A/N: New chapter up! Review and tell me what you all think!

'So?' snapped Draco, impatient.

Hermione rubbed her forehead. She couldn't decide. 'You swear to God you won't try a single thing?'

He nodded. 'Hermione, how could you doubt my word?' he asked mockingly.

Hermione rubbed her forehead again. 'No, I'm sorry Draco, I don't trust you.'

He gaped. 'What?!' How come his charms had not affected her in the slightest? How come she wasn't begging him to sleep with her...?

'No,' Hermione repeated, her voice stronger. She crawled back to bed.

'Sleep well, Draco dearest.'

With that she snapped off the light.

The next morning, Draco was angrier, if that was possible. He had a bad crick in his neck and his arm had gone stiff. And he was not a morning person anyway.

Recklessly turning on the light, he got changed. Someone groaned amongst the silk sheets.

'Draco?' said a sleepy Hermione, sitting up. 'It's seven in the morning!!'

'You think I didn't know that?'

'You woke me up, you bastard!'

Draco was about to retort something malicious but held it in. She'll regret it when she sleeps on the floor tonight, he thought.

'Get dressed,' he snapped instead.

'No!' she yawned. 'S'too early.'

'Don't you want to go to the Eiffel Tower?'

'Not yet,' she fell back onto the pillows.

With a groan of exasperation, Draco threw up his arms just as the telephone rang.

'What?' he snapped into the receiver. It was his mother.

'Draco!' she cried breathlessly. 'I tried ringing last night, but it doesn't matter. Something very important has happened, hand me over to Hermione immediately!'

Draco had never heard his mother use this tone of voice. 'Um, she's asleep.'

'Wake her up for God's sake! And now, Draco!'

'Alright, keep your shirt on.' Draco sat on the bed and poked Hermione. 'Hermione, wake up.'

Hermione struggled to open her eyes. 'Oh, Draco, leave me in peace, will ya?'

'You have a phone call,' Draco told her, grabbing her wrist as she started to pull the covers over her again. With a groan, she took it.

'Hello?'

Draco, of course, couldn't hear anything, but when Hermione hung up, her face was the palest shade of white.

'What?' he asked urgently. She moved her mouth wordlessly, her eyes big and bright. He shook her gently.

'What?'

'My – my – ' she choked, '– my f-father is in M-Mungo's...' she trailed off. 'Draco, start packing your bags. We're going back.'

Draco laughed. 'We just got here.' Hermione snapped around, her palm making contact painfully with Draco's cheek. 'Malfoy, did you not hear me? My father is in St Mungo's. Now move your fucking ass and pack.' She was breathing heavily.

Draco whistled. 'I like 'em fies – '

'Just do it,' she snapped, starting to stuff her clothes back into her suitcase.

Thinking it was probably best to just do as Hermione said when she was in this state, Draco half-heartedly packed his things.

'Don't you think you should say good-bye to Amber – ' he joked.

Hermione screamed, long and loud.

'Okay, okay, it was just a suggestion.' Bloody women.

Once back in England (A/N: Or wherever they live, I can't be stuffed to look. And sorry to everyone who doesn't like Author Notes in the middle of the story, I kinda feel its necessary.) Hermione dragged a reluctant Draco to her house.

'Mother!' Nancy and her daughter embraced.

'Can we see Dad?' Hermione asked eagerly.

'No,' said Nancy in a voice of sorrow. 'They won't let anyone see him. He caught this weird contagious disease – '

Hermione burst into tears for the second time in two days. Nancy did too, and they wrapped each other in a long hug.

Draco almost wanted to laugh but he didn't. Instead, he coughed loudly. 'Hermione? Darling? Sweetheart?'

Fuck, he swore to himself. Now I can't make her sleep on the floor. I'll just find another revenge plan.

To pass time while mother and daughter cried, Draco found the kitchen and food. Helping himself to biscuits, he tried to eat, finding he was distracted by the continual weeping sounds emitting from the living room. He found a random CD and popped it on.

The sounds of Evanescence quickly drowned out the sobs. He sighed. Bliss, and the band wasn't too bad either. Quite good for a muggle band in fact.

Three songs later, Hermione came in.

'Oh Draco,' she cried, wiping the last tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. 'I am sorry.'

She kissed him on the cheek.

Draco would have been astounded she kissed him by herself, but he felt aggravated towards her this morning. First the whole floor thing, then the crick in his neck, and then abandoning him in her own house.

So he merely grunted.

'I knew you would understand!' she smiled, misinterpreting the grunt. She turned off the CD player. 'Why don't we go out for afternoon tea, eh?'

Draco looked at the small clock on the wall. 'I don't feel like it. How about we go back to my house?'

'I don't want to,' said Hermione stubbornly. 'Let's go out for afternoon tea.'

'My house.'

'Afternoon tea.'

'My house.'

'Afternoon tea.' Draco leant forward. 'Hermione, if you don't come back to my house right this very instant, I refuse to help you work.'

Just because of the fact that it was the last place Hermione wanted to go made him want to go there badly. Just to annoy her.

She looked like she'd been slapped in the face.

'Okay then,' she said stiffly, standing. 'So you do agree to help me work?'

Choosing not to answer this, Draco headed for the front door, the cool feel of power and triumph washing over him.

Hermione was very pissed with Draco. She knew that he really had no desire to go to his house, but he did to bug her. She had no idea that making someone sleep on the floor did this to them... or maybe it was the slap. Though Draco seemed a bit more perky now that he had gotten his way. He had even been polite to her mother before they went. But nevertheless, Hermione still was cranky.

To her immense relief, Narcissa and Lucius were not there.

'Where should I put my suitcase?' she asked.

'Get a house-elf to put it away.'

Hermione pursed her lips. 'Draco, I've been meaning to talk to you about that matter.'

He sat on the sofa, looking up at her. 'Is it about SPEW?' at her surprised look he continued. 'I heard from Lavender.'

'Oh. Well, I suppose so. See, don't you think we can fend for ourselves without enslaving innocent - ?'

'No way. The house-elves stay. Final.'

Hermione trembled with anger. As an experiment, she turned to the house-elf that was taking away her suitcase and forced her jersey into its arms. 'Go, you're free.'

With a look of horror and disgust, the house-elf dropped the jersey as though it were on fire. 'Annie cannot take this! Only Master can set Annie free.' It quickly scuttled away.

With a shriek of fury, Hermione threw the jersey at Malfoy, who easily dodged it.

'Hermione,' he said with mock-soothness. 'Please, calm down. Your dad will be okay, but try not to take it out on me.'

Taking deep breaths, she sank into an armchair.

'You're right, Malfoy, I'm sorry. I'll think I'll take a nap.'

'Draco,' he corrected. 'And take a nap. But not on a bed.'

Puzzled, she stared. He started to elaborate. 'You still owe me a night on the floor.'

Her jaw dropped.

'So by all means, take a nap. But I'll be locking all rooms with beds in them, alright? You'll be sleeping on the floor tonight.' A twisted smile came over his features. 'Unless you can convince me to share my bed with you.'

Hermione threw a nearby vase at him.

It was nearing ten o'clock, and Hermione was trying one last time to convince Draco.

'Draco, please,' she pleaded. It hurt her pride to grovel, but so be it. 'My Dad is in hospital; take some pity on me, please.'

He smirked. 'Should have thought of this when you hogged the bed all for yourself last night.'

She bit back a smart retaliation. 'I'll do whatever you want...'

He chuckled. 'No, I'd rather see you suffer. Just for a night, darling.' He smirked, seeing the furious look upon her face. 'What, you don't want me to call you darling, darling?'

She screamed. 'Fine, I give up! Can I borrow a mattress?'

She saw Draco think. 'You had one,' she pointed out.

'Yeah, but it was thin and raggedy,' he mused. 'You wouldn't want one anyway...'

'You better give me that mattress or I'll – I'll – ' she had no idea.

Draco smiled. 'You'll what?'

'Just give me it!'

'Okay, okay.' He snapped his fingers and instantly a house-elf appeared. 'Please fetch our thinnest mattress please.'

Hermione gave him her best death look.

'Can I ask you a question, Draco?' she hissed, barely able to keep her voice from shouting. 'Why do you take so much pleasure from torturing me?'

He thought about this. 'I guess because I know I can. And,' he stepped dangerously close, 'because when I kiss you, the kiss is even sweeter.'

His arms slid around her waist, slowly pulling her close.

'You can forget about that then,' she snapped, attempting to pull herself out of his arms. But his grip was iron tight. She squirmed around. 'Draco!'

'Just one kiss,' he whispered huskily.

'No!' she shrieked, ignoring all the pangs of want coursing through her. He was so evil! She could not fall for him again! 'Get away!' With these words, she put her hands on his chest and shoved. He stumbled.

'Hermione, just give in...'

'Don't you hate me to?' she asked frantically, starting to panic as he stepped close again.

He paused, the seductive smile fading a bit. Then, 'A bit.'

She breathed deeply. 'See? We can't – can't just – you know...'

'But I like you a lot more than I hate you,' he continued, the smile appearing again. 'That's why we can, you know...'

She shook her head hard. Every pore, every fiber of being in her wanted him when he turned the charms on. Only then. Otherwise she despised him. She had to get a grip on herself. 'Let's – let's talk about – about getting me to work,' she said, walking past him to the living room.

He groaned, but followed her.

'Would we ever be able to convince them – '

'Nooooo,' Draco shook his head. 'It's been a tradition for the Malfoy's for generations. The wife has always been a housewife. If they catch you working... are you sure you can't live without it?'

Hermione nodded fervently, her eyes bright with passion. 'My work is my life. I can live with bearing you a male child – ' she wrinkled her nose. ' – and I can live with acting in love with you in public, and I can bear to share a bedroom with you forever but I cannot – will not abide wasting my abilities, my life's worth, my education, hard earned money by not being able to work. It is just not fucking happening!' Her voice had risen during her little 'speech' passionately and her eyes were glowing.

'Okay, I get it,' Draco said. 'But do you have any idea of what will happen to us?'

Hermione cringed. 'Cruiacius curse?' (A/N: forgive me if it's spelt wrong!)

Draco laughed. 'My parents know you're so noble you'd survive pain... they know you and they'd make the punishment so it would hurt you most in the area's in which you are weak in.'

'Ahhh...' moaned Hermione. 'What might they do...?'

He shrugged. 'Forbid you ever to see or speak to your parents and friends again. I dunno.'

Hermione paled. 'Well, we'll have to be extra careful not to get caught then, won't we? Won't they do something to you?'

'No,' Draco smiled. 'I'm their son.'

Hermione yawned. 'Any ideas?'

He shook his head.

'Well, why don't we sleep on it, then?'

'Oh, I'll be doing so,' said Draco, stretching leisurely. He reminded Hermione of a cat. 'But I can't guarantee the same for you. In fact, I'll be astounded if you sleep at all.'

Hissing, Hermione raised herself as well and strolled down the hallway to their bedroom. Sure enough, beside the luxurious king-size four-poster was a pathetic excuse for a bed. A thin mattress covered with a few blankets. Hermione could already feel the cold seeping through her from the floor.

Hearing shuffling noises behind her, she turned and saw Draco leaning against the doorway, smirking. As was usual.

'Just for one night, darling,' he said.

'Shut up.' Walking defiantly to her 'bed' Hermione snatched up her pajamas, and tried to go past Draco to the bathroom but failed. 'S'cuse me.'

'Did you forget to say something?' he purred into her ear.

She tapped her foot irritably. 'Please.'

'Please what?'

'You know what!' she cried. 'For Christ's sake, let me past, you arsehole!'

Far from being intimidated, he chuckled. 'One good turn deserves another.'

She sighed huffily. 'What then?'

Quick as lightning, his hand slid around her face, and he leant forward, placing his lips upon hers. Pulling her body up against his, his tongue slipped into her mouth, teasing hers a way she would never have imagined. A moan escaped her lips. She couldn't help it, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Suddenly, he broke the kiss.

'Why do you always do that?' she gasped, as he pressed her body up against the smooth wood of the door. 'Stop it, I mean.'

'Why do you always have to hate me?' he whispered, rubbing his thumb across her cheekbone, making her knees buckle. 'Why are you so immune to my charms?'

She felt like correcting him; she wasn't, but she just didn't give in to them. 'Why do you pretend you like me more than you let on?'

His thumb stopped rubbing. 'Cause we're married, Mudblood.'

It was the first time he'd callen her a Mudblood since their marriage (A/N: Wait, or is it??) and she didn't like it. Now all of a sudden the thing she wanted most was to be out of his arms. He sensed her mood, and his arms tightened. It was clear he wanted to talk.

'Don't call me that,' she choked out. 'I'm not a Mudblood, alright?'

'Sorry, but sometimes I get so mad at you. Other times, I love you so much. Unfortunately, I hate you more times that I love you.'

She let out a shaky laugh. 'I'm tired, Draco.' She said pointedly.

'I'm not done yet.' the coldness of his voice made her stop squirming. 'You won't be able to work, Hermione.'

His words hit home. 'What? You're not going to help me – '

'They'll find out. I guarantee you they will. They always do. And when they do... well, you won't like it. Not a bit. Don't underestimate their power, okay? Forget the whole work thing.'

She trembled. Didn't he understand? It was her life, she was willing to take risks... 'Whatever,' was all she said.

His arms loosened and she finally was able to squirm away and into the bathroom to change. When she returned, Draco was already in bed, the trademark smirk once more on his face. 'I'll give you one last chance to beg for one side of the bed.'

'Get stuffed, Malfoy,' was her answer.

A/N: Well, hope everyone enjoyed it! In case you didn't catch on, They happen to be Lucius and Narcissa.