Draco crept up behind Hermione as she made her way to Charms alone and with her nose in a book. Her distracted state worked in his favor. He snatched the book from her hands and twisted away before she could reach for it.
"Hey!" She yelled. "Give it back, Malfoy." He backed away as she approached him. Her hands were on her hips and her eyebrows were stitched together. The whole stance was pretty sexy, in his opinion.
"Why would I do that, Granger?" He questioned while examining the warn cover. "Hogwarts: A History?" He raised his eyebrow at her.
"Yes, not that it matters to you, but it's my favorite . Now, I'll ask one more time. Give. It. Back."
"What will you do if I don't?" He teased and held the book over his head and out of her reach.
"Do you remember last year?" The color drained from his face as he remembered the blow he received from the bushy haired Gryffindor. In his brief moment of distraction, she jumped up and retrieved the book from his hand.
"Ha!" She exclaimed triumphantly, with the book as her trophy . "If you'll excuse me," She turned on her heel and started back down the hall.
"Where are you going!?" He called after her retreating form. He was a bit angry that she could easily walk away from him, unaffected by his being, while he was left with a flame of curiosity that she had sparked.
"Class, Malfoy! If you had any sort of common sense, you'd go too." Draco growled and kicked the stone brick wall, and went the opposite way. "If I had common sense I wouldn't want to know you."
. . . . .
Harry squirmed next to Hermione as they sat at the lunch table and ate in peaceful silence. After a couple more minutes Hermione sighed and set her fork aside. Ron continued to shovel food down his throat.
"Alright out with it. What's got ants in your pants?" Ron raised an eyebrow at her. "It's a muggle saying." She answered his silent question.
"I have creepy news and aggravating news. The first has something to with a Slytherin and the other with the Prophet. Pick which one."
Hermione took a second to think about it.
"The Slytherin, that'll be easier to deal with than the Prophet."
"Malfoy has been staring over here since you got here." They all turned and looked over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy didn't looked at all embarrassed about being caught staring at them. He smirked and winked at Hermione. She scowled at him and turned back to Harry.
"The next one."
Harry gave Ron a look and the red head reached under the table and handed them his copy of the Daily Prophet. Harry and Ron exchanged a look as she skimmed the main article. At the end she was livid.
"You've got to be kidding! I'm not dating Harry or the Bulgarian bon-bon Viktor Krum!" Hermione spat as she slammed the paper down.
"I was worried to tell you. I'm sor-" Hermione interrupted his apology.
"No. Thank you for telling me. I'm just going to go to the library. I'll see you at dinner, Harry." Hermione gathered her things and rushed from the Great Hall.
"I guess I'm not gonna be there!" Ron hollered behind her, offended that she didn't say she'd see him. While Harry and Ron eased into a quidditch discussion, Draco slipped out of the Hall behind the Gryffindor.
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Draco found her in an empty corridor, leaning against the wall with her forehead resting against the stone. As he drew closer to her he could hear her muttering angrily to herself. His lips twitched up in to an amused smirk.
"Is the Hermione Granger going to let one mental woman upset you?"
"Go away, Malfoy. I can't deal with you right now." It would have sounded more threatening if her voice hadn't been muffled.
"I don't take orders. Not from the likes of you." Draco stopped next to her.
She groaned and stepped back to face him. "Fine, I'll go." He reached out and gripped her upper arm a bit forcefully. She glared at him, but didn't try removing herself.
"Answer me something, Granger."
She didn't give him permission to ask her anything, but he didn't hear a no either, so he continued. "Why?"
"Why what?" Hermione snapped.
"Why did you give me the book?" Hermione turned to face him.
"We all do things for reasons we don-" She started to say.
"I don't believe that. Neither do you."
"What do you want from me!? Huh!? We hate each other, everyone knows that, we know that! Why won't you just leave me alone?!" When she was done shouting, she barely noticed that they were centimeters away from each other. Draco was in awe over her. All of her. He'd only ever made her school life miserable or at least tried to. And yet she was still, standing up to him. If anyone ever doubted her place as a Gryffindor, this was solid proof she was placed right.
