Title: Hermione's Power
Rating: T
Pairing(s): Draco/Hermione
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 1,140
Summary: Slytherin!Hermione. Draco likes to think he has the power, but really, it's Hermione.
Notes:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Arithmancy Class – Write about someone controlling another person's actions by any means – be it Imperious Curse, blackmail, dominance, or anything else you can think of.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Triwizard Tournament – A character in your story must act in a protective and guarding manner, act defensively and come across as mean, but they are still a caring person. Prompts Used – "Love brings nothing but wasted years and endless torment." - Captain Hook, Once Upon a Time, "Can I give you a hug without you thinking about my boobs?" - Sookie Stackhouse, True Blood
365 Days of Drabbles Challenge: Prompt Used – New
Taming the Muse Livejournal Community: Prompt Used – Twister
Crookshanks curls up at Hermione's side as she reads Hogwarts: A History for the millionth time. She absentmindedly pets her cat, letting the purr lull her to a world of safety and peace.
Not many Slytherins have cats as pets. Most prefer the majestic owl, but Hermione isn't like most Slytherins. For one thing, she is a muggle-born, something that is unheard of in the House of Snakes. And for another thing, she does not let her blood status cow her. She has stood up to all of the Slytherins to the point where they respect her, albeit grudgingly.
She had been a target for bullying as a first year, especially by Draco Malfoy, but after punching Draco one too many times, her house learned she would not take that kind of treatment. She doesn't believe in blood purity and loudly voices her opinion on how illogical the idea of one person's blood being supreme over another person's blood.
She definitely has a Slytherin's ambition, but it tends to run in directions that a normal Slytherin just does not understand. Her housemates have learned to leave her to her own devices, though.
She ignores the shriek of "Can I give you a hug without you thinking about my boobs?" as she brushes her hair out of her eyes. As Crookshanks nuzzle against her leg, it reminds Hermione that she needs to get a new toy for him – he destroyed his – and she decides to look for something during the next Hogsmeade trip.
She looks up when Blaise plops down next to her. She raises her eyebrows at him. "May I help you?"
"Love brings nothing but wasted years and endless torment," he says.
"So, Daphne broke up with you again, huh?"
He nods. "It's not fair." He crosses his arms.
She rolls her eyes. "You guys break up at least once a month. You know you'll be back together within a couple of days so why worry?"
"I hate all of the breaking up. Although, the making up is fun," He muses, smirking at the devious thoughts he's thinking.
"Frankly, if you guys stayed together for a whole month with no drama, I'd worry about you two."
Blaise opens his mouth, but before he can answer, Draco is pulling him on the arm and away from Hermione. The Slytherin Prince sits down in the seat that he forced Blaise to vacate.
"That was rude," Hermione says, frowning at the blond.
He uses that annoying smirk of his.
"I don't like your and Blaise's friendship."
"I don't really care," she answers, glaring at him.
"He's called the Slytherin Casanova."
"He's totally in love with Daphne." Hermione doesn't give an inch.
"Still don't like it." He pouts petulantly, and Hermione tries not to let it affect her. He's just so adorable, though.
She still isn't quite sure how she and Draco got to this point. He had been her top tormentor, but somehow, after working together in Potions and Transfiguration, they learned to tolerate each other, which led to friendship, which led to dating. Frankly, he has become a twister in her otherwise steady life.
He tries to act like the big man, but really, Hermione's the one in charge of their relationship. She can get him to do anything she wants with a crook of her finger, and she knows it. She has never considered herself power-hungry, but she does enjoy the hold she has on him.
Ron Weasley glares hatefully at the muggle-born upstart. "Traitor!"
She raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "How am I a traitor?"
"You're a muggle-born. You shouldn't be with the snakes."
She rolls her eyes at the idiotic ideas of Gryffindors. "We're seventh years, and you're still going on about this? Like I have always said, no one can choose their house. I'm ambitious, so I belong in Slytherin. It's actually pretty simple. And I don't buy into the notion that all Slytherins are evil. Just because a few turned out to be dark wizards and witches doesn't make the whole house evil. I certainly don't feel evil."
Weasley raises his arm, ready to spit out a curse, but before he gets a word out, Draco is in front of her, shouting, "Expelliarmus!"
Weasley's wand flies into Draco's hand, and Weasley is left gaping like a fish.
"Do not raise your wand to my girlfriend again or you'll be sorry," Draco warns. He drops the wand at Weasley's feet, grabs Hermione's wand, and stalks away, dragging Hermione behind him.
She roughly pulls her arm out of his grasp after they turn a corner. "I don't need you coming to my rescue. I'm definitely not a damsel in distress type.
"You're my girl; I will do what I want."
"If you don't watch it, I will punch you again, and I don't think that'll be good for our relationship. I might be your girlfriend, but you don't own me, and I don't need to be saved, especially not from an imbecile like Weasley. He wouldn't stand a chance against me."
"You didn't even have your wand out," Draco accuses.
With a flick of her wrist, in a blink of an eye, Hermione's wand is in her hand. "And you were saying?"
He glares soundlessly at being proven wrong.
"Nothing to add? Like I said, "Weasley didn't stand a chance."
"Fine, you didn't need my rescuing."
"Good job stating the obvious."
"I just hate the thought of you in danger."
"I'm not in danger though, especially not from the likes of Ron Weasley. If I really thought I couldn't handle myself, I'd tell you. I know my limitations, and you should trust that knowledge."
"You know I'm going to end up doing it again, don't you? It doesn't matter how many time you reprimand me. I'm still going to protect you, even if you don't want it."
"Well, remember this." She walks closer to Draco and he closes his eyes. She knows he's inhaling her lilac perfume. He'll never admit it, but he loves the scent of it on her skin, and she uses that to her advantage as she leans close to him to whisper into his ear. "The next time you feel the need to save me from some perceived threat, just know you'll have only your right hand for company, if you know what I mean." She backs away, smiling sweetly at his dumbstruck expression.
"You're using sex to control me?" he asks, his cheeks tinged pink.
Hermione tilts her as if she's observing a specimen. "Of course, it's in every girl's arsenal. You didn't know that?" She flips her hair over her shoulders and brushes past him, making her way to the dungeons.
Rapid footsteps follow her, and she smiles as Draco takes her hand. She really does hold the power, and she loves it.