Paper Faces
Chapter 6
Never go to bed mad...stay up and fight.
~ Phyllis Diller
She considered going home, she really did. She even apparated to the door of her flat, but quickly turned around and disappeared to her book shop. When she saw the invoice from Malfoy Inc. laying on her desk, she turned around and left with a pop from there as well. That's how she ended up here,
standing in the middle of the Three Broomsticks, her gown still on, rubies still blazing at her throat and her hair still up in the damnable pins.
She was mad. Hermione Granger was livid.
She quickly took a seat at the back of the bar and started yanking on the diamond pins, hoping for a bit of freedom from the tightness that enveloped her poor scalp. Scowling when they wouldn't pull loose, she gave up and ordered a shot instead.
Madame Rosemerta took her order and quickly returned with the drink and the bottle as well. She took a seat across from her, causing Hermione to narrow her eyes in tightly at the witch across from her.
"What are you doing here little Missy? Don't you have a nice fancy party you're supposed to be at?"
She wasn't surprised that Rosemerta knew about the party, everyone in the wizarding world did and had pretty much been invited. Hence why she came here and not to any of her friends homes, the treacherous liars that they were. The other reason was because said friends were still at the mansion celebrating her supposed engagement. Speaking of.
She turned her attention away from her glass and from the pretty barmaid to the gleaming rock on her finger. The damn thing wouldn't budge.
"Oh, I'll kill him. I really will." She swore as she tossed back another shot, ignoring the sly glances the Madame was sending her. "First I'll cut off all that pretty hair, then I'll... I'll. Well, I'll do something bad to him."
"It's not very often that you come in here. What happened to you?" Rosemerta asked and Hermione was very happy to see the witch pushing her chair back from the table slowly. Good, she thought, let her be weary. It was time that people remembered who she was, a war heroine, perfectly capable of kicking some ass.
"Not what, who." She seethed.
"And who might that be?"
"Lucius master of the universe Malfoy." She spat out in a false soprano that didn't quite match the fury that raged inside her.
She tried counting to ten to ease her anger, but that didn't work. She moved on to potions ingredients, but found herself making a draught of living death instead of just cataloging.
"That man has more nerve than Rita Skeeter at the scene of an accident." She continued to rage, not even noticing that Rosemerta had started to walk away. "He had the audacity to propose to me. Can you believe it? And he didn't even do it properly. Pompous git!"
"Did you say that you're engaged to Lucius Malfoy?" Rosemerta asked, her heels grinding to a halt and turning around quicker than a tornado in trailer park.
"No," Hermione exclaimed. "He told the world we were engaged then stuck a ring on my finger. He didn't ask, he told."
"Well, I would say congratulations. It takes a real woman to tame that beast." The witch winked and smiled brightly at her. "I wish you the best of luck."
She started to protest but knew that it would do no good. The population thought the world of the Malfoy's, revered them even. It made her sick. In her opinion there was nothing good about Lucius Malfoy except for his smell. And maybe his body, she admitted a moment later.
When she looked up a minute later, she was alone at her table and drawing several curious glances. She decided that she had had enough. She left a couple galleons to pay for her drink and tip and promptly left the bar, not even bothering to wave farewell to Madame Rosemerta.
As she walked down the cold streets of Hogsmeade she realized that she couldn't let Lucius get away with this. When she passed Honeydukes she decided that he was going to give her the answers she wanted. By the time she got to Zonko's, she had a plan. She just hoped she wasn't going to die doing it.
She was nervous as she stood outside of the impressive gates. Truth be told, she was amazed that she had made it this far. She had gotten through the wards without any trouble and passed through the first set of gates to arrive at the ones before her.
Grimacing slightly, she raised her hand and the gate turned to smoke, allowing her passage. When she stepped through, she heard the sound of the iron solidifying again. She would have felt triumphant at her passage through such impressive security, but as the last of the iron scroll work became solid, she only felt trapped.
Deciding that it was too late to turn back now, the made her way up to the drive to the impressive mansion.
She counted to three and knocked.
A tiny elf answered the door with a beaming smile on her small face.
"Oh, missus." The elf exclaimed. "Please come in and warm yourself at the fire."
Hermione glanced at the elf shrewdly before taking the final step that lead her into the manor.
She followed the creature up the grand staircase, passing several whispering and pointing portraits until they arrived at a long corridor lit by soft candles. The elf grasped her hand and she felt herself being sucked into a vacuum and transported to who knew where.
She landed outside of a set of massive mahogany doors, embellished with an intricately carved M in the wood and thick gold handles. The doors opened automatically and the elf vanished with a loud crack, not saying a word to her.
She walked slowly into the room and looked around at her surroundings, trying to deny where she was. With one look at the imposing four poster bed, marble fire place and painting on the mantle, she was sure that she was in a bedroom. Lucius Malfoy's bedroom to be exact.
She turned on her heel, her courage suddenly failing her and started calling loudly for the elf. The only answer she received was the doors shutting behind her, essentially locking her in.
Deciding to form another plan, she pulled her wand out from the leather holster on her thigh and held it trained in front of her, ready to use it if necessary. She wouldn't hesitate to hex the man. She wouldn't hesitate to do worse.
She explored the room, finding two closets, one full of shoes, ties and other accessories and one stuffed to the brim with expensive robes. On the right side of the room, she opened a door and found it to be a luxury bathroom with black marble touches and a bathtub that would hold a Quidditch team. She quickly closed that door, keeping it in the back of her mind as a possible hiding spot.
