DISCLAIMER: Hermione, Severus, Draco and all their friends belong to JK
Rowling, Scholastic Books and everyone else with a copyright. I'm just
letting them out to play a bit 'til the next book or movie comes out and
they have to get back to their day jobs.
"Marriage is the only war in which you sleep with the enemy."
- Anonymous
Chapter 4
Hermione had no destination in mind as she left the Great Hall. She let her feet carry her where they would, and she wasn't the least bit surprised when she found herself at the door to the library. She made her way inside quietly and, without really looking, grabbed a book and settled herself in the deepest, darkest corner she could find. For once in her life, she wasn't in the mood for homework - she knew she didn't need to worry about getting behind, considering she was a good two weeks ahead in all work that had already been assigned - so she decided to lose herself in a good book and try to pretend her life hadn't suddenly turned into a nightmare.
Luckily "Hogwarts: A History" proved to be as fascinating the 57th time as it had been the first.
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She did feel somewhat guilty as she headed back to the Head Girl's room after making her rounds of the castle halls late that night. Not because of points she had deducted - she was always scrupulously fair and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt - or because of the lack of homework completed for the day, but because she knew she couldn't avoid Harry and Ron - and yes, Ginny - forever. No matter how hard she'd tried, though, she just hadn't been able to make herself seek them out and talk about everything that happened. She knew it wasn't very Gryffindor of her to avoid the issue, but she figured she had shown enough courage and bravery during the battle against Voldemorte to keep her place in her house. It wasn't like that silly hat was going to resort her into Ravenclaw over a little avoidance behaviour, now, was it?
It wasn't until she had stepped across the threshold to the Head Boy and Girl's shared common room that Hermione remembered her friends weren't the only ones she wanted to avoid talking to.
She thought for a moment that Malfoy was asleep, but as she started to creep softly across the room to the safety of her bedroom, his eyes opened. Blinking slowly, he sat up straight in the armchair by the fire and pinned her with his gaze. "About time, Granger. Why don't you get comfortable. This may take awhile."
Hermione sighed in resignation and shrugged her robe off her shoulders, folding it and placing it carefully across the back of the sofa next to his sloppily placed garment. Rounding the couch carefully, she reluctantly sat down in the armchair across from his, folded her hands in her lap and crossed her ankles primly. "It's late, Malfoy, and we both have classes tomorrow. Please be brief. What did you want to talk to me about?" Her tone was polite and formal.
Draco smirked. "After that little performance tonight at dinner, I would say we have a lot to talk about, wouldn't you?"
Hermione felt the heat in her cheeks and cursed herself for letting him make her blush. "No. I don't. I don't know what can possibly have possessed your father to make me an offer of marriage on your behalf, but -"
Draco cut her off. "Honestly, Granger, THINK. It's not all that hard to figure out. Use that amazing brain of yours."
"Think!?! About what? How much he hates 'mudbloods', particularly 'mudbloods' who happen to be magically adept and get top marks in all their classes, beating his precious heir for top of the class in everything? Or maybe I should think about how many muggles he killed or tortured in his years of service to Voldemorte, or how many times he tried to kill me or those close to me before he decided, at the last minute, that he was on the losing side and ran to the Ministry to offer his assistance."
Draco didn't look the least perturbed by her assessment of his father's character. "Think. The answer should be obvious, Granger."
Hermione shook her head and threw up her hands in defeat. "I don't get it, Malfoy. I can't think of anything that would tell me WHY. I just don't understand why your father would something so...so...insane!"
Draco shook his head in mock disappointment ."Granger, Granger, Granger. To get the answer you're looking for, the question you need to answer first is, 'Why does a Slytherin do anything?'"
Hermione thought for a moment. "Because there's something in it for him?"
"Exactly. How better for Lucius to prove to those fools at the Ministry - who, for excellent reasons, don't really believe in his change of heart, even if they are willing to take his money - that he is a changed man than to be one of the first of the old line pure bloods to welcome a mud - muggle born witch into the family?"
Hermione stared into the fire, thinking about Lucius' reasoning for a moment, then nodded her head slowly in agreement. "I understand what you mean about what he can gain with the Ministry. But why ask me!?! There are lots of muggle born witches on the list, and none of them have the same...history with him that I do."
"True. But none of them are as brilliant, or as powerful, or as famous as you are, either. Overall, you are the best the list has to offer, and a Malfoy never settles for less than the best in anything. It took me awhile to get him to see that, of course, but he came around eventually." Draco picked up a glass of something that looked suspiciously like wine and took a drink.
"You WANTED him to make me an offer?"
"Of course. Close your mouth, darling, gaping like that is terribly unattractive." He smirked at her over the rim of his glass.
Her mouth snapped shut, but her look of incredulity remained. "Why would you -" She jumped up and paced around the room before turning to look at him again. "No, let me guess. There's something in it for you."
"Exactly." He placed his glass carefully on the side table and contemplated it while twisting it a around by the stem, watching the wine swirl in the glass. "Quite a lot in it for me, actually. Do you know how many pure blood witches there are in my age group that are considered good enough to marry the Malfoy heir? Bloody few, and they are, to put it mildly, all incredibly unattractive or thick as a plank, if not both. This law of the Ministry's was the answer to a prayer. If I'm going to have to marry - and make no mistake, as an only child I have no choice in the matter - I intend to marry someone I can enjoy looking at AND talking to." He looked up and smiled up at her suddenly, the first real smile she had ever seen from him, and the beauty of it took her breath away for a moment. "Someone like you, Granger."
"Someone like me," she repeated stupidly, half of her brain still contemplating how unfair it was that someone so awful could be so good looking. "But you don't even like me!"
"When did I say that?" he asked. "Actually, I like you quite alot. I have since oh, second year, I think." He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. "Hard not to like a girl who slaps like you do. No other girl has ever dared to do that, you know, and that just made my tendresse towards you that much stronger. Given your unfortunate bloodline and your house, though, it really wouldn't have done for me to let on that I didn't despise you, now would it? And if it makes you feel any better, I really can't stand Potter and Weasley. I don't know why you put up with them."
Hermione felt as though her world had been turned on its end. "You like me." She closed her eyes and grabbed the back of the sofa in front of her for support. "You like me and you actually WANT to marry me."
"Exactly." Draco stood, yawned and stretched. "Now you just notify the Ministry tomorrow that you accept and that will be that."
Hermione's eyes popped open. "No, that will NOT be that! I'm not marrying you just because you decide it's a good idea!" She cringed a little at the note of hysteria in her voice then decided that, after everything that had happened that day, she was entitled. "Why on earth would I want to marry you?"
Draco crossed over to stand beside her, looking down at her in puzzlement. "I'm a MALFOY, that's why. Even with all the...setbacks our family has had lately, we are still one of THE families of the wizarding world. As my wife, you would have wealth, status - and me. What more could you want?"
Hermione made a strangled noise deep in her throat and stomped her foot in frustration, hands on her hips. "I cannot be bought! I don't want to get married. I don't WANT your wealth, or your status, or YOU, Malfoy!"
Draco smiled a devilish smile and reached forward to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. "It isn't nice to lie, Granger...especially when you are so very bad at it. You may not care much for wealth or status, perhaps, but I do believe there are quite a few other, shall we say, benefits to being Mrs. Draco Malfoy that you would enjoy thoroughly." His finger trailed from her ear over her cheek softly, and she shivered.
Hermione tried to gather her scattered thoughts and mount a defense. This whole conversation was getting out of hand and had to end now. "No! This whole marriage idea of yours is ridiculous, Malfoy! The whole thing is completely and utterly daft! Your father was a Death Eater, for goodness sake! For all I know, you were, too!"
