This Subdued Fire

Hermione didn\'t sleep so well. She hadn\'t been sleeping well for the past eight days. As usual, her mind was focused on rotten, stinking, horrible Draco Malfoy. He actually wasn\'t so horrible after all. She knew that most of what had happened was the potion. Then again, when he was coming down off it, he actually thanked her. The Malfoy she knew never would\'ve done that. Perhaps it was because he was too tired to come up with any snazzy one-liners.

She didn\'t think that was the case. She remembered when Malfoy was trying to get her into his bed. He was the most charming she\'d ever seen him. It was that charm that made her succumb to his ultimatum. In her heart of hearts Hermione never thought that Malfoy would actually sell her out to Voldemort. But yet again, she couldn\'t say. Malfoy was an enigma.

Hermione tossed about in her bed. It was pitch black in her room, not even the moon shone in the uncurtained window. Malfoy might very well revert to his normal ways and then what? She couldn\'t allow herself to soften towards him. That would be disastrous. But the thought was so very tempting. She remembered his kisses, his touch and supressed an internal shudder. She sighed heavily. Was this another trick of his? Did he want to seduce her, make her part of his stable and then humiliate her in front of the whole school? That seemed the most likely of answers.

However, as sneaky as Malfoy was, he preferred the direct approach. He never shied away from a confrontation. In fact, he seemed to seek them out. She\'d thought about all the times she\'d clashed with him. He\'d always started it. Malfoy was never one to back down from a challenge. Could that be it? Could she just represent a challenge for him? She was pretty much the only girl he couldn\'t have. He only had her because she couldn\'t risk him actually making good on his threat.

Hermione made a face in the darkness. That wasn\'t necessarily true. She undoubtedly could\'ve found a way to keep his mouth shut without having to sleep with him. The truth was that she had been insanely curious about Malfoy, and about the whole sex thing in general. Also, he intrigued her greatly. He was funny, charming, ruthless, clever, sharp, witty and highly intelligent. All the things which appealed to her.

Now her curiousity was appeased but she still couldn\'t get away from him. One way or another they were constantly thrown together. Classes, detentions...you name it. Those images of Pansy and Malfoy from the other night still haunted her. Hermione was convinced that they\'d really happened. But if they had, Pansy surely wouldn\'t have appeared so hale and hearty the next morning, could she?

She shifted again under the covers. This constant waffling back was exhausting. Hermione was normally a person of quick decisions and decisive action. She simply couldn\'t come to a conclusion on the matter. Frankly she was sick of the whole \"should I or shouldn\'t I?\" argument. Malfoy told her that if she came to him again, there was no backing out. But did she want to back out? Hermione grinned. She was in a real \'man vs. himself\' situation. It was vaguely repellent, but also amusing. Who would\'ve thought?

Damn. She didn\'t want Malfoy to think she was cheap but the fact of the matter was that she was really attracted him. She suspected that he was attracted to her as well. He could\'ve just had their one night and let it go. But no, he kept pursuing her. He was rather relentless in that respect. Hermione tossed the covers back and got out of bed. The torches in her room sprang to life. She looked at the mirror which hung over the dresser.

(Look at me. Scared to do what I want to do. I can\'t keep going on like this, it\'s making me insane. I look like hell, I feel like hell. It\'s awful. I have to go one way or the other, no more sitting on the fence.)

She looked long and hard at herself, finally coming to a solution. She grabbed a pief paf parchment from her bag and a quill. Scribbling off a quick missive to Malfoy, she felt a measure relief and trepidation as she thought about what his response would be. This time she would send her own owl to deliver the message, her schoolmates be damned.

There was a faint scratching at her door. Hermione crossed the room and opened it. Crookshanks was sitting in the doorway serenely. Hermione stood aside and the feline strutted into the room.

\"And where have you been these past few nights?\" Mistress looked at cat. The cat cocked his head to the side and gave her a disdainful meow for her prying. Hermione pursed her lips at Crookshanks.

\"You know...that kind of attitude has lead to the creation of lots of violins in the world.\" She cocked an eyebrow at Crookshanks. He merely turned his back to her and settled himself on his spot on the red and gold rug.

