CONTEST WINNER THIS CHAPTER: "MemTheGreat"recommended the song,"Love, Sex and Magic" by Ciara and Justin Timberlake for this go around. So, this chapter is dedicated to MemTheGreat - congratulations! Lyrics for that song appear at the bottom of this chapter. Hope you'll find this song somehow and give it a listen.
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CHAPTER FIVE: THE 4th QUESTION
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry, Scotland
Room of Requirement
Saturday, June 13, 1998 (11:00 pm)
By the time Draco and his partner made it back to the couches in the main area, two couples were already out there waiting – Finnigan and Brown, and Pansy with the Weasel.
The Irish and his blonde bombshell were holding hands, sitting next to each other on the sofa, turned slightly towards each other, her head resting on his shoulder. How…darling. He almost lost his dinner right there.
As for Pans, she and her redheaded beau were leaning against the back of the furniture on Slytherin's side, her bum perched on the top of the sofa, Ron holding her with arms entwined about her waist. They were talking quietly, staring into each other's eyes, and Draco stopped cold, floored by the emotion so nakedly displayed across his ex-girlfriend's features. He'd never seen Parkinson so sincerely happy or unrestrained with a man before – and he'd been privy to more than one public display by her with a guy over the years. The smile on her lips, the blush on her cheeks, the loving way her fingers lightly caressed Ronald Weasley's arms, shoulders and throat were all indicative of one thing: massive infatuation. There was no feint in her demeanor, either, to make him think that she might be faking.
"Can't believe it either, huh?" Granger's voice at his right shoulder brought him around. "It seems odd to me, too. I mean, they were so openly hateful of each other before the first action round. It's the same with Ginny and your friend, Zabini, and even Lavender with Seamus. They all had bad histories that were…well…weirdly forgotten as soon as sex came into the equation."
Draco considered how best to reply to turn the strange circumstances into some sort of personal advantage, per typical Slytherin modus operandi.
Tilting his head, he looked down from his greater height into the eyes of his partner. "Us, too."
Two words, so very powerful. They got the expected response.
Granger blushed prettily, her eyes searching his face for hidden clues about his feelings. Draco was careful to craft his mask to prevent too far a probe, however. "So, your opinion has changed now?"
Slowly, carefully, he lifted a hand and stroked his fingertips lightly down her left cheek. "Now, I think it's safe to say the transformation is for the better – for all of us. Don't you agree?"
Dark bronze stared into his very heart, measuring, calculating in seconds whether to believe him or not. "I think it's nice, yes. But definitely…peculiar."
Slipping his hand down to hers to entwine them together, he gently guided her to his side and walked them about the room, away from the seating area, talking to her as they went so as to distract her from their touching. "What's got you so suspicious? Don't you think it's possible for physical intimacy to alter the nature of a relationship?"
His ploy worked; his witch was too caught up in contemplating and discussing the topic to pay much attention to her hand clasped in his, to his long fingers rubbing seductively over hers. "Yes, it's possible, of course, and the game certainly gives such an opportunity to create cozy moments between partners. I have read the cards for my side, after all. But, it's almost like…" She floundered for the answer, which seemed to remain just out of her reach. Shaking her head in frustration, her brow lowered in concern. "It just feels strange. Not a natural development."
As they reached the stone-masonry of the back wall, they made their way around it, following the angles. "You suspect the magic of the cards is somehow influencing us to feel stronger…affection…for each other than would be normal?" he plucked the thought seamlessly from her supposition.
Halting her steps, bringing him to a stop at her side as well, Hermione glanced over at the table between the two couches on the other side of the room and stared at the piles of cards lying unobtrusively on the surface. Watching her profile carefully, he could practically read the thoughts flittering through her brain as they reflected in her eyes. She was most definitely concerned, although Draco could not understand why. "We know the cards are forcing us to tell the truth and to perform the actions," she murmured in a low voice so they wouldn't be overheard, even with the obvious distance between them and the others. "What else are they forcing upon us? And how?" She glanced up at him from beneath painted lashes. "Where did you get this particular set?"
