head toward him
in the darkness.�
For the
first time in.. she had no
idea how many days it had been.. a soft blue glow
ignited between them.

It was bright after so long in the dark and she narrowed her eyes, squinting
past the lumos at the end of the wand to the face of the youthful vampire
beyond.��

His eyes seemed dark blue in this light while his skin was pale sea green.

He was beautiful in a way that looked very slightly too perfect.� As if his skin
were too smooth.. his
features unnaturally symmetrical.� His
long dark silky hair shone even in near darkness.�

She had almost forgotten what he looked like over the course of the week.� He was simply a voice..
a body.. Hands.. lips.. hunger.
�Soon
enough, Gellert will come to retrieve you � he has
been distracted with his other guests but he has requested my presence later this evening � No doubt he intends to
confirm that you are well and clarify what is to occur from this point.� I... find that I am not eager to give you
back..�� The
perfect brow furrowed slightly.
She
swallowed.� He seemed to be in a good
mood.� Perhaps she could ask.�� She tried to think of a way to phrase her
question that wouldn�t insult or irritate him.�
His quiet
sniff of amusement and faint smile told her that he had already sensed the
thoughts in her mind and understood what she wanted to ask.

�No..girl..I
am not exclusively attracted to males.�� I am-..�� He paused
thoughtfully and then turned onto his back, his expression softening.�
�It is
most easily explained by the fact that as a vampire ages,....certain
interests fade.

The first to slip away is the fascination with the development of the
civilisations of mankind.� The new and
the fashionable become less appealing..tedious and
repetitive with age... most vampires grow comfortable with one period of
society and retain the tastes and mannerisms peculiar to that time.�
The next
loss is the enjoyment of violence.. the
preference for fear-tinged blood,�
followed by the appetite for sexual release and the taste for blood of
an aroused or sated victim.�

The very oldest among our kind lose interest in all but their own thoughts and
� to a degree � the thoughts of others of similar antiquity.� They no longer require blood to exist � no
longer thirst for it as I or vampires younger than myself
do.� They take it occasionally, much as
humans might take potions or preparations for their health.

It is not that I am not drawn to witches.. but that I am no longer drawn to rutting in all its many varied forms.�

Although... I concede that the taste of your blood during your own coital
release was appealing.. a
little spicy and sharper than its usual sweetness.� As I have lost the taste for the additive in
the blood of mundane humans, it had not crossed my mind that it would be
different with you.� ..Perhaps I may
expend effort to replicate the taste at some point.��
Hermione
chastised herself for the sudden excitement that coursed through her at the
suggestion.�
The
vampire continued in a pensive tone of voice �...It would be unwise to take too
many liberties while Gellert lives...� He has tolerated my feeding upon you, however
I doubt he will consent to allow me to take you fully and render his own skills
pale in comparison..�
She
couldn�t quite suppress the smirk.� �a little arrogant there?� she thought to herself
amusedly.�
As if
spurred by the mild derision, Uriel turned quickly
and leaned over her, bracketing her body with his own while he leaned down and
languidly, almost casually, kissed her.�
When
she�d heard the phrase �turned on� when she was younger, she�d always smiled,
imagining a switch somewhere on the back of a girl that would be flipped.�

This was exactly like that.�

As his coppery tasting tongue � now slightly warmer than usual after he had fed
upon her � toyed with her own, she felt herself literally drip with
eagerness.� She was scrabbling
ineffectually at her dress and his robes, to try to get rid of all the horrible
evil fabric separating her from the vampire�s body.� Her core clenched, aching to be filled only
by him.� If she didn�t have him, she
thought she might actually die of emptiness.

When he lifted one hand from beside her shoulder and traced it down the front
of her body she arched in overwhelming sensation.� He was only lightly brushing over the surface
of the dress - yet as his fingers moved closer to the centre of her aching
hunger, she started to quiver and buck.�
She was almost afraid!� Their bodies were connected solely by the kiss
and the faint pressure of his fingertips and she felt like she could explode at
any second.. could pop like a
birthday balloon.� If he touched her
there..� she knew she would lose herself.�

He broke the kiss and looked down at her with an expression of mild fascination
as she panted and whined, wriggling and tossing her head.�

It was only a fingertip.. a
single, barely there, fingertip, that he ghosted over her mound through the
dress and she shattered, moaning her climax shamelessly and clinging to him.
He
smirked faintly and then dropped his head back down to the crook of her neck,
licking, then biting into her more carefully than he had earlier and lapping
with slow satisfaction.� Hermione
couldn�t be certain but she thought he might have moaned softly in
appreciation, like a hungry man taking the first bite of their favourite dish.� He pulled away again all too soon and looked
down at her, a thoughtful expression upon his unnaturally pretty face.

