Midnight Grace

Chapter Four: After Dinner Stroll

In her dorm room, Jo stood in front of the mirror, trying to do something with her tangle of hair before heading to dinner. The quill she’d used to hold the golden mass in place that morning had gotten firmly lodged and was being very argumentative about coming loose.

“…I told you Pansy was a nut,” the blonde was saying to Tia. The redhead was sitting on the foot of her bed, eying Jo’s efforts and discussing the excitement in Herbology. “She’s likely to go off one of these days and try to kill you.”

"Kill me?" Tia scoffed. "Do you really think she's capable?" the redhead asked as she continued to watch Jo and her hopeless efforts. "Do you want some help?"

“Yes,” Jo sighed hopelessly, dropping her arms to her sides. “You never know, it’s the lunatics that manage to do those things.”

"Yes, you want help with your hair? Or, yes, you think she'll kill me," Tia laughed as she stood from the bed.

”Yes to both,” Jo answered, surveying the disaster in the mirror. “But then again she’s such an idiot.” She’d seen some of Pansy’s disasters last year; the girl was really a hopeless case.

"To be honest, I don't think she knows her ass from a tea kettle," Tia drawled, effortlessly removing the quill from Jo's hair. "Do you have a comb?" she asked, holding the bulk of Jo’s blonde hair in one hand. She then continued, "If she had any kind of intelligence, I'm sure she wouldn't be pining over something she obviously can't have."

“She’s been after him since they started school, so I’ve heard,” Jo commented, digging a brush from the wardrobe and handing it back to Tia.

"Is he really that brilliant of a catch?" Tia asked with a sly smirk, taking the brush from Jo's hand and running it through the girl’s long hair.

“She seems to think so,” Jo replied, watching Tia’s work in the mirror. “Malfoys are one of the wealthiest wizarding families, despite their affiliations - or maybe because of them.”

"Isn't that interesting," Tia mused, smiling to herself. "Wait, I have just the thing," she said suddenly, moving back toward her bed and taking something from her wardrobe. "Here, it is," she announced, holding up a hair pin that looked like a large needle made of bone and adorned with a single turquoise gem and some sort of script Jo didn’t recognize. Tia took Jo's hair and wound it up in a loose bun and fastened it in place, allowing wisps of hair to fall in just the right places. "There, that shouldn't raise too much suspicion," she smiled at Jo through the mirror.

Jo examined her reflection, nodding at the effect, then paused, turning her head to look at Tia, the girl’s emerald eyes shining mischievously. “Suspicion?”

"Well, you don't want him to suspect that you're dressing up for him, do you?" she grinned.

“Who? I’m not dressing up!” Jo countered defensively. “I just wanted to get the feather out of my hair…” Okay, so she wanted to do a little something, but it had nothing to do with anyone in particular! What was wrong with wanting to look decent for dinner? After all, other girls spent hours on it!

"Like I said, you don't want him to suspect it's for him," said Tia, unfazed.

“Well it isn’t!” Jo stated firmly, turning away from the mirror altogether. “And he’d better not even think it is!”

"I'm sure he won't suspect a thing," said Tia, continuing to smile. "Well, we better get going. Don't want to keep them...erm... I mean, keep Draco waiting."

Jo scowled at Tia and nodded. “Right, we wouldn’t want to miss eating the slop they serve here while it’s still piping hot.” Trying to decide if she looked dressed up or not, she glanced towards the mirror once more. After careful consideration she decided that she wasn’t since she hadn’t used any makeup. She’d just done her hair up – and actually that had been Tia’s idea, really.

"Oh, the food’s not that bad," said Tia, looking herself over in the mirror as well. "But, I'd kill for a good cheeseburger right now."

“Don’t even talk about cheeseburgers,” Jo moaned sadly, straightening her robes as her roommate headed for the door.

The redhead grinned and paused, waiting for the blonde to catch up, and then suddenly reaching out she snatched up a perfume bottle Liz had left sitting out and sent a shimmering mist towards Jo.

“Hey!” The blonde cried, holding up her arms to ward off the perfume.

“There,” Tia winked. “Now, come on,” and grabbing Jo’s arm, she tugged her through the small corridor and up the stone stairs that led to the common room.

