In The Arms of an Angel

Chapter 7 Breakdowns and Research

Ron and Harry were gone without noticing the white light that had momentarily surrounded the latter. Hermione's face went slack as she dropped her wand before falling to the floor in a heap, her legs having given out under her. Before anyone could get to her, she was sitting on the floor, rocking back and forth with her arms wrapped around her legs. Tears were streaming silently down her face and just barely comprehensible they could hear her saying a string of "shit's", "fuck's", and more than the occasional "no."

Draco and Severus shared a look, both thinking back to the story that had recently been shared before Draco knealt down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away, looking at him with the most frightened eyes he had ever seen. "Hermione, you said that spell was a diagnostic spell. What did it tell you?" he asked.

"I can't tell you. Dumbledore said for only me, Ron, and Harry to know." She stopped for a moment, collecting herself, before she jumped to a standing position and forcing the others to move away from her. “Severus, can you find Minerva for me? I need to go to Hogwarts and see Dumbledore’s portrait now.” He gave her a questioning glance but nodded and apparated out of the room.

Remus and Draco were both staring at her as though waiting for instructions. When she looked at Draco, she suddenly felt like slapping herself on the forehead. “Draco, do you still own Malfoy Manor?”

“Um ... I don’t know. I’d imagine the Ministry would have stolen all of my property and vaults and everything, why?”

“By any chance did your father keep any books of Dark Magic?”

“I believe so,” he answered while giving her a wary look.

At that answer, she turned to face Remus, who had been following the short conversation closely. “Remus, can you go back to Grimmauld and wait for either Tonks or Shackelbolt? When one of them is there, can you come and find me so I can give them my address? And please, don’t tell them anything about what I want to talk to them about.”

“Hermione, I’m not sure I could tell them anything if I wanted to, you have confused me so much right now.”

“Well, that’s good, I guess. But please, can you do that for me? If I’m not here when you get back that means that Severus got a hold of Minerva and I’m at Hogwarts, but, hopefully, that shouldn’t take too long.”

“Since it obviously means so much to you, of course I will.” He gave her a gentle hug and left the room with a ‘pop.’

“I’m sorry, Hermione, but there’s not much I can do to help you since I’m supposed to be dead and all,” Draco told her, a sad look in his eyes.

Hermione walked over to him and put her arms around him, her head resting on his chest. “All I want from you, Draco, is to hold me. Do you think you can handle that?” she asked with a slight smile in her voice.

“Yes, I do believe I can do that,” he answered as he pulled her onto his lap as he sat on one of the chairs. And so they sat, her arms wrapped around his neck and her face buried in his neck, where he could feel her salty tears dripping onto his skin and one of his hands rubbing her back, “accidentally” rubbing the side of her breast on occasion, while the other held her firmly in place.

After a little while she pulled away and apologized for getting him all wet and proceeded to place a cleaning and a drying charm on him where her tears had landed. She then put her head back to the same location, only this time she started to suck on and kiss his neck. “What are you doing?” he asked, even as he moved his head to give her better access.

“What?” she asked, “I can feel how much you want me in my backside, and I want you, and I’m in need of comfort at the moment.”

With much distress at his decision, Draco pulled away from her slightly. “Hermione, I do want you, but I want you to want me for me, not because I’m here. Not to mention the fact that Severus could show up with McGonagall, at any moment.” She pulled a face at him and was about to say something when his words rang true and the two former professors apparated into the room.

“So, Hermione, I understand that you want to go see Professor Dumbledore’s portrait.”

“That is, correct, Minerva,” she answered as she disentangled herself from Draco’s lap.

“And what would this be pertaining to?”

“I can’t tell you that, but it is of the utmost importance.”

The older woman sighed before she nodded her head once in acquiescence. “I assume that you would prefer to go now?”

