Chapter Text
Narcissa woke with a start. Something had shoved her, and as the cobwebs began to clear, she heard a soft whimper. Giving herself a shake, she rolled over and tried to wake Hermione. The tossing and turning started to turn into thrashing, and while the whimpering began to become louder and louder. She tried to pull the younger witch closer, but the moment she decided to wrap her arm around her, she shot up with a scream. Narcissa closely followed as she said, “You’re okay. No one can hurt you.”
Hermione’s heart was galloping, and she was left gasping for air as she clung to Narcissa’s arms. Everything had felt so real. Once her heart rate began to slow, she asked, “What time is it?”
Grabbing her wand, she flicked her wrist and groaned, “It’s only five in the morning.”
“I take it you are going to try and get a few more hours of sleep?” Hermione chuckled. Clearly Narcissa Black wasn’t a morning person.
Kissing Hermione’s shoulder, the older witch buried her nose under those wild locks as she replied, “Someone wore me out last night. However, since I find myself awake at this unlawful hour, I won’t be able to fall back asleep in this large bed all alone.” She felt Hermione pat her hand and as she began to pull away asked, “Do you want me to tend to your back before you go?”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Hermione vigorously rubbed her hands over her face as she tried to dislodge the remnants of her nightmare. With a shake of her head, she stood and replied, “No, let’s wait until later. You would have to redo them after I shower and change anyway.”
Propping herself up on her elbow, the sheet fell to just cover the swell of her breasts. “Do you plan on torturing that young Auror today?” Narcissa asked while admiring her young lover’s toned body.
As she began to dress, she let out a soft chuckle, “Normally I would say yes, but with all that has happened over the last 24 hours… well with Harry in the castle, you never know what danger is lurking in the shadows.” Hermione paused to check out her tops. Typically she would have worn a tank top that had a built-in sports bra but was worried that it would sit on her back the wrong way. Frowning for only a moment, she continued with her regular clothing and added a few cushioning charms. Walking towards the bathroom, she said, “Besides, I would feel terrible if something happened to Scottie because Bailey wasn’t up to snuff.”
Reluctantly Narcissa got out of bed and shrugged on her silk dressing gown as Hermione came waltzing out of the bathroom, looking as if nothing ever happened. Watching her young lover put her hair up, she made her way over as she tied her gown shut. Waiting for Hermione to shrug on her hoodie, she said, “Try not to push yourself too much this morning. Are you planning on using the room like Harry asked?”
Hermione wrapped her arms around Narcissa’s waist and pulled her close. Shaking her head, she replied, “No…” She placed a soft finger to her lips to stop her protest, and continued, “I need to be outside, and do not plan on leaving the grounds. I highly doubt that anyone else is up this early, and I will have my guards with me. You know, you could always join me by broom. Besides, that is the only way those two will be able to keep up with me.”
Narcissa leaned in and soundly kissed Hermione. When she was pulling back, there was a soft knock at the door as she said, “While I’m sure it would be a beautiful sight, unlike some people, I am not a morning person and desperately need a cup of coffee. Now, let’s see who is knocking and get this horribly early day started.”
Hermione’s eyes twinkled as she smiled at the annoyed look dancing across Narcissa’s delicate features. Letting herself be pulled towards the door, she wondered if she was annoyed by the interruption, at being up so early, or at both. When Narcissa opened the door, they saw a nervous auror shuffling from foot to foot. Arching a brow, she asked, “Everything alright Auror Bailey?”
Grunting from a hidden punch, Bailey replied, “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to take part in your workout this morning.”
Hermione grinned and chuckled, “I was going to say yes… but with all that has happened recently, I think we should skip it for now. Just so you know, I haven’t forgotten about it. That being said, I don’t want to be responsible if something happened to either of you. I know for a fact just how legendary my workouts are.”
Bailey let out a heavy sigh in relief and visibly relaxed when she heard that. “We should get going if you plan to get in at least an hour. Since we will be spending a bit of time together, please feel free to call me Rachel, and Auror Scott is Janet.”
