ahh yes. it has happened again. you readers are lucky ones for I decided what a better thing to do with my time than to write this marvelous fan fiction (my new favorite word, though im having trouble using it in my story, humph.) this is a nice change: less than a week instead of more than a month. aren't you PROUD?? I know I am. well lets get to it:
brain: yes dear. I do know who you are. because you are my brain of mc scuba jew and I must say you are the smartest brain yet. thank you for your input!
luthien: its ok that you didn't make another poem for me…ill hang in there ::sniff sniff::. and wow a new story? get started punk! I would love to see some new creativity from Y-O-U! always a pleasure. xox beauty
quiet-mg: though I ma not sure what your name means I like it! thank you for understanding exactly what I was trying to get ot happen in that chapter, though im pretty usre they wont be talking about their secrets much because they are both very proud people, or so I think. thanks for reading!
regina terrae: guess what! I know what your name means! its latin. and if youll notice everything in my story that ive made up (like facinoros and illmentium) have latin roots to find their meaning! isn't that cool? we could be like latin sisters!! lol just kidding. keep reading!
my new reviewers: Kichiko, Lynx16, and Blue-Kool-Aid. you guys are sooo nice. I love my reviewers! keep reading my story! ill check yours out too to return the favor.
and reviewer of the week award goes to lynx16 because I now love the word marvelous too!! no, darling. YOU are marvelous!
and on to the disclaimer:
Disclaimer: when in doubt of your own character's, steal someone elses.
Draco rubbed his eyes and greeted the morning light that spilled onto the red silk bed sheets that entangled his legs. He lifted his arms over his head and yawned. The room was lavishly decorated: marble floors, stained wood armoires and a large mirror with a gold rim. The canopy bed's heavy material of red velvet cascaded down the sides of the bed from its wooden posts. The windows on either side of the bed were ornately crafted with iron designs and slightly distorted glass. It was too dark for him to see any of this room last night. . .
Last Night.
Draco froze mid-stretch and glanced down at the sleeping beauty cradled neatly under his chin, twisted sheets fitting her form. Uh oh, he thought and glanced down at his bare abs and chest and then to her bare shoulders, all illuminated by the morning sun that poured through the white curtains. Did we. . .? We couldn't have. No, that's impossible. He thought to himself. Slowly, trying not to wake Hermione, he moved his hand down to the sheets that were covering the lower have of his body and lifted them up sharply.
He let out a sigh of relief when he saw his forest green boxers and dropped the sheet back down around his waist. He looked at Hermione's bar shoulders and pulled away the sheet to reveal her camisole on, if barely covering any of her, with the straps down near her elbows. "I'm glad that's cleared up." He mumbled to himself, thinking it was almost too bad they hadn't.
Draco Malfoy. His thoughts accused mockingly. This being the first time you've slept with a girl and didn't fuck her, how do you feel?
Draco shook his head and looked down at her. She muttered softly in her sleep, smiling at her dreams. He lifted her hand from where it lay on his chest and looked at her palm. Where the Facinoros should have been there was a subtle pinkish white light glowing in its place. She was truly happy, this much was true. She was so peaceful there he couldn't bear to leave her and there was some feeling he couldn't grasp he got from lying next to her. Comfort. He felt so content with to her, like nothing could go wrong.
He leaned down and kissed her eyelids staring at her flawless features for a moment before rolling out of bed slowly as not to wake her. He kicked at his clothes on the floor, questioning only for a moment how they got there and walked into the bathroom they shared. It wasn't as much of a mixture of Gryffindor and Slytherin as the commons room was with its predominantly green fixtures. The counter top surrounding the porcelain sink was an elegant marble sea green and the handles for the sink were a crisp gold. He leaned over the sink and splashed water on his face, staring at his dripping reflection. He lifted up his hand and examined the symbol in the mirror before turning and flipping on the shower, immediately filling the room with steam.
