Chapter seven: The Consequence
Draco Malfoy was sitting in his room, aware of the fearful task that he was to undergo.
Well, he thought, at least it's me, Draco Malfoy, doing the deed and not some bumbling idiot. At the word idiot, he suddenly remembered Hermione Granger and how she mercilessly beat him and made him look like an idiot at wizard dueling. Contrary to what he expected, this fact made him even more interested. However, the overall humiliation he underwent during the past hours seemed to overpower the throbbing pain in his underpants. How dare her? He thought, I'm a Malfoy. Malfoy's don't get maltreated by mudbloods. DAMN HER TO HELL!
He suddenly got caught up in one of his moods and began to uncontrollably shake in anger. His usual pale complexion was now as red as the blood flowing through his veins.
"I will win the contest Granger, and I will make it the worst night of your life!" he suddenly thundered wondering whether he should waste the wish that could grant him the best night of his life.
Why, I wouldn't be caught dead with that stupid bitch. She's an idiot beyond compare, a frickin' bastard. That… beautiful goddess. What! Did I just call her a beautiful goddess! ARGHH!
"I need a nice cold bath" he said to no one in particular. Just thinking about her new found beauty made him shiver, partly with pleasure and partly with fear.
He also thought that taking a bath could grant him a rare glimpse of Hermione.
Hermione grinned in pleasure. She knew that there was no way Malfoy would get Peeves to tell him what she hid. He was a Slytherin. Their house ghost commanded Peeves, and Peeves secretly hated the Bloody Baron. The poltergeist could not extract revenge on him personally, but he could take it out on his house's students. That's why he was so mean to all Firsties. He didn't want to take any chances, so he scared all of the students out of their wits before they could think of reporting to the Baron.
A small alarm beeped on Hermione's watch. It was time for her to apply her facial cleanser; not that she was dirty, but because she needed a break and a misty place to just relax, preferably in the huge Jacuzzi that was in the center of the head's huge bathroom. Yes, she thought while walking to the bathroom that connected to two rooms, this was going to be the best year ever!
Feeling as low as ever, Malfoy stumbled into the wash pool. He was thinking about the bleak future when Hermione came through the double doors which counted as her room's access to the bathroom. She was wearing a silken kimono-robe when Malfoy saw her. Enthralled by her beauty, he continued to stare and dream until she snapped her fingers and Malfoy jolted out of his trance.
"Forget it Malfoy, you shouldn't even think you have a chance with me," said Hermione.
"I didn't know they cut kimonos that way," said Malfoy, observing how the chic garment stopped halfway up her thigh.
"Whatever," dismissed Hermione.
Malfoy was thinking, why didn't she berate me and say that she hated my guts? Why did she simply let it go without reprimanding me? Why is she being so nice?
"Hey Granger, why aren't you rubbing it in?"
"Unlike you Malfoy I am not that evil all the time. I can be a very good girl, or I can be a revengeful bitch. I watch my words and primarily consider if they are hurtful to the person I'm addressing. I think before I speak. There's a filter between my brain and my tongue. That's why you and I are totally different."
Malfoy had never really comprehended what his behavior was like; he only knew that it was fun to torment others. It was exhilarating to feel like the bigger person. Around his father, he could never be that. He never thought about the feelings of the person he may have hurt.
What am I thinking? I like how I am. No girl can change that, not even Granger.
He followed her retreating figure and sighed back into the pool.
Never Granger…
Hey Guys! I was wondering whether to cut this and make it a cliffhanger or not. I will be SUPERR busy soon because school is starting but I will try to submit a chapters once in a while.
The next day was the official start of the dare. They each let Peeves take and hide one of their personal items. Draco's personal item was an amulet with an S on it, and inside it was a picture of his mother; it was forever moving and gave him great comfort to see it. Hermione saw the picture and her opinion of Draco grew a notch. He obviously loved his mother. Hermione's special item was a locket of unknown origin. She has had it since she was a baby; it meant a lot to her, her parents' ever undying love. She could never open it for it had a magic charm on it, only to be broken when she learns of strong, ground trembling magic; although she never thought of using magic to open it. When they saw each others item,
"Is that your mother? How is she?"
