The contract bit looks stupid on here, because I couldn't keep my formatting which had lines through it. If you want to take a look at the "real" contract you can read this chapter on www(dot)quietones(dot)org(fwd slash)archive(fwd slash) where it's included as a screen.

And, oh yeah... If you're just going to whine and/or go on about when there'll be some DMHG action, don't bother to review/comment/message me. This is an actual story, not your personal quick fix. For them to have a relationship with one having complete control over the other? No, that's another genre you'll be wanting for that.


The door opened and Stephen Cornfoot entered the Head Students' office to see the Head Girl standing with her arms crossed, scowling at the Deputy Head Boy, who was sitting with some parchments spread out in front of him, smirking.

"Eh… is this a bad time?" he asked, gaining the attention of them both.

"No, not at all," Hermione said. "Malfoy here is just catering to his inner child – as usual."

"And Granger here is just being delusional – as usual," Draco retorted.

"Uh…" Stephen said, feeling rather uncomfortable.

Draco indicated the couch with an arm. "We'll just be a minute."

Relieved to be out of the line of fire, Stephen went to the couch and sat down, organizing his parchments a bit. He had no idea why it had been so important to Draco Malfoy that he do this, but Malfoy had been willing to pay and Stephen was always strapped for cash.

"Ok, Malfoy," Hermione ground out. "What's so funny?"

"First things first," he replied, picking up her quill and scratching something out. "This definitely has to go."

Hermione looked over his shoulder and gasped indignantly. "No way! You can't scratch that!"

"I can and I will," he irritably replied. "Or we can skip this whole contract altogether."

"So you do plan on trying to get me expelled by interfering with my homework?" she demanded.

He rubbed a spot between his eyes wearily. "No, Granger, and it's not bloody likely to happen with you. You could probably take the NEWTs tomorrow, if you had to. But if I wasn't allowed to cut into your homework time, I wouldn't have any fun winning, seeing as I'd only get to order you around for five minutes a week."

Hermione opened her mouth to object, but he cut her off.

"That condition goes and that's the end of it!" he snapped.

Hermione huffed. "Fine," she gritted out. "But I don't see why you get to dictate all the terms!"

Draco stared at her. "I haven't dictated a damn thing!" he blurted out. "These are all your terms! I swear, sometimes I don't know just where you get your logic."

Hermione blushed a little. "I added some of them for you!" she defended herself. "Look, no personal questions."

He scratched it off and she gaped.

"What did you do that for?" she spluttered. "You are the one who has been making a big deal out of a couple of questions! I thought you'd like that term!"

"I'm touched, Granger," he replied, not sounding particularly touched at all. "But I don't really have anything else to hide. Having you know that I could ask you anything at any time, if I win, is worth it."

Hermione rolled her eyes and then stared as he scratched more things off her perfect little list.

"Is there anything you do want to keep?" she asked in a scathing voice.

"Not really, no," he replied. "But I'm letting you keep some."

"It's to protect you, too, you know," she pointed out.

"Which brings us to… No ordering of sexual acts of any kind," he read the last bit out loud with a smirk. "I would really like to know who that's protecting."

"Me," she simply replied.

He snorted. "As I said: You wish."

She wrinkled her nose. "No, I really don't. And as if you wouldn't ask me to snog poor Neville or something equally mean, if you had the chance!"

He looked slightly intrigued by this. "Hadn't occurred to me," he said. "Bloody good idea, though. Very underhanded. I should have thought of it."

"It stays," Hermione hissed. "That term stays."

Draco sighed wistfully but nodded. "I suppose I see why you might not want me to do that. Besides, I can't risk you taking advantage of me."

Hermione closed her eyes and slowly counted to ten as her fists balled up. She was positively itching to deck him.

"No use mourning your loss," he added when she didn't say anything. "The decision has been made and the term stays. You wanted this, remember?"

She mutely glared at him and he smirked and returned to the task of ruining her work.

"All right, then," he finally said after a while. "This you may keep."

She took the document from him and read it.

The loser of this bet will be under obligation to obey the winner for 30 (thirty) days in all manners NOT extending to include the following,

"No actions designed to get the wearer of the bracelet or anyone else expelled are allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, crude and obvious pranks, interfering with school work and inciting of others." had had "crude and obvious pranks" and "interfering with school work"crossed out.

"No personal questions, using the ring as the means to get an answer" had been crossed out entirely, as had "No interfering with daily routines or eliciting too obvious changes in the bracelet bearer's behavior" and "No interfering with personal relationships."

