AU! No war.
Written for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
House: Thunderbird
Class/Task Number: Ancient Studies. Shabti: servitude
Bonus Prompts:
(object) scroll
(word count) 2695
Word Count: 2695/4500
A Simple Bet — And Its Hilarious Consequences
After Hermione loses a bet with Draco, she's forced to become his slave for the month. To get out of servitude, she tries to get him to kick her out himself.
"You won't get better marks than me!" Draco's face was beet-red. "Mark my words!"
"That's like Parkinson suddenly not clinging to you!" Hermione roared, spit flying from her mouth.
"You jealous, Granger?" Draco smirked at Hermione's enraged expression.
"In your dreams, Malfoy!" Hermione pivoted on her heels and stormed away, leaving Draco to think of a way to challenge Granger.
He soon figured out an idea and he looked for Granger. His ideas were always great, but this idea was better than the time he'd charmed Granger's hair to stand on its ends every time she raised her hand.
Draco smirked when he found Hermione in her spot in the library, surrounded by books. The sunlight streamed through the window, making her mahogany-brown hair glow. Draco stood dumbfounded, in awe of the beautiful sight. He knew she was pretty enough — he'd seen her at the Yule Ball — but he'd never thought of her as exceptional before.
"What do you want now, Malfoy?" she muttered, her eyes trained on the book in front of her.
"How did you know it was me? You're not even looking at me," Draco said, frowning down at her. He could sense her presence, but he didn't know she could do it too.
"You use too much cologne," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes. She stretched her arms and yawned. "What do you want?"
Draco was transfixed by her relaxed pose and forgot what he was going to say. Hermione cocked a brow and waved her hand in front of him. "Malfoy? Are you finally turning into a dumb blond?"
Draco scowled and said, "I'm smarter than you and I'm going to prove it."
"How? By jumping into the Great Lake?" Hermione teased with a small smile. Her smile knocked Draco off-balance, and he stumbled, his foot getting caught in his robes.
"Malfoy!" Hermione cried, shooting out of her seat and grabbing his forearm to keep him from falling over. "You're acting weird… What's your problem?"
"Nothing." Draco' cheeks were pink at Hermione's touch. "Let's bet on this term's results."
"Why? I know I'm going to get better marks than you," Hermione retorted, letting go of his arm, picking up her books to put them back in their rightful place.
"To make things exciting." Draco picked up her bag and slung it over his shoulder. "The bet's simple. Whoever loses will be the winner's slave for the month. Deal?"
"How do I know you won't cheat?"
"I don't need to cheat. I'm better than you."
"Sod off, Malfoy. I'm not in the mood—"
"And get bragging rights," Draco quickly added at the end. Hermione halted, thinking it over.
"Really? Bragging rights? That's interesting. Go on," Hermione prompted, turning to look at Draco carefully.
"Winner gets bragging rights and gets to order the loser around for a month. The loser won't do anything that could physically harm them, but everything else goes."
"Alright, deal. You better write this down — I don't trust you. You could refuse to acknowledge our agreement when you inevitably lose," Hermione taunted.
"Very well, Granger. We'll write it down," he said, checking her bag for a piece of parchment. He frowned and asked, "How many parchments do you even carry, Granger? It's like a whole library in here!"
Hermione scowled and yanked her bag towards her. "Oh, give it to me!" She pulled out a scroll of parchment and a quill. She wrote down the terms and conditions of their bet on the scroll and handed it to Draco to read it over.
Both parties, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, agree to the following terms and conditions:
Whoever gets higher marks in the second term exams will be declared the winner.
The loser agrees to do as the victor bids for the entirety of the month, starting from the day the marks are announced.
The victor agrees to keep the enslaved safe from all sorts of physical harm during their time of servitude and is liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof, including, but not limited to lacerations, evisceration, and incineration.
"Are you kidding me, Granger? Incineration?"
"I spent last summer locked in a house with the Weasley twins. So, yes, that part is also important."
"Add that the loser can't tell anyone they're a slave," Draco demanded. "I don't want you to tell Potter and Weasley anything. Correction: neither of us can tell anyone about the bet, neither before nor during the month of enslavement. Afterwards is fine."
"Fine! Give me your quill, I'll sign it." The two of them signed the bottom of the scroll, and Hermione cast a spell to make it permanent. They watched as the scroll glowed bright white for a few seconds and then faded away.
"May the best man win, Granger — because I'm the only man here," Draco taunted as he smirked down at Hermione. Hermione scowled and flipped him off after he had pivoted and left the library. Oh, she was going to trample his pretty little face into the dust...
