A/N Ugh yes, the update was late again. But I did try, and when I went to upload it, I thought my wifi was down sice the page wasn't refreshing but apparently fanfiction was down. Anyways hope you guys like it!
xo, A
Light
Hermione looked around the stables, having just brushed all the horses, as Perdita was coming with her fiance, Draco Malfoy.
Perdita had her own horse since childhood which got her own special treatment by someone other than her, calling her "too filthy to clean her horse". So Hermione left the bright white horse with mane that seems to made of pure silk alone.
But there were many other horses to perfect, for she had no idea which horse the Malfoy boy would want, and had to make sure that everyone was prepared for the possibility that they might have the honor to be picked by just another spoilt aristocrat with too much money, and too much spare time.
Using her wand to make everything perfect once again, Hermione got the saddle ready, for them and she did not want to keep them waiting lest they complain to Leona.
Saddling up Perdita' bright white horse, Serena, Hermione made sure the reins were tight enough to reign the horse in, but not tight enough to make the animal feel as though they were under a torture device.
Just when Hermione was about to unlock the stall Serena was in, Hermione heard three voices coming closer.
"And these are the stables, I am positive that once you have ridden one of our horses, you will never ride another one again, and we have many, many trails in the woods directly behind us, all owned and maintained by the Grangers."
Hermione looked up as the butler, who almost never showed his face in front of any of the maids walked in. Most of them had never even seen him, as he was considered much more important and high up in rank than anyone else working at the manor. Hermione had run into him a few times when she was a child, and had seen how close he seemed to be with Lord Granger.
The butler was the envy of many maids, as he was valued when they were not. Wearing blue dress robes, that covered almost all of his pasty olive skin, and was pulled taut over his bony and wrinkly skin. He had a long nose, that took all the attention away from his intuitive green eyes.
Many rumors had gone around that he had once been a Hogwarts professor, but had retired from the tiring job, to come work for his old friends, Danforth Granger.
Hermione had heard much about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All the young maids had been allowed to be sent there as soon as they turned 11, and Hermione sadly watched as she began the only child to work in the manor for much of the year, and when she thought about it more, she realized that that was around the time when she had been sent to work in the stables.
It seems as though everyone went to Hogwarts, but having no real parental figure, Hermione never did. Instead, sticking to books. Hogwarts a History had been her favorite, and made her feel as if she was actually in the magnificent caste, in the Scottish highlands.
Looking back up she heard a pitchy and annoying squeaky voice.
"Yes Draco, you will just love it. I myself have been riding practically my whole life, and when we get married, we can go on rides together every morning to see the sunrise over the hill at the end of one of the trails, it will be most splendid!"
Hermione thought she recognized something she heard in that long speech, and when she turned around towards the people who had just entered and were observing the large area from the entrance, she saw him.
His striking grey eyes were impossible to miss, even though they could easily get hidden in the midst of the bright and almost translucent hair that seemed to reflect the sunlight. He was clean today, and wearing the most dashing blue riding suit.
Hermione blushed, chastising herself for thinking something as vulgar as that, and then blushed again realizing that she had been rude to Draco Malfoy! Thinking he was some sort of runaway, oh the things he could do to her now! Put her in the dungeons, send her out to the streets, for any life was better than the life of a beggar. (However her's wasn't a far stretch from the life of a beggar).
Glad that the dark concealed her, she watched from her corner, as the butler, (whose name she had never really learnt), went to the other side of the stables, to light the dark area where the sunlight wouldn't reach.
"Ah yes, well I will live the both of you too it, have fun."
Perdita gave smile, one that seemed genuine and was out of place on her face. "Of course, thank you Pierre." Pierre, the butler, gace Perdita a smile, and walked out, never noticing Hermione in the corner, however it seemed Perdita had noticed her, and sneered directly at her. "Get up, and saddle up a horse that my fiance chooses."
Thankfully, Perdita didn't add anything else. Most likely due to the man who was standing wide eyes next her, and continued to stare at Hermione when Perdita went over to her own horse, donning her own riding gown, which seemed much to fancy to ride, but seems exactly like something Perdita would do.
Hermione began walking towards some of the other horses, and turned back to the man who wasn't moving at al. "So Um, Mr, Malfoy, is there any specific horse you would like." He had finally moved closer to Hermione, and she could feel something twisting and turning inside her stomach, which felt like it was going to explode when he slowly licked his lips his eyes trinae don her the whole time, and then cleared his thought, breaking the small moment they seemed to have.
"Oh um it does not matter, I will take whatever you say is best, and um, you do not have to call me that, just call me Draco."
He suddenly seems nervous, scratching the back of his neck, as Hermione stayed silent, saddling the horse, he didn't seem to be ride, as he had not mentioned what had trespassed between the two of them. Hermione giggled, it sounded as though they were having an illicit affair.
