A/N: I don't own Harry Potter.
Special Notes to Chapter 14 Reviewers:
willow fairy: Thanks, as always, for reviewing.
MeDraco: Thanks for such a sweet review. I'm glad you like my Draco.
Yellowrosesinateacup: Aw thanks!
Sarklover826: Thanks! You'll have to wait and see who the good child is…
Draco'sBlackRose: Thanks so much for your review. Keep it up.
Muah: Yay for grammar, haha!
Rilicious: Thanks for the review, as always!
XxDarkAura018xX: Wow. That was an awesome review! I'm glad you like my story so much!
Twitchy-tennis player: Thanks so much. Here's the chapter for you!
DragonGirl81: Thank you for reviewing. It makes chapters come faster!
Antanaqui: Thanks for reviewing. It means a lot that you do so faithfully.
Hermione shivered, tugging her black pea coat tightly around her frame. It was 3:45 on New Year's Eve, and she was leaning against the brick outside of Crossing's Restaurant, an uptown eatery famous for it's seafood. She hadn't been sure how to dress for the Malfoy party, so she'd ended up wearing a slightly demure black dress. It was a stretchy material, three-quarter length in the sleeve, v-necked, and ended just below the knees. She wore simple, black heels, and a long, cascading ponytail. She glared down at the watch around her dainty wrist and frowned. Why did she have to be so damn early? She moved over to a bench near the front door and plopped down, crossing her legs.
"Granger." She felt his hot breath on her ear before she saw him. She tossed her head to the left, her eyes narrowed, and came face to face with Malfoy. He was standing directly behind her, wearing a leather jacket and black slacks.
"Malfoy." She stood and walked around the bench. Even in her heels, the top of her head barely reached his jacket collar.
"Did you have a happy Christmas?" He raised his eyebrows and smirked down at her, running a hand through his hair.
"I did. Mum and dad went a bit crazy this year."
I didn't. Dad doesn't want to spend his hard earned galleons on me when I'm going to be dead soon enough." He winked playfully and Hermione brought a hand to her mouth.
"Don't talk like that."
"I'll talk however I like, thank you." Draco rolled his eyes and took Hermione by the elbow. "Come on." He led her around the corner, where his broom was propped up.
"Oh no, not again!" She exclaimed. "How come every time I have to be on one of these, I'm in a dress?"
"Because the gods love me." Draco winked at her. Hermione scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"You're disgusting, you know that, right?"
"Of course I do. It's not my fault you like it."
"I…I…don't." Hermione sputtered, mounting the broom behind Draco.
"Don't even try that one on me, Granger." He yanked her hands forward and around his waist, firmly clutching them in place with his right hand, holding the broom with his left. He glanced around the deserted ally for muggles and then let the broom gently ascend into the air. Hermione didn't feel quite as nervous this time…her heart was still palpitating like crazy, mind you, but she wasn't feeling short of air. Draco finally leveled the broom just above the clouds to mask their visibility and set the broom at a steady speed.
"You know that rose you gave me," Hermione begin, her mouth pressed up to Malfoy's ear. "It was crushed."
"Don't complain," Draco laughed. "It's not like you've ever gotten one before."
"I have!" Hermione stammered. "Viktor brought me a lily before the Yule Ball. And I got orchids when I visited him that summer!"
"That oaf?" Draco jeered. "He hardly counts."
"As opposed to?"
"Someone as cavalier and dashing as myself, of course."
"You are aware that cavalier means inconsiderate, are you not?" Draco nodded.
"Crystal." Hermione sighed, resting her head on Draco's shoulder.
"You are quite possibly the most complicated person I have ever met."
"Not compared to you, Granger."
"What are you talking about?" Draco swallowed.
"You're hot one minute, cold the next. You're indecisive. I find you incredibly frustrating."
"Well thanks." Hermione beamed with fake saccharine.
"Anytime."
………..
"Ah, home again." Draco's voice sounded relieved, but Hermione could tell that is masked a much deeper emotion. He had landed them by the stables of the plantation, propping his broom up against the wall.
"So what's the plan? I can't very much go in there looking like this."
"Actually," Draco began, "You won't be at the party at all."
"What?"
"My father said no dates. He'll kill you."
"Then what purpose do I have?"
"Your job is to get into the library and get that information. I'm going to make an appearance to satisfy my father. And then…" He pulled a small vial of putrid looking liquid from his pocket.
"Polyjuice Potion? But who?"
"Augustus Harkford. A very close alliance of my father's. I got some hair of his from my father's study when at Halloween. He keeps…remnants…of his friends, in case he every needs to impersonate them."
"That's sick," Hermione wrinkled her nose, "How do you know he won't be here?"
"Because I finally put those Weasel twins to good use and picked up a couple of those Nosebleed Nougats. Sent to him in a lovely gold wrapping."
"Ugh."
"He's a glutton, he deserves it."
"Right. I don't get your way of thinking, Malfoy."
"Ok. Get to the library and get those books. I'm going to go make nice with my father, then I'll take the potion, and get some information from him. Meet me in the third stable in two-hours." Hermione nodded.
"All right. How will I get in?"
"Go around back. There's a door that's always unlocked. It leads right into the kitchen. If you take the staircase to the left, follow that hallways to the next staircase and then find the second door in that hallway, it's the library." Hermione nodded again. Draco leaned in and gave her a swift kiss to the cheek. She felt the heat in her cheeks rising as she watched him stalk up to the manor. She turned and dashed around back.
….
Hermione creaked open the door. House elves scattered about the kitchen, eyeing her nervously. She stood, dumbfounded, staring them done. And then one particularly small one toddled up to her and beckoned for her. She knelt down and the elf leaned up to her ear.
