Disclaimer: The plot is mine, the characters are not.
Casual Manipulation
By: Azareth Sakura
Chapter Three: Plotting Perfection
The Head's Tower was rather spacious, considering the total population of residents in it amounted to two. The entryway to the tower was charmed to look like the regular walls of Hogwarts, and charmed to allow only the Head Boy and Girl, as well as the faculty in it after three taps on the wall with said person's wand. Guests were allowed in the tower so long as they walked in while the door was open after the person who had let them in walked in. Upon entrance, there was a comfortably cozy common room, with a few squashy couches and chairs surrounding an intricate coffee table before the fireplace. The floors were a dark cherry wood, and several pale blue colored carpets covered parts of the floor. In the back of the room, there were two sets of stairs leading to the rooms of the Head Boy and Head Girl, covered with a green and red colored carpet respectively.
Each room was large enough for the student, and was accompanied by its own bathroom of moderate size. The rooms were decorated in each student's house colors, while the common room was decorated with no specific color. It was this room Hermione retired to upon exiting her confusing confrontation with Malfoy. Sure, he had been civil to her since they had become Heads, but never this friendly, caring, or concerned. On the way back to her dormitory with Harry and Ron, she had decided to dismiss all that Blaise had told her as a joke between the two Slytherins. Malfoy's behavior, however, struck her as decidedly odd, and she wondered whether or not the situation was all a big coincidence.
Malfoy and Zabini's farce was well crafted, she'd admitted to herself, for she could figure no way of determining the validity of Blaise's claims without resorting to Veritaserum or something of the like. Thoroughly perplexed, Hermione sighed. She closed the Charms book which had been open on her lap, and placed it on her desk. Her thoughts were too distracted by Malfoy and Zabini; she would get no more work done tonight. That essay Professor Flitwick assigned for next week would just have to wait until tomorrow. Hermione mentally adjusted her schedule for the following day as she lay in bed, in the darkness. This normally helped her fall asleep, but for tonight, sleep was particularly elusive.
It was about two in the morning when Hermione finally fell into a fitful sleep.
She was in the library, reading, when a shadow fell before her, making the text hard to read. Startled, Hermione looked up and stared smack into a pair of beautiful dark eyes staring intensely at her.
"Z-Zabini?" She asked as he put his hands on the back of the chair on either side of her shoulders and leaned forward. She could lean back no more in the chair, and Zabini was way past getting in her personal space. She shifted uncomfortably and he smirked a little before leaning all the way forward and kissing her briefly.
He pulled back, and Hermione's eyes widened as she stared up at him. "What was that about?" She asked, more shocked than angry.
"Hermione Granger." He stated simply, as he cocked his head to the right and regarded her intently. "I want you, Hermione Granger," he smiled prettily, revealing his perfect white teeth, "I want you to be my girlfriend."
Blaise leaned back, and offered his hand to Hermione. Hesitantly, she accepted it, and he pulled her up and out of the chair.
They were in the Great Hall now. The tables had been put away, and smaller, round tables lined the walls. The center was cleared, and students stood there, in two lines, waiting. He took her hand, and raised it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss upon it, before bowing. Blushing prettily, Hermione curtsied low, trying to see the eyes behind the mask.
The music started.
He swept her up, and twirled her around. The students danced together with their partners, like something out of the Regency era. He spun her into his arms, and then out, before reclaiming her hand and continuing the dance. The other couples moved to give them room in the center, because their dance was the only one quite so passionate. As the music sped up, so did they, spinning and twirling and moving perfectly to the beat. They continued, gaining the admiration of their peers, until finally, the music slowed. Slowly and carefully, he dipped her.
The music stopped.
They stared carefully at each other before he kissed her softly and let her up. Hermione reached over to his face, and slowly pulled off his mask.
She gasped.
Staring back at her, as though she were the only person in the world, was Draco Malfoy.
He leaned in to kiss her again, when out of nowhere he was punched in the face. Hermione was ripped from his arms and pushed behind the newcomer.
It was Blaise Zabini! Hermione closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. This could not get any worse. The two boys were glowering at each other, and both were preparing to launch themselves at one another, ready to maim.
"NO!" Cried Hermione as she sat up, eyes opened wide. Her heavy breathing returned to normal, and she calmed down, realizing that it had all been a dream, and she was in her room, alone. Belatedly, she noticed that someone was banging on her bedroom door.
"Granger? Open up! What was that scream I just heard? Are you alright? Open this door!"
"Malfoy?" Hermione called.
"Well, who else would it be, the bloody queen of England?" Hermione bit back a laugh as she got out of bed and opened the door. Malfoy stood out there, hair delightfully rumpled, clad in naught but a pair of green silk boxers.
"It was nothing, Malfoy, just a…kind of bad dream." She said. "Go back to bed."
"Do you… do you want to talk about it…?" He asked
Hermione raised an eyebrow. Since when did Draco Malfoy want to talk about anything, especially with her? Her thoughts were drawn immediately to what Zabini had said, and for the second time that night she wondered whether or not he had been serious. Malfoy's behavior was just too peculiar.
"Granger?" He asked again, slightly put out by her lack of response.
"No, that's alright," she replied finally, "It was silly and I'm fine."
"Alright..." he said hesitantly. "If you need anything though, Granger, I'll be around."
Hermione started at this and opened her mouth to speak. "Why are you being so nice to me, Malfoy?"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh come on, don't play so innocent. Up until this year, you've been a downright prick to me."
"I've changed, Granger." He said simply.
Hermione shook her head, crossed her arms, and stared defiantly at him. "You're up to something, Malfoy, and I'm going to find out what. Goodnight." She closed the door behind her and went back to her bed, where she lay staring up at her ceiling until she was able to fall into a quieter sleep.
Draco stood outside her room for some time after she had gone back to bed, staring at her door and wondering if he'd ever make it past her dislike for him. He sighed loudly before trudging back to his room to sleep.
In the morning, Hermione woke up early, to sunny skies, which was rare, but not unwelcome for late October. Cheerfully, she got out of bed, showered, dressed, and skipped off toward the Great Hall for some breakfast. Recalling last night's events, Hermione quickly came to a resolution. Practically minded as she was, she decided that if Malfoy wasn't up to something, then he was probably only being polite to her because they were both Head students. As strange as that sounded, Hermione believed in second chances, and decided she would take Malfoy's transformation with grace. She would pay him no mind (as per usual), and if he truly proved himself to be changed, then she would have no trouble accepting his politeness, weird and unusual as it was.
Not too many people were at the Gryffindor table since it was still quite early. The Ravenclaw table had significantly more people, however, and upon noticing the Head Girl's entrance, a few of them left the table to sit by her and ask her questions about Friday's meeting with the prefects. Malfoy had set up a Quidditch practice that coincided with the meeting, so he had requested they move it back by an hour. Not wanting to start an argument, Hermione had agreed, and the prefects from Ravenclaw just wanted to double-check the timing.
After several more minutes of conversation with the Ravenclaws while eating her breakfast, more and more students began to trickle into the Great Hall. The Ravenclaws left and Hermione busied herself with checking over her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay for the fifth time while talking to Neville. Classes were due to begin in ten minutes when Harry and Ron finally burst into the room, with angry expressions on their faces.
"What's wrong with you two?" asked Hermione.
"That bloody git Malfoy," grumbled Ron whilst chewing.
Hermione wrinkled her nose distastefully as she asked, "What did he do? And Ron, don't talk with your mouth full; it's disgusting."
Ron shot her a dirty look and swallowed before replying, "His usual. Said things about Harry and I was about to punch him, but he wasn't really worth it so we walked in here."
Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise. So much for Malfoy's changed ways, she thought to herself before saying, "That's really good, Ron. I'm proud of you for realizing that." She said as she beamed at him.
"Actually," Harry said, after swallowing a bite of toast, "I had to drag him away from Malfoy, telling him that."
"Oh." Hermione replied, the smile dimming slightly. The three of them realized the time, and Harry and Ron grabbed a few muffins to eat on the way to class. Hermione good-naturedly chided them on their perpetual late nights as the three of them headed off to DADA.
The rest of the day passed with little difficulty. Hermione didn't see Malfoy much, because the Gryffindors didn't have any classes with Slytherins, and she busied herself with reading over her Potions text in the Gryffindor common room until late in the night before turning in.
Friday morning and afternoon passed in a similar fashion. Hermione was too preoccupied in class taking notes and answering questions to notice the frequent glances Malfoy sent at her. Unfortunately, Ron did, and poked Harry in the ribs.
"Ow! What the hell, Ron?"
"Harry! Mate, take a look at Malfoy."
"What's he doing?"
"He keeps looking at Hermione. Just watch him for a few minutes." Discreetly, Harry kept an eye on Malfoy for about a minute, before turning back to his hushed conversation with Ron.
"You're right!"
"What's he playing at? You think he's out to get her?"
"I dunno, mate." replied Harry perplexedly. His eyebrows knitted together as he studied Malfoy's expression carefully. "He doesn't look really suspicious. If anything, he looks kind of…longing."
The two boys looked at each other with wide eyes before turning to see Malfoy still glancing at Hermione. Malfoy sighed (longingly), and the two boys turned back to each other.
"No way." Said Harry.
"Absolutely not." Said Ron.
And so, with an odd, uneasy feeling in their guts, the two boys dismissed the notion entirely.
"I'm telling you, Hermione, the sodding prat was staring at you all through class today." Ron informed her on the way to the prefects meeting room.
"Don't be silly, Ron, I'm sure you were imagining things."
"Harry too?" Ron shot back in an indignant tone.
"Well," began Hermione in a bossy, testy tone, "The both of you don't get to bed until late, doing whatever it is you two do. He was probably just looking in our general direction, and due to your tiredness or boredom, one of you got the notion that he was staring at me, and the other, for the same reason, believed it."
