Chapter 11 of I Work for You:
Summary: Draco hires Hermione to be his 'wife' so his boss will approve of their deal. Only, Draco didn't expect to fall in love with Hermione. DM/HG. This fanfiction is based on the movie Borrowed Hearts.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. This fanfiction is also based on the movie Borrowed Hearts. I do not own that, either.
Recap of Chapter 10:
"You're not worthless. I don't know what caused me to say that," said Draco softly.
"It's all right."
"So everything is good between us?" asked Draco.
"I guess," said Hermione.
Draco frowned, but the moment passed. He supposed that that was better than having Hermione angry with him. He smiled, and bent down to give her a kiss on her forehead.
Chapter 11:
The next day, the doctor excused Hermione from the hospital.
With the help of Draco, Hermione finished packing up what stuff she had into her suitcase.
"Am I going back to your place?" she asked.
Draco nodded, "Yeah! Where else would you go?" he inquired.
Hermione shrugged, "Back to my old life?"
Draco laughed sarcastically, "Like I'd let you…"
He picked up Hermione's suitcase, and let his eyes roam over the room.
"All set?" he asked.
Hermione nodded.
Draco walked out of the room, with Hermione lagging behind him.
They walked on over to Draco's car and he opened the door for her.
She got into the car, and the two headed back to the Malfoy manor.
"Welcome home!" announced Draco.
Hermione smiled wearily.
Draco dismissed the chauffeur, and he said, "Before you go, Hermione…"
She looked over at him and asked, "What?"
Draco looked into her eyes, seriously, and said, "I want you to promise me that you'll never hurt yourself again."
Hermione looked thoughtful, "You mean you cared?"
Draco nodded, "Yes, what kind of husband do you think I am?"
Hermione smiled, and she said, "Fine, I promise."
Draco smiled, also, and he said, "You can go…"
"Oh, I need to ask you something," she asked him, as if just remembering.
Draco paused and looked at Hermione, "Shoot."
She smiled at the Muggle term and said, "You're twenty-three?" she asked.
Draco nodded, "Father wanted me to start school later, so I could be more advanced than others. But … yes … I am twenty three."
Hermione said, "But, your dreams never came true did they?" she asked, "You were never more advanced than me!"
Draco scowled at her, but said nothing.
Suddenly, Hermione remembered something.
She leapt at her suitcase, and took out a package.
"Happy Birthday, Draco," she said.
Draco took it from her, surprised.
He opened it and saw the sign that Hermione was going to give to him.
"Wow, thanks Hermione. This is one of the best presents I have ever received!" he said.
Hermione pouted, "Are you being sarcastic? Because I know your parents would send you expensive gifts each year for your birthday, Christmas, and just about every other holiday."
"How would you know?" he asked her.
She shrugged.
Draco laughed, "Yes, I am being sincere. I'm not being sarcastic. I really appreciate it. You see, Father and Mother's gifts were never truly from their hearts. They just told the house elf to pick it out. So I guess I should be thanking the house elves, and not my parents. I really like the gift, Hermione, because it's from your heart," he said.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I was going to give it to you earlier, but I forgot," she admitted.
Draco smiled, "I love it!"
And with that, he hugged her.
The two entered the house with bright smiles.
"Ah! You're home!" said Fudge.
"Are the problems all," Fudge coughed, "settled?" he asked.
Draco nodded, "Yeah," and walked upstairs, with Hermione behind him.
"That's very good!" Fudge called, with a Dumbledore-like twinkle in his eye.
"Seriously! I think that Fudge knows that we are lying about this whole marriage thing!" protested Draco.
Hermione looked thoughtful for a minute, "Really?" she asked. "I don't really seem to notice, but perhaps you're right," she added.
Draco smirked, "I'm always right!"
"Oh, you!" said Hermione, swatting his arm playfully.
"Dinner is served!" announced Draco in a playful voice.
Hermione grinned as she sat down in the dining room.
"Today, we will be having…" continued Draco in a falsetto voice.
"Er, what are we eating?" he asked the chef.
"Oh yes, of course, we will be eating the luxurious Caesar salad, followed by the luscious, creamy Clam Chowder Soup. And after, of course we will be having the juicy chicken and for dessert, every person's favorite, cold, soft, smooth, creamy, ice cream," said Draco, his mouth already watering.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I get the picture; now can I eat?" she asked.
Draco pretended to look offended, "Don't you think I described everything oh-so-beautifully?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head and laughed, as the food was served.
She smiled as she ate every single piece of food placed in front of her.
