The Complexity of Carnal Knowledge, Chapter 8
Title: The Complexity of Carnal Knowledge
Disclaimer: JKR owns anything that is obviously hers. I own the rest. I do not make any money off this.
Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Others
Genres: Angst, Drama, Humour, Romance, Smut
Story Warnings: Epilogue? What Epilogue?, Mild Kink, Mild Violence, Polyjuice (Body Switch), Profanity, Psychological Trauma, Smut, Threesome
Warning Note: I do not warn per chapter. What I warn for may be in chapter 1 or chapter 39 and they may or may not be what you expect them to be. If you have a very specific trigger, you can PM me for details pertaining to that specific thing, otherwise tough luck, cookie.
Overall Rating: NC-17
Summary: Through a series of uncontrollable events and deliberate decisions, Draco and Hermione are now, a little more than a decade after the war, both working as Aurors. Draco is a complete git and the only one who'll pair up with him for anything is Hermione. This is suiting her less and less, though, so she tries to open his eyes to all the things that have changed. An open-eyed Draco, however, is a force to be reckoned with.
Extra Note: Thank you to margotlefaye, little_dollface and mazvn for the beta and robs55 for the Britpick. You guys rock! You saved this story. :D
Chapter Length: 4,905
* * *
Hermione stretched out on top of the bed, considering whether Draco was actually going to come and join her. She ended up deciding that, yes, he would. He could be as stubborn as any spoiled prat was wont to be, but he didn't actually have a very strong will. He just needed time to talk himself into it.
And if he didn't decide to come into the bedroom and alleviate some of her tension, she had brought some really interesting toys she could use. All Muggle, of course, since she wasn't supposed to use magic here, but that wasn't going to lessen her fun with them. She might even "forget" to put them back afterwards, simply to see his face when he came across them and realised exactly what he'd missed.
She would love to see his face as he discovered her toys. Even more so when he slowly worked out that she'd probably brought them before and used them too. She could vividly imagine him trying to work out exactly when and how she'd been using them without him discovering it. Fun!
The door slammed open to reveal a scowling Draco, who immediately began pulling off his jumper, his movements almost angry. Hermione quirked an eyebrow, but didn't comment. She suspected that angry sex with Draco Malfoy just might be worth it. Besides, he was always put out with her and vice versa.
'Let's be clear on some rules,' he said, already in the process of unbuttoning his trousers.
Hermione pursed her lips, somewhat amused. 'I didn't know you were into that kind of play,' she teased.
He looked unamused. 'If I should accidentally touch you whilst we sleep, you will not attack me.'
She nodded. 'Fair enough.'
He shot her an annoyed look. 'And whilst we're in that bed, you'll be more respectful towards me than you usually are.'
'And if we should roll out of it?' she cheekily asked.
Having freed himself of all but his underwear, he growled and launched at her, pinning her down. 'I'm serious,' he hissed. 'I don't want you to keep insulting me. It's difficult enough as it is.'
Difficult? That sobered Hermione. 'All right,' she quietly said. 'I'll play nice. But you don't have to do this if you don't want to. We could pretend tonight never happened.' Against her better judgement, she was struggling not to try to seduce him regardless. She knew she shouldn't want to sleep with him if he didn't truly want to, but she needed someone to touch her, and, well, she thought she might like him doing it. Even if he was angry. Or maybe especially if he was angry.
'You think I'd be here if there was any way for me to say no?' he whispered, and then his lips were on hers, harshly demanding a response from her.
He got his response, of course. She'd been waiting for him to come in here. She hadn't quite expected him to tell her that he didn't want to after he'd already given in, but she could live with that. It wasn't like it was the first time she'd substituted for someone else or merely been a random body and, besides, all she wanted was a warm-blooded male between her legs. Any warm-blooded male. His motivations didn't matter; the outcome was the same.
She slid her arms around his neck and pushed against him, especially enjoying the feel of his chest against hers. She'd seen his chest so many times without ever imagining this. Clearly, that had been an unforgivable lack of imagination on her part.
His one hand snuck around her back, and with a minimal amount of awkwardness, he unhooked her bra.
'Impressive,' she commented, unable to help herself.
'Ex made me practice after one memorable evening of bra-related injuries,' he murmured against her lips.
Hermione did her best not to laugh. 'Hers or yours?'
Draco shot her a quirky smile. 'After all was said and done, both.'
Hermione giggled because she couldn't help herself, and she didn't even pretend to have a modesty attack as he revealed her breasts. But then he stared at her chest and just kept staring for so long she began feeling self-conscious. She resented him for that. Her body was fine, thank you very much. She did her best to keep everything in the right place and in good working order, and nobody had ever had any complaints! 'You can't insult me either,' she said, but then immediately also resented having said that. It implied she cared. She didn't.
He finally looked up. 'You think it's an insult when a man stares at you, Granger?'
'Depends on how he does it,' she muttered.
'I was only considering how to best ask you if you had any Muggle protection with you, or if you'd allow me to use a spell, because if not, we're going to need more rules.'
'I'm protected,' she replied. 'Against everything you could possibly imagine and a few things I'm certain you can't.' She was even using multiple protections, simply because she didn't trust either the spells or her implant to never ever fail her. Some things were not worth the risk.
'You certain?'
She shot him an annoyed glance. Of course she was certain! It would be damn irresponsible of her not to be. She liked her flings uncomplicated. Unprotected sex was about as complicated as it got. That was one complication she didn't need to face in her life again. He didn't actually seem to be implying anything with it, but he should still have taken her word for it. She wasn't some random bird he'd picked up at a pub; they'd known each other almost all of their lives! Why would she lie about something like this? She wasn't that irresponsible! If he kept this up, she was going to make him wear a Muggle condom too!
