Chapter 1

Danger a la Française

(A/N: Cruel Intentions was one of the best fanfics I've ever read, not only because I love the movie as well as I thought the idea of conciliating the story with the HP background fantastic. My only criticism concerning CI is the fact that the fic didn't capture all the malice and perversion of the movie — so the ideia of this fic. Other one: I had to adjust the story background a bit to fit in the movie patterns. I know that the Harry-Ron-Hermione trio doesn't spend the seventh year at Hogwarts, but the story couldn't be developed in the sixth year either. This A/N is already getting too long, but I also need to say this: I thought a lot if I would classify Dangerous Liasons as NC-17 or Slash, because the scenes which fit in the last rating belong to the background, to the secondary plots of the story and not the main. Anyway, here it goes, and I sincerely hope you enjoy :) !)

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The mountains were going by quickly, huge green revolved mantles, under the blue unclouded sky. It seemed like a perfect day — and to the passengers of the Hogwarts Express it was, as they were coming back to complete their seventh year at the famous School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry Potter stared at the bucolic vision that was passing by his windows with no interest of some sort. What was worth it, if he could not enjoy the landscape with his friends? Ron and Hermione, as prefects, were bossing around the train, implanting the goddamn discipline — and, in Ron's case, taking the chance to mistreat a bit the "little dwarfs", as he called the first year students.

At his side were Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, the best friends he could ever have in moments of conflict — but the most boring ones in times of calm. Luna was, to say the least, i unpredictable /i , with her frankly truthful comments but completely out of time, and to which generally there would be no thoughtful reply. Neville was the unhappiest boy in the face of the Earth — including in this aspect the fact of being unlucky.

The only presence that brought some light to the compartment was the red-haired one Ginny Weasley's — the most lovely girl in the world, in Harry's personal opinion. The boy loved since whoever-knows-when; however, the moron had only realized it in the last year — exactly when he had needed to break deeper relations with her due to his plan to chase Voldemort during the times to come — and in that situation, being Harry Potter's girlfriend, the Boy Who Lived, the One, the only one who could kill effectively Voldemort, would be fatal to her. Ginny would be in danger.

And burying deep his feelings for her, intending not to care so much with her presence or her attention — even so pretending that her presence didn't cause emotions in him others than friendship, was awful.

Finally, the compartment door was opened and his best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, got in.

"News?" asked Harry.

"For a start, the witch with the food cart is about to pass." said Ron, sitting beside Neville.

"You only think with your stomach, Ronald Weasley!" grumbled Hermione, sitting between Harry and Ginny. "If only you thought with other thing else…"

"I'm hungry, gosh!" said Ron. "And what did you mean with "other thing else"?"

My God, thought Harry, Ron is the most moron guy in the world.

"You're always hungry!" retorted Hermione "And you know that "other thing else" refers to your—"

"Aside the cart witch, which are the other knews?" asked Harry, thinking that he really would not like Hermione to finish that phrase.

"We have problems" said the blond-haired girl. Those were not as frizzy as before, because the genius had invented a Straightening Potion that was even less troubling than the original one. "Phlegm at fourth degree.

"And what do you mean with that?" asked Ginny. I had been her the creator of the expression "Phlegm" to refer to Fleur Delacour, her most recent and unbearable sister-in-law, who had married her brother Bill Weasley during the holidays.

"It seems that Hogwarts got involved in an interchange program" replied Hermione. "And that resulted in four examples of "Phlegm" more unbearable than ever at the side compartment, mainly in the fact of being rich, much more snobbish than Fleur; besides, one of them hit on me!"

Ginny and Luna made a surprise face.

"Those Frenchmen" muttered Ginny.

"He didn't hit on you, exactly, Hermione, be honest" said Ron in bad mood "What that presumptuous little Frenchman hit was his hand in your butt!"

"Spare me the details, Ron" asked Hermione "The fact is they are dangerous…"

"And what kind of danger do they represent?" asked Harry.

