Disclaimer: Last I checked, I was unfortunately not JK Rowling
Draco stepped into the exotic room and his senses were immediately bombarded. Incense was swirling in misty clouds as his eyes scanned the room. The luxurious cushions placed around and the placated men lounging on them, the colourful scarves draped across the ceiling and over the doors and windows. The room exuded opulence and indulgence.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Draco thought as he kept his face neutral. He was still surprised at the antics of his comrades. He had been convinced by his mate to come to this "reputable establishment" but knowing his friend he wasn't convinced of the reputable status.
Draco was led by a gorgeous woman to a cushion and gently pushed into a sitting position. His eyes were level with her womanhood which was clad in purple scarves and harem pants. Her bare belly was glittering and led to her beaded bra.
"Draco, you've arrived just in time! The show is just about to start." Zabini grinned lecherously at him around scantily clad woman on his lap. She was dressed as an Arabian harem member. The already dim lighting dimmed even more as Zabini leaned over and said in a low voice, "I know strippers aren't your thing, but mate, its your 21st birthday. You have to live a little." Zabini pinched the woman's bottom and she squealed and squirmed in his lap. "Although, technically these women aren't strippers. They're classier than that."
Draco rolled his eyes at his friend and continued to peer around the room in the semi-darkness. The only light was coming from behind a scarf at the front of the room where he could just make out the silhouettes of people striking various poses. Compared to some of the dives that Blaise frequented, this one was rather upscale. Arabian music began to filter through the air and the silhouettes began an entrancing series of movements as the scarf was pulled back to reveal several women dressed as Arabian belly dancers. Their bodies started flowing with the music. Hips shaking, shoulders shimmying. The ancient art of belly dance came alive with their movements. The women moved about the room and teased the patrons with scarves and erotic dance moves.
Draco appreciated the talent of the dancers, yet was unimpressed with them as sex symbols. A thin woman placed her scarf around Draco's neck and enticingly shimmied her breasts in near his face. He could make out individual beads on her bra when he focused more on the bra than the breasts nearly spilling from it. Sensing that she was not Draco's type, she slid the scarf sensually from his neck and moved on to find a willing patron.
Colours and women floated around him as the drums and flutes played their Arabian music. Everything seemed to be building to a crescendo when the women congregated in the centre of the room and froze on the final beat of a drum. There was utter darkness and silence for a few tense heartbeats. Draco could hear the panting of the aroused men in the room and sneered in disdain.
"You'd think they were dogs." Draco thought to himself.
Suddenly, Draco heard a drumbeat and felt it rumble through his core. Light gradually returned to illuminate a single figure at the front of the room. This was obviously the primary dancer in the show. She had her back to the audience with her arms raised above her head with the backs of her wrists touching. With every steady drumbeat, her head slid from side to side, her hips moving in the opposite direction. There was something enticing about this woman that wasn't present with the earlier dancers. This woman had curves, and lovely ones at that. She was obviously celebrated her curves as well. Draco sat enjoying the sway of the graceful bum before him.
When the woman turned around her face was hidden by a thin red scarf. Only her eyes showed and the mystery added to the dancer's allure. She was more conservatively dressed than the others. This woman wore a skirt that had slits up the sides and only offered tantalizing views of her leg when she chose to allow it. Her beaded bra enclosed beautiful, full breasts. Draco felt his mouth become dry, his palms began to get clammy, and his trousers became noticeably tighter. He would have felt ashamed if he wasn't so entranced by this woman's movements.
She moved like water, her body flowed gracefully with the music that assailed his senses. She moved around the room and never seemed to stand still. Her hips moved with a mind of their own as her arms glided elegantly. The speed of the music was increasing and she was twirling in a flurry of red and gold scarves. When she stopped, her veil had been removed and she struck her final pose with her chest heaving. Wolf whistles and catcalls rang out through the room and the dancer's smile was shy and seductive at the same time. The men went wild as Draco sat dumbstruck by his arousal, as well as another fact.
The smile of the woman in front of him was heartbreakingly familiar. It was a smile that no one in the wizarding world had seen for nearly a year. It was the smile of Hermione Granger.
Hermione glanced around the room as she caught her breath from her previous routine. There were some members who frequented the club that she recognized and those from whom she had declined offers of sex. She was a dancer, not a prostitute. As she sensually lowered her arms and prepared for her retreat she sensed the other girls of the club going to mingle with the patrons. She always preferred returning to the dressing room to change before mingling so that she wouldn't be recognized as the final dancer. Men seemed to assume that a sensual dance meant that she was willing to put out, either for money or pleasure. She much preferred when they didn't know.