"Did you see the results posted in the common room, Mione?" Harry hesitantly asked, not wanting to scare Hermione.
"What? They're posted already?" she shrieked as she sprinted down the stairs and into the common room. She shoved past the students and stumbled against the board, almost knocking it over.
"Careful, Mione," Harry said, nervously nibbling on his lip. He had seen the scores already and knew that Hermione was going to lose her temper. He was proven right just a second later.
Hermione's horrified screams echoed through the castle, and deep down in the Slytherin common room, Draco smirked at the sound. So, she had seen the scores then. He grinned at the E in front of Hermione's Potions result and thought, 'Let's see how long it takes for Granger to come in here screaming her pretty little head off…'
It didn't take long for Hermione to storm downstairs and into the Slytherin common room, her hair almost sparking with magic, her chest heaving with erratic breaths. "Draco Malfoy!" she roared as soon as she caught sight of him seated near the wall.
"Shouldn't I be yelling your name now?" Draco taunted as he stood up and dusted himself off carelessly.
"Malfoy, I know you cheated somehow! It's Snape, of course he's going to—"
"There's no mention of cheating in the you-know-what," Draco said in a low voice, a devious smirk fixed on his face as if with a Sticking Charm.
"You little shit! I'm going to kill you!" Hermione screamed as she lunged at Draco who laughed heartily and bolted out of the room.
"Catch me if you can, Granger!" he taunted over his shoulder.
Hermione shrieked and whipped out her wand, murder in her eyes, as she bolted after him.
"Granger, polish my shoes," Draco called out as he ran his fingers through his hair to get the perfect windswept look. He stood in front of his floor-length mirror, styling his hair and straightening his uniform.
"Yes, Master," Hermione choked out through gritted teeth as she stormed towards the door to pick up his shoes.
"On your knees, Granger," Draco said without looking at her over his shoulder. Hermione snarled under her breath but did as he bade her. She got down on her knees, picked up the brush and started to polish Draco's shoes.
Draco turned around and said, "Make sure the soles are perfectly clean. I don't want any dirty shoes, you know."
"Yes, Master," Hermione spat as she continued to clean his shoes the Muggle way. These were the worst 36 minutes of her life, Hermione thought as she scrubbed the soles of his dragonhide-leather shoes. First, she had gotten an E in Potions just because Snape preferred Draco over her, then she was forced to become his slave for the entirety of the month. Merlin, she was going to die of embarrassment — or maybe she could kill him instead.
She plotted ways to get away with murdering Draco as she scoured the shoes, and Draco snapped his fingers at her. "Granger, I'm not getting any younger here. My shoes. Now."
Hermione hissed, "Here are your stupid shoes, Master. Hope you don't trip and fall and break your neck."
Draco smirked and said, "That reminds me, Granger. You're going to follow me every day from now on till the end of the month. Everywhere I go, you go. Got that inside your inferior skull?"
Hermione looked ready to strangle him but the contract's magic forced her to say, "Yes, Master."
Draco pointed at his bag and said, "Carry that without a Lightening Charm, Granger. Come on, chop, chop!" He clapped his hands once and sauntered towards the door. Hermione picked up his bag and groaned under its weight. She was going to kill Malfoy if she had to do this every day for the whole month. Why had she been stupid enough to agree to his bet?
When the students saw Hermione Granger walk into the Great Hall behind Draco Malfoy carrying his bag and her own, they all had to rub their eyes and pinch themselves to make sure they weren't dreaming. They gawped at the befuddling scene and some of them even choked on their pumpkin juice.
"Mione, what are you doing?" Ron cried, horrified at the sight.
Draco leaned down and whispered to Hermione, "Do you want to tell those bozos anything, Granger? Tell him to sod off, then you'll come and sit with me at the Slytherin table from now on."
Hermione blanched at the thought of sitting with Draco at the table amongst Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle. She had never been so desperate to wish she could have had her time-turner so she could go back in time and smack herself in the face before she agreed to Draco's wicked idea. But she had no other choice; the contract bound her to him for the whole month.
The magic of the contract forced her to turn towards Ron and say, "Sod off!" Her face went pale when she realized that she was forced to do everything Draco told her to do. To the exact T. Draco seemed to come to the same conclusion as his smirk widened and he tilted his head towards the Slytherin table.
Hermione swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and followed Draco to the Slytherin table. Everyone, including Snape, stared at her with disbelief as she sat down beside Draco.
"Draco!" Pansy shrieked loudly. "What are you doing with this Mudblood?"
