Thank you all for your lovely and encouraging comments! They make me all fuzzy and I really appreciate each of them :).

Without further ado, here's the last chapter. And there's smut ;).

oooOooo

Tapping his quill on the blank parchment until the tip was ruined, Harry Potter uneasily watched the satellite pictures of Crete, but they showed no hint of clouds. There were no communiqués of inside-weather incidents, either.

It had been a long time since he'd heard anyone shriek at an unexpected snowball hitting them, or at a smoking seam. He also worried about the thirty galleons he'd put into the betting pool.

oooOooo

Draco wasn't sure if he could get used to his world tilting just yet.

The scenery had changed back to what he assumed was the Minoan era. The hundreds of torches were still lit, but the gaggle of people around them had changed. Instead of being surrounded by hurried officials and slaves, now a half-circle of worshippers in festive garments encompassed them kneeling with raised arms and heads in their necks, while others danced and swayed to the music in the air without stepping on the mats still—or again?— lying on the ground. The incomprehensible incantations filling the room, along with the heavy scent of myrrh and incense, were obviously devoted to the central statue.

He looked down to find Granger's hand clenching around his, and that a thick, red thread was wound twice around their wrists, hanging loosely from the ends. He felt elated and scared, warm and attached. He also felt his magic coming back, its tendrils carefully reaching out and starting to intertwine with hers. The more of a connection they shared, the more intense he felt, until he realised that it wasn't him but her projecting the emotions.

He jerked his whole body back, inhaling big gulps of air after they fell back into their own time. The feeling of loneliness following the abrupt removal of all contact was jarring. "Fuck."

She jumped up, stumbling a few steps away as she stared at him in shock. "I felt you. I… It was… I was in you, and not. I felt you."

"Shit."

"I've never felt… crap." She eyed him. "Did you feel me, too? What did you feel?"

He hung his head, shaking it slowly.

"Honestly, Draco Malfoy, this is not the time to play coy!"

Taking a deep inhale, he said, "Do you really want to go there?"

"You need to tell me. For fuck's sake, I was in you! I felt how much you—"

"Granger." He groaned and put his head in his hands with his elbows on his knees instead of looking at her. "Alright. Warmth. Fear. Excitement. Devotion."

"I'll tell you what I felt from you. There was fear, too. A bit of resignation. Coolness; your inherent magic, I think. Attraction, the physical type. And—" She chewed on her lip. "— Affection."

He got up and wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers. "Look, I don't know what exactly—"

She came closer, until she almost touched him, and looked up from beneath her lashes. He felt pinned in place, watching her as she raised her trembling hand and placed it on his chest. Despite their suppressed magic, he could feel her warmth calling out to him, and when she slipped her fingers through the opening between two buttons to rest on his bare skin, he positively choked on the sensation.

"It's not as intense as earlier."

He felt lulled into her heat, closing his eyes to prepare for the barrage of emotions. "Intense enough."

She stroked over the sparse chest hairs he had, opening her fingers a little to card them through. "The real connection must be happening when our magics touch. Like the melding of two entities. It's fearsome. But it felt amazing. I never would've thought you'd like m—"

Draco sent his magic out as fast as he could, in hopes of shutting her up but also in the interest of getting a more in-depth glimpse on her feelings. He did not quite understand why she wasn't appalled by his attraction. Or maybe she couldn't see the repeating mental images of her in that revealing Minoan dress. Perhaps there was still some hope left to salvage their professional relationship, and to go back to their safe barbs and jabs.

The transition was slower this time, more controlled and easier. They were still standing at what seemed to be their hand-fasting, Hermione's blurred rush of emotions a beacon in the insecurity of the unfamiliar scenery.

"The coolness of your magic is so refreshing," she whispered, leaning into him but still facing the priestess. "It's like mine had been parched all this time, and now it finally gets its fill. I tried to find out more after you showed me that journal, but I didn't come across much at all. Inherent magic is extremely rare."

"And if this is what it feels to be connected to another bearer of this type of magic, it's very understandable that people don't share." He didn't dare to look at her, unsure about the proceedings of the ritual and not quite ready to see her in her Minoan dress again.

Her emotions became clearer. Agreement decorated with deep affection, slightly miffed, probably because she couldn't find anything in a book when she had looked for it. Determination also, which was likely attributed to her obvious wish to find a way out of this maze, and to deduce what was responsible for them being stuck there in the first place.

