AN: Thank you for all of the reviews! *smiles* They make me soooooooo HAPPY! lmao. And hyper. I do appreciate all of them, and I thank the reviewers who have stuck with me since my last story... *waves* Thanks! And I may update a little slower, because I am trying to lengthen my chapters to a good, long amount of pages.
Chapter Two: Inside the Castle.
Draco stared at the lady at the door, then at Hermione, then back to the lady at the door. What am I doing exactly? he thought, now that the shock had worn off. He threw Hermione away from him, and she fell on the soft muddy ground with a thud!. The lady at the door gave him a scowl and ran out to see if Hermione was all right.
"Young man, what do you think you are doing?! Letting your girlfriend here fall like that? Shame on you!" the lady shouted as she rolled Hermione to face upward, trying to smear off the mud but only creating a bigger mess. The lady looked up at Draco. "Well? Explain yourself!"
"Look lady, she is not my girlfriend. And secondly, I don't know what you Muggles think, but Draco Malfoy will not dirty his hands to do a good deed for anyone." Draco snapped back, drawling all the while.
"Draco Malfoy? Oh, sir! I am so sorry, I thought ye a peasant!" the lady said, standing up and looking at his hand. "May I?"
Draco, confused yet refusing to show it, nodded. The lady continued and took up his hands, shaking them firmly. "I must introduce myself. My name be Jennifer O'Brien of Tessetta School of the Craft. I teach Transfiguration and I am to welcome you into the school immediately, Sir Draco."
"Yes, yes. You've been expecting me?" Draco drawled, as the lady curtsied before him.
"Why yes, Sir. I have your room ready as of just yesterday." Ms. O'Brien said quickly, standing up and pointing to the door of the large school. "Right this way. And... What shall we do with Mistress Malfoy?"
Draco took a quick glance at the unconscious girl on the ground, calculating thoughts in his head.
~*~
Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she took in the dark surroundings about her. She was laid down on a mattress of down or something of the sort. Looking up, the roof was made of stones, as was the walls and such. There was a tiny slit of a window, and Hermione noticed a sky of stars out of it. Candles were on the wall, mostly all snuffed out.
"I see we 'ave awakened, have we?" a voice carried from opposite Hermione's head.
"Where am I?" Hermione asked, eyes focusing on a small lady carrying a lighted candle coming from a door.
"You are in Tessetta School of the Craft, in the infirmary, Miss. You took a fall when you fainted outside the school today, and probably don't remember it all." the lady said. She kneeled down next to Hermione, and Hermione took in the nurse's long strawberry blond hair and brown eyes. "I'm Madam LaHaney, and I retire just through that wooden door over there. Now, if you need anything at all, just give me a shout and I will tend to ye right away, Miss. The corset you were wearing seemed to be a little too tight, so there shouldn't be any other problems concerning that."
Hermione nodded mutely, a little too shocked to say anything.
"Now, take a sip of this and you should feel just fine." Madam LaHaney said, holding out a small, wooden goblet for Hermione to take. Hermione unsteadily grasped it and pulled it to her mouth, taking a swig of the serum inside. She wrinkled her nose and sputtered.
"That tastes awful!" she gasped out. "What was it for?"
Madam LaHaney smirked as she took the goblet back. "What did ya expect, lassie, orange cider? All medicine can't be appetizing! And it was for your ribs. They took quite a bruising from that fall." she replied, stretching up to full height and walking back to her dorm. "I'll be retiring now, Missy. If you need anything, you know where I be."
Hermione nodded and laid her head back down. She sighed and looked down at her apparel now, which appeared to be a thin cotton night dress.
Hermione pulled the quilted duvet closer to her body and rolled over to her side. She sat there for a moment, then rolled back onto her back again. Suddenly she sprung up like an iron and her eyes got wide.
Madam Pomfrey is not named Madam LaHaney!! she thought as everything sunk in.
~*~
Dawn came upon the isolated school slowly, and the sun rose as slowly as it could. The green meadows that spread out for miles were peacefully covered in the silver morning dew. The castle of Tessetta School of the Craft was sitting silently, its rickety fence still standing and its gardens blooming abundantly. It was a picturesque scene in the Irish countryside. Something that one would see framed on a wall while out at an art gallery in a crowded Los Angelos or New York or London setting. But soon the small chirp of a nest of chicklettes was drowned out by the calls of teen aged children.