Draco shifted uncomfortably. "From some place I know you'll wholly disapprove," he stated frankly, knowing her character.
She narrowed her eyes in deliberation. "Knockturn Alley. Borgin & Burkes?"
Draco shook his head. "Correct on the general location, wrong about the storefront. They came from a few doors down, actually."
Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "Don't tell me you got them from Madam Aset?"
Surprise flashed through him. "Been patronizing the seedier parts of town, have we?" he snickered, astonished to discover his bookworm wasn't quite as innocent as he'd always assumed. "And how would you know about a Sex-Witch Shoppe, hmmm?"
"How would you?" she countered, slightly miffed at him (whether for knowing about the Sex-Witch or buying a questionable deck of magical cards, Draco couldn't rightly tell), and they continued walking, heading towards the couches now.
Leaning his mouth towards her ear as they walked, he whispered naughtily to her. "The owner taught me everything I know."
Jerking back from him as if slapped, she stopped again and stared at him with incredulity. "You paid for sex with a known whore?"
It was Draco's turn to be annoyed now. "First of all, it's a right-of-passage for all pureblood men of my status to be broken in by a Sex-Witch who's been properly trained and certified by the Ministry." At the look of horror on her face, he tsk'd at her naivety. "I told you that the titled wizarding elite follow ancient customs that the rest of the world can't fathom. That one's a hold-over. That I lost my virginity outside that convention and earlier than expected – and to a half-blood, regardless of her ties to the Zabinis - infuriated my father to no end…which was the point then, because I was angry at him for the lifetime of brainwashing he'd heaped upon me." He tugged her a little harshly so that she was forced back into his close quarters, their faces only inches apart. "You can congratulate yourself for unwittingly empowering that rebellious streak within me, by the way, since I'd only started thinking that way after the Yule Ball just days before."
Having caught Granger flat-footed (and as open-mouthed as a fish out of water) was a major triumph for sure, but her candidly registered shock still wasn't enough to assuage Draco's rising temper now that he was on a roll. He barreled onward, intent on calling her out for the doffing hypocrite she was at that moment.
"Second, you're smarter than to call a practitioner of the craft of intimacy something as cheap and common as a 'whore,' princess. As well-read as you are, you should know by now that a Sex-Witch or Warlock can't help what they are anymore than you can help being a witch. They're born with the power to bring pleasure to others, much as you're innately good at Charms."
He sniffed in disdain, letting her hand go, stepping away.
"I'd have thought someone like you, who'd been on the receiving end of prejudice more than once, would know better than to judge others for the parameters of their birth."
Granger looked stricken suddenly, as if the thought had never occurred to her that she was, in fact, being an unmitigated, two-faced snob regarding this subject. He fired his point home with a final shot. "And for your information, Ms. Sabrina is nota whore. She's actually quite a lovely and refined lady who cares for her patrons. It was she who taught me how to respect a woman in bed - how to show her the proper attention and how to pleasure her perfectly every time." He smirked rather arrogantly down at his partner. "Something you're going to benefit from very generously as the game progresses, princess, so I wouldn't make too much of a fuss about my visitations with her if I were you."
He walked away then, giving Gryffindor's sovereign space and time to think about what he'd said. To his amazement, after only a few steps, he felt her hand grab his, and tug him to a definitive stop. He turned to give his partner his full attention, aware (now that he'd spied the group in its entirety across the room, waiting upon them) of the eyes watching their lackluster performance. They hadn't even raised their voices this time! He was sure that was disappointing to some of them.
"You're right. I was judging without considering all of the facts," Hermione admitted, bending to the logic, appearing properly censured by shame. "I apologize if I've insulted you or your…friend. Or your…traditions."
Well, this had to be a first: Granger was apologizing to him, admitting she was wrong about something. He wanted to shout, "Quick, someone take a picture so it can't be denied later!" but thought that would probably be a really immature thing to do given the circumstances. That meant there was only one acceptable recourse left to him…
"You're forgiven, Granger. Let's just get back to the game."
She didn't let go of his hand though, even as he made to turn and go. Instead, she stepped in closer and held him fast, and for an instant (just a tiny one), he thought perhaps she was moving in to kiss him in apology as well. His internal animal wagged its tail at the thought.