"But I would be happy with just escaping, to be quite honest," he said. Watching the priestess conduct some complicated gestures with what Draco supposed was an ancient wand, he moved a little closer, almost touching her side. He felt something solid scratch against his upper thigh, and a hidden touch confirmed that it had the shape of a wand. The realisation lifted his spirits so much that Hermione grew startled before he felt her sending the emotional equivalent of a piercing glare in his direction. The mirroring of their outward interactions made him grin without reserve.

But there was much more to it. The heat of her magic licked over the spikes of ice his magic was prone to form constantly, seen or unseen, melting them down to soft elevations. Shivering with the titillation it caused, he could only guess how having sex with her would feel beyond the soft pressure of slick warmth around his cock and the stiffening of a nipple in his mouth.

Too late he realised that this kind of emotion would also be open to her. Draco tried to concentrate on their escape and on the unpleasant feeling that being trapped caused in him, but from the corner of his eye, he could see that she'd identified the beginning of his arousal well enough. Feeling her hand wrapping more tightly around his, he noticed the hall growing quieter as the flock of worshippers emptied out by apparition. The priestess turned and smeared some sweet-smelling balm on their foreheads, above their hearts, and on their lower bellies. It left a tingling sensation on his skin, not unpleasant, but somehow invigorating. Then the priestess fastened the red thread with another knot and spoke an unintelligible spell which scorched his skin and caused the thread to crumble and disappear. After shooting them a toothless grin, the woman vanished, leaving them—again—all alone in the big room.

Granger loosened their hands, rubbing her wrist as she inspected it. "No blisters? That thread was positively freezing on my skin!"

"Freezing? What are you talking about? It burned off."

She looked at him in surprise, then exclaimed, "Our magic! It has something to do with our magic. We both felt the sensation of the other's abilities. And though it was a bit painful, it didn't leave any marks. What does that mean?"

Draco pursed his lips. "What do you think will happen when we disconnect?"

"I assume we'll go back to our time… and back to being trapped."

"We're trapped as it is, Granger."

She exuded a plethora of emotions and he was challenged to keep up with them. He felt mostly anger and desperation, but also her dedication to finding a solution. "The others apparated out. If we find a way to get all of our magic back, we can apparate, too."

"Do you have a wand?"

She patted along the sides of her skirt and pulled a delicately carved shaft out. "Seems so."

"We should try together," he suggested, brandishing his own. "On three, and to the hallway with the pillars?"

She agreed, watching him, the effort of focusing making the small lines on the corners of her eyes crinkle as she waited for him to finish the countdown and they both spoke the spell.

They didn't even get halfway through the word, as if wards had nipped their effort in the bud. Her shoulders sagged, and a wave of sadness and despondency sloshed through their bond. "Crap."

"Want to disconnect?"

"Yeah."

They found themselves in the same spot as before, with only the smell of the incense and the saccharine balm missing. Granger still had her fingers on his chest, somehow having managed to open a button of his shirt. He swallowed, carefully keeping his tendrils of magic away from hers. Her head was on his chest, and when a quiet sniffling sound came from her direction, he instinctively wrapped his arms around her.

"I liked feeling you," she remarked after a few steadying breaths, her tone offhanded, but Draco suspected the corresponding emotions were anything but.

Chewing on his lower lip, he let a few moments pass. "I don't think there's much to like."

She leaned a bit back to look into his eyes, a hint of terror on her features. "Why would you say that? Draco, that's not true at all."

He shrugged, already missing her body pressing against his.

She leaned back into him without prompting, pushing her hand further into his open shirt and brushing over his nipple. Barely stifling a surprised jerk, he tightened his hold around her when she started to play with the hardening bud. "Granger. Don't."

Her face flushed with humiliation when she withdrew, forcing his arms to open, and she stepped back. "I apologise. I thought—" Pausing, she rubbed her fingers against her thighs. "Your emotions. That affection I felt… I misinterpreted it, obviously."

He sighed, pressing his eyes closed as he dropped his head so that his chin rested against his collarbone. "Not that, Hermione." He reached for her shoulder, his magic searching for hers. Wondering if there was a state of link which would let them exchange emotions but not traverse time, he started with a loose contact.

Her emotions were muddled but he could make out the surprise and hurt of rejection. He tried to send a bit of how he perceived her: the deep fondness he'd developed during the past ten years of working with her, in spite of their glaring differences. He was also sure to send the overwhelming feeling of attraction from earlier which he hadn't been able to hide quickly enough when their magics touched for the first time, and he saw her posture relax a little, inciting him to reach out and turn her around until she looked up at him again.

"I don't think I'll be able to hold back if you keep on touching me like that. It's been—" He glanced away and twisted his lips in a lopsided smile. "Long."