Draco had awoken as the sun had risen up into the sky and had watched the school awaken like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. He stood still in his lavish chambers, watching the grounds out of a window. Yesterday he had skillfully conned the old bat Professor O'Brien into telling him everything she knew about the seventeenth century Draco Malfoy.
"Mister Malfoy, you do know why you're here?" she asked as they walked through the stone corridors.
"Miss O'Brien, I know why I'm here, but do tell me why you think I'm here." he drawled.
The aged wench babbled on and on about their great headmistress, and in the process told Draco everything he needed to know to impersonate the late, seventeenth century Draco Malfoy. Earlier last night, the temptation to leave Granger on the ground to suffocate in her corset was very strong, but it turned out he would need her to pull off this scheme. Plus, if he ended up going back to Hogwarts in the 1990's, what explanation could he give Dumbledore and Potter and Weasley that would make them believe what had occurred in the time of the two's time leap. Surely they would think Draco had decided to murder their beloved third, which wasn't a bad idea. Well, it wasn't a bad idea, Draco concluded, if he didn't have to face the consequences of Azkaban and the vengeance that Weasel and Potty would seek.
Draco looked at the frilly clothes his chamber-servant, (he had refused a maid), had set out for him. They were hideous, not something the likes of Draco would ever wear. He would never wear them, and need not worry about it, because Draco would be wearing his robes. Thank you Merlin for the Wizard clothing. he thought.
"Joseph!!" he shouted. The middle aged man with salt and paprika hair Apparated into the room. "Get me my robes please." When Joseph didn't move, Draco got a little ticked off. "Well?" he asked smoothly.
"I'm sorry, Sir, but robes? We wear cloaks. No robes, simply cloaks around your apparel, Sir." he replied shakily.
Draco swore under his breath, but did not let his confusion show. "Oh, I'm sorry, Joseph. I simply thought... Back in the Manor it gets cold and we wear more than a little frill and cloak. But no worries, tell Headmistress that I will be down to breakfast shortly." he drawled.
"Yessir." he bowed and Appararted to the Great Hall. Draco had also learned that if you could take Hogwarts, cover the outer walls in mold, and put it in Ireland, then Tessetta would be its match. The school was for young witches and wizards of the age of eleven to seventeen, and Tessetta had all of the subjects that Hogwarts had, and then some. There was a subject called Celtic Mythology and another called Magical Medicine, (although Magical Medicine was only allowed to fifth through seventh years).
Draco shook himself from his reverie and reminded himself that the headmistress was awaiting his arrival. He also told himself that Granger was probably making a complete fool of herself and that she was probably ruining the whole scam that Draco was working so hard to keep.
Sighing, he looked at the knee high tights and the ruffly pants and silk shirt. "Damn Renaissance era..." he muttered as he slowly took off his knee length night shirt.
~*~
Hermione woke up to the sound of a little girl's sobbing. Eyes fluttering open, she decided to see what was the matter. As she rolled over to catch a glimpse of the commotion, she noticed that Madam LaHaney had put some curtains around her bed to ensure Hermione's privacy. Hermione picked herself up and yanked the curtains away to see a little girl no more than twelve crying on the edge of a cot two down from Hermione's.
"What happened?" Hermione asked, startling the girl who did not see her.
"They-- they are at it-- again!" she explained in between sobs.
Before Hermione could question anymore Madam LaHaney appeared at the doorway with a goblet. When the old witch saw Hermione, she put a finger to her lips to silence a very confused Hermione. "Here you are, dearie. Drink this up and you'll notice the boils going away in no time," the nurse said with a motherly smile.
Hermione watched the scene as the girl took a hesitant gulp of the serum. A moment later, she stared at the potion and murmured to herself, "Tastes like orange cider..."
"Ah, Mistress, you had best get dressed quickly. No time to dilly dally, the headmistress is expecting you for breakfast all well." Madam LaHaney smiled brightly. "We've gathered your chambermaids, two. Their names are Michelle and Brianna, just give a shout and they'll Apparate to your assistance. Michelle! Brianna!"