Draco raised an eyebrow. "I am not responsible for the decisions Lucius made, or for who he may have chosen to follow. I am my own man, and I make my own choices." He unbuttoned his left cuff and pushed his sleeve up, baring the smooth white skin of his forearm, and held it in front of her face. "See? No dark mark here, Granger."
She stepped back, shaking her head, not willing to concede the point even though she'd never really thought he'd been a follower of the dark lord. "That doesn't prove anything. Even Voldemorte wouldn't have been stupid enough to put a the dark mark where everyone at school could see it!" Hermione's eyes widened as his fingers flew down the front of his shirt, unbuttoning buttons. "What are you doing!?!"
He shrugged his shirt off and threw it behind him and his hands dropped to the front of his trousers. "You won't believe I don't carry the dark mark, so I'm letting you see for yourself, of course. I don't want us to start married life with any misconceptions between us."
Hermione's hands grabbed his frantically, yanking them away before he could start work on the zipper. "No! I believe you!" She looked up and caught sight of his chest, noticing for the first time the well defined muscles and smooth, pale skin. A long moment later she realized she was staring and turned her head away, blushing.
Draco noted her reaction with amusement. "What's the matter, Granger, haven't you ever seen a half naked man before?"
Hermione blushed harder and ducked her head, but Draco's hand caught her chin and pulled her face up to look at him. He studied her face for a moment and his lips quirked as she tried to avoid making eye contact. "I've seen boys without their shirts on, thank you very much. I've been best friends with two of them for seven years now."
"I didn't say anything about boys, darling. I asked about MEN. Surely some man has noticed how nicely you've grown up, how lovely you've become." His thumb stroked over her chin softly and his other hand dropped to her waist and skimmed lightly down over her hip. "All soft and round in all the right places." He stepped into her and his chest brushed the front of her shirt. "So warm." His face came down and he nuzzled the hair by her temple gently. "So sweet smelling."
Hermione fought the urge to whimper. Her mind was telling her to move, to leave before she did something she would regret, but her body wasn't listening. She was unbearably aware of the heat of his skin burning her through her clothes, the feel of the hard contours of his body against her, the tangy scent of him surrounding her. She swayed and reached out instinctively to brace herself against him, her open palms flattening against the muscles of his chest. She shivered as his lips grazed her temple, and her eyes closed as they drifted down the side of her face in gentle, open mouthed kisses. "My lovely, darling Granger." The hand on her hip moved to her back and pulled her closer while the other tangled itself in the mass of curls at the back of her head, pulling it back to give him better access to the soft skin of her throat as he kissed and nibbled his way down to her collarbone. As he licked and sucked at her delicate skin, her legs began to tremble and she leaned into him even more.
Her eyes flew open as she felt his arousal press against her stomach and he chuckled against her neck, the vibration sending shivers up and down her spine. "Feel what you do to me, my darling Granger." His hips rocked against hers and she found herself suddenly clutching his shoulders, trying to remain upright as her body began to melt from the inside out. Draco lifted his head and his hand tugged on her hair, angling her head back so he could see into her eyes. "I want you, Granger. In my house, in my bed, in my life." His eyes were dark with desire and determination. "You're going to be mine, Granger. All mine." He leaned down and captured her mouth with his, his kiss leaving no doubt as to his intentions. His mouth possessed hers, moving over her with purpose. His tongue teased her lips until she moaned and opened her mouth, allowing it entrance; it swept inside, caressing her teeth, her tongue, the roof of her mouth. He finally released her mouth as her head began to spin and she took deep gulping breaths, trying to regain her equilibrium. He stepped away, releasing his hold on her slowly, allowing her to regain her balance before letting go completely.
"Good night, Granger." His voice was low and rough, his eyes hungry. "Sleep well. We'll talk again soon." He leaned in and brushed a last feather soft kiss against her lips before heading off to his room without a backward glance. Hermione collapsed, leaning against the back of the couch for support and watched him go, her hand idly brushing back and forth over her still sensitized lips.
Oh, Merlin help her. Things had just gotten even more complicated.
