CHAPTER 5: UNWELCOME VISITORS
Hermione lay on her bed, sleeping peacefully. She had been locked in her room since the day she found out she would be marrying the arrogant Draco Malfoy and neither her parents nor the maids and house elves could make her go out.
She stirred in her sleep, moaning. Finally, she opened her eyes and was met by sunlight pouring out of her open window. Yawning, she got out of bed and put on her fuzzy pink slippers and made her way to her gigantic bathroom.
She then stayed in her Jacuzzi for hours, doing some thinking about how upside down her world is. But she didn't know what surprise awaits her this morning...
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Draco scowled as he walked towards his father's office. He was definitely in a bad mood, not only because of the whole "marriage" thing but also because his father had requested to see him at such an early time, his daily sleeping habit records of eleven hours a day was ruined.
Adjusting his t-shirt, he knocked loudly on the door.
"Come in, Draco," he heard Lucius say.
Draco did as he was told and looked at his father who was standing up, arms crossed, looking outside the vast Malfoy estate. "You called me father?" he asked.
Lucius spun around to face his son. "Yes. I want to speak with you," he said.
"Well, go on, I'm listening, Father."
Lucius locked eyes with his son. Grey eyes met with grey. "I want to discuss something about your upcoming marriage," he told him.
Draco started to feel his veins pop out. "Oh, please, Father," he said exasperatedly. "I *told* you I don't want to have anything to do with that Mudblood Granger. Even if you give me all the gold in Gringotts, I won't marry her."
Lucius sent his son his well known death glare. "Let's try not having you inherit the Malfoy fortunes when we're gone. I may as well, give it to...charity."
Draco's eyes bulged. He would never in the world imagine him not being the Malfoy heir. "You would not," he said quietly.
Lucius grinned wickedly. "Oh, but I would. And I will, if that means you disobeying me," he said icily.
"But father-"
"No buts. I will ask you one last time, will you marry Miss Finlay?" It was more of an order than a question. Lucius looked at his son, who was trying to battle with his inner self.
"Son, tell me, what is it that you don't like about her? She's top of everything when she was at Hogwarts, she was even better than you-"
"Oh, please, don't remind me," Draco said, rolling his eyes but immediately shut his mouth at the glare his father was giving him.
"-and she's very, very gorgeous. To tell you the truth, she was the prettiest girl I have ever seen, even prettier than her mother and your's. Importantly, her family is the richest of all wizarding world and you could just imagine how many gold would make if you combine their fortune with ours. And don't forget that your mother and I are best friends with her parents, until now. Plus, there's the cannot-be-broken pact. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
"Yes, father," Draco said tonelessly. He couldn't believe he woke up very early just to hear his own father babble on about Hermione's and how great and pretty she is. It made him sick. But a nasty voice in his head told him, "But even you thought she was pretty! You even fell for her the first time you saw her at your mansion. You thought of her as your angel."
"So back to my question earlier, are you going to marry her or not?" Lucius said, giving Draco the You-better-answer-it-right-or-else look.
Draco fidgeted. It took him a lot of his will power to say, "Yes, father."
Lucius grinned. "Good. You made the right decision, son. You won't regret it for sure," he told him.
Draco refrained himself from saying, "Like, I regret being born just to marry Granger!"
"So," Lucius said, his grin broadening, "As her fiancé, I want you to go at the Finlay Mansion today, right now, visit her and try to get to know her better. Use the charms you have been boasting about and make her fall in love with you. I knew you were enemies when you were at Hogwarts, but times have changed."
Draco felt like he is going to have a heart attack. But he didn't let his father see his disgusted face as he didn't want any further punishments. "Yes, father," he said for the third time that day.
"That's my boy. Now go," Lucius said, "And oh, I might as well suggest roses. It always works with me when I was your age."
Draco nodded and walked defeatedly out of the room. It had never occurred to him that his father would be the type who was a ladies' man during his time. But then, he was always handsome, just like him.
Muttering and cursing Hermione on his way to his room, he went to his dresser and rang a bell. Instantly, the family tailor apparated in front of him.
"How can I be of assistance, Young Master Malfoy?" the guy said in his strong Italian accent, bowing at him.
"Lumiere, I need an elegant outfit in a few minutes," Draco told him icily.
"For what occasion, Young Master?" Lumiere asked.
Draco looked at him sourly. Flashes of anger crossed his eyes. "Do you really need to know?" he said angrily.
Lumiere trembled and felt his knees go weak under Draco's glare. "Y- yes," he stammered.
Draco looked even madder. But he needed to go as soon as possible before his father sees him still lingering about in the manor. "For my visit to my fiancée," he said bitterly.
Lumiere smiled. "Ah, the elegant Razelle Finlay," he said. "Everyone in the manor had been talking about your upcoming marriage, Young Master. I haven't seen her in person but one look at her picture in the Daily Prophet and I am ought to believe that she is the most stunning, gorgeous lady that I have ever-"
"Stop praising the stupid mudblood and just start making my clothes!" Draco snapped, his face getting hot.
