Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling in association with Scholastic Books, Warner Bros, etc.
Author's Note: This was written for the Round 4 Dramione Remix on LiveJournal with the prompt Adam and Eve. I was inspired to write this because of the lovely song "Skyfall" by Adele. A million thanks to my beta, captainraychill on LiveJournal, for helping me with this story! Please let me know what you think.
Part I
xxx
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He separated sky from land and land from sea. He then brought light to the world, chasing away the darkness and chaos. He populated the world with plants and animals and saw that it was good. At last, He created man in His own image out of dust and dirt and named him Adam.
Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, and while he had dominion over all things there, God warned him to never eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Adam heeded God's word and tended to the Garden. In time, Adam asked God for a companion like him. God then put Adam into a deep sleep and created woman, Eve, out of Adam's rib. The two lived happily, until the day the serpent slithered its way into Paradise and tempted Eve with the forbidden.
And Eve, impressionable Eve, plucked the fruit and ate it.
Then she gave it to Adam, who also ate it.
When God found out, He punished them severely, taking away their immortality and casting them out of Eden. And though both ate from the fruit, only Eve bore the weight of Man's fall from Grace, for it was she who dragged Adam down with her. Thus, every woman since Eve has carried that same burden of guilt.
So the story goes.
One version of it, at least.
xxx
"What is that, Father?" Draco peered around his father's imposing figure at the huddled figure. It had a large volume of thick, bushy hair obscuring its features. "Have you brought me a pet?"
"Very astute, Draco. This little thing will be yours to pass the time with however you wish," Lucius declared, prodding the figure with his cane. It flinched away, but slowly scurried out to the light. Draco was startled to see a dusty face underneath the thick cloud of hair.
"It's a girl! But why is she so dirty? I thought it was some sort of animal."
"You were right in thinking that, my son." Lucius gestured to the girl with distaste. "She is a Muggle. I found her wandering outside one of the magical portals separating our worlds. It seems she has no family. Remember what I told you about Muggles?"
"Yes. They are beneath people like us," Draco stated, lifting his nose in the air with a jerk of his head.
"Very good, indeed. However, you must have something to pass the time when I am away on business, and with your mother's delicate condition, I don't want you barging in while she is resting. This girl will have to do until we can find you a proper playmate." He turned to the girl at his feet with a stern glare. "You will do well to remember what we discussed if you don't want to be thrown out. Don't forget that you can be easily replaced."
The girl nodded meekly, trying hard to take up as little space as possible.
"Dobby!" Lucius summoned. A loud pop echoed in the cavernous room as the house-elf appeared, cowering before his master. "Get this girl cleaned up thoroughly. I will not have my son catching any diseases."
Dobby nodded timidly and grabbed the girl. She shrieked in fear and tried to jerk away, but Dobby pulled her along, trying to placate her. Draco watched as the two of them left the room before turning to his father with a pout. "I'd rather have a dragon."
"We already have a little dragon roaming around these parts, don't we?" He placed his hand on Draco's head. His son preened at the attention. Lucius smiled. "This little dragon must grow strong and wise in order to protect his land. He doesn't want any other dragons sniffing around his possessions now, does he?"
"No!"
"Of course not. But he is still small and has a lot of learning to do, so off he goes to his room to study. Your tutors will arrive within the hour, and I want to hear nothing but good things about your performance tonight."
Draco straightened up and said, "Yes, Father," before marching back to his room.
xxx
After dinner, Lucius left for a business trip, and Draco returned to his room to find the girl hovering over the books left open on his desk. She jumped away when she heard the door open and quickly moved closer to the corner wall. He was a bit put out that she was in his room, but since she was his pet now, he supposed she had no other place to go. She couldn't stay in a guestroom because she wasn't a guest, and the servant quarters were for house-elves only. Letting out an irritated sigh, he puffed out his chest and lifted his chin the way his father did when dealing with lesser beings.
"What were you doing, Muggle?" he asked. "Do you think you can touch my things without permission?"
"No, sir," she said quietly, staring at the ground.
