Part 4: Flirting With Danger

Draco's lunch with Granger went well…

In fact, it went so well that they met the next day as well, only this time in Draco's office where he'd had his house elves deliver a small feast.

"My goodness Draco, did you really think we'd eat all this?"

Her words were admonishing yet playful. Her laughter sent warmth to Draco's heart. Just hearing her say his name brought such unthought-of happiness to him that Draco too found himself smiling.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like or whether your husband might plan on joining us"

There was a sudden look of guilt crossing her pretty face and Draco was sorry he'd spoken, although unsure of just why.

"Ron's away at a special Quidditch training. He doesn't know I'm here."

Her voice was a low whisper and he saw her gulp back the fear that was all too apparent within her eyes. Special Quidditch training my ass! Draco knew very well what those training camps were. Marcus Flint had gone into great detail about how the camps were filled with overeager fuckable groupies. He'd told tales of his own drunken escapades, consisting of countless orgies with the moon eyed young witches and wizards who made up the core of Quidditch fans nowadays. It was fine for a single bloke like Flint but Draco held in his disgust at a married man like Weasley taking part in such debauchery.

"Am I supposed to be a secret?" He asked in a hushed whisper.

Her eyes were downcast as she spoke, "Ron gets jealous. Its really just best if he doesn't know about our friendship."

"So I'm supposed to be your dirty little secret then?"

"Draco please, I'm sorry. I just don't see any reason to cause more problems between you and Ron."

As she apologized, Hermione grasped his forearm and he could feel the warmth of her touch burning through the cotton. He didn't want to push her away when she was so willing to give him a second chance and he didn't want to be the cause of Weasley leaving more marks on her pretty face.

"Fine" he replied in a resigned tone. "I guess being your dirty little secret is better than being practically friendless and alone"

Hermione giggled girlishly at him. Draco had never heard her laugh like that but decided it suited her all the same.

"Dirty little secret…" makes it sound like an affair," Hermione said with another nervous giggle.

Draco could see the faint blush that crept up and over her face, making her look even prettier. Yes, that was exactly what Draco had been thinking too…that it was like having an affair.

Weasley was away at camp for a week. A week in which Draco spent every lunch and even a few dinners entertaining the man's wife. He was enjoying the time he spent with Hermione so much that at times he almost forgot she was another man's wife. In the span of just one short week, Draco had found himself falling in love with a woman he'd thought he hated. It had turned out that he and Hermione had loads in common. They both shared a love of books, art, and foreign cuisine. He found himself regretting ever hating the intelligent and sophisticated woman that Granger had become. He also found himself thinking that even as a muggle born, she was far too good for the likes of Weasley. The man was a complete and utter disgrace as a pureblood wizard and wizarding celebrity. Draco wanted badly to tell Hermione how he felt about her but knew the kind of woman she was and knew it would only end up destroying their friendship. Instead he kept his feelings hidden inside, a trick that as a Malfoy, Draco had learned far too well. He focused on their blossoming friendship and dreaded the day her husband would return home and their friendly little trysts would most likely end.

Hermione was busy setting the kitchen table with her best china when she heard her husband come through the Floo. She smiled nervously as she pulled the ruffled apron from around her neck and went into the living room to greet him. Ron pulled her into his embrace in an almost brutally possessive way. His lips claimed hers hungrily and Hermione found herself giving into the rough needy touches. She was surprised when instead of taking it further, Ron pulled away and headed toward the mini bar. He poured himself a drink before turning toward his wife, his eyes glinting with something Hermione had seen before. Ron smiled a devious smile toward her as he approached and Hermione held in her sudden fear.

"How was your week?" he asked her as he pressed into her, backing her up toward the wall.

"It was fine… just fine… ordinary" she whispered, as she wondered with panic at what had him upset.

"Really?"

The word slipped out in an aggressive tone as he threw the glass in his hand across the room, letting it shatter loudly into pieces. He pressed his bulk against her slim body, successfully pinning her into the corner near the fireplace.

"Don't lie to me Mione, my sister saw you with him"

Hermione let out a startled gasp. How could Ginny have seen them? She didn't even work at the Ministry and the only time she and Draco had ventured out was for coffee at a muggle café. She swallowed back her fear.

"I don't know what you're talking about… I wasn't with anyone"

She kept her voice as steady as possible, trying hard not to give herself away.

"You lying little bitch!"

Ron's words were like a slap in the face and Hermione couldn't keep the shock off her face. She tried again to deny the accusation and felt the contact of his hand burning her cheek. Tears threatened to break loose at his sudden attack but she reined them in.

"She saw you at Diagon, down near the twins' shop, said you two were looking pretty cozy."

His voice had turned into an angry growl as he spoke. Realization dawned on Hermione, it wasn't Draco he was talking about; it was Harry.

"It's not what you think Ronald. We were shopping. I needed some more parchment and a quill. Harry was down there looking at Quidditch supplies so we decided to keep each other company. Besides it was just Harry…"

Ron broke off her explanation with another resounding crack across the face. He grabbed at her hair, pulling hard enough to cause her to wince.

"Just Harry… don't think I don't remember you spending months alone with "just Harry" He's not just anything… he's the damn savior of the world and every man or woman in the bloody wizarding world wants him, why should you be any fucking different?"