She opened her mouth to tell him all this and more, when he held up a hand, enough of a mind reader to know what was coming and enough of a git to be amused. 'Hey, just checking. Stop glaring at me like that.' He kissed her again, and then slowly ran his lips down her neck to her right breast, which he began teasing by leisurely stroking it with his tongue. Still feeling a little angry, she threaded her fingers through his hair, grasping fistfuls, but he didn't seem in any great hurry to move it along. Her lower belly was knotted so tightly that she felt like it would never un-knot again. Regardless of anger, she needed to come so badly. It felt like it had been ages since she'd been with a man and she was quite frankly half out of her mind with need.
'That's enough,' she rasped, catching him unawares as she flipped him on his back. 'I prefer to be on top.' She straddled him and ran her hand down his chest, squeaking when she was almost immediately flipped back with his hands tightly grabbing her wrists in case she should try anything again.
'I bet you do,' he replied. 'But tonight you're doing things my way.'
'What? Missionary position?' she asked, wrinkling her nose. She didn't really mind missionary, but it figured that that would be all he was into. What a waste of good potential.
'Doesn't it get tiring to always be the one on top?' he asked, lowering his head.
'I'm not always on top. But I could ask you the same thing.'
'Are you telling me,' he muttered, in between nibbling at her neck in a most distractive manner, 'that those blokes you find, wherever you find them, don't do things exactly like you tell them to? I find that hard to believe. You're a force of nature, Granger.'
'I don't always tell them that I want to be on top,' she said rather breathlessly, as her ability to think was rapidly disappearing. 'On top is when I'm afraid they'll come too soon or--' or I need to come as soon as possible.
His head whipped up and he pinned her with a glare. 'I thought I told you not to insult me!'
She blinked. Well, if he'd only let her finish the sentence! She grinned, feeling wicked, and decided that he could keep his misconceptions. 'If I'd wanted to insult you, I'd have suggested you take me from behind.'
'And why's that?'
'That's the position I prefer for... smaller... men. You know, below average.' She managed to free one wrist and held up a couple of fingers to show an exaggerated short length.
His brow knitted as he was trying to figure her out.
She decided to clarify. 'They enter me deeper like that, plus they can more easily make it worth my while by touching me...' She carefully freed the other wrist and ran one hand down between her legs to fondle her knickers, whilst squeezing one of her breasts with the other. It was both to show a point and to ease some of the aching. Merlin, she needed him to take her soon or she'd go mad! The hand down between her legs inadvertently brushed against his erection through his boxers and he groaned. Seemed like she wasn't the only one.
'And the ones that aren't too small or too quick?' he asked in a strained voice.
She shrugged as well as she could whilst lying under a man, touching herself. 'They get a vote on how they want it, I suppose.'
He bent down to whisper in her ear. 'I want you under me.'
Defiantly, she slipped her hand inside her knickers, and closed her eyes on a shaky sigh. She could feel his entire body stiffen above her. Suppressing a smile, she continued to play with herself, drawing out the sweet pain.
She needed a nice, hard cock inside her like she'd needed nothing before.
He moved and there was a slight rustle of clothes being removed, followed by a tug at her knickers. Oh, yes. She eagerly lifted her hips to help him get them off. After he had removed them, his hands again moved up her legs and thighs, moving to her inner thighs and-- she squirmed as his hands disappeared. Such a tease.
'Open your eyes,' he said, his voice hoarse with strain.
Reluctantly, she did.
He placed his one hand on her thigh very, very close to where she wanted to be touched. 'I'm on top,' he calmly said. 'You don't call the shots with me.'
'Fine,' she gritted out, desperate for him to proceed. She didn't care what position they were in, as long as they were in any position that gave her what she wanted.
He softly touched her just right and she moaned and thrust her hips up, seeking more.
'I don't think we have to be afraid that I'll embarrass myself before you get off,' he said, smirking.
'Only because I almost got myself off before you even came in here,' she retorted. That wasn't exactly true, but she could either be defensive or whimper for more. Normally she wouldn't mind whimpering, but she knew Draco well enough to know that it would make him insufferable for ages.
His answer to that was a predictably annoyed glare.
'Tell me you want me to fuck you,' he suddenly demanded, making her eyes widen in surprise. This was something she'd far from expected. Draco hated it when she used coarse language, which largely was why she usually did around him. Who knew he'd be completely opposite in bed? There was a chance it wasn't a common thing, though. It could be that he simply felt extra naughty, considering that he was about to screw someone he'd considered off-limits for decades.
Or maybe he felt extra dirty for screwing her.
She pushed that thought aside.
Still, the thought of what else he might be into had her almost melting into a highly aroused puddle. 'I want you to fuck me, please,' she replied, this time unable to keep a slight whimper from her voice. The sheer impact of talking like this to him was tremendous. Maybe letting him feel like he was in charge wasn't such a bad thing, after all. She could deal with him being insufferable. After all, hadn't she already dealt with that for two decades?
'Hard and fast or slow and easy?' he asked, his eyes boring into hers.
She could barely make the words come out. 'H-hard. Please, Draco. Take me hard.'
* * *
Draco suppressed a groan and the shiver threatening to run visibly through him. She already thought he was going to blow it like a teenager, it would do no good to prove to her how almost right she was. He doubted she would have mercy on him just because it had been months. Witches like Hermione only gave you one shot and if they didn't like your efforts... well, too bad.
He couldn't blow his shot and still look her in the eyes at work.
Fortunately, she seemed to be almost mindless, needing release. And she wanted it fast and hard, which was also fortunate, because he didn't think he could go slow once he got started. And being gentle... it would have been very hard for him to be focused enough for that.
Why had he never noticed how passionate she was before? It was as if he didn't know her at all.
'Please,' she whispered. 'Don't wait. I'm ready. Don't need foreplay.'
He slid his fingers down between her legs and swiftly entered her with two of them. She gasped and arched up against him. Yes, she was ready. Ready and responsive like he would never have dreamed. Her hips began gyrating against his hand, and he pushed his fingers in deeper, twisting them slightly and pushing when he felt the right spot.
