Chapter Text
Paulina closed the door behind her quietly, as if she wanted to leave all the chaos of that place behind it. In her hands she held the chessboard and her notebook, and on her lips rested a calm, warm smile.
— Welcome again, Mr. Mayfour. — She spoke gently, as always, placing the things on the little table. — How are you feeling after the meeting with your son and friends?
At her words, Draco lifted his gaze, and in his eyes shone something she had not seen there in a long time. Gratitude. Real, almost tangible. For a moment, he sat in silence, as if he himself did not know whether he would be able to answer. “I never thought I would see them again. That I would hear his voice… that I would feel my son’s arms around me. Merlin, it was like a dream. If not for him… if not for this woman, it would never have happened. She… opened a door I could not even touch myself. How am I supposed to thank her for that when words fail me?” At last, the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.
— Better than anyone could have expected. — His voice was lower, calmer, but threaded with emotion.
Paulina sat opposite him, laying the pieces out on the board. When she slid the white pawns toward him, instead of arranging them at once, he reached for her hand. Slipping his into hers, he closed his fingers around her hand as surely as if he were afraid she would run away.
— You do not have to say anything. — She whispered, feeling his touch. — I saw everything in your eyes today.
“How does she do that? How does she read me so easily? It is… terrifying and soothing at the same time. At Hogwarts, no one ever looked at me that way. Not even those who called themselves my friends.” Draco’s thoughts churned in his head.
— And yet I would like to. — He finally answered in a hushed voice. — I do not know whether I will ever… be able to repay you for this debt.
Paulina cleared her throat quietly, moving the pieces into their proper places, while their hands still remained intertwined, as if the chessboard had suddenly lost its meaning.
— Let us play. — She said with a smile, more to ease the tension than out of any real desire to compete. — Chess is always a good beginning to a conversation.
Draco released her hand reluctantly, as if doing so against his own will, and reached for a pawn.
— Then… Miss Psychologist, let us begin. — He threw out, trying to assume his old, arrogant tone, but there was a softness in his voice that could no longer be hidden.
As Paulina moved the pieces across the board, she began her story. Her voice was calm, but it was clear that every word carried the weight of experience. She told him step by step how she had got into the Leaky Cauldron, how the bricks in the wall had arranged themselves into a passage before her, and how she had stood in Diagon Alley for the first time in her life. Draco listened intently, his gaze not leaving her for even a moment. When she mentioned the post office, that she had sent the letter to his son, his fingers tightened harder around the pawn, as if it was the only way he could control the trembling of his hand.
— And… by the way... — Paulina sighed, lowering her gaze to the chessboard. — I bought two books. One about wizarding law, for Natalia, and… A History of Magic, for myself. — She smiled slightly, embarrassed. — That means I owe you several Galleons.
At her words, Draco let out a quiet, rough laugh.
— Miss Psychologist. — He murmured, raising an eyebrow. — You are the only person I know who can break into the wizarding world… and leave it with books on credit.
Paulina blushed, but continued a moment later.
— Then… something unexpected happened. I ran into Ollivander. The young one. He dragged me into the shop, saying I should not be using someone else’s wand. And then… well, he started handing me different ones. And… one of them… reacted... — Her hands trembled slightly as she admitted it. — It works. I mean, Draco… I have my own wand. And I owe you money for that too.
Draco was silent for a moment, looking at her as though seeing her for the first time. “Merlin… she truly… was chosen. The wand accepted her. No… this is no longer coincidence. This is something more. Her fate is weaving itself more and more tightly into our world. And me? I feel as if I am watching a witch being born before my very eyes.” The corner of his mouth lifted, but his voice was serious.
— Paulina… wands are not mistaken. They do not choose just anyone. And you… stopped being “only a Muggle” long ago.
The girl hesitated, biting her lip as if she did not know whether to continue. Finally, she gathered her courage.
— Gerhart Ollivander… lowered the price for me. From fifty Galleons to forty. But in return… — She broke off, blushing. — In return, I went with him on… something like a date.
Draco stiffened. His gaze dimmed, as if the air around them had suddenly grown colder. Paulina continued speaking, quietly but honestly. About the bar, about the conversation, about how Ollivander’s flirting became more and more insistent. About how she ran away when it began to slip out of control. Her voice trembled only at the end.
— I would have preferred it if it had been you there, Draco. Not him.
