Saving your life

The shouts from outside the kitchen startled her, and hastily leaving the fork on the table, she drew her wand and threw the door open, ready for anything. Well, almost anything. With all that shouting, she could have expected bad news, perhaps even a surprise Death Eater attack; what she certainly wouldn’t have expected to find were two Order members standing on the hallway, wands aimed at one another as they yelled and threatened to curse the other into oblivion.

The tension at headquarters had been increasing exponentially, and now that they were barely a day away from the battle, most seemed ready to explode.

“What’s going on?” she asked, her gaze moving from the two shouting wizards to those around them, trying to calm them down.

“You did it on purpose, you were trying to kill her!” one of the wizards shouted at the other, red sparks flying from his wand as he spoke.

“Have you gone crazy? Why would I want to kill her?” the other yelled back.

“You are one of them; you’re trying to kill us all before the battle. But I won’t let you; I’ll kill you like the treacherous bastard that you are.”

“Enough,” Kingsley’s voice boomed, startling them all. “Lower your wands right now,” he commanded, but neither wizard did as told. “Lower them this instant or I will be forced to curse you both and I promise it will not be nice,” he said, his tone firm as he kept his wand aimed at both men, ready to fire.

“I won’t lower my wand until he does,” one of the wizards said.

“If you think you can trick me into putting my wand away you’re wrong. He’s just waiting for a chance to curse me,” the other said, glancing at Kingsley but keeping his wand firmly in front of him.

“Lower your wands now, I will not say it again,” Kingsley said calmly but firmly.

She wished she could say that had been the only outbreak that day, but it would be a lie. The closer the deadline was, the more on edge everyone seemed to be, and calming them back down was getting harder every time. It was only a matter of time before someone got really hurt. It was bad enough that they had to face Voldemort and his Death Eaters; they certainly didn’t need any more fights inside the Order.

His hand moved so fast she didn’t even realize what was going on until both wizards’ wands were on Kingsley’s hand, his own wand still aimed at them, showing everyone one of the reasons why he was head of the Auror department.

“Now tell me what happened,” he told the shocked wizards one of which was still looking at his hand, as if not understanding what had just happened.

“He cursed my wife,” the other said, angrily. “He’s working for…” he started screaming, but a flick of Kingsley’s wand instantly silenced him, his face going red as he tried to scream.

“You will calm down, and explained what happened without screaming, or I will be forced to send you to the Ministry and keep you detained. Now will you tell me what happened?” he asked, and when the wizard nodded, he lifted the Silencing Charm.

“He tried to kill my wife.”

“That is crazy. He’s gone insane,” the other wizard said to Kingsley.

“Did anyone see what happened?” he asked, looking around at the small crowd that had gathered around them. “Anyone?”

“We were training,” one of the Aurors explained. “Johnston here was duelling Byrne’s wife, and she failed to deflect one of the curses.”

“Oh, right, blame it on her! She’s in the infirmary right now, with her arm burned!”

“It was an accident,” Johnston told Kingsley, his tone almost pleading.

“It was not! He was trying to kill her, I know he was!”

“What do you think?” Kingsley asked the Auror.

“We were practising, it was just an accident.”

“That’s a lie!” Byrne yelled, making Kingsley turned to him again.

“You will calm down, I will not say it again.” he told him firmly. “Tonks, get everyone in the library; as for you two, follow me,” he said, walking into one of the few empty rooms down the hallway.

“What does he want us all in the library for?” she asked, Tonks.

“No idea, but whatever it is, we’ll find out soon. Help me call everyone?”

“Sure,” she said, making her way down the hallway, knocking on every door and calling everyone that hadn’t been watching the fight.

After almost half an hour, everyone at headquarters was inside the library, which they’d had to enlarge slightly to fit them all, and impatiently awaiting Kingsley.

“I understand we are all tense, and worried,” Kingsley said, as he entered the room and closed the door behind him, everyone quickly falling silent to listen, “but this situation cannot continue. We have only one more day to prepare, and we can not spend our time fighting each other. A battle larger than any of us have witnessed so far will take place, and we will all be part of it. We need every single witch and wizard there, to fight with us, if we want to stand a chance. Over the last two days, we have had dozens of incidents, and a few moments ago one of these discussions almost ended badly. We cannot afford to fight each other; we will only be giving the enemy a large advantage if we do. We have to be united, and we have to be focused on what’s ahead of us. Remember what you are fighting for,” he said, his gaze searching every face in the room, making sure they were all listening.

