Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and
owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros.,
Inc. Recording rights are property of Island, Republic, Universal, and
Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark
infringement is intended.
Warnings: Scenes of a sexual nature
Spoilers: SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OoTP
Summary: Since graduating from Hogwarts everyone's moved into the real
world. The golden trio are still inseparable but what happens when the
fabulously rich and famous Draco Malfoy decides to sweep the Deputy
Minister of Magic off her feet? DM/HG
Atlantis - Chapter 3 Uneasy Dreams
Hermione twisted and turned in bed as sleep eluded her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget those stormy gray eyes staring at her from under that black mask. Try as she might to deny it, she had a sneaking suspicion she had seen those same gray eyes countless times before.
It had been over five years since the last time they had laid eyes on each other. It was hard to believe that after all that time, despite how often she told herself she was over him, one look could stir up such emotions. All the anger and longing in her that she had locked away deep inside seemed to be simply itching for a moment like this to come rushing to the surface.
Draco Malfoy was a name Hermione thought she had erased from her memory but after seeing his overwhelming presence on stage calling out to her with such passion, it took everything in her power not to run on stage and envelope him in her arms. For so long, she believed the only feelings he could possibly have for her were those of hate and disdain but now she had to wonder if she hadn't seen remorse in those enchanting eyes of his.
The past was the past and she was determined to leave it that way. As her body reached out to sleep, she was powerless to control the visions of the past that crept into her mind.
~~~~flashback~~~~~dream~~~~~~ flashback~~~~~~~`
Hermione walked through the portrait hole of her dimly lit common room to find Draco Malfoy casually leaning against her closed bedroom door. Though his common room adjoined hers, this was the first time he had ever dared to enter her quarters. What had always felt like a clean and tidy refuge suddenly seemed messy and filled with disorder just because of his mere presence. Enraged to find him invading her space she asked, "Malfoy, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
With a sneer distorting his handsome features, he lazily replied, "Why Granger, I was simply waiting for you."
Frustrated that an already miserable day now had to include a run-in with the Slytherin prat, she was beyond irritated by his attitude. She dropped her bulging backpack on the floor with a thump and frowned as she asked, "Malfoy, I've got a million things to do, so would you hurry up and tell me what is it you want?"
"Why Granger, have you ever thought maybe it's you that I want?" He said as his stormy gray eyes locked with her angry chocolate brown ones. After several moments he dropped his eyes from her intense glare and he focused his attention on his cuticles as he continued, "But then again, a pureblood would never lower himself to touch a filthy mudblood like yourself."
Without a word, Hermione's hand shot out and slapped the arrogant smirk right off his face. His eyes ignited with anger but rather than retaliate against her as she thought he would, he reached out and pulled her close. Before she could comprehend what had happened, his lips crashed down upon hers. She was shocked. A moment ago, he had spouted his pureblood rhetoric about never touching a mudblood such as herself, and then his lips sent her into heavenly bliss.
The barriers between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor -- pureblood and mudblood -- were forgotten; there were only two equally matched partners searching the other for release. Without a single word the two progressed from hard needy kissing to electric passionate groping and fondling. Draco's strong musky cologne mingled with Hermione's soft strawberry scent, and spurred their burning passion and their need to fully consume the other. Panting and moans of pleasure resulting from well-placed kisses were the only noises heard, aside from the popping of buttons and tearing of robes as each tore haphazardly at the other's clothing in search of the warm smooth skin hiding beneath.
They separated long enough only to take in the other's form and to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The two bitter enemies' bodies collided again until neither knew were one began and the other ended.
~~~~~~end Flashback ~~~~dream~~~~end Flashback
Hermione awoke in a cold sweat, her limbs tangled amongst her damp sheets. That night had been the first in a long series of encounters between the two during their final year at Hogwarts. From that night on, after bitter arguments or scathing remarks, the two would dash into the nearest broom closet or empty classroom to unleash their desire. To any outsider, they appeared to be the bitterest of rivals, but to each other, their words were like foreplay that ignited a thirst, which yearned to be quenched.
Within the depths of their greatest rival each had managed to find their true equal. Never before had either been with a partner who matched their needs so exquisitely. Though both tried to slake their lust with others, in the end they always returned to the one person who stoked the fire within them so high that all others were but a meager flame.
