Plot: Malfoy has something on Hermione. Will he use it against her? Of course he will.
Notes: Guys, it has been forever. I hope you are all safe out there. The world is LITERALLY crazy right now. I want you to know I am safe, well and employed and I hope this finds you all in much the same position.
I am sorry for my obscenely long hiatus. I haven't been able to write something I am in love with for so long… or finish anything. I think it may have been over a year since I posted? In the meantime, I have been reading a lot of fanfic… including some truly crap stuff, which I have enjoyed anyway. So, I realise, if I like reading whatever – maybe I need to just suck it up and post something to get back into the swing of it, even if I am not crazy in love with it – someone may enjoy it anyway. This is pretty light, because, the world is pretty dark right now…
Back when I was taking story requests, I got a few common themes – wanting jealous Hermione, wanting a briber/blackmail trope. So, I wrote this back IN APRIL 2019... However, I never finished it. But today I decided to give it a spit and polish, share it, and give you a say in how I end it. This is lemon drizzle... so if you want the drizzle speak now or forever hold your peace.
Warning: M for mature language and themes. I don't own Harry Potter.
A Simple Offer
"How dare you!" she hissed angrily.
"How dare I? How dare you cheat on an EXAM" he hissed back at her. They were in a darkened and seldom used part of the library where he had dragged her moments prior. "Don't lie to me Granger, you can't keep up with me," he warned.
She sighed loudly. "Fine. It was just one. And it was divination which is only for quacks anyway. With everything going on I just didn't have time and if I don't get perfect results I don't get in the Ministry graduate program and if I don't get into that program I can't apply for the fast track to management course, and if I can't do that my 5 year plan is ruined and I will probably never be Minister for Magic," she rambled, "I normally wouldn't do it but I cracked under the pressure OK, cracked!" she finished, taking a loud breath. There was something cathartic about saying it aloud, irrespective of to whom, and under what circumstances the truth was being said.
"Tisk tisk, naughty girl, what will we do with you then?" he said, leaning against the shelf with an arrogance she had only ever seen rivalled by Lucius.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
"What makes you think I want anything?" asked Draco, smirking at the frazzled little witch.
"You're a Malfoy, you always have an angle. Get it over with, what do you want?" she demanded, impatient.
"You think I mean to blackmail you?" he asked, mocking hurt and shock.
"Come off it Malfoy, we both know that's what you'll do. If you were going to tell on me you would have done so immediately. So, tell me what you want so we can get it over with," she said darkly.
"Bossy as ever Granger, but I believe we will do this on my terms. Since I am the one doing the blackmailing and you are the blackmailed, so to speak. I'll be in touch when I decide what I want," he said, studying his nails.
"You are a complete and utter prick, you know that Malfoy?" she replied bitterly.
"Granger, you flatter me too much!" he said, laughing as he walked away, leaving her between the dimly lit stacks to think about what a colossal mistake she had made.
Draco was sitting in the Great Hall, covertly watching Hermione study whilst somehow, through sheer triumph of human spirit, she ignored Weasley and Potter arguing with full mouths, practically over the top of her.
What would he taunt the princess with? He needed something she would hate, but would not be too morally reprehensible. Despite common belief, when it came to morals, he did have a few of them. A few less than most, but a few none the less.
He also needed to think of how to get maximum benefit from it. Beyond just annoying the swotty little so-and-so.
Draco tuned back into the conversation behind him, where Blaise was regaling them with his Italian Stallion act. Draco rolled his eyes. "Blaise, I could get a date with anyone I wanted in this school," he said cockily, knowing it would bait the boy.
"You're real full of yourself Malfoy," sneered Blaise, "but face it, not every witch in this school cares about your stupid hair and your family vault!"
Draco snorted. "Any. Witch. I would BET on it," he said, catching sight of Granger yelling at Weasley from the corner of his eye. The corner of his mouth turned up, knowing he was leading Blaise right into a trap.
"Fine," he said, looking around for unattainable witches. Predictably, his eyes settled on Hermione.