"I'm still concerned about the cards and their influence, though," she whispered, eyes darting over his shoulder to look at the entire cast of players. "What if it's dark magic of some kind? Did your Madam Aset tell you anything at all about them, or perhaps hint at anything in passing?"
Draco's beast calmed on all fronts as he pondered the question and reviewed the facts within his command. "She made it clear that the game belonged to a friend of hers, and that there's a charm already on it that will send it back to her automatically once the game is finished."
"How did you find out about the game to begin with?" his partner pressed, clearly unwilling to let this go for now. "Did she show it to you when you went to…visit…her? Or was it advertised for sale and you went to procure it that way?"
Now he found himself in a quandary with no good options for getting out - which also put him in the position of becoming a potential victim of his own conniving plot. On the one hand, if he told Granger that he'd been planning to seduce her well in advance of tonight, and that he'd acquired this game solely for that purpose (once Sabrina had mentioned it to him, of course), Hermione would most likely quit the game permanently, thinking him a smidge obsessed.
On the other hand, his partner would mostly likely hound the living hell out of him for answers throughout the rest of the game, turning over and over every one of his words in that amazing brain of hers until she puzzled the whole thing out on her own – which would then frag her off, because she'd know he'd hidden the truth from her from the start.
If there was one thing he had discovered about Hermione Granger over the last three years, it was that she despised liars and schemers.
Shame, really, otherwise they'd have got on famously long ago.
Sighing in frustration, knowing he'd have to work this situation over delicately so that he wouldn't be necessarily lying, but so that he wouldn't give his hand away too soon either, he turned his back to the group and spoke low, for her ears only. "I wanted to try the game out after Madam described it to me over tea one afternoon," he stated, then rolled his eyes at her look of doubt regarding the last part of his statement. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but yes, Granger, it's not always about sex. I went only for a social visit that time."
Which was absolutely true; so far, he hadn't lied a bit. He'd omitted, but not lied. What good would it serve if he explained that he'd specifically gone to Sabrina that day for her advice on love games so he could ensnare this infuriatingly nosey witch standing before him now and claim her for his own, if only just once?
"She gave me the basic rundown on the rules then, and explained that the game belonged to her friend and she could acquire it for me and have it sent to me here. The only other thing she said was that the cards have been around for over two hundred years, and that they originally belonged to some suicidal courtesan in a gentleman's establishment."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Suicidal?"
Draco shrugged nonchalantly. "Apparently." Not that it mattered. What did a bint who lived two centuries ago have to do with the price of tea in India, anyway? "The game's been passed down in Madam Aset's family ever since. They're something of an heirloom, as I understand it."
Granger's faced did that thing it was wont to do when she was turning an enigma around in her head – it scrunched up and made her look like a garden gnome. Politely, Draco coughed behind his hand to hide a laugh.
"If they're that important," she wondered aloud, "why loan them out to just anybody, then? I mean, I wouldn't lend something that sentimental out to you."
He gave her an irked frown. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
She shook her head. "No, you misunderstand. I mean, what are you to Madam Aset aside from just another client?"
Now he was becoming personally offended. Raising an eyebrow, he scowled at his witch. "You say that like I'm some forgettable street urchin with cheap coin whom she tolerates darkening her doorstep."
Wisely, Granger did not rise to the bait. Instead, she gave him a flat stare. "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You're not the Sex-Witch's relation in any fashion, nor did you indicate that you knew or were on solid speaking terms with her friend, so why on Earth would she and her friend deign to loan out a priceless family treasure to a mere acquaintance, business or otherwise? It makes absolutely no sense."
His hackles were rising. "Maybe because I'm a fantastic fuck," he crudely sniped.
One delicate, dark brown eyebrow twitched coolly. "We'll see," was all his partner replied.
With her own powerful two-word sentence, it was as if Hermione had flipped a switch suddenly, and Draco felt rather pleased that she'd conceded to the idea that he would shag her rotten at some point in the next twenty-some-odd hours, and he forgot all about the mood of doom that had been hovering like a storm bank over them both.