Lumiere flinched. "Cer-certainly, Young Master Malfoy," he said and made a run for the door. He couldn't help but notice that the Young Master had blushed furiously, something which he never did. He smiled. "Ah, love. Sooner or later he will realize his feelings for the lucky lady who had made the Young Master's once cold frozen heart beat once more," he thought.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Draco emerged from the Finlays' fireplace in their living room on the third floor. Brushing soot and dirt off his newly made robes, he stepped gracefully out of the fireplace holding a bouquet of especially trimmed roses that he was sure Hermione would love.
"Draco?"
Draco turned around to see Mrs. Finlay clad in her usual super expensive clothes. She was standing just by the door, a surprised look on her face. "Um, hi, Mrs. Finlay. I hope I didn't frighten you or anything?"
Mrs. Finlay laughed.
Somehow it reminded Draco of how Hermione laugh. He loved hearing that sweet infectious laugh coming from his arch enemy's lips. But he shook his thoughts away.
"Of course I'm ok, though you did surprise me," Mrs. Finlay said. "Oh, those flowers are lovely! I'm sure Razelle will like them."
Draco put his acting skills to a test. "I don't know, Mrs. Finlay...after all, I don't know her too well...Where is she? I had been dying to see her since the day I met her," he half lied because he *did* liked Hermione back at the manor when he didn't know it was her.
Mrs. Finlay shook her head. "Oh, you teens are so in love. Of course Hermione will love that. She likes roses. Anyway, I will go wake her up. Please sit down and wait for her," she told him.
"Alright, thank you Mrs. Finlay," Draco replied politely.
"Nonsense! Call me Mother," Mrs. Finlay insisted.
"Ok, um, m-mother," Draco said uncomfortably.
With this, Mrs. Finlay left the room. Draco stared at his surroundings. He had been to this house millions of times since his parents and Hermione's loved to spend time with each other. And during those times he would be very lonely and bored, with no one his age to talk to. But not in this lifetime, he thought happily as visions of him teasing Hermione who was red in anger entered his head, making him smile.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Hermione was relaxing in her room after her bath when there was a knock and her mother came in, a huge smile on her face. Hermione thought she had never seen her mother this happy, except the time when they got reunited.
"Oh, good morning, mum. What's with the good mood?" she said.
Mrs. Finlay beamed at her. "Oh, you wouldn't believe it, honey, but Draco came here and surprised you. He's waiting for you downstairs," she told her daughter happily.
Hermione scowled. "Draco? As in Draco MALFOY?!" she said, puzzled.
"Why, yes! Draco, your fiancé..." Mrs. Finlay said, wondering about her child's behavior.
Then, Hermione groaned. She looked disappointed as memories at the Malfoy Mansion came back to her. "I thought it was only a dream. One big scary nightmare," she said, sighing.
Mrs. Finlay frowned. "Hermione, we already discussed this and..."
"Alright, mum, I remember. And I'm going downstairs, just give me a minute to get changed. Third floor in the living room, you said?" Hermione said.
"Yes. Don't keep him waiting. Good luck," Mrs. Finlay said and closed the door behind her.
Hermione groaned. "Good luck? What is she thinking?!" she said in disbelief.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Draco was getting impatient. Fifteen minutes had passed and Hermione hadn't graced him with her presence. And he hated waiting.
Granger, Granger, where on earth are you? He thought angrily.
As if she heard him, Hermione came inside, a scowl on her face. If it wasn't Hermione, he would have fallen in love with the girl standing before him. She was wearing scarlet robes that accentuate her nice figure and high heeled sandals and her hair was tied up in a ponytail.
"Well, hello, Malfoy. Fancy ruining my morning," Hermione said icily. She looked furious.
Draco smirked. "It's good to know I succeeded to," he said.
Hermione dismissed his response. "Anyway, why are you here? Don't you know that you're not welcome?" she asked instead.
"My oh so sweet father," Draco said sarcastically. "He asked me to come here so we could 'get to know each other' and give you these stupid roses." He rudely handed her the bouquet.
Hermione threw the flowers back at Draco, glaring at him. "I don't want anything from you!" she told him.
"Like I want to give it to you!" Draco said sarcastically.
But Hermione had other things in her mind. "But Malfoy-"
"Draco," Draco corrected.
Hermione looked at him, puzzled. "Huh?"
"I said call me Draco. Is my name hard to pronounce?" Draco said irritably.
"Aren't you going to insult me? Call me mudblood or something?" Hermione asked.
"I'm actually surprised you want me to call you a mudblood, but I can't. Not unless you are one," Draco said. "Care to show me around? Not that I don't know this house."
Hermione's eyes widened. "What *is* the matter with you?! Why are you acting so strange?! It's like you've...you've already accepted we're gonna be married!" she exclaimed.
"Ah, so you don't like me nice, eh? Don't worry, I don't intend to be nice when it's only the two of us. Like, now?"
"You haven't answered my question," Hermione told him.
"Oh," Draco said. He sighed. "Well, it's kind of like I finally agreed to the marriage."
"WHAT?!" Hermione shouted, causing the hairs at the back of Draco's neck to rise. She looked furious. "Why?!"
"I don't want to lose my place in the family, Granger. And I'm sure neither do you, especially if you don't want to let your parents down. I know you're not the type of person to do that, right Granger?" Draco said.
