It was a full moon tonight.
Hermione rustled quickly through the forest. Well, as quickly as she could with her bad leg and poorly recovered curses. After the werewolf attack last year, she was never quite the same on the battlefield again, making her a liability to the Order and shunned to the side to do more menial tasks such as brewing potions and helping out the other Healers. But that spark in her has not been dampened despite her body’s shortcomings. Tonight she was out on her own, not even bothering to seek permission (why ask when she can just apologise if she was found out anyway?), looking to harvest one of the golden plants in healing: Dittany.
The plant itself was rare, but Hermione knew which part of this forest it grew in. The problem was that it was designated as an unsafe zone, an area where werewolves, vampires and banshees were known to inhabit. It was within anti apparition wards to prevent anyone from accidentally apparating in, or for any surprise attacks. Order members were strictly not supposed to enter into anti apparition zones.
She came to a clearing, the light of the full moon illuminating the pale lilac flowers of the dittany plant. Hermione smiled. It was such a magical sight, and her heart soared at the prospect of the essence of dittany she would be able to brew with this harvest, and all the lives she can save with this gem of a potion. She kneeled down heavily, favouring her left side, and began pruning the flower and placing it in the basket she had with her. The dark beast detection spell she had on her wand was quiet. It would glow red if an unfriendly dark creature was nearby. She was safe.
Her basket was almost filled when she heard a soft rustling behind her. Whipping around with her wand out, she saw a looming, cloaked figure among the trees, masked face looking at her direction. Her heart leaped to her throat. It was a Death Eater. Blast and damn it, he could’ve easily sneak up on her without her detection spell going off.
She grabbed her basket and got to her feet clumsily, her wand kept pointed at the lone Death Eater. She was about her 15minute hike away out of the anti apparition zone. She started to back away slowly.
The Death Eater raised his wand lazily and she reacted quickly, sending a stupefy shooting towards him, which he flicked away easily. A non verbal spelt came shooting towards her, which she dodged just in time but not without stumbling, sending her returning hex flying wildly off target. Something painful hit her on the side and her bad leg completely betrayed her and she fell awkwardly on her side into the patch of dittany. The Death Eater was suddenly over her with his hand around her neck and wand tip pressed between her eyes. He was sitting on her hips, pinning her down. Hermione’s heart stopped. This was it. This was how she was going to die, alone in the forest, no one knowing where she was, her broken body forsaking her. She shut her eyes.
“My, my, you’ve gotten slow.”
Hermione’s eyes sprang open. She knew that voice. Surely it couldn’t be…?
The Death Eater removed his mask to reveal platinum blonde hair, sharp features and cool grey eyes.
“M-m-malfoy??”
“Granger, Granger,” Malfoy tutted. He trailed his wand tip along her cheek and down her neck. “I knew you were badly injured from that attack and I actually worried you had died… but you’re just becoming slow!”
He barked out a laugh and Hermione flushed. He was right. She was pretty useless in the battlefield now, the main reason why she was no longer one of the higher ranks of the order. She could barely keep up on the field and was a huge liability during missions. The taunt stung. She clutched her basket of dittany.
“M-malfoy, please,” she pleaded, her voice hoarse from days of not talking much to anyone. “L-let me go. Please.”
There was no way she could overpower him from underneath him. The old curse on her chest tightened uncomfortably. She tried to control the stinging in her eyes. Don’t cry in front of Malfoy.
Malfoy chuckled, still trialing his wand lazily around her check and jaw. His other hand was still wrapped around her throat firmly. She could feel her pulse in her jugular beating against his warm hand.
“I’ve been trying to track you down for a while now,” he murmured, making her shudder in a different way. “So, no, I don’t think I’m going to let you go just yet. You’re mine now.”
Hermione gulped. She shouldn’t be doing this. Their faces had somehow drawn incredibly close again, his nose almost brushing against hers. She felt a familiar tingle in her chest at the scent of him. She closed her eyes.
And she was back in 8th year. Stolen glances, stolen kisses, secret meetings in secret corners. Her heavy breathing against his neck, her finger intertwined in his platinum blond hair, gripping hard as he fucked her against the wall. Broken promises muttered in the breaking light dawn and broken dreams when he disappeared with the other Slytherins with the rise of the Death Eaters under their new Dark Lord.
She really shouldn't be allowing him to run his hand down her entire length, making her body flush hot. She really shouldn’t be melting into him like this again, her heart beating wildly against his. She should be fighting back, pushing him away, biting and scratching like she envisioned all those horrid nights alone when she discovered his betrayal. He was on the dark side, and she was on the good one. He was fighting against her very existence in the magical world. She tried to summon her will to spit back at him but for some reason, she just let him grab her chin and tilt her lips towards his. They were dangerously close to kissing now. She could feel his breath on her. Maybe there was no point in resisting with her bad leg and all. Maybe it was just easier to fall back into what was familiar with him and order be damned.
His lips captured hers. A tug behind her navel, and she knew she was captivated in more ways than one.