Hermione Granger and The Secret Fire

Chapter 23: Like a Virgin

Last time:

Dressing in all the warm clothing she had, Hermione traipsed down the stairs and followed Draco as he whispered, teasingly, "I am going to take you though the secret dungeon exit. Only Slytherins know of this exit so forget where it is as soon as we go through it."

Climbing out the doorway into the cold, Hermione was faced with a long tree lined tunnel running the length of the castle. As she observed how long it was, she noticed a cloaked figure running though the field towards them.

"Draco! There is the person who's been sneaking around Hogsmeade when they're supposed to be here! Remember we saw them a few weeks ago? Quick, lets hide behind these trees and grab them as they enter the castle."

'Must be a Slytherin,' she thought as they squatted down, 'otherwise they wouldn't know this entrance.

Just as the figure reached the hidden door, Hermione grabbed the cloak, revealing the person hidden beneath it.

"You?" both Hermione and Draco yelled.

"You're the mystery person?" Hermione asked, shocked and disbelieving.

"Oh shit, Hermione," Misten said as her eyes began to fill with tears. "Please don't tell anyone. Don't tell Seamus. Gods don't tell Dumbledore. My parents will freak out if they knew where I have been. Please, Hermione, please."

Misten had grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and was shaking her to accentuate her requests. Hermione's eyes and mouth were wide open in shock and she didn't even seem to notice the physical attack on her body.

"Well, I guess I can tell whomever I want. No pleading with me! I guess I don't mean much, being Head Boy and all. NO just plead to the Head Girl and hope it'll all be okay," Draco said, ranting to himself.

Misten spun as he began to speak and looked at him as if she had not noticed him before. "Draco?" she whispered, half in disbelief and half in relief. "Draco! Oh thank the Gods you are here! I know you'll keep this quiet. Help me convince Hermione," Misten sputtered as she rounded on the Head Girl again.

"You can't tell anyone. I would be in so much trouble if anyone knew," Misten said as she realized whom her audience was. "Oh thank the Gods I got caught by you two. I have been imagining the pain and torture that would be inflicted on me if Seamus or Dumbledore or, Gods forbid, my parents found out. Could you imagine? I would probably have been expelled and then had to go home and explain it to all my friends and my parents and my parents friends. Gods that would be so awkward and embarrassing for all of us."

Hermione watched as her friend paced in front of her and seemed to be oblivious to the fact that the two students who were most in charge of student discipline had caught her out after curfew, sneaking back onto school grounds and were well aware that this had happened several times before today. She looked to Draco to see if he was making more sense of the ranting than she was, but he just stood back and was watching with a sly smile on his face.

Hermione knew that smile. That was the smile of someone knowing that they had just bought themselves out of something by catching someone else doing something they were not supposed to be doing. That was a Slytherin face of someone cunning, crafty, and sly. That was the face of someone that was going to use this to their advantage and NOT the face of someone who was going to follow the rules and tell Professor Dumbledore who they had caught.

As Misten continued her ranting and raving, Hermione thought about the chances of her actually telling on her friend. Would she do it? Could she do it? The truth was that even though she was Head Girl, even though it was the right thing to do, she'd never tell on Misten. She knew Draco wouldn't either, but judging by his facial expressions as he watched their friend, he was going to use the information for his gain.

"How, exactly, did you know about this entrance, Misten," Draco interrupted. His face had gone firm and controlling in a hurry. "This is supposed to be a secret among Slytherins."

Misten's face reddened as she swallowed hard as she said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try us," Hermione pressed, wondering where Draco was going with this line of questioning.

"Do you two remember the time that I got that particle in my eye after putting my hand in some potion in Snape's classroom?" Misten asked. Seeing the lack of understanding in her friend's faces she continued, "You know...that weekend Draco went home and you supposedly heard people having sex in your bathroom and then you accused me of having sex with..."

"Yes! I remember," Hermione said, quickly cutting her off before Misten embarrassed her once again with the misunderstanding. The last thing she needed was for Misten to give more 'teasing' ammunition to Draco.

"Wait a second. I didn't hear this part of the story. Who were you 'supposedly' having sex with?" Draco asked, obviously more interested in that line of thinking than any other.

