So I found this while I was going through an old flash drive trying to make room for some new stuf... I'm not sure why I never posted this but it's a challenge fic from YEARS ago. The challenge was:
The Library
1.A fic that centers around the library, where Hermione spends all her spare time and unknown to Harry and Ron, a certain Malfoy does as well. Should be told from the library's point of view, and the challenge is to create the library's own personality; it can either be match‑making, or just enjoying the mayhem that ensues when Hermione and Draco are together.
He always started it, with some ignorant comment about her blood status, or parentage. I wish she had been looking at him when he did because I'm almost positive he never really meant it, he liked to watch her get riled up. I rather liked to watch them argue, she always shut him up in the end. He would poke and prod, but she would never really bite. Just keep her calm and tell him in no uncertain terms he was a fool. Today was going to be no different, or at least that's what I thought. Here I am, wishing I could speak so I could tell them to stop doing this to me, I'm a well respected, prestigious library, not a place for this! I suppose you'd like to know what I'm talking about, I'll tell you the story from the beginning.
They were both working diligently at their separate tables. The sound of quills on parchment, which happens to be one of my favorites, was all that could be heard. When she finished with the book she had been using she stretched a little, pulled her curly brown hair into a loose knot atop her head, and walked over to return the book to its rightful place.
"Trolls for parents I can't really hold it against you that you can't put a book away silently" he taunted looking in her direction, watching her set the book on my shelf. She was always so good about putting them in exactly the right places.
"Malfoy, my parents are Muggles, not Trolls." She waved him off with an indifferent tone.
"Really, you could have fooled me. The way you stomp around like your feet weigh a ton I was sure you had at least a bit of Troll blood." He was still looking up from his table at her, and I could see it all over his face, he was baiting, he wanted to fight.
"I certainly do not stomp around Malfoy, honestly. Maybe all that inbreeding has your hearing too sensitive." She was leaning on a shelf still reading the book in her hand; not even phased by his comments, that was my favorite student, a calm clear head.
"No I think your ears are just clogged with all that mud in your veins." He smirked when he saw her eyes shoot up from the book in her hands and she looked at him with murder in her eyes.
I must say even I was rather interested to see her reaction. She did not disappoint, she placed the book down on the table next to her and stalked over to his. He had his hands behind his overly blond head leaning back smug in his chair. "You listen to me you ferret faced, arrogant, son of a death eater! My blood is no dirtier than yours is, maybe I don't come from a long line of spoiled, self serving, racist, murderous pigs, but I am more witch than you will ever be wizard. I've bested you in every class since first year, I've taken on creatures you run from, I've figured out charms, and riddles designed by some of our most respected professors, I even do better than you in Potions where you get special treatment. I had heard that inter‑marriage and incestuous breeding causes violence, and the pre-disposition to all sorts of mental disorders, but I never knew it caused complete and utter stupidity!"
"Easy Granger, watch what you say about my family." he chided.
"Oh please Malfoy, what are you going to do, Curse me?" She laughed, "Harry and Ron would know it was you in an instant."
"You're a terrible liar, did you know that." He stood and circled the table so he was standing behind her. When she turned to face him he was closer than she expected. "They know that you're here, where else would you be really, but they have no idea that I'm here every night with you. If they did you'd never be here alone. They also wouldn't think to look for you until around lunch tomorrow I'm guessing." He raised an eyebrow in question and looked her right in the eye.
"I'll ask nicely only once, please back up." She said her hand reaching for what I'm assuming was her wand, and her fingers started to shake when she realized it wasn't there.
"Looking for this?" he asked twirling her wand between his fingers.
"Takes a big man to disarm a girl and corner her. Do you plan on using my own wand against me?" she was trying to keep her voice even but it was obvious she was more than a little scared.
"Not at all, just making sure you can't use it against me." He told her. He put her wand on the table behind him and turned back to her, "Don't worry mine's in my bag."
She was trembling and he stepped even closer. "What are you doing?"
"I think I like your hair up much better. Did anyone ever tell you that you have a nice neck Granger?" he put a finger out to stroke her exposed neck but she swatted his hand away.
"Don't touch me."
"Oh, come now. There isn't a girl in Hogwarts who wouldn't sell their soul to be in the position you're in." He told her stepping just a little closer and looking down at her.
