Circle of Love

Beta-ed version now up. Lots of changes. Tell me what you think in reviews. ~~juls
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Books were spread about the table and Hermione sat with one open in front of her, quill ready in hand; chewing pensively on the end, deep in thought. An ink drop threatened to drip off the quill’s nib. Before it had a chance to though, she seemed to make up her mind and moved to write something only to pause for a moment, then finally scribbling something on the paper before her.

Draco stood silent in the doorway, watching her read passages from one book, then another and then turn back to her paper in studied concentration, wondering how a girl biting the end of her quill could be so sensuous. He saw the hand that she propped her head upon casually brush back her bangs, and it sent a chill of desire down his spine. Yes, I definitely like her, he thought as he crept silently behind her and brushed her hair back with his hand. Without hesitation, he then nipped gently at the back of her neck.

Hermione jumped, startled from her concentration. “Merlin Draco!” She exclaimed, leaning back into him. He ran his hands down her arms and swiftly removed the quill from her hand as he moved around to kiss her lips.

“What are you doing?” Draco asked, taking a seat beside her, an arm around her waist and looking at the paper before her.

“This is the Wolfsbane potion Professor Snape was trying to teach us this morning.” She pointed to the hand-scribed book Snape had provided them all with. “I was just going through all these books trying to see if there were ways to shorten the steps or even combine some to make it simpler.” Her head nodded towards the stack of Dark Arts books that the Black library was full of.

“Don't you think Professor Snape has already done that?” Draco said, pulling her to him, and kissing her again. Hermione pushed him away, turning back to her work.

“Don't you-- you-- boys ever think with your brains instead of your-” Hermione pointed to his lower regions with a deep red blush staining her cheeks.

“Don't you ever come into a library full of books just to read?” Draco stood up and walked over to a book filled shelf. 'No wonder Weasel played with Brown behind your back.' He mumbled under his breath, pulling a random book out.

“What did you say?” Hermione asked.

“Like this one, 'A Tale of Two Cities'?” He held a book to her face, ignoring her question. “Or this one, 'Sense and Sensibility'?”

“Read those both before first year, could probably recite them word for word to you. But, what did you mumble just now?” She asked again.

“Nothing, how about--” He held up another book as he turned back to her, only to find a wand in his face, pressed against his nose. “Fine, I said can't a guy catch a small snog once in awhile.”

“Hm, right.” Hermione lowered her wand, letting it go for now. “I have read all those books, but this--” She waved her hand back to the potions book, “Is a challenge, and maybe if you actually tried, your marks would have been as good as mine.” She smirked at him.

“You know what?”

“What?”

“Professor Snape was right, you are an insufferable know-it-all.” Draco dropped the book unheeded to the floor. “But, unlike him, I can offer a better distraction. Shall we say… something more interesting to study?” He advanced on her.

“Draco,” She murmured, stepping back till she hit a bookcase.

“I'll play study-mate if you play snog-mate for just a little.” Draco wheedled, seeing her eyes deepen to a dark chestnut brown. He ran his hand through her hair as her lips rose up to his.

“For a little while,” She conceded, unwilling to admit his closeness offered a distraction she wanted. Their arms slipped around each other, her back leaned against the shelves. He pressed closer to her, his body firm and warm against hers.


****


“So are you ready to lose again, Remus?” Severus Snape said as they walked down the hallway towards the library. They had both decided a game of Wizard's chess was a good idea to relieve the stress of the day. Plus, Remus was thinking about tomorrow night's full moon, the first one with all the young ones at Grimmauld Place. He had argued unsuccessfully with both Tonks and Severus about them being sent to the Burrow for a few days, but both had pointed out the amount of time that would be lost in which the teens could study and research instead. They used the Room of Requirement now for his monthly changes. It afforded safety for the house inhabitants, and comfort for him while he was locked away. He still hated his furry little problem, but he didn't have to worry about Tonks-- and now the children that had been placed in their care. The door to the Room sealed itself after him and only opened well after sunrise the next morning.