She put her hands on his chest again, a soft and careful touch which he encouraged by wrapping his arms around her once more. Pressing her face into his shirt, she mumbled, "Don't care."

Her magic swirling around his, they finally dropped back in time. The scenery was still the same, incense-filled air in a vast room, sumptuously decorated and inviting. Granger was flush against him, but now with fewer layers of clothing. Feeling her bare upper body touching him, he desperately tried to cover up how randy it made him. She shifted a little, rubbing her stomach against his growing erection without any care for time nor place.

Watching her as she started to kiss between his pectorals, he stroked his hands over her back, covered by the soft cloth of her blouse. He gripped the fabric with his fingertips, pulling it slowly out of the wide belt.

"I don't know if we should have our first time like that." His fingers trailed along her girdle until he reached the silver clasps at the front, and hesitated.

"Probably not," she agreed, her breath fanning over his skin. "We haven't even kissed yet."

"Do you want to?" The second his words were out, he knew how stupid the question was; her spike of annoyance was confirmation. Before she could start reprimanding him, he took her face in both hands and slanted his mouth on hers.

It wasn't artful, not at all. There was too much pressure and clicking teeth, and both their lips were too dry for it to be a perfect first kiss. Draco felt her tongue run over his lower lip, their noses bumping, and she broke away to giggle a little. Her stream of mirth and affection eased the blow to his ego, and when she tilted her head to the side and back, he took it as permission to try and improve it.

He swept his eyes over the freckles on her forehead and nose, watching her long, dark lashes coming to rest on the delicate skin beneath her eyes. The sweet smell of the ritual balm ensnared his senses, mingling with the subtle scent of the almond oil on her skin and hair, giving it an alluring shimmer. He noticed their magics curling around one another, intensifying the sensations he felt by the addition of Hermione's. A ripple of pleasure ran along the length of his spine.

Trailing a slow line of kisses from the middle of Hermione's forehead to the tip of her nose, he grazed the corners of her mouth and watched her eyelids flutter a little. Moving to the edge of her jaw, he sucked slightly on the skin there, licked across her pulse point and made her moan silently. With a smug grin, he registered her eagerness, nudging her nose with his to make her open her eyes again. He focused on them when his tongue darted out to give her Cupid's bow a kitten lick, enticing her to open her mouth so he could kiss her again, and this time properly. Her tongue met his with more fervour than expected, but exactly with the movements he liked. She nibbled on his lower lip, and he reached for the combs in her hair, pulling them out carefully before he buried his hands in her locks.

His eyes closed and he made a low noise, deep from his chest.

One hand stroking from her neck over her shoulder and to her breast, he kneaded the soft flesh and thumbed her nipple until it was perky. His cock was so hard by now that it lifted his loincloth obscenely, and the skin all over his body was overrun by shivers when she dragged a single short fingernail over his nipple and down to the waistband and hooked her index finger under the fabric.

"Granger," he groaned, and kissed her again. "Hermione," he corrected himself when he got a quick message of discontent, moving his unoccupied hand to her other breast and tugging on the hardened peak.

She exhaled with a rush of hot air, her skin positively burning up under his touch, until they started to intertwine their magics even more, and he realised that what he was now receiving from her, was the same kind of desire he felt. It was glorious.

"I want you so much, Draco," she whispered against his collarbone, nibbling at his skin there.

"I'm all yours. Don't you know that?"

She stared into his eyes, her irises almost swallowed by her widened pupils, leaving only a small ring of that compelling chestnut brown. It was difficult for him not to simply pull her down and bury himself inside of her, no matter how much he felt the need to give it all more time. Immersed in her eyes and emotions, he only registered that she'd freed him from his loincloth, when she slowly stroked her hand along his rigid length. Barely stifling a growl at the intolerable hassle of opening her complicated girdle, he let it and the blouse she'd managed to wriggle out of, fall onto the mat next to them. Her chest heaved with the quick breaths she took, causing his view to focus on the richly painted decorations on her skin. He closed both hands around her breasts, weighing the supple flesh in his hands and squeezing the puckered nubs between his fingers. Her responding feelings were a wave of passion, and he just knew he'd come within seconds the moment he plunged inside of her.

Stopping her caresseses with a squeeze around his dick, she loosened her skirt and pushed it down her thighs, revealing a neatly trimmed triangle of coarse hair and glistening moisture along her slit. She was as ready for him as he was for her.

Gripping his cock again, she increased the frequency of her strokes and watched clear beads of precome run down the flushed head of his length.