"Harry's just a friend Ron; he's always been just a friend. I swear it!"

Her pleas were turning desperate as his grip on her tightened. He pressed her roughly into the wall behind her, causing the rough stones to grate harshly into her back. The tears had finally come loose and trailed down her face as she wondered at what she could say or do to make this right.

"Tell me, what's it like… what's it like to have his cock buried inside you?"

She trembled at his words, knowing what they implied. Harry had turned into a notorious player since the war's end and it was well publicized that he batted for both teams. Even though Ron was straight as an arrow, it still stung his ego to know that Harry had no sexual interest in him at all.

"I told you, there's nothing going on between Harry and me, its all in your imagination."

"So now you're calling me crazy, are you?"

Ron pulled her full force by the hair and threw her into the middle of the room. His kicks were forceful and Hermione had everything she could do to curl into a defensive position as his assault continued. He called her a worthless whore and accused her of a multitude of hatefully untrue things. His words hurt worse than the blows and the tears fell in full force now as she gasped for air and begged him to stop. It was some time before his tirade came to a halt but she didn't dare move; just lay there still upon the living room floor. Her vision was hazy as he knelt down beside her, his demeanor suddenly changed.

"Why do you make me do this to you?" he said in a hoarse whisper.

He pulled her up next to him and wiped away her tears with such gentleness that it was hard to believe he was the same man who'd just brutally beaten her.

"I love you Hermione, you know that right? I just get so crazy when I think of any other man touching you… I'm sorry but you just can't go off alone with Harry like that, it puts such awful thoughts in my head"

Tears were now threatening to fall from Ron's eyes, making Hermione feel bad for him despite what had just taken place. She could never stay mad at him. He didn't mean to do the things he did, he'd been through so much since the war. He'd done so much for the cause only to be outshined by Harry's spotlight. Her and his Quidditch career were all he had that were his own. The mention of Harry was bound to make him a bit angry and bitter.

Hermione pulled herself eye level with her husband's groin. Without any regards to the cuts and bruises upon her face, she released Ron's cock from his trousers and took it into her mouth, sucking greedily on its length. Sex after an argument always seemed to appease Ron; it relaxed him, made him feel more secure when she submitted to him in such a way.

Ron's hand wound tightly into the curls at the back of her head as he moaned loudly.

"Fuck yeah baby"

The words fell breathlessly from his lips as he thrust into the wet warmth of her mouth and all was forgiven and forgotten…

Hermione had all but put the unpleasantness of Ron's homecoming behind her by the next day. He'd been unnaturally sweet and loving that morning, her smile was genuine even as she began the work of glamouring away the bruises on her face. She'd healed the split lip the night before but the rest had had to wait in the wake of their lovemaking. It wasn't until she ran into Draco that the incident with Ron even crossed her mind. He was in the employee break room, lounging upon one of the sofas and looked up at her entrance. She gave him a broad smile that made her wince with the pain of the hidden injuries. It was only a slight slip but Malfoy immediately pounced upon it.

"More glamours I see… what'd you run into this time… a bloody bludger?"

His voice was dripping with sarcasm but she could feel the concern and anger that bubbled just under the surface.

"Don't start Malfoy," she said as she crossed to the coffee pot.

"Its Malfoy again is it, what happened to the first names?" he whispered softly in her ear as he came up behind her. He pressed a hand gently against her face, trying hard to see through the tricky glamour charms. He could see the slight distortion in places and could see that it covered a great deal of her face.

"Its bad isn't it?" he again whispered, afraid to say it out loud.

"Not really its not… its nothing."

"It's nothing huh? It's nothing that wouldn't land that bastard a stint in Azkaban! Oh for crying out loud Hermione, your best friend's an Auror for Merlin's sake! You should go to Potter with this"

"No! Draco please… you can't say a word. It was just a misunderstanding"

He gulped back his guilt, he knew he should've just stayed away... it was obvious this was over her friendship with him.

"I'm so sorry"

She looked up into the slate grey of his eyes and saw a hint of sadness and regret tingeing them and it broke her heart and made her spill the truth, well part of it at least. She was pretty sure he'd already worked the rest out for himself.

"Ginny saw Harry and me over the weekend and jumped to the wrong conclusion. We were just shopping, but Ron just assumed his sister was telling the truth."

So this wasn't about him after all… the weasel had been angry over his own best friend.

"Stupid bint, did she know what he'd do?"

"No, at least I don't think so"

Hermione crossed to the sofa Draco had been lounging on earlier. She sat for a few minutes sipping her coffee before she spoke again.

"Ron's going out with friends tomorrow night so I thought maybe we could have dinner together. He'll be gone for most of the night so I should be able to get away to the Manor"

He gave her a shocked and incredulous look.

"Are you crazy?" he quickly admonished her. If Weasley had been angry over a shopping trip with a wizarding hero, just think what he'd do over an intimate dinner for two with a former Death Eater.

"Draco please…"

He looked over into her eyes and the brown pools overwhelmed his senses. Against his better judgement, he soon found himself agreeing to the dinner, praying to whatever gods there were that they weren't caught…