Hi hi, all my fellow readers :] Sorry, I was busy with a load of homework and so, I haven't updated in two or three days, my deepest apologies. As a sign of my apology, I wrote an extra-long chapter :D Yay. I feel proud about this one, too ;] Read, enjoy, & review, my lovelies.
"He did? That's just downright cruel, princess!"
Hermione reclined in her cushioned chair, placing her thumb and index finger on either sides of her temples, giving her eyes a bit of rest. Her cloak lay on the coat rack near the entrance of her bed chamber. The simple white dress was just a tad bit too thin for the autumn weather. Nonetheless, she looked glorious, just as a princess should. Standing up with her wand in her hand, she walked over to her window. She looked straight across the seas towards the smallest black speck – the Slytherin Prince's bed chamber tower; if she could just approximate the distance between them two, oh, she would hex him good; vengeance felt sweet.
"Princess Hermione, revenge is never the answer."
Hermione sighed and dropped her hand, Luna was right, after all, she had cornered Draco Malfoy to the wall, he was merely acting upon reflexes, she supposed. Even said, she still didn't forgive him; how could he treat a lady with her stature as such anyway? – Just because of her blood? Bah, he is highly immature. Luna stood up from the chair and picked up the basket of Hermione's night clothes.
"Dearest Hermione, I can feel your anger for Draco Malfoy, but please, refrain yourself from doing anything you might regret. I'm going to take your night gown momentarily; I'll have it back tomorrow afternoon after dinner. For tonight, your nightgown is in your drawer, I'll be sure to be here to help you in it, princess."
Hermione smiled, she was glad to have a friend like Luna around; she could never be replaced. She walked out of the bed chamber and before she shut the door, she peeked her head between the crack, "Remember, don't get yourself into any trouble."
"I remember, I remember. Thank you, Luna."
"Just doing what I do best, princess," and with that, Luna exited the room completely and the door shut behind her.
Stupid Draco Malfoy and his stupid attitude. He's damned lucky his mother apparated into the room, if not – oh, I don't even want to think about what I could've done to that man. Of all the people in the world, Draco Malfoy just had to be the one with the most obnoxious attitude in the world, blast him to oblivion.
"You aren't going to punish her? Why the heck do I get a lecture and she goes off unpunished when she initiated everything?! She trapped me between her and the wall, she threatened me, and she nearly poked a hole through my neck with her wand, father! How in the world could she go off unpunished?!"
Draco paced back and forth in his bed chamber in front of his father, fuming with anger.
"Well, Draco, even though we're talking about the mudblood, nonetheless, I can't punish her; she isn't mine to punish – thank goodness that she isn't as well."
Draco scoffed as he fell to the edge of his bed, arms folded, "Fair enough, father, just don't make her come over again; it's bloody horrid."
Lucius stood from his chair, "Very well, then, you met with her, not me, so I wouldn't know, but Draco, I'll let you know, I wouldn't have done this if there weren't a reward in the end."
He apparated from his room, probably to check up on the soldiers leaving the battle area – hopefully. Draco remained in bed, just a tad bit agitated – no, not because that mudblood had pranced herself all over his personal space, but because he was simply engaged to her. What was the point of a marriage if you hated the other person anyway? – There was no point, at least, not to the soon-to-be-wed; it was all for the good of the damned kingdoms – blast it, who needs the kingdoms?
Suddenly, a heap of flesh appeared on his carpet – rather, a heap of flesh fell onto his carpet with a loud 'thud' that may've alarmed the elves. Who in their right mind would …
"Crud, woman, get out of my bed chamber, you have no right to be in here!"
He picked out his wand from the inside of his cloak pocket and aimed it at her – he will attack her, he really will.
"Oh, shut your mouth for once, Malfoy," he wanted to smack her; his name shouldn't be used by mudbloods, especially not her, "Anyway, I came here to make a peaceful truce with you; well, not truce, since we're not really disputing over anything – more of a mutual agreement, if you are willing to compromise."