"Hermione," he rasped out when she swiped her thumb over it, spreading the sticky liquid and playing with the sensitive spot at the underside of his cock.

Looking up with the same mischief in her eyes which reached him through their connection, she smirked and then closed her lips around one of his nipples to first suck on one and then the other.

"You've got to stop that," he reiterated gruffly. Tugging gently on her hair, he sent her a desperate wave of need, so she'd understand just how much he enjoyed her caresses. Her magic weaving between his, she pushed on his chest to make him lay down on the cushions, and he followed her lead obediently. Little droplets of sweat had beaded on her hairline, emphasising the rosy hue of excitement on her cheekbones even more. She was utterly beautiful when she straddled him, her hot core hovering over his jutting cock like a taunt with its wet and pink perfection. Hermione wasn't settling on him fast enough, so he tugged on her hips until she was flush with the underside of his length. She squirmed a little, the slick sensation of her heat making him groan and buck his hips upward.

"Easy, dragon." She made a sound like a purr, canting her hips back and forth, until he was hissing from the breathtakingly pleasure-fraught sensation coming from her, caused by the friction of his cock on her clit. Now he finally understood why this little, swollen spot was so central to a woman's ecstasy.

"That is a ludicrous nickname, darling," he pressed out, emphasising the endearment, and half-choking on his inhale when she slid forward and let the tip of him rest at her opening. If he'd only jerk a little, he would slip in. He bit his tongue until the pain cleared his lust-addled mind somewhat.

Hermione looked down at him, one corner of her mouth quirked up. "Don't you want to—" She circled her hips. "—You know. Fuck me?"

He stilled her with a steely grip on her hips, hardly able to sort through which part of their shared emotions came from whom. And whether the feeling of relief that their affection wasn't completely unrequited came from him or her, or both. "Do you want me to?"

"You can feel how much I want it," she huffed. "Literally as well as metaphysically."

"I want to hear it."

"I, Hermione Granger," she began, and he stroked both hands up to roll her nipples with a harsh pinch of his fingers, but couldn't help the spark of amusement at her cheek. With a convincing undulation of her body to slot herself in the most perfect of positions, she keened in the middle of her sentence before continuing, "Want you, Draco Malfoy, to fuck me. I want you to fill me to the brim with your cock, want it as deep inside me as possible." She wriggled on him, spreading her wetness on the sides of his length. With a playful gaze, she bent a bit forward and whispered, "Want you to make me lose my mind over the feeling of your big cock stretching my tight, little cunt."

While he preened at her words, she propped herself upon his shoulders, and tilted her core a little to get that fraction of a better angle.

Catching his eyes, she added, "And you better do it soon." Throwing her head back, she finally slid down his cock.

Draco was positive he had died and gone to heaven.

She rested a little, her tight inner walls accommodating him. The hot feeling of her surrounding slickness made him whine louder than he would have cared to admit. Planting his hands firmly back on her hips, he nudged her up, watching her lick her lips, only to feel her drop down again, buried to the hilt.

"Do you like that?" she cooed softly, squeezing her muscles in a slow rhythm as she ground her cunt against his lap.

He wasn't able to give any intelligible reply. Nodding with a groan, he lifted her up and down, hearing the wet slap of their bodies loudly in his ears. Hermione's tits bounced with every descent, a drop of sweat running down her collarbone and between her breasts until he surged up to lick it off her skin.

She immediately wrapped her arms around his back, rendering him mostly motionless despite the intense pressure between them. The minute movements left him breathless as he felt her cunt starting to contract around him. Carding his hand through her curls, he pulled her head back from this neck so he could kiss her. Their bodies were slick with perspiration, causing his other hand on her hip to slip a little with her movements, so he re-adjusted his hold on her.

Seeing her nose scrunch and her lips part as she elicited soft shrieks while getting herself off on his cock, was probably the sexiest single thing he'd ever witnessed. His bollocks were already drawing up tightly, the familiar tensing of passion becoming more imminent with every grind of her body. He just hoped she would come faster than him, so he'd get to feel her clench on him shortly before he shot his load into her.

The mere thought of painting her slick channel white with his seed set him off. He thrust up while he slammed her down onto his cock, stilling them both and muttering a colourful curse against her neck. His magic was completely intertwined with hers now, their metaphysical essences entangled in a knotted net woven of magical strands and streaks of emotions. Hermione was nearly sobbing, a quick succession of, "Yes, yes, ohmigod, just like that, please," leaving her mouth until she tensed up with a guttural wail, and Draco was drowning in a blinding rush of ecstasy which blanked all other thoughts completely out. He came once more after only half a minute, their magics permeating each other entirely as he joined her in climax.

