40. ...Draco enjoys messing with Hermione
Ron sat up immediately, relieved, and used the sheets wipe some of the stickiness from his body. He took a couple minutes to pause and wonder why this scenario hadn't been in their original plan, but he really didn't have the time. Right now he needed to get to Malfoy Manor and warn Draco and Hermione. Scanning the room quickly he saw one of Blaise's annoying strappy dresses flung over a chair back. He wiggled into it as quickly as he could before the press of time drove him, running, from the room.
Once outside he looked around in a panic, wondering how the hell he was going to even get to Malfoy Manor. Then he spied Lucius' horse and quickly ran to untie it. He really had very little experience with horses, having been traumatized by one as a child when he tried to feed it a handful of grass and it had nearly taken the hand with it, but he supposed he was just going to have to learn.
Quickly he scrambled up into the saddle and pointed the horse in the direction he thought was Malfoy Manor before giving it a good kick and hanging on for dear life. He wasn't at all certain that he could remember the way to the manor and he just prayed that, with the horse, between the two of them they could find it. His other major complaint, when he could spare thought for complaint, was that the terrible lack of his wardrobe made for an extremely uncomfortable ride. After this, he vowed, he wasn't going near a horse, ever again.
By the time he reached the Manor, extremely thankful that it was where his memory had left it, he was quite disheveled and windblown and wondering how he was going to explain away the fact that he had forgotten to bring any shoes. Also, how he was going to get down from the horse?
In the end he just jumped and managed not to bruise his hands too badly in the landing. He then squared his shoulders and marched imperiously up to the front door, only remembering just in time to ring the bell rather than pound on it desperately with his fist. The same butler that he remembered from before answered and Ron walked haughtily past him into the foyer. "Where is Draco, I need to talk to him," he demanded in his best imitation of aristocratic arrogance.
The butler, at least, wasn't going to stand in his way. "The master is in his bedroom, Miss. Shall I lead you there?"
"No, I know the way." He was halfway down the hall when he heard the butler speak again.
"Has Miss forgotten her shoes today?"
Ron acted as though the question were extremely impertinent and answered without turning around. "No, I did not forget my shoes. I simply didn't want any today." And with that he had reached the main staircase and was headed up. He only prayed that Hermione and Draco really were still in his bedroom. He didn't want to think what would happen if it were otherwise.
When Ron reached Draco's room he walked in without knocking and was surprised to find Narcissa Malfoy in the room. She was sitting in a chair across from the bed talking Draco who lay on the black sheets naked, the expression on his face one Ron would never dare wear in front of his own mother. When Ron entered, Narcissa rose from her chair and turned to face him, the look on her face clearly disdainful of his appearance. "Draco, I didn't know you had company. I'll leave you two alone then." And with one last raised eyebrow she swept from the room.
Momentarily frozen by the surprise of seeing her and her superior attitude, Ron stared at the doorway for a few moments before remembering why he had come. Quickly he turned and rushed over to Draco who had sat up on the bed, a worried expression on his face. "Oh, thank goodness you haven't gone down yet. I was afraid I wouldn't get here in time." Ron paused. "Draco, why aren't you wearing any clothes?"
The worried look was momentarily displaced by a mischievous one. "I was messing with Hermione. That girl spooks so easily. She never took off the invisibility cloak but it was ever so much fun to listen to the surprised squeaks she kept making whenever I came near where she was standing. I think she finally fled to the bathroom or something." Draco chuckled. Ron found himself caught somewhere between a chuckle and a frown.
"I did not run away. I just stayed out of the way in this corner." Hermione sounded infinitely superior as she stepped out from under the invisibility cloak in a corner across the room. "And I can't believe you didn't even put some clothes on for your mother. That seems so disrespectful."
Draco just shrugged as Hermione came across the room toward them. "She doesn't really deserve any respect, the way I see it."
Hermione's look said that she was just going to dismiss the whole thing and remain firm in the belief that boys are stupid. But then she frowned. "Ron, why are you here? Where's Lucius? What happened?"
"I cursed him with Petrificus Totallus and left him in the cottage. Draco, why wasn't the original plan just to do that? It's so much simpler than be keeping him distracted with non-stop sex for almost an entire day."
"That was your plan? To just sleep with him?" Hermione's tone suggested that there was seriously something not right in his head.
