Notice: This fanfiction was written before Order of The Pheonix was
released in bookstores.
"Draco! Why the bloody hell do you have to take so long to get dressed?"
"Coming, Father!" Draco was just stuffing his arm into one of his dress robes' sleeves as Lucius called. It was midsummer night, which meant The Death Eater Legion had a meeting at their manor. Draco nearly tripped as he ran out of his room, but was stopped by his mother.
"Dear, dear, Draco. You've got the clasp all wrong," She tisked and straightened up the snake clasp that held his heavy cape over his shoulders.
"Alright, Mother!" Draco growled through gritted teeth and tried to escape his mum's grasp.
"Just a minute now, dear!" She licked her hand and ran it over some hair that was sticking up on Draco's head.
"Mother! You put spit in my hair!" He nearly shouted.
"Now hon., I'm just making sure you look handsome." Draco looked his mother up and down. She was more dressed up then usual. A forest green dress cascaded down a hourglass figure.
"What are you all dressed up for?" Draco asked. Narcissa smiled and patted her son's shoulder.
"I'm off to go on a date," She grinned. "Romolus is planning on taking me to dinner." Draco nodded.
"You look very pretty, Mum," He told her. Narcissa bent down and planted a crimson kiss on his bony cheek.
"Thank you, dear." She skipped down the corridor to the front doors and walked past Lucius who completely ignored her. Draco already knew that is parents were having problems. He never even seen them hold hands or kiss before. His father told him they had an arranged marriage and they cared nothing for each other. Draco turned to his Grandfather's portrait.
"Grandpapa, did Mother leave any lipstick on me?" He asked. The portly old painting began snickering, which meant yes. Draco pulled down a sleeve and tried to rub off the worst of it. The butler, Jonathan, stood tall and addressed the young man.
"Your father awaits you in the ballroom, Master Malfoy," His deep, Manchester accent echoed off the stone walls.
"Yeah, yeah," Draco said and stomped off to the ballroom. He hated getting all dressed up. Once when Gregory Goyle came with his father, he commented that Draco looked like a drag queen gone wrong. Draco scowled at the thought. He entered the crimson room to see not men dressed in heavy cloaks and masks, but regular dress robes and evening gowns. There were only three women there, but they shone from the black cloaks. Lucius' happened to be talking to his lover Miss Lexington while Draco slumped around the room. One of the Nott brothers came over to Draco and handed him a hip flask.
"Boring, isn't it, Master Malfoy?"
"Indeed," Draco said in between swigs.
"How long has your father seen Alisha Lexington?"
"No idea," He replied while watching his father and mistress walk out of the room chuckling and giggling. "Nott, when do you suppose father will let me leave this god forsaken place?" Nott, however looked shocked.
"I dunno. You don't like it here?"
"Of course I don't! It gets terribly lonely."
"But you know you can have almost any woman you want." Draco mumbled something. "Sorry, Master Malfoy, I didn't catch that."
"I wouldn't be able to have...... hrmminey grunger.........."
"What?"
"Hermione Granger...she's...perfect..."
"How do you know her?" Nott asked.
"School. We used to get into fights and arguments allot. Once, in seventh year, I replaced her mouth wash with an Engorgement Potion. It was hilarious! Her lips swelled to the size of a cow's!" Draco chuckled at his own prank.
"Why did you two bug each other then if you liked her? Why not leave her alone or just ask her out?"
"I couldn't do that. I know she'd reject me."
"It's better trying then never knowing at all." Draco looked up at Nott's old face and grinned.
"You're right," He said. "I'll owl her right now!"
"Go get her, Master Malfoy!" Draco began sprinting down the halls to his bedroom. He quickly threw off his cape on the bed, lit a candle and began writing a letter.
'Dear Hermione, I know this is sort of out of the blue, but I was wondering if you'd like to come to the Malfoy Manor for a party we're hosting over the weekend. I have been thinking about you allot recently and was hoping you'd join us. Please owl me back when you get the chance.