Draco leaned back in his chair, staring at the chessboard, though he did not see the pieces at all. “Ollivander. Gerhart, that young, conceited clown. How dared he touch her, look at her that way, speak to her in that… tone? He has no idea who she is. What she means to me. The fact that she ran from him… that she told me this… Merlin, why does it make me feel something I should not? Jealousy? Desire? Or perhaps… something much deeper.” At last, he lifted his gaze to her. His eyes shone with a strange light, anger, but also emotion.
— He has no right to put you in that situation. — He said slowly, firmly. — And you will never have to run again. — He leaned slightly over the chessboard. — Because if he ever tries… he will learn what it means to have a Malfoy against him.
Paulina looked at him with wide eyes, surprised by the seriousness of his tone.
— Draco…
— Do not tell me I am exaggerating. — His voice trembled. — I have already lost too much to allow someone like Ollivander to take you from me as well.
Their gazes collided above the chessboard, hers full of surprise, his full of determination and something that might have been the beginning of a confession. Paulina hesitated; her voice trembled like a candle flame in the wind.
— Draco… — She whispered, and the silence between them thickened. — I… would like you to get out of here… because… — She leaned slightly forward, and her lips trembled as she wet them with her tongue. — Because I would like to kiss you.
The words escaped her lips faster than she could stop them. Her eyes widened in horror, as if only then did she realize what she had said. She violently drew back from him, looking away and covering her mouth with her hand, as though she wanted to take back that confession, erase it from the air where it hung like a spell that could not be undone. Draco froze. For a moment, he felt as though his heart had stopped beating. “She… said it. I did not imagine it. She wants… to kiss me. Paulina, the one who has fought me from the first day on the chessboard of glances and words, has just admitted she wants something more. Merlin, and I have wanted the same for weeks. But is it true? Is this not a moment of weakness? Is she fighting herself too, just as I am?” He felt heat rise to his face, while at the same time a wave of triumph and fear tightened his throat.
— Paulina… — His voice was hoarse, as if he had been silent for a long time. He tilted his head, looking at her so intensely that she could not escape that gaze. — I will not step away from what you said. I will not pretend I did not hear it. — He moved his hands closer, not touching her yet, but reaching toward her. — Merlin, you do not know how much I would like you to do it. For you truly… not to run. — He leaned back slightly, sighed heavily, and his eyes shone with a mixture of desire and anger at himself. — But you must decide, Paulina. Because if you come closer… I will not have the strength to stop myself.
Paulina felt her heart pound in her chest so hard that she had the impression Draco would hear it any moment. “God… what have I done? I said it aloud… I really said it. Did he understand how badly I want it? And if he thinks it is only a whim? That it is my weakness? I cannot, after all… I should not… he is a patient, I am a psychologist. This breaks every rule. If someone sees us…” Her hands trembled slightly, though she tried to hide it by clenching them in her lap. The inner battle tore at her like two opposing spells. Reason begged for caution; her heart cried out to throw herself into his arms.
— You know that… as long as you are my patient… we cannot… we should not… — Her voice was quiet, full of tension, as if every word was tearing itself from her against her will. — If someone saw us…
She said one thing, but her body betrayed her completely. Her eyes, shining and soft, said: “I want you, Draco.” Her breathing quickened, and the hand that should have withdrawn to mark the boundary stopped right beside his, as if searching for a pretext to intertwine their fingers again. Her entire being seemed to scream that she was fighting herself. He looked at her so intensely that he could have burned a hole in her soul. He saw the contradiction between her words and every tremor of her body. “She says we should not… and yet her gaze begs for closeness. Her voice trembles from restraint, but her hand does not flee. Her eyes scream the truth her lips are afraid to confess. She wants me. Wants me the same way I want her. This is no longer only a game of chess or a patient–therapist game. This is something more. Something that burns from within.” He felt like laughing bitterly. “Miss Psychologist… all your rules and prohibitions fell apart the first time you dared to look at me the way a woman looks at a man, not a doctor at a patient. You are still telling yourself you are in control, but I know you lost it long ago. You lost it the moment you swapped my wand. You lost it when you held my hand longer than etiquette required. You lost it when you confessed you would like to kiss me.” Draco leaned closer, so that only a few inches separated their faces. His voice was low, rough, almost hypnotic.
— I know we should not. — He whispered, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in an ironic half-smile. — But you do not want me to stop at all. In your eyes there is no prohibition, only a plea. — He raised his hand and, not yet touching her skin, let his fingers hover right beside her cheek, as if waiting for the smallest signal of permission. — So tell me, Paulina… do you truly want me to step back? — he added even more quietly.