A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have taken the time to review. May the updates be your reward! Next up, Severus has a little chat with Dumbledore...
"Marriage is the only war in which you sleep with the enemy."
- Anonymous
Chapter 4
Hermione had no destination in mind as she left the Great Hall. She let her feet carry her where they would, and she wasn't the least bit surprised when she found herself at the door to the library. She made her way inside quietly and, without really looking, grabbed a book and settled herself in the deepest, darkest corner she could find. For once in her life, she wasn't in the mood for homework - she knew she didn't need to worry about getting behind, considering she was a good two weeks ahead in all work that had already been assigned - so she decided to lose herself in a good book and try to pretend her life hadn't suddenly turned into a nightmare.
Luckily "Hogwarts: A History" proved to be as fascinating the 57th time as it had been the first.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
She did feel somewhat guilty as she headed back to the Head Girl's room after making her rounds of the castle halls late that night. Not because of points she had deducted - she was always scrupulously fair and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt - or because of the lack of homework completed for the day, but because she knew she couldn't avoid Harry and Ron - and yes, Ginny - forever. No matter how hard she'd tried, though, she just hadn't been able to make herself seek them out and talk about everything that happened. She knew it wasn't very Gryffindor of her to avoid the issue, but she figured she had shown enough courage and bravery during the battle against Voldemorte to keep her place in her house. It wasn't like that silly hat was going to resort her into Ravenclaw over a little avoidance behaviour, now, was it?
It wasn't until she had stepped across the threshold to the Head Boy and Girl's shared common room that Hermione remembered her friends weren't the only ones she wanted to avoid talking to.
She thought for a moment that Malfoy was asleep, but as she started to creep softly across the room to the safety of her bedroom, his eyes opened. Blinking slowly, he sat up straight in the armchair by the fire and pinned her with his gaze. "About time, Granger. Why don't you get comfortable. This may take awhile."
Hermione sighed in resignation and shrugged her robe off her shoulders, folding it and placing it carefully across the back of the sofa next to his sloppily placed garment. Rounding the couch carefully, she reluctantly sat down in the armchair across from his, folded her hands in her lap and crossed her ankles primly. "It's late, Malfoy, and we both have classes tomorrow. Please be brief. What did you want to talk to me about?" Her tone was polite and formal.
Draco smirked. "After that little performance tonight at dinner, I would say we have a lot to talk about, wouldn't you?"
Hermione felt the heat in her cheeks and cursed herself for letting him make her blush. "No. I don't. I don't know what can possibly have possessed your father to make me an offer of marriage on your behalf, but -"
Draco cut her off. "Honestly, Granger, THINK. It's not all that hard to figure out. Use that amazing brain of yours."
"Think!?! About what? How much he hates 'mudbloods', particularly 'mudbloods' who happen to be magically adept and get top marks in all their classes, beating his precious heir for top of the class in everything? Or maybe I should think about how many muggles he killed or tortured in his years of service to Voldemorte, or how many times he tried to kill me or those close to me before he decided, at the last minute, that he was on the losing side and ran to the Ministry to offer his assistance."
Draco didn't look the least perturbed by her assessment of his father's character. "Think. The answer should be obvious, Granger."
Hermione shook her head and threw up her hands in defeat. "I don't get it, Malfoy. I can't think of anything that would tell me WHY. I just don't understand why your father would something so...so...insane!"
Draco shook his head in mock disappointment ."Granger, Granger, Granger. To get the answer you're looking for, the question you need to answer first is, 'Why does a Slytherin do anything?'"
Hermione thought for a moment. "Because there's something in it for him?"
"Exactly. How better for Lucius to prove to those fools at the Ministry - who, for excellent reasons, don't really believe in his change of heart, even if they are willing to take his money - that he is a changed man than to be one of the first of the old line pure bloods to welcome a mud - muggle born witch into the family?"