"Don't know it yet… The three of them don't inspire me trust" said Hermione. "The only one who doesn't seem to be pretentious is a certain blondie girl with shoulderlength hair. It was the only one with whom I hit it off."

"And she has a rather cute smile" said Ron with a dreamy face. Hermione threw her boyfriend a warning look, and then went on:

"The fact is, my instinct tells me we should be careful with them…"

"I hope you are talking about the Death Eaters, honey" said a hot and seductive voice from the cabin door.

Harry, Ron and Neville were open-mouthed. A dream in the shape of a woman walked into the cabin. Pale, dark almondish eyes, long brown hair down to her waist, dressed with semi-transparent black robes which revealed a bit of its interior, and a silver cross on her neck.

"O, I see you don't know me yet" said the new-comer in English with an almost imperceptible accent "I'm Kathryn Merteuil, I'm part of the Interchange Program between Hogwarts and Beuxbatons.

Her voice seemed like music to the boys's years. I wonder if she is a veela descendant like Fleur, thought Harry. Neville trembled and got completely dumb. She can't be as evil as Hermione describes her, thought Ginny, throwing her a nice smile. Ron drooled — that is the best description for the red-headed's situation.

— This one is my half-brother, Sebastian Valmont — Kathryn opened space and Sebastian entered the compartment. After the meet, Ginnt would classify him as "doom in the shape of a man". He was blonde with short hair cut tight, tall, pool-blue eyes, Armani reading glasses in his face, and the most important of all — a seductive smile.

"And what did you come to do at Hogwarts?" asked Hermione suspicious.

"Refine our English, of course" said Sebastian "And whatever else that needs to be refined…" and he winked to Ginny, who stirred all over. Harry felt the sleeping dragon be reborn in his stomach, and roar — he could even feel the smoke coming out of his ears.

"But we're also interested in— meeting people" said Kathryn, approaching near Ron — too near — and almost grazing the boy's neck.

"Hey!" said Hermione, frankly offended "He's my boyfriend!"

"O I'm sorry!" said Kathryn, with the most fake innocence face "I had the impression he was enjoying it."

Winking to Ron — who was with the most open-mouthed expression in the world — and throwing a nice smile to Hermione — contrasting with this one's fulminating glance — Kathryn left the cabin elegantly.

"Au revoir, ma chérrie" said Sebastian wooingly to Ginny "Who knows you could pay a visit at my dorm later…"

With a rascal smile and Ginny's stirring glance, he also left. The dragon in Harry's stomach released more flaming sparks.

"They don't smell good" said Hermione convinced'

"Not at all!" said Neville "Didn't you feel Kathryn's perfume? French perfumes are the best ones in the world!"

"You understood me, Neville" said Hermione. And afterwards she gave a slap at Ron, who was still drooling to the door. "Take that stupid look off your face!"

"A beautiful day for you too" replied Ron, still facing the door.

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"That snobbish blondie didn't hit with us" said Kathryn walking through the corridor "We need to give her an urgent lesson."

"Don't count with my help" said Sebastian adjusting his glasses "I've got my own plans."

"I beg your pardon?' asked Kathryn in disdain "Taking the little red-headed girl to bed? Your taste is getting worse, Sebastian."

"It's not about the appearance" replied Sebastian with a rogue smile. "Harry Potter has a crush on her, didn't you notice?"

"O yes, with that rottweiller glance he threw at you" said Kathryn opening the wagon's door "I think we should focus firstly on the blondie, because she represents danger to us.

"I'm sorry, Kathryn" said Sebastian entering behind her "If I want to crown my perverted fame sleeping with Harry Potter's girlfriend before Christmas, I need to focus on it only."

"Any idiot to fool in this damn train?" asked a voice when they got in the cabin.

"Loads" replied Sebastian, sitting aside his half-sister "But none who's worth it."

The voice was coming from the teenager with dark hair also cut tight and a nerdish look — only in appearance, as it was safe for Lamaison Rosemonde to look like a complete idiot. It made him a less likely conspirer.

"Are you getting old, my dear cousin?" pinched Lamaison.