Hermione's heart ached as she recalled the moments when everything had begun fall apart. It had been the last day of school and the two mismatched lovers had gone to seek solace within each others' warmth one last time before venturing out into the cold world. Despite an entire year of learned caution and secrecy, their desperate need led them to a moment's carelessness. Thinking that everyone would be busy packing, they had forgotten to ward and lock the room. Ron, finding the door unlocked, had unthinkingly burst into the Head Girl's Common Room unannounced, looking for Hermione. As the portrait swung open, he instead found Hermione hair tumbled about her nude body, covered in a sheen of sweat, straddling the equally sweaty and breathless form of Draco Malfoy.
Without a word Ron turned and exited back through the portrait. Judging from the look on Ron's face, Hermione knew that he was both hurt and angry about what he had just seen. Leaving her lover naked on the ground, Hermione raced around the room collecting her various pieces of discarded clothing and attempted to dress as quickly as possible. As she darted out of the room after Ron, she realized she didn't have to look far as she found him slumped against the wall outside her door with tears cascading down his cheeks.
Hermione, hair tousled, buttons half undone, stared down at her friend. The only question he managed to ask was, "Why?"
Unsure of what to say, she slid down next to him on the cold floor and answered, "To be honest with you Ron, I don't even have the answer to that."
"But Hermione, it's Malfoy! Of all people, why did it have to be him?" Ron asked, with desperation in his voice.
Casting a glance at the floor in search of answers, she weakly whispered, "I tried to fight it, Ron. I really did but the harder I tried to stay away, the more I found myself being drawn to him."
Obviously not satisfied with her answer, he spat, "So is this just about sex then -- or do you love him?"
Hermione flinched at his words. In a matter of a few short minutes he had hit upon the subject she had spent the last few month trying to sort out. She confessed, "I don't know. It started out as just sex but. lately I can't help thinking that it could be more."
Clinching and unclenching his fists in anger, Ron asked, his voice tinted with disgust, "So this wasn't the first time you've been with him? How long has this thing been going on Hermione?"
Ashamed with herself, she managed to murmur, "Most of the year."
Unable to look at Hermione any further, Ron gazed into the emptiness in front of him as he said in a hallow voice, "Why couldn't it have been Harry or me, Hermione? You know that both of us love you and would have done anything for you. Maybe if you had just told us, everything could have been different."
Hermione knew that her two best friends' feelings for her had changed over the years but they didn't excite her in the way Malfoy did, and to admit this to them would only drive them both away. The situation with Ron was already strained as she set out to gently break the truth to him. She took his hand in hers as she smiled and replied, "I know that Ron, but you and Harry are like brothers to me. We've been friends for so long and I would never want to risk losing what we have over something that has no guarantee of working out."
Ron pulled his hand out of her grasp and bitterly asked, "So if we're not worth taking a chance on, what so damn special about Malfoy that he deserves you?
Hermione could see Ron's anger bubbling up to the surface but she had already come too far down this path to start lying now. So without guilt or shame she admitted, "He is my equal in every way Ron. With him, I don't feel ashamed to be who I am."
Ron's expression changed from anger to hurt as he said, "How can you say that Hermione? We've never made you feel ashamed of who you are. In fact, for seven years, he's the one who's done nothing but torment you and call you a mudblood."
Hermione shook her head as her best friend couldn't grasp her meaning of an equal. Calmly she said, "Believe it or not Ron, we're past all that. Do you really think I would admit to wanting more with him if he still thought that way? No, when I say he is my equal I mean that with him I don't feel ashamed for knowing such trivial details others could care less about. He challenges me both physically and mentally. I've never had someone with whom I could discuss things instead of teaching. I like that feeling. I like the way I feel when I'm with him, as if I'm the most important person in the world, not just the third wheel in a fabulous trio."
"For someone so smart you're being awfully stupid. A leopard doesn't just change his spots Hermione, and the sooner you realize that the better off you'll be." Without another word, Ron rose from his place on the ground and walked away, leaving behind a sobbing Hermione.
Ron had been right. The Draco she imagined he could be hadn't existed and a life where the two were any more than secret lovers was never to be. Without another thought of the forlorn rock god, she drifted back into her fitful sleep.
***** Ginny laid sprawled out on the bed in the now-wrinkled dress she had been wearing from the day before. She was fast asleep and drooled lightly on the pillow beneath her head. Harry had woken to the same scene too many times to remember and always relished the punishment he inflicted on her by rousing her from such a peaceful sleep. "Wake up, sleepyhead." Harry lovingly said as he nibbled on his fiancée's ear. Ginny groaned.