Draco puffed his chest out even more, pleased with the way she addressed him. It was how most people spoke to his father, too. "You will always address me that way, understood?" She nodded. "Good. What is your name?"
"Hermione."
"No last name?" he asked, suspiciously. Her lips trembled, but she shook her head resolutely. "Well, it doesn't matter. What were you doing looking at my work books?"
"I was just reading—"
"You can read?" Draco interrupted, genuinely surprised.
"Well, of course I can read," she said with a bit of temper. "I'm not stupid."
"But you're a Muggle," he pointed out.
"Muggle?"
"Non-magical people are Muggles," he explained with a scoff. "And you said you're not stupid."
Her face turned bright red, and she looked away.
"Would you like to sleep on the floor or on a bed?" he asked, lowering his chin and relaxing his chest. It was hard to keep that posture for so long. He would need to practice more.
"A bed, please."
"Dobby!" A loud crack split the air, causing her to jump. Draco sent her an annoyed glare before speaking to his house-elf. "My pet needs a bed to sleep in. Put it in the corner next to the bookshelves."
"Of course, Master Draco." Dobby snapped his fingers and a single bed appeared out of thin air. It matched the décor of the room with its green blanket and its dark wood frame.
Satisfied, Draco turned to the girl. "Go on, now. It's time for bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day." Once he was sure that she was properly tucked in, he retreated to his own bed and instantly fell asleep, exhausted but pleased with his new responsibility.
xxx
The next day, Draco showed his pet the grounds and set specific rules for her to follow: don't touch the doors with the blackened knobs; don't eat the poisoned berries growing on the bushes; don't wander off into the maze.
"You could die in there before we find you," he explained.
"Why do you grow poisoned things here?" she asked.
"And this is the most important rule of all," he pressed on, ignoring her question, "don't go into the west wing of the manor." He looked her in the eye to impress this point on her. "My mother is sick, and she can't be disturbed. If I catch you wandering around there, you're going to be punished."
She nodded, body slightly hunched over. Draco noticed that she did that occasionally. When he asked, she denied that anything was wrong. He figured it must be a Muggle thing to have such poor posture.
"Well, I have my tutor coming over now." He led her back inside and stopped outside the main study. "You can do whatever you want, but you have to stay inside the manor." He slammed the door behind him before she had a chance to speak.
xxx
After his lessons, Draco went looking for his pet. He checked the kitchen, the library, his bedroom, but she wasn't there. He even went outside in the rain to see if she had disobeyed his order to stay inside. Fed up, he called his house-elf to find her.
"Where is my Muggle?" he demanded.
"Dobby believes she is in the master bedroom."
"Why is she there?" Draco bellowed. "I told her not to go there!" Not waiting for an answer, he rushed over and threw the doors to the master bedroom open. Sure enough, Hermione stood by the bed, quietly nodding at something his mother was saying to her.
"What did I tell you about disturbing my mother?" Draco roared. "Get away from her now!"
She jumped away, startled, and looked at him. Her face was wet and red from crying. "I-I…"
"Draco, darling, please don't slam the doors." His mother's wispy voice caught his attention, and he hurried to the spot where his pet had previously stood by the bed.
"I'm sorry, Mother," he said contritely. ""I told her not to come in here."
"So it's true then? This Muggle girl is yours?" Narcissa asked, lifting a thin, pale hand to stroke her son's head affectionately. "I couldn't believe it when she told me your father brought her here. You must be so very lonely for your father to take such drastic measures."
He shrugged, looking away. "It's not so bad. I'm fine, now."
"Darling, you must remember to care for this girl. She is your responsibility and under your protection. Muggle though she may be, she is doing us a service. I cannot get out of bed most days and keep you company. She will have to do for now until I am better again."
"Yes, Mother," Draco said, sensing the slight reprimand in her words.
Narcissa slowly lowered her hand back to the bed and burrowed deeper under the covers. Her foggy blue eyes lingered on him. "Dear boy, you don't visit me enough."
"Father told me not to bother you. You need your rest."