She felt a particularly intense stare as she made her way to the exit and slowly turned to see if she could catch a glimpse of the eyes to which the stare belonged. When she was greeted with the cool gaze of Draco Malfoy, her heart began to race. She scurried to the exit and to the dressing room to quickly change before he could recognize her.
She ran to the room, tearing at the clothes that would identify her. She replaced them with the general ones that the girls wore and fixed her hair underneath a scarf. Hopefully that would sufficiently disguise her. She desperately needed Malfoy to leave this place.
As she made her way to return to the floor, she heard the footsteps with an unknown owner. She slunk to the shadows and prayed that they would pass without seeing her.
"I swear mate, that dancer was Granger." Dammit if the voice didn't belong to Draco Malfoy.
"Granger? Are you cracked Draco? Granger hasn't been seen or heard from in months. What makes you think that she would be a dancer at an establishment like this? We both know she wouldn't waste her intelligence here. Let's get out of here before the owner comes. I prefer my face arranged the way it is thanks."
Hermione held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that the ostrich tactic would work. As she heard the footsteps return from whence they came, she knew that she would have to be careful out on the floor tonight. She hurried back to the incense filled room and slipped in among the mingling patrons. As she chatted amicably with a dashing young man, she kept her eye on Malfoy who was straining his neck and ignoring the woman on his lap. He was obviously looking for someone.
"Me," thought Hermione. She hadn't contacted anyone in the wizarding world since the press fiasco had destroyed her relationship with Ron. She had "gone Muggle" and given up her magic so that she couldn't be traced. She did, however, stay in London. The city had seven and a half million people in it. Without the magic to trace, no wizard would be able to find her if she refused to be found. Ni wizard in his right mind knew how to track someone the Muggle way. Except somehow Malfoy and Zabini had wandered into her very workplace. The odds of that were alarmingly against her.
The young man was becoming a nuisance and insistent that he could show her a good time. While she didn't doubt that he could, she gracefully declined and searched for the club's owner. She spied Dan in the corner, watching silently to ensure that his employees remained safe. She sauntered across the floor dodging the cushions on the ground and the people occupying them. Dan noticed her and smiled slightly, unwilling to shed his poker face.
"Dan, you know you love me right?" she asked coyly, knowing all the while that her "feminine charm" didn't affect Dan.
"Of course I do sweetheart. But only when you need something, am I right?" Dan was willing to do anything to keep his best dancer happy.
"Can I take off early tonight? The clientele tonight are easily occupied with the girls, and you know that this is the part of the night that I hate."
Dan pretended to consider this heavily. He heaved a sigh and said, "I suppose." Hermione grinned and leaned up to kiss his stubbly cheek. "But don't get used to it. I can't have you skipping out every night."
"Dan, when have I ever been late? Have I ever let you down? You know me." She batted her eyelashes at him as she walked away.
It was because of this action that she trod on someone's foot as she collided with something solid. Whipping her head around she noticed that she had run into Zabini. She played the part that she played so well working here.
"Why hello there. Have you found your paradise tonight sir?" she asked silkily. Although she nearly gagged on the words, it was her job to ensure that all patrons were enjoying themselves. She also knew that she had to escape quickly before Malfoy joined his friend.
"Well love, I can assure you that I'd be sure to find it with you by my side." Zabini replied through lowered lashes. Hermione placed her hand on his cheek.
"I'm sure you would. But that is only an illusion." She quickly sidestepped him and tried to make her way towards the exit.
Zabini put his hand on her shoulder, and though she tensed, she had to remind herself not to do anything else. "Do you know where I can find that dancer from earlier?"
Knowing full well who he was asking about, Hermione replied, "Which dancer sir? There were quite a few."
"The final one. My mate is particularly interested in getting to know her."
"You can rest assured that she doesn't engage in that type of activity." Zabini stared at her uncomprehendingly until he realised that he made it sound like Malfoy was looking for a prostitute.
"Oh no! Not for that, although I'm sure that he's interested, I mean she is gorgeous…" Zabini fumbled his words charmingly as his cool façade became flustered. "I meant that she looked familiar and we wanted to catch up with an old friend. Could you maybe tell us her name?" Zabini began speaking in the plural as Malfoy came up behind Hermione and stood beside her.
"Yes, a name would be fantastic. Would you please help us out?" Malfoy asked suavely, exuding charm. Luckily Hermione was ready for that sort of attack and was unsusceptible to it.
"I'm sorry, but the names here are confidential for privacy reasons. All I can tell you is that we call her Apinaya. Now if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have a prior engagement." Hermione hurried as quickly as possible away from the two Slytherins in hopes that they would drop the subject.
There were many things that Hermione wanted in her life, and being found was not one of them.
AN: I do hope you liked this so far. Review with your thoughts if you'd like : )
Until next time...