Making contact

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco stared at the fourth draft of his letter, the previous three having been incinerated (one by fiendfyre), and realised that although he wasn't happy with it it wasn't going to get better whatever he did so he might as well send it. The worst she'd do would be send a howler, or a more creative curse back.

Hermione,

I know I'm the last person you expect to hear from, but in my entire time in Hogwarts there is only one witch I consider my intellectual superior even if she did have the misfortune to choose friends she couldn't even bounce ideas off. In my attempts to reverse engineer various enchanted artifacts and create my own I'm afraid I have run into something I need a second opinion on, but that could lead to a wizarding version of the internet, and even potentially being able to connect the two via a heavily modified protean charm (a spell I am aware you've used).

If you are interested any owl you send will be welcome at Malfoy Manor and I will entirely understand if you want to meet in a neutral place or even on your own territory, and you are welcome to bring a bodyguard although I would request anyone except Ron or George Weasley.

Regards,

Draco Malfoy

It was now or never, so he rolled the note up, attached it to the leg of his owl, and sent it to find Hermione Granger wherever she was.

Comments

[dragons_can_learn]

And Draco bore down on her mentally, solidifying the image in her mind so that she could almost feel bindings on her wrists and ankles on her body - and the nipple clamps would feel almost as real as she could imagine them being with nothing actually physically there, every single one of the teeth​ given form and weight in her imagination by his.

"Whimper for me and I'll apparate us out of here." With his free hand he was slipping his two devices back in his pocket.

[mudblood_andproud]

The sensation of the bindings on her wrists, the metal of the nipple clamps, brought her pretty close to whimpering naturally.

Hermione leaned up, so her lips brushed past Draco's ear. "Please Draco..."

[dragons_can_learn]

With a soft moan Draco broke the mental link and apported them; she but wouldn't recognise where they ended up. It looked like some sort of alchemist's lab with a relatively new computer and muggle monitor and what looked like a motor inside a strong runic circle, lab benches, and both standard and less than standard glassware all over the place, and several scrolls. "Welcome to my workroom." Draco smiled. "But unless we're playing specific games this isn't the right room."

[mudblood_andproud]

After letting her senses calm slightly from the side-apparation, Hermione looks around the workroom. Like a child in a candystore, her eyes go wide with interest. And she moves forward to examine the different objects in the lab.

"This is bloody incredible Draco!" She smiles at him.

[dragons_can_learn]

"As I said. Snape was a much better teacher one on one." And his pockets, while not unlimited, were impressive. The potion ingredients, other than in the potion bubbling away in the corner, were all put away but finding them wouldn't be difficult.

The runic circle containing the computer were all keeping magic out, and inside that the tower and monitor were in a thin mesh that acted as a Faraday Cage with only what looked like a propeller or a fan sticking out from the motor and outside the circle. The tube gave a pretty clear indication of what that was for; there was too much magic in the house for electrical wiring - but he could use magic to turn the fan to run the motor to power the computer.

"Why do I think I could lose you in here for days?" His tone was amused. "And that's before I show you the book collection?"

[mudblood_andproud]

"Why am I not surprised that you have your own book collection." Hermione laughs. She imagines that it would outshine her little book store, given the fact that Draco had access to one of the most remarkable libraries she had ever seen.

[dragons_can_learn]

"It's not a lending library." His tone was amused. "And there are entire bookcases borrowed from Malfoy Manor. Plus a lot of Snape's own research and even some part-complete potions textbooks using his recipies and the sort of things neither he nor the textbook wrote down."

He headed towards the corner of the room with two solid oak doors. "Bedroom. Or do you want to see the study first?"

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione sighed softly. Of course she didn't think his book collection was a lending library. But she was interested to hear that there were books borrowed from Malfoy Manor and Snape's own research.

"The study. Please." Because she just had to see it, before her mind would rest.

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco laughed. "Of course." And he opened the door to somewhere that looked less chaotic. Just an entire wall full of books, a study desk with clearly two separate projects he'd been working on and what looked like a computer chair, and a very comfortable couch.

"That reminds me I have a house elf; I hope you won't have problems there, Hermione? And would you like to meet her?"

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione started to walk forward, her eyes searching over the wall full of books.

"No. I won't." Hermione answers. Her crusade to free house elves didn't turn out to be what many of them desired. In fact, many of them preferred to be working.

"Yes. That would be lovely."

[dragons_can_learn]

"Mara? We've got a guest. Come and say hello to Hermione."

