Well here it is. Sorry for being forever. I didn't realize so many people wanted this updated. But for some reason I started getting requests for this between Outerhouse. So here you go.

The Book Called Revenge

Chapter 4

Hermione had watched in amazement as they drove up to a humongous castle-like home and pulled up onto a long driveway. There were about six other trucks parked nearby and beyond them, she could see the framework of a new wing and about ten men moving around the structure.

Draco put the car in park and sighed.

"Well, this is the site we're working on," he motioned toward the home.

That had been five hours ago.

Now, Hermione's butt was sore; a not so great, beginning to a new chapter of her story. She rubbed the offending area and sighed. She was sitting in gravel watching as a dozen or so men worked. It was strange to see Draco here, looking for all of the world, like he actually belonged. As if a pure blooded Malfoy, could possibly have pulled off looking like a blue collar muggle. Yet, somehow he was managing.

Managing wasn't really the right word for it. No, he really did belong amongst them. He laughed and joked with the other men, sporting smiles that she could never have imagined.

"Derrick," she heard Draco yell down to someone who was holding the latter he was perched on, "Hold it still, if I fall and break my neck I'll come back to haunt you, asshole."

The guy named Derrick gave the ladder a playful shake, "Always the same thing with your ghost stories Draco. That shit doesn't exist."

Hermione could see the knowing smile on Draco's lips and she found herself smiling too.

"Well let's not find out then alright?" Draco replied, and his friend laughed.

Hermione had to laugh, and although it was silent, when she looked up, Draco was watching her. He looked suddenly sullen, as if reminded of something he was reluctant to think about. Hermione looked away. It was kind of hurtful to have someone look at you that way. Like being reminded of your presence was the ultimate burden.

Not that Hermione had any right to complain. The fact that he'd decided to help at all was a blessing. She just wondered what was taking Revenge so long. Why wouldn't it just tell Draco how to set her free? At this rate, her memory would be six feet under by the time she got back to the wizarding world.

Besides the fact that Revenge was taking its sweet time torturing her, she was also sure that Draco was hiding something from her.

She was taken away from that thought before she could really dig into it, by the sound of a shrill whistle.

"Alright mates," a large man that Hermione assumed must be in charge called out to the rest of the workers, "Let's get a quick break in, before the next hour and we switch shifts."

Hermione watched as Draco climbed down the ladder and began to complain with some of the other guys that it was too hot out today. They all headed for a makeshift tarp gazebo that someone had erected.

Hermione lifted her head to the sky. It was quite clear, without a single trace of a cloud and the sun beating down on all of them with no barriers. Just as she was bringing her attention back to her people watching, Draco pulled his sweat drenched shirt over his head and began to approach her.

"Hey, Draco," Derrick called from behind him, "Where you going?"

"Just going to sit over here for a minute," he called back and his friend shot him a look as if to say that Draco was mad to sit out in this desert like heat.

Hermione didn't know what to make of him as he put his t-shirt under his butt and sat facing her.

"How are you holding up?" he asked her in a whisper and she was so shocked, that it took her a while to mouth the word 'fine' in response. He nodded at that and then let silence fall.

They were far away enough that none of the others would hear him and he'd sat facing his back to them so they wouldn't see him talking. Hermione just wasn't sure if he'd done it on purpose so that he could talk to her and keep her company, or if he was just sitting here because he felt sorry for her or something.

When he didn't say anything, she assumed it was the latter.

She picked up Revenge and wrote quickly before showing it to him.

'You don't have to sit with me. Thank you, but I'm fine alone.'

He studied the words for a moment before speaking in a whisper.

"It's no big deal," he said with a shrug, and Hermione wondered if he was really trying to be nice. It was totally different today, than what she'd expected from last night and this morning's events.

It was like he was trying to make things bearable for her. She felt herself blushing and knew that he could see it. For some reason, this was making her feel horrible. She'd been nothing but a monster to him, but he was actually being nice to her. He must have changed so much over the years.

It really made her see how much she hadn't changed at all.

'Thank you' she wrote and he shrugged again.

Draco was trying to work his way up to telling Hermione what Revenge had asked him to do, but it felt impossible. He could hardly think of anyone he'd hate having sex with more. And all through work, he'd pictured what the awkward act would be like with her.

Either them talking throughout or a terrible silence, neither wanting to take any pleasure out of it and afraid to show that they were. Which she would be, because he was a damned good lover, and that aside, it was sex between two good looking people; they were bound to enjoy it a little. He could just image her trying her best not to like it at all costs. And he would be obligated to do the same under the circumstances.

And it wasn't as if he could just make it be over in a few minutes.

No, it was going to be a very long and trying ordeal, if any of those previous thoughts were true. Especially if he was under pressure to get done quickly.

God, he felt like a pervert thinking about it like this. Not that he was even enjoying the thoughts mind you. It was all pretty revolting.

He just wished he could make her want it a little, or at least be okay with it at all. That would make his job a bit easier at least.

Still, he was going to have to let her know and get it done. The longer they waited the worse it would be. And her funeral was drawing nearer besides.

He opened his mouth to say it, to just come right out with it.

