The Morning After
Disclaimer: The characters and some places mentioned in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. The plot and any new characters seen throughout are mine.
A/N: I have only ever written one other fic and I didn't like all of the disclaimer business. I just figure that now is as good a time as any to say that I will not be writing anymore should I choose to continue this story.
Once again, it's a Draco/Hermione fic. I decided to go with a different idea that just came to me one day while I decided how to finish (or if I will finish) A Malfoy Marriage of Convenience. I am not sure if this is any good at all. I really only wrote it for fun (and because I had some time on my hands).
Anyways, I hate being so formal so I'm going to get right to the point . . .
* * * * * * * * * *
"Mmmmm . . ." Hermione sighed, basking in the early morning sunlight. She didn't think she had ever felt so relaxed when she woke up before, just totally refreshed and mellow. Her eyes were still closed, but she had a smile on her face as she thought of all of the fantastic things that she could do on her vacation while she was visiting Florida.
Hermione threw her arms out gaily, ready to hop out of bed and take an early morning shower.
"OW!" the man beside her cried out. She had elbowed him in the eye.
Hermione's snapped open. "Ohmygoodness! I'm so sorry!"
"Don't worry about it," the man muttered, prodding gently at the flesh around his eye. "Hopefully I won't bruise . . . too horribly."
Glad to hear it, and actually still a little tired, Hermione settled back into bed and shut her eyes again. "You'd better get some ice for that Malfoy."
There was a brief pause.
"MALFOY!?" came her sudden realization.
"GRANGER!?" was his.
Hermione threw back the sheets, quickly pulling them back up when she realized that she was naked as the day she was born. "What the hell are you doing in my bed Malfoy!?" she demanded of him.
Malfoy looked horror-struck. "That's what I should be asking you!" he exclaimed. "Your Mudblood body is in my bed!"
Hermione looked around the room. Malfoy was right. The cozy hotel room that she thought she had slept in was very much unlike this one. This room was spacious and luxurious. It was perfect for the Slytherin playboy. Hermione covered her face with her hands, afraid that she might cry.
"When did you get married Hermione?" Draco asked in a shaky voice, as though he was almost afraid of the answer.
"I'm not married," was the muffled reply from behind her palms.
"Really?" he choked out. "Because those rings that you're wearing say that you are."
"Rings . . . ?" Hermione looked at her left hand. Gracing her finger was a stunning engagement ring; 6 carat pink diamond set on white gold. A matching wedding band was also sparkling in the sunlight.
Hermione looked at Malfoy helplessly. "A gift?" she ventured weakly.
"From me apparently," Draco told her regretfully. "Mine matches your set."
Indeed it did. What were they going to do?
"Merlin Malfoy!" Hermione snapped in frustration. "How could I marry you!? Of all people!? I despise you!"
"There are no professions of love coming from this side of the bed Granger. Let me just remind you of that!" Draco snapped back.
There was another tense moment of silence.
"Draco . . . do you think we . . . .?" Hermione coughed to get her point across.
A slow smile spread across her supposed husband's gorgeous face. "Did we what?" he asked her with a cherubic smile.
Hermione rolled her eyes, blushing. "You know . . ."
"I haven't the foggiest idea what you're on about Granger. Why don't you just make it easier for the both of us and spit it out," Draco smirked, he was definitely enjoying this.
Oh he knew what she was talking about, of this Hermione was sure. "Did we . . . . you know . . . . have . . . . I mean . . . did we . . . consummate the marriage last night?" Her blush deepened. Never would she have imagined having this kind of conversation with Malfoy, let alone while she was naked in the same bed as he was.
Malfoy laughed. "Perhaps we did," he told her. "I'm sure that you enjoyed it immensely, something I can't even dream I felt in return."
"Malfoy, you really shouldn't flatter yourself. It's not very attractive," Hermione commented, her embarrassment gone. This conversation was beginning to bore her already. Malfoy was going full steam ahead towards a sermon about himself and his prowess in bed. She could feel it already. As far as this marriage was concerned, they would have it terminated as soon as possible. Pulling the sheets from Malfoy and wrapping herself in a toga-like fashion, she left him on the bed with only the comforter.
"Where are you going?" he asked her, trying hard not to admire the goddess-like appearance this new style gave her. Apparently Hermione hid quite the body underneath her school robes. Such a shame to waste it on a Mudblood.
"I'm going to take a shower Draco, since it concerns you so much. We can discuss what we're going to do about our nuptials later." Gracefully, with her head held high and her eyes full of as much dignity as she could muster, Hermione walked towards the suite's bathroom and shut the door behind her.
* * * * * * * * * *
Draco toweled himself off and grabbed one of the complimentary robes hanging from the bathroom door. That was just what he needed. A nice cold shower to cool down his body. Honestly, he felt like a horny teenager. Just thinking he had probably kissed and caressed Hermione's creamy skin and couldn't even remember it, then the image of her wrapped like an Aphrodite in the sunlight, then the idea that only a door, which he could unlock with a few words, separated him from her soft, wet body.
Draco grabbed his toothbrush with a high degree of disgust, he had recalled that this was the Mudblood he was thinking about. Maybe she was sexier than he remembered her, but he simply could not marry a Mudblood. Then again . . . the deed had already been done. Perhaps he could become quite comfortable with this new arrangement. Aside from the fact that he had always made such a big deal about it in school, with the fall of Voldemort, people had stopped caring about blood lines. If the wizarding world no longer cared, why should he? Why should the blood in her veins stop him from having his wicked way with her? Hmm . . . somehow the idea of throwing Hermione into a bed and taking her lacked the ickiness he might have once felt at the thought. Actually, it had a lot of appeal. With this in mind, Draco exited the bathroom with a smile.
