Unrequited

Disclaimer: No, I don't own them. I just like to make them do smutty things. Don't sue me.
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I went back to my room after finishing my rounds, trying to take in all that had happened. Draco's little confession stunned the hell out of me. I couldn't believe that he had been watching me for near to two years now. I mean, really. Draco Malfoy, obsessed with me? He *hated* me. That little bit of information put me into overload and I was happy to retreat to my bedroom to think.

I lay on the bed in my flannels musing. It was really a lot to realize that the person who strived to make your life hell was the one person who was the most interested in you. It took a lot of guts for Draco to let down his guard. I hadn't expected a recitation of some of the most intriguing and yes, disturbing, behaviour I'd ever been privy to.

Truth be told, I felt flattered and not a little gratified by the whole thing. Although I do think I let him off easy with his proposal. I was tired of fighting the boy tooth and nail. It was enough that he'd bent enough to do as I asked. Sometimes I think I need to bend, too. I rolled over onto my side and watched clouds scuttle across the heavy harvest moon.

I thought of how the ivory colour resembled nothing so much as Draco's hair. It was the last thought I had before falling asleep.
*******
Granger. She was certainly full of surprises. I don't think I'd ever seen her so soft with anyone. Even with Weasel there was a sort of brittleness, a sort of aloofness. It was like she felt like she had to be who she'd constructed herself to be around him. I don't I'd ever seen them just in a companionable silence. With all the watching I'd done over the years, I felt qualified to make such a statement.

I'd had no idea that Hermione and I could be pleasant together. We didn't squabble or quarrel or hex one another. That had been rather nice. I'd had to fight the urge to hold her hand as we walked along. Perhaps we would make this farce of a marriage work.
*******
Saturday came all too soon for me. The rest of the week had been a blur of activity. All the crap that goes with a wedding was accomplished with lightning speed. Mum came by with Gram's wedding gown. Surprisingly, it fit me perfectly - the only exception being that it was too long. That was remedied with a shortening charm to the hem. I'd have rather have just stood before the magistrate and slapped a ring on Malfoy's finger. Instead I was being tricked out like a pony and being made to perform as if I were on show. Which, I suppose, I was.

Grandmother had exquisite taste, I must admit. The dress was something I'd have picked out if I were even vaguely enthused about my upcoming nuptials. With a full, bell shaped satin skirt covered in lace and tulle and a fitted bodice held by shoulder straps, it was both romantic and more modern than I would have first supposed. It had mellowed from stark white to a soft cream with the passing of the decades.

Mother tried to cry when I put the gown on. I only rolled my eyes. These people are making such a fuss over something that will be over in a short year. At least that's what I keep telling myself. It's the only way I could keep the nausea at bay.

The skirt had a clever little pocket in the seam. I stuck my sweaty hand in it, twisting and turning the wedding band I'd picked up for Malfoy. I'd gotten it through a catalog and it'd just arrived yesterday. It was gold, in the shape of a serpent, its tiny eyes were emeralds. The ring was both delicate and solid. I thought I'd picked rather well. I took my hand out of my pocket to look at my own beringed finger.

The rubies and diamonds glittered in the watery autumn sunlight. I could see frost trying to form on the windowpanes in my room. Winter comes early in the highlands. I was alone in the room, Mother and everyone else having left. A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in." My voice was far surer than I felt. Harry walked in, his dark green dress robes swirling around his ankles. The black wingtips had been polished for the occasion.

"How are you Hermione?"

"Oh, I'll live." We exchanged salty grins and I took the opportunity to really examine Harry. He was suddenly older looking, but then we all were. I knew he and Ginny were having problems. It seemed as if Harry were having a harder time adjusting to the fact that I was getting married and soon to be a mother.

I saw him fidgeting about. He opened and closed his mouth several times, reminding me of a guppy on dry land. "Harry. If you have something to say, just say it."

"Why are you doing this Hermione?"

"You know why," I snapped. I was tired of having to defend my actions.

"But you could've married someone else. Why *him*?" There was an odd look in Harry's green eyes.

"He is the father of this child. I wouldn't ask you or Ron to do this for me. It wouldn't be right." I sat down on a ladderbacked chair, watching Harry pace the room.

"You don't love him."

"No, I don't. I'm not trying to, either. This is all because of my stupidity and silly arrogance." I shrugged. "Now I have to pay the piper."

"God." He raked his hand through an already mussed head of hair. "You make it sound like a duty."

