Hey, fun fact: I don't really ship Dramione. I like some fanfics about them; I like future settings where Draco is not a prick. But I wouldn't say I'd go down with this ship.

x Noelle

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Conjures the dark mark.

that night, Draco was heading up the stairs when he paused on the landing of the second floor as he heard a rather animated conversation going on in one of the rooms. And the moment he heard the words 'shag-tastic' and 'accio condom' said in quick succession in Theo's distinct voice, he knew that this was a conversation he had to end.

Effective immediately.

He quickly opened the door to Theo's room. His gaze landed on Hermione, and one look at her flushed face made him realise this wasn't a conversation she should be participating in.

He glared at Pansy, Blaise and Theo, each of them staring back at him innocently. "Kindly explain to me why you three feel the pressing need to corrupt my girlfriend," he said flatly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the doorframe.

Pansy gave him a wicked smile. "I don't think that's the true pressing need here, if you know what I mean."

The look he shot her was enough to kill the Dark Lord himself, but Pansy being Pansy didn't turn a hair. "There is no pressing need."

"Can't get it up, mate?" Blaise chuckled. "Magic helps, sometimes. Remember what you said to Theo about the Levitation charm?"

Theo sniggered, lifting a hand to draw the motions in mid-air. "Swish and flick."

"It's Le-vi-O-sa," Hermione added breezily. "Not Le-vi-o-SAR."

Draco couldn't quite get a grasp on the situation. Somehow, all the three Slytherins were mocking him - as if he ever had to worry about not being able to get a bloody erection! - and Hermione was more than happy to join in.

Before any more damage could be done, he quickly pulled her out and to their shared bedroom upstairs. Once the magic locks and muffling charms were in place, he looked down at her and realised that she was still grinning.

Still fucking grinning.

And even though he was crazy about her, Draco also knew that letting Hermione Granger have the upper-hand in a situation - in any situation, really - was a very dangerous thing. So he levelled her a look with a gleam in his eye that far outshone Pansy's in wickedness.

"Granger," he drawled, with all the calmness in the world, "if you grin for one second longer, I'll be inclined to take off my pants just to prove to you how bloody wrong you are."

That promptly wiped the smile off her face.

"It was just a joke," she mumbled, crossing her arms defensively over her chest, cheeks darkening several shades of red as she glanced away. "I should think I have a fair grasp of how well your anatomy works, considering the fact that we sleep on the same bed."

If he were saint Potter or someone else with a little more propriety, he would've been embarrassed. Unfortunately, Draco was a Malfoy and Malfoys had no shame. He simply let his lips curl up in a smug grin, bracing both arms against the wall to cage her in. "Turns you on, doesn't it, Granger?"

"You're a bloody cockroach, Malfoy," she returned, even though she a delicious shudder wrecked through her when he leaned in to brush his lips against her forehead.

She was an addictive mix of flushed embarrassment and snarky defiance all at once, and he didn't think he could ever get enough of her. "You're forgetting all your adjectives," he reminded her, "foul, loathsome, evil and little...any of those ring a bell?"

Her lips lifted in a soft smile, and she reached up to frame his cheeks with her palms. "You remember?"

"Can't forget. You're in here," he mumbled, pulling her hand up to his head, feeling her fingers sift gently through his blond locks; "and in here," he pulled her other hand up to press against his chest, her palm warm over his heart. "Even Obliviate couldn't make me forget you."

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The next morning, they were standing side by side in front of the sink brushing their teeth when Hermione revealed the juicy details of the conversation she had with the Slytherins the night before.

"I'm not the most sexually experienced person," she mumbled around a mouthful of toothpaste. "Pansy thought that I might like some advice. Who knew that Blaise and Theo'd be more than happy to give their so-called valuable input?"

He stepped aside for her and she spat into the sink, cleansing her mouth with water the muggle way. Draco, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to use his wand to clear out all remnant traces of toothpaste from his mouth.

"Blaise and Theo were more than happy to tell me about your shag-fests," Hermione added wickedly, laughing when Draco began to choke. She picked up her wand, pointed it at his throat. "Anapneo."

