Hey, fun fact: old readers of Draconian might remember that there was a sex scene at the end of chapter 46. Y'know, in really classy, Noelle-esque fashion. Unfortunately, it's since been removed for a simple reason — plagiarism. Not only were people posting Draconian on other fanfic sites, they were also ripping out that scene in particular to post as a one-shot with no link or credit whatsoever to me. And when I requested for them to take it down (since I like to keep all my stories on Wattpad), their answer was that I "owed it to the Dramione fandom to share it on all sites".

That was a really difficult time and the primary reason I took Draconian down in the first place. Now that it's back up, it still won't be up in its entirety. I just don't trust the internet anymore. After fifty over counts of plagiarism across all my stories...you kind of lose faith in people.

So I hope you understand. This decision is not meant to punish anyone; I would never think of doing that to my loyal readers. It's simply for me to feel just a tiny bit safer sharing my stories — that there's this 10% that still belongs only to me.

Thank you for understanding. And on to more interesting things,

x Noelle

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Conjures fire.

narrowed with thinly-veiled interest when Hermione came into the kitchen the next morning. Luna was in there cooking breakfast, and Hermione greeted them pleasantly before slipping into the chair opposite Pansy.

It took exactly five seconds for Pansy to come to a conclusion. "You had sex last night, didn't you?" The Slytherin witch asked bluntly, her lips curling up in a wicked smirk.

Hermione's mouth fell open. "How did you – "

"You're wearing his shirt – okay, you always wear his shirts, but there's also the fact that you won't stop smiling and you positively reek of the afterglow of sex."

Luna turned to scrape scrambled eggs onto a plate, setting the pan back down on the stove as she surveyed Hermione curiously. "It's an afterglow? I always thought it was an aura."

"It's an afterglow, alright. So, Red, how was he?"

Hermione promptly buried her face in her hands. "Oh, sweet Merlin."

"That good, huh?"

"What's good?" And now Ginny was striding into the kitchen, running an effortless hand through her red hair. She dragged out the chair next to Hermione and sat down, reaching over to pour herself a mug of tea.

Pansy grinned at Hermione. "Draco Malfoy, apparently."

Ginny's eyes gleamed as she studied her friend for a moment, chuckling at her flushed cheeks and thoroughly mortified expression. "Well, this should be interesting. How is he, really?" Hermione's mouth fell open in abject horror and she simply laughed. "Come on, Hermione, don't you remember the rumours about Draco Malfoy – Slytherin prince?"

"In Ravenclaw, the nickname for him was the Slytherin snake," Luna commented mildly.

"And there's a reason why he's called a snake. I mean, I've heard that tongue is wicked – and I'm not just talking about what he says," Ginny added, earning a rich chuckle from Pansy. "Ignore all those sodding house rivalry. On the surface, everyone was against Slytherin house, but I've heard rumours, and apparently, some of the best shags were the boys from Slytherin."

"That," Pansy pointed at Ginny, a pleased look on her face, "is actually very true."

"You would know, wouldn't you?"

Ginny's straightforward matter hardly seemed to faze Pansy, who simply winked and speared a bit of scrambled eggs with her fork. Hermione's eyebrows knit together faintly. "Didn't you date Draco in the past?" She asked Pansy curiously, her lips curling into a smile when she saw her friend freeze momentarily. "Why don't you tell us how he was?"

"Okay, first of all," Pansy started, enunciating her words with a pointed jab in Hermione's direction, "we did not date. We had a fling for a couple of months. Meaningless, stupid and honestly, if I could Obliviate that portion of my life, I would. Secondly, I actually do believe that it makes a huge difference when it's with someone you love. Draco loves you," she smiled at Hermione softly, "ergo, I believe it would be a far better for you."

Ginny hummed in agreement. "Exactly. So now, put us all out of our misery and tell us about how Draco Malfoy is in the sack – "

"Ginerva Weasley, don't you dare finish that bloody sentence!"

A familiar voice made them all turn, only to see Ron standing by the doorway, an appalled expression on his face. Harry was beside him, but he seemed far more amused than anything, going over to peck Ginny briefly on the cheek and settling down on the chair beside her.