Many of the Slytherin students had already left for dinner, but there was a distinctive group of seventh year males waiting near the couch, the white-blonde leader looking somewhat impatient while the dark haired boy stood languidly, an easy smile on his face. The pair was flanked by their large companions, both of which seemed to be staring into space as though their minds were in another dimension than the one their bodies inhabited.

“About time,” Draco grunted as the girls approached, causing them to both roll their eyes.

“Perfection isn’t achieved in a matter of minutes, Cousin,” Thane replied smoothly, his eyes sweeping over the blonde in front of him. “And it looks like this one took some extra care with her hair.”

Jo felt her cheeks flame and noticed Tia’s smirk, but ignored it. “I didn’t do anything special,” she quipped. Somehow, as the day had progressed Thane had become her constant companion, escorting her to classes and now, apparently to dinner. All the while murmuring polite compliments about her that Jo was beginning to find a bit unbelievable. She wasn’t sure if he thought flattery was the way to get what he wanted, or if it was just a habit of his!

“On the contrary,” Thane answered, lifting a hand to gently touch one of the loose tendrils of her golden hair. “It looks lovely.”

“Tia did it,” Jo muttered, feeling even more embarrassed. She started to remark that it was almost an insult that everyone made a big deal about her having a stick stuck in her hair, and pointing out what that said for their usual impression of her appearance, but decided against it.

“Can we please go to dinner?” Draco interrupted, smirking. “You’ll have plenty of time to impress her with your charm on the way.”

“Shall we?” Thane asked, ignoring Draco’s remark and offering Jo his arm.

“Well, I guess,” she managed, her eyes dancing away from his penetrating gaze. She suddenly felt flustered and unsure of what to say or do, though she wasn’t sure why.

He stood there with his arm stuck out until Tia shoved one of her elbows in Jo’s ribs, waking her from wherever her brain had disappeared. “Oh, uh, right,” she muttered, lacing her own arm through his loosely, though he instantly pulled her closer, their hips barely brushing.

Draco held his arm out to Tia and she took it, the pair pausing so the prefect could smack his two burly bodyguards. “Dinner!”

“Hmph! Huh?” Crabbe blinked. “Oh, right,” he drawled stupidly, his eyes lit up at the prospect of food.

“Pathetic,” Draco muttered, shaking his head as they started for the door, the prefect and his lady leading the group, Thane pausing at the door so that he and Jo were left trailing slowly behind the others.

“They’re not really that dumb, are they?” Jo asked disbelievingly. She glanced up at Thane and looked away when his eyes met hers. “I mean, they were in some sort of accident or something, right? They surely have brain damage?”

Thane laughed low in his throat. “I’m afraid not. They were truly born with a lack of mental facilities,” he said. Leaning his face closer to her for a moment, he inhaled deeply. “Perfume?”

“Ask Tia,” Jo muttered darkly. “I think its Liz’s.”

“Lizardbeth? Come now, she can do better than that,” he grinned.

“It was a last minute thought, I guess,” the blonde answered, suddenly wanting to run away as fast as her legs would carry her, a thought that seemed to preoccupy her in her escort’s presence. She didn’t want Thane Purefoy to think she was playing his game, or that his charms would work on her. She knew what he was up to, and it wasn’t going to work! “I think she was just enjoying doing someone up.”

“Hmmm, and with such a wonderful subject, no doubt she couldn’t resist,” he mused, his eyes twinkling.

“You can stop it now,” Jo said firmly, her eyes still riveted to her feet.

“Stop what?” he asked innocently.

“Stop all the flattery. I’ve already told you I don’t intend to be your pawn, no matter how persistent you are,” she answered, forcing herself to look up at him and meet his disconcerting gaze.

“No, you’re no pawn,” he answered, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “You’re far more challenging than a pawn.”

“I’m not a challenge either!” Jo defended, her eyes shining with defiance.

“On the contrary, I assure you that you are indeed a challenge,” he said, his stormy blue eyes danced with mischief.

“Well I’m not trying to be!” Jo snapped without thinking, her cheeks coloring and her eyes skipping ahead to the rapidly disappearing group ahead of them. “We’re going to be late.”

“In a hurry?’ he asked leisurely, one eyebrow cocked.

“Yes,” she answered shortly. “The food’s barely palatable hot, let alone cold.”

“Not to your liking?” Thane asked smoothly.