Hermione woke to the sound of sputtering water and steam that poured through the crack in the door. "Draco?" she yawned and looked around her room. She glanced at the floor to see his clothes strewn casually across the floor. She sat up to realize that her shirt was pulled up around her bust and her straps had slipped down her shoulders, as if shed put the shirt on in a drunken rage.
"Shit-" Draco.Hermione said and pulled the sheets off to make sure she was fully clothed other than that. "It's not possible." She determined with a quick glance at her shorts, equally disheveled. She flung her feet over the side of the bed, standing up rather unsteadily. She walked over to her mirror, ran a brush through her hair and picked up a small makeup bag. She fumbled through its contents quickly before throwing it back down.
"He has taken my toothbrush hostage," she said to her reflection. But seeing as your reflection has about as much of an opinion as a goldfish, it didn't get a response. She walked up to the bathroom door and thought about knocking. The water was still running, so he wouldn't hear her anyway. She took a breath and turned the crystal knob, pushing the door ajar slowly.
She walked in quickly, closing the door behind her and rushed to the sink to grab her toothbrush and toothpaste. It was intoxicatingly warm, and the steam made it hard to breathe. It smelt like a mix of lavender and the Mediterranean, a fascinating blend, especially because it was what Draco smelt like everyday. Just as she grabbed her toothbrush, the water shut off and she stared into the foggy mirror as Draco's reflection emerged from the shower, wearing nothing but a green towel loosely around his waist.
"Well good morning to you, too." He said, shaking out his hair. The water clung to his skin, rolling from his hair down his shoulders to his toned abs.
Hermione stood frozen with her mouth agape trying to mumble her way out of the situation. "I, um. Hi, I was just. . ."
"Coming to check me out? Yes, I know. I am beautiful." He sighed, tossing imaginary hair behind his shoulder and looking into the mirror, as if to admire himself. Hermione smiled at him and regained her composure, now averting her eyes from his nakedness.
"I'll just go, then." She said and picked up her toiletries, making for the door.
"No need." He grabbed her elbow with a warm, wet hand. "I'm done. And you need your shower, filthy mudblood." He smirked at her expression and walked out the door pausing to wink before closing it.
Hermione sank to the wet floor and put her toothbrush down on the marble next to her. "Hermione, what have you gotten yourself into?" she said, dropping her head back against the marble walls so she was staring up into the clouds of steam still filling the room.
Draco had already left for breakfast when she was finished in the bathroom so she headed down to the Great Hall by herself, a little late for breakfast. As she walked in, she saw Draco and his numerous fans, mostly girls and some younger boys who so wanted to be him, sitting at the Slytherin table. They hung on his every word as he recounted a blatantly hilarious story. He looked up mid sentence and grinned at her before finishing to the eruption of the laughter around him. No one else noticed.
Hermione walked to her place at the Gryffindor table and sat across from Ron and Harry.
"Been a while, now hasn't it?" said Ginny, seated next to her.
"How you have you been, Mione?" added Ron. "I assume you got the, ahem, paper thing sorted out?" He hinted towards the Daeva incident, staring at her cautiously.
"Yes, of course, Ron. I turned it in anyway, but I don't think it will have any long term affects on my grade." They three shared a mutual glance before returning to their meals. Ginny hardly noticed.
Normal conversation settled in amongst the friends. Ron and Harry talked about Quidditich and girls, occasionally asking Hermione's opinion. To be honest, she wasn't really paying attention.
". . . I know!!!" Lavender cooed. "Isn't he just to die for? Those icy blue eyes! Ah! You just want to dive right in?"
"You should so go for, Der!" Ginny said, giggling. "You're pretty and he's a Sex God! You're the perfect couple!" She squeezed Lavender's arm playfully.
Hermione looked at the girls questioningly. "Who are you talking about?"
Lavender looked at her as if she was the stupidest witch to grace the planet. "You're roommate, of course! Who else? He might as well be a celebrity!"