"Oh, lighten up, Ronald," Ginny rolled her eyes. "I've heard you, Seamus, Dean and Neville talk about the Ravenclaw girls in a way that makes me want to claw my eyes out. Yes, they even talk about you, Luna," she said, when the blonde witch turned to look at her quizzically.

Luna cheeks reddened. Ron, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it forever.

Pansy's eyes gleamed. "Ravenclaw, really, Weasley? Because I talked to Tracey the other day; and she had some very interesting things to tell me. For a moment there I thought you were beginning to have a thing for Slytherins."

"Not for a relationship," Harry laughed. "More for the shagging. Right, Ron?"

"Thanks, mate." Ron deadpanned, but his gaze had flickered over to Pansy, a probing question in his eyes, and she immediately caught it.

"Oh, don't fret, Weasley," she said. "Tracey had nothing but praises for you. Very kind, very giving in bed, though she did think you had some brushing up to do on your tongue-work."

"Maybe you should ask Malfoy to give you some pointers," Ginny suggested mockingly.

Ron looked disgusted. "I would never ask the Ferret for pointers on how to shag – "

"Don't worry, I wouldn't waste shagging tips on you, Weasel," Draco's amused drawl sliced through the conversation. He strode in with Blaise in tow, a lazy smirk on his face as he braced his arms on the back of Hermione's chair. Luna tossed him an apple and he caught it, deftly sinking his teeth into the fruit and biting off a generous chunk before handing the rest to Hermione, who eagerly took it.

"Where's 'Dromeda?" He asked her quietly, as the conversation around them ensued when Ginny continued to mock Ron about his skills in the bedroom, or lack thereof. "And Teddy?"

"Teddy's with Grus. And 'Dromeda went to brew the potion with Slughorn."

"Here's hoping it works," Draco's mumbled, but he felt his breath catch when Hermione tilted her head to kiss him briefly, her lips sliding against his with perfect familiarity. In his peripheral vision, he saw Harry's disgusted face as he noticed them, and Draco was casting a wandless spell on Harry before he could even blink. "Obscuro."

"Very mature, Malfoy." Harry grumbled, dragging off the magical blindfold that wrapped around his head to temporarily block off his vision.

Draco smirked. "Then stop staring, Potter."

Breakfast proceeded in its usual fashion when Neville arrived several minutes later. Luna and Blaise whipped up a breakfast that was consumed equally as quickly by the others. Harry, Ron and Neville, in particular, ate like they hadn't seen food in days, and Hermione had to smack Ron on the back when he began to choke.

Moments later, the sound of Theo's voice distracted the group from the easy-going conversation that had preceded at the table. Hermione followed Draco's gaze to where Theo was yawning lazily and dragging a tired hand through his tousled hair, heading down the stairs slowly.

With the Patil twins in tow.

A startled, horrified silence descended upon the table, with the exception of the other Slytherins, who seemed to have predicted this, Luna, who was calm in just about every situation and Hermione, who tried to straighten her face and prevent herself from laughing, especially when she saw the look of abject horror on Neville's face.

"Parvati?" Neville was the first to break the silence, his eyebrows shooting up high on his forehead as he stared at them in disbelief. "Padma?"

The twins looked thoroughly embarrassed as they greeted the group shyly, and then Theo was ushering them out of the door. "We should do this again sometime, ladies," he was saying suavely, before closing the door and heading into the kitchen with a smug grin on his face. But his grin faltered as he noticed the appalled looks in the kitchen and he frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," Blaise said mildly, "though it seems you haven't left your ménage à trois days behind."

"They were twins!" Theo pointed out, as though that were explanation enough. "Twins!"

"We can see that." Draco was the only one still calmly eating amidst the stunned silence. "Given your thirty-second world-record, I assume you now lasted for sixty-seconds since there were two of them?"

A bubble of laughter escaped from Hermione's lips, which she hastily tried to stifle when Theo narrowed his eyes at her. "No one's judging, Theo," she said warmly.

"No, we are definitely judging," Ron looked almost green in the face. "What the hell? How did you get both the Patil twins to do – nevermind, I really don't want to know."

"It's actually not much of a surprise," Luna said in amusement. "In sixth year, Cormac tried to get the both of them to date him too."