Two witches promptly Apparated into the room, with clothes in their arms.
~
Hermione stood useless behind a dressing screen as her two chambermaids readied the dress, corset, and undergarments for her. Hermione hardly needed assistance in the undergarments part of dressing, but the two would not hear of her doing it on her own.
"You're a lady of importance, Miss. Arms above your head, we've got to get those pajamas off of you." a curly brown head said. Hermione assumed it was Michelle, the witch was hardly five feet tall. Reluctantly, Hermione rose her arms with a sullen face.
"Ah, Mistress, you are quite healthy." the other, Brianna, stated. Hermione stood there, feeling quite violated and embarrassed.
"Erm... Thanks." she muttered.
Brianna, a blonde with a pudgy face, pulled the poofy undergarments up and around Hermione's waist. "Arms up!" Michelle ordered.
Hermione strongly wanted to protest, but did so as an undershirt was soon placed on her.
"Hermione?!" Madam LaHaney shouted from the other side of the dressing screen. "You'd better get a move on, dear. You are expected to arrive for breakfast soon."
Hermione gasped out an 'okay', as the two chambermaids yanked harder on the strings of the puny looking pink corset. It should be black or blood colored... It's evil! she thought with another gasp.
"Not too tight on the corset, ladies!" Madam LaHaney called. "As soon as those ribs heal properly you can tighten to the proper thinness!"
"Aye," called back Michelle as Hermione felt the strings tie together in the back. Brianna appeared in front of Hermione, with large metal hoops.
"A hoop skirt?" Hermione mumbled a bit helplessly as she lifted a leg and stepped into it.
"Of course. You are a lady of importance, Missy." Michelle called, tightening the hoop skirt behind Hermione. "Now for the sesame seeds on the bread!" she said, as the two chambermaids brought up the dress.
"I am not wearing that." Hermione said, detested.
"Of course ye are!" Brianna said in disbelief.
"What do you think you'd wear? A boy's trousers?" Michelle added, with a scoff.
"I refuse to wear that!" Hermione shouted.
"You will wear that, dearie!" Madam LaHaney called through the screen again.
"You will never see me in that!" she insisted.
~*~
Draco entered the Great Hall and plastered a smile on his face, otherwise he'd be glaring darkly at any and all living creatures. He had asked Joseph for a shirt of less frill, and Joseph complied with a shirt with a frill at the front collar. Draco had also asked to have floor length pants, but Joseph said that it was the style for men of his wealth to wear trousers to his knee area and white knee socks.
Draco composed himself with a deep breath and counted to ten. Looking up to the Head Table, Draco almost doubled over in laughter and new found glee. But, being Draco Malfoy, he quickly swallowed his mirth and let out a smirk as he sauntered up to the Staff Table.
He took a seat beside Hermione and nearly peed his knee length trousers. "I love that look on you," he muttered so she would hear him only.
"Oh shut up!" Hermione snapped back. She pouted and then crossed her arms over her chest. Draco nearly burst out laughing, but knew how to hide his emotions. Hermione was sitting before him wearing a bright pink dress, with little roses on the shoulders and a lavish bow around the elbows to end her half sleeves. The skirt was in no other words, enormous. The skirt also had pattern around the hem of roses and flowers. The bodice was the flat kind, and Draco suspected that it was the type that had whale bone lining it to keep it stiff. It was a very low cut, square styled bodice and he couldn't help but take a look. Draco next looked up to see Hermione's hair piled atop her head in ringlettes completely tamed, with a little flat circular pink hat that looked like a lily pad, pulling the look together.
"I am serious, my sweet, the look ravishes you." he said a little louder.
"It's bad enough when you can look down your own shirt." she retorted haughtily, as she looked around to see if the Headmistress had arrived. "Wait a second, 'my sweet'?"
Draco would have hated to ruin the surprise, but just at that moment, the doors opened and the Headmistress walked into the hall, making the perfect timing for entrance. Draco looked up, as all students and faculty did.
The headmistress had long red hair down to her waist and had an almost not-all-there look about her. She wore a pointed witch's hat that matched her cloak of a dark ink green. The dress the headmistress wore was also a dark green, yet it was not stiff-bodiced as Hermione's, and the skirt of it did not include metal hoops.