"There isn't a girl you've tormented half as much as you have me." She reminded him looking up.
"I think that aside from our playful banter, these last few weeks I've been rather nice to you. I have all the same classes, and all the same assignments, but you haven't needed for a book. I wait patiently until you are finished with them. I'm here before you several times, yet the table you favor is always available for you. You haven't told your little boyfriends that I'm here, which means you don't feel threatened." He gave each point with a half step closer until he finished and there was barely the room for parchment between them.
She was leaning against the table behind her eyes glued to his, her lips slightly parted, and her legs threatening to give way. She had no response, only shock. And then he did the unthinkable. He leaned in and lightly touched his lips to hers. Her eyes flew open and put her hands on his chest as if to push him away. I was waiting for the push for a full 3 seconds before I realized it wasn't coming, I was helpless to stop them from defiling me. Many students came here for the privacy I afford, I had seen it all, but I couldn't just let this happen. Not her, she would never disrespect my walls like this. Instead of stopping him she reached behind him and locked her fingers behind his head pulling him closer into him. His hands found her waist and lifted her to sit on the table before him. She parted her legs so that he could get even closer before they finally separated, gasping for air.
"What the hell was that?" she asked breathlessly.
He smirked down at her, "I knew you were inexperienced but I was sure you'd know what a kiss was."
"I know what a kiss is Malfoy, why did you do it?" She insisted.
"You looked like you needed it."
"Don't be an ass, why have you been in the library these last few weeks? You never studied here before."
"There was never anything I wanted to study here before." He told her
"So you're saying you've been coming here for me? You've been watching me for weeks? Suddenly my blood status means nothing?" And with that she finally tried to push him back. It did nothing he stayed there holding her helpless against the table.
"Your blood has meant very little to me for quite a while actually, it's simply the best way to get you all riled up, and I rather enjoy watching you breathe hard and flush that perfect shade of red. It gives me something to aspire to when I finally get what I've wanted all semester. Which is you." He told her calmly.
"What are you playing at Malfoy? Back up. Get away from me." She said still trying to push him back. "You're up to something and I don't like it."
"Oh I'm up for something all right," he said suggestively, and leaning in to run his nose over her neck. "But it's nothing more sinister than half the other boys in the castle are looking for from you."
"Don't touch me." she said firmly finally succeeding in pushing him back so she could close her legs and slide off the table. He stayed right in front of her, determined look in his eyes.
"Your actions just a few moments ago don't agree with your words Hermione." he laughed.
I'd never heard him use her name before, and I was starting to wonder what he was up to. He had a rather dodgy look about him normally and he didn't seem like the nicest of people.
"Don't do that, don't use my name as if it doesn't disgust you." she said unable to look him in the face.
"You definitely don't disgust me, actually quite the opposite. I told you, things have changed Granger, my father's in Azkaban, your precious Potter has taken out the dark lord, and I've proved to several important Order members that I really have no intentions of following in either of their footsteps now that my life is no longer in danger." He explained, she was listening so intently that she didn't seem to notice that he was again close enough to over power her. He slid a finger under her chin and forced eye contact, "I have made my intentions very clear, and you responded very much the way I wanted you to at first. I'm very used to getting the things I want Granger, but I can be patient when need be. I won't stop coming here. I will eventually get what I want, but I'm willing to wait until you realize you want it too." He lowered his face to hers again, but he only kissed her cheek lightly." Finally it was over, they wouldn't be doing anything unforgivable within my walls. He was walking away, he rounded the table again to pick up his things and she simply stood breathing heavily with her eyes closed. Finally she opened her eyes again and turned to face him.
"Draco." She was hesitant
"Yes?" he asked.
"Did you mean it?" she asked him.
He only raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"This isn't some sort of game? A way to embarrass the stupid mud blood?" she looked directly into his eyes.
He was sincere in his answer, it was written all over his face, "No it's not a game, and don't call yourself that."
She walked around the table to his side and stood so now his back was to a shelf, "You're serious, about all of it? No games."
"No games. My word may not mean much to you yet, but it will, and I promise I'm not going to hurt you."