She made a surprised exclamation. 'Why, M-Malfoy,' she gasped. 'For someone prudishly prudish who's only ever slept with prudes, you certainly do know the basics.'
It wasn't in bed he couldn't keep his girlfriends happy. Sex was the easy part. He would forgive her the insult, though, since the way she was squirming made him suspect that she was only a hair's breadth away from orgasming. He bent down to whisper in her ear, 'Do you want me inside you or not?' Fat chance that he would even be able to stop himself by now.
'Yes. Hard and fast,' she muttered, running her hands down his back to grasp his bum and pull him towards her. 'Now.' It was phrased as a command but was really little more than a whimper.
He couldn't resist; he removed his hand and surged forward, entering her completely in one thrust. She cried out in surprised pleasure, and he had to grab hold of the sheets to try and channel some of the intensity elsewhere, so he could remain in control. Merlin, it felt good. She was hot and wet and soft and tight, squeezing him rhythmically, as her hips were moving against him again. He was hanging on by a thread.
'More...' She squirmed more insistently under him.
He couldn't help the shuddering groan escaping from his lips. It just felt so good to be inside her, to be inside someone warm and willing once again. Clenching his jaw, he began moving--hard and fast as she'd requested. It had been too long, it really had. He was almost blinded and deafened by the intensity of the need pouring through him.
This would go much too fast for his liking. He wouldn't truly have a chance to enjoy it before-- he clenched his fists harder in the sheets and bent down to breathe in her heat and her scent, never letting up on his thrusts.
Warm. Willing. Passionate.
He felt her orgasm building beneath him. Felt her mindlessly grabbing at him, throwing her legs around him, clawing to find an anchor to hold her steady through this vortex inside her. She was babbling something incoherent, that might have been, 'Don't stop, please don't stop'--as if he could ever stop. Then she tensed, going quiet except for the occasional broken gasp and moan. He went harder, faster, and then... it was all around him, tensing, squeezing, throbbing. He was vaguely aware that she made some sounds as she climaxed, but he was too intent on riding this out, on getting as much of it as he could before he couldn't hold back any longer, to pay much notice.
She whispered his name and somehow it broke through his haze. He looked up, and she kissed him deeply, stroking his tongue with hers. It sent a jolt through his already oversensitised system, and he tried to draw back, but it was too late. He couldn't resist the pull of her sexuality and with a low moan, he thrust deep and came hard.
* * *
Hermione slowly woke, feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks. She yawned, and attempted to stretch, only to feel constricted by something warm behind her, around her, limiting her movement.
Oh. Right.
Malfoy's still naked body was fully pressed up against hers, and she wasn't completely sure what to do about that. She'd promised not to beat him, after all. He shifted a bit in his sleep, and she felt what she assumed to be his morning erection pressed against her.
She debated a bit what to do. On the one hand, the sex had been very intense and pleasurable, and she wouldn't really mind going for another round. If she hadn't been so exhausted last night after the first round, she might have initiated another one right then and there. On the other hand, the sun was up and Draco was the sort who'd appreciate boundaries. Last night was last night and this morning was... well, hopefully the day they heard from the Ministry.
It was always a pity to let a good erection go to waste, but there really wasn't anything to be done for it. With a sigh, she got up and went out to wash and get dressed, only returning to wake him when completely clothed and brushing her teeth--she had to have some fun in life, didn't she?
'Rise and shine,' she cheerfully said, pulling the duvet off him.
His eyes flew open and he gave her a long, disoriented look as he got up on his elbows. He then gazed down his own naked form, as if only just noticing his own state of nudity, before he fell back to stare at the ceiling, groaning. It would be a lie to say his wordless reaction didn't hurt. It did, more than she'd like to admit. And it was such an unfair reaction, too--she'd hardly forced him! Who was he to make her feel bad about what had been a perfectly nice evening of perfectly nice casual sex?
At least she hadn't tried to rouse him with more of it. Now she was rather relieved that she hadn't. She didn't particularly enjoy being coldly rejected the next day. She'd never seen any reason to be mean about not wanting more--especially not when parting amicably was very much an option for achieving the same thing, only with no hurt feelings.
'Look,' she said, drawing his eyes back on her. 'It happened. It was nice. We move on.' She went out to the bathroom to spit and rinse before he could reply. Her hands were shaking a little. Damn it. She'd been dismissed and disrespected the morning after before. It wasn't a huge deal. She would just... pretend nothing had ever happened and hope he got the hint that she really wasn't like the witches he was used to.
He joined her in the bathroom--also fully dressed, she noted--and eyed her hesitantly. 'Look, Hermione...' he began, but before he could get any further, they heard the front door slam.
'Hello? Anybody here?' a very familiar and most beloved voice called out.
Ron! Hermione dropped everything and pushed past Draco to run out into the arms of her dearest friend, squeezing him tight and giving him a loud kiss on the cheek. He was exactly what she needed right now to make this stupid hurt feeling go away.
'Whoa, there,' Ron said, laughing. 'Has it been that bad? Harry was worried you might have killed each other.'
'No, silly,' she said, swatting his chest. 'I missed you! I haven't seen you for at least a month!'
'Yeah, some of us aren't fortunate enough to get sent off on holidays,' Ron said, and then when Draco appeared in the doorway, he lowered his voice to say, 'Although I don't envy you the company.'
'Do you know if Magical Creatures got our message?' Draco asked, not appearing to make any note of the fact that Hermione and Ron had their arms around each other.
'They did,' Ron replied. 'They're sending their own werewolf tracker to take over the case and you're to report back to Harry.'
'Werewolf tracker?' Hermione asked, frowning. 'Is that a werewolf who tracks, or someone who tracks werewolves?'
'Both, apparently. It's a werewolf who tracks rogue werewolves.'
'If they suspected a werewolf, why didn't they send one of those right away?' Draco was sounding irritable, with good cause.
'Yeah, why didn't they?' Hermione chipped in, narrowing her eyes at Ron.