“Everyone here believes in the Order, in what it represents, and is willing to risk their very lives to defend it, to leave a better world for the generations to come,” he continued. “We are all scared, afraid of what will happen, and it is only natural, but if we let those fears take over, then we are lost.”

“With that said, I have to warn you,” he said seriously, after a moment of silence. “I will not tolerate another incident like today’s. If you have a problem with someone, you either come to me, or you wait until after the battle. If I, or anyone else, have to stop a fight, I promise I will detain whoever is involved, and make sure they are sent to Azkaban. Is that understood?” he asked, and a few nodded.

“There are some potions that can help you remain calm in the infirmary, but only use them if they are extremely necessary. Go back to what you were doing now, there is much that still needs to be done,” he finished, and was the first one to leave the room.

Not feeling hungry anymore, she silently followed the crowd out of the library and headed back to the main training room, finding Draco there already.

“How did you get here so fast?”

“I couldn’t stand another second in that room, and left as soon as possible. I don’t need speeches on how great the Order is, and how we should all be friends.”

“Why are you here, Draco?”

“Where else could I be?” he asked with a serious expression on his face as he looked at her.

“You could have left, gone somewhere safe.”

“There’s nowhere safe for me anymore.”

“And still, instead of just hiding or running, you are helping us. Why?”

“You don’t know?” he asked her, with a strange expression on his face.

“No,” she replied, suddenly afraid to hear his reasons.

“Yes, you do. You just don’t want to admit it,” he replied, tilting his head to the side as he watched her with an intensity in his eyes she hadn’t seen before.

“So, up for some more training?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“Don’t want to wait for Potter and the Weasel?”

“They’re having lunch.”

“A little late for lunch, isn’t it?”

“What’s the matter, Malfoy, afraid to duel a girl?” she asked, drawing her wand.

Instead of replying, he smirked and reached for his wand, making the door close with a wave before aiming it at her.

“Whenever you’re ready, Granger,” he said, his eyes shining at the prospect of a duel.

Without saying a word, she threw the first spell, taking two quick steps to the side as he blocked it, and sending another one while he was distracted.

The Stinging Hex hit Draco on the leg, and she laughed out loud when he yelped and jump on one foot.

“That was mean, Granger,” he said, throwing a curse at her she easily deflected as he stretched his leg a few times and tentatively stood on it again.

“Need me to take you to the infirmary?” she asked, in mock worry, and he smirked back at her, throwing her another hex she barely missed.

“Think you’re funny?” he asked her, moving his wand to the side and firing a Severing Charm at the tree next to her, cutting a large branch that hit her on the head, distracting her enough for him to hit her with a Sponge-Knees Curse.

Before she even knew what was happening she fell to the floor, the sound of Draco’s laughter reaching her ears.

With a wicked smirk, she turned to him and whispered, “Tarantallegra,” laughing again at the surprise on his face as his legs started moving of their own accord.

“Finite Incantatem,” she muttered, and slowly got up, giving Draco time to end the spell affecting his legs before attacking again.

“That was a low shot, Granger,” Draco said, as he managed to stand still again.

“Want to bring in the big guns?”

“Think you’re ready for that?” he taunted, aiming his wand at her again.

“Try me,” she said. “Expelliarmus!”

“I thought you said big guns,” he laughed, easily deflecting her curse.

“Very well, you asked for it,” she said with a smirk, firing at the tree beside him, like he had before, and using the distraction to run out of the clearing, using the shadows and tree trunks for cover as she looked for a better angle.

Practising duelling with one another had been a good idea, and everyone’s fighting skills seemed to be improving thanks to that. It was a good way to be prepared for what was coming, not to mention a way to keep most distracted. As long as they were focused on improving and getting ready, they wouldn’t think of exactly what it was they were getting ready for, and what it would mean.