"Give me a break, Hermione—
"OH LOOK," Hermione announced in a loud, overly cheerful tone, "we're here." She opened the door and continued to the head of the table, where Malfoy stood, and pulled out her chair for her to sit down.
More than just a few eyebrows rose at this display, and slightly bewildered, Hermione sat slowly, and thanked him in a confused tone.
"Remember, everyone, it's our job to make sure everyone going to Hogsmeade tomorrow has permission from their parents. This means that you can't go until all the students have left." Announced Hermione.
There was a collective groan from the prefects.
"Any questions?" asked Malfoy. "No? Good. Meeting adjourned!"
The prefects filed out, until Hermione, Ron, Malfoy, and Zabini were the only ones left in the room. Ron was heading to the door, though, where he was in conversation with Luna Lovegood, and Zabini was also making his way there.
"Allow me, Granger." Said Malfoy, extending a hand towards her book bag.
Hermione adjusted its place on her shoulder and said, "No, thank you." She looked up and caught Zabini's eye, where he had paused at the doorway to see their interaction. He cocked an eyebrow and smirked at her before exiting the room.
"So…" began Malfoy, "you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"
"Yes, Malfoy, I am."
"Me too." He replied. "Maybe I'll see you there, Granger."
Exasperated, and more than a little bit suspicious, Hermione replied, "I don't know what you're up to, Malfoy, but you had better stop."
"I'm not up to any—
"Just sod off!" she exclaimed as she strode out the door and into the hallway where Ron and Luna were waiting for her.
As the three of them made their way to their respective common rooms (Hermione electing to go to Gryffindor Tower instead of the Head's Tower), Ron remarked, "What was that in the meeting, Hermione? Malfoy is definitely up to something."
"You know, Ron," Hermione began, fixing him with a serious look, "I have no idea what he's thinking."
Draco sighed dejectedly and slumped down into a sitting position in the hallway.
"That was tough, mate," said Blaise, clapping him on the shoulder before sitting down next to him. "You can't give up though. This is just the beginning, mate, and it's the hardest part."
"I just didn't think it'd be so hard."
"Nothing worth anything is ever easy." Blaise stood and left, leaving Draco alone to his thoughts.
Suddenly, Draco stood up, determination bright in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was going to do to try and fix this, and get him finally on the right track to winning Hermione's affection.
A word for my readers:
lilian: Thank you! The Plan will be revealed as we progress further and further into the story, and that's all I really can say about it.
White-Pink-Fluffy-Strawberriez: I'm glad you like it (: Sorry it took me so long to update (please read the Author's Note after all the responses to comments to find out why exactly I haven't updated), but finally I did.
Twylyght: First of all, I must say, I really like your penname! Thanks for your kind words! I'm trying to stay original with this story, please see my Author's Note at the end of this for more info.
Demoness-MarlstonWells69ner: I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait to see if Blaise is falling for Hermione or not. Please keep reading!
whisperslove: I plan on doing so!
dogstar-ebony: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like it so much, and I'm really sorry for being horribly slow. Please see the Author's Note.
Mariko: I'm glad you like it, even if it's not what you're used to. Ginny will have a role in all this, later on, but worry not, because it's pretty much Blaise's show.
Fallenwings11: Thank you for reading!
Jex: Thank you!
grace: Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long ):
Twitchy the Squirrel: I'm afraid I don't quite have the pleasure of understanding what you meant by Blaise being fanon. That's mostly because I don't think he has an expected role in fanfiction, but yeah. I'm sure Blaise will slip into more Italian as the story progresses.
clarinet-alto-4ever: Thank you!
mrs.twizzler: Thank you!
Babiiee-Z: I finally finished this chapter! Please see my Author's Note at the bottom (:
Gueneviere: I hope you liked this chapter.
Junsui: Thank you for your words. Please see the Author's Note; I think it'll explain everything…
Author's Note: I hope you all read this, because it's kind of important. First of all, I'd like to APOLOGIZE for taking pretty much FOREVER to update! This chapter was more than my usual bout of laziness, however. I didn't like this chapter much, at all. It's more a filler chapter, in my opinion, because it's the in-between of an action packed beginning of the story (and the introduction to Blaise's plan) to the action packed beginning/implementation of Draco's plan that you'll see in the next chapter, should you choose to continue reading this. So, I'm sorry if you didn't like this chapter, but I promise you, it'll get interesting again soon. Well, at the rate I update, maybe not so soon…
Which leads me to my next item of discussion: I would like to know if any of you reading this would be interested in being a sort of Beta for this. I think that someone pestering me every-so-often would help me get my act together regarding this fic so that you guys can read a new chapter way more often than you get to read one now. Please let me know if you're interested (e-mail me at: acornmoose AT gmail DOT com), I would be eternally grateful (:
Some of you may be wondering why you got an alert for an updated chapter three of this story about a week or two ago. That was accidental, and I assure you, will not happen again. This time, your alert function thing is working legitimately.
All that being said, I'm off to Italy and London for six weeks of summer school and stuff.
I hope you all are having a lovely summer break! And thank you, once again for reading. See you next chapter (which I've already begun writing)!