Chapter Four: Deal
The next morning, Draco took his usual seat between Goyle and Zabini (Crabbe rarely made it to the Great Hall in time for breakfast) and poured himself some coffee. He felt more relaxed than he had been in a while, even with the threat of death still hanging over his head.
Yes, a break from the cabinet and a good night's sleep was nice.
Oddly, the wizard couldn't help but let thoughts of Granger sneak into his mind.
Pureblood princesses were always so pompous and proper and they managed to be bitchy in such a way that made you think they were sweet. They put no effort into their classes, rather they spent their time practicing pointless vanity spells and studying household magic so they could fill the role of the perfect pureblood wife.
There was something refreshing about a girl who didn't care what she looked like.
What was more, Draco saw hard-working and dedicated qualities in Granger that no other girl he knew exhibited. She was fierce and she was smart.
He still hated her, of course. Not because of her blood, but because of her infuriating Gryffindorness.
Draco didn't hold the same blood purity prejudices he did as a child. That had changed the moment she broke his nose and called him a cockroach.
Any witch who had the audacity to stand up and defend herself against him when he was being a prat was a powerful witch in Draco's book. Granger proved that blood played no role in one's magical capabilities. The curly haired witch and her perfect grades turned Draco's world upside down and revolutionized the way he saw those around him. At least on the issue of blood.
These positive thoughts Draco could associate with Granger didn't mean Draco fancied the witch, Merlin no. He still hated her and her swotty, know-it-all, miss-perfect, annoying attitude. But he could respect her.
Up until the end of third year, she'd been a passionate subject of his ridicule. But to be honest, since that punch, his foul treatment of her was much less about her blood and more about her ability to make him look as ignorant as Weasley. She always had a quick retort for his taunts and her intelligence made him incredibly jealous at times. He was no fool. He'd gotten a few Os on his OWL's and was in the top ten of their year, but she still managed to make him feel inferior. His father would also never let him forget that "Potter's mudblood friend" bested him. For as long as he could remember, Draco was taught that her blood made her lowly and week; undesirable. When that thought was challenged, he'd been infuriated with his father, feeding the fire of disdain for the man. How dare Lucius think so little of his own son that he assumes he can be manipulated and brainwashed into believing anything without challenging it first. Power lies with those of pure blood? Magic is Might? Draco was no longer convinced.
He was not fighting this war for pureblood elitism like his parents were. Draco was fighting to keep his mother safe and to try to rectify some of his father's mistakes that left the Malfoy name unfavored by every side in the wizarding world.
True to form, Draco would do just about anything to save himself – like a good Slytherin.
"Where did you go last night?" Goyle asked Draco quietly, shaking him from his thoughts.
The blonde pulled together his mask of aristocratic superiority before he responded haughtily, "I thought you were aware that nothing I do is any of your concern."
The chubby, yet strong young man paled. "I just thought you wanted us to keep watch when–
"You complete idiot, Goyle," roared Draco sternly in the offending student's ear. "Don't you know when to shut your mouth? Mixed company."
Goyle nodded solemnly as he returned to eating his toast.
"Check out the couple over at Gryffindor Table. That Weasley's got the Brown bint sitting on his lap feeding him bites of pancakes," laughed Zabini. "It looks like his sister and Granger are about to have a fit!"
Draco dared a glance at the Gryffindors. Granger was slicing her pancake with such fervor that he thought she was trying to cut through the plate and the table with it. The she-weasel was glaring daggers at her youngest brother from her spot beside the brunette.
Spearing a piece of fruit with her fork, Granger leered at the repulsive couple over her shoulder before shifting her gaze straight ahead of her in defiance.
Her eyes locked on Malfoy's across the room.
Her glare almost softened, but Ron and Lavender started snogging loudly from their seats a few people down. Granger's face became unreadable. She looked completely neutral as she collected her book bag, bid Ginny a polite goodbye, and glanced again at Draco before walking out of the Hall.
If that was any indication she was thinking about what she could do to remedy the awful Weasley situation, Draco suspected she would want to proceed with the plan they'd talked about last night.
Darco still wasn't sure what he wanted to do.
He'd never been one for public displays or public declarations of love. If they were to fake date to make Weasley jealous, most of it would have to be where others could see.
The idea of being able to get Potter off of his tail was quite nice. Since he discovered Scarhead had an invisibility cloak, Draco had become much more nervous about doing anything. Especially after last night when Granger had full-out confirmed that Potty was intentionally stalking him.
Getting Granger to help him mend the vanishing cabinet was another big plus of going forward with the plan. If he could spin a story strong enough, believable enough, and safe enough as to why he was trying to fix it, there was no doubt the witch would be able to help.
Draco couldn't remember a time when she hadn't been successful at whatever she set out to do.
Perhaps he could tell her that he needed a way to get all of the other students out of the castle for when the Dark Lord decides to take over Hogwarts.
No, he thought, that wouldn't work because it makes me sound too good. No one would believe that he was trying to help save everyone.
Maybe he could explain that he needed a way to go home every once in a while without alerting the Headmaster. The only problem would be he'd need a reason for him to be going home, and a reason that he can't tell Dumbledore.
He could tell her that he needed to return home to check on his mother. He worries about her already. It is believable enough. Everyone knows Lucius is not in a good place; the older Malfoy cannot be trusted in his position to take care of his family. That much has been proven to the world time and time again.
If he didn't have this impossible task to complete at Hogwarts, Draco would have stayed home to take care of his mother anyway.
That just might work.
But did he have time for a fake relationship? Probably not.
And did he want that fake relationship to be with Granger of all people? Definitely not. There was no guarantee they wouldn't hex each other within the first hour.
As awful as dating the muggle-born witch sounded, he couldn't shake the idea that he was doomed if he didn't come up with some better plan to fix the connection between the vanishing cabinets.
At this point, he realized he couldn't accomplish it alone.
Later that evening, precisely at 8:00 pm, Hermione passed three times in front of the Room of Requirement. Just as instructed, she thought 'I need a place where I can meet Draco,' causing a large, wooden door to appear. She turned the knob and stepped in before anyone could find her in the hallway.
This room was different than the empty closet he had pulled her into the night before. This room was much more put-together. Draco was already inside, seated in a dark mahogany chair that reeked regality. He was leaning over a desk, large and wooden, as his eyes wandered over the empty bookshelves that waited to be filled and the couch that looked perfect for reading.
While more warm and welcoming than the small space they went to last night, this room was intimidating. Maybe it was they way Malfoy was seated so stiffly in that throne-like chair, but it reminded Hermione of an office that would belong to the CEO of a major global company.
This wasn't her usual study table in the library. Then again, she should have known. This was Draco Malfoy, after all, and Merlin knew neither subtlety nor simplicity would ever describe the Slytherin.
"Good evening, Granger," he called, an air of aristocracy ringing in his tone. A businessman. "Let's sit and get down to it."
She took her seat across from him at the regal desk. "I want to go through with this, I want to fake date you to get a rise out of Ron – and Lavender for that matter. She's my roommate. She knew he was off limits and went for him anyway. I want revenge." Her tone was vengeful, yet calm.
"Are you absolutely sure you want this? You can't get revenge and keep your spotless reputation," he reminded.
The look on her face was set, her eyes shone with a rage not directed at him.
"Sometimes revenge is a choice you've got to make."
Draco always thought the witch before him had eyes that were brown and plain like the books she hid behind, but seeing them up close in this moment told him he had thought wrong. They weren't plain and they were barely even brown. They were amber, gold, and yellow, lit from the fire blazing within her.
He should have known her eyes would remind him of an Incendio. Not because she was particularly warm, no. But because she had been fire in so many ways. Everyone at school knew that. She set fire to the ground, enough to light her way and burn anything that tried to stop her.
Most people would have cowered when faced with the fire that burned behind her eyes. Most people would have shrunk with feelings of insecurity and intimidation the moment her flames were felt. But most people were not Draco Malfoy. He was no stranger to fire; he knew that it held unmeasurable power.
So he welcomed it.
"Conditions then. We need rules. I won't help you for nothing. You need to help me with a few things, too."
The room provided new parchment and quills for their meeting. The supplies appearing on the desk caught Hermione's eye for the slightest of moments. Even after all of the time she spent in this room the year before, it's magical abilities still impressed her. The sudden appearance of stationary between them didn't seem to phase the Slytherin.
Hermione nodded her assent, prompting Draco to pull the parchment and quill toward himself. With a quick flick of his wand, the quill had inked itself and touched its tip to the parchment ready to write.
"First, I need your promise that nothing said in this room will leave this room."
Well, that's an obvious one, she thought. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Of course, Malfoy. I won't share anything... if you promise to keep the same silence," she added smartly.
"You will keep Potter off of my track to the best of your ability. I don't want him following me around or starting rumors." Hermione nodded signaling her agreement.
Draco continued confidently. He had to be convincing for the Gryffindor to believe him. "Potter is correct in one thing. I've been working on a project of sorts, but he is incorrect in assuming that it is something bad. I've hit a wall with this project and, if we are to do this fake relationship, you will help me with it."
"I won't agree to help you with anything before you tell me what the project is and why it's secret," Hermione declared.
Draco was prepared. Hermione was no dim girl, she was smart beyond belief. He knew she wouldn't agree to anything without fully understanding the offer. His hard exterior softened a bit as he chose to reveal his desperate feelings rather than mask them as usual.
"Of course. I've been working to fix a broken vanishing cabinet that is here in the castle. I need to fix the broken connection between the two so I can leave the castle occasionally undetected."
Hermione opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"It's pair resides in Diagon Alley. From Diagon Alley, I will floo to Malfoy Manor so I can take care of my mother," Draco explained. "It is apparent that my father has let his choice of… activities deteriorate her wellbeing. He doesn't care for her. He's created a toxic environment in our manor that she can barely live in. It is difficult to see her so emotionally abandoned by my father, the man she once loved, and I need to make sure she is okay," he explained earnestly. His usual smugness was gone. He rubbed at his neck with hands that trembled ever-so-slightly.
Hermione sat there silently for a moment as she thought through the request.
"Why should I believe you?" she asked.
"My father has been on a pedestal in my mind for as long as I can remember. I hate that I couldn't see the solely self-serving man he was earlier. I hate that he shoved family loyalty down my throat for years when he didn't believe in it himself. I hate him. But I can't abandon my mother when she needs me. She needs hope."
Seeing the normally emotionless Slytherin speak with such distress, such desperation, was startling. The honesty and vulnerability made him seem more relatable, more human. It shook the strong walls she'd built against him over the years, making them weaker. She felt bad for him. But she was hesitant to completely trust him.
"Why not tell Dumbledore? Surely he could help you protect her," she offered, her voice dripped with hope and optimism. It made him uncomfortable.
"That would only cause greater harm. It's not like Dumbledore can simply meander into the Manor and ask her to come away with him. No, it has to be me. If others know about the connection, it will be taken advantage of. Too many people will be put at risk." His reasoning was understandable, but she didn't like how his tone returned to that of a businessman. It made her uncomfortable.
She continued to look at him unbelieving.
He dropped his voice, allowing his sincerity and his fraught emotions to push past the Malfoy Mask once again, almost in a plea. "Surely, you'd do anything to protect your parents?"
Draco saw her resolve melting before him. Appealing to her sympathies was a backup plan, but at least it had worked. Meeting her eyes once again, he could see her compassion abounding through the flames. They were warm, worried for him– full of empathy for him.
"Okay, I'll agree to help you fix the cabinet."
Before she could change her mind, Draco spelled the quill to add the cabinet to their contract agreement.
They moved on to discuss the terms of their fake relationship. For this to work, the whole school needed to believe they were a couple.
It was decided that Draco would make the first public move the following day at breakfast.
They would make appearances as a couple in the library and sit at Hermione's favorite study table, and she would sit with him in the Slytherin section at future Quidditch matches to show that they support one another.
They quarreled over the physical aspects that come with a relationship. He could touch her back, but not too low and he could put his arm around her. Hermione demanded that no kissing was allowed, but they should hold hands when reasonable. Draco argued that no one would believe they were dating if no one ever saw them kiss. She countered that he wasn't a very PDA type of person anyway, so no one was likely to notice.
In the end, they decided that they would kiss each other's cheeks in greeting after a week of exposing their relationship to the school. This way, they looked like they were romantically interested in each other, but were polite enough to keep it behind closed doors.
Draco would escort Hermione to Slughorn's Christmas Party.