'I had nothing to do with it,' Ron said, holding up a hand. 'Don't kill the messenger. To be honest, I think Harry was just so fed up with your bickering that he sent you off on the first case he saw on his desk without giving it much thought.'
'Oh, that's mature,' Hermione scoffed. 'Not at all sloppy work.'
'I know. I think he knows too. Play your cards right, you can probably guilt him into giving you the best cases for a while. Are you ready to come back with me? I'll buy you breakfast.'
'Of course! Just let me get my things.' Hermione extricated herself from a male for the second time that morning and went into the bedroom to pack her bag, not making any great effort to be tidy about it. She was finally going home and that was all that mattered! She got her things from the bathroom, dumped them in her bag, and zipped it up. There. All done. She turned around and almost ran into Draco.
'So, what happens now?' he quietly asked.
She shrugged carelessly. 'We go back.' Then she went around him and out to Ron.
* * *
Draco sat in his cubicle, idly doodling on the piece of parchment that he was supposed to write his report on, and glancing over at Hermione, who already had several inches of her report done.
Always the swot.
He couldn't believe he'd slept with her. He simply couldn't. It was surreal. If anyone had asked him if he'd ever do that only two days ago, he would have laughed at them. Hell, if anyone had suggested to him that Hermione might like casual sex before they'd gone on this trip, he wouldn't have believed them. Look at her! She looked like a nice, normal witch; someone you'd go out with for a bit and then introduce to your parents (only not really in his case, since his parents still refused to acknowledge any witch not of pure blood)--not someone you picked up for a night of mindless fucking.
Although it had hardly been a whole night. They'd had sex once and it probably didn't say much about either of their stamina that it had almost knocked them right out. She'd gone first, curling up against him for warmth. He really doubted she remembered that part, considering how she didn't usually want that kind of physical proximity, and how she hadn't woken him until she was fully covered and doing something that annoyed him again.
The proximity was probably what had delayed his regret. He should never have touched her. She wasn't supposed to be touched--at least not by him. She was one of them, one of the War Heroes. She lived in a whole different world from him. In her world, the job of Auror was prestigious, whereas in his it was a stain on his family's honour. If that shouldn't have been enough to deter him, then the fact that he liked her--as a highly annoying yet extremely loyal and dependable partner--and that having a one-off with her was just plain wrong should have been. How the hell did you act around someone you liked and admired professionally, who had also given you one of the best orgasms in recent memory, when she preferred to act like nothing at all had happened?
'You're staring, Malfoy,' she hissed without looking up. 'Stop it.'
He didn't respond, but did as she asked, staring down at his blank parchment. Hermione wasn't going to agree to go out with him, even if he should decide he would want her to--which he actually didn't--so why was he even thinking about this? It had been a mistake. One he really wished they hadn't made. Now how was he going to sleep next to her or pretend to snog her without it being awkward?
Sighing, he put his quill to the parchment and began writing. He would have to talk to Potter and he hated that. He could only hope it wouldn't make things difficult for him in other ways.
* * *
'Could I talk to you for a minute?' Harry asked.
Hermione looked up from the file she was adding to, feeling caught. She'd only just come back from doing follow-up on some old case of hers and had hoped to sneak out and home early, cashing in on some of the extra hours she'd put in lately, but obviously that wasn't happening now. 'Of course,' she replied.
'In here.' He nodded towards his office.
Hermione followed him in, feeling extremely puzzled. Harry looked far too serious for this to be casual chit-chat. 'What is it?' she asked, sitting down in a chair whilst Harry leant on his desk.
'We didn't get a chance to talk yet,' Harry said. 'Did it work?'
It. Getting along. Trying to open Draco's eyes to the fact that maybe he was the one who needed to make a few changes in order to get along with people so he could get other partners and not only rely on Hermione all the time.
She looked down at her hands. 'I'm not at all certain it did.'
Harry sighed and went around his desk to sit down. 'I'd feared as much. I honestly don't know what to do about him. He keeps blocking people out, pushing them away. He can't stay on like that.'
'We still have some months left before I leave,' Hermione said. 'I'll try and see if I can kick that rusty old brain of his into gear before then. And, I mean, even if I fail, he'll realise that he'll need new partners soon enough, won't he?' He really wouldn't have many options left once she wasn't there to lean on.
'Maybe sooner than you'd think,' Harry said, looking a bit uncomfortable and shuffling some parchments around. 'I hate having to tell you this, but I'm really running out of options. Malfoy was in here this morning, requesting not to be sent out with you again if I could avoid it.'
That statement hit Hermione like a punch to the gut and she simply sat there, stupidly unable to speak, her whole body frozen with the shock. Seven years of having each other's back, gone. Just like that. Quite ironically, he'd stabbed her from behind.
She had never thought he'd do this no matter how he might feel about what had happened. Hadn't the whole point of why he'd kissed her in the first place been to preserve their partnership for as long as possible?
'It's really going to be difficult to avoid,' Harry continued, not noticing her frozen state. 'I don't go myself that often, what with the kids being so young; Ron is still wary after the coma-incident; and any but the youngest, most inexperienced, of the rest won't fully trust Draco at this point. You're all he's got, so you see how I don't understand why he'd make this request.'
Because I was stupid enough to think he respected me more than that.
She cleared her throat. 'It's all right, Harry,' she said, her voice shaking a little. 'It's merely a misunderstanding.'
Harry looked up from his parchments, a hopeful expression on his face. 'Really? You're certain? It would make my life tremendously easier if it were.'
'Oh, don't worry,' she said, not bothering to hide the bitterness. 'It is. I'll get it sorted.'
The relief in Harry's eyes was almost palpable. 'Oh, good. I'm really counting on you to adjust his attitude, since I really don't want to sack anyone. Especially not one as competent as him. I simply wouldn't know what to do with half a working Auror.'
Hermione had plenty ideas for what she could do with half an Auror with a bad attitude. And he'd wish he'd had more backup once she was finished with him.
