Behind every door

Is a fall, a fall and

No one's here to sleep

-No One's Here to Sleep, Naughty Boy ft. Bastille

"Remind me again why you even got inside of the car?"

Hermione groaned, having been over this twice already.

"Come off it…"

Teddy threw her a look to which she responded by rolling her eyes.

"I'm familiar with how stubborn and utterly annoying he can be. I didn't have the energy nor patience to go back and forth with him," she said.

"You should've called me," he responded.

"I told you. I had started to, but…," she sighed "…like I said. I didn't have it in me to argue with him. Of course, I ended up doing that, anyway…"

Teddy huffed beside her as he followed her down the aisle, shaking his head at the things she dropped into her cart. The store wasn't as busy as it normally was. It was Tuesday, after all.

"He's an ass," was Teddy's response.

"Are you any better? What, with your…profession and all, I think it's safe to say that you aren't exactly a keeper yourself."

"I get paid to be an asshole, doll. What's his excuse?"

She hit him in the chest as she pushed her cart past him, turning into the next aisle.

"Speaking of infuriating assholes… Since when did you turn into his doting girlfriend?" he asked, referring to her shopping cart.

"I'm not. He cooked for me the other day, and I felt bad for not eating it. Simply repaying the favor…"

"After everything he's put you through, the least he could do is cook for you. You don't owe him anything," Teddy scoffed.

"I still feel bad, nonetheless," she said, avoiding his eyes.

There was a short, awkward silence. One in which she could tell that Teddy was thinking, and any minute he was going to say something that was either going to hurt her feelings or force her to reevaluate them.

"You like him…"

So it was the latter...

Hermione exhaled, staring at the seasonings in front of her face before looking down.

"I shouldn't," was her only response, unable to deny it.

"No, you shouldn't."

Hermione didn't reply, nothing but truth in Teddy's statement.

"How do you see this playing out, Hermione? What exactly are you expecting?"

"I'm not expecting anything," she whispered.

"That's bullshit! This can only end one of two ways, Hermione…and that's if you're lucky."

Correction. Apparently, Teddy decided to go with both options and head straight for her jugular.

"Teddy-."

"You've barely spoken to your parents in weeks because you're too scared to face them, and the truth about what you're doing. Look where you are because of him. Look at the situation you're in because he's a selfish tosser who can't keep his hands and cock to himself," he spat.

Her hands tightened on the cart, jaw clenching.

"You have to meet with Riddle tomorrow night to go over the next setup, and God knows what's going to happen…"

Hermione turned around, her brown eyes seeking out his blue ones as he looked away. Something was troubling him…

"What's wrong? Do you know something?"

"He's going to test you," he whispered.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat.

"Test me? How?"

Teddy shook his head.

"I don't know. I don't know anything other than he's going to test you, and if you fail…," he bit his lip "…I don't know what's going to happen."

Hermione looked at him with wide eyes, the gun in her purse feeling that much heavier as her mind ran rampant with the possibilities of what could happen. Teddy's hands settled on her shoulders.

"Hey…you're going to be fine. Nothing's going to happen to you, I'll make sure of that. Besides…he needs you," he said, referring to Riddle.

"…because of Draco," Hermione whispered.

Teddy heaved a sigh, his fingers tightening on her shoulders as he looked down the aisle, eyes hard.

"I really hate him…you know?" he quietly said to no one in particular. "I'd gladly kill him given the chance."

Hermione looked down, understanding, yet still upset about the fact that there was nothing she could do about that. The hatred was there before she even came into the picture, and it would undoubtedly still be there after she was gone.

"How good of a cook am I if I don't even have the common sense to check for allergies?" Hermione groaned, sliding down into the seat.

Draco chuckled, reaching over to brush his thumb across her neck, visibly amused.

"I already told you, its fine."

"Still… All of that food gone to waste because I didn't think to ask," she sighed.

"It's the thought that counts… Besides, we still ate," he said with a shrug.

"Going to a restaurant wasn't exactly part of my plans, Draco…"

While dinner had been nice, and the restaurant was definitely nice to look at and dine in, it wasn't what she'd had in mind. She had a sneaking suspicion that Teddy knew about Draco's allergies, hence his enthusiastic 'yes!' when she'd asked if she should cook prawns.

