Once Enemies, Now Lovers
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything. It all belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling.
The alliance of the Malfoy and Parkinson families went back centuries. Names that were revered as pureblood royalty now lay in tatters as the wizarding world rebuilt itself in the aftermath of the Dark Lord's demise.
When Lord Voldemort fell during the Ministry of Magic Battle, Death Eaters were rounded up and brought to Azkaban. Not one who fared well in prison, Lucius Malfoy negotiated his release in exchange for the names and locations of fellow Death Eaters whom escaped the Ministry's watch.
Still the most feared family in the wizarding world, the Malfoys found it difficult to maintain their old social standing with old alliances dead or imprisoned. Now at their most vulnerable and prosperous, it was a dangerous combination for those who got in their way.
The Parkinsons, a family in the background during the war, supported the Dark Lord with large donations from their family's coffers. With their funds close to depletion as a result of proving their allegiance, the Parkinsons were in even more dire straits than the Malfoys.
With the war over and their former glory gone, the next generation came into play. A marriage between the families in wealth and society standing was necessary. To facilitate, weekly dinners had become a tradition and Draco and Pansy knew what was expected of them.
After another lecture and talk from their parents, Draco was excused from the dining room and instructed to retire to his quarters with Pansy. They had been together on and off for years, both knowing how much their parents wanted a marriage to join the families permanently. Pansy wanted nothing more than to become the next Mrs. Malfoy. Draco wanted anything else.
Trapped in his bedroom with Pansy was only a fraction of the torture he knew he'd have to endure were they married. With their parents downstairs and Pansy keen on mussing up the sheets, Draco needed to escape. And fast.
He longed to be outside, riding his broomstick through the night sky. Freedom only flying brought him, a break from reality and the one time his thoughts were forgotten. The moon lit up the gardens and a gentle breeze could be seen that Draco ached to lose his thoughts in.
"Join me, Draco." With sex on her mind and desire in her eyes, Pansy hiked her dress further up her thighs.
Ignoring her, his efforts were without success. Pansy upped her game, her leg up, she beckoned him over with her foot and her dress rode up even further. "Why are you so far away? I'll let you get me out of this dress if you're lucky."
"I've had you already. Luck had nothing to do with it. I know you're easy but I'm not in the mood tonight." Draco was still at the window so Pansy moved to him.
She pinned him against the window and took his hands, placing them on her hips and she grabbed his tie. Leaning up to whisper in his ear, her breath was hot, "Let me get you in the mood then. We both know I can."
"Our parents are downstairs, I said no."
"That's what they made silencing charms for, and it's never stopped us before," she told him with a sly grin. The dark Slytherin beauty was fast and quickly undoing the buttons on Draco's trousers.
"No." His restraint was impressive as he uncurled Pansy's fingers from the waistband of his trousers and pushed her away. Draco knew if he allowed this to escalate and he crossed this line with her now, he would be unable to step back from it.
"Draco, it's been weeks," she whined, grinding her hips into his. "How do you expect a girl to go without for so long?"
"You can find someone willing, I know you." With a smirk, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger only to shake her head.
Just as Pansy thought his resolve had melted, his back was to her and when at the now open door, he spoke. "It just won't be me."
The long corridor made it harder for Draco to regain his composure before sitting down with his parents and the Parkinsons again. His relatives' portraits chided him for not taking the opportunity with Pansy as others told him to remember that living up to the Malfoy name was more important than anything else.
His father wanted him married to Pansy. As the dutiful son, he was to obey without complaint. It was Narcissa that made them both re-evaluate. She loved her husband more than anything but Draco was her only child and his happiness determined the family's happiness. If Draco was happy, then she was happy. And if Narcissa was happy, Lucius was very happy.
Draco knew the power Rhys Parkinson held in their world. Rhys ran in dangerous circles and his name alone caused wizards to cave to his every demand. Nothing was below him when it came to getting what he wanted. The only saving grace for young Malfoy was that Rhys viewed Lucius as an equal, almost an equal. Parkinson fortunes needed rejuvenation and it was to come from the Malfoy vaults, no matter what stood in the way.
The doors to the parlour were open when Draco got to the bottom of the staircase and he wanted to learn more before making his presence known. What he heard already was unsettling and made him glad to be returning to Hogwarts in a week's time. What came next made him want to disappear immediately.
"Lucius, I expect a proposal by graduation. My family needs this and it is in your best interest not to disappoint me."