With a devious smirk, Hermione said, “We’ll be only a moment. Don’t think you’ve gotten off lightly. You are both in for a very long morning.” She pushed the door closed before turning to Narcissa, suddenly finding her mouth terribly dry. Licking her lips, she said, “Are you going to get ready, or will you have a cup of coffee before?”
“As much as I would enjoy waiting for you to return… I fear that neither one of us will be at breakfast if we did so.” Narcissa replied in a husky tone next to Hermione’s ear, making her shiver in anticipation. Pulling back she added, “I’ll see you three off before taking a long, hot shower. Someone put me through the wringer last night, and I’m delightfully sore.”
Putting her hand on the door to stop Narcissa from opening it, Hermione leaned in as she said, “I did try to warn you last night. It won’t be my fault if you aren’t ready for classes today. You at least have your voice. Although, I’m sure I could remedy that this weekend.”
It was Narcissa’s turn to shiver in anticipation. Slowly leaning down, she just stopped just shy of Hermione’s lips, she murmured, “Promises, promises.” Leaving a stunned Hermione at the door, she thought, “I haven’t had this much fun since I was a student.” As she walked down the hallway, she missed Hemione visibly shaking herself out from the grasp of several tantalizing thoughts that seemed to have rolled in. Suddenly she heard Narcissa say, “Good morning. What are you doing up at this ungodly hour?”
Quicking making her way into the living area, Hermione was pleasantly surprised to see Harry standing there with his broom propped up against him. Scrutinizing him carefully, she saw that he was clearly exhausted and tense. She smiled softly and said, “Good morning Harry, this is an unexpected surprise.” Waiting until she was hugging him, she softly asked, “Were your nightmares that terrible? Did you manage to get any sleep?”
“Yes, and not much,” he replied as he pulled back. “I hate to admit this, but I’m nervous about today and thought a pre-dawn ride was just what I needed to put everything into perspective.”
“You should all get going,” Narcissa said while watching them closely. Something was off with Harry, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. Holding the door for them, she waited for Harry to be close by and asked, “Is Fleur up yet?”
Seeing his grimace, she had a sudden understanding as to what was happening. “She was getting her things together for a shower as I was leaving. And muttering in French.” The last was said as he ran an uncomfortable hand over the back of his neck.
“I see. Any way you could stop by and tell her that she is more than welcome to join me for a cup of coffee?” Narcissa gently asked.
As the two were talking, Hermione rested her head on Narcissa’s shoulder. Seeing him grimace once more, she decided to come up to his rescue and replied, “I’ll take care of it,” pausing to give her a kiss on the cheek, “We’ll be back soon.”
All Narcissa could do was smile as she watched the two walk away, joking with each other. That was until Harry playfully slapped the exact spot on her back that was injured, causing Hermione to yelp from the pain. Seeing the look he gave her, Narcissa decided that she better hurry with everything. The last thing she wanted was to deal with an even more upset French Veela without actually being prepared for it.
~Page Break~
Harry was currently trying to decide how to ask Hermione what was wrong with her back. It would take only one wrong move to be in knee deep. He was over the moon with Hermione finally opening up to everyone, and really did not want to jeopardize any of that. Hermione kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye and saw that he was arguing with himself and decided to address whatever it may be head-on. With a shake of her head and a heavy sigh, she asked, “What’s on your mind Harry? I promise not to feed you to the giant squid. Does this have to do with why you didn’t get any sleep last night?”
He at least blushed at being caught. Clearing his throat, he replied, “I did have a few nightmares, but not because of you. It was…” The words seemed to catch in his throat, so instead he asked, “What happened to your back?”
“Narcissa didn’t know how thin and sensitive my… scars are.” Seeing that he wanted to storm back into the castle, she quickly grabbed his elbow and said, “Oh no you don’t Potter! I will not let you attack my witch just because things got a little rough last night.” Reaching the main door, she said, “Look, can we please just get going?”
