Unbound

chapter eight.

7:32.

It was 7:32 when Draco apparated into the shack, almost on top of Granger.

He couldn't take it anymore, the thoughts and emotions that have been clouding his mind and focus since the moment he left his mother's grave. Draco craved the feeling of simultaneous control and freedom that alcohol gave him. He had elected on going the day without a drink; his mother would have had his head on a platter for drinking before eight in the morning.

Instead, before he left, Draco had let himself use the only other option available to him.

So when he apparated into the shack and saw the mess of curly hair in front of him, he felt like he lost all control.

Their eyes locked for just a moment like the calm before the storm as Draco took a deep breath in and let everything drain from his focus, save the witch in front of him.

He grabbed her firmly ― probably far too rough for her expectations ― and shoved her backwards until she was against the wall of the little room. Draco slammed his lips into her, taking in the newly familiar feeling of her mouth that surprised him just days before.

Gods, he needed this much more than he cared to admit. It was not her, per se, but the feeling of giving up his focus and control to something that wouldn't hurt or threaten him. It felt normal ― something any other 22-year-old wizard would be doing if he wasn't a pawn in the game of chess the Dark Lord is playing with the whole of the bloody wizarding world.

Yet kissing Granger brought back every worry and concern to the forefront of his mind. When she opened her eyes in complete astonishment, Draco took his chance. He delved deep into her mind, knowing that she wasn't prepared for an attack. He knew she would have thrown her walls up in response if he had not pressed hard into her, letting his body mold with her own.

The feeling of being within someone's mind was both calming and anxiety-inducing. He felt her thoughts and emotions, felt himself living through various memories as if he were experiencing them himself. Watching her memories felt like watching a play upon a stage, yet knowing the eyes were not your own.

Granger's mind, though, was infuriatingly organized ― it was ridiculous.

Her memories were stored away so meticulously it almost drove him into madness. Of fucking course, her mind was so strangely reminiscent of a filing cabinet.

He allowed himself to skim some of her more recent memories. He saw her brewing a potion, something for the ring he had given her ― more invisibility, he presumed, mentally noting to check her hand the moment he could.

He shot to the next one, watching Granger drop off another Gryffindor he only vaguely remembered from Hogwarts at St. Mungo's. He wondered how she had gotten there and back safely. Did she make those trips often?

Then, just as he was going to pull out of her mind, not caring to see any more of her frankly boring and unimportant sob story of a memory bank, Draco happened upon her memory of their last meeting.

It was an odd thing, kissing his way down Granger's jawline, nipping at different spots, trying to find a sensitive point while tipping her head further back against the wood. He allowed his hands to move down her body, slowly, ever so slowly, grasping her attention and maintaining his position of power.

He lets his hands distract her, and his mouth keeps her attention on her skin rather than her mind. He wanted her to let him experience the last meeting as if he were her.

And that's precisely what he did.

He took in only the interesting details of the encounter: the way she looked at him as he stood in the frame of the shack, awaiting her fate; the way she had squeezed her hand behind her back as he teased and taunted her, getting a reaction out of him exactly as he wanted; the way she looked into his eyes and the way her heart beat in the moments before she kissed him, causing his carefully maintained control and indifference to slip. He let himself experience the relief and uneasiness she felt after he vanished in a desperate attempt to level his head.