Consumed | Hermione x Draco

Training

"The Dark Lord has agreed to let me train you in new kinds of magic and become stronger as a pact. I did my research..." I start out.

Theo laughs. We all look at him silently questioning him. "Sorry. I know you mean well, but you can't be serious. Right?" He looks around for support. "You weren't at the battle and you are going to teach us how to fight... from a book? You haven't trained in months, I know the situation was different but you did not go through what we went through."

"You are skeptical about my credentials. I might not have been training like you, but wasn't just sitting around. I spend my time learning other things and reading about different forms of magic. I think that together we will be able to become a special unit and be of value to our Dark Lord."

He scoffs again. "You know I love you, we are a pact, but you can't honestly believe that you are better than us at fighting. We have to teach you, only after you are caught up, we are able to look towards new elements."

"Shut up, Nott," Draco growls.

"No, it's the truth. She spent months inside and safe while we were trained by your psycho aunt."

"Give her a chance!"

"She is not my Alpha, I don't have to listen to her."

"No she's not just the alpha. She's the female alpha. Do you know what that truly means? Have you looked up information about pact dynamics? I have. She is higher in rank than anyone, even me, the alpha. You know why, she is the reason we survive and thrive. She brought us together and keeps us alive. That is exactly what she did and she is doing. So I am telling you, ordering you, give her a chance."

"Fine, one week."

"3 weeks," I counter

"2 weeks" interrupts Pansy. "We follow her training for two weeks and decide after that. After one week we see if things could be improved and after two weeks we make a final decision."

"Fine."

"Fine," I agree and feel another weight being added to my shoulders. I need to have this training to succeed. Draco is right, I am the Alpha Female and it is in my nature to try and protect the pact, it's all I can think of. "We are starting with the things we can do but need to improve. Let's go back to basics with Animagus training. We will start by shifting, we need to do it fast and soundless. The goal is to work together in human as well as animal form, learning ways to communicate."

"That sounds like a good plan," Daphne's soft voice is reassuring. I watch as the muscles ripple under her skin and it takes a few tries before she fully shifts, making me jump back as her front hooves land exactly where I was standing. She snorts.

Theo follows the example, before even shifting he's flapping his arms. This way he doesn't drop to the ground the second he shifts. He flies up to the back of Daphne.

Blaise chuckles. "Watch and learn," with a human growl turning animalistic he jumps forward and shifts mid air.

I can't contain myself and pet his head. "Good boy," I laugh softly and his reaction is like any regular cat, purring and nudging his head further in my hand.

The second Pansy shifts, she jumps on Blaise, tackling him to the ground. He quickly gets up and they paw at each other.

It's only Draco and I left as humans. There are so many unspoken things between him and I, but I don't know where to start. So much of it is not safe to say out loud.

"Hermione."

I startle, he is behind me, almost pressed against my back, his mouth close to my ear.

"Draco," his name alone feels like a sin, something the Dark Lord will punish me for. I try to reach back and touch him, but he's gone. When I turn around I am looking down at a large white wolf. His shift was silent, or I haven't heard it because of my inner panic.