"You're lucky Aunt Rosemonde has let you come" said Sebastian with a smile "It's enough a word of mine — and you know she loves me — and you'll be in the Hogwarts Express again without ever have stepped at the castle."

Lamaison grunted. "You don't know how to have fun."

"I think you should stop with all this crap" said a blondie with an innocent expression, sitting next to Lamaison. She was called Annette de Laclos, had blue-turquoise eyes and wore white robes. "Haven't you meddled in enough trouble?"

"The problem is that we haven't been caught yet for our funny games, dear cousin" said Kathryn, passing rice-powder in the face with the aid of a pocket mirror. You should manage to shut your mouth. Freak.

"Now, we have a problem" continued Kathryn "And Sebastian is refusing to cooperate."

"I need my total attention to my new project" said Sebastian thoughtful.

"And what project would be that?" inquired Lamaison.

"O he wants to take Potty's little girlfriend to bed" said Kathryn shrilling a thin voice.

Lamaison laughed in joy, whereas Sebastian made an ugly face and Annette twisted her nose.

"You should stop playing with the other's lives" said the blondie.

"You should stop playing with the other's lives" repeated Kathryn, shrilling the voice again. "Grow up and show up, Annette.

"What's the problem, anyway?" asked Lamaison.

"Harry Potter has a certain blonde friend and with a horrible straightened hair" said Kathryn "The problem is, besides being ugly, she's too smart. She unmasked us with only a glance. We need to give her a lesson before the bitch gets in out way."

"And how do you intend to do it?" asked Lamaison interested.

"She's got a dumb arse boyfriend, with red hair and horrible freckles." continued Kathryn "I was thinking about pulling him to my web, but to that I would need to distract the blondgirl — and there would come all Sebastian charm to corrupt her.

"I could do that" Lamaison grinned.

"Unfortunately, my dear Lamaison Rosemonde, you were not gifted with charm, flannel and beauty when born." Kathryn made him a grimace. "And for that we would need Sebastian."

"I am already busy at the moment, already said it" replied Sebastian annoyed.

"We need a tempting offer, then" Lamaison smiled.

During the whole conversation, Annette only twisted her nose and pretended to be deaf.

"A bet, what about?" asked Kathryn, putting back the mirror and the rice-powder. "I'll help you conquer the red-headed little girl then you help me to run over the blond little girl."

"I can do that by myself, thank you" replied Sebastian glancing outside.

"You'll need help to drive away Potty's attention…" said Kathryn in a sweet voice.

"Keep on tempting me" said Sebastian, bored.

Kathryn threw her final move: "You can, um, pay me nocturnal visits until the end of the term…"

Sebastian gasped, opening his huge mouth in surprise and incredulity: "You're kidding, aren't you?"

"Don't pretend you're a saint, my dear half-brother" said Kathryn "Since our parents got married you screw me with your eyes" and next she approached him and started licking his throat. "And I'm the only woman in the world you cannot touch…"

"I'm getting interested" said Sebastian in a moan "But something's missing"

Kathryn pulled her hands inside Sebastian's trousers — and Annette turned to the landscape that was passing by outside. Don't talk, don't hear, don't see.

Sebastian repelled her slightly off him and caught her by the nape of the neck, making her face his eyes.

"And if you win?"

Kathryn grinned rascally.

"I win your most precious property."

"Forget it."

Sebastian knew what she was talking about. But his journal — where were recorded all the insidious details of all his plots and conquers, where he enjoyed to write on spare time; it was only and exclusively for his own use.

Kathryn reached him again and gave him pecks on the ear. "We can train the entire Kama Sutra…"

Sebastian groaned, given in. "Alright, you've got your fucking bet" and forcedly shook hands with her.

Meanwhile, Lamaison's mind was swarming. The idea of sleeping with black-widow Kathryn was tempting, no doubt of it… Somehow, he needed to turn the fame on his favour.

A game that, by the way, had already started whereas Annette, miming the three little monkeys, saw in the evening horizon the castle of Hogwarts arise in the distance.