"Oh, I know! But..." Hermione whined.
"Oh, just shut up," Draco said.
Hermione looked frantic. "But Malfoy, you can't!"
"Can't what?"
"You can't accept that I'd be your bride! We have to find a way...somehow! You have to help me!" Hermione pleaded.
"Ha! Help you, Granger? You've got to be kidding me," Draco said, laughing.
"I am serious!"
"So am I," Draco told her.
"But Malfoy...this is for your own good too! You don't want to marry me, right?" Hermione said desperately, her brown eyes shimmering.
"No, of course not! But as I have said, my father will not pass his fortune to me if I don't marry you," Draco said as though talking to a three year old.
Hermione sighed and slumped on the couch next to Draco. She hugged her knees tightly. "I don't want a life like this..." she murmured. Locks of brown hair fell off her pretty face.
Draco sighed. "Neither do I. But for God's sake, stop being so dramatic, Granger!" he told her.
Just then, they heard footsteps and someone calling them.
"It's your mother, Granger. At least look a little happy to see me around," Draco whispered as he straighted himself. Hermione did the same and picked up the flowers and pretended to sniff them.
"Oh, there you are! I was wondering we're you were. Hermione, dear, why don't you show Draco your room?" Mrs. Finlay said as she emerged from the doorway.
"Oh, but-"
Draco stepped on her shin and said quickly. "Oh, that would be delightful! Don't you think so, Hermione?" he said the word Hermione at the same time he pressed on her foot more tightly. Unfortunately, Hermione's mother did not notice.
"S-sure!" Hermione replied. She made a mental note to strangle Draco the moment they were out of her mother's sight.
"Well, that's great! I'll be in the 34th floor if you need me," Mrs. Finlay said and with a bright smile, apparated.
Hermione shot daggers at Draco. "What was that for?" she cried.
Draco smirked. "Aren't you gonna show me to your room?" he asked instead.
Don't slap him, don't slap him, Hermione kept repeating to herself as she led Draco up to her room, which took a few minutes to reach.
"Not bad, Granger," Draco surveyed. "I'm surprised you don't have pictures of me hanging on the walls. But perhaps it's in your bedroom." He proceeded to walk up the stairs to her bedroom.
"Don't go there!" Hermione exclaimed but she was too late.
"Hmm...neat and organized, just like the bookworm you are," Draco said and carelessly plopped down on her bed.
"Ewww!!! Get off my bed!" Hermione whined.
Draco didn't move a muscle. "You look like a dynamite when you're angry," he told her.
Hermione gritted her teeth. "One of these days, you are gonna be so dead," she said.
"Why, thanks for telling me ahead of time, Granger. Therefore I could arrange my funeral early. Have you thought of a nice place for a burial?" Draco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well..." Hermione pretended to look thoughtful, "I suppose a garbage can will be alright for your corpse to rest in peace."
"Thank you SO much for your concern," Draco said sweetly.
Then, they were interrupted again by a loud knocking on the door.
"Open," Hermione said dully.
A house elf came inside and bowed at the two. "Miss, two people are waiting for you downstairs. They were insisting they are friends of yours."
"I don't happen to-OH MY GOSH!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide and her hands clasped to her mouth. "I TOTALLY FORGOT!"
Draco smirked. "For once you forgot something, Granger. What a miracle!" he said.
Hermione, on the other hand, was frantic. "Um, could you please tell them to wait for a minute?" she told the house elf. It nodded and disappeared in a flash.
Hermione started pacing the room. "Oh, NO! What am I going to do? What? What? What? What?" she muttered frantically.
"Is something the matter, Granger? What did you forget?"
Hermione turned to face him. "I forgot that I invited Harry and Ron over TODAY! Oh, what am I going to do?!" she cried.
"Really, Granger. Just my luck," Draco said. The thought of spending time with Hermione Granger was already torture to him, but to see the Wonder Twins, let's just say its murder for Draco.
"Hermione?"
Hermione froze. It sounded like Harry.
"Oh, no! What do I do? What do I do?" Hermione cried.
"Hermione?" This time the call became louder and Hermione could hear footsteps.
"He's coming HERE!" Hermione said, panicked.
"What? The famous Harry Potter? Oh, no! Make way!" Draco said sarcastically.
"Kill me later," Hermione told him and before he could protest, shoved him inside her closet large enough for five people to fit into. Just as she closed the closet, Harry and Ron came barging in.
"Um, sorry we went inside without permission, but we were sooo anxious to see you, and you have a lot of explaining to do, especially about this house, I mean, mansion..." Harry said, looking nervously for traces of anger on Hermione's face but saw none.
Hermione hugged both Harry and Ron. "Oh, I've missed you sooo much!" she squealed.
Ron blushed at Hermione's tight embrace. "Yeah," he said. "So are you going to explain everything?"
"Of course. Perhaps we could get out of my room and talk somewhere else? Say, in the kitchens? I'm sure you'll like it, Ron," Hermione said, desperate to shoo them out of her room before Draco attempted to get out.
"Did you say kitchen? Well, what are we waiting for?" Ron said and followed Hermione into a large room. Harry trailed behind, his mouth hanging open. As soon as the house elves working inside saw them, they immediately started bringing loads of food, much to Ron's pleasure.
