A/N: This was originally written for the Strictly Dramione Valentine's Day Smut-Fest 2019 – the rules were that each writer would receive a prompt from a very archaic list of ways to woo a husband from an old magazine, and then use it to have Hermione pursue Draco. I chose prompt #121 which turned out to be: "Stand on a street corner holding a lasso" and here is what I did with it. Hope you enjoy!

Hermione had just swallowed her fourth Firewhisky and the room was on its fourth rotation around her head.

"Buck up, Granger, you're next!" Pansy yelled, far too close to her face and holding out a small, clear vial.

When Hermione had agreed to this "30 and Single V-Day Party" she hadn't actually intended to get sloshed, and especially not on a work night! She looked down at the potion Pansy was holding out and instantly felt regret wash over her.

"On second thoughts, Pans, I think I'm going to head out."

"Oh no you don't," Pansy cooed. "Ladies! Granger is trying to do a runner!"

Luna Lovegood, Millicent Bulstrode, Hannah Abbott, Angelina Johnson, Cho Chang, and Tracey Davis all roared in response, a clear united front, which solidified the fact that Hermione was not going anywhere.

"That seems unfair, Hermione, especially because most of us have already gone and it's been rather humiliating!" Luna said. The group cheered in agreement and Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to ward off the spinning of the room.

"Fine, but I'm leaving right after my turn, it's a work night!"

"Oh, come on, Hermione, as if any of us plan to turn up for work tomorrow! It's a day of mourning, everyone knows that," offered Angelina.

Hannah stared at her, confused. "Valentine's Day is? Do we really get to take the day?"

Everyone doubled over in laughter with the exception of Millicent, who leaned down and helpfully whispered in Hannah's ear.

"Ooooh! I get it now! It's funny, Angelina!"

Through her continued laughter, Pansy said, "Alright, alright, Granger is just stalling now. Down the hatch, you tricky witch, I wanna hear your deepest secrets!"

Hermione took the small vial from Pansy and tentatively prepared the dropper.

"And you're sure it only lasts a few minutes? I'm not going to be stuck telling the truth all evening? Because I don't think I'll survive my tube ride home."

"Enough dithering, let's go Granger!"

Suddenly, all of the women erupted into cheers of "Let's Go Granger!" followed by a series of rhythmic claps. Finally defeated, Hermione raised the dropper and allowed one small drip to land on her tongue.

"Excellent," growled Pansy. "Now, Granger, tell me… how long have you wanted to fuck Draco Malfoy?"

Screams and gasps echoed around the room, but Hermione stared wide-eyed at Pansy, her lips moving against her will, a waterfall of words cascading out of her mouth. "I've fancied him since our third year but the sex dreams started about three years ago after he spoke in favor of elf rights," she blurted out, and then slapped a hand over her mouth.

Pansy threw her head back mirthfully and shouted, "I knew it!"

Hermione's head spun and she only vaguely registered the various comments flying her way from all of her former schoolmates, whether they were scathing or encouraging, she couldn't tell.

"Alright quiet down everyone! That was the truth, time for the dare!" Pansy shouted. "And I happen to have the perfect one. Granger, pick a number… we're going to make your dreams a reality."

Pansy picked up the magazine article that the girls had been perusing earlier in the evening. It contained a list of antiquated advice for wooing men, some fairly reasonable but most quite ridiculous.

"I'm not doing something on that list! Absolutely not, no way!"

"Ah-ah, Hermione," said Angelina, "you can't refuse, none of us did!"

"Yeah, why should you get a pass when I had to go chat up Greg Goyle about his favorite sexual position?" Millicent protested.

"Yeah who knew he'd say power bottom?" Tracey shouted, and they all collapsed in laughter. All except Pansy who was still waiting expectantly for Hermione's answer.

"What's your lucky number, Granger?"

Hermione took a deep breath, knowing that she wasn't going to get out of there without going through with this.

"One-twenty-one, I suppose. My Mum's birthday."

Pansy scanned the list in front of her as the rest of the room quieted down, listening expectantly.

"Ah yes, here we are. It says… stand on the street corner holding a lasso," Pansy said, her face screwed up in confusion. "What's a lasso?"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but Luna cut her off.

"Oh, it's a way of tying off a rope and using it to catch an animal, I've used them with Rolf!"

"Luna, I never realized you were such a kink freak!" Angelina said, and Luna laughed and shook her head.

"Not on each other, on certain magical creatures that-"

"Alright, no time for a care of magical creatures lesson, Lovegood! Granger's got some lassoing to do!" said Pansy.

Hermione's face was screwed up in pain. "Do I really have to—?"

"Yes!" the group shouted in unison.

"I happen to know that Mr. Malfoy is at a meeting right now just down the street at Gringotts, Granger. Your dare, should you choose to accept it (which you have no choice but to do) is to lasso yourself a white-blonde wizard!"