Using a spell to muffle her footsteps, she walked around the centre of the room, using the trees for cover, trying to get close enough to him to aim. He was standing with his back to her, apparently searching the surroundings for her, and she took the chance, stepping closer and lifting her wand, when the sound of footsteps right behind her startled her.

She felt the tip of a wand against her neck, and then someone move closer behind her, until she could feel their breath against her ear.

“You didn’t know that one, did you?” Draco whispered, and she frowned in confusion. If Draco was standing behind her, then why could she still see him right in front of her? “Speechless? That’s an interesting effect,” he said, and she felt him flick his wand by her neck, making the figure in front of her disappear.

“How did you do that?” she asked, watching the faint mist the reflection had left behind.

“It’s a Mirror Charm, slightly modified. Extremely useful, as you can see,” he replied, pressing the wand against her neck.

“Can you teach me how to do it?”

“You’ll have to earn it,” he said, and even though she couldn’t see his face, she knew he was smirking.

Trying not to let him see the movement, she carefully twisted her arm around her back, trying to aim her wand at his chest. The curse she used was one he had taught her, and one she had disliked the minute she heard its effects. Who would have thought it would end up being so useful?

It had been created to use as torture, Draco had told her, centuries ago, although it, as most of the curses he had taught them, had been outlawed long ago. The curse made the victim’s lungs swell, not only causing them pain, but also making it impossible for them to breath.

As she had expected, the second the curse hit him he stumbled backwards, gasping for breath and letting go of her. With a painful expression, he fell to the floor, the wand falling from his hand and clattering on the floor.

With a triumphant smile, she walked over where he was, towering over him as she aimed her wand at his chest again and lifted the curse, watching him take deep breaths as he scowled at her.

“That was cheap,” he said, as he tried to get up, but she aimed her wand at his chest again and moved her feet to his shoulder, pushing him back down.

“You said big guns,” she replied innocently. “Now, have I earned the right to learn that charm?”

“You didn’t play fair.”

“Who decides what’s fair? I had to beat you, and I did. How long did it take me, fifteen minutes in all?”

Narrowing his eyes, he slowly replied, “What makes you think you beat me?” before moving both his hands to her ankle and pushing her away, turning around so that he managed to kick her other leg, making her fall to the floor and drop her own wand.

Fast as a snake, he rolled over, moving on top of her, his hands holding hers when she tried to fight him. He could fight without a wand too? Well, this one was full of surprises.

“Now, what were you saying about beating me?” he asked with a smirk, holding her as she tried to struggle, but she was a fighter, and loved a challenge. She wouldn’t stop until she turned the situation around and beat him.

Glancing around, she saw her wand lying a few feet away and yanked her right arm free, trying to reach for her wand first, and to Summon it to her when it was clear it was too far away, but he merely laughed at her attempt and pinned her arm again.

“You may be good when you have your wand, but you have to know how to defend yourself when you don’t have it, as well,” he said. “Now, admit I am better than you and I’ll let you go,” he said, the arrogant look back on his face as he watched her struggle some more, unwilling to admit defeat.

“All right, fine,” she finally sighed after a second, and he loosened his hold on her, just as she had expected. With all the strength she could muster, she pushed him back with one hand, while she fisted the other and launched forward, hitting the side of his face and making him groan in pain and fall back.

Reaching for her wand, she pushed him back before he could get up and moved on top of him, moving one of her knees to his chest to keep him down.

“You were saying…” she muttered, pleased with herself. “Now, as you can see I am clearly a better duellist. Unlike you, I do not care if you admit it or not, I know I am better,” she told him, with a broad smile. “So, seeing as I clearly beat you, quite easily, I might add,” she said, just to see him scowl, “will you teach me that spell?”

“Lower your wand first,” he said. “And if you’d move that knee from my ribs, I would appreciate it.”

Grudgingly, she moved so that she was kneeling beside him, and once again, he tricked her, moving his hand behind her neck and pushing her to the side, making her lose her balance and fall; and like before, he rolled on top of her and held her down, laughing loudly.

“You should know better than to trust your opponent,” he said, when she scowled. He had tricked her just like she had tricked him only moments before; how had she not seen it coming? “As for the spell,” he added, resting his body against hers, “I said you’d have to earn the right to learn it, I didn’t say how.”