“No, it’s not,” she assured him, picking up the pace so that he was forced to either speed up or make her slow down.

“Perhaps we could do something to remedy that one of these nights,” he said roguishly as he easily matched her stride.

“I doubt it,” she muttered, seeing Draco and Tia come into view at the top of the staircase. She could hear the prefect saying loudly, “- and if he thinks I’m waiting for him…”

“Then what are you doing?” Thane asked as they climbed the stone stairs. “Standing in hopes of having grass sprout around your feet?”

“Oh come on!” Draco snapped, turning and tugging Tia with him.

“He must really be taken with her to exude that much charm,” Thane laughed.


The Great Hall was crowded as usual and, as Jo suspected, dinner was already on the table. Crabbe and Goyle moved forward, glaring darkly at anyone sitting remotely close to Malfoy’s usual spot and clearing a couple off to make room for the addition of Jo and Tia.

Thane paused in front of the long bench. “After you,” he said with an extended arm.

“Oh, I’m sitting down…” she began, pointing towards Liz and Marianna, both of which were staring towards them, Liz grinning and Marianna looking livid. The look on Marianna’s face was worth the idea of having to fend Purefoy off through dinner, causing Jo to quickly change her tune. “On second thought, thank you.”

The six were soon seated, and a joke floated towards them from Blaise Zabini about what lovely couples they all made, though he hoped Crabbe and Goyle didn’t breed. Jo ignored it, shooting the dark boy a nasty look. She and Thane Purefoy were NOT a couple!

Tia laughed as she watched Jo’s very visible internal struggle. It was clear that the blonde was caught between being charmed by the Slytherin playboy and telling him where that charm could go. It was really a shame that Thane had such a bad reputation(or good one, depending on how one looked at it) with the ladies. He really did seem like quite a decent catch. And, whether Jo knew it or not, she already had him hooked. But, who was Tia to say or judge? She had only been here for a little over a day and didn’t know any of them from Merlin.

Just as the food appeared on the table, an owl swooped into the Great Hall, dropping its package directly over Draco Malfoy’s head. The white-haired boy reached up and caught it easily before setting it down next to his plate.

“Aren’t you going to open that?” Goyle asked through a mouthful of food, spewing bits onto his forearm as he spoke.

Draco cringed at the short-browed boy. “That’s absolutely disgusting, Goyle,” he said, throwing the small package at him.

“Don’t you want to know what’s inside?” asked Tia, eyeing the large boy sitting across from her as he made quick work of the twine and paper wrapping the box.

“Oh, he already knows what it is,” Thane laughed, looking at the prefect with large eyes and batting his lashes. “His mummy sent him tweats…”

“Sod off, Purefoy,” Draco growled.

“So, I take it you don’t want them then?” The redhead raised a brow at the boy sitting next to her.

“Does he look like he eats them?” Thane grinned, almost bubbling over with laughter. He reached across the table and snatched the small box of truffles from Goyle’s hand before the boy had even had a chance to open it. “Don’t mind if I do,” he said with a wicked grin.

Jo peeked over Thane’s shoulder as he lifted the small, dark brown lid of the box. She could see the rich looking chocolates laying nestled into a satin lined tray. Moving in a bit closer, she finally asked in an uncertain voice, “Can I have one of those?”

Thane smiled despite himself when Jo’s large blue eyes looked up at him pleadingly. This girl insisted on surprising him at every turn. Looking down at her, his smile already having betrayed him, he slid the box in front of the pretty blonde at his side. “Like chocolates, do we?” he asked, his crooked grin firmly in place.

“Er… doesn’t everyone?” Jo shrugged while carefully selecting the perfect piece and delicately loosening it from its niche in the satin. “They look very expensive,” she said while looking over the piece she had just chosen.

“That’s because they are,” said Draco gruffly. As he reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice, he caught a sharp elbow to the ribs, causing him to spill the liquid all over his plate. “What was that for?” he protested, eyeing Tia.

“I’d think you’d know,” she huffed, her glare intimidating.

“Draco, I think this is for you,” said Jo as she held out an envelope. “It was under the truffles. It looks like a letter.”

“Come up with that all on your own, did you?” asked Draco snidely, his usual smirk in place.

Rolling her eyes, Jo snorted and tossed the letter toward Malfoy. “Tia, you must be overcome by his charm,” she commented dryly, wondering what it truly was the girl could see in Malfoy.