Sincerely, Draco L. Malfoy'
He tied the letter around his eagle owl's leg and patted her soft feathers.
"Athena, I need you to get this to The Ministry of Magic," He whispered softly to her. Athena gently nibbled his nose and took flight out of the window. Draco's heart was still beating like a rabbit's. He couldn't wait for her reply.
*******
"Granger! Are those reports finished YET?"
"Nearly, Mr. Hoseltoff!" Hermione Granger was writing as fast as her artistic hands could. Papers were strewn all over her desk, her bushy hair was tied back into a ponytail, her blue eyes shone faintly. Her hands finally stopped and she lay her head back.
"Finally," She said and lit up a cigarette. Her boss walked in again and scolded her.
"Granger, you know I don't allow smoking in this building!" He took the butt out of her mouth and put it out in an ink bottle.
"It won't happen again, sir!" She rolled her eyes when he left again. Hermione was putting on her coat, but a bunch of coins had fell out of her pockets. She was beginning to put her robe on upside down. She cursed and bent down to pick up the money when a soft hooting came from her window. She opened it and a beautiful eagle owl hopped onto her desk. It had a parchment letter attached to her leg. Hermione carefully untied the cord and read the letter while stroking Athena. After she finished reading it, her mouth nearly dropped to her feet.
"What a jerk!" She shrieked. "He thinks he can try one of his stupid pranks again?" She bent back over to pick up the silver. "He thinks he can try to make me go down to his place and make a fool of myself?" She sat back down at her desk and began to write back. Her neat handwriting had recently turned into a messy scrawl, but it was extra untidy this time.
'Dear Jackass, Do you think you can trick me again? I'm to busy to be in one of your foolish pranks! I hope you get the scurvy, Hermione Granger' She sighed and tied the letter onto Athena's out stretched leg. She gave it what was left of her grilled cheese sandwich and she took the air once again. She leaned back in her chair and uttered only one word.
"Jerk."
"Draco! Why the bloody hell do you have to take so long to get dressed?"
"Coming, Father!" Draco was just stuffing his arm into one of his dress robes' sleeves as Lucius called. It was midsummer night, which meant The Death Eater Legion had a meeting at their manor. Draco nearly tripped as he ran out of his room, but was stopped by his mother.
"Dear, dear, Draco. You've got the clasp all wrong," She tisked and straightened up the snake clasp that held his heavy cape over his shoulders.
"Alright, Mother!" Draco growled through gritted teeth and tried to escape his mum's grasp.
"Just a minute now, dear!" She licked her hand and ran it over some hair that was sticking up on Draco's head.
"Mother! You put spit in my hair!" He nearly shouted.
"Now hon., I'm just making sure you look handsome." Draco looked his mother up and down. She was more dressed up then usual. A forest green dress cascaded down a hourglass figure.
"What are you all dressed up for?" Draco asked. Narcissa smiled and patted her son's shoulder.
"I'm off to go on a date," She grinned. "Romolus is planning on taking me to dinner." Draco nodded.
"You look very pretty, Mum," He told her. Narcissa bent down and planted a crimson kiss on his bony cheek.
"Thank you, dear." She skipped down the corridor to the front doors and walked past Lucius who completely ignored her. Draco already knew that is parents were having problems. He never even seen them hold hands or kiss before. His father told him they had an arranged marriage and they cared nothing for each other. Draco turned to his Grandfather's portrait.
"Grandpapa, did Mother leave any lipstick on me?" He asked. The portly old painting began snickering, which meant yes. Draco pulled down a sleeve and tried to rub off the worst of it. The butler, Jonathan, stood tall and addressed the young man.
"Your father awaits you in the ballroom, Master Malfoy," His deep, Manchester accent echoed off the stone walls.