Without giving her time to react, he leaned down and kissed her, cursing and moving back when she tried to bite his lip.

“What do you think you are you doing?”

“Earlier you asked me why I was here,” he said, his lips still close to hers, but he didn’t try to kiss her again. “What can I say to make you understand?”

“Make me understand what?” she asked.

“That I’m here because of you, Hermione,” he said, and the honesty in his eyes hurt her.

“That can’t be the real reason, Draco,” she said softly. “You barely know me.”

“Is that what you think?” he asked, leaning closer.

She was so focused on what was going on that she only realized they weren’t alone when someone cleared their throat, and both their heads snapped to the side, eyes wide when they realized Moody, Remus, Tonks, Harry and Ron were there. Then she heard Severus’ voice from beside them, and she gasped.

“If it doesn’t interfere with your personal affairs,” he said, coldly, “we are holding a meeting in the library; perhaps you would like to join us, when you are done,” he added, his eyes on Draco most of the time, and then he turned around and left, followed by the others. Only Harry and Ron stayed behind.

“What’s this?” Ron asked angrily, bringing her back to reality.

“Let go,” she said, when she realized Draco was still holding her hands together, and he got up without a word and offered her his hand, which she took.

“We were practising,” she replied, trying to sound nonchalant, even though she knew she was probably blushing under her friends’ stares.

“Practising? What exactly?”

“Granger wanted me to teach her a charm, and I told her if she wanted to learn it, she’d have to beat me first.”

“And I would have, if you hadn’t cheated,” she replied, turning to Draco, glad he was giving her a way out.

“We do not fight under Duelling rules, Granger,” he said. “We are getting ready for war; everything goes.”

“Not long ago you were claiming I’d cheated,” she replied, walking to the door. Ron and Harry seemed to be too surprised at both what they had walked in to and their conversation to utter another word, and she wouldn’t give them a chance. “We better hurry, we don’t want to be late,” she said. “Don’t think you’re getting off that easy,” she whispered at Draco as they walked towards the library. “You had no right to do what you did.”

“I’m glad to see you could spare a moment,” Severus said, as soon as they opened the door to the library. “Sit.”

She wanted to talk to him, explain what had happened with Draco, but she knew that wasn’t the time, not with everyone in there, so she remained silent and took a seat. A quick glance told her the only people in the room were the heads of each group, Ron, Harry, Draco and her. Following the others’ gazes, she saw there was a large map on the table.

“This, as you can see, is a map of the forest in Cheviot Hills. Like I said before, there are a few clearings in it; I went there and personally viewed each of them. This,” he said, pointing at one of them, in the centre of the map, “is the one that gives us the most advantage, and it is the one where we will set the false meeting. The four of you,” he said, looking at her, Harry, Ron and Draco in turn, “will Apparate to the clearing itself and wait there. By the time you arrive, the Dark Lord and fifteen Death Eaters will be there already, under the cover of the trees. Anti-Apparition wards will be set as soon as you arrive, so the other groups will have to be ready before then. Lupin, how many werewolves can we count on?”

“Twenty eight at least; probably around forty or more, if we manage to convince one more pack to join us.”

“There are less than 24 hours left, there is no time for convincing anyone.”

“There will be a meeting tonight, after midnight; all the pack leaders will be there. They will discuss the situation. The packs that were attacked by the Death Eaters this last weekend will join the Order, and there is a good chance we can convince the other packs to do so as well.”

“Contact me as soon as you hear anything,” he said, and Remus nodded. “Werewolves will be able to move better deep into the forest, so we will use that to our advantage. They will wait here,” Severus said, marking in red a point between that clearing and the one closest. “A second group of Death Eaters, much larger, will be waiting here for the Dark Lord’s call,” he continued, circling the other clearing. “There will be maybe fifty Death Eaters in all. Do you think they can be taken care of, even if the other packs won’t join us?”

“This clearing is rather small,” Remus said, and Severus nodded. “Will we have to wait until they are alerted, or will we attack them while they wait?”

“You would have to wait until the Dark Lord attacks Potter, but they should be reduced before he calls for help.”

“Then yes, we can do it,” Remus assured him.