Smiling, she looked at the students and staff. "Good morning everyone. I do hope you are all having a good day so far." she spoke with a misty voice that reminded Draco strongly of Professor Trelawny. "Let us begin with the school song and then we may sit to eat."
At that, everyone stood up, Draco and Hermione having a delayed reaction were slow to stand, but no one noticed.
"Who would like to lead this morning?" the headmistress asked politely, looking about her. "Miss Malfoy? Would you like to start us off with the school anthem?"
Headmistress was looking directly at Hermione. Hermione looked around, seeing who the witch was appointing. "Mistress Malfoy?" the headmistress said again. Draco nudged Hermione softly.
Hermione's eyes widened. "Uh-- I--," she stuttered out. Thinking quickly, Hermione fell limply back into the chair in a feint faint.
"Mistress Malfoy?!" the headmistress inquired. Draco looked at Granger to see her face assuming a blank expression.
"Headmistress O'Hara?" Draco spoke out. "I dare say 'twas the corset again."
"Oh, dear." the witch said, looking about. "Well, Miss Skiffins? Lead us today in the school anthem and you may all eat afterwards. I'll see to Mistress Malfoy..."
Draco picked up Hermione and whispered in her ear, "Play dead for a few minutes and wake up shocked."
Headmistress O'Hara took out her wand and pointed it at Hermione. "Wingardium Leviosa." she pronounced, making her way with Draco to the back door.
"Silly of me..." Draco said. "I must have left my wand back in our rooms." he lied, making an excuse for his little advice to Hermione.
"No worries, we will be with Madam LaHaney in no time!" the eccentric looking witch said, taking a sharp left.
~*~
Hermione waited to be lowered onto a bed in the hospital wing, before looking dazed and opening her eyes. Coughing a little, she looked up at the three people above her. "Oh... These silly corsets." she said hoarsely.* "I'm sorry, did I ruin the breakfast?"
"Nonsense, Mistress Malfoy. You have only made the day more interesting." replied Headmistress O'Hara. "Now, I hate to leave you here, but I must be off! As you can see," here the witch pointed to a wizard on another bed, "Professor Callahan is feeling off today and I am sitting in for him and teaching his lessons. I do have to plan, and I am dreadfully sorry for this terrible bout of faints, Sir and Mistress Malfoy."
"Oh, no need to be sorry," Draco cut in amiably (with fake cheer of course), "I am sure Pookie is just a bit out of sync. You know, we traveled here from Normandy. Different elevations and weather..." he trailed off.
Headmistress O'Hara beamed at the others and spun on her heal and was out the door before you could say 'zelagalogug'.
"Shall I round up more elixir, Missy?" inquired Madam LaHaney.
Hermione's face slowly cleared as she looked up at the nurse. "Oh, no, no, no! I am perfectly capable, no need to waste anymore of your potions on me!" she replied, slowly sitting up.
"You can go ahead to your chambers to rest if you feel faint, dear." the nurse said with a smile.
"And my chambers would be?" Hermione asked.
"Your husband can show you. After all, you both will be living there!" said Madam LaHaney.
Hermione's eyes widened slightly, but only Draco detected it. "Oh, yes, of course." she got out just barely.
~*~
Draco and Hermione had walked to the chambers in tense silence. That is, until they had the thick wooden doors shut and Hermione had muttered a silencing charm.
"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE, MALFOY!?" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
Draco looked at Hermione uneasily and sat down at a desk set up by a window. "It's sort of hard to explain, Granger." he replied.
"EXCUSE ME?!" she shouted. "WELL THEN YOU HAD BETTER EXPLAIN THIS, FERRET BOY!!"
Draco took the time to glare at her and then spoke: "Well, it seems this isn't some dream." he said.
"YOU THINK I HAVEN'T NOTICED THAT?! DID YOU TELL THEM I WAS YOUR WIFE? YOU SICK LITTLE PERVERTED ARSE! DO YOU GET SOME SORT OF PLEASURE OUT OF MY SUFFERING HERE? YOU SICK, SADISTIC PRICK!!"