He threw her a sly smirk. "Come on, Granger," he coerced, taking her hand again gently and tucking it into his arm as if he were escorting her to a formal occasion, "You can burn out your brain on your own time. Right now, everyone's waiting for us."
That jarred her right out of her internalized space and, guiltily, she looked over at the seating area and noted the other couples all waiting patiently for them to finish their spat.
"Foot," she said with a sigh, "is it time to head back into the fray?"
Draco grinned, deciding to change the topic to cheer her up. He'd like where they'd left things this last round, and was hoping for more of a breakthrough this time. "Afraid so. And speaking of, perhaps this time you'll have to massage my feet." He sighed in melodramatic teasing. "Ahhh, you on your knees before me, washing my toes and rubbing them sensuously… I could really come to like that."
His princess chuckled. "I will never bend a knee to you, Draco Malfoy."
"We'll see," he arrogantly smirked. "You might just find you'll enjoy the eye-level view in that position."
He'd timed that shot to purposefully coincide with them reaching the sphere of the sofas, and so his partner had been unable to reply, knowing the others would hear. Instead, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He let her go so she could take her place, but only after he'd pressed a rather chivalric kiss to the back of her knuckles, making her blush as crimson as an Allentide apple.
"Sorry for the delay everyone," Granger announced, making their excuses when Draco felt none were necessary. He said nothing, however, resuming his seat and crossing his legs, getting comfortable. It was Potter's turn to conduct this round, and he indicated with a nod to his contemporary that he was ready to begin once his partner resumed her spot across the way.
Potter clapped his hands together and rubbed them, as happy as a gay lark. "Right, so I hope everyone had a nice time last round. And…you're up, Blaise," he indicated the pile of green cards on the table.
Zabini rolled his eyes at the man's chirpy optimism, and, reaching forward, grabbed the top card of the Interrogations pile and read it aloud:
"If you had to count how often you wanked in an average week, what would that number be today?"
No one said anything, although there was some shifting immediately to Blaise's left. Tracey was clearly uncomfortable with answering the question (like that was any surprise).
"Sorry," she apologized curtly to everyone and quickly grabbed a Forfeits card, her face blooming with twin cherries on each cheek.
Draco was beginning to suspect that perhaps Davis was either incredibly shy, or an outright liar about her experience. Which would suck for her if she was still a virgin and Potter got one of Draco's Forfeits or Deeds cards, because that meant that the girl was good and screwed, literally.
However, since Pans had been the one to say her roommate could play in the first place, and he'd entrusted the recruitment of the Slytherin women to Parkinson, he really had no say in the matter.
Besides, it was too late to do anything about it.
It was his turn now.
Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the ceiling. "Let's see here…" he playfully stalled, knowing Granger was probably hanging on his every word, although she'd most likely be pretending not to be in the least bit interested. "How many times on average a week do I stroke it? Hmmm…Whose card was this anyway? I need clarification on something."
It was no surprise when Weasley grinned. "Guilty as charged."
"Figures," Draco snarked. "Okay, so are you talking about wanking to completion, or just touching yourself for pleasure, but maybe not coming?"
The redheaded git snorted and shook his head. "Who the hell strokes their dick but doesn't come?"
Draco gave him a rather amused smirk. "You mean to tell me that you've never whipped it out and touched yourself in class just to see if you could get away with it?"
Finnigan started laughing then and slapped his knee. "Holy shit, I thought I was the only one ta do that."
All right, the Irish just went up a tiny notch in Draco's esteem for admitting to something that he knew most of the guys had done at one time or another throughout their Hogwarts career.
Theo snickered and looked across at the Weasel, who was decidedly uncomfortable. "Admit it, you've done it. Hell, I've done it." He grinned without shame. "Almost got caught by Snape stroking the ol' pickle in fifth year."
"That would have been quite the disaster," Granger piped in, an amused giggle escaping her lips. "Can you imagine what the detention would have been?"
There were a few shared chuckles around the circle.