"Draco, where are you!" Perdita called and she came up to the two, her horse in tow. "I Hope the help has not caused you any trouble, she is not the best, but she does the work." Draco glanced at Hermione, and looked back at Perdita. "No of course not, she was perfectly fine."
Draco gave a thankful smile to Hermione, as she led the great black horse out of the stall. It was unlike others, and while it was a pure black, the mane as of the purest whites, even making Serena look a little washed out. Hermione tried to smile back, but found that she couldn't.
Perdita scowled, looking from Draco and Hermione, trying to decipher what was happening, but then decided that all the thinking wa causing her head to ache. Of course the heir to the Malfoy fortune would never be so lowly as to associate with the help, he was merely being considerate, ever the gentleman.
"Let us go Draco, it is time for the ride, as the sun is in the best spot right now. If we dally any longer the view will not be as nice as it could be right." Draco gave Hermione one last look as she handed him the reigns to the horse, her small hands seeming so much more smaller than his when they came into close contact.
Briefly touching her hand, he felt a jolt go through him, and by the way her eyes widened, he guessed that she could feel it too. Quickly stopping the contact, scared of what might happen if they kept touching, he turned away from Hermione, and followed Perdita, who was already halfway out the entrance, waiting for him.
Clearing his throat, he softly spoke, "Thank you for the help," and quickly turned away, and a little louder, said "Of course, Lady Granger, I am right behind you, mounting his horse, and clutching the eigs a little more tightly than he should, when walking out the door.
…
Hermione rubbed her hand, remembering the weird tingly feeling she had felt when she and Draco and briefly made contact, she could still feel it a little, as it ran through her body, from the tip of her head, to her toes.
It was the most pleasant feeling she had felt in a long time, making her happier than she had been in a while as well.
Humming a little melody while sweeping the hay from the ground, she felt a little rebellious as well, having already been told by Leona to quit her humming, yet she continued to do it. SHe felt free, having been noticed by a guy. But not just any guy, a guy that could make her feel things merely by seeing her twice, and making contact with her once. She wondered if this was what all people felt when they met a guy, or was this feeling saved for a true love? Was this perhaps how her own mother had felt when meeting her father? For Hermione was sure, that she would give the world up, (not that she had it) to relive that feeling over and over again..
Maybe that was why someone who seemed to be as kind as Draco Malfoy was putting up with someone like Perdita. Was he was enraptured with Perdita,a s Hermione was with him. But thought asued something in her chest to constrict, and she banished the thoughts from her mind, not liking the feeling, and not wanting to experience it again.
Hermione looked to the sky, and found that it was almost dark out, looking around to see if Perdita and Draco had come back, she admonished herself for thinking about him so much, he was to be married to Perdita soon, if the rumors were right, and she had no right to think about him in such a lewd way. She had accept that he would never be hers, no matter how much it pained her to hear that.
Sighing, and continuing to sweep with a broom by hand, as Leona had seen her using her wand, and had proceeded to tell her not to use it, and if she had been seen using it, then the consequences would be much worse than doing her chores by hand.
Leona would have surely confiscated Hermione's wand long ago, maybe veen not permitted her to have one, if she wants to bound by law.
Many years ago, there was an evil tyrant that tried to take over, deeming muggles less than those of magic, and mudbloods unworthy of it. But he just when he was about to win the war, which had been going on for to many years, he stopped, and when to the ministry of Magic, with a new policy. All his allies silently went back to their mundane lives, and the conflict was gone.
Or so they thought.
All people of magic were given wands, no matter who they were born too, and could not tell any muggles of their magic, whether it was a lover or a mother. But magic was protected, and while not all of children of magic were required to go to school for it, they had their wands, as many families liked to home school their children, teaching them magic within the well-warded boundaries of their home. However, the ministry did not anticipate for young witches and wizards to be kept from their magical education by their masters, and while it wasn't common, Hermione had heard whisperings of some parentless kids being forced to beg on the streets while they should be having fun, and learning all they could.
Hermione was not permitted to go Hogwarts either. And when she asked Leona if she may attend when she reached the appropriate age, she got a callous, "You may not, you are nothing but a maid, even less, what need for magic do you even have? Do not try asking again, and i will make sure you go without supper for the next few days." Being a little child, Leona had scared off Hermione, and she never asked again.
The rapid sound of hooves hitting the ground came to Hermione, and she was snapped out of her thoughts, as the couple returned back.