“I can barely stand myself,” the redhead smirked, eyeing Thane as he stifled a laugh.

“Ha – ha,” Draco drawled, replacing his wand after cleaning up the letter that had landed in the spilled juice. It only took a moment for him to scan the short note, recognizing his mother’s script as he read, but it wasn’t until he read the last line that his breath caught and his heart began to race. “The light has not yet been extinguished,” it said simply.

His expression must have given away his thoughts because everyone around him had stopped and was staring at him. Those in his closest circle of friends knew better than to ask anything in front of others, and those outside of his circle knew better than to ask anything at all. Swallowing hard, he shoved the note into his pocket. He could not risk anyone learning the true meaning of that coded message, and fighting the knots that were now beginning to form in his stomach, he returned to his normal, unreadable expression as if nothing had happened.

The students around him again restarted their conversations or began eating from their plates again, Crabbe and Goyle shrugging at one another before resuming their unbridled passion for food. Thane’s attention returned to Jo, quickly drawing her thoughts away from Malfoy by talk of truffles and her love for them. All seemed back to normal at the Slytherin table despite the tiny hiccup in Draco’s usual cool demeanor.

Tia watched the others and their reactions to Draco. Even she had held her tongue as he’d read the letter. She looked at him now, noticing him in a different light. The angle of nose, the slope of his brow, and the way his white-blonde hair fell evenly, just brushing the edges of his high cheekbones all seemed new to her. She felt butterflies erupt in her stomach and she quickly turned her eyes and fixed them on her plate of food. She tried to join into Thane’s discussion about truffle with Jo, but it really was a miserable attempt.

Unable to avoid his gaze, she met his grey eyes with her green ones and took his hand under the table. His eyes narrowed at her slightly, but she only smiled in return, caught in between denial and the urge to say so much more. She pulled her hand away and continued her meaningless banter with Jo, not wanting to draw any more undue attention to her prefect.

Tia’s sentiment caught Draco by surprise, no matter how subtle she meant it to be, it was obvious to him. There was once a time when he would have expected such behavior from those around him and he would have shunned anyone for anything less than total compliance. But, the boy had spent the better part of last year distancing himself from everyone and everything for fear of reprisals from the Dark Lord. Even Thane wasn’t aware of all that had happened.

He now found himself staring into her deep emerald eyes and suddenly his previous plans seemed a bit absurd. Absurd? His own train of though derailing him. The only thing absurd about this whole scenario was the fact that he entertaining it at all. His father would be furious if he found out what he was doing, and the very idea that Draco would risk his family over a girl he didn’t even know was simply laughable. And that was it, wasn’t it? His thoughts dragged him away again, recalling the words from his mother’s note – “The light has not yet been extinguished.” The weight those words carried was epic, and suddenly Draco felt as if he was being crushed beneath it.

“Draco,” said Tia gently, drawing the white-haired boy from his reverie. “You’ve hardly touched your plate.”

Blinking himself back into the present, Draco put his fork down and slid the plate away. “I’m not really that hungry,” he said, his eyes still lost in other thoughts. He looked back to Tia, meeting her gaze again, and he had an unexpected urge to flee. “What do you say we get out of here?”

“But we haven’t been dismissed yet,” Tia pointed out, but smiled in hopes that he had an alternative plan.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said confidently, his smirk returning.

“All right, let’s go,” she whispered, taking his hand as they both got up from the table and quickly left the Great Hall.

Jo watched Tia and Draco leave, her eyes falling once more to the decorative box in front of her. She had a strong temptation to grab it up and make a break for it, but she doubted she’d make it out of The Great Hall before Thane tackled her. Frankly she kept expecting him to “charge” her before he’d let her have another one of the chocolates, anyway. Testing the waters she carefully selected a second truffle and popped it into her mouth, eyeing him the whole time, and being fairly surprised when he only smirked and said nothing.

As she chewed, she wondered where Draco was dragging Tia off to, but decided she could probe the girl later. The only concern she had was Parkinson’s narrowed eyes through the entirety of dinner. That girl was nuts and Jo had a suspicion she was only going to get worse. She was pretty sure Tia could take her should the need arise, assuming that she had sufficient warning on the matter.

Thane noticed Jo staring absently at the door and cocked an eyebrow at her inquiringly.

