A/N: Alright, I know I haven't updated in a while . .. sorry. I've just been rather busy, school having started and all. Anywayz, I'll try to update once every 2 weeks (crosses fingers) and we'll take it from there. Btw . .. to anyone also following Love Was not Enough .. . sorry. . . but I have a huge writer's block on that one. I don't think I'll be updating for a while.
How to Marry a Malfoy
By Me (Romantic Fool)
~Lesson 9: Allowing the Illusion~
Malfoys, like all bachelors, like to delude themselves that they are not in love. Whenever they feel themselves falling into the trap, i.e. when they can no longer fight the desire to get you into their beds, they will try their best to create the illusion that the attraction is purely physical. Do not ask this author why they do this, it is entirely beyond her comprehension. Suffice to say that Malfoys, being mule-headed males that they are, will try their best to convince themselves, and you, that all they want is sex. This author would suggest that you allow this illusion and enjoy his expertise. All Malfoys are magnificent lovers, and there is no need to deprive yourself of this enjoyment just because he refuses to profess his undying devotion to you. However, you will be in for a rough ride when your Malfoy starts to realize the extent of his feelings for you. However, fighting all the way, he will finally give in to the truth, whatever it may be.
~Morwena Morgana Malfoy~
Hermione stared, grossly confused, at the breakfast tray on he lap. She looked at her 'nurse,' who was scowling at her from a chair located right by her bed.
"But .. . . where's my coffee?" She asked him, gesturing vaguely at the tray.
"I made a few modifications to your normal breakfast and, as you will see later, your lunch and dinner as well." He said sardonically.
Crossing her arms and summoning her 'Head Girl' voice, Hermione chastised
"You have no right to do any such thing, Draco!" However, she spoiled the effect by continuing, "I want my coffee!"
"My aunt told me to take care of you, and thus, I have every right to remove unhealthy items from your diet." He answered high-handedly.
"Coffee is not unhealthy!" Hermione protested, but when he raised a challenging brow at her, she mumbled "Well, not very unhealthy!"
"Just drink your milk, will you. Arguing with me is pointless." He ordered as he slumped down on his chair and reached for his own cup of coffee.
Hermione glared at him and suppressed the urge to pout. 'How come he got to have coffee?'
Reading her mind, he said simply
"I'm not the one with the ulcer. Now eat."
"I'm not used to having more than a cup of coffee for breakfast." Hermione whined, looking longingly at the cup of coffee in his hand. "Besides, I need my caffeine boost if I'm going to work on that potion today."
"Problem solved – You're not going to work on that potion today, therefore, you do not need your coffee."
"But . ."
Draco glared at her.
"You are not going to leave that bed for three days, until you get better!" His voice was full of authority.
"But…"
"No arguments!"
"But…"
Cursing, Draco grabbed a spoon, scooped up some porridge, and shoved it in front of Hermione's mouth. Her eyes full if indignation, Hermione, huffed, and puffed, and finally ate.
Staring at her, Draco felt protectiveness surge within him. She looked so young . .. so damn vulnerable in her huge bed. However, a darker, more consuming urge was also troubling him. Whenever he saw her, he kept on remembering that night when she had crept so innocently into his bed. He wanted her, he couldn't deny that. It was only a matter of time before his control snapped.
~~~***~~~
Hermione gingerly got up from the bed. Sliding her feet into her warm fluffy slippers, she stretched, craning her neck for any sign of Draco Malfoy. There was none. With a sigh of relief, she grabbed her robe and draped it loosely over her pajamas. There was no need to dress up just to make a potion. It shouldn't take her long, and she should be back in her room before dinner, which was, probably, when Draco was coming back.
Hermione popped her head out of the door and looked around. Course clear.
Guiltily, she ran towards the stairs, heading for the potions room. Sighing . .. she thought back to her conversation with Draco. She all but promised to stay in bed.
Well, technically, she didn't promise, so she wasn't doing anything wrong.
But he did state very specifically that she was not to leave her bed.
Who gave him the right to tell her what to do anyway?
He does have a point, she was sick.
But not that sick!
Reaching the potions room, she straightened her shoulders. She was just making a potion after all. As long as she kept track of her time, she'd be fine.
~~~***~~~
Exactly at dinner time, Draco stepped into Hermione's bedroom. He looked around, expecting to see Hermione in her bed. He had not wanted to leave her after lunch, but he had business affairs to deal with. For the past week or so, he had been trying to contact Morgan Morgana, his aunt's brother. The Morgana family held a significant amount of stock in almost all of his businesses. Although he had controlling power over most of them, there were a few that needed Morgan Morgana's consent before anything could be done. However, the damn man was bloody hard to contact or locate. Just a few days ago did Draco's agents get wind of his location, somewhere in the Himalayas, and today, Draco had painstakingly convinced his adventurous uncle to pay a visit to Morgana Manor. After such an exhausting 6 hour conversation through the two-way mirror, he was looking forward to a quiet and comfortable dinner with Hermione.
The room was empty.
Draco's eyes narrowed, before he let out a flow of expletives. Damn the girl! When he got hold of her, he would make sure that she never dreamed of disobeying his orders again.
Slamming the door behind him, Draco stalked towards the stairs, his thought fixed on finding Hermione. The view before him twisted, and in moments, he was standing in front of the potions room.
For once, Draco appreciated the magical nature of his aunt's house.
He was about to knock when he changed his mind. Better not give the chit anytime to think up a defense.
The door wasn't locked, so he opened it and stealthily entered the room.