"Go away Harry. Let me die in peace." She wriggled away from the booming voice attempting to rouse her from her sleep. The inside of her head felt much too large to be squeezed into such a confined space and the hammering sounds didn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.
Harry chuckled as he persisted in his attempts to wake he, by moving his kisses down her body.
"Harry, not now. I feel like I fell off a broom ten stories high." She sighed as she moved farther away from Harry on the bed.
Harry grinned as she said, "Now Ginny, if you fell off a broom that far off the ground, you wouldn't be alive for me to torment, would you?"
"Arrgg -- I wish I was dead, Harry. This is the worst hangover ever." She moaned
Harry's laughter caused Ginny to clutch her head in agony while he lazily replied, "You always claim each one is the worst one. Serves you right for drinking so much. Although if you're this bad off I'd hate to see how Hermione is doing. That should make for an interesting day at work." Harry grinned at the thought of tormenting his almost too-perfect best friend.
At the mention of her best friend's name Ginny shot up in bed screaming, "Ahh Hermione! She's going to kill me. Oh Harry, what am I going to do?" Harry was amused that it had only taken the mention of one of his best friend's names to wake the beautiful witch in his bed. Pulling her close to him, he ventured to ask, "Why on earth would Hermione kill you, my love?"
Fretful, Ginny looked at Harry and said, "Because I left her in Atlantis."
Intrigued by her statement, Harry asked, "What do you mean you left her in Atlantis?"
Ginny blushed as she said, "Well, I wanted to meet the band for my story and she was given a backstage pass so. I sort of used it to get inside instead of going back with her."
Harry knew Hermione to be a capable witch and had no doubt she had made it home safely, especially with the PMS team he had ordered to follow the girls for the evening. However, at the moment, he was quite interested in what his little troublemaker had gotten herself into. Amused he questioned, "So did you get your story or were you too busy in the bar drinking those daiquiris you have such a weakness for?"
Ginny furrowed her brow before looking wide-eyed at Harry and said, "It's funny that you say that Harry. To be honest with you I can't remember."
*****
"Can this day get any worse?" Harry asked as he and Ron made their way as quickly as possible through the Ministry of Magic building towards Hermione's office. The morning's Daily Prophet featured a front-page article about The Deputy Mistress of Magic's night out, and pictured smack dab on the front for all to see was a picture of Hermione's derriere. Ron groaned as this day was shaping up to be truly miserable. His sister was sitting in St. Mungo's, undergoing testing for spell damage, while his other best friend was about to find her unmentionables splattered across the front of a newspaper for all the wizarding world to see. "Hurry up Harry. If we're lucky we can get there before she sees it."
As the two approached the desk of Hermione's chatty assistant Anna, the sly grin that crossed her lips and the paper resting on her desk told them they were indeed too late. Without asking to be announced, the two entered the Deputy Mistress's office to find her teary-eyed and surrounded by multitudes of flowers. Harry broke the silence first.
"Hermione, are you ok?"
Harry knew it had been the wrong thing to say the moment her brow furrowed and the tears suddenly stopped. Like a flash of lightening, she was up out of her seat, stomping toward the boys and screeching, "Do I look alright to you? My bum is sitting on the front page of this morning's newspaper for the entire world to see. I'm being hounded by offers from dozens of horny wizards and even a few witches, looking to see more of my assets and all the two of you can ask is if I'm ok. Hell no, I'm not ok!"
"Look at the bright side Hermione; you might meet Mr. Right -- or Ms. Right if that's your thing." Ron chuckled until his amusement was brought to a halt by Hermione's angry fist connecting with his stomach. "Aargh! For Merlin's sake Hermione! What did you have to go and do that for?"
Scowling at Ron, with her hands placed firmly on her hips, she replied, "My personal life is none of your business, Ron Weasley."
"Oh come on now Hermione, even you have to admit your taste in men leaves much to be desired. Maybe you might have better luck with some random guy, or at least have some fun. I'm starting to think Great Grandma Weasley has more fun than you and she's older than Dumbledore." Ron laughed, as he continued to poke fun at Hermione.
Before Hermione was able to swing at Ron a second time, the door opened and Anna waltzed in holding an enormous bouquet of multi-colored roses that seemed to change colors right before everyone's eyes. With an enormous grin, Anna held out the flowers and stated, "These just arrived for you Miss Granger and there is a package that came with them. Might be jewelry."