“What?” She glanced at him.

“Is there someone waiting for you outside?” Thane asked with eyebrows still raised. The girl changed moods with the wind and he could never quite figure out what was going on in her mind.

"No, just wondering how long it will be before Parkinson tries to do something to Tia," she said and shrugged her shoulders. "You know she's going to, eventually."

“So, you’ve caught that too?” Thane asked. “Only a matter of time, I expect. I’d hate to be Pansy the day Draco finds out she’s done anything to that girl,” he added casually, draining the last of his pumpkin juice.

"I'm sure Tia can take her, assuming she has time," Jo replied, her brows knitted together. "Pansy's insane and lunatics rarely think about the consequences of their actions."

“So, I’ve gathered,” Thane chuckled. “What do you say we get out of here?” he asked the blonde, smiling.

"All right," Jo answered, uncertain as to the "we" part of his statement and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was planning to continue his charade.

Thane stood from the table, and taking Jo’s hand, led her from the Great Hall and started toward the dungeon. “You know, I do really like your hair that way,” he said, glancing down at the petite girl beside him.

"Oh, thanks," Jo answered, her eyes skittering away from his, unsure what else to say to the compliment. Normally she was ignored, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with being acknowledged, especially with the compliment overload she’d received today. Perhaps part of the reason no one noticed her was because she seemed to put effort into being overlooked. It was easier that way, after all. No entanglements meant a lot less heartache.

“You’re not used to receiving compliments, are you?” Thane asked rather abruptly. He was used to girls who used either their status or their looks to attain what their hearts desired. But, Jo didn’t use either. It was obvious that she didn’t realize how beautiful she actually was, and as for her status, Thane couldn’t say one way or the other. However, there was one thing of which he was certain, and that was her independence. She didn’t need anyone to help her along the way, and she was perfectly happy with who she was and where she was right now. And THAT was probably what he loved the most. He had always had everything at his fingertips, even a magical power that scarcely anyone had ever been known to have, yet he never felt as comfortable in his own skin as he did while being with this girl walking next to him. And that alone made him want to know more about her.

"Not really," she answered honestly, meeting his eyes as they veered around a group of chattering Hufflepuffs. "At least not in the last year." Drenkan had complimented her a lot, she had to give him that, but he’d been a rather flowery talker about everything.

“Oh, so you’ve had a lot of admirers Stateside then, is it?” he asked curiously. He didn’t really take too well to the idea of another male sniffing around her. This was quite strange to him, as a matter of fact, since he’d never before been interested in someone long enough to care.

"No, just one," Jo replied carefully. "And that was only for a few months." She really didn’t want to think about that disaster, one that had changed the course of events in her life and had left her stigmatized.

“Oh, I see,” he said, smirking as his eyes drifted toward the ceiling momentarily before settling back on her. “Didn’t end well did it?”

"You could say that," she snickered to herself. No, a gang of specialized Aurors, a demon and Drenkan being hauled to prison would definitely be considered a bad ending. It had been spectacular though, something St. Benidictus’s students and staff would discuss for years to come.

“Indeed, I’ve had a few of those myself,” Thane commented, musing on how badly his affair with Marianna had gone. “But, no matter. Those things are behind us now. Bright new horizons as they say, yes?” he said, his midnight blue eyes catching her crystal ones.

"So they say, but it doesn’t really ever go away," Jo answered, her blue eyes taking on a far away look. "Mistakes have a way of following you forever."

“Then let’s pray that ‘they’ are wrong,” He smiled, but his meaning more earnest than he’d ever let on. “And our mistakes shall stay behind us.”

"I hope so," Jo murmured. That was one of her fears; that people would find out. They had names for people like her and none of them were nice, even in Slytherin house - especially in Slytherin house, actually. Cross species relationships were frowned upon, and despite the fact Drenkan had once been human he now qualified as that.

Thane laughed and pulled Jo in tighter to him. There was something endearing about her, despite her being overly difficult and argumentative. He suspected that she had many secrets the same as he, secrets that were best left uncovered. He stopped suddenly, before reaching the entrance to Slytherin, and pulled Jo to the side of the corridor with him. He didn’t say anything, for once his words betraying him, but his deep blue eyes conveyed all they needed to. The question was, was she ready to see it?