"I think we'll be going back to Mamba tomorrow," Hermione suddenly said.

Teddy's words had been weighing on her mind all throughout dinner, and she hadn't come up with the right moment to bring it up.

Draco glanced at her, focusing on the road.

"Are you sure?"

"Theo said that Riddle's going to test me. Whatever that means…"

Draco was quiet, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed as he drove down the street. He suddenly closed his eyes, briefly, before banging his head against the headrest with a huff. Hermione turned in her seat towards him.

"What is that look? What are you thinking?"

His tongue darted out to wet his lips, icy eyes almost glaring at the road. He shook his head.

"You're not going to Mamba…"

"How do you know?"

"I just do. You'll probably be making a house visit…or meeting some poor unfortunate bloke somewhere so they can finish him off," he said.

Hermione swallowed, sitting back in her seat.

"What makes you say that?"

"…because it's what my father would do. It's what I would do…"

Hermione closed her eyes, allowing her head to fall into her hands.

"I'll do everything I can to find out where you're going to be, because I doubt he'll tell you. If you feel like something is wrong, remember what I said…"

"Shoot first, ask questions later…"

"…and I'll take care of the rest."

Hermione felt a lump forming in her throat at the thought that she might actually have to use Draco's little gift. She wasn't entirely sure that she had it in her. Scratch that, she was positive that she didn't have it in her. She had no idea what to expect for tomorrow night, and the unknown frightened her more than anything else.

She lifted her eyes as her house came into view, the low vibration of the car coming to a halt as Draco cut the engine.

"I don't think that I can kill anyone, Draco," her soft voice filled dark and silent vehicle.

"You'd be surprised as to what can be hiding inside of you…"

"…but murder?"

"Self-defense," he corrected.

She heaved a tired sigh, eyes suddenly drooping.

"You need to go rest," he said.

"I don't want to rest. Stay with me," she replied, looking up at him.

It was spoken like a statement, but the choice to refuse was hidden there, nonetheless. He brushed his thumb along her bottom lip, eyes drinking her in. Draco suddenly got out, his frame standing in front of her open door less than thirty seconds later. His lips were on hers as soon as she stepped out of the car.

Sex with Draco could be categorized as some form of psychological torture. He could focus so much attention on one part of her body that would have her squirming and whimpering beneath him. His fingers played piano notes on her thighs, and his tongue recited poetry in between her legs. He took his time, taking every chance he could get to remind her just who it was inside of her. Draco was competitive, that had been evident the first night she officially met him, and he made sure that he would stand out. That ten years down the road, when she was probably married with a kid, she'd wake up in the middle of the night with his name on her lips like liquor, body shaking and covered with sweat as it sought out a drug she had long walked away from.

Draco liked to tease, to nip and twist, to pinch and pull. He made it his mission to know everything that made her body tick. He put combinations together like people put together recipes, finding out what it took to get her just right. His hips made waves against her own, fingers stringing along her back like a guitar, producing tunes she didn't even know she had. He used her up until she could barely stand, collapsing into her sheets like Jell-O, limp and lifeless as a corpse, and that was just how he liked it.

"For fuck's sake! I knew that I shouldn't have left you alone with him… He can be such a selfish prick sometimes," Ginny complained.

"It's alright, Gin. You were going through a bit of a crisis, one any future bride would freak out about. I understood."

Ginny stabbed her fork into her food, cheeks almost matching her hair.

"Still! The nerve of him. Sometimes, I really wonder how he's even related to the rest of us. I mean, the things he does and the crap he spews out of that hole in his face…"

"It was more exhausting than anything else. I was hardly mad, just…perplexed, I guess," Hermione said with a shrug.

"Screw confused! I would have torn him a new one," Ginny disagreed.

Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm done being angry. I was angry a year ago. Now, I just want to forget. I feel sorry for him in a way."

Ginny scoffed.