“That would be wonderful,” Hermione said as she moved to hug the strict headmistress. Minerva hugged her back for a moment before she pulled away, expressing that they should leave soon then. Hermione nodded towards Severus and gave Draco a one-armed hug as she kissed him on the cheek before the two women apparated to outside the Hogwart’s wards.

Minerva led Hermione through the castle to her office, the guest being greeted every now and then by students who recognized her from before she graduated. Once she was left in the office alone she looked around at all of the portraits, most of which were pretending to be sleeping. “I just want all of you to know, I need to have a private conversation with Professor Dumbledore. I don’t care if you stay to listen; I just ask that you do not tell Professor McGonagall anything of what we speak of, especially since it has absolutely nothing to do with the school.”

Some of the portraits grumbled, some left since they did not want to be put in the position, but most just stopped pretending to sleep now that they had permission to listen. She then turned to the rendering of Dumbledore, in his purple spangled robe, his eyes still twinkling through the enchanted paint.

“Professor, today as he and Ron were leaving to search for the last horcrux, I performed the spell on each of them that would show what objects are horcruxes and what ones aren’t. I hit Harry with the spell just as they were apparating and neither noticed that he came up positive as a horcrux.” At this point Hermione felt like breaking down again, but she chose to stay strong and continue on.

The twinkling left the portrait’s eyes as Dumbledore looked gravely at her, a hint of sorrow replacing the sparkle. “I was afraid of that, but I must admit to being too cowardly to perform the spell on him. I cared too much for him; I didn’t want to know if it were true.”

Hermione was just staring at him dumbfounded. “You knew?” she asked, her voice deadly low as she stared, her entire body tensing. “YOU KNEW!” she railed, “How could you know, even have the suspicion, and do nothing? You left Harry your pensieve and memories, why didn’t you leave anything that would let us know of this? We’ve been searching for the last one for at least six months. We could have been spending that time trying to figure out what to do. Do you know how bad it’s getting? Not a single week goes by without attacks. The Ministry gets copies of Hogwart’s enrollment, and someone who works there and has access to it works for Voldemort because this last year all of the muggleborns were killed along with their entire families!”

“There are more magical homes under Fidelius than not. Everyone is scared of what will happen next, who’ll be killed next. And you’re telling me that that needn’t be the case; that we could have been working on a way to get rid of this last horcrux and save Harry. I’m sorry, Professor, but you have lost some of the respect that I have held for you.”

At this point, some of the other portraits started to tell her how she was uncalled for and such disrespect to a former headmaster is abominable. Just when Hermione was about to respond to them, the rendering of Dumbledore cut in. “No, no. She has every reason to feel that way. In fact, I am quite disappointed with myself. Right or wrong, I let how much I cared for the boy cloud my judgment. I put his happiness over his welfare and everyone else’s welfare. It is a mistake that I deeply regret.”

“Do you know of any way to destroy the horcrux without causing Harry any harm?” Hermione asked, having calmed down through her rant and Dumbledore’s admission.

“That is something that I have thought long and hard about while trying to hold back my suspicions, but, alas, there is nothing that I could think of. The advice I have to give to you is to speak to Professor Snape.”

“But, Professor, you told Harry that we couldn’t tell anyone.”

“Professor Snape has in his memory a key to what you are searching for. I do not know if it can help, but I do not question its importance. He does not know what it is he saw, but he was there when Voldemort attacked the Potters.”

“Then, am I to just get him to share the memory or should I tell him everything?”

“That, Miss Granger, is a choice to make yourself, but rest assured that whatever you decide, Professor Snape will keep your confidence.”

“Thank you, Professor,” she said as she left the room, knowing when Dumbledore has ended a conversation, alive or not.

Twenty minutes later Hermione apparated back home where Remus, Severus and Draco were sitting in the living room discussing what could possibly be going on with none of them being even remotely close to the mark. “Hello,” she greeted them. “Remus, I hope you have not been waiting too long.”

“No, just ten minutes or so ...”

“So who did you find?”

“Tonks is waiting for us at Grimmauld.”

