The Bracelet, Chapter 50
Title: The Bracelet
Author: AkashaTheKitty
Characters: Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Pansy Parkinson, Ron Weasley, Theodore Nott (whew)
Genres: Drama, Friendship, Hogwarts Years, Humor, Romance
Warnings: HBP Spoilers, although slightly incompatible.
Overall Rating: R
Summary: Hermione is a stuck-up know-it-all; Draco is a sadistic prat; Theo has a scary way of knowing everything; Harry is too busy with his girlfriend and his hero status to pay much attention; Ginny really isn't very interested in anyone beyond Harry but unfortunately does pay attention; Pansy wants what's hers; Ron doesn't know how to get what's his; and Blaise definitely has both his hands in the cookie jar. Or maybe that's not how it is at all...
Hermione slowly shook her head, staring incredulously at Draco. He could almost feel her mind working; he didn’t need a bond for that. “Someone must have told you. Was it V-“ She bit her lip before she could finish the sentence.
“Was it who?” he asked in a deadly calm voice, willing her to give him a girl’s name.
She shook her head. “No, he wouldn’t have told you.”
“He? He who?” He couldn’t believe how important it was for him to know so he could strangle the guy for touching the girl he wanted for himself.
“Are you jealous?” she innocently asked. “Tell me how you know about my birthmark and I might let you know.”
“I told you… I’ve seen you.”
“When? Where? How?”
“Fourth year. Third floor bathroom. There’s a hole in the wall concealed behind one of the trophies in the Trophy Room. Gives a really good view.”
“You spied on me?”
“Oh, not just you. A whole lot of girls. And I wasn’t the only one doing it either.”
“So others have seen me naked too?”
“I doubt it. You didn’t usually use that bath, did you? I’d been doing it for months and never saw you before. Your turn.”
“So you were alone?” she asked, ignoring his question.
“Yeah. And only saw you that one time.”
“Yet you remember my birthmark.” He could feel her skepticism radiating off her.
He shrugged, smiling a bit sheepishly. “It made an impression to suddenly find that I was looking at Potter’s little Mu-ggleborn friend in the nude, didn’t it? Scared the hell out of me to be frank.”
“Oh, my! You sure know how to make a girl feel beautiful!” she drily commented.
He shrugged. The reason it had scared the hell out of him was because he’d felt an attraction to her in the seconds before he realized who she was. He’d spent ages punishing himself for the transgression. Eventually, he’d been able to remind himself that she was only to be despised, but he’d never dared go back to the Trophy Room after that. “Now tell me… who else has seen you naked?” he asked, changing the subject back to what really interested him. If it were more than one, he might have to go on a murdering rampage, possibly enlisting Blaise to help him find the most inventive ways.
“You are jealous!” She looked stunned.
“I would just like to know how often you seduce blokes,” he bitterly replied, hating that she was right and that he had no right to be jealous. “You know, to see how idiotic it was of me to hold back so you wouldn’t end up regretting it later.”
Her lips thinned in annoyance. “I’d say fairly idiotic,” she said. “Especially considering that I didn’t want you to.”
“Did you sleep with this ‘V’?”
“Did you want to be the first?” she taunted crawling up his length on the bed. “Trust me, first times aren’t all that… or so they say.”
He had never really thought about it; he had never thought he’d be in a position where thinking about it would yield any results. He guessed he’d never even considered that she wouldn’t be a virgin. She had never seemed to be serious about anyone, and he’d just never thought she’d take things like this lightly. She was far too… sensible… for that. Then again, he’d never thought she would come at him with such determination, either.
Right now, she was pretty much treating him like a toy boy, and he couldn’t figure out whether it was a good or a bad thing. He wanted to do this, he really did, except… she was acting so different, so purposeful, in a way that seemed alien to him. Maybe he should just shut up and enjoy what was given freely, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
“Stop that,” she purred in his ear. She was on all fours, straddling his hip and just to be near her felt so… She nipped at his earlobe and he forgot what he was thinking. “You can’t hide it from me,” she whispered. “You want me. It feels so good… Why not just give in?”