�The taste is extraordinarily good.. Better even than..� he did not
finish the comparison and sighed as he pulled away. �Perhaps after Gellert is no more I will take you
� purely to indulge my curiosity.�
She told
herself that she wasn�t heartbroken
at the thought that she wouldn�t be feeling that again.� It was a big fat glaring lie however.� It was in her nature, she accepted now, to
desire the most powerful wizard...the one that might best protect her.� She wasn�t certain exactly how �power� was
determined � but Uriel definitely had a lot of
it.� He was centuries old and strong and
clever and he had specific power over
her, not only through the blood bond which, apparently, he mastered far more
fully than Rodolphus had , but also through the oath
she�d made to do whatever he wanted when she regained her powers.
He
chuckled softly. �Oh.. don�t
pout, little witch.� You will feel that again. �I do not need to do much to bring you to that state. It is not even necessary to
touch you.� I merely thought you would
appreciate it.� No..
I referred to the carnal act itself.� It
has been...a long time..since I have felt the hunger
to lay with another witch or wizard.�

I do not feel.. desire.. as such for you.. however I
recognise a faint curiosity.� If your
blood is superior, might not your body be similarly addictive? � it is, after
all, how your kind keep their slaves in thrall.�
He smiled
wider in the lumos-light at Hermione�s offended frown.�
�Your
reaction is very nearly an insult, you know..� he
informed her, amused.�� Vampires, more
than other beings, can view your nature
with equanimity.� It resembles our
own.� Were you not...so dangerous to all
life, including our own, and so difficult to control, we would no doubt have
allied with your kind thousands of years ago.��

Perhaps I am more foolish than my noble ancestors..�� ...Of course, I am already connected with
you � it is too late for regret.� The
small sacrifice of my magic required to spice your blood does not concern
me.� It is easily replenished.�

I therefore have nothing to lose from sampling your body fully, should I find
it in me to feel sufficient lust to complete the act.�
That too
felt like an insult, Hermione frowned to herself.�

�You obviously know more about �my kind�, as you put it, than I do.� I only discovered that there was any kind of
transfer of magic going on a few days ago.�
Is there any way to turn it off?!�
What else do I need to worry about?!�
What happened to the other witch like me you said you�d met?
Uriel closed his eyes, looking pensive again.�

After a few minutes she began to suspect that he wasn�t intending to answer at
all.� She was thinking of poking him in
the ribs when he opened one eye a slit, a faintly reproving expression on his
face.�
�You will
not poke, prod or attempt to strike
me under any circumstances.� It is ..difficult.. for me to suppress my perfectly natural reaction to such
behaviour.� Demonstrate a little patience
or suffer the consequences.� And I do not
use the word suffer figuratively.�
Wonderful.. now she found herself just itching to slap him.� Grumbling under her breath she lay down once
again on her back and tried to be patient.

He made her wait, whether intentionally or not, for a long time.� More than a few minutes.� She had actually forgotten her interest and
was dropping off, when he spoke.
�Lania.. the
other of your kind that I have encountered.. was not a
witch.� He was a boy; a young boy, when I met him.�

He had been orphaned � the circumstances are irrelevant � but he was brought to
me as the blood slave of another vampire - an old friend; one of the lesser
nobles of a neighbouring Ducat.�

Tetzin was a vampire turned in the autumn of his
years.� He bore grey at his temples and
his features were somewhat cruelly formed.��
He was an imposing gentleman,
but not necessarily a handsome, or particularly kind man.

The blood of children is, as you may or may not know, far sweeter than that of
older humans.�� I do not know how old Lania was... perhaps twelve.. perhaps fourteen..� He
was an attractive boy with honey blonde hair and the most unusual eyes that I
had ever seen.� Purple..Not
dark blue.. but actually indigo.. I could understand Tetzin�s fascination with him.� The boy was intelligent.. soft-spoken..
gentle.� He did
not shy away from the petting and fondling he received at the man�s hands.� And it was obvious that Tetzin
doted upon him.�

It was inappropriate behaviour toward a slave and I let him know my thoughts in
no uncertain terms.�
Uriel�s faintly nostalgic expression darkened and a tinge
of what seemed to be guilt flickered around his brow and the corners of his
mouth.
�I see
now.. that it was most likely
desire and jealousy that drove me.. but at the time I
believed my own reasoning.� The climate
within the Conciliate at the time viewed slaves as property - Worthless lesser
beings, essentially interchangeable - to the extent that if a blood slave of
another vampire was killed, intentionally or inadvertently, one had but to
supply the vampire with a human of similar age, sex and health.� They were..livestock..nothing more.� Tetzin�s attitude would have earned him punishment.. would have had his slave
confiscated, drained and destroyed.
I..threatened him.. I suppose.� Subtly.� And he, to demonstrate his indifference,
reluctantly offered Lania up for my use while they
were within my domain.�

Do not misunderstand � this was a standard act of hospitality between
vampires.� Visiting nobles would normally
bring gifts.. and would offer
their personal slaves as a matter of course.�
Tetzin�s neglect to do so upon arrival was
conspicuous.� Politeness would usually
restrict one to the gifts brought, leaving another vampire�s personal property
untouched.. however in the
case of particularly lovely specimens, it was not unheard of to accept the
offer.