Draco would be civil to Harry and Ginny if and when the situation came up for them to be around each other. He could continue being a normal prat to Ron.
They would meet every night at 8:00 in the Room of Requirement to work on the cabinet.
And under no circumstances were either of them to ever speak of the nature of their agreement. To the world, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger were really boyfriend and girlfriend. No exceptions. She refused to let anyone know that she was stooping to the level of getting revenge over a broken heart.
When the contract was completed and both partners were content with the conditions, they shook hands, copied and protected the contract so only they could read it. A brief silence fell between them.
"So, this cabinet of yours, are you going to show me?"
"Right now?" Draco commented, eyebrow raised.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe I was mistaken, but it sounded as if you were desperate to fix the vanishing cabinet. If you require my help, it would probably be best if you showed me what we are working with," Hermione hissed giving her best Umbridge impression.
"Okay, okay, Granger you've made your point. Let's go."
The new fake couple left their office so Draco could summon the correct room.
The new door was much larger and much more regal in style compared to the simple one that hid their office. The carvings on it were an ornate pattern of ruins that Hermione ached to decipher, but there would not be any time for her personal interests. This was Malfoy's part of the plan, and he was already pulling the grand door open.
At his gesture, she slowly stepped into the unlit room, allowing the Slytherin to shut the door behind them. "I've never seen anything like this," admitted Hermione as she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to help them adjust to the darkness more quickly.
Towers and towers of objects filled the large, vaulted room. Broken chairs and dismantled tables had been thrown together in a mess of metal and wood, creating a mountain whose height rivaled the Great Pyramids of Giza. Next to the furniture stood a pile of books so tall, she imagined needing a broom to place another book on top of the rest, not that she ever would treat a book with such disdain. No sooner had she thought about brooms when she noticed a cluster of them thrown beside another monumental tower of objects, dusty and in need of serious maintenance.
She fought the urge to explore the books and pushed down the frustration rising inside her at the thought of how poorly these books were being treated. Dusty, thrown haphazardly in a precarious pile, in a dank room, with no one to read them.
After allowing her a few moments to drink in the scene before them, Malfoy's cool, confident voice rang through the otherwise silent room. "It's almost like a maze in here, so follow me. This room is filled with some really messed up magical objects and creatures, you wouldn't want to be left behind."
In silence, she followed him along the braided path between precarious towers of rubbish. Pile after pile, tower after tower, mass of objects after mass of objects, Hermione wondered how all of this could fit so easily, yet go unnoticed inside a castle that seemed suddenly too small for this use. The thought inspired a new wave of appreciation for magic, for this room was absolutely phenomenal.
When they arrived at the cabinet, Hermione set about observing the object, opening and closing the doors, casting a few spells wordlessly. Draco reasoned they were probably all of the observational spells he'd already done, but he was surprised when a bright blue light emanated from the cabinet, causing the glow to illuminate much of the space around them for a moment. He wasn't aware of that spell, whatever it was.
"It's a diagnostic spell," she stated matter-of-factly as if she had been reading his mind. "Prope Certum; I learned it from Mr. Weasley two summers ago. The object you're testing will glow an obvious blue if it requires much maintenance, but the glow turns white when it is completely fixed."
"It looks like we have a lot of work to do, then," responded Draco with a frown.
Hermione sighed audibly. "Yes, well, no need to carry that negative attitude. We will fix the cabinet eventually. We just need to do some research."
"I should have known," he mocked with a sneering half-smile and glaring eyes. "Hermione Granger: Bookworm Extraordinaire."
She smiled politely, fire dancing in her eyes once again. "You best mind that mocking tone, Draco Malfoy. That is no way to talk to your girlfriend, is it?"
.
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A/N: Hi, welcome, happy 2019! I hope your year is off to a good start (and if it isn't, I'm sorry. I hope it gets better soon)!
Great thanks to Rachelletwin2 and Gray-Jedi-Scavenger-Rey, my kind Betas, for their suggestions and help with this story. Any and all errors that remain are my own. I appreciate any constructive feedback in the comments! I will be updating, as per usual, next Friday.
"Prope Certum" is Latin, translating to "nearly fixed" or "almost fixed."
Disclaimer: All publically recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of J.K. Rowling.
Many thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this story, OxfordElise