Hermione turned white. "Will you all excuse me for a moment?" she said, and she ran to the loo, slamming the door behind her and shutting out the raucous jeers of her friends, if she could really call them that. It was all meant to be just a bit of fun. For some reason, it had never occurred to her that they'd realize this secret of hers.

In truth, it wasn't just that she had a growing sexual fantasy about Draco Malfoy, she had actually begun having very strong feelings for the wizard. They'd worked together now on a variety of cases involving house elves, vampires, and werewolves, and with each one her soft spot for him had grown more and more tender. He'd never let on any mutual feelings for her, and even if he had, she'd always been horrible at noticing such things.

If she went through with this dare, how in the world would she explain her actions?

A sudden pounding on the door broke her train of thought and she snapped back to the present.

"Let's go Granger, he'll be out of that meeting soon! Lovegood has fashioned you a lasso and we're all ready to go!"

Hermione didn't respond, but splashed water on her face and took a deep breath, gazing into the mirror.

"You have been through worse," she said aloud to herself. "You have always been through worse."

Turning the knob of the bathroom door, she inwardly wished her words would hold true.

The next day, she got into the office only a bit later than her usual time. Her friends had all indeed taken the day off, but she had been adamant about treating this like any other Monday.

The events of the previous night had been unpredictable… unexpected. Shaking off the memory of Draco's face as her magically charmed lasso had landed squarely around his torso, she took a scalding sip of her black coffee and walked briskly into the Ministry lift.

As the lift rose, his voice rang through her mind…

"If you wanted to tie me up, Granger, all you had to do was ask."

She shut her eyes and her cheeks flushed red as she recalled dropping the rope and running from the scene without a backward glance, her friends all cackling in the distance. They'd called after her, Luna had texted her multiple times, and she'd ignored all contact, bursting into muggle London and finding her way to the anonymity of the tube.

Yes, today would be a normal workday, she had resolved that it would be so.

Of course, that resolution did not hold for long, as they often tended not to. For one thing, on a normal day Draco Malfoy would not be sitting behind the desk in her office with his feet up, anxiously awaiting her arrival.

"Late night then, Granger?"

She stood wide-eyed in the doorway, clutching her coffee cup and unable to breathe. Why was he here? Had he come to make fun of her? Her level of embarrassment in that moment was through the roof, which was saying something given how low underground they were.

"I-er-what?" she managed.

He took his feet off the desk and stood, hands casually placed in the pockets of his trousers. "It's just, you're usually here at 8 on the nose. I got here at 7:30 just to make sure."

"You-you've been here an hour? Why?"

He stalked towards her, his eyes boring into hers. Was this anger? Had he come to tell her to leave him out of her silly games?

She sucked in a short gasp when there was a sultry, rather than angry, tone in his voice as he next spoke.

"Because I was clearly cheated last night. I didn't get to find out what happens after you tie me up."

His face was inches from hers and Hermione's heart began to pound. She swallowed hard. When she spoke, there was a telltale quaver in her voice.

"Oh?" was all she could manage.

He nodded by way of reply, and his eyes moved down to her lips before returning to her eyes. He reached for his wand and the door slammed behind her. He took her coffee cup out of her hand and placed it on the side table; then he removed her bag from her arm, tossing it onto a chair.

"I truly don't know what that was all about last night, but if I'm reading the wrong thing into it then I'll leave it to you to tell me when to stop."

With that, he raked his fingers into her hair and pulled her lips to his. His soft pout crashed into her tight, pursed mouth as she sucked air in through her nose and her shoulders flew up to her ears. Her mind had not yet caught up to her body, still in a state of utter disbelief and denial that he was there. Not only there, but there and wanting her. There and wanting her and looking to take her. It was up to her to tell him to stop.

She did not want him to stop, and yet she was having trouble communicating that to the rest of her body. It had been so long since she'd been touched.

He pulled back and bent down to examine her eyes, a solemn expression on his face. "Or perhaps I've mis-read this entirely," he said, hands on her cheeks.

She gave the most subtle shake of her head, it was almost imperceptible. "No," she breathed, and then she reached up and grabbed his shirt collar with both hands, pulling his lips back to hers, ready for the crash this time.

They connected, this time with both of them being completely prepared. His soft lips fit perfectly with hers, and after holding the kiss for a few moments they pulled back in unison and gazed into one another's eyes before dipping back in for more. They repeated that pattern a few times, each seeming to need to both feel and observe the other at the same time.

Desperately wanting more, she dove in tongue-first and his lips parted gratefully. This action on her part seemed to set off a chemical reaction in him. His hands had been resting on her shoulders, but now moved down to her hip bones, tracing small circles on her stomach and pulling her gently towards him. He pressed their bodies together and she could feel his hard length against her body which sent a swoop of heat down between her legs.

