Chapter Five
~Hermione~
"Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?" Draco was so close, his eyes boring holes into her soul. She waited for him to laugh, to tell her he was joking. She wanted to go back to the office and pretend this never happened. She wanted to go to St. Mungo's and find Ron conscious and waiting for her with open arms and gleaming eyes.
"Excuse me?" Maybe she had heard him wrong; maybe this was part of his twisted game. Have the vulnerable and pregnant secretary fall in love with the rich bachelor.
"You heard me. I don't care if you don't love me. You aren't required to. I will pay all of Weasley's bills. I will make sure he gets the finest treatment in the world. You can have everything that you've ever wanted and your child will be born and live happily in my mansion. You will be lavished in riches and all of your dreams will come true," he looked almost sincere, as if he truly cared for her.
Hermione closed her eyes. I made a promise that I would wait for him. But I can't pay for his bills. It's money that I don't have.
"I'll do it," her voice was choked in tears, "But I'll never love you."
"That's not necessary," he stood up and slapped a few Galleons onto the table. He grabbed her wrist, afraid to reach for her hand perhaps, before disappearing from the café.
"Welcome to your new home," Draco almost smiled as he steered Hermione through the tall iron gates. They had stopped at her apartment so she could throw her clothes in a bag. He watched her skeptically as she moved through her room, placing her few possessions in a duffel bag. To Hermione it felt like spending the night at a friend's house instead of moving in with her boss and blackmailer. She had bitterly refused to meet his eye as she worked; she was so ashamed of herself. Ron loved her. She loved him. Didn't she? This time she wrapped her arm around his before the apparated to the Malfoy Manor. It looked like a giant hunched over, squatting on top of a grassy hill. There was probably dozens of rooms and maybe Hermione would have the time to count them one day, but for now Draco was ushering her up several flights of stairs and into the North Wing.
"This is your room," Draco opened up a large cherry wood door and ushered her inside. It was unlike the other dark green and black rooms that they had passed. The walls were soft lavender with white molding trim. It was twice the size of her apartment and filled with walnut furniture. The bedding was a pale yellow and lavender floral design and the bed itself was at least a king, perhaps bigger.
"I don't know what to say," Hermione stepped into the room and slid her fingers over a bookshelf filled with muggle classics. She had expected to live in a dungeon.
"If you've already read all of those, I could show you the library. I think that you would like it," he held his hand out to her, a silent offering.
"I think that I'm going to turn in for the night," Hermione smiled weakly.
Draco nodded understandingly; he reached for a loose curl of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and watched her flinch away.
"I will never love you," her words sounded so hostile, even to her.
"I know."
~Draco~
"Squeak!" Draco shouted, slumping into his favorite chair in one of his many living rooms. A house elf appeared with a crack, bowing humbly before him.
"Yes Master Malfoy?"
"A firewhiskey please," the elf nodded and began to apparate away but Draco stopped him first, "And Squeak?"
"Yes Master Malfoy?"
"Good job on Miss Granger's room," the elf looked overjoyed at the compliment, they were rare and far between. He set off with a crack to fetch the drink while Draco got comfortable. Hermione, despite all of his efforts she will never be happy in his house. He had planned it out for days; he would seduce her with his Malfoy smile and would convince her to leave her fiancé behind. They would be married and she would be his. Then she said that her beloved fiancé was Ron Weasley who was currently residing in St. Mungo's. She was pregnant with his child and couldn't make ends meet. Somehow seducing a pregnant woman seemed morally wrong.
It wasn't as if Malfoy actually loved Granger, he wasn't quite sure what he felt for her. It was more than just his basic sex drive, he had those feelings for Pansy but he couldn't even stand to look at her during the day. In fact, he couldn't remember a time when he wanted a girl for more than just sex. Hermione was different though. Each morning she came in to his office looking like a goddess. She set his breakfast down on his desk with a smile before setting of to do her work. She spoke kindly and was brilliant. Hermione clouded his thoughts at night and he wanted her so much that his chest would become tight and his throat would close. He couldn't explain it, how much she simply infuriated him. He would treat her like shit and she would just smile so sweetly back at him. Why didn't she fight back even when he was so blatantly mean to her?
"Sir," Squeak had returned, a firewhiskey hovering in front of him.
"Thank you Squeak," Draco nodded, shooing him away. He wondered if Hermione was still avidly for house elf rights.
~Hermione~
Hermione woke up, yet kept her eyes furiously closed. She would have to be at the office any minute now, but she was kept up all night with strange dreams. Dreams that she was at Malfoy Manor and sleeping in a guest bedroom, she had dreams that he had proposed and stole her away from Ron. When she opened her eyes she would be back in her bed, sunlight streaming in through her tiny window.
Hermione's eyes flicked open, only to be in a strange room and in a strange bed.
"Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?" Draco looked at her so intensely, his emotion so raw and primal.
Oh my God. What had she done? Hermione cautiously stepped out of her bed. A robe had been set out next to her bed and for a second she panicked thinking that Draco had snuck into her room late at night.
Suddenly, there was a small knock on the door, "Miss Granger?" A small voice squeaked from the other side.
"Come in," Hermione grabbed her robe and slid it over her shoulders. A small house elf with a giant ugly bow on her head stepped in.
"Good morning, Miss Granger. My name is Knob and I have been assigned to you by Master Malfoy," she bowed deeply, her long nose grazing the plum carpet.
"Please don't bow. And call me Hermione," the house elf's actions nauseated her. He still kept house elves? The sick bastard.
"The Master would like you to join him for his morning tea."
"That won't be necessary Knob, I'm going out." Hermione began rummaging through her bag, searching for something to wear. She decided on a yellow sundress and brown sandals.
"Out?" Knob looked confused at Hermione's statement as she pulled the dress over her head and bent down to put on her sandals.
"Yes, out. Will you show me the way," Hermione held out her hand to the young elf. The small elf smiled up at her, she looked ecstatic to be able to help. Hermione was led out through several passages. The walk seemed longer than it had been the previous night and Hermione was able to peer into several rooms. Finally they made their way to the black double doors.
"Thank you sweetie," Hermione smiled, bending over to hug the elf, as if she were a small child.
"And where do you think you're going?" Draco had appeared, dressed in a green polo, his hair ruffled on his head.
"Don't you have a job to go to Draco?"
"Do I have to remind the brilliant Hermione Granger that it is Saturday? So, where are you going?"
"St. Mungo's. I'm going to visit Ron."
"No you're not," Draco suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her wrists forcing her up against the wall.
"You can't tell me I can't go," she squirmed against him, but he was so much stronger than her.
"Yes I can. You're mine," then his lips were pressed forcefully against hers. He bit and nipped at her, possessively, dominantly. He let go of her wrists and began vehemently tugging at her curls. His chest kept her forced against the wall, she was trapped. Unexpectedly she found herself returning his kiss; he was enticing her, possessing her. Ron never kissed her like this; his kisses had always been so safe, so secure. Ron.
Hermione shoved Draco off of her, seething. Her wrists had purple bruises on them from where he had held her.
"Never touch me again," Hermione's voice was ragged and tears where welling up in her eyes.
"Hermione-I-" He tried to grab her, tried to hold her, to kiss her curls, to brush the tears out of her eyes. Instead he just watched her take off towards her room, looking like a broken doll. A part of Draco seemed to break as well.
AN: Hey guys sorry for another short chapter! Obviously my inspiration was Beauty and the Beast. Please understand that at this point Hermione didn't say yes because she loved him, but because she needed to take care of Ron. It's still up in the air on which one she ends up with though. Thank you guys so much for your reviews! xoxo