She hardly waited for him to finish his statement before she had him pinned to the book case, her body pressed against his, and her hands buried in his hair. She wasn't even being careful of the books on the shelf, it was infuriating really all of my wonderful books painstakingly collected, and organized with precision. And here they were, knocking into them as if they were nothing. He spun them so that she was backed up to the books and he dragged his nose down from her ear to the hollow of her throat and her head fell back knocking the books through to the other side and onto the floor. It hurt more than I could say to see the student who had always taken such good care of me and my books, so disregarding of them now. And then everything took a turn for the worse, they were about to do the most disrespectful of things that I could imagine and I was helpless to stop them. I wished for a voice to scream for Madame Pince who never bothered to stay with the two, she trusted them.
He dropped to his knees before her, and she looked down at him confused. He smiled a genuine smile up at her and if hadn't known he wasn't about to destroy the sanctity of my walls I would have thought he was about to propose marriage. He rested his head on her stomach as he ran his hands over her legs just below the hem of her skirt. She looked to be enjoying the sensation and she inched herself down so that his hand slid just under her skirt, he gave her another crooked smile before he kissed her thigh. She shifted her leg to let him move higher and he obliged with out hesitation. Before I could mourn what was about to happen he had covered her most sensitive area with his lips and she was already panting one leg being supported by his shoulder.
"Draco, please" she managed to say, "Not here" THANK GOD SOMEONE"S STILL THINKING. That's right get out of here with this nonsense. No such luck though he dragged her innocent looking knickers down her legs and returned to his musings. She bit hard on her lip obviously holding in the sounds that were fighting to escape her.
When it seemed as if she could no longer support her own weight he rose to stand in front of her, and wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground again. This time she pulled her legs around him. He put her down on the closest table and laid her back as he kissed her. Her fingers dug into the backs of his shoulders holding onto him for dear life. When he finally broke free he looked into her eyes and smiled she tried to pull him back down again. He shook his head, "Not here, not like this." he whispered.
She whimpered a little, obviously unsatisfied with his choice. I however was grateful to see that he was somehow still using his head. He leaned in and kissed her again, more chaste than before and ran his thumb over her disappointed face. "I told you, I always get what I want. I also told you, I'm willing to wait until its right. You will have everything those pretty eyes are begging for, in good time."
"What now?" she asked her voice more meek than I had ever heard before.
"Now, we collect ourselves and our things, I walk you to your portrait and kiss you good night." He explained as if it made all the sense in the world.
"I didn't mean RIGHT now, I meant tomorrow and from then on? What are we?" She asked unsure if she was ruining the moment,
"Tomorrow, we meet outside the great hall before breakfast and decide how we're going to keep me alive when you tell your friends that we're together. If I survive, we go from there. Does that answer your question?" he pulled her up so she was sitting on the edge of the table and he could look her in the eye.
"I suppose so, I hope you know there's more than a good chance that you won't survive." she smiled
"Potter knows what's coming, he won't be expecting it tomorrow, but he's been more than a little suspicious. We've spoken, I asked him to let me come to you in my own way, in my own time. I'm rather convinced that I can handle Weasley." he told her
"You, talked to Harry? Now I'm really sure the world has come undone." she laughed.
"I told you he was suspicious. Found me following you in here a time or two, so he cornered me on the quidditch pitch between practices. I didn't see the point in lying, he was in the meeting with the Order and I, he believed that I really had no ill intent. He did mention that the A.K. wasn't out of the question should I make the slightest mistake where your heart is concerned, but other than that he seemed to be OK." He explained.
"Ron's going to be out for blood." she giggled
"As I said I can handle him. If this is what you really want?" he had to ask; to make sure.
"Yes, I think it is. We'll just get though the morning and take it from there?"
"Yes. Now let's get you back to your common room, before Harry realizes I've chosen tonight to, 'talk' to you about this." Draco helped her down from the table, she walked over and picked up her wand from the table he'd left it on earlier.
They pulled together their things and began to walk out. Leaving me in shambles sullied and tainted. Suddenly Hermione spun on her heel and pulled out her wand. She began to meticulously summon the books that had fallen back to their homes, and she even performed a very well executed cleaning charm on the books, shelves and tables they had found their way onto.
Well I suppose if she's respectful enough to clean up after herself, I can forgive one indiscretion in the name of young love, but only for my favorite student.