"The Mudblood. Hermione Granger. Bring her to the next couple of Slytherin parties…since you're so great with witches and can get any one you want," said Blaise triumphantly, confident there was no way Granger would ever so much as willingly share the same room as Malfoy in her free time.
"Your bet is accepted. Now, WHEN I get her on my arm to the House party, I expect you to stop making passes at Pansy – and also announce to the entire boys' dorm that I am the greatest ladies' man at Hogwarts," said Draco.
"Fine, and if I win, you'll dump Parkinson all together so I can have her, plus announce to the dorm who the true King of Slytherin is," countered Blaise.
"It's a deal," he said, reaching to shake Blaise's hand. Beside him, Theo could only roll his eyes.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Draco knew it was unfair to use Pansy, a living woman, as a prize in a bet… but he didn't care. Plus, it's not like she would either. Whether she ended up with Draco or Blaise, she had a rich, pureblood wizard on her arm, which was realistically all she cared about. It was all any of them cared about really, thought Draco darkly.
Plus, he really liked to win.
"I've decided what I want," announced Draco bluntly, silencing the study area around them and casting a disillusionment charm so no one noticed them speaking.
Hermione dropped her quill land sat back, already exasperated. "And what is that?" she asked curtly.
"You to be my date for the Slytherin House Party… the next two actually," he said casually, leaning over the table to look at her homework. Hermione immediately turned it over and glared at him. "What?! I thought cheating was OK with you Granger… it's our thing," he teased.
"Fuck off," she snapped.
Hermione had heard about these debauched parties and groaned internally. A party was better than anything she had imagined he might demand, but this particular party? God knows what they would do to her!
"It's Slytherins only," she argued.
"That's not a formal rule," he replied.
"Definitely no Mudbloods," she said, almost pleading.
"Preferred, but not a rule," he said with a wolfish grin.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because Blaise bet me that I couldn't get you to go with me," he said honestly. No need to lie to her, he had dirt on her anyway. She didn't have a choice.
"And let me guess," she ventured, "you had a hand in manipulating him to make this particular bet, knowing you had the material to hold over me to force my participation," she suggested, frowning.
"They don't call you the brightest witch of the age for nothing Granger," he said, reclining.
"What do you win?" she asked.
"Glory… and he will lay off lavishing Pansy with his attentions," he said, somewhat bitterly.
"Got some competition for Pugface do you?" she teased.
"There's nothing wrong with her face," replied Draco defensively.
"So that's a yes," Hermione snorted, enjoying having him on a slight backfoot for once.
"I don't appreciate anyone trying to take what's mine," said Draco coldly.
Hermione leaned forward, "If she's willing to be taken Malfoy, she isn't yours," she said quietly.
"Did I ask for your advice? Hmm?" he snapped, "swing by for a little friends chat?" NO!" he finished, frowning.
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I'll speak to you later," he announced in a clipped tone, his robes swirling as he stalked away.
When she approached the Head Girls quarters, she frowned at the sight of him looming in her doorway.
"What do you want?" she snapped, before giving the portrait the password. She made a mental note to change it just as soon as he left.
"I already agreed to go to your party," she added flatly, stepping into the portrait and turning back to him.
"Well you won't be attending wearing anything you currently own," he said, holding up a large black bag.
Draco rudely pushed past her, sweeping past her effortlessly.
"Did I invite you in?" she asked sarcastically.
"Didn't have to," he said, turning his nose in the air as he dropped the bag on her bed.
"What is this?" she asked, touching the bag.
"What you'll be wearing," he responded matter-of-factly.
"You never said anything about an outfit Malfoy," she said, putting one hand on her hip.
"You never asked," he shrugged. Hermione seethed internally. He was such a smug git.
"Will that be all?" she asked through gritted teeth, nodding towards the door and praying the ferret would leave.
"Try it," he ordered. His stance was firm. Like an infestation, she was going to have a hard time getting him out.
"I am sure it is fine," she said, uncomfortable with the idea of putting on a fashion show for Draco Malfoy.