Jo stared into Thane's face, her eyes wanting to dance away again, but she refused to let them, refusing to allow that kind of weakness. She stared back into the midnight depths, trying to formulate words, but not sure what to say. What did he really want from her? That was the question she most wanted an answer to, and yet she couldn’t make her mouth utter it. Thane Purefoy was a complete puzzle to her, and one she didn’t know if she should try to unravel.

Clearing her throat at last she forced her tongue to un-cleave from the roof of her mouth. "Um, thank you for walking me back from dinner," she managed lamely and then kicked herself mentally as he smirked down at her. "I mean.. um.." Dammit! Why couldn’t she form a coherent thought!? God! She felt about as intelligent as a first year suddenly! "You know..." she finally forced out, sighing inwardly. That was brilliant!

Thane continued to smirk as he watched her struggle, pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around her waist. This didn’t help things at all as she looked up at him again with wide, crystal blue eyes, evidently unsure of what to say or how to get away. And with the innate instinct of a true Slytherin, Thane Purefoy seized his opportunity and captured her lips in a kiss.

Jo's lips kissed him back on their own, with no connection to her brain, softly opening to allow his tongue to slide between them and into the warmth of her mouth, her muscles tensing and then relaxing as he crushed her against him, her heart pounding in her chest as her conscious thoughts struggled to understand what was happening and where she was.

Thane’s hand slipped behind her neck, his fingers threading through her long tresses of blonde hair. He deepened the kiss as he tried to quell the fire that erupted in his chest and radiated to all his limbs. Her taste was sweet, like something he’d never experienced before, and he had every intention of getting lost in it for as long he could manage. His other hand found sanctuary in the small of her back, slipping beneath her robes and nestling against the stiff, white shirt of her uniform as he lifted her from the ground, his back pressed against the cool stones of the wall.

A small moan sounded in Jo's throat and her arms wrapped instinctively around his neck as he lifted her into the air. The warmth of his hand, noticeable through her shirt, spread heat up her back and caused her face to flush as her fingers dug into the tender skin of his neck just beneath the collar of his shirt, her body melting against his.

His hand slipped from her hair and moved expertly down her back. He was struggling internally against what every cell in his body begged for, wanting to show her this wasn’t the only thing he desired. But the feeling of her soft lips against his, her tongue sliding into his mouth, and her body pressed into his willingly was far too much for the Slytherin to resist. He pulled away from the kiss reluctantly, looking at her as her eyes opened slowly to him. What he wouldn’t give to save this moment forever. “Will you come with me?”

“What?” Jo blinked up at him.

“Will you come with me?” Thane asked again, feeling the need to actually hear the words of her consent.

"Come where?" Her voice husky and her mind reeling still from the kiss they'd just shared. She started to lift her hand from his neck and found that it was trembling slightly, so she left it where it was, his skin hot against her fingers.

He looked at her and couldn’t suppress a grin. He lowered her petite frame fully to the ground, brushing her hair from her face with the backs of his fingers. “Someplace we can share privacy,” he whispered, lowering again to rest his forehead against hers, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.

"I figured that," Jo murmured, her tongue darting out to lick her lips as she officially turned her mind off, ignoring the pestering thoughts that were trying to make themselves heard over the rush of blood in her ears. "I meant where in particular." She tilted her face up to his, loosing herself in the depths of his stormy eyes.

“Well, I meant down this corridor, here,” said Thane, nodding to his side.

“Down this corridor?” She asked, looking over his shoulder, her arms still wrapped about his neck. “Is there anything even down there?”

“There is plenty down there,” he smirked and wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Not really, no,” she said, looking from the corridor back to his deep blue eyes. “Should I?” she whispered, looking as if she hadn’t meant to say that last part.

“Let me show you why you should,” he said, his voice was low as he took her mouth forcefully with his.

Jo returned his kiss with equal fervor and when he released her she found herself staring up at him once again. "A very interesting argument," she murmured.

“Who said anything about an argument?” he stated more than asked, taking her hand and leading her down that very dark corridor.

Jo allowed herself to be led with no thought behind it. "You were trying to convince me to trust you," she pointed out.

Looking back at her, he gave her his crooked smile before pulling her into a dark and abandoned room. “And that I shall,” he said, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her again, freeing her of her robes and moving deftly beneath her shirt.