She could not remember the last time she'd been in this sort of impassioned embrace with anyone. It just so happened that him appearing in her office upon her arrival was one of a number of fantasies that she had played out subconsciously. Others included a rough encounter between the stacks of the Ministry library where he bent her over a small reading table, and another involved being tied to his bed in Malfoy Manor while he called he used some very… impudent language.

Flashes of those other scenarios swept through her mind and she did her best to push them away so that she could be in the current moment. How could she know whether there would even be another time…?

In that moment, he pulled back from her again. "Where did you go?"

"What?" she asked, looking at him, confused.

"You're thinking too hard, I can practically hear your mind whirring."

"Oh… it's just… sorry, this is a bit surreal… only, I've sort of… imagined this very thing happening… before," she mumbled, her cheeks turning even redder.

His eyes darkened. "Have you?" he said in a severe tone, tightening his grip on her hips.

She nodded, but said nothing else.

"And what happens next in your imagination, Granger?" he said, and he bent down to taste her neck, moving kisses down to her collarbone and slightly nipping at her skin with each one. She gasped and let out a tortured moan, grasping at his shoulders and then running her hands across his taught muscular back. The fabric of his white button-down shirt was incredibly soft under her palms and she could feel the heat of his skin radiating through.

"You- you…" she breathed, unable to form a coherent sentence as he licked from her collar bone up to the soft spot behind her ear and began sucking on her earlobe.

"I…?" he whispered in her ear, then began planting kisses along her jawline until he reached her mouth and brought her lower lip into his mouth for the smallest moment before releasing it, dragging his teeth over her tender skin as he did so.

"Push-push papers off my desk and-and—!" She gasped as he unbuttoned her blouse and brought his tongue down to the edge of her bra. He looked up at her when she didn't go on.

"And?" he said, and then went back to his ministrations on her cleavage.

Impatiently, he reached in and pulled her breast out from under her bra, shoving the lacy fabric out of the way and enveloping her taut pink nipple in his mouth. He ran his tongue rapidly over the peak and it sent shivers through her entire body. An aching throb between her legs became overwhelming, and she found herself grinding desperately into his hard cock.

"And… fuck me till I scream!" She choked, her throat dry from all the gasping for air.

He looked up at her, nipple still in his mouth. He let go and said, "I bet we could do better than that."

With a sly smirk on his face, he set about removing her blouse and bra fully while she frantically unbuttoned and removed his shirt. She felt her pencil skirt pool at her feet, and then he was kissing her again and slowly pushing her back, not to the desk, but over to the wall. Pinning her up against it, he lowered himself to his knees, trailing kisses all along her body as he went, stopping at the top of her lacy knickers. He ran his tongue teasingly along the edge and she ran her fingers through his hair roughly, suddenly impatient for his tongue to be inside of her.

"In my imagination," he said, placing a kiss on the lace trim, "I make you come so hard—" he kissed lower "—that you can't stand." And with that he laved over her clit, still on top of her knickers. The friction made her delirious, and his hot saliva mixed with the wetness she knew was building up between her folds. He ran his fingers over the lace experimentally and then leaned in again to kiss and lick her over the now soaking wet fabric.

She grasped his hair tightly and pulled him closer. He followed her direction and attached his mouth to her clit, licking and sucking hard on the sopping lace. The increased pressure was what she needed, and she bucked her hips greedily, pushing her pussy into his mouth. As she did so, her knickers shifted and she could now hear the creamy wetness that was building up.

Much closer to the source, he could hear it too, and it seemed to act on him like a spell. He released the hold he had on her and pulled her knickers back like he was unwrapping a precious gift. Carefully, he dragged his tongue between her folds, tasting her for the first time. The awe with which he did so sent chills through her body. Had Draco really imagined doing this to her before? The idea made her ache even harder with need, and she was relieved that that was the moment when he chose to slide a finger deep inside her.

Long, slender, and incredibly deft… she had long-admired his hands. Had thought about what they would feel like all over her body… inside of her body… and now that it was really happening, she realized that she never could have imagined anything this good. He was gentle, yet impassioned, and he seemed to find the right spot instantly. Her knees buckled and he smiled as he added a second finger and returned his tongue to her clit, this time with her knickers out of the way.

The direct contact with her skin after all that teasing made her feel faint. She moaned throatily and used his head to brace herself from falling over. He doubled down, moving his tongue over her clit in the rapid way that he had over her nipple. Her whole body shook and she could feel the tension building inside of her as he pumped his fingers in an out. She felt her knees buckle again as it all became too much. Her orgasm was coursing through her.

It had been so very long.

"Malfoy! Malfoy, yes! I'm coming!" she said in a high-pitched whisper, hips now bucking into him with abandon.