…
Leaving Hermione was one of the hardest things Draco had done before. And though he had a good life, contrary to what many believe, he had a love for adventure. Why, if he wasn't duty bound by his family name to take over his father's political standing in the Wizengamot, he would become an auror. He was even the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team for his sixth and seventh year, and due to his Quidditch experience, and his other adventures in the forests as a child he had broken his arms three times each, and even managed to break his neck, a last minute spell barely saving his life, as he still had pains in his neck now and then.
But the feeling of leaving Hermione right after they had touched. It had hurt more than almost dying had. The spark he felt when their hands came into contact was like no other pleasure he had felt. (Not that he had felt anything except his hand in that context mind you). But he was struck with Perdita, who most definitely was not his "soulmate."
She was actually one of the most empty-headed girls he had ever met. As they began down the trail, which she seemed to know quite well, she babbled on and on about the new dresses she had just gotten from an exclusive boutique in France, and all about how when she washes her hair in rose water, it causes it to dry out oh so fast, while everyone else says that it leaves their hair shiny and clean. And by the time they reached the end of trail, (which seemed to have taken far too long), Draco found he knew much more about Perdita Granger than he had ever wanted too.
But the view, was worth it.
While the trail had been overgrown with grass, and roots of trees that surrounded the barely visible trail, the edge of the forest, which seemed to be a cliff. The cliff overlooked the entire valley underneath the Granger grounds, the barely visible tiny houses, and shops with tiny black dots moving around. But the real view was above all that. It wa sunset, as the ride had taken longer than Draco had anticipated.
But that made it all the better. The sun was slowly disappearing into the mountains in the back, with barely there clouds skimming the tips of the snow capped mountains. The sky was filled with these same clouds, and the sun, illuminated one side of them, making them glow a brilliant shade of pink, and the sky above the sun, was glowing a brilliant shade of blue, and the further it went, the darker it got, a few stars visible at the edge. It was like rainbow, with the beautiful red-orange bleeding into the blue. He never thought he'd say it, but it seemed like Perdita had gotten something right.
Like his thoughts had brought her to him, he felt her presence behind him, as she put her hand on his elbow, and smiled at him. "It is one the best things I have seen in my life. I found it a while ago, and continue to visit almost every day, usually accompanied by Emmanuel, the butler, but perhaps you would like to come with me in the future." Draco nodded without hesitation, looking at her glowing skin, illuminated by the sun, and watched as she quickly pulled up, and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
She smiled coyly at him, as she mounted her horse, and motioned for him to follow. "There's a shortcut that will take less than half the time it took to get here, just follow me." With one last poisonous smile, Draco thought, she could have anyone she wanted surely.
But when he touched his stinging cheek, he could feel the kiss lingering on him, as though someone had slapped him, he thought not this one.
…
"That was simply wonderful Draco, I cannot wait until next time." Perdita Granger gace another soft kiss to Draco Malfoy's cheek, and shot a concealed smirk to the scum that worked in the stables, and glided back to the castle, leaving a stupified Draco behind.
Reaching her room in Granger Manor, she smiled, thinking about how lucky she was to be given the life she deserved. Extravagant balls, and expensive dresses, as well as the doting father. What more could a girl want? A mother. A voice whispered in the back of her head, but she ignored it. She had the perfect life, and it was about to get even better. She had the Malfoy heir practically wrapped her finger. And if she went about things the right way, she would soon be wrapped around something was most definitely not his finger.
She knew most people would frown that her idea, and call her a whore, or a slut. But he was slippery, almost everything these days were slippery, power, money, and love. And Perdita got what she wanted, she got the perfect life hadn't she ? And all it took was a bit of control and everything around her, would soon be hers.
Opening the diary she had been keeping since she was taught the English alphabet, she read the first entry. Smiling fondly as she remembered writing here merely 7 years ago.
Dear Diary,
I start at Hogwarts today, father gave me the letter, along with this journal, saying that sometimes I'll be so busy, I'll forget about myself, and to use this to keep track of my thoughts so I don't lose myself along the way. Me and auntie had a good laugh at the thought that I would be busy at school. I have no intention nor need to get good marks, father will love me regardless as I am the apple of his eye, and aunt just wants me to marry into a good family, which will come to me in a few years. But I suppose a diary is a good thing for me to have. Being the daughter of a well known pureblood family is good and all, it has its downfalls. I rarely get to speak my mind, as the political and social climate is ever-changing and one can never know what to say, and when to say it.
Today I was about to take Serena for a ride down the trail, when I saw her trying to brush it. She would have contaminated my horse, and made even her hate me! When I told auntie what she did, she assured me she would correct her. Even having a mudblood clean Serena would be better than having her do it. Her hands are not even worthy even to clean my horse. If I were in my aunt's place, I would have tortured her until even my hands were burning, but she decided to let her near my horse. But at least, she didn't have supper for the past few weeks.
Sincerely,
Perdita
