A/N: I see now I nearly have 50 followers for this story, but I still get very few reviews! Make my day and leave a review, will you? ;) - Tina


Chapter 9: One Thing


The Ahn family did not seem to think like the Grangers did when it came to wealth and residence. Despite that they too had a family of three, their house was definitely a mansion. As Selena opened the door Draco could see a set of white marble staircases and statues.

"Oh, Hermione! And - oh."

Selena was in a mini dress of deep purple, which went well with her long silky black hair which curled lightly at the bottom. She looked visibly shocked to see Draco Malfoy standing next to Hermione.

"Draco! What a surprise," she managed to say. "I didn't know you lived in Rayne Heights."

"He doesn't. He's my plus one," Hermione said, giving Selena a light hug and pecks on both cheeks. Draco also gave Selena a hug as she struggled to hide her surprise.

"Really, how so?" Selena asked.

"He's staying at my house for fall break," Hermione replied as if it were nothing. Selena gave Draco a confused look, and he shrugged.

"Well, come in, come in," Selena said. "We're in the ballroom."

Having a ballroom was probably not very surprising given the size of the mansion, but Draco was still very impressed. He and Hermione followed Selena down a hallway to a set of beautifully carved wooden doors. Few house elves hurried to open them as they arrived.

The place was lit with enchanted paper lanterns floating beneath the ceiling, and beautiful music played. There were about thirty people, all around their age, either sitting and chatting at tables or dancing. Draco had been expecting an informal get together and had only changed into his button-up shirt after seeing that Hermione was in a semiformal dress. This was something else.

"Hermione Granger!"

A tall, brown-haired boy with dark rimmed glasses threw what Draco noticed were some nicely muscled arms around Hermione and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Jackson," Hermione said. "Good to see you! How's Durmstrang?"

"It's the same old," said Jackson. "Bloody freezing, but what can you do?"

Leave and go to Hogwarts, Draco thought bitterly. The boy was clearly British. He had to be one of the pure-blood elitists going to Durmstrang to avoid Muggle-borns.

"And who is this?" Jackson asked, eyeing Draco.

"This is Draco. He goes to Hogwarts with me," Hermione said.

Draco offered his hand. "Draco Malfoy," he said.

"Jackson Rayne the Fourth," he said, shaking Draco's hand. Draco caught Hermione rolling her eyes, which made him strangely happy.

"Rayne as in Rayne Heights, this town?" asked Draco.

"Precisely," said Jackson. "Malfoy...I haven't quite heard that around here."

"Right," said Draco. He didn't feel like explaining that he was a Muggle-born, and left it at that. Jackson gave him a curious look and then shrugged.

"Well, a friend of Granger is a friend of mine...and for her to bring you here, seems like you might be even a bit more?"

"Oh, Jackson," said Hermione, laughing and playfully hitting Jackson on the arm. "You are too much!"

Someone else called Jackson's name, and he excused himself to join a group of young people who just arrived.

"Oh, you are too much," Draco said, mimicking Hermione's flirtatious tone as soon as Jackson was out of earshot.

"You sound jealous, Malfoy," Hermione said, very amused. "But you'd be a fool not to kiss up to a Rayne brother."

"There are more of him?" said Draco. She laughed again.

"Yes. He's the eldest one who got the coveted first name and the numbering, but he has two younger brothers, Albert and Derek. Twins."

"You seem to know a lot."

"You have to," Hermione said. "And it's an increasingly small community."

He grinned. "Because pure-blood kids keep shagging the Muggle-born ones?"

She laughed. "I guess that's one way of putting it."


As Hermione caught up with some old friends at a table taking what looked like pretty strong shots, Draco got up to get a drink from the bar. As he reached for a glass, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Oh, hi," he said. Selena leaned close to whisper.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "I thought that was a one time thing!"

"Trust me, I know," said Draco. "I'm not really here for you."

She gave him an unbelieving look. "You're in my house."

"I...realize that," he said slowly. "But...long story short, Dumbledore wanted me to spend fall break at Granger's, so here I am."