"Draco?" She looked across the Hall at him as his table, again, exploded in laughter.
"Isn't he to die for?" Ginny swooned, staring at him wistfully. "You're so lucky Hermione, you get to spend so much time with him! Is he a truly intimate person, terribly, terribly deep?" Hermione was surprised: Ginny was not the type of person to "swoon." It seemed Draco had transformed every girl in the school into sex zombies. She glanced across the Hall and noticed (with a twinge of jealous, might I add) the girls draped over his arms batting their eyelashes. Every girl at the table's eyes remained fixed on Hermione, begging her to reply with her infinite wisdom on this Sex God.
"Um, yeah," She said intelligently to the pack of girls that had formed. We may have become more intimate last night than I remember, she thought. "He's very deep and, uh, dreadfully intimate."
"Oh, I knew it!" All the girls chattered at once, sighing at his many beauties as Harry and Ron rolled their eyes. Little did they know if they had not been at the table they themselves would be the topic of discussion as well.
Dumbledore's booming voice penetrated their conversing and brought the entire Hall to a revered silence. "Good morning, students. Now that you have finished your breakfasts, I am to inform you that the Grand Ball will be held for the 7th years next Saturday. The Prefects, Head Boy, and Girl have a meeting as we speak, you are excused. May the last day of the week be filled with laughter and not too much work before you start your weekend. That is all."
Hermione stood and saw Draco do the same, delivering some final words to his audience. She smiled, happy that he would never change. He looked up and saw her smiling at him and shot her a sexy lopsided grin.
"So, what was your topic of conversation this fine morning?" Draco inquired knowingly, walking up to her as they left the Hall.
"You," she smiled mischievously at his expression. He immediately turned and blew a kiss to the Gryffindor table, which promptly erupted in screams. The pair laughed as they stepped into the crowd of 5th year and 6th year prefects.
"I think the theme should be fairies!" said a dark, gothic 5th year that probably hadn't seen a good bath in a few years, judging by the state of her hair.
"Ew fairies? What about SNOW!" said another, slightly cleaner 5th year.
"No! Glitter!" said a perky girl with blinding pink nail polish.
"Please, please! Everyone, quiet!" Hermione begged. The meeting was a disaster. The teachers had left the meeting up to Draco and her and these students obviously had a problem with authority. "It's not even their dance! Why do they care so much?" she mumbled in defeat as she leaned back into her chair, letting the students bicker about a dance they would not likely be a part of.
"Because they can be invited to party with us," Draco whispered in her ear.
A second later, he stood up from the round table and bellowed, "SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO HERMIONE!" The voices dropped and everyone watched the infuriated Head Boy shouting at them. Hey, even Sex Gods can be fearsome when they want to be. "Thank you. Now, if you have something to say, you will wait your turn. Do I make myself clear?" A chorus of nods followed his words and he sat down and slouched into his chair.
"Thanks, Draco." She whispered in his ear as he sat back in his seat. "If you'll give your ideas one at a time, this will be a lot easier. I heard, uh, fairies?"
Fairies in the wizarding world were not the gentle, beautiful kind that you read about in a child's story book. Fairies were mischievous creatures, and very much similar to humans in their dispositions. They were not all wicked, mostly just selfish and conceited. They were not seen in wizarding society as something you'd want to theme a ball after. Unless it was a Dark Ball, of course.
"How about winter wonderland?" chirped the pink nail polish girl.
"Okay. Anyone else?" Hermione asked, jotting down the ideas on a piece of parchment.
"What about something else? I mean we always do winter themes. How about. . .famous couples throughout history?" suggested a quiet prefect who sat near the back.
"I like that idea. What do you guys think?" She looked around the room to a see a lot of pleased faces. Glancing back at Draco, she added again "I like it." He nodded lazily his approval from his slouched position. "Great. Draco and I will get working on it at once. Thanks for your time!" Everyone filed out slowly, happy with the consensus they had reached and talking amongst themselves.
