Older and Non-The Wiser
By ILUVRONWEASLEY

A/N: Okay, I am so sorry for posting this so much later than when I said I would. You see, I was planning to update this fic weekly, but everything just kind of got on top of me and I didn't quite get around to it. Please forgive me!
Before I leave you to read the chapter (and review! Please review) I want to say that I've decided one disclaimer is enough for the whole story, right? I'm sure no one actually thinks I own Harry Potter, which I do not, so there really is no need to repeat myself. Thank you, once again, for all the lovely reviews and I apologise (yes, again) for the OOC characters. I know, I know, but the plot won't work unless I tweak them...

Please enjoy your read and have a good day!

-

Chapter Three.

What seemed like an old house before was now a luxurious five-star restaurant.

"Name, please?" asked a man who was standing by the door. He was at least six foot tall and looked remarkably like Frankenstein.

"Malfoy. My wife should already be here," said Draco, his nose high in the air. The man looked from Draco to Hermione with a slight hint of curiosity in his eyes. He looked down at the scroll of paper in his hands before giving an approving nod.

"Yes, Mr Malfoy, please go on through." He pointed at a door to the left of him that had 'V.I.P.' written in sparkling gold letters. Draco started towards it, gesturing for Hermione to follow. Together, they walked through the door into a dimly lit room. Hermione could see two people inside.

"Ah, Draco dear, please do introduce that lovely lady by your side," said Eudora as she smiled at Hermione, showing her false teeth. Hermione resisted the urge to shudder. Next to Eudora was of course, her son, Hugh. She looked at him and saw him ogling her.

'Pervert,' Hermione thought. She was really regretting this agreement now.

"This is Eudora," Draco said, gesturing to his wife, "my wife, and this is my step-son, Hugh. Eudora, Hugh, this is Hermione Granger."

Hermione put on a false smile and shook Eudora's hand. When she went to shake Hugh's, he kissed it instead.

"Pleasure to meet you." Hugh smirked, as Hermione awkwardly smiled back.

"Do take a seat Draco, Hermione," said Eudora. She took a sip of her wine as they seated themselves on the chairs available. "Now Draco darling, tell us a bit more about Hermione here."

"Well, I think it would be nice if we let her talk for herself," Draco smirked, nudging Hermione in the ribcage with his elbow. She glared at him quickly before smiling nervously once again.

"Erm, there's not much to say about me really," Hermione stuttered.

"How do you and Draco know one another?" Eudora asked, her bony hands hovering above her wine cup distractedly.

"Oh, we met at school," she began, "Hogwarts."

"Does that mean that you and him, are the same age then?" Hugh questioned her. His eyes were glinting brightly, even in the dim candlelight. There was something about him that made Hermione feel very uncomfortable.

"Well, we were in the same year group, yes," muttered Hermione, glancing at Draco who was casually playing with his wand.

"Oh," said Hugh, grinning to show off his sparkly white teeth. "I hear Hogwarts is a very good school. Personally, I prefer Durmstrang. I went there myself and so did my mother here. It was much more simple there and I reckon we had a much better headmaster as well."

Glancing at Hermione, Draco couldn't help but smirk. He could see the fire burning in her eyes: her anger at Hugh's blatant insult to her beloved Professor Dumbledore. In a desperate attempt to control her pride, she smiled a sickeningly sweet smile directed at Hugh.

"Oh really? Well, I never did think about going to Durmstrang. I guess Hogwarts was just too good for me," she said, as Hugh raised his eyebrows in surprise. Obviously, he had never had a woman disagree to his opinions before, even if it was in a polite manner.

"I've heard that Hogwarts has houses? I wonder, what house were you in?"

"She was in Slytherin," Draco interrupted, just as Hermione was about to reply with 'Gryffindor'. It was a well-known fact that Gryffindors and Slytherins did not get along and Draco didn't want that fact to ruin the mood.

"How very…interesting," Hugh said, picking up his wine glass as it automatically refilled itself. He sipped at it, smirking at Hermione delightfully. Turning, he whispered into his mother's ear. Eudora nodded with a smile and stood.

"I'm just going to freshen up a bit," said Eudora, nodding at Hermione and Hugh. "Draco, be a dear and go check when the food is coming. It's been an awfully long wait and I'm sure we'd all like to eat."

Hermione instantly realised what Eudora's plan was: get her alone with Hugh. She began to feel something inside of her, something that was almost certainly fear – what would Hugh do once they were alone? She didn't want to know. She turned to Draco, who was staring at her with a look of inquisition. Her eyes pleaded with him not to leave her. She couldn't handle Hugh alone and Draco knew this well. Calmly, he turned to face his wife with a somewhat sarcastic smile.