Harry watched as Hermione took a few steps forward and started stretching. He would just have to table the rest of this conversation for later. Walking over the Auror's, he asked, “Do either of you know what circuit she is going to run?” Both women looked at him as if he had something growing out of his neck, so he asked, “Do you know what she is planning? Is she staying within the wards? And if things do go pear shape, what is the plan for getting her to safety?”
Bailey and Scott looked at each other for a minute unsure what to say. Bailey simply shrugged her shoulders as Scott replied, “As far as we know, Professor Granger will be staying on the grounds. For the contingency plan, one of us was to swoop down and fly her to safety while the other provided cover.”
Harry gave a hearty laugh at this. “Do either of you know anything about her? She is terrified of heights and therefore flying. If you don’t mind her hexing you to pieces, be my guest. If something does happen, I’ll get her. No offense to either of you, but she doesn’t trust you.” Noticing that Hermione was just about finished, he softly said, “Look, just trust me on this.”
The Auror’s simply nodded their reply when Hermione looked over and asked, “Ready? I plan on jogging around and down to the boathouse. Depending on how I’m feeling and the time, I may throw in a trip around the lake and then back up to the castle.”
“Yoga or Tai Chi?” Harry asked with an arched brow.
Smirking she replied, “Perhaps both, but only time will tell.” With that, Hermione took off at a jog and didn’t bother looking over her shoulder, knowing that they wouldn’t be too far behind. What she really needed to do was clear her head. Her life has been turned upside down all within 48 hours. What with Ronald’s release, Alexis showing back up, being threatened by the Ministry, showing her family the true extent of her injuries, but most importantly was how Narcissa had come waltzing into her life. Hermione was positive that once she saw how much of a monster she was, then she would run for the hills and want nothing to do with her. Once more, she was pleasantly surprised to find Narcissa did the complete opposite, pulling her close and called her beautiful. And Merlin, the sex was life-altering and soul-shattering. Then there is this bond they share. Silently scolding herself, Hermione pushed her pace and focused on her breathing, on the way the wind was passing by her, the way it felt when each foot hit the ground. Soon enough, all the thoughts disappeared along with any anxiety and doubt she was feeling.
They passed the outskirts of the forbidden forest, followed by Hagrid’s cabin, and eventually ended up at the boathouse. Quickly getting the rowboat ready, she began to push away from the dock. Barely noting her three big bad protectors, she set a quick pace and began to glide across the still water. Determined to get the most out of this, she kept her brain shut off and allowed herself to be one with the beauty of her surroundings and the ancient magic’s that were dancing across her skin and core.
Completing two more laps around the lake, she had the boat back in the rack and was standing on the dock just as the sun was beginning to rise. In awe of the beautiful sight before her, she took three deep cleansing breaths and started an experimental mix of Tai Chi and Yoga. No matter what happened today, she would be ready for it.
~Page Break~
The effects of her long hot shower still lingered as Narcissa finished getting ready for the day. Last night was the most spectacular thing she ever experienced. She thought she knew what a strong, courageous witch looked like, but she was wrong. Hermione was all of those and more. It was effortless for a woman to be self-conscious of their looks, but she did not lie to Hermione last night. Yes, Narcissa saw the scars, but she was able to see past all of them, and to the truth… the younger witch indeed was beautiful. Now all she had to do was to get Hermione to believe it. She was just hanging her robes over her chair when there was a light knock at the door. Unable to hide her smile, she opened the door and said, “Good Morning Fleur. I take it Harry and Hermione stopped by on their way out? Please, come in. I just finished getting the coffee ready. Would care for a cup?” Seeing how on edge Fleur was, she added, “Or several. I may even have my own version of a pepper up.”
Dragging her feet, Fleur eagerly reached for the spare mug, taking in its roasted aroma with a deep breath. Tucking her feet under her as she settled herself on the sofa, she took a fortifying sip and closed her eyes as the robust flavors burst throughout her mouth. “Good Morning. I feel as if I should have warned you that I am not a morning person, and my temper is even shorter from the lack of sleep. How was your night? Did Hermione suffer from any nightmares? I know life has been a bit trying lately for her.”
