Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter world. :( *sigh*

When you see these [[ ]] it means flashback. :)

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Chapter 4 Part 1 The Lay of the Land

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I flopped down onto the bed in my room at the Malfoy abode, and glared at the ceiling. I seemed to be doing a fair bit of that lying and glaring thing lately.

Day one of operation 'save the children from themselves' (tm) had gone better than I expected. I had taken time to jot down a few ideas last night, it didn't hurt to plan things. I know I hadn't been able to succeed on the Elf liberation front, but that wasn't from lack of planning and execution on my part. I did the work, it was just the strange reluctance the Elves had to being free, that had caused my plans to fail. I still intended on going to Witchlettes R' Us store to get some child rearing books. I remember some things from my childhood, but as people were so wont to tell me, I was a bit of an unusual child. I would need the help that ONLY a good book could provide!

The main reason I was glaring at the gold painted ceiling in my room was that I made the mistake of telling Draco that the children seemed to genuinely like me. He didn't even bother to looked up from the paper work he had been doing, but grunted and then said it was a honeymoon period and would end soon enough, as it did with all the other people he had hired. Needless to say Draco and I had bypassed the 'honeymoon' period and had gone right to "Brilliant Witch accused of killing annoying git of a man with the fireplace poker" stage of the relationship. I am not sure what I expected, when I had gone to his office, after enticing the children to go to sleep. I suppose I was a fool to think he would want to discuss anything seriously with me.

From the moment I had apparated back yesterday he had made nothing but snide and cutting remarks.

[[The door swung open before I could even lift my hand to knock. Eyes blazing Malfoy mockingly moved backwards making a sweeping bow with his arms, ushering me inside. Hmm, so he was still mad from me apparating away from our fight earlier. Oh well he would just have to get used to it. I wasn't about to beg and scrape any more than I had to.

"Welcome to my humble home Ms. Granger." Was said through clenched teeth. "If WE had known when you would be back WE could have prepared a meal for you."

OH great now he was going to "play" daddy, I didn't remember reading anywhere on the hated contract that I had to give him a written itinerary of my movements. And what the HELL was with the (royal) WE thing he was using?

Instead of getting into things with him again I walked into the house, intent on leaving my bags on the door step. Leave him to deal with them, I decided! On second thought he would probably just keep them there, so I swiftly bent down and gathered up my belongings, including Crookshank's cat carrier. At the sight of my familiar Draco's face paled more.

"What is that THING doing here?" He grimaced.

"This THING is my cat and he is of course staying with me."

Draco sneered and Crookshanks hissed. Oh great one more thing to cause me worry.

"Don't antagonize him." I said. Sadly I didn't know if I was talking to Draco or the cat. ]]

I sighed and sat up, my legs dangling over the edge of the tall bed. Head in my hands and elbows resting on my knees I contemplated the complexly woven carpet on which my bed rested...WAIT A MINUTE. I hopped off the bed and folded back the edge. Of course. Naturally, Draco Malfoy would have an illegal Persian Magic Carpet! It would go first thing in the morning! I was not about to have something like that in my room. Then my eye caught sight of the gray stone floor, ok I guess my toes could be warmed just as well on a magic carpet as a regular inanimate one, after all, a person could only take the moral high ground thing so far... BUT so help me if that thing revved itself up in the middle of the night and transported my bed and myself somewhere, while I slept, there would be hexings!

I wonder how long Draco thought it would be before I noticed that? I wasn't going to make a fuss but I would file it away for future. You never know when you might need information. I could see the headlines, "Heir of the Malfoy Fortunes, caught in ugly Carpet smuggling scandal! The serpent doesn't slither far from the.....uh...serpent's father. Like Serpent like Son." (HUH?) Oh well, good enough. It was all about making Malfoy suffer...UGH! I groaned, three months. My first full day here and I was already having stupid "Show Draco in a bad light" fantasies. I seemed to have mentally transported myself back to thirteen years old. By the time I saw the back of the dratted man I would be as insane with delusional thinking and conspiracy theories as Harry and Luna, or entering my second childhood. Neither option sounded profitable.

I climbed back up on the bed and continued my musings, Crookshanks crawled up onto my chest and laid with his eyes half closed, purring. Why couldn't I have been a cat. My sigh filled the silence of the room.

[[Draco swept past me to his office, and I followed along. Seemed like we had done all this before. Glare, argue, sneer...lather, rinse, repeat....who was I to break such a 'delightful' pattern?

Draco closed the door carefully behind us, it looked like one of those controlled anger-ish type of movements to me, but I won't even pretend to know what goes on in his head, he could be jolly as Old St Nick for all I knew!

He stalked around his desk and seated himself in his chair. His eyes narrowed, and I chucked the Jolly theory out the window, I didn't need to read his mind to know he was holding down a considerable anger. Crookshanks couldn't seem to stop hissing, Draco wouldn't stop his angry staring and I was finding myself growing increasingly annoyed with both of them. MEN!

"What?" I finally asked.

"What? WHAT?! You start a fight with me, then leave in the middle of it, I don't know when you are coming back! I don't know IF you are coming back..." He raised his hand to forestall me from saying anything. "Then you arrive at my front door, as if nothing has happened, with THAT cat thing...and YOU ask me what?" Whoa there Mr. Malfoy, had we been in the same house?

"Seriously Draco, don't you think you are overreacting a bit?"

"Malfoy's don't over react." He stated, his eyebrows meeting over his eyes in a scowl.

Yeah, that was clear.

"Just like they don't bellow?" I smiled in what I hoped was a charming way, and hoped would infuriate him.

Malfoys may not over react but they do growl, and the sound of his fury sent the bad shivers up my spine again. (I was wondering where they had gone? )

"MORIO!" Draco yelled. Ok I hadn't been exactly expecting that.

The house elf appeared as if from thin air.

"The Master is wanting Morio, Master?" The elf was once again rubbing his hands together in fear, this house was just filled with healthy relationships.

"Show Ms. Granger to her room." Was all he seemed capable of saying.

"But Draco, what about the children? Shouldn't we dis...."

"GO, Go, go, go, goooooooooo." His fist hit the desk with each word.

Alrighty then. I stood up and gathered my things, my chin held high I followed Morio out the door.

"And Granger, don't even think about leaving your room until morning!" His shout echoed through the hall.

Prat! ]]

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A/N Ok I know this is really short, sorry. I have been working 12 hour days at work...but that workload should be coming to an end very soon. It is also sans beta tonight so forgive mistakes. The rest of this chapter should be up within the week.

Thanks everyone for your reviews, I once again, do not have time to comment upon each one, I hope to get back to that soon.

As per Usual...read Arbitrary's "Temporary Insanity" It is delightful, highly addictive and filled with Draco/Hermione UST! ;)

ALSO for a fun story, not romance, but really fun read Nichneven's "Draco Malfoy Presents: Sunshine day" I think I'll go for a walk outside now.......;)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ALL! :)