"Later. I'll tell you later," Hermione said, waving off Draco's question and hoping he'd soon forget her promise.

"Well that night, Professor Snape showed me the exit because we needed tree sap from these Rowan trees to brew the salve for my eye. We came out here and the door slammed shut behind us," Misten explained. "Boy was Snape ticked when I let the door slam! I don't think I've ever heard..."

"Misten! The door?" Hermione reminded her, getting her back on track.

"Oh, yeah, well he had to say the password to open the door and I overheard what it was, so I knew it'd be the perfect for sneaking in and out of the castle. He even let it slip that the wards were weaker on this side of the castle. I guess he's had to use the door for something at night, maybe getting ingredients or something. Anyway, the wards were weaker and he anyone could slip in or out without being detected," Misten concluded.

"Except the wards were only weaker, still allowing Dumbledore to know someone was sneaking in and out. When he found out Snape's schedule, he realized it couldn't be him. That's how he knew someone had been leaving and entering the castle!" Draco deduced.

"He knows?" Misten asked, suddenly very scared. "He's known all along?" The panic was barely hidden in her voice.

"Yes, Misten," Hermione said, putting an arm around her friends shoulder. "He's known all along. He warned us about it months ago and asked us to keep an eye out for whoever had been out of bounds after curfew."

Draco, wanting to know just how juicy the information he was going to be able to hold over Misten's head and having held his tongue long enough asked, "Where have you been going, anyhow? We were told the person has been sneaking to Hogsmeade. You've been seen there, too, you know."

"I've been seen in Hogsmeade? Oh curses to me! Could this get any worse?" Misten whined as she rubbed the heels of her hands in her eyes.

"Well, actually, yes. This can get much worse. Misten, how are we going to handle this?" Hermione asked looking back and forth between her friend and her boyfriend.

Misten's eyes widened, almost comically as she sputtered, "You can't tell anyone! I thought we were friends! Please Hermione, Draco, this can't get out to the Professors. My parents will kill me for getting kicked out of two schools in less than two years! And how am I going to..."

Hermione stopped listening to Misten's diatribe of her life as she noticed the amused and sardonic look on Draco's face. He glanced at her and his smile just grew larger.

"Uh, Misten? Has it escaped you that Hermione and I are also out of doors, after curfew...although I would imagine dawn would be before curfew lifted? We could get into as much trouble as you," Draco said as he calculated what he could get from Misten for buying their silence.

Hermione, finally cottoning on, added, "Oh, yes, Misten, we'd probably get into more trouble as we're Head Boy and Girl and supposed to be setting a better example."

Misten quieted as the two began to speak and her head volleyed back and forth as if watching a tennis tournament. Finally her mouth caught up with her head and she questioned, "What do you want, Draco? What do you want to keep this information quiet? Why are you being so understanding; not that I am complaining, mind you."

Draco beamed at his obvious ability to control the situation. "For now, I want nothing. We want nothing. But I am certain something will come up in the future that Hermione and I will need. I know we can count on your cooperation at that time, for our silence now. And I need not remind you that you did not see us here this morning, correct?"

"Yes!" Misten said, the relief flooding her face. "I will do whatever you want. Just please don't tell anyone. Please!"

"Well, I suggest finding a different way in and out of the castle for starters," Draco said. Then noticing the look of horror on Hermione's face, he added, "Not that I am encouraging this type of behavior, mind you. It's just that this door is monitored and not as safe as you had thought."

Hermione's face screwed up in concentration as she began to process all the information in front of her. "Misten, where have you been going? It's not like there is some place for you to hang out all night in Hogsmeade. Even the Hogs Head Inn closes around 2:00 am. Where have you been the last four hours?"

Misten's face paled to the color of the snow she was standing in as Hermione spoke. The expression on her face went from relief at Draco's words, to guilt as she thought about where she had been, to horror at being asked to reveal that information. "I...I...um...well...I have been...um..."

But Draco, noticing Misten's panic stricken face, saved her as she failed at her words. "Hermione, it doesn't matter. What's done is done." He laid his hand on Misten's shoulder and guided her, quite roughly, to the door. Opening it with the other hand he said, "See you, Misten. Get back to Gryffindor tower before someone else 'sees' you. It's a small miracle Dumbledore isn't here now, knowing everything as he does. Good-bye!"