"You are Miss Granger?" Hermione nodded.
"How did you…?"
"Master Malfoy told Lolly you would be arriving." She pointed a long, thin finger to a door and nodded. Hermione smiled and mouthed 'thank you' before dashing up the staircase.
As her feet moved up the stairs, she didn't hear anything except the creaking of the old wood. She conquered the first staircase easily, moved down the hallway, and found the second set of stairs. Yet again, she got up them without seeing some much as a house-elf. Finding the door, she slowly creaked it open and stepped in. Immediately, her eyes found the fake book painting and unlocked it. She pulled out all four books and stuffed them into the black bag Draco had given her. Sighing deeply, she turned to go. As she spun around, her body smacked roughly into the cool, hard-bodied figure of Lucius Malfoy.
"Well, well…" He clicked his tongue, shaking head. "What do we have here?" Hermione sucked in a breath of air, trying to find something to say--anything.
"Nothing." She shuffled her feet, trying to move over, but Mr. Malfoy had his hands tightly gripped around her shoulders.
"It doesn't look like nothing." He removed one hand from her shoulder and painfully squeezed her right hand with all his might. She squealed, the popping and crackling of the bones making her sick to her stomach. She released her grip on the bag and it toppled over, spilling out it's contents. His eyes scanned the spilled books, his lips set in a tight frown. "So, the little mudblood's doing a little detective work, is she?" Hermione didn't speak. "Is she?" Lucius made a move for her second hand.
"N-no!" She sputtered out, her heart pounding.
"Don't lie to me, girl," he hissed, squeezing her left hand until tears pricked in her eyes, "And look at me when you speak." She let her eyes meet his, darting with fear.
"I'm not lying. Just curious." The words slid off her tongue easier than she'd expected, with a cool confidence she longed for.
"I said," he grabbed her ponytail and yanked her head backwards, "Don't lie to me." Lucius released her ponytail and gripped her by the wrist. "Does my son have something to do with this?" Hermione shook her head vigorously.
"No. No. Not at all. I'm here of my own volition." Lucius leered down at her, eyes squinted. "I promise. I don't even speak with your son. Except when he calls me mudblood." Lucius's spirits seemed to prick a bit as a slightly prideful smile crossed his face.
"Good boy. Now," a sickening smile appeared on his face. "Give me your wand."
"No." Lucius raised his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione's wand flew from her coat pocket and into Lucius's outstretched palm. Hermione whimpered as he grappled for her hand and tugged her body forcefully, the broken fingers unable to move. She refused to move, willing her feet to stay planted, and as he tugged, she crashed to her knees. Skidding along on the wood floor, she could feel her skin burning, and it was all she could do not to cry out.
"Father!" Hermione looked up, where Draco was standing in the doorway, a look of horror etched on his face.
"Well, hello Draco. Look what I've got here." Lucius tugged at Hermione's hand and a tear streamed down her cheek.
"What are you doing?" Draco was frozen to the ground, looking nervously from Hermione to his father.
"I found the little bitch snooping in my private collection--thought I'd teach the mudblood a lesson." He yanked at her, and she scooted forward on her knees. She felt the skin begin to burn hotly and she tried to ignore the sensation..
"Honestly father, just let her go. If you hurt her, the Ministry's going to have something to say about it." Lucius narrowed his eyes and swallowed.
"I knew you were in on this boy!"
"Actually-" Draco began to say, but Hermione cut him off, squealing.
"He didn't have anything to do with this. I wanted to get you in trouble!"
"Grang-"
"I'm honest. Even if your son had wanted to help me--I wouldn't let him. He's an asshole."
"Is the bint lying, Draco?" Draco looked at Hermione, who was mouthing 'please' over and over again, her face wrought with fear.
"No. I had nothing to do with it." He lied, his voice monotone and his eyes full of fear. He watched as Hermione's face settled a bit, Lucius picked her up and tossing her body over her shoulder. She kicked him and punched him, yelling as he carried her past Draco.
"Put me down!" Lucius stopped in his track, raised his wand and pointed it behind himself at Hermione's head.
"Stupefy!" Hermione's body went limp in his arms, her head knocking against his shoulder blade. Draco watched in horror as Lucius stomped from the library, knocking Draco out of his way and onto the ground as he went.
…..
Hermione awoke with a start, her body stiff. She was curled up in the corner of a very dark room. She couldn't see much, only a bit of light streaming from underneath the door. It was carpeted in a dark gray shade and the walls were painted darkly as well. It was completely bare, save for the heavy metal shackle that was holding her left ankle to the wall. She made a move to grab at it, but as soon as she did, she regretted it.
Her broken hands were both swollen and red, so badly wounded that she couldn't move them. She immediately regretted her rash motion, tears pooling in her eyes. Just as the pounding in her hands was subsiding, the door to her room swung open, Lucius Malfoy standing in the doorway.
"I see you're awake, mudblood." He slammed the door behind himself, his hands shoved into his pockets. Hermione felt herself timid once again, and didn't respond. "Answer me when I speak to you."
"Yes. I am." Hermione's voice sounded foreign as she spoke it. She could hardly believe it came from her lips. Lucius moved towards her and slapped her harshly across the face.
"Don't speak to me with spite, girl."
"Sorry."
"I said, Don't fucking speak to me with spite, mudblood!" Lucius raised his wand and held it toward her, the tip only inches from her forehead. And with a cold, unfeelingvoice he shouted out the words she was dreading most---"Crucio!"
TBC.
Review if you liked or didn't like. Thanks.