His eyes scanned her. Her hair was neatly tucked into a bun, leaving a few of her brown locks dangling over her forehead and cheeks, she wore a gallant midnight lavender shaded gown, her cloak was no one in sight, her expression as serious as ever – by golly, can this woman even laugh? – and her wand was in her right hand, though, she wasn't in stance to attack him. Good gracias, it hasn't even been a week and she's already back? – And she was back on her own terms, how much worse could his day get?
"Listen, mudblood, it hasn't even been an entire day – no, not even six hours – since you last left, why in your damned mind do you think you were even welcome back here?" Draco snapped at her rhetorically.
"Well, if you've noticed, I'm not exactly happy about being almost-married to you, I doubt anyone would be."
She invited herself to take a seat on his cushion chair – gracias, she didn't livehere! He gave her a dirty look, "No one would be happy with you, mudblood; and for me, I'm miserable at the moment – I can no longer spend quality time with my fellow Slytherin-ettes."
She chortled, "You don't say; 'quality time' with your 'Slytherin-ettes'. You know what, I will not be held responsible for all your losses and the like. It's not my fault our parents agreed to a treaty, you know," Hermione retorted, "And would you please refrain from calling me a 'mudblood'? – It's downright disrespectful."
"Ha! You're a disrespect, Granger. I hope you realize my desires that have been lost will be avenged," Draco threatened with a sly look.
"Why, you wretched … Oh, I can't even say it!" Hermione stood up and paced around with agitation and frustration. Blast it, why did this man have to be such a fickle? – He didn't even deserve the title, "man", he's a boy, an immature, self proclaimed boy.
"What in the name of magic are you pacing around my bed chamber for? You aren't even allowed in here! Good grief, you should leave immediately, I think I'm catching onto the 'mudblood disease'."
Draco placed the back of his hand against his forehead, feigning a horrid death in silence.
"Oh, you are such a child! I don't know why in the world I try to reason with you!" Hermione fumed, apparently agitated.
"Don't reason with me, there's no point –"
"Oh, there is a straight point, Malfoy, don't you try to stray away from it. I refuse to be married to a pompous git such as yourself!"
Draco stood up and shrugged his shoulders, "Well, don't, I won't argue with you, Granger; just run along and tell your parents you want a soon-to-be-married divorce, I really would not mind at all."
He pointed his wand meekly at his myrtle green cloak and it floated to him, hitting Hermione on the head, causing a discrepancy in her hair, "You arse! It took my personal maid nearly an hour to braid my hair into a bun!"
Draco scoffed as he slipped into his cloak, "And I'm pompous? Please, spare me the tears as you un-weave your hair, woman."
"Where in the world do you think you're going? We haven't even agreed on the mutual agreement! I will say it again, I refuse to be married to a pompous git," Hermione stated rather firmly.
She pointed her wand at his chamber door, "Colloportus."
A click was heard, then another, and another, and another …
"Would you stop locking my door?!" Draco fumed, his wand tightly in his grasp.
"Well, would you stop unlocking your door?! I'm trying to make an agreement with you!"
Draco groaned and cast the last "Alohomora" he would ever cast in his life – curse this woman.
"Good gracias, alright! Fine! Give me this treaty, I'll agree to it, I don't care! As long as you never enter my room ever again, I'll be at peace. And I mean it, never again, Granger, you've already polluted the air enough as it is."
Hermione smiled, "Well, first off, I don't want anything to do with you – sexually, that is. Secondly, I don't want to hear the term, 'mudblood', in your speech when I'm present ever again. Third, if you stay out of my business, I'll stay out of yours. I won't bother you, you won't bother me, we'll only help each other out when one asks for it. Fourth –"
"Oh, put a goblin in your mouth, Granger; the terms are already clear, the only thing I needed to hear was the staying-out-of-each-other's-business part. Of course, you go off with your … Mugglemen, I'll live happily in quality time with my Slytherin-ettes, and we'll both live happily together on each other's nerves, agreed?" Draco pretended to shrug off a dust bunny from his shoulder in a feeble act to show he didn't care.