There were floor to ceiling French doors next to the bathroom and she quickly examined them. She pushed the heavy pale gold curtains out of the way and checked the lock on the doors. They wouldn't give an inch and apparently the glass was shatterproof, even against magic.
Sinking into a chair near the fire, she sighed in defeat and then promptly scolded herself on her stupidity. Only an idiot would be dumb enough to venture into Malfoy Manor without an armed Auror escort.
Hermione didn't know how it was able to happen, but every time she was near Lucius Malfoy, her brain just seemed to work on the fritz. Her rational thinking took a vacation and her volatile side took over, forcing her to do things that she wouldn't normally do or say. Maybe he had cast some sort of spell on her all those years ago during the war. She wouldn't put it past him to curse children.
"And here I thought that you left so that you could make a scene in public." She heard his drawling voice from the corner of the room.
Her eyes darted around until they located him in the shadowy corner. She cursed herself at her stupidity for forgetting to cast a homenum revelio. Of course he would use magic to conceal himself. Probably had a nice laugh while he was there, watching her poke through all his things.
As soon as he moved, she was on her feet, her mouth in a determined line and her wand fixed on his beautiful face. He walked around her slowly and she matched each movement of his body with a corresponding one on her own. He wouldn't catch her off guard, not again.
"To have you here though, a wonderful surprise indeed. I see that the wards recognized you." Lucius said conversationally before coming to stand behind the chair that she had just vacated. "You must have been very eager to see me to not give a thought to what my wards could do to you."
"Well, actually..." she started, but ended up just standing there with her mouth wide open like a fishwife.
"Don't harm yourself, darling. The ring on your finger claims you as Lady Malfoy. You can pass through the wards without difficulty. However, I suggest that you always wear it when you are here." He spoke as if he were talking to a child. "This is an old house. An old house built by nasty, dark wizards. Not all of it's dangers have been removed and you will need that ring so that it doesn't try and bite you."
His hand shot out and she let out a small scream, only to hear him laugh. "Please, sit."
"If you think that I'm going to sit down while you're standing, you're sorely mistaken buster." She said, refusing to budge on this.
"Buster, how interesting." He murmured while grabbing her hand and pulling her to sit.
She started to argue, until she felt his hands in her hair. She couldn't stop the moan that came out of her mouth as the first pin was removed. She promptly covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from making any further outbursts.
"Christophe used to see to Narcissa's hair." He said as he continued to pull the diamond pins out of her curls. "He always forgets to tell his witches that the style can only be undone by a man."
She tilted her head up towards him, a questioning look on her face.
"His private joke." Lucius laughed and pulled out the last one, finally letting her free. "He thinks too highly of his creations."
"I will be sure to tell him that the next time I see him." Hermione said dryly although she was blissfully happy to have feeling come back into her head.
She felt more than saw him move away from her. "Drink?" He asked and she looked at him dumbly. "No, I suppose not. You have had quite enough already, haven't you? It's what gave you the courage to come here."
"That's not..." She started but he cut her off.
"No matter. You're ring was a portkey that would have activated at midnight in any case." He said fluidly as he took a sip of what she could only assume was the finest brandy.
"A portkey?" Hermione stammered, her courage and anger finally returning to it's rightful place, on her tongue. "What gave you the right to do that?"
She stood up and marched over to the door. She could feel her anger all the way down to her toes. "You are delusional!" She exclaimed as she tried for the doors. When they wouldn't budge she started banging on them. "Why are you doing this to me? What do you want from me?"
He was behind her in an instant, that delicious heat of his pressed against her body. She shivered in delight.
His voice was low and silky against her ear. "I thought I had made myself clear."
She turned quickly, but found herself imprisoned between his arms that were now planted on either side of her head. "No, you haven't."
"Well then. Let me show you."
He started to dip his head down and she quickly turned out of the way. "Oh no you don't. I'm not going to let you get me all fumbled in the head with your kisses. Not this time."
She smiled as Lucius backed his head up, but quickly lost her victory as she saw the cunning sneer that crossed his lips.
"You're going to give me answers and you're going to give them to me now." She demanded, remembering her wand and bringing it up to his throat.
He walked backwards until his knees his the edge of the four postered bed. Her lips twisted up into a devious smirk. She had brought him low, showed him who was master for now.
"Why are you pursuing me?" Hermione asked. "And no lies."
"I told you." He sneered back at her. "I am in need of a wife and you fit the bill perfectly."
"You're lying." She tossed back at him, her eyebrow raising, daring him to refute it. "You can have any woman in the world. Most would willingly lie at your feet and kiss your toes. So," she jabbed his neck, "why are you pursuing me?"
"I find you interesting." He ground out in a voice that she didn't find very becoming on him.
"Don't you hate me? You've always done everything you could to make my life miserable, the laws at the ministry, talking Luna into using you as a supplier. If it annoyed me, you did it." She finished finally and didn't realize that in her speech she had walked herself between his legs.
In a deft move, he pulled her wand out of her hand and tossed it across the room. She then found herself trapped underneath his firm, hard body, her wrists caught in one of his large hands while his other hooked under her leg and lifted it, pressing them intimately against each other.
"My dear," He whispered huskily. "I don't hate you. Far from it. I find myself intrigued by you and I intend to have you."
His lips descended hungrily on hers and she found her refusal leaving her as desire took its place.
Am I the only one who just finds him as delicious as a cupcake on Atkins? Oh, and how he looked in DH? MMMMM... anyway, you know the deal! Review my lovelies!