And so I collected Lania from my old friend.�� He was composed, but the evidence of his
distraught raving was all around in his quarters.� His luggage was half packed.� He obviously thought to leave at the first
opportunity.� I did not attempt to
reassure him.. I thought it for the best he depart soon � his behaviour was courting trouble and I
preferred that the problem occur elsewhere.�

But I would sample the boy before he left.�
Purely on principle..to teach him not to behave
so foolishly ...and also to learn, myself, what exactly was at the core of all
this fuss.
Lania was a strangely calm and endearing creature.� I led him back to my chambers and he
proceeded to undress, without a word.�� I
don�t remember what was said between us but I do recall he made some kind of
compliment about my appearance, when I questioned his behaviour.�

Against my expectations, I was enchanted by him.� His mannerisms, his slight body.. those dazzling eyes.� I had intended only to drink from him.. but I took him to my bed.�
Uriel swallowed and turned his head slightly, looking
away.�
Hermione
pressed her lips together slightly and tried
not to think.� Of all the things in the
world she despised, child abuse had to be among the top contenders and if she
let her mind start ranting about the vampire next to her essentially raping a
child, she would never hear the rest of the story.� It was difficult to suppress the anger that
wanted to well up in her but she needed to know what happened to Lania.� It could be
important!
If the
Ducat observed her response, he did not react to it.� He seemed entirely preoccupied with his
thoughts, in this past era with this poor exploited child.
�Later
that night, when he slept, I lay awake, watching his small chest move slowly up
and down� he said softly with unmistakeable tenderness. �I decided that I was
not prepared to allow Tetzin to leave yet.� I had not finished with the boy.� I wished to enjoy him for another day or
two.�

Tetzin was furious when a servant informed him that
he was to remain in my domain at my pleasure.�
I imagine much of his anger stemmed from fear and betrayal.� We had been friends..a
long time.

I was unconcerned.� Little else held my
attention at that time but the small human and his generous affection for
me.�� When he woke to find himself still
in my bed, he seemed overjoyed.� He
climbed all over me, kissing and-..�

Uriel swallowed, looking sorrowful� �...It doesn�t matter.� However I began, over the next days, to see
how Tetzin had come to be so besotted with him.��
The
vampire seemed to hesitate at this point, as if undecided whether to
continue.� His eyes shifted and he shook
his head as if to call himself foolish.

�On the sixth night, while we were both ...recovering our strength, Lania asked whether he might be allowed to stay with
me.� He said he wanted to belong to me
and not to Tetzin.��

I, having entertained the same
thoughts, considered whether and how this might be achieved.�
A blood
slave cannot be forcibly taken, except by the Conciliate.� I could not truly possess Lania
unless Tetzin decided to free him � and this would
never happen.��

Neither could I hold Tetzin indefinitely purely in
order to avail myself of his slave � not only would this seed a disagreement
between Ducat Goroya and myself
but I could be accused by the concillate of the very
thing of which Tetzin was guilty.�

I saw no way to have the boy for myself other than killing my friend.�

I actually thought about killing him for hours that night.� There are few offenses within the vampire
world which are punished by death.��
Allowing an Epshani such as yourself to live.. betraying the Conciliate to its
enemies.. and killing another vampire without
justifiable cause.
To
my...very small.. credit � I
thought better of my plan by the time Lania awoke
again.� I saw myself hanging over a
dangerous precipice and realised that I had to return the boy before I reached
the point where I was prepared to fall.

He was upset at the news that he would be returning to his master.� He wept and begged.� I very nearly relented.�

I told him that, should anything unfortunate happen to Tetzin,
he should tell any vampires he found that he was promised to Ducat Rozov and they would see him back to me safely.� Then I had a servant return him with a
handwritten apology to my friend for my appalling behaviour.�� I.. preferred not
to face him and I could not stomach the thought of leaving Lania
there and walking away.
Tetzin was gone from my castle within the hour and passed
out of my domain before the night was at an end.� I knew I could no longer consider him a
friend.��
Uriel looked regretful.. as if he still held faint self recrimination.� Hermione found herself moving closer, without
thinking of the anger that had only moments before troubled her, and placing
her hand over his, where it rested upon his stomach.�

He glanced at her briefly and an unreadable mix of emotions flickered in his
eyes, culminating in unease.�� She
realised suddenly that her own touch might not be reassuring, in light of what
she was and what the particular topic of this story was.�

�Sorry..� she mumbled, pulling her hand back. �I.. I forgot.�

He caught her hand and pressed it between his own, the guilty worry in his eyes
fading slightly.� �I have already damned
myself.� It is too late for such
foolishness.� I will tell you the rest of
the story.�
She
furrowed her brow briefly.� The rest?� She had
thought that was the end.� Tetzin had left with Lania.
He made a
sound that was not unlike a wry snort.

�Have you so soon forgotten Gellert�s behaviour while
you were far from him?� Just as I could
send Lania back to Tetzin
with a servant, so too can Gellert put you from his
mind while you are here.. while
he knows that you are in his possession � while he can feel you through the
wards and knows that he can reach you upon a whim.. It is very different when
the object of obsession is removed and taken far away.

I..managed only two days before I was sending
emissaries after Tetzin.. trackers..
spies.. I devoted all my resources to finding the boy
and bringing him back.� I felt I might
never be happy again if he did not
return.� The opinions of others no longer
interested me.