And then the fucking world fucking tilted again.

They found themselves in the exactly same position on the floor of the pillared hallway, fully clothed and absolutely breathless. He cherished her weight for a moment, still blissed out by the double climax and the overload of sensations allowing him to somewhat tune out the sticky feeling in this boxer shorts. Wrapping his arms around her, he pecked her closed eyelids, and then her nose, before pressing an affectionate kiss onto her lips.

"We're back," she whispered, but made no effort to free herself from his embrace.

He kissed her damp temple, tasting the trace of salt on her skin. "It seems so."

Hermione scrambled up, looking down at her rumpled, but complete attire and watching him as he got up and dusted himself off. He felt her pondering uncertainty, wondering where the experienced events would leave them; it mirrored his own.

"Draco," she said, faltering for a split-second before blurting out, "I think my magic is stuck. I can't separate it from yours anymore."

Her words disturbed the peace he'd felt for a few precious moments. It had been a mellow feeling of content, like puzzle pieces finally slotting into their proper positions, with the final result consisting of satisfaction and pride and completeness. Reaching out carefully, he noted that there weren't any icy spikes or fiery outbursts anymore. He couldn't help the sense of utter fulfillment within himself.

As she looked up at him with widened eyes, he detected her answering emotion of happiness, but also a reluctance he suspected was due to the fact that the magic seemed to have made the decision for them. He was disconcerted at the thought of her not wanting him in the first place, that this was a one-off based on superficial fondness and mere physical allure. It was crushing.

"No," she protested, resting her hand on his chest, just where she'd opened that one button earlier. Her fingertips slid onto his damp skin, holding the small but conciliating physical connection. "It's not that it doesn't feel good. I'm satisfied as never before."

Before he could become too smug over his sexual prowess, she added, "Which is probably due to the fact that our magical cores are wrapped around each other's. It's an indescribable awareness. A claiming and feeding off of one another. But, at the same time, calming and supporting, beyond a simple magical connection. We'll need to talk that through and examine it further. That, and where it leaves us. As partners and as colleagues." And with a coy bite on her lower lip, she added lowly, "I felt you come with more than just my bodily senses. Twice. The pleasure was the most intense of all sensations possible."

He grinned. "Care to investigate that, as well?"

"I suppose our expedition to Knossos has found its end, but I'll have you know that my hotel bed is very comfortable. And we can figure out the rest without potentially prying eyes and ears," she said, stepping closer to him and letting him feel the first hints of her arousal.

He just might have agreed to anything if she kept up that pace of seduction, but then again, he couldn't have wished for a better turn out. He smiled, took her hand, and tagged along in the quickest, smoothest, highest-energy apparition he'd ever participated in.

oooOooo

Nobody took that one UFO fanatic seriously as he insisted on having seen an exceptionally long and lasting bolt of lightning hitting the middle of the excavation site during a completely cloudless night. There weren't any charred remnants to prove his observation, either.

The hail and the heat waves which Ministry employees had expected to come back to their department with Granger and Malfoy's return, in fact, didn't, despite the occasional spontaneous and violent air-turbulences.

Harry Potter, having finally added two names to that peculiar, old parchment he'd found a few weeks ago, whistled smugly as he patted the bulge of galleons in his trouser pocket.

FIN

I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! Please be so kind and leave a comment :).

I couldn't fit in more background to this fic due to the tight deadline I had. But I'd like to expand a little, if you allow me, because I've developed an extensive headcanon.

I've been thinking about complementary elemental magic for quite some time before I saw the prompt and it somehow came all together. I imagine that their magic simply fits together like puzzle pieces, just that for them, a complete merge leads to a connection which can't be destroyed (making them immensely powerful, btw, which is what Harry deducted from the ancient scroll he found in his office, and which leaves him a little disconcerted because Malfoy and power is a dangerous combo but he knows Hermione like no other. So she'll have Malfoy fast in her grasp ;) ). This surge in power is what catapults them back out of the labyrinth when they finally meld and become "one".

This type of magic doesn't make or need them to be married. The merging of the magical cores is key here, and that they simply fit. In general, I think it also could happen between siblings or close friends, or, if the situation arises, between strangers. That would make an interesting premise!

(Excerpt of my answer to a comment I got on AO3).

I'll probably go on a holiday from writing and publishing until the end of the year, as there are still RL issues I need to take care of and which will occupy a lot of my time. But I hope to be back next year with updates to Appendices and new material alike :D.