Stylistic Harmony

Chapter Fourteen
Draco drew his wand, if Potter was going to start something, it was best to be prepared. He walked towards the boy who lived, a hard look on his face. Potter stepped forward, wand raised, Draco however stopped about ten metres from him,
"Didn't have you down as the early bird Potter, Weaselette get tired of you and kick you out of bed?" Draco knew he shouldn't taunt Potter, after all the reason he was up early probably had something to do with the events of last night. Harry sneered at the blonde,
"Its none of your business Malfoy. Why are you out so early? Just get back from destroying our Government?" So Potter knew that the Ministry was destroyed, Draco had guessed right, so he did not bother with lies,
"I see you've heard then. I'm not gonna lie to you, I knew, but if you think I had anything to do with it, you are sadly mistaken. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some sleep before breakfast." He made to walk past, but Potter stood in his way, Draco glowered, "Get out my way Potter, as I said on the platform, I'm not going to fight you." Strangely, Potter lowered his wand and stepped aside, Draco walked past towards the door. Harry stood, he couldn't just let Malfoy go without saying something,
"Why'd you do it Malfoy?" Draco stopped and turned, a look of discontent on his face,
"Do what Potter?" Harry couldn't believe he was doing this,
"Save my life. I know it was you. I just don't know why." Draco stared at him in disbelief, then lightening fast, dropped Harry to the floor his hand around the dark haired boys throat. Harry grasped for his wand, but he had not expected Malfoy to react so fast, his wand had flown down the stairs in the attack. Malfoy growled at him,
"How the fuck do you know that? Who else knows?!" He relinquished his grip somewhat to allow Harry to answer,
"Dumbledore, he wrote me a letter. He knew what you were doing, and he said that you wanted Voldemort dead as much as I did. He said you might help me. I want to know why!" Draco had underestimated Harry, Harry threw Draco off of him, ran down the steps and grabbed his wand, brandishing it at Draco. The look of shock on Malfoy's face was enough to make Harry falter, "Why Malfoy?" Draco looked at Potter, no matter how much he hated the boy, and as much as he was loathe to admit it, he needed Potter to destroy Voldemort, to pave the way for him and Hermione. So he answered,
"Why? Because, yes, I want that bastard dead. I want him to suffer, I want him to know that no one fucks with me and gets away with it. Last year he used me, he tasked me to do something that he was fucking scared of doing. I couldn't do it, frankly, because Dumbledore was not my enemy, and that, that makes Voldemort a coward. I hate cowards." Draco shook his hair out of his eyes, he stepped right up towards Potter and said in a low, slightly dangerous tone, "I could stand here and discuss this with you til the cows come home Potter, but to be honest I don't want to, and I have somewhere to be. By the looks of things, so do you. I will say this, if you think that my saving your life means in any way that you have a debt to me, don't bother, I already have everything I want from you. You were never very good at closing your mind. Idiot." Draco walked back to the castle, all the information he needed to take down Voldemort in his head. Harry hadn't even realized that Malfoy had been in his head, all the vital information about the Horcruxes in the hands of Malfoy. He kicked himself mentally, how could he have been so stupid? Lupin had told him to be careful, and now he had thrown it all away. Picking up his stuff, he legged it down to the gates and apparated to Grimmauld Place.

