A/N: Thanks for all your reviews!!!
***
"Draco, do you understand why I called you here?"
Draco looked at Lucius Malfoy for a moment, before nodding:
"Of course, Father. You are here to entrust me with the family's business."
"Yes, the kind wizards at Azkaban allowed me the grace of visiting you especially for that. It would not do for the Malfoys to become a bunch of beggars," Lucius answered. "So do pay attention, as it is all very important."
They both sat in a small but elegant table in the middle of their library. The chairs were not comfortable.
The elder Malfoy pulled a ledger and opened it, perching a thin pair of glasses in front of his eyes. Draco sighed, and looked down to the numbers. He managed to keep his attention there for whole five seconds before looking up, running his eyes over the books that sat on the shelves around them.
His eyes had already run by the title when his mind registered it, and Draco glanced back to it. 'Love and Lust Potions, by Calindra Jones' thought Draco, reading the letters with no small amount of pleasure.
"Draco?" Called Lucius.
Draco looked at his father, than back down to the numbers on the table. His eyes soon strayed towards the book again. He could almost see delicate fingers pulling the book from its resting place. Avid eyes locked on his, running over his body. White skin showing on her shoulder, and a coy smile on her lips. She would run her smallish hands over her waist, then over her bare breasts, still grinning at him. He found himself following her figure, glancing to her legs, her tummy, her waist. Her hands ran over the parts of her body where his eyes lingered for a few moments.
He could see her clearly in the red stuffed sofa in front of him, inviting him. The way she would casually open her shirt's buttons, looking at him. He could feel the small body of hers under him in anticipation, and closed his eyes. He so wanted her like that. He felt his mouth opening slowly and his breath shortened.
Something shook him.
He opened his eyes, and Hermione was gone. He turned slowly towards his father, feeling faint.
"Draco, does mathematics arouse you?" Lucius asked, glancing pointedly at his son's lap.
***
Hermione Jane Granger felt good. Better than she felt in ages. She stretched, making a face at her hospital gown. Madam Pomfrey finally allowed her out. She wasn't really complaining, actually. She needed the rest, and Hogwart's hospital wing was peaceful and comfortable, no matter what Harry said.
Thinking about Harry, she thought back to their conversation when she woke up from her collapse. She shook her head. Harry had it all wrong . She wasn't in love with bloody Malfoy. She was not. She only felt a physical attraction for him. That was it. Some of Harry's advices, however, were sound. She wouldn't let Malfoy run her life anymore. She wouldn't avoid him, she wouldn't lose her sleep for him.
She would simply ignore him.
The door to Madam Pomfrey's rooms opened, and the nurse came out:
"You're free to go, Miss Granger."
"Thank you," Hermione answered, pulling the hospital gown tighter around herself. She shouldn't meet anyone on her way to the Tower.
She opened the door and stepped out.
Of course, he was there.
For the briefest moment, she panicked. She could feel hysteria rising in her chest, but fought it down.
"Granger, we need to talk," he said.
She walked past him, as if not noticing him. Her breath was slightly quick, but she felt that so far, so good.
He caught her wrist.
"Let me go," she said in a low voice, heart hammering in her chest.
"No," he answered. " We need to talk. It's--"
She pulled her arm away with such force that managed to free herself. Without saying anything, she ran all the way back to the Tower. She gasped the password to the Fat Lady and entered the portrait hole, leaning against it when it closed. She felt strangely cold, but satisfied.
She would show him.
***
Three weeks later, she was back to her usual routine. When a student came to get her, she had no idea what Snape could ´possibly want. She walked straight to his classroom, and found Malfoy already there, sitting across their teacher.
"Miss Granger, please sit down," he indicated a seat beside Malfoy's. She took it, reluctantly.
"You are both expelled from my classes," he said shortly in an unpleasant tone. He didn't bother to look at them.
"Prof--" Hermione tried to say, panic surging through her.
"Do not interrupt me, Miss Granger," Snape said, eyes meeting hers. She could almost see a ghost of a smile in his face. "You were supposed to hand in a potion and its respective essay every week after Christmas. You have done none so far. As I warned before, I do not accept students in my last year that do not apply themselves to the course. I expected better of you, Mister Malfoy," he whispered, turning to Malfoy.
Hermione panicked. She couldn't lose her Potions N.E.W.T. now because of that ridiculous story. "Professor, it's my fault, I understood the deadlines wrong. Isn't there anything we can do to catch up with our projects?"