The sensation seemed to radiate through her body in waves, moving from her feet all the way to the top of her head and back down again. Back and forth and back and forth; it seemed to go on for ages. She had never come for this long in her life.

"Still-still going, don't stop, don't s-stop!" she cried, and he clearly hadn't intended to. He was following her lead, allowing her to fuck his face however she needed to as he slid his fingers up to rub against that sacred spot inside of her.

Finally, the crest of her orgasm hit and she yelled, almost as if she was in pain. It was release like she'd never before experienced and it began low in her abdomen before shooting up into her throat, making it hard to breathe.

Unable to hold herself up any longer, she began sliding down the wall. She could feel his strong hands bracing her hips, guiding her down. As her bare arse hit the floor, she found that there was a cushion there. She wasn't sure how it had appeared, but her mind couldn't be bothered figuring out that detail.

Up until this point, her eyes had been closed in ecstasy, her mouth hanging open as she gasped for air. As her body relaxed onto the floor, she opened her bleary eyes and saw Draco staring back at her, a look of smug satisfaction on his face, mixed with something like adoration.

He shook his head. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

With what little energy she had left, she lifted her eyebrows in surprise. He smirked.

"It's adorable how clueless you are, Granger," he said, standing. He turned to her desk and examined its contents for a moment before placing his hands on one side and sweeping everything off in one fluid motion.

"But it's time for your fantasy now," he said, holding out both hands.

Hardly able to move, let alone argue, she held up both arms limply. He let out a low laugh and reached down to pull her into his arms, then carried her over to the desk and placing her on top. Realizing she was still wearing knickers, he helped her out of them, never breaking eye contact.

In a haze, she looked down and began to un-do his trousers.

"Anything in particular I say in that imagination of yours?" he asked as she pushed his trousers to the floor. "Perhaps some admonishment about how you should really be getting some work done, or—?" She'd taken off his boxer briefs and her hand was wrapped around his hard cock. "How you'll never make Minister for Magic if you're engaging in these sorts of acts in your office?"

He was babbling, and it gave her an immense sense of satisfaction as well as a wave of confidence to realize she was having this effect on him.

"Just fuck my brains out, Malfoy. Think you can handle that?"

She thought she heard him gasp before he leaned in and began kissing her roughly. She brought the tip of his cock to her opening and rubbed her juices onto him. He moaned into her mouth and she wrapped her legs around him, pushing him deep inside of her.

He scooped up both of her legs and placed them on his shoulders, kissing her calves and ankles as he did so, before starting to pump in and out of her wet cunt. She laid back on the desk, delicious waves of pleasure coursing through her body as he filled her up over and over again.

He filled both of his hands with her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples. She shuddered and felt chills erupt all over her body again. Then he bent over her to lick and suck her nipples as his cock rammed deep inside her. With each deep thrust she felt a small spike of pain, but it seemed to transmute into pleasure every time. He began kissing her again, and this time his tongue was penetrating her with as much demand as his throbbing length.

Suddenly his perfect fingers were on her again as he rubbed gentle circles around her clit, teasingly. She realized that she could probably come again right then and there if he were to just apply a bit more direct pressure, and she let out a whimper of protest.

"What's that Granger?" he said, before consuming her mouth once more so that she wouldn't be able to answer.

She bucked her hips in reply and let out another whimper. He began moving his thumb faster around her clit, but still not making contact, and she was sure that her legs would have given out had she been standing. Now she emitted a moan of protest right into his mouth and he released her from the kiss, smiling broadly.

"Please Malfoy," she whined as he continued his maddening thrusts and circles.

"Please what?" he said, bending down to suck and bite on her neck.

She was so close, her frustration was through the roof. "Please make me fucking scream so loud the whole Ministry hears it!"

That seemed to do the trick, as the speed of his thrusts increased. She wasn't sure if he'd done it by accident or intentionally, but his thumb moved and gave her the delicious pressure she'd been craving. Between the added influence there, his increase in speed, and the palpable intensity of his own pleasure, she felt herself begin to come undone again.

She let out an earth-shattering scream as her orgasm crashed with Draco's, unsure whether his caused hers or vice versa.

"Fuck, Granger!" he growled as he released wave after wave of warm seed deep into her cunt.

In that moment, their connection felt primal, yet sacred.

He leaned over her, panting, with his arms resting on either side of her head. She reached up and put a hand on his chin, turning his face so that their eyes met.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

He stared at her, still panting, before a smirk crept onto his face. "Probably since I spoke out for elf rights, yes?"

She gasped, and he laughed. "Don't worry, Granger, I didn't do it just to get in your knickers, although…"

"What?" she said, feeling a bit embarrassed by her naiveté and well on her guard.

He grinned and let out another small laugh. "Where do you think Parkinson got the veritaserum?"