The dawn sunlight cascaded through the window, hitting her retinas as she opened her eyes. She blinked slowly allowing her eyesight to adjust, she looked around at the figure next to her. Dark hair splayed out messily on the pillow, Blaise slept soundly next to her. Her immediate thought was, where's Draco? She leapt from the bed, frantic with worry. Hurrying down the stairs, she was about to run all the way to the Slytherin common room, then wherever else to find him, when he walked in through the portrait door. She flew into his arms, knocking the wind out of him. He hugged her tightly to him, reveling in the warmth she provided after the chill morning air. She spoke, barely audible,
"Oh God, you're okay. You're here. I woke up and you weren't next to me, I thought the worst. But you're here." He looked down at her, her eyes were wide and innocent, he had to tell her what had transpired. It would break her extreme vulnerability right now, and the blow that Potter was gone would add an extra weight. He led her to the sofa sat her next to him, pulling her close. Then he told her,
"Hermione, there's no easy way to say this but I have to tell you. The Ministry is gone, Death Eaters destroyed it last night. There was nothing that could be done to stop it." Hermione gasped in horror, she was about to speak when he cut her off, "There's more, Potter has left. I ran into him on my way in. It looked like he wasn't planning on coming back, and...he knows that it was me who saved him and he kept asking me why." Hermione stood up, walked to the kitchen and poured herself an ice cold glass of water. She felt like the worst kind of betrayer. He had no idea what to say, he couldn't find the words to comfort her. The glass in her hand shattered, slicing into her palm, she couldn't tell whether she was angry or upset, but she knew that whatever emotion she was feeling right now was tapping into her power. The skies outside had clouded over and rain was hammering down. Draco approached her cautiously, he could feel the power emulating from her body, he was connected to her in a way he couldn't explain. "Hermione..Hermione!" She rounded on him, her eyes darkened, tears rolling down her face,
"Draco....." Her voice was broken, cracked, his heart ached for her. He yanked her forwards and crushed her mouth with his, pulling all her grief and pain into him. He couldn't use words to comfort her but he would do everything in his power to help. He backed her into the wall, she had her hands twisted in his hair. He continued to kiss the life out of her, whilst edging his hands up her pajama top. She gasped, his hands were still cold from being outside. He released her mouth and peeled off her top, she ripped his shirt from his body, buttons flying everywhere. Fisting his hair in her hands she jerked his head towards hers, lips connecting them once again. She felt his power coursing through her blood stream, soothing her, calming her. He grew impatient tearing her underwear off, yanking down his trousers and boxers, he whispered in her ear,
"I need you baby, you need this. I want to make you feel." His seductive determination drove her crazy. He lifted her against the wall, like a reflex her legs wrapped around his waist pulling him closer. She dipped her head to his, kissed him, said
"Do it." It wasn't a plea, it was a demand. He thrust upward into her. Her teeth sank into the side of his neck, he was slamming her into the wall with every thrust. Her emotions at this point were running riot, on the one hand she hated him right now, he was a part of this, all the death and destruction that had happened during the night. On the other she wanted him, she wanted to take comfort in him, she wanted to love him. She clutched his shoulders, drawing blood with her fingernails, Draco hissed at the pain. Both of them refused to give in, her legs were wrapped so tight around him that his movement was restricted. In-between grunts she managed to say to him, "Why Draco?! Why'd you let this happen?! All those people, they died because you were too much of a fucking coward to stop them do it!" She really had no idea, he growled at her,
"Wake up Princess, this isn't a fucking fairy-tale. I am not a good guy." He finally got what he wanted, he felt her clench around him, his name screaming from her lips, he followed soon after. She released her legs from around him, he dropped her roughly to the floor, continuing his tirade, "I went to that meeting last night with no idea what was going to happen, or if I was going to even get back to you. When he announced the plan, I felt sick to my fucking stomach! But what you don't understand is that this had to happen. It wasn't nice and it wasn't fair but this is a war sweetheart, people are going to die." By this time she had got her clothes back on and she was watching him, he had pulled his trousers back on, and he stood before her shirtless. The anger had darkened his eyes, his hair was messed by their previous encounter, he looked like an angel and the devil rolled into one. She stood defiant, refusing to cry, then said in a calm tone,
"You don't think I know that? Don't treat me like an idiot Draco, I've had enough of that in my life, I don't need that from you! God!" He walked up to her and ran one long finger down the side of her cheek,
"You have no idea what I am, love. You have no idea what I've done." She shook her head and slapped him round the face,
"Don't patronise me. I understand fully what you are Draco, why do you think I love you so fucking much!" He stopped and took in what she had said to him, not one person, save his mother, had told him that in his life. She was crying now, she leaned up and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. He looked down at her, his beautiful girl, he cupped her cheek,
"Don't do that Hermione. Don't fall in love with me. Tonight changed everything, this war is going to consume us all. I don't want you to die for loving me. I am not worth that." She walked backwards away from him, she couldn't believe what he was saying to her,
"Not worth it? What happened to showing me your world? I gave everything to you! And you promised, you promised this would be forever! I want to be with you so much, I've betrayed everyone I care about by being with you. I am not about to walk away because you're giving up on us!" He stood defeated by her, the defiance in her eyes was so arousing, he wanted her again. Everything had changed around them, yet she still wanted him. He had thought because of last nights attack, she would go back to hating him. Treating him like the person he once was, but he had underestimated her. After only a week of their 'relationship', she had already become completely his. He believed now that she would do anything to keep them together, and that she was changing.
"I won't give up, I'll never give up on us. You have to understand though that whatever the Death Eaters do, I have to let them, otherwise they'll kill me. I can help your side, but I won't become someone else's puppet. I will help but my way only. Voldemort has to die." She hugged him, feeling need for her against her thigh. Peering up through her lashes, she said in a seductive tone,
"I think that I need a shower, want to come?" He grinned and captured her lips with his, allowing himself to be led into the bathroom.