She gasped as his hands found her flesh and began moving up her back slowly, breaking their kiss prematurely in her surprise. Her brain made one more attempt to shout at her exactly what she was doing, but she ignored it. It had been so long since she'd been touched like that, and as Thane claimed her lips once more she suddenly realized she'd missed it.

Thane found he couldn’t stop himself once she responded fully to his advances. Her hand roamed freely over his chest as she worked the buttons of his shirt free, his robes long forgotten on the floor as they made their way to the back of the room. With a wave of his hand, he transformed an old dusty chair into a sofa, Jo either not noticing or not caring how he did it, and falling back onto it he took Jo with him, allowing the full weight of her body to press against his.

As her lips found his once again, leaving a fiery trail up his sinewy neck, her hands pulled his shirt opened so that his bare skin felt the rush of cool air in the abandoned room while his own hands tugged expertly at the top buttons of her shirt, releasing them one by one and pushing the garment down to expose her naked shoulders.

Her shirt fell from her arms, Thane tossing it to their side as he lifted himself to allow Jo to remove his own. His hands cupped the sides of her face as he cruelly broke their kiss, silently staring into her eyes as they searched his. There were so many things at the tip of his tongue that he wanted to say, but words were not the medium of choice in moments like these. He pulled her down to him again, his tongue slipping between her soft lips and exploring the depths of her mouth. Her tongue played against his, his hands sliding down her back and unfastening her bra in one motion. With fingertips sliding across her velvet skin, his hands found their way beneath the lacy material and cupped her breasts roughly. The feel of her flesh against his naked skin sent lightning coursing through his veins, an excitement he hadn’t before felt with anyone else. His lips traced the line of her jaw and down her curve of her neck where they parted, his teeth grazing against the tender flesh he found there.

Jo sat up suddenly, a fire behind those pale blue eyes like nothing Thane had ever seen before. She slipped her bra down, exposing her breasts fully to him, her hands finding their way to his belt as she worked to free it from his waist.

Thane lifted his hips from the couch, smirking as Jo fumbled with his belt, finally getting the silver buckle to release and tugging it free with a loud cracking noise before discarding it to the dusty floor and working on the fastenings to his pants.

As the coppery buttons came loose Thane reached his hands up, sliding them slowly over her ribs until her breasts were once again in his palms, rolling her nipples between his fingers.

Jo gasped, pulling herself from Thane long enough to remove his pants and throw them to the floor with his belt. He caught her before she could come back and reaching up unfastened her skirt, letting it fall around her ankles and she stepped out of it easily, leaving it lay in the dust with her shoes.

She climbed atop him once more, wrapping her legs around his waist and leaned down, her breath hot against his face as her tongue traced the contour of his lips.

Thane groaned softly, his body shifting, and his hips arching, driving his erection into the heat between her thighs, separated only by their unshed undergarments, their lips meeting and meshing once more as their hands ran across one another’s naked skin.

He sat up suddenly, grabbing Jo roughly to keep her from tumbling to the floor and slid his legs from beneath her before slowly laying her back on the couch again so that he was above her. Reaching up he jerked the decorative stick from her hair and allowing the golden mass to tumble around her shoulders in a shimmering disarray, staring at her for a moment before her mouth impatiently found his neck. Her teeth grazed his flesh, her tongue tasting the slight hint of sweat from his skin. His heart beat so hard in his chest that she could feel it as if it were her own, hammering in a rhythm she’d forgotten existed.

His lips found their way to her neck, and he whispered in her ear, raising goose bumps up and down her body “Do you want me?”

Jo’s only answer was a soft moan as his hands slid around her back and beneath the edge of her lacy panties, hinting at their imminent removal. She wasn’t sure she’d ever wanted anything as badly before as she wanted him right at this moment, wanted to feel connected to someone, wanted to feel alive.

“That isn’t an answer,” Thane murmured against her skin, bringing his hand back up again, slowly, fingers lingering near the waistband.

“Yes,” she murmured softly, completely disconnected from coherent thought and lost in the feel of his hands and the longing coursing through her body. “Yes.”

Thane smiled and leaned up, using his hands to remove her underwear and discard it, his fingers lingering between her thighs for a moment while she gasped in shock at the sensation he sent tingling through her body.