* * * * * * * * * *
For once, the feeling of being sure of something was bittersweet for Hermione. She knew that Draco had been all over her last night. She saw the slight bruises and the soreness between her legs was tell-tale. It was funny that she had never planned on giving her virginity to Malfoy, but to her true love. That was bitter. Knowing she was sure of what had happened, but also knowing Draco didn't, was sweet. She could keep it a secret and then have this whole ridiculous encounter annulled. He had the money and the power to get the whole ordeal over with in a hurry. Picking up a strawberry and dipping it in whipped cream, Hermione felt the satisfaction she always got from coming up with an excellent solution to a problem. After it was all over, Draco and herself could walk away from this horrible business and pretend it had never happened.
Just then, Draco appeared at the door in a deep green robe. Hermione looked away from him. Her blush was returning.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Draco shamefully enjoyed his wife's discomfort. He had always enjoyed pissing her off. However, he also realized that there was a certain cuteness in her annoyance. Her cheeks were stained with a pretty pink blush and she refused to look at him.
"We need to talk Malfoy," she told him unnecessarily, picking up another strawberry. What a women she was! She was already putting on a brave face!
Draco didn't hear what followed as he watched her spread her plum lips and pop the end of the strawberry in. He was instantly jealous of those lips when she licked them in an innocently seductive fashion, tasting the last of the cream from them.
"What do you think?" she finished. She got not response. "Draco!" she snapped.
"What?" he demanded, finally tuning into his wife's voice.
"Just cal your lawyer this afternoon ad tell him that you want to get an annulment as soon as possible. Tell him that you don't know what you were thinking and you are not ready to be married and that you want to be single again by tomorrow night. Tell him anything that will get as out of this mess the fastest," Hermione replied. "After this, you and I can go back to our own lives and act like this whole thing never occurred."
Draco was stunned. Not so much by what she had just said, but because he knew he did not want any such thing to happen just yet. Let's say he was driven by lust. "Of course I can't do that," he said instead.
Hermione's eyes widened. "Why the hell not!? This was all a big mistake and I want it to be over as quickly as it can possibly be!"
Good question. Why the hell not indeed. Fortunately, Malfoys always had an answer to the hardest of queries.
"First of all, I can't admit that I didn't have the foresight to get my own wife into bed. Secondly, I won't have people wondering about the undignified circumstances in which we were wed that would cause me to wake up the very next morning and regret it," was Draco's response.
It was at the tip of Hermione's tongue to tell him that he had gotten his wife into bed and could she please be set free, but she bit the words back. She would not give him the satisfaction.
"Draco be reasonable!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "I don't want to be married to you anymore than you want to be married to me!"
Draco got up and headed to the closet. "Hermione, I've made up my mind already. No annulment. We at least have to stay married for a reasonable amount of time."
"And what exactly is a reasonable amount of time Malfoy?" Hermione snapped. "I won't sit around with you for years and years waiting for you to get bored of the novelty!"
Draco chose to ignore the question. "Hurry up and get dressed Mrs. Malfoy," he told her as he flicked through his wardrobe. "We're going to see who married us last night. I have my money on the chapel downstairs."
Draco heard Hermione's shriek of anger and ducked just in time as the bowl of strawberries flew towards his head, shattering against the wall behind him. He stood and looked at the mess with a shake of his head. "Really Hermione," he said, clucking his tongue as he waved his wand to clean up the shattered glass and smashed berries. "That was unnecessary and no way for a Malfoy bride to behave."
Hermione's response was to send the dish of whipped cream the way of the fruit bowl.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Yes indeed. I do remember you two," the old parson said with a frown. "You burst in here late last night demanding a marriage certificate and ceremony. You were totally drunk, but refused to leave without a wedding. Had the rings ready and everything."
Hermione choked back a sob. Draco, although his face drained of colour, tried to remain calm. "Who was our witness?" he asked in a cool voice.
"A little barmaid," replied the parson. "Pretty little thing, but she shivered the whole time in those slivers of material around her waist and chest."
"I don't know any barmaids here!" an incredulous Draco exclaimed. "Where did she come from?"
"I assume she came from the bar you had been at previous," the parson replied in a disapproving voice. "I see you regret getting married at all," he commented. "Funny, I regret performing the ceremony. Stayed awake all night feeling guilty."
Draco, seeing Hermione redden with shame, felt riled. Nobody insults a Malfoy or his wife. He took her hand and rubbed a thumb over it in a soothing fashion. "We don't have any regrets, he informed the parson quite forcefully. "We simply came to obtain a copy of the certificate, the video if you have one, and pictures."
The old man nodded grimly and reached into a desk drawer. He took out the said items and passed them to Draco.
"Thank you for your time," Draco told him, standing, taking Hermione with him. "We'll just be on our way."
As soon as they were back in the foyer, Hermione snatched her had from her husband's grasp. "I was drunk on my wedding day Draco!" she snapped angrily. "There is no way I'm staying in a loveless marriage with you!"
She really was quite a stunning creature when she was angry. "Hermione, you're making a scene," he said instead. "People are staring. Now smile, we might have to talk to some of them over dinner later. You'll be meeting some of my associates."
Realizing that he was right, Hermione obliged him with a small smile and allowed him to take her hand. She would give him hell when they arrived back in the hotel room.
* * * * * * * * * *
A/N: Well that's what I have so far, and I actually have a plan for the next chapter too if I bother to write it. Review and tell me what you think. If I get some good feedback, I'll spend more time on following chapters.
~CaramelSweetness66