"No violence to self or others. Any kind of violent or physically uncomfortable or harmful act, directly or indirectly ordered by the wearer of the ring, will be considered a breach of contract and terminate the bet immediately!" had largely been left alone, except the crossing out of "uncomfortable" and he'd allowed her to keep all of "No ordering of sexual acts of any kind, to or with self or others. This involves any form of kissing or inappropriate touching. Scenarios involving nudity will also be considered sexual acts and a breach of contract, terminating the bet immediately!"

This contract will be placed under a curse by the loser's choice.

Signed…

"Gee, thanks," she grumbled. "I think you missed a line…"

"You want your contract or not?" he asked with a weary sigh. "Make up your mind; I'm sure Cornfoot doesn't have all night."

Hermione knew better than to throw away what little she had gotten, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. So she just scowled at him and sat down and copied the remaining conditions over on a fresh piece of parchment and handed him the quill.

"Sign!"

He made an annoyed sound, but again, he actually did as she asked. Hermione briefly wondered if he could be trained to obey a certain tone of voice like a dog and had to grin at the idea. He scowled at her while she signed the document as well.

Draco got up and walked over to Cornfoot, mumbling something that Hermione couldn't hear to the Ravenclaw, who nodded and got up, walking over to Hermione with his scrolls of parchment. Draco himself turned to the end table between the two armchairs and picked up the box that Hermione had seen only once before.

They were really going to do this. They were really going to carry out this bet. She eyed the box apprehensively as Draco brought it over and he smirked coldly at her look.

"Feeling nervous, are you?" he asked silkily. "Feel free to forfeit any time; I might go easier on you, then."

She sniffed. "Shove it, Malfoy, and sit down so we can get started."

He narrowed his eyes at her and went around the table to sit across from her, crossing his arms.

"Uh… right," Stephen said, clearing his throat. "The rules are as follows. One of you will get a question and if correct, the other one will get the next question. If one of you should fail to answer, the other one will get the chance to reply, and if he or she is correct, he or she will have won. Any questions?"

"Get on with it already," Draco sneered. "Some of us would like to get some sleep tonight."

"Yes, do hurry," Hermione added. "Malfoy so needs his beauty sleep."

"You could do with a little yourself, Granger," he retorted.

Stephen cleared his throat again. "It will be faster without interruptions," he admonished them.

They both glared at him and he shrank back a little. Next time he had to remember that he wasn't that much in need of Malfoy's galleons. Before he could begin, however, the door opened to reveal the Head Boy. Draco sank down in his chair a bit and moaned.

"What's this?" Nott softly asked.

"We're hanging out?" Draco ventured without much hope for success.

"Yes," Nott replied. "I have noticed your newfound… joy… with the company of the Head Girl."

Draco scowled, but held his tongue. It was impressive how he seemed to be able to restrain himself.

"Granger?" Nott asked.

She sighed. "We're just having a competition," she said. "Who's better at wizarding history. Nothing interesting."

"Well, that would certainly explain why Cornfoot is here," he said. "Although, it doesn't explain why you're doing it in the middle of the night. And on a Friday, no less."

Draco shot him a dark look. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Theo?"

"No," he replied, taking a seat. "Carry on."

Draco scowled but motioned for Cornfoot to resume.

"Err… Right… Granger," Stephen said, "When was St. Mungo's founded?"

"1603," Hermione replied, looking bored with the question.

"Who invented Floo Powder?" Stephen went on.

Draco had to agree with her for once. "Ignatia Wildsmith," he replied. "Step it up a bit, Cornfoot."

"Who was the first wizard to be gored by an African Erumpent?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Wilfred Elphick."

"Malfoy, when?"

"1199." He smirked as Hermione scowled at him for knowing such a simple answer. She really had thought this would be easy, hadn't she? He deliberately ignored Nott, hoping against hope that he'd go away.

Cornfoot's questions grew more specific. But still not even a sign of hesitation from the two contestants. Several questions were asked and answered, without neither of them needing much time to think at all. He skipped ahead a bit.

"Who invented the Cheering Charm?"

"Felix Summerbee."

"Who originally discovered the use of Gillyweed?"

"Elladora Ketteridge…"

Stephen sighed and skipped a few more sections.

"When did Gorgott rise to power?" he asked Draco.