"I have no compunction about admitting to such pleasurable activities while in the classroom for instruction," Daphne stated rather calmly, lifting her glasses from her nose, breathing on the lenses and rubbing them with the edge of Blaise's shirt tail. "I have twice indulged in such diversions while in Muggle Studies, twice in Divination, and once in Defense Against The Dark Arts."
Even Draco's jaw dropped at that.
Everyone stared at Greengrass like she'd just grown another head.
"Fuck. Me," Theo breathed out, jumped out of his seat and knelt before his partner, his face awed. "I think I'm officially in love with you, my Queen."
Replacing her rather sensible yet fashionable spectacles upon the bridge of her nose, Daphne looked down at her beau, and to everyone's surprise, she reached out gently and fondly ruffled his hair. "I will give you the opportunity to illustrate the depths of such feeling next round, if you conduct yourself agreeably, my Theo."
The smile he threw her was one of utter adoration, and in that moment, Draco started to doubt his earlier skepticism of Granger's assessment of the cards.
He glanced over at his partner, and clearly, she was sharing the same foreboding concern, her gaze traveling over Daphne and Theo before locking onto his.
"So, the question remains," he managed to draw the group back on topic, and Theo resumed his seat, "how did you define 'wanking,' Weasley, when you wrote up the card?"
Ron shrugged his broad shoulders. "I guess I meant you had to come at the end of it."
Draco nodded, his attention turning to the curly-haired witch at Weasley's left shoulder. "Then my answer would have to be every day, at least once, sometimes two or three times, depending upon how much time I have to waste, and whether I'm in a relationship or not."
"Why should that last part matter?"
That from Hermione, who stared right back at him in challenge.
Gods, he loved her sassy, fearless mouth!
"Because if I'm fucking a woman regularly, I don't need to get myself off so often," he replied matter-of-factly. "I'm more satisfied with a woman's touch than my own."
Potter cleared his throat. "Um, no questioning someone's answer, remember?"
Gryffindor's Princess nodded her concession. "Sorry for interrupting." She didn't look very sorry, though. She looked downright intrigued by Draco's answer – which was working miracles on renewing his erection. He had to bite back his excitement, otherwise he'd be tent-poling for the whole group to see. Instead, he reached for a red card.
The Irish was next. Chuckling, the guy leaned forward and grabbed the next Deedscard off the stack in advance, then laid his head back into the sofa cushions and shut his eyes. "Usually it's every day fer me, but sometimes, I'm good for a day or two a'tween."
To his left, Brown looked like she was debating answering, but then looked at her partner out of the corner of her eye and shrugged. "At least three times a week," she admitted and grabbed a red card.
Next to her Finnigan grinned, leaned in, and whispered something in her ear that made the blonde smile brightly and elbow him.
The Weasel was next. He took a deep breath, leaning back against his clasped hands, settling deeper into the cushions and grinned wickedly at Pansy. "As soon as I wake up every day, like clockwork, I give it a palm either in bed or the showers," he said.
Draco's former girlfriend waggled her eyebrows at her partner once and licked her lips, which made the Weasel King's shit-eating grin take up the expanse of his face.
All right, maybe Granger's idea wasn't as crazy as he'd thought…
Thinking of, it was now her turn.
"You won't tell," he dared her from across the few feet separating them, purposefully staring at her through laughing eyes.
As predictable as a sunrise, she sniffed in disdain and met his challenge head-on. "At least twice a week." She threw him a mischievous leer. "I tend to pick a random spot in the castle to do it, too. This week, it was the fifth floor corridor, behind one of the arches, in front of a window. That was Wednesday. Yesterday, it was in the boathouse."
Draco's circulatory and respiratory systems temporarily stopped working. So did the neuropathic relays in his brain.
"You're kidding!" the She-Weasel squawked, turning an incredulous look on her best girlfriend.
Hermione shook her head, while keeping eye contact with him. "Not kidding."
Theo burst out laughing, and it sounded different from his usual gaiety – sharper, definitely biting. "Who knew the Head Girl wasn't as virtuous as everyone thought? Sneaking about the grounds, fingering her pussy, right under everyone's noses!"