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Master List
Disclaimer: JKR owns anything that is obviously hers. I own the rest. I do not make any money off this.
Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Others
Genres: Angst, Drama, Humour, Romance, Smut
Story Warnings: Epilogue? What Epilogue?, Mild Kink, Mild Violence, Polyjuice (Body Switch), Profanity, Psychological Trauma, Smut, Threesome
Warning Note: I do not warn per chapter. What I warn for may be in chapter 1 or chapter 39 and they may or may not be what you expect them to be. If you have a very specific trigger, you can PM me for details pertaining to that specific thing, otherwise tough luck, cookie.
Overall Rating: NC-17
Summary: Through a series of uncontrollable events and deliberate decisions, Draco and Hermione are now, a little more than a decade after the war, both working as Aurors. Draco is a complete git and the only one who'll pair up with him for anything is Hermione. This is suiting her less and less, though, so she tries to open his eyes to all the things that have changed. An open-eyed Draco, however, is a force to be reckoned with.
Extra Note: Thank you to margotlefaye, little_dollface and mazvn for the beta and robs55 for the Britpick. You guys rock! You saved this story. :D
Chapter Length: 4,905
* * *
Hermione stretched out on top of the bed, considering whether Draco was actually going to come and join her. She ended up deciding that, yes, he would. He could be as stubborn as any spoiled prat was wont to be, but he didn't actually have a very strong will. He just needed time to talk himself into it.
And if he didn't decide to come into the bedroom and alleviate some of her tension, she had brought some really interesting toys she could use. All Muggle, of course, since she wasn't supposed to use magic here, but that wasn't going to lessen her fun with them. She might even "forget" to put them back afterwards, simply to see his face when he came across them and realised exactly what he'd missed.
She would love to see his face as he discovered her toys. Even more so when he slowly worked out that she'd probably brought them before and used them too. She could vividly imagine him trying to work out exactly when and how she'd been using them without him discovering it. Fun!
The door slammed open to reveal a scowling Draco, who immediately began pulling off his jumper, his movements almost angry. Hermione quirked an eyebrow, but didn't comment. She suspected that angry sex with Draco Malfoy just might be worth it. Besides, he was always put out with her and vice versa.
'Let's be clear on some rules,' he said, already in the process of unbuttoning his trousers.
Hermione pursed her lips, somewhat amused. 'I didn't know you were into that kind of play,' she teased.
He looked unamused. 'If I should accidentally touch you whilst we sleep, you will not attack me.'
She nodded. 'Fair enough.'
He shot her an annoyed look. 'And whilst we're in that bed, you'll be more respectful towards me than you usually are.'
'And if we should roll out of it?' she cheekily asked.
Having freed himself of all but his underwear, he growled and launched at her, pinning her down. 'I'm serious,' he hissed. 'I don't want you to keep insulting me. It's difficult enough as it is.'
Difficult? That sobered Hermione. 'All right,' she quietly said. 'I'll play nice. But you don't have to do this if you don't want to. We could pretend tonight never happened.' Against her better judgement, she was struggling not to try to seduce him regardless. She knew she shouldn't want to sleep with him if he didn't truly want to, but she needed someone to touch her, and, well, she thought she might like him doing it. Even if he was angry. Or maybe especially if he was angry.
'You think I'd be here if there was any way for me to say no?' he whispered, and then his lips were on hers, harshly demanding a response from her.
He got his response, of course. She'd been waiting for him to come in here. She hadn't quite expected him to tell her that he didn't want to after he'd already given in, but she could live with that. It wasn't like it was the first time she'd substituted for someone else or merely been a random body and, besides, all she wanted was a warm-blooded male between her legs. Any warm-blooded male. His motivations didn't matter; the outcome was the same.
She slid her arms around his neck and pushed against him, especially enjoying the feel of his chest against hers. She'd seen his chest so many times without ever imagining this. Clearly, that had been an unforgivable lack of imagination on her part.
His one hand snuck around her back, and with a minimal amount of awkwardness, he unhooked her bra.
'Impressive,' she commented, unable to help herself.
'Ex made me practice after one memorable evening of bra-related injuries,' he murmured against her lips.
Hermione did her best not to laugh. 'Hers or yours?'
Draco shot her a quirky smile. 'After all was said and done, both.'
Hermione giggled because she couldn't help herself, and she didn't even pretend to have a modesty attack as he revealed her breasts. But then he stared at her chest and just kept staring for so long she began feeling self-conscious. She resented him for that. Her body was fine, thank you very much. She did her best to keep everything in the right place and in good working order, and nobody had ever had any complaints! 'You can't insult me either,' she said, but then immediately also resented having said that. It implied she cared. She didn't.
He finally looked up. 'You think it's an insult when a man stares at you, Granger?'
'Depends on how he does it,' she muttered.
'I was only considering how to best ask you if you had any Muggle protection with you, or if you'd allow me to use a spell, because if not, we're going to need more rules.'
'I'm protected,' she replied. 'Against everything you could possibly imagine and a few things I'm certain you can't.' She was even using multiple protections, simply because she didn't trust either the spells or her implant to never ever fail her. Some things were not worth the risk.
'You certain?'
She shot him an annoyed glance. Of course she was certain! It would be damn irresponsible of her not to be. She liked her flings uncomplicated. Unprotected sex was about as complicated as it got. That was one complication she didn't need to face in her life again. He didn't actually seem to be implying anything with it, but he should still have taken her word for it. She wasn't some random bird he'd picked up at a pub; they'd known each other almost all of their lives! Why would she lie about something like this? She wasn't that irresponsible! If he kept this up, she was going to make him wear a Muggle condom too!