Draco could tell his father wasn't pleased. Rhys and Sonja Parkinson, while longtime friends of his parents, had grown increasingly impatient with regaining their former status since the War ended and became more demanding of Lucius and Narcissa.
"When Draco sees fit to propose, he will. And not a moment before."
"I thought you had more control over your son," Rhys said with condescension. "Pansy never needs to be told something more than once."
"Well, Rhys, my son has a mind of his own and I trust him to make his own decisions," Lucius replied, his face drawn tightly in an effort to appear calm and not show his irritation.
"Now, now, dear," Narcissa interrupted with a shrillness to her voice. "Enough talk of business. Sonja and I want to tell you about the Ministry's charity event we're chairing next month."
It was at the introduction of his mother that Draco once again got lost in his own thoughts. As ways to dissuade Pansy from continuing to want a relationship with him, her arms snaked around his waist.
"Being naughty, are we?" Pansy pressed against him. "What is it they're talking about?"
"I couldn't hear," he lied. "Let's go in and find out."
"You'll give in to me sooner or later. Best to stop fighting it." Pansy's breath was hot against his neck and before he could respond, she pushed him into the parlour and their parents' attention was on them immediately.
"Down so soon you two? I was certain you'd last longer." Rhys Parkinson ran his hand up his wife's thigh and squeezed, eliciting a giggle from her. "And they say young ones have all the stamina."
Sonja smiled impishly, "Little do they know we have more fun than they do."
"Mother," Pansy exclaimed. "You know nothing of the fun we have, nor will you."
Draco chuckled and gave his father a side glance before he said, "There's nothing to worry about Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson, your daughter's virtue remains in tact tonight."
Lucius nodded to his wife, and Narcissa laughed nervously. When she spoke though, there was no hesitation and she commanded everyone's attention. "And let's keep it that way. It's getting late, won't you have one last drink with us before you leave?"
"We've had enough, thank you, Narcissa," Rhys told his hostess as he stood, extending his elbow for his wife to join him. "Tonight was perfection as always."
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy, I look forward to these dinners each week." Pansy was the portrait of manners and grace to those she wanted something from. When crossed, her polished exterior fell away and all that remained was a cold-hearted young woman with a cruel streak to rival her father's. Lucius and Draco were no match for her cunning.
"Goodnight, Narcissa, we'll chat again soon." Sonja pulled the Malfoy matriarch close for a hug as the others said their goodbyes.
Left with his parents and unsure what they were about to say to him, Draco wished he could Aparate straight to Hogwarts. Hell, he'd take anywhere over the conversation he was about to endure.
For the first time in all her school years, her mother wasn't there to say goodbye. Instead, Penelope Granger said her goodbyes early in the summer, announcing the divorce petition was submitted and she hoped Hugo wouldn't fight her. There was someone else and they wanted adventure, the two of them.
Devastated with the news, Hermione supported Hugo's move and refused any contact with her mother. If Penelope wanted a life with someone else, there was no room for her in Hermione's. The arrival of her letter and Head Girl badge was the brightest spot of her summer. It was a title she deserved and one she couldn't wait to start.
King's Cross Station was bustling with people and the Grangers remained oblivious to it all. Saying goodbye this year had a finality to it, the end of an era as both Hermione and her father knew it.
"Being appointed Head Girl is a huge accomplishment, sweetheart. I am so proud of you." Pain was etched on Hugo Granger's face yet his smile was one of happiness for his little girl. He would have done anything to prevent Hermione from feeling what she did. But she was her mother's daughter, and stubbornness wouldn't allow her to see past the betrayal.
"Thank you," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I've wanted it since my first year."
"And I can't think of a better student than you. Enjoy your year, you deserve only the best," Hugo's voice was quiet as he pulled his only child to him in a tight hug. "I love you."
"I love you, too, daddy." She kissed his cheek when the hug ended and with a quick nod, Hermione turned and disappeared onto Platform 9 3/4. Bittersweet emotion swept over her as she took in the empty platform.
Standing there felt strange. Usually Ron and Harry were with her, laughing about their summer adventures and teasing her for already having read her textbooks cover to cover.
Being on her own signaled the end of an era, an era she wanted closed. Harry and Ron were her best friends, her favorite people in the entire world, and they were never to know of her mother's betrayal. No one was to ever know.
Her stoic facade began to crumble as tears pricked her eyes with the realization that she would never be here again. Shaking away those thoughts, she made her way onto the train and when she found the Head Compartment, a deep breath was required before pulling the door open. This was the start of her last year as a student at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place she called home for the last six years.
