Chapter 16

Hermione was pacing in her room, correction, Astoria's room. She certainly hadn't anticipated that she would be back at Malfoy Manor when she woke up this morning. She was exhausted, but she couldn't stop pacing.

Both Draco and Harry seemed to accept that she was Hermione now. She wasn't entirely sure it was a good thing. It was nice to have Harry back, but Draco might be another issue, particularly as she was married to him. She wondered what he was going to do now that he knew.

But no one came and dragged her out of the house, so eventually she went to bed. She went down to breakfast the next day at the normal hour and was greeted by the three Malfoys.

"Astoria, dear." Narcissa said, her words being more friendly than the manner of fact tone. "I hope you slept well. It must be nice for you to be back in civilisation after your little adventure."

This wasn't the greeting Hermione had expected as she was thinking something along the big imposter exposure spiel. But there was nothing indicating that they even knew, which meant that Draco hadn't told them.

Reasons for why he hadn't told them raced through her brain.

"Never better." She replied. Actually lied, "Yes it is good to be back in...civilisation."

Worry about what would happen had ensured that she had barely slept at all, but she certainly didn't want to encourage a discussion on the matter.

Draco seemed to arch an eyebrow at her lie, but he just returned his attention to the Daily Prophet. The quiet in the room was uncomfortable as Hermione's every move made noise that seemed to be amplified. It kept up throughout breakfast and Hermione tried as hard as she could to not make any noise, but every touch of her cutlery to her plate seemed to make a loud screeching noise.

When she was finished she excused herself and left.

She felt a tug on her arm as she moved up the stairs, with Draco detaining her.

"Where are your rings?"

"What rings?" She asked with confusion.

"You wedding band."

"Oh." Hermione said, she had forgotten about it as it had been so long. She had intended on putting them in the vault they had provided, but never got around to it. "Its in a box in my room somewhere. Do you want it?"

"You have to wear it." He said.

"I..." She started. She didn't want to wear it, but she couldn't quite articulate a reason without sounding stupid. She pretty much knew what his arguments would be, keeping up appearances or something the like. "Fine."

"Both of them."

"Fine." She said and pulled her arm out of his grip. "I want you to put the wards back the way they were."

"Why? Going somewhere."

"I might." She said. "Is that a problem? Am I a prisoner?"

He didn't answer.

"I have a job, you know." Hermione said.

"Not anymore."

"You can't decide that."

"My wife does not work." He said.

"I'm not your wife." She said.

"There is this little oath that says you are." He said and took her wrist which made the magic of the marriage oath sizzle around her wrist.

"Look," Hermione started. "Let's not get into it again. We will find some way to get this sorted, until then let's not talk about."

"Until then, you will have to act like a wife does, Granger." He said. "Like my wife."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She challenged.

"It means you look good, you do your duty, uphold the family name and you don't work like a common fishmonger." He said.

"I can't spend my days doing my hair and waiting for your boring parties." Hermione said.

"You will." He said.

"Like hell." She said.

"You better be ready for the Flints' party tonight."

"I'm not going." Hermione said. "I would rather do nothing then spend another evening with your insipid friends. I haven't met a more boring bunch of people in my life. I'd rather slit my wrists then spend another night with your horrid crowd."

"Well at the moment, most of them suspect that you have." He said. "Including Pansy."

Hermione knew he was appealing to her sense of being wronged and damn it, it worked. She didn't want Pansy to feel like she had chased her away. Hermione knew it was childish, but she could just imagine Pansy's gloating face when Draco started turning up alone.

"One party." She said.

Draco raised his eyebrow.

"One party." She repeated.

"I doubt it." He said and turned to walk away. "Wear the rings."

"I am going to work." She called after him.

"I will put you in the dungeon."

"You wouldn't dare." She yelled after him. He probably would.

Hermione let out a scream of frustration. He had made her agree to a party. How the hell did that happened, she had just let him manipulate her. Bastard.

She didn't see him for the rest of the day. But he was waiting down in the foyer with the other Malfoy's that evening. Hermione, despite her logical side and against her better judgement, had made a bit of an effort that evening. She wanted to make sure she didn't look stressed or distraught in front of Pansy. Hermione wasn't sure whether she was doing for herself or for Astoria, or just to goad Pansy.

Hermione would bet that the dress she was wearing was probably Astoria's favourite.

"You look like a ...slapper." Draco said.

"They are your wife's clothes, not mine." She said. "I wouldn't be caught dead in this. Just say the word and I will go upstairs and put my jeans on. This minute, really, please."