“Good,” Severus said, waving his wand over the circles he had drawn, making them turn blue. “Another three groups will be waiting nearby, here, here, and over here as well,” he continued, pointing at the two remaining clearings and another spot among the trees. “We can take care of the ones at the clearings in very much the same way,” he said, turning to Kingsley. “How many groups have you formed?”

“Seventeen, separated according to their skill.”

“And how many people in each group?”

“It varies. The weakest groups have about fifteen members each, there are five of those. The medium levels are split into another nine. Those groups are larger, around twenty members each. The remaining three have about fifty members in all.”

“That leaves us with roughly three hundred people, against over four hundred Death Eaters. Let’s see,” Severus said, his gaze locked on the map once more, “I can make sure the groups on this clearing stay at approximately fifty wizards each. That makes about one hundred more Death Eaters that can be taken care of before they get to the main battle,” he continued, almost as if he were speaking to himself, trying to sort things out. “We can keep our teams hidden in the woods, and have them all attack at once; that should avoid one group moving to help another. So,” he muttered, “how weak exactly are the weakest groups?”

“They can manage with defensive magic, and can use curses and hexes as well, although not the most complex ones, at least not with sufficient strength.”

“But they should be able to deal with a Death Eater, harm them, if not kill them?”

“Yes.”

“All right, then. Two of the lower level groups and one medium would make just about fifty Order members, against another fifty Death Eaters. With surprise on their side, they should be able to at least contain them, stop them from getting to the Dark Lord,” he said, and Kingsley nodded. “The Death Eaters in the woods will be a bigger problem,” he continued.

“Another group of fifty, you said?”

“Yes, that is the best I can offer, without risking arising suspicion.”

“What if you send the most powerful groups to them?”

“No, those groups will be needed in the main battle. Three medium level groups; that should make about sixty wizards. It would be a close fight, the Death Eaters will move in the woods with more ease, and they are more experienced.”

“We can change the training rooms, start practicing on rooms that imitate the woods.”

“Like the room I saw earlier?”

“Yes.”

“That would be helpful. So, that leaves three groups for each clearing, and three more for the woods,” Severus said. “It would be wise to set up Anti-Apparition wards as soon as the Death Eaters arrive, but we cannot risk alerting them. The heads of each group would have to do it.”

Everyone in the room was silently looking at him, clinging to his every word, trying to take in every part of his plan, and she could see the awe and admiration on their faces. Severus was clearly a good strategist.

“We still have one low level group, four medium and the three others. As for the Death Eaters, there’s still approximately two hundred, if I am not mistaken. Those Death Eaters will remain at headquarters until called. Unfortunately, there is no way to intercept the Dark Lord’s call, or to stop it in any way. As soon as he calls for reinforcements, they will know.”

“What will happen then?” Kingsley asked, as Severus waved his wand over the three areas that he had already taken care of.

“An Apparition point will be established, away from the main battlefield. I cannot set it in the same clearing as the other groups will be waiting, or they will know something is wrong as soon as the Dark Lord summons them and they find Anti-Apparition wards set.”

“So how will we deal with them?”

“There is a small clearing over here,” Severus said, marking yet another spot on the map. “You cannot see it here, but it is. They will all Apparate there and then go to the Dark Lord. From the moment the four of them Apparate to the clearing,” he said, glancing at the other end of the table, where Harry and Ron were sitting, “to the moment when the Dark Lord realises he needs reinforcements we will have only a few minutes. If he summons only the groups already on location first, as is planned, then that should give us some more time, but you cannot count on it.”

“Once the Death Eaters at headquarters are alerted and they Apparate to this clearing, the real battle will begin. Some of them will be on foot, and some will have broomsticks. There will be too many of them to even attempt an ambush; it would be pointless, and virtual suicide. The only way to go, once it happens, will be to fight them, one by one, on the field. By then, our numbers should be even. Once the Order members defeat the Death Eaters on the clearings and woods, they will get here as well, and that should work to out advantage.”

“If they defeat them, you mean,” one of the Aurors said.

“If you do not think such a task can be achieved, then perhaps the battlefield is not the place for you.”

“It looks to me as if you are sending them to their deaths.”