"There's no need to worry dear," said Draco. "I'm sure the waiters will be here with our meal soon enough; there isn't any need to rush. After all, we're not paying for nothing. Now, run along, you want to be back before the food comes, I'm sure."

Eudora frowned and glanced at Hugh nervously for a second before nodding and leaving the table. Draco finished his drink in one gulp and smiled in satisfaction. He didn't enjoy the thought of how useless Hermione would be by herself, but he did enjoy tormenting Hugh. Yes, that was fun.

"You always have to ruin everything, don't you?" Hugh snarled quietly. "You're so immature."

"Immature?" Draco smirked in delight. "Why, I am deeply offended, I assure you."

Draco caught a glimpse of fury before Hugh turned away from him to face Hermione. "I do so apologise for my stepfather's atrocious behaviour," began Hugh, eyes gleaming, "I dare say you had a tough time putting up with him if he was like this back at Hogwarts, but let's not let him ruin our evening. Tell me, what do you do for a living?"

"It's hard to explain really," Hermione said, trying to remember what Draco had told her to say earlier. "It's private and I've been sworn to secrecy, so I'm afraid I can't tell you, at least not now."

Hugh's smile widened as he leaned closer towards Hermione. "A woman with secrets, eh? I like that."

Hermione smiled uncomfortably and secretly wished that he didn't like that. Hugh was, needless to say, not Hermione's type of guy; he not only made her feel uneasy, but also a little dirty. She didn't really feel like being there anymore. Looking at her watch, Hermione decided that it was high time she left this distressing environment for someplace cosier.

"I'm terribly sorry but I have to leave," she said, smiling as she stood. "I would have loved to stay and chat, but I've just remembered a previous meeting I have arranged with a friend. I hope you don't mind me leaving so early."

"Oh no, I don't mind at all," said Hugh, as he stood and opened the door for Hermione to leave. Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise. "It was a pleasure meeting you, my lady. I'm sure we'll meet again."

-

'Bloody useless Granger.' Draco thought angrily (he wasn't even going to bother calling her 'Hermione'; it was much too hard to pronounce anyway). She had left in such a hurry - Draco wondered whether she was actually meeting someone. Eudora had come back soon after her departure and was, as expected, surprised to see that someone was missing. It was Draco, who had to explain Hermione's reasons for leaving (his quick thinking even amazed himself sometimes). Eudora had then asked Hugh what he thought of her and he had only grinned and sighed like a lovesick puppy. That boy deserved a good spanking and Draco would only be too happy to help.

It was a few hours after the meal now and Draco was taking another stroll down Diagon Alley. His wife had fallen asleep far too early and Hugh had stolen the remote control for the television.

He opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron, feeling grumpy and in need of something refreshing. The place was packed. This didn't exactly surprise Draco, as most people liked going to pubs late. Choosing an empty seat, he sat down; waiting until the landlord of the pub (commonly known as Tom) would decide to serve him.

"Oh, it's you," said Toothless Tom, as he looked up at Draco with a hint of disgust. "What will it be tonight then, Mr Malfoy?"

Draco had a mind to curse Tom into oblivion. How dare he look at him with that expression on his face? Sure, it was a known fact that people nowadays looked down upon pure-blooded, (former) dark wizards, but it was a free country and he was a costumer!

"Hey Tom! Another Blueberry Vodka, please!"

Draco turned to see who had so rudely ordered before him. His eyes widened with surprise.

"Granger?"

Indeed, Hermione Granger stood behind him, wavering slightly as she waited patiently for Tom to bring her another drink. She looked at Draco and hiccupped, before letting out a maniac-like laugh.

"Oh, Draco, how nice it is to see you here!" She shrieked, leaning against Draco's body as though she had no strength of her own. He stood cautiously and began to try and make Hermione stand up straight.

"Cancel that Blueberry Vodka Tom," Draco shouted over his shoulder. "I'm not sure she can handle any more fluids for tonight."

"What?" shrieked Hermione, slapping him as he began to try and manoeuvre her towards the exit. "Excuse me, but I think I know how much I can handle, thank you very much! So don't go around cancelling my drink, Malfoy! What's your problem anyway? Are you asking for a fight?"

Draco laughed out loud. He stopped when people began to stare. "As if. Now, stop whinging and let me get you somewhere where you can talk nonsense all you like. We can either do this the easy way, or the hard way, I don't mind which, so take your pick."