"Mudblood or not Granger, I am not attending a party with my closest peers with a witch on my arm dressed like a slob," he argued.
"I do not dress like a slob!" she snapped, eyes flashing.
Draco put his hands up in mock surrender, "dowdy then," he conceded.
"Fuck you," she hissed, narrowing her eyes. No matter how attractive he may look in his robes, he was a bastard through and through.
"You wish," he said, smirking. Hermione wanted to scream. Half because he was so rude and half because she wouldn't say no to a shag with him, a fact which horrified her to her core.
Hermione didn't dignify him with a response as she picked up the bag and walked to her small bathroom.
With no seating in the cramped quarters, he made himself comfortable on the bed. It was strange being in Granger's room, but any opportunity to rile her up was welcome to him. Getting to do it in new scenery was just a bonus.
"Fucking seriously?" she called a few minutes after she entered the bathroom and presumably put on what he selected for her. Draco smiled like the cat that got the cream.
"Who knew you had such a mouth on you Granger? Besides, Blaise will freak out when he sees that not only did I get you to this party, I got you there dressed like that. Live a little! This could be fun for you too Granger, shocking people…" he yelled back.
He heard her groan from the bathroom.
"Come on Granger, it will drive Pansy insane, I may not even need the second party," he called, trying to get the stubborn witch to come around to his way of thinking.
Hermione walked out, clearly unsure of herself in what he put her in.
The dress was black with a high neck, but showed off a lot of leg. 'One or the other,' as his mother always said.
Hermione squirmed under his gaze, clearly not accustomed to wearing such attention-grabbing clothes.
Draco pulled at his tie slightly when she wasn't looking at him, but was careful to keep his expression neutral. She looked fucking gorgeous. Her tanned skin, her thin shoulders, toned legs, petite body… and of course her wild head of curls cascading down her slender, biteable neck… He hadn't realised she was so… everything that turned him on in a witch. But he couldn't risk going to that place in his mind.
She was Hermione Granger. Know-it-all. Swot. Potter lover. Hated him. Not to mention being Muggleborn... Wait, why was he thinking of the word Muggleborn instead of Mudblood now? His inner dialogue had always been fine with the slur…
Needing to get the hell out of there he quickly moved for the portrait hole.
"That will do," he announced casually, as if unfazed by how good she looked, "I will pick you up at seven on Saturday," he added, turning to face her sour expression. "And get that look off your face by then," he added haughtily.
"Put something in writing Draco, I am not having you hold this over me forever," she said, looking at him evenly, her eyes full of strength. Why did she have to do that whilst looking so edible?
She turned, as if dismissing him, and began fossicking around in her trunk, presumably for something else to wear.
"I will send you an owl with something…" he began, admiring the way the straps of the dress cut a criss-cross into her toned, tanned upper back, "binding," he finished.
"Prick," she mumbled, reaching for the zip as she heard the door slam.
She couldn't understand it. Couldn't understand why he would dress her so beautifully, parade her around the Slytherin rooms like a prize, introduce her to everyone and suggest under threat of death they treat her with respect…AND allow her to catch him giving her so many lingering looks. She saw him looking at her body, her face, then to leave her standing alone while he practically shoved his hand in Pansy's knickers. It was disgusting. Abhorrent. Confusing…
Talk about mixed messages.
She was seething, and kicking herself mentally for it. She knew he was a prick of the highest order. He had tormented her for years, and now blackmailed her – he had always made his intentions clear. What kind of stupid girl would get so caught up just because he showed her the slightest bit of decorum? And subject herself to feeling jealous of Pansy 'Pugface' Parkinson, of all people!
"It appears your date has no manners," said an amused voice behind her.
"Apparently," she said, downing her drink and turning towards the tall, attractive, brunette wizard who owned the voice.
He leaned in conspiratorially, "I think you're a much better option myself, but there is no accounting for taste," he said, nodding towards Draco and Pansy.
Hermione narrowed her eyes but shoved away the pang of unwanted jealousy at the sight.
The wizard extended his hand, "We've never met properly, I am Theo Nott," he said.