“It is war, and death is certainly a possibility. I am, however, giving them better odds.” Without giving the Auror time to reply, he continued. “The most important thing here will be to gain time; to delay the Dark Lord’s summons as much as possible. The only way to achieve that is to make him believe assistance is not needed. As I said before, the group that will accompany the Dark Lord will be a small one. You should have one of the top groups ready to attack as soon as he arrives. He will be alerted, but will probably not think it a set up, and if it is only one group attacking, he will not call for backup right away. The remaining groups should stay in the surrounding area, only intervening if absolutely necessary until the other Death Eaters arrive.”

“So we should set the other seven groups around here,” Kingsley said, pointing at the area surrounding the clearing.”

“Indeed. Just make sure they are not seen before it is time. Can you make the arrangements?” Severus asked him.

“Yes.”

“Modifying all training rooms would be a good idea as well.”

“I will take care of it.”

“I will not be able to return here before the battle; if you have any questions, this is the time.”

“Everything is clear,” Kingsley replied, waving his wand over the map to create a copy.

“Very well, then. You may all return to your training sessions.”

As everyone got up, she took a step back, hoping she would be able to stay behind and talk to Severus. He had avoided meeting her gaze all through the meeting.

“Draco,” Severus said, as the others left. “There is a matter we need to discuss. Alone,” he added briskly, when he realized she was trying to stay behind.

Without any other option, she followed Harry and Ron out of the room, telling them she was too tired and needed some rest when they asked her to train with them. She sneaked into the kitchen, busying herself with some coffee as she waited for those that had been in the meeting to go back to their groups, leaving her alone. She sat on the edge of the kitchen table, the only spot from where she could see if someone walked down the hallway towards the entrance door.

The ticking of the clock on the wall drove her crazy as she waited half an hour, then another. Her coffee had been cold for a long time, but she couldn’t care less. There were no sounds coming from the library, and that worried her. What would he want with Draco? Last time, Severus had almost gotten him killed.

“What are you doing here, dear?” Molly’s voice startled her.

“I was just getting some rest.”

“You kids have been working too hard,” she said, pursing her lips as she went about the kitchen, gathering what she needed to start cooking dinner. “You are still so young; you shouldn’t be exposed to things like these.”

“We’ll be all right,” Hermione assured her, for what seemed to be the hundredth time, as she got up and helped Molly fix dinner, all the time paying attention to the hallway, waiting for Severus to leave.

As soon as they noticed the smell of food, the kitchen began to fill with hungry witches and wizards, all talking loudly and making it impossible for her to keep paying attention to the library and its occupants. It wasn’t until she actually bumped into Draco as she was trying to carry a tray full of food to the table, almost dropping it all, that she realized they had left already.

“Where is he?” she whispered to Draco, as soon as she left the tray on the table.

“Where’s who?”

“You know who I’m talking about,” she said, as her eyes searched the room, trying to see if he was there.

“He’s gone,” Draco whispered back.

“What?”

“He left a few minutes ago.”

Cursing under her breath, her eyes searched the room again, noticing she was catching a few curious glances. She wanted to go after him, but she knew she couldn’t just leave; she would have to wait a little longer.

Taking a plate and a glass of water, she sat next to Ginny.

“I’m going to leave soon,” she whispered, and Ginny turned to her, confused. “I’ll finish this and say goodbye. Then I will go upstairs, get my things and leave.”

“Where?”

“That doesn’t matter. I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to worry when you go to bed and don’t find me there, and because I don’t want you to call anyone for help.”

“I don’t think I can do that,” Ginny replied after a moment. “It could be dangerous, you can’t just leave like that.”

“I will be all right, but I have to go,” she said. “And you won’t tell anyone about it. I kept my mouth shut when you asked me to,” she said seriously, reminding her of the times she had caught her trying to sneak into Harry’s bedroom, and the time she had caught them both sneaking out of the bathroom in the middle of the night. When Ginny blushed, she knew she would be safe; no one would know she had left.

It took her a little longer than she had hoped, but finally she had managed to leave the others in the kitchen and make her way to the bedroom, changing out of her training clothes and silently walking back downstairs.

She Apparated to his house in Ireland, the place where he had taken her so many times, and, hoping he would be there and alone, she carefully opened the door, wand at the ready for any unexpected occurrence. But the house seemed empty.