Sure enough, he found Hermione seated on a bench, two different vials in her hand. Eyeing the contents critically, she poured the contents of one into the other.
Nothing happened for a moment, and with a relieved sigh, Hermione placed the vial on the table.
With a crack, the green liquid exploded, launching Hermione backwards, straight into Draco's arms.
The room quickly filled with smoke. To his horror, Hermione shifted out of his arms and headed back to the bench. Launching into a cursing tirade, he jerked her forcefully back and pulled her out of the door. He slammed it shut, before turning to her.
Unaware of his mood, or of the time, Hermione frowned at him and placed her hands on her hips.
"What did you do that for? I needed to see what went wrong with the potion."
His eyes flared as he tried to put a leash on his temper.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back into the room and . . ." Hermione let out surprised gasp as Draco grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall. His hands held her arms pinioned to her sides.
"Did I not tell you, very specifically, not to leave your bed?" He growled.
Looking a bit sheepish, Hermione answered
"Yes, but . ."
"But?" He ground out in question. "There are no buts. Is it so hard to follow those simple orders?'
"Now, see here! You have no right to order me . . ."
"It was for your own damn good. You could have gotten yourself killed back there." He snapped at her.
"Don't be ridiculous. Things like that happen all the time . . ."
"What? What did you say?"
Hermione swallowed the rest of her sentence.
"That's better. Now, we're going to go back to your room so that you can eat your belated dinner . ."
"But I need to see to the potion. I'm so close; it'll just take me a couple of hours…"
"No!"
Draco roared. Damn the girl! How could she be so reticent about taking care of her own damn body? His eyes slid over her, taking in the paleness of her skin and her tiny waist. He was about to open his mouth to explain to her that she was sick, to tell her exactly why she needed to rest.
However, standing barely inches from her, he could feel his body reacting to her other assets. He could feel his mind reeling back to the night before, when every curve of her body had been in contact with his. He could remember how it felt to explore her mouth, to run his tongue along her smooth skin. The anger within him was being overwhelmed by an entirely different kind of heat. He could feel his body telling him, in no uncertain terms, that he wanted . .needed .. . to have her in his bed tonight. It didn't matter that she was still ill, or that she was a Mudblood, or that he was still angry with her. He wanted her now!
His fingers tightened around her shoulders. Their eyes locked, and for the first time, Hermione realized just how close they were. She could feel the heat emanating from him; she could hear every breath he took. For some reason, her body yearned to draw closer to him. She looked up, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Why do you care about what I do? I'm nobody to you?" She asked him, not certain whether the heat in his eyes were that of anger or .. . something else.
"I want you." He said bluntly.
"Excuse me?"
"I want to have sex with you." He elaborated, drawing her closer. "And I can only do that if you're not doubling over with pain." He said, finally finding an excuse for his recent actions. That was it . . . that was why he was always fixated on her health!
"Umm…"
"At loss for words?" He asked her.
"Well, it is quite a surprise." Hermione replied, trying to regain control of her emotions. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to him. His heat, his intensity, his self-assurance drew her to him like a moth to a flame. She would never dare embark on a relationship, to risk loving and not being loved in return. However . . ..
"What do you want from me?" She asked him.
"I thought that is blatantly obvious." He answered as he released her shoulders and cupped her face with his hands. He drew closer.
"I mean, if we are going to . . you know. Shouldn't we lay down some ground rules?"
"Sex, no strings attached." He replied curtly, dipping his head to capture her mouth. For a moment, he thought she would fight him. However, she yielded, her body softening against him. Her hands resting hesitantly on his chest.
"No emotions, and I mean none." She stipulated when he finally released her mouth. He had wolfish grin on his face.
"I didn't expect you to be the one making that request." He said, his fingers already on the neck or her robe.
"I'm serious Draco! I'm not going to deny that I'm attracted to you, but I can't handle a relationship that is not purely physical. You don't know how it is - to have had love and then having it snatched away, just like that! I can't take that risk, no matter what the cost." She said, staring directly into his eyes, feeling the heat of his gaze on every part of her body.
"I don't love you." He stated.
"good."
"Anything else?" He asked, forcing her robe down her shoulders until it lay in a pool on the ground.
"There should be." Hermione gasped, fighting for breath as he brushed his lips down her neck, his hands on the buttons of her pajamas.
"We can work that out later." He told her, his hands clasping her waist as he pulled her against him and devoured her mouth. His body moved to press her against the wall.
"Here?" She asked, feeling her shirt loosen. Modesty, as well as lack of experience, caused her to try to conceal her body from his gaze by pulling the sides of her shirt together. He tugged at her hand while his mouth nibbled at her ear.
"Here!" He answered, as he kissed her again.
Suddenly, Hermione felt the familiar twinge of pain just under her ribcage. Crying out, she try to balance herself, her face paling as the pain consumed her.
Shocked, Draco caught her as she fell, lifting her up into his arms.
"Did I hurt you?"
Hermione shook her head, concentrating on trying to suppress the pain in her stomach.
"It's alright. Just a twinge." She gasped out.
Rushing her to her room, Draco cursed.
"To hell with this!"
Hermione heard the door slam behind her as he settled her on the bed.
"From now on, neither of us is leaving this room for the next 2 days. Is that clear?"
All Hermione could do was nod.
Disclaimer: I won't be in college if I owned them, now would I.
A/N: Alright, not the best of chapters, I know. I just thought that I should atleast write something and not let college lethargy consume me. It'll get better, I promise.