Everything inside him was boiling. “If she pulls away now, if she runs… I will accept it. But if she stays… if she allows me… I will not be able to stop. Never.” Paulina drew back by only a breath, but in her eyes there was no longer hesitation, only a fervent admission of a desire that could no longer be hidden.
— I… really want this, Draco… — She whispered with trembling lips. — But how can we be sure no one is looking through the little window in the door? — She added, looking straight into his eyes.
Draco felt something in him break, as if a heavy stone had fallen from his heart. “She does not deny it. She is not running. She wants it. She wants me.” A shiver ran through his entire body, so sudden that he had to grip the edge of the table to keep the last remnants of control. “She looks at me, and I… am ready to burn this whole damn world down just to have her for myself. I do not care if someone is watching. I do not care if we break every rule. Only her voice, her eyes… that is the only truth that matters now.” He moved closer still, so that she felt the warmth of his breath on her skin.
— Paulina… — He whispered, and his voice was hoarse, filled with the tension that had been building inside him for weeks. — If someone were watching… they would already have done it. And even if… — His gaze darkened, full of that characteristic mixture of arrogance and passion. — Let them watch. Let them see that even in this place I found something they could not take from me. — He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed it with his mouth, slowly, with almost reverent worship. — But if you want certainty… — he added even more quietly, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head slightly toward the door. — One spell is enough. Muffliato. No one will be interested in what is happening in this room. — A gleam appeared in his eyes, as if he had thrown her a challenge. “Say it. Give me a sign. And then nothing will stop us.” Paulina lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked at him again, as though struggling to break through the barrier of shyness.
— But wasn’t Muffliato… only a silencing spell? — She asked uncertainly, blushing visibly. — If there were something… simpler, that would divert attention if someone wanted to look in here… — She hesitated, and then, as if against herself, slightly opened her coat. She revealed a fragment of the fabric, showing the hidden wand she had bought in Diagon Alley. Her cheeks burned, and her eyes shone as she lifted them to him, as if the very gesture of possessing a wand before him was a confession she was not ready for.
Draco froze. For a fraction of a second, he felt as though he were dreaming. “She… has a wand. Merlin be my witness, she truly has a wand. And she is showing it to me, as if she wants to say I am the only one she trusts.” A quiet, broken sigh tore from his throat, and his hand trembled as he slid his fingers over the table, stopping himself from catching her at once and pulling her toward him. “She is blushing, and I feel a desire rising in me that I buried under ash long ago. So close. I want you more than air.” He lifted his gaze and looked straight into her eyes, with grayness that was now more storm than calm.
— You have it with you… — He whispered, in a tone both astonished and passionate. — And you are showing it… to me. — He leaned even closer, so that only a few centimeters separated their faces. — Paulina, you do not need any spells to divert attention. — His voice became deep, almost rough. — You have already diverted my entire world. — He blinked slowly, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in something between a smile and a confession. — But if you want a simple spell… I will teach you. One that will make no one notice what is happening in this room.
“I will teach you everything, if only you give me yourself. Entirely. Forever.” Paulina lifted her gaze and fixed it on his eyes so intensely that Draco almost felt as though she were looking into the depths of his soul. There was something more in that gaze than merely a request; there was tension in it, the trembling of uncertainty and of courage being born, a quiet confession she could not yet put into words.
— Then teach me… — She whispered so quietly that, were it not for their closeness, he might have thought he had imagined it.
Draco felt his heart speed up. “Teach me… Merlin, does she have any idea what this means to me? I never, ever thought anyone would ask me again to introduce them to this world. It is a simple spell, and yet her words sound as if she is giving me a part of herself. She trusts me. Trusts me enough to risk it. And I… I want to teach her everything, every secret of magic and… every secret of myself.” He drew a deep breath, feeling the tension between them grow with every second. His gaze rested on the wand she had revealed, then returned to her eyes, where a shadow of fear flickered, but also determination.
— All right… — He said slowly, his voice low, soft, and yet firm. — But remember, Paulina… spells, even the simplest ones, require more than just a movement of the wand and words. You must believe in them. — He leaned in so that his breath brushed her cheek, and placed his hands on the table, right beside the hand that held the wand. — I will show you… how to make this world belong only to us for a moment.