She opened her mouth to tell him all this and more, when he held up a hand, enough of a mind reader to know what was coming and enough of a git to be amused. 'Hey, just checking. Stop glaring at me like that.' He kissed her again, and then slowly ran his lips down her neck to her right breast, which he began teasing by leisurely stroking it with his tongue. Still feeling a little angry, she threaded her fingers through his hair, grasping fistfuls, but he didn't seem in any great hurry to move it along. Her lower belly was knotted so tightly that she felt like it would never un-knot again. Regardless of anger, she needed to come so badly. It felt like it had been ages since she'd been with a man and she was quite frankly half out of her mind with need.
'That's enough,' she rasped, catching him unawares as she flipped him on his back. 'I prefer to be on top.' She straddled him and ran her hand down his chest, squeaking when she was almost immediately flipped back with his hands tightly grabbing her wrists in case she should try anything again.
'I bet you do,' he replied. 'But tonight you're doing things my way.'
'What? Missionary position?' she asked, wrinkling her nose. She didn't really mind missionary, but it figured that that would be all he was into. What a waste of good potential.
'Doesn't it get tiring to always be the one on top?' he asked, lowering his head.
'I'm not always on top. But I could ask you the same thing.'
'Are you telling me,' he muttered, in between nibbling at her neck in a most distractive manner, 'that those blokes you find, wherever you find them, don't do things exactly like you tell them to? I find that hard to believe. You're a force of nature, Granger.'
'I don't always tell them that I want to be on top,' she said rather breathlessly, as her ability to think was rapidly disappearing. 'On top is when I'm afraid they'll come too soon or--' or I need to come as soon as possible.
His head whipped up and he pinned her with a glare. 'I thought I told you not to insult me!'
She blinked. Well, if he'd only let her finish the sentence! She grinned, feeling wicked, and decided that he could keep his misconceptions. 'If I'd wanted to insult you, I'd have suggested you take me from behind.'
'And why's that?'
'That's the position I prefer for... smaller... men. You know, below average.' She managed to free one wrist and held up a couple of fingers to show an exaggerated short length.
His brow knitted as he was trying to figure her out.
She decided to clarify. 'They enter me deeper like that, plus they can more easily make it worth my while by touching me...' She carefully freed the other wrist and ran one hand down between her legs to fondle her knickers, whilst squeezing one of her breasts with the other. It was both to show a point and to ease some of the aching. Merlin, she needed him to take her soon or she'd go mad! The hand down between her legs inadvertently brushed against his erection through his boxers and he groaned. Seemed like she wasn't the only one.
'And the ones that aren't too small or too quick?' he asked in a strained voice.
She shrugged as well as she could whilst lying under a man, touching herself. 'They get a vote on how they want it, I suppose.'
He bent down to whisper in her ear. 'I want you under me.'
Defiantly, she slipped her hand inside her knickers, and closed her eyes on a shaky sigh. She could feel his entire body stiffen above her. Suppressing a smile, she continued to play with herself, drawing out the sweet pain.
She needed a nice, hard cock inside her like she'd needed nothing before.
He moved and there was a slight rustle of clothes being removed, followed by a tug at her knickers. Oh, yes. She eagerly lifted her hips to help him get them off. After he had removed them, his hands again moved up her legs and thighs, moving to her inner thighs and-- she squirmed as his hands disappeared. Such a tease.
'Open your eyes,' he said, his voice hoarse with strain.
Reluctantly, she did.
He placed his one hand on her thigh very, very close to where she wanted to be touched. 'I'm on top,' he calmly said. 'You don't call the shots with me.'
'Fine,' she gritted out, desperate for him to proceed. She didn't care what position they were in, as long as they were in any position that gave her what she wanted.
He softly touched her just right and she moaned and thrust her hips up, seeking more.
'I don't think we have to be afraid that I'll embarrass myself before you get off,' he said, smirking.
'Only because I almost got myself off before you even came in here,' she retorted. That wasn't exactly true, but she could either be defensive or whimper for more. Normally she wouldn't mind whimpering, but she knew Draco well enough to know that it would make him insufferable for ages.
His answer to that was a predictably annoyed glare.
'Tell me you want me to fuck you,' he suddenly demanded, making her eyes widen in surprise. This was something she'd far from expected. Draco hated it when she used coarse language, which largely was why she usually did around him. Who knew he'd be completely opposite in bed? There was a chance it wasn't a common thing, though. It could be that he simply felt extra naughty, considering that he was about to screw someone he'd considered off-limits for decades.
Or maybe he felt extra dirty for screwing her.
She pushed that thought aside.
Still, the thought of what else he might be into had her almost melting into a highly aroused puddle. 'I want you to fuck me, please,' she replied, this time unable to keep a slight whimper from her voice. The sheer impact of talking like this to him was tremendous. Maybe letting him feel like he was in charge wasn't such a bad thing, after all. She could deal with him being insufferable. After all, hadn't she already dealt with that for two decades?
'Hard and fast or slow and easy?' he asked, his eyes boring into hers.
She could barely make the words come out. 'H-hard. Please, Draco. Take me hard.'
* * *
Draco suppressed a groan and the shiver threatening to run visibly through him. She already thought he was going to blow it like a teenager, it would do no good to prove to her how almost right she was. He doubted she would have mercy on him just because it had been months. Witches like Hermione only gave you one shot and if they didn't like your efforts... well, too bad.
He couldn't blow his shot and still look her in the eyes at work.
Fortunately, she seemed to be almost mindless, needing release. And she wanted it fast and hard, which was also fortunate, because he didn't think he could go slow once he got started. And being gentle... it would have been very hard for him to be focused enough for that.
Why had he never noticed how passionate she was before? It was as if he didn't know her at all.
'Please,' she whispered. 'Don't wait. I'm ready. Don't need foreplay.'
He slid his fingers down between her legs and swiftly entered her with two of them. She gasped and arched up against him. Yes, she was ready. Ready and responsive like he would never have dreamed. Her hips began gyrating against his hand, and he pushed his fingers in deeper, twisting them slightly and pushing when he felt the right spot.
