Her body snapped, spiraling up to that blissful place only he could bring her to. Her throat was raw when she finally fluttered down, her arms buckling beneath her weight. He pulled her hips back faster and faster, groaning until he collapsed.

"Fuck."

His breath was hot on her ear as he throbbed inside of her, releasing. He shuddered against her back, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pinning her to him.

They'd never been standing before. Usually, he'd roll off her at the end, but now she had to lower her heels, moaning as he slipped out of her, his release dripping down her legs.

He pressed a kiss into her hair. "Good? Are you alright?" He rubbed his hands over her stomach, reaching up to palm her breasts and rove his hands everywhere.

"Good." She managed a nod. "So good. You?"

"Fuck," he said, and she shivered. "You have no idea, Granger."

They spent the next few hours wrapped in each other's arms, waiting for the potions to simmer.

Over the next several days, they tracked biomarkers and tested various dosages of the antidote on the mice. She suspected her reconstructed version was somehow more potent because no matter how small a dose she tried, the antidote still took effect.

Draco watched each successful trial with a clipped interest, but he seemed to grow more irritable and tense as the tests continued with no adverse side effects.

On Thursday evening, he convinced her to try an even more diluted sample — she only placed a single drop of the antidote in a shared bowl of sugar water she lured the mice to drink. She turned to him as the third mouse successfully ran out of the circle.

"Tomorrow. We test it on me tomorrow."

Without lifting his eyes from the vials on the table, he nodded slowly. He pressed his lips together before speaking. "And then what?"

She pushed a few curls out of her face and blew out a breath. "Then we write it all down, make the Memory Restoration Potion, and bring all of it to Charlotte." She scribbled another checkmark in her notes before looking up at him again. "Could you get access to her?"

He was silent for a moment. "And then what for you?" His eyes flicked up to hers — a dull grey. "What's your next move, Granger?"

She opened her mouth and closed it. "My next move?"

"Yes." When she blinked at him, he crossed his arms and leaned against the lab table. "Will you stay, or will you go?"

"That's—there's a lot of things I haven't—" Hermione broke his gaze, wiping her palms on her jeans. "Why are you asking me this now?"

"Because I'd like to know the answer."

She took a deep breath. "Honestly, I've been so focused on breaking this tattoo and getting the information to the Order that I haven't…" Her throat felt thick, and she swallowed. "I mean, I've thought about it, but I figured I should wait to tackle that problem until I was finished with this one. And—I suppose it's solved now, so we should probably…"