Draco stared at her, waiting for her to shut up. "Well, after you had so conveniently fainted, it seems that Professor What's-Her-Name was under the impression that I am supposed to be here in this time. I dug deeper and discovered that the Draco Malfoy in the sixteen hundreds is the Chairman of the School Board. He was scheduled on a trip from Normandy with his wife to observe Tessetta School of the Craft and see how the funds he had given them were being used. His wife's name was coincidentally Hermione, and that old dimwit thought we were the couple. As we are stuck here now, we have to watch ourselves and keep in character. Hence sweet heart and pookie." he explained in a lazy drawl, watching Hermione's expression change from indignant anger to thoughtful contemplation.
"And we're expected to stay here how long?" she hoarsely whispered. Draco smirked in satisfaction that she had shouted herself hoarse.
"All year, I suspect. It seems as if the Board Committee thinks that the school's funds are being used incorrectly." He almost wanted to add that the money was going to all of the right places and that this school was amazing and that he would have loved to be sent here if he had lived in this day. But, Draco furrowed his brow in deep thought, why should he be so excited over a school that meant nothing to him; even more so, why would he tell the stupid Mudblood?
Hermione stood up and walked toward the door. "Where are you going?" he asked.
"I'm going to look up some information on time travel in the library." she quipped back, unlocking the door and making her way to the foresaid place.
~*~
Author's Notes: Well, sorry about the wait. I think I'm going to average two week updates with this story. Oh, and the language that Draco and Hermione read on the portrait was Gaelic. But I can't tell y'all what it said. *sticks out tongue* It would ruin a bit of the story for you. Erm, as I said, I am trying to make longer chapters for you all. And this chapter is over 3,000 words and I cut out the song lyrics. *grins happily*
Reviewer Reply (y'all ask too many questions! Lol.):
BelleThePhilosophersCookie: Hiya! Thank you so much for reading, your reviews make me HAPPY! lol. I'm sowwy I will not be doing a sequel to SB&DD, I've decided to leave it to itself. Plus, I don't have a plot for it...
Meg: Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you think it's original, I tried to go for that. And that bit about the book won't be answered until one of the last chapters. You'd best forget it until then! ; D
Mirkwood Dementor: Thanks for the review. I do try to describe everything well... *thinks* I also did that in this chapter too, lol. Lots o' adjectives! hehe.
Setsuna Bu: Lmao!! I loved Robin Hood Men In Tights! *sings along to the tunes* Lol. The mental imagery of Draco in even knee socks is really just too much for me. *giggles* And my guess is that the women back in the day liked to look thin without having to diet. Just wear a corset and you are instantly cracking ribs to mold you into a thin lady. Thanks for the review!
An Irish Rose... and Vivica: SB&DD has no plot, sweetie. I want to do a story with plot and purpose!! Bah humbuck! lmao. Ye olde English tavern and gift shoppe! lol. By-the-bye, I finally finished Great Expectations. I feel so satisfied now. Great book. And, puddin', this is longer! *grins*
dracosgirl_chrissy: Thankee for your review! The plot actually came at an odd time. I was sitting with my dad at eleven at night watching Highlander: End Game and I got the idea. You see, Highlander is about Immortals and they usually have lived in many places... And then I thought, what if two people were hurtled back in time? Why not to Ireland? So, yeah... lol. It sort of connected piece by piece in my mind.
Pixie Tang: Thanks for the review!
Meggles: Hope ya liked this chapter!
Ardent Entity: Thankee for reading and liking! I did look up everything, and I know it took quite a bit of work but it makes the story better to me. Thanks for all of the compliments too! *grins cheekily* I've been told I do describe everything well! Hope you didn't think that the characters were **out** of character this chapter... Just let me know. I thought that Draco catching Hermione was really cute, but then my friend was like, "Yeah right!". So, I noticed it would seem out of character... And I came up with that lil bit. lol. Thanks so much for the review!!
DracoLuver79: Thankye for the review! I'm glad you've enjoyed reading it!
Cute-Kitty: Thanks for the review, hope you keep reading!
~*~
Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, and I also thank my Beta Readers, Ravyn Nyte and Rose! *curtsies* Oh, yes, if you think that I'm changing the characters too soon or that they seem out of character, simply tell me so in a review. Thanks!
Oh, yes, and the line with the * after it when Hermione wakes up is taken from Moulin Rouge, change corset with costumes!
Thanks and please review!