He yanked her down and rolled her over, covering her mouth with his. He wanted to do this so badly, he’d wanted it every minute of every hour of every day for weeks now. He’d never thought he’d have it - he’d never thought he’d have her. He probably still didn’t have it, not really. But if she wanted to share this with him, who was he to decline?
Heat flared and consumed. Hermione’s skin was warm to the touch and smooth, so smooth. He couldn’t get enough. He felt her open his shirt and he drew back a little to allow her better room. “I want you so much…” It was barely more than a pained whisper.
“I know,” she purred with a smile, sliding the last button free. “I want you too.”
To hear her say that she wanted him was enough to make him feel euphoric. She would be his. She wouldn’t regret it. He’d make sure that she’d get everything she wanted from him, and he wouldn’t demand anything she couldn’t give. Surely she wouldn’t regret it then?
She pushed the cloth to the side and then stopped, looking at the scar near his collarbone.
“I told you it was nothing special,” he murmured, feeling strangely exposed.
She shook her head. “But it is.” She lifted her head and pressed a kiss to it.
He shivered. Just that small gesture… It made him want to do the same for her again a thousand times over. He smiled at the absurdity. The smile quickly faded, though, as she began tracing the scar with her tongue. This witch was dangerous.
She smiled. “I never knew you reacted so strongly to everything.”
He grunted some reply and then kissed her again. He needed her so badly. He couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but kiss her and touch her. He pushed the strap of her bra to the side as he was kissing down her neck, wondering if it bothered her that he was going so fast but he just couldn’t stop. He needed her.
She whimpered in answer to the need. He didn’t know if it was his or hers anymore… it was theirs. It was this great pulsing force that would settle for nothing less than complete surrender. He was willing to give it; he was willing to give his soul for this.
“Draco…” she whispered, a plea in her eyes.
He knew what she needed. She needed the same as he did - release. Soon, they would have it.
He gently shushed her, offering her slow caresses of his hands and lips. Soon… but why was something nagging at the back of his mind? Why was he hesitating? Something made him draw back and look at her.
He looked into her eyes. They were almost pained, mirroring his own need. His need. The need she had never seemed to reciprocate before.
‘These… feelings… they affect me. I mean, right now I can feel both yours and mine, and I don’t really know which are yours and which are mine.’
The realization hit him like a Bludger, and he felt hard-pressed to breathe. Every time she had reacted with need it had directly mirrored his own feelings. She couldn’t separate them; she couldn’t say no because the bracelet made her think that she didn’t want to.
Maybe she can say no and she does want to… Maybe you’re just afraid.
No, he knew it with every fiber of his being. She didn’t want this. She only thought she did because his desire to kiss and touch and possess her was so all-consuming that she couldn’t tell that it wasn’t her own. She thought she liked his touch, because he loved touching her. He’d known that the bond affected her, of course, but he just hadn’t considered that it would completely override anything that she herself felt.
He felt a wave of nausea as he realized that everything that had happened today had not been real. It had been nothing but a fantasy. His fantasy. She had almost been a victim to this damn bracelet and its magic. This wasn’t how he wanted her. He had been about to rape her for crying out loud. None of them would have known, but that was really the only way he could describe it. This was so much worse than her being a little tipsy. At least then she had had some say in the matter.
The implications of everything he had allowed to happen, not to mention what he almost allowed to happen, had him shivering with self-disgust and… heartbreak. For a while, he’d actually believed that she had enjoyed kissing him. He’d believed that she might not care about him, but at least he could make her feel something, a strong physical desire that might one day turn into… something. Now that was gone too.
“What is it?” she asked, concern flickering in her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You have to believe that I didn’t know. You have to.”
“Didn’t know what? You’re not making any sense again,” she quietly said, touching his cheek.
He closed his eyes, not knowing how to say this. “I-I wouldn’t have touched you and taken advantage of you like this if I had known,” he stammered. “I stopped as soon as I found out, I swear. I know that you probably would have rather never had my hands on you, but… I honestly thought you wanted this. It was my mistake for not seeing it sooner, but please… don’t think I did it on purpose.”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded, her patience sorely tested and worry taking over. Worry about him no doubt. It made something twist inside of him.