An overwhelming urge to grab her and snog her senseless took over her. He decided to do it, after all Malfoys always get what they wanted.
It was a clumsy connection. She was about to yell again, so her mouth was open enough for him to slip his tongue in and caress her's. She responded for a moment. A moment long enough for him to slide his hands down her sides. She pushed him away, slightly stumbling, but regained her balance to slam her palm across his face.
"Don't ever come near me again." With that Hermione turned and ran back toward the Great Hall. Draco stood clutching his cheek with a triumphant smirk on his face.
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A blonde glared at the Bulgarian as he handed Hermione a piece of parchment and whispered something in her ear that made her blush and nod. As Viktor moved away, Draco swooped in and snatched the parchment away while leaning down and whispering in her ear. "You're mine, Granger. The sooner you accept that, the better." With that he disappeared into the crowd, leaving an angry Granger behind him, and smirking.
TIME LAPSE!
Blaise watched as his best mate lounged against Flourish & Blotts, looking calm and collected to everyone around them but Blaise. He could see the slight twitch in his friends right hand; it was a dead give away that Draco was growing impatient.
Blaise sighed and finally spoke. "Drake, who are you waiting for?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Not that I give a flying fuck if you do or not." Draco's eyes caught something and he stood at attention. Blaise followed his line of sight and was not at all surprised at what he saw. Hermione Granger was laughing with Ron and Ginny Weasley at something their older twin brothers had said.
Blaise had noticed that Draco had been developing some sort of obsession for Granger over the last couple of months.
Draco grabbed Blaise by his collar and yanked him out of sight.
"Hey, would you mind if I go-" They heard Hermione start to say.
"Go, Mi. We'll meet you over at the Quidditch shop." Ron squeezed her shoulder and gave her a quick kiss to her temple before he veered off, followed by his siblings. Draco swallowed the urge to snap his neck.
Once she was well into the bookstore, Draco followed her in. Blaise didn't feel comfortable stalking a girl who did nothing to him personally. But wanted to be there to step in if Draco got out of hand.
Draco waited until she was in secluded area before approaching her. "Hullo, Granger." Hermione spun around and groaned when she saw who it was. She glared at Malfoy and shifted her eyes to Blaise. Her eyes softened and she grinned at him. Draco growled when Blaise smiled back.
"Zabini, how are you?" Before Blaise knew what happened, Draco had Hermione pinned to a bookshelf by her throat.
"Do not treat me as though I'm not here." He hissed through clenched teeth.
"Drake, get off her!" Blaise was trying to pull Draco away but he simply shrugged the Italian off.
"Are you never going to grow up?" Hermione spat at him. "Is that all it takes for the high and mighty Draco Malfoy sink to such a level? A mudblood ignoring you?" His eyes widened and backed away.
Blaise rushed to Hermione's side and placed himself slightly in front of her.
"That was too far, mate! Have you gone completely mental?!" Blaise snapped at his friend while Hermione glared at Draco while slightley massaging her throat.
"She'll know for next time time."
"For your sake there had better not be a next time." Hermione moved around Blaise and tried leaving, Draco stopped her by grabbing her arm and lowering his mouth to her ear.
"You know you just want a good shagging from me."
Hermione yanked herself away. "I want that about as much as I'd want terminal cancer."
Blaise barked out a laugh, not even bothering to cover it up. Draco glared daggers at Blaise over Hermione's head.
"We didn't see Potter with you." Blaise decided a change of subject would do the lot of 'em good. The colour drained from her face and a look of guilt washed over her features.
"I have to go. Ron and Gin are waiting." Once again, she tried bolting , and she would've made it but she ran into the chest one Ron Weasley.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?"
"Nothing, let's get out of here." Hermione tried tugging her best mate away but he wasn't budging.
"I wasn't aware I had to answer to you, Weasel." Draco snapped and crossed his arms.
"When it involves my girl- friend, my friend, you have to answer to me." Ron's ears turned red from his slip up.
"Ron, two things, one I'm not your girlfriend and two, I've wasted enough time on this prat. Let's get out of here." She stormed from the shop, followed closely by her ginger pet, as Draco refereed to him as.
