The Price Of Knowledge

The Price of Knowledge

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything you recognize.


Chapter Eleven

I never made it to my first class. I never even made it to my dorm before I had to shove my hand into my knickers and quench the thirst Draco had instilled. I made the most ravage sounds when I came, shaking and sweating in the girl’s loo. I leaned back against the W.C. door and willed the trembling to stop.

What had I just signed myself up for?

If Draco wanted me at a disadvantage, he now had it. I had no idea what to expect and it scared me. I created the contract as a means to have some control, and now had none. My brilliance had one flaw – Draco had seen through it. Now I was at his mercy.

Another delicious shiver coursed through me. Maybe I scoffed too hard at the definition of a nymphomaniac, I was fast becoming one.

With Draco’s amendment to the contract, I decided it was better to be ready for him. I has no idea when to expect him, so I decided to be mentally prepared for any onslaught.

Easier said then done.

My next class was Advanced Potions, a class that Draco and I both took. In the corner of my eye, I watched him enter wordlessly and take his usual seat in the back. Professor Snape entered the classroom moments later, and began to relay the day’s instructions. I helped Harry set up our workspace and began to start a simple enough Restlessness Solution – something I had already mastered in my fifth year. The entire classroom was as silent as ever as Professor Snape made his rounds observing each student’s progress.

While he was out of earshot, Harry leaned in closely and asked: “What happened this morning?”

“I seem to recall my so-called mates laughing at me,” I hissed back.

Snape passed by out workstation again and I ignored Harry.

“Aw ‘Mione we didn’t-” Harry was cut off sharply by Snape’s hand slamming down on the desk. The surprise of it nearly made me drop my slotted spoon.

“Silence, Mr. Potter, and five points from Gryffindor for disrespect,” Professor Snape retorted dryly. “Miss Granger, do let the boy do something productive. Another five points from Gryffindor.”

I placed my hand on Harry’s in anticipation of an outburst. There was none. Snape resumed his patrol of the classroom.

“It was brilliant how you stuck Ron’s homework to his forehead though,” whispered Pavati from behind.

I smiled. Remembering the look on his face was enough to dissipate my anger. I turned my attention back to my work – although not before taking yet another unconscious glance to the back of the classroom.

“I can assure you, Miss Granger, that Mr. Malfoy is, in fact, doing his work and not planning your untimely demise, so keep your eyes on the task at hand,” Professor Snape swooped in again, catching me.

My entire face burned as the other students snickered and I licked my lips nervously before I issued a quiet apology. Thankfully, he hadn’t taken any points. I wondered if Snape had given my distracted behavior a reasonable excuse – after all, for the past six years Draco had done nothing but torment my friends and me. Who’s to say it wouldn’t happen?

And since when did Malfoy become simply Draco? This couldn’t be a resent occurrence, could it, or was I only now overcoming my deafness? When had the cloud of contempt lifted and it become fitting to refer to him by his given name?

Probably around the same time he kissed me. Or put his hand down my knickers. Or make me come so hard I could weep. Or…

But I was trying not to think of these things. Not now, especially not now. Not ever. How could he have such an effect to distract me from my studies?

At the end of class, Harry, like most of the students, rushed off to lunch. I stayed behind, polishing my workstation and carefully labeling and corking my potion sample. I attempted not to look over my shoulder – instead, I acted cool and nonchalant. I didn’t want to seem expectant, but I didn’t want to seem remote or unattainable either. I would not have him know his affect on me.

But nothing happened.

It was lunch; I was alone in an empty classroom. It was the perfect opportunity for Draco to surprise me…only he wasn’t there.

I ended up in the Great Hall, squeezing myself in between Ginny and Lavender and finding myself feeling really disappointed. I knew he had said “whenever…” but I thought whenever was going to be sooner than that.

He wasn’t at the Slytherin table either. Where could he be?

I rolled my eyes – what was I thinking lately? More importantly, what was I thinking with?

“Ron isn’t too chuffed with you, Hermione.” Lavender turned from her conversation with Pavati to speak with me. “And I don’t blame him. Professor McGonagall took ten house points and gave him detention for a week.”

“Serves the git right,” I replied indignantly. “I’m not here to cheat off of when he’s too lazy to give his work a go.”

Lavender’s expression changed. “What is with you lately? You’ve changed, Hermione.”

“How have I changed?” I could feel my irritation grow.

“You’re so…reactive. Angry, but passionate. Like you have a fire in your belly.” Lavender leaned in closely. “I’d love to read your tea leaves. And you look different. Have you been wearing makeup lately? Or did you do something to your hair?”