He lowered his eyes, just to realize it was better to avert them altogether and moved away from her. “It’s going to sound strange,” he muttered. “But you don’t really want this. It’s me, I want it. And the bracelet… I don’t know if the feeling is just too strong to handle when you aren’t used to it or if it really is designed by someone who thought it fine to turn your wife into some sort of sex slave.” He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. The disappointment was crushing him and he cursed his ancestors for not preparing him better. There had been references to sex with the emotional link open, yes, but it had just said it had been a fantastic experience… not that it was a way to get an unwilling witch into bed. “We can’t do this, Hermione. It has to stop. I’m sorry I took it this far.”
“You’re dumb if you really believe that,” Hermione said, sitting up. She was angry and hurt at what she seemed to think was rejection. “I know what I want. But it’s becoming rather clear that you don’t really want this. Why don’t you just show some courage for once and admit it!”
“I can prove it!” he roughly said.
She crossed her arms. “Then please do. I’m waiting.”
He swiftly bent to steal another very chaste kiss from her. It would be the last. “Just remember that I didn’t know and that I did stop before it went too far,” he whispered.
And then, knowing she would resist him taking off the bracelet, he yanked off his ring.
The slam of pure nothing was as devastating as it always was, but he knew she wouldn’t feel it like that. She would just feel a return of her sanity. After steadying himself as well as he could after the loss of her emotions, he chanced a look over at her.
Her eyes were wide and she slowly moved a hand up before her mouth. But it was the look in her eyes that almost broke him - it was sheer and utter horror.
“No, Hermione,” he begged, not sure what he was begging for. He supposed it was for her not to hate him.
She blinked a few times and then jerked and looked down at her own disheveled state, before jumping up and scrambling for her discarded piece of clothing.
“I didn’t know,” he tried again. “I didn’t know it would work like that.”
Having finally covered herself up, she held up her hand to cut him off. “Don’t,” she hissed. “You knew. You just couldn’t go through with it. You’re every bit as vile as I used to think.”
“No!” He was rapidly panicking. “I swear, I didn’t know!”
“You know everything this thing does and then suddenly you don’t know about this? Really smooth, Malfoy. You made it around just about every clause of the contract by now, didn’t you? This was your grand finale, then? Completely humiliating me?”
He didn’t have an answer. She didn’t believe him. And saying that he thought she’d wanted it… it just sounded so stupid now. Of course she hadn’t wanted any of it. She had never wanted it before, and then suddenly she threw himself at him, begging him and seducing him? He knew it was absurd. He had known something had been wrong all along - he had just wanted it too much to really stop and think. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, lowering his eyes. He’d tried to show her his pain, but she still didn’t believe him. No need to let her see that he was actually close to tears now.
“You’re sorry?” she yelled. “It’s not fine to just take what you want when there’s other people involved! You’re nothing but a spoiled little rich child.”
This was too much for him to take. She was being unfair. He had held back, hadn’t he? He had tried to do the right thing and ultimately he had done the right thing without sullying her pristine self with more than a few kisses and touches. Nothing she couldn’t easily forget if she tried, he was sure.
“I stopped!” he shouted back. “I could have gotten a hell of a lot more from you with a hell of a lot less effort than this, but I stopped. Why can’t you just believe me?”
She took one big step towards him and then slapped him with all her might. He saw it coming but didn’t stop her. If it made her feel better, then, by all means, she could pummel him to a bloody pulp. It wouldn’t make any difference to how he felt. He was quite surprised that she didn’t try to hex him. If he had still been wearing the ring, she wouldn’t have been able to, but as it was, she could cause him any kind of pain without any repercussions. But then again… he couldn’t even imagine her causing greater pain to him.
She believed him nothing but a weak would-be rapist and nothing she could do to him would ever top how that felt.
“You’re despicable!” she spat, and then she turned on her heel and left the room.
Draco was left with a much bigger void in both heart and soul than ever before.
It took him several minutes to even remember that he hadn’t actually removed her bracelet for her yet. The irony made him laugh. It was a strange and humorless sound.