"So, explain," Harry told Hermione.
"I'm really, really, really sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it's just that, I don't know exactly how to break it to you two...Have you read the Daily Prophet yesterday?" Hermione said as they sat down, Ron too busy in eating.
"Well, we didn't read it, but we caught a sight of that girl on the picture. She looked a lot like- OH MY GOD! YOU'RE THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE!!!!" Harry's voice was enough to produce an earthquake.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Took you too long to figure it out...Really, Harry, what did you expect when you saw this house?" she said.
"I figured that you'd be super duper rich, but it never crossed my mind that you're that girl in the-"
"BLOODY HELL! That girl was HERMIONE?!" Ron exclaimed, his attention suddenly away from his food. He, too, was as white and shocked as Harry.
"Yes," Hermione said coolly.
"So...so-that'll make your parents....OH MY! That kind lady who welcomed us earlier who said she was your real mom was actually Mrs. Margaret Florence Finlay!" Ron yelled, his jaw open.
It took a long time before Harry and Ron recovered from the shock. Hermione, meanwhile, was getting worried about Draco. What if he's on his way here right now? She thought. But then relaxed and assured herself that it'll be ok. Hours passed and Hermione was getting sure that Draco was probably just in some corner of the house. Finally, she gave up and went to her room to check on him, telling her best friends that she forgot to turn something off.
"Malfoy..." Hermione whispered as she caught sight of him.
Apparently, Draco had already gotten out of the closet and was already sitting comfortably on her bed, looking murderous and dangerous. "Hello, Granger..." he whispered.
Hermione looked uncomfortable under Draco's death glare. "Uh..."
Draco immediately pinned her to the wall. Hermione flinched.
"Let me go!" she said.
"You-are-going-to-pay-big-time-young-lady," Draco whispered threateningly, his eyes burning in anger.
Hermione tried her best to struggle, but found that she could not. "Malfoy! I said let me-"
Her sentence was interrupted by a loud bang and she found Harry and Ron on the doorway, rooted to the spot.
"MALFOY?!"
"H-Harry? R-Ron?" Hermione stammered, shocked.
Draco released Hermione and faced the Wonder Twins. "Why, hello, Potter, Weasley," he sneered.
Harry and Ron were still shocked. They looked petrified. Soon, Harry gathered his courage to speak. "He-hermione...." Was the only thing he could say.
"How dare you, two! Hermione, I thought you're our best friend! You go to your room telling us lies but in reality you really came her just to SNOG MALFOY, of all people!" Ron exclaimed, his face as red as his hair.
Hermione looked taken aback. "Excuse ME!" she shouted, blushing. "I did not!"
"YOU LIAR! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY US?!"
"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING AS RIDICULOUS AS THAT!"
"I THOUGHT YOU'RE OUR BEST FRIEND!"
Draco watched in amusement as the Golden Trio fight with each other, shouting each other hoarse. He took back his word earlier that he didn't want to come face to face with them, but now that they were fighting, he couldn't wish for a better way of entertainment.
"I've had enough! I'm going! Harry, coming?"
"Yeah." Harry said and the both of them stepped outside.
Draco smirked. "Hey! I haven't even announced to you our good news! *Mione* and I are engaged! Would you be so kind as to be the best man at the wedding, Potter?" he called after them.
Hermione stared at him, her eyes popping and her mouth wide open.
Harry and Ron, on the other hand, stopped in their tracks and went back to Malfoy. Ron grabbed him by the collar.
"What are you talking about, Malfoy?!" Ron roared.
Draco remained calm. In fact, he even managed to smirk. "Why? Want to be the best man? I suppose Potter wouldn't object..." he said. Ron gripped him even tighter.
"RON!" Hermione screamed.
"Come on, Ron! Let's not waste our time in such things," Harry told him and pulled him off Draco. Then, he faced Hermione. "This isn't true, though?"
Hermione had gone white again. She hung her head. "Yes, but you know I didn't-"
"That's all I need to hear. And I never thought you'd stoop so low, Hermione," Harry said, obviously hurt. He and Ron sauntered away, slamming the door behind them.
"Well, they sure didn't take the news very well," Draco said, happy that he made his enemies mad.
"Go away, Malfoy," Hermione said quietly. She was standing, avoiding his eyes. But Draco saw the tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Look, Granger, if you're-"
"Please leave," Hermione pleaded.
Draco knew he couldn't do anything. "Fine. But you shouldn't cry just because-"
"Just because what?!" Hermione spat, "You've lost me my best friends, that's what!!!!"
Draco figured she's really angry so he slid out of the room as quietly as possible. As soon as he closed his door, he heard sobs coming inside. He was about to open the door again, but thought better of it. He went to the fireplace and flooed back to the manor, where he sat brooding over his very bad deed. Draco sighed. He hated it when he felt his least favorite emotion: guilt.
*@*@*@*@*@* Ok fine! I know! Draco's such a jerk in this story! It sucks! And as usual, this chapter came out late! Oh, you know me...Besides, last week was my birthday, and I was really busy...Reviews!!!!