“I really don’t know what you are going on about.” I rolled my eyes and grabbed a ham sandwich off a nearby platter and grabbed my things. I had better things too do besides listen to codswallop. Lavender had such cheek to make any such assumptions. She barely noticed me in the first place, why start now?

I made it back to dorms with enough time to review for my next class and eat another sandwich. I nearly ran over Neville in the common room – he was staring at me rather strangely. I pushed by him without a word, not really in the mood to listen to his judgment of my reaction to Ron this morning. Frankly, I wasn’t particularly in the mood to see anyone of my so-called friends…they were acting like such gits lately. What was this bit about me changing anyway?

I stared angrily at the looking glass in the middle of the dorm room. I had to admit, I never really paid much attention to my appearance. I washed my face and tried to control my hair with a special conditioner I bought in Muggle London, but aside from that, I rarely bothered. So what I saw staring back at me came as of surprise – as I wasn’t as plain and boring looking as I thought. My lips were rather full and deep red in color – they must have been swollen from Draco. No wonder Lavender though I was wearing lipstick. Usually they were so pale and chapped you couldn’t even tell I had a big mouth. My eyes, while always being a boring, dull shade of brown, were large and bright. They even had a twinkle to them. Me! A twinkle! Even my skin and hair seemed different from what I remembered. My hair seemed longer, flowing down my back in soft waves rather than coarse curls. My skin was clearer, and my cheeks rosy from blushing.

I didn’t look like me at all. Well, I looked like me, only…different. Better. Happier. “Don’t I look pretty?” My reflection giggled haplessly, and pouted its lips. “It must be all the sex I keep having!”

“How do you know that?” I asked it.

“I’m you, remember? If we keep getting off the way we have been lately, we’re going to get wand hand itch!” It held up two fingers and smiled knowingly.

“What a pervy mirror!” I couldn’t help it.

“Correction, what a pervy you,” my reflection remarked.

Well, it had a point. I suppose there was a correlation in my appearance and my newfound knowledge. I was averaging two climaxes a day for the past month, how could I have not realized the external effects? I slapped my forehead. How could I have been so thick? I threw myself down on my bed and took out my notes. I have cleverly spelled it to read “Popular Ancient Sumerian Texts and How to Translate Them” knowing very well neither dorm-mate would dare look at it twice.

I had made notes of my progress in terms of my personal well-being; I was more relaxed lately, sleeping and eating better, and making more of an effort to be physical in terms of effort. My mood had improved greatly, with the obvious exceptions of my reactions to my so-called mates and the situation with Drac…Malfoy. I really had to stop calling him that. I made a few notes on the appearance changes and put my “personal” research notebook away. I really had to pay attention to any more physical changes.

After some light reading and polishing off the rest of my lunch, I took one last glance in the mirror before leaving. My reflection blew me a kiss.


The rest of the day was truthfully uneventful. In Herbology, Neville and I prepared Ash roots for preservation and went wild mushroom picking outside the edge of the Forbidden Forest. In Arithmancy, Professor Vector assigned a three-foot essay on her latest puzzler, solving modern day Arithmantic problems using ancient runes in the equation. This was normally a task I would find exciting and rush to the library to start, but I found myself yawning halfway through the lecture. I was exhausted, and rightly so. I had barely slept a few scarce hours, and that was after a rather vigorous workout with Dra…Malfoy.

I was so tired I ended up back at the dorms again, before everyone else had returned from after class socializing. I kicked off my shoes and cast aside my robes, flopping down into my wonderfully inviting bed. I was actually really glad Draco hadn’t kept his word by the end of the day –I wouldn’t have enjoyed the encounter as much in my drained state. I learned that when tired, I could not bring myself to orgasm, and trying so usually made me even more restless and weary. As I fell asleep, I couldn’t help but think about him, think about the next time he would kiss me, or touch me, or…

I feel asleep with a rather naughty smile upon my face.

I awoke to the sounds of Lavender and Pavati giggling and gossiping. It must have been early dusk - the candles were lit. While I slept, one of them must have drawn the curtains around my bed, and I was never more thankful for the privacy. I had the most randy dream of myself curled around the back of one of the common room chairs, being taken from behind by a certain blond-haired Slytherin again and again…

I reached down to begin stimulating myself when I felt something stop my hand.

My break caught and I was about to scream, before I felt a heavy weight upon me and a hand cover my mouth. Fingers pressed against earlier bruises and familiar silver eyes met mine.

Malfoy was in my room, in my bed, lying on top of me.


Tbc…