"Nice work, Mi," Draco said patting her on the back as she collected her things. "I think you may have just held your first meeting with no traumas, expulsions, or near death experiences."
"Oh, Thank You Draco!" Hermione sarcastically enthused, whirling around to face him. "It was such an honor to work with you!"
He bowed low and looked up at her, eyes shining. "No, milady. You are the honor."
Hermione snorted in a very unlady-like manner, trying to stifle her smile that demanded to shine on her flushed face as he took her hand and kissed it humorously.
"Ahem." A voice from the door startled their make believe chivalry.
"Professor Dumbledore," Draco said, not the least bit fazed, "what an undeniably pleasant surprise."
"The time has come," he replied wisely, with the twinkle in his eyes from seeing them joking together fading quickly. "The others are waiting for us."
Hermione looked at Draco, whose merriment had faded into grim understanding. He'll have to prove himself now, she thought, studying his face, wondering if he knew the challenge he faced. They followed Dumbledore to his office without as much as a word to each other.
"He simply cannot be trusted!" Tonks said, completely enraged. "How do we know this twit won't turn around and give everything to Voldemort as soon as we turn our backs?" A few others of the nearly two dozen wizards nodded in agreement. Dumbledore's office was in a complete uproar. The minute Draco had stepped through the entryway, wizards and witches alike had been tearing him apart.
"Please, Nymphadora…Just give the boy a cha -" Dumbledore said softly, trying to calm her diplomatically.
"No! This is Lucius's son we're talking about! This is no ordinary Slytherin. He comes from a vile, wicked family of wizards! He'll go tell them, he will! You just wait and see! He'll go right to Voldemort." Her faced was a bright red as she flailed her arms wildly, as if trying to take flight from the crowded room.
"I'm right here." Draco said, sternly, from his position leaned against the desk, arms crossed and eyes burning with rage. "And I'm not going anywhere."
The room was struck by an anxious silence: all eyes were plastered to his demanding presence.
He stood up straight and stared each person in the eye in turn. "I have seen in my household all the evils that have ever walked this earth, iniquities you should hope to never experience. From Daeva to Voldemort, and I hate them all. I hate that the arrogance of the darkness drives fear into the hearts of the innocent; I hate the passionate pleasure my father and his father took in the naivety of their torture. To them there is only the vacuous darkness: they have not seen that there is a choice, but I have. I have chosen not to mutilate the guiltless muggles that walk into my father's home to their death. You may not respect me for my past or that of my fathers but you will trust me. If I must die to prove my worth then so be it." He spit out crudely, as if throwing the very words to their death.
Tonks retreated into the corner and all others who once doubted him now bowed their heads in reverence. The room, though still silent, was no longer tense and doubtful. It was an awed silence. Hermione drew in her breath slowly as Draco walked back to his place next to her against the desk. Across the room, Dumbledore's eyes shone with pride.
Finally Dumbledore returned from the anonymity of the crowd and said, "Now we must tell them their task." The room murmured and mumbled, Lupin emerged from the depths of the crowd and spoke first.
"You have to convince the Death Eaters and all Of Daeva (and perhaps Daeva Herself), that it was you who called Daeva and that you are completely willing to become one of them. You must never let them think the Order knows about Her calling, or that we told you to do this, obviously. Once they trust you, we will strike from within, successfully destroying their existence. You must do this, however, with Hermione by your side at all times so they sense the true Facinoros nearby." He finished, looking ominously doubtful of Draco.
"Sounds easy enough." Draco said, only a hint of the old amusing Draco in his voice.
"Mr. Malfoy, this is quite serious." Dumbledore said slowly. "If Hermione is found with you, somehow, she will be tortured until they have all the information they need and she will be killed."
Though unfazed by the thought of her own death (after being with Harry the past 7 years, she'd gotten used to it), Hermione could have sworn she saw Draco stiffen at these words, but it could have been only wishful thinking.