She made a surprised exclamation. 'Why, M-Malfoy,' she gasped. 'For someone prudishly prudish who's only ever slept with prudes, you certainly do know the basics.'
It wasn't in bed he couldn't keep his girlfriends happy. Sex was the easy part. He would forgive her the insult, though, since the way she was squirming made him suspect that she was only a hair's breadth away from orgasming. He bent down to whisper in her ear, 'Do you want me inside you or not?' Fat chance that he would even be able to stop himself by now.
'Yes. Hard and fast,' she muttered, running her hands down his back to grasp his bum and pull him towards her. 'Now.' It was phrased as a command but was really little more than a whimper.
He couldn't resist; he removed his hand and surged forward, entering her completely in one thrust. She cried out in surprised pleasure, and he had to grab hold of the sheets to try and channel some of the intensity elsewhere, so he could remain in control. Merlin, it felt good. She was hot and wet and soft and tight, squeezing him rhythmically, as her hips were moving against him again. He was hanging on by a thread.
'More...' She squirmed more insistently under him.
He couldn't help the shuddering groan escaping from his lips. It just felt so good to be inside her, to be inside someone warm and willing once again. Clenching his jaw, he began moving--hard and fast as she'd requested. It had been too long, it really had. He was almost blinded and deafened by the intensity of the need pouring through him.
This would go much too fast for his liking. He wouldn't truly have a chance to enjoy it before-- he clenched his fists harder in the sheets and bent down to breathe in her heat and her scent, never letting up on his thrusts.
Warm. Willing. Passionate.
He felt her orgasm building beneath him. Felt her mindlessly grabbing at him, throwing her legs around him, clawing to find an anchor to hold her steady through this vortex inside her. She was babbling something incoherent, that might have been, 'Don't stop, please don't stop'--as if he could ever stop. Then she tensed, going quiet except for the occasional broken gasp and moan. He went harder, faster, and then... it was all around him, tensing, squeezing, throbbing. He was vaguely aware that she made some sounds as she climaxed, but he was too intent on riding this out, on getting as much of it as he could before he couldn't hold back any longer, to pay much notice.
She whispered his name and somehow it broke through his haze. He looked up, and she kissed him deeply, stroking his tongue with hers. It sent a jolt through his already oversensitised system, and he tried to draw back, but it was too late. He couldn't resist the pull of her sexuality and with a low moan, he thrust deep and came hard.
* * *
Hermione slowly woke, feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks. She yawned, and attempted to stretch, only to feel constricted by something warm behind her, around her, limiting her movement.
Oh. Right.
Malfoy's still naked body was fully pressed up against hers, and she wasn't completely sure what to do about that. She'd promised not to beat him, after all. He shifted a bit in his sleep, and she felt what she assumed to be his morning erection pressed against her.
She debated a bit what to do. On the one hand, the sex had been very intense and pleasurable, and she wouldn't really mind going for another round. If she hadn't been so exhausted last night after the first round, she might have initiated another one right then and there. On the other hand, the sun was up and Draco was the sort who'd appreciate boundaries. Last night was last night and this morning was... well, hopefully the day they heard from the Ministry.
It was always a pity to let a good erection go to waste, but there really wasn't anything to be done for it. With a sigh, she got up and went out to wash and get dressed, only returning to wake him when completely clothed and brushing her teeth--she had to have some fun in life, didn't she?
'Rise and shine,' she cheerfully said, pulling the duvet off him.
His eyes flew open and he gave her a long, disoriented look as he got up on his elbows. He then gazed down his own naked form, as if only just noticing his own state of nudity, before he fell back to stare at the ceiling, groaning. It would be a lie to say his wordless reaction didn't hurt. It did, more than she'd like to admit. And it was such an unfair reaction, too--she'd hardly forced him! Who was he to make her feel bad about what had been a perfectly nice evening of perfectly nice casual sex?
At least she hadn't tried to rouse him with more of it. Now she was rather relieved that she hadn't. She didn't particularly enjoy being coldly rejected the next day. She'd never seen any reason to be mean about not wanting more--especially not when parting amicably was very much an option for achieving the same thing, only with no hurt feelings.
'Look,' she said, drawing his eyes back on her. 'It happened. It was nice. We move on.' She went out to the bathroom to spit and rinse before he could reply. Her hands were shaking a little. Damn it. She'd been dismissed and disrespected the morning after before. It wasn't a huge deal. She would just... pretend nothing had ever happened and hope he got the hint that she really wasn't like the witches he was used to.
He joined her in the bathroom--also fully dressed, she noted--and eyed her hesitantly. 'Look, Hermione...' he began, but before he could get any further, they heard the front door slam.
'Hello? Anybody here?' a very familiar and most beloved voice called out.
Ron! Hermione dropped everything and pushed past Draco to run out into the arms of her dearest friend, squeezing him tight and giving him a loud kiss on the cheek. He was exactly what she needed right now to make this stupid hurt feeling go away.
'Whoa, there,' Ron said, laughing. 'Has it been that bad? Harry was worried you might have killed each other.'
'No, silly,' she said, swatting his chest. 'I missed you! I haven't seen you for at least a month!'
'Yeah, some of us aren't fortunate enough to get sent off on holidays,' Ron said, and then when Draco appeared in the doorway, he lowered his voice to say, 'Although I don't envy you the company.'
'Do you know if Magical Creatures got our message?' Draco asked, not appearing to make any note of the fact that Hermione and Ron had their arms around each other.
'They did,' Ron replied. 'They're sending their own werewolf tracker to take over the case and you're to report back to Harry.'
'Werewolf tracker?' Hermione asked, frowning. 'Is that a werewolf who tracks, or someone who tracks werewolves?'
'Both, apparently. It's a werewolf who tracks rogue werewolves.'
'If they suspected a werewolf, why didn't they send one of those right away?' Draco was sounding irritable, with good cause.
'Yeah, why didn't they?' Hermione chipped in, narrowing her eyes at Ron.