It was my behaviour and not Tetzin�s that alerted the Conciliate to the situation.� When a lesser noble
travels, when he makes purchases, when he remains alone much of his time with
only one blood slave � there are few to observe or care.� When a Ducat mobilises thousands of servants
to hunt another vampire down � it is noted by all.
Tetzin was found.� Dead.� His body was
unharmed � No cause of death could be found.�

The killing curse does not affect vampires, of course � there are few deaths
possible for our kind and none of them will leave a body entirely unharmed
internally and externally.�

It only cemented the fears of the concillate that
they were dealing with an Epshani � an incubus of
sorts.. devourer of magic.. unmaker of worlds.�

They set every clan to searching for the boy.�
I was
afraid.. I feared they would find Lania
and destroy him before I could see him again.�
But I need not have worried.� He
came to me.� I found him in my bed that night, frightened
and confused about what had happened and how he had gotten back to where he
most wanted to be.

I kissed him and comforted him.� I think.. no.. I know that I would have disobeyed the Conciliate, had I had the
opportunity to do so.��

I did not, thankfully.� Within minutes of
finding him, we were surrounded by a truly intimidating number of the high
guard.� The boy was stunned, magically
bound and removed from my presence.�
The faint
seagreen light played over the youthful vampire�s
face as he clenched his jaw in what might have been the faint memory of
anguish.� Hermione held her breath, trying
not to disturb him.� When he continued,
it was with a dark mien.
�The
following night, an emissary arrived with a phial of blood in stasis.

Apparently I was to be rewarded for my part in the capture of a dangerous
creature.�� I suppose it was less troublesome
than publically accusing and punishing me.�
I enjoy a very high position among the Ducai
and have been invited to speak with Concilors once or
twice.� I am even tipped to be summoned
to their ranks when my time comes. It would not look well for one such as myself to be denounced.�

At that he smirked and gave a soft bitter laugh before shaking his head
slightly and refocusing, the smile fading disturbingly to the same haunted
expression he had worn before.��

�I had spent the time since Lania�s capture in agony,
isolated within my chambers, desperately trying to think of some way that I
might retrieve him safely.�

I could find none.�

A few hours before the emissary arrived I had begun to feel better,
inexplicably.� The boy�s fate was
unfortunate but it did not cause me physical suffering any longer.� When the phial arrived, I realised that it
was because he no longer lived.

The emissary � a higher ranking functionary with whom I had been acquainted for
over a century - was ..disturbed at the sight of
me.� I did not learn why until the high
guard came to retrieve me.�

For the duration of my existence I had had pale green eyes.� They were much admired and the reason why my
maker first desired me.� Apparently, Lania left me a parting gift so that I might remember
him.� A thoughtful boy, as I said.�
Hermione
looked at the bluegreen tinted vampire, his lilac
eyes dark in this light, and tried to imagine him with Harry�s eyes.� It was difficult.

�What happened then?� What did they
want?�
Uriel made a dismissive gesture with one hand.� �They were concerned that I might be Lania in
disguise I suppose.� But the boy had been
so young.� He was not even aware of his
effect upon others and I believe that the magic he had used in killing Tetzin and travelling to me may have been his first
accidental use of his developing ability.�
He was terrified that night.�

The vampire stilled for a moment pensively before continuing.�

�When the interrogators determined that I was not only unaware of my recent
physical alteration, but was also uninformed as to the precise capabilities of Epshani, they tested me magically and quizzed me on
information that only I and certain Concillors had
shared.� Eventually they declared me to
be me, finding no threat, and released me.�
The silence
stretched on.�� Hermione, thoughts
swirling, could not move herself to say anything reassuring, to offer a single
word of condolence.� The idea of doing so
seemed cheap and tawdry � as if it would only lessen the obviously quite
painful memories shared by the vampire lying in the near darkness beside
her.� Uriel
himself seemed rather more preoccupied with the topography of his internal
mindscape than her own reactions, his gaze distant and thoughtful.�� She had the impression that this was a
matter he had thought on at length
over the decades.
After the
longest time his movement beside her stirred her awake just as she had begun to
doze.� She half turned, reaching for the
warm arm departing from her side.
�Be
still� Uriel�s low voice hushed in the darkness� �It is time
that I speak with Gellert.� Sleep.�
I expect that the morning will be quite demanding for you.�� She barely caught the addendum he murmured
with rancour �...for both of us.��
Nodding
sleepily and refusing to even think about what might happen when she next woke
(lest she found she couldn�t sleep at all) she drifted back into a hazy
dreamless doze.
*#*#*#*
She
stirred from sleep slowly, a smile on her face, at the sensation of fingers
stroking over her hair.�� Turning her
head toward the body beside her she became aware, only milliseconds before she
opened her eyes, that the warm figure lying beside her
carried an entirely different scent to that which she had expected.�� And then he sat up and she found herself
looking up at blue eyes and blonde curls; at a face that was both greedily
possessive and smugly contented at once.��
It was all she could do not to stiffen and pull back.�

That might not be received well at this juncture, her mind supplied helpfully.
�Finally
you wake� Grindelwald purred in thick teutonic accent, not quite
removing his hand from her hair, but winding her curls around a finger.� �I have been waiting for you, my flower.� Patiently.� Always you make me wait.�
Hermione
swallowed the small knot forming in her suddenly dry throat.�

�I...� her voice trailed off as conflicting responses floated to the front of
her mine.� �I�m sorry� was the natural
thing to say if you had made someone wait � however she was not going to apologise for being asleep
when she had no idea that the temperamental dictator was even there.� �Where�s Uriel?�
was the next competing influence, shamefully � coasting to the lead in front of �Is Tom ok?� Can I see him?� Guilt welled up inside, along
with a decent portion of self loathing for thinking of the vampire she barely
knew before she remembered the boy..man..wizard she
supposedly loved.� Weak..
She was weak and debauched.� A ruined
thing seduced all too easily by power and strength.�

The thought terrified her that she might, in time, come to respond just as
favourably to Grindelwald himself.�� If it was really true that the nature
of...of.. creatures like
herself..was to gravitate and offer affection to the
strongest sexually compatible user of magic in their vicinity.

He was still touching her..� � but then, she could hardly demand he stop.� She had no idea what he might do if she did,
but it wasn�t likely to be pleasant.

And ...it wasn�t entirely unbearable, the way he was stroking and petting
her.� Far less
excruciating than the cruciatus.�
Much less awful than a lot of other things he could do.

The reasoning felt uncomfortably familiar to her now.
�I must
thank you� Grindelwald informed her with muted
amusement.� �It has been ...many...many
years that I have known my good friend Uriel and
never before have I succeeded in bringing him to kneel for me.� Never have I had an object or threat powerful
enough to force his hand.� Yet this very
morning he came to me, weak with the need to have you for his own.�

Grindelwald must have interpreted Hermione�s shock as
fear since he reassured her at once, a dark smile curving his lips,� �He never shall of
course.� No.. on the contrary � he too belongs to me now.� For the chance to drink from you, I can ask of him what I will.� It is satisfying to finally own something I
have sought for so long.� To reduce a
vampire Ducat to a pet dog

It seems Albus may have been not so great a fool after
all.�
The thin
needles of unease that had been skating up and down Hermione�s spine deepened
as she blinked up at the dangerous man in confusion.� What did he mean about professor
Dumbledore?!��
The
blonde man smiled and chuckled at her apparent disturbance.� His blonde curls shook slightly around his
face.� It was not at all boyish and cute.� Gellert Grindelwald was not attractive in a roguish,� charming way.� He was horrid and he had her at his
mercy.� End of debate.
�Why his constant �love, love, love� of course.� Do not tell me that Albus has not treated you
to one of his inspiring speeches on the power that weakness offers?!� As it turns out.. we have both been right, though he does not see it that way
of course.��

The wizard flashed a debonair smile.

�Albus has always preached that a softer hand was better than a forceful
one.� He believes that most people are
good.. that they want a reason to help and will do whatever
is asked of them in order to spare others discomfort.� He believes...�� Grindelwald
hesitated and his expression softened further as if he were thinking fondly of
something.� �He believes that fate pays
all debts eventually and that I should, if only for reasons of self interest,
treat the world with more...care.�
Hermione
blinked, wondering exactly how this aspect of her former professor�s belief
system dovetailed with his treatment of Harry.

Or Tom, for that matter.�

Dumbledore hadn�t paid very much at all for the years of suffering Harry had
endured, in her opinion.� The killing
curse was a pretty humane way to go, in contrast with the alternatives
available.� He�d gotten off lightly.�

Grindelwald continued, heedless of her slight
frown.�
�And in a
sense.. I now see he was right.� My generosity toward
you has brought me so many rewards.�
Rewards I would not have gained, if I had taken a harsher hand in
acquiring you.� Albus advocates
sacrificing, in order to reap � and I see now that sometimes sacrifice can be
of benefit.�
It was
automatic to ask what exactly Grindelwald thought
he�d �sacrificed�.� She didn�t manage to
bite the words off before they�d leapt from her mouth in a dubious disapproving
tone.�

Astoundingly enough, this only seemed to amuse the dark wizard more and he
smiled broadly, flashing smooth white teeth at her as he shifted on the bed
next to her, moving even closer.
�You are
still so fiery.� It is astounding.� I wonder whether you are hoping to provoke my anger.�
The things I have learned from your little halfblood
master seem to suggest you enjoy firm discipline.� He was not very eager to talk with me in the
beginning but I think we are coming to understand each other much better now.�
Tom!� Hermione gasped as the anxious thought flew
once again to the front of her mind, accompanied by constant companions � guilt
and self recrimination.�

�What have you done to him?!� You said
you wouldn�t hurt him!� Please!� I have to-�
The
disturbing evaporation of every trace of warmth in Grindelwald�s
blue eyes stopped her mid sentence.� It
was automatic to lower her gaze and cower submissively.� That expression, in all its variants, she had
seen quite often in the past � most frequently on Voldemort�s face, although Harry and Rodolphus
had given passable variants also.�

�Sorry.� She mumbled.� �Sorry.� I...didn�t mean..�
Two warm
fingers beneath her chin tilted her face back toward the imposing
dictator.�

�You should appreciate my generosity, Maia.�
I have many reasons to be harsh with you.� Do not...as they say..
press your luck.�
She shook
her head quickly.� No.� She wouldn�t.�
She�d be better.� There was no
need for anyone to be harsh with
anyone else.�
�I have
given up much to possess you� Grindelwald continued
with narrowed eyes. �I have sacrificed.. and I have been...kind;.. even gentle..in my treatment of you.��
I am pleased with the rewards that it has brought me. For this reason I
will forgive your thoughtless words yet again.��
In possessing you, I have been gifted with much.� I have won a stronger alliance with the
vampires and now, I find, several of the most influential British pureblood
lines are urgently seeking to form alliances with me in the interests of
preserving the sanity of their offspring.�
You have brought an old friend back to me, and gifted me with an
entertaining new toy.� This...magnetism.. you are cursed with may prove
very useful to me I think.�

The faint smile on the man�s face was more frightening than anything that Voldemort
or Lucius had managed.� It was on a par with Snape..
or even Harry, Hermione thought.�
�I am.. disappointed.. that you are so debased.�
So..
easily awakened to the touch of any wizard.� It changes
matters somewhat.�

I cannot present you now to my followers, as I had intended...� cannot have you as I would have preferred �
on my arm to the jealousy of all others.�
No.. that would be inadvisable.�
This I am assured by Albus, Uriel and your little halfblood.
The
wizard�s expression, which had been pensive grew darker � a slight flare to the
nostrils, as his eyes narrowed further.

But what they all counsel is not
enough.� I will not have you always as
a...a... schmutziges Geheimnis.. a dirty secret.� I will not be
creeping around my own domain like a thief.
The
piercing blue eyes flicked to her own abruptly and she
felt pinned in place like a butterfly on a board.
�You will
cooperate with me fully, Maia.�� More than a trace of German accent was
slipping into the growl and for a brief disorienting moment, Hermione was again
abruptly reminded that Grindelwald had been reputed,
in history texts, to have had some kind of guiding influence on the Nazi regime
in Germany during his own campaign.�
�I will
discover the root of this influence � its parameters
� and a way will be found to control it.�
It will not control me!�� The last was more a snarl than a growl.� Hermione struggled not to shrink back from
the man when, disturbingly, all of his anger faded abruptly and was replaced by
a thin smile.�

�We will begin experimenting today.�
After breakfast, I think.�� A warmth entered the smile, however it didn�t transform it
into anything that could be regarded as comforting.�

�It may be...uncomfortable...for you � for us both perhaps.� However
nothing I will require of you will harm you.�
You will see � I will help
you, Maia.�
He was
going to experiment on her?!� On the influence she had on others?� How exactly?!�

The thought filled her mind suddenly � there were actually only very few ways
she could imagine anyone possibly experimenting with the effects of what
equated to a lust potion.

He was going to force her to affect test subjects.. and then what?!�� How far would he require
her to go, to determine the �parameters�, as he put it, of the influence?!!�
At her
wide-eyed silence, he reached out again to stroke her face.� At this she did flinch back and his smile faltered slightly.
�Please..� she whispered.� �Please...don�t.��
Don�t do...whatever you�re planning on doing to me!� I�ll..� I...�� petering out at the absence of any
idea what to promise when her obedience was exactly what she didn�t want to
give.�
�Hush,
Maia� he said in a much softer tone.� �You
cannot know how your reluctance reassures me.�
Do not fear, my flower.� I will
find a heilmittel for this affliction and then you
will no longer need to think on it again.�
Come � get up now and ready yourself for the day.�
When she
didn�t appear reassured in the slightest, he continued, with obvious
reluctance.
��If you promise to be good and to try to do as
I ask of you � I...will allow you to visit with the boy before we begin...�
This
galvanised her, finally, into coherent response.�

�for how long?��
Alone?�
Is he alright?!� What have you
done to-�
�Do not
make me regret the offer, Maia.� Get up
now.� You will see him � You will not be alone with him and we will
discuss it no more.�

*#*#*#*

He was so
damn... understanding..� and patient.�� She was going mad.��

Every time she turned around he was there with some gift or some gentle word,
offering her some pretty distraction and then leaving her in peace again.��
Hermione
raised the paint brush and placed a long daub of cadmium yellow that neither
enhanced nor destroyed the utterly talentless canvas she was pissing away paint
upon.�

She couldn�t paint.� She had never had an
artistic flair..� or a poetic flair.� She never wanted to learn to embroider or to
make origami swans that flapped their wings.�
While she could do the latter,
the achievement of which seemed to her to be mainly procedural in nature� - the former were,
she was quite certain in the meantime, just beyond her.

The bright glassy atrium around her simply screamed perfect �painting studio�,
just as the many other rooms that had been gifted to her were ideal music
suites, meditation chambers, observatories, herb gardens, etcetera etcetera ad nauseum
Draco was
almost faultless in his �devotion� � he had been for months now.�� Aside from the
occasional kiss or lingering touch, he hadn�t tried in the slightest to draw
her into intimacy with him.� She was beginning
to find it insulting.�� Worse � it made
her feel guilty.� He gave her so much..� and
she still stiffened when he embraced her.