“Because I stopped fighting this desire long ago. I want it to belong to us. I want her. Only her.” Draco was silent for a moment, as though he himself had to gather his thoughts before he began. His gaze rested on the wand Paulina held uncertainly in her hand. He reached out and gently covered her fingers with his own, correcting her grip. It was an extraordinarily intimate gesture, though seemingly simple; he showed her how to close her hand more firmly, how to direct the wand at the proper angle.
— Do not hold it too tightly, but do not hold it like a pen either. This is not a prop, but a tool meant to react to you. To your will. — He spoke quietly, almost in a whisper, leaning so close that Paulina felt his warm breath at her temple. Their hands, intertwined around the wand, moved slightly through the air when Draco made a slow, fluid movement with his wrist. — Muffliato. — He pronounced it clearly, with the tone of a master, but also of a companion who wanted to share a secret. Paulina swallowed. Her heart was pounding wildly, and in her head only one thought sounded: “He is guiding me. He is teaching me. He trusts me enough to let me enter this world.” — Now you — Draco whispered, not taking his eyes off her. — Calmly. Imagine that a veil is forming around us, cutting off everything else. That only we remain.
Paulina raised the wand, his hand still resting on hers, guiding the movement. She drew a deep breath, and her lips moved in a trembling whisper.
— Muffliato.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then Draco felt the familiar tingling in the air, the subtle swirl of magic. From the corridor came the muffled sound of footsteps and voices, which immediately faded as if someone had moved away in the opposite direction. Silence, intimate and dense, settled around them. Paulina opened her eyes wide, and on her face appeared a shadow of astonishment and joy.
— It… worked? — She whispered, still holding the wand.
Draco stared at her with disbelief and something even deeper. He smiled with one corner of his mouth, that smile that had once awakened respect and envy at Hogwarts, but now it was softer, filled with admiration.
— And now… one more. — He whispered into her ear. — Repello mugoletum. — He made the motion with both their hands on the wand.
Paulina repeated the wrist movement on her own, whispering:
— Repello mugoletum.
After a moment, that spell surrounded the walls of the room with a shimmering veil, like a mist, and then blurred.
— It worked. — His voice was low, almost hoarse. — And do you know what that means, Paulina? That there is no turning back now.
Their hands were still intertwined on the wand, and the tension between them grew, pulsing in the air like the echo of the spells she had just spoken. Slowly, she turned toward him. In one hand she still held the wand, but with the other, the free one, she lifted it uncertainly, as if she herself was afraid to cross the boundary she had maintained until now. Her fingers, delicate and trembling, rested on his cheek, brushing his pale skin. She stroked him cautiously, as though touching something forbidden and at the same time unbearably desired. Rising slightly onto her toes, she brought her face closer to his. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest, and in her thoughts there appeared one simple truth. “I should not. But I want to. More than anything. He is everything I was afraid to desire… and now I cannot stop myself.” In Paulina’s eyes shone embarrassment, but also determination. Her lips parted slightly, her breath quickened. Draco stared at her without moving, as if time had suddenly ceased to exist. He felt the warmth of her hand on his cheek, so fragile, and yet so real. “She… touches me the way no one has dared to in a long time. Not out of duty, not out of pity. Only because she wants to.” A shiver passed through his body, and he could not stop it. He drew a slow, deep breath.
— Paulina… — He whispered, and his voice trembled, not from lack of certainty, but from the flood of emotions. — You have no idea how much I want this. How long I have waited for someone… for you… to look at me this way.
His hand, which until then had rested over her fingers at his cheek, shifted and covered her whole hand, holding it there, as if he wanted to preserve that moment forever. “To hell with Merlin if this is a mistake. I would rather burn in this feeling than be left alone again.” At first only fractions of seconds separated them, breaths that met halfway and tangled together. Draco felt her warmth, saw the tremble of her lashes, and Paulina looked into his eyes so intensely as if she were trying to remember every shade of them. Their faces drew closer slowly, almost shyly, as if they both feared that too swift a movement would frighten away the fragile, fleeting tension stretched between them like a violin string. Their noses brushed almost imperceptibly, and that subtle contact made both their hearts beat harder. Their breaths mingled, trembling and hot, so close that one felt the rhythm of the other. The moment of hesitation lasted less than a blink, and then their mouths met in a first, delicate kiss. There was no violence or haste in it, only a slow, tender contact, full of caution, as if they were both learning each other anew. Paulina trembled, surprised by how naturally her body responded to that touch. Her hand pressed more firmly against Draco’s cheek, and his fingers tightened over her hand, as if he feared that if he loosened his grip, everything would vanish like an illusion. “This is really happening…” Paulina thought, and heat spread through her chest, breaking through fear and prohibitions.