"Nonsense. A mother always has time for her son." Her eyes closed tightly as a coughing fit struck her. "But I find myself tired already."
"Sleep, Mother." Draco pulled the covers up and tucked it around her.
"Be good, Draco." With an exhausted sigh, Narcissa fell asleep.
Furious, Draco grabbed his pet by the arm and yanked her out of the room. "Stupid Muggle! I told you not to come to this part of the manor."
"I-I didn't know. This place is so big, I got lost," she said, trying to keep up with his fast pace. Soon, they were back in his bedroom in the east wing.
"Why didn't you call Dobby then?"
"He doesn't answer to me." A gurgling sound drew his attention to her hunched figure. "Please, sir. I'm very hungry. I was trying to find the kitchen. I haven't eaten at all since I've been here."
He glared at her. "No. You didn't follow the rules, so you won't eat anything today. That is your punishment."
Her face crumpled, and it made him even angrier to watch her lips tremble. He wasn't being mean. He told her there would be consequences, and she didn't listen. It was her fault and he didn't care. Suddenly, she turned around and ran out the door. Startled, he chased after her, wondering what mess this wild creature would create now.
"Muggle, where are you going? Get back here!"
She didn't answer, only flung the doors to the garden open and darted outside into the pouring rain. He hesitated, wondering if he could attempt to cast the new spell he'd learn that kept water off of his clothes but decided against it. It had taken him several attempts before he got it right, and that was with guidance. There was no time for him to fret over wet clothes. The girl was running blind; she'd probably end up in the maze if he didn't stop her in time. If she did, he'd be alone again, with no one but the paintings for company. Letting out a frustrated noise, he rushed outside. He was soaked to the bones within seconds. Squinting through the rain and gray, he caught a jerky movement by the grove of trees and ran towards it. He spotted her on one of the branches, reaching for a fruit.
"Muggle, get down from there!" he ordered, wondering how she had managed to climb up the tallest tree.
"Make me!" She hurled an apple core down, and it smacked him on the head.
"Ow! You rude, vile thing. My father will hear about this, and he'll kick you out for sure." When she didn't respond, he thought she couldn't hear him over the hissing rain. "Did you hear me, Muggle?" he shouted louder. "I said he'd kick you out!"
"Fine! I don't care. At least I'll be away from you!" A pear core was thrown this time, but he was able to duck out of the way.
Her words, however, struck him directly in the chest. She'd rather be homeless on the streets than stay with him? It was unfathomable. His parents always told him what a delight he was, and the portraits echoed their praises daily. How could this Muggle not feel the same way? How could he not be good enough for her to stay?
"Come down right now or I'll lock to doors and you can stay out here all night!" he threatened once more.
A few moments passed before she climbed down, landing on her hands and knees when she jumped from the lowest branch with an apple in her mouth. Her wet hair had several leaves stuck in it. After wiping her hands on her dirty clothes, she reached for the apple and took a hearty, defiant bite out of it.
Draco scowled at her, but hustled her indoors to get them out of the rain. Once inside, he quickly spelled his clothes and hair dry. Sparing a glance at her, he was surprised by how small she suddenly appeared. Her voluminous cloud of hair hung limply down her shoulders and stuck to her face. Her wet clothes also stuck to her body, showing off her painfully thin frame.
"I should leave you shivering in your shoes," he muttered angrily. With a wave of his wand, she was dry again, her hair flying back into its usual bushy state. Surprise crossed her face as she carefully patted her clothes, marveling at the lack of moisture in them. "Well?" he snapped. "Let's get back to my room and warm up by the fireplace." He walked away without looking to see if she had followed. The reluctant fall of footsteps behind him brought a relieved smile to his face.
After settling her down in front of the fire with a blanket wrapped around her, Draco lifted his chin in a practiced manner and sneered at her. "I hope you've learned your lesson. You acted stupidly just now. Running in the rain is something only animals do."
Her eyes harden with anger. Instead of answering, she deliberately took another bite of the fruit.
"You must promise me not to do something that stupid again," he said.