"She's well. I carry it around for inspiration. How about you? Nice locket."
"It's my parents'. No cracks now, it's very personal."
Now that they knew what the other's item was; it was time for Peeves to hide it.
"If you damage my photo, you'll regret it!" at this, Peeves cackled and said, "Ha! Never really liked you, Slytherin boy. Let's play. I'm gonna have some fun with you."
Something blazed behind Malfoy's steely glare. Hermione chose this moment to intervene before Peeves got deader than he already was.
"I charmed my locket. You can't damage it Peeves. And even if you get to, the spell on it would ensure you'd end up wishing you had never crossed the line."
"We'll see, muggle." Said Peeves with a cheeky grin but faltered after meeting Hermione's gaze.
"I'll pray for your items if I were you. I NEVER squeal if it doesn't annoy someone and always do when it does haHA!"
Hermione was certain she would win because of one advantage; she was a girl. A hot girl at that. Let's see if even poltergeists can be turned with immense beauty she thought.
Draco thought he had the power of influence. He could ask the bloody baron to force Peeves to tell. No, the Baron was the judge of the whole bet. Oh well, he'd pry it out of Peeves somehow. He hoped.
They waited while Peeves was hiding their items. When he finished and went to them and said one clue to both of them, stating the area where he had hidden their items.
To Hermione he whispered, "Somewhere you would've never went into",
To Draco he simply said, "The den of evil".
Both of them were puzzled by these strange clues, but sought to find it, their way.
Hermione said to Peeves, "O Peevesie? Come to my room."
"OKaaaaaaaaaaaaay?" said Peeves wondering why she wanted to see him.
"Ok bub, time to tell me, where is it? Where did you hide Draco's item? I can make it worth your while." She said seductively.
"As much as I want that, I can't, the bloody baron has bound me with an ancient spell. No can do." He said, looking at Hermione naughtily.
Hermione then thought about her clue carefully. Somewhere I would've never went. Hey! She thought, this is in past tense! Thank you Muggle School! So when I was a bookworm, the one place I never went to was the forbidden forest, and the restricted area of the library. Oh wait, I have been to the forbidden forest (technically), once with Harry! That means that it's in the restricted area!
Having figured her clue out, she happily sat down and drank a glass of champagne, brought to her by her exclusive head house elf. Life is good…
"Life is NOT good!" shouted Malfoy, as he stormed into his room. Malfoy needed to think hard for Hermione's item, and the thinking wasn't going well. Unlike Hermione who already figured out where his item could be, Malfoy had thought of two. He thought of: the forbidden forest and the chamber of secrets.
"I guess it couldn't get any worse anyway," said Malfoy to no one in particular.
After two hours of brooding, Malfoy decides to check out place number one,
"I can take care of myself." Malfoy said aloud, to encourage himself.
After 30 minutes into the excursion, Malfoy was tired and sweaty, and, afraid.
"S-sss-ss-sspiders!" stuttered Malfor, who inherited his father's skill in stuttering, and it turns out that Malfoy is even more afraid of spiders than Ron was.
After a while, it got dark so he chanted, "Lumos", and a bright light erupted from his wand.
When he got even deeper into the forest, he found a huge cache of spiders, and ran away, thinking that even Peeve's was terrified of huge spiders.
"Ok, one down, one to go. I wonder…"
Hermione, on the other hand was thinking of how to get into the restricted area without getting caught. She thought of borrowing Harry's invisible cloak.
"Absolutely not." Said Harry.
"Why not?"
"Because you'll end up getting in trouble and its bad for your Head Girl image."
"Harry Harry Harry, don't you want to see Malfoy getting humiliated?
"Well…"
"It's a good thing. Trust me, when has Hermione Granger ever been wrong?"
"Well, okay. Just be careful."
"I will daddy." And with that, he promptly gave her the invisible cloak.
YES! Thought Hermione.
Draco was still nervous to go into the girls bathroom even if he was, a girls man.
Unfortunately, when he burst into the girl's bathroom, he saw Moaning Myrtle, making out with an older boy's ghost, Cedric Diggory.
