Dedication: To Shiv, who doesn't know me from Eve, but whose perfect HG/SS stories kept me in the fandom during SIX MONTHS of writer's block (I wanna write just like her when I grow up!); to Inell, whose Quietones Yahoo group and prolific (not to mention really good, deliciously smutty) fiction somehow managed to either resurrect, wake up or replace my long absent muse; to all those who have taken the time to review my stories (on whatever archive they are found on) and/or email with their thoughts and comments, letting me know that all this work actually brings some pleasure and distraction to others, thereby making it all worthwhile. This one is for you ladies, with my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your talents.
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 - as its veterans know well - is the continuous process of
getting used to things you hadn't expected."
-Tom Mullen
Chapter 12
Hermione woke earlier than usual. She sighed and rubbed her eyes; she'd slept badly, again. She'd spent the night tossing and turning, thinking about the offers she had received, particularly the proposal from Viktor. She was surprised, though they hadn't had a falling out of any kind; they simply hadn't talked – or owled - in ages. Their letters had slowly gotten fewer and farther between once he'd become a pro quidditch player, until the correspondence dwindled off into nothingness. She tried to figure out why he would suddenly make her an offer of marriage but quickly gave up. She simply didn't know him well enough any more to be able to guess at his motivation. As far as she knew, he wasn't required to marry under the new law.
She forced herself out of bed and towards the bathroom, groaning at the prospect of spending yet another day trying to avoid Malfoy.
Draco smiled as he watched her enter peek around the corner before furtively approaching the Potions classroom. Granger was just so darn cute when she was trying to be stealthy. He'd waited in their common room for her until the last possible moment, arriving late for breakfast, then watched the Gryffindor table carefully throughout the meal, but she had been markedly absent. She was obviously still trying to avoid him.
He huffed irritably at the thought. He had no time for this. He'd been patient long enough; it was obviously time for the two of them to have a little ... talk. The sooner she accepted his offer of marriage, the sooner they could start planning the wedding.
He watched her slip into the shadow of an alcove and collapse against the wall, sighing in relief. He drifted down the hallway silently, the black of his robe melding into the shadows, and slipped into place next to her unnoticed. He watched her peer down the hall anxiously, admiring her profile. Yes, his little witch had grown up quite nicely the last few years. His eyes darkened, remembering their kiss in the common room, the way her body had felt pressed against his, how sweet she had tasted.
She sighed softly and pulled back to lean against the alcove wall, still watching the corridor, biting her lip. Draco's eyes watched her little teeth nibble the soft skin and had to suppress a growl. It was definitely time to spend a few moments persuading Granger to accept his offer.
He leaned towards her, her curls brushing his lips. "What are you looking for?" His whisper was soft, mere inches from her ear.
Hermione jumped and screamed as she turned, her eyes wide with fright. "Jesus Christ, Malfoy! Don't do things like that!"
Draco made a mental note to work on eliminating muggle expressions from her vocabulary once they were married. Granted, everyone knew she was muggle born, but it wouldn't do to have the newest Mrs. Malfoy sound like a mudblood.
Draco smirked. "Sorry, love. Didn't mean to frighten you."
He watched, amused, as Hermione smoothed her robes nervously, trying to regain her composure. "Yes, well ... you didn't frighten me, you just startled me."
"Mm hmm," Draco hummed agreeably, turning to face her.
Hermione stepped away from him and hit the stone wall with a grimace, dropping her book bag with a thump."Move, please. I want to get to class early and review my notes. You do remember we have an exam today, don't you?"
Draco managed to smirk and look hurt at the same time. "Oh, please. We both know you could have taken that exam and passed the first day of seventh year; you don't really need to review your notes. Honestly, Granger, if I didn't know better, I'd say you weren't happy to see me."
"I can't think of a single reason why I should be happy to see you, Malfoy." She tossed her hair and moved to push past him, but Draco reached out a strong arm and pulled her back in place.
"Really? I definitely need to remedy that, then, don't I?" He nuzzled her neck gently, delighted at the shiver he felt run through her. "After all, as your husband, your happiness would be my responsibility, wouldn't it?" His tongue swept gently over the soft skin showing above the collar of her white blouse and he exhaled against the newly moistened skin. She shuddered and he pushed her back against the wall, his hands finding their way beneath her robe to settle on her hips, holding her still as he feasted on the soft skin of her neck with his teeth and lips, intent on leaving a mark this time.
No one ignored Draco Malfoy, especially delectable little witches who were destined to be his.
Hermione's hands instinctively settled on his broad shoulders, her fingers grabbing his robe as he alternately sucked and nibbled on the sensitive skin of her neck, occasionally laving it gently with his tongue. A small voice inside her was screaming that this was not a good idea, that they were right outside the potions classroom for Heaven's sake and that that mouth (that delicious, talented mouth) belonged to Malfoy, of all people, but her body was choosing to ignore it.
Bloody hormones. She should have known ignoring them all these years would get her into trouble.
The sudden feel of hot fingers skimming over the soft skin of her rib cage elicited a deep throaty moan and Draco quickly moved to pull the rest of her shirt from the waistband of her skirt to give him greater access, his hungry mouth never leaving her neck. His fingers glided up her spine...
Only to be pulled back with the rest of him by the strong hand gripping the back of his robes.
"What, exactly, do you two think you are doing?" The words were soft but laced with venom and Hermione shut her eyes tighter, hoping to avoid reality for a few seconds more.
"You will do me the courtesy of looking at me when I speak to you, Miss Granger." Hermione whimpered and opened her eyes but refused to look up, unsure if it was fear or embarrassment which made the thought of seeing Professor's Snape's expression so unbearable. Instead she focused her gaze on Malfoy, the back of his robe still firmly grasped by the taller man. The blond looked completely unruffled and, God help him, rather pleased with himself.
