The Dragon of Hogwarts

The Dragon of Hogwarts

Chapter 9: Wednesday

Something seemed to change between Hermione and Blaise as the week went on. It was Blaise's fault. He flirted with her shamelessly, no matter who was around. At first Hermione was embarrassed, but as she looked around for the reactions of her fellow students, she saw no surprise. The looks they got were usually amused, but sometimes they'd be envious or annoyed. It finally occurred to her that, because of the rumors earlier in the year, everyone assumed they'd been together for a while. She saw no reason to correct that assumption.

Hermione sneaked a glance at Blaise, who was holding her hand as they walked to the Great Hall for breakfast Wednesday morning. He did things like that a lot. Hold her hand, throw an arm across her shoulders, and play with her hair. He'd even started sitting with her at the Gryffindor table during meals.

Again, there were no shocked or surprised looks the first time he'd sat down beside her. Harry and Ron had glared, but everyone else had either smirked or rolled their eyes. No one really cared.

They sat down to breakfast and several of her fellow Gryffindors said good morning to Blaise. He'd been easily accepted, and she was proud of her house as a whole for welcoming him.

Ron and Harry had an early Quidditch practice and had not yet made it to breakfast.

"Have you decided what to tell Potter and Weasley?" Blaise asked as he piled scrambled eggs onto his plate.

Hermione sighed as she buttered a piece of toast. "I'd like to just tell them the truth," she admitted.

"Then do it. Just..." he trailed off.

"Just what?"

"Look, I know you're not thrilled about all of this, but it might not be a bad idea to let them believe that this is what you want."

"Well, I do want, uh, I mean... Oh, I'm eighteen; I don't know what I want! But I do know what I'm going to do," she said, smiling.

He smiled back. "I just think it will be easier for your friends to accept if they believe you want this."

She gave him a calculating look.

"Why are you so concerned about what Harry and Ron will think about this?" she asked.

"Because you need them. You love them, and you need their support, or you won't be happy."

Hermione forced herself to continue eating. Sometimes it was disconcerting how well he knew her.

"Speak of the devil," Blaise muttered as her two sweaty best friends plopped down across from them.

"G'morning," they mumbled and began stuffing themselves.

Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Um, guys?" she asked.

She noticed the heavy bags under their eyes as they looked up at her.

"You two look exhausted. Haven't you been sleeping?" she demanded.

"We were up late doing homework, and up early for practice," Ron said, defensively.

Hermione felt a pang of guilt at not being there to help them manage their time better. It was a ridiculous thought, but it bothered her nonetheless.

"We'll get in bed earlier tonight," Harry promised, as if he knew what she was thinking.

The four of them suddenly got very quiet and Hermione looked up to see a Harry and Blaise in what looked like a staring contest.

After a few minutes Blaise laughed and shook his head.

"Give it up, Potter. You can't get in unless I let you," he smirked.

Harry looked unnerved.

"What?" she asked them, confused.

"Nothing dear," Blaise said, and resumed eating.

Ron and Harry gave him a look at the 'dear', but said nothing.

"Okay. Well, I was wondering if you guys had a few minutes to talk after classes," she asked.

Harry and Ron looked at Blaise.

"No, he won't be there. There's something we need to discuss, the three of us," she reassured them and squeezed Blaise's hand under the table.

They nodded and agreed to meet her in the Room of Requirement that afternoon. A little while later she said goodbye to Ron and walked with Blaise and Harry to Potions.

"I'll heal Draco tonight, if you still want me to," he said, as they settled themselves at their work station in the classroom.

"Oh, yes that would be good," she answered looking at the blond a couple of tables away.

"Draco?" Blaise's voice called out.

When he turned around, Blaise motioned for him to come over to them. Draco shuffled his feet as he walked, looking like he was headed for his own execution.

"Yes?" he asked, looking intently at the floor by her feet.

"Come by our dorm at eight o'clock tonight and I'll heal your arm," Blaise told him.

Draco looked up, relieved.

"Thank you," he said, meaning it.

"The password is 'burn'," Blaise called as the blond started back to his seat. Draco's gulp was audible and Hermione had to cover a laugh with a cough.

"That was mean," she said to her partner, and almost gasped when she saw the way Blaise was looking at him.

"You're not going to eat him, are you?" she asked, suddenly regretting her decision to get Blaise to heal him.

Blaise turned to her and winked. His eyes were that eerie gold-green color again.