"Yeah, yeah," Draco said and stomped off to the ballroom. He hated getting all dressed up. Once when Gregory Goyle came with his father, he commented that Draco looked like a drag queen gone wrong. Draco scowled at the thought. He entered the crimson room to see not men dressed in heavy cloaks and masks, but regular dress robes and evening gowns. There were only three women there, but they shone from the black cloaks. Lucius' happened to be talking to his lover Miss Lexington while Draco slumped around the room. One of the Nott brothers came over to Draco and handed him a hip flask.
"Boring, isn't it, Master Malfoy?"
"Indeed," Draco said in between swigs.
"How long has your father seen Alisha Lexington?"
"No idea," He replied while watching his father and mistress walk out of the room chuckling and giggling. "Nott, when do you suppose father will let me leave this god forsaken place?" Nott, however looked shocked.
"I dunno. You don't like it here?"
"Of course I don't! It gets terribly lonely."
"But you know you can have almost any woman you want." Draco mumbled something. "Sorry, Master Malfoy, I didn't catch that."
"I wouldn't be able to have...... hrmminey grunger.........."
"What?"
"Hermione Granger...she's...perfect..."
"How do you know her?" Nott asked.
"School. We used to get into fights and arguments allot. Once, in seventh year, I replaced her mouth wash with an Engorgement Potion. It was hilarious! Her lips swelled to the size of a cow's!" Draco chuckled at his own prank.
"Why did you two bug each other then if you liked her? Why not leave her alone or just ask her out?"
"I couldn't do that. I know she'd reject me."
"It's better trying then never knowing at all." Draco looked up at Nott's old face and grinned.
"You're right," He said. "I'll owl her right now!"
"Go get her, Master Malfoy!" Draco began sprinting down the halls to his bedroom. He quickly threw off his cape on the bed, lit a candle and began writing a letter.
'Dear Hermione, I know this is sort of out of the blue, but I was wondering if you'd like to come to the Malfoy Manor for a party we're hosting over the weekend. I have been thinking about you allot recently and was hoping you'd join us. Please owl me back when you get the chance.
Sincerely, Draco L. Malfoy'
He tied the letter around his eagle owl's leg and patted her soft feathers.
"Athena, I need you to get this to The Ministry of Magic," He whispered softly to her. Athena gently nibbled his nose and took flight out of the window. Draco's heart was still beating like a rabbit's. He couldn't wait for her reply.
*******
"Granger! Are those reports finished YET?"
"Nearly, Mr. Hoseltoff!" Hermione Granger was writing as fast as her artistic hands could. Papers were strewn all over her desk, her bushy hair was tied back into a ponytail, her blue eyes shone faintly. Her hands finally stopped and she lay her head back.
"Finally," She said and lit up a cigarette. Her boss walked in again and scolded her.
"Granger, you know I don't allow smoking in this building!" He took the butt out of her mouth and put it out in an ink bottle.
"It won't happen again, sir!" She rolled her eyes when he left again. Hermione was putting on her coat, but a bunch of coins had fell out of her pockets. She was beginning to put her robe on upside down. She cursed and bent down to pick up the money when a soft hooting came from her window. She opened it and a beautiful eagle owl hopped onto her desk. It had a parchment letter attached to her leg. Hermione carefully untied the cord and read the letter while stroking Athena. After she finished reading it, her mouth nearly dropped to her feet.
"What a jerk!" She shrieked. "He thinks he can try one of his stupid pranks again?" She bent back over to pick up the silver. "He thinks he can try to make me go down to his place and make a fool of myself?" She sat back down at her desk and began to write back. Her neat handwriting had recently turned into a messy scrawl, but it was extra untidy this time.
'Dear Jackass, Do you think you can trick me again? I'm to busy to be in one of your foolish pranks! I hope you get the scurvy, Hermione Granger' She sighed and tied the letter onto Athena's out stretched leg. She gave it what was left of her grilled cheese sandwich and she took the air once again. She leaned back in her chair and uttered only one word.
"Jerk."