"About Revenge," he started and Hermione looked like she was bracing herself.

"Draco!" someone called from behind him and he turned around to see Mrs. Claretta trotting over, balanced carefully on her heels.

Draco stood up and greeted her with a nod.

"Hey, you checking up on us again?" he asked and she smiled with a shrug.

"You know I can't trust you slackers alone for too long."

He laughed at that, knowing that she trusted all of them completely. She only hired the best.

"So what are you doing over here sitting alone in this heat?" she asked and he shrugged casually.

"Just getting away from the noise," he answered and she nodded as if she could see the appeal, taking a quick glance at the rowdy men behind her.

Draco was very aware of Hermione watching him and although it wasn't the best time for this, he'd been planning on asking Mrs. Claretta out for quite some time. He wasn't about to let this whole Revenge thing get in the way of that.

"So," he started and put on his most charming smirk, "What are you doing tonight?" he asked and he heard Hermione make some sort of noise in the back of her throat. It sounded distinctly like she was making fun of him.

"Are you asking me out?" Mrs. Claretta asked with a smile. She didn't sound upset which he'd thought was going to be a high probability, seeing that she was his boss and all. So he took it as a sign that she was considering it.

"If that's what you want to call it," he said and fought sending a glare at Hermione when he heard her snort behind him. So what if it was cheesy, it had worked many times before and it would work again. It gave the ladies a choice of what they wanted the meeting to be deemed and made them feel comfortable.

"Well…" Mrs. Clarreta pondered over it for a moment before grinning, "Maybe we shouldn't call it that. After all, I'm your boss. But if you want to 'hang out' tonight after you get off, I'd be more than happy to join you," she said and he spared a glance behind him to see Hermione looking beyond shocked.

He smirked at her before addressing Mrs. Claretta again.

"How about dinner then, my house?" he asked and she looked a little conflicted before agreeing. He admitted it was a little forward of him to invite her to his home, but why not put his intentions on the table.

He hated hinting and he hated playing cat and mouse. If she didn't like him she could turn him down and he'd get over it, but she had to know that he was interested first.

"What time should I arrive?" she asked as a blush rose to her face. He'd never seen her act bashful, but he liked it.

"Around seven?" he inquired to make sure that was good for her.

"Okay," she said and all of her shyness melted away, "see you tonight. Hope you know how to cook because I'm a picky eater." She waved goodbye and headed back to the other men.

When Draco turned around and reseated himself, Hermione was ready with Revenge in her hands and plenty for him to read.

'Really? Your boss? That's just wrong and I can't believe she fell for that "if that's what you want to call it" crap. You're really sly you know that?'

Draco held in a laugh, he didn't want to look crazy in case someone was watching.

"It's a gift really," he said seriously and she glared at him but soon she was silently laughing and shaking her head at him.

When she calmed down again she wrote in Revenge, often pausing in thought. So when she lifted the page some time later, he was surprised to see only a sentence.

'I'm really glad that you're who you are now and although I know that you won't forgive me and that you don't want me to say that I'm sorry for the past, or that I'm thankful for the present, I have to tell you that I am both of those things.'

He read it and didn't really know what to say. She shouldn't be thankful just yet.

"It's okay," he said because saying 'you're welcome' or 'I forgive you' were out of the question.

She smiled sadly, seeming to accept that for what it was and then wrote again in Revenge.

'So what were you saying before?'

Draco froze up for a moment remembering how he had been in the middle of being forthright with Hermione just moments ago. Now though, all of that bravado had disappeared.

"Right," he said because he'd been quiet for too long and the frown between her brows was deepening.

There was no nice way to put it, so he took a deep breath and pegged her with a penetrating stare that loosened her brow immediately. She was back to bracing herself.

A whistle went off from behind them and he stood up abruptly.

"We'll get back to this later," he said quickly before jogging off and back to work. He had about an hour to figure out what he was going to say to her, but without fail he had to tell her tonight.

Hermione was ready to burst with anger as she watched him retreat. What was he going to say? Was he going to tell her that he'd changed his mind? That he was tired of her after only one day?

She spent the next hour questioning the way his eyes had become suddenly serious and grave. Whatever he was going to tell her, it was bad news and as they got into his truck and pulled onto the highway, she had talked herself into not wanting to hear it.

She would just avoid the conversation of Revenge at all costs, just until it gave up the secret to how to set her free. As long as she stayed out of his way, he'd have no reason to send her packing.

At the moment it didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it either. They made it home in a tense silence and as soon as the truck was in park, she shot out of the door and into the house before he'd gotten the key out of the ignition.

"Hermione?" he called out as he came into the house, but she stayed where she was, seated through the living room carpet. She started to scribble frantically into Revenge and as he came into the room and flipped on the light, she got up and thrust the book in his hands.

'That must have been some hard work. You should hurry and get in the shower. You still need to start dinner before your boss gets here. So get going.'

He looked up at her in surprise and was just opening his mouth when she took the book away from him and started to push him out of the threshold and toward the stairs.

"Okay, okay," he said as he jogged halfway up the stairs before turning back to her one more time. She shooed him with her hands and he shrugged before going up the stairs and shutting himself away in his room.