As Fleur spoke, Narcissa took her own seat and gave her fellow professor her full attention. “Hermione seemed to only have one, and that was around five this morning. As for my night… I forgot what it was like to wake with someone that I not only cared for but also returned those feelings. I noticed that Harry had bags under his eyes and judging from your own demeanor, his own nightmares were quite severe. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Fleur shook her head and replied, “It has been a while since they were this bad. It wasn’t about Hermione’s… wait a minute! Why do you have a glamor on? What exactly did you two get up too?” Seeing Narcissa’s blush, all the grumpy thoughts were quickly swished away and replaced with giddiness as she said, “Sweet Morgana! I want all the details! How was it? Did she keep the glams off the entire time? Is she as amazing as I think? Oh don’t give me that look, the silencing charms she had in place fell a few times, and let me tell you, from what I’ve heard, she is surely a Goddess in the bedroom.”
Narcissa took on this dreamy expression as she thought of every little detail, every little touch. Suddenly becoming flush, she felt her panties dampen from the delightful replay of her evening as she replied, “I’ll tell you this, she certainly is a Goddess. I have never felt so alive.” The dreamlike expression faded quickly to guilt as she thought of what she did to Hermione’s back. “Did you know that her scars still plague her? The skin is so thin that one scratch could rip her open and that no one can use any type of healing magic?”
Carefully putting her glass down, Fleur leaned over and took Narcissa’s free hand and said, “No and yes. I knew that we couldn’t use any type of spell, it has always been resistant, and most of the time made things worse for her. As for how thin the skin is, I know that we thought that it would actually thicken once it healed due to all of the scaring. She never mentioned having any other problems. If I had known, I would have begun to research different treatments.”
A single tear rolled down Narcissa’s cheek as that particular scene replayed. “Buts it’s not just that. When she is tense for a long period of time, her muscles spasm. Things got a bit intense, and I raked my nails across her back once she freed my hands. I felt as if I was flying after the first time she took me. When I looked over, she was crying and unable to move. I gave her something for the pain, but it barely took the edge off. I want to help her so badly, but I don’t even know where to start. All I can tell you is that it will involve a potion or several. I may be able to turn it into a salve and come up with some type of follow up lotion.”
The grandfather clock in the corner of the room struck six, and Fleur gave Narcissa’s hand a small squeeze. “I’ll help any way I can, and Harry has already said that he would be the test subject. You should put all of this on parchment, and I’ll look into the charms aspect. We can’t use certain types of magic on them directly, but I wonder what will happen if we charmed the actual product. Maybe Filius and Poppy will have some more insights.”
Before Narcissa could reply, she heard Hermione laughing in the hallway as the door crept open. “Good Godric, how was any of that difficult? We didn’t do nearly as much as I usually do.”
The two Auror’s stumbled into the room, followed closely by Hermione and Harry. Hermione’s smile seemed to light up her face, and her eye twinkled with laughter as sweat glistened across her forehead. Despite his athletic nature, Harry looked exhausted as he replied, “Your crazy! I’m spent, and I was flying the entire time! It blows my mind that you have even more energy now than when we started.” Seeing Fleur, his face took on a mischievous glint, and he launched himself towards her, wrapping her up in his sweaty arms. Taking a deep breath, he said, “You smell pretty.”
“And you don’t,” Fleur replied in a squeal. Playfully slapping his shoulders, she added, “Let me go and take a shower.” However, Harry had other plans and decided to throw her over his shoulder. “Harry James Potter, you put me down this instance!”
Completely ignoring her cries, he turned to see Hermione snickering into her hand at his actions. “Well, we’ll see you all at breakfast.” He cheerily called over his shoulder as he carried a kicking and screaming Fleur out the door.