Harry leapt over to Anna and said, "Ron's right Hermione, you should have some fun. Let's see who your 'Mr. Right' is." Harry reached into the flowers and pulled out the note inside.. When he read its contents, however, his face went white as he quietly announced, "They're from Malfoy."
Atlantis - Chapter 3 Uneasy Dreams
Hermione twisted and turned in bed as sleep eluded her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget those stormy gray eyes staring at her from under that black mask. Try as she might to deny it, she had a sneaking suspicion she had seen those same gray eyes countless times before.
It had been over five years since the last time they had laid eyes on each other. It was hard to believe that after all that time, despite how often she told herself she was over him, one look could stir up such emotions. All the anger and longing in her that she had locked away deep inside seemed to be simply itching for a moment like this to come rushing to the surface.
Draco Malfoy was a name Hermione thought she had erased from her memory but after seeing his overwhelming presence on stage calling out to her with such passion, it took everything in her power not to run on stage and envelope him in her arms. For so long, she believed the only feelings he could possibly have for her were those of hate and disdain but now she had to wonder if she hadn't seen remorse in those enchanting eyes of his.
The past was the past and she was determined to leave it that way. As her body reached out to sleep, she was powerless to control the visions of the past that crept into her mind.
~~~~flashback~~~~~dream~~~~~~ flashback~~~~~~~`
Hermione walked through the portrait hole of her dimly lit common room to find Draco Malfoy casually leaning against her closed bedroom door. Though his common room adjoined hers, this was the first time he had ever dared to enter her quarters. What had always felt like a clean and tidy refuge suddenly seemed messy and filled with disorder just because of his mere presence. Enraged to find him invading her space she asked, "Malfoy, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
With a sneer distorting his handsome features, he lazily replied, "Why Granger, I was simply waiting for you."
Frustrated that an already miserable day now had to include a run-in with the Slytherin prat, she was beyond irritated by his attitude. She dropped her bulging backpack on the floor with a thump and frowned as she asked, "Malfoy, I've got a million things to do, so would you hurry up and tell me what is it you want?"
"Why Granger, have you ever thought maybe it's you that I want?" He said as his stormy gray eyes locked with her angry chocolate brown ones. After several moments he dropped his eyes from her intense glare and he focused his attention on his cuticles as he continued, "But then again, a pureblood would never lower himself to touch a filthy mudblood like yourself."
Without a word, Hermione's hand shot out and slapped the arrogant smirk right off his face. His eyes ignited with anger but rather than retaliate against her as she thought he would, he reached out and pulled her close. Before she could comprehend what had happened, his lips crashed down upon hers. She was shocked. A moment ago, he had spouted his pureblood rhetoric about never touching a mudblood such as herself, and then his lips sent her into heavenly bliss.
The barriers between a Slytherin and a Gryffindor -- pureblood and mudblood -- were forgotten; there were only two equally matched partners searching the other for release. Without a single word the two progressed from hard needy kissing to electric passionate groping and fondling. Draco's strong musky cologne mingled with Hermione's soft strawberry scent, and spurred their burning passion and their need to fully consume the other. Panting and moans of pleasure resulting from well-placed kisses were the only noises heard, aside from the popping of buttons and tearing of robes as each tore haphazardly at the other's clothing in search of the warm smooth skin hiding beneath.
They separated long enough only to take in the other's form and to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The two bitter enemies' bodies collided again until neither knew were one began and the other ended.
~~~~~~end Flashback ~~~~dream~~~~end Flashback
Hermione awoke in a cold sweat, her limbs tangled amongst her damp sheets. That night had been the first in a long series of encounters between the two during their final year at Hogwarts. From that night on, after bitter arguments or scathing remarks, the two would dash into the nearest broom closet or empty classroom to unleash their desire. To any outsider, they appeared to be the bitterest of rivals, but to each other, their words were like foreplay that ignited a thirst, which yearned to be quenched.
Within the depths of their greatest rival each had managed to find their true equal. Never before had either been with a partner who matched their needs so exquisitely. Though both tried to slake their lust with others, in the end they always returned to the one person who stoked the fire within them so high that all others were but a meager flame.
Hermione's heart ached as she recalled the moments when everything had begun fall apart. It had been the last day of school and the two mismatched lovers had gone to seek solace within each others' warmth one last time before venturing out into the cold world. Despite an entire year of learned caution and secrecy, their desperate need led them to a moment's carelessness. Thinking that everyone would be busy packing, they had forgotten to ward and lock the room. Ron, finding the door unlocked, had unthinkingly burst into the Head Girl's Common Room unannounced, looking for Hermione. As the portrait swung open, he instead found Hermione hair tumbled about her nude body, covered in a sheen of sweat, straddling the equally sweaty and breathless form of Draco Malfoy.