“Good,” she replied as she turned to the other two men. “We’ll be back in a couple minutes.” True to her word, two minutes later she arrived back with Remus and Tonks in tow.

“Wotcher Severus, Draco,” she greeted them. Each tilted a head in her direction in recognition. “So, what is it you need to ask in private, Hermione?” she asked as she looked around the room, sitting down on the chair opposite Severus. Remus then sat on the closest side of the couch to his girlfriend. When Hermione saw that there wasn’t anywhere else to sit, she found a place on Draco’s lap, causing one of Tonks’ light brown eyebrows to lift.

“I was wondering whether Draco still owns the Malfoy holdings or if the Ministry had taken them over.”

“Are you sure that it’s you who is wondering?”

Hermione looked hard at Tonks as she answered. “Yes, I am sure. When I asked Draco if he still owned it all, he was not sure. So I thought I’d ask an auror if they knew anything about it.”

“And why would you care about who has the Malfoy holdings, Hermione?”

“I need access to the library, assuming that all the dark magic books haven’t been stripped out of it.”

At this Tonks, who had seemed rather suspicious before now softened up, knowing that books would be something to entice the young woman. “Dark Magic, what would you be needing dark magic for?”

“Well, hopefully I won’t need to use it myself. There is something that I need to look up. It is extremely dark magic, and I can’t tell you anything about it. I need to find out how to undo it. So, do you know?”

Tonks sighed as she looked apologetically towards Draco. “Yes, I know. Draco was legally declared dead but the Ministry didn’t take his holdings, instead they went down the family line. Since he is the last of the Malfoy’s and Lucius had already been given the kiss, they looked to the Blacks. Bellatrix was killed the week before they proclaimed your death,” she continued, jutting her chin out to Draco. "So the next in line was my mother who didn’t want it and gave it to me. I don’t want it either, but since I’m the last and I don’t want to give anything to the Ministry, I kept it all but haven’t touched anything. To my knowledge everything should be as it was the last time Draco was there.”

Hermione looked up into Draco’s face, but he barely noticed. He, instead, had his attention focused on his cousin. After what seemed like forever but in reality was only around forty five seconds, he spoke. “Well, I guess I’m glad it stayed in the family and didn’t go to the Ministry. So they didn’t do any raids or anything before passing it on?”

“Nope,” Tonks shook her purple head, “Though I am ‘honor-bound’ to report anything inappropriate that I may find, but since I haven’t stepped foot in the manor or vaults, and as I said, I don’t want to give anything to the Ministry, nothing has been removed.”

“Why are you so against the Ministry, Tonks, I mean, you work for them,” Hermione said, a slight look of distaste making its way to her face at the thought of working for the corrupt wizarding government.

“Yeah, I work for them, but its better to be on the in with the enemy than not, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose I would say so. So, do you think that I could take a look at the library? And maybe if his stuff is still there, Draco can grab some wizarding clothes if he wants, all he has here is muggle clothing.”

Tonks looked at the duo pensively, taking in the hopeful and pleading expression on Hermione’s face that was a stark contrast to Draco’s, which seemed embarrassed at the situation, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone by staring at the top of Hermione’s head. Eventually she nodded her head with a sigh. “I suppose. When do you want to go?”

“As soon as possible,” Hermione answered immediately.

“That’s what I thought you would say. How about in a couple days, after I get out of work?”

“Thank you so much Tonks,” said Hermione. It wasn’t too much longer before Tonks left, Remus following closely. When Severus excused himself for the night, Hermione asked him to come back the following day sometime after lunch because Dumbledore’s portrait had told her that she needed to speak to him. Once again, he and Draco shared a look above her head when she wasn’t looking, but he agreed.

After Severus was gone, Draco looked down to the woman still in his lap. “Hermione,” he told her, “you need to get off my lap now.”

She looked up at him, a pout on her lips failing to cover up her hurt feelings. “But I’m comfortable and you’re warm,” she told him.