Harry and Hermione had seen him transform back in Third year, and still held fear. They had never been in Remus's presence again during this time of the month. Remus regretted scaring them, and had been amazed that Severus Snape had saved them. He now remembered to take his potion religiously, and had Tonks there to remind him.

“I played with some of the best chess masters in Hogwarts, I play to win.” Remus said, reaching the open library door. The chess set sat under a window, the almost full moonlight shining off it. Remus entered first and looked around, stopping in his tracks suddenly.

Severus walked smack into his back, and looked over to where Remus was looking. He folded his arms over his chest and coughed to make the other occupants of the room aware of their presence.

Draco pulled reluctantly away from Hermione and looked at the two older wizards; giving Hermione a chance to hide the blush that ran charmingly down her cheeks into her shirt collar.

“Good evening, Sirs.” Draco said, bending down to pick up the book he had dropped earlier.

“Hello Professors.” Hermione said uncomfortably before sliding back into her chair and looking at her papers.

“We were just going to play chess; are we interrupting anything?” Snape said, pulling a chair back and sitting down at the chess table. Remus took the seat across from him, wondering if he should delay the chess game and pull Draco aside now or later.

“No sir. I was just looking up some facts in these books--” Hermione said.

“Not now, Hermione.” Draco whispered to her. “No Professor. We were just leaving.” He gathered up Hermione's papers, took her hand and pulled her out.

Once the door was closed behind them, Remus finally spoke up, a worried look on his face.

“Things are moving swiftly between those two. I sure hope he won’t hurt her, she's been through a lot lately.”

“They all have Remus, they are young, hormonal and of legal age. We can't stop them.” Severus said, picking up a chess piece, putting it back down as it protested.

“He was all over her, Severus!” Remus exclaimed.

“I don't think she was protesting. Remus-- chess. Your turn.” Severus pointed to the board, trying to change the subject.

“You think that-” Remus hesitated, forming his next words carefully, “You think that Lucius ever gave the boy ‘The Talk’?” He looked down at the chess pieces, awaiting Snape’s assessment of the situation.

“'The Talk'? I'm sure he gave Draco some words, but knowing Lucius it was probably not too advantageous to the girl. He's not innocent, Remus. You grow up quick in Slytherin.” Severus smirked at Remus's look of outrage.

“We have to stop this now!” Remus said, starting to stand up. Severus motioned for him to sit back down.

“The girl has some sense, he'll only get as far as she will let him.” Severus said, and Remus arched his eyebrows. “Fine, you want to give him 'The Talk' or do you want me? Your precious Potter would most likely benefit also.”

“What about the girls? Bloody hell.” Remus uttered, the ramifications of a houseful of teenagers suddenly entered his mind.

“We were that age once.” Snape laughed. “I'll do it. Least I won't stutter through. I'm sure Molly has given both Ginny and Hermione the girl version. I'm not up to that.”

“Best sooner rather then later.” Remus said, standing up again.

“Now? Remus it's late, and I was hoping to beat you.”

“Now. I don't trust him.”

“Merlin's beard! Fine.” Severus knocked over a chess piece with his finger before storming out of the library. Remus watched his back disappear wondering why he was so angry.


****


“I have never been so embarrassed!” Hermione said when they entered the sitting room. Ginny and Harry were in the corner playing Exploding Snap. Harry looked up with a nod towards Hermione and a glare at Draco before turning back to the game.

“What happened?” Ginny asked her.

“Well, um... oh Merlin,” Hermione stuttered out before blushing again.

“What she's trying to say is the Professors caught us snogging in the library.” Draco said, sneering in pleasure at Harry's groan and Ginny's laughter.

“It's not funny, Ginny!” Hermione exclaimed, sitting down on a cushion by the fire. Draco gave Harry a defiant look before taking a place beside her. She laid her forehead on his shoulder, and he took her hand.

“Yes it is! I can see them giving us 'The Talk' now.” Ginny broke out into even more giggles. Harry and Draco both moaned.

“Great.” Harry said. “Could you imagine Snape doing that?” He shuddered at the thought of Snape even saying anything remotely sexual.