He shot her a grateful look and finished cleansing his mouth. "What did they say?"

"That all the rumours I heard back at Hogwarts were true. And more."

He groaned. He pressed his forehead against hers, his lips ghosting hers with the barest friction that made her shiver. "Not for a long time," he mumbled against her lips. His eyes were closed, as though he feared judgement and loathing if he met her gaze. "After 'Dromeda told me to find you, I just focused on that. Nothing else mattered. And the longer I worked for the Dark Lord and the more I killed...it just didn't seem right."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that - the blood stains," he swallowed hard, eyes still shut. "They don't fade. There are times when I look down at my hands and I think they're crimson, red. No amount of magic or scrubbing seems to erase that. For the longest time, it seemed wrong to touch anyone. Then you came along and, fuck, Granger," he opened his eyes, the silver almost obsidian, and pulled back. "My defences crumble in front of you. But there are times when I am terrified that I'd somehow - I don't know - ruin you, taint you, or something."

She wrapped her arms around him. His words reminded her of all the times he'd pulled away or kept his distance. They now made perfect sense. "That's what you're afraid of?"

He nodded silently. She pulled back, gripping his face gently and pressing her lips quickly to his before drawing away. She hoped that each touch, each kiss was an affirmation that all the monsters were just in his head and in the past.

"You know what I was afraid of?" She let an embarrassed smile gloss her face as she tried to lighten the mood. "How I'd keep up with your apparent sexual prowess."

His lips twitched. "What?"

"Well, I've got a lot of catching up to do," she shrugged, trying and failing to fight the blush that was already spreading across her cheeks rapidly. "There was Victor Krum - very sloppy kisser, I vaguely remember," she counted off on one finger, "and Ron - Luna tells me we kissed - once. That's two. End of."

He stared at her in amusement. "Granger, you know that doesn't bother me."

"Of course I know it doesn't." She picked up her wand, slipping her hand through his as they headed down the steps together. "But I like being top of the class, best at anything I do."

"Even in this?"

The smirk she shot him was more wicked than any he could possibly manage. "Especially in this."

He paused abruptly on the steps leading towards the first floor and turned towards her, a glimmer of challenge in his smile. "Well, Granger, I think this'll work in both our favours. You know that I'll award you 'Exceeds Expectations' no matter what the result," he added with a breathy whisper, his breath hot on her lips.

She snorted and looped her arms around his neck. "With a certificate and everything?"

"I'll have it framed and hung on 'Dromeda's wall."

"No, you would not!" Andromeda's appalled voice interrupted them, and the two of them whirled around, only to find the older woman heading up the stairs. She paused briefly to wave her finger warningly at Draco. "No frames on my walls. I will not allow Teddy to grow up in a house with certificates that read - Exceeds Expectations in Oral Examination - in bold black font on my wall!"

"Sweet Merlin!" Hermione flushed and buried her face in her hands. "'Dromeda!"

Draco let out a throaty chuckle. "Slytherins don't mince words, Granger. Might as well get used to it."

Andromeda laughed in agreement and headed upstairs. "By the way, you have company in the kitchen."

"What company?" asked Hermione, but the older witch had conveniently disappeared by then. She followed Draco downstairs, only to find Luna in the kitchen whipping up a batch of pancakes. But that wasn't what made her stop in surprise.

It was the sight of Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter having breakfast.

"For Salazar's sake," Draco swore, making everyone in the kitchen look up. "Do all my sworn enemies live here?"

"Not Ron," Ginny was the first to break the silence, a mocking smirk on her face. "Yet."

"Don't put ideas into saint Potter's head, Weaselette; we all know that he and the bloody Weasel are attached at the hip."

"Morning to you too, Malfoy," Harry greeted calmly, unfazed by Draco's snub. His smile widened as he saw the brunette witch. "Hello, Hermione."

She smiled shyly at him. "Hello, Harry, Ginny. Morning, Luna."

"Morning. Would you and Draco like some pancakes?" Luna smiled serenely at them from her position in front of the stove.

Draco shot her a frosty look before turning back to Harry and Ginny. "I'm giving you three seconds to explain why you felt the need to ruin my morning with your presence."