Hermione's brow lowered in disappointment. "I didn't figure you to be so crude, Teddy."
Nott's eyes narrowed into serpentine slits and he frowned. "I could say the same thing…'Mione."
The two glared at each other across the table – he with sullen hostility, she with dismay and disgust. Everyone else was silent, watching the confrontation unfold, questions about the nature of this previously unknown 'relationship' between the two combatants evident in every eye.
"No discussion," Draco growled angrily, not liking the antagonism aimed towards his girl from his best friend. He knew Theo had a slightly darker side to his typically charming, witty personality that he was very careful not to let slip out, but now it was rearing its ugly head, and aimed right at Granger in what appeared to be indignant resentment.
Clearly, the reason Theo had expressed an interest earlier this week in sticking it to Granger prior to the game starting had nothing to do with the reason his friend had professed. There was history here that no one aside from the two of them seemed to know. She hadn't slept with Nott; he hadn't been one of her two men…but the cards had let her lie last round to him, hadn't they? She'd said Charlie Weasley had made love to her for sixteen hours, and that had been a blatant lie. He'd been able to suss that out easily. Had she also lied about the number of lovers she'd had?
Suddenly, her reasons for adding Theo to the list of men she'd fantasized about made a little more sense now, too.
How much of what she'd told him tonight was truth at all?
"Granger, take a Deeds," he snapped the command in a hard voice, ignoring Potter's turn to Captain entirely, his jealousy making itself known and making him crazy. Better to move this along quickly, so he and his curly-haired partner could have a little discussion behind closed doors about her levels of honesty before things went any further. "Go, She-Weasel."
That worked to break the moment, although the tension in the air still existed.
As Granger took her card, little Weasley looked around, locked eyes with Blaise, and then put her hands on her cheeks and groaned. "I can't believe… All right, four or five times a week, okay?" Her face was as orangey-red as her jacket. "I blame stress and not enough chocolate reserves in the whole of England."
That made Tracey giggle and blush. "You should just convince someone to loan you money so you can invest in Willy Wonka's factory, then," the pretty blonde joked.
Potter looked over in surprise at his partner. "Or she could just pray for a Golden Ticket and get her hands on the stock for free."
Hermione tittered. "Steer clear of Oompa Loompas and blue chewing gum, though!"
The three of them laughed at their weirdly private joke. Personally, Draco thought they were speaking a foreign language for crazy people.
"Excuse me, but what in bloody Merlin's armpit are you talking about?" Pansy finally asked, raising one perfectly rounded eyebrow at the three jesters with questioning concern. "Have you three been dipping too frequently into Lovegood's drink recently?"
That crack only served to make the three snigger harder.
Parkinson tsk'd and gave them all a look that said they belonged on the nut farm.
"All right, all right," Potter finally waved off the chuckling. "I'm not going to answer this one either, out of respect for my date." He reached for a blue card.
Davis stopped him. "You don't have to do that on my account, Harry. If you want to answer, I won't be offended."
Everyone gaped at the reserved blonde in astonishment, even Blaise, who was usually unfazed by just about everything, minus the She-Weasel.
Tracey's cheeks were brilliant red, but she purposefully kept her eyes on her partner, ignoring the gawking. "But only if you want to."
Potter's eyes did something then Draco thought (prayed, actually) he'd never see – they heated up with blatant, wild lust. "Every other day at least, sometimes every day," the man announced, much to everyone's shock. His eyes never left Davis' face as he confessed, either, and her response was a hitch to her breathing that drew attention to her chest. Her nipples were hard and erect through the fabric.
Draco looked away. His blonde housemate was cute, but she wasn't where his interest lay. He much preferred brunettes.
He re-focused on the group only when Theo started talking a few moments later. "I'd have to say once a day, minimum," his friend confessed. "Sometimes twice, though. I'm not discerning about where I do it, either."
Although the man's eyes remained on the stack of cards in the centre of the table, as he reached forward to grab a red one, Draco felt the jab had been directed at Hermione, and once more, his protectiveness and suspicion warred.