"You could give us new deadlines, another extra project," Draco suggested.
Snape looked at them considering.
"Only because it is you, Mister Malfoy, I shall make an exception. You both shall stay in my class." Both released the air held in their lungs. "However, I can not reward your carelessness by giving you more time to make your potions. You will have until next class to bring me all the three potions and essays missing. And the fourth you're supposed to be working on this week, of course."
Hermione and Draco exchanged worried glances.
"Thank you, Professor. We'll start working now," Draco said, getting up from his seat.
"You may go, then," Snape dismissed them.
When they left the class and started walking on the corridor, Hermione turned to him.
"That's absurd! We'll never make it!" She said, furious. She didn't like the way he spoke for her, and the prospect of spending an entire week working with Malfoy was terrifying.
"It's either that, or failing in Potions, Granger. Which do you chose?" he asked menacingly.
"Let's go to the library, then," she conceded with a sigh.
***
The following week was a nightmare. They had to decide what potion they should be working on, concoct them and write the essays. They met each other in every single free time they had, and still, time was short. Hermione scheduled all their activities and they were doing their best to follow the schedule. Every time they finished their daily work Draco tried to initiate a conversation, but she wouldn't let him, always running away for a supposedly unavoidable appointment.
When Tuesday inexorably came, they had already finished three of them, potions and essays. The fourth one, however, was only half-done. The essay was written, but they still had to concoct the potion tonight. Hermione didn't like to do things in their deadline's eve, so she had stipulated their deadline to Tuesday night, leaving Wednesday for emergencies and reviews, as Potions class would be on Thursday morning. They managed to work pretty well until now. Tomorrow, everything would be over.
They met after dinner as usual to work on the last potion. Draco prepared the ingredients and Hermione started mixing them, when in a flash, she failed to get the Becker that crashed on the floor, splattering the undone potion everywhere.
"Oh, I can't believe it! I'll have to start it all again!" She complained, looking at the puddle on the floor.
"Shhh, that's okay, just calm down, will you?" He cleaned the whole mess with a spell. He turned to the ingredients and she heard him curse.
"Oh. Shit," he was looking at her potion ingredients' bag. "Shit, shit, shit."
***
***
"Draco, do you understand why I called you here?"
Draco looked at Lucius Malfoy for a moment, before nodding:
"Of course, Father. You are here to entrust me with the family's business."
"Yes, the kind wizards at Azkaban allowed me the grace of visiting you especially for that. It would not do for the Malfoys to become a bunch of beggars," Lucius answered. "So do pay attention, as it is all very important."
They both sat in a small but elegant table in the middle of their library. The chairs were not comfortable.
The elder Malfoy pulled a ledger and opened it, perching a thin pair of glasses in front of his eyes. Draco sighed, and looked down to the numbers. He managed to keep his attention there for whole five seconds before looking up, running his eyes over the books that sat on the shelves around them.
His eyes had already run by the title when his mind registered it, and Draco glanced back to it. 'Love and Lust Potions, by Calindra Jones' thought Draco, reading the letters with no small amount of pleasure.
"Draco?" Called Lucius.
Draco looked at his father, than back down to the numbers on the table. His eyes soon strayed towards the book again. He could almost see delicate fingers pulling the book from its resting place. Avid eyes locked on his, running over his body. White skin showing on her shoulder, and a coy smile on her lips. She would run her smallish hands over her waist, then over her bare breasts, still grinning at him. He found himself following her figure, glancing to her legs, her tummy, her waist. Her hands ran over the parts of her body where his eyes lingered for a few moments.
He could see her clearly in the red stuffed sofa in front of him, inviting him. The way she would casually open her shirt's buttons, looking at him. He could feel the small body of hers under him in anticipation, and closed his eyes. He so wanted her like that. He felt his mouth opening slowly and his breath shortened.
Something shook him.
He opened his eyes, and Hermione was gone. He turned slowly towards his father, feeling faint.
"Draco, does mathematics arouse you?" Lucius asked, glancing pointedly at his son's lap.
***
Hermione Jane Granger felt good. Better than she felt in ages. She stretched, making a face at her hospital gown. Madam Pomfrey finally allowed her out. She wasn't really complaining, actually. She needed the rest, and Hogwart's hospital wing was peaceful and comfortable, no matter what Harry said.
