A/N: I know it's quite late but I felt guilty for not uploading in so long, so here ya go.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, obviously.
The Polyjuice potion that she had consumed had only been a small quantity and had soon worn off, changing her back into her comfortable skin.
When it had, Hermione quickly found the bathroom. It was an exact replica of the prefects bathroom in Hogwarts expect the bath was a large tub and not pool-like. It too had various taps with all different fragrances, bubbles and products. After filling it up with soothing lavender bubble bath, she sank down into the bath tub, feeling the water wash over her, seeping into her skin. She had never cherished the consoling liquid as much as she did now.
She thought of the events of the last two days and wished she could go back and not awake from her slumber on that fateful morning. She did not remember a time when she yearned for Harry and Ron as much as she did now. Well that was not strictly true but she felt a deep need to be sat on the couch besides the fire in Gryffindor common room with her two best friends, just talking or sitting in silence.
Anything.
Thoughts of her parents entered her head; how she still hadn't tracked them back from Australia yet… God knows what they were doing and how they were. She craved to see their faces, the soft smell of her mother's Rose perfume, the rough touch of her father's hands in hers. Oh how she missed them.
Hermione had planned for Ginny to come over next week, to talk wedding plans for Harry and Ginny's upcoming nuptials. She missed her sarcastically rude and unpredictable best friend, the one person who truly understood Hermione and her thirst for knowledge.
Just as she was drifting into an almost peaceful slumber, she heard the door slowly creep open; the rusty hinges seemed like the only imperfection in the entire hotel.
Her movements were quick. Sloshing water over the side of the deep bath in an attempt to keep her modesty, she fell over the side of the tub gracelessly and landed with quite a loud thump on to the hard floor.
Bony knees hit hard marble and she winced in pain, wanting to rub them but knowing moving was off the cards.
She had no idea how to get out of her current predicament, that was until a fluffy towel was thrown neatly over her back.
'Granger, are you alright?' Malfoy asked, trying his best to stifle his laughter.
'Yes I'm just peachy' she muttered into the floor, wishing that she could just melt into the tiles.
Draco was about to make a comment regarding the word peachy and as if sensing the sarcasm on the tip of his tongue, she lifted her head to glare at him. That seemed to do the trick.
Wrapping herself in the towel discreetly turned out to be quite a difficult job, she twisted and turned and finally gave up, asking him to leave.
He would not. Well at first at least. Eventually, after she had shouted much abuse at him, Draco left.
She stood and wrapped the towel firmly around her chest. Keeping one arm holding on to the fluffy fabric, Hermione opened the door and entered the vast living room with her head held high.
The feeling of eyes staring at a fixed point between her shoulder blades was quite literally spine-tingling for her. She hated this new Malfoy that seemed so gentle and almost caring. Part of her almost wished for the snotty, pointy-faced twelve year old Draco Malfoy. The one that wasn't afraid of calling her a mudblood.
Spinning around quickly looking for him, her heart beating fast in case he had been viciously murdered by some imaginary serial killer in the space of a minute.
Her stupid, but most important, organ calmed as chocolate eyes found cold hard grey ones.
The bastard was lounging calmly in one of the harsh-looking-but-actually-comfy balcony chairs, stirring a steaming mug of coffee.
Reaching across the table he picked up another mug that looked like it belonged in your mothers extensive mug collection. He held it out to her and it took her only a seconds hesitation before she neatly took it out of his hand and sat down opposite him. She took a long swig of the strong drink.
'My sincerest apologies for disturbing your wonderful looking bath, Miss Granger' it didn't take a Ravenclaw to detect the sarcasm in his voice, in fact it was dripping with it.
'Cut the crap Malfoy, what do you want?' His smile turned from childish to bitter to stony in a matter of seconds. Draco Malfoy was many things, but above all he was the master at hiding his emotions.
Instead of an answer, all she received was a piece of paper rudely stuffed into her hand.
She set her mug down on the table and flattened out the ink stained page against the surface as neatly as she could manage.
She read it. And then re-read it again and again, letting the words wash over her just like the bath water.
It read:
Dear Mr Potter, Mr Weasley and all other Weasley's.
I write to you to inform you that I have kidnapped Miss Hermione Granger. I have done it in regards to her own safety. All will be explained soon. That is if you do as I tell you.
You need to fake her death. Send a letter to The Daily Prophet informing them that she has died from a terrible terminal disease – I believe muggle cancer would be the most convincing – tell them that she did not announce it because she believed she was beating it.
I will enclose some photos of her that look like she is in cancer treatment, you must release them to the press.
Make a fake body of some sort, stage a funeral. It has to be as convincing as you can make it.
Tell all the Weasleys and any members of The Order Of The Phoenix that you trust.
You must act like you are in mourning. This is very important to her safety and when I feel like it is safe I will explain to you why I have done this, and one day you will thank me.
Anonymous.
Unlike Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger did not obtain the skill that would let her hide her emotions. She was an open book and right now he could read her as clearly as if he had been doing it for years.
Her eyes had pricked with tears, her skin taking on an almost ugly shade of pink. A once happy, pretty face was contorted with rage and confusion.
She wanted to smash up the table just like she had done in the safe house.
'How' she seethed through barely open lips, 'The hell do you expect them to cope with this? You expect them to fucking believe it?! You're sick Malfoy, sick.'
Hermione was about to leap up from the table. To run away from the man who had caused her immeasurable pain over the few years that she had known him.
I must have done something terribly bad in a past life to deserve this.
She never stopped to think that it might have something to do with the one possession that Dumbledore had left her after his death, she never stopped to think that one day she would thank Malfoy for this. She just wanted to run, run away from the whole magical world that seemed brilliant but was really just as corrupt as the real one.
As soon as she pushed out her chair his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in a true seekers fashion.
'Hermione, please just sit down' His voice was pleading, it almost sounded painful for him to speak like that. It made her stop and sit back down.
She had nearly forgotten that she was in a towel and all this rushing around had made it come loose, if only slightly.
'How else are people going to believe that you're actually dead. I know it's a lot to take in but you're in danger, the wand…'
His words made an icy feeling spread through her body. An icy feeling that started deep in the pit of her stomach. It was as if she had woken up from a dream that had been going on for days.
She paled rather quickly.
There were lots of questions she wanted to ask, about how he knew and why he was helping her but all that she seemed able to say was; 'How do you know about the order?'
He hadn't been expecting that type of question and would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious.
'I was fairly close with Professor Snape. Now Granger, hurry up and get dressed, you have a letter to write and a photo shoot to attend.'
A/N: When I was writing this I thought the letter kinda sounded silly and unrealistic but I think it just fits in with the story and well it is a fanficiton. I do apologise if the whole fake cancer thing upsets anyone, it is not meant to be malicious or hurtful it is just part of the plot.
I'm trying to make it all make sense but if there are some little parts that don't make sense or whatever please don't hesitate to tell me.
So yh please review and stuff, and thank you! I shall update again soon :)