"It is a duty. But it's only a year. Just one year. That's such a little time."

"But don't you hate having to go through the motions of this farce? Don't you want more than this?"

"I do. However, I have responsibilities now: to this baby and myself. I won't deprive my child of all it is entitled to because of pride."

"You deserve more than just dry duty and heavy responsibility." And then he did the strangest thing. Harry crossed the room in two strides and hauled me up by the arms and kissed me.

Harry and I, throughout all of the rumours and innuendo, had never so much as done anything but hold hands. It was a novel feeling to be kissed by him. However, his lips touched not even the faintest spark in me. If it had, I'd have tossed this veil to the wind and said to hell with convention. If anything, it left me cold - colder than even Ron's kisses.

At that moment I had the bad luck to see Draco coming through the door. Shite.
****************

I'd come to check on my bride, not believing the silly nonsense about it being bad luck to see her before the wedding. And what do I see? Potty and Hermione snogging as if their lives depended on it.

"Get off of my wife, Potter." My voice was colder than the Antarctic Circle.

"She's not yours yet, Ferret." Behind the lenses of his glasses the green eyes had a faint mad red spark.

"And she will *never* be yours. Now, run along back to your She-Weasel before I shed blood in my dress robes." I drew my wand, fully intending on making good my promise.

Potter drew his and I was ready to blast the skinny little bastard into kingdom come. Hermione came running to me as fast as that enormous dress of hers would allow.

"No. Don't. Please." Her eyes were a little pleading at me and I didn't know if the begging was for me or for Potter. Whatever the case, I was gratified to see it. I put my wand down and Potter did the same.

"Potter. I suggest you leave now, before I do something I won't ever regret." Harry threw me an insolent look and left the room. I looked at Hermione.

"As for you, dear *wife*, I don't care what you did before our marriage and once we are parted you can shag whomever you wish. But while we are wed I will not have you off playing the whore."

"I was not playing the whore, you bastard," she spat at me vehemently.

"Then Potter just tripped and happened to fall tongue first into your mouth?" I sneered.

"No. Harry kissed me, saying all kinds of crazy things. I didn't kiss him back."

"No?" Of course I couldn't believe her. How could I? Everyone knew the history between Potter and Hermione.

"No. I was just as surprised as you were."

"And I'm just supposed to swallow that load of twaddle?"

"Do what you want, Draco. Either you believe me or you don't." She turned her back on me and I had had it.

I marched over and spun her around. "Do you swear?" I could hear the faint note of desperation in my voice. Where had that come from?

She obviously heard it, too, because her tense features softened into a slight smile. "I swear."

I don't know what came over me at that point but the only thing I felt like doing was kissing her. So I did.

I'd forgotten how sweet her lips are.
********

Oh, my lord. When Draco planted that kiss on me I think my knees turned to jelly. All the stiffness that overcame me when Harry kissed me leaked out of my pores. Good grief. The kiss was rough but soft at the same time. My very bones were melting and for the first time ever, I felt like swooning like a silly romance novel heroine.

Draco pulled me off of my feet and I could feel my dress swirling around my legs. I could feel the goosepimples forming on my arms despite the warmth of the room. A great heavy heat settled in the pit of my stomach. I slid my arms around his neck and my tongue in his mouth. It seemed as if there was an audible click when we settled into the business of devouring each other. It seemed right - too right. So with great effort, I pushed away, falling into a heap of satin, tulle and lace.

He smirked down at me from his great height. "The next time you're tempted to stray from your vows, remember *that*." He strode away, his dress robes swinging out behind him.
********

When I saw her coming down the main aisle between the tables in the Great Hall, the enormity of the situation struck me. Hermione was soon to be my wife. I was soon to be a father. I'd went after her with a territorial pride but now I had actual responsibilites. Did I think that I was ready for them? Hell no, I wasn't. But I couldn't let my family name down. I couldn't let *her* down. My reluctant bride gave me a half smile when she and her father reached the end of the promenade.

He handed Hermione off to me and Dumbledore began the words of the ceremony. I half listened as he spoke, the words just a buzz in my ears. But when the old wizard came to the vows, my mind and my hearing sharpened.

The old man had a suspicious gleam in his eye when he spoke the vows. I wonder...
********

"I do." The firmness of my voice startled me. All I heard was Dumbledore mumbling something about love and fidelity, blah blah blah and then he was compelling me to speak with those bright blue orbs.