Author: AkashaTheKitty
Characters: Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Pansy Parkinson, Ron Weasley, Theodore Nott (whew)
Genres: Drama, Friendship, Hogwarts Years, Humor, Romance
Warnings: HBP Spoilers, although slightly incompatible.
Overall Rating: R
Summary: Hermione is a stuck-up know-it-all; Draco is a sadistic prat; Theo has a scary way of knowing everything; Harry is too busy with his girlfriend and his hero status to pay much attention; Ginny really isn't very interested in anyone beyond Harry but unfortunately does pay attention; Pansy wants what's hers; Ron doesn't know how to get what's his; and Blaise definitely has both his hands in the cookie jar. Or maybe that's not how it is at all...
Hermione slowly shook her head, staring incredulously at Draco. He could almost feel her mind working; he didn’t need a bond for that. “Someone must have told you. Was it V-“ She bit her lip before she could finish the sentence.
“Was it who?” he asked in a deadly calm voice, willing her to give him a girl’s name.
She shook her head. “No, he wouldn’t have told you.”
“He? He who?” He couldn’t believe how important it was for him to know so he could strangle the guy for touching the girl he wanted for himself.
“Are you jealous?” she innocently asked. “Tell me how you know about my birthmark and I might let you know.”
“I told you… I’ve seen you.”
“When? Where? How?”
“Fourth year. Third floor bathroom. There’s a hole in the wall concealed behind one of the trophies in the Trophy Room. Gives a really good view.”
“You spied on me?”
“Oh, not just you. A whole lot of girls. And I wasn’t the only one doing it either.”
“So others have seen me naked too?”
“I doubt it. You didn’t usually use that bath, did you? I’d been doing it for months and never saw you before. Your turn.”
“So you were alone?” she asked, ignoring his question.
“Yeah. And only saw you that one time.”
“Yet you remember my birthmark.” He could feel her skepticism radiating off her.
He shrugged, smiling a bit sheepishly. “It made an impression to suddenly find that I was looking at Potter’s little Mu-ggleborn friend in the nude, didn’t it? Scared the hell out of me to be frank.”
“Oh, my! You sure know how to make a girl feel beautiful!” she drily commented.
He shrugged. The reason it had scared the hell out of him was because he’d felt an attraction to her in the seconds before he realized who she was. He’d spent ages punishing himself for the transgression. Eventually, he’d been able to remind himself that she was only to be despised, but he’d never dared go back to the Trophy Room after that. “Now tell me… who else has seen you naked?” he asked, changing the subject back to what really interested him. If it were more than one, he might have to go on a murdering rampage, possibly enlisting Blaise to help him find the most inventive ways.
“You are jealous!” She looked stunned.
“I would just like to know how often you seduce blokes,” he bitterly replied, hating that she was right and that he had no right to be jealous. “You know, to see how idiotic it was of me to hold back so you wouldn’t end up regretting it later.”
Her lips thinned in annoyance. “I’d say fairly idiotic,” she said. “Especially considering that I didn’t want you to.”
“Did you sleep with this ‘V’?”
“Did you want to be the first?” she taunted crawling up his length on the bed. “Trust me, first times aren’t all that… or so they say.”
He had never really thought about it; he had never thought he’d be in a position where thinking about it would yield any results. He guessed he’d never even considered that she wouldn’t be a virgin. She had never seemed to be serious about anyone, and he’d just never thought she’d take things like this lightly. She was far too… sensible… for that. Then again, he’d never thought she would come at him with such determination, either.
Right now, she was pretty much treating him like a toy boy, and he couldn’t figure out whether it was a good or a bad thing. He wanted to do this, he really did, except… she was acting so different, so purposeful, in a way that seemed alien to him. Maybe he should just shut up and enjoy what was given freely, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
“Stop that,” she purred in his ear. She was on all fours, straddling his hip and just to be near her felt so… She nipped at his earlobe and he forgot what he was thinking. “You can’t hide it from me,” she whispered. “You want me. It feels so good… Why not just give in?”