"Sorry for him? The day I feel sorry for my brother is the day you'll have to lock me up. I could never find it in myself to feel sorry for him," Ginny replied, stuffing her face.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean… Can you imagine being so foolishly hung up on someone to think there was any chance of reconciliation after what he did? Anyone with the least amount of common sense could guess that there would absolutely be no hope, none. He was genuinely surprised by my behavior…"

"Which doesn't make any sense. He knows exactly what he did, he was there! Surely even someone as dim witted as my brother can comprehend the severity of his actions…and the consequences that followed," she said.

"He really regrets what he did," Hermione whispered with a shake of her head.

Ginny paused, eyeing her curly haired friend.

"Don't tell me you're going soft on him…"

"No! Of course not. I'm just thinking that I would hate to be in his shoes at the moment. It sucks to be him," she clarified.

"Hey… It sucked to be you when he left. He'll survive. He was the one who didn't even have the decency to tell you to your face that he wanted to break up, that the two of you were over."

Hermione exhaled.

"The fact that you were willing to move past his transgressions was much more than he deserved. He gave you a false sense of hope that he might choose you, all the while knowing in his heart that he was going to leave you for this other girl. The two of them breaking up only a few months into the relationship was well deserved karma. He regretting everything he did and being absolutely miserable is justice, in my book."

"Sometimes, I swear you hate him almost as much as Theo…"

Ginny paused, setting her fork down.

"He broke my best friend…"

She looked up at Hermione, gazing into her eyes.

"I know you've hidden from us how bad you really were. I don't even want to think about just how much damage he really did. He hurt someone who was never anything but good to him. He almost killed you, Hermione, and I'll never forgive him for that," she said, voice unwavering.

Ginny suddenly sighed.

"I guess I should be grateful to Nott for being there for you," she reluctantly said.

"He told me about Padma…"

Ginny glanced up, jaw clenched.

"Yeah… She really liked him, y'know? Both of them did, to tell you the truth. I could never see what they saw in him. He was an ass, and he definitely proved it."

"That's kind of his specialty…"

"You're right. I suppose you could say that they both knew what they were signing up for. His behavior was never a secret… Still, to call the girl you're sleeping with by her sister's name is one thing… Hooking up with their visiting cousin is another, but on two separate occasions, calling both of them by some bloke's name-."

"What?"

What?

"…what?"

Ginny furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at the look on Hermione's face.

"A cousin? A guy- what?" she repeated.

Ginny blinked.

"I thought you said he told you?"

"He gave me a brief cliff notes summary that left a lot to the imagination, apparently…," Hermione said, visibly bewildered.

"Well…yes. Neither Padma nor Parvati knew that he was sleeping with both of them. At least, that was until he called Padma by her sister's name. They got into a huge fight, they didn't speak for months, and they didn't speak to him either. It was during this time that their cousin came to visit for a week from overseas and one thing led to another… She ended up getting dragged into the rivalry as well and ended up leaving days before she was supposed to, poor thing. Like idiots, they both forgave him, and both of them were under the impression that they each were the only one…again."

Hermione sat up in her seat, transfixed.

"I assume this is when he was seeing that guy from the private school across town. There had been rumors, but it wasn't really confirmed until he said his name while in bed with Parvati. She dumped him, and about two weeks later he made the same mistake…with Padma. Zaborski something, I don't know," Ginny waved it off.

Hermione's eyes widened, jaw hanging open.

"Zabini? Blaise Zabini?"

Ginny paused, thoughtful before eventually nodding.

"Yeah, actually. How did you know that?"

Hermione didn't respond, mind whirling as she stood.

"Hermione?"

"I have to go. I-I'm sorry," she rushed out, ignoring Ginny's confused shout of her name as she left.

"Where's Theo?" Hermione asked that night as soon as she stepped into the familiar mansion.

Everyone who was going with them was in the foyer, cleaning their guns and preparing for the night. Like they always did… However, Theo was absent.

"Theodore will not be joining us, tonight," Riddle purred as he rested his hands on her shoulders, guiding her down the halls towards his office.

Hermione swallowed, resisting the urge to look over her shoulder as she was led to the private room. Where was he? Why wasn't he coming? Why didn't he tell her that he wasn't coming? She jumped as the door clicked shut behind her, and she found herself stumbling into the seat across from his desk. She gazed up at Riddle as he sat on the edge of his desk, dark eyes trained on her as he began talking.