"I won't," she said, standing up so that they were eye level. "If there's food outside, I'm going to get it. You can't stop me."
"That's ridiculous," he said furiously. "There's plenty inside the manor."
"You said I wasn't allowed to eat it," she shouted. "You were being mean so I went out and found food on my own. You never said I couldn't touch the trees." She held up the apple like a trophy.
"Well, I'm telling you now that you can't eat it!" He tried to knock it out of her hand, but she jerked it behind her back.
"You can't do that. I need to eat."
"Maybe you should've followed my instructions in the first place."
She let out a frustrated scream and lurched forward, as if she intended to strike him. Startled, he stumbled back several feet before standing his ground.
"I was trying to find the kitchen! I told you that I got lost. Your house is huge. I didn't mean to disturb your mother." To his horror, her eyes filled with tears and spilled down her face. "You don't know what it's like to go days without eating and then be in a place with tons of food that someone forbade you to touch. I don't care if you believe me or not, but I'm not going to let you starve me to death!"
"Hey, just hold on," Draco protested. "Who said I wanted to starve you? If I wanted to get rid of you, I would've left you out in the rain to freeze. But I didn't do that now, did I? I take care of my things, Muggle, and you're one of them now."
"And another thing! I'm not a thing or a Muggle. I'm a person and my name is Hermione."
"I know that," Draco said.
"Then use my name when you're talking to me!" she demanded hotly, leaning over him with anger written all over her face.
"Okay, fine!" Draco relented with a scowl. "You can't break the rules without being punished, Hermione."
"I didn't do it on purpose! How can you punish me for that? How can you hold something like food over my head? I need it to live."
"You're being dramatic." Draco rolled his eyes.
"Says the person who's probably never gone a day without missing a meal! Why don't you give it a try and see how you like being hungry? I dare you to skip dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. We'll see how well you fare."
"Why should I?"
"Scared?" she taunted.
"I'm not scared of anything! I'll do it and show you how a Malfoy handles challenges," he said, puffing out his chest.
By dinner time however, he was wallowing in his bed, clutching his cramping stomach. He figured out quickly that if he didn't move too much, his stomach wouldn't hurt as badly. The tightness in his throat was a different matter altogether. He swallowed, trying to get some moisture in his mouth, and his stomach gurgled in response.
Groaning, he curled up tighter, wishing he could just sleep and forget the hunger. The bed dipped and he looked up to see the reason he was in this situation to begin with.
"How are you feeling?" she asked with a smug grin and damp hair.
He cleared his throat. "I'm perfectly fine. What are you doing on my bed?"
"Enjoying this apple." She pulled out a shiny red apple from her pocket.
Anger rushed over him. "I told you not to go outside again! It's after dark and you still went out in the rain for that stupid fruit?"
His reply startled her. "No, I didn't. I got this apple this afternoon. It's been in my pocket the whole time."
"Oh really? Then why is your hair wet?" he asked skeptically.
"I just finished bathing." She tilted her head as she looked at him. "This is not what I thought you would be upset about."
He narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She took a bite out of the apple. His stomach instantly gurgled, causing him to color with embarrassment.
"It's terrible, isn't it?" she said softly.
"It's not so bad," he denied. "I've been through worse things."
"Like what?"
"None of your business," he snapped, unwilling to let her see how miserable he really felt. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not." Then she did something he didn't expect. She held the apple out to him. "Take it."
"You don't think I can last, do you? Well, I'll show you." With great effort, he turned his body around to face the other side. "Keep your stupid apple. I can do this."
He heard her sigh and felt her weight lift from the bed. He bit his lip to keep from calling her back, to stop himself from summoning Dobby for his dinner, or worse, to keep from asking for her apple. Instead, he firmly kept still and comforted himself with the thought of how great it would be when he came out victorious.
The bed dipped again, this time on the other side and he looked up to see her there, apple in her hand. "That's not what I think at all." She held it out to him once again. "I'm sure you can last without food until tomorrow's lunch. But why should you be miserable when there's something to eat right in front of you? I don't really want you to be hungry. I just wanted you to know how it felt, how I felt, being hungry and being told that I couldn't do anything about it."