"Depends on how hungry I am," he said with a chuckle.

Snape chose that time to make an appearance, so she'd have to wait until after class to question him.

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Blaise had effectively avoided her all day, and now Hermione was frantically searching for him. She had to get him to promise not to hurt Draco before she met with Harry and Ron.

She hurried to their dorm, hoping he'd be there. He was.

Wearing only a pair of jeans, he was sprawled out on the floor reading a book.

He looked up when she came in and smiled at her blush.

"I thought you were meeting your friends now," he said, climbing to his feet.

"I am. I just... Do I smell candles?" she asked walking past him to peek in his room.

She gasped in shock. Candlelight bathed the green room in a romantic glow, and Hermione swallowed at the sight of the satin sheets and hangings on his bed.

"Do you plan on healing Draco or seducing him?" she asked, a delicious shiver running up her spine at the images that statement invoked.

He shrugged. "A little of both," he admitted.

She turned to him with a gasp.

"What? I was kidding," she said.

"You're going to be late to meet your friends," he reminded, gently pulling her out of his room and shutting the door.

"Blaise," she began, but stopped as he suddenly grabbed her arm, and pushed up the sleeve.

He held up a finger in front of her face, and she watched in horrid fascination as his nail began to grow before her eyes. A minute later, it was no longer a nail, but the unmistakable talon of a dragon.

She hissed, as he lightly ran the talon along her arm, just hard enough to break the skin.

Slowly, he lowered his mouth to the small, fresh cut.

Even though she braced herself, Hermione still let out a small cry at the intense pleasure that shot through her entire being as he lapped at the wound.

When he pulled back, she saw that there was no mark left on her arm. She looked at him through eyes half-closed with desire, and he pulled her close for a kiss. Her hands ran all over his naked chest, and she could feel him working on the buttons of her blouse.

A sudden pounding on the door, brought them back down to Earth. "Hermione, are you in there? We've been waiting ages!" she heard Ron's voice on the other side.

Blaise groaned and pushed himself away from her. "The weekend can't get here fast enough," he muttered.

Hermione ran to the door, and stuck her head out. "Sorry guys, I'll be there in ten minutes," she said, and shut the door in their faces.

She hurried back over to Blaise. "Is Draco going to feel like that when you heal him?" she demanded.

"Yes."

"Why are you doing all this?" she asked, gesturing toward his bedroom.

Blaise smiled at her.

"Draco Malfoy is homophobic and I want to mess with him," he said.

Hermione gaped at him.

"Are you, uh, attracted to him?"

Blaise gave her a look.

"You are my mate, Hermione, always. Draco is just fun to mess with. Tell you what, if you can get back here a little after eight, you can catch us, and maybe join in on the fun," he said.

Hermione tried to look outraged at his suggestion, but had to admit that she'd never been more turned on in her life.

Unable to speak, she stiffly nodded, and left to meet Harry and Ron.

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Hermione was in a hurry to get back to her dorm, so she decided to be as direct as possible with Harry and Ron.

"Okay, here's the deal. Blaise is a dragon-shifter, it's a hereditary thing and I can't tell you everything about it because it's a family secret," she said.

"Then why did he tell you?" Harry asked.

"Because I am his mate."

Their jaws dropped.

"Every dragon-shifter has one mate, and once they find her, they have a year to bond," she explained as if she was tutoring them on a school subject.

"And if they don't?" Harry asked when he regained his ability to speak.

"Let's just say it's not good for the dragon-shifter."

"What, does it kill him?" Ron asked.

"No, but pretty close to it."

They didn't say anything.

"Look, guys. I love Blaise, and I'm going to do this," she proclaimed, lifting her chin.

Ron sighed, and then nodded. "So, you're going to bond with him. Does that mean you have to sleep with him?" he asked, sounding much older than he was.

"Sort of," she said, not meeting their eyes.

"What else?" Harry asked in a hoarse voice.

"The bond isn't complete, until I'm pregnant."

Hermione wouldn't have been surprised if the shouting that followed shook the whole castle.

There was yelling and many tears in the minutes that followed. Finally, Hermione sat down on the sofa between them, taking one of their hands in each of hers.

"I know you don't like this and I have to admit it's not how I'd pictured my life to be, but I'm not unhappy about it. In fact I think it's rather exciting. There's just one thing that frightens me. I don't want to do this alone," she confessed.