He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. “I know that, cutie,” he said as she pulled a face at the name he had taken to calling her in private. “But you’ve been sitting there for a while and I can’t feel my legs anymore.”

“Are you calling me fat?” she asked, and cracked up as she saw the trapped look on his face. In return he glided his fingers over her sides underneath her shirt, skimming over her highly ticklish skin and making her squirm away from him, ending up in the seat next to him. He continued his attack, increasing force as he leaned over her, trapping her under him. He finally gave in to her gasped pleas to stop when she could barely breathe from laughing, staying in place and staring down at her as her chest rose and fell as she tried to catch her breath.

When she was finally breathing normally again, he was still in his position leaning over her torso, her legs having fallen off of the couch towards the floor. She was staring up back in his eyes and was caught by surprise when he swiftly closed the gap between their faces, catching her lips in a hard kiss. She moaned against his mouth and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth and map out the warm cavern. She started swirling her tongue around the end of his, working her way down the strong organ, showing him what she would do to other parts of his anatomy as soon as she got the chance.

As he moaned against the promised sensation, his hands were moving steadily up the soft skin of her stomach until he was covering both of her bra clad breasts in his hands. He massaged and kneaded them; playing with her nipples through the lace until finally he pulled the cups down so he was touching her bare breasts. They were soft but firm and he continued to play with them as she arched towards his hands.

When she broke the kiss with a loud moan he took the opportunity to pull up her shirt and stare at her naked torso, covered every here and there by the oddly strewn garment before he bent down and devoured her right nipple, greedily sucking and nipping at the bud. When he moved onto the left, his hand taking up the task on the right, Hermione stilled. He pulled away, her breast leaving his mouth with a barely audible pop, and looked up into her distressed face. “Hermione?” he asked, slightly breathless.

“Earlier, earlier you said you wouldn’t sleep with me,” she panted out.

He groaned, resting his body on top of hers, his face buried in her neck, his rock hard erection pressed up against the outside of her upper leg. He stayed like that for a moment before moving to look her in the eyes. “Do you want me?” he asked, fearful of the answer and feeling the need to clarify. “I mean, do you want me for more than just sex? Do you think we can try and make a go of whatever it is we have between us? Because I want you, Merlin, I want you. But I want your body. I want your mind. I want your soul. I want all of you. And if you don’t want me the same way it’s better that this not go any further.”

As she gazed into his eyes, she could see the depths of the words he said to her, and knew that every word of it was true. She sighed and pushed him off of her, righting her clothes in the process. She could see a dejected look start to take over his face before she moved to straddle his legs; his hands stayed at his sides on the couch. He refused to look her in the face, so she took his head in her hands and moved her own to his line of vision when he still looked away.

“Draco,” she started softly, “In the short time we’ve had since I found you, I have grown to care about you greatly. You are the only person my own age who stimulates my mind and makes me think. Just the sight of you makes me want to throw you down on a bed and fuck you senseless. I want you, Draco Malfoy. I want you mind and body, but I will never ask for your soul because I will never give you mine. I’m sure that someday you’ll understand that, even if you don’t now. Yes, I am willing to give it a go if you want to. But I want to be the one to tell Harry.”

Since the day in the kitchen, the two of them had never spoken about the incident. She knew that he was smart and could figure out what was going on and she had no intention whatsoever of actually getting in a conversation with him about it, but if she had to, she had to. Draco looked at her, his face still in her hands. “It’s a deal,” he said as he pulled her hands away and crashed his lips against hers.

Shortly after their kiss, she pulled away just enough to stop the pressure between their lips. “Upstairs,” she breathed against him. In one fluid motion he removed himself and pulled her up off of the couch after him. He then practically pushed her up the stairs in front of him.

When they reached her room, Draco shooed out Crookshanks, not wanting to be watched by the half-kneazle before he went back to his attack on Hermione’s mouth, only moving away to pull off each other’s shirts in turn. It wasn’t much longer before they were both nude, and hands were roaming and exploring all over each other’s body.