The two Auror’s were clearly exhausted, and Narcissa watched the two of them stumble around the room and was amused to see Hermione bubbling up with an asinine amount of energy from their activities this morning. She was drawn from her musing when Hermione pulled her in for a deep kiss. Pulling back with a cheeky grin she said, “I’m just going to take a shower. Are you able to tend to my back afterwards? I would have to say that it would be terribly inappropriate for me to show up to breakfast a complete mess.” Pausing to gasp, she added, “Could you imagine the scandal? Oh the horror!”
Narcissa gave her a flirty laugh in reply. With a wave of her hand, she said, “You could expect Minerva to have a few choice words for you, and we both know that is putting it mildly. If you hurry, you should have time for a cup of coffee before we need to be in the Great Hall. While you are doing that, I believe I’ll show these two ladies mercy and give them a little pick me up. After all, they are expected to follow you today, and I know for a fact that they are in for a very long day. From what I can recall, the first day of classes is always the worse.” She shoo’d Hermione towards her bedroom and picked up two vials. Seeing Hermione being so upbeat after such a horrible day yesterday, warmed her heart. Handing over them over, she said, “Long-acting Pepper-Up. These should get you through the day, but if not, I can give you both one more. You seem to be in better shape than your partner Auror Scott.”
“Thank you,” replied the Auror. “And please, call me Janet or Scottie since we will be quite a bit of time with each other for the foreseeable future.”
“Then you must call me Narcissa. Would you care for a cup of tea or coffee while you wait for the shower?”
“A cup of coffee would be lovely.” Janet followed Narcissa over to the tiny breakfast nook, surprised to see it since she didn’t really notice it last night. After making her own cup and getting situated, she said, “I never expected the professor’s quarters to be so spacious.”
Knowing that Janet was attempting to politely avoid personal questions, Narcissa took a long sip from her second cup of coffee. She really wasn’t a morning person, and said, “It’s refreshing to meet a witch who has been raised with proper manners, but I am a straightforward person and have very little time for such frivolities, more so at this ungodly hour. With that being said, I would appreciate your honesty, and you might as well ask your questions. No, I am not a seer or using legimacy on you. I am a master at such behavior, and it allows me to see past others body language.”
Janet looked over Narcissa’s shoulders, making sure the witch in question wasn’t about to walk out the door. “It’s just, is she okay? I mean, after everything that happened yesterday, then the scars and intruder, she tries to hide everything but is rubbish at it in my opinion. No matter what others may think, she is very easy to read. Well that, and I saw how she winced when Harry Potter playfully slapped her upper back. I know this isn’t my place, but I can’t help but wonder about you…”
“You’re right about one thing, that is none of your business.” Narcissa snapped. “What I will tell you is that some areas are incredibly sensitive on Hermione and the skin is a bit on the thinner side. The only reason I’m telling you this is because no one knew beforehand, and you are supposed to be responsible for her safety.”
Janet held her hands up in surrender the moment Narcissa’s gaze turned into an icy glare. “I’m not saying anything against you or your relationship with Hermione. Truthfully, I think you are perfect for her, and the only reason I said anything at all is because my own daughter looks up to Miss Granger and idolizes her. Thank you for the coffee, it sounds as if Rachel is out of the shower.”
How many more people were going to question her intentions towards the Golden Girl? Shaking her head, she headed to check on Hermione, knowing that she still needed to tend to her back. Squeezing into her rooms, she heard the door to her bathroom crack open, so she said, “It’s only me darling,” while walking towards her desk.
This was where Hermione found her a few minutes later when she came shuffling over in a borrowed robe. Seeing a curl fall from Narcissa’s well managed hair seemed to bring a smile to her lips. “Did you find what you were looking for?” Narcissa’s head popped up with a warm smile that quickly morphed into a frown, forcing her to take a step back. “What?” She cautiously asked, worried that Narcissa was about to tell her that this has all been a mistake.