"I have heard about you, well, your family," she said icily, taking a step back. The Notts were known blood purists and enthusiastic supporters of Voldemort. He was likely speaking to her for nefarious reasons. A step back was wise, she figured, given she was in a snake den after all.
For his part, Theo never skipped a beat, "In that case, as you well know, we should judge a witch or wizard based on their qualities, not their families," he lectured, raising his eyebrows knowingly.
Hermione felt a little bit embarrassed about being schooled on tolerance by someone like him, but couldn't help how impressed she felt at how similar he sounded to her when on her high horse. Not to mention, his tone, his eyes, the weight of his words… she believed him. Slytherins were known for being excellent liars, but they were never too good at hiding distaste for muggleborns if they had it.
"Perhaps I was hasty," she admitted with a half-smile, "I'm Hermione Granger, it's nice to meet you Theo," she said, shaking his hand.
Theo beamed at the pretty little witch. He wasn't like his family, and he had always admired her academic skill from afar – always hoping to be paired with her for an assignment. He had never felt there was a situation he could approach her otherwise. Until this party, of course.
"So, Hermione… how did he get you here? Bribery... blackmail?" he asked. It was a bold question for a stranger, but something in her gut told her he was friend, not foe.
"Of course," she laughed, noticing they were still connected by the hands.
Theo loosened his grip on her hand, but still held it gently, leaving Hermione with a lone butterfly in the bottom of her stomach. "What do you think?!" she snorted.
"Blaise has always been an idiot. We've been friends since we were in nappies, you think he'd learn," he said, looking over at Blaise who was busy flirting with Daphne Greengrass, though still looking sullen about his lost bet.
"Can't argue with you there," she said, her mind slowly wandering away from the attractive but confusing Malfoy, distinctly in the direction of the charming boy in front of her.
"He's got something good on you then," he said, raising an eyebrow.
"Unfortunately," she groaned, not keen to admit to Theo what she had done.
"For you maybe, quite the opposite for me," he said, smiling wolfishly, "would you maybe, like to go for a walk?" he added hopefully.
Hermione blushed at the implication that Malfoy having run this scam was giving him an opportunity to speak to her. It was flirtatious to say the least, and made her feel special.
Why not? Thought Hermione. This whole night had been crazy. Why not end it in a dark corner with an attractive Slytherin? Tomorrow, all would be forgotten and she would go back to her largely anonymous existence on the Hogwarts social scene.
"Sure," she said, locking her arm with his and walking out of the party, unseen by Draco.
"Ready for next week?" he asked, far too cheerfully.
Hermione groaned. She was hungover, and it was 7am on a Sunday. "What are you doing at my door at this ungodly hour Malfoy?" she said, rubbing her eyes as he pushed past her in his usual entitled fashion.
"Nice sleepwear," he said, laughing at her short-shorts covered in cartoon pineapples and oversize T-shirt from a fun run she did with her parents a few years back.
Hermione glared. "Shouldn't you be in bed with Pansy, you were practically inside of her last I saw you," she snapped, a little more sharply than intended. After all, he had ditched her as a date AND dragged her out of bed at 7 am on a Sunday.
Plus, she was resenting both being blackmailed and pitted against another witch just so Malfoy could keep his bed buddy.
"Jealous, are we?" he asked cockily, leaning against the wall by the door.
"Of you? No thank you Malfoy. I can't imagine you'd be worth my time," she replied dismissively.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he said flippantly, wandering around the small room.
"So, what went wrong then?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"What makes you think something went wrong?" he said casually, eyeing some of the muggle photographs on her desk.
"You're here and not in bed hungover or in the company of a witch," she said, shrugging.
Malfoy sighed. "Brightest witch in the age and all of that."
Hermione didn't reply, she just looked at him inquisitively until he spoke again.
"Fine. Pansy got pissed off at me because I went looking for you. I figured that even though things were going well, I should walk you home from the dungeons, given I lured you down there. Whatever you think of my family, I was raised right. As you can imagine, she didn't enjoy me cutting short our little tryst to go and look for another witch… especially a mud…muggleborn. Didn't understand it. So really Granger, my misfortune is all your fault," he finished.