"But it's Cormac. Everybody knows that guy's sexual drive runs so rampant he'd hump trees."

"Obviously, you've never met Theo," Pansy grinned, shooting Theo a pointed look.

Ginny covered her eyes and groaned. "I am never going to look at them the same way again. Can we please discuss strategies for the final battle instead? Malfoy, what did Shacklebolt say when he came over to talk to you the other day?"

Ginny's feeble attempt to switch the conversation made Draco's lips twitch in faint amusement. "Several things," he started slowly, trying to collect his thoughts, well aware that everyone's attention was on him now. "One – that the Order's been recruiting members of the Rebellion and they've gathered enough to face off the Dark Lord's army."

Neville stopped him by raising a finger. "Why do you keep calling him the Dark Lord? The rest of us call him You-Know-Who, apart from the four of you."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Sorry, we're not juveniles. We call him the Dark Lord."

"But you don't serve him anymore – "

"Let's compromise," offered Theo. "We'll call him the man who breathes through a vagina – "

"No," Draco practically growled, "don't fucking ruin sex for me."

"Of course you wouldn't want it ruined for you," Ginny interjected sweetly, casting a surreptitious look at Hermione whose cheeks promptly flamed red.

Draco threw Ginny a frosty glare and continued. "As I was saying, the bloody Order intends to attack Hogwarts, which is basically the Dark Lord's new headquarters, during a time when the Dark Lord himself and his top Death-Eaters are away – in hopes that they can thin out his army before he returns and also to free any prisoners in the castle. Shacklebolt says that they're going to start from the bridge, enter through the clock tower courtyard and make their way in from there."

"So will we be a part of it?" Blaise asked curiously.

"It's up to the rest of you."

"Well, I'm in," Ron was the first to say, before turning to Neville, who nodded. "Harry?"

"Sounds rather reckless," Harry seemed rather hesitant, pushing up his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and turned to Draco. "If You-Know-Who gets wind of the siege and comes back, will the Order be expecting Neville to duel him?"

Draco faltered then, and Hermione automatically slipped her hand through his under the table. "Either one of you," he acceded, at last, the expression in his eyes almost guarded. "And yes – I believe the Order hopes this battle will be their last."

"What if it isn't? What if we don't win?"

Draco didn't reply. It was a question he could never find an answer to.

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Watching Andromeda remove the curse from Draco's Dark Mark had to be one of the most painful things Hermione ever had to witness. She stood in the kitchen, watching silently as Andromeda murmured intricate, complex incantations under her breath. Andromeda's wand was poised over the Dark Mark, and a black wisp of light slid out from her wand, curling itself around Draco's arm in a vice-like grip.

The pain was a slow, gradual build up, and Hermione saw Draco clench his jaw first, before his nails dug into the table, then he was biting down on his other arm to stop himself from screaming. It was as though something was shifting below his Dark Mark, rippling beneath the surface of his skin as the spell slowly ripped it from him.

Hermione stepped forward instinctively, but one sharp glance from Andromeda made her fall back. She couldn't help but think that the situations were reversed now. A long time ago, Draco had watched as Bellatrix Lestrange tortured her with the Cruciatus. And now, she was watching as Andromeda removed the Dark curse on him.

She understood how Draco felt now – it was the same feeling of utter, complete helplessness, the kind you were first waist deep in, and before you knew it, you were drowning, dragging in oxygen into your lungs, only to have them filled with thick water, suffocating.

And so she bit down on her bottom lip, blinking away the tears that sprung to her eyes as she watched Draco. His face was white as a sheet, blonde hair clinging in damp locks against his forehead, but he kept his eyes fixed on her the whole time.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Andromeda pulled back and nodded at Hermione. "Heal him," she directed calmly, even though her face was pale. "I'll get the potion."

Hermione didn't waste another second. Holding her wand over his bleeding arm, she mumbled the Vulnera Sanentur spell to heal the gaping wounds, as Andromeda reached over to lift the phial of potion to Draco's lips. It took awhile, and then all that was left were the sounds of Draco's unsteady breaths as he trembled in the aftermath.

