Shattered | Hermione x Draco

Birthday Girl

I feel exhausted. I have been working on the Dark Lords task for weeks, every evening I am working with Severus. Every day we would spend an hour testing my mental walls and the other hours we would both bend over thick books, filling pages of parchment with notes and findings. The other houses still think I am in detention, but I don't keep up the lie for the Slytherins. They see me walk around with Severus, see our bond change. I kept my mental shields up, strengthened them and expanded them. Tonight we are focusing on Legilimency and afterwards I want to try the first type of new magic. It was the first one I found, even before I got the task.

I poke at the food that is laying on my plate, I'm feeling nervous. I understand the theory of the magic, but I haven't tried it and the Dark Lord wants progress. If I fail he will torture me, I can't be tortured again.

"It is your birthday tomorrow," Draco whispers against my ear, his lips tickling me.

"You remember," I smile softly.

"Of course, will you be with Snape tonight?"

"Yes, but I will be back before midnight," I turn to him with a seductive smile taking over, looking at him from underneath my lashes. "I want to start my sixteenth birthday with a bang."

"I can help with that, want to go up to the Astronomy Tower?" his eyes are darkening.

I nod and give him a peck on the lips. "I must go," I say as I catch Severus' gaze as he inclines his head. A subtle way to let me know he is finished and we can go.

"Good luck, I will be waiting for you."

"You better be," I smile back as he hands me my bag.

He stands with me, I tilt my head back. We have limited our public displays of affection, but every now and then we have our little moments. He raises his hand, pressing his thumb to the corner of my mouth, wiping away the little drop of sauce. I lick my lips as he sucks on his thumb. That is a promise of a good night.

I say bye to the others with a quick wave and walk towards the dungeons. Severus is standing in front of the door, waiting for me. He greets me with a silent nod as we walk in. I make myself comfortable on his couch, I spend extra time working on my shields today, so a headache is already forming.

I watch him pull off his outer robe, laying it over the large chair and he sits in it. "How are you?"

"I'm good, what about you?" I retort his small talk as I feel him trying to enter my mind.

He smiles as he feels the strength. "I am alright. Did you finish your homework already?"

I keep the small talk going. "Potion was easy today and Draco and I made a perfect potion in class."

"That you did," his fingers hovering over his lips, as if he is thinking and not trying to find my darkest secret.

I decide to try it for myself, we talked about the theory of it. Use your mind as a knife, slice it through the mental walls, pierce them. Use violence to get what you want. Imagine your goal, uncover their secrets and use it against them.

He frowns at me as he probably feels the pressure at his temple. Over the last few weeks he has used this exact method. Try at the temple and when you feel the walls pushing you out, then you strike at another place, like a viper. Repeat as often as needed, there must be a slip up at some point and otherwise you try at another moment, making it unexpected.

The feeling is unexpected as I am sucked into his mind, images flash in front of my eyes. I see young students walking through the halls. Maybe first years? There is a girl walking with reddish hair, she reminds me of Ginny, but it is not her. A guy with wild black hair, is walking next to her. In front of them there is a long and slender guy with another guy next to him, long black hair. The moment he turns I gasp as I recognise the intense grey eyes.