Misten squeaked when she heard the comment about Dumbledore, knowing it was true and hurried down the hall from which Draco and Hermione had just come.

Draco turned to Hermione and gave her a long and luxurious kiss. "Too much talking and not enough snogging for my taste. We didn't come out here to hear about Misten's extracurricular activities and adventures. Well, I didn't, anyway."

Hermione smiled, nodding her head in agreement. Although she wanted to know where Misten had been, she knew Draco would be leaving in less than four hours. She started walking with him and asked, "So where are we going, Romeo?"

"Romeo?" Draco questioned.

"Never mind," Hermione said, slightly embarrassed at her Muggle reference.

After giving her a strange look, Draco replied, "To the boat house, just on the other side of the castle. We'll have to walk north, though, so we don't have to go past that dreaded Whomping Willow."

Hermione smiled at the reference to the tree. She was tempted to tell Draco that she knew a way to settle the tree, but she would have to explain to him how she knew and she just didn't want to get into it. Their walk led them past Hagrid's cabin, although they were much to close to the castle to hear if he was awake.

As they climbed down the cliffs, Hermione spied a boathouse she had never noticed before. "Is this another Slytherin secret? I have never noticed this boathouse before and I have been down here plenty of times!"

Draco turned and smiled back up at her as he secured his footing on the snowy ground near the lake. He guided her the rest of the way down and replied, "Actually, it was just built last summer. Severus, I mean Professor Snape, uses it to gather some of the more 'aquatic' potion ingredients like Gillywead and such."

"Hmm" Hermione answered non-commitidly. She knew Professor Snape probably really used it for Order business, but she wasn't going to comment on it.

As he opened the locked door with a simple 'Alohomora' Hermione's eyes were treated to a rare sight in Scotland. She found a warm, waterproof room that was away from the prying eyes of others, but still with a great view for any activity they might be planning. It was a perfect room, away from the castle, for snogging.

The room really did hold a boat, but there was also a long sturdy bench along the wall to their left and windows looking out to the rising sun.

Draco grabbed her wrist roughly and pulled her to him. "Does this meet your expectations, my lady?" Without waiting for an answer he snuggled into Hermione's warm body and pressed their lips together.

Hermione couldn't help but sigh in happiness as the kiss got deeper and she relaxed against Draco's strong frame. 'This is wonderful' she thought.

Draco's next action forced any kind of coherent thought out of her head. The Slytherin raised both hands to run them through Hermione's hair and began to lick and suck her bottom lip. Hermione, still trying to have some control over her body and the choices it made tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths as he sucked, moving on to her ear. But her body was exacting revenge for years of sexual repression. It was reacting with the full force of all the sexual strain one seventeen-year-old woman could harness.

'For Gods sake! We just did this yesterday!' Hermione thought as her mind shut down again. 'How can I be this needy already?'

Draco moaned deep in his throat and closed his eyes tightly as he moved back to her mouth. His tongue slipped between Hermione's teeth and they began another heated kiss. Hermione did not have a lot of experience before this romance with Draco. Sure, she had kissed a boy or two as far back the end of fourth year and she had dated Ron for quite a while, but this was different. In fact, if she had to admit it out loud, the majority of her previous kisses were usually a bit sloppy and...inexperienced. But, and she really hated to admit this, Draco was so good he was making her better. He was really damn good; he knew how to use the right amount of force, when to tug at her lips and when to yield to Hermione's own tongue. Although it had been only the night before, she had forgotten how bizarrely intoxicating the taste of his hot, wet mouth was when it closed over her own.

Hermione's hands wandered around Draco's body of their own accord, almost without her knowledge. Her fingers clenched at his sinuous back. She felt Draco grin through the kiss. She opened her plain brown eyes to find a pair of unbelievably gorgeous stormy-gray ones locked down on her.

"All right then, you can lead today. Before I leave for a horribly long two-week break, what do you want?" he demanded.

"I . . ." Hermione eyes widened in embarrassment at the thought that she could have anything she wanted and she blushed furiously. She found her mind was mysteriously blank.