He yanked her down and rolled her over, covering her mouth with his. He wanted to do this so badly, he’d wanted it every minute of every hour of every day for weeks now. He’d never thought he’d have it - he’d never thought he’d have her. He probably still didn’t have it, not really. But if she wanted to share this with him, who was he to decline?
Heat flared and consumed. Hermione’s skin was warm to the touch and smooth, so smooth. He couldn’t get enough. He felt her open his shirt and he drew back a little to allow her better room. “I want you so much…” It was barely more than a pained whisper.
“I know,” she purred with a smile, sliding the last button free. “I want you too.”
To hear her say that she wanted him was enough to make him feel euphoric. She would be his. She wouldn’t regret it. He’d make sure that she’d get everything she wanted from him, and he wouldn’t demand anything she couldn’t give. Surely she wouldn’t regret it then?
She pushed the cloth to the side and then stopped, looking at the scar near his collarbone.
“I told you it was nothing special,” he murmured, feeling strangely exposed.
She shook her head. “But it is.” She lifted her head and pressed a kiss to it.
He shivered. Just that small gesture… It made him want to do the same for her again a thousand times over. He smiled at the absurdity. The smile quickly faded, though, as she began tracing the scar with her tongue. This witch was dangerous.
She smiled. “I never knew you reacted so strongly to everything.”
He grunted some reply and then kissed her again. He needed her so badly. He couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but kiss her and touch her. He pushed the strap of her bra to the side as he was kissing down her neck, wondering if it bothered her that he was going so fast but he just couldn’t stop. He needed her.
She whimpered in answer to the need. He didn’t know if it was his or hers anymore… it was theirs. It was this great pulsing force that would settle for nothing less than complete surrender. He was willing to give it; he was willing to give his soul for this.
“Draco…” she whispered, a plea in her eyes.
He knew what she needed. She needed the same as he did - release. Soon, they would have it.
He gently shushed her, offering her slow caresses of his hands and lips. Soon… but why was something nagging at the back of his mind? Why was he hesitating? Something made him draw back and look at her.
He looked into her eyes. They were almost pained, mirroring his own need. His need. The need she had never seemed to reciprocate before.
‘These… feelings… they affect me. I mean, right now I can feel both yours and mine, and I don’t really know which are yours and which are mine.’
The realization hit him like a Bludger, and he felt hard-pressed to breathe. Every time she had reacted with need it had directly mirrored his own feelings. She couldn’t separate them; she couldn’t say no because the bracelet made her think that she didn’t want to.
Maybe she can say no and she does want to… Maybe you’re just afraid.
No, he knew it with every fiber of his being. She didn’t want this. She only thought she did because his desire to kiss and touch and possess her was so all-consuming that she couldn’t tell that it wasn’t her own. She thought she liked his touch, because he loved touching her. He’d known that the bond affected her, of course, but he just hadn’t considered that it would completely override anything that she herself felt.
He felt a wave of nausea as he realized that everything that had happened today had not been real. It had been nothing but a fantasy. His fantasy. She had almost been a victim to this damn bracelet and its magic. This wasn’t how he wanted her. He had been about to rape her for crying out loud. None of them would have known, but that was really the only way he could describe it. This was so much worse than her being a little tipsy. At least then she had had some say in the matter.
The implications of everything he had allowed to happen, not to mention what he almost allowed to happen, had him shivering with self-disgust and… heartbreak. For a while, he’d actually believed that she had enjoyed kissing him. He’d believed that she might not care about him, but at least he could make her feel something, a strong physical desire that might one day turn into… something. Now that was gone too.
“What is it?” she asked, concern flickering in her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You have to believe that I didn’t know. You have to.”
“Didn’t know what? You’re not making any sense again,” she quietly said, touching his cheek.
He closed his eyes, not knowing how to say this. “I-I wouldn’t have touched you and taken advantage of you like this if I had known,” he stammered. “I stopped as soon as I found out, I swear. I know that you probably would have rather never had my hands on you, but… I honestly thought you wanted this. It was my mistake for not seeing it sooner, but please… don’t think I did it on purpose.”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded, her patience sorely tested and worry taking over. Worry about him no doubt. It made something twist inside of him.