Hermione lay on her bed, sleeping peacefully. She had been locked in her room since the day she found out she would be marrying the arrogant Draco Malfoy and neither her parents nor the maids and house elves could make her go out.
She stirred in her sleep, moaning. Finally, she opened her eyes and was met by sunlight pouring out of her open window. Yawning, she got out of bed and put on her fuzzy pink slippers and made her way to her gigantic bathroom.
She then stayed in her Jacuzzi for hours, doing some thinking about how upside down her world is. But she didn't know what surprise awaits her this morning...
*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Draco scowled as he walked towards his father's office. He was definitely in a bad mood, not only because of the whole "marriage" thing but also because his father had requested to see him at such an early time, his daily sleeping habit records of eleven hours a day was ruined.
Adjusting his t-shirt, he knocked loudly on the door.
"Come in, Draco," he heard Lucius say.
Draco did as he was told and looked at his father who was standing up, arms crossed, looking outside the vast Malfoy estate. "You called me father?" he asked.
Lucius spun around to face his son. "Yes. I want to speak with you," he said.
"Well, go on, I'm listening, Father."
Lucius locked eyes with his son. Grey eyes met with grey. "I want to discuss something about your upcoming marriage," he told him.
Draco started to feel his veins pop out. "Oh, please, Father," he said exasperatedly. "I *told* you I don't want to have anything to do with that Mudblood Granger. Even if you give me all the gold in Gringotts, I won't marry her."
Lucius sent his son his well known death glare. "Let's try not having you inherit the Malfoy fortunes when we're gone. I may as well, give it to...charity."
Draco's eyes bulged. He would never in the world imagine him not being the Malfoy heir. "You would not," he said quietly.
Lucius grinned wickedly. "Oh, but I would. And I will, if that means you disobeying me," he said icily.
"But father-"
"No buts. I will ask you one last time, will you marry Miss Finlay?" It was more of an order than a question. Lucius looked at his son, who was trying to battle with his inner self.
"Son, tell me, what is it that you don't like about her? She's top of everything when she was at Hogwarts, she was even better than you-"
"Oh, please, don't remind me," Draco said, rolling his eyes but immediately shut his mouth at the glare his father was giving him.
"-and she's very, very gorgeous. To tell you the truth, she was the prettiest girl I have ever seen, even prettier than her mother and your's. Importantly, her family is the richest of all wizarding world and you could just imagine how many gold would make if you combine their fortune with ours. And don't forget that your mother and I are best friends with her parents, until now. Plus, there's the cannot-be-broken pact. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
"Yes, father," Draco said tonelessly. He couldn't believe he woke up very early just to hear his own father babble on about Hermione's and how great and pretty she is. It made him sick. But a nasty voice in his head told him, "But even you thought she was pretty! You even fell for her the first time you saw her at your mansion. You thought of her as your angel."
"So back to my question earlier, are you going to marry her or not?" Lucius said, giving Draco the You-better-answer-it-right-or-else look.
Draco fidgeted. It took him a lot of his will power to say, "Yes, father."
Lucius grinned. "Good. You made the right decision, son. You won't regret it for sure," he told him.
Draco refrained himself from saying, "Like, I regret being born just to marry Granger!"
"So," Lucius said, his grin broadening, "As her fiancé, I want you to go at the Finlay Mansion today, right now, visit her and try to get to know her better. Use the charms you have been boasting about and make her fall in love with you. I knew you were enemies when you were at Hogwarts, but times have changed."
Draco felt like he is going to have a heart attack. But he didn't let his father see his disgusted face as he didn't want any further punishments. "Yes, father," he said for the third time that day.
"That's my boy. Now go," Lucius said, "And oh, I might as well suggest roses. It always works with me when I was your age."
Draco nodded and walked defeatedly out of the room. It had never occurred to him that his father would be the type who was a ladies' man during his time. But then, he was always handsome, just like him.
Muttering and cursing Hermione on his way to his room, he went to his dresser and rang a bell. Instantly, the family tailor apparated in front of him.
"How can I be of assistance, Young Master Malfoy?" the guy said in his strong Italian accent, bowing at him.
"Lumiere, I need an elegant outfit in a few minutes," Draco told him icily.
"For what occasion, Young Master?" Lumiere asked.
Draco looked at him sourly. Flashes of anger crossed his eyes. "Do you really need to know?" he said angrily.
Lumiere trembled and felt his knees go weak under Draco's glare. "Y- yes," he stammered.
Draco looked even madder. But he needed to go as soon as possible before his father sees him still lingering about in the manor. "For my visit to my fiancée," he said bitterly.
Lumiere smiled. "Ah, the elegant Razelle Finlay," he said. "Everyone in the manor had been talking about your upcoming marriage, Young Master. I haven't seen her in person but one look at her picture in the Daily Prophet and I am ought to believe that she is the most stunning, gorgeous lady that I have ever-"
"Stop praising the stupid mudblood and just start making my clothes!" Draco snapped, his face getting hot.