"I thought I told you," Ginny said blandly, as she ate a bit of pancake. "I'm going to join your team."

"And," Harry cleared his throat almost awkwardly, "if it's alright with you, Malfoy - I'd like to join as well."

Hermione's mouth fell open in surprise, but even Draco, who had long ago since mastered the art of expressionless façades, couldn't quite stop the flicker of disbelief that flashed in his eyes for a brief moment. He narrowed his eyes at them. "What?"

Ginny shrugged. "I thought you guys were looking for people to recruit. Harry and I are happy to help."

"When the hell did we..." Draco stopped when he recalled how his aunt, Blaise and Pansy had gone to recruit after receiving McGonagall's mission. Shite. He levelled them a challenging look. "Why would you want to join the five of us?"

Harry blinked. "Five? I thought Luna was part of the team. She's the one who said that you'd be happy to have us."

Draco shot daggers at the blonde witch. "Since when were you a part of the team?"

"Since I moved in," Luna returned cheerfully. "Remember?"

"I thought you moved in because Andromeda invited you to stay here," Hermione interjected, looking rather confused herself as she tried to come to grips with the situation. She was more than surprised to find that her friends would much rather join the Slytherins than the Order.

"Yes, and I thought you guys were okay with it because I was a part of the team for two missions."

Draco swore under his breath again. "Fine. But you two—" He directed a suspicious look at Harry and Ginny. "—why?"

"Because of Hermione," was Harry's unexpected explanation. He met her gaze, his features softening into something like unspoken apology before he turned back to Draco. "I couldn't end the war three years ago, and she paid the price for that. Ginny and I - we just want to be here for Hermione. And I want to finish what I couldn't three years ago, even if it means helping someone else defeat You-Know-Who."

Hermione felt her eyes sting with a strong wave of emotions and she smiled at Harry, reaching across the table to take his hand. "Thank you. For the record, I still do think that you're the Chosen One. Draco thinks so too."

Everyone turned to look at Draco, who deliberately ignored them and grabbed the coffee pot, filling two mugs to the brim for himself and Hermione. It was true - he did think that Potter was far more capable of killing the Dark Lord than that git Longbottom, but he'd much rather hex his limbs off than admit that out loud.

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry squeezed her hand briefly before letting go. "Well, Malfoy? Can we join? I'm kind of putting my pride on the line here."

Draco hesitated and glanced at Hermione. He flicked his eyes to the living room, and she immediately understood. "Excuse us for a few minutes," she told them, and left the kitchen with him.

As soon as they were out of earshot, he leaned back against the sofa with a lengthy sigh. "I know they're your friends, Granger, but..."

"You're uncomfortable with them," she finished as he trailed off. She leaned in and looped her arms around his neck. "So am I. I do love them, but it's a lot to take in all at once. And I miss the times when it was just the five of us against the world."

His lips curved in a fleeting, satisfied smile that made her heart stutter. He reached forward, his fingers twisting around a single lock of her hair and he seemed completely entranced just watching the brown strands curl and uncurl around his fingers. "I think," he started slowly, his attention still focused on her hair, "that logically speaking - it would be the wisest choice to include more people, so long as they're people we can trust."

"I have no doubt that Ginny and Harry are all trustworthy. But it's your call, Draco, you're the head of 17-65."

He shook his head. "I just started the group - but 17-65 belongs to all of us. I think the other three might want to have a say in this."

She nodded eagerly. "Let's go talk to them."

"No," he sounded amused, "I'll talk to them. You need to explain your behaviour to Potter and Company because now they've seen you mauling me in the middle of the living room."

Her eyes widened and she flushed when she saw that both Harry and Ginny were all sneaking surreptitious glances their way from the kitchen. "I wasn't mauling you," she argued, but still kept her hands linked around his neck, much to his never-ending amusement.

"Granger, look at Potter - he's about to have a heart attack. On second thoughts, come here and kiss me - maybe I'll be the one who gets to kill the Boy Who fucking Lived."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Talk to Theo and the others," she urged, before she headed back to the kitchen. She settled down opposite Harry, and bit her lip nervously as she met his wide-eyed gaze. "I, um, suppose you have questions?"

