Disclaimer: We don't own this stuff… get used to it!

A/N: I am extremely sorry for the lack of update! I am grounded until school lets out so I haven't got a computer to type on except for at school where my mom doesn't know I'm on it! This also explains the lack of update on The Engagement (my personal story). Well kinda… the real reason for lack of update on that one is that I don't like it as of yet. I wrote five pages and I want to re-write this whole thing! Well that's ok… Brittany has chapter 10 done of this… up soon hopefully, and I haven't been able to start eleven because I'm grounded. Well… as Brittany would say… On with the story!

SilverShiver (Amber)

8

Chapter Nine: Andromeda and Luci's Note

8

"You gave me a bloody SEVEN?" Hermione yelled as she swatted at Draco with her hand. "A seven? That's the lowest score I've gotten so far!"

"I gave everyone else fours or fives," he said, raising his hands up in defense. "Well, a few got sixes," he amended.

"Thanks," Hermione said sarcastically.

"I gave that Luci chick a three if it makes you feel any better," he replied hastily.

Hermione stopped abusing him and smiled. "Funnily enough, it does."

Draco grinned and wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Now that you know your score," he said, motioning to the board where Hermione had moved up two spots—she was now in sixth despite Draco's lower scoring—and Ginny had moved up one to fourth, "can we go up to my room? Painting the town was fun and all, but I want you to myself now. Maybe we can pick up where we left off after Lucifer interrupted us?" he asked hopefully.

Hermione laughed at the nickname and happily obliged to being led up the hallway to the elevator. When the doors opened a tall stately woman with pale blond hair stepped out. She started past the couple but then turned around sharply and met Draco's stare. Hermione looked between the two and felt the rush of recognition that had passed between them.

"An—Andromeda?" Draco stuttered. Hermione looked to the woman with interest. She knew she had heard the name before…

"Draco," the older woman said with an exhaled breath. "How—interesting—to see you here." Hermione noticed that she too had an English accent and seemed to be content with ignoring Hermione's presence.

"Same to you," Draco replied. Then, after a pause, "I thought you were dead." Hermione's concentration on Andromeda abated and she snapped her head back over to her husband and looked at him queerly.

Andromeda took a deep breath and smiled. "Of course you did. Everyone did."

"What happened to you? You just disappeared!"

"With reason," she snapped at him. Draco nodded in apology and she continued. "Ted and I came here after Nymphadora took up Auror training." Hermione knew at once who this woman was. Tonks' mother! She had heard of her back at Grimmauld Place. "We both had had enough of the trivial arguments between our families."

"I assume that you want this to stay quiet then? You being here I mean?"

"Please," Andromeda said shortly, her gaze focused on Draco and nowhere else. Hermione watched in silence as Draco said farewell to his aunt and they both turned to leave. However, they had only taken a few steps before Andromeda called Draco back to attention. "Are you enjoying your stay, Draco?" she asked, blissfully ignoring Hermione yet again.

"Umm, yeah," Draco said after a slight hesitation. Hermione noticed that he wasn't hiding his confusion very well.

"I'm glad to hear it. I try to keep this place running smoothly."

"Wait—" Draco interrupted. "You're the owner of the Green Dragon Hotel?"

"The Green Dragon Casino and Resort," she rectified.

"Sorry," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "Well, yes I am enjoying my stay."

"I'm glad. I actually though that you would know who owned it from the name," she said as she smiled at him. Draco looked at her questioningly and she continued. "Green Dragon? Don't you remember your nickname?"

Draco appeared to think it over for a second and suddenly his face lit up in realization. "Of course! How did I ever forget that? You named the casino after me?" he asked, skepticism clear in his voice.

"You were my favorite nephew…"

"I was your only nephew, Andromeda." Hermione looked to Draco and poked him in the side. She looked at him with pleading eyes telling him to wrap up the conversation so they could go upstairs. Draco smiled at her and then turned back to his aunt. "Well, I need to go back upstairs with my wife," he said calmly, as if it were no big deal.

Andromeda looked to Hermione and smiled warmly for the first time. "Hello, dear. I'm Draco's Aunt Andromeda," she said, introducing herself.

"So I've heard," Hermione said with a bit more cheek than she had intended. "Sorry," she mumbled as she turned back to Draco.

"Good bye Andromeda," Draco laughed as he turned his back to her again.