I head Draco's voice echoing my vow and then the press of the ring on my finger. I slid the plain gold band on his hand and we clasped them together. From the tip of Dumbledore's wand came a murky looking gold thread. The thread widened until it became a ribbon that wound itself around our hands in a knot. It tightened almost unbearably and then fell off by itself.

We withdrew our hands and on our wrists were very faint markings and I couldn't make them out. That was when I knew that Dumbledore had performed a lesser version of the Vita Mia. Legal enough for the Ministry, weak enough to be broken. It was good enough for me. He pronounced us man and wife. Jeez. Man and Wife. How archaic. It's supposed to be *Husband* and Wife. I could feel my mouth tighten a little until I looked at Draco and saw that devilish gleam in those glassine eyes.

Uh-oh. We'd just been given the ok to seal our vows with a kiss.
********

And what a kiss it was, too. I have to say that I was proud of myself. It wasn't too much, nor was it too little. Just enough to convince whoever was watching that the thing was for real. It didn't hurt matters that Hermione went all rosy and starry eyed. Truth be told, I felt a little starry eyed myself. She really was the most wonderful kisser.

We turned to face the student body and the few invited guests who burst into polite applause. I rolled my eyes and I guided Hermione up the steps to the head table where the feasting was to begin.

I saw Potty and Weasel looking at me with daggers for eyes. If I could've given them a hearty 'fuck-you', I would've. Ha ha. Not my fault neither of you got the girl. Silly Gryffindors. Always blaming someone else when they don't get their way.

The reception didn't last very long. Just a feast where everyone had the excuse to become complete and utter gluttons. I noticed that Hermione only picked at her plate. That worried me. She was always on the thin side and now her compact little body was getting a bit too thin. Other than that, she looked quite nice.

That wooly hair had somehow been coaxed into a sleek top-knot. Orange and yellow flowers, in deference to the season, had been set into it. I must say, the warm autumn colours suited her very well. She wore no veil, no gloves. Her only jewelry being a pair of diamond studs and bracelet her parents had given her on the occasion and - of course - my rings. I have to think that they were less a gift for the occasion but more or less a cheering up present. Mother had given me one as well. It was a new broom, all ready for the upcoming Quidditch season. I'd finally gotten a Firebolt to compete with Potter's broom. If I knew all it took was getting married to a Muggle, I'd have done it ages ago.

Someone began tapping on a goblet and the low din of conversation waned. Dumbledore stood up and introduced my godfather, who apparently had some sort of silly speech to make. Odd that. I never would've pegged Severus for the maudlin kind.

The old boy arose from his seat with lazy grace. I made a face at him and he only smirked. Hermione was still uncharacteriscally subdued. I looked at Severus, willing him to get on with it. I braced myself when he opened his mouth.

"In the many years that I have taught here, I've had the good fortune - or misfortune -" There were giggles here and there as I saw Longbottom's chipmunk cheeks go red. "To be able to watch them grow from scared children into self-assured young adults. I've seen many of them pair up, get married, have children. Not quite as fast as our couple here today." He smirked and there was more laughter. Apparently Severus was quite the dry comedian. I didn't appreciate it one bit.

"However, I've never seen a pair more suited to one another as these two sitting right here." Severus turned to me with a suspiciously soft look in his eye. "Godson, I do believe you've chosen well. You've managed to pull the one witch who's better at potions than you are." I made a face. He pricked at what was still a sore spot with me. "I think they should get on exceedingly well together and I wish them nothing but the best for their future. To the bride and groom."

He raised his glass and the assembled raised theirs and echoed "To the bride and groom." We all drank, Hermione only taking a little sip from her glass. Shame that, really. Dumbledore pulled a really excellent Dom Perignon from the storeroom for this. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was nervous. But that would be rubbish. Gryffindors don't get nervous. All that lion-hearted bravery, you know.

The dessert course came. There was a towering confection with fluttering sugar birds and butterflies on the softly waving white icing. God...I swear that Dumbledore is...
*******

...really laying it on thick. I looked at Draco as he suddenly perked up beside me. Funny that. It was as if I'd heard his voice somewhere ringing in me head. But that's nonsense, utter crap. I looked at the wedding cake with trepidation. After the cake was cut was when the bride and groom traditionally made their getaway. Not that I was nervous about *that*, per se, but I was, well, uneasy. In the space of a month, I'd broken up with my best friend/boyfriend and would-be Lothario, pretty much seduced the acknowledladiladies-man of Hogwarts, gotten pregnant for my trouble and was hurried willy-nilly to the altar.