"Oh, no, not questions," Ginny interjected, winking at her swiftly. She didn't seem surprised at all, and Hermione had to wonder if perhaps Ginny had guessed it all this while. "Harry's just having a bout of hysterical screaming ringing inside his head and trying to decide whether to claw his own eyes out or hex Malfoy's balls off."

Hermione laughed when Harry shot his girlfriend a flat look. "I'm just taken aback, that's all," Harry muttered, before turning back to Hermione. "When did this happen? I don't recall you and Malfoy being together last time I visited."

"It happened just yesterday," Luna explained on Hermione's behalf, a pleased expression on her face. "And I won two galleons from Theo because Hermione made the first move."

Hermione stared at her in surprise. "Is that why Theo couldn't stop grumbling?"

"Yes, I don't think he fancies losing a bet to a Ravenclaw."

"Malfoy didn't make the first move?" Ginny snorted in mirth. "Shame. And I thought he'd be the first to break after I wheedled the truth out of him the other day."

Harry blinked at her. "Wait. You knew about Malfoy and Hermione?"

"Saw it the morning after I spent the night here. Draco was so bloody obvious about it. And when I asked him about it, he didn't deny anything."

Harry frowned. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Not my secret to tell."

"Since when did you become so loyal to Malfoy?"

"Since he saved my life. I owe him, even though he's a bloody prat," she mused, before turning to Hermione. "No offence."

"None taken. Besides, he is kind of a prat," Hermione couldn't help but add, with a laugh.

Harry grinned, looking almost relieved. "Well, as long as you know it."

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"Okay, is it just me, or is this situation entirely awkward?"

Draco rolled his eyes at Theo's quip. But, as he looked around at the group gathered in the living room, he couldn't help but agree. It was awkward.

It turned out that Blaise was more than enthusiastic about having Luna, Harry and Ginny join 17-65. Pansy, naturally, was on board with his decision. And so that left Theo - who, after many hours of grumbling, finally gave in, mostly because he was outvoted two-to-one.

So 17-65 had expanded to include three more people, bringing the total count to eight. After McGonagall had dropped off a new mission several days later, Draco had quickly come up with a plan within a few hours, and had gathered the other seven in Andromeda's living room to run his ideas by them.

"Why would it be awkward?" Ginny said now, raising her eyebrows challengingly at Theo. She was on the loveseat next to Potter, while Luna sat adjacent to them on the sofa, followed by Pansy and Blaise. Hermione, on the other hand, had opted to sit on the counter next to Theo, who was still smarting over being outvoted several afternoons ago.

"It's not awkward," Blaise said quickly, before Theo could chime in. "Go on, Draco. What's the new mission from McGonagall about?"

Draco glanced down at the crumpled slip of paper in his hand, looking at McGonagall's neat cursive, in spite of the fact that it had probably been written in haste. "The Order's recently tracked down one of the Dark Lord's bases. The Ruins, in the Forest of Dean?" He directed the question to Blaise in particular; who, like him, was well-versed in the different places the Dark Lord used as hideouts.

Blaise nodded, but it was Harry who spoke. "The Forest of Dean?" he echoed, and shot a glance at Hermione. "That's where Hermione and I stayed while we hunted for Horcruxes."

Hermione's eyes widened and she shot a panicked look at Draco. Of course, Harry was only reminiscing, but she couldn't remember a thing. Draco subtly shook his head at Harry, and the latter immediately understood and fell silent.

"So, The Ruins," continued Draco. "Shacklebolt thinks it's impossible to break into the base, because the place is on full lockdown."

"Oh, right." Realisation dawned in Blaise's eyes as he shifted in his seat to explain to the rest. "It's charmed such that you can't apparate in or disapparate out. Portkeys don't work either. You have to fly in, but if you're not a Death-Eater, you'll immediately trigger off an alarm that'll alert the entire of the Dark Lord's army."

Pansy frowned. "That's tricky. How will we retrieve the plans and escape without triggering the alarm?"