Lumiere flinched. "Cer-certainly, Young Master Malfoy," he said and made a run for the door. He couldn't help but notice that the Young Master had blushed furiously, something which he never did. He smiled. "Ah, love. Sooner or later he will realize his feelings for the lucky lady who had made the Young Master's once cold frozen heart beat once more," he thought.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Draco emerged from the Finlays' fireplace in their living room on the third floor. Brushing soot and dirt off his newly made robes, he stepped gracefully out of the fireplace holding a bouquet of especially trimmed roses that he was sure Hermione would love.
"Draco?"
Draco turned around to see Mrs. Finlay clad in her usual super expensive clothes. She was standing just by the door, a surprised look on her face. "Um, hi, Mrs. Finlay. I hope I didn't frighten you or anything?"
Mrs. Finlay laughed.
Somehow it reminded Draco of how Hermione laugh. He loved hearing that sweet infectious laugh coming from his arch enemy's lips. But he shook his thoughts away.
"Of course I'm ok, though you did surprise me," Mrs. Finlay said. "Oh, those flowers are lovely! I'm sure Razelle will like them."
Draco put his acting skills to a test. "I don't know, Mrs. Finlay...after all, I don't know her too well...Where is she? I had been dying to see her since the day I met her," he half lied because he *did* liked Hermione back at the manor when he didn't know it was her.
Mrs. Finlay shook her head. "Oh, you teens are so in love. Of course Hermione will love that. She likes roses. Anyway, I will go wake her up. Please sit down and wait for her," she told him.
"Alright, thank you Mrs. Finlay," Draco replied politely.
"Nonsense! Call me Mother," Mrs. Finlay insisted.
"Ok, um, m-mother," Draco said uncomfortably.
With this, Mrs. Finlay left the room. Draco stared at his surroundings. He had been to this house millions of times since his parents and Hermione's loved to spend time with each other. And during those times he would be very lonely and bored, with no one his age to talk to. But not in this lifetime, he thought happily as visions of him teasing Hermione who was red in anger entered his head, making him smile.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Hermione was relaxing in her room after her bath when there was a knock and her mother came in, a huge smile on her face. Hermione thought she had never seen her mother this happy, except the time when they got reunited.
"Oh, good morning, mum. What's with the good mood?" she said.
Mrs. Finlay beamed at her. "Oh, you wouldn't believe it, honey, but Draco came here and surprised you. He's waiting for you downstairs," she told her daughter happily.
Hermione scowled. "Draco? As in Draco MALFOY?!" she said, puzzled.
"Why, yes! Draco, your fiancé..." Mrs. Finlay said, wondering about her child's behavior.
Then, Hermione groaned. She looked disappointed as memories at the Malfoy Mansion came back to her. "I thought it was only a dream. One big scary nightmare," she said, sighing.
Mrs. Finlay frowned. "Hermione, we already discussed this and..."
"Alright, mum, I remember. And I'm going downstairs, just give me a minute to get changed. Third floor in the living room, you said?" Hermione said.
"Yes. Don't keep him waiting. Good luck," Mrs. Finlay said and closed the door behind her.
Hermione groaned. "Good luck? What is she thinking?!" she said in disbelief.
*@*@*@*@*@*@*
Draco was getting impatient. Fifteen minutes had passed and Hermione hadn't graced him with her presence. And he hated waiting.
Granger, Granger, where on earth are you? He thought angrily.
As if she heard him, Hermione came inside, a scowl on her face. If it wasn't Hermione, he would have fallen in love with the girl standing before him. She was wearing scarlet robes that accentuate her nice figure and high heeled sandals and her hair was tied up in a ponytail.
"Well, hello, Malfoy. Fancy ruining my morning," Hermione said icily. She looked furious.
Draco smirked. "It's good to know I succeeded to," he said.
Hermione dismissed his response. "Anyway, why are you here? Don't you know that you're not welcome?" she asked instead.
"My oh so sweet father," Draco said sarcastically. "He asked me to come here so we could 'get to know each other' and give you these stupid roses." He rudely handed her the bouquet.
Hermione threw the flowers back at Draco, glaring at him. "I don't want anything from you!" she told him.
"Like I want to give it to you!" Draco said sarcastically.
But Hermione had other things in her mind. "But Malfoy-"
"Draco," Draco corrected.
Hermione looked at him, puzzled. "Huh?"
"I said call me Draco. Is my name hard to pronounce?" Draco said irritably.
"Aren't you going to insult me? Call me mudblood or something?" Hermione asked.
"I'm actually surprised you want me to call you a mudblood, but I can't. Not unless you are one," Draco said. "Care to show me around? Not that I don't know this house."
Hermione's eyes widened. "What *is* the matter with you?! Why are you acting so strange?! It's like you've...you've already accepted we're gonna be married!" she exclaimed.
"Ah, so you don't like me nice, eh? Don't worry, I don't intend to be nice when it's only the two of us. Like, now?"
"You haven't answered my question," Hermione told him.
"Oh," Draco said. He sighed. "Well, it's kind of like I finally agreed to the marriage."
"WHAT?!" Hermione shouted, causing the hairs at the back of Draco's neck to rise. She looked furious. "Why?!"
"I don't want to lose my place in the family, Granger. And I'm sure neither do you, especially if you don't want to let your parents down. I know you're not the type of person to do that, right Granger?" Draco said.
"Oh, I know! But..." Hermione whined.