"Some months ago, a young man ran into one of my men in the states. He borrowed some drugs, gave us an I-O-U, we never saw the money, etc., etc.… We've all heard this story before. His line was that he simply didn't have the money at the moment, and the deal was to pay us back in no more than a month's time."

Riddle smirked, the corner of his lips turning up just a bit.

"That was seven months ago, and we've yet to see a single euro. Do you see how lenient I am? How nice I can be, and yet, people continue to take advantage of that. Why is that, I wonder? Can you guess why that is, Hermione?"

"No."

"Do you think I'm being too nice? Too generous?"

"I don't know," she said with a shrug.

He leaned back, crossing one ankle over the other.

"You don't know? Surely, you must have a solution in that pretty little head of yours…"

Hermione sighed.

"Maybe…maybe you could be stingier with your product…harsher with the consequences," she whispered.

"Harsher with the consequences," he repeated "…I like the sound of that. After all, it's always satisfying to enact justice on those you feel have wronged you. Wouldn't you agree, Hermione?"

Hermione was unnerved by the look in his eyes, and she was forced to look away. She heard him grabbing a slip of paper, handing it out towards her.

"This is your target…"

Hermione reached out to take it, hand trembling as her eyes landed on the picture. Her heart faltered within her chest, mouth falling open, eyes widening in a mixture of shock and horror.

"Do you know him?"

"I do," she whispered truthfully, eyes lifting to meet his as a confusion filled stare bled into an accusatory one "…but you already knew that."

He shrugged, a nonchalant look on his devilishly handsome face.

"That's neither here nor there. You will meet with him-."

"What are you going to do to him?" she interrupted, suddenly standing.

His eyes hardened as he towered over her.

"What does it matter? He hurt you, remember? In fact, if my sources are correct, he very nearly killed you…"

Hermione blinked, tears in her eyes as this overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over her.

"Yes, but-! I… I've gotten what I wanted. He's miserable, and probably will be for a long time!"

Riddle tilted his head, dark eyes boring into her own.

"Well, I haven't gotten what I wanted, darling. He owes me money, and if he doesn't have it…"

"No! He-."

"No?"

He walked towards her, forcing her to stumble backwards at the look in his eyes.

"No? Here I was thinking you'd be grateful! Thinking that you'd jump at the opportunity to get the one up on your cowardly ex-."

"I don't want him dead! Just because he hurt me doesn't mean that I want him hurt!"

She gasped as his hands dug into her arms, shaking her.

"Well, that's unfortunate because you don't have a choice, love. You will call him up, and you will tell him that you want to talk, get back together, whatever it takes to get him alone."

Hermione's lip trembled as she glared at him through blurry eyes.

"You will do this…"

"I won't do it. Find someone else… Make me do anything else, I don't care. I'm not doing this," the words flew out before she had time to process them.

His lip curled over his teeth, and suddenly, his hand was in her hair as he forced her to her knees.

"How about we change your job description, right here and right now, in this very office?"

Hermione struggled as she pressed her hand against his leg, pulling her head against his grip while her other hand dug nail marks into his wrist.

"That's what I can make you do instead, and when I'm done… I'll singlehandedly slaughter everyone you care about," he snarled.

He dropped to a crouch, his other hand coming up to wrap around her throat, nose brushing against hers.

"I'll put bullet holes in every single one of them, starting with my own right hand man… I'll make you watch as they all scream," he whispered as he shook her.

Hermione punched his chest, eyes watering from the lack of oxygen.

"…but I think I'll spare the young Malfoy, just so that you'll have some incentive to behave," he purred, lips brushing against her own.

Her eyes widened, stomach dropping.

"How does that sound?" he spat, throwing her away from him.

She sharply inhaled as she landed on the floor, the air pulling into her lungs almost burned. He tossed something at her, and she looked up through her hair to see her phone.

"You will call him, and you will meet with him. What we do to him is none of your concern."

Hermione panted as her hand landed on the printout that she'd dropped, the smiling face of Ronald Weasley staring back at her.

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