"I'm going to check up on Teddy," Andromeda said quietly to Hermione, after she had made sure that Draco was okay. The spell seemed to have worked, and Draco's Dark Mark was now a faded scar just like the rest of the Slytherins'. "Call me if you need anything."

She turned to leave the kitchen, only to be stopped by Draco's weary rasp. "'Dromeda." She glanced at him over her shoulder and he nodded at her once. "Thanks."

Her lips curled up in a smile. "You're welcome."

Then she left, and Draco slowly dragged himself so that he was sitting, instead of slumped over the table. Hermione reached over to brush his hair out of his eyes, and he shifted, lips pressing briefly against her wrist. And then he was looking down at his scar, fingers tracing lightly over the faint ridges of the Mark.

"I feel clean," he said at last, in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible. "For the first time – I'm not one of them."

She placed her scarred arm next to his, watching as his fingers slowly slid past his own arm to trace the uneven letters on hers, and smiled. "You've never been one of them, Draco."

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"Keep up, Potter, you're getting sloppy."

Harry scowled at Draco's taunting remark and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the edge of his sleeve. The two had been practicing duelling for the past hour and a half, upon the Order's request to train up for the upcoming battle.

While Shacklebolt had offered proper amenities and lessons for everyone to attend as preparation, the four Slytherins had been more than reluctant to train with the rest of the Order members, and ultimately decided it was better if they trained among themselves. It now became a common sight to see any of the ten members of 17-65 practicing duelling in the garden out front, or in the backyard of the house.

Hermione was now sitting on the front porch with Ron, watching as Harry shot spell after spell at Draco, who deflected them without even batting an eyelid. In many ways, she could identify with Harry – he didn't seem to want to hurt anyone on purpose, and that weakened his attacks marginally, even if he was highly skilled at magic.

Draco, on the other hand, was a veteran at duelling. She saw it in his stance, the way he ducked and weaved past spells, his eyes alert and actions swift. Draco had always been graceful, even back during Hogwarts days; and when duelling, he moved with the agility and poise of some kind of animal.

Ron seemed to notice this too, and he nudged Hermione. "If all Death-Eaters fight like him, I don't think the Order's going to fair very well."

"He used to be the top Death-Eater," Hermione voice was steady, despite the fact that she did share Ron's concerns. "He's better than most of them. I'm sure the Order wouldn't have a problem handling the less skilled ones."

"Not if the Death-Eaters use Dark Magic."

Hermione kept silent. Ron was right, and the Death-Eaters, particularly cruel ones like Dolohov and Bellatrix, were not above using any of the Unforgivables. They thrived on Dark curses and, in that aspect, proved far more lethal than a Death-Eater like Draco with a conscience.

"Don't stay in a fixed position, Potter," Draco's calm directions drew Hermione from her thoughts. She watched as he sidestepped a hex before sending one back that Harry barely deflected. "Keep yourself mobile. Don't use stinging hexes – Death-Eaters thrive on those and the Cruciatus because they like toying with their food. You put them down before they can do anything to you – "

Harry rolled his eyes and hurled another hex at Draco. "Stupefy!"

"Don't tell me what you're casting. It helps if you're surreptitious about it. Try fighting like a Slytherin for a change."

"Merlin, why're you such a prick even on the battlefield?"

"It's an all round-the-clock job, Potter, and do concentrate. I'd hate to kill you before the Dark Lord does."

Ron sniggered in spite of the insult, and stood up. "Hey, Malfoy!"

Hermione saw the ploy even before her friends carried it out. The moment Draco turned to face Ron, Harry grabbed the window of opportunity and drew his wand back to cast a spell at him. Quick as thought, she directed her wand at him. "Expelliarmus!" She murmured under her breath, just as Draco casted a Protego after seeing Harry's attack in his peripheral vision.

Harry's wand flew out of his grasp and into Hermione's, and she folded her arms across her chest, smiling in satisfaction as both Harry and Ron looked at her with dismay, while Draco smirked, an evident gleam of pride in his eyes as he watched her.

"'Mione, you ruined it!"

She laughed at Ron's exclamation. "My apologies – it was instinct. Here, Harry," she walked over and handed him his wand, before casting several healing spells over the scratches he'd taken from the duel earlier.