"Oh, just shut up," Draco said.
Hermione looked frantic. "But Malfoy, you can't!"
"Can't what?"
"You can't accept that I'd be your bride! We have to find a way...somehow! You have to help me!" Hermione pleaded.
"Ha! Help you, Granger? You've got to be kidding me," Draco said, laughing.
"I am serious!"
"So am I," Draco told her.
"But Malfoy...this is for your own good too! You don't want to marry me, right?" Hermione said desperately, her brown eyes shimmering.
"No, of course not! But as I have said, my father will not pass his fortune to me if I don't marry you," Draco said as though talking to a three year old.
Hermione sighed and slumped on the couch next to Draco. She hugged her knees tightly. "I don't want a life like this..." she murmured. Locks of brown hair fell off her pretty face.
Draco sighed. "Neither do I. But for God's sake, stop being so dramatic, Granger!" he told her.
Just then, they heard footsteps and someone calling them.
"It's your mother, Granger. At least look a little happy to see me around," Draco whispered as he straighted himself. Hermione did the same and picked up the flowers and pretended to sniff them.
"Oh, there you are! I was wondering we're you were. Hermione, dear, why don't you show Draco your room?" Mrs. Finlay said as she emerged from the doorway.
"Oh, but-"
Draco stepped on her shin and said quickly. "Oh, that would be delightful! Don't you think so, Hermione?" he said the word Hermione at the same time he pressed on her foot more tightly. Unfortunately, Hermione's mother did not notice.
"S-sure!" Hermione replied. She made a mental note to strangle Draco the moment they were out of her mother's sight.
"Well, that's great! I'll be in the 34th floor if you need me," Mrs. Finlay said and with a bright smile, apparated.
Hermione shot daggers at Draco. "What was that for?" she cried.
Draco smirked. "Aren't you gonna show me to your room?" he asked instead.
Don't slap him, don't slap him, Hermione kept repeating to herself as she led Draco up to her room, which took a few minutes to reach.
"Not bad, Granger," Draco surveyed. "I'm surprised you don't have pictures of me hanging on the walls. But perhaps it's in your bedroom." He proceeded to walk up the stairs to her bedroom.
"Don't go there!" Hermione exclaimed but she was too late.
"Hmm...neat and organized, just like the bookworm you are," Draco said and carelessly plopped down on her bed.
"Ewww!!! Get off my bed!" Hermione whined.
Draco didn't move a muscle. "You look like a dynamite when you're angry," he told her.
Hermione gritted her teeth. "One of these days, you are gonna be so dead," she said.
"Why, thanks for telling me ahead of time, Granger. Therefore I could arrange my funeral early. Have you thought of a nice place for a burial?" Draco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Well..." Hermione pretended to look thoughtful, "I suppose a garbage can will be alright for your corpse to rest in peace."
"Thank you SO much for your concern," Draco said sweetly.
Then, they were interrupted again by a loud knocking on the door.
"Open," Hermione said dully.
A house elf came inside and bowed at the two. "Miss, two people are waiting for you downstairs. They were insisting they are friends of yours."
"I don't happen to-OH MY GOSH!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide and her hands clasped to her mouth. "I TOTALLY FORGOT!"
Draco smirked. "For once you forgot something, Granger. What a miracle!" he said.
Hermione, on the other hand, was frantic. "Um, could you please tell them to wait for a minute?" she told the house elf. It nodded and disappeared in a flash.
Hermione started pacing the room. "Oh, NO! What am I going to do? What? What? What? What?" she muttered frantically.
"Is something the matter, Granger? What did you forget?"
Hermione turned to face him. "I forgot that I invited Harry and Ron over TODAY! Oh, what am I going to do?!" she cried.
"Really, Granger. Just my luck," Draco said. The thought of spending time with Hermione Granger was already torture to him, but to see the Wonder Twins, let's just say its murder for Draco.
"Hermione?"
Hermione froze. It sounded like Harry.
"Oh, no! What do I do? What do I do?" Hermione cried.
"Hermione?" This time the call became louder and Hermione could hear footsteps.
"He's coming HERE!" Hermione said, panicked.
"What? The famous Harry Potter? Oh, no! Make way!" Draco said sarcastically.
"Kill me later," Hermione told him and before he could protest, shoved him inside her closet large enough for five people to fit into. Just as she closed the closet, Harry and Ron came barging in.
"Um, sorry we went inside without permission, but we were sooo anxious to see you, and you have a lot of explaining to do, especially about this house, I mean, mansion..." Harry said, looking nervously for traces of anger on Hermione's face but saw none.
Hermione hugged both Harry and Ron. "Oh, I've missed you sooo much!" she squealed.
Ron blushed at Hermione's tight embrace. "Yeah," he said. "So are you going to explain everything?"
"Of course. Perhaps we could get out of my room and talk somewhere else? Say, in the kitchens? I'm sure you'll like it, Ron," Hermione said, desperate to shoo them out of her room before Draco attempted to get out.
"Did you say kitchen? Well, what are we waiting for?" Ron said and followed Hermione into a large room. Harry trailed behind, his mouth hanging open. As soon as the house elves working inside saw them, they immediately started bringing loads of food, much to Ron's pleasure.