Hermione shook her head at the cat and got back into bed. Soon her gentle snores joined Crookshanks\' loud slumberous purring.
****************

The next morning, Hermione awoke to bright sunshine streaming into the room. The first thing she saw when she turned her head was the letter she was to owl off to Malfoy. She stumbled out of bed and poked Boolean awake. The dark owl wasn\'t at all pleased to have been awakened. He nipped her finger irritatedly.

\"Ouch. If you do this for me I\'ll give you an extra handful of Owl Treats, alright?\"

Boolean hooted in response and Hermione tied the note on his leg. She went to one of the windows in the room and opened it. The owl soared out and hung a sharp left. Hermione watched until he disappeared around the corner of the stone building.

\"Now...now I wait.\"

She drummed her fingers on the windowsill. She felt Crookshanks winding himself along her ankles, mewling piteously. Hermione scooped him up and scratched behind his ears. He purred contentedly.
\"Spoiled brat. When I wanted to pet you, you were nowhere to be found.\" She put him down and opened the chamber door. \"Alright, off with you. Go find some breakfast.\" Hermione shut the door behind him.

Boolean came swooping back through the opened window and dropped a note in her hand. He returned to his cage and promptly went back to sleep. The parchment contained only one word of script - \"Yes.\"

Hermione lit a fire in the empty grate and tossed the note in there. The magenta flames consumed the paper tout de suite. She doused the fire and got dressed.

The day passed in a blur. She remembered chatting at breakfast, lunch and dinner with her House-mates. She remembered taking notes in her classes, paying attention when one teacher said this or that. She remembered doing a bit a research in the library on the plant she was to raise. But if one asked her specifically about her day, she could not have said.

Presently she was pacing in her room. The clock tolled one a.m. (Everyone should be asleep by now. Still, ouldouldn\'t do for me to be discovered sneaking out of the room.) She thought.

*\"Hermione Invisibilis.\"* As before, she disappeared. This time it wasn\'t a slow process like before. She vanished in the blink of an eye. It was as if someone dropped an Invisibility Cloak around her shoulders. \"Woah. That was fast.\"

Crookshanks, who had been watching Hermione through slitted eyes ambled over and began twining himself through her transparent ankles. He was meowing like mad, apparently upset by the non visible state of his mistress.

\"Oh, Crook, it\'s ok. See? *Revelatio.*\" She appeared again. \"I\'m still here.\" Hermione picked up her familiar and soothed him. When he\'d calmed enough to stop meowing, she placed him on the bed and walked out of room. Hermione turned herself invisible again and went down the stairs to the Common Room.

She saw Harry and Ginny sprawled in one of the wingback chairs enthusiastically making out. Hermione repressed a shudder and what would\'ve been a very large \'EW!\' She tipped out of the room, making sure that the portrait didn\'t squeak on its hinges and moved swiftly down the corridor to the entrance to the Astronomy Tower.

Hermione paused at the door and took a deep breath. She opened it and began the ascent to the observatory. Her slippered feet made a whisper of sound as she slipped up the sliver of stairs that wound around the paved walls. The door was wide open, and she heard the sounds of shivers and gasps. Curious, she poked her invisible head around the corner. And her invisible eyes widened and blinked.

There was Snape...and Vector, too. She saw Snape\'s lean back rippling with exertion over Vector\'s body. His hair was flopping in his eyes and his lower lip was bloody from where he\'d bitten it in his pleasure. The Arithmancy professor\'s smooth tanned limbs were twined around the slim, pale hips of the Potions Master. Vector\'s arms reached up and pulled Severus\' head to hers. They kissed. When she released his head, Snape looked right up at the place where Hermione stood. She knew he couldn\'t see her but...all the same, she fled back down the stairs.

Hermione got to the bottom of the stairs and stood against the wall, chest heaving. She closed the bottom door behind her and started back into the corridor. (Where could he be?) She thought. Her pulse wouldn\'t still. Truth be told, what she\'d just witnessed had had a very powerful effect on her. Hermione licked her lips. She kept her ears open for sounds of Malfoy moving about. Hermione was making her way back towards Gryffindor Tower when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked down and saw nothing.

\"Malfoy?\" She whispered in an urgent tone.

\"Yes.\"

She let out the breath she had been holding. \"Thank God it\'s you. I couldn\'t take seeing another trysting couple.\"

\"Who?\"

\"I\'ll tell you later. Let\'s just say that the Astronomy Tower is well occupied at the moment.\"

\"Ah. You could always come back to my room.\"

\"To *Slytherin?!*\"

\"You don\'t have to sound so horrified, you know.\"

\"I\'m sorry, I just...didn\'t expect you to say that.\"

\"We could always go back to your room.\" Malfoy\'s voice held a suggestive note.

\"NO. I mean, no. I thought we could keep this on neutral territory.\"

\"Ah. Neutral territory.\"

\"Yes. I didn\'t think that the observatory would\'ve been occupied.\"

\"Well, if it makes you feel better, there\'s a place that I think would make an extremely \"neutral\" place.\" Malfoy sounded amused now.

\"Don\'t tease.\" He slid his invisible hand up her transparent arm. Hermione felt her nerve endings tingle.

\"Are you saying teasing is bad, Granger?\" He asked softly.

\"No. I-I well...you know what I mean.\"

\"I do, indeed. Well, come along then.\" She could feel him moving past her. Hermione followed the faint sound of his feet on the flagstones.

When they reached the entrance to Hogwarts, Hermione hesitated. \"Where are we going?\"

\"Neutral territory.\" The late summer night was rather balmy for the Highlands this time of year. Hermione didn\'t shiver once as they made their way across the grounds. As they drew close to their destination, Hermione let out a small gasp.

\"The Quidditch pitch?\"

\"You wanted somewhere neutral?\" She could imagine Malfoy\'s lips curled faintly upwards at her reaction.

\"Yes, I wanted neutral. I wasn\'t thinking out of doors though.\"

\"Come on, Granger. It\'s an adventure. Besides, I have a blanket to spread beneath us.\"

\"You had this planned all along, didn\'t you?\"

\"Well, I\'d been seeing the looks Snape had been shooting at Vector all day. I figured they\'d be off somewhere making it.\"

\"Nice of you to inform me.\" Hermione\'s tone was sour.

\"I did send you an owl, but you\'d left before you got the note.\"

Hermione felt chastened, but only slightly. \"Oh. Well...alright.\"

\"Is that a yes?\"

Hermione became visible. Her lips curled slightly. \"I wouldn\'t be out here if it weren\'t.\"

Draco became visible as well. She saw the blanket hung over his arm. In customary style, it was black with green piping. \"Well...I\'m glad of that.\"

He offered her a genuine smile. \"I see you wore black, too.\"

\"I felt it was appropriate to the situation.\" They began walking into the deserted arena. \"Speaking of which, do you ever wear anything other than black?\"

Malfoy grinned. \"On occasion.\" They emerged at the edge of the grass covered pitch. \"Here we are.\"

Hermione looked up. The sky looked like a huge navy blue bowl dotted with miniscule sparkles. They tipped across the sands to the middle of the pitch. Malfoy spread the blanket on the slightly damp surface. As he snapped the blanket into place thousands of thousands of candles flared to life. Hermione was stunned.

\"Did you really do all of this?\"

\"I did, Granger.\"

\"But...why?\"

\"Do you want to know the truth?\"

\"I wouldn\'t have asked otherwise.\"

\"Because, I told you the next time you came to me, there would be no turning back. I am not going to force you. But I will take pride in seducing you. Rape takes no skill.\"

Hermione felt something harden within her at his blunt words. Yet they thrilled her, too. Down somewhere in one of the darkest parts of her soul, Hermione was rather pleased to be thought of as seduction worthy. She turned her back on Malfoy, absorbing what he said. She knew he was taking in the expanse of skin exposed by the deep cut back of her black silk gown.

Hermione took a deep breath. \"Well then. Seduce me.\"

Malfoy couldn\'t see the look on her face but he imagined it matched the naughty smirk on his. \"I\'m at your service, ma\'am.\"

He stepped behind her and stroked his finger down Hermione\'s spine. Malfoy heard and felt a sigh ripple through her. She\'d worn her hair up instead of down. Malfoy actually preferred it up. That way he could see the elegant line of her neck and shoulders.

The gown she wore was loose but the light breeze blowing in the pit of the arena moulded the fabric around her body. She was nearly as pale as he. Hermione\'s dark hair and eyes somewhat precluded her from being as deathly white as Draco. She looked over at the hand he laid on her bicep. His skin fairly glowe the the starlit night.

Malfoy pressed his lips to Hermione\'s shoulder. A small hum of approval escaped from her closed mouth. \"Ah...you liked that?\"

\"Yes, yes I did.\" Hermione\'s mouth curved into a smile.

\"Good.\" Malfoy slid the gown down and off her shoulders. The cool breeze puckered her coral nipples tightly. He could feel the goosepimples raise on her skin.

\"Cold?\"

\"A little.\"

He turned her about in his arms and kissed her thoroughly. A warmth spread throughout her body. She pressed closer to Malfoy. Mouths opened and tongues intertwined. Hermione felt a sinking sensation begin in the pit of her stomach.

(Sweet Christ! Malfoy can kiss,) Hermione thought lazily. She figured she could go on kissing him forever.

He slid his lips from hers and down her neck. Malfoy flicked his tongue right over the sensitive part below her ear. Hermione\'s eyes flew opened and her hands gripped his shoulders tightly.

(Hmm...must put that away in the mental files for later reference,) Malfoy thought with a grin. He bit that small patch of skin ever so slightly. He could feel her weight shift as her toes curled up.

\"Wooo...\"

\"Mm-hmm.\"

He moved a hand from her waist up her rib cage, sto stopping under her breast. Malfoy rested his hand there, his fingers making small circles on her skin. Hermione began to wiggle a bit.

(Why won\'t he move his hand up? I know he wants to. Hell, *I* want him to!)

His thumb brushed the undercurve of her breast. The world turned and she found herself flat on her back; the satin spread beneath her. And then Malfoy began in earnest.

His hands and mouth were everywhere. On her shoulders, her arms, her legs, her feet and everywhere in between. She felt his lips close over the tip of one breast. He pulled hard at it, making her shiver. His tongue ran circles around the nipple, making it like a shiny river pebble and just as hard. Heat bloomed once again in her mid-section and radiated outwards. Hermione purred with every stroke of his talented mouth.

Malfoy began working his way down her body, stopping to pay homage to her belly button. Hermione never knew how sensitive a belly button could actually be until that moment.

But when he reached her closed thighs, her senses cleared a bit.

\"What are you doing?\" There was a tinge of nervousness to her voice.

He merely smiled and began stroking her legs. His touch was soothing, like rubbing down a thoroughbred after a race. She relaxed and her legs parted of their own volition. Malfoy trailed his fingers over the sensitive insides of her thighs. He raked his short nails lightly over her skin. Hermione gasped and then giggled.

\"Hey, that tickles.\"

\"Oh, sorry, don\'t want to do that.\" He leaned down and licked the place where his fingers had so recently been.

She sighed and her fingers tensed on satin. He could feel her holding herself so stiff, so still, like a fawn poised by a river. Yet, she didn\'t demur, she didn\'t hesitate. She held herself accountable to the bargain that was struck and didn\'t turn away. She accepted. But worst of all, she trusted. And Malfoy felt guilty. He sat up and looked at Hermione.

\"I can\'t do this.\"

She blinked, once, twice, in rapid succession. \"What in Merlin\'s name do you mean, you can\'t do this?\"

\"Call it guilt, call it whatever you want. I just can\'t. Even I\'m not that big a swine.\" He turned his head, unable to look at her any longer.

Hermione sat up and slithered over to Draco. She crawled in his lap and insinuated herself in his arms once more.\"You may not be able to do this, but I am.\"

And with that, she kissed him. Hard, demanding cupid\'s bow lips moved over thin, sneering ones. Hermione twisted her fingers into Draco\'s silvery fine hair and knotted her hands. She pulled slightly and he felt pinpricks of pain shoot along his nerve endings. His arms tightened around her. He crushed her to him. She tunneled her tongue into his mouth without heed. They fenced, parried. Draco kissed her with all the frustration he had and she responded in kind. Hermione robbed him of his breath and he pulled away, chest heaving.

Her eyes glowed golden in the light of the candles. They were narrowed to slits. Draco recognized the feral look in her gaze. She resembled nothing so much as a hungry lioness. She moved, turned seamlessly to straddle his lap and pushed him down onto his back.

Without so much as a word, *she* became the aggressor, he the submissive. She didn\'t seem untutored or unskilled as she undressed him. When he was finally bared she leaned down and bit his shoulder. And when she rose to look at him again, her lips were stained crimson.

\"You vicious little bitch.\"

She raked her nails down his chest and back up. Her touch was hard enough to hurt but delicate enough to arouse. Draco groaned with the pleasure pain of it. \"You like it.\"

It was not a question, but a statement. All he could do was nod and then gasp as she lapped her tongue over his nipple. \"Sweet Christ, Granger!\"

She smirked and did it again. She added a nip on the end. His hips rose up to grind into hers. \"Don\'t ever tell me you can\'t do this.\"

Draco grinned and flipped their positions. He slid down her body and gave her a smile so wolfish, Hermione shuddered to see it. \"Is this what you want?\"

He parted the slick folds of flesh with his thumbs and gave her a long leisurely lick. He could feel her, taut as a new bowstring. He gave another slow lick, coupled with a circle right around that small bundle of nerves.Her hands twisted into the satin once again. Malfoy decided to play the writing game with her again, only with a twist.

\"Can you guess what I\'m spelling?\" His breath tickled her moist flesh and she quivered. He began.

\"D.\" A long stroke up and a big circle around. This brought a gasp.

\"R.\" Another long lick. Small circle, short lick. Another gasp and an exhalation.

\"A.\" One up, one down and one across. Her hands went to clutch at his head.

\"C.\" Almost a whole circle. A whimper.

\"O.\" A whole circle. Her fingers yanked at his hair to pull him closer.

\"M.\" A half strangled high pitched moan.

\"A.\" Another moan.

\"L.\" The foot of the \"L\" caused him to slip his tongue inside her. And then she was gone. Hermione was flung up and over the stars. Her eyes opened and those same bodies seemed to glow even brighter. And then everything went dark for a milisecond.

When she came to herself, he was still there. And slight embarassment colored her cheeks. She tried to push his head away. \"But, Malfoy...I...\"

\"Came?\" He smiled triumphantly. \"Yes, I know.\"

He pulled up to look her in the face and she saw herself reflected in his eyes and her blush grew even deeper. He smoothed his hands over her body. Her nerve endings tingled to life once more. His hands were as skilled as his mouth, she was coming to comprehend. And when she was ready once more, he entered her. Slow, so slowly it felt like torture.

Still but newly opened, she tensed at the pain she felt. But it was all mixed up with everything else and faded quickly. Malfoy began to move, just as slowly as before and then faster as his control began to break. And then he did something unexpected.

He rolled them over so that she loomed over him. Hermione, caught up in confusion and excitement, stilled. \"What are you about now?\"

\"You...started...this. Now finish it.\" He could barely get the words out, his chest was heaving so hard.

Hermione grasped his meaning and braced herself on his shoulders with her hands. She began to move tentatively. Up, down, all around, she experimented with what felt best. And when she found it, she fell into a steady rhythm. Her hair tumbled down from its loose bun and sweat dotted her brow.

Draco watched her, fascinated. The expressions that played on her face mesmerized him and took him to another level. He knew when she\'d reached her peak. Her eyes, which had been tightly shut in concentration flew open and a look of almost grim determination took over. He could see her reaching for something.

He hadn\'t noticed her expression before; he\'d been too busy concentrating on his own sensations. But now...now was different. This time he could see the shivers running up her flesh. She glowed, actually glowed golden under the stars. The faint highlights in her hair shone twenty-four carat against the sable brown. And then she was there. Everything tightened around Malfoy. He couldn\'t hold back anymore. He orgasmed with a force that left him wrung out and exhausted. Hermione collapsed on top of him and the lay there, breathing heavily.

Malfoy managed to open his eyes when he felt something tickling his leg. His eyes widened in amazement and he nudged Hermione.

\"Hey, roll over a minute.\"

\"Hrmm?\" She mumbled into his shoulder.

\"Come on, Granger, geroff a minute.\" He poked her good-naturedly.

She moved over to his side and looked around. What she saw made her bolt upright, wide eyed. There seemed to be millions of milk white butterflies swarming the air. They all sparkled with diamond bright flashes of light. Malfoy turned to her.

\"So...that\'s what it\'s like.\"

\"Yes,\" she replied simply. She knew the butterflies couldn\'t have been hers. Her butterflies were always, always her House colors.

Malfoy put out a hand and one fluttered down to rest in his palm. It walked up his palm to his wrist and took off to join its friends. He looked bemused. \"I\'ve never done butterflies before.\"

Hermione merely smiled and got up from the blanket. \"Ouch.\"

\"A bit sore?\"

\"Hm, a bit. It\'ll work itself out.\"

\"You know...you\'re amazingly pragmatic. I\'d have thought you\'d be full of recriminations and all that other bloody crap.\"

\"For what? I\'ve decided what I\'ve decided and there\'s no reason to regret it now.\" Hermione reached down and pulled her gown over her head.

\"I\'m glad you\'re being an adult about this.\"

\"Malfoy, for all intents and purposes, we are adults.\" She stuck her feet into her slippers, the fuzzy ones he hated.

\"Good to hear it.\" Actually, he was a little unnerved by her nonchalant attitude. It was he that usually was the cool one. It was strange to have this role reversal.

He watched as she ended the spells that conjured the candles and the butterflies. When she was done, she looked at him, a small smirk on her face.

\"Don\'t you think you ought to put that away?\"

Draco remembered his naked state. Truth was, he didn\'t feel nearly as satisfied as he should have been. In his moment of weakness she\'d become the hunter and he the prey. It was not to be borne. Instead of getting up and getting dressed, he reclined leisurely. Hermione looked at him with a gleam in her eye. His pale slim body was highlighted against the black of the satin. She had to admit, he looked good.

\"You know...with this wind...the shrinkage isn\'t very flattering.\" Hermione bobbed her eyebrows and walked away.

\"It\'s not that cold, Granger!\" Malfoy responded indignantly.

Hermione didn\'t turn back, but suddenly a slightly warmer breeze kicked up. And with that, she exited the pitch and made her way back to the castle.

However, sneaking back in didn\'t prove to be as easy as sneaking out. As the portrait hole closed shut she ran smack into Harry.

\"Oof!\"

\"Yikes!\"

Each picked themselves up from the red rug. Each eyed the other warily. Harry spoke first.

\"Where are you coming from? Especially dressed like that?\" He looked her over in a way that made her slightly uncomfortable.

\"Nowhere. Where are you off to?\" Hermione tried her hardest to give him a stern look.

\"The prefects\' bathroom.\"

\"Now why don\'t I believe that?\"

\"It\'s perfectly true. If I wanted to have a snog session with Ginny, I could go for it right here in the common room.\"

\"Isn\'t that the truth.\" Hermione murmured.

\"Pardon?\"

\"Nothing. Alright, go ahead. Good night, Harry.\" And Hermione swept up the stairs to her room.

Harry headed out to the bathroom, wondering how she\'d managed to turn the conversation from her to himself. And he didn\'t buy her brushing aside of his questions. Even in the days when they were together, he\'d never seen her like that. There was something in her eyes that made her seem more than usual. It was a mystery and he was determined to find out what it was.

Hermione ran a bath and settled in. Despite feeling slightly sleazy, Hermione also felt rather good. She managed to have Malfoy and keep her composure. He was proving deadly to her common sense. Yet after getting all that sexual tension out, she felt remarkably clear headed. Now, able to think straight, Hermione decided that Malfoy wasn\'t going to make her lose herself. She was determined not to end up like Pansy or Blaise - hopelessly strung out on Malfoy.

She grinned and ducked her head under the water. Surfacing she slicked her hair back from her face. She\'d certainly made sure that Malfoy didn\'t know what to make of her. And that\'s how she intended it to stay. Giggling softly to herself, she finished her bath and got out. Hermione dried herself and slid into her favorite pyjamas. They had little ducks all over them. Slipping between the cool sheets, Hermione had the sweetest sleep she\'d had in a week.