She made that point painfully clear. He wasn't able to resist it this time. "You bit out of it," he mumbled, holding onto the last shred of dignity he had.
"Oh, just eat it, you big baby." She pushed it against his lips. He had taken a huge bite out of it before he could stop himself. His hand came up and covered her hand, holding the apple in place as he ate.
"Let go. You can feed yourself." She tried to pull away, but he held on tightly, glaring at her. She rolled her eyes at him, but he watched in shock as her lips curved and parted to reveal her teeth.
She was smiling at him. It felt astonishingly good.
Slowly, Draco pushed himself up in bed and allowed her to pull away, catching the apple in his hand. He gave her a considering look. "Dobby!" A splitting crack echoed through the room. "I want you to bring dinner now. Two servings." He caught her stunned expression as he continued, "Also, I want you to know that Hermione will be eating with me in the dining room from now on. If she can't eat there, you will bring her three meals daily wherever she is. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
Draco frowned. "Well? Where's our dinner?" Dobby snapped his fingers. Instantly there was a spread of mouth-watering dishes and honey-sweet drinks on a large wooden tray between them on the bed. Draco didn't pay any mind to the hesitation on her face and gestured for her to eat. "What are you waiting for? Pick up your fork and eat."
Hermione tentatively picked up a midsized fork. "I don't know where to begin," she admitted. Her voice sounded thick to him, so he told her to drink the butterbeer to clear her throat. She took a sip, but touched nothing else.
"Just eat. I promise everything is delicious," he said, exasperated.
Finally, she took a small bite out of the moist chicken, and then another, and then another, until it was completely gone. Satisfied, Draco tucked into his own meal. At one point, he became aware of her shaky hands and looked at her. To his horror, she was crying silently; her small body shaking with the effort to contain her sobs.
"What's wrong?" he demanded. "Don't you like it?" She nodded her head once and then shook her head, leaving him even more confused. "What does that mean?"
"I'm sorry," she squeaked out in between hiccups. "It's just been so long since I've eaten anything so good."
"So you cry?" he asked. "Next time, I'm going to give you nothing but cold porridge and raisins."
She laughed loudly through her tears. "Thanks, Draco."
They celebrated their new truce by stuffing their faces full of desserts, and later took turns throwing most of it up in the toilet when they developed stomachaches.
All in all, Draco couldn't have been happier with his new friend.
xxx
As the months passed by, Draco noticed that Hermione was especially fond of reading. She was so insatiably curious about everything, that she would devour piles of books in a week. On one hand, it frustrated him because she wouldn't want to do fun things with him like go flying or play exploding snaps. She tried to make up for it by telling him stories about what life was like without magic. While that was entertaining, he didn't want to sit around all day talking about ridiculous things like electricity or cars.
On the other hand, this made getting her a gift for the holidays incredibly easy. When Christmas Day arrived, he spent the morning in the master bedroom with his parents, opening presents and eating breakfast in bed. Afterwards, he rushed back to his room to give Hermione her gift. She sat by the fire with a book in one hand and a half-eaten peach in the other.
"Look at the new broom Father bought me!" he crowed, holding up the shiny new broomstick. "It's the fastest model yet."
"Have you read this book yet, Draco? Because if you have, I think we should talk about it once I finish reading it. There are some things I don't understand," she said, not bothering to pull her nose out of the book.
He pouted. "Did you hear me?"
"Yes, it's quite a nice broom." She flipped the page, her attention completely enraptured by the text.
Annoyed, Draco pulled out a neatly wrapped book from beneath his cloak. "I guess you're not interested in your present then."
Her head snapped up. "I have a present?" she asked with wide, disbelieving eyes. Faster than he could blink, she closed the book and scrambling in front of him. "Really, I do?"
"Well, of course you do. It's Christmas," Draco said, pleased that she was focused on him now. "Here you are."