She glared at him. Prat. This was all his fault.
"Miss Granger and I were just..." A violent shake of the hand holding him cut off Malfoy's explanation.
"I know what you and Miss Granger were doing, Mr. Malfoy. What escapes me is why the Head Girl and Boy, two students entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing the rules of this school, not to mention being counted upon to set a good example for the rest of the student body, would take it into their heads to indulge in such a vulgar display in broad daylight right outside my classroom." His voice was cold, and Hermione blinked away tears.
She had never been so embarrassed in her life. This situation couldn't get any worse.
"I am thoroughly disgusted with both of you. Fifty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin, and I will be speaking to the Headmaster about this incident." Malfoy opened his mouth to protest and was cut off once again by a sharp shake; the hand holding him then let go with a sharp push towards the potions classroom. "Not another word, Mr. Malfoy, or it will be seventy five points."
Malfoy ran his hand through his hair and straightened his robe before grabbing his book bag and sauntering off towards the classroom. Hermione strangled a scream of outrage when he looked over his shoulder and threw her a wink before heading inside.
She glared at the door as it closed behind him. Stupid, stupid prat. This was all his fault.
She turned her attention back to her professor, flushing his eyes ran over her, his lip curling in distaste at the sight of tousled hair and disheveled uniform. "As for you, Miss Granger, I advise you to do something about your appearance before class begins." He swept away in a swirl of robes.
Hermione flushed and tucked her blouse back in with shaky hands before grabbing her book bag and throwing it over her shoulder, shoving her hair back into a messy ponytail as she tried to catch up with her professor. She had to apologize, explain, something...
"Professor, please..." He stopped at the door to the classroom and froze for a moment before turning to face her, his face cold and devoid of expression.
She tried to find words to express how incredibly sorry she was, only to lose track of her train of thought as she felt his eyes on her neck. His expression changed to something she couldn't quite identify and his hand shot out and grabbed her chin, tilting her head to the side. Somewhere in the midst of her shock she managed to note the warmth and gentleness of his fingers before he raised his wand, the tip grazing a spot on her neck as he intoned "Abrogo!"
A warm tingling suffused her skin as his hand released her; he turned and proceeded into the classroom without a backward glance. She reached up and reflexively touched the skin on her neck, suddenly realizing what had happened.
The stupid, stupid, stupid prat must have left a mark. If Harry and Ron had seen it...She shuddered at the thought of how much more complicated things could have become. She sighed and pulled open the door of the classroom. She really was grateful to the Professor, but honestly, a simple "Eximo"spell would have done. She'd be lucky if he hadn't managed to remove every freckle and mole on her body along with Malfoy's mark with the strength of the spell he'd used.
She looked up from Her exam and caught him staring at Her and immediately blushed bright red, ducking Her head quickly and fastening Her eyes on the parchment in front of Her. Severus forced himself to look away, but his thoughts continued to dwell on what he had seen in the corridor as he paced restlessly between the desks, watching students struggle with the exam with varying degrees of success.
What could She have been thinking, allowing the Malfoy whelp to touch Her, to mark Her, that way? Didn't She realize that She was merely a pawn in a scheme to best his father and improve his image? He intended to use Her; in fact, Severus was willing to bet every last galleon he had that all those who had made offers for Her hand – and he was sure, given Her reputation and fame, that there were many – only wanted to use Her.
Could she possibly be taken in by Malfoy's obvious attempts at seduction? Was it possible that She would end up being the latest Malfoy trophy wife?
The thought made Severus furious, and he loomed menacingly over a few students' shoulders as they wrote, finding the feeling of them quaking before him oddly comforting.
Damn it, couldn't the little know-it-all see She deserved more than all that? She deserved someone who would recognize and appreciate Her brand of subtle beauty, who would value Her brilliant mind and sharp wit and indulge Her love affair with books. She deserved someone who understood how meaningless She found fame and notoriety, who understood how awkward all the attention made Her feel, who would shield Her from a world intent on defining Her life by the happenings of a few short weeks instead of exploiting Her fame for their own ends.
Yes, She deserved someone who would truly appreciate Her for the unique creature She was, who would cherish Her and love Her with every fibre of his being the way he did.
The traitorous thought caught him unawares, hitting him with the force of a rogue bludger. All the breath left his body in a fierce exhalation and he gritted his teeth. His eyes widened in surprise before being drawn to the place where She sat hunched over her exam, tapping the end of Her quill against Her cheek as She wrestled with a particularly difficult question.
Stars above and stones below, he was in love with Her. The world seemed to spin for a moment as the realization sunk in and he took a deep breath to steady himself.
How had this happened? He had spent a lifetime skillfully avoiding entanglements with women, watching with detached amusement as they tried to worm their way into his affections, usually via his bed. First it had been silly little pureblood girls chosen by his parents, then women from the families of his fellow death eaters, attracted by his power and position with the Dark Lord. Lately he had been pursued by foolish women who wanted to 'reward' him for his heroism, convinced that only they could reveal the noble nature hidden beneath his forbidding exterior. He'd taken his pleasure with the less vacuous among them all and deftly eluded the rest, confident that he was immune to the charms and machinations of the female of the species.
Only to fall victim to a guileless, silly little girl.
Severus' lips twisted in amusement; the irony of the situation was not lost on him. The few students who had chosen that particular moment to look up and caught his expression gaped at him in amazement; a quick glower and a raised eyebrow quickly sent them back to work, attention firmly focused on their exams.
He swept up the center aisle of the classroom towards his desk, his robe billowing behind him, and was comforted by the increased tension and barely controlled tremors of fear he felt in the students left in his wake.
At least some things hadn't changed.