Usually things picked up around the end of the year, not at the very beginning.

The cake was presented to Draco and I. With rueful grins, we picked up the server and cut a piece. He forked up a bit and presented to me. Apparently some things never change. I braced myself, waiting for the inevitable face smash, but it never came. Draco was too dignified for that, thank goodness.

I fed him his bit and the bean feast was underway. We sat there, fidgeting in our chairs, pickin the the desserts. Draco, who was no mean trencherman, sat there with a slightly pained face. I was a little reassured to know that he was as nervous as I.

You see, for our marriage to be legal, we had to consummate the pledges made today.

Damn wizarding law.
******

It's not that I was worried about the actual bed part of it. I knew I was a good lover and, if Granger wasn't all that skilled, she was certainly predatory and enthusiastic enough to make up for it. As a matter of fact, part of me looked forward to continuing our interrupted idyll. Even if it was only for the next seven months, I was going to enjoy having sway over Hermione, at least in the privacy of our bedroom. God knows, it was hard making her do anything you wanted outside of it.

Sooner rather than later I noticed the students and the few invited guests making their way out of the Great Hall. They passed in a blur as we received hugs and kisses and handshakes. Only the thud of the doors closing behind a twinkling Dumbledore, a concerned McGonagall and a smirking Snape broke my reverie. Seemed as if Hermione had zoned out there for a moment, too. It was she who stilled the silence.

"Well," she sighed. "Alone at last."

"Apparently." And we were that. Not even a stray house elf disturbed us. The tables and chairs were all empty and the meager decorations had vanished.

I could see Hermione giving herself a small shake. She perked up right before my eyes. I knew then she had thrown on that legendary cloak of Gryffindor courage. "Right, then. Best to get this over with."

Her business-like attitude revived me and irked me all at the same time. So I did the only thing I could. I imitated it. "Right." I nodded. "Let's go."

I took her hand and led her down the steps from the head table and out of the doors. When we stepped into the corridor we were both shocked into stunned silence. The hallway had been lined with flowers of every imaginable hue. There were softly falling petals falling from an enchanted ceiling of dogwood trees. It was all incredibly romantic and I felt no shame in admitting to myself that I fell for it.

I looked over to see her smiling softly. It seemed that Hermione wasn't impervious to the display either. She looked over at me and I could see her remembering that kiss from this morning. Her cinnamon eyes darkened as they raked over my face, lingering on my mouth.

I knew I should kiss her. I knew I should have but I didn't. I couldn't. The petals were falling and the air was warm and scented. It was spring just as bitter winter fell outside and there was a beautiful girl and I was frozen to the spot.

So she did what any red-blooded, self-respecting female would have. She kissed me. And my head nearly blew off.
*******

I don't know why I decided to take the lead. No, I take that back, yeah, I did. I'd been bold and nearly swaggering through this whole fiasco and now was not the time to turn timid.

It felt good to kiss him. Draco Malfoy has always had the most kissable lips. Softly pink and always pouty, even when I was kicking the crap out of him. Ferret-boy always held a secret fascination for me.

So when I saw the enchanted castle (thank you, Headmaster!) and Draco turning around in wonder, those beautiful cupid's bow lips parted in awe, I knew I had to act.

I pulled him into my arms, my hands around his neck, and I kissed him. There was a bit of an awkward moment when I tugged his head down to meet mine but it passed quickly. His mouth was warm and welcoming and liquid. I snaked my tongue into his mouth, flickering over the silken flesh inside.

I could feel his knees sinking as he pulled me closer in, wrapping his arms around my waist. I heard the joints popping as they bent. Years of Quidditch had done that - given him the crackly bones. I don't think Draco ever noticed, but I did. I could have fixed that for him but I admit to myself now that I loved the sound.

They popped again now as he stood up straight. My feet dangled in the air somewhere around the vicinity of those knees. I was suddenly glad that I hadn't bothered with a long, unwieldy train and veil. I could feel the muscles in his shoulders tense with holding my weight, but he wasn't straining at all. At that moment, we both had on too many clothes.

Though it was hard, I tore my mouth away from his. "As lovely as ahis his is, I'm not at all keen on being shagged in the hallway."

He chuckled and the sound was full of amusement and something darker. He put me down and tugged at my hand. We followed the bloom-covered corridor until there was a single mahogany door showing through the many flowers. Draco put his hand on the knob and the door dissolved and we went inside.