"Shut up." He said and took her arm to apparate them.

"Why do you even come to these things?" Hermione asked when they got there. "You don't even enjoy them."

"I do." He defended.

"Really?" She said with a look of complete incredulity. "Is this you enjoying yourself? Do you not understand the concept?"

"These are my friends." He said with annoyance.

"Your friends suck." She said. "They are either trying to sleep with your wife or trying to break up your marriage. I dread to think what else you all do to each other. Really, who needs enemies with friends like yours."

"That is just the way it is, you have to know the game if you are going to exist in this world."

"No thanks." Hermione said. "As far as I'm concerned, friends back each other up."

"Is that what Potter did when he completely sold you out?" Draco said as they walked across the room smiling sweetly.

"That's different." She said.

"Completely." He said. "At least we don't stand by and take it when someone stabs you in the back."

"For your information, Harry was obliged to say what he knew."

"For your information, nothing would 'oblige' me to sell out my friends."

"That because you don't have any friends." She said. "You Slytherins would sell you own mothers if you thought it would get you ahead."

That seemed to kill the conversation. It was an unfair statement and she knew it. He had pretty much done what he did with Dumbledore to protect his family. It was still wrong on every level and completely cowardly, but she wasn't sure whether she would really have been able to do anything different if she'd been in his situation.

He broke into conversation with someone and Hermione just had to stand there with his hand on her back. Christ, last time this had happened, she was planning on seducing him. What in the world had she been thinking?

The talking went on for ages and it was boring. Hermione had to stifle a yawn at one point. There was something to be said for Slytherins, their capacity for boredom was immense. Maybe that is why they were constantly such total shits, just to relieve the boredom.

Intermittently, Draco would cart her off to talk to another set of random Slytherin people.

"I hate everything about you people." Hermione finally said.

"Funny, you seemed fairly accommodating before." He said, which made Hermione blush. She had been, but there was a reason. She was just about to argue with him when he started another conversation with some Gringott's officer.

"You know why." She said when they finally moved away.

"Why what?" He said.

"I was...accommodating." She said under her breath.

"You were trying to get in my pants." He said with a smirk.

"I wanted a baby." She snapped. "It was my only chance."

"So you practically attacked some poor, unsuspecting bloke." He said. "Someone completely innocent of your scheming designs. How every Slytherin of you."

"Was not!"

"Really, shall we go through in detail what you did." He said.

"No." She admitted defeat. "I was under intense pressure. I had just died and woken up in another body. It that doesn't constitute trying times, I don't know what does. It would excuse complete mental instability."

"And the only thing you wanted was to fuck me." He said. "I'm touched."

Hermione geared up for an argument.

"Pansy." Draco said with sickly sweetness.

"Draco!" Pansy said with equal sweetness. "And Astoria." She finished with less sweetness.

Pansy recovered quickly and went to air kiss Hermione. "How have you been, darling? I hope nothing been too trying."

"Astoria has been in Italy." Draco said. "Needed a bit of sun and sea."

"I hope you aren't unwell, you look awfully pale." Pansy said. She obviously wasn't convinced.

"You have to watch the skin." Hermione said. "Can't have sun burn, causes wrinkles."

"Isn't she a little pixie?" Draco said and pulled her close. "No, more like a Nymph really."

Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"That little scowly face." He said and circled a finger around her face, pulling her close. "I missed her so much. Couldn't bare to be apart, could we, my love."

Hermione was itching to say something strongly to the contrary, but Pansy was watching. And kept watching as Draco pulled her closer. Too close. Close enough to kiss and Hermione hadn't realised his intention until they were.

Unanticipated sensation flooded her as his warm, soft lips made contact with hers. His hand on the back of her neck was pulling her closer into the kiss and it deepened. Hermione unwittingly just allowed it to deepen and she could feel his tongue invade her mouth. Not too much, just right, just perfect.

Hermione lost all comprehension of where she was. The only thing she could remember was their time together up against the wall in the hall, which was some time ago, but at this particular point, time didn't exist. She wanted his closer. She remembered the feel of him, against her, in her.

Her blood sounded like a hurricane in her ears and it took her some time to distinguish that he was humming. She only really understood that when he was pulling away, about the time when the only concrete thought in her head was to pursue those retreating lips.

As her senses returned, she was mortally embarrassed that he had completely undone her like that, with a kiss. Hermione looked around for Pansy, but she was gone.

"She's gone." Hermione said.

"So it seems." He said. "Think she got the message?"

Who the fuck cares, Hermione thought, I got a message. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was something.