****

Bloody Hell! Damn werewolf! Damn hormonal teenagers! Severus thought as he strode through the halls. What does he bloody think? That they are going to paw all over each other in the halls like animals?

He entered his Potions laboratory and lit a fire under one of the many cauldrons. Slamming open the supply cupboard, he grabbed a few ingredients and began brewing.

“What are you doing, Severus?” Remus asked, having followed Snape into the room.

“Getting ready for 'The Talk'.” Severus said as added more lace wings.

“Brewing is not getting ready, it's just an avoidance tactic.” Remus said while watching Snape cap the potion into vials.

“These are contraceptive potions.” Snape announced as Remus's jaw dropped in shock.

“They won't need those. 'The Talk' is-”

“'The Talk' won't do anything without actions.” Severus said as he pocketed the vials. “Now I am ready. If they are going to play 'adult' games, they need to know how to act with some modicum of responsibility.”

Remus placed a hand on Severus's arm. “Would you rather I do this?” He asked, holding his hands out for the vials.

“Can I trust you to make sure you give them these?” Snape took the potions back of his pocket, they laid in the palm of upturned hand. “We can't stop their actions, Remus. We can only prevent then from suffering consequences.”

Remus's hand hesitated before reaching for the vials and he nodded his head.

“I will make sure they get them, or you can be there and give them to they boys yourself.”

“I trust you.” Severus said, a sense of relief flowing through his veins. His love for the now dead Narcissa Malfoy made him feel as if Draco was practically his son. If not for her parents hatred for anything less then a Pureblood wizard for their daughter, Draco would have been his.

Remus walked towards the sitting room, hearing the laughter he knew they were all there. Ginny broke into more laughter as Harry and Draco looked at each other, identical looks of the damned plastered on their faces. Hermione blushed and looked away.

“Draco and Harry, may I have a word with you both please.” He said to them before turning out the door. He heard their light footsteps behind him as they walked down the hall. The sounds of Ginny's soft laughter could be still be heard.

They entered the small classroom and he shut the door behind them.

“You can sit down.” Remus said, turning to look at them.

“Sir? Did we do something wrong?” Harry asked, trying to play dumb.

“No Harry. Hopefully not yet anyhow.” Remus sat on the desk, still looking at them, wondering how far they had taken it. The son of his best friend and the son of one of his enemies looked back at him.

“Is this where you give us 'The Talk' because you and Professor Snape caught Hermione snogging with me in the library?” Draco said with a sneer, trying to hide the discomfort he felt.

Remus thought for a moment, “That basically sums up the purpose of our meeting here,” he paused not quite sure how to proceed. “I want to talk to you about your relationships with Hermione and Ginny.” Remus paused again, trying to judge the boys’ reactions.

He could tell that both were equally nervous, though Draco tried to play it cool. He cleared his throat before he spoke again.

“I guess there’s no way to make this pleasant and comfortable for any of us, so let’s get straight to the point. Did either of you have sex yet with your significant other?”

Harry shook his head, unable to hide the blush creeping into his features.

“Not yet with Hermione, no,” Draco slowly answered, smirking at Harry’s outraged look as he spoke his carefully chosen words.

“Okay,” Remus continued, “I know you’re of legal age and that you’re old enough to make your own decisions. I trust you both know the technical side of it. I am just here to make sure you understand the other side of it all.”

“The other side?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, the emotional side of it,” Remus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so often in recent weeks. “I don’t know how far you both, and indeed your girlfriends, have gone but I want you to think before you act. And talk to the girls before it happens.” He let his words sink in, receiving nods from both boys. Taking the vials Severus had given him from his pockets, he went on.

“These are contraceptive potions. Ginny and Hermione should take them – once they have done so, they will be protected for one month. Let me make it clear that this does not give you a free pass for fun. I want you to speak with the girls and act responsibly. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Both boys chorused back at him.

“Do you two have any questions?”

“No sir.” Harry shook his head, ready to get out there. He'd already been cornered during the summer by Bill and Charlie Weasley and had been given less then friendly warnings about the care of their baby sister. He now feared them more then he did Voldemort.

“No, all is perfectly clear, sir.” Draco replied after Harry.