She slowly walked down the main hallway, glancing inside the kitchen and library, finding them empty. It wasn’t until she started walking up the stairs that she heard the sound of water running. It sounded like a shower.

She made her way to the bathroom and stopped before the door. As much as she wanted to walk in, she knew it would be rude, especially if he was mad at her, so instead she turned around and opened the door to his bedroom, deciding it would be a good place to wait.

But as soon as she opened the door she felt a wet hand wrap around her wrist, pulling her inside the dark room and then pushing her against the wall.

“What took you so long?” Severus’ voice rasped against her ear, as his fingers tightened around her hips.

“Wh-what?” she asked, startled.

“What. Took. You. So. Long?” he repeated, nibbling on her neck after each word, making it hard for her to focus.

“Everyone was there, I couldn’t just leave right away,” she said, moaning when he moved his hands up her hips, slowly slipping them under her shirt.

To say that she was surprised by his behaviour would be an understatement. After the way he had refused to look at her during the Order meeting, and the icy tone in his voice when he had spoken to her, she had, at least, expected to find him angry at her, or perhaps ignoring her; she certainly hadn’t expected him to jump her like that on sight. Not that she minded, though.

As his lips easily found all the sensitive spots on her neck, she felt his hands move around her, caressing her skin, pulling her closer to him.

“I know you’d told me not to come here,” she started, but he quickly interrupted.

“I knew you’d come,” he whispered, his voice low and raspy made her shiver.

He lifted her arms and took her shirt off, then leaned against her, and only when she felt his chest against her, wet like his hand had been, did she realize he was only wearing a towel, wrapped around his hips. Apparently he had just finished taking a shower when she’d arrived. Without thinking, she pulled him even closer to her, loving the feel of his skin against hers.

“What you saw, with Draco,” she started in a whisper, needing to explain things, but not wanting him to stop what he was doing, “it wasn’t what it looked like.”

“I know,” was his only reply, as his hands moved between them, his fingers easily undoing her jeans.

“You do? Then why…?”

“Because I knew you were going to try to explain things to me right there,” he said, “in front of everyone. As you might imagine, I did not think that would be a wise decision,” he explained, as he pushed her jeans down her legs, leaving her in only her underwear.

“But…” she started, but his lips silenced her as he stood again, pulling her closer to him, his hands caressing her as if he hadn’t touched her in weeks, his tongue easily taking control of the kiss, making her body melt into his.

But when he broke the kiss, she started to ask another question, and he groaned in frustration, pushing his hips firmly against hers and biting on her neck before whispering huskily into her ear.

“What do I have to do to make you stop talking?”

She couldn’t help but shiver at his words, at the feel of him hard against her, at what both those things implied.

“I’m sure you can think of something,” she replied, in the same husky tone, hearing him laugh against her ear as he lowered his hands to her hips, pulling her up and making her wrap her arms and legs around him.

Kissing her heatedly, he slowly turned around with her in his arms and walked the short distance that separated them from the bed, lowering her on it and then lying on top of her.

She felt his lips leave hers and trail down, searing her skin as they moved. His fingers moved behind her and easily unclasped her bra, taking it off her and blindly throwing it aside, never stopping his ministrations.

His movements were slow, tender, as he touched her, kissed her, bit it was hard for her to acknowledge anything with him so close. Actually, there was little she could think of, or even do, other than moan and arch against his hands and lips, against his body, wanting to feel more of him, and to make him feel the same way he was making her feel.

As soon as the bra was out of his way, he took one of her nipples between his lips, teasing her as his hands moved down, pushing her knickers down her legs and discarded them as he had the rest of her clothes, leaving her lying naked in front of him.

She gasped when she felt his teeth on her skin, nibbling and biting lightly, and she buried her hands in his wet hair, pulling him up for another heated kiss. She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him to her, noticing he still had the towel wrapped around him and pushing it down with her heels.

She heard him laugh softly at her actions, moving one hand to her hips to stop them from thrusting forward while the other wondered between them, his fingers teasing her clit for a moment before slipping inside her.

“So wet,” he groaned into her ear, slowly moving his fingers inside her. It didn’t take long for the rhythm to increase, or for the tension to start building inside her, and she felt her muscles tense as he started moving his fingers faster, his thumb rubbing her clit in just the right way, driving her crazy.