Thinking about Harry, she thought back to their conversation when she woke up from her collapse. She shook her head. Harry had it all wrong . She wasn't in love with bloody Malfoy. She was not. She only felt a physical attraction for him. That was it. Some of Harry's advices, however, were sound. She wouldn't let Malfoy run her life anymore. She wouldn't avoid him, she wouldn't lose her sleep for him.
She would simply ignore him.
The door to Madam Pomfrey's rooms opened, and the nurse came out:
"You're free to go, Miss Granger."
"Thank you," Hermione answered, pulling the hospital gown tighter around herself. She shouldn't meet anyone on her way to the Tower.
She opened the door and stepped out.
Of course, he was there.
For the briefest moment, she panicked. She could feel hysteria rising in her chest, but fought it down.
"Granger, we need to talk," he said.
She walked past him, as if not noticing him. Her breath was slightly quick, but she felt that so far, so good.
He caught her wrist.
"Let me go," she said in a low voice, heart hammering in her chest.
"No," he answered. " We need to talk. It's--"
She pulled her arm away with such force that managed to free herself. Without saying anything, she ran all the way back to the Tower. She gasped the password to the Fat Lady and entered the portrait hole, leaning against it when it closed. She felt strangely cold, but satisfied.
She would show him.
***
Three weeks later, she was back to her usual routine. When a student came to get her, she had no idea what Snape could ´possibly want. She walked straight to his classroom, and found Malfoy already there, sitting across their teacher.
"Miss Granger, please sit down," he indicated a seat beside Malfoy's. She took it, reluctantly.
"You are both expelled from my classes," he said shortly in an unpleasant tone. He didn't bother to look at them.
"Prof--" Hermione tried to say, panic surging through her.
"Do not interrupt me, Miss Granger," Snape said, eyes meeting hers. She could almost see a ghost of a smile in his face. "You were supposed to hand in a potion and its respective essay every week after Christmas. You have done none so far. As I warned before, I do not accept students in my last year that do not apply themselves to the course. I expected better of you, Mister Malfoy," he whispered, turning to Malfoy.
Hermione panicked. She couldn't lose her Potions N.E.W.T. now because of that ridiculous story. "Professor, it's my fault, I understood the deadlines wrong. Isn't there anything we can do to catch up with our projects?"
"You could give us new deadlines, another extra project," Draco suggested.
Snape looked at them considering.
"Only because it is you, Mister Malfoy, I shall make an exception. You both shall stay in my class." Both released the air held in their lungs. "However, I can not reward your carelessness by giving you more time to make your potions. You will have until next class to bring me all the three potions and essays missing. And the fourth you're supposed to be working on this week, of course."
Hermione and Draco exchanged worried glances.
"Thank you, Professor. We'll start working now," Draco said, getting up from his seat.
"You may go, then," Snape dismissed them.
When they left the class and started walking on the corridor, Hermione turned to him.
"That's absurd! We'll never make it!" She said, furious. She didn't like the way he spoke for her, and the prospect of spending an entire week working with Malfoy was terrifying.
"It's either that, or failing in Potions, Granger. Which do you chose?" he asked menacingly.
"Let's go to the library, then," she conceded with a sigh.
***
The following week was a nightmare. They had to decide what potion they should be working on, concoct them and write the essays. They met each other in every single free time they had, and still, time was short. Hermione scheduled all their activities and they were doing their best to follow the schedule. Every time they finished their daily work Draco tried to initiate a conversation, but she wouldn't let him, always running away for a supposedly unavoidable appointment.
When Tuesday inexorably came, they had already finished three of them, potions and essays. The fourth one, however, was only half-done. The essay was written, but they still had to concoct the potion tonight. Hermione didn't like to do things in their deadline's eve, so she had stipulated their deadline to Tuesday night, leaving Wednesday for emergencies and reviews, as Potions class would be on Thursday morning. They managed to work pretty well until now. Tomorrow, everything would be over.
They met after dinner as usual to work on the last potion. Draco prepared the ingredients and Hermione started mixing them, when in a flash, she failed to get the Becker that crashed on the floor, splattering the undone potion everywhere.
"Oh, I can't believe it! I'll have to start it all again!" She complained, looking at the puddle on the floor.
"Shhh, that's okay, just calm down, will you?" He cleaned the whole mess with a spell. He turned to the ingredients and she heard him curse.
"Oh. Shit," he was looking at her potion ingredients' bag. "Shit, shit, shit."
***