'I had nothing to do with it,' Ron said, holding up a hand. 'Don't kill the messenger. To be honest, I think Harry was just so fed up with your bickering that he sent you off on the first case he saw on his desk without giving it much thought.'
'Oh, that's mature,' Hermione scoffed. 'Not at all sloppy work.'
'I know. I think he knows too. Play your cards right, you can probably guilt him into giving you the best cases for a while. Are you ready to come back with me? I'll buy you breakfast.'
'Of course! Just let me get my things.' Hermione extricated herself from a male for the second time that morning and went into the bedroom to pack her bag, not making any great effort to be tidy about it. She was finally going home and that was all that mattered! She got her things from the bathroom, dumped them in her bag, and zipped it up. There. All done. She turned around and almost ran into Draco.
'So, what happens now?' he quietly asked.
She shrugged carelessly. 'We go back.' Then she went around him and out to Ron.
* * *
Draco sat in his cubicle, idly doodling on the piece of parchment that he was supposed to write his report on, and glancing over at Hermione, who already had several inches of her report done.
Always the swot.
He couldn't believe he'd slept with her. He simply couldn't. It was surreal. If anyone had asked him if he'd ever do that only two days ago, he would have laughed at them. Hell, if anyone had suggested to him that Hermione might like casual sex before they'd gone on this trip, he wouldn't have believed them. Look at her! She looked like a nice, normal witch; someone you'd go out with for a bit and then introduce to your parents (only not really in his case, since his parents still refused to acknowledge any witch not of pure blood)--not someone you picked up for a night of mindless fucking.
Although it had hardly been a whole night. They'd had sex once and it probably didn't say much about either of their stamina that it had almost knocked them right out. She'd gone first, curling up against him for warmth. He really doubted she remembered that part, considering how she didn't usually want that kind of physical proximity, and how she hadn't woken him until she was fully covered and doing something that annoyed him again.
The proximity was probably what had delayed his regret. He should never have touched her. She wasn't supposed to be touched--at least not by him. She was one of them, one of the War Heroes. She lived in a whole different world from him. In her world, the job of Auror was prestigious, whereas in his it was a stain on his family's honour. If that shouldn't have been enough to deter him, then the fact that he liked her--as a highly annoying yet extremely loyal and dependable partner--and that having a one-off with her was just plain wrong should have been. How the hell did you act around someone you liked and admired professionally, who had also given you one of the best orgasms in recent memory, when she preferred to act like nothing at all had happened?
'You're staring, Malfoy,' she hissed without looking up. 'Stop it.'
He didn't respond, but did as she asked, staring down at his blank parchment. Hermione wasn't going to agree to go out with him, even if he should decide he would want her to--which he actually didn't--so why was he even thinking about this? It had been a mistake. One he really wished they hadn't made. Now how was he going to sleep next to her or pretend to snog her without it being awkward?
Sighing, he put his quill to the parchment and began writing. He would have to talk to Potter and he hated that. He could only hope it wouldn't make things difficult for him in other ways.
* * *
'Could I talk to you for a minute?' Harry asked.
Hermione looked up from the file she was adding to, feeling caught. She'd only just come back from doing follow-up on some old case of hers and had hoped to sneak out and home early, cashing in on some of the extra hours she'd put in lately, but obviously that wasn't happening now. 'Of course,' she replied.
'In here.' He nodded towards his office.
Hermione followed him in, feeling extremely puzzled. Harry looked far too serious for this to be casual chit-chat. 'What is it?' she asked, sitting down in a chair whilst Harry leant on his desk.
'We didn't get a chance to talk yet,' Harry said. 'Did it work?'
It. Getting along. Trying to open Draco's eyes to the fact that maybe he was the one who needed to make a few changes in order to get along with people so he could get other partners and not only rely on Hermione all the time.
She looked down at her hands. 'I'm not at all certain it did.'
Harry sighed and went around his desk to sit down. 'I'd feared as much. I honestly don't know what to do about him. He keeps blocking people out, pushing them away. He can't stay on like that.'
'We still have some months left before I leave,' Hermione said. 'I'll try and see if I can kick that rusty old brain of his into gear before then. And, I mean, even if I fail, he'll realise that he'll need new partners soon enough, won't he?' He really wouldn't have many options left once she wasn't there to lean on.
'Maybe sooner than you'd think,' Harry said, looking a bit uncomfortable and shuffling some parchments around. 'I hate having to tell you this, but I'm really running out of options. Malfoy was in here this morning, requesting not to be sent out with you again if I could avoid it.'
That statement hit Hermione like a punch to the gut and she simply sat there, stupidly unable to speak, her whole body frozen with the shock. Seven years of having each other's back, gone. Just like that. Quite ironically, he'd stabbed her from behind.
She had never thought he'd do this no matter how he might feel about what had happened. Hadn't the whole point of why he'd kissed her in the first place been to preserve their partnership for as long as possible?
'It's really going to be difficult to avoid,' Harry continued, not noticing her frozen state. 'I don't go myself that often, what with the kids being so young; Ron is still wary after the coma-incident; and any but the youngest, most inexperienced, of the rest won't fully trust Draco at this point. You're all he's got, so you see how I don't understand why he'd make this request.'
Because I was stupid enough to think he respected me more than that.
She cleared her throat. 'It's all right, Harry,' she said, her voice shaking a little. 'It's merely a misunderstanding.'
Harry looked up from his parchments, a hopeful expression on his face. 'Really? You're certain? It would make my life tremendously easier if it were.'
'Oh, don't worry,' she said, not bothering to hide the bitterness. 'It is. I'll get it sorted.'
The relief in Harry's eyes was almost palpable. 'Oh, good. I'm really counting on you to adjust his attitude, since I really don't want to sack anyone. Especially not one as competent as him. I simply wouldn't know what to do with half a working Auror.'
Hermione had plenty ideas for what she could do with half an Auror with a bad attitude. And he'd wish he'd had more backup once she was finished with him.
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