Draco turned to Blaise with his signature smirk. The Italian raised his eyebrow in question.
"Were you not paying attention? She's not with the Weasel!" Draco was obviously thrilled by the prospect of making the lioness his as he exited the bookshop. Blaise sighed in frustration and followed him out in case he had to intervene else where.
It was going to be a long rest of the summer.
"How long were you going to keep this from me Drake? Until you killed a guy, until it's too late and you die?" Blaise shouted at the Slytherin Prince. They were lounging in Blaises bedroom when Draco decided it was a good time to reavile a secret of his to his best mate.
"Don't be dramatic, Blaise. I was going to tell you sooner but I was coaught up in other things."
"Other things? You mean Granger." Draco perked at the mention of the lioness. True Draco had become obbssed with her but in his defense his gentics willed it to be so. He hadn't even known he was Veela until a year ago, so his infatuation with Hermione Granger just seemed like a phase to him. Not fate.
"I told you because I need someone on my side when all hell breaks lose." Blaise sighed and sat down next to draco.
"Don't worry, I'll be here, you sodding prick."
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A certain pair of Slytherins decided that the rise of The Dark Lord excused them, junior Death Eaters, from the laws of the wizarding world. With that twisted and sick mindset, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle decided to make a plan to take what they had only ever fantasized about.
. . .
Hermione was patrolling the dungeons alone that night. Usually Ron went with her but going alone was her only way to avoid McLaggen. It's only a bit into the dungeons, Harry, the Slytherin prefects patrol the rest of it. She didn't even believe it. There was a massive risk with her going into a snake's nest alone and they all chose to ignore it.
"Is the ickle Gryffindork lost?" Hermione froze as she heard the cold voice sneer from behind her. Please let me be wrong. Please let me turn around and see Malfoy with that blasted smirk on his face. Needless to say she was thoroughly disappointed. Due to the fact that she was only expecting one Slytherin, she didn't have time to react when Crabbe sent a disarming spell.
Panic struck through her when she realized what situation she was figuratively thrown into. Sure she could run but she would be stuck deep in the damp tunnels with no way out. Goyle moved closer to her as she moved away.
"Get away or-"
"Or what? Scream? You're in our territory, who would actually help you?" Crabbe mocked and the pair of snakes started to close in. In a split second she decided to turn and run. she didn't make it far before they caught up and Goyle had his fist in her head. He snapped her head back and she fell to the ground, getting the air knocked from her. The three wrestled before Crabbe stepped away and pointed his wand at her chest and shouted Petrificus Totalus. Hermione snapped to the soldier stance as Goyle let her fall to the ground.
"Sit back and enjoy the ride, Mudblood." Goyle sneered before ripping her skirt from her paralyzed body.
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Draco Malfoy was patrolling when he heard the sound of muffled sobs coming from near the exit of the dungeons. Curiosity had him following the sound. Shocked couldn't hold a candle to how surprised Draco was when he saw Hermione with her knees pulled up to her chest and sobbing into her hands. Draco felt an anger rise in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to know why she was crying so hard and then kill the person her caused her to hurt.
Draco composed himself and silently made his way to her. He dropped to his knees and did the first thing that felt natural and pulled her into his arms. She yelped and tried pulling away. His grip only tightened.
"NO! Just leave me alone. No more!"
"Granger! Be still! It's me!" She froze and looked up at him. Her eyes were full of fear and panic.
"Malfoy, I- I thought you were them." Hermione buried her face in his shoulder.
"What happened?" He gently rocked her back and forth and tried to put a cap on his anger before he blew up and hurt her more. She shook her head no.
"Tell me now."
"Getting angry won't help you." She snapped back, as best as she could between sobs. Draco smirked at the sheer normalcy of her response. But it didn't matter how normal she seemed, there was a reason she was so upset. and he would figure it out if it killed him.
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Hermione had successfully calmed Draco down enough to keep him from running from the room and murdering his classmates. She was tiered and just wanted to forget about recent events. Of course that couldn't happen so she'd have to let time heal her wounds.