She couldn�t help it, somehow.� The guilt
of spurning the silver eyed wizard was like the light from a distant star in
comparison with the roaring crackling molten heart of the sun that was her
guilt at desiring him when she had
done nothing...nothing to try to
restore the Dark Lord... or to find Rodolphus, at the
very least.
She
swiped another brushstroke listlessly and flinched as Mirrow
pounced and sent something clattering down to the ground in the back of the
room somewhere.� There was the soft
liquid sound of liquid spilling and glugging thickly onto a surface and Hermione
ducked her head even further, cringing and hoping that it hadn�t been some
priceless heirloom that had just been irreparably destroyed.�

The kneazel padded serenely across the room to
her.� She didn�t turn at his approach but
had to look when he wound himself around her leg wetly.
Blue.�

He was blue.� �
Gah!!!�� Damn
it!� She turned to find the clear track
of blue pawprints winding over the polished oak floor
toward her.� A large blue puddle was
spreading out from a tin on the floor at the base of the...white.. well.. now
mostly white.. marble..
decorative fireplace..

There was a long mark which seemed to suggest the kneazel
had actually dragged the upturned
paint tin somehow, presumably in order to purposely maximise the damage.

Fantastic.
Mirrow seemed to smirk up at her.
�Oh!� Oh!�
Oh! Oh what is Master being saying when he
finds out?! Oh!� Nettie is a bad house
elf for letting Masters house be made blue!!�
Hermione
sighed softly.� Dealing with house elves
these days always left her feeling just a little bit irritable.�� It wasn�t the fault of the poor things
themselves, but she ended up, no matter what she did, with a sense of
futility.� House elves could not or did
not want to see that they were exploited and didn�t need to behave as they did.� She had given up on trying to
bolster their egos because it generally achieved the opposite
effect.�� So now, as the wailing and
gushing and miserable blaring honking sobs started up, she placed her brush
down and wearily ordered nettie
to fetch the slipper.

The dread slipper of corporal punishment.� It grated against her every single time she
did this � and yet... not to punish
the elf would invariably mean that nettie would go
and punish herself in some godawful manner far worse
than anything the Marquis de sade could dream up, and
Hermione would feel even worse.�

The three token swats with the slipper on the small uniformed elf�s behind were administered briskly and she was then
perfunctorily �forgiven� and dismissed.�
Her bright shining eyes were pathetically awe filled as she beamed up at
Hermione wetly, profusely thanking her before she disapparated.
�You did
that on purpose� she sniped at the kneazel � which
was now miraculously paint free and preening its long whiskers in self
satisfaction.
�mrrrrow?� it ventured with a look
that she was certain Voldemort himself would wear if he were ever reincarnated
in feline form.�
�Don�t
torment the house elves Mirrow � go outside and play
or something.�
The cat
smirked again and rubbed itself against her ankle affectionately � as much to
say that it wouldn�t be going anywhere as to subtly emphasise exactly who
dictated to whom here.

Yes.� More and more she was coming to
think that cats of all descriptions and dark wizarding Lords might have many
things in common.
�I�m not
sure about the canvas, but I love what you�ve done with the decor�
She
smiled faintly.�� Draco.� His warm presence approached and for a moment
as his fingers traced up her arms and he leaned closer to press warm lips to
the side of her neck, - for a moment
she could almost give herself over to the sensation.. before
the automatic guilt reaction flashed through her.� She stiffened and he drew back wordlessly,
moving around her to stand before her, a soft smile undiminished on his
face.�

Her brows furrowed slightly and she felt that fainter guilt stir within her
chest but he half shook his head and only reached to brush aside a thick curl
of her hair.
�We�ve
discussed this, Hermione.� Never..never.. feel that you have to do
anything for me.� You have no
obligation.� I am pleased just to be able
to speak with you.. to be
around you when you allow it.� If my
affection makes you uncomfortable � you only have to say the word and I will
restrain myself.�

she swallowed at the thought, catching Draco�s silvery
grey eyes following the movement of her throat
�No..� she countered just slightly too quickly.� �No.. it�s...you know it�s not that.� You.. you don�t have
to..um..�

blushing redly, she trailed off, hoping that he would
get the point.�
Draco
smiled and there was the barest edge of superiority to it, gone before she
could really pin it down.�

�If that�s the way it is � I should tell you that we�ll be dancing like this
forever unless you show me what you want from me.� I won�t press my suit with you, Hermione.� When you are ready, - if you ever feel that you are ready � this-� he
gestured between them vaguely �-will be at your
speed.� Always what you desire and no
further... �
Frowning
slightly, she turned back to the canvas on which a child�s impression of the
lilies in the vase on the piano was daubed.�
Why did Draco have to be so bloody chivalrous these days?!� Why couldn�t he have just a little bit of his father in him.� She wouldn�t
feel so guilty if she had no choice.