They made it up to Draco's room undisturbed and as soon as the door was shut Draco was all over Hermione. It was as if Luci had never come in all those hours ago; they were alone together and the sudden urge had taken over both of them yet again. He tangled his fingers in her hair and pressed her up against the closest wall he could find as they kissed. He moved his hands from her brown tresses and soon they were exploring every curve of her body of their own free will. Draco pulled back from the torrid kiss and looked into the deep pools that were Hermione's chestnut eyes.

"Tell me if you want to stop, Hermione. Tell me now. I might not be able to later on," he said seriously.

"I don't want to stop Draco," she smiled at him. She knew now that she could easily forgive him for anything he had ever done to her. Bet or no bet, he had loved her then and he loved her now—at least he said he did, and she wanted to trust his word.

"Good," he said roughly as he pulled on her wrist.

She followed him to the bed and in a second she found herself laying down with her body between his legs. She reached out and grabbed the T-shirt that Draco had been wearing all day. She ripped it off and then laughed. "I've wanted to do that all day," she said smiling happily at the bare-chested Draco hovering above her.

"Really?" he asked surprised.

"Well, at least since before lunch," she said, making it clear that she had wanted to continue earlier.

"Are you happy now that you have?" he asked her as he leaned in and started to kiss her neck.

"You have no idea."

Draco smiled as he lifted his lips from her throat and moved them to her lips. After a long passionate kiss between the two of them Draco pulled away—much to Hermione's apparent displeasure. She groaned as he moved away but soon quieted when she saw his intentions.

He lifted up the bottom of her shirt so that her flat stomach was revealed. He held in the sudden burst of lust that her visible midriff evoked within him long enough to completely remove the burdensome article of clothing. He tossed it to the side, adding to the growing pile of discarded clothes. In a few moments the pile was complete, and the couple were able to see each other fully for the first time in two years.

Hermione looked at Draco with wonder and amazement. He truly was perfect. She had wondered why Brad had always come out looking so dangerously beautiful, but now she had the answer in front of her. His model was dangerously beautiful and Hermione had a talent for showing the true portrait of people.

Draco looked down at his wife. Her body was just as he had remembered it. As he leaned down to encase her with his own touch, he couldn't help but wonder how no one else had been given a chance with her. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, and she was intelligent and witty. How could other men ignore what he had become unable to resist?

Draco shoved his thoughts aside as he kissed Hermione's warm flesh. He tried to cover every bit of her body in small, light kisses, and reveled in every shiver that cascaded down her spine. His lips left a trail all the way down to her stomach—the very place that had first filled him with the desire that now overtook his actions. Draco felt Hermione's hands weave into his hair and he brought himself back up to her level. He captured her mouth in another ardent kiss that left both of them gasping for breath.

"Hermione," he whispered softly. His head was down, his lips resting near her ear.

"Draco," she whispered back to him, returning his emotion in the single word.

Draco lifted himself up again and in a few short moments the two had finally consecrated their marriage. They moved together as one, swimming in the memories of their last time together. Hermione gasped aloud as a sudden wave of ecstasy poured over her and her eyes caught Draco's. As they looked into each others eyes they reached a mutual climax and were forced to surrender to the rapture that seized their bodies.

Draco collapsed onto Hermione. They remained perfectly still for a while, waiting to catch their breath. When Draco finally rolled off of Hermione she let out a sigh of resentment towards the action. Hearing her displeasure, Draco turned to her and wrapped a sturdy arm around her damp body. She turned her head to face him and smiled at his appearance.

His hair was drenched with sweat and it stuck out in all directions from the wild activity. His face was also damp with his sweat, and probably some of hers too. His face was flushed and his eyes retained the stormy grey coloring that she had seen once before.

"Did you know your eyes change colors with your emotions?" she asked him.

He looked at her strangely for a minute before answering. "No, I didn't. What color are they now?"

"Stormy grey," she answered, unable to find better words. "They get like that after certain…actions," she said shyly.

"And what actions would those be, Mrs. Malfoy?" he teased.

"Sexual ones!" she said, laughing at him. When she calmed down she laid her head against his chest. Just as she was fading off to sleep she felt him kiss her forehead as he pulled up the blankets to cover their naked bodies.

"Goodnight, love," she heard him whisper before she fell asleep in his arms.

8

When Hermione woke up the next morning Draco was still sleeping soundly by her side. It took a while, but Hermione finally was able to get out from under Draco's heavy arm without disturbing him. She stole away to the bathroom so that she could shower before Draco woke up. When she left the bathroom fifteen minutes later, Draco wasn't on the bed any longer. She looked around the room, curious as to where he had gone, when she felt two hands wrap around her eyes.