When the door reappeared, the room came into complete focus. There was a fire snapping merrily in the grate. It was a normal orange, not purple or blue or any such odd colour. The bed was huge, it looked to be larger than a normal king size. It was hung with deep burgundy velvet curtains that had some sort of scrolling silver script on them. I didn't pay them too much attention as Draco had his hands in my hair and was pulling the pins and flowers from it.

The Sleekeazy's I slicked over it hadn't contained the waves and curls but only tamed them for a bit. As a result, my hair began falling down in large swaths of curls that were not quite curly. I remember the aching tugging get heavier and heavier.

Then he moved. Oh, Lord, did he ever.

Draco's hands smoothed their way from my feet to my ankles, calves, knees, thighs, hips. The once flat but now slightly convex rise of my stomach quivered under his hands. The end result of me being so short and Draco being so tall was that he was nearly nipple-high to me when he knelt. I saw the gleam in his eyes when the same thought flashed through that agile brain of his.

He moved me closer and those perfect and perfectly skilled lips closed around one. The velvet of his tongue swirled around it. I swear, it was like lightning strikes sizzling through me. I gripped his shoulders, trying to steady the wobbling in my knees. He tugged and pulled at my nipple, biting it and sending darts of nothing less than pure pleasure through me. Even though they were more sensitive than they had been, Draco seemed to know how to walk the fine line between pleasure and pain. His hand ran up the front of me to tease at the other breast. He began to draw hard and fast on my skin. I thought my flesh was about to burst open so full felt I.

Apparently, that was the beginning.
********

Gods. Her tits were just as sweet as I remembered them. I don't think I could ever get enough of them. Having paid a leisurely homage to one, I went for the other one. They were stiff, begging for attention. I licked the unattended bit of flesh until it was as wet and shiny as its sister. Hermione was kneading the back of my neck with her slender fingers and I was loving it.

I kissed my way down her body until I got to the apex of her thighs. The brown curls there were soft and springy in my hand. I stroked my fingers on her inner thighs, coaxing them apart. I wanted to taste her so badly. I trailed my hand through the soft folds and I thought Granger was going to pass out, so immediwas was her reaction.

I stood up and gathered her in my arms. I put her on the burgundy and silver coverlet. She lay there, tiny and perfect. I could see her quivering with want. I climbed onto the bed next to her. She rolled into my arms as if she had occupied them for an age. I rolled her over so that she could take the top. A wolfish smile curled around her as as she grasped my cock.

God. I was already so fucking hard I was hurting and Hermione has rediscovered her inner cock-tease. Great. Wonderfulllllll. Merlin's balls. I was forcefully reminded of her rather large mouth. Thank goodness for bossy, loud know-it-alls.

Those rosy lips formed a seal around me and pulled with the most delicate suction. She couldn't quite deep throat me but her hands made up for it. She moved her fingers in the opposite direction of her mouth and I thought I was about ready to pass out. I think my eyes actually did roll back in my head.

Hermione brought her tongue into play and the stimulation was fast becoming too much. I didn't want to come in her mouth but I could feel myself starting to lose that battle. She got off of me just when I was about to blow. Thank God. But then the little minx replaced her mouth with that incredibly sweet pussy of hers. I sank my fingers into her hips. She began to move on me with such skill that I was going out of my mind.

It took her only a moment to find her rhythm but when she did, she was off like a shot. Her thrusts met mine like we had been choreographed. She put her hands on my shoulders and rode me like her life depended on it. Her nipples brushed my lips with a teasing motion. I captured one in my mouth and stroked my thumb over her clit.

Hermione's mouth opened on a the the likes of which I'd never before heard. Sort of a cross between a shout and a banshee wail, it ripped from her throat. She stopped cold on me.

I could feel her orgasm ripple over her from the inside. It started as the faintest shivers until they intensified so much it felt as if my cock was being massaged by the greatest vibrator ever. The walls of her pulsated and convulsed and pulled around me like a wet fist. That didn't make me come, though.

It was seeing her face.

The just-this-side of pretty face was something to behold in that moment. There was a complete lack of tension in her features. She looked like she had just sprouted wings and she was flying. That's when the greatest fucking orgasm of my entire life happened. It started at the top of my head and shimmered all the way down to my feet.

I felt gold and silver all over. It was amazing. Little electrical pulses raced along my nerves until they culminated in a rush of nothing short of mind-numbing pleasure.

Hermione collapsed on me, utterly worn out. I felt the same. I managed to cast a cleaning charm on the both of us and then we slept.