Pansy answered the question next. "Three to five times a week, I'd say," she mused, tapping one perfectly manicured fingernail against her bottom lip. Her eyes slid to Weasley. "A vibrating wand is a girl's best friend."
Draco smirked as Hermione shifted embarrassedly at the associated memory that statement conjured.
"Bloody hell," her redheaded partner swore, sitting up, his eyes lit with fire. "I'm gonna need a cold shower after this."
Pansy opened her mouth to reply what would undoubtedly be a rather suggestive offer, but Potter cut her off with a loud throat clearing. With an impish grin, Draco's ex- reached for a red card and sat back, smirking triumphantly nonetheless, knowing she'd won her new interest's complete attention.
Greengrass shrugged, reaching forward for a Deedscard from the stack and answering at the same time. "I have already admitted my interest in self-pleasuring, not only in private, but in public. As for a statistical average, I would fathom a guess of five times per every seven days." She adjusted her glasses again on her nose. "Masturbation alleviates stress and is a rather positive hobby for one's overall heart health. I also find nothing whatsoever shameful in the act itself. To enjoy one's life fully, one must be willing to appreciate all that brings joy."
Theo gave a rousing cheer and looked up at the ceiling. "Founders, THANK YOU!" he shouted in elation.
Everyone, even Draco, couldn't help but chuckle at such natural enthusiasm.
The round ended where it began – on Blaise. His best friend looked over at his partner and grinned slyly. "Every day or two, and with always the same fantasy girl."
The little Weasel girl sniffed in amusement and shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Sweet talker," she accused playfully, and Zabini waggled his eyebrows twice, smirking, as he reached for a red card.
"You can now turn your cards over," Potter instructed the group. "If you have to act something out now, say so."
Draco flipped his card and felt his cock jerk to life in excitement.
Now this was more like it! Finally, he had a card that would allow for a little skin to show!
Across the way, Granger looked up at him and licked her lips, her expression was one of nervous anticipation. Well, well…it seemed her card was going to require her to do something she wanted, but was anxious to perform. He wondered what that would be.
No one stood up to perform a card, but Draco did need to excuse himself for the loo. Potter and Weasley followed.
As he hit the door to the men's head, he heard Granger remind the women to cast the C&DC on themselves again. At least he could count on the ladies monitoring themselves.
As they stood at the urinals, not looking anywhere but straight ahead, Potter began whistling happily. After a few seconds of that tripe, it got on Draco's last nerve.
"Could you please not do that? It makes it crawl back up."
The Weasel burst out laughing, zipped and flushed, then went to the sink. "Yeah, Harry, what's got you grinning like the Sphinx?"
Draco and Potter flushed at the same time. They stopped and looked at each other warily, but both of them zipped up and walked to the sinks without a comment on their timing.
"What's got you?" Potter asked his friend, instead.
Ron splashed cold water over his face and the back of his neck. "I think I…" He looked quickly at Draco, then back into the mirror, readjusting his jacket and shirt. "Nothing."
"I thought Gryffindors like orange and red, not yellow," Draco taunted.
Weasley's face predictably turned a nice shade of puce.
"If you like Pans, just say so. She certainly seems to be taken with you – although I have absolutely no idea why."
As he was half-way to the door, a large, pale, slightly freckled hand grabbed him lightly to stop him. Draco looked at the offending limb holding onto him, then up the two inches into Weasley's eyes. "Do you…seriously, Malfoy…do you think she does?"
Oh, the options! Draco had the opportunity to totally crush the most annoying man he'd ever met, to emotionally squash him like a bug under his heel right then and there if he so chose. Two things held him back, however: one, Pansy's ultimate happiness, and two, Hermione's potential displeasure with him.
With careful, precise movements, he extricated the Weasel's hold on him. "I certainly think she's off her fucking rocker for you." He turned so that he was face-to-face with the Gryffindor he'd spent the last seven years tormenting with great pleasure. "If you break her heart, Weasley, I'll see you suffer a rather dissatisfying sex life for the remainder of your time on this Earth. Are we clear?"
Weasley's face went purple again, but his eyes glittered with fire. "Back at you if you hurt 'Mione."