Draco, meanwhile, felt that the world, which until then had been a prison for him, suddenly widened and took on color. The thought tore him apart from within, bringing both chaos and comfort. The kiss was short, yet enough for new energy to boil in their veins, and the boundary they had both defended so stubbornly ceased to exist. Their lips parted for a fraction of a second, as though they needed to look into each other’s eyes to make sure this was not an illusion, but reality. In Paulina’s gaze Draco saw shining emotion, a mixture of uncertainty and courage reflected in her green irises like in the surface of water. She, in turn, saw in his gaze a longing so deep that it squeezed her chest, but also a warmth she had never seen in him before, the gaze of a father who had just regained his son, and of a man rediscovering that he could feel. And then, as if that exchange of glances were silent permission, their lips met again. This time the kiss was more certain, fuller, and yet infinitely gentle. Paulina lifted her hand and tangled her fingers in Draco’s blond hair, pulling him closer, and he answered instinctively, his other hand brushing her back just at the line of her hip. Both their breaths quickened, mingling in short, broken waves. Paulina felt herself trembling, but not from fear; she trembled from the intensity of the moment that escaped every prohibition. Draco, in turn, felt as though he were kissing not only her lips, but all her fears, her doubts, as though in that kiss he was giving her a promise: “you will never be alone again.”
— Draco… — She whispered between one brush of his lips and the next, her voice trembling, but sounding like a confession.
— Paulina… — He answered in a whisper, his breath brushing her cheek, and in his voice there was more emotion than he had allowed himself to show in years.
Their quiet whispers disappeared between the next kisses, deeper and deeper, increasingly passionate, as if neither of them wanted to release the other from their embrace, as if suddenly the whole world had ceased to exist beyond this room, this touch, this breath. Their lips separated slowly, as though each of them had to draw breath so as not to drown in what had just happened. Their faces were still close, so close that the tips of their noses barely brushed. The air between them was dense, saturated with heat and electric tension. Paulina felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest, and her breath refused to calm. “What have I done?” Her mind screamed. “He is my patient, I must not, if anyone finds out, I will lose everything…” But immediately after that came another thought, quieter, more dangerous. “And if I can no longer do otherwise? If he is the one I want, right now?” She trembled when, through the fabric of his trousers, she felt undeniable proof of his reaction to her. A blush spread across her face, and her heart beat even faster. Draco could not hide what was happening to him either. Inside, he fought with himself. “Fool… you are a prisoner, a ‘patient,’ and she is your guardian and savior at the same time. It is forbidden, it is madness…” And yet, in that same moment, he felt his entire body scream to pull her back, not to end what had only just begun. “Merlin, how I want her…” Paulina swallowed and lifted a trembling hand, brushing his cheek with her fingertips.
— Draco… — She whispered, and her voice sounded like a confession and a plea at once.
In response, he bowed his head and brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth, barely stopping himself from deepening the kiss once more.
— You cannot imagine how much I want you. — He whispered hoarsely, his hand tightening more firmly around her fingers. — But I am afraid that if we go even one step further, I will not know how to stop.
Their gazes met once more, intense, full of tension. Every breath, every gesture seemed to ask: is this already too far, or is it only the beginning? Paulina drew away for a fraction of a second to catch her breath, then leaned in again and brushed his lips with a warm, soft kiss. Her hands slid to his neck, and her body instinctively pressed closer to him, as if she wanted to memorize that feeling of closeness, preserve it in every fiber of her being.
— For now… this has to be enough for us. — She whispered between kisses, her voice filled with trembling. — This is already more than either of us should…
Chaos ruled her mind. “What am I doing? This is forbidden. If anyone entered the room now, everything would be lost. I would lose my job, my reputation, my future…” And yet, at the same time, within her bloomed another thought, quieter and more insistent. “I cannot do otherwise. I do not want to do otherwise.” She felt his closeness ignite her from the inside, and at the same time it gave her the strange certainty that within this madness there was a truth that could no longer be reversed. Draco allowed her that kiss, returning it slowly, as if savoring every second. Inside him, two worlds collided: reason and desire. He scolded himself in his thoughts. But a moment later, he felt her touch break every barrier. “Merlin, she makes me feel alive again.” His fingers moved lightly over her back, pausing for a moment near her waist, as if he were trying to remember the shape of her figure. He drew a deep breath, and a quiet whisper escaped his lips, broken, but sincere.