"Make out someplace else!" said Malfoy, while Cedric and Myrtle's face flushed a no-blood flush.
"We were here first!" said Cedric and Myrtle together.
"Don't make me hex you." Threatened Malfoy.
At this, the two ghosts speedily left the room.
"Glad they're out of the way." Malfoy said in relief.
He subsequently went to the sink which had Slytherin's mark. Cautiously, he dived into the hole that he made.
Hermione was looking for Malfoy's picture in the restricted section when she stumbled upon an ancient riddle.
"What's this?" she wondered aloud.
-When the path becomes unclear,
use the power of FIRE!-
"It's a riddle." Said Hermione.
She found that behind the parchment there was a button, she found it after close examination. She pressed the button, and a door beside her majestically appeared.
"Cool,"
"Ugh, it's stuck." She said after examining the door. She forced the door open after an "Alohomora" charm wouldn't work.
"Thank God I worked out last summer…"
Draco was wandering about in the cave until he saw the lock.
"Crap. It looks like I'm stuck. Goddamn it! PEEVES!"
In a flash, Peeves appeared with a snotty smile.
"Stuck Malfy?"
"DUH!"
"Only one person can open that up."
"Who?"
"Potty."
"SHIT!"
Hermione was wandering around the cave she had found. Turns out that it was one of those secret passages in the marauders map that was "blocked". It looked as if, someone has been here before, and when she turned around she saw something that made her nerves freeze.
But not her mouth.
"AHHHH!"
Draco was kissing up to Harry. What a pathetic sight.
"Hello Harry. What a pleasant day." Said Draco.
"What do you want Malfoy?" said Harry abrasively.
"It's funny how you should say that. I need a favor."
"From me, no thanks. I don't do favors for jerks."
"It's important …"
"Fuck off Malfoy."
Leaving that pitiful sight, Hermione saw something rise from the ground, blocking the light, the air, and the escape. It looked like, INFERI!
"Inferi! Hundreds of them!"
She turned towards the darkness, and saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
"This is it. How do I escape?" She went farther down the tunnel, and saw,
The amulet of Slytherin. In all its glory.
"OH MY GOD!"
Malfoy was still pleading.
Crossing his fingers, "If you do it, I won't bother you ever again."
"RIIIIIIIIGHT."
"I SWEAR it."
Malfoy thought that this would be the only way to assure Hermione going to the dark side.
"Fine. Never bother me again Malfoy, or I have permission to hurt you."
"Yes, yes, c'mon!" said Malfoy, knowing that he could defend himself, if not a little.
Hermione was flabbergasted at the sight of the amulet, she almost forgot about the inferi until they were almost behind her.
"AHH!" she screamed, grabbing the amulet as well, "I AM SO TOTALLY GONNA KILL PEEVES!"
"Wait, the sign said to use the power of fire." Hermione smacked herself in the middle of the forehead. "DUH! Inferi are affected by light and fire."
"Inferio Triadle!" shouted Hermione, unleashing the most powerful fire spell that she knew.
At this, the freaky bastards retreated to the soil.
"Whew," sighed Hermione, nervously.
"Wait, I have Malfoy's item already, I WIN! Gotta get to Peeves on the first floor."
Excited, Hermione ran.
Malfoy was in the sealed chamber of secrets after Harry had opened the door. He found the item on top of the face in the chamber.
"Here it is! Better run!"
Too late.
Hermione already reached the finish line 10 minutes before Draco did.
"What took you so long?"
"I can't believe you got Potty to help you, what are you?" said Peeves.
"FOR ALL HIS EFFORTS, DRACO MALFOY HAS LOST THE MATCH." Thundered the Bloody Baron.
"WHAT IS HIS CONSEQUENCE?"
"During the 7th year entrance ball, he will get up on the stage and strip himself down to his boxers, if he has any at all." Said Hermione with an evil smile.
"GO TO HELL!" Shouted Malfoy.
"Don't try to escape Malfoy, I always have, plan B" said Hermione naughtily.
"You will pay for this bitch!"