Hermione opened her mouth to protest. "It's OK Granger," he said calmly, "I can't blame you for already being gone when I came out, I didn't expect you to cut it down there for very long anyway."
Draco began picking up books from her bedside table and examining them.
"I had a good time actually," she said defensively, crossing her arms.
Draco gave her a sceptical look and continued eying her possessions like the entitled prat he was. Like the world was his oyster, and nothing was out of bounds.
Regardless of his scepticism, what she said was true. Things with Theo had gone well. Really well. He had been a perfect gentleman, walking around the castle with her and speaking enthusiastically on their shared interests until the wee hours of the morning.
Draco picked up a particularly old, rare volume next to her bed and squinted, scrunching up his nose. "Why do you have one of Nott's precious textbooks?" he asked.
"He gave it to me to read," she said innocently.
"He gave it to you to read," repeated Malfoy slowly.
Hermione suddenly felt guilty for no apparent reason.
"Yes, to read. I can only get new editions of course, which have edited away much of the older, valuable content. His copy is far more detailed," she shrugged, sitting down at her desk. This allowed Draco to somewhat loom over her in the small area, but she was sick of letting him think he could make her uncomfortable in her own space.
"Of course, our family libraries are unparalleled. But I am confused as to why he would give YOU such a thing," he replied, "I wasn't aware you two were friendly."
"Well, we spent some time together last night," she admitted.
Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" he asked, curious.
"Yes. We got talking at the party then went for a walk and then we wound up here and…" she trailed off, thinking better than to mention their brief but exceedingly hot and heavy snog session. She didn't need Malfoy knowing Theo had his hand in her knickers the night before – lest more trouble come her way.
"And…" prompted Draco.
"Nothing, he just walked me home because my date was nowhere to be seen," Hermione lied badly.
Draco silently seethed. He had wondered why she looked so tired after leaving so early, not to mention her smile was a little brighter than usual. It's not like he wanted her, but he didn't want any of his friends having her either. Even though he was indisposed with Pansy at the time, he didn't appreciate Nott stealing her away from him.
"Well, you can't do that," he said evenly, "we have a deal. You are MY date for these parties, or do you want everyone else to know you are a cheat?" he threatened. Hermione noted his eyes were hard and cold.
Hermione shrunk back into her seat. "No," she admitted quietly.
"Good," he said cheerfully, his threatening demeanour disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
"I will be by with another dress," he said casually, taking Theo's book in hand as he walked for the door. "I'll get this back to Nott," he added, walking out.
Hermione threw herself onto her bed and moped, staring at the absence where the book was, feeling downtrodden.
Was it too much to ask to have a little romance? Scraps of attention from Ron had proven tiresome, Malfoy wasn't an option and Theo had seemed like a welcome distraction from the pressures of her every day life. Kind, academic, handsome and interested in her. How often did that come along?
She sighed deeply. Malfoy did send paperwork to formalise their arrangement. She would just have to stay away from Theo until she met the obligation of the second party. Then she could do whatever she wanted. That thought comforted her somewhat.
Not that she understood why Draco should care anyway. He was clearly hung up on Parkinson for reasons she would never understand.
Another strange feeling of jealousy gnawed threateningly in her gut, but she pushed it away as she had done in the party. She couldn't entertain the idea she might be jealous because she had a bit of a thing for the aloof blonde. Perhaps this was the 'bad boy' stage she had been warned women had. She'd always thought she was too smart for that… but maybe she wasn't?
"Stupid girl," she muttered to herself, putting a pillow over her face as the realisation took her.
Fin… or is it?
Please submit preferred ending ideas in the reviews. Hopefully I can beat this writers block and create something fun.
Also, I completed a darker toned story with half vampire Draco (yes, I have been reading True Blood Fan Fic… fight me). Just like, gratuitous classic fanfic vibes. It is in the 'Dinner Party and Other Tales' set.
Also if you were one of my regular reviewers before – can you please let me know you are OK? xx