"Guess who?" the voice asked.

Hermione pretended to ponder the question. After a moment she threw a hand up in fake desperation and groaned, "I don't know! I give up."

Draco spun her around and brought her lips to his in a chaste kiss. "It was me, love," he said when their lips parted.

"I would have never guessed," she said slyly, giving him a quick wink before pulling away. "Go on and get in the shower," she said as she ushered him to the bathroom. "We have a mandatory lunch and noon, and it looks like it is already," she glanced to the clock, "Eleven-thirty! We need to get going!"

She shooed Draco into the bathroom and then went about the tedious task of finding all of her clothes. Luckily most of them were in a single pile so the chore went by much quicker than she thought it would have. She dressed herself and then sat on the bed to wait for Draco. In ten minutes he emerged from the steamy room looking clean and refreshed.

"Enjoy the shower?" she asked him casually.

"It would have been better if you had been there," he said with a smirk.

"Get dressed," she said, calmly ignoring his comment. "We need to be down there in ten minutes."

"Going, going…" he muttered as he made his way to his clothes. "We've been married about four-and-a-half days and you're already nagging me! I miss being a bachelor."

"Save your grumbling for someone who cares," Hermione said bluntly. "I need to go downstairs and I'm leaving in two minutes whether you are ready or not."

8

Draco took his seat at the table reserved for the judges and watched as Hermione sat down at an empty table. He was still staring at her when Blaise sat next to him and pulled his attention away.

"So what did you do last night?" Blaise asked his best mate. Draco's legendary smirk gave more information than any amount of words ever could. "Finally!" Blaise exclaimed.

"It was great, Blaise," Draco began. "I don't even think I could describe it." He looked back over to Hermione and saw Ginny sitting beside her talking animatedly. "Ginny sure is happy this afternoon," Draco commented. "What did you two do?"

Blaise's face adopted a grin. "I'll just say that if Hermione asks you to play cards, say yes."

Draco looked to his friend for more details, but when Blaise offered none, he went back to observing his wife. For the first time in a long while he was able to look at her without suffering the painful penitence that had appeared shortly after his winning of the bet with Blaise. He was able to enjoy her company and know that she was enjoying it too. As he watched Hermione toss her long brown ringlets over her shoulder, he thought of the day that he would be able to hear her say that she loved him.

Suddenly someone tapped Draco on the shoulder and he spun around to face them. A girl about his age with raven black hair and green eyes stood in front of him. Draco recognized her at once as Luci.

"Can I help you?" he asked her, clearly annoyed.

"Meet me after lunch in my room. I have something I need to discuss with you," she said softly as to avoid eavesdropping. She put a piece of paper on the table and walked away before Draco could tell her off.

Draco picked up the piece of paper and opened it up.

Room 305

P.S. How would the other judges feel

if they knew your scores were biased?

He read through it once and then again. Then, to make sure he hadn't just misunderstood its meaning, he read it once more. No, he had been right. This was definitely a threat letter. If the other judges knew that he was married to a contestant, then she would be kicked out for sure, and he would most likely follow suit. He realized that he would have no choice but to go see Luci after lunch.

"Who was that?" Blaise asked as he watched the retreating figure.

"No one important," Draco muttered as he picked up his glass of water and took a large gulp.

8

Draco knocked on the hotel door of Luci Malice. Luci opened the door with a smile and gestured for him to come in. Draco entered the room haughtily and stood in the middle of the living room area while Luci shut her door.

"What do you want?" Draco asked with a sneer.

Luci turned to Draco with a smile. "I intend on winning this competition, Draco, and I always get what I want. I offered your lovely wife a part in my plans, but she denied me… twice. Therefore, the only thing I can do is make sure she doesn't win. Do you know how I plan on doing that, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked sweetly.

"How?" Draco asked, trying to sound uninterested in Luci's ramblings.

"By eliminating her from the competition. It took me a while, but I've even figured out how to do it. It's so simple too… Can you guess what it is?"

"No. What?"

"Why, I'm going to tell the rest of the judges about your marriage. Of course, that in itself would be enough to get her kicked out, but I want to take this a step further. You see, if they look at your scoring, one Hermione Granger scored a point above everyone else on your card. That to me looks like a biased decision. Would the rest of the judges think that too? Hmm… I wonder…" Luci trailed off as she looked at the fury in Draco's eyes.