"Thank you!" She carefully took off the wrapping paper so that it didn't tear, making him even more impatient to see her reaction. "Oh, it's a book!"
"Not just any book," he added, sticking out his chest. "It's my family's history book. Look, even I'm in it." He flipped the book open to the last page. Sure enough, there he was, fussing and preening in the photo. He looked at her, his smile slowly falling away when he saw the small frown on her face. "What's the matter? You don't like it?"
"No, it's nice. It's just, well, your father doesn't seem to like me very much."
"What are you talking about? He brought you here, didn't he?"
"Yeah, for you to play with. Whenever he's here, I have to stay in your room so he doesn't see me."
"That's not true," Draco sputtered.
"I'm not stupid. I know that's why I'm not allowed out of your room." She scrunched up her face and looked away. "A lot of the paintings in your house don't like me either. They always say I'm unworthy and terrible, even when I don't do anything." She closed the book and slowly traced the intricate M embossed on the cover. "I just think I know enough about how your family feels about people like me."
Draco's face heated up. He didn't know how to respond. It was the first time he had ever given anyone a gift, and this was her reaction? "Fine, don't take it." He snatched it away and stomped off to his bed, carefully putting it away on his drawer.
"Don't be mad. It was a nice idea. Thank you for thinking about me."
"Some thanks," he muttered under his breath.
"Why did you want to give me your family book, anyway?" she asked.
"I wasn't giving it to you. I was letting you read it to learn more about how great my family is and how special you are to be allowed to stay here."
Her eyes narrowed. "Be nice, Draco, or I won't tell you a story today."
"As if I care about your stupid Muggle things," he scoffed. Nevertheless, he sat down on the rug in front of the fire and crossed his legs, waiting for her to join him. He clapped his hands twice and a tray full of food appeared. "Well?" He looked at her impatiently. "What is it this time? Fellytones?"
"They're called telephones." She sat across from him, tapping her chin with a finger in thought. "What about how we think everything started?" Draco heaved a long, suffering sigh but showed that he was listening. "Well, the story is, one day God created everything: the moon, the stars, the sun, and the Earth. Then, He made the first man out of dirt and called him Adam. Later, He made the first woman, Eve, from Adam's rib."
"Wait." Draco held up his hands, swallowing the last of his sandwich. "So according to your people, boys are made from dirt and girls are made from dirt bones?"
"Well, some people think that."
He looked at her suspiciously. "Are you one of those people?"
"No."
"Good," he said, nodding his head. "I can't speak to someone who believes such stupid things."
"It is a little silly when you think about it. But I read a book a long time ago that said people came from monkeys, and I believe that."
"You think we came from monkeys?" He shook his head in disgust. "You're obviously not reading the right books."
She shot him an impatient glare. "You're one to talk. I just read that your kind thinks people came from stardust."
"Because we did."
"The story goes," she continued loudly in a tone that left no room for argument, "that Adam and Eve could do whatever they wanted in the Garden of Eden, except eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. One day, a snake snuck into the garden and convinced Eve to eat from the tree and—"
"So she was a Parselmouth?" Draco perked up. "That's interesting."
"Parsel-what?"
"She could talk to snakes."
"Um, I guess?"
"Huh," he said, leaning back on his hands. "I guess we do have some things in common after all."
"Anyway," she said, glaring at him, "Eve gave the fruit to Adam to eat. When God found out, He threw them out of Eden onto Earth. That's why we're here."
"What a terrible story."
Hermione frowned. "You're a terrible audience today."
"I'm serious. That's the whole story?"
"Yes."
A thoughtful look appeared on his face. "I think you should make it better."
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"I don't know. You're the storyteller. Change it. Make Eve suffer all by herself. It's not Adam's fault she made him eat the stupid thing."
"That's not how it works," she huffed.
"How boring." Draco stood and dusted the crumbs off his robes. "Let's do something fun."
She hesitated. "Is your father still here?"
He shook his head. "He left a little while ago. Want to watch me ride my new broom? Of course you do. Let's go!" Grabbing her hand, he dragged her out into the field near the gardens.