Draco paced back and forth as Hermione cleaned and wrapped gauze around her palm. Goyle had thought it to be fun to carve a crude G into her flesh.
"Why are you so upset, Malfoy? You weren't the one who got-"
"Don't!" He snarled at her. For the first time she actually felt fear strike her when she saw his pure black eyes. "Don't ever tell me I have no reason to be upset. Especially when it comes to you."
"Me? Malfoy, you aren't making any sense. And your eyes. What's going on?" Hermione demanded as she stood.
"Fuck, this isn't the way I wanted this to happen." Something in the way he spoke and held himself had Hermione in front of him, hands on his cheeks.
"What's going on, Draco?" His eyes snapped up to look in her's. He never thought he'd hear his name roll off her tongue, he'd dreamy of the day, but never thought it would actually come. Instead of answering her he brushed his lips against her's. She stiffened but after a second she lifted herself up on to her toes and connected their mouths. Pleasantly surprised, Draco wound his arm around her waist and dug his free hand into her hair. She hissed in pain and pulled away. Draco scowled and turned her around to look at the back of her head. He lifted her hair and just as he suspected there was a knot forming at the nape of her neck, like she was hit. He growled and let her hair fall back down.
"We have to get you to Madam Pompfrey." Panic struck Hermione at the thought of someone else knowing what happened. Draco must have sensed it because he immediately pulled her into his arms.
"I'm not going. I'll be fine. The damage isn't bad, and the pain isn't even pain anymore." Hermione stared up at him with a look that could only described as puppy dog eyes. He sighed and brushed a finger across her pouted lips.
"I'm going to regret agreeing, aren't I?"
"Not if you tell me why your eyes went all black."
Draco groaned and took a few steps back. "Here I am getting you to fall for me and you go and bring that up. Very well, sit down and I'll explain."
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Hermione was walking down the corridor toward the Gryffindor tower. It had been almost 2 days since she was told she belonged to Draco Malfoy in every way possible. It was odd to think she had no say in the matter. But at the same time she was very shocked to find herself not caring that they were meant to had helped her forget, at least for a moment, what happened to her. True he distracted her by arguing with her and then telling her life changing news.
A hand snapped out and grabbed her arm, pulling her into an alcove behind a suit of armor. She was about to scream when a hand clamped down over her mouth.
"Sh, it's okay,. It's me Granger." Hermione calmed down at the sound of Draco's voice. She pulled away as much as she could and smacked his arm.
"What is wrong with you?! I was about to hex you! You can't just go around grabbing people!" His hand was against her lips again.
"Shut up, woman! Filch will hear you."
Hermione rolled her eyes and nipped his hand.
"Oh, you want to play like that, eh, Granger?" He growled and latched onto her neck. She laughed and pulled away.
"Someone will catch us."
Draco pulled away and gave her his heartbreak smirk. "It'll happen sooner or later, love. Besides, us snogging doesn't hold a candle to the oncoming war."
Her face paled at what she knew was going to happen. She was going to run with Harry and Ron. Dumbledore had a mission for Harry and they were going to help him no matter what it was.
"Why the long face?"
"I'm leaving this summer. With Harry and Ron. Something for Dumbledore." She could hear a faint rumbling that she concluded sounded like a growl.
"Great minds think alike. I am too. I made a deal with the old man. I tell him everything I know about The Dark Lord. And after this shit storm is over I get immunity."
"Immunity? That would mean-"
"I joined the family profession? Yeah, a bit unwillingly though." He pushed up his sleeve. Even in the low light she could still see the dark snake against his pale forearm. She reached a shaky hand out and ran her fingertips across the mark.
"I'm dating a Death Eater."
She mumbled to herself.
"I'm dating a bookworm, not as bad as a Death Eater, granted but. . ." Hermione glared at him.
"Be serious, what are we going to do?"
"Why do we have to do anything? Take it day by day. Fuck up by blasted fuck up. Can you do that?"
Hermione smiled at him. "Yes, I suppose I can. You're mental, you know that, right?"
"With you always reminding me, how could I possibly forget?" Draco smirked down at her, ready for what was to come.