"Perfectly." He reached for his discarded wand with long, elegant fingers. He stared at a point over her ear and said, "Lead the way."

Chapter End Notes

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Chapter 23

Chapter Notes

Thanks for your patience. As you can see from the past two updates, I am falling behind schedule. I need to push back Chapter 24 just a bit. Cat and I are submitting our TV pilot to a competition in a few weeks, and I'd really like to get back on top of these updates.

Chapter 24 will post on March 15.

Thanks to the girls as always.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Every step on the stairs down to the laboratory echoed against the stones, making it sound like a dozen people were at Hermione's heels as she rushed down the twisting staircase.

Instead, there was just one. He moved slowly, but every time she paused to look back at him, he was three paces behind her, as if tied to a string. His hand slid across the wall as he moved, his gaze always fixed at a point over her head.

She began running once he descended, following the memorized route to the laboratory and shoving open the door. There was no time to catch her breath as she ran to the shelves, slamming jars onto the lab bench and tearing leaves from potted plants.

Her mind tumbled with the memory of decoding the previous lust potion. She needed Gurdyroot, and Wiggentree Twigs, and — her eyes snapped up to the door. Draco hovered against the frame, every inch of him coiled and tense.

The skin on the back of her neck prickled. "How do you feel, Draco? What are your symptoms?"

He was still, his hands buried in his pockets, his gaze locked on one of the candles on the stone wall. "My symptoms..." he repeated.

Hermione nodded slowly, taking him in. Sweat was beading at his temples — she could see the perspiration on his black collared shirt. And although his eyes were still vacant, she didn't miss the clench in his jaw.

Silence.

"Alright. I'll just get started, then." Squaring her shoulders, she stepped up to the cauldron, facing her first problem. She needed to light the fire—

There was a shuffle forward before she could ask. She kept her eyes fixed on the cauldron as his long, pale fingers placed his wand delicately on the counter. A sharp intake of breath — and then he moved away, stepping back to the doorframe.

"Thanks," she mumbled. The magic in his wand thrummed in her veins as she quickly lit the fire, filled the cauldron, and charmed the elm spoon to stir clockwise. She set to work, summoning tools and ingredients, inspecting the color and texture as the mixture bubbled. After a few minutes, she glanced up to find him watching her, his eyes dark and glassy.