It was nearing midnight, the castle silent and still, as Hermione made her patrol of the corridors. She had very nearly completed her circuit, ending as she nearly always did, in front of the Room of Requirements, when she noticed movement. She was ready to deliver her 'Being Out of Bed After Curfew' speech, when she saw the white blonde hair of the man exit the RoR. There was only one person at Hogwarts with that color hair and a complete disregard for the school rules. Malfoy.
He didn't have patrol tonight. She knew he didn't have patrol tonight, that was one of the reasons she had patrol. Everyone knew better than to have both of them patrol on the same night.
She debated for a split second on just letting him go on his way instead of dealing with his likely bullshit, but she wasn't a damsel in distress, and she wasn't afraid of him. She held her wand pointed to the ground, not quite willing to put it away, but also unwilling to point it at him. It was after all the equivalent of pointing a loaded gun at someone.
"Malfoy!" His blonde head snapped up at the call and an immediate sneer formed on his lips. "You are out of bed after curfew, two hours after curfew actually. Per the rules, that is going to be twenty points from Slytherin. Please see yourself to your common room."
She had a millisecond of hope that he'd take his punishment, and just leave it alone but of course not. Not Malfoy, he couldn't ever just leave it alone.
He stalked towards her, his arrogance and anger, a cloak of hate. "You stupid little mudblood cunt, don't you know how to address your betters? How about I show you."
With a quick flick of Hermione's wand he was frozen in place.
She was so unbelievably tired of the constant belittling. Her anger growing the more she thought about all times she had been told she was less than this boy and that she should be afraid to be alone with him. It was time to set him straight.
"Ah yes, better than me? How exactly are you better than anyone?" Hermione said as she circled the frozen boy. "Oh! I know you're at the top of your class! Wait…. No…..that's me, isn't it? So maybe you are the best Seeker? But no that's Harry." Hermione stopped in front of him tapping her finger to her chin, head cocked to the side in the universal signal of confusion. "Maybe, just maybe, you think you're the best because your family is rich, but news flash I can guarantee that my family has quite a bit more than yours ever will. But of course that's not why you really think you're better than me is it? It's your pedigree. You're a Pureblood and you are able to trace ancestors back for centuries, that's your only claim to being my better. You know everyone keeps insisting I not be alone with you, to not antagonize you. That somehow, you'll get the drop on me and harm me, that you are to feared. But perhaps, someone ought to have told you, not to be alone. That you could be hurt." Hermione leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Want to know a secret? Something that no one here knows? Of course you'll never be able to tell another soul but no matter!" She trailed her tongue up his ear, "I am the most dangerous thing in this castle. And my blood is most definitely as pure as yours, don't you know?" Hermione pressed her body close, her touch deceptively intimate. He sucked in a sharp breath, glad her spell allowed him to breathe if nothing else. His body growing hard in response to her presence. The humiliation of responding to her was likely going to haunt him for a very long time. "I was born royalty. Muggle royalty to be sure but I am still quite highly placed." She traced the buttons of his black shirt with her wand, slicing it straight down the middle. She followed the wand with a finger running down his chiseled chest. "I am the Duchess of Crom and from now on I'll be addressed as Your Grace or My Lady. Any other form of address and I'll cut your tongue out and force you to eat it. Don't forget Malfoy… I am the most dangerous person around, and you've made yourself my enemy." Bestowing a last nip on Draco's ear lobe, Hermione, turned swiftly and made her way to her dorm.
It wasn't until morning that anyone found Draco Malfoy, still spell frozen, achy and so very cold. When asked what happened, his usually pale face, would go ashen and he refused to say a word.
But every once in awhile he would catch Granger's eye, his heart would race, sweat would break out all over his body. He knew, she was the Most Dangerous thing in the Castle.