#dhr

Chapter 13

"Shit, what are we going to do?" Hermione's fearful eyes met Draco's. Brown, and glittering, almost liquid.

Draco brushed his palm across his face. "Call her. You don't know for sure that this is about us."

She rolled her eyes, pointing at the screen. "A disturbing rumour? Come on, Draco. You can't possibly think it's not about us. Ginny probably fucking told her, the snake."

He was forced to admit she was probably right. The timing was suspicious. Still, she had been through enough, and he wanted to calm some of her anxiety. "Well, we won't know for sure until you call her."

"What should I say? Should I tell her the truth?" Hermione's expression was uncertain, her lip worried between her teeth. She was looking at him to be her lifeline, to pull her in from the choppy waves before the storm hit.

With a sigh, he told her the truth. "I don't know. What do you want to do? She's your mother."

"And your stepmother! Oh my God, this is a mess. I should lie, right? Tell her it isn't true."

Draco weighed that option out. Jean probably didn't want to believe it was true, so it probably wouldn't take much to convince her. But that would firmly force them into the shadows, commit them to keeping their relationship a secret, and likely make things much worse when they finally came out and told her the truth, because at some point, they would have to come clean. He had no intention of letting Hermione go, ever.

There was another option that he could float. "You could also come clean and tell her the truth."

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Chapter 12

The Michaelmas term had only just started, and things were already so busy. It was a boon that they were living together, as it made it much easier to find time to spend with each other. Between classes, reading, assignments, regular life, and trying to have a social life, maintaining a secret relationship felt nearly impossible.

They drove together most mornings, and often drove home together too. There were only a few instances where she insisted on walking, which made Draco grumble, citing the promise he had made to their parents. She would roll her eyes, telling him he was being overbearing, and that everyone else she knew walked or cycled with no trouble.

His jaw would clench, but he would let her go. He was intentionally trying to do a better job of giving her space, of trusting her. The good news was that she seemed to appreciate the effort, shining with gratitude when she remarked on his progress, which made things easier.

This morning, for example, she had dropped to her knees, taking him at the back of her throat, looking up at him with those big brown eyes and wild curls, and he had been all but forced to give her whatever she wanted. How could he ever deny her when she looked at him like that?

He was still thinking about it while walking to his favourite coffee cart after his morning lecture. It was a bit out of the way, but he fervently believed it was worth the extra effort, plus it was good for him to stretch his legs; it helped what he had just learned to sink into his brain. As he waited, a stroke of inspiration hit him, and in addition to his cappuccino, he ordered a vanilla latte, holding one in each hand as he walked away.

There was time before his next class, and he had initially planned on spending his break in the library working on a paper, but decided to catch Hermione between her classes instead.

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[Now Complete] BY THE LETTER by morgan_magic

After Hermione is (unfairly) sent to work in the Auror office, where Malfoy will be her supervisor for a whole bloody month, it seems like all hope of achieving her promotion is lost. Until she finds a letter addressed to her—a filthy letter. And based on the incriminating position she finds Malfoy in when she confronts him—midway through a wank—there’s only one person who could have written it. Perhaps they can help each other: early release in exchange for participating in the dirty scenarios in his unsent letters. Two weeks of no-strings sex with Malfoy and then they’ll go their separate ways—right?

Some tags:

Pining Draco

Hermione is a brat

Banter

Coming untouched

Power play

Inappropriate use of legilimency

Inappropriate use of the Malfoy signet ring