Reluctantly, Hermione held up her wand, and Draco gently tapped his against her own, keeping it there for a moment; why? – He didn't know either. Hermione stepped away from him, "Well, now that we're on good terms," she cleared her throat before continuing again.
"Careful, Granger, I told you, the 'mudblood disease' spreads quicker than it seems."
"Oh, shut up, Malfoy," she coughed once more, "I'm just glad we're on mutual grounds."
He waved his hand at her face, "I couldn't care less, but I'm planning on leaving now, so before I leave, you must leave, I don't want you in my room while I'm gone."
"Why, you … Fine," she stated firmly, "I swear, though, you'd better behave yourself, I don't want anything happening to either of our kingdoms; this marriage-alliance is important."
"Can you please just get off Slytherin grounds, Granger?" he questioned carelessly as he fumbled with the knot at the neck of his tie, apparently trying to loosen it, but in the end process, actually ended up tying it even tighter than it was. Blast it, he thought to himself, who in their right minds created the 'tie' anyway?
"You are such a child, Malfoy," she stepped up to him and took hold of his collar, adjusting the tie, "How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen? And you don't even know how to tie a tie? That is the biggest shame ever placed on a man, Malfoy. You're such an imbecile, you know?"
She sighed as her delicate fingers loosened the tie completely and retied it around his neck, just above his collar. Purposefully, she whipped his face with the hem of his own tie, saying afterwards, "It slipped," with a smile playing on her lips. Curse this woman, Draco thought to himself. Why was he wearing a tie in the first place anyway? – Look at the situation he's got himself into!
"And how old are you, oh wise Granger? – Twelve?"
She gave him a sly expression and pulled on his tie – hard, causing it to choke his neck, "Loosen it! Loosen it, Granger!"
She mumbled and murmured under her breath before continuing to put his tie underneath his collar. With a simple and gentle pull, it was done; with care, she tucked his collar around the tie, making sure it looked presentable – or she could've just left it where it was and made him look like a slob. Remembering what he had originally wanted – to loosen the tie, she gently pulled it back just a tad, giving him that playboy look – she despised it, but she had to admit, he looked dashing.
It was during that moment that he'd noticed how tall she was, her eyes just at the tip of his chin; he could smell her wondrous lavender scent that he adored oh-so much – of course, too bad it was on a mudblood. He glanced downwards, getting a peek at her bosom before she slowly glared up at him, thus, he removed his eyes from the area and focused on the wall.
"I said I wanted it loose, Granger," he complained.
Oh, how she hated him to the core. Who was she to him? – A maid? A servant? Stupid man, how she'd kill to kill him. She released her hands from his person and stepped back, admiring the workmanship she had just performed – it looked nice, she patted herself on the back. She crossed her arms and stared at Draco, obviously waiting for something. He took notice of this and smirked, "What? Do you want payment for what you've done now?"
"Excuse you, I've enough money to care for myself; all I want is a word of thanks for helping you and your stupid tie, Malfoy."
"Me? Give thanks to you?" he spat, "Never in a lifetime, Granger, and I mean it, never. So, don't waste your time waiting; you offered to help me anyway."
He twirled his wand between his fingers; how she wished it'd fall and just magically fly out the window, but Luna's words hung high, "Don't do anything you'd regret". She sighed; she wasn't going to hex his wand, unfortunately, as much as she wanted.
"Fine, whatever. I have a lecture to attend at the moment," she paused, as if she wanted him to say something in return, "I'll be back for that thank you, Malfoy."
And with that, she apparated from his bed chamber. Draco groaned, was this woman ever going to give up? He walked over to his full sized mirror and tugged on the tie just a wee-bit, "I said I wanted it loose, Granger."
Hey, thanks for reading :] Was it good? I had my doubts about this one T^T *sobs. Stay tuned & review :] I enjoy reading them, too :D Oh, & Happy New Year's *party.