He lowered his eyes, just to realize it was better to avert them altogether and moved away from her. “It’s going to sound strange,” he muttered. “But you don’t really want this. It’s me, I want it. And the bracelet… I don’t know if the feeling is just too strong to handle when you aren’t used to it or if it really is designed by someone who thought it fine to turn your wife into some sort of sex slave.” He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. The disappointment was crushing him and he cursed his ancestors for not preparing him better. There had been references to sex with the emotional link open, yes, but it had just said it had been a fantastic experience… not that it was a way to get an unwilling witch into bed. “We can’t do this, Hermione. It has to stop. I’m sorry I took it this far.”
“You’re dumb if you really believe that,” Hermione said, sitting up. She was angry and hurt at what she seemed to think was rejection. “I know what I want. But it’s becoming rather clear that you don’t really want this. Why don’t you just show some courage for once and admit it!”
“I can prove it!” he roughly said.
She crossed her arms. “Then please do. I’m waiting.”
He swiftly bent to steal another very chaste kiss from her. It would be the last. “Just remember that I didn’t know and that I did stop before it went too far,” he whispered.
And then, knowing she would resist him taking off the bracelet, he yanked off his ring.
The slam of pure nothing was as devastating as it always was, but he knew she wouldn’t feel it like that. She would just feel a return of her sanity. After steadying himself as well as he could after the loss of her emotions, he chanced a look over at her.
Her eyes were wide and she slowly moved a hand up before her mouth. But it was the look in her eyes that almost broke him - it was sheer and utter horror.
“No, Hermione,” he begged, not sure what he was begging for. He supposed it was for her not to hate him.
She blinked a few times and then jerked and looked down at her own disheveled state, before jumping up and scrambling for her discarded piece of clothing.
“I didn’t know,” he tried again. “I didn’t know it would work like that.”
Having finally covered herself up, she held up her hand to cut him off. “Don’t,” she hissed. “You knew. You just couldn’t go through with it. You’re every bit as vile as I used to think.”
“No!” He was rapidly panicking. “I swear, I didn’t know!”
“You know everything this thing does and then suddenly you don’t know about this? Really smooth, Malfoy. You made it around just about every clause of the contract by now, didn’t you? This was your grand finale, then? Completely humiliating me?”
He didn’t have an answer. She didn’t believe him. And saying that he thought she’d wanted it… it just sounded so stupid now. Of course she hadn’t wanted any of it. She had never wanted it before, and then suddenly she threw himself at him, begging him and seducing him? He knew it was absurd. He had known something had been wrong all along - he had just wanted it too much to really stop and think. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, lowering his eyes. He’d tried to show her his pain, but she still didn’t believe him. No need to let her see that he was actually close to tears now.
“You’re sorry?” she yelled. “It’s not fine to just take what you want when there’s other people involved! You’re nothing but a spoiled little rich child.”
This was too much for him to take. She was being unfair. He had held back, hadn’t he? He had tried to do the right thing and ultimately he had done the right thing without sullying her pristine self with more than a few kisses and touches. Nothing she couldn’t easily forget if she tried, he was sure.
“I stopped!” he shouted back. “I could have gotten a hell of a lot more from you with a hell of a lot less effort than this, but I stopped. Why can’t you just believe me?”
She took one big step towards him and then slapped him with all her might. He saw it coming but didn’t stop her. If it made her feel better, then, by all means, she could pummel him to a bloody pulp. It wouldn’t make any difference to how he felt. He was quite surprised that she didn’t try to hex him. If he had still been wearing the ring, she wouldn’t have been able to, but as it was, she could cause him any kind of pain without any repercussions. But then again… he couldn’t even imagine her causing greater pain to him.
She believed him nothing but a weak would-be rapist and nothing she could do to him would ever top how that felt.
“You’re despicable!” she spat, and then she turned on her heel and left the room.
Draco was left with a much bigger void in both heart and soul than ever before.
It took him several minutes to even remember that he hadn’t actually removed her bracelet for her yet. The irony made him laugh. It was a strange and humorless sound.