Ron ignored her with a muttered, "Never again," and continued staring at Draco, who had the good grace to blush.
"I guess I didn't think of it. Besides, neither did you, and he usually has wards against things like that."
"Well, I guess I lucked out, didn't I." Ron shook his head. He was getting off track. "Anyway, that's not what's really important. What's important is that you were right. Your father did have plans to have Reginald killed, but it's worse than that. He set it up so that you would do it." Draco turned pale and beside him Ron heard Hermione swear more colorfully than he thought her capable of. "He made it so that when you walk into the cell to get him, knives will fly out of the walls and cut him to pieces. He said he wanted to teach you a lesson you would never forget."
Draco looked like a stiff wind would blow him over. Tears leaked from his eyes and he dashed them away angrily. Hermione obviously saw that the situation needed bolstering. "Well, now that we know that we can go in prepared. I haven't seen a trap yet that doesn't have some flaw. We'll figure it out." Draco seemed to perk up at this and Hermione added. "So, as soon as you get dressed we'll get going." At this Draco actually smiled and stood up to go after some clothes.
This reminded Ron of his own state of undress. "Um, Draco?" he said hopefully. "You don't have a change of clothes I could borrow, do you?"
Draco turned and looked at him quizzically. "Nothing that Blaise would wear. Why, what's wrong with what you have on?"
Ron bit his lip. It seemed somehow infinitely embarrassing to say, "I got no underwear," in front of Hermione, so he opted for the oblique approach. "Remember that problem I had when we left that little room to go back for the dance at midnight?"
"Yeah?" Draco couldn't keep the lewd grin from his face and Ron scowled. Hermione just looked puzzled.
"Well, I've got that problem again."
Draco snorted. "Honestly Weasley, if our lives depended on you finding something we'd be goners for sure."
"I was in a hurry," Ron said from between clenched teeth.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you Ron. I don't think boxers would go with your outfit and you can't hide under the invisibility cloak with Hermione because people already know you're here. I think you're just going to have to tough it out." Ron muttered something unflattering about Draco. Hermione just shrugged and ducked back under the cloak, instantly turning invisible.
"Anyway," Draco said, "let's go to the dungeons."
Ron sat up immediately, relieved, and used the sheets wipe some of the stickiness from his body. He took a couple minutes to pause and wonder why this scenario hadn't been in their original plan, but he really didn't have the time. Right now he needed to get to Malfoy Manor and warn Draco and Hermione. Scanning the room quickly he saw one of Blaise's annoying strappy dresses flung over a chair back. He wiggled into it as quickly as he could before the press of time drove him, running, from the room.
Once outside he looked around in a panic, wondering how the hell he was going to even get to Malfoy Manor. Then he spied Lucius' horse and quickly ran to untie it. He really had very little experience with horses, having been traumatized by one as a child when he tried to feed it a handful of grass and it had nearly taken the hand with it, but he supposed he was just going to have to learn.
Quickly he scrambled up into the saddle and pointed the horse in the direction he thought was Malfoy Manor before giving it a good kick and hanging on for dear life. He wasn't at all certain that he could remember the way to the manor and he just prayed that, with the horse, between the two of them they could find it. His other major complaint, when he could spare thought for complaint, was that the terrible lack of his wardrobe made for an extremely uncomfortable ride. After this, he vowed, he wasn't going near a horse, ever again.
By the time he reached the Manor, extremely thankful that it was where his memory had left it, he was quite disheveled and windblown and wondering how he was going to explain away the fact that he had forgotten to bring any shoes. Also, how he was going to get down from the horse?
In the end he just jumped and managed not to bruise his hands too badly in the landing. He then squared his shoulders and marched imperiously up to the front door, only remembering just in time to ring the bell rather than pound on it desperately with his fist. The same butler that he remembered from before answered and Ron walked haughtily past him into the foyer. "Where is Draco, I need to talk to him," he demanded in his best imitation of aristocratic arrogance.
The butler, at least, wasn't going to stand in his way. "The master is in his bedroom, Miss. Shall I lead you there?"
"No, I know the way." He was halfway down the hall when he heard the butler speak again.
"Has Miss forgotten her shoes today?"