Her blue eyes danced with a hunger for more, and she tugged at Thane’s underwear, the boy shifting to allow its removal. She ran her gaze over the naked body before her, the well-toned chest and abdomen, her eyes dropping lower for a moment as he studied her, his gaze lingering on the purple mark above her breast. Unconsciously she reached to cover it, but he snatched at her hand, lifting it and meeting her gaze before he crushed himself against her, his teeth gently nipping a the tender skin of her neck, his hands roaming over her once more as he pressed himself against her.

She opened herself to him, her legs wrapping around his waist as her hands began exploring his perfect back, the smooth skin flowing beneath her fingertips as he drew back and entered her in one smooth motion.

Her body tensed for a moment and she cried out in surprise, her eyes wide as he filled her, and then he began to move, pressing himself deeper into her, his lips nuzzling against her, his tongue darting out to taste her skin.

Jo lost herself in the rhythm, in the radiating pleasure and heat that came from between her thighs with his every thrust, her eyes closed and her mouth opened as her breathy words escaped through her soft lips, incoherent and begging for more.

Thane sped up, his thrusts becoming faster, more aggressive, and Jo met each one, her fingers digging into his back, her nails leaving marks as she clung to him, refusing to let go until he’d given her the release she sought, her every motion burning with her need.
Thane’s breath filled her ear, his soft moans making her skin tingle. She threw back her head, her hair hanging over the arm of the couch in a shimmering shower, and without thinking she let the old habit take over. Jerking her head back up her eyes danced with fire and she wrapped her mouth around his muscled shoulder, her teeth breaking the smooth skin, the coppery taste of blood sliding across her tongue as his moans grew louder.

She reached her climax only moments before he did, the world exploding behind her closed eyes, her body shuddering as she cried out, her teeth releasing him as her legs squeezed him tighter.

With her eyes still closed she lay on the couch beneath him, her chest heaving. Thane slowly relaxed and buried his face in her hair, one of his hands reaching around to cup her head as he nuzzled against her, the other in the small of her back, refusing to let her go.

Slowly she opened her eyes, staring at the dark ceiling above her, her heart still pounding in her ears and her body still trembling. A small voice had started in the back of her mind, berating her, but she ignored it for the moment.

Thane leaned up, his lean body slid down the length of her until his face was in hers, his midnight blue eyes staring into hers, searching them for something.

She stared back at him, and as the elation began to fade a strange feeling gripped her stomach, one of fear and embarrassment. Oh God, what had she just done? Not only had she just had sex with him but she’d bitten him in the middle of it like some crazed creature!

The change in emotions was betrayed by her features and Thane gave her a puzzled look, wordlessly asking her what was wrong.

“Shit,” was her only reply as her eyes closed, trying to block the scene from her mind. She hadn’t just fallen for it, had she? Son of a bitch! What had she been thinking?! What part of her brain had been working at all? But she knew the answer to that already, none of it. It had all shut down and left her with nothing but animal instincts. God Dammit! What had she done?!

Thane blinked at her for a moment, unaccustomed to this reaction after one of his lovemaking sessions.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Jo snapped, shoving him off of her and nearly knocking him to the floor in her hurry to get to her clothes. “Son of a fucking bitch!”

“What in the bloody hell?” He demanded as he caught himself, sitting on the couch and staring at her as she began scooping up her garments, sliding them on over her naked body.

She jerked her shirt roughly over her head, not bothering with a bra and turned to face him, her eyes accusing. “I hope you’re fucking happy! Congratu-fucking-lations!” she snarled as she grabbed her skirt and stepped into it.

“That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was hoping for,” he snapped back, his ego obviously bruised.

“What? Do you want me to praise you on your prowess? One day back and you managed it already?” She growled, fastening her skirt and searching for her school robes. “Great job there, Purefoy! Another notch for your bedpost!” Her face flushed in anger, but mainly she was angry at herself and felt nothing but a sick, crushing humiliation.

“Who said anything about a notch?” He demanded, his eyes snapping. “I thought I made my intentions clear last night-“

“Oh yes, you did, and you won,” she seethed, her voice barely controlled as she fastened her robe and grabbed her shoes, her wand in her other hand. “I hope you enjoyed it!” Spinning on her bare feet she strode from the small room, slamming the wooden door behind her. Flicking her wand at it she snapped out a sealing charm, one that she was sure he’d break in a few minutes, and hurried away as fast as her legs would carry her.