“Please,” she moaned, tightening her legs around him, trying to push him closer. She wanted more, needed more; she needed him inside her. She didn’t think she could hold much longer. He was touching her as if he already knew exactly how to please her, how to draw every moan and sigh from her body, how to give her as much pleasure as she could take in a matter of seconds, and every single movement caused the desired effect.

His lips found hers again, and he silenced her pleads with a heated kiss as he kept moving his fingers, driving her to the edge and then pushing her over. She screamed his name into the kiss, biting on his lip as she came, her muscles contracting around his fingers as her body shook with pleasure.

Before she could even know what was happening, the hand inside her was gone, leaving her painfully empty as it moved between them, yanking the towel still between them away, finally letting her feel him hard against her.

Then he was pushing inside her, filling her so deliciously, gritting his teeth in an attempt to control himself as her muscles tightened around him, driving him deeper.

It was as if everything was happening in slow motion, every touch, every caress seemed to last longer, every thrust seemed to go deeper. There was a tenderness in his touch she couldn’t remember ever feeling before, and she instinctively acted the same way, allowing herself to follow her desires, to kiss him and touch him as she wanted.

There was something there, lurking in the back of their minds, she could tell, and it made her uneasy. They would be marching to a battle in only a few hours, and everything felt surreal, but at that moment she had the feeling he was saying goodbye, somehow. The possibility of any of them surviving the battle was slim; the possibility of the two of them living was even slimmer. She knew that, and perhaps that was the reason why she felt that way, but she decided to push those thoughts away. If that would be her last night with him, then she would enjoy it. She would not let fear and doubt spoil the moment.

“Stop thinking,” he whispered into her ear, as he moved, and as she tilted her head her eyes found his.

It was amazing how those black, usually cold eyes could now hold that much emotion. But he wouldn’t put words to it; she didn’t think he ever would. He showed her what he felt through his actions, and she did the same, holding him to her, feeling his hard breathing against her neck, feeling his heart beat against her chest.

They moved as one, drawing the pleasure out as time went by; maybe hours, maybe only minutes, she had no idea. She knew nothing at that moment other than him. They kissed, and they moved against the other, and right then and there, nothing else mattered.

Their movements became faster as the tension built, their breathings deeper as they tried to hold back, to make it last longer. And finally she couldn’t take anymore, and with his name on her lips she came, her body mercilessly pulling him with her. His lips were on her neck, muffling the sounds he made, silencing the words she wasn’t sure he had groaned. She was far too gone to notice much. At that moment she could only feel the pleasure he was giving her, feel his body inside and around her, exploding like hers.

As her breathing slowed and her heart calmed, she lay on her side, her head resting on his shoulder. Her hand was on his chest, letting her feel his heart slow down, the constant beats lulling her into sleep. But she didn’t want to fall asleep, she wanted to stay awake, to make the moment last as long as she could.

Her eyes were on the window, and on the sky beyond. A clock had chimed not long before, as midnight had hit, as Thursday had arrived. The day had come already; now it was only a matter of hours.

“What is it?” she heard him ask softly.

“It is today,” she replied, just as softly.

“I know,” he said, his hand moving to her head, his fingers threading through her hair, making her feel calm, safe. “It will be all right,” he whispered after a moment, sensing her fears.

“Will it?” she asked softly, tilting her head so she could meet his eyes. “Most of us are probably going to die,” she said, “and what will there be left for those that survive?”

“We will win,” he said, the certainty in his statement and in his eyes calming her somewhat. “We will win the battle, the Dark Lord will be defeated at last, and the war will end,” he told her, pulling her closer, making her rest her head against his chest. “Then you will be able to live the life you deserve. You all will.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asked, trying to stay awake, her eyelids too heavy for her to keep her eyes open.

“I don’t know,” he replied truthfully, “but you don’t have to worry. I will take care of everything, you will be all right.”

“And you?”

“Who knows, maybe I’ll come out of it alive as well.”

“You promise?” she muttered sleepily against his chest, as she snuggled closer to him.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” she heard him whisper against her hair, just as sleep took over. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”