Hermione pushed him away, panting hard as she tried to control her breathing. He made a noise of protest at the loss of contact, seeing her eyes rake over his body. Her body was flushed, her cheeks the deepest shade. Her hair was the wildest he had ever seen it, flying away from her face. But it was her body that had surprised him, she wasn’t thin like he had thought, instead she was fit and toned, her breasts high, round, and firm. She was the sexiest woman he had ever seen and it was all he could do to not throw her on the bed and ravage her. As he took her in, she did the same to him, noticing that she could still see his ribs through his skin, and reached out to lightly touch them. His stomach was just barely flat as though it had recently been concave. While his legs and arms were thin, they at least still held some tone, as though he had exercised them often so the malnutrition hadn’t completely taken hold. Her eyes stayed for a moment on the stark contrast of his paler than pale skin to the black of the Dark Mark that was engrained onto his left forearm before moving on to his cock, which showed no ill effects, and was standing proudly, long and thick. He was more than a little bigger than Harry and it scared and excited her to think of him filling her.

As though reading each other’s minds, they came together simultaneously, fingers threading through hair, Draco noticing that Hermione’s was surprisingly silky to the touch. He pressed his body into hers and pushed her backward until she was at the bed. She sat down and pushed herself back until she was leaning against the headboard. Draco kneeled at the end of the bed and started to massage Hermione’s right foot and brought his lips down to her ankle, lightly kissing it. As his lips moved up her legs, his hands followed closely, gently soothing the skin and underlying muscles. When he reached the apex where her thigh met her crotch, his tongue made one swipe between her pussy lips and wiggled it over her clit before moving down to her left foot and repeated the process.

By the time he had finished, she was practically boneless beneath him, moaning out her weakness to him. He smiled into the trimmed hair surrounding his destination as he breathed in her scent before reaching under one of her thighs and holding it up with his arm, resting his hand splayed out on her warm skin. He nibbled at her pussy lips before plunging his tongue into her, his nose tickling her clit. When he pulled out his tongue, it was only to be replaced with two fingers that writhed within her. It wasn’t too much longer before she was calling out his name and coming beneath him.

He placed a gentle kiss to her pussy and moved upward, ghosting his lips over the curve where her taut belly met her nether regions and onto her belly button, where he avoided the lightening bolt ring. He was soon up to her breasts and had attached himself to one when she pulled him away and clamped her mouth on his. “I want you in me, now,” she ordered.

“I’m not going to last long, it’s been a while,” he warned her. She responded by arching up into him, pressing her breasts and her pussy against him, urging him on as she once again overtook his lips. Taking the hint, he reached down and slipped his cock between her pussy lips a few times, lubricating it with her juices before aligning it with her hole and pushing in. She gasped at his thickness and he had to push in slowly so as not to cum right away. When he was in to the hilt, he stilled for a moment until she bucked up against him, moaning deeply.

He pulled almost all the way out before plunging all the way back in, filling her more completely than she could remember ever feeling. He continued to pull out most of the way before ramming back into her, one hand working her clit and the other teasing a nipple. He soon bent down to take the other nipple in his mouth, overwhelming her with stimuli, trying to get her to cum again before he could, knowing that he didn’t have much longer.

He got his wish, her body responding to his ministrations and clamping around his cock, milking him for all he was worth. He slumped down, resting his head on her collarbone as she played with his hair. Eventually he pulled out of her and lay down next to her, allowing Hermione to pick up her wand and cast cleansing charms on them before she lay partly on his prone form, her leg draped over his, her torso pressed tightly against him. Her head was resting on his chest, her pinky finger running along the scar on his face. It didn’t take long for either to fall asleep, momentarily sated and content.

*I am considering McGonagall a former professor because she no longer teaches due to running the school. Thanks go to Heather for betaing and to the last chapter's one lone reviewer, paigeey07