"That will not happen." he said so confidently that he almost convinced himself.
"Good." Dumbledore said, looking at the anxious faces around him. "Now, Hermione and Draco, if you wouldn't mind. There are more pressing matters that we must attend to, like when and where, that do not concern you or your input." He raised his wand and before they could utter their disapprovals of such a statement, or beg to be considered old enough to contribute to these decisions, they were back in their commons room, a hearty fire cracking in the hearth.
"One day he's going to have to accept the fact that we aren't first years anymore," Hermione said, disappointed that she wasn't considered important enough to stay.
"Oh it's not so bad, 'Mione. Now we just get to go kill off Death Eaters and don't have to bother with boring details," He laughed to himself picking up a pillow with his wand and yelling, "die Death Eaters!" as he blew it up.
Hermione smiled along with his childish anticts as he exploded another pillow. She suddenly remembered what had happened the night before and caught a pillow midair before he could hex it into oblivion.
"Draco," she said carefully, "last night. . .we didn't. . .did we?"
"Now what would give you a crazy thought like that?" he smirked, not looking her in the eye as he continued to examine the pillows of the room.
"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps the fact that I woke up half naked with all your clothes on the floor of my bedroom." She put her hands on her hips and looked at him expectantly.
"No, Miss Granger. Your virginity remains intact." He smiled.
She looked shocked. "What in Merlin's name gave you the idea that I was a virgin to begin with?"
He raised his eyebrows and leaned close to her, letting his lips brush against her hair, whispering in her ear "Because you are?"
She turned to look at him so that her face was dangerously close to his. "Now, what kind of filthy mudblood would that make me? Not a very good one, hmm?" She studied his face, from his furrowed brow to his chiseled chin, with those deep cold orbs smiling back at her. He reached out with his fingers and dragged them from her cheek down to her chin lightly, sending chills down her spine. He ran his fingers along the outside of her lips, playing with her smile. Lifting up her chin with his fingers he met her lips in a small kiss.
Hermione lifted her arms and placed them around his neck, deepening their embrace so her body was pressed firmly against his. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip as she slowly opened her mouth and greeted his, smiling. His hands moved from her hair to the small of her back, pulling her closer into him. She let out a small moan as their tongues played with each other, tangled in the embrace.
Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. This is Draco Malfoy, she thought to herself. She opened her eyes suddenly and pulled away from him.
"This is so wrong," she said looking at him wide eyed, as if shocked with herself.
"How is it wrong?" he looked startled at her outburst, almost hurt.
"It's me! and its you." she said quietly. "It wasn't meant to be."
"Says who?" he asked stepping towards her again.
"Never mind. Let's just get the ball planning out of the way, I'm really tired." She forced a yawn and sat down on the couch.
"Okay." Draco replied sitting next to her, still looking at her as if she was crazy.
"So what should the decorations b-" she started.
"Will you go with me?" he said suddenly, interrupting her.
"Um, yeah. Head Boy and Girl always go together."
"So you will?" He pushed a curl out of her face, letting his hand rest on her cheek.
"Of course." Hermione breathed, her face on fire. She got control of herself and turned away from him saying, "I was thinking it would just be the normal wintery decorations, except the ceiling should be shooting stars. I wanted to make it timeless. . ." She looked up to see he wasn't listening to a thing she was saying. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "We can't." she whispered.
Draco recoiled slowly. "I know. It's 'forbidden'." He mocked her, sitting back in the seat.
They were silenced for a moment, both thinking painfully about their situation. He looked at her sadly and then looked away before saying, "I know who we'll be at the dance."
"Who? Batman and Catwoman?"
"No," Draco said staring into the fire. "Will you be my Juliet?"
Draco looked up at her brown eyes, a gentle smirk playing with the edges of his mouth. As an answer, she leaned in and kissed him. She was falling fast for his cold beauty and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it.