Ron acted as though the question were extremely impertinent and answered without turning around. "No, I did not forget my shoes. I simply didn't want any today." And with that he had reached the main staircase and was headed up. He only prayed that Hermione and Draco really were still in his bedroom. He didn't want to think what would happen if it were otherwise.
When Ron reached Draco's room he walked in without knocking and was surprised to find Narcissa Malfoy in the room. She was sitting in a chair across from the bed talking Draco who lay on the black sheets naked, the expression on his face one Ron would never dare wear in front of his own mother. When Ron entered, Narcissa rose from her chair and turned to face him, the look on her face clearly disdainful of his appearance. "Draco, I didn't know you had company. I'll leave you two alone then." And with one last raised eyebrow she swept from the room.
Momentarily frozen by the surprise of seeing her and her superior attitude, Ron stared at the doorway for a few moments before remembering why he had come. Quickly he turned and rushed over to Draco who had sat up on the bed, a worried expression on his face. "Oh, thank goodness you haven't gone down yet. I was afraid I wouldn't get here in time." Ron paused. "Draco, why aren't you wearing any clothes?"
The worried look was momentarily displaced by a mischievous one. "I was messing with Hermione. That girl spooks so easily. She never took off the invisibility cloak but it was ever so much fun to listen to the surprised squeaks she kept making whenever I came near where she was standing. I think she finally fled to the bathroom or something." Draco chuckled. Ron found himself caught somewhere between a chuckle and a frown.
"I did not run away. I just stayed out of the way in this corner." Hermione sounded infinitely superior as she stepped out from under the invisibility cloak in a corner across the room. "And I can't believe you didn't even put some clothes on for your mother. That seems so disrespectful."
Draco just shrugged as Hermione came across the room toward them. "She doesn't really deserve any respect, the way I see it."
Hermione's look said that she was just going to dismiss the whole thing and remain firm in the belief that boys are stupid. But then she frowned. "Ron, why are you here? Where's Lucius? What happened?"
"I cursed him with Petrificus Totallus and left him in the cottage. Draco, why wasn't the original plan just to do that? It's so much simpler than be keeping him distracted with non-stop sex for almost an entire day."
"That was your plan? To just sleep with him?" Hermione's tone suggested that there was seriously something not right in his head.
Ron ignored her with a muttered, "Never again," and continued staring at Draco, who had the good grace to blush.
"I guess I didn't think of it. Besides, neither did you, and he usually has wards against things like that."
"Well, I guess I lucked out, didn't I." Ron shook his head. He was getting off track. "Anyway, that's not what's really important. What's important is that you were right. Your father did have plans to have Reginald killed, but it's worse than that. He set it up so that you would do it." Draco turned pale and beside him Ron heard Hermione swear more colorfully than he thought her capable of. "He made it so that when you walk into the cell to get him, knives will fly out of the walls and cut him to pieces. He said he wanted to teach you a lesson you would never forget."
Draco looked like a stiff wind would blow him over. Tears leaked from his eyes and he dashed them away angrily. Hermione obviously saw that the situation needed bolstering. "Well, now that we know that we can go in prepared. I haven't seen a trap yet that doesn't have some flaw. We'll figure it out." Draco seemed to perk up at this and Hermione added. "So, as soon as you get dressed we'll get going." At this Draco actually smiled and stood up to go after some clothes.
This reminded Ron of his own state of undress. "Um, Draco?" he said hopefully. "You don't have a change of clothes I could borrow, do you?"
Draco turned and looked at him quizzically. "Nothing that Blaise would wear. Why, what's wrong with what you have on?"
Ron bit his lip. It seemed somehow infinitely embarrassing to say, "I got no underwear," in front of Hermione, so he opted for the oblique approach. "Remember that problem I had when we left that little room to go back for the dance at midnight?"
"Yeah?" Draco couldn't keep the lewd grin from his face and Ron scowled. Hermione just looked puzzled.
"Well, I've got that problem again."
Draco snorted. "Honestly Weasley, if our lives depended on you finding something we'd be goners for sure."
"I was in a hurry," Ron said from between clenched teeth.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you Ron. I don't think boxers would go with your outfit and you can't hide under the invisibility cloak with Hermione because people already know you're here. I think you're just going to have to tough it out." Ron muttered something unflattering about Draco. Hermione just shrugged and ducked back under the cloak, instantly turning invisible.
"Anyway," Draco said, "let's go to the dungeons."