Ron pulled her to him, and she allowed her tears to fall on his chest as his strong arms encircled her waist. A minute later, she felt Harry rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

"You won't be alone, Hermione. Not as long as Harry and I are alive," Ron whispered.

Hermione pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Thank you." She said to Ron, then turned to Harry who hugged her tightly.

"Hey Ron, we're going to be uncles," he said over her shoulder which caused Hermione to laugh.

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It was almost half past eight before Hermione returned to the dorm.

She was exhausted from the emotional roller coaster ride of the past few weeks, and had completely forgotten about Draco.

Hermione walked into Blaise's room.

"They took it better than..." she gasped.

Draco and Blaise were in his bed, naked from the waist up. Draco was flat on his back, holding his injured arm against himself, while Blaise was sitting, cross-legged beside him.

"Hello, Hermione," Blaise called over his shoulder, then turned back to study Draco. Blaise looked perplexed.

Hermione cleared her throat and walked over to them.

She looked at Draco, who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"I think I'd rather just keep the burn," he said, and tried to sit up, but Blaise easily pushed him back down.

"I promised her I'd heal you and I keep my promises," he growled.

"What's the problem?" she asked, placing her hands on Blaise's shoulders.

"He's ticklish. Every time I try to heal him, he pulls his arm away. I nearly broke it last time I tried."

"Hmm. What can I do to help?" she asked, half-wondering what Blaise was up to.

She leaned her head down so he could whisper in her ear.

The smile she gave Draco when she straightened made him gulp in fear.

She felt a thrill rush through her at the fact that the arrogant Malfoy heir was at their mercy. Hermione nodded at Blaise, and climbed up on the bed and sat on the other side of Draco.

Blaise grabbed his arm, and got ready to heal him, while Draco turned wary eyes to Hermione.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

She smiled again, and lowered her face very close to his. "Distract you," she said, then moved her lips to his ear, and blew.

Draco shivered, then cried out and pulled her against him with his good arm.

Hermione gasped, and looked over at Blaise, who was lapping at the wound with great care.

Draco was able to maneuver one of her legs between his, and she felt him hard against her thigh.

"It's all right, my love. He will not hurt you," she heard Blaise's voice in her head.

Hermione allowed herself to relax as Draco thrust himself against her leg.

A few minutes later Blaise was finished. He sat up and pulled Hermione away from Draco, before claiming her lips in a searing kiss.

When they came up for air, she looked down at Draco, who was breathing very hard with his eyes tightly closed.

"He's fine, now. All healed," Blaise said.

Draco groaned and sat up shakily. He studied his now blemish-free arm, and then looked up at them. "Thanks," he muttered, then quickly pulled his shirt back over his head, and stumbled off of the bed and out of the room.

Hermione crossed her arms across her chest, and glared at Blaise.

"Did you know that would happen?" she demanded.

"I figured as much," he answered, carefully.

"That was..." she thought desperately, but couldn't come up with an appropriate adjective.

Blaise sighed.

"I'm sorry, but you're the one who wanted me to heal him," he pointed out.

"Heal him, yes. But I didn't..."

"I can't heal without invoking a sexual response. When I first started healing him, he freaked, Hermione. He was absolutely terrified that I could make him feel that way. With you there, he could let go because you're a girl," Blaise explained.

"You mean he fancies me?"

"Well, he probably does now, but like I said earlier he's homophobic. It's not really his fault. His dad's a bastard and he tends to physically beat certain ideals into him."

Hermione suddenly felt sick.

Blaise pulled her to him and she snuggled into his chest.

"Don't worry about Draco. He'll be fine. You did great, and hopefully we won't have to do anything like that again," he said, running his fingers through her hair.

"Draco seemed to really like it," she whispered.

He regarded her thoughtfully.

"Well, if you..."

There was a loud thud on the window. "What the? Oh, it's Tinker Bell," he said, quickly opening the window.

A small owl flew in and perched on the headboard of the bed.

"Tinker Bell?" she asked, amused.

He actually blushed.

"My cousin named her."

He untied the package from around her leg and grinned up at Hermione.

"She sent it!"

"Who sent what?"

"My mom. She sent my Great-Grandmother's ring,"

He proudly held out the platinum band with the solitaire diamond. Her breath caught in her throat as he knelt on the ground before her.

"Hermione Jane Granger, Will you marry me?"

End Chapter 9