Realizing what Hermione was thinking, Narcissa was on her feet in an instant and wrapping her young lover up as she replied, “Oh sweetheart, I have already told you that I’m not going anywhere, and I will remind you several thousand times a day if I must. The frown was because of your glam.” She placed a finger on Hermione’s lips to stop her from interrupting, and continued, “I know how uncomfortable you are about them, and I can’t change how you feel or think. What I can and will do is create a space that you can be your true self and not have to worry about anyone else seeing you. I want to create an area where you feel safe. How does that sound darling?”
“Thank you.” Hermione squeaked. “I don’t know how long it will be before I can return to my rooms, and I wouldn’t want to burden you.”
“You most certainly not a burden. Now, come take a seat and remove those blasted glamors so that I may see to your back.” Narcissa softly replied before pulling her to the edge of the bed. “Would you like something for the pain before we start?”
Hermione hesitantly shook her head as she took a deep breath. “No, I know that I should take one. However, with today being the first day of classes, I don’t want my mind to be muddled for it. I promise to take one if the pain becomes unbareable and will even carry one with me.” Ignoring the huff from behind her, she cast off her protection and pulled down her robes. Doing her best to ignore the intense pain she asked, “Did you have fun with Fleur this morning?”
“It certainly was entertaining. I happened to be lucky enough to see Fleur’s anger first hand. We did have an interesting conversation. Can I assume that Harry mentioned something about his night?” With each tentative touch, Narcissa saw Hermione’s shoulders tremble as even the smallest bit of contact brought so much pain. “Did you know that there have been a few times that the silencing charms you had up failed? Oh, and Fleur can see through certain glams and wanted all the details…”
Narcissa had just finished applying the last of the bandages and moved to kneel in front of a pale face Hermione. Trying not to move she asked, “What did Fleur want to know? And yes, I knew about the charms.”
Narcissa handed her something for the pain and narrowed her eyes when Hermione tried to protest. Once Hermione finally lamented in her silent protests, Narcissa replied, “Besides wanting all of the details, she asked if you were a Goddess in bed.”
Seeing that playful smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth, Hermione’s voice was shaky as she asked, “And? What are your thoughts on the matter?”
Cupping both sides of Hermione’s face, she replied, “There are no words to describe what I experienced. Goddess just doesn’t do you justice.” She leaned in and licked her suddenly dry lips as her eyes darkened. Just thinking about last night sent delightful jolts of heat through out her body. Hermione’s body mirrored her own and pulled her in for a heated kiss. Narcissa was barely in control when she pushed on Hermione’s chest with her hand and panted, “We need to get down to the Great Hall.”
Hermione’s hands fell to the mattress with a soft thump. “Perhaps we can meet up for a brief review. Only Godric himself knows that today will most likely be incredibly dull and move slower than a bottle of molasses in the middle of January.” Letting Narcissa help her up, she wrapped her arm around her waist and pulled her in for another heated embrace.
Narcissa was taken off guard by the sudden show of passion and moaned as Hermione’s lips moved to her ear. Her knee’s buckled when her young lover moved to her neck. Barely in control, Narcissa forced Hermione to stop as she said, “There is no time.”
In response, Hermione’s hand traveled up her skirt and swiftly brushed aside her panties. Running a delicate finger between her slick folds, Hermione moaned, “Merlin you are so wet. Since we are short on time, then I guess I must be quick.” Forcefully entering her with two fingers, Hermione swallowed Narcissa’s scream with a searing kiss and set a blinding pace.
Narcissa’s legs gave out as the most fantastic orgasm raked through her body. Struggling to catch her breath, she pulled Hermione down to her. Once she was able to gain some type of decorum, she panted, “Somehow, you have managed to surpass Goddess…”
Hermione chuckled before leaning in for another kiss. “We should really get going. Hopefully, some feeling has returned to your legs. I’m sure a certain Headmistress would be incredibly upset with me if her new Potion Mistress were broken before classes even started.” Kissing her elegant knuckles, Hermione pulled the disheveled Pure Blood to her feet, holding her waist to help steady her. “On a side note, I’m actually surprised at how well your hair has stayed in place.”