Selena frowned. "Sounds like I'm going to need the long version sometime."

He shrugged. "Nice place."

She waved her hands dismissively. "Thanks. But, hold on. So...are you two going out?"

"No, we are not."

"And...you haven't told anyone we've...you know?" She looked around the room apprehensively.

"Well..." he said, his eyes trailing to where Jackson was laughing with some other boys. She looked aghast, and he laughed. "No, I didn't." He also hadn't technically told Hermione that he had hooked up with Selena. She had guessed.

Selena sighed in relief, and he wasn't sure if he were supposed to feel hurt by that. To him it mostly was interesting, albeit in a slightly offensive way.

"So you pure-bloods aren't supposed to get involved with Muggle-borns?"

She looked at him apologetically. "You don't understand, Draco. There's just...so much pressure."

He shrugged. "I actually didn't even know that you were a pure-blood. And I mean...I'm pretty sure people saw us leaving together."

Selena blushed. "It's different at school," she said. "And we both established that it was a one time thing."

He poured himself a drink and turned to face her. "Why even once?"

Her blush deepened in color. "What do you want me to do, explain to you why I wanted to...?"

Draco looked around the room. "I'm in a room full of pure-blood kids, and already Jackson Rayne himself - excuse me, Jackson Rayne the Fourth - has already commented on not knowing my family name. I think I could use a bit of a confidence boost right about now."

"I-I mean," she stammered. She looked down at her toes. "I did think you were cute...and smart...and I guess a little..."

"A little what?"

"...dangerous."

He stared at her. "What?"

"I don't even know why we're talking about this right now," she said quickly and turned to walk away, but he grabbed her by her wrist.

"Go on," he said.

She looked around the room apprehensively. "A boy like you isn't exactly the type I'm likely to end up with," she whispered. "I'll probably have to marry one of the idiots in this room. Hopefully a Rayne. I could go for a Cliff but then it'd mean being related to Granger. No, thank you."

"So we Muggle-borns are for hook ups that get your little pure-blood hearts racing and that's it," he muttered.

"Merlin, Draco," breathed Selena.

"What?"

"Fuck, you're turning me on."


"What did she want?" said Hermione when Draco returned to the table. "More of the D?"

He stared at her. "Well, you're clearly drunk."

"D for Draco," she said, stifling a laughter and taking another sip of her drink.

He rolled his eyes. "Actually, yes. Apparently we Muggle-borns are like a sexual fantasy to you guys."

"Pbbbt."

"Well, at least that's why she wanted to shag me, and she wanted to just now, too."

She almost spit out her drink. "Just now?"

He nodded. She laughed.

"You know, I really am offended that I'm not the first pure-blood witch you'd kiss."

"I never said I was going to kiss you."

"I am further offended, considering you've already kissed her."

"Well, that's one thing I did to her."

She looked at him, her eyes wide. "Oh, would you look at that! Joking with me again! Perhaps we can get farther with this thing."

"Not joking," he said with a sneer.

She took another sip of her drink. "Honestly, Malfoy, this really is interesting. Now I do have to know. Would you kiss me if I told you I wasn't going to tell Dumbledore?"

"I wouldn't believe you," said Draco.

"But if you did," she pressed on.

"You're drunk."

"Irrelevant to the questioning," she said. "Go on. If you really truly believed that it wouldn't affect the Program, would you kiss me?"

"I told you we have too much of a history for me to consider you a girlfriend material."

"Who said anything about a girlfriend? You're not dating Selena Ahn."

That conniving witch.

"If the two of us were at a party like this..." she said, and she dragged her chair closer to him. "And if I were in this really, really sexy dress..." His eyes automatically trailed to the hem of her dark blue dress, which showed off her smooth legs. "And if we were both fairly intoxicated and in a very good mood..." She leaned close to him. "And I smelled really good..."

That conniving witch. She did smell really good.

"...would you kiss me then?"

He stared at her.

"Well," he said. He bit his lower lip. He couldn't handle it anymore.

"That's one thing I'd do to you."