“Good. Well, if you have any questions please feel free to come and talk to me. And remember, act responsibly and when and if a girl says ‘no’, she means ‘no’.” The boys murmured their understanding and Remus left the room after Harry. Draco sat back in the chair as he turned the small vial in his hand. He barely heard the door open again, he was so deep in thought.

“Remus wanted me to make sure you understood one thing, Draco.” Severus said, entering the room a few moments later.

“What sir?” Draco looked towards Snape.

“If you in any way hurt Miss Granger he will personally kill you. I'll add this: I will help him.” Draco's face paled at those words. “What ever intentions you have towards her, make sure they are honorable. She's no Pansy Parkinson.” He added before walking out of the room, the click of the door's closing sounding ominous to his ears.

Draco sat back, stunned. Why did that git have to bring up Pansy? He groaned, letting his head fall back. What people thought had happened between him and Pansy and what actually had were two very different things. Just because Pansy had been his father's ideal choice, and her parents had happily agreed to it didn't mean it was.

In fact they'd all laugh at him if they knew Pansy was in love with some Hufflepuff, not him. They had explored a few things together before that, but her secret affair with the other boy had changed their relationship. Because of their lifelong friendship he had played along, keeping her secret. When it all came down to it, his playboy demeanour was all talk, part of the Slytherin attitude he'd been portraying for years. No, he wasn't a virgin, he'd lost that to some seventh year Slytherin princess when he'd been fifteen, but he was more selective in his shags.

Her boyfriend had also changed Pansy's outlook on the Pureblood hogwash they had been force fed as children. She hadn't felt the same pressures to conform like the boys had, and had never really looked it till she fell in love. He hoped the Hufflepuff kept her happy and safe. Her parents would kill her when they found out.

Draco felt a hand on his shoulder and a tickle on the side of his face as Hermione's hair fell around them. He turned his face into her kiss, a hand gently holding the back of her head.

“How did it go?” She asked, letting out a sound of surprise as he pulled her into his lap. “He didn’t really give you ‘The Talk’, did he?”

“It went well and yes, he really did give us ‘The Talk’.” He looked into her shocked chestnut eyes, his hand still clasped around the vial. “This is a gift.” He smirked at her look. “Yes, it's exactly what you think it is. Harry has one also.”

“Ginny's going to have a good laugh about this.” Hermione's hips moved in his lap when she tried to stand up, but his hand on her thigh kept her in place.

“I want you to put this somewhere safe, what ever is done with this potion is your choice.” Draco's grey eyes held hers for a moment longer before she tucked the vial into a pocket. He wrapped his arms around her and her head laid in the crook between his head and shoulder, her breath warm against his neck. He felt her hand on his stomach, her finger caressing in small circles.

“Dinner is ready; that’s what I was sent to tell you.” Hermione said, lifting her head to look at him.

“Well I am hungry,” He told her, not admitting to a different hunger that neither of them was ready to act on. With regret he helped her stand before taking her hand and walking to the kitchen where the others were already digging in.

****

The next day Severus waited in the Potions room to see if his students would show up. He hoped this time at least one viable potion was created, and smiled to himself as all four walked in.

“Gloves on and follow my moves exactly.” Severus said, pleased as they began to prepare the potion, step by step carefully. He saw Harry's look of concentration, not letting anything distract him this time.

“Very good. We have a few moments to go over anything before the last step. Any questions?” Severus set his wand down, the timer ticking down the minutes.

“Are these actually going to be used?” Harry asked, “I mean how can we be sure they are correct?”

“Remus will use one tonight, so I am hoping that at least one of these potions are correctly brewed. Please understand that these potions are difficult to create for even licensed Potions Masters, so failure is to be expected. It may take months of brewing these for any of you to get it right.” Severus explained. “I want someone else in the Order to be able to create these in case I can't be around to do so myself.” He said.

So far both potions were the correct color, and the last step was when it would actually show if they had followed the steps precisely. The timer went off, and they began to add the finishing ingredients, wand taps and waited.

They waited as the red potions before them turned a different color, Harry's and Ginny's went blue and Draco and Hermione's went to a gold. Severus's was a silver color.

