Virtue and Wine

Summary- Betrayal. Forbidden Love. Draco sexily eating an orange. Why is it we only want what we can't have? DM/HG

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Chapter I

Mmmm, oranges.

Draco licked his fingers in glee, savoring every precious remainder of his beloved fruit, feeling somewhat like a little schoolboy. His mouth became sticky with the delicious, sweet juice, his throat pleading for more. Hesitating on whether two oranges would be overkill, he furrowed his eyebrows and came to the conclusion that not only did he want another orange, he also wanted another one after that.

Groaning, he rose from his Italian leather sofa and began to lazily stagger towards the kitchen. Oranges always went good with wine, he thought, bottle in hand. He squinted as he opened the refrigerator, smiling at the sight of a bowl, filled to the brim with oranges. Fresh, orangey oranges.

She had always loved oranges. It had always annoyed him, the way she constantly had orange juice dripping down her lips(but he did enjoy licking it off). She had been shocked when he told her he much preferred apples, and he, of course, got her started on a mission to convert him. It was obvious that she had succeeded with flying colors. Merlin, she could do anything she set her mind to. Or anyone.

It was so strange, the way he used oranges to remember her. It was like a substitute to her presence, even though eating an orange was nothing compared to the ecstasy of her company. Not that she was dead or anything...she was just gone. They had known it was "forbidden" the moment they'd found themselves attracted to one another, but Draco was pretty sure he knew what he wanted, and he was equally sure he didn't care about the consequences. It was his spoiled nature.

Their relationship most certainly was not the average relationship. It wasn't a sudden, "Hey, you're pretty hot, let's go out" type of deal. It wasn't even a, "Hey, I like you general" situation. It was more like a, "Hey, I hate your guts and want to kill you" scenario. And that's what made the whole thing so appealing. The way she tried to hide her fear of him whenever he came near, the way she tried to be loyal to Potter and the Weasel. Yet, she was the only one who cared. And he loved her for it.

Collapsing onto his sofa once more, he smiled at the orange in one hand and a half-empty bottle of really old wine in the other. He sprawled his legs on the arm of the sofa, knocked back a long gulp of wine and began to peel the orange.

It was funny how he loved her, and at the same time, hated her entire being. He loved her for showing him how to feel, and he hated her for making him feel so vulnerable. He loved her for letting him know she was there, and he hated her for having to keep what they had a secret. He loved her when she promised him she would never leave, but when it came down to the wire, she was gone. He hated her for making him feel like a fool. Like she had just chewed him up and spit him out. He always felt like he was the Sonny to her Cher. And he also hated her for putting all these damn Muggle pop-culture references in his head.

Somewhere he knew she wouldn't do this to him, but somewhere else told him that she most definitely would. Meanwhile, some other part was telling him that her being gone was the only way for her to be happy. But, did he want her to be happy, while he was here, drowning out his sorrows with liquor? Did he want her to be happy when happiness meant being in the arms of some other man?

He hated these kinds of nights. The nights when he ached for her.

Sighing, he threw the orange peel over his shoulder and began to take apart the fruit, slice by slice.

Maybe he was better off alone. Although he most heavily doubted that.

"Draco?"

"AH!" He shrieked and toppled over onto the ground, bolting up in frenzy with his wand trembling in his in hand. At the sight of her, his heart skipped a beat. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?" He loosened his grip on the wand and his hand fell limply to the side. "Don't do that."

The witch grinned and placed her hands on her hips. She was covered in black. Black pants, black shirt, black gloves. A dark angel, lovely but yet fierce. It all looked somewhat suspicious. "And it's nice to see you too, Draco."

"-What are you doing here?" It was obvious he was trying his best not to look at her. He tried his best to deny that she was still beautiful. How he hated her for that.

She cocked her head at him and let her eyes fall to the orange on the carpeted floor. "Oranges, eh?" She walked over slowly and picked one up, glancing at Malfoy, who was staring at her with some undetectable look in his eyes. She shrugged. "I never believed in that whole three-second rule thing," the witch grinned and popped a slice in her mouth. "You know I love oranges." She stared at him with a sort of masked longing.

:"You marry him yet?" He was pleased with the look of confusion plastered on her face. "The Weasel?" He sneered at her, his face cold. "Did you marry him?"

She shook her head slowly and quietly answered, "No."

"Well, by now I figured you'd snogged him pretty good. I figured you guys would've got married and had little weasel babies!" He knelt down and picked up an orange slice, slowly popping it into his mouth. He held it in his mouth for a moment, letting the sweet juice spread over his tongue.

She rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. "I just wanted to see you, okay? Is that so hard to accept, or are you going to accuse me for the rest of my life?" She turned to face him again. "I missed you."

"Hermione, Hermione," he chuckled, swallowing his orange, "You still take me for some stupid bloke?" He picked up the bottle of wine from the floor and took a quick swig. "I don't buy your sincerity for a second. You want something, so spill. Don't waste my time."

"Oh, and sitting around drinking all day is the best way to spend your time?" She quipped, drawing closer to him. "The only thing I wanted was to see you. Apparently, you're too bitter and drunk to be appreciative."

"Oh, well thank you Hermione Granger for coming to see me!" He spit out every word bitterly, anger rising in his voice. "You are just the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful person-"

"-Shut up!" She gritted her teeth at him. Draco was now still, staring at her in bewilderment. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's the best for both of us this way."

"Yeah, as you can see, my life is just wonderful, thanks for making such a huge sacrifice for me!" Laughing, he took a long, deep gulp of the wine, trying desperately to drown out the pain. "Just leave."

"Don't make me do this, Draco," she muttered distinctly.

"Get out!"

She responded by pointing her wand at him and shouting "Stupefy!"

It all happed in slow motion; he was catapulted into the air and fell on a rather expensive collection of old figurines his mother had collected. The whole house was filled with the ominous sound of breaking glass. She stood there in the now silent room for a second, contemplating what she had done. Horror-struck, she ran to Draco and knelt down beside him, brushing the hair out of his face delicately with her fingers, caressing his cheek. Her heart leapt at the familiarity of her skin against his. "I'm sorry," she sniffled. "But that was the only way I could get you to shut up. I need to get you out of here."

She conjured up a stretcher and lifted him up onto it, gently fawning over him, still horrified by what she had done. What she had to do.

"Draco," she said softly, "the Order is coming."

A/N- So, what cha think? I actually took time with this one, I wasn't so eager to just chuck out a story! In regards to the rating, right now we are very "T for teen", but, we'll just see what the future holds giggle, giggle This story is very much a romance with an angsty sheen to it, with a little bit of humorous narration thrown into the mix. Hopefully you dig it, as the kids say, and you feel an overwhelming desire to tell me what you think!Also,I have deleted my story"No One's Gonna Come" because I think it could've been so much better, and I just wasn't happy with itbecause I chucked it out on a whim.Thankfully I've learned my lesson and I'm now taking time with what I put out. And SCHOOL(hell) IS OUT, so I have time for all this!YOWZA!

CharlieTookLeaf