Hermione's back was to the door of the Head Compartment when Draco Malfoy made his entrance. He found the Head Girl already there and smirked at the sight before him. On her tiptoes, she was rifling through her bag overhead for something. Long legs with curves that made him want to reach out and explore, Malfoy needed to fight the urge to run his fingers across every inch of her.
Extending her reach, the shirt rode up her back and Draco tilted his head to drink in the sight of skin bare and exposed to him. Soft auburn curls fell down her back and swayed as she began to turn towards him. Knowing her face must do that body justice, his entire body stiffened when he saw the Head Girl.
"Granger?" The surprise in Draco's voice when she turned around startled them both. Did he really just fantasize about taking a mudblood in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express? He did, and after seeing her face his body still wanted her, even though his mind told him not a chance in hell.
"Malfoy." Hermione wasn't surprised, a part of her knew that he would be Head Boy. In every class since first year, he always came second to her in marks. Draco Malfoy wasn't her favorite person in the world but he wasn't the worst. He was far from the worst.
With her book in hand, she looked him up and down. Malfoy looked more mature than she remembered him. He was tall, taller than her and most likely taller than Ron. Quidditch training gave him a physique women dreamt of, and his hair, he let it grow out even more over the summer. So much so that were it not tied back with a black ribbon his platinum locks would have fallen just past his shoulders.
"Don't tell me you're Head Girl?" Malfoy exclaimed as Hermione sat down, book in one hand and her other hand grasping her wand.
"I'm don't have to, you already know I am," she said rather annoyed, not only with how he was acting and looking at her but with how she herself was feeling. "Now that the obvious has been cleared up, let's just ignore each other until we get to Hogwarts, shall we?"
"Who are you to tell me what to do, mudblood?" he spat, sitting on the opposite bench in the compartment and glaring at her. Even with keeping his eyes locked on hers, it was a struggle not to let his gaze wander to admire the rest of her.
"Shut it, Malfoy. I'm not in the mood." Hermione tucked her feet under as she settled into the corner of the bench. Wanting to forget whose company she was in, she opened her Arithmancy textbook and began to read.
"And I care about your mood, why? You're breathing the same air as me, a Malfoy." He was smug and it pissed her off.
He glared at her and she spoke again. "You'll have to deal with the fact that I'm the smartest witch in our year and a muggle born. Tough for you. I know you can be dense but what part of shut up and leave me the hell alone don't you understand?"
He chuckled and tilted his head. "All of it. The thought of you thinking I'd listen to a word you say is beyond comprehension. Even for a mudblood."
She finally looked up and her jaw was clenched. Placing the book beside her, Hermione spoke in a dangerously soft voice. "Last warning, Malfoy. You continue being a prat and I turn you back into a ferret. Or, you keep your mouth shut and arrive at Hogwarts a human. Choice is yours."
"You wouldn't."
"I would. I'd turn you back before we arrived and a quick memory charm would keep my secret." Her eyes, still warm but with a heat that was new gave Draco pause.
"This isn't over." Malfoy didn't like backing down from a fight, with her of all people. But he wasn't foolish, her hand held tight to her wand and he knew Hermione Granger was quick with a spell.
"Of course not." She grinned, knowing she won, they both did. "Maybe you'll find a new insult instead of mudblood next time, it lacks originality on your part."
Twirling the wand between her fingers, Draco was furious. How dare this commoner have the upper hand? He was a Malfoy and control was his to hold, not hers.
He was faced with a dilemma, remain with a mudblood or find his friends and be subjected to Pansy. If he were only ready to deal with Pansy and her cloying eagerness to discuss their fictional engagement, Draco would have found his fellow Slytherins. Instead, he resigned himself to remaining in the Head Compartment wishing for the first time in his life that he would rather be with The Chosen One himself than the witch regaled as the smartest of her age, of his age.
Stretching out on the bench, he took out one of his textbooks and began reading. Granger may have won this time due to his unwillingness to be turned into vermin or leave the Head Compartment and be trapped by Pansy, but this was only the beginning. Once they were at Hogwarts, Draco was going to show her that no one got the best of a Malfoy.
This is my first venture into writing for Harry Potter. I'm working without a beta and would love to connect with someone to work on this story.
If you'd like to read the next chapter, please let me know in a review what you liked best and/or what you look forward to reading.
Thank you!