"Better than hospital food, huh?" Draco asked.
Hermione groaned, "Definitely," she said.
Draco smiled.
"Good night, Minister!" said Draco and Hermione in unison.
"Good night, kids!" he said.
The two went into Draco's room, and prepared to go to bed.
As Hermione brushed her teeth, Draco changed.
"You didn't floss your teeth!" said Hermione, unbelievably.
"Yeah, so?" Draco asked.
"The purpose of flossing is the reduce the number of bacteria which inhabits your mouth! Normally, millions of these microscopic monsters call your mouth home, and they feed on food particles left on your teeth. These bacteria produce acid as a result of their feasting and it's this acid, which eats into tooth enamel creating cavities. You do not want cavities do you?" Hermione asked.
Draco tried to stop Hermione from talking, but it was too late. She was in the 'zone' as they called it.
"The bacterium also pours out volatile sulfur compounds creating bad breath! Flossing removes the bacteria that escape the toothbrush by hiding in the tiny spaces in between your teeth," she concluded.
Draco shrugged, "Who cares? I brushed my teeth…"
"Brushing without flossing is like washing only sixty-five percent of your body. The other thirty-five percent remains dirty!" she practically screamed.
Draco looked at her with wide eyes, "Okay! Fine, I'll floss," he said.
"Why are you so concerned, anyway?" he asked, raising up an eyebrow, and giving Hermione a little smile.
Hermione blushed, "My parents were dentists," she said, mumbling the words.
Draco rolled his eyes, "Oh."
After Draco finished flossing, the two settled into Draco's big and comfy bed.
"Good night, Draco."
"Night, Hermione."
With that, Hermione faced the left, looking away from Draco, and Draco faced right, looking away from Hermione.
In the middle of the night, Hermione and Draco both unconsciously turned towards each other. Hermione snuggled up to Draco's chest, and Draco wrapped an arm around her waist. Hermione naturally, in her sleep, wrapped her arm around his neck.
"Ugh! Somebody turn off the alarm clock!" groaned Hermione.
She and Draco opened their eyes at the same time, and realizing their position, they sprang back from each other, as comfortably as they could on a bed, and looked in the opposite direction.
"Hey, Draco," Hermione asked, as the two were eating breakfast.
"What?" he asked, his eyes not lifting up from the Daily Prophet.
"I'm going to go into town today, and do a little shopping," Hermione casually said.
"Diagon Alley?" he asked.
Hermione nodded.
"Okay, be careful. Do you want me to come with you?" he asked her.
Hermione shook her head, "Nah, it's okay, but thanks, though."
After breakfast, Hermione walked up to the fireplace and threw some Floo Powder into it. The red and orange flames turned bright green.
"Bye, Draco," said Hermione, turning to give Draco a wave.
"Bye," he said, smiling at her.
She stepped into the fireplace, and cried, "Diagon Alley," and within a moment she was gone.
Draco then looked up from the newspaper.
He smiled to himself.
Without Hermione knowing, he had placed a spell on her.
An invisible bubble surrounded her, so danger would not touch her. It allowed 'good' people to come close, but if danger showed, Draco would be alerted immediately.
Hermione wandered down the streets of Diagon Alley.
"It feels so good to be here!" she murmured to herself.
She had just seen Pansy Parkinson with Goyle, and the three had a very lively chat about Draco.
She smiled, thinking of how everybody had changed since Hogwarts. There was no more rivalry between Houses.
As she walked past shops, she would stop and examine some items. Then, she would hurry on, if nothing interested her.
Around noon, a peculiar feeling came across her.
She turned around suddenly, but there was nobody suspicious looking behind her.
All were very happy, talking in loud gestures with friends and family.
Hermione shrugged; it probably was just a dumb feeling.
A couple of minutes later, after she turned to a deserted alley, she had a feeling somebody was following her.
She spun around, and said in a wavering voice, "Show yourself!" holding out her wand.
There came an evil laugh, and Hermione spun in all four directions.
"Who's there?" she asked.
There was no reply, but all of a sudden, a piece of wrinkled parchment fell to the ground from the sky.
She looked up, and she caught a glimpse of a shadow swoop away.
Hermione bent down, and picked up the piece of parchment with shaking hands.
Draco sat down in his study, listening to the quiet music played from his stereo.
All of a sudden, a message flashed out of thin air, and into Draco's face.
"Hermione … in … danger…" it read.
"Hermione's in trouble!" he said to himself.
Author's Note: Please read and review! (: