On the Nature of Daylight

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

She pulled her sweater around her as she made her way up to the seventh floor. It was chilly this February evening and she could almost see her breath in front of her even within the castle walls. Hermione passed by a large torch and felt its heat on her face for a moment, wishing she were back in the common room in front of the fire with Crookshanks and a good book.

Just ahead she saw a young girl holding a cauldron much too big for her and Hermione quickened her pace forward.

"Hi there," she said softly and the little girl looked up at her with wide eyes. "What are you doing all the way up here? Are you lost?"

The cauldron crashed to the ground making Hermione jump back in surprise. The little girl took no time at all darting past her and heading for the stairwell at the end of the corridor. Hermione sat the cauldron upright and turned back, worried that she had scared the little girl when she felt two strong arms snake around her body.

One wrapped over her chest, trapping her arm to her side and a cool hand closed over her mouth while the other slid around her stomach pinning her other arm down and hauling her back against something very firm and solid.

"Right on time," Malfoy's voice sounded in her ear. She struggled against his hold but it didn't do much. "Keep wriggling like that, Granger," Malfoy growled. "A little to the left."

"Malmoy!" Her words were muffled by his hand.

"Keep it down, at least until I get you inside, then you can scream all you want," he whispered and she felt herself being hauled backwards into a room. It was dark in here and she couldn't see anything but could feel Malfoy's body against her and his strong arms holding her.

His hand reached for something at her waist and Hermione tried to jerk away again, but her attempt only brought a low chuckle from Malfoy. She felt something move and realized that he had just pulled her wand from her pocket before slowly removing his arm from around her middle and mouth.

She spun around and reached out in the darkness, hoping to grab hold of him and take her wand back, but her hands only closed over cold air. It was impossibly black in here and she couldn't see anything, not even her own hands in front of her.

"Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder..." she murmured.

"Very good, Granger," Malfoy drawled from somewhere off to the side of her and she spun, trying to find him.

"How can you see in this?" Hermione asked as she heard footsteps moving around her.

"I have my ways," he said smoothly, his voice closer this time. Hermione turned in his direction and held out her hand again, not liking the helplessness she was feeling. "And you're too cute to miss out on."

Hermione glared into the darkness. "This isn't funny." She crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction anymore.

"Funny? No, I'm not joking."

"Malfoy, I want to be able to see-"

She felt him grab onto her wrist and pull her hand down. "What about feel?" he said in a low voice and shoved her hand against his trousers where she felt something very hard and very long pressing against her palm.

Hermione pulled her hand back quickly. "Ugh! You're such a... a..."

"At least I'm not a Mudblood," his voice was in her ear and his body against her back again.

Hermione spun around and Malfoy caught her hair in his hand, forcing her head back as he pressed his lips down onto hers roughly. She gave a little groan, and pushed against his chest but Malfoy captured her bottom lip with his teeth again and Hermione froze as he breathed out through gritted teeth, "Behave."