— Paulina… you do not even know… how much you mean to me.
Their eyes met again, burning with the same feeling: desire tangled with fear, tenderness joined with risk. They knew that what had happened between them had crossed a boundary. And yet neither of them had the strength to turn away from it. Paulina felt his muscles tense beneath her hands, felt Draco’s whole body tremble with restrained tension. The hardness of his manhood pressed more and more firmly into her, making her breath shorten and her cheeks grow hotter. He, meanwhile, had the softness of her round body in his arms, felt rounded hips beneath his hands, and her breasts rested against his chest so close that he could almost lose himself in that closeness. From time to time, they allowed themselves another kiss, tender, brief, full of things left unsaid and hidden desires, as though each of them feared that if they allowed this to develop further, they would lose control of themselves. At last, slowly, as if with hearts clenched tight, they drew apart. Their hands, however, did not let go of each other at once, they remained intertwined a moment longer, as if they did not want to part. Paulina’s gaze slipped downward and then she saw him, ready, craving her. A quiet, uncontrolled “ohh” escaped her lips, and her face flushed so intensely that she could not look at him.
— I cannot leave you like this… — She whispered, her voice trembling with shame, but also with something deeper, more dangerous.
“What did I say?” She thought in panic. “Did he understand it the way it sounded? This is not the place, this is not the time. And yet… the sight of his desire, the awareness that I caused it… makes everything in me burn.” Draco looked at her with a mixture of shock and awe. His heart pounded wildly. “She sees it. She sees what she does to me. And she does not turn away from me, does not run. On the contrary, her words… Merlin, did she really just say that?” He felt a wave of heat overcome him, and inside him appeared a wild, almost animal urge to pull her back in, kiss her harder, take her here and now. But then reason struck him with sharp cold. “I cannot. It is too risky. Her career, her reputation… and my own life, still suspended between this world and that one. But... she cast the spells... they work... they have to work.” Draco bowed his head closer, his lips brushing her ear, and the whisper was low, hoarse with tension.
— You are speaking dangerous words, Miss Psychologist…
She squeezed her eyelids shut, biting her lip to stop her body from trembling. Their breaths mingled once more, and the silence of the room was filled only by the rapid beating of two hearts. At last, he drew back enough to look straight into her eyes.
— If you leave me in this state… I will dream of you all night. — He whispered even more quietly, with the shadow of a smile that held both desperation and tenderness.
Paulina opened her mouth to answer, but her voice caught in her throat. “Am I really ready to risk everything just to give him more than this kiss?” She asked herself, feeling desire and fear intertwine in one mad dance. Her gaze was still lowered, as if she were afraid that in his eyes she would see confirmation of what tempted her so strongly. Her hands trembled slightly as she pressed her fingers to his shirt, feeling heated muscles beneath them. “I should move away… I should…” It hammered in her head. But instead of taking a step back, she made a small, inconspicuous movement forward. Almost unnoticeable, and yet enough for their bodies to meet more firmly. Draco froze. His heart leapt into his throat. He could not tear his eyes away from her, from the blush burning on her cheeks, from the tremble of her lips. The desire he had tried to smother until now erupted with new force. Paulina lifted her hand and placed it on his chest, right by the heart that was beating wildly. She drew a deep breath, and her voice was a quiet, broken whisper.
— I cannot… leave you like this, Draco…
She repeated it as her fingers slid lower, slowly, carefully, as if checking whether she truly dared to do what her body was telling her to do. Their eyes met in an intense gaze, and in that one moment he understood that she hesitated only because of reason. Her heart and desire had already said yes. He leaned in, and his breath brushed her cheek, while the words left his lips with a hot whisper.
— If you do this… I will not stop you.