The thought was appalling that she might prefer to be helpless and she
discarded it immediately, taking a deep breath.�

She was not weak.�

She wasn�t!
�Have you
found out anything about Rodolphus yet?�
Draco�s
posture did not change at all and yet she had the bizarre impression in her
peripheral vision that there was something defensive in his stance now.
�Unfortunately
not... but i�ll keep up enquiries, obviously...�� he paused.� The silence was somehow heavier.� When he spoke again, his voice was softer,
more hesitant.

�Hermione...� it�s been..
a long time
since you...� correcting himself absently he tried again �I know it hasn�t
seemed very long to you.. but for the rest of us it
has been many years since the Dark Lord fell...�� What i�m trying to
say is that I�m not sure Lestrange is even alive.. or .. undead..
or whatever vampires are.� There was a ministry purge of dark creatures
several years ago and, really, I haven�t heard from him since the turning of
the era.�� It�s possible he perished.. or left the country.� Surely � if he were around, he would have
detected your waking and come to search you out.� It has been almost half a year since you
woke, you know, and I have been trying to-�
�Just...
just keep looking, ok??�� she interrupted, hating the tight, high, pinched sound in
her voice.� �Please, Draco?�

Rodolphus couldn�t be dead.� He wasn�t dead.� They were all
dead.� Tom and Severus
and Harry and Lucius.� Rodolphus was alive
somewhere.� He had to be.� She was sure she would feel different if he
was gone.� She would just know.�
Draco wasn�t looking properly.� He
probably wasn�t looking at all.� He
didn�t want to find Rodolphus, for obvious
reasons.� But if she just kept asking.. maybe?

Or else she�d have to try to leave and search on her own.� Draco might try to stop her from finding him.

Draco might try to stop her from leaving,
irrespective what he kept saying about how much he loved her and how he would
never force her to do anything.�

And if she were to give in to the loneliness she was feeling and return his
little affections, no doubt it would be even more unlikely that he�d let her
go.�
The
disappointed hurt that flashed quickly through the grey eyes did not escape her
and she turned away still more, trying to tamp down the flaring guilt.� It seemed that guilt was all there was these
days.� Guilt at
treating Draco so coldly when he did so
much for her.� All he asked of her
was the chance to see her � to speak with her, if only for a few minutes each
day.� He didn�t even sleep next to her
anymore � although she found herself wishing he were there when she slipped
between warm satin sheets in her beautiful room.� She missed him.��

He had said that it was too difficult to be so close to her and not want to be
closer still.� He had said that he didn�t
want to forget himself in the midst of some dream and abuse her trust.
�Draco...
I...� I�m..� she
mumbled unhappily.� The apology sounded
so flimsy in her mind.
�No..�� It�s fine� he stopped her, the emotion drained from his
voice again.� �I�ll find him.� If he is out there, i�ll
turn over every rock until he�s found.�
Don�t worry.�� I�ll see...� -Will you
be joining me for dinner this evening??�

He almost sounded casual.� The vibrato of
anxiety nearly subsumed beneath his polished exterior.
�Yes.� Yes, I�ll come down� she reassured him and
felt another wave of guilty longing when the relief twitched the tightness from
his brow.� He started to turn away and
leave her to her painting.

�Draco...�
Half
turning, raw hope shone in his silvery eyes.�
She felt
something clench and begin to fray inside her.�
Before she could think better of it she took the two steps toward him
and curled herself into him in a hug that soon became a limpet cling.�

It felt so good.� So
warm.� Even
better when his arms enfolded her gently.� Turning her head she pressed her face into
the curve of his neck, inhaling that familiar delicious scent that was
inherently Draco � always there beneath the various expensive aftershaves he
favoured.�

�I�m sorry i�m so horrible� she mumbled, aware that
she sounded like a child and unable to find the words to say what she was
feeling in a more eloquent manner.�
The slow
shake of his head was felt.� �Hermione.. You couldn�t be horrible if you tried� he whispered.� �I�ve missed you.�� So much...�
She drew
back at the unexpected thick, choked, sound in his voice, just in time to feel
a hot droplet hit her cheek.�� Draco�s
red rimmed eyes darted away as if in shame to be caught in such a pitiful
display of emotion.�� His lips started to
part in a word that she could see
would be an apology.

And the clenched thing inside her heart frayed and snapped.�

�No.� Don�t!� she blurted. �Don�t say
it.� I�ve missed you too.� I miss
you.� Draco � i�m
sorry.� I didn�t want to hurt you.� I�m so sorry!!�

And then her lips were on his, competing in their desperation with Draco�s own
as they kissed like creatures possessed � like lovers who might never have
another chance to taste the other�s sweetness.
It was
salty with their combined tears and it was not at all refined as they groped and explored one another blindly.� Draco tugging her, his hands still roving
over her body in starved delight, toward the door and, she imagined -� beyond, to the stairs and onward to the
bedroom.�� No.� that would take far
too long.� She countermanded that
direction, digging in her heels and simply beginning to unclothe him where they
stood.� He did not hesitate once he
realised her intent and soon they were entwined on the polished hardwood floor,
their robes hanging on them, snagging and wrapping around them as they
struggled to remove every barrier between their bodies.�

�
�
��

Author note.
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Precious Mudblood