Man, what was she doing? He probably thought she was crazy.

Draco stood in the shower trying to figure out why Hermione was losing her marbles. It was taking everything he had to come to her with the truth, and then she chased him away like she didn't want to hear it.

He had to do it though… as soon as he got back down stairs, he'd tell her.

Hermione was in the kitchen waiting for him to come down. She'd decided that this was all just crazy. She couldn't force him to help if he didn't want to and it was better to find out now than to waste her time with him. As he came down the stairs forty minutes later, fresh from the shower with a determined look in his eyes, she figured that he was on the same page.

He sat at the table and sighed.

"I guess you're ready to hear what I have to say then?" he asked her and she nodded. He took a deep breath before blurting the last thing she'd have expected. "There's no easy way to sugar coat this, so I won't. You have to have sex with me to break the spell," he said sternly and then kept his eyes on hers as if to prove that he wasn't joking.

All the wind seemed to have been knocked out of her, and she just stared right back at him. Neither of them wanted to be the first to look away, as if the first to do so would be acknowledging defeat somehow.

Hermione finally looked away. And she heard Draco sigh across from her as the silence stretched out once more. Hermione was trying to absorb the information but it was just knocking against her head, being refused entrance.

Her first thought was that he was lying, but why would he? She ruled it out immediately, and then was able to face the truth, that this was exactly the kind of thing that Revenge would ask for.

In her head, she'd been imagining a counter curse, but this, this made so much more sense. And just like that, it finally sunk in. Sex with Draco Malfoy…

'I see why it took you so long to tell me,' she wrote and showed it to him. He didn't say anything, and that was just as well, there was really nothing to say.

She looked up at him for the first time since the confession and he looked exactly like she knew she probably looked right now; disgusted.

She couldn't help but laugh. No, he was defiantly not lying. This wasn't going to be a picnic for him either.

"What's so funny?" he asked and she wished that he could have heard the bitterness in the laugh. She found all of this far from entertaining.

'The book's punishing you too from the look on your face.' She wrote and he gave a little harsh laugh of his own in understanding.

"Yes, well not that you're not attractive, but you're just not my type," he said and she actually smiled.

'Ditto.' She scribbled and he smiled too. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. Sex wasn't the end of the world right? And it wasn't as if Draco was still the terrible prat that he used to be. They could be casual adults about this couldn't they?

'So you put it in and then you take it out. Presto Change-o right?'

His face turned grim and hers instantly mirrored his.

'Not so simple of course,' she wrote with a sigh and he sighed as well.

"Of course not," he said running a hand through his hair.

'So what, it gave you a time frame or something?' Hermione raised her eyebrows at the bitter chuckle he let out.

"It was a bit more descriptive than that, almost crude really," he answered and her stomach dropped in disgust.

'Do I want to hear the details?' she wrote reluctantly.

"No more than I'd want to say it aloud," he said and she sighed.

'So what do we do?'

"We do what it says I guess," he shrugged.

'When?' she wrote and he shrugged again.

"I guess that that's really up to you?" he told her and she felt herself blush.

'ASAP' she wrote and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Just itch'n to get my clothes off, eh?" he smiled and she actually, against all good sense, laughed.

'You know it.' she jotted and rolled her eyes when he smirked at her. 'I have a funeral to stop remember? You pig." she wrote and they both laughed for a second which was absurd, because none of this was funny.

"I suppose after my date tonight." Draco scratched his head, "My boss isn't the type for one night stands, so that leaves my schedule open."

They both took that in for a minute and let it settle between them. Tonight, Hermione would be freed of this curse.

The phone rang and Draco got up to answer it while Hermione tried not to think too hard about any of this. This was not having sex with Draco, it was breaking a dark spell. And when she thought of it that way it… who was she kidding, it didn't make any of this easier. She hadn't had sex in quite some time.

Quite some time rounded down to about two years if she remembered correctly. This wasn't something she took lightly, or did casually. But tonight, she'd have to do both.

At least Draco was easy on the eyes. Not that it made it better, but… it kind of did. Watching him out there on the work site today had been a feast for the eyes and she could hardly deny that. So she was going to think about the positives.

Getting rid of her dry spell with a good looking- and pretty honorable- guy was a positive. Being free was a positive. See? This was easy. Really, as she thought about it, there weren't any negatives at all.

Well beside the glaring fact that she was utterly bashful and awkward by nature when it came to sex and that she was bound to turn this into a circus act.

But another positive was that she had plenty of hours to prepare herself mentally for what was coming.

Draco retuned to the counter looking extremely put out.

"I've got good news and bad news," he said and Hermione, feeling loads better about her life, gave him a smile and listened intently.

"Bad news is that my 'hang out's' been canceled, but the good news is that ASAP is right now," he said with a shrug standing up and heading for the stairs.

Hermione just sat there in shock. No, it couldn't be now. She wasn't ready yet. What happened to her few hours?

"Well?" he asked impatiently from the bottom step. His date being cancelled was obviously bothering him.

Hermione reluctantly stood up and followed him into his room.

Review it please and thank you.