Chuckling, Draco said, "You have to be more specific than that, Hermione. As much as I loathe admitting it, I can't read minds. I leave that up to my father, Severus and Dumbledore."

Hermione lowered her voice and tried not to sound like she was whispering in fear. "I want to do what you want to do."

"No way, Hermione. You are going to have to tell me what you want. I need to hear it, and for your own good you need to tell me exactly what you want. Snogging? Snogging with a bit of touching? Snogging, touching and more? What do you want?" asked Draco, bluntly.

Hermione bit on her bottom lip and hesitated tellingly. She was scared to say what she wanted because she was not used to putting her wants...her needs...into words.

Draco smirked as he kissed the crook of Hermione's neck, and then whispered, "You want to the last one, don't you?"

"Please?" she hissed, almost overcome with need. She was tremendously grateful that she did not have to put it into words.

Draco pulled his cloak off of his shoulders. He revealed his body, barely clothed in a jumper and black cloth pants. She stood in front of him and gawked at his muscular chest as he seductively drew the jumper over his head. Hermione admired, silently, that he was so confident with his compact, wiry form. She followed with her eyes to the line of barely-blond hair on Draco's stomach that led down to his... "Holy Gods those cloth pants really don't leave a lot to the imagination, do they?" she whispered.

Draco laughed at the shocked and overcome look on Hermione's face and took her hands, placing them determinedly on his crotch.

"What's wrong, Hermione? Are you suddenly scared of it in the light of day?" he asked teasingly.

With slightly trembling hands, she undid the clasps at the top of the trousers and pulled down the zipper. Draco helpfully eased the garment down over his hips. Hermione bit back another gasp of fascination and awe. Draco leaned back against the bench and kicked off his snow-covered boots, discarding them with the rest of his clothes on the floor. He leaned back on his arms, looking like a male model in one of those girly magazines Hermione had heard so much about from Lavender and Parvati. She felt wonderment because apparently Draco was completely unashamed of his lanky, naked form, even in the relative public. He rotated his wrist, palm outstretched and fingers waggling, in order to suggest Hermione should hurry up and undress too. Hermione divested herself as quickly as her shaking hands could manage; not feeling confident to follow the strip tease Draco had given her. Once free of clothing she allowed Draco to gather her in his arms and resume the kiss. She was, once again, having a little trouble concentrating though, because Draco was running his hands all over her body.

She buried her head in Draco's neck, and then licked it gently. He moaned. Hermione smiled against his skin, and nuzzled her way down, slowly, until she reached the place where his hair drew straight down. She chanced a quick glanced up at the stormy-gray eyes that were open, growing darker and focusing on her parted lips. Then she swiftly let her tongue roam around his chest, deliberately avoiding Draco's sensitive nipples. Draco arched up, and pulled at Hermione's hair, whimpering, but definitely not trying to stop her. Hermione did an excellent job at ignoring him. She moved down and nipped at his exposed belly button. That earned her a swift intake of breath.

Hermione stopped her actions and smiled, moving up to try to catch Draco's mouth in the process.

Draco pulled back to catch his breath and smiled a wickedly dirty smile. Hermione barked out as he took his hand, grasped his erection and began to stroke it, groaning as he did so.

"What are you doing?" Hermione said trying to look disgusted at such blatant self-satisfaction as she watched Draco touch himself. The trouble was that it was turning her on. But she would never admit it. Out loud, anyway.

"Well, you didn't seem like you were going to do it; all that kissing and such. So...?" Draco said slyly. As she watched with complete fascination, he grabbed for her hand to replace his, swiftly moving his free hand to capture her internal warmth.

Hermione huffed out arduous breaths, hanging on to Draco's shoulder with her other hand as if it might keep her anchored to this plane of existence as they mutually took care of each other.

"Don't you dare come yet," warned Hermione menacingly, leaning close to say it, as she watched Draco's facial expressions change as he got closer to completion. Leaning in on his hand created a whole different reaction in Hermione, and she soon found she was having trouble breathing for a different reason.

Hermione felt the peculiar heat of arousal pooling in her gut and she found herself pressing into Draco's hand. If she had stopped to think about it the whole thing was bizarre and had a dream-like quality to her and she couldn't believe that she was actually doing something this reckless and unscripted...and in public.