"You see," she continued, "I could very well do this, but I would hate to blackmail either one of you," she said with fake sympathy. "However, I can offer you a choice. If you give me higher scores than your wife and her red-headed friend, I'll be sure to keep my lips closed about your matrimony. But it's your choice."

Draco looked down at the dark-haired girl in contempt. There was no way he would ever let Hermione get kicked out of the pageant, but he didn't feel right giving this thing higher scores than his beautiful wife. Luci must have seen the contemplation going through his head because then she added another threat.

"Of course, if you do decide to get kicked out, I could make sure that Ginny Weasley and Blaise Zabini are caught in their acts also. Then you could all get expelled together!"

"Give me a day to think about it, Malice," Draco said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, no need to tell me personally. I'll know your decision when I get my scores for the Swim Wear competition. I just wanted you to know what you were dealing with." She moved to the door and opened it. "I'm not playing around, Malfoy. I will win this with your help or not."

Now he knew why Hermione had been so angry with Luci before. She had been cheating and wanted Hermione to help her. Draco was proud of Hermione for not giving in to Luci's requests. Draco controlled his fury at Luci and left the hotel room.

8

"I've made up my mind about Blaise and Oliver," Ginny stated as she entered the room from breakfast.

Hermione shut the door and then looked at her friend in interest. "And…?"

"I think I'm going to break up with Oliver."

"What?" Hermione's jaw dropped. She had expected to hear Ginny say she loved Oliver, not that she was breaking it off.

"I just don't love him, Hermione. I thought I did, but being with Blaise made me realize what love really is. I love Blaise, Hermione. Not Oliver."

Hermione stared at her friend in shock. "I can't believe this. What is with people and thinking they know love from a five day trip?" Hermione asked her friend. Ginny observed Hermione in confusion as her friend began pacing the hotel room. "I mean, seriously! We've barely known each other for years, and now we're supposed to love each other?"

"You mean you've, right?" Ginny asked. "You've barely known each other?"

Hermione disregarded Ginny's comment and continued her speech that was directed at herself. "He doesn't know me. He can't be in love with me. He doesn't know what love is!" Hermione continued going off on her tangent.

"Hermione!" Ginny called out. She put her hands on Hermione's shoulders to stop her pacing and forced her friend to notice her presence in the room. "Hermione, I think you're losing it," Ginny said seriously. "I'm going to lay you down in your bed for a while. Take a nap—no, don't shake your head at me, you need a bit of sleep—and I'll wake you up in a while. All right?" she asked in concern.

Hermione nodded her head softly and allowed herself to be led to the bed. Thoughts of Draco's confession of love, her mixed feelings towards him, and their wonderful experience from last night rotated around in her head. She laid down and curled up—still thinking of their relationship. She wasn't aware of falling asleep or of waking, but suddenly she found herself sitting up with her sketch book in her lap. It was open to the very first picture of the faceless Brad.

Hermione picked up a pencil and started filling in his features. She was almost finished when the door opened and Ginny entered the room clad only in her bathing suit.

"Oh good," she said breathing a sigh of relief. "I thought you were still sleeping so I ran up here to get you. C'mon, you need to get ready!"

Hermione sadly closed her book and followed Ginny out of the room to the dressing rooms that she had begun to become quite accustomed to.

8

"Damn, you looked hot in that thing," Draco said to Hermione as he escorted her to her room.

"What did you give me?" she asked him.

"That, would be cheating, m'dear."

"Humph!" Hermione sighed. When they got to the door she leaned over and gave Draco a peck on the cheek. "Thank you for seeing me up here, but I should probably go in alone," she said, still feeling uncomfortable from her sudden breakdown earlier.

"Sure," he said He nodded his head as if he thought it was for the best. "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, unsure if she would want to see him. Ginny had told him about the breakdown, but she didn't know that he knew. She also didn't need to know.

"Perhaps," she smiled coyly as she slid her card into the slot and pulled down the handle. Draco leaned in to kiss her but she slipped backwards and out of reach, into the room. "See you later, Draco," she said before she quietly shut the door.

"Insidious flirt," he muttered with a small smile to the closed door. "But I wouldn't have you any other way."

A/N: Sorry about the horrible sex scene… I'm not really good at those… I'll leave it to Brittany next time! Well you know the routine… review. There are 60-something of you out there, so we should get 60 something reviews? Comprende? (I don't speak Spanish so if that is wrong… sorry.)

Oh… the title. I couldn't come up with anything better. Can you?