It was obvious that Hermione was a little confused for a moment. She stumbled on the pavement and was just about to make some witty remark when Draco saw his chance. He picked her up, slung her over his shoulder and made his way through the doors of the Leaky Cauldron. Now people were really beginning to stare.

"Put me down immediately!" Hermione screamed, struggling in vain as she flung her limbs in all directions. Draco ignored her with gritted teeth and kicked open the door, striding outside.

"For goodness sake, would you stop squirming already? Merlin knows you're heavy enough as it is," he growled, annoyed, "find something to entertain yourself while I take you home."

He had no idea why he was doing this for her. It was lucky for her that Draco had a fairly decent memory otherwise he would have forgotten how to get to Hermione's house. Retracing the way in his mind, he began to look around for a carriage before he jumped, yelping in shock.

"Don't ever do that again!" Draco shouted, throwing Hermione down onto a nearby patch of grass. She sniggered.

"Why not? You said to find something to entertain myself!"

"Yes, but that doesn't give you permission to touch my bottom!"

Hermione shrieked with laughter. "Bottom? Well, that was the nearest thing to my hand so it's only natural, Draco darling."

Draco was fuming. No witch should be allowed to pinch a wizards' bottom before the wizard got a chance to pinch theirs! It certainly didn't help matters when this particular witch was Granger.

"Get up." He growled. Drunken Hermione was even more annoying than normal Hermione (and Draco had thought that could never be possible). She did as she was told and hastily stood, wavering a little. Making her way over to him, she leaned against his body and held onto his arm for support.

"You do have a nice bottom you know," said Hermione as she sighed in content. Her hand unconsciously found its way back to Draco's precious bottom and he slapped it away with a frustrated growl. He guessed that Hermione had probably never been this drunk (or out of her mind) as she was now and he was hopeful that she would never be this drunk again. Suddenly, Draco spotted something zooming towards them.

Ah, the Knight Bus, what a lifesaver.

-

"Alohomora."

The door to Hermione's home clicked open and Draco wondered whether she ever got paranoid that magic thieves would break into her home. He remembered that back in Malfoy Manor (and the Ethan Manor, in fact), security had been of utmost importance. As he stepped into Hermione's well-cleaned home, he noticed that she had changed from the dress robes that she wore while dining with Hugh into an old woolly jumper (that simply reeked of the Weasleys) and muddy trousers that hadn't been ironed properly. Draco sighed; she wouldn't look half bad if only she tried.

Careful not to hurt himself, Draco switched on the lights (electric lights were, needless to say, a muggle creation. Wizards, of course, did not use electric lights; they much preferred chandeliers and candlesticks).

Draco began to make his way upstairs, dragging Hermione along with him. He peered into every room to see which one could be Hermione's bedroom. There was a bathroom, a boiler room, a room that led further up (Draco assumed, to the attic), a room with nothing but piles and piles of books and finally, at the end of the corridor, a small room that looked as though it could be a bedroom.

He had his doubts though – at first glance, it looked almost exactly the same as the room next door with nothing but piles and piles of books as far as the eye could see, but if you were to stare for a little longer, you would spot the small bed in the corner. It took Draco a good few minutes to guide Hermione to her bed before prising her fingers off of him and throwing her onto her bed.

"Well Granger, that was nice but I'm afraid I'll have to leave now. Goodnight." He turned to leave but found he couldn't, as she now had a firm grip on his robes.

How he wished they weren't so fluttery.

"Don't leave me," she murmured, tugging at Draco's robes.

"I have a home to return to, now let go."

"I don't want to." Hermione pouted. "Stay with me, Draco."

Draco felt a strange shiver up his spine. It wasn't everyday that someone like Hermione Granger would ask him to stay. He was used to 'get lost' or 'piss off' but 'stay with me' was definitely something new. He wasn't quite sure whether he liked it or not.

Slowly, he turned around the face her. She looked up at him, her face red from the alcohol. She giggled.

"You're a bad boy aren't you, Draco Malfoy?" Hermione smiled and tugged Draco's robes hard, making him stumble and fall onto the bed beside her. Her smile altered into a smirk. "Now, be a good boy for once and stay with me."

Her grip on Draco's body was firm as she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head down on his shoulder. Her breathing soon grew steady and Draco could find no way out. He swore that girl got deliberately heavier so that he couldn't escape from her evil clutches.

He sighed. Of course, normally when women flung themselves at him he would jump at the chance and take advantage of it, but because it was Hermione, Draco didn't have the urge to. Frankly, he didn't want to touch her.

'I guess I'll just have to sleep here,' he thought to himself as he yawned. Well, at least it was a change from hearing the snores of an old woman.

-

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