Hermione stared into the fire, thinking about Lucius' reasoning for a moment, then nodded her head slowly in agreement. "I understand what you mean about what he can gain with the Ministry. But why ask me!?! There are lots of muggle born witches on the list, and none of them have the same...history with him that I do."
"True. But none of them are as brilliant, or as powerful, or as famous as you are, either. Overall, you are the best the list has to offer, and a Malfoy never settles for less than the best in anything. It took me awhile to get him to see that, of course, but he came around eventually." Draco picked up a glass of something that looked suspiciously like wine and took a drink.
"You WANTED him to make me an offer?"
"Of course. Close your mouth, darling, gaping like that is terribly unattractive." He smirked at her over the rim of his glass.
Her mouth snapped shut, but her look of incredulity remained. "Why would you -" She jumped up and paced around the room before turning to look at him again. "No, let me guess. There's something in it for you."
"Exactly." He placed his glass carefully on the side table and contemplated it while twisting it a around by the stem, watching the wine swirl in the glass. "Quite a lot in it for me, actually. Do you know how many pure blood witches there are in my age group that are considered good enough to marry the Malfoy heir? Bloody few, and they are, to put it mildly, all incredibly unattractive or thick as a plank, if not both. This law of the Ministry's was the answer to a prayer. If I'm going to have to marry - and make no mistake, as an only child I have no choice in the matter - I intend to marry someone I can enjoy looking at AND talking to." He looked up and smiled up at her suddenly, the first real smile she had ever seen from him, and the beauty of it took her breath away for a moment. "Someone like you, Granger."
"Someone like me," she repeated stupidly, half of her brain still contemplating how unfair it was that someone so awful could be so good looking. "But you don't even like me!"
"When did I say that?" he asked. "Actually, I like you quite alot. I have since oh, second year, I think." He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. "Hard not to like a girl who slaps like you do. No other girl has ever dared to do that, you know, and that just made my tendresse towards you that much stronger. Given your unfortunate bloodline and your house, though, it really wouldn't have done for me to let on that I didn't despise you, now would it? And if it makes you feel any better, I really can't stand Potter and Weasley. I don't know why you put up with them."
Hermione felt as though her world had been turned on its end. "You like me." She closed her eyes and grabbed the back of the sofa in front of her for support. "You like me and you actually WANT to marry me."
"Exactly." Draco stood, yawned and stretched. "Now you just notify the Ministry tomorrow that you accept and that will be that."
Hermione's eyes popped open. "No, that will NOT be that! I'm not marrying you just because you decide it's a good idea!" She cringed a little at the note of hysteria in her voice then decided that, after everything that had happened that day, she was entitled. "Why on earth would I want to marry you?"
Draco crossed over to stand beside her, looking down at her in puzzlement. "I'm a MALFOY, that's why. Even with all the...setbacks our family has had lately, we are still one of THE families of the wizarding world. As my wife, you would have wealth, status - and me. What more could you want?"
Hermione made a strangled noise deep in her throat and stomped her foot in frustration, hands on her hips. "I cannot be bought! I don't want to get married. I don't WANT your wealth, or your status, or YOU, Malfoy!"
Draco smiled a devilish smile and reached forward to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. "It isn't nice to lie, Granger...especially when you are so very bad at it. You may not care much for wealth or status, perhaps, but I do believe there are quite a few other, shall we say, benefits to being Mrs. Draco Malfoy that you would enjoy thoroughly." His finger trailed from her ear over her cheek softly, and she shivered.
Hermione tried to gather her scattered thoughts and mount a defense. This whole conversation was getting out of hand and had to end now. "No! This whole marriage idea of yours is ridiculous, Malfoy! The whole thing is completely and utterly daft! Your father was a Death Eater, for goodness sake! For all I know, you were, too!"
Draco raised an eyebrow. "I am not responsible for the decisions Lucius made, or for who he may have chosen to follow. I am my own man, and I make my own choices." He unbuttoned his left cuff and pushed his sleeve up, baring the smooth white skin of his forearm, and held it in front of her face. "See? No dark mark here, Granger."