“Not this month,” He sighed regretfully, using his wand to remove the failed potions. He had really expected that Draco's and Hermione's would be perfect, which was why he had matched those two together. “Wand taps and stirs have a certain timing to them. We'll practice those without ingredients later in the month. It's lunch time, class dismissed.”

“I'm sorry, Professor Snape. I can't even see where I went wrong.” Hermione said, Draco pulling her out the room before he could reply.

“We'll work on it, don't worry.” Draco whispered in her ear.

“He looked so upset.”

“The aconite is expensive and hard to obtain. He hates waste.” Draco reminded her.

“I think we failed him.”

“He'll get over it.” Draco sneered, pulling her into a small kiss before breaking away to enter the kitchen.


“There will be no Defense lessons today. Tonks and Shacklebolt are on a mission, and tonight is the full moon.” Remus reminded them. He and the kids were the only ones in the kitchen, Severus taking his in the Potions room.

“Our potions failed.” Hermione told him.

“Professor Snape has them for me. Maybe next month,” He nodded, somewhat relieved that he knew he was getting his normal Wolfsbane, but also worried because the only one in the Order with the abilities to brew it was Severus. “I'm going to my room for now. You all enjoy your free time.” He smiled tiredly at them as he left.

Ginny gave Hermione a look and nodded towards the door. They had a free afternoon, and really wanted to find out what was up with her best friend. Hermione leaned over to whisper into Draco's ear and he looked over at the youngest Weasley before smirking.

Both boys watched as the girls left the kitchen. It was suddenly awkward, and Draco sneered at Harry; waiting for another side comment.

“I've never had the chance to say this before. I am sorry about your mum. I met her once at a meeting before she died. She was totally different than what I thought she'd be. So unlike either your father or you.” Harry stood up and walked out.

Draco sat there a moment, pondering Harry's words.


****


Ginny pulled Hermione into her room and closed the door. She went over to the bed and looked at the bushy haired girl and waited. Hermione sighed and sat down next to her.

“So what is up between you and Malfoy?” Ginny asked finally, the first chance she had had getting Hermione alone.

“Nothing much.” Hermione felt the inquisition coming on. She really wasn't in the mood for this, she wasn't even sure herself.

“Yeah right,” Ginny drawled her words out, “You were asleep in his arms yesterday afternoon. He and Harry fight over you and then you get caught snogging in the library. Nothing much is such an understatement.”

“If I could tell you what was happening I would, Ginny. It's weird. I like him. He saved my life and fought his own father over me. I know a lot of that had to do with his own mum, but if Remus hadn't stopped him, I think Draco would have killed his own father that night.” Hermione told her.

“Does he like you?” Ginny asked with concern.

“He says he does, so yes.”

“What about Ron?”

“Merlin, Gins. Ron is dead. I loved him yes, but you know he had that thing for Lavender. Always going to her, I don't honestly think your brother and I were fated to be together much longer. It was beginning to feel like I was snogging my brother. Don't hate me for this please.” Hermione's eyes misted with tears as she talked about Ron.

“Ron had his faults, and Lavender pursued him.” Ginny through a hand over her friend's shoulder. “He got things from her that if Harry got from me would have blown his mind over. If you are happy, I'll support your choice. Won't make Harry happy, but I'll work on him.”

“Thanks, Ginny.” Hermione rubbed the tear out of her eyes and hugged her close. “I don't want to come between you and Harry though.”

“I have my ways,” Grinned Ginny. “And for what it's worth, Draco does seem different. Same sarcastic prat, but different. Just be careful, you know.”

“Don't worry, Professor Snape provided both boys something for that.” Hermione laughed, her hand touching the vial in her pocket.

“Harry wouldn't talk about it. Just ran off to his room with a red face.” Ginny said.

“He'll tell you eventually.” Hermione winked.

“Gah, you're worse then he is. I'll be seventeen soon.” Ginny exclaimed.

“It was a potion, for when- well you know.” Hermione's cheeks turned pink.

“Oh,” Ginny laughed. “Smart professor.”