Draco cursed suddenly and cried out, "I can't hold on much longer, Hermione."

Using all the concentration she could muster, Hermione thought back on how hot Draco looked rubbing himself and she came gasping his name. Draco followed a moment later and the two clutched each other and rode the waves of satisfaction, knowing it would be at least two weeks until they could be together again.

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"But I don't want you to go," Hermione whined, almost whimpering as she and Draco stood in their common room after breakfast in the Great Hall.

"Gods, you sound like Parkinson when you use that tone, Granger," Draco snapped as he clasped his cloak getting ready to leave.

Hermione was shocked that she sounded that obnoxious and more surprised that Draco seamed angry with her.

"I'm sorry, love," Draco said coming to embrace her in an affectionate hug. "I don't mean to be so cold, but I can't imagine being away from you for holiday after this amazing week. I don't want to go home, either. I wish nothing but for the opportunity to stay here with you. Two weeks of no classes, very little responsibility, hot sex and waking up to you in my bed sound decisively delicious right now."

"But instead you get to go home to..." Hermione said, pulling back to gauge Draco's reaction.

Draco cut her off with a firm look and, "Nothing for you to worry about or think about. I can handle my father. I've done it before and I'll do it again. It'll be quite...curious...not to have my mother there, but it will be fine."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" Hermione asked, softy rubbing his face with her hands.

Draco simply smiled and gathered up his wand to go. "I have to go, Hermione. I hope you understand that I'd rather stay here."

"I'd whine and say 'then why don't you' but I wouldn't want to be compared to Pansy again," Hermione teased, making a face at his unfriendly comparison.

"I love you, Hermione. Don't ever doubt that," Draco said seriously. "If I don't..."

Hermione's eyes widened knowing he was going to say 'If I don't come back'. All of her insecurities about him going home surfaced and she dreaded the thought that he was thinking that way. Thankfully she clamped his mouth shut with her hand and interrupted with "Don't say it, Draco! Don't say it and it wont come true. You aren't really worried about that are you?"

Draco, whose mouth was still firmly closed by a hand, shook his head 'No' and licked at Hermione's fingers.

"Stop that!" she giggled as she drew her hand back. "Naughty boy!"

"I hope to be back, Granger," Draco said softly.

Hermione knew Draco was using her last name as a way to withdraw from his feelings and put some distance between them as he went to see his father, but it still stung to hear him call her that.

"I love you, Draco. I'll be here for you when you come back to me in two weeks. I may be sex starved by then, but I'll be here," Hermione said as straight faced as she could.

Her hard work was rewarded with an expression of surprise turned into a smirk as Draco kissed her on her nose. "Wait for me before doing anything to 'feed' that hunger, okay?"

Draco grabbed her one last time and kissed her deeply. Hermione put her all into the kiss hoping Draco would think of it when he was alone at his father's house.

Pulling back quickly he said, "I love you!" and he rushed out of the suite before she could respond. Hermione let out a sob and crumpled onto the floor, more upset for what Draco would go through than herself.

After a good, long cry, Hermione picked herself up and went to visit Misten in the Gryffindor tower. As far as she knew the only students from her year staying back were Dean Thomas, Misten, Blaise Zabini and the Patil twins.

Swinging the Fat Lady's portrait open, Hermione was greeted with an unexpected, but surprisingly inviting sight. Harry and Ron were sitting on the couch in front of the fire playing chess. The train had left over an hour ago and she knew that they had planned to be on it. If they were here, they obviously had decided not to go to Bucharest.

"Hallo, Hermione," Ron called out when he saw her. Harry looked up and smiled, waving her over to them.

Hermione struggled to walk over there, seemingly under the impression that they were still angry with her.

"Well, come on then. There's been a change of plans and we could use your advice on what to do next," Harry said as he spied the trepidation on her face.

"My...my...advice?" Hermione asked as she took the seat on the arm of the couch.

"Yes, well, we've decided you were wrong," Ron said with a wink. "We've decided to make up with you because you need us and we know how lonely you must be without us."

Hermione smiled and knew that the holiday would be okay after all.

TBC