Draco blinked. Gorgott? That was a goblin name. His family never had much to do with the goblins and the Goblin Rebellion. He noticed that Hermione perked up, a slow smirk spreading on her face as he hesitated. Fuck. "Uh…" he said, trying to collect his thoughts. Think, Draco! "1667?" he replied. He seemed to be able to remember that it was somewhere around that time.

"Incorrect," Stephen said.

Draco felt like somebody had punched him and he blanched. This was definitely not a part of his plan. He wasn't supposed to be her slave. Merlin, who knew what some disgusting do-gooder like her would make him do? What she would make him reveal? He broke out in a sweat and he felt dangerously close to hyperventilating.

"Granger?" Stephen asked.

She frowned as she concentrated, trying to work out the numbers. Draco held his breath, praying for a miracle. "1659?"

Stephen was looking a little stunned, but also amused. "Also incorrect," he said. "It's 1669."

Draco let out his breath and closed his eyes as he sagged slightly. She had botched it. He didn't think he'd ever felt this relieved before.

"Well, at least I was closer," said Hermione, blushing slightly at getting it wrong.

Draco ground his teeth. "What do you mean you were closer? I was two years off and you were ten years off!"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Mine sounded more like it."

She made no sense! No news there, really…

The questions went on.

And on.

And on…

Stephen was almost afraid that he would run out of questions, but as annoyed as both the contestants were looking by now, he feared that that might be the least of his problems. He was in the middle of a war zone. He wished he'd just said no when Malfoy had approached him.

"When did Morrigan the Wise prophesize the birth of Oswald Beamish?"

It was Hermione's turn. Oswald Beamish. He had something to do with Goblin rights, too, didn't he? And he was born in the 19th century, so he'd probably been prophesized sometime after the Goblin Rebellion had been thwarted. Yes, she believed she had just read about it. It had said… "1760," she said.

A look of stunned glee slowly spread across Malfoy's features, and she looked up at Cornfoot.

"That is incorrect," he said. "Malfoy?"

"1750," he said without hesitation.

"Correct."

And just like that… she had lost.

"Th-that can't be," she mumbled.

"Beamish was born in 1850 and it was prophesized 100 years earlier, to the day, the same year the Rebellion ended," Stephen said. "It is correct."

Hermione looked to Nott for validation and he nodded. It was true. She had lost. To Malfoy. She felt like she was going to be sick and was swallowing convulsively.

Malfoy leaned in over the table and said in a low voice, "Told you, you should have gotten third edition."

He leaned back again to watch her disbelief and panic. He really should be going back to his dorms soon. He'd been awake for much longer than he cared to, yet in spite of his lack of rest, he had actually beat Hermione Granger at a game about knowledge. Now, wasn't that something? Of course, he'd known he would all along… He ignored the feeling of immense relief that belied his confidence.

"Show's over," he said, directed at Theo, who was frowning slightly. "I won."

He really didn't want Theo to stick around to see what came next.

"Indeed, I noticed," Theo replied. "And congratulations. But what did you win?"

"Buckets of galleons?" Draco said. "Everlasting glory?" He gave up on getting rid of Theo. He wasn't going to go anywhere, and knowing him, he'd find out about this really soon, anyway. Draco sighed at the thought of losing his position, but he hoped that Theo wouldn't take it further than that.

"About galleons…" Cornfoot interjected.

Draco nodded and got up from his chair, taking Cornfoot aside. Money exchanged hands before Cornfoot left. Hermione gaped.

"You bribed him?" she asked incredulously when Draco returned to the table. "If you think that I'm—"

"I didn't bribe him," he irritably cut her off. "I paid him for his time and work. If it'll make you feel better, you now owe me 10 galleons."

"You paid him 10 galleons?"

"No, I paid him 20." He shook his head as she stared at him. Did she really think that anyone would go through that much trouble for a couple of strangers just because they said 'please'?

"20 galleons! But that's… that's…" she spluttered.

"That's enough to keep him quiet, is what it is. Now, stop stalling and put the damn thing on!"

She stilled and stared at the box. He crossed his arms and waited. Making her put it on herself would be a terrific beginning.

"First, I… We've got to sign this thing again for the magic to take effect," she mumbled, placing the curse on the parchment and adding her name directly below where she had the first time.

Was her hand shaking? He didn't think he'd ever seen her afraid of him before. He liked that. He liked that a lot.


Next Chapter: Yep, Nott's still here and nope, he's not liking this one bit... "Do you want to wear the bracelet, Granger? Do you want him to abuse and humiliate you? Because I guarantee you - he will."