Paulina trembled, her chest rising sharply. She felt all reality shrink to this room, this man, his desire and her own courage. Instead of answering with words, she pressed herself closer, and her lips found his once more in a kiss, this time deeper, more desperate. And her hand… no longer stopped at his chest. Draco closed his eyes, drawing in air sharply. A shiver ran through his whole body, and his hands tightened on her hips as though he feared she would move away from him in a moment and everything would turn out to be only a dream. But she did not intend to withdraw. “The spells... I cast the spells... they work... they have to work... no one... no one will interrupt us...” Paulina trembled all over as her hand slipped beneath the fabric of his trousers. First she encountered a patch of hair on his lower abdomen, soft and warm, and then… heat that could not be mistaken for anything else. His manhood pulsed beneath her fingertips, hard and heavy, as if it had been waiting only for her touch. In her heart, fear, arousal, and a strange certainty mingled, the certainty that this was exactly how it was meant to be. He moaned quietly, unable to stop the reaction. His back tensed, his hand tightened around her waist, as if searching for an anchor so he would not fall into the abyss of pleasure too quickly. Every movement of hers was like fire spreading through his veins. Paulina dared to move her hand more firmly, slowly, exploring him as if she wanted to remember every shape, every detail. Draco bit his lip, but a moment later his head fell back, and a low, guttural sigh escaped his throat, one he could not hold back.
— Paulina… — He whispered her name as if it were a prayer.
Her cheeks burned, and her heart thundered wildly. Draco stared at her for a moment through half-closed eyes, utterly lost in her closeness. Her movements became more certain, more rhythmic, and every tremor of his confirmed that she was giving him pleasure. He trembled, the tension inside him rising rapidly, relentlessly, until at last he could no longer hold it back. A quiet, broken groan tore from his throat, and his entire body tightened in a spasm of relief. Paulina felt warmth spilling over her hand. Draco collapsed heavily back against the support, breathing deeply and unevenly, his hair falling across his forehead. He lifted his gaze to her, and in it mingled gratitude, disbelief, and wild, untamed passion.
— Never… I never… — He whispered hoarsely.
Paulina, still flushed, slowly withdrew her hand and adjusted the fabric of his trousers. Her heart was beating madly, and in her eyes shone something that was both fear and happiness. She moved away slowly, trying to control the breath that still tore from her chest too quickly and too loudly. Her cheeks burned, and sparks of embarrassment glittered in her eyes. With a trembling hand, she reached into the pocket of her coat and took out a crumpled white tissue. She carefully wiped her hand, then tucked the tissue back, as if she wanted the evidence of that moment to dissolve along with the gesture. Draco watched her attentively, still with half-closed eyes, in which the glow of passion was reflected, but also something deeper: gratitude, relief, tenderness. There was something so intimate in that gaze that Paulina had to lower her eyes, because she felt her heart would leap out of her chest.
— Paulina… — He whispered, his voice hoarse, low, as if every sound had to force its way through him. — I do not know what I did to deserve you being here… doing all this for me… but… — He broke off, and the corners of his mouth twitched in something resembling a half-smile.
Paulina lifted her eyes to him, sparkling and wet. Her lips moved soundlessly before she managed to gather her thoughts.
— Draco… I… — She leaned in slightly, so that their faces were almost touching, and added even more quietly. — You know we should not… but I cannot regret it.
At those words, Draco raised his hand, took hers, and pressed it to his cheek. He closed his eyes, as if he wanted to keep that moment in his memory forever.
— Do not regret it, Paulina… you must not. The world may punish us for everything, but this... this kiss, this touch, no one will take it from us.
For a while they sat in silence, breathing close to one another, in the fragile asylum they had created between the walls of the office. Then Paulina slowly moved away, swallowed, and smiled, though uncertainty was hidden in her smile.
— We have to… remove the spells. — Her voice was quiet, as if she regretted having to interrupt the magic of the moment.
He nodded. His gaze was heavy with emotion, but also sober. He reached out his hand, and when Paulina did the same, their hands touched once more by the wand. A few clear words of the incantation, “Finite Incantatem,” and the air took on its ordinary sound again, while the rustles of the corridor began seeping inside, reminding them that the world beyond the door still existed. Paulina adjusted the hair that had fallen into her face and cleared her throat.
— Then perhaps… shall we return to chess? — She proposed in a tone that carried awkwardly masked normality.
He smiled slightly, still looking at her with something resembling hidden fire.
— Let us return… but you will never tell me again that it is only a game, Paulina. — He slid a pawn toward her. Their hands brushed again, and he added in a whisper. — Because I know that now we are playing for something more than an ordinary checkmate.
The chessboard between them seemed smaller than ever. And the pieces, moved in turn by their fingers, were only a quiet pretext to look at each other again and know that every next move was not only a move in the game, but a step in their own forbidden story.