"Stop staring at her. She's mine." Draco ignored Pansy's slur as he crossed his ankles under the table.
"Granger, pour some pumpkin juice for me. I like to start my dinner with a cool, refreshing glass of pumpkin juice." Under his breath, he whispered, "Don't call me Master in front of others. Call me Draco dear."
Hermione fisted her hands but said, "Yes, Draco, dear." She ignored the whispers of the students around her as she poured pumpkin juice into his glass. She handed it to him and picked up a plate for herself.
"Make me a plate, Granger. I want the omelette, but remember I only want it with mushrooms and olives. I don't like the rest of it. Oh, and also two pieces of toast with low-fat butter — the toasts need to be very crispy."
Hermione took a deep breath as she tried to keep her composure. "Yes, Draco, dear." She made his plate for him and placed it in front of him.
"Feed me, Granger. I feel so tired!" Draco yawned as he stretched his arms overhead and placed his right arm around Hermione's stiff shoulders.
Hermione licked her dry lips and picked up his fork. She almost cracked the plate as she stabbed the fork into the omelette, her face turning red with anger when she shoved the fork into Draco's mouth.
"Be gentle with me, Granger. I'm not your ugly henchmen," Draco said, smirking as he leaned closer to her.
"Don't call them ugly, Ma—Draco, dear." Hermione had to control her strength as she fed Draco the rest of his food. She had to hold the goblet up to his mouth as he sipped on it delicately.
"Wow, I don't know what you've done to Granger, but I like her like this," Blaise teased, leaning towards Hermione, making her inch away from him towards Draco.
Draco stiffened at Blaise's indirect remark. "Zabini… This Gryffindor's mine, alright?" he said in a low tone, but every Slytherin in hearing range understood him loud and clear: anyone who dared mess with Granger was going to suffer at Draco's hands.
Draco tightened his arm around Hermione's shoulders and ordered, "Wipe my face, Granger, and use your tie."
Hermione's mouth fell open at his order but she winced and carefully wiped his mouth, wishing desperately to wipe that grin off of his face somehow. But she didn't have a clue as to what to do.
"Give me a good massage, Granger. And make sure to work on my shoulders a bit more — Quidditch practice was rough," Draco drawled as he plopped down on his bed and motioned for Hermione to remove his shoes for him.
Hermione grimaced as she watched him run his fingers through his sweaty hair. Hoping against hope, she asked, "Aren't you going to shower first?"
"Nope." Draco popped the P as he smirked down at her. "You'll bathe me later. But first… massage."
Hermione almost cried with disgust as she straddled his back and started to work on relaxing his muscles. He might have been one of the most good-looking boys in seventh-year, but his personality and attitude cancelled it out immediately.
Merlin, how was she going to survive the rest of the month? It had only been a week since he had won their bet, but Hermione felt as if her nightmare had been going on forever. She needed to find a way to annoy him so much that he himself would give her up as his slave. She knew he was careful, but she, too, wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for nothing.
It took a couple more days of Draco's torture for the lightbulb to go off in her head. The condition was that she would have to do everything he told her to do, therefore Hermione decided to do exactly what he would tell her to do.
Hermione smirked as she balanced herself on one toe for Draco's amusement. Malfoy was going to regret he ever betted against her….
"Follow me around Hogsmeade today, Granger. That's what you told me to do, Master."
"I didn't mean into the men's loo!" Draco cried, covering his face with embarrassment.
"You didn't specify, Master." Hermione's smirk was wicked to the core, and Draco felt attracted to it. He grimaced at the realization and stormed away from the Three Broomsticks from where he and Hermione had been kicked out of for indecency.
"You told me to make you a plate, Master. So I did it." Hermione batted her eyes at him innocently.
"I didn't tell you to Transfigure me into one! Although… I'm impressed with your talent, but still! You turned me into a plate!"
"You didn't specify, Master." Draco groaned at her persistence, still dizzy due to his unexpected transformation.
"My beautiful shoes! What did you do to them, Granger?" Draco's screams reverberated through the castle.
"You told me to clean them — you didn't specify what to use to clean them. So I used the twins' permanent dye — now your shoes will always shine like the rainbow!" Hermione's tone was saccharine-sweet.
"I know what you're attempting to do, Granger, but, believe me, it's not going to work. Just because you're annoying me, I'm not going to let you leave your work. Now, to knock some sense into you, you're going to do my homework — and you're going to write the correct answers this time. Not like the fairytale you wrote for Snape."
Hermione smirked and thought, 'You can try as much as you like, Draco Malfoy, but I'll find a way to get you to kick me out. Just you wait…'
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