She stepped back, shaking her head, not willing to concede the point even though she'd never really thought he'd been a follower of the dark lord. "That doesn't prove anything. Even Voldemorte wouldn't have been stupid enough to put a the dark mark where everyone at school could see it!" Hermione's eyes widened as his fingers flew down the front of his shirt, unbuttoning buttons. "What are you doing!?!"
He shrugged his shirt off and threw it behind him and his hands dropped to the front of his trousers. "You won't believe I don't carry the dark mark, so I'm letting you see for yourself, of course. I don't want us to start married life with any misconceptions between us."
Hermione's hands grabbed his frantically, yanking them away before he could start work on the zipper. "No! I believe you!" She looked up and caught sight of his chest, noticing for the first time the well defined muscles and smooth, pale skin. A long moment later she realized she was staring and turned her head away, blushing.
Draco noted her reaction with amusement. "What's the matter, Granger, haven't you ever seen a half naked man before?"
Hermione blushed harder and ducked her head, but Draco's hand caught her chin and pulled her face up to look at him. He studied her face for a moment and his lips quirked as she tried to avoid making eye contact. "I've seen boys without their shirts on, thank you very much. I've been best friends with two of them for seven years now."
"I didn't say anything about boys, darling. I asked about MEN. Surely some man has noticed how nicely you've grown up, how lovely you've become." His thumb stroked over her chin softly and his other hand dropped to her waist and skimmed lightly down over her hip. "All soft and round in all the right places." He stepped into her and his chest brushed the front of her shirt. "So warm." His face came down and he nuzzled the hair by her temple gently. "So sweet smelling."
Hermione fought the urge to whimper. Her mind was telling her to move, to leave before she did something she would regret, but her body wasn't listening. She was unbearably aware of the heat of his skin burning her through her clothes, the feel of the hard contours of his body against her, the tangy scent of him surrounding her. She swayed and reached out instinctively to brace herself against him, her open palms flattening against the muscles of his chest. She shivered as his lips grazed her temple, and her eyes closed as they drifted down the side of her face in gentle, open mouthed kisses. "My lovely, darling Granger." The hand on her hip moved to her back and pulled her closer while the other tangled itself in the mass of curls at the back of her head, pulling it back to give him better access to the soft skin of her throat as he kissed and nibbled his way down to her collarbone. As he licked and sucked at her delicate skin, her legs began to tremble and she leaned into him even more.
Her eyes flew open as she felt his arousal press against her stomach and he chuckled against her neck, the vibration sending shivers up and down her spine. "Feel what you do to me, my darling Granger." His hips rocked against hers and she found herself suddenly clutching his shoulders, trying to remain upright as her body began to melt from the inside out. Draco lifted his head and his hand tugged on her hair, angling her head back so he could see into her eyes. "I want you, Granger. In my house, in my bed, in my life." His eyes were dark with desire and determination. "You're going to be mine, Granger. All mine." He leaned down and captured her mouth with his, his kiss leaving no doubt as to his intentions. His mouth possessed hers, moving over her with purpose. His tongue teased her lips until she moaned and opened her mouth, allowing it entrance; it swept inside, caressing her teeth, her tongue, the roof of her mouth. He finally released her mouth as her head began to spin and she took deep gulping breaths, trying to regain her equilibrium. He stepped away, releasing his hold on her slowly, allowing her to regain her balance before letting go completely.
"Good night, Granger." His voice was low and rough, his eyes hungry. "Sleep well. We'll talk again soon." He leaned in and brushed a last feather soft kiss against her lips before heading off to his room without a backward glance. Hermione collapsed, leaning against the back of the couch for support and watched him go, her hand idly brushing back and forth over her still sensitized lips.
Oh, Merlin help her. Things had just gotten even more complicated.
A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who have taken the time to review. May the updates be your reward! Next up, Severus has a little chat with Dumbledore...