"Yeah, what he said." Potter stepped up to his friend's side. "'Mione's our best friend, Malfoy, and why she seems to like you is beyond me, but neither of us is going to let you hurt her."
Draco arched an eyebrow at both men, looking down his nose at both in a well-practiced manner. "If hurting her was my aim, Saint Potter, do you really think I'd have gone through all the trouble of setting this game up and trying to arrange it for
her and me to be partnered? I could have simply seduced her and dumped her on her arse in front of the whole school, if a cheap one-off and a malicious laugh was all I wanted from her."
The three men shared one of those enlightened 'guy moments' then, and Draco knew both of his rivals finally understood what he'd been after for the last few years. Weasley's eyes nearly bugged from his head, and Potter was doing a great impression of stone.
Draco shifted, pulling his shoulders back to ease the tension in them, refusing to be cowed. "Don't interfere," he warned them both flatly. "Just keep your noses on your own love-smitten girlfriends, and leave Hermione to make up her own mind about me."
Threats issued properly, Draco turned on his heel and kept walking to the exit.
Back in the main common area, he shoved his hands in his pockets and took out his action card, strolling over to the door of the private suite he shared with Granger while re-reading every word to make sure he understood how far the card would allow things to go, knowing what he did of Granger's outfit. Throwing open the door to their private suite, he entered without a glance back, not even bothering to check the time.
"You have until thirty-seven past twelve to return here," he heard Potter call out as Draco threw himself down on the couch before the fire and leaned back, placing his card in the center of his chest, face-up so his partner could read it when she showed up.
Folding his fingers over his abdomen and closing his eyes to rest them, he waited patiently, smiling with sadistic glee.
This next round was going to rock…provided Granger gave him the truthful answers he wanted regarding her history with Theo first. That matter was one that needed an understanding between them before he'd touch her again.
TO BE CONTINUED...
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Musical Selection this Chapter: "Love, Sex and Magic" by Ciara and Justin Timberlake. Lyrics are as follows…
(boy says to girl)
Talk to me…
(girl singing to boy)
Your touch is so magic to me,
The strangest things can happen.
The way that you react to me,
I wanna do something you can't imagine.
Imagine…
If there was a millions me's, talking sexy to you like that…
You think you can handle, boy, if I give you my squeeze…
And I need you to push it right back.
Baby, show me…
Show me…
What's your favorite trick that you want to use on me?
And I'll volunteer!
And I'll be flowing and going
'til clothing disappears…
Ain't nothing but shoes on me.
Oh, baby!
(boy and girl singing together)
All night show
With just you and the crowd…
Doing tricks you've never seen?
And I bet that I can make you believe
In love and sex and magic.
So, let me drive my body around you,
I bet you know what I mean.
'Cause you know that I can make you believe
In love and sex and magic.
(boy singing to girl)
Everything ain't what it seems.
I wave my hands, and I got you,
And you feel so fly assisting me…
But now it's my turn to watch you.
I ain't gonna stop you
If you wanna grab my neck,
Talk sexy to me like that.
Just do what I taught you, girl,
When I give you my heat,
And I need you to push it right back.
(girl singing to boy)
Baby, show me…
Show me…
What's your favorite trick that you want to use on me?
And I'll volunteer!
And I'll be flowing and going
'til clothing disappears…
Ain't nothing but shoes on me.
Oh, baby!
(boy and girl singing together)
All night show
With just you and the crowd,
Doing tricks that you've never seen?
And I bet that I can make you believe
In love and sex and magic.
So, let me drive my body around you,
I bet you know what I mean.
'Cause you know that I can make you believe
In love and sex and magic.
Oh, this is the part where we fall in love (sugar)…
Oh, let's slow it down so we fall in love….
But don't stop what you're doing to me!
(boy and girl singing together)
All night show
With just you and the crowd,
Doing tricks that you've never seen?
And I bet that I can make you believe
In love and sex and magic.
So, let me drive my body around you,
I bet you know what I mean.
'Cause you know that I can make you believe
In love and sex and magic.
Love, sex and magic.
You know what I mean.
I bet that I can make you believe
In love and sex and magic!