"So, explain," Harry told Hermione.
"I'm really, really, really sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it's just that, I don't know exactly how to break it to you two...Have you read the Daily Prophet yesterday?" Hermione said as they sat down, Ron too busy in eating.
"Well, we didn't read it, but we caught a sight of that girl on the picture. She looked a lot like- OH MY GOD! YOU'RE THE GIRL IN THE PICTURE!!!!" Harry's voice was enough to produce an earthquake.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Took you too long to figure it out...Really, Harry, what did you expect when you saw this house?" she said.
"I figured that you'd be super duper rich, but it never crossed my mind that you're that girl in the-"
"BLOODY HELL! That girl was HERMIONE?!" Ron exclaimed, his attention suddenly away from his food. He, too, was as white and shocked as Harry.
"Yes," Hermione said coolly.
"So...so-that'll make your parents....OH MY! That kind lady who welcomed us earlier who said she was your real mom was actually Mrs. Margaret Florence Finlay!" Ron yelled, his jaw open.
It took a long time before Harry and Ron recovered from the shock. Hermione, meanwhile, was getting worried about Draco. What if he's on his way here right now? She thought. But then relaxed and assured herself that it'll be ok. Hours passed and Hermione was getting sure that Draco was probably just in some corner of the house. Finally, she gave up and went to her room to check on him, telling her best friends that she forgot to turn something off.
"Malfoy..." Hermione whispered as she caught sight of him.
Apparently, Draco had already gotten out of the closet and was already sitting comfortably on her bed, looking murderous and dangerous. "Hello, Granger..." he whispered.
Hermione looked uncomfortable under Draco's death glare. "Uh..."
Draco immediately pinned her to the wall. Hermione flinched.
"Let me go!" she said.
"You-are-going-to-pay-big-time-young-lady," Draco whispered threateningly, his eyes burning in anger.
Hermione tried her best to struggle, but found that she could not. "Malfoy! I said let me-"
Her sentence was interrupted by a loud bang and she found Harry and Ron on the doorway, rooted to the spot.
"MALFOY?!"
"H-Harry? R-Ron?" Hermione stammered, shocked.
Draco released Hermione and faced the Wonder Twins. "Why, hello, Potter, Weasley," he sneered.
Harry and Ron were still shocked. They looked petrified. Soon, Harry gathered his courage to speak. "He-hermione...." Was the only thing he could say.
"How dare you, two! Hermione, I thought you're our best friend! You go to your room telling us lies but in reality you really came her just to SNOG MALFOY, of all people!" Ron exclaimed, his face as red as his hair.
Hermione looked taken aback. "Excuse ME!" she shouted, blushing. "I did not!"
"YOU LIAR! HOW COULD YOU BETRAY US?!"
"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF SOMETHING AS RIDICULOUS AS THAT!"
"I THOUGHT YOU'RE OUR BEST FRIEND!"
Draco watched in amusement as the Golden Trio fight with each other, shouting each other hoarse. He took back his word earlier that he didn't want to come face to face with them, but now that they were fighting, he couldn't wish for a better way of entertainment.
"I've had enough! I'm going! Harry, coming?"
"Yeah." Harry said and the both of them stepped outside.
Draco smirked. "Hey! I haven't even announced to you our good news! *Mione* and I are engaged! Would you be so kind as to be the best man at the wedding, Potter?" he called after them.
Hermione stared at him, her eyes popping and her mouth wide open.
Harry and Ron, on the other hand, stopped in their tracks and went back to Malfoy. Ron grabbed him by the collar.
"What are you talking about, Malfoy?!" Ron roared.
Draco remained calm. In fact, he even managed to smirk. "Why? Want to be the best man? I suppose Potter wouldn't object..." he said. Ron gripped him even tighter.
"RON!" Hermione screamed.
"Come on, Ron! Let's not waste our time in such things," Harry told him and pulled him off Draco. Then, he faced Hermione. "This isn't true, though?"
Hermione had gone white again. She hung her head. "Yes, but you know I didn't-"
"That's all I need to hear. And I never thought you'd stoop so low, Hermione," Harry said, obviously hurt. He and Ron sauntered away, slamming the door behind them.
"Well, they sure didn't take the news very well," Draco said, happy that he made his enemies mad.
"Go away, Malfoy," Hermione said quietly. She was standing, avoiding his eyes. But Draco saw the tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Look, Granger, if you're-"
"Please leave," Hermione pleaded.
Draco knew he couldn't do anything. "Fine. But you shouldn't cry just because-"
"Just because what?!" Hermione spat, "You've lost me my best friends, that's what!!!!"
Draco figured she's really angry so he slid out of the room as quietly as possible. As soon as he closed his door, he heard sobs coming inside. He was about to open the door again, but thought better of it. He went to the fireplace and flooed back to the manor, where he sat brooding over his very bad deed. Draco sighed. He hated it when he felt his least favorite emotion: guilt.
*@*@*@*@*@* Ok fine! I know! Draco's such a jerk in this story! It sucks! And as usual, this chapter came out late! Oh, you know me...Besides, last week was my birthday, and I was really busy...Reviews!!!!