A few seconds later house-elf appeared in front of her, wearing what looked like a shimmering blue dress; a second glance would show it to be entirely made up of flat dark blue glass pieces held together by wire.

"You're dressed up, Mara." Draco smiled.

"Master Draco doesn't have guests over often." Mara smiled wickedly. "And it's funny to watch their eyes bulge when they can't tell the difference between jewelry and clothes." Of course given that the 'jewelry'' in question was proportionately longer than most cocktail dresses it was understandable. "Hello Miss Hermione."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Hello Mara." Hermione smiles softly. She wonders how Mara had known instinctively who she was.

"Did you make that yourself? It is lovely."

[dragons_can_learn]

Mara knew because Draco had named her, and she smiled proudly. "Yes, Mara did, thank you."

Draco nodded. "Mara made all the glasswork in there other than the simple tubes and flasks."

"Mara likes making things, Miss Hermione. And Mara likes making things that last and do things even more than she likes making things that get eaten."

[mudblood_andproud]

"Simply fantastic." Hermione smiles. She remembers the glasswork. And how finely made it had been.

"You have a remarkable talent."

[dragons_can_learn]

"Thank you, Miss Hermione. But Mara would like to get back to work before something bends slightly."

Draco smiled. "We couldn't have that. Go!" And Mara vanished as Draco turned to Hermione. "So you've now met my lab tech. I think she's trying to blow a Klein Bottle at the moment."

[mudblood_andproud]

"That is very admirable, Draco." Hermione smiled. "It must be very important to have someone capable with their work as your lab tech."

[dragons_can_learn]

"I'm lucky." Draco shrugged. "Neither Snape nor Slughorn would let their house elves in their lab except to clean up. But Mara's always been curious, and never really liked cleaning as much as most House Elves. And even a house elf distracting you from books surprises me."

[mudblood_andproud]

"And how does she distract you from your books?"

[dragons_can_learn]

Draco blinked. "The only she distracting me from books right now is the one right in front of me." He took a step towards her.

[mudblood_andproud]

"Is that right?" Hermione kept still for the moment. "And what distraction is on your mind, Draco?"

[dragons_can_learn]

"Exploring you. And seeing if I can first make you beg and then leave you as an exhausted puddle." Draco smiled, looking her in the eyes and probing with legilimency, offering to reopen the link.

[mudblood_andproud]

Hermione nodded at the offer to reopen the link. Mostly so she could show him that tonight, no matter what happened, she didn't want to be left. She wanted to be in his arms. To be touched over and over again. To be caressed. To be worshiped.

"Draco..." Her voice was soft. A little pleading. "You have always had this effect on me. Don't tease me too much, now that it could be a reality."

[dragons_can_learn]

And Draco let her see some of his own uncertainties. That a big part of the reason he wanted to chain her up was so she couldn't leave; he didn't want her to leave either. And he let her see what he meant by leaving her as an exhausted puddle, with him kissing her forehead, and holding her as she slept.

"I'm not going to stop teasing you when you respond so deliciously, Hermione." His voice was a growl as he opened the door to a surprisingly utilitarian bedroom. "But I do mean to follow through on all my teasing."

[mudblood_andproud]

Sensing his worries, Hermione allowed some of her more 'romantic' thoughts to become expressed. Him and her at a quiet bonding ceremony, where their closest friends watch them become man and wife. Him catering to her silly demands, as she waddled around pregnant with his children. Them sending their children off to school, often when she has this fantasy the children are twins. A girl with hair as pale as white, and those soft silvery-blue eyes. A boy with the wild curls of his mother, and a stubborn look in his hazel eyes.

Hermione felt herself shiver at his growled voice. Another fantasy, of how even when their children were old enough to graduate from Hogwarts, how their love and passion was still strong. Draco teasing his fingers over his skin, as she tried to squirm and pay attention to the graduation ceremony. His voice growling elicit promises of wanting her, only stopping for a brief moment to show his pride at the accomplishments of his children.

Moving into the bedroom, Hermione smiled. "Good."

She was nervous. This moment was something she had ached for so long. And she needed him to take control. Lead her.

[dragons_can_learn]

And Draco could lead - in this case leading her back towards his four poster king sized bed, immaculately made, kissing her, and lowering her onto her back. "No shoes on the bed, 'Mione. Or you get punished." He was kicking his own shoes off as he spoke - but that was an invitation for her to signal even as he stole another quick kiss.