Without a word Ron turned and exited back through the portrait. Judging from the look on Ron's face, Hermione knew that he was both hurt and angry about what he had just seen. Leaving her lover naked on the ground, Hermione raced around the room collecting her various pieces of discarded clothing and attempted to dress as quickly as possible. As she darted out of the room after Ron, she realized she didn't have to look far as she found him slumped against the wall outside her door with tears cascading down his cheeks.
Hermione, hair tousled, buttons half undone, stared down at her friend. The only question he managed to ask was, "Why?"
Unsure of what to say, she slid down next to him on the cold floor and answered, "To be honest with you Ron, I don't even have the answer to that."
"But Hermione, it's Malfoy! Of all people, why did it have to be him?" Ron asked, with desperation in his voice.
Casting a glance at the floor in search of answers, she weakly whispered, "I tried to fight it, Ron. I really did but the harder I tried to stay away, the more I found myself being drawn to him."
Obviously not satisfied with her answer, he spat, "So is this just about sex then -- or do you love him?"
Hermione flinched at his words. In a matter of a few short minutes he had hit upon the subject she had spent the last few month trying to sort out. She confessed, "I don't know. It started out as just sex but. lately I can't help thinking that it could be more."
Clinching and unclenching his fists in anger, Ron asked, his voice tinted with disgust, "So this wasn't the first time you've been with him? How long has this thing been going on Hermione?"
Ashamed with herself, she managed to murmur, "Most of the year."
Unable to look at Hermione any further, Ron gazed into the emptiness in front of him as he said in a hallow voice, "Why couldn't it have been Harry or me, Hermione? You know that both of us love you and would have done anything for you. Maybe if you had just told us, everything could have been different."
Hermione knew that her two best friends' feelings for her had changed over the years but they didn't excite her in the way Malfoy did, and to admit this to them would only drive them both away. The situation with Ron was already strained as she set out to gently break the truth to him. She took his hand in hers as she smiled and replied, "I know that Ron, but you and Harry are like brothers to me. We've been friends for so long and I would never want to risk losing what we have over something that has no guarantee of working out."
Ron pulled his hand out of her grasp and bitterly asked, "So if we're not worth taking a chance on, what so damn special about Malfoy that he deserves you?
Hermione could see Ron's anger bubbling up to the surface but she had already come too far down this path to start lying now. So without guilt or shame she admitted, "He is my equal in every way Ron. With him, I don't feel ashamed to be who I am."
Ron's expression changed from anger to hurt as he said, "How can you say that Hermione? We've never made you feel ashamed of who you are. In fact, for seven years, he's the one who's done nothing but torment you and call you a mudblood."
Hermione shook her head as her best friend couldn't grasp her meaning of an equal. Calmly she said, "Believe it or not Ron, we're past all that. Do you really think I would admit to wanting more with him if he still thought that way? No, when I say he is my equal I mean that with him I don't feel ashamed for knowing such trivial details others could care less about. He challenges me both physically and mentally. I've never had someone with whom I could discuss things instead of teaching. I like that feeling. I like the way I feel when I'm with him, as if I'm the most important person in the world, not just the third wheel in a fabulous trio."
"For someone so smart you're being awfully stupid. A leopard doesn't just change his spots Hermione, and the sooner you realize that the better off you'll be." Without another word, Ron rose from his place on the ground and walked away, leaving behind a sobbing Hermione.
Ron had been right. The Draco she imagined he could be hadn't existed and a life where the two were any more than secret lovers was never to be. Without another thought of the forlorn rock god, she drifted back into her fitful sleep.
***** Ginny laid sprawled out on the bed in the now-wrinkled dress she had been wearing from the day before. She was fast asleep and drooled lightly on the pillow beneath her head. Harry had woken to the same scene too many times to remember and always relished the punishment he inflicted on her by rousing her from such a peaceful sleep. "Wake up, sleepyhead." Harry lovingly said as he nibbled on his fiancée's ear. Ginny groaned.
"Go away Harry. Let me die in peace." She wriggled away from the booming voice attempting to rouse her from her sleep. The inside of her head felt much too large to be squeezed into such a confined space and the hammering sounds didn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.
Harry chuckled as he persisted in his attempts to wake he, by moving his kisses down her body.
"Harry, not now. I feel like I fell off a broom ten stories high." She sighed as she moved farther away from Harry on the bed.
Harry grinned as she said, "Now Ginny, if you fell off a broom that far off the ground, you wouldn't be alive for me to torment, would you?"
"Arrgg -- I wish I was dead, Harry. This is the worst hangover ever." She moaned
Harry's laughter caused Ginny to clutch her head in agony while he lazily replied, "You always claim each one is the worst one. Serves you right for drinking so much. Although if you're this bad off I'd hate to see how Hermione is doing. That should make for an interesting day at work." Harry grinned at the thought of tormenting his almost too-perfect best friend.
At the mention of her best friend's name Ginny shot up in bed screaming, "Ahh Hermione! She's going to kill me. Oh Harry, what am I going to do?" Harry was amused that it had only taken the mention of one of his best friend's names to wake the beautiful witch in his bed. Pulling her close to him, he ventured to ask, "Why on earth would Hermione kill you, my love?"
Fretful, Ginny looked at Harry and said, "Because I left her in Atlantis."
Intrigued by her statement, Harry asked, "What do you mean you left her in Atlantis?"
Ginny blushed as she said, "Well, I wanted to meet the band for my story and she was given a backstage pass so. I sort of used it to get inside instead of going back with her."
Harry knew Hermione to be a capable witch and had no doubt she had made it home safely, especially with the PMS team he had ordered to follow the girls for the evening. However, at the moment, he was quite interested in what his little troublemaker had gotten herself into. Amused he questioned, "So did you get your story or were you too busy in the bar drinking those daiquiris you have such a weakness for?"
Ginny furrowed her brow before looking wide-eyed at Harry and said, "It's funny that you say that Harry. To be honest with you I can't remember."
*****
"Can this day get any worse?" Harry asked as he and Ron made their way as quickly as possible through the Ministry of Magic building towards Hermione's office. The morning's Daily Prophet featured a front-page article about The Deputy Mistress of Magic's night out, and pictured smack dab on the front for all to see was a picture of Hermione's derriere. Ron groaned as this day was shaping up to be truly miserable. His sister was sitting in St. Mungo's, undergoing testing for spell damage, while his other best friend was about to find her unmentionables splattered across the front of a newspaper for all the wizarding world to see. "Hurry up Harry. If we're lucky we can get there before she sees it."
As the two approached the desk of Hermione's chatty assistant Anna, the sly grin that crossed her lips and the paper resting on her desk told them they were indeed too late. Without asking to be announced, the two entered the Deputy Mistress's office to find her teary-eyed and surrounded by multitudes of flowers. Harry broke the silence first.
"Hermione, are you ok?"
Harry knew it had been the wrong thing to say the moment her brow furrowed and the tears suddenly stopped. Like a flash of lightening, she was up out of her seat, stomping toward the boys and screeching, "Do I look alright to you? My bum is sitting on the front page of this morning's newspaper for the entire world to see. I'm being hounded by offers from dozens of horny wizards and even a few witches, looking to see more of my assets and all the two of you can ask is if I'm ok. Hell no, I'm not ok!"
"Look at the bright side Hermione; you might meet Mr. Right -- or Ms. Right if that's your thing." Ron chuckled until his amusement was brought to a halt by Hermione's angry fist connecting with his stomach. "Aargh! For Merlin's sake Hermione! What did you have to go and do that for?"
Scowling at Ron, with her hands placed firmly on her hips, she replied, "My personal life is none of your business, Ron Weasley."
"Oh come on now Hermione, even you have to admit your taste in men leaves much to be desired. Maybe you might have better luck with some random guy, or at least have some fun. I'm starting to think Great Grandma Weasley has more fun than you and she's older than Dumbledore." Ron laughed, as he continued to poke fun at Hermione.
Before Hermione was able to swing at Ron a second time, the door opened and Anna waltzed in holding an enormous bouquet of multi-colored roses that seemed to change colors right before everyone's eyes. With an enormous grin, Anna held out the flowers and stated, "These just arrived for you Miss Granger and there is a package that came with them. Might be jewelry."
Harry leapt over to Anna and said, "Ron's right Hermione, you should have some fun. Let's see who your 'Mr. Right